14 THE CHOCOLATE-PLANT : 



in as deep a mystery as that which surrounds the chocolate- 

 plant. All were used at the outset by what we have been 

 accustomed to call the uncultivated races of mankind, but we 

 cannot surmise what first attracted their attention to these 

 plants. One can only say that by the natives of lands where 

 the plants grow naturally, they have all been used from time 

 immemorial, and that all three are welcome gifts from a rude 

 state of civilization to the highest which exists to-day. By the 

 savages and the Aztecs of America, by the roving tribes of 

 Arabia, and by the dwellers in the farther East, the virtues of 

 these three plants were recognized long before any one of them 

 was introduced into Europe. 



There is reason to believe that long before the discovery of 

 America, Tea and Coffee had been vaguely known to travellers 

 in the Orient, as curiosities, much as we to-day regard the Kola- 

 nut and Mate, but neither Tea nor Coffee was then employed as 

 a beverage anywhere in Western Europe. In fact, all trust- 

 worthy evidence in the case leads us to a surprising conclusion, 

 namely, That Chocolate was the first of these beverages to at- 

 tract the attention of Europeans. This beverage rapidly made its 

 way throughout Europe, beginning from Spain and Portugal, 

 whither its discoverers had brought it. The other beverages, 

 Tea and Coffee, soon followed, and after a short time became 

 associated together in popular regard. 



In a duodecimo work published in 1685, and now very rare, 

 the beverages derived from these three plants are described in 

 a clear and forcible manner. The reproduction of the frontis- 

 piece of this book, given above, shows how intimate the asso- 

 ciation of these beverages was regarded even two centuries ago. 

 It is interesting to observe the distinction made by the artist in 

 the receptacles and cups for holding these three different drinks. 



