To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [that are now] inhabited, and upon the people [that are] gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Ver. 12. To take a spoil.] Heb., To spoil the spoil, and to prey the prey. The antichristian rout are all for robbing and ravaging. What vast sums of money raked the Pope once out of England, which was therefore truly and trimly called by Pope Innocent IV, Hortus deliciarum et puteus inexhaustus, His delicate garden, and pit that could not be drawn dry.
To turn thine hand.] To plunder them to the very bones, as they say. There was a time when the Pope's receivers here left not so much money in the whole kingdom as they either carried with them, or sent to Rome before them. Of this Papal expilation King John heavily complained, and could get no remedy, but Henry VIII would bear it no longer. England is no more a babe, said he, in his protestation against the Pope; there is no man here but now he knoweth that they do foolishly that give gold for lead, more weight of that than they receive of this, &c. a
a Acts and Mon., 990.