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diff --git a/1436-h/1436-h.htm b/1436-h/1436-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2eaf8a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/1436-h/1436-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,4363 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" /> +<title>A Voyage to Abyssinia</title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + P { margin-top: .75em; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + H1, H2 { + text-align: center; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + } + H3, H4 { + text-align: left; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-bottom: 1em; + } + BODY{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + TD { vertical-align: top; } + .blkquot {margin-left: 4em; margin-right: 4em;} /* block indent */ + + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + .pagenum {position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + color: gray;} + + .citation {vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: none;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h2> +<a href="#startoftext">A Voyage to Abyssinia, by Jerome Lobo</a> +</h2> +<pre> +The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Voyage to Abyssinia, by Jerome Lobo, Edited +by Henry Morley, Translated by Samuel Johnson + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: A Voyage to Abyssinia + + +Author: Jerome Lobo + +Editor: Henry Morley + +Release Date: July 4, 2007 [eBook #1436] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A VOYAGE TO ABYSSINIA*** +</pre> +<p><a name="startoftext"></a></p> +<p>This etext was prepared from the 1887 Cassell and Company +edition by Les Bowler, St. Ives, Dorset.</p> +<h1>A VOYAGE TO ABYSSINIA.</h1> +<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap">by</span><br /> +FATHER JEROME LOBO.</p> +<p style="text-align: center"><i>Translated from the +French</i><br /> +by<br /> +SAMUEL JOHNSON.</p> +<p style="text-align: center">CASSELL & COMPANY, <span +class="smcap">Limited</span>:<br /> +<span class="smcap"><i>london</i></span>, <span +class="smcap"><i>paris</i></span>, <span class="smcap"><i>new +york & melbourne</i></span>.<br /> +1887.</p> +<h2>INTRODUCTION.</h2> +<p>Jeronimo Lobo was born in Lisbon in the year 1593. He +entered the Order of the Jesuits at the age of sixteen. +After passing through the studies by which Jesuits were trained +for missionary work, which included special attention to the arts +of speaking and writing, Father Lobo was sent as a missionary to +India at the age of twenty-eight, in the year 1621. He +reached Goa, as his book tells, in 1622, and was in 1624, at the +age of thirty-one, told off as one of the missionaries to be +employed in the conversion of the Abyssinians. They were to +be converted, from a form of Christianity peculiar to themselves, +to orthodox Catholicism. The Abyssinian Emperor Segued was +protector of the enterprise, of which we have here the story +told.</p> +<p>Father Lobo was nine years in Abyssinia, from the age of +thirty-one to the age of forty, and this was the adventurous time +of his life. The death of the Emperor Segued put an end to +the protection that had given the devoted missionaries, in the +midst of dangers, a precarious hold upon their work. When +he and his comrades fell into the hands of the Turks at Massowah, +his vigour of body and mind, his readiness of resource, and his +fidelity, marked him out as the one to be sent to the +headquarters in India to secure the payment of a ransom for his +companions. He obtained the ransom, and desired also to +obtain from the Portuguese Viceroy in India armed force to +maintain the missionaries in the position they had so far +won. But the Civil power was deaf to his pleading. He +removed the appeal to Lisbon, and after narrowly escaping on the +way from a shipwreck, and after having been captured by pirates, +he reached Lisbon, and sought still to obtain means of overawing +the force hostile to the work of the Jesuits in Abyssinia. +The Princess Margaret gave friendly hearing, but sent him on to +persuade, if he could, the King of Spain; and failing at Madrid, +he went to Rome and tried the Pope. He was chosen to go to +the Pope, said the Patriarch Alfonso Mendez, because, of all the +brethren at Goa, the ‘Pater Hieronymus Lupus’ (Lobo +translated into Wolf) was the most ingenious and learned in all +sciences, with a mind most generous in its desire to conquer +difficulties, dexterous in management of business, and found most +able to make himself agreeable to those with whom there was +business to be done. The vigour with which he held by his +purpose of endeavouring in every possible way to bring the +Christianity of Abyssinia within the pale of the Catholic Church +is in accordance with the character that makes the centre of the +story of this book. Whimsical touches arise out of this +strength of character and readiness of resource, as when he tells +of the taste of the Abyssinians for raw cow’s flesh, with a +sauce high in royal Abyssinian favour, made of the cow’s +gall and contents of its entrails, of which, when he was pressed +to partake, he could only excuse himself and his brethren by +suggesting that it was too good for such humble +missionaries. Out of distinguished respect for it, they +refrained from putting it into their mouths.</p> +<p>Good Father Lobo gave up the desire of his heart, when it was +proved unattainable, and returned to India six years after the +breaking up of his work in Abyssinia, at the age of +forty-seven. He came to be head of the Provincials of the +Jesuit settlement at Goa, and after about ten more years of +active duty in the East returned in 1658 to Lisbon, when he died +in the religious house of St. Roque in 1678, at the age of +eighty-five. A comrade of Father Lobo’s, Baltazar +Tellez, said that Lobo had travelled thirty-eight thousand +leagues with no other object before him but the winning of more +souls to God. His years in Abyssinia stood out prominently +to his mind among all the years of his long life, and he wrote an +account of them in Portuguese, of which the manuscript is at +Lisbon in the monastery of St. Roque, where he closed his +life.</p> +<p>Of that manuscript, then and still unprinted (though use was +made of it by Baltazar Tellez in his History of +‘Ethiopia-Coimbra,’ 1660), the Abbe Legrand, Prior of +Neuville-les-Dames, and of Prevessin, published a translation +into French. The Abbe Legrand had been to Lisbon as +Secretary to the Abbe d’Estrees, Ambassador from France to +Portugal. The negotiations were so long continued that M. +Legrand was detained five years in Lisbon, and employed the time +in researches among documents illustrating the Portuguese +possessions in India and the East. He obtained many memoirs +of great interest, and published from one of them an account of +Ceylon; but of all the manuscripts he found none interested him +so much as that of Father Lobo. His translation was +augmented with illustrative dissertations, letters, and a memoir +on the circumstances of the death of M. du Roule. It filled +two volumes, or 636 pages of forty lines. This was +published in 1728. It was on the 31st of October, 1728, +that Samuel Johnson, aged nineteen, went to Pembroke College, +Oxford, and Legrand’s ‘Voyage Historique +d’Abissinie du R. P. Jerome Lobo, de la Compagnie de Jesus, +Traduit du Portugais, continue et augmente de plusieurs +Dissertations, Lettres et Memoires,’ was one of the new +books read by Johnson during his short period of college +life. In 1735, when Johnson’s age was twenty-six, and +the world seemed to have shut against him every door of hope, +Johnson stayed for six months at Birmingham with his old +schoolfellow Hector, who was aiming at medical practice, and who +lodged at the house of a bookseller. Johnson spoke with +interest of Father Lobo, whose book he had read at Pembroke +College. Mr. Warren, the bookseller, thought it would be +worth while to print a translation. Hector joined in urging +Johnson to undertake it, for a payment of five guineas. +Although nearly brought to a stop midway by hypochondriac +despondency, a little suggestion that the printers also were +stopped, and if they had not their work had not their pay, caused +Johnson to go on to the end. Legrand’s book was +reduced to a fifth of its size by the omission of all that +overlaid Father Lobo’s personal account of his adventures; +and Johnson began work as a writer with this translation, first +published at Birmingham in 1735.</p> +<p>H.M.</p> +<h2>THE PREFACE</h2> +<p>The following relation is so curious and entertaining, and the +dissertations that accompany it so judicious and instructive, +that the translator is confident his attempt stands in need of no +apology, whatever censures may fall on the performance.</p> +<p>The Portuguese traveller, contrary to the general vein of his +countrymen, has amused his reader with no romantic absurdities or +incredible fictions; whatever he relates, whether true or not, is +at least probable; and he who tells nothing exceeding the bounds +of probability has a right to demand that they should believe him +who cannot contradict him.</p> +<p>He appears by his modest and unaffected narration to have +described things as he saw them, to have copied nature from the +life, and to have consulted his senses, not his imagination; he +meets with no basilisks that destroy with their eyes, his +crocodiles devour their prey without tears, and his cataracts +fall from the rock without deafening the neighbouring +inhabitants.</p> +<p>The reader will here find no regions cursed with irremediable +barrenness, or blessed with spontaneous fecundity, no perpetual +gloom or unceasing sunshine; nor are the nations here described +either devoid of all sense of humanity, or consummate in all +private and social virtues; here are no Hottentots without +religion, polity, or articulate language, no Chinese perfectly +polite, and completely skilled in all sciences: he will discover, +what will always be discovered by a diligent and impartial +inquirer, that wherever human nature is to be found there is a +mixture of vice and virtue, a contest of passion and reason, and +that the Creator doth not appear partial in his distributions, +but has balanced in most countries their particular +inconveniences by particular favours.</p> +<p>In his account of the mission, where his veracity is most to +be suspected, he neither exaggerates overmuch the merits of the +Jesuits, if we consider the partial regard paid by the Portuguese +to their countrymen, by the Jesuits to their society, and by the +Papists to their church, nor aggravates the vices of the +Abyssins; but if the reader will not be satisfied with a Popish +account of a Popish mission, he may have recourse to the history +of the church of Abyssinia, written by Dr. Geddes, in which he +will find the actions and sufferings of the missionaries placed +in a different light, though the same in which Mr. Le Grand, with +all his zeal for the Roman church, appears to have seen them.</p> +<p>This learned dissertator, however valuable for his industry +and erudition, is yet more to be esteemed for having dared so +freely in the midst of France to declare his disapprobation of +the Patriarch Oviedo’s sanguinary zeal, who was continually +importuning the Portuguese to beat up their drums for +missionaries, who might preach the gospel with swords in their +hands, and propagate by desolation and slaughter the true worship +of the God of Peace.</p> +<p>It is not easy to forbear reflecting with how little reason +these men profess themselves the followers of Jesus, who left +this great characteristic to His disciples, that they should be +known by loving one another, by universal and unbounded charity +and benevolence.</p> +<p>Let us suppose an inhabitant of some remote and superior +region, yet unskilled in the ways of men, having read and +considered the precepts of the gospel, and the example of our +Saviour, to come down in search of the true church: if he would +not inquire after it among the cruel, the insolent, and the +oppressive; among those who are continually grasping at dominion +over souls as well as bodies; among those who are employed in +procuring to themselves impunity for the most enormous +villainies, and studying methods of destroying their +fellow-creatures, not for their crimes but their errors; if he +would not expect to meet benevolence, engaged in massacres, or to +find mercy in a court of inquisition, he would not look for the +true church in the Church of Rome.</p> +<p>Mr. Le Grand has given in one dissertation an example of great +moderation, in deviating from the temper of his religion, but in +the others has left proofs that learning and honesty are often +too weak to oppose prejudice. He has made no scruple of +preferring the testimony of Father du Bernat to the writings of +all the Portuguese Jesuits, to whom he allows great zeal, but +little learning, without giving any other reason than that his +favourite was a Frenchman. This is writing only to +Frenchmen and to Papists: a Protestant would be desirous to know +why he must imagine that Father du Bernat had a cooler head or +more knowledge; and why one man whose account is singular is not +more likely to be mistaken than many agreeing in the same +account.</p> +<p>If the Portuguese were biassed by any particular views, +another bias equally powerful may have deflected the Frenchman +from the truth, for they evidently write with contrary designs: +the Portuguese, to make their mission seem more necessary, +endeavoured to place in the strongest light the differences +between the Abyssinian and Roman Church; but the great Ludolfus, +laying hold on the advantage, reduced these later writers to +prove their conformity.</p> +<p>Upon the whole, the controversy seems of no great importance +to those who believe the Holy Scriptures sufficient to teach the +way of salvation, but of whatever moment it may be thought, there +are not proofs sufficient to decide it.</p> +<p>His discourses on indifferent subjects will divert as well as +instruct, and if either in these, or in the relation of Father +Lobo, any argument shall appear unconvincing, or description +obscure, they are defects incident to all mankind, which, +however, are not too rashly to be imputed to the authors, being +sometimes, perhaps, more justly chargeable on the translator.</p> +<p>In this translation, if it may be so called, great liberties +have been taken, which, whether justifiable or not, shall be +fairly confessed; and let the judicious part of mankind pardon or +condemn them.</p> +<p>In the first part the greatest freedom has been used in +reducing the narration into a narrow compass, so that it is by no +means a translation but an epitome, in which, whether everything +either useful or entertaining be comprised, the compiler is least +qualified to determine.</p> +<p>In the account of Abyssinia, and the continuation, the authors +have been followed with more exactness, and as few passages +appeared either insignificant or tedious, few have been either +shortened or omitted.</p> +<p>The dissertations are the only part in which an exact +translation has been attempted, and even in those abstracts are +sometimes given instead of literal quotations, particularly in +the first; and sometimes other parts have been contracted.</p> +<p>Several memorials and letters, which are printed at the end of +the dissertations to secure the credit of the foregoing +narrative, are entirely left out.</p> +<p>It is hoped that, after this confession, whoever shall compare +this attempt with the original, if he shall find no proofs of +fraud or partiality, will candidly overlook any failure of +judgment.</p> +<h2>PART I—THE VOYAGE TO ABYSSINIA</h2> +<h3>CHAPTER I</h3> +<p>The author arrives after some difficulties at Goa. Is +chosen for the Mission of Æthiopia. The fate of those +Jesuits who went by Zeila. The author arrives at the coast +of Melinda.</p> +<p>I embarked in March, 1622, in the same fleet with the Count +Vidigueira, on whom the king had conferred the viceroyship of the +Indies, then vacant by the resignation of Alfonso Noronha, whose +unsuccessful voyage in the foregoing year had been the occasion +of the loss of Ormus, which being by the miscarriage of that +fleet deprived of the succours necessary for its defence, was +taken by the Persians and English. The beginning of this +voyage was very prosperous: we were neither annoyed with the +diseases of the climate nor distressed with bad weather, till we +doubled the Cape of Good Hope, which was about the end of +May. Here began our misfortunes; these coasts are +remarkable for the many shipwrecks the Portuguese have +suffered. The sea is for the most part rough, and the winds +tempestuous; we had here our rigging somewhat damaged by a storm +of lightning, which when we had repaired, we sailed forward to +Mosambique, where we were to stay some time. When we came +near that coast, and began to rejoice at the prospect of ease and +refreshment, we were on the sudden alarmed with the sight of a +squadron of ships, of what nation we could not at first +distinguish, but soon discovered that they were three English and +three Dutch, and were preparing to attack us. I shall not +trouble the reader with the particulars of this fight, in which, +though the English commander ran himself aground, we lost three +of our ships, and with great difficulty escaped with the rest +into the port of Mosambique.</p> +<p>This place was able to afford us little consolation in our +uneasy circumstances; the arrival of our company almost caused a +scarcity of provisions. The heat in the day is intolerable, +and the dews in the night so unwholesome that it is almost +certain death to go out with one’s head uncovered. +Nothing can be a stronger proof of the malignant quality of the +air than that the rust will immediately corrode both the iron and +brass if they are not carefully covered with straw. We +stayed, however, in this place from the latter end of July to the +beginning of September, when having provided ourselves with other +vessels, we set out for Cochin, and landed there after a very +hazardous and difficult passage, made so partly by the currents +and storms which separated us from each other, and partly by +continual apprehensions of the English and Dutch, who were +cruising for us in the Indian seas. Here the viceroy and +his company were received with so much ceremony, as was rather +troublesome than pleasing to us who were fatigued with the +labours of the passage; and having stayed here some time, that +the gentlemen who attended the viceroy to Goa might fit out their +vessels, we set sail, and after having been detained some time at +sea, by calms and contrary winds, and somewhat harassed by the +English and Dutch, who were now increased to eleven ships of war, +arrived at Goa, on Saturday, the 16th of December, and the +viceroy made his entry with great magnificence.</p> +<p>I lived here about a year, and completed my studies in +divinity; in which time some letters were received from the +fathers in Æthiopia, with an account that Sultan Segued, +Emperor of Abyssinia, was converted to the Church of Rome, that +many of his subjects had followed his example, and that there was +a great want of missionaries to improve these prosperous +beginnings. Everybody was very desirous of seconding the +zeal of our fathers, and of sending them the assistance they +requested; to which we were the more encouraged, because the +emperor’s letters informed our provincial that we might +easily enter his dominions by the way of Dancala, but unhappily, +the secretary wrote Zeila for Dancala, which cost two of our +fathers their lives.</p> +<p>We were, however, notwithstanding the assurances given us by +the emperor, sufficiently apprised of the danger which we were +exposed to in this expedition, whether we went by sea or +land. By sea, we foresaw the hazard we run of falling into +the hands of the Turks, amongst whom we should lose, if not our +lives, at least our liberty, and be for ever prevented from +reaching the court of Æthiopia. Upon this +consideration our superiors divided the eight Jesuits chosen for +this mission into two companies. Four they sent by sea and +four by land; I was of the latter number. The four first +were the more fortunate, who though they were detained some time +by the Turkish bassa, were dismissed at the request of the +emperor, who sent him a zebra, or wild ass, a creature of large +size and admirable beauty.</p> +<p>As for us, who were to go by Zeila, we had still greater +difficulties to struggle with: we were entirely strangers to the +ways we were to take, to the manners, and even to the names of +the nations through which we were to pass. Our chief desire +was to discover some new road by which we might avoid having +anything to do with the Turks. Among great numbers whom we +consulted on this occasion, we were informed by some that we +might go through Melinda. These men painted that hideous +wilderness in charming colours, told us that we should find a +country watered with navigable rivers, and inhabited by a people +that would either inform us of the way, or accompany us in +it. These reports charmed us, because they flattered our +desires; but our superiors finding nothing in all this talk that +could be depended on, were in suspense what directions to give +us, till my companion and I upon this reflection, that since all +the ways were equally new to us, we had nothing to do but to +resign ourselves to the Providence of God, asked and obtained the +permission of our superiors to attempt the road through +Melinda. So of we who went by land, two took the way of +Zeila, and my companion and I that of Melinda.</p> +<p>Those who were appointed for Zeila embarked in a vessel that +was going to Caxume, where they were well received by the king, +and accommodated with a ship to carry them to Zeila; they were +there treated by the Check with the same civility which they had +met with at Caxume. But the king being informed of their +arrival, ordered them to be conveyed to his court at Auxa, to +which place they were scarce come before they were thrown by the +king’s command into a dark and dismal dungeon, where there +is hardly any sort of cruelty that was not exercised upon +them. The Emperor of Abyssinia endeavoured by large offers +to obtain their liberty, but his kind offices had no other effect +than to heighten the rage of the king of Zeila. This +prince, besides his ill will to Sultan Segued, which was kept up +by some malcontents among the Abyssin nobility, who, provoked at +the conversion of their master, were plotting a revolt, +entertained an inveterate hatred against the Portuguese for the +death of his grandfather, who had been killed many years before, +which he swore the blood of the Jesuits should repay. So +after they had languished for some time in prison their heads +were struck off. A fate which had been likewise our own, +had not God reserved us for longer labours!</p> +<p>Having provided everything necessary for our journey, such as +Arabian habits, and red caps, calicoes, and other trifles to make +presents of to the inhabitants, and taking leave of our friends, +as men going to a speedy death, for we were not insensible of the +dangers we were likely to encounter, amongst horrid deserts, +impassable mountains, and barbarous nations, we left Goa on the +26th day of January in the year 1624, in a Portuguese galliot +that was ordered to set us ashore at Pate, where we landed +without any disaster in eleven days, together with a young +Abyssin, whom we made use of as our interpreter. While we +stayed here we were given to understand that those who had been +pleased at Goa to give us directions in relation to our journey +had done nothing but tell us lies. That the people were +savage, that they had indeed begun to treat with the Portuguese, +but it was only from fear, that otherwise they were a barbarous +nation, who finding themselves too much crowded in their own +country, had extended themselves to the sea-shore; that they +ravished the country and laid everything waste where they came, +that they were man-eaters, and were on that account dreadful in +all those parts. My companion and I being undeceived by +this terrible relation, thought it would be the highest +imprudence to expose ourselves both together to a death almost +certain and unprofitable, and agreed that I should go with our +Abyssin and a Portuguese to observe the country; that if I should +prove so happy as to escape being killed by the inhabitants, and +to discover a way, I should either return, or send back the +Abyssin or Portuguese. Having fixed upon this, I hired a +little bark to Jubo, a place about forty leagues distant from +Pate, on board which I put some provisions, together with my +sacerdotal vestments, and all that was necessary for saying mass: +in this vessel we reached the coast, which we found inhabited by +several nations: each nation is subject to its own king; these +petty monarchies are so numerous, that I counted at least ten in +less than four leagues.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER II</h3> +<p>The author lands: The difficulty of his journey. An +account of the Galles, and of the author’s reception at the +king’s tent; Their manner of swearing, and of letting +blood. The author returns to the Indies, and finds the +patriarch of Æthiopia.</p> +<p>On this coast we landed, with an intention of travelling on +foot to Jubo, a journey of much greater length and difficulty +than we imagined. We durst not go far from our bark, and +therefore were obliged to a toilsome march along the windings of +the shore, sometimes clambering up rocks, and sometimes wading +through the sands, so that we were every moment in the utmost +danger of falling from the one, or sinking in the other. +Our lodging was either in the rocks or on the sands, and even +that incommoded by continual apprehensions of being devoured by +lions and tigers. Amidst all these calamities our +provisions failed us; we had little hopes of a supply, for we +found neither villages, houses, nor any trace of a human +creature; and had miserably perished by thirst and hunger had we +not met with some fishermen’s boats, who exchanged their +fish for tobacco.</p> +<p>Through all these fatigues we at length came to Jubo, a +kingdom of considerable extent, situated almost under the line, +and tributary to the Portuguese, who carry on a trade here for +ivory and other commodities. This region so abounds with +elephants, that though the teeth of the male only are valuable, +they load several ships with ivory every year. All this +coast is much infested with ravenous beasts, monkeys, and +serpents, of which last here are some seven feet in length, and +thicker than an ordinary man; in the head of this serpent is +found a stone about the bigness of an egg, resembling bezoar, and +of great efficacy, as it is said, against all kinds of +poison. I stayed here some time to inform myself whether I +might, by pursuing this road, reach Abyssinia; and could get no +other intelligence but that two thousand Galles (the same people +who inhabited Melinda) had encamped about three leagues from +Jubo; that they had been induced to fix in that place by the +plenty of provisions they found there. These Galles lay +everything where they come in ruin, putting all to the sword +without distinction of age or sex; which barbarities, though +their numbers are not great, have spread the terror of them over +all the country. They choose a king, whom they call Lubo: +every eighth year. They carry their wives with them, and expose +their children without any tenderness in the woods, it being +prohibited, on pain of death, to take any care of those which are +born in the camp. This is their way of living when they are +in arms, but afterwards when they settle at home they breed up +their children. They feed upon raw cow’s flesh; when +they kill a cow, they keep the blood to rub their bodies with, +and wear the guts about their necks for ornaments, which they +afterwards give to their wives.</p> +<p>Several of these Galles came to see me, and as it seemed they +had never beheld a white man before, they gazed on me with +amazement; so strong was their curiosity that they even pulled +off my shoes and stockings, that they might be satisfied whether +all my body was of the same colour with my face. I could +remark, that after they had observed me some time, they +discovered some aversion from a white; however, seeing me pull +out my handkerchief, they asked me for it with a great deal of +eagerness; I cut it into several pieces that I might satisfy them +all, and distributed it amongst them; they bound them about their +heads, but gave me to understand that they should have liked them +better if they had been red: after this we were seldom without +their company, which gave occasion to an accident, which though +it seemed to threaten some danger at first, turned afterwards to +our advantage.</p> +<p>As these people were continually teasing us, our Portuguese +one day threatened in jest to kill one of them. The black +ran in the utmost dread to seek his comrades, and we were in one +moment almost covered with Galles; we thought it the most proper +course to decline the first impulse of their fury, and retired +into our house. Our retreat inspired them with courage; +they redoubled their cries, and posted themselves on an eminence +near at hand that overlooked us; there they insulted us by +brandishing their lances and daggers. We were fortunately +not above a stone’s cast from the sea, and could therefore +have retreated to our bark had we found ourselves reduced to +extremities. This made us not very solicitous about their +menaces; but finding that they continued to hover about our +habitation, and being wearied with their clamours, we thought it +might be a good expedient to fright them away by firing four +muskets towards them, in such a manner that they might hear the +bullets hiss about two feet over their heads. This had the +effect we wished; the noise and fire of our arms struck them with +so much terror that they fell upon the ground, and durst not for +some time so much as lift up their heads. They forgot +immediately their natural temper, their ferocity and haughtiness +were softened into mildness and submission; they asked pardon for +their insolence, and we were ever after good friends.</p> +<p>After our reconciliation we visited each other frequently, and +had some conversation about the journey I had undertaken, and the +desire I had of finding a new passage into Æthiopia. +It was necessary on this account to consult their lubo or king: I +found him in a straw hut something larger than those of his +subjects, surrounded by his courtiers, who had each a stick in +his hand, which is longer or shorter according to the quality of +the person admitted into the king’s presence. The +ceremony made use of at the reception of a stranger is somewhat +unusual; as soon as he enters, all the courtiers strike him with +their cudgels till he goes back to the door; the amity then +subsisting between us did not secure me from this uncouth +reception, which they told me, upon my demanding the reason of +it, was to show those whom they treated with that they were the +bravest people in the world, and that all other nations ought to +bow down before them. I could not help reflecting on this +occasion how imprudently I had trusted my life in the hands of +men unacquainted with compassion or civility, but recollecting at +the same time that the intent of my journey was such as might +give me hopes of the divine protection, I banished all thoughts +but those of finding a way into Æthiopia. In this +strait it occurred to me that these people, however barbarous, +have some oath which they keep with an inviolable strictness; the +best precaution, therefore, that I could use would be to bind +them by this oath to be true to their engagements. The +manner of their swearing is this: they set a sheep in the midst +of them, and rub it over with butter, the heads of families who +are the chief in the nation lay their hands upon the head of the +sheep, and swear to observe their promise. This oath (which +they never violate) they explain thus: the sheep is the mother of +them who swear; the butter betokens the love between the mother +and the children, and an oath taken on a mother’s head is +sacred. Upon the security of this oath, I made them +acquainted with my intention, an intention, they told me, it was +impossible to put in execution. From the moment I left them +they said they could give me no assurance of either life or +liberty, that they were perfectly informed both of the roads and +inhabitants, that there were no fewer than nine nations between +us and Abyssinia, who were always embroiled amongst themselves, +or at war with the Abyssins, and enjoyed no security even in +their own territories. We were now convinced that our +enterprise was impracticable, and that to hazard ourselves amidst +so many insurmountable difficulties would be to tempt Providence; +despairing, therefore, that I should ever come this way to +Abyssinia, I resolved to return back with my intelligence to my +companion, whom I had left at Pate.</p> +<p>I cannot, however, leave this country without giving an +account of their manner of blood-letting, which I was led to the +knowledge of by a violent fever, which threatened to put an end +to my life and travels together. The distress I was in may +easily be imagined, being entirely destitute of everything +necessary. I had resolved to let myself blood, though I was +altogether a stranger to the manner of doing it, and had no +lancet, but my companions hearing of a surgeon of reputation in +the place, went and brought him. I saw, with the utmost +surprise, an old Moor enter my chamber, with a kind of small +dagger, all over rusty, and a mallet in his hand, and three cups +of horn about half a foot long. I started, and asked what +he wanted. He told me to bleed me; and when I had given him +leave, uncovering my side, applied one of his horn cups, which he +stopped with chewed paper, and by that means made it stick fast; +in the same manner he fixed on the other two, and fell to +sharpening his instrument, assuring me that he would give me no +pain. He then took off his cups, and gave in each place a +stroke with his poignard, which was followed by a stream of +blood. He applied his cups several times, and every time +struck his lancet into the same place; having drawn away a large +quantity of blood, he healed the orifices with three lumps of +tallow. I know not whether to attribute my cure to bleeding +or my fear, but I had from that time no return of my fever.</p> +<p>When I came to Pate, in hopes of meeting with my associate, I +found that he was gone to Mombaza, in hopes of receiving +information. He was sooner undeceived than I, and we met at +the place where we parted in a few days; and soon afterwards left +Pate to return to the Indies, and in nine-and-twenty days arrived +at the famous fortress of Diou. We were told at this place +that Alfonso Mendes, patriarch of Æthiopia, was arrived at +Goa from Lisbon. He wrote to us to desire that we would +wait for him at Diou, in order to embark there for the Red Sea; +but being informed by us that no opportunities of going thither +were to be expected at Diou, it was at length determined that we +should meet at Bazaim; it was no easy matter for me to find means +of going to Bazaim. However, after a very uneasy voyage, in +which we were often in danger of being dashed against the rocks, +or thrown upon the sands by the rapidity of the current, and +suffered the utmost distress for want of water, I landed at +Daman, a place about twenty leagues distant from Bazaim. +Here I hire a catre and four boys to carry me to Bazaim: these +catres are a kind of travelling couches, in which you may either +lie or sit, which the boys, whose business is the same with that +of chairmen in our country, support upon their shoulders by two +poles, and carry a passenger at the rate of eighteen or twenty +miles a day. Here we at length found the patriarch, with +three more priests, like us, designed for the mission of +Æthiopia. We went back to Daman, and from thence to +Diou, where we arrived in a short time.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER III</h3> +<p>The author embarks with the patriarch, narrowly escapes +shipwreck near the isle of Socotora; enters the Arabian Gulf, and +the Red Sea. Some account of the coast of the Red Sea.</p> +<p>The patriarch having met with many obstacles and +disappointments in his return to Abyssinia, grew impatient of +being so long absent from his church. Lopo Gomez +d’Abreu had made him an offer at Bazaim of fitting out +three ships at his own expense, provided a commission could be +procured him to cruise in the Red Sea. This proposal was +accepted by the patriarch, and a commission granted by the +viceroy. While we were at Diou, waiting for these vessels, +we received advice from Æthiopia that the emperor, +unwilling to expose the patriarch to any hazard, thought Dagher, +a port in the mouth of the Red Sea, belonging to a prince +dependent on the Abyssins, a place of the greatest security to +land at, having already written to that prince to give him safe +passage through his dominions. We met here with new delays; +the fleet that was to transport us did not appear, the patriarch +lost all patience, and his zeal so much affected the commander at +Diou, that he undertook to equip a vessel for us, and pushed the +work forward with the utmost diligence. At length, the +long-expected ships entered the port; we were overjoyed, we were +transported, and prepared to go on board. Many persons at +Diou, seeing the vessels so well fitted out, desired leave to go +this voyage along with us, imagining they had an excellent +opportunity of acquiring both wealth and honour. We +committed, however, one great error in setting out, for having +equipped our ships for privateering, and taken no merchandise on +board, we could not touch at any of the ports of the Red +Sea. The patriarch, impatient to be gone, took leave in the +most tender manner of the governor and his other friends, +recommended our voyage to the Blessed Virgin, and in the field, +before we went on shipboard, made a short exhortation, so moving +and pathetic, that it touched the hearts of all who heard +it. In the evening we went on board, and early the next +morning being the 3rd of April, 1625, we set sail.</p> +<p>After some days we discovered about noon the island Socotora, +where we proposed to touch. The sky was bright and the wind +fair, nor had we the least apprehension of the danger into which +we were falling, but with the utmost carelessness and jollity +held on our course. At night, when our sailors, especially +the Moors, were in a profound sleep (for the Mohammedans, +believing everything forewritten in the decrees of God, and not +alterable by any human means, resign themselves entirely to +Providence), our vessel ran aground upon a sand bank at the +entrance of the harbour. We got her off with the utmost +difficulty, and nothing but a miracle could have preserved +us. We ran along afterwards by the side of the island, but +were entertained with no other prospect than of a mountainous +country, and of rocks that jutted out over the sea, and seemed +ready to fall into it. In the afternoon, putting into the +most convenient ports of the island, we came to anchor; very much +to the amazement and terror of the inhabitants, who were not used +to see any Portuguese ships upon their coasts, and were therefore +under a great consternation at finding them even in their +ports. Some ran for security to the mountains, others took +up arms to oppose our landing, but were soon reconciled to us, +and brought us fowls, fish, and sheep, in exchange for India +calicoes, on which they set a great value. We left this +island early the next morning, and soon came in sight of Cape +Gardafui, so celebrated heretofore under the name of the Cape of +Spices, either because great quantities were then found there, or +from its neighbourhood to Arabia the Happy, even at this day +famous for its fragrant products. It is properly at this +cape (the most eastern part of Africa) that the Gulf of Arabia +begins, which at Babelmandel loses its name, and is called the +Red Sea. Here, though the weather was calm, we found the +sea so rough, that we were tossed as in a high wind for two +nights; whether this violent agitation of the water proceeded +from the narrowness of the strait, or from the fury of the late +storm, I know not; whatever was the cause, we suffered all the +hardships of a tempest. We continued our course towards the +Red Sea, meeting with nothing in our passage but a gelve, or kind +of boat, made of thin boards, sewed together, with no other sail +than a mat. We gave her chase, in hopes of being informed +by the crew whether there were any Arabian vessels at the mouth +of the strait; but the Moors, who all entertain dismal +apprehensions of the Franks, plied their oars and sail with the +utmost diligence, and as soon as they reached land, quitted their +boat, and scoured to the mountains. We saw them make +signals from thence, and imagining they would come to a parley, +sent out our boat with two sailors and an Abyssin, putting the +ships off from the shore, to set them free from any suspicion of +danger in coming down. All this was to no purpose, they +could not be drawn from the mountain, and our men had orders not +to go on shore, so they were obliged to return without +information. Soon after we discovered the isle of +Babelmandel, which gives name to the strait so called, and parts +the sea that surrounds it into two channels; that on the side of +Arabia is not above a quarter of a league in breadth, and through +this pass almost all the vessels that trade to or from the Red +Sea. The other, on the side of Æthiopia, though much +larger, is more dangerous, by reason of the shallows, which make +it necessary for a ship, though of no great burthen, to pass very +near the island, where the channel is deeper and less +embarrassed. This passage is never made use of but by those +who would avoid meeting with the Turks who are stationed on the +coast of Arabia; it was for this reason that we chose it. +We passed it in the night, and entered that sea, so renowned on +many accounts in history, both sacred and profane.</p> +<p>In our description of this famous sea, an account of which may +justly be expected in this place, it is most convenient to begin +with the coast of Arabia, on which part at twelve leagues from +the mouth stands the city of Moca, a place of considerable +trade. Forty leagues farther is the Isle of Camaram, whose +inhabitants are annoyed with little serpents, which they call +basilisks, which, though very poisonous and deadly, do not, as +the ancients have told us, kill with their eyes, or if they have +so fatal a power, it is not at least in this place. Sailing +ninety leagues farther, you see the noted port of Jodda, where +the pilgrims that go to Mecca and Medina unlade those rich +presents which the zeal of different princes is every day +accumulating at the tomb of Mahomet. The commerce of this +place, and the number of merchants that resort thither from all +parts of the world, are above description, and so richly laden +are the ships that come hither, that when the Indians would +express a thing of inestimable price, they say, “It is of +greater value than a ship of Jodda.” An hundred and +eighteen leagues from thence lies Toro, and near it the ruins of +an ancient monastery. This is the place, if the report of +the inhabitants deserves any credit, where the Israelites +miraculously passed through the Red Sea on dry land; and there is +some reason for imagining the tradition not ill grounded, for the +sea is here only three leagues in breadth. All the ground +about Toro is barren for want of water, which is only to be found +at a considerable distance, in one fountain, which flows out of +the neighbouring mountains, at the foot of which there are still +twelve palm-trees. Near Toro are several wells, which, as +the Arabs tell us, were dug by the order of Moses to quiet the +clamours of the thirsty Israelites. Suez lies in the bottom +of the Gulf, three leagues from Toro, once a place of note, now +reduced, under the Turks, to an inconsiderable village, where the +miserable inhabitants are forced to fetch water at three +leagues’ distance. The ancient Kings of Egypt +conveyed the waters of the Nile to this place by an artificial +canal, now so choked with sand, that there are scarce any marks +remaining of so noble and beneficial a work.</p> +<p>The first place to be met with in travelling along the coast +of Africa is Rondelo, situate over against Toro, and celebrated +for the same miraculous passage. Forty-five leagues from +thence is Cocir. Here ends that long chain of mountains +that reaches from this place even to the entrance of the Red +Sea. In this prodigious ridge, which extends three hundred +leagues, sometimes approaching near the sea, and sometimes +running far up into the land, there is only one opening, through +which all that merchandise is conveyed, which is embarked at +Rifa, and from thence distributed through all the east. +These mountains, as they are uncultivated, are in some parts +shaded with large forests, and in others dry and bare. As +they are exceedingly high, all the seasons may be here found +together; when the storms of winter beat on one side, on the +other is often a serene sky and a bright sunshine. The Nile +runs here so near the shore that it might without much difficulty +be turned through this opening of the mountains into the Red Sea, +a design which many of the Emperors have thought of putting in +execution, and thereby making a communication between the Red Sea +and the Mediterranean, but have been discouraged either by the +greatness of the expense or the fear of laying great part of +Egypt under water, for some of that country lies lower than +sea.</p> +<p>Distant from Rondelo a hundred and thirty leagues is the Isle +of Suaquem, where the Bassa of that country chooses his +residence, for the convenience of receiving the tribute with +greater exactness, there being a large trade carried on here with +the Abyssins. The Turks of Suaquem have gardens on the firm +land, not above a musket shot from the island, which supply them +with many excellent herbs and fruits, of which I doubt whether +there be not a greater quantity on this little spot than on the +whole coast of Africa besides, from Melinda to Suez. For if +we except the dates which grow between Suez and Suaquem, the +ground does not yield the least product; all the necessaries of +life, even water, is wanting. Nothing can support itself in +this region of barrenness but ostriches, which devour stones, or +anything they meet with; they lay a great number of eggs, part of +which they break to feed their young with. These fowls, of +which I have seen many, are very tame, and when they are pursued, +stretch out their wings, and run with amazing swiftness. As +they have cloven feet, they sometimes strike up the stones when +they run, which gave occasion to the notion that they threw +stones at the hunters, a relation equally to be credited with +those of their eating fire and digesting iron. Those +feathers which are so much valued grow under their wings: the +shell of their eggs powdered is an excellent remedy for sore +eyes.</p> +<p>The burning wind spoken of in the sacred writings, I take to +be that which the natives term arur, and the Arabs uri, which +blowing in the spring, brings with it so excessive a heat, that +the whole country seems a burning oven; so that there is no +travelling here in this dreadful season, nor is this the only +danger to which the unhappy passenger is exposed in these +uncomfortable regions. There blows in the months of June, +July, and August, another wind, which raises mountains of sand +and carries them through the air; all that can be done in this +case is when a cloud of sand rises, to mark where it is likely to +fall, and to retire as far off as possible; but it is very usual +for men to be taken unexpectedly, and smothered in the +dust. One day I found the body of a Christian, whom I knew, +upon the sand; he had doubtless been choked by these winds. +I recommended his soul to the divine mercy and buried him. +He seemed to have been some time dead, yet the body had no ill +smell. These winds are most destructive in Arabia the +Desert.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IV</h3> +<p>The author’s conjecture on the name of the Red +Sea. An account of the cocoa-tree. He lands at +Baylur.</p> +<p>To return to the description of the coast: sixty leagues from +Suaquem is an island called Mazna, only considerable for its +ports, which make the Turks reside upon it, though they are +forced to keep three barks continually employed in fetching +water, which is not to be found nearer than at a distance of +twelve miles. Forty leagues from hence is Dalacha, an +island where many pearls are found, but of small value. The +next place is Baylur, forty leagues from Dalacha, and twelve from +Babelmandel.</p> +<p>There are few things upon which a greater variety of +conjectures has been offered than upon the reasons that induced +the ancients to distinguish this gulf, which separates Asia from +Africa, by the name of the Red Sea, an appellation that has +almost universally obtained in all languages. Some affirm +that the torrents, which fall after great rains from the +mountains, wash down such a quantity of red sand as gives a +tincture to the water: others tell us that the sunbeams being +reverberated from the red rocks, give the sea on which they +strike the appearance of that colour. Neither of these +accounts are satisfactory; the coasts are so scorched by the heat +that they are rather black than red; nor is the colour of this +sea much altered by the winds or rains. The notion +generally received is, that the coral found in such quantities at +the bottom of the sea might communicate this colour to the water: +an account merely chimerical. Coral is not to be found in +all parts of this gulf, and red coral in very few. Nor does +this water in fact differ from that of other seas. The +patriarch and I have frequently amused ourselves with making +observations, and could never discover any redness, but in the +shallows, where a kind of weed grew which they call gouesmon, +which redness disappeared as soon as we plucked up the +plant. It is observable that St. Jerome, confining himself +to the Hebrew, calls this sea Jamsuf. Jam in that language +signifies sea, and suf is the name of a plant in Æthiopia, +from which the Abyssins extract a beautiful crimson; whether this +be the same with the gouesmon, I know not, but am of opinion that +the herb gives to this sea both the colour and the name.</p> +<p>The vessels most used in the Red Sea, though ships of all +sizes may be met with there, are gelves, of which some mention +hath been made already; these are the more convenient, because +they will not split if thrown upon banks or against rocks. +These gelves have given occasion to the report that out of the +cocoa-tree alone a ship may be built, fitted out with masts, +sails, and cordage, and victualled with bread, water, wine, +sugar, vinegar, and oil. All this indeed cannot be done out +of one tree, but may out of several of the same kind. They +saw the trunk into planks, and sew them together with thread +which they spin out of the bark, and which they twist for the +cables; the leaves stitched together make the sails. This +boat thus equipped may be furnished with all necessaries from the +same tree. There is not a month in which the cocoa does not +produce a bunch of nuts, from twenty to fifty. At first +sprouts out a kind of seed or capsula, of a shape not unlike the +scabbard of a scimitar, which they cut, and place a vessel under, +to receive the liquor that drops from it; this drink is called +soro, and is clear, pleasant, and nourishing. If it be +boiled, it grows hard, and makes a kind of sugar much valued in +the Indies: distil this liquor and you have a strong water, of +which is made excellent vinegar. All these different +products are afforded before the nut is formed, and while it is +green it contains a delicious cooling water; with these nuts they +store their gelves, and it is the only provision of water which +is made in this country. The second bark which contains the +water is so tender that they eat it. When this fruit +arrives to perfect maturity, they either pound the kernel into +meal, and make cakes of or draw an oil from it of a fine scent +and taste, and of great use in medicine; so that what is reported +of the different products of this wonderful tree is neither false +nor incredible.</p> +<p>It is time we should come now to the relation of our +voyage. Having happily passed the straits at the entrance +of the Red Sea, we pursued our course, keeping as near the shore +as we could, without any farther apprehensions of the +Turks. We were, however, under some concern that we were +entirely ignorant in what part of the coast to find Baylur, a +port where we proposed landing, and so little known, that our +pilots, who had made many voyages in this sea, could give us no +account of it. We were in hopes of information from the +fishermen, but found that as soon as we came near they fled from +us in the greatest consternation; no signals of peace or +friendship could prevail on them to stay; they either durst not +trust or did not understand us. We plied along the coast in +this uncertainty two days, till on the first of March having +doubled a point of land, which came out a great way into the sea, +we found ourselves in the middle of a fair large bay, which many +reasons induced us to think was Baylur; that we might be farther +assured we sent our Abyssin on shore, who returning next morning +confirmed our opinion. It would not be easy to determine +whether our arrival gave us greater joy, or the inhabitants +greater apprehensions, for we could discern a continual tumult in +the land, and took notice that the crews of some barks that lay +in the harbour were unlading with all possible diligence, to +prevent the cargo from falling into our hands, very much indeed +to the dissatisfaction of many of our soldiers, who having +engaged in this expedition, with no other view than of filling +their pockets, were, before the return of our Abyssin, for +treating them like enemies, and taking them as a lawful +prize. We were willing to be assured of a good reception in +this port; the patriarch therefore sent me to treat with +them. I dressed myself like a merchant, and in that habit +received the four captains of gelves which the Chec sent to +compliment me, and ordered to stay as hostages, whom I sent back, +that I might gain upon their affections by the confidence I +placed in their sincerity; this had so good an effect, that the +Chec, who was transported with the account the officers gave of +the civilities they had been treated with, came in an hour to +visit me, bringing with him a Portuguese, whom I had sent ashore +as a security for his return. He informed me that the King +his master was encamped not far off, and that a Chec who was then +in the company was just arrived from thence, and had seen the +Emperor of Æthiopia’s letters in our favour; I was +then convinced that we might land without scruple, and to give +the patriarch notice of it ordered a volley of our muskets to be +fired, which was answered by the cannon of the two ships that lay +at a distance, for fear of giving the Moors any cause of +suspicion by their approach. The Chec and his attendants, +though I had given them notice that we were going to let off our +guns in honour of the King their master, could not forbear +trembling at the fire and noise. They left us soon after, +and next morning we landed our baggage, consisting chiefly of the +patriarch’s library, some ornaments for the church, some +images, and some pieces of calico, which were of the same use as +money. Most of the soldiers and sailors were desirous of +going with us, some from real principles of piety, and a desire +of sharing the labours and merits of the mission, others upon +motives very different, the hopes of raising a fortune. To +have taken all who offered themselves would have been an injury +to the owners of the ships, by rendering them unable to continue +their voyage; we therefore accepted only of a few.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER V</h3> +<p>An account of Dancali. The conduct of Chec Furt. +The author wounded. They arrive at the court of the King of +Dancali. A description of his pavilion, and the reception +they met with.</p> +<p>Our goods were no sooner landed than we were surrounded with a +crowd of officers, all gaping for presents; we were forced to +gratify their avarice by opening our bales, and distributing +among them some pieces of calico. What we gave to the Chec +might be worth about a pistole, and the rest in proportion.</p> +<p>The kingdom of Dancali, to which this belongs, is barren, and +thinly peopled; the king is tributary to the Emperor of +Abyssinia, and very faithful to his sovereign. The emperor +had not only written to him, but had sent a Moor and Portuguese +as his ambassadors, to secure us a kind reception; these in their +way to this prince had come through the countries of +Chumo-Salamay and Senaa, the utmost confines of Abyssinia, and +had carried thither the emperor’s orders concerning our +passage.</p> +<p>On Ascension Day we left Baylur, having procured some camels +and asses to carry our baggage. The first day’s march +was not above a league, and the others not much longer. Our +guides performed their office very ill, being influenced, as we +imagined, by the Chec Furt, an officer, whom, though unwilling, +we were forced to take with us. This man, who might have +brought us to the king in three days, led us out of the way +through horrid deserts destitute of water, or where what we found +was so foul, nauseous, and offensive, that it excited a loathing +and aversion which nothing but extreme necessity could have +overcome.</p> +<p>Having travelled some days, we were met by the King’s +brother, to whom, by the advice of Chec Furt, whose intent in +following us was to squeeze all he could from us; we presented +some pieces of Chinese workmanship, such as cases of boxes, a +standish, and some earthenware, together with several pieces of +painted calico, which were so much more agreeable, that he +desired some other pieces instead of our Chinese curiosities; we +willingly made the exchange. Yet some time afterwards he +asked again for those Chinese goods which he had returned us, nor +was it in our power to refuse them. I was here in danger of +losing my life by a compliment which the Portuguese paid the +prince of a discharge of twelve muskets; one being unskilfully +charged too high, flew out of the soldier’s hand, and +falling against my leg, wounded it very much; we had no surgeon +with us, so that all I could do was to bind it hard with some +cloth. I was obliged by this accident to make use of the +Chec Furt’s horse, which was the greatest service we +received from him in all our journey.</p> +<p>When we came within two leagues and a half of the King’s +court, he sent some messengers with his compliments, and five +mules for the chief of our company. Our road lay through a +wood, where we found the ground covered over with young locusts, +a plague intolerably afflictive in a country so barren of +itself. We arrived at length at the bank of a small river, +near which the King usually keeps his residence, and found his +palace at the foot of a little mountain. It consisted of +about six tents and twenty cabins, erected amongst some thorns +and wild trees, which afforded a shelter from the heat of the +weather. He received us the first time in a cabin about a +musket shot distant from the rest, furnished out with a throne in +the middle built of clay and stones, and covered with tapestry +and two velvet cushions. Over against him stood his horse +with his saddle and other furniture hanging by him, for in this +country, the master and his horse make use of the same apartment, +nor doth the King in this respect affect more grandeur than his +subjects. When we entered, we seated ourselves on the +ground with our legs crossed, in imitation of the rest, whom we +found in the same posture. After we had waited some time, +the King came in, attended by his domestics and his +officers. He held a small lance in his hand, and was +dressed in a silk robe, with a turban on his head, to which were +fastened some rings of very neat workmanship, which fell down +upon his forehead. All kept silence for some time, and the +King told us by his interpreter that we were welcome to his +dominions, that he had been informed we were to come by the +Emperor his father, and that he condoled the hardships we had +undergone at sea. He desired us not to be under any concern +at finding ourselves in a country so distant from our own, for +those dominions were ours, and he and the Emperor his father +would give us all the proofs we could desire of the sincerest +affection. We returned him thanks for this promise of his +favour, and after a short conversation went away. +Immediately we were teazed by those who brought us the mules, and +demanded to be paid the hire of them; and had advice given us at +the same time that we should get a present ready for the +King. The Chec Furt, who was extremely ready to undertake +any commission of this kind, would needs direct us in the affair, +and told us that our gifts ought to be of greater value, because +we had neglected making any such offer at our first audience, +contrary to the custom of that country. By these pretences +he obliged us to make a present to the value of about twenty +pounds, with which he seemed to be pleased, and told us we had +nothing to do but prepare to make our entry.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VI</h3> +<p>The King refuses their present. The author’s +boldness. The present is afterwards accepted. The +people are forbidden to sell them provisions. The author +remonstrates against the usage. The King redresses it.</p> +<p>But such was either the hatred or avarice of this man, that +instead of doing us the good offices he pretended, he advised the +King to refuse our present, that he might draw from us something +more valuable. When I attended the King in order to deliver +the presents, after I had excused the smallness of them, as +being, though unworthy his acceptance, the largest that our +profession of poverty, and distance from our country, allowed us +to make, he examined them one by one with a dissatisfied look, +and told me that however he might be pleased with our good +attentions, he thought our present such as could not be offered +to a king without affronting him; and made me a sign with his +hand to withdraw, and take back what I had brought. I +obeyed, telling him that perhaps he might send for it again +without having so much. The Chec Furt, who had been the +occasion of all this, coming to us afterwards, blamed us +exceedingly for having offered so little, and being told by us +that the present was picked out by himself, that we had nothing +better to give, and that what we had left would scarce defray the +expenses of our journey, he pressed us at least to add something, +but could prevail no farther than to persuade us to repeat our +former offer, which the King was now pleased to accept, though +with no kinder countenance than before.</p> +<p>Here we spent our time and our provisions, without being able +to procure any more. The country indeed affords goats and +honey, but nobody would sell us any, the King, as I was secretly +informed, having strictly prohibited it, with a view of forcing +all we had from us. The patriarch sent me to expostulate +the matter with the King, which I did in very warm terms, telling +him that we were assured by the Emperor of a reception in this +country far different from what we met with, which assurances he +had confirmed by his promise and the civilities we were +entertained with at our first arrival; but that instead of +friends who would compassionate our miseries, and supply our +necessities, we found ourselves in the midst of mortal enemies +that wanted to destroy us.</p> +<p>The King, who affected to appear ignorant of the whole affair, +demanded an account of the injuries I complained of, and told me +that if any of his subjects should dare to attempt our lives, it +should cost him his own. We were not, replied I, in danger +of being stabbed or poisoned, but are doomed to a more lingering +and painful death by that prohibition which obliges your subjects +to deny us the necessaries of life; if it be Your +Highness’s pleasure that we die here, we entreat that we +may at least be despatched quickly, and not condemned to longer +torments. The King, startled at this discourse, denied that +he had given any such orders, and was very importunate to know +the author of our intelligence, but finding me determined not to +discover him, he sent me away with a promise that for the future +we should be furnished with everything we wanted, and indeed that +same day we bought three goats for about a crown, and some honey, +and found ourselves better treated than before.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VII</h3> +<p>They obtain leave, with some difficulty, to depart from +Dancali. The difficulties of their march. A broil +with the Moors. They arrive at the plain of salt.</p> +<p>This usage, with some differences we had with a Moor, made us +very desirous of leaving this country, but we were still put off +with one pretence or other whenever we asked leave to +depart. Tired with these delays, I applied myself to his +favourite minister, with a promise of a large present if he could +obtain us an audience of leave; he came to us at night to agree +upon the reward, and soon accomplished all we desired, both +getting us a permission to go out of the kingdom, and procuring +us camels to carry our baggage, and that of the Abyssinian +ambassadors who were ordered to accompany us.</p> +<p>We set out from the kingdom of Dancali on the 15th of June, +having taken our leave of the King, who after many excuses for +everything that had happened, dismissed us with a present of a +cow, and some provisions, desiring us to tell the Emperor of +Æthiopia his father that we had met with kind treatment in +his territories, a request which we did not at that time think it +convenient to deny.</p> +<p>Whatever we had suffered hitherto, was nothing to the +difficulties we were now entering upon, and which God had decreed +us to undergo for the sake of Jesus Christ. Our way now lay +through a region scarce passable, and full of serpents, which +were continually creeping between our legs; we might have avoided +them in the day, but being obliged, that we might avoid the +excessive heats, to take long marches in the night, we were every +moment treading upon them. Nothing but a signal +interposition of Providence could have preserved us from being +bitten by them, or perishing either by weariness or thirst, for +sometimes we were a long time without water, and had nothing to +support our strength in this fatigue but a little honey, and a +small piece of cows’ flesh dried in the sun. Thus we +travelled on for many days, scarce allowing ourselves any rest, +till we came to a channel or hollow worn in the mountains by the +winter torrents; here we found some coolness, and good water, a +blessing we enjoyed for three days; down this channel all the +winter runs a great river which is dried up in the heats, or to +speak more properly, hides itself under ground. We walked +along its side, sometimes seven or eight leagues without seeing +any water, and then we found it rising out of the ground, at +which places we never failed to drink as much as we could, and +fill our bottles.</p> +<p>In our march, there fell out an unlucky accident, which, +however, did not prove of the bad consequence it might have +done. The master of our camels was an old Mohammedan, who +had conceived an opinion that it was an act of merit to do us all +the mischief he could; and in pursuance of his notion, made it +his chief employment to steal everything he could lay hold on; +his piety even transported him so far, that one morning he stole +and hid the cords of our tents. The patriarch who saw him +at the work charged him with it, and upon his denial, showed him +the end of the cord hanging from under the saddle of one of his +camels. Upon this we went to seize them, but were opposed +by him and the rest of the drivers, who set themselves in a +posture of opposition with their daggers. Our soldiers had +recourse to their muskets, and four of them putting the mouths of +their pieces to the heads of some of the most obstinate and +turbulent, struck them with such a terror, that all the clamour +was stilled in an instant; none received any hurt but the Moor +who had been the occasion of the tumult. He was knocked +down by one of our soldiers, who had cut his throat but that the +fathers prevented it: he then restored the cords, and was more +tractable ever after. In all my dealings with the Moors, I +have always discovered in them an ill-natured cowardice, which +makes them insupportably insolent if you show them the least +respect, and easily reduced to reasonable terms when you treat +them with a high hand.</p> +<p>After a march of some days we came to an opening between the +mountains, the only passage out of Dancali into Abyssinia. +Heaven seems to have made this place on purpose for the repose of +weary travellers, who here exchange the tortures of parching +thirst, burning sands, and a sultry climate, for the pleasures of +shady trees, the refreshment of a clear stream, and the luxury of +a cooling breeze. We arrived at this happy place about +noon, and the next day at evening left those fanning winds, and +woods flourishing with unfading verdure, for the dismal +barrenness of the vast uninhabitable plains, from which Abyssinia +is supplied with salt. These plains are surrounded with +high mountains, continually covered with thick clouds which the +sun draws from the lakes that are here, from which the water runs +down into the plain, and is there congealed into salt. +Nothing can be more curious than to see the channels and +aqueducts that nature has formed in this hard rock, so exact and +of such admirable contrivance, that they seem to be the work of +men. To this place caravans of Abyssinia are continually +resorting, to carry salt into all parts of the empire, which they +set a great value upon, and which in their country is of the same +use as money. The superstitious Abyssins imagine that the +cavities of the mountains are inhabited by evil spirits which +appear in different shapes, calling those that pass by their +names as in a familiar acquaintance, who, if they go to them, are +never seen afterwards. This relation was confirmed by the +Moorish officer who came with us, who, as he said, had lost a +servant in that manner: the man certainly fell into the hands of +the Galles, who lurk in those dark retreats, cut the throats of +the merchants, and carry off their effects.</p> +<p>The heat making it impossible to travel through this plain in +the day-time, we set out in the evening, and in the night lost +our way. It is very dangerous to go through this place, for +there are no marks of the right road, but some heaps of salt, +which we could not see. Our camel drivers getting together +to consult on this occasion, we suspected they had some ill +design in hand, and got ready our weapons; they perceived our +apprehensions, and set us at ease by letting us know the reason +of their consultation. Travelling hard all night, we found +ourselves next morning past the plain; but the road we were in +was not more commodious, the points of the rocks pierced our +feet; to increase our perplexities we were alarmed with the +approach of an armed troop, which our fear immediately suggested +to be the Galles, who chiefly beset these passes of the +mountains; we put ourselves on the defensive, and expected them, +whom, upon a more exact examination, we found to be only a +caravan of merchants come as usual to fetch salt.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VIII</h3> +<p>They lose their way, are in continual apprehensions of the +Galles. They come to Duan, and settle in Abyssinia.</p> +<p>About nine the next morning we came to the end of this +toilsome and rugged path, where the way divided into two, yet +both led to a well, the only one that was found in our +journey. A Moor with three others took the shortest, +without directing us to follow him; so we marched forwards we +knew not whither, through woods and over rocks, without sleep or +any other refreshment: at noon the next day we discovered that we +were near the field of salt. Our affliction and distress is +not to be expressed; we were all fainting with heat and +weariness, and two of the patriarch’s servants were upon +the point of dying for want of water. None of us had any +but a Moor, who could not be prevailed upon to part with it at +less than the weight in gold; we got some from him at last, and +endeavoured to revive the two servants, while part of us went to +look for a guide that might put us in the right way. The +Moors who had arrived at the well, rightly guessing that we were +lost, sent one of their company to look for us, whom we heard +shouting in the woods, but durst make no answer for fear of the +Galles. At length he found us, and conducted us to the +rest; we instantly forgot our past calamities, and had no other +care than to recover the patriarch’s attendants. We +did not give them a full draught at first, but poured in the +water by drops, to moisten their mouths and throats, which were +extremely swelled: by this caution they were soon well. We +then fell to eating and drinking, and though we had nothing but +our ordinary repast of honey and dried flesh, thought we never +had regaled more pleasantly in our lives.</p> +<p>We durst not stay long in this place for fear of the Galles, +who lay their ambushes more particularly near this well, by which +all caravans must necessarily pass. Our apprehensions were +very much increased by our suspicion of the camel-drivers, who, +as we imagined, had advertised the Galles of our arrival. +The fatigue we had already suffered did not prevent our +continuing our march all night: at last we entered a plain, where +our drivers told us we might expect to be attacked by the Galles; +nor was it long before our own eyes convinced us that we were in +great danger, for we saw as we went along the dead bodies of a +caravan who had been lately massacred, a sight which froze our +blood, and filled us with pity and with horror. The same +fate was not far from overtaking us, for a troop of Galles, who +were detached in search of us, missed us but an hour or +two. We spent the next night in the mountains, but when we +should have set out in the morning, were obliged to a fierce +dispute with the old Moor, who had not yet lost his inclination +to destroy us; he would have had us taken a road which was full +of those people we were so much afraid of: at length finding he +could not prevail with us, that we charged the goods upon him as +belonging to the Emperor, to whom he should be answerable for the +loss of them, he consented, in a sullen way, to go with us.</p> +<p>The desire of getting out of the reach of the Galles made us +press forward with great expedition, and, indeed, fear having +entirely engrossed our minds, we were perhaps less sensible of +all our labours and difficulties; so violent an apprehension of +one danger made us look on many others with unconcern; our pains +at last found some intermission at the foot of the mountains of +Duan, the frontier of Abyssinia, which separates it from the +country of the Moors, through which we had travelled.</p> +<p>Here we imagined we might repose securely, a felicity we had +long been strangers to. Here we began to rejoice at the +conclusion of our labours; the place was cool and pleasant, the +water was excellent, and the birds melodious. Some of our +company went into the wood to divert themselves with hearing the +birds and frightening the monkeys, creatures so cunning that they +would not stir if a man came unarmed, but would run immediately +when they saw a gun. At this place our camel drivers left +us, to go to the feast of St. Michael, which the Æthiopians +celebrate the 16th of June. We persuaded them, however, to +leave us their camels and four of their company to take care of +them.</p> +<p>We had not waited many days before some messengers came to us +with an account that Father Baradas, with the Emperor’s +nephew, and many other persons of distinction, waited for us at +some distance; we loaded our camels, and following the course of +the river, came in seven hours to the place we were directed to +halt at. Father Manuel Baradas and all the company, who had +waited for us a considerable time on the top of the mountain, +came down when they saw our tents, and congratulated our +arrival. It is not easy to express the benevolence and +tenderness with which they embraced us, and the concern they +showed at seeing us worn away with hunger, labour, and weariness, +our clothes tattered, and our feet bloody.</p> +<p>We left this place of interview the next day, and on the 21st +of June arrived at Fremone, the residence of the missionaries, +where we were welcomed by great numbers of Catholics, both +Portuguese and Abyssins, who spared no endeavours to make us +forget all we had suffered in so hazardous a journey, undertaken +with no other intention than to conduct them in the way of +salvation.</p> +<h2>PART II—A DESCRIPTION OF ABYSSINIA</h2> +<h3>CHAPTER I</h3> +<p>The history of Abyssinia. An account of the Queen of +Sheba, and of Queen Candace. The conversion of the +Abyssins.</p> +<p>The original of the Abyssins, like that of all other nations, +is obscure and uncertain. The tradition generally received +derives them from Cham, the son of Noah, and they pretend, +however improbably, that from his time till now the legal +succession of their kings hath never been interrupted, and that +the supreme power hath always continued in the same family. +An authentic genealogy traced up so high could not but be +extremely curious; and with good reason might the Emperors of +Abyssinia boast themselves the most illustrious and ancient +family in the world. But there are no real grounds for +imagining that Providence has vouchsafed them so distinguishing a +protection, and from the wars with which this empire hath been +shaken in these latter ages we may justly believe that, like all +others, it has suffered its revolutions, and that the history of +the Abyssins is corrupted with fables. This empire is known +by the name of the kingdom of Prester-John. For the +Portuguese having heard such wonderful relations of an ancient +and famous Christian state called by that name, in the Indies, +imagined it could be none but this of Æthiopia. Many +things concurred to make them of this opinion: there was no +Christian kingdom or state in the Indies of which all was true +which they heard of this land of Prester-John: and there was none +in the other parts of the world who was a Christian separated +from the Catholic Church but what was known, except this kingdom +of Æthiopia. It has therefore passed for the kingdom +of Prester-John since the time that it was discovered by the +Portuguese in the reign of King John the Second.</p> +<p>The country is properly called Abyssinia, and the people term +themselves Abyssins. Their histories count a hundred and +sixty-two reigns, from Cham to Faciladas or Basilides; among +which some women are remarkably celebrated. One of the most +renowned is the Queen of Sheba, mentioned in Scripture, whom the +natives call Nicaula or Macheda, and in their translation of the +gospel, Nagista Azeb, which in their language is Queen of the +South. They still show the ruins of a city which appears to +have been once of note, as the place where she kept her court, +and a village which, from its being the place of her birth, they +call the land of Saba. The Kings of Æthiopia draw +their boasted pedigree from Minilech, the son of this Queen and +Solomon. The other Queen for whom they retain a great +veneration is Candace, whom they call Judith, and indeed if what +they relate of her could be proved, there never was, amongst the +most illustrious and beneficent sovereigns, any to whom their +country was more indebted, for it is said that she being +converted by Inda her eunuch, whom St. Philip baptised, prevailed +with her subjects to quit the worship of idols, and profess the +faith of Jesus Christ. This opinion appears to me without +any better foundation than another of the conversion of the +Abyssins to the Jewish rites by the Queen of Sheba, at her return +from the court of Solomon. They, however, who patronise +these traditions give us very specious accounts of the zeal and +piety of the Abyssins at their first conversion. Many, they +say, abandoned all the pleasures and vanities of life for +solitude and religious austerities; others devoted themselves to +God in an ecclesiastical life; they who could not do these set +apart their revenues for building churches, endowing chapels, and +founding monasteries, and spent their wealth in costly ornaments +for the churches and vessels for the altars. It is true +that this people has a natural disposition to goodness; they are +very liberal of their alms, they much frequent their churches, +and are very studious to adorn them; they practise fasting and +other mortifications, and notwithstanding their separation from +the Roman Church, and the corruptions which have crept into their +faith, yet retain in a great measure the devout fervour of the +primitive Christians. There never were greater hopes of +uniting this people to the Church of Rome, which their adherence +to the Eutichian heresy has made very difficult, than in the time +of Sultan Segued, who called us into his dominions in the year +1625, from whence we were expelled in 1634. As I have lived +a long time in this country, and borne a share in all that has +passed, I will present the reader with a short account of what I +have observed, and of the revolution which forced us to abandon +Æthiopia, and destroyed all our hopes of reuniting this +kingdom with the Roman Church.</p> +<p>The empire of Abyssinia hath been one of the largest which +history gives us an account of: it extended formerly from the Red +Sea to the kingdom of Congo, and from Egypt to the Indian +Sea. It is not long since it contained forty provinces; but +is now not much bigger than all Spain, and consists but of five +kingdoms and six provinces, of which part is entirely subject to +the Emperor, and part only pays him some tribute, or +acknowledgment of dependence, either voluntarily or by +compulsion. Some of these are of very large extent: the +kingdoms of Tigre, Bagameder, and Goiama are as big as Portugal, +or bigger; Amhara and Damote are something less. The +provinces are inhabited by Moors, Pagans, Jews, and Christians: +the last is the reigning and established religion. This +diversity of people and religion is the reason that the kingdom +in different parts is under different forms of government, and +that their laws and customs are extremely various.</p> +<p>The inhabitants of the kingdom of Amhara are the most +civilised and polite; and next to them the natives of Tigre, or +the true Abyssins. The rest, except the Damotes, the +Gasates, and the Agaus, which approach somewhat nearer to +civility, are entirely rude and barbarous. Among these +nations the Galles, who first alarmed the world in 1542, have +remarkably distinguished themselves by the ravages they have +committed, and the terror they have raised in this part of +Africa. They neither sow their lands nor improve them by +any kind of culture; but, living upon milk and flesh, encamp like +the Arabs without any settled habitation. They practise no +rites of worship, though they believe that in the regions above +there dwells a Being that governs the world: whether by this +Being they mean the sun or the sky is not known; or, indeed, +whether they have not some conception of the God that created +them. This deity they call in their language Oul. In +other matters they are yet more ignorant, and have some customs +so contrary even to the laws of nature, as might almost afford +reason to doubt whether they are endued with reason. The +Christianity professed by the Abyssins is so corrupted with +superstitions, errors, and heresies, and so mingled with +ceremonies borrowed from the Jews, that little besides the name +of Christianity is to be found here; and the thorns may be said +to have choked the grain. This proceeds in a great measure +from the diversity of religions which are tolerated there, either +by negligence or from motives of policy; and the same cause hath +produced such various revolutions, revolts, and civil wars within +these later ages. For those different sects do not easily +admit of an union with each other, or a quiet subjection to the +same monarch. The Abyssins cannot properly be said to have +either cities or houses; they live either in tents, or in +cottages made of straw and clay; for they very rarely build with +stone. Their villages or towns consist of these huts; yet +even of such villages they have but few, because the grandees, +the viceroys, and the Emperor himself are always in the camp, +that they may be prepared, upon the most sudden summons, to go +where the exigence of affairs demands their presence. And +this precaution is no more than necessary for a prince every year +engaged either in foreign wars or intestine commotions. +These towns have each a governor, whom they call gadare, over +whom is the educ, or lieutenant, and both accountable to an +officer called the afamacon, or mouth of the King; because he +receives the revenues, which he pays into the hands of the +relatinafala, or grand master of the household: sometimes the +Emperor creates a ratz, or viceroy, general over all the empire, +who is superior to all his other officers.</p> +<p>Æthiopia produces very near the same kinds of provisions +as Portugal; though, by the extreme laziness of the inhabitants, +in a much less quantity: however, there are some roots, herbs, +and fruits which grow there much better than in other +places. What the ancients imagined of the torrid zone being +uninhabitable is so far from being true, that this climate is +very temperate: the heats, indeed, are excessive in Congo and +Monomotapa, but in Abyssinia they enjoy a perpetual spring, more +delicious and charming than that in our country. The blacks +here are not ugly like those of the kingdoms I have spoken of, +but have better features, and are not without wit and delicacy; +their apprehension is quick, and their judgment sound. The +heat of the sun, however it may contribute to their colour, is +not the only reason of it; there is some peculiarity in the +temper and constitution of their bodies, since the same men, +transported into cooler climates, produce children very near as +black as themselves.</p> +<p>They have here two harvests in the year, which is a sufficient +recompense for the small produce of each; one harvest they have +in the winter, which lasts through the months of July, August, +and September, the other in the spring; their trees are always +green, and it is the fault of the inhabitants that they produce +so little fruit, the soil being well adapted to all sorts, +especially those that come from the Indies. They have in +the greatest plenty raisins, peaches, sour pomegranates, and +sugarcanes, and some figs. Most of these are ripe about +Lent, which the Abyssins keep with great strictness.</p> +<p>After the vegetable products of this country, it seems not +improper to mention the animals which are found in it, of which +here are as great numbers, of as many different species, as in +any country in the world: it is infested with lions of many +kinds, among which are many of that which is called the lion +royal. I cannot help giving the reader on this occasion a +relation of a fact which I was an eye-witness of. A lion +having taken his haunt near the place where I lived, killed all +the oxen and cows, and did a great deal of other mischief, of +which I heard new complaints every day. A servant of mine +having taken a resolution to free the country from this +destroyer, went out one day with two lances, and after he had +been some time in quest of him, found him with his mouth all +smeared with the blood of a cow he had just devoured; the man +rushed upon him, and thrust his lance into his throat with such +violence that it came out between his shoulders; the beast, with +one dreadful roar, fell down into a pit, and lay struggling, till +my servant despatched him. I measured the body of this +lion, and found him twelve feet between the head and the +tail.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER II</h3> +<p>The animals of Abyssinia; the elephant, unicorn, their horses +and cows; with a particular account of the moroc.</p> +<p>There are so great numbers of elephants in Abyssinia that in +one evening we met three hundred of them in three troops: as they +filled up the whole way, we were in great perplexity a long time +what measures to take; at length, having implored the protection +of that Providence that superintends the whole creation, we went +forwards through the midst of them without any injury. Once +we met four young elephants, and an old one that played with +them, lifting them up with her trunk; they grew enraged on a +sudden, and ran upon us: we had no way of securing ourselves but +by flight, which, however, would have been fruitless, had not our +pursuers been stopped by a deep ditch. The elephants of +Æthiopia are of so stupendous a size, that when I was +mounted on a large mule I could not reach with my hand within two +spans of the top of their backs. In Abyssinia is likewise +found the rhinoceros, a mortal enemy to the elephant. In +the province of Agaus has been seen the unicorn, that beast so +much talked of, and so little known: the prodigious swiftness +with which this creature runs from one wood into another has +given me no opportunity of examining it particularly, yet I have +had so near a sight of it as to be able to give some description +of it. The shape is the same with that of a beautiful +horse, exact and nicely proportioned, of a bay colour, with a +black tail, which in some provinces is long, in others very +short: some have long manes hanging to the ground. They are +so timorous that they never feed but surrounded with other beasts +that defend them. Deer and other defenceless animals often +herd about the elephant, which, contenting himself with roots and +leaves, preserves those beasts that place themselves, as it were, +under his protection, from the rage and fierceness of others that +would devour them.</p> +<p>The horses of Abyssinia are excellent; their mules, oxen, and +cows are without number, and in these principally consists the +wealth of this country. They have a very particular custom, +which obliges every man that hath a thousand cows to save every +year one day’s milk of all his herd, and make a bath with +it for his relations, entertaining them afterwards with a +splendid feast. This they do so many days each year, as +they have thousands of cattle, so that to express how rich any +man is, they tell you he bathes so many times. The tribute +paid out of their herds to the King, which is not the most +inconsiderable of his revenues, is one cow in ten every three +years. The beeves are of several kinds; one sort they have +without horns, which are of no other use than to carry burthens, +and serve instead of mules. Another twice as big as ours +which they breed to kill, fattening them with the milk of three +or four cows. Their horns are so large, the inhabitants use +them for pitchers, and each will hold about five gallons. +One of these oxen, fat and ready to be killed, may be bought at +most for two crowns. I have purchased five sheep, or five +goats with nine kids, for a piece of calico worth about a +crown.</p> +<p>The Abyssins have many sort of fowls both wild and tame; some +of the former we are yet unacquainted with: there is one of +wonderful beauty, which I have seen in no other place except +Peru: it has instead of a comb, a short horn upon its head, which +is thick and round, and open at the top. The feitan favez, +or devil’s horse, looks at a distance like a man dressed in +feathers; it walks with abundance of majesty, till it finds +itself pursued, and then takes wing, and flies away. But +amongst all their birds there is none more remarkable than the +moroc, or honey-bird, which is furnished by nature with a +peculiar instinct or faculty of discovering honey. They +have here multitudes of bees of various kinds; some are tame, +like ours, and form their combs in hives. Of the wild ones, +some place their honey in hollow trees, others hide it in holes +in the ground, which they cover so carefully, that though they +are commonly in the highway, they are seldom found, unless by the +moroc’s help, which, when he has discovered any honey, +repairs immediately to the road side, and when he sees a +traveller, sings, and claps his wings, making many motions to +invite him to follow him, and when he perceives him coming, flies +before him from tree to tree, till he comes to the place where +the bees have stored their treasure, and then begins to sing +melodiously. The Abyssin takes the honey, without failing +to leave part of it for the bird, to reward him for his +information. This kind of honey I have often tasted, and do +not find that it differs from the other sorts in anything but +colour; it is somewhat blacker. The great quantity of honey +that is gathered, and a prodigious number of cows that is kept +here, have often made me call Abyssinia a land of honey and +butter.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER III</h3> +<p>The manner of eating in Abyssinia, their dress, their +hospitality, and traffic.</p> +<p>The great lords, and even the Emperor himself, maintain their +tables with no great expense. The vessels they make use of +are black earthenware, which, the older it is, they set a greater +value on. Their way of dressing their meat, an European, +till he hath been long accustomed to it, can hardly be persuaded +to like; everything they eat smells strong and swims with +butter. They make no use of either linen or plates. +The persons of rank never touch what they eat, but have their +meat cut by their pages, and put into their mouths. When +they feast a friend they kill an ox, and set immediately a +quarter of him raw upon the table (for their most elegant treat +is raw beef newly killed) with pepper and salt; the gall of the +ox serves them for oil and vinegar; some, to heighten the +delicacy of the entertainment, add a kind of sauce, which they +call manta, made of what they take out of the guts of the ox; +this they set on the fire, with butter, salt, pepper, and +onion. Raw beef, thus relished, is their nicest dish, and +is eaten by them with the same appetite and pleasure as we eat +the best partridges. They have often done me the favour of +helping me to some of this sauce, and I had no way to decline +eating it besides telling them it was too good for a +missionary.</p> +<p>The common drink of the Abyssins is beer and mead, which they +drink to excess when they visit one another; nor can there be a +greater offence against good manners than to let the guests go +away sober: their liquor is always presented by a servant, who +drinks first himself, and then gives the cup to the company, in +the order of their quality.</p> +<p>The meaner sort of people here dress themselves very plain; +they only wear drawers, and a thick garment of cotton, that +covers the rest of their bodies: the people of quality, +especially those that frequent the court, run into the contrary +extreme, and ruin themselves with costly habits. They wear +all sorts of silks, and particularly the fine velvets of +Turkey.</p> +<p>They love bright and glaring colours, and dress themselves +much in the Turkish manner, except that their clothes are wider, +and their drawers cover their legs. Their robes are always +full of gold and silver embroidery. They are most exact +about their hair, which is long and twisted, and their care of it +is such that they go bare-headed whilst they are young for fear +of spoiling it, but afterwards wear red caps, and sometimes +turbans after the Turkish fashion.</p> +<p>The ladies’ dress is yet more magnificent and expensive; +their robes are as large as those of the religious, of the order +of St. Bernard. They have various ways of dressing their +heads, and spare no expense in ear-rings, necklaces, or anything +that may contribute to set them off to advantage. They are +not much reserved or confined, and have so much liberty in +visiting one another that their husbands often suffer by it; but +for this evil there is no remedy, especially when a man marries a +princess, or one of the royal family. Besides their +clothes, the Abyssins have no movables or furniture of much +value, or doth their manner of living admit of them.</p> +<p>One custom of this country deserves to be remarked: when a +stranger comes to a village, or to the camp, the people are +obliged to entertain him and his company according to his +rank. As soon as he enters a house (for they have no inns +in this nation), the master informs his neighbours that he hath a +guest; immediately they bring in bread and all kinds of +provisions; and there is great care taken to provide enough, +because, if the guest complains, the town is obliged to pay +double the value of what they ought to have furnished. This +practice is so well established that a stranger goes into a house +of one he never saw with the same familiarity and assurance of +welcome as into that of an intimate friend or near relation; a +custom very convenient, but which gives encouragement to great +numbers of vagabonds throughout the kingdom.</p> +<p>There is no money in Abyssinia, except in the eastern +provinces, where they have iron coin: but in the chief provinces +all commerce is managed by exchange. Their chief trade +consists in provisions, cows, sheep, goats, fowls, pepper, and +gold, which is weighed out to the purchaser, and principally in +salt, which is properly the money of this country.</p> +<p>When the Abyssins are engaged in a law-suit, the two parties +make choice of a judge, and plead their own cause before him; and +if they cannot agree in their choice, the governor of the place +appoints them one, from whom there lies an appeal to the viceroy +and to the Emperor himself. All causes are determined on +the spot; no writings are produced. The judge sits down on +the ground in the midst of the high road, where all that please +may be present: the two persons concerned stand before him, with +their friends about them, who serve as their attorneys. The +plaintiff speaks first, the defendant answers him; each is +permitted to rejoin three or four times, then silence is +commanded, and the judge takes the opinions of those that are +about him. If the evidence be deemed sufficient, he +pronounces sentence, which in some cases is decisive and without +appeal. He then takes the criminal into custody till he +hath made satisfaction; but if it be a crime punishable with +death he is delivered over to the prosecutor, who may put him to +death at his own discretion.</p> +<p>They have here a particular way of punishing adultery; a woman +convicted of that crime is condemned to forfeit all her fortune, +is turned out of her husband’s house, in a mean dress, and +is forbid ever to enter it again; she has only a needle given her +to get her living with. Sometimes her head is shaved, +except one lock of hair, which is left her, and even that depends +on the will of her husband, who has it likewise in his choice +whether he will receive her again or not; if he resolves never to +admit her they are both at liberty to marry whom they will. +There is another custom amongst them yet more extraordinary, +which is, that the wife is punished whenever the husband proves +false to the marriage contract; this punishment indeed extends no +farther than a pecuniary mulct, and what seems more equitable, +the husband is obliged to pay a sum of money to his wife. +When the husband prosecutes his wife’s gallant, if he can +produce any proofs of a criminal conversation, he recovers for +damages forty cows, forty horses, and forty suits of clothes, and +the same number of other things. If the gallant be unable +to pay him, he is committed to prison, and continues there during +the husband’s pleasure, who, if he sets him at liberty +before the whole fine be paid, obliges him to take an oath that +he is going to procure the rest, that he may be able to make full +satisfaction. Then the criminal orders meat and drink to be +brought out, they eat and drink together, he asks a formal +pardon, which is not granted at first; however, the husband +forgives first one part of the debt, and then another, till at +length the whole is remitted.</p> +<p>A husband that doth not like his wife may easily find means to +make the marriage void, and, what is worse, may dismiss the +second wife with less difficulty than he took her, and return to +the first; so that marriages in this country are only for a term +of years, and last no longer than both parties are pleased with +each other, which is one instance how far distant these people +are from the purity of the primitive believers, which they +pretend to have preserved with so great strictness. The +marriages are in short no more than bargains, made with this +proviso, that when any discontent shall arise on either side, +they may separate, and marry whom they please, each taking back +what they brought with them.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IV</h3> +<p>An account of the religion of the Abyssins.</p> +<p>Yet though there is a great difference between our manners, +customs, civil government, and those of the Abyssins, there is +yet a much greater in points of faith; for so many errors have +been introduced and ingrafted into their religion, by their +ignorance, their separation from the Catholic Church, and their +intercourse with Jews, Pagans, and Mohammedans, that their +present religion is nothing but a kind of confused miscellany of +Jewish and Mohammedan superstitions, with which they have +corrupted those remnants of Christianity which they still +retain.</p> +<p>They have, however, preserved the belief of our principal +mysteries; they celebrate with a great deal of piety the passion +of our Lord; they reverence the cross; they pay a great devotion +to the Blessed Virgin, the angels, and the saints; they observe +the festivals, and pay a strict regard to the Sunday. Every +month they commemorate the assumption of the Virgin Mary, and are +of opinion that no Christians beside themselves have a true sense +of the greatness of the mother of God, or pay her the honours +that are due to her. There are some tribes amongst them +(for they are distinguished like the Jews by their tribes), among +whom the crime of swearing by the name of the Virgin is punished +with forfeiture of goods and even with loss of life; they are +equally scrupulous of swearing by St. George. Every week +they keep a feast to the honour of the apostles and angels; they +come to mass with great devotion, and love to hear the word of +God. They receive the sacrament often, but do not always +prepare themselves by confession. Their charity to the poor +may be said to exceed the proper bounds that prudence ought to +set it, for it contributes to encourage great numbers of beggars, +which are a great annoyance to the whole kingdom, and as I have +often said, afford more exercise to a Christian’s patience +than his charity; for their insolence is such, that they will +refuse what is offered them if it be not so much as they think +proper to ask.</p> +<p>Though the Abyssins have not many images, they have great +numbers of pictures, and perhaps pay them somewhat too high a +degree of worship. The severity of their fasts is equal to +that of the primitive church. In Lent they never eat till +after sunset; their fasts are the more severe because milk and +butter are forbidden them, and no reason or necessity whatsoever +can procure them a permission to eat meat, and their country +affording no fish, they live only on roots and pulse. On +fast-days they never drink but at their meat, and the priests +never communicate till evening, for fear of profaning them. +They do not think themselves obliged to fast till they have +children either married or fit to be married, which yet doth not +secure them very long from these mortifications, because their +youths marry at the age of ten years, and their girls +younger.</p> +<p>There is no nation where excommunication carries greater +terrors than among the Abyssins, which puts it in the power of +the priests to abuse this religious temper of the people, as well +as the authority they receive from it, by excommunicating them, +as they often do, for the least trifle in which their interest is +concerned.</p> +<p>No country in the world is so full of churches, monasteries, +and ecclesiastics as Abyssinia; it is not possible to sing in one +church or monastery without being heard by another, and perhaps +by several. They sing the psalms of David, of which, as +well as the other parts of the Holy Scriptures, they have a very +exact translation in their own language; in which, though +accounted canonical, the books of the Maccabees are +omitted. The instruments of music made use of in their +rites of worship are little drums, which they hang about their +necks, and beat with both their hands; these are carried even by +their chief men, and by the gravest of their ecclesiastics. +They have sticks likewise, with which they strike the ground, +accompanying the blow with a motion of their whole bodies. +They begin their concert by stamping their feet on the ground, +and playing gently on their instruments; but when they have +heated themselves by degrees, they leave off drumming, and fall +to leaping, dancing, and clapping their hands, at the same time +straining their voices to the utmost pitch, till at length they +have no regard either to the tune or the pauses, and seem rather +a riotous than a religious assembly. For this manner of +worship they cite the psalm of David, “O clap your hands +all ye nations.” Thus they misapply the sacred +writings to defend practices yet more corrupt than those I have +been speaking of.</p> +<p>They are possessed with a strange notion that they are the +only true Christians in the world; as for us, they shunned us as +heretics, and were under the greatest surprise at hearing us +mention the Virgin Mary with the respect which is due to her, and +told us that we could not be entirely barbarians since we were +acquainted with the mother of God. It plainly appears that +prepossessions so strong, which receive more strength from the +ignorance of the people, have very little tendency to dispose +them to a reunion with the Catholic Church.</p> +<p>They have some opinions peculiar to themselves about +purgatory, the creation of souls, and some of our +mysteries. They repeat baptism every year, they retain the +practice of circumcision, they observe the Sabbath, they abstain +from all those sorts of flesh which are forbidden by the +law. Brothers espouse the wives of their brothers, and to +conclude, they observe a great number of Jewish ceremonies.</p> +<p>Though they know the words which Jesus Christ appointed to be +used in the administration of baptism, they have without scruple +substituted others in their place, which makes the validity of +their baptism, and the reality of their Christianity, very +doubtful. They have a few names of saints, the same with +those in the Roman martyrology, but they often insert others, as +Zama la Cota, the Life of Truth; Ongulari, the Evangelist; Asca +Georgi, the Mouth of Saint George.</p> +<p>To bring back this people into the enclosure of the Catholic +Church, from which they have been separated so many ages, was the +sole view and intention with which we undertook so long and +toilsome a journey, crossed so many seas, and passed so many +deserts, with the utmost hazard of our lives; I am certain that +we travelled more than seven thousand leagues before we arrived +at our residence at Fremona.</p> +<p>We came to this place, anciently called Maigoga, on the 21st +of June, as I have said before, and were obliged to continue +there till November, because the winter begins here in May, and +its greatest rigour is from the middle of June to the middle of +September. The rains that are almost continually falling in +this season make it impossible to go far from home, for the +rivers overflow their banks, and therefore, in a place like this, +where there are neither bridges nor boats, are, if they are not +fordable, utterly impassable. Some, indeed, have crossed +them by means of a cord fastened on both sides of the water, +others tie two beams together, and placing themselves upon them, +guide them as well as they can, but this experiment is so +dangerous that it hath cost many of these bold adventurers their +lives. This is not all the danger, for there is yet more to +be apprehended from the unwholesomeness of the air, and the +vapours which arise from the scorched earth at the fall of the +first showers, than from the torrents and rivers. Even they +who shelter themselves in houses find great difficulty to avoid +the diseases that proceed from the noxious qualities of these +vapours. From the beginning of June to that of September it +rains more or less every day. The morning is generally fair +and bright, but about two hours after noon the sky is clouded, +and immediately succeeds a violent storm, with thunder and +lightning flashing in the most dreadful manner. While this +lasts, which is commonly three or four hours, none go out of +doors. The ploughman upon the first appearance of it +unyokes his oxen, and betakes himself with them into +covert. Travellers provide for their security in the +neighbouring villages, or set up their tents, everybody flies to +some shelter, as well to avoid the unwholesomeness as the +violence of the rain. The thunder is astonishing, and the +lightning often destroys great numbers, a thing I can speak of +from my own experience, for it once flashed so near me, that I +felt an uneasiness on that side for a long time after; at the +same time it killed three young children, and having run round my +room went out, and killed a man and woman three hundred paces +off. When the storm is over the sun shines out as before, +and one would not imagine it had rained, but that the ground +appears deluged. Thus passes the Abyssinian winter, a +dreadful season, in which the whole kingdom languishes with +numberless diseases, an affliction which, however grievous, is +yet equalled by the clouds of grasshoppers, which fly in such +numbers from the desert, that the sun is hid and the sky +darkened; whenever this plague appears, nothing is seen through +the whole region but the most ghastly consternation, or heard but +the most piercing lamentations, for wherever they fall, that +unhappy place is laid waste and ruined; they leave not one blade +of grass, nor any hopes of a harvest.</p> +<p>God, who often makes calamities subservient to His will, +permitted this very affliction to be the cause of the conversion +of many of the natives, who might have otherwise died in their +errors; for part of the country being ruined by the grasshoppers +that year in which we arrived at Abyssinia, many, who were forced +to leave their habitations, and seek the necessaries of life in +other places, came to that part of the land where some of our +missionaries were preaching, and laid hold on that mercy which +God seemed to have appointed for others.</p> +<p>As we could not go to court before November, we resolved, that +we might not be idle, to preach and instruct the people in the +country; in pursuance of this resolution I was sent to a +mountain, two days’ journey distant from Maigoga. The +lord or governor of the place was a Catholic, and had desired +missionaries, but his wife had conceived an implacable aversion +both from us and the Roman Church, and almost all the inhabitants +of that mountain were infected with the same prejudices as +she. They had been persuaded that the hosts which we +consecrated and gave to the communicants were mixed with juices +strained from the flesh of a camel, a dog, a hare, and a swine; +all creatures which the Abyssins look upon with abhorrence, +believing them unclean, and forbidden to them, as they were to +the Jews. We had no way of undeceiving them, and they fled +from us whenever we approached. We carried with us our +tent, our chalices, and ornaments, and all that was necessary for +saying mass. The lord of the village, who, like other +persons of quality throughout Æthiopia, lived on the top of +a mountain, received us with very great civility. All that +depended upon him had built their huts round about him; so that +this place compared with the other towns of Abyssinia seems +considerable; as soon as we arrived he sent us his compliments, +with a present of a cow, which, among them, is a token of high +respect. We had no way of returning this favour but by +killing the cow, and sending a quarter smoking, with the gall, +which amongst them is esteemed the most delicate part. I +imagined for some time that the gall of animals was less bitter +in this country than elsewhere, but upon tasting it, I found it +more; and yet have frequently seen our servants drink large +glasses of if with the same pleasure that we drink the most +delicious wines.</p> +<p>We chose to begin our mission with the lady of the village, +and hoped that her prejudice and obstinacy, however great, would +in time yield to the advice and example of her husband, and that +her conversion would have a great influence on the whole village, +but having lost several days without being able to prevail upon +her to hear us on any one point, we left the place, and went to +another mountain, higher and better peopled. When we came +to the village on the top of it, where the lord lived, we were +surprised with the cries and lamentations of men that seemed to +suffer or apprehend some dreadful calamity; and were told, upon +inquiring the cause, that the inhabitants had been persuaded that +we were the devil’s missionaries, who came to seduce them +from the true religion, that foreseeing some of their neighbours +would be ruined by the temptation, they were lamenting the +misfortune which was coming upon them. When we began to +apply ourselves to the work of the mission we could not by any +means persuade any but the lord and the priest to receive us into +their houses; the rest were rough and untractable to that degree +that, after having converted six, we despaired of making any +farther progress, and thought it best to remove to other towns +where we might be better received.</p> +<p>We found, however, a more unpleasing treatment at the next +place, and had certainly ended our lives there had we not been +protected by the governor and the priest, who, though not +reconciled to the Roman Church, yet showed us the utmost +civility; the governor informed us of a design against our lives, +and advised us not to go out after sunset, and gave us guards to +protect us from the insults of the populace.</p> +<p>We made no long stay in a place where they stopped their ears +against the voice of God, but returned to the foot of that +mountain which we had left some days before; we were surrounded, +as soon as we began to preach, with a multitude of auditors, who +came either in expectation of being instructed, or from a desire +of gratifying their curiosity, and God bestowed such a blessing +upon our apostolical labours that the whole village was converted +in a short time. We then removed to another at the middle +of the mountain, situated in a kind of natural parterre, or +garden; the soil was fruitful, and the trees that shaded it from +the scorching heat of the sun gave it an agreeable and refreshing +coolness. We had here the convenience of improving the +ardour and piety of our new converts, and, at the same time, of +leading more into the way of the true religion: and indeed our +success exceeded the utmost of our hopes; we had in a short time +great numbers whom we thought capable of being admitted to the +sacraments of baptism and the mass.</p> +<p>We erected our tent, and placed our altar under some great +trees, for the benefit of the shade; and every day before +sun-rising my companion and I began to catechise and instruct +these new Catholics, and used our utmost endeavours to make them +abjure their errors. When we were weary with speaking, we +placed in ranks those who were sufficiently instructed, and +passing through them with great vessels of water, baptised them +according to the form prescribed by the Church. As their +number was very great, we cried aloud, those of this rank are +named Peter, those of that rank Anthony. And did the same +amongst the women, whom we separated from the men. We then +confessed them, and admitted them to the communion. After +mass we applied ourselves again to catechise, to instruct, and +receive the renunciation of their errors, scarce allowing +ourselves time to make a scanty meal, which we never did more +than once a day.</p> +<p>After some time had been spent here, we removed to another +town not far distant, and continued the same practice. Here +I was accosted one day by an inhabitant of that place, where he +had found the people so prejudiced against us, who desired to be +admitted to confession. I could not forbear asking him some +questions about those lamentations, which we heard upon our +entering into that place. He confessed with the utmost +frankness and ingenuity that the priests and religious have given +dreadful accounts both of us and of the religion we preached; +that the unhappy people were taught by them that the curse of God +attended us wheresoever we went; that we were always followed by +the grasshoppers, that pest of Abyssinia, which carried famine +and destruction over all the country; that he, seeing no +grasshoppers following us when we passed by their village, began +to doubt of the reality of what the priests had so confidently +asserted, and was now convinced that the representation they made +of us was calumny and imposture. This discourse gave us +double pleasure, both as it proved that God had confuted the +accusations of our enemies, and defended us against their malice +without any efforts of our own, and that the people who had +shunned us with the strongest detestation were yet lovers of +truth, and came to us on their own accord. Nothing could be +more grossly absurd than the reproaches which the Abyssinian +ecclesiastics aspersed us and our religion with. They had +taken advantage of the calamity that happened the year of our +arrival: and the Abyssins, with all their wit, did not consider +that they had often been distressed by the grasshoppers before +there came any Jesuits into the country, and indeed before there +were any in the world.</p> +<p>Whilst I was in these mountains, I went on Sundays and +saints’ days sometimes to one church and sometimes to +another. One day I went out with a resolution not to go to +a certain church, where I imagined there was no occasion for me, +but before I had gone far, I found myself pressed by a secret +impulse to return back to that same church. I obeyed the +influence, and discovered it to proceed from the mercy of God to +three young children who were destitute of all succour, and at +the point of death. I found two very quickly in this +miserable state; the mother had retired to some distance that she +might not see them die, and when she saw me stop, came and told +me that they had been obliged by want to leave the town they +lived in, and were at length reduced to this dismal condition, +that she had been baptised, but that the children had not. +After I had baptised and relieved them, I continued my walk, +reflecting with wonder on the mercy of God, and about evening +discovered another infant, whose mother, evidently a Catholic, +cried out to me to save her child, or at least that if I could +not preserve this uncertain and perishable life, I should give it +another certain and permanent. I sent my servant to fetch +water with the utmost expedition, for there was none near, and +happily baptised the child before it expired.</p> +<p>Soon after this I returned to Fremona, and had great hopes of +accompanying the patriarch to the court; but, when we were almost +setting out, received the command of the superior of the mission +to stay at Fremona, with a charge of the house there, and of all +the Catholics that were dispersed over the kingdom of Tigre, an +employment very ill-proportioned to my abilities. The house +at Fremona has always been much regarded even by those emperors +who persecuted us; Sultan Segued annexed nine large manors to it +for ever, which did not make us much more wealthy, because of the +expensive hospitality which the great conflux of strangers +obliged us to. The lands in Abyssinia yield but small +revenues, unless the owners themselves set the value upon them, +which we could not do.</p> +<p>The manner of letting farms in Abyssinia differs much from +that of other countries: the farmer, when the harvest is almost +ripe, invites the chumo or steward, who is appointed to make an +estimate of the value of each year’s product, to his house, +entertains him in the most agreeable manner he can; makes him a +present, and then takes him to see his corn. If the chumo +is pleased with the treat and present, he will give him a +declaration or writing to witness that his ground, which afforded +five or six sacks of corn, did you yield so many bushels, and +even of this it is the custom to abate something; so that our +revenue did not increase in proportion to our lands; and we found +ourselves often obliged to buy corn, which, indeed, is not dear, +for in fruitful years forty or fifty measures, weighing each +about twenty-two pounds, may be purchased for a crown.</p> +<p>Besides the particular charge I had of the house of Fremona, I +was appointed the patriarch’s grand-vicar through the whole +kingdom of Tigre. I thought that to discharge this office +as I ought, it was incumbent on me to provide necessaries as well +for the bodies as the souls of the converted Catholics. +This labour was much increased by the famine which the +grasshoppers had brought that year upon the country. Our +house was perpetually surrounded by some of those unhappy people, +whom want had compelled to abandon their habitations, and whose +pale cheeks and meagre bodies were undeniable proofs of their +misery and distress. All the relief I could possibly afford +them could not prevent the death of such numbers that their +bodies filled the highways; and to increase our affliction, the +wolves having devoured the carcases, and finding no other food, +fell upon the living; their natural fierceness being so increased +by hunger, that they dragged the children out of the very +houses. I saw myself a troop of wolves tear a child of six +years old in pieces before I or any one else could come to its +assistance.</p> +<p>While I was entirely taken up with the duties of my ministry, +the viceroy of Tigre received the commands of the Emperor to +search for the bones of Don Christopher de Gama. On this +occasion it may not be thought impertinent to give some account +of the life and death of this brave and holy Portuguese, who, +after having been successful in many battles, fell at last into +the hands of the Moors, and completed that illustrious life by a +glorious martyrdom.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER V</h3> +<p>The adventures of the Portuguese, and the actions of Don +Christopher de Gama in Æthiopia.</p> +<p>About the beginning of the sixteenth century arose a Moor near +the Cape of Gardafui, who, by the assistance of the forces sent +him from Moca by the Arabs and Turks, conquered almost all +Abyssinia, and founded the kingdom of Adel. He was called +Mahomet Gragne, or the Lame. When he had ravaged +Æthiopia fourteen years, and was master of the greatest +part of it, the Emperor David sent to implore succour of the King +of Portugal, with a promise that when those dominions were +recovered which had been taken from him, he would entirely submit +himself to the Pope, and resign the third part of his territories +to the Portuguese. After many delays, occasioned by the +great distance between Portugal and Abyssinia, and some +unsuccessful attempts, King John the Third, having made Don +Stephen de Gama, son of the celebrated Don Vasco de Gama, viceroy +of the Indies, gave him orders to enter the Red Sea in pursuit of +the Turkish galleys, and to fall upon them wherever he found +them, even in the Port of Suez. The viceroy, in obedience +to the king’s commands, equipped a powerful fleet, went on +board himself, and cruised about the coast without being able to +discover the Turkish vessels. Enraged to find that with +this great preparation he should be able to effect nothing, he +landed at Mazna four hundred Portuguese, under the command of Don +Christopher de Gama, his brother. He was soon joined by +some Abyssins, who had not yet forgot their allegiance to their +sovereign; and in his march up the country was met by the Empress +Helena, who received him as her deliverer. At first nothing +was able to stand before the valour of the Portuguese, the Moors +were driven from one mountain to another, and were dislodged even +from those places, which it seemed almost impossible to approach, +even unmolested by the opposition of an enemy.</p> +<p>These successes seemed to promise a more happy event than that +which followed them. It was now winter, a season in which, +as the reader hath been already informed, it is almost impossible +to travel in Æthiopia. The Portuguese unadvisedly +engaged themselves in an enterprise, to march through the whole +country, in order to join the Emperor, who was then in the most +remote part of his dominions. Mahomet, who was in +possession of the mountains, being informed by his spies that the +Portuguese were but four hundred, encamped in the plain of +Ballut, and sent a message to the general that he knew the +Abyssins had imposed on the King of Portugal, which, being +acquainted with their treachery, he was not surprised at, and +that in compassion of the commander’s youth, he would give +him and his men, if they would return, free passage, and furnish +them with necessaries; that he might consult upon the matter, and +depend upon his word, reminding him, however, that it was not +safe to refuse his offer.</p> +<p>The general presented the ambassador with a rich robe, and +returned this gallant answer: “That he and his +fellow-soldiers were come with an intention to drive Mahomet out +of these countries, which he had wrongfully usurped; that his +present design was, instead of returning back the way he came, as +Mahomet advised, to open himself a passage through the country of +his enemies; that Mahomet should rather think of determining +whether he would fight or yield up his ill-gotten territories, +than of prescribing measures to him; that he put his whole +confidence in the omnipotence of God and the justice of his +cause, and that to show how just a sense he had of +Mahomet’s kindness, he took the liberty of presenting him +with a looking-glass and a pair of pincers.”</p> +<p>This answer, and the present, so provoked Mahomet, who was at +dinner when he received it, that he rose from table immediately +to march against the Portuguese, imagining he should meet with no +resistance; and indeed, any man, however brave, would have been +of the same opinion; for his forces consisted of fifteen thousand +foot, beside a numerous body of cavalry, and the Portuguese +commander had but three hundred and fifty men, having lost eight +in attacking some passes, and left forty at Mazma, to maintain an +open intercourse with the viceroy of the Indies. This +little troop of our countrymen were upon the declivity of a hill +near a wood; above them stood the Abyssins, who resolved to +remain quiet spectators of the battle, and to declare themselves +on that side which should be favoured with victory.</p> +<p>Mahomet began the attack with only ten horsemen, against whom +as many Portuguese were detached, who fired with so much +exactness, that nine of the Moors fell, and the tenth with great +difficulty made his escape. This omen of good fortune gave +the soldiers great encouragement; the action grew hot, and they +came at length to a general battle; but the Moors, dismayed by +the advantages our men had obtained at first, were half defeated +before the fight. The great fire of our muskets and +artillery broke them immediately. Mahomet preserved his own +life not without difficulty, but did not lose his capacity with +the battle: he had still a great number of troops remaining, +which he rallied, and entrenched himself at Membret, a place +naturally strong, with an intention to pass the winter there, and +wait for succours.</p> +<p>The Portuguese, who were more desirous of glory than wealth, +did not encumber themselves with plunder, but with the utmost +expedition pursued their enemies, in hopes of cutting them +entirely off. This expectation was too sanguine: they found +them encamped in a place naturally almost inaccessible, and so +well fortified, that it would be no less than extreme rashness to +attack them. They therefore entrenched themselves on a hill +over against the enemy’s camp, and though victorious, were +under great disadvantages. They saw new troops arrive every +day at the enemy’s camp, and their small number grew less +continually; their friends at Mazna could not join them; they +knew not how to procure provisions, and could put no confidence +in the Abyssins; yet recollecting the great things achieved by +their countrymen, and depending on the Divine protection, they +made no doubt of surmounting all difficulties.</p> +<p>Mahomet on his part was not idle; he solicited the assistance +of the Mahometan princes, pressed them with all the motives of +religion, and obtained a reinforcement of two thousand musketeers +from the Arabs, and a train of artillery from the Turks. +Animated with these succours, he marched out of his trenches to +enter those of the Portuguese, who received him with the utmost +bravery, destroyed prodigious numbers of his men, and made many +sallies with great vigour, but losing every day some of their +small troops, and most of their officers being killed, it was +easy to surround and force them.</p> +<p>Their general had already one arm broken, and his knee +shattered with a musket-shot, which made him unable to repair to +all those places where his presence was necessary to animate his +soldiers. Valour was at length forced to submit to +superiority of numbers; the enemy entered the camp and put all to +the sword. The general with ten more escaped the slaughter, +and by means of their horses retreated to a wood, where they were +soon discovered by a detachment sent in search of them, and +brought to Mahomet, who was overjoyed to see his most formidable +enemy in his power, and ordered him to take care of his uncle and +nephew, who were wounded, telling him he should answer for their +lives; and, upon their death, taxed him with hastening it. +The brave Portuguese made no excuses, but told him he came +thither to destroy Mahometans, and not to save them. +Mahomet, enraged at this language, ordered a stone to be put on +his head, and exposed this great man to the insults and +reproaches of the whole army. After this they inflicted +various kinds of tortures on him, which he endured with +incredible resolution, and without uttering the least complaint, +praising the mercy of God who had ordained him to suffer in such +a cause.</p> +<p>Mahomet, at last satisfied with cruelty, made an offer of +sending him to the viceroy of the Indies, if he would turn +Mussulman. The hero took fire at this proposal, and +answered with the highest indignation that nothing should make +him forsake his heavenly Master to follow an impostor, and +continued in the severest terms to vilify their false prophet, +till Mahomet struck off his head.</p> +<p>Nor did the resentment of Mahomet end here; he divided his +body into quarters, and sent them to different places. The +Catholics gathered the remains of this glorious martyr, and +interred them. Every Moor that passed by threw a stone upon +his grave, and raised in time such a heap, as I found it +difficult to remove when I went in search of those precious +relics.</p> +<p>What I have here related of the death of Don Christopher de +Gama I was told by an old man, who was an eye-witness of it: and +there is a tradition in the country that in the place where his +head fell, a fountain sprung up of wonderful virtue, which cured +many diseases otherwise past remedy.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VI</h3> +<p>Mahomet continues the war, and is killed. The stratagem +of Peter Leon.</p> +<p>Mahomet, that he might make the best use of his victory, +ranged over a great part of Abyssinia in search of the Emperor +Claudius, who was then in the kingdom of Dambia. All places +submitted to the Mahometan, whose insolence increased every day +with his power; and nothing after the defeat of the Portuguese +was supposed able to put a stop to the progress of his arms.</p> +<p>The soldiers of Portugal, having lost their chief, resorted to +the Emperor, who, though young, promised great things, and told +them that since their own general was dead, they would accept of +none but himself. He received them with great kindness, and +hearing of Don Christopher de Gama’s misfortune, could not +forbear honouring with some tears the memory of a man who had +come so far to his succour, and lost his life in his cause.</p> +<p>The Portuguese, resolved at any rate to revenge the fate of +their general, desired the Emperor to assign them the post +opposite to Mahomet, which was willingly granted them. That +King, flushed with his victories, and imagining to fight was +undoubtedly to conquer, sought all occasions of giving the +Abyssins battle. The Portuguese, who desired nothing more +than to re-establish their reputation by revenging the affront +put upon them by the late defeat, advised the Emperor to lay hold +on the first opportunity of fighting. Both parties joined +battle with equal fury. The Portuguese directed all their +force against that part where Mahomet was posted. Peter +Leon, who had been servant to the general, singled the King out +among the crowd, and shot him into the head with his +musket. Mahomet, finding himself wounded, would have +retired out of the battle, and was followed by Peter Leon, till +he fell down dead; the Portuguese, alighting from his horse, cut +off one of his ears. The Moors being now without a leader, +continued the fight but a little time, and at length fled +different ways in the utmost disorder; the Abyssinians pursued +them, and made a prodigious slaughter. One of them, seeing +the King’s body on the ground, cut off his head and +presented it to the Emperor. The sight of it filled the +whole camp with acclamations; every one applauded the valour and +good fortune of the Abyssin, and no reward was thought great +enough for so important a service. Peter Leon, having stood +by some time, asked whether the King had but one ear? if he had +two, says he, it seems likely that the man who killed him cut off +one and keeps it as a proof of his exploit. The Abyssin +stood confused, and the Portuguese produced the ear out of his +pocket. Every one commended the stratagem; and the Emperor +commanded the Abyssin to restore all the presents he had +received, and delivered them with many more to Peter Leon.</p> +<p>I imagined the reader would not be displeased to be informed +who this man was, whose precious remains were searched for by a +viceroy of Tigre, at the command of the Emperor himself. +The commission was directed to me, nor did I ever receive one +that was more welcome on many accounts. I had contracted an +intimate friendship with the Count de Vidigueira, viceroy of the +Indies, and had been desired by him, when I took my leave of him, +upon going to Melinda, to inform myself where his relation was +buried, and to send him some of his relics.</p> +<p>The viceroy, son-in-law to the Emperor, with whom I was joined +in the commission, gave me many distinguishing proofs of his +affection to me, and of his zeal for the Catholic religion. +It was a journey of fifteen days through part of the country +possessed by the Galles, which made it necessary to take troops +with us for our security; yet, notwithstanding this precaution, +the hazard of the expedition appeared so great, that our friends +bid us farewell with tears, and looked upon us as destined to +unavoidable destruction. The viceroy had given orders to +some troops to join us on the road, so that our little army grew +stronger as we advanced. There is no making long marches in +this country; an army here is a great city well peopled and under +exact government: they take their wives and children with them, +and the camp hath its streets, its market places, its churches, +courts of justice, judges, and civil officers.</p> +<p>Before they set forward, they advertise the governors of +provinces through which they are to pass, that they may take care +to furnish what is necessary for the subsistence of the +troops. These governors give notice to the adjacent places +that the army is to march that way on such a day, and that they +are assessed such a quantity of bread, beer, and cows. The +peasants are very exact in supplying their quota, being obliged +to pay double the value in case of failure; and very often when +they have produced their full share, they are told that they have +been deficient, and condemned to buy their peace with a large +fine.</p> +<p>When the providore has received these contributions, he +divides them according to the number of persons, and the want +they are in: the proportion they observe in this distribution is +twenty pots of beer, ten of mead, and one cow to a hundred +loaves. The chief officers and persons of note carry their +own provisions with them, which I did too, though I afterwards +found the precaution unnecessary, for I had often two or three +cows more than I wanted, which I bestowed on those whose +allowance fell short.</p> +<p>The Abyssins are not only obliged to maintain the troops in +their march, but to repair the roads, to clear them, especially +in the forests, of brambles and thorns, and by all means possible +to facilitate the passage of the army. They are, by long +custom, extremely ready at encamping. As soon as they come +to a place they think convenient to halt at, the officer that +commands the vanguard marks out with his pike the place for the +King’s or viceroy’s tent: every one knows his rank, +and how much ground he shall take up; so the camp is formed in an +instant.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VII</h3> +<p>They discover the relics. Their apprehension of the +Galles. The author converts a criminal, and procures his +pardon.</p> +<p>We took with us an old Moor, so enfeebled with age that they +were forced to carry him: he had seen, as I have said, the +sufferings and death of Don Christopher de Gama; and a Christian, +who had often heard all those passages related to his father, and +knew the place where the uncle and nephew of Mahomet were buried, +and where they interred one quarter of the Portuguese +martyr. We often examined these two men, and always apart; +they agreed in every circumstance of their relations, and +confirmed us in our belief of them by leading us to the place +where we took up the uncle and nephew of Mahomet, as they had +described. With no small labour we removed the heap of +stones which the Moors, according to their custom, had thrown +upon the body, and discovered the treasure we came in search +of. Not many paces off was the fountain where they had +thrown his head, with a dead dog, to raise a greater aversion in +the Moors. I gathered the teeth and the lower jaw. No +words can express the ecstasies I was transported with at seeing +the relics of so great a man, and reflecting that it had pleased +God to make me the instrument of their preservation, so that one +day, if our holy father the Pope shall be so pleased, they may +receive the veneration of the faithful. All burst into +tears at the sight. We indulged a melancholy pleasure in +reflecting what that great man had achieved for the deliverance +of Abyssinia, from the yoke and tyranny of the Moors; the voyages +he had undertaken; the battles he had fought; the victories he +had won; and the cruel and tragical death he had suffered. +Our first moments were so entirely taken up with these +reflections that we were incapable of considering the danger we +were in of being immediately surrounded by the Galles; but as +soon as we awoke to that thought, we contrived to retreat as fast +as we could. Our expedition, however, was not so great but +we saw them on the top of a mountain ready to pour down upon +us. The viceroy attended us closely with his little army, +but had been probably not much more secure than we, his force +consisting only of foot, and the Galles entirely of horse, a +service at which they are very expert. Our apprehensions at +last proved to be needless, for the troops we saw were of a +nation at that time in alliance with the Abyssins.</p> +<p>Not caring, after this alarm, to stay longer here, we set out +on our march back, and in our return passed through a village +where two men, who had murdered a domestic of the viceroy, lay +under an arrest. As they had been taken in the fact, the +law of the country allowed that they might have been executed the +same hour, but the viceroy having ordered that their death should +be deferred till his return, delivered them to the relations of +the dead, to be disposed of as they should think proper. +They made great rejoicings all the night, on account of having it +in their power to revenge their relation; and the unhappy +criminals had the mortification of standing by to behold this +jollity, and the preparations made for their execution.</p> +<p>The Abyssins have three different ways of putting a criminal +to death: one way is to bury him to the neck, to lay a heap of +brambles upon his head, and to cover the whole with a great +stone; another is to beat him to death with cudgels; a third, and +the most usual, is to stab him with their lances. The +nearest relation gives the first thrust, and is followed by all +the rest according to their degrees of kindred; and they to whom +it does not happen to strike while the offender is alive, dip the +points of their lances in his blood to show that they partake in +the revenge. It frequently happens that the relations of +the criminal are for taking the like vengeance for his death, and +sometimes pursue this resolution so far that all those who had +any share in the prosecution lose their lives.</p> +<p>I being informed that these two men were to die, wrote to the +viceroy for his permission to exhort them, before they entered +into eternity, to unite themselves to the Church. My +request being granted, I applied myself to the men, and found one +of them so obstinate that he would not even afford me a hearing, +and died in his error. The other I found more flexible, and +wrought upon him so far that he came to my tent to be +instructed. After my care of his eternal welfare had met +with such success, I could not forbear attempting something for +his temporal, and by my endeavours matters were so accommodated +that the relations were willing to grant his life on condition he +paid a certain number of cows, or the value. Their first +demand was of a thousand; he offered them five; they at last were +satisfied with twelve, provided they were paid upon the +spot. The Abyssins are extremely charitable, and the women, +on such occasions, will give even their necklaces and pendants, +so that, with what I gave myself, I collected in the camp enough +to pay the fine, and all parties were content.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER VIII</h3> +<p>The viceroy is offended by his wife. He complains to the +Emperor, but without redress. He meditates a revolt, raises +an army, and makes an attempt to seize upon the author.</p> +<p>We continued our march, and the viceroy having been advertised +that some troops had appeared in a hostile manner on the +frontiers, went against them. I parted from him, and +arrived at Fremona, where the Portuguese expected me with great +impatience. I reposited the bones of Don Christopher de +Gama in a decent place, and sent them the May following to the +viceroy of the Indies, together with his arms, which had been +presented me by a gentleman of Abyssinia, and a picture of the +Virgin Mary, which that gallant Portuguese always carried about +him.</p> +<p>The viceroy, during all the time he was engaged in this +expedition, heard very provoking accounts of the bad conduct of +his wife, and complained of it to the Emperor, entreating him +either to punish his daughter himself, or to permit him to +deliver her over to justice, that, if she was falsely accused, +she might have an opportunity of putting her own honour and her +husband’s out of dispute. The Emperor took little +notice of his son-in-law’s remonstrances; and, the truth +is, the viceroy was somewhat more nice in that matter than the +people of rank in this country generally are. There are +laws, it is true, against adultery, but they seem to have been +only for the meaner people, and the women of quality, especially +the ouzoros, or ladies of the blood royal, are so much above +them, that their husbands have not even the liberty of +complaining; and certainly to support injuries of this kind +without complaining requires a degree of patience which few men +can boast of. The viceroy’s virtue was not proof +against this temptation. He fell into a deep melancholy, +and resolved to be revenged on his father-in-law. He knew +the present temper of the people, that those of the greatest +interest and power were by no means pleased with the changes of +religion, and only waited for a fair opportunity to revolt; and +that these discontents were everywhere heightened by the monks +and clergy. Encouraged by these reflections, he was always +talking of the just reasons he had to complain of the Emperor, +and gave them sufficient room to understand that if they would +appear in his party, he would declare himself for the ancient +religion, and put himself at the head of those who should take +arms in the defence of it. The chief and almost the only +thing that hindered him from raising a formidable rebellion, was +the mutual distrust they entertained of one another, each fearing +that as soon as the Emperor should publish an act of grace, or +general amnesty, the greatest part would lay down their arms and +embrace it; and this suspicion was imagined more reasonable of +the viceroy than of any other. Notwithstanding this +difficulty, the priests, who interested themselves much in this +revolt, ran with the utmost earnestness from church to church, +levelling their sermons against the Emperor and the Catholic +religion; and that they might have the better success in putting +a stop to all ecclesiastical innovations, they came to a +resolution of putting all the missionaries to the sword; and that +the viceroy might have no room to hope for a pardon, they obliged +him to give the first wound to him that should fall into his +hands.</p> +<p>As I was the nearest, and by consequence the most exposed, an +order was immediately issued out for apprehending me, it being +thought a good expedient to seize me, and force me to build a +citadel, into which they might retreat if they should happen to +meet with a defeat. The viceroy wrote to me to desire that +I would come to him, he having, as he said, an affair of the +highest importance to communicate.</p> +<p>The frequent assemblies which the viceroy held had already +been much talked of; and I had received advice that he was ready +for a revolt, and that my death was to be the first signal of an +open war. Knowing that the viceroy had made many complaints +of the treatment he received from his father-in-law, I made no +doubt that he had some ill design in hand; and yet could scarce +persuade myself that after all the tokens of friendship I had +received from him he would enter into any measures for destroying +me. While I was yet in suspense, I despatched a faithful +servant to the viceroy with my excuse for disobeying him; and +gave the messenger strict orders to observe all that passed, and +bring me an exact account.</p> +<p>This affair was of too great moment not to engage my utmost +endeavours to arrive at the most certain knowledge of it, and to +advertise the court of the danger. I wrote, therefore, to +one of our fathers, who was then near the Emperor, the best +intelligence I could obtain of all that had passed, of the +reports that were spread through all this part of the empire, and +of the disposition which I discovered in the people to a general +defection; telling him, however, that I could not yet believe +that the viceroy, who had honoured me with his friendship, and of +whom I never had any thought but how to oblige him, could now +have so far changed his sentiments as to take away my life.</p> +<p>The letters which I received by my servant, and the assurances +he gave that I need fear nothing, for that I was never mentioned +by the viceroy without great marks of esteem, so far confirmed me +in my error, that I went from Fremona with a resolution to see +him. I did not reflect that a man who could fail in his +duty to his King, his father-in-law, and his benefactor, might, +without scruple, do the same to a stranger, though distinguished +as his friend; and thus sanguine and unsuspecting continued my +journey, still receiving intimation from all parts to take care +of myself. At length, when I was within a few days’ +journey of the viceroy, I received a billet in more plain and +express terms than anything I had been told yet, charging me with +extreme imprudence in putting myself into the hands of those men +who had undoubtedly sworn to cut me off.</p> +<p>I began, upon this, to distrust the sincerity of the +viceroy’s professions, and resolved, upon the receipt of +another letter from the viceroy, to return directly. In +this letter, having excused himself for not waiting for my +arrival, he desired me in terms very strong and pressing to come +forward, and stay for him at his own house, assuring me that he +had given such orders for my entertainment as should prevent my +being tired with living there. I imagined at first that he +had left some servants to provide for my reception, but being +advertised at the same time that there was no longer any doubt of +the certainty of his revolt, that the Galles were engaged to come +to his assistance, and that he was gone to sign a treaty with +them, I was no longer in suspense what measures to take, but +returned to Fremona.</p> +<p>Here I found a letter from the Emperor, which prohibited me to +go out, and the orders which he had sent through all these parts, +directing them to arrest me wherever I was found, and to hinder +me from proceeding on my journey. These orders came too +late to contribute to my preservation, and this prince’s +goodness had been in vain, if God, whose protection I have often +had experience of in my travels, had not been my conductor in +this emergency.</p> +<p>The viceroy, hearing that I was returned to my residence, did +not discover any concern or chagrin as at a disappointment, for +such was his privacy and dissimulation that the most penetrating +could never form any conjecture that could be depended on, about +his designs, till everything was ready for the execution of +them. My servant, a man of wit, was surprised as well as +everybody else; and I can ascribe to nothing but a miracle my +escape from so many snares as he laid to entrap me.</p> +<p>There happened during this perplexity of my affairs an +accident of small consequence in itself, which yet I think +deserves to be mentioned, as it shows the credulity and ignorance +of the Abyssins. I received a visit from a religious, who +passed, though he was blind, for the most learned person in all +that country. He had the whole Scriptures in his memory, +but seemed to have been at more pains to retain them than +understand them; as he talked much he often took occasion to +quote them, and did it almost always improperly. Having +invited him to sup and pass the night with me, I set before him +some excellent mead, which he liked so well as to drink somewhat +beyond the bounds of exact temperance. Next day, to make +some return for his entertainment, he took upon him to divert me +with some of those stories which the monks amuse simple people +with, and told me of a devil that haunted a fountain, and used to +make it his employment to plague the monks that came thither to +fetch water, and continued his malice till he was converted by +the founder of their order, who found him no very stubborn +proselyte till they came to the point of circumcision; the devil +was unhappily prepossessed with a strong aversion from being +circumcised, which, however, by much persuasion, he at last +agreed to, and afterwards taking a religious habit, died ten +years after with great signs of sanctity. He added another +history of a famous Abyssinian monk, who killed a devil two +hundred feet high, and only four feet thick, that ravaged all the +country; the peasants had a great desire to throw the dead +carcase from the top of a rock, but could not with all their +force remove it from the place, but the monk drew it after him +with all imaginable ease and pushed it down. This story was +followed by another, of a young devil that became a religious of +the famous monastery of Aba Gatima. The good father would +have favoured me with more relations of the same kind, if I had +been in the humour to have heard them, but, interrupting him, I +told him that all these relations confirmed what we had found by +experience, that the monks of Abyssinia were no improper company +for the devil.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER IX</h3> +<p>The viceroy is defeated and hanged. The author narrowly +escapes being poisoned.</p> +<p>I did not stay long at Fremona, but left that town and the +province of Tigre, and soon found that I was very happy in that +resolution, for scarce had I left the place before the viceroy +came in person to put me to death, who, not finding me, as he +expected, resolved to turn all his vengeance against the father +Gaspard Paes, a venerable man, who was grown grey in the missions +of Æthiopia, and five other missionaries newly arrived from +the Indies; his design was to kill them all at one time without +suffering any to escape; he therefore sent for them all, but one +happily being sick, another stayed to attend him; to this they +owed their lives, for the viceroy, finding but four of them, sent +them back, telling them he would see them all together. The +fathers, having been already told of his revolt, and of the +pretences he made use of to give it credit, made no question of +his intent to massacre them, and contrived their escape so that +they got safely out of his power.</p> +<p>The viceroy, disappointed in his scheme, vented all his rage +upon Father James, whom the patriarch had given him as his +confessor; the good man was carried, bound hand and foot, into +the middle of the camp; the viceroy gave the first stab in the +throat, and all the rest struck him with their lances, and dipped +their weapons in his blood, promising each other that they would +never accept of any act of oblivion or terms of peace by which +the Catholic religion was not abolished throughout the empire, +and all those who professed it either banished or put to +death. They then ordered all the beads, images, crosses, +and relics which the Catholics made use of to be thrown into the +fire.</p> +<p>The anger of God was now ready to fall upon his head for these +daring and complicated crimes; the Emperor had already +confiscated all his goods, and given the government of the +kingdom of Tigre to Keba Christos, a good Catholic, who was sent +with a numerous army to take possession of it. As both +armies were in search of each other, it was not long before they +came to a battle. The revolted viceroy Tecla Georgis placed +all his confidence in the Galles, his auxiliaries. Keba +Christos, who had marched with incredible expedition to hinder +the enemy from making any intrenchments, would willingly have +refreshed his men a few days before the battle, but finding the +foe vigilant, thought it not proper to stay till he was attacked, +and therefore resolved to make the first onset; then presenting +himself before his army without arms and with his head uncovered, +assured them that such was his confidence in God’s +protection of those that engaged in so just a cause, that though +he were in that condition and alone, he would attack his +enemies.</p> +<p>The battle began immediately, and of all the troops of Tecla +Georgis only the Galles made any resistance, the rest abandoned +him without striking a blow. The unhappy commander, seeing +all his squadrons broken, and three hundred of the Galles, with +twelve ecclesiastics, killed on the spot, hid himself in a cave, +where he was found three days afterwards, with his favourite and +a monk. When they took him, they cut off the heads of his +two companions in the field, and carried him to the Emperor; the +procedure against him was not long, and he was condemned to be +burnt alive. Then imagining that, if he embraced the +Catholic faith, the intercession of the missionaries, with the +entreaties of his wife and children, might procure him a pardon, +he desired a Jesuit to hear his confession, and abjured his +errors. The Emperor was inflexible both to the entreaties +of his daughter and the tears of his grand-children, and all that +could be obtained of him was that the sentence should be +mollified, and changed into a condemnation to be hanged. +Tecla Georgis renounced his abjuration, and at his death +persisted in his errors. Adero, his sister, who had borne +the greatest share in his revolt, was hanged on the same tree +fifteen days after.</p> +<p>I arrived not long after at the Emperor’s court, and had +the honour of kissing his hands; but stayed not long in a place +where no missionary ought to linger, unless obliged by the most +pressing necessity: but being ordered by my superiors into the +kingdom of Damote, I set out on my journey, and on the road was +in great danger of losing my life by my curiosity of tasting a +herb, which I found near a brook, and which, though I had often +heard of it, I did not know. It bears a great resemblance +to our radishes; the leaf and colour were beautiful, and the +taste not unpleasant. It came into my mind when I began to +chew it that perhaps it might be that venomous herb against which +no antidote had yet been found, but persuading myself afterwards +that my fears were merely chimerical, I continued to chew it, +till a man accidentally meeting me, and seeing me with a handful +of it, cried out to me that I was poisoned; I had happily not +swallowed any of it, and throwing out what I had in my mouth, I +returned God thanks for this instance of his protection.</p> +<p>I crossed the Nile the first time in my journey to the kingdom +of Damote; my passage brought into my mind all that I had read +either in ancient or modern writers of this celebrated river; I +recollected the great expenses at which some Emperors had +endeavoured to gratify their curiosity of knowing the sources of +this mighty stream, which nothing but their little acquaintance +with the Abyssins made so difficult to be found. I passed +the river within two days’ journey of its head, near a wide +plain, which is entirely laid under water when it begins to +overflow the banks. Its channel is even here so wide, that +a ball-shot from a musket can scarce reach the farther +bank. Here is neither boat nor bridge, and the river is so +full of hippopotami, or river-horses, and crocodiles, that it is +impossible to swim over without danger of being devoured. +The only way of passing it is upon floats, which they guide as +well as they can with long poles. Nor is even this way +without danger, for these destructive animals overturn the +floats, and tear the passengers in pieces. The river horse, +which lives only on grass and branches of trees, is satisfied +with killing the men, but the crocodile being more voracious, +feeds upon the carcases.</p> +<p>But since I am arrived at the banks of this renowned river, +which I have passed and repassed so many times; and since all +that I have read of the nature of its waters, and the causes of +its overflowing, is full of fables, the reader may not be +displeased to find here an account of what I saw myself, or was +told by the inhabitants.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER X</h3> +<p>A description of the Nile.</p> +<p>The Nile, which the natives call Abavi, that is, the Father of +Waters, rises first in Sacala, a province of the kingdom of +Goiama, which is one of the most fruitful and agreeable of all +the Abyssinian dominions. This province is inhabited by a +nation of the Agaus, who call, but only call, themselves +Christians, for by daily intermarriages they have allied +themselves to the Pagan Agaus, and adopted all their customs and +ceremonies. These two nations are very numerous, fierce, +and unconquerable, inhabiting a country full of mountains, which +are covered with woods, and hollowed by nature into vast caverns, +many of which are capable of containing several numerous +families, and hundreds of cows. To these recesses the Agaus +betake themselves when they are driven out of the plain, where it +is almost impossible to find them, and certain ruin to pursue +them. This people increases extremely, every man being +allowed so many wives as he hath hundreds of cows, and it is +seldom that the hundreds are required to be complete.</p> +<p>In the eastern part of this kingdom, on the declivity of a +mountain, whose descent is so easy that it seems a beautiful +plain, is that source of the Nile which has been sought after at +so much expense of labour, and about which such variety of +conjectures hath been formed without success. This spring, +or rather these two springs, are two holes, each about two feet +diameter, a stone’s cast distant from each other; the one +is but about five feet and a half in depth—at least we +could not get our plummet farther, perhaps because it was stopped +by roots, for the whole place is full of trees; of the other, +which is somewhat less, with a line of ten feet we could find no +bottom, and were assured by the inhabitants that none ever had +been found. It is believed here that these springs are the +vents of a great subterraneous lake, and they have this +circumstance to favour their opinion, that the ground is always +moist and so soft that the water boils up under foot as one walks +upon it. This is more visible after rains, for then the +ground yields and sinks so much, that I believe it is chiefly +supported by the roots of trees that are interwoven one with +another; such is the ground round about these fountains. At +a little distance to the south is a village named Guix, through +which the way lies to the top of the mountain, from whence the +traveller discovers a vast extent of land, which appears like a +deep valley, though the mountain rises so imperceptibly that +those who go up or down it are scarce sensible of any +declivity.</p> +<p>On the top of this mountain is a little hill which the +idolatrous Agaus have in great veneration; their priest calls +them together at this place once a year, and having sacrificed a +cow, throws the head into one of the springs of the Nile; after +which ceremony, every one sacrifices a cow or more, according to +their different degrees of wealth or devotion. The bones of +these cows have already formed two mountains of considerable +height, which afford a sufficient proof that these nations have +always paid their adorations to this famous river. They eat +these sacrifices with great devotion, as flesh consecrated to +their deity. Then the priest anoints himself with the +grease and tallow of the cows, and sits down on a heap of straw, +on the top and in the middle of a pile which is prepared; they +set fire to it, and the whole heap is consumed without any injury +to the priest, who while the fire continues harangues the +standers by, and confirms them in their present ignorance and +superstition. When the pile is burnt, and the discourse at +an end, every one makes a large present to the priest, which is +the grand design of this religious mockery.</p> +<p>To return to the course of the Nile: its waters, after the +first rise, run to the eastward for about a musket-shot, then +turning to the north, continue hidden in the grass and weeds for +about a quarter of a league, and discover themselves for the +first time among some rocks—a sight not to be enjoyed +without some pleasure by those who have read the fabulous +accounts of this stream delivered by the ancients, and the vain +conjectures and reasonings which have been formed upon its +original, the nature of its water, its cataracts, and its +inundations, all which we are now entirely acquainted with and +eye-witnesses of.</p> +<p>Many interpreters of the Holy Scriptures pretend that Gihon, +mentioned in Genesis, is no other than the Nile, which +encompasseth all Æthiopia; but as the Gihon had its source +from the terrestrial paradise, and we know that the Nile rises in +the country of the Agaus, it will be found, I believe, no small +difficulty to conceive how the same river could arise from two +sources so distant from each other, or how a river from so low a +source should spring up and appear in a place perhaps the highest +in the world: for if we consider that Arabia and Palestine are in +their situation almost level with Egypt; that Egypt is as low, if +compared with the kingdom of Dambia, as the deepest valley in +regard of the highest mountain; that the province of Sacala is +yet more elevated than Dambia; that the waters of the Nile must +either pass under the Red Sea, or take a great compass about, we +shall find it hard to conceive such an attractive power in the +earth as may be able to make the waters rise through the +obstruction of so much sand from places so low to the most lofty +region of Æthiopia.</p> +<p>But leaving these difficulties, let us go on to describe the +course of the Nile. It rolls away from its source with so +inconsiderable a current, that it appears unlikely to escape +being dried up by the hot season, but soon receiving an increase +from the Gemma, the Keltu, the Bransu, and other less rivers, it +is of such a breadth in the plain of Boad, which is not above +three days’ journey from its source, that a ball shot from +a musket will scarce fly from one bank to the other. Here +it begins to run northwards, deflecting, however, a little +towards the east, for the space of nine or ten leagues, and then +enters the so much talked of Lake of Dambia, called by the +natives Bahar Sena, the Resemblance of the Sea, or Bahar Dambia, +the Sea of Dambia. It crosses this lake only at one end +with so violent a rapidity, that the waters of the Nile may be +distinguished through all the passage, which is six +leagues. Here begins the greatness of the Nile. +Fifteen miles farther, in the land of Alata, it rushes +precipitately from the top of a high rock, and forms one of the +most beautiful water-falls in the world: I passed under it +without being wet; and resting myself there, for the sake of the +coolness, was charmed with a thousand delightful rainbows, which +the sunbeams painted on the water in all their shining and lively +colours. The fall of this mighty stream from so great a +height makes a noise that may be heard to a considerable +distance; but I could not observe that the neighbouring +inhabitants were at all deaf. I conversed with several, and +was as easily heard by them as I heard them. The mist that +rises from this fall of water may be seen much farther than the +noise can be heard. After this cataract the Nile again +collects its scattered stream among the rocks, which seem to be +disjoined in this place only to afford it a passage. They +are so near each other that, in my time, a bridge of beams, on +which the whole Imperial army passed, was laid over them. +Sultan Segued hath since built here a bridge of one arch in the +same place, for which purpose he procured masons from +India. This bridge, which is the first the Abyssins have +seen on the Nile, very much facilitates a communication between +the provinces, and encourages commerce among the inhabitants of +his empire.</p> +<p>Here the river alters its course, and passes through many +various kingdoms; on the east it leaves Begmeder, or the Land of +Sheep, so called from great numbers that are bred there, beg, in +that language, signifying sheep, and meder, a country. It +then waters the kingdoms of Amhara, Olaca, Choaa, and Damot, +which lie on the left side, and the kingdom of Goiama, which it +bounds on the right, forming by its windings a kind of +peninsula. Then entering Bezamo, a province of the kingdom +of Damot, and Gamarchausa, part of Goiama, it returns within a +short day’s journey of its spring; though to pursue it +through all its mazes, and accompany it round the kingdom of +Goiama, is a journey of twenty-nine days. So far, and a few +days’ journey farther, this river confines itself to +Abyssinia, and then passes into the bordering countries of Fazulo +and Ombarca.</p> +<p>These vast regions we have little knowledge of: they are +inhabited by nations entirely different from the Abyssins; their +hair is like that of the other blacks, short and curled. In +the year 1615, Rassela Christos, lieutenant-general to Sultan +Segued, entered those kingdoms with his army in a hostile manner; +but being able to get no intelligence of the condition of the +people, and astonished at their unbounded extent, he returned, +without daring to attempt anything.</p> +<p>As the empire of the Abyssins terminates at these deserts, and +as I have followed the course of the Nile no farther, I here +leave it to range over barbarous kingdoms, and convey wealth and +plenty into Egypt, which owes to the annual inundations of this +river its envied fertility. I know not anything of the rest +of its passage, but that it receives great increases from many +other rivers; that it has several cataracts like the first +already described, and that few fish are to be found in it, which +scarcity, doubtless, is to be attributed to the river-horses and +crocodiles, which destroy the weaker inhabitants of these waters, +and something may be allowed to the cataracts, it being difficult +for fish to fall so far without being killed.</p> +<p>Although some who have travelled in Asia and Africa have given +the world their descriptions of crocodiles and hippopotamus, or +river-horse, yet as the Nile has at least as great numbers of +each as any river in the world, I cannot but think my account of +it would be imperfect without some particular mention of these +animals.</p> +<p>The crocodile is very ugly, having no proportion between his +length and thickness; he hath short feet, a wide mouth, with two +rows of sharp teeth, standing wide from each other, a brown skin +so fortified with scales, even to his nose, that a musket-ball +cannot penetrate it. His sight is extremely quick, and at a +great distance. In the water he is daring and fierce, and +will seize on any that are so unfortunate as to be found by him +bathing, who, if they escape with life, are almost sure to leave +some limb in his mouth. Neither I, nor any with whom I have +conversed about the crocodile, have ever seen him weep, and +therefore I take the liberty of ranking all that hath been told +us of his tears amongst the fables which are only proper to amuse +children.</p> +<p>The hippopotamus, or river-horse, grazes upon the land and +browses on the shrubs, yet is no less dangerous than the +crocodile. He is the size of an ox, of a brown colour +without any hair, his tail is short, his neck long, and his head +of an enormous bigness; his eyes are small, his mouth wide, with +teeth half a foot long; he hath two tusks like those of a wild +boar, but larger; his legs are short, and his feet part into four +toes. It is easy to observe from this description that he +hath no resemblance of a horse, and indeed nothing could give +occasion to the name but some likeness in his ears, and his +neighing and snorting like a horse when he is provoked or raises +his head out of water. His hide is so hard that a musket +fired close to him can only make a slight impression, and the +best tempered lances pushed forcibly against him are either +blunted or shivered, unless the assailant has the skill to make +his thrust at certain parts which are more tender. There is +great danger in meeting him, and the best way is, upon such an +accident, to step aside and let him pass by. The flesh of +this animal doth not differ from that of a cow, except that it is +blacker and harder to digest.</p> +<p>The ignorance which we have hitherto been in of the original +of the Nile hath given many authors an opportunity of presenting +us very gravely with their various systems and conjectures about +the nature of its waters, and the reason of its overflows.</p> +<p>It is easy to observe how many empty hypotheses and idle +reasonings the phenomena of this river have put mankind to the +expense of. Yet there are people so bigoted to antiquity, +as not to pay any regard to the relation of travellers who have +been upon the spot, and by the evidence of their eyes can confute +all that the ancients have written. It was difficult, it +was even impossible, to arrive at the source of the Nile by +tracing its channel from the mouth; and all who ever attempted +it, having been stopped by the cataracts, and imagining none that +followed them could pass farther, have taken the liberty of +entertaining us with their own fictions.</p> +<p>It is to be remembered likewise that neither the Greeks nor +Romans, from whom we have received all our information, ever +carried their arms into this part of the world, or ever heard of +multitudes of nations that dwell upon the banks of this vast +river; that the countries where the Nile rises, and those through +which it runs, have no inhabitants but what are savage and +uncivilised; that before they could arrive at its head, they must +surmount the insuperable obstacles of impassable forests, +inaccessible cliffs, and deserts crowded with beasts of prey, +fierce by nature, and raging for want of sustenance. Yet if +they who endeavoured with so much ardour to discover the spring +of this river had landed at Mazna on the coast of the Red Sea, +and marched a little more to the south than the south-west, they +might perhaps have gratified their curiosity at less expense, and +in about twenty days might have enjoyed the desired sight of the +sources of the Nile.</p> +<p>But this discovery was reserved for the invincible bravery of +our noble countrymen, who, not discouraged by the dangers of a +navigation in seas never explored before, have subdued kingdoms +and empires where the Greek and Roman greatness, where the names +of Cæsar and Alexander, were never heard of; who have +demolished the airy fabrics of renowned hypotheses, and detected +those fables which the ancients rather chose to invent of the +sources of the Nile than to confess their ignorance. I +cannot help suspending my narration to reflect a little on the +ridiculous speculations of those swelling philosophers, whose +arrogance would prescribe laws to nature, and subject those +astonishing effects, which we behold daily, to their idle +reasonings and chimerical rules. Presumptuous imagination! +that has given being to such numbers of books, and patrons to so +many various opinions about the overflows of the Nile. Some +of these theorists have been pleased to declare it as their +favourite notion that this inundation is caused by high winds +which stop the current, and so force the water to rise above its +banks, and spread over all Egypt. Others pretend a +subterraneous communication between the ocean and the Nile, and +that the sea being violently agitated swells the river. +Many have imagined themselves blessed with the discovery when +they have told us that this mighty flood proceeds from the +melting of snow on the mountains of Æthiopia, without +reflecting that this opinion is contrary to the received notion +of all the ancients, who believed that the heat was so excessive +between the tropics that no inhabitant could live there. So +much snow and so great heat are never met with in the same +region; and indeed I never saw snow in Abyssinia, except on Mount +Semen in the kingdom of Tigre, very remote from the Nile, and on +Namera, which is indeed not far distant, but where there never +falls snow sufficient to wet the foot of the mountain when it is +melted.</p> +<p>To the immense labours and fatigues of the Portuguese mankind +is indebted for the knowledge of the real cause of these +inundations so great and so regular. Their observations +inform us that Abyssinia, where the Nile rises and waters vast +tracts of land, is full of mountains, and in its natural +situation much higher than Egypt; that all the winter, from June +to September, no day is without rain; that the Nile receives in +its course all the rivers, brooks, and torrents which fall from +those mountains; these necessarily swell it above the banks, and +fill the plains of Egypt with the inundation. This comes +regularly about the month of July, or three weeks after the +beginning of a rainy season in Æthiopia. The +different degrees of this flood are such certain indications of +the fruitfulness or sterility of the ensuing year, that it is +publicly proclaimed in Cairo how much the water hath gained each +night. This is all I have to inform the reader of +concerning the Nile, which the Egyptians adored as the deity, in +whose choice it was to bless them with abundance, or deprive them +of the necessaries of life.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XI</h3> +<p>The author discovers a passage over the Nile. Is sent +into the province of Ligonus, which he gives a description +of. His success in his mission. The stratagem of the +monks to encourage the soldiers. The author narrowly +escapes being burned.</p> +<p>When I was to cross this river at Boad, I durst not venture +myself on the floats I have already spoken of, but went up higher +in hopes of finding a more commodious passage. I had with +me three or four men that were reduced to the same difficulty +with myself. In one part seeing people on the other side, +and remarking that the water was shallow, and that the rocks and +trees which grew very thick there contributed to facilitate the +attempt, I leaped from one rock to another, till I reached the +opposite bank, to the great amazement of the natives themselves, +who never had tried that way; my four companions followed me with +the same success: and it hath been called since the passage of +Father Jerome.</p> +<p>That province of the kingdom of Damot, which I was assigned to +by my superior, is called Ligonus, and is perhaps one of the most +beautiful and agreeable places in the world; the air is healthful +and temperate, and all the mountains, which are not very high, +shaded with cedars. They sow and reap here in every season, +the ground is always producing, and the fruits ripen throughout +the year; so great, so charming is the variety, that the whole +region seems a garden laid out and cultivated only to +please. I doubt whether even the imagination of a painter +has yet conceived a landscape as beautiful as I have seen. +The forests have nothing uncouth or savage, and seem only planted +for shade and coolness. Among a prodigious number of trees +which fill them, there is one kind which I have seen in no other +place, and to which we have none that bears any +resemblance. This tree, which the natives call ensete, is +wonderfully useful; its leaves, which are so large as to cover a +man, make hangings for rooms, and serve the inhabitants instead +of linen for their tables and carpets. They grind the +branches and the thick parts of the leaves, and when they are +mingled with milk, find them a delicious food. The trunk +and the roots are even more nourishing than the leaves or +branches, and the meaner people, when they go a journey, make no +provision of any other victuals. The word ensete signifies +the tree against hunger, or the poor’s tree, though the +most wealthy often eat of it. If it be cut down within half +a foot of the ground and several incisions made in the stump, +each will put out a new sprout, which, if transplanted, will take +root and grow to a tree. The Abyssins report that this tree +when it is cut down groans like a man, and, on this account, call +cutting down an ensete killing it. On the top grows a bunch +of five or six figs, of a taste not very agreeable, which they +set in the ground to produce more trees.</p> +<p>I stayed two months in the province of Ligonus, and during +that time procured a church to be built of hewn stone, roofed and +wainscoted with cedar, which is the most considerable in the +whole country. My continual employment was the duties of +the mission, which I was always practising in some part of the +province, not indeed with any extraordinary success at first, for +I found the people inflexibly obstinate in their opinions, even +to so great a degree, that when I first published the +Emperor’s edict requiring all his subjects to renounce +their errors, and unite themselves to the Roman Church, there +were some monks who, to the number of sixty, chose rather to die +by throwing themselves headlong from a precipice than obey their +sovereign’s commands: and in a battle fought between these +people that adhered to the religion of their ancestors, and the +troops of Sultan Segued, six hundred religious, placing +themselves at the head of their men, marched towards the Catholic +army with the stones of the altars upon their heads, assuring +their credulous followers that the Emperor’s troops would +immediately at the sight of those stones fall into disorder and +turn their backs; but, as they were some of the first that fell, +their death had a great influence upon the people to undeceive +them, and make them return to the truth. Many were +converted after the battle, and when they had embraced the +Catholic faith, adhered to that with the same constancy and +firmness with which they had before persisted in their +errors.</p> +<p>The Emperor had sent a viceroy into this province, whose firm +attachment to the Roman Church, as well as great abilities in +military affairs, made him a person very capable of executing the +orders of the Emperor, and of suppressing any insurrection that +might be raised, to prevent those alterations in religion which +they were designed to promote: a farther view in the choice of so +warlike a deputy was that a stop might be put to the inroads of +the Galles, who had killed one viceroy, and in a little time +after killed this.</p> +<p>It was our custom to meet together every year about Christmas, +not only that we might comfort and entertain each other, but +likewise that we might relate the progress and success of our +missions, and concert all measures that might farther the +conversion of the inhabitants. This year our place of +meeting was the Emperor’s camp, where the patriarch and +superior of the missions were. I left the place of my +abode, and took in my way four fathers, that resided at the +distance of two days’ journey, so that the company, without +reckoning our attendants, was five. There happened nothing +remarkable to us till the last night of our journey, when taking +up our lodging at a place belonging to the Empress, a declared +enemy to all Catholics, and in particular to the missionaries, we +met with a kind reception in appearance, and were lodged in a +large stone house covered with wood and straw, which had stood +uninhabited so long, that great numbers of red ants had taken +possession of it; these, as soon as we were laid down, attacked +us on all sides, and tormented us so incessantly that we were +obliged to call up our domestics. Having burnt a prodigious +number of these troublesome animals, we tried to compose +ourselves again, but had scarce closed our eyes before we were +awakened by the fire that had seized our lodging. Our +servants, who were fortunately not all gone to bed, perceived the +fire as soon as it began, and informed me, who lay nearest the +door. I immediately alarmed all the rest, and nothing was +thought of but how to save ourselves and the little goods we had, +when, to our great astonishment, we found one of the doors +barricaded in such a manner that we could not open it. +Nothing now could have prevented our perishing in the flames had +not those who kindled them omitted to fasten that door near which +I was lodged. We were no longer in doubt that the +inhabitants of the town had laid a train, and set fire to a +neighbouring house, in order to consume us; their measures were +so well laid, that the house was in ashes in an instant, and +three of our beds were burnt which the violence of the flame +would not allow us to carry away. We spent the rest of the +night in the most dismal apprehensions, and found next morning +that we had justly charged the inhabitants with the design of +destroying us, for the place was entirely abandoned, and those +that were conscious of the crime had fled from the +punishment. We continued our journey, and came to Gorgora, +where we found the fathers met, and the Emperor with them.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XII</h3> +<p>The author is sent into Tigre. Is in danger of being +poisoned by the breath of a serpent. Is stung by a +serpent. Is almost killed by eating anchoy. The +people conspire against the missionaries, and distress them.</p> +<p>My superiors intended to send me into the farthest parts of +the empire, but the Emperor over-ruled that design, and remanded +me to Tigre, where I had resided before. I passed in my +journey by Ganete Ilhos, a palace newly built, and made agreeable +by beautiful gardens, and had the honour of paying my respects to +the Emperor, who had retired thither, and receiving from him a +large present for the finishing of a hospital, which had been +begun in the kingdom of Tigre. After having returned him +thanks, I continued my way, and in crossing a desert two +days’ journey over, was in great danger of my life, for, as +I lay on the ground, I perceived myself seized with a pain which +forced me to rise, and saw about four yards from me one of those +serpents that dart their poison at a distance; although I rose +before he came very near me, I yet felt the effects of his +poisonous breath, and, if I had lain a little longer, had +certainly died; I had recourse to bezoar, a sovereign remedy +against these poisons, which I always carried about me. +These serpents are not long, but have a body short and thick, and +their bellies speckled with brown, black, and yellow; they have a +wide mouth, with which they draw in a great quantity of air, and, +having retained it some time, eject it with such force that they +kill at four yards’ distance. I only escaped by being +somewhat farther from him. This danger, however, was not +much to be regarded in comparison of another which my negligence +brought me into. As I was picking up a skin that lay upon +the ground, I was stung by a serpent that left his sting in my +finger; I at least picked an extraneous substance about the +bigness of a hair out of the wound, which I imagined was the +sting. This slight wound I took little notice of, till my +arm grew inflamed all over; in a short time the poison infected +my blood, and I felt the most terrible convulsions, which were +interpreted as certain signs that my death was near and +inevitable. I received now no benefit from bezoar, the horn +of the unicorn, or any of the usual antidotes, but found myself +obliged to make use of an extraordinary remedy, which I submitted +to with extreme reluctance. This submission and obedience +brought the blessing of Heaven upon me; nevertheless, I continued +indisposed a long time, and had many symptoms which made me fear +that all the danger was not yet over. I then took cloves of +garlic, though with a great aversion, both from the taste and +smell. I was in this condition a whole month, always in +pain, and taking medicines the most nauseous in the world. +At length youth and a happy constitution surmounted the +malignity, and I recovered my former health.</p> +<p>I continued two years at my residence in Tigre, entirely taken +up with the duties of the mission—preaching, confessing, +baptising—and enjoyed a longer quiet and repose than I had +ever done since I left Portugal. During this time one of +our fathers, being always sick and of a constitution which the +air of Abyssinia was very hurtful to, obtained a permission from +our superiors to return to the Indies; I was willing to accompany +him through part of his way, and went with him over a desert, at +no great distance from my residence, where I found many trees +loaded with a kind of fruit, called by the natives anchoy, about +the bigness of an apricot, and very yellow, which is much eaten +without any ill effect. I therefore made no scruple of +gathering and eating it, without knowing that the inhabitants +always peeled it, the rind being a violent purgative; so that, +eating the fruit and skin together, I fell into such a disorder +as almost brought me to my end. The ordinary dose is six of +these rinds, and I had devoured twenty.</p> +<p>I removed from thence to Debaroa, fifty-four miles nearer the +sea, and crossed in my way the desert of the province of +Saraoe. The country is fruitful, pleasant, and populous; +there are greater numbers of Moors in these parts than in any +other province of Abyssinia, and the Abyssins of this country are +not much better than the Moors.</p> +<p>I was at Debaroa when the prosecution was first set on foot +against the Catholics. Sultan Segued, who had been so great +a favourer of us, was grown old, and his spirit and authority +decreased with his strength. His son, who was arrived at +manhood, being weary of waiting so long for the crown he was to +inherit, took occasion to blame his father’s conduct, and +found some reason for censuring all his actions; he even +proceeded so far as to give orders sometimes contrary to the +Emperor’s. He had embraced the Catholic religion, +rather through complaisance than conviction or inclination; and +many of the Abyssins who had done the same, waited only for an +opportunity of making public profession of the ancient erroneous +opinions, and of re-uniting themselves to the Church of +Alexandria. So artfully can this people dissemble their +sentiments that we had not been able hitherto to distinguish our +real from our pretended favourers; but as soon as this Prince +began to give evident tokens of his hatred, even in the lifetime +of the Emperor, we saw all the courtiers and governors who had +treated us with such a show of friendship declare against us, and +persecute us as disturbers of the public tranquillity, who had +come into Æthiopia with no other intention than to abolish +the ancient laws and customs of the country, to sow divisions +between father and son, and preach up a revolution.</p> +<p>After having borne all sorts of affronts and ill-treatments, +we retired to our house at Fremona, in the midst of our +countrymen, who had been settling round about us a long time, +imagining we should be more secure there, and that, at least +during the life of the Emperor, they would not come to +extremities, or proceed to open force. I laid some stress +upon the kindness which the viceroy of Tigre had shown to us, and +in particular to me; but was soon convinced that those hopes had +no real foundation, for he was one of the most violent of our +persecutors. He seized upon all our lands, and, advancing +with his troops to Fremona, blocked up the town. The army +had not been stationed there long before they committed all sorts +of disorders; so that one day a Portuguese, provoked beyond his +temper at the insolence of some of them, went out with his four +sons, and, wounding several of them, forced the rest back to +their camp.</p> +<p>We thought we had good reason to apprehend an attack; their +troops were increasing, our town was surrounded, and on the point +of being forced. Our Portuguese therefore thought that, +without staying till the last extremities, they might lawfully +repel one violence by another, and sallying out to the number of +fifty, wounded about three score of the Abyssins, and had put +them to the sword but that they feared it might bring too great +an odium upon our cause. The Portuguese were some of them +wounded, but happily none died on either side.</p> +<p>Though the times were by no means favourable to us, every one +blamed the conduct of the viceroy; and those who did not commend +our action made the necessity we were reduced to of self-defence +an excuse for it. The viceroy’s principal design was +to get my person into his possession, imagining that if I was +once in his power, all the Portuguese would pay him a blind +obedience. Having been unsuccessful in his attempt by open +force, he made use of the arts of negotiation, but with an event +not more to his satisfaction. This viceroy being recalled, +a son-in-law of the Emperor’s succeeded, who treated us +even worse than his predecessor had done.</p> +<p>When he entered upon his command, he loaded us with +kindnesses, giving us so many assurances of his protection that, +while the Emperor lived, we thought him one of our friends; but +no sooner was our protector dead than this man pulled off his +mask, and, quitting all shame, let us see that neither the fear +of God nor any other consideration was capable of restraining him +when we were to be distressed. The persecution then +becoming general, there was no longer any place of security for +us in Abyssinia, where we were looked upon by all as the authors +of all the civil commotions, and many councils were held to +determine in what manner they should dispose of us. Several +were of opinion that the best way would be to kill us all at +once, and affirmed that no other means were left of +re-establishing order and tranquillity in the kingdom.</p> +<p>Others, more prudent, were not for putting us to death with so +little consideration, but advised that we should be banished to +one of the isles of the Lake of Dambia, an affliction more severe +than death itself. These alleged in vindication of their +opinions that it was reasonable to expect, if they put us to +death, that the viceroy of the Indies would come with fire and +sword to demand satisfaction. This argument made so great +an impression upon some of them that they thought no better +measures could be taken than to send us back again to the +Indies. This proposal, however, was not without its +difficulties, for they suspected that when we should arrive at +the Portuguese territories, we would levy an army, return back to +Abyssinia, and under pretence of establishing the Catholic +religion revenge all the injuries we had suffered. While +they were thus deliberating upon our fate, we were imploring the +succour of the Almighty with fervent and humble supplications, +entreating him in the midst of our sighs and tears that he would +not suffer his own cause to miscarry, and that, however it might +please him to dispose of our lives—which, we prayed, he +would assist us to lay down with patience and resignation worthy +of the faith for which we were persecuted—he would not +permit our enemies to triumph over the truth.</p> +<p>Thus we passed our days and nights in prayers, in affliction, +and tears, continually crowded with widows and orphans that +subsisted upon our charity and came to us for bread when we had +not any for ourselves.</p> +<p>While we were in this distress we received an account that the +viceroy of the Indies had fitted out a powerful fleet against the +King of Mombaza, who, having thrown off the authority of the +Portuguese, had killed the governor of the fortress, and had +since committed many acts of cruelty. The same fleet, as we +were informed, after the King of Mombaza was reduced, was to burn +and ruin Zeila, in revenge of the death of two Portuguese Jesuits +who were killed by the King in the year 1604. As Zeila was +not far from the frontiers of Abyssinia, they imagined that they +already saw the Portuguese invading their country.</p> +<p>The viceroy of Tigre had inquired of me a few days before how +many men one India ship carried, and being told that the +complement of some was a thousand men, he compared that answer +with the report then spread over all the country, that there were +eighteen Portuguese vessels on the coast of Adel, and concluded +that they were manned by an army of eighteen thousand men; then +considering what had been achieved by four hundred, under the +command of Don Christopher de Gama, he thought Abyssinia already +ravaged, or subjected to the King of Portugal. Many +declared themselves of his opinion, and the court took its +measures with respect to us from these uncertain and ungrounded +rumours. Some were so infatuated with their apprehensions +that they undertook to describe the camp of the Portuguese, and +affirmed that they had heard the report of their cannons.</p> +<p>All this contributed to exasperate the inhabitants, and +reduced us often to the point of being massacred. At length +they came to a resolution of giving us up to the Turks, assuring +them that we were masters of a vast treasure, in hope that after +they had inflicted all kinds of tortures on us, to make us +confess where we had hid our gold, or what we had done with it, +they would at length kill us in rage for the +disappointment. Nor was this their only view, for they +believed that the Turks would, by killing us, kindle such an +irreconcilable hatred between themselves and our nation as would +make it necessary for them to keep us out of the Red Sea, of +which they are entirely masters: so that their determination was +as politic as cruel. Some pretend that the Turks were +engaged to put us to death as soon as we were in their power.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XIII</h3> +<p>The author relieves the patriarch and missionaries, and +supports them. He escapes several snares laid for him by +the viceroy of Tigre. They put themselves under the +protection of the Prince of Bar.</p> +<p>Having concluded this negotiation, they drove us out of our +houses, and robbed us of everything that was worth carrying away; +and, not content with that, informed some banditti that were then +in those parts of the road we were to travel through, so that the +patriarch and some missionaries were attacked in a desert by +these rovers, with their captain at their head, who pillaged his +library, his ornaments, and what little baggage the missionaries +had left, and might have gone away without resistance or +interruption had they satisfied themselves with only robbing; but +when they began to fall upon the missionaries and their +companions, our countrymen, finding that their lives could only +be preserved by their courage, charged their enemies with such +vigour that they killed their chief and forced the rest to a +precipitate flight. But these rovers, being acquainted with +the country, harassed the little caravan till it was past the +borders.</p> +<p>Our fathers then imagined they had nothing more to fear, but +too soon were convinced of their error, for they found the whole +country turned against them, and met everywhere new enemies to +contend with and new dangers to surmount. Being not far +distant from Fremona, where I resided, they sent to me for +succour. I was better informed of the distress they were in +than themselves, having been told that a numerous body of +Abyssins had posted themselves in a narrow pass with an intent to +surround and destroy them; therefore, without long deliberation, +I assembled my friends, both Portuguese and Abyssins, to the +number of fourscore, and went to their rescue, carrying with me +provisions and refreshments, of which I knew they were in great +need. These glorious confessors I met as they were just +entering the pass designed for the place of their destruction, +and doubly preserved them from famine and the sword. A +grateful sense of their deliverance made them receive me as a +guardian angel. We went together to Fremona, and being in +all a patriarch, a bishop, eighteen Jesuits, and four hundred +Portuguese whom I supplied with necessaries, though the revenues +of our house were lost, and though the country was disaffected to +us, in the worst season of the year. We were obliged for +the relief of the poor and our own subsistence to sell our +ornaments and chalices, which we first broke in pieces, that the +people might not have the pleasure of ridiculing our mysteries by +profaning the vessels made use of in the celebration of them, for +they now would gladly treat with the highest indignities what +they had a year before looked upon with veneration.</p> +<p>Amidst all these perplexities the viceroy did not fail to +visit us, and make us great offers of service in expectation of a +large present. We were in a situation in which it was very +difficult to act properly; we knew too well the ill intentions of +the viceroy, but durst not complain, or give him any reason to +imagine that we knew them. We longed to retreat out of his +power, or at least to send one of our company to the Indies with +an account of persecution we suffered, and could without his +leave neither do one nor the other.</p> +<p>When it was determined that one should be sent to the Indies, +I was at first singled out for the journey, and it was intended +that I should represent at Goa, at Rome, and at Madrid the +distresses and necessities of the mission of Æthiopia; but +the fathers reflecting afterwards that I best understood the +Abyssinian language, and was most acquainted with the customs of +the country, altered their opinions, and, continuing me in +Æthiopia either to perish with them or preserve them, +deputed four other Jesuits, who in a short time set out on their +way to the Indies.</p> +<p>About this time I was sent for to the viceroy’s camp to +confess a criminal, who, though falsely, was believed a Catholic, +to whom, after a proper exhortation, I was going to pronounce the +form of absolution, when those that waited to execute him told +him aloud that if he expected to save his life by professing +himself a Catholic, he would find himself deceived, and that he +had nothing to do but prepare himself for death. The +unhappy criminal had no sooner heard this than, rising up, he +declared his resolution to die in the religion of his country, +and being delivered up to his prosecutors was immediately +dispatched with their lances.</p> +<p>The chief reason of calling me was not that I might hear this +confession: the viceroy had another design of seizing my person, +expecting that either the Jesuits or Portuguese would buy my +liberty with a large ransom, or that he might exchange me for his +father, who was kept prisoner by a revolted prince. That +prince would have been no loser by the exchange, for so much was +I hated by the Abyssinian monks that they would have thought no +expense too great to have gotten me into their hands, that they +might have glutted their revenge by putting me to the most +painful death they could have invented. Happily I found +means to retire out of this dangerous place, and was followed by +the viceroy almost to Fremona, who, being disappointed, desired +me either to visit him at his camp, or appoint a place where we +might confer. I made many excuses, but at length agreed to +meet him at a place near Fremona, bringing each of us only three +companions. I did not doubt but he would bring more, and so +he did, but found that I was upon my guard, and that my company +increased in proportion to his. My friends were resolute +Portuguese, who were determined to give him no quarter if he made +any attempt upon my liberty. Finding himself once more +countermined, he returned ashamed to his camp, where a month +after, being accused of a confederacy in the revolt of that +prince who kept his father prisoner, he was arrested, and carried +in chains to the Emperor.</p> +<p>The time now approaching in which we were to be delivered to +the Turks, we had none but God to apply to for relief: all the +measures we could think of were equally dangerous. +Resolving, nevertheless, to seek some retreat where we might hide +ourselves either all together or separately, we determined at +last to put ourselves under the protection of the Prince John +Akay, who had defended himself a long time in the province of Bar +against the power of Abyssinia.</p> +<p>After I had concluded a treaty with this prince, the patriarch +and all the fathers put themselves into his hands, and being +received with all imaginable kindness and civility, were +conducted with a guard to Adicota, a rock excessively steep, +about nine miles from his place of residence. The event was +not agreeable to the happy beginning of our negotiation, for we +soon began to find that our habitation was not likely to be very +pleasant. We were surrounded with Mahometans, or Christians +who were inveterate enemies to the Catholic faith, and were +obliged to act with the utmost caution. Notwithstanding +these inconveniences we were pleased with the present +tranquillity we enjoyed, and lived contentedly on lentils and a +little corn that we had; and I, after we had sold all our goods, +resolved to turn physician, and was soon able to support myself +by my practice.</p> +<p>I was once consulted by a man troubled with asthma, who +presented me with two alquieres—that is, about twenty-eight +pounds weight—of corn and a sheep. The advice I gave +him, after having turned over my books, was to drink goats’ +urine every morning; I know not whether he found any benefit by +following my prescription, for I never saw him after.</p> +<p>Being under a necessity of obeying our acoba, or protector, we +changed our place of abode as often as he desired it, though not +without great inconveniences, from the excessive heat of the +weather and the faintness which our strict observation of the +fasts and austerities of Lent, as it is kept in this country, had +brought upon us. At length, wearied with removing so often, +and finding that the last place assigned for our abode was always +the worst, we agreed that I should go to our sovereign and +complain.</p> +<p>I found him entirely taken up with the imagination of a +prodigious treasure, affirmed by the monks to be hidden under a +mountain. He was told that his predecessors had been +hindered from discovering it by the demon that guarded it, but +that the demon was now at a great distance from his charge, and +was grown blind and lame; that having lost his son, and being +without any children except a daughter that was ugly and +unhealthy, he was under great affliction, and entirely neglected +the care of his treasure; that if he should come, they could call +one of their ancient brothers to their assistance, who, being a +man of a most holy life, would be able to prevent his making any +resistance. To all these stories the prince listened with +unthinking credulity. The monks, encouraged by this, fell +to the business, and brought a man above a hundred years old, +whom, because he could not support himself on horseback, they had +tied on the beast, and covered him with black wool. He was +followed by a black cow (designed for a sacrifice to the demon of +the place), and by some monks that carried mead, beer, and +parched corn, to complete the offering.</p> +<p>No sooner were they arrived at the foot of the mountain than +every one began to work: bags were brought from all parts to +convey away the millions which each imagined would be his +share. The Xumo, who superintended the work, would not +allow any one to come near the labourers, but stood by, attended +by the old monk, who almost sang himself to death. At +length, having removed a vast quantity of earth and stones, they +discovered some holes made by rats or moles, at sight of which a +shout of joy ran through the whole troop: the cow was brought and +sacrificed immediately, and some pieces of flesh were thrown into +these holes. Animated now with assurance of success, they +lose no time: every one redoubles his endeavours, and the heat, +though intolerable, was less powerful than the hopes they had +conceived. At length some, not so patient as the rest, were +weary, and desisted. The work now grew more difficult; they +found nothing but rock, yet continued to toil on, till the +prince, having lost all temper, began to inquire with some +passion when he should have a sight of this treasure, and after +having been some time amused with many promises by the monks, was +told that he had not faith enough to be favoured with the +discovery.</p> +<p>All this I saw myself, and could not forbear endeavouring to +convince our protector how much he was imposed upon: he was not +long before he was satisfied that he had been too credulous, for +all those that had so industriously searched after this imaginary +wealth, within five hours left the work in despair, and I +continued almost alone with the prince.</p> +<p>Imagining no time more proper to make the proposal I was sent +with than while his passion was still hot against the monks, I +presented him with two ounces of gold and two plates of silver, +with some other things of small value, and was so successful that +he gratified me in all my requests, and gave us leave to return +to Adicora, where we were so fortunate to find our huts yet +uninjured and entire.</p> +<p>About this time the fathers who had stayed behind at Fremona +arrived with the new viceroy, and an officer fierce in the +defence of his own religion, who had particular orders to deliver +all the Jesuits up to the Turks, except me, whom the Emperor was +resolved to have in his own hands, alive or dead. We had +received some notice of this resolution from our friends at +court, and were likewise informed that the Emperor, their master, +had been persuaded that my design was to procure assistance from +the Indies, and that I should certainly return at the head of an +army. The patriarch’s advice upon this emergency was +that I should retire into the woods, and by some other road join +the nine Jesuits who were gone towards Mazna. I could think +of no better expedient, and therefore went away in the night +between the 23rd and 24th of April with my comrade, an old man, +very infirm and very timorous. We crossed woods never +crossed, I believe, by any before: the darkness of the night and +the thickness of the shade spread a kind of horror round us; our +gloomy journey was still more incommoded by the brambles and +thorns, which tore our hands; amidst all these difficulties I +applied myself to the Almighty, praying him to preserve us from +those dangers which we endeavoured to avoid, and to deliver us +from those to which our flight exposed us. Thus we +travelled all night, till eight next morning, without taking +either rest or food; then, imagining ourselves secure, we made us +some cakes of barley-meal and water, which we thought a +feast.</p> +<p>We had a dispute with our guides, who though they had +bargained to conduct us for an ounce of gold, yet when they saw +us so entangled in the intricacies of the wood that we could not +possibly get out without their direction, demanded seven ounces +of gold, a mule, and a little tent which we had; after a long +dispute we were forced to come to their terms. We continued +to travel all night, and to hide ourselves in the woods all day: +and here it was that we met the three hundred elephants I spoke +of before. We made long marches, travelling without any +halt from four in the afternoon to eight in the morning.</p> +<p>Arriving at a valley where travellers seldom escape being +plundered, we were obliged to double our pace, and were so happy +as to pass it without meeting with any misfortune, except that we +heard a bird sing on our left hand—a certain presage among +these people of some great calamity at hand. As there is no +reasoning them out of superstition, I knew no way of encouraging +them to go forward but what I had already made use of on the same +occasion, assuring them that I heard one at the same time on the +right. They were happily so credulous as to take my word, +and we went on till we came to a well, where we stayed awhile to +refresh ourselves. Setting out again in the evening, we +passed so near a village where these robbers had retreated that +the dogs barked after us. Next morning we joined the +fathers, who waited for us. After we had rested ourselves +some time in that mountain, we resolved to separate and go two +and two, to seek for a more convenient place where we might hide +ourselves. We had not gone far before we were surrounded by +a troop of robbers, with whom, by the interest of some of the +natives who had joined themselves to our caravan, we came to a +composition, giving them part of our goods to permit us to carry +away the rest; and after this troublesome adventure arrived at a +place something more commodious than that which we had quitted, +where we met with bread, but of so pernicious a quality that, +after having ate it, we were intoxicated to so great a degree +that one of my friends, seeing me so disordered, congratulated my +good fortune of having met with such good wine, and was surprised +when I gave him an account of the whole affair. He then +offered me some curdled milk, very sour, with barley-meal, which +we boiled, and thought it the best entertainment we had met with +a long time.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XIV</h3> +<p>They are betrayed into the hands of the Turks; are detained +awhile at Mazna; are threatened by the Bassa of Suaquem. +They agree for their ransom, and are part of them dismissed.</p> +<p>Some time after, we received news that we should prepare +ourselves to serve the Turks—a message which filled us with +surprise, it having never been known that one of these lords had +ever abandoned any whom he had taken under his protection; and it +is, on the contrary, one of the highest points of honour amongst +them to risk their fortunes and their lives in the defence of +their dependants who have implored their protection. But +neither law nor justice was of any advantage to us, and the +customs of the country were doomed to be broken when they would +have contributed to our security.</p> +<p>We were obliged to march in the extremity of the hot season, +and had certainly perished by the fatigue had we not entered the +woods, which shaded us from the scorching sun. The day +before our arrival at the place where we were to be delivered to +the Turks, we met with five elephants, that pursued us, and if +they could have come to us would have prevented the miseries we +afterwards endured, but God had decreed otherwise.</p> +<p>On the morrow we came to the banks of a river, where we found +fourscore Turks that waited for us, armed with muskets. +They let us rest awhile, and then put us into the hands of our +new masters, who, setting us upon camels, conducted us to +Mazna. Their commander, seeming to be touched with our +misfortunes, treated us with much gentleness and humanity; he +offered us coffee, which we drank, but with little relish. +We came next day to Mazna, in so wretched a condition that we +were not surprised at being hooted by the boys, but thought +ourselves well used that they threw no stones at us.</p> +<p>As soon as we were brought hither, all we had was taken from +us, and we were carried to the governor, who is placed there by +the Bassa of Suaquem. Having been told by the Abyssins that +we had carried all the gold out of Æthiopia, they searched +us with great exactness, but found nothing except two chalices, +and some relics of so little value that we redeemed them for six +sequins. As I had given them my chalice upon their first +demand, they did not search me, but gave us to understand that +they expected to find something of greater value, which either we +must have hidden or the Abyssins must have imposed on them. +They left us the rest of the day at a gentleman’s house, +who was our friend, from whence the next day they fetched us to +transport us to the island, where they put us into a kind of +prison, with a view of terrifying us into a confession of the +place where we had hid our gold, in which, however, they found +themselves deceived.</p> +<p>But I had here another affair upon my hands which was near +costing me dear. My servant had been taken from me and left +at Mazna, to be sold to the Arabs. Being advertised by him +of the danger he was in, I laid claim to him, without knowing the +difficulties which this way of proceeding would bring upon +me. The governor sent me word that my servant should be +restored to me upon payment of sixty piastres; and being answered +by me that I had not a penny for myself, and therefore could not +pay sixty piastres to redeem my servant, he informed me by a +renegade Jew, who negotiated the whole affair, that either I must +produce the money or receive a hundred blows of the +battoon. Knowing that those orders are without appeal, and +always punctually executed, I prepared myself to receive the +correction I was threatened with, but unexpectedly found the +people so charitable as to lend me the money. By several +other threats of the same kind they drew from us about six +hundred crowns.</p> +<p>On the 24th of June we embarked in two galleys for Suaquem, +where the bassa resided. His brother, who was his deputy at +Mazna, made us promise before we went that we would not mention +the money he had squeezed from us. The season was not very +proper for sailing, and our provisions were but short. In a +little time we began to feel the want of better stores, and +thought ourselves happy in meeting with a gelve, which, though +small, was a much better sailer than our vessel, in which I was +sent to Suaquem to procure camels and provisions. I was not +much at my ease, alone among six Mahometans, and could not help +apprehending that some zealous pilgrim of Mecca might lay hold on +this opportunity, in the heat of his devotion, of sacrificing me +to his prophet.</p> +<p>These apprehensions were without ground. I contracted an +acquaintance, which was soon improved into a friendship, with +these people; they offered me part of their provisions, and I +gave them some of mine. As we were in a place abounding +with oysters—some of which were large and good to eat, +others more smooth and shining, in which pearls are +found—they gave me some of those they gathered; but whether +it happened by trifling our time away in oyster-catching, or +whether the wind was not favourable, we came to Suaquem later +than the vessel I had left, in which were seven of my +companions.</p> +<p>As they had first landed, they had suffered the first +transports of the bassa’s passion, who was a violent, +tyrannical man, and would have killed his own brother for the +least advantage—a temper which made him fly into the utmost +rage at seeing us poor, tattered, and almost naked; he treated us +with the most opprobrious language, and threatened to cut off our +heads. We comforted ourselves in this condition, hoping +that all our sufferings would end in shedding our blood for the +name of Jesus Christ. We knew that the bassa had often made +a public declaration before our arrival that he should die +contented if he could have the pleasure of killing us all with +his own hand. This violent resolution was not lasting; his +zeal gave way to his avarice, and he could not think of losing so +large a sum as he knew he might expect for our ransom: he +therefore sent us word that it was in our choice either to die, +or to pay him thirty thousand crowns, and demanded to know our +determination.</p> +<p>We knew that his ardent thirst of our blood was now cold, that +time and calm reflection and the advice of his friends had all +conspired to bring him to a milder temper, and therefore +willingly began to treat with him. I told the messenger, +being deputed by the rest to manage the affair, that he could not +but observe the wretched condition we were in, that we had +neither money nor revenues, that what little we had was already +taken from us, and that therefore all we could promise was to set +a collection on foot, not much doubting but that our brethren +would afford us such assistance as might enable us to make him a +handsome present according to custom.</p> +<p>This answer was not at all agreeable to the bassa, who +returned an answer that he would be satisfied with twenty +thousand crowns, provided we paid them on the spot, or gave him +good securities for the payment. To this we could only +repeat what we had said before: he then proposed to abate five +thousand of his last demand, assuring us that unless we came to +some agreement, there was no torment so cruel but we should +suffer it, and talked of nothing but impaling and flaying us +alive; the terror of these threatenings was much increased by his +domestics, who told us of many of his cruelties. This is +certain, that some time before, he had used some poor pagan +merchants in that manner, and had caused the executioner to begin +to flay them, when some Brahmin, touched with compassion, +generously contributed the sum demanded for their ransom. +We had no reason to hope for so much kindness, and, having +nothing of our own, could promise no certain sum.</p> +<p>At length some of his favourites whom he most confided in, +knowing his cruelty and our inability to pay what he demanded, +and apprehending that, if he should put us to the death he +threatened, they should soon see the fleets of Portugal in the +Red Sea, laying their towns in ashes to revenge it, endeavoured +to soften his passion and preserve our lives, offering to advance +the sum we should agree for, without any other security than our +words. By this assistance, after many interviews with the +bassa’s agents, we agreed to pay four thousand three +hundred crowns, which were accepted on condition that they should +be paid down, and we should go on board within two hours: but, +changing his resolution on a sudden, he sent us word by his +treasurer that two of the most considerable among us should stay +behind for security, while the rest went to procure the money +they promised. They kept the patriarch and two more +fathers, one of which was above fourscore years old, in whose +place I chose to remain prisoner, and represented to the bassa +that, being worn out with age, he perhaps might die in his hands, +which would lose the part of the ransom which was due on his +account; that therefore it would be better to choose a younger in +his place, offering to stay myself with him, that the good old +man might be set at liberty.</p> +<p>The bassa agreed to another Jesuit, and it pleased Heaven that +the lot fell upon Father Francis Marquez. I imagined that I +might with the same ease get the patriarch out of his hand, but +no sooner had I begun to speak but the anger flashed in his eyes, +and his look was sufficient to make me stop and despair of +success. We parted immediately, leaving the patriarch and +two fathers in prison, whom we embraced with tears, and went to +take up our lodging on board the vessel.</p> +<h3>CHAPTER XV</h3> +<p>Their treatment on board the vessel. Their reception at +Diou. The author applies to the viceroy for assistance, but +without success; he is sent to solicit in Europe.</p> +<p>Our condition here was not much better than that of the +illustrious captives whom we left behind. We were in an +Arabian ship, with a crew of pilgrims of Mecca, with whom it was +a point of religion to insult us. We were lodged upon the +deck, exposed to all the injuries of the weather, nor was there +the meanest workman or sailor who did not either kick or strike +us. When we went first on board, I perceived a humour in my +finger, which I neglected at first, till it spread over my hand +and swelled up my arm, afflicting me with the most horrid +torture. There was neither surgeon nor medicines to be had, +nor could I procure anything to ease my pain but a little oil, +with which I anointed my arm, and in time found some +relief. The weather was very bad, and the wind almost +always against us, and, to increase our perplexity, the whole +crew, though Moors, were in the greatest apprehension of meeting +any of those vessels which the Turks maintain in the strait of +Babelmandel; the ground of their fear was that the captain had +neglected the last year to touch at Moca, though he had +promised. Thus we were in danger of falling into a +captivity perhaps more severe than that we had just escaped +from. While we were wholly engaged with these +apprehensions, we discovered a Turkish ship and galley were come +upon us. It was almost calm—at least, there was not +wind enough to give us any prospect of escaping—so that +when the galley came up to us, we thought ourselves lost without +remedy, and had probably fallen into their hands had not a breeze +sprung up just in the instant of danger, which carried us down +the channel between the mainland and the isle of +Babelmandel. I have already said that this passage is +difficult and dangerous, which, nevertheless, we passed in the +night, without knowing what course we held, and were transported +at finding ourselves next morning out of the Red Sea and half a +league from Babelmandel. The currents are here so violent +that they carried us against our will to Cape Guardafui, where we +sent our boats ashore for fresh water, which we began to be in +great want of. The captain refused to give us any when we +desired some, and treated us with great insolence, till, coming +near the land, I spoke to him in a tone more lofty and resolute +than I had ever done, and gave him to understand that when he +touched at Diou he might have occasion for our interest. +This had some effect upon him, and procured us a greater degree +of civility than we had met with before.</p> +<p>At length after forty days’ sailing we landed at Diou, +where we were met by the whole city, it being reported that the +patriarch was one of our number; for there was not a gentleman +who was not impatient to have the pleasure of beholding that good +man, now made famous by his labours and sufferings. It is +not in my power to represent the different passions they were +affected with at seeing us pale, meagre, without clothes—in +a word, almost naked and almost dead with fatigue and +ill-usage. They could not behold us in that miserable +condition without reflecting on the hardships we had undergone, +and our brethren then underwent, in Suaquem and Abyssinia. +Amidst their thanks to God for our deliverance, they could not +help lamenting the condition of the patriarch and the other +missionaries who were in chains, or, at least, in the hands of +professed enemies to our holy religion. All this did not +hinder them from testifying in the most obliging manner their joy +for our deliverance, and paying such honours as surprised the +Moors, and made them repent in a moment of the ill-treatment they +had shown us on board. One who had discovered somewhat more +humanity than the rest thought himself sufficiently honoured when +I took him by the hand and presented him to the chief officer of +the custom house, who promised to do all the favours that were in +his power.</p> +<p>When we passed by in sight of the fort, they gave us three +salutes with their cannon, an honour only paid to generals. +The chief men of the city, who waited for us on the shore, +accompanied us through a crowd of people, whom curiosity had +drawn from all parts of our college. Though our place of +residence at Diou is one of the most beautiful in all the Indies, +we stayed there only a few days, and as soon as we had recovered +our fatigues went on board the ships that were appointed to +convoy the northern fleet. I was in the +admiral’s. We arrived at Goa in some vessels bound +for Camberia: here we lost a good old Abyssin convert, a man much +valued in his order, and who was actually prior of his convent +when he left Abyssinia, choosing rather to forsake all for +religion than to leave the way of salvation, which God had so +mercifully favoured him with the knowledge of.</p> +<p>We continued our voyage, and almost without stopping sailed by +Surate and Damam, where the rector of the college came to see us, +but so sea-sick that the interview was without any satisfaction +on either side. Then landing at Bazaim we were received by +our fathers with their accustomed charity, and nothing was +thought of but how to put the unpleasing remembrance of our past +labours out of our minds. Finding here an order of the +Father Provineta to forbid those who returned from the missions +to go any farther, it was thought necessary to send an agent to +Goa with an account of the revolutions that had happened in +Abyssinia and of the imprisonment of the patriarch. For +this commission I was made choice of; and, I know not by what +hidden degree of Providence, almost all affairs, whatever the +success of them was, were transacted by me. All the coasts +were beset by Dutch cruisers, which made it difficult to sail +without running the hazard of being taken. I went therefore +by land from Bazaim to Tana, where we had another college, and +from thence to our house of Chaul. Here I hired a narrow +light vessel, and, placing eighteen oars on a side, went close by +the shore from Chaul to Goa, almost eighty leagues. We were +often in danger of being taken, and particularly when we touched +at Dabal, where a cruiser blocked up one of the channels through +which ships usually sail; but our vessel requiring no great depth +of water, and the sea running high, we went through the little +channel, and fortunately escaped the cruiser. Though we +were yet far from Goa, we expected to arrive there on the next +morning, and rowed forward with all the diligence we could. +The sea was calm and delightful, and our minds were at ease, for +we imagined ourselves past danger; but soon found we had +flattered ourselves too soon with security, for we came within +sight of several barks of Malabar, which had been hid behind a +point of land which we were going to double. Here we had +been inevitably taken had not a man called to us from the shore +and informed us that among those fishing-boats there, some +crusiers would make us a prize. We rewarded our kind +informer for the service he had done us, and lay by till night +came to shelter us from our enemies. Then putting out our +oars we landed at Goa next morning about ten, and were received +at our college. It being there a festival day, each had +something extraordinary allowed him; the choicest part of our +entertainments was two pilchers, which were admired because they +came from Portugal.</p> +<p>The quiet I began to enjoy did not make me lose the +remembrance of my brethren whom I had left languishing among the +rocks of Abyssinia, or groaning in the prisons of Suaquem, whom +since I could not set at liberty without the viceroy’s +assistance, I went to implore it, and did not fail to make use of +every motive which could have any influence.</p> +<p>I described in the most pathetic manner I could the miserable +state to which the Catholic religion was reduced in a country +where it had lately flourished so much by the labours of the +Portuguese; I gave him in the strongest terms a representation of +all that we had suffered since the death of Sultan Segued, how we +had been driven out of Abyssinia, how many times they had +attempted to take away our lives, in what manner we had been +betrayed and given up to the Turks, the menaces we had been +terrified with, the insults we had endured; I laid before him the +danger the patriarch was in of being either impaled or flayed +alive; the cruelty, insolence and avarice of the Bassa of +Suaquem, and the persecution that the Catholics suffered in +Æthiopia. I exhorted, I implored him by everything I +thought might move him, to make some attempt for the preservation +of those who had voluntarily sacrificed their lives for the sake +of God. I made it appear with how much ease the Turks might +be driven out of the Red Sea, and the Portuguese enjoy all the +trade of those countries. I informed him of the navigation +of that sea, and the situation of its ports; told him which it +would be necessary to make ourselves masters of first, that we +might upon any unfortunate encounter retreat to them. I +cannot deny that some degree of resentment might appear in my +discourse; for, though revenge be prohibited to Christians, I +should not have been displeased to have had the Bassa of Suaquem +and his brother in my hands, that I might have reproached them +with the ill-treatment we had met with from them. This was +the reason of my advising to make the first attack upon Mazna, to +drive the Turks from thence, to build a citadel, and garrison it +with Portuguese.</p> +<p>The viceroy listened with great attention to all I had to say, +gave me a long audience, and asked me many questions. He +was well pleased with the design of sending a fleet into that +sea, and, to give a greater reputation to the enterprise, +proposed making his son commander-in-chief, but could by no means +be brought to think of fixing garrisons and building fortresses +there; all he intended was to plunder all they could, and lay the +towns in ashes.</p> +<p>I left no art of persuasion untried to convince him that such +a resolution would injure the interests of Christianity, that to +enter the Red Sea only to ravage the coasts would so enrage the +Turks that they would certainly massacre all the Christian +captives, and for ever shut the passage into Abyssinia, and +hinder all communication with that empire. It was my +opinion that the Portuguese should first establish themselves at +Mazna, and that a hundred of them would be sufficient to keep the +fort that should be built. He made an offer of only fifty, +and proposed that we should collect those few Portuguese who were +scattered over Abyssinia. These measures I could not +approve.</p> +<p>At length, when it appeared that the viceroy had neither +forces nor authority sufficient for this undertaking, it was +agreed that I should go immediately into Europe, and represent at +Rome and Madrid the miserable condition of the missions of +Abyssinia. The viceroy promised that if I could procure any +assistance, he would command in person the fleet and forces +raised for the expedition, assuring that he thought he could not +employ his life better than in a war so holy, and of so great an +importance, to the propagation of the Catholic faith.</p> +<p>Encouraged by this discourse of the viceroy, I immediately +prepared myself for a voyage to Lisbon, not doubting to obtain +upon the least solicitation everything that was necessary to +re-establish our mission.</p> +<p>Never had any man a voyage so troublesome as mine, or +interrupted with such variety of unhappy accidents; I was +shipwrecked on the coast of Natal, I was taken by the Hollanders, +and it is not easy to mention the danger which I was exposed to +both by land and sea before I arrived at Portugal.</p> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A VOYAGE TO ABYSSINIA***</p> +<pre> + + +***** This file should be named 1436-h.htm or 1436-h.zip****** + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/3/1436 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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