Here we began to praise God, who had looked upon us in our low estate, not forgetting the wise and politick Provinciall, who though hee had lost his games for our comfort, wee would not hee should lose our prayers, which there wee offered up to God for his health and safety. And so till supper time wee continued our discourse in the Garden fuller of mirth and pleasant jests, then wee had done before dinner, snatching now and then at the Oranges and Lemmons, which were there both sowre and sweet, eating of some, and casting some one at another, but especially at him who had wished himselfe with Calvo dressing his rusty Bacon, whom we strived to beat out of the garden by force of Orange and Lemmon bullets; which sport we continued the more willingly, because wee perceived the good Provinciall stood behind a Lattice in a Balcony beholding us, and rejoycing to see our hearts so light and merry. Wee had no sooner beat Calvo his friend out of the garden, when the bell to supper sounded a retreat to us all, and called us again to meet our best friend Alvarez, who had furnished us a Table againe like that at noone. After supper hee told us that the next morning hee would send us to Chiapa, for that the Prior had writ unto him he would meet us in the way with a Breakfast at a Towne called St. Philip; wherewith wee conceited very highly of our selves to see that Provincialls and Priors were so forward to feast us. Yet before we went to bed, the Provinciall would try again a game at Tables with every one of us, to see if now hee could beat us that had been too hard for him at noon. The matter of our game was now altered, and what we played for was this; if the Provinciall wun, wee were to bee his Prisoners, (which mystery wee understood not till the next day, for the old man was crafty and Politick, and knew hee could winne of us when he listed, for hee was an excellent gamester at Tables) but if wee wun of him, hee was to give us a box of Chocolatte, which was a drinke wee liked very well. The Game went on, and wee every one of us one by one were losers, yet understood not how wee should bee his Prisoners, but slighted our losses. Yet for all this the merry Provinciall told us, hee was sory wee had lost, and wished wee might never bee prisoners to a worse enemie then hee; and that wee should perceive it, hee would comfort us each one as a Prisoner with a box of Chocolatte, to drinke for his sake, and to comfort our hearts, when most wee should find them discomforted for our losses. Wee understood not his meaning till the next day at noone, but thought it was a jest and a word of sport and mirth, like many such like which in his discourse had come from him.
With this wee tooke our leaves, and went to bed with light and merry hearts. In the morning two Mules of the Provinciall and two of his Companion were sadled for us, and at least a dozen Indians on horse back waited for us to conduct us up a steepy hill and through woods to the Towne of St. Philip. After our breakfast the good Provinciall imbraced us, and bad us farewell, desiring us to pray for him; and not to bee discouraged by any thing that might befall us, assuring us hee wished us very well, and would doe what lay in his power for our good; yet so, that hee must use policy and discretion to stop the mouths of the Criolians, whom hee knew hated both him and us. Thus we departed with Waits and Trumpets sounding before us, which rebounded an Echo all the way up the hill from us to old Alvarez whom we had left in a low bottome compassed about with hils on every side. Wee had no sooner ascended up to the top of the Mountaine, when we discovered a little Valley, and in it the City of Chiapa of the Spaniards; with two or three small Villages, of which one was St. Philip at the bottom of the Mountaine, which we were to descend. The Trumpets which still went sounding before us were a sufficient and loud Alarme to St. Philips Inhabitants of our coming, and a warning for the speedier hastening of our second breakfast, for the which the cold morning aire (which wee found somewhat piercing upon the Mountaine) had whetted and through prepared our stomacks. We had not got down the Mountaine halfe a mile, when wee met with a matter of twenty gallant Indians on horse-back with their trumpeters sounding before them, and behind them came upon a stately Mule the Prior of Chiapa, (whose name was Father John Baptist) a merry fat Fryer, who calling us his brethren fugitives from Philippinas, told us wee were welcome to that country, and to him especially, and that in the next St. Philip he would shew us better sport, then any St. Philip in all the Philippinas Islands could have shewed us, if wee had gone thither. Thus with a pleasant discourse, and many merry conceits from the good Prior wee soone came downe the hill, where the whole Village of St. Philip waited for us both men and women, some presenting unto us nosegaies, others hurling Roses and other flowers in our faces, others dancing before us all along the street, which was strowed with herbes and Orange leaves, and adorned with many Arches made with flowers and hung with garlands for us to ride under untill wee came to the Church, where for halfe an houre wee were welcomed with the best musick from the City of Chiapa, which the Prior had hired to come with him to entertaine us. Our Musick being ended, fat Father John Baptist stood up and made a short speech unto the Indians, giving them thankes for their kind and pompous entertainment of us his speciall friends, and that their soules might gaine by it, hee granted unto them a plenary indulgence of all their sinnes past to bee gained by as many of them as should visit that Church the next Lords Day either before or afternoon. And thus from the Altar wee went unto our breakfasting Table, which was furnished with many well seasoned dishes of salt and well peppered and spiced meats, all fit to make us relish better a cup of Spanish Pier Ximeny which the Prior had provided for us. After our salt meats, came such rare and exquisite sorts of sweet meats made by John Baptist his best devoted Nuns of Chiapa, that the like wee had not seen from St. John de Ulhua to that place. These were to prepare our stomacks for a Cup of Chocolatte, with the which we ended our breakfast. But whilst all this was gallantly performed by the Prior, it was a hard Riddle unto us, what hee often repeated unto us saying, Brethren break your fast well, for your dinner will be the meanest as ever yee did eate in your lives, and now enjoy this sweet liberty which will not last long unto you. Wee observed the words, but knew not what to make of them, till wee came unto the Cloister. After our breakfast the Indians shewed us a little sport in the Market place, running races on horse-back, and playing at Juego de Canna's; which is to meet on horseback, with broad Targets to defend their heads and shoulders while passing by they hurle Canes, or darts one at another, which those Indians acted with great dexterity.
Thus the good Prior of Chiapa feasted us, and permitted us to injoy our liberty as long as it seemes it had beene agreed upon by letters between him and the Provinciall, which was till it might be dinner time in the Cloister of Chiapa, where wee were to bee before noone. The time drew neere, and we had from St. Philip to the City of Chiapa some two English miles to ride; Wherefore the Prior commanded our Mules to bee brought; the waits and trumpets gave warning to the Town of our departure; and so with many horsemen, with dances, Musick and ringing of Bells wee were as stately and joyfully conducted out of the Town, as wee had been inducted into it. At the first halfe miles end the Prior gave thankes unto the Indians, and desired them to return, the Cloister being neer where wee expected another kinde of entertainment, not using in the City and Cloister that pompe and state, which in the Country might bee allowed. The Indians tooke their leaves of us; and on we went with onely two as guides before us. Within halfe a mile of the City, the Prior and a companion of his stopped, and tooke out of his pocket an order from the Provinciall, which he read unto us, to this effect, That whereas we had forsaken our lawfull Superior Calvo in the way to Philippinas, and without his licence had come unto the Province of Chiapa, hee could not in conscience but inflict some punishment upon us before he did enable us to abide there as members under him; therefore hee did strictly command the Prior of Chiapa, that as soone as wee should enter into his Cloister, hee should shut us up two by two in our chambers, as in prisons, for three daies, not suffering us to goe out to any place, save onely to the publick place of refection (called Refectory) where all the Fryers met together to dine and sup, where at noon time we were to present our selves before all the Cloister sitting upon the bare ground, and there to receive no other dinner, but only bread and water; but at supper we might have in our chambers, or Prisons, what the Prior would be pleased to allow us. This was the Penance enjoined upon us by the wise and cunning Provinciall. This newes at the first was but sowre sawce, or a dry Postpast after a double sumptuous breakfast; it was a dolefull ditty to us after our Musick, and dances, to heare of a treble fast after our feast; to heare of imprisonment after so great liberty. We now began to remember the Provincialls winnings at Tables the night before, and the mystery thereof, and began to thinke how comfortable his boxes of Chocolatte would be unto us after a meale of bread and water. Now wee called to minde the short dinner the Prior had told us at St. Philips wee were like to have that day, and of the liberty hee bad us then make much of. But the good Prior seeing us sad upon a suddaine, and our countenances changed, smiled upon us, wishing us not to thinke the worse of him, nor of the Provinciall, who did that out of Policy, and to stop the Criolians mouths, whom he knew would murmur, if no punishment were inflicted upon us. Hee assured us, after our imprisonment, of honours and preferments, and that as long as wee were with him, wee should want no incouragement; and that after a bread and water dinner hee could send us to our chambers a Supper, that should strongly support our empty stomacks, and furre and line them well for the next foure and twenty houres. With these incouragements on wee went to the Cloister of Chiapa, where wee were welcomed by most of the Fryers, but in some few wee noted a frowning and disaffected countenance. We were no sooner conducted to our chambers, when the bell sounded to dinner for the rest, and cryed aloud to us Penance with bread and water. Downe wee went to the common dining place, and thanks being given, the Fryers sitting round the tables, wee foure Philippinian Jonahs (so some Criolians were pleased to term us) betook our selves to the middle of the Refectory, where without cushions, stooles, seats or forms, wee sate upon the bare ground crosse legged like Tailors, acting humility now for our disobedience unto slovenly Calvo. While the first dish was presented round the tables, to each of us was presented a loafe of reasonable bignesse, and a pot of pure Crystall water, whereof wee fed and dranke most heartily though with full stomacks from a double breakfast before. Yet even here in this publick Act of shame and disgrace (which wee knew was usuall among Fryers for lesse faults then ours) we had this comfort, that we had a Prior and Provinciall for friends, and that that punishment came from a friendly hand, whose Chocolatte wee had to comfort our fasting bodies; and secondly, wee knew that wee should have that night in our prison chambers a better supper than any of those before us, who fed upon their three or foure dishes. But thirdly, it was our comfort that at that very time a Criolian Frier also sate upon the ground with us (of whose company we had been informed by some friends before wee went into the refectory) for some love letters which had been intercepted between him and a Nun of that City, tending to much uncivility, and breaking their oath of professed chastity. But when I perceived this Frier to looke discontentedly upon us, I chose my place as neer unto him as I could, and hearing him mutter within himselfe against us, calling us disobedient Philippinian Jonahs, I softly and friendly spoke unto him with these two following Hexameters, which suddenly came unto my mind about his misdemeanor.
Si Monialis Amor te turpia scribere fecit,
Ecce tibi frigidæ præhent medicamina lymphæ.
But my good neighbour snuffing and puffing at my suddain muse, seemed to be more discontented then before, and would faine withdraw himselfe by degrees from mee, not rising up (for that was not lawfull to doe till dinner had been ended) but wrigling his elbowes and shoulders scornefully from me, whom in like manner I followed, cleaving friendly to him with this verse,
Solamen misera est socios retinere Panettes,
Hee thought I followed him to steale away his loafe from him. This new found word, Panettes, had almost choaked him, had not hee made use of the medicinall water which stood before him; of the which he dranke a good draught, whereby I perceived his courage against me and my friends was tamed, and I told him, I hoped his burning wanton love was cooled.
Thus with my Criolian neighbours company my bread and water went down cheerfully; and dinner being ended, we were again conducted to our chambers, where we dranke a cup of old Alvarez his Chocolatte. The Castilian Friers flocked unto our prisons, some to talke with us, some bringing us conserves and sweet-meats, others other dainties, which they had prepared to helpe our digestion of bread and cold water. My suddain verses to my Criolian neighbour were presently noysed about the Cloister, and were the chiefe subject of our talke that afternoone. Our supper was provided for us according to the promise and generous spirit of the Prior, who also honoured our prison that night with his owne and two other Friers company supping with us all in one chamber together. And thus we passed our three daies of imprisonment merrily and contentedly, wishing we might never suffer harder usage in any prison then we had done in this, which was not to us such a punishment as did bring with it the privation of any liberty of enjoying the company of friends, of feasting with them, but onely the privation of the liberty of our legs to walke about those three daies; and this rather an ease then a punishment, for that we wanted rather rest, then much stirring after so long and tedious a journey as we had compassed from Mexico thither. We were no sooner set at liberty, but we presently found the Provinciall and Prior ready to dispose of us so, that in lieu of our imprisonment we might receive honor and credit. Two were sent into the Country to learne some Indian language, that so they might be beneficed and preach unto the Indians. My selfe and another desired to goe farther to Guatemala, that there we might practise Philosophy and Divinity in the famous Universitie of that City. Nothing that we desired was denied unto us, onely the time was thought not fit untill Michaelmas, because then the schooles were renewed, and new Orders setled. In the meane time the Provinciall having also heard of my verses ex tempore to the Criolian Frier, and knowing that the Latin tongue is better grounded in England then among the Spaniards (who abuse poore Priscian and daily breake his pate with foolish soloecismes) and considering the want hee had of a Master of the Latine tongue to supply a Lecture of Grammar and Syntax to the youthes of Chiapa in a schoole in that Cloister, which brought a sufficient yeerly stipend unto the Covent, desired me to accept of that place untill such time as he should take care to send me to Guatemala, promising me all incouragements in the meane time fitting, and that I should when I would go about to see the Country (which I much desired) and also that out of the schoole annuity I should have my allowance for bookes, and other necessaries. I could not but accept of this good offer; and so with this imployment I remained in that City from Aprill to the end of September, where I was much esteemed of by the Bishop and Governour, but especially by the Prior, who would never ride about the Country for his recreation, but he would take me with him, whereby I had occasion to note concerning the Province, riches, commodities, and government of Chiapa, what in the ensuing Chapter I shall faithfully commend unto the Presse.