JOHN CHILTON a.d. 



1572. 

 into small pieces, and giveth to every one of his 

 householde a little piece, saying thus, they need now 

 no more, seeing in that which they bought the yeere 

 before they had above ten thousand yeres pardon. 

 These pieces they sticke up in the wall of the houses 

 where they lie. Both the Christians & Indians are 

 weary with these infinite taxes and customes, which of 

 late he hath imposed upon them, more then in the 

 yeeres before : so as the people of both sorts did rebell 'Rebellions in 

 twise in the time that I was among them, and would "^^ , ^^" 

 have set up another king of themselves ; for which \.^^^^ ^^^^_ 

 cause the king hath commanded upon paine of death, that tions. 

 they should not plant either wine or oile there, but should 

 alwayes stand in need of them to be brought out of 

 Spaine, although there would more grow there in foure 

 yeeres, then there groweth in Spaine in twenty, it is so 

 fertile a countrey. 



And the king to keepe the countrey alwayes in sub- [HI- 4^2.] 

 jection, and to his owne use, hath streightly provided by T^he reasons 

 lawe, upon paine of death, and losse of goods, that none ^^^ ^- ^ ^r 

 of these countreys should traffique with any other nation, Spdne to forbid 

 although the people themselves doe much now desire to forren traffike 

 trade with any other then with them, and would un- ^mhe West 

 doubtedly doe, if they feared not the perill ensuing 

 thereupon. 



About Mexico, and other places in Nova Hispania, 

 there groweth a certeine plant called magueis, which Magueis. 

 yeeldeth wine, vineger, hony, and blacke sugar, and of 

 the leaves of it dried they make hempe, ropes, shooes 

 which they use, and tiles for their houses : and at the ende 

 of every leafe there groweth a sharpe point like an awle, 

 wherewith they use to bore or pearce thorow any 

 thing. 



Thus to make an end, I have heere set downe the 

 summe of all the chiefest things that I have observed and 

 noted in my seventeene yeres travell in those parts. 



[A relation 

 377 



