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diff --git a/old/vygab10.txt b/old/vygab10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9355c33 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/vygab10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4303 @@ +Project Gutenberg Etext of A Voyage to Abyssinia by Father Lobo +Translated from the French by Samuel Johnson + + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check +the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! + +Please take a look at the important information in this header. +We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an +electronic path open for the next readers. Do not remove this. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*These Etexts Prepared By Hundreds of Volunteers and Donations* + +Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get Etexts, and +further information is included below. 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If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Association/Carnegie-Mellon + University" within the 60 days following each + date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) + your annual (or equivalent periodic) tax return. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, +scanning machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty +free copyright licenses, and every other sort of contribution +you can think of. Money should be paid to "Project Gutenberg +Association / Carnegie-Mellon University". + +*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* + + + + + +A Voyage to Abyssinia by Father Jerome Lobo +translated from the French by Samuel Johnson. + + + + + +INTRODUCTION by Henry Morley, Editor of the 1887 edition + + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. +H.M. + + + +THE PREFACE + + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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, engage in massacres, or to +find mercy in a court of inquisition, he would not look for the true +church in the Church of Rome. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +PART I - THE VOYAGE TO ABYSSINIA + + + + +Chapter I + + + +The author arrives after some difficulties at Goa. Is chosen for +the Mission of Aethiopia. The fate of those Jesuits who went by +Zeila. The author arrives at the coast of Melinda. + + +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. + +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 Cochim, 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. + +I lived here about a year, and completed my studies in divinity; in +which time some letters were received from the fathers in Aethiopia, +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. + +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 Aethiopia. +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. + +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. + +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! + +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. + + + +Chapter II + + + +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 Aethiopia. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia. 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 of 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 Aethiopia. 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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia, 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 Aethiopia. We went back to Daman, and +from thence to Diou, where we arrived in a short time. + + + +Chapter III + + + +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. + + +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 Aethiopia 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. + +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 Aethiopia, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter IV + + + +The author's conjecture on the name of the Red Sea. An account of +the cocoa-tree. He lands at Baylur. + + +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. + +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 Aethiopia, 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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia'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. + + + +Chapter V + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter VI + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter VII + + + +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. + + +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. + +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 Aethiopia 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter VIII + + + +They lose their way, are in continual apprehensions of the Galles. +They come to Duan, and settle in Abyssinia. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopians celebrate the 16th of June. We +persuaded them, however, to leave us their camels and four of their +company to take care of them. + +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. + +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. + + + + +PART II - A DESCRIPTION OF ABYSSINIA + + + + +Chapter I + + + +The history of Abyssinia. An account of the Queen of Sheba, and of +Queen Candace. The conversion of the Abyssins. + + +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 Aethiopia. 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 Aethiopia. 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. + +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 +Aethiopia 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 Aethiopia, and destroyed all our hopes of +reuniting this kingdom with the Roman Church. + +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. + +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. + +Aethiopia 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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter II + + + +The animals of Abyssinia; the elephant, unicorn, their horses and +cows; with a particular account of the moroc. + + +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 Aethiopia 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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter III + + + +The manner of eating in Abyssinia, their dress, their hospitality, +and traffic. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter IV + + + +An account of the religion of the Abyssins. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 +Aethiopia, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter V + + + +The adventures of the Portuguese, and the actions of Don Christopher +de Gama in Aethiopia. + + +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 Aethiopia 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. + +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 +Aethiopia. 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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter VI + + + +Mahomet continues the war, and is killed. The stratagem of Peter +Leon. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter VII + + + +They discover the relics. Their apprehension of the Galles. The +author converts a criminal, and procures his pardon. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter VIII + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter IX + + + +The viceroy is defeated and hanged. The author narrowly escapes +being poisoned. + + +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 Aethiopia, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter X + + + +A description of the Nile. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +Many interpreters of the Holy Scriptures pretend that Gihon, +mentioned in Genesis, is no other than the Nile, which encompasseth +all Aethiopia; 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 Aethiopia. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 +Caesar 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 Aethiopia, +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. + +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 Aethiopia. 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. + + + +Chapter XI + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter XII + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter XIII + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia; 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 Aethiopia 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter XIV + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +Chapter XV + + + +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. + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 Aethiopia. 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg Etext of A Voyage to Abyssinia by Father Lobo + diff --git a/old/vygab10.zip b/old/vygab10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fc4defc --- /dev/null +++ b/old/vygab10.zip |