g them
to church, in the middle of mass or sermon, a cup of
chocolatte, which could not be done to all without a great
confusion and interrupting both mass and sermon. The Bishop,
perceiving this abuse, and having given faire warning for the
omitting of it, but all without amendment, thought fit to fix
in writing upon the church dores an excommunication against all
such as should presume at the time of service to eate or
drinke within the church. This excommunication was taken by
all, but especially by the gentlewomen, much to heart, who
protested, if they might not eate or drinke in the church, they
could not continue in it to hear what otherwise they were bound
unto. But none of these reasons would move the Bishop. The
women, seeing him so hard to be entreated, began to slight him
with scornefull and reproachfull words: others slighted his
excommunication, drinking in iniquity in the church, as the
fish doth water, which caused one day such an uproar in the
Cathedrall that many swordes were drawn against the Priests,
who attempted to take away from the maids the cups of
chocolatte which they brought unto their mistresses, who at
last, seeing that neither faire nor foule means would prevail
with the Bishop, resolved to forsake the Cathedrall: and so
from that time most of the city betooke themselves to the
Cloister Churches, where by the Nuns and Fryers they were not
troubled....

"The Bishop fell dangerously sick. Physicians were sent for far
and neere, who all with a joynt opinion agreed that the Bishop
was poisoned. A gentlewoman, with whom I was well acquainted,
was commonly censured to have prescribed such a cup of
chocolatte to be ministered by the Page, which poisoned him who
so rigorously had forbidden chocolatte to be drunk in the
church. Myself heard this gentlewoman say that the women had no
reason to grieve for him, and that she judged, he being such an
enemy to chocolatte in the Church, that which he had drunk in
his house had not agreed with his body. And it became
afterwards a Proverbe in that country: 'Beware of the
chocolatte of Chiapa!' ... that poisoning and wicked city,
which truly deserves no better relation than what I have given
of the simple Dons and the chocolatte-confectioning Donas."

It was only natur