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diff --git a/old/54181-0.txt b/old/54181-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d0ea8eb..0000000 --- a/old/54181-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,20251 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, -Volume II, by James Bruce - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume II - In the years 1769, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773 - -Author: James Bruce - -Release Date: February 17, 2017 [EBook #54181] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS VOL. 2 OF 2 *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Wayne Hammond and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - TRAVELS - TO DISCOVER THE - SOURCE OF THE NILE, - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773. - - IN FIVE VOLUMES. - - BY JAMES BRUCE OF KINNAIRD, ESQ. F.R.S. - - [Illustration] - - VOL. II. - - _Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona_ - _Multi, sed omnes illachrymabiles_ - _Urgentur ignotique longâ_ - _Nocte, carent quia vate sacro._ - HORAT. - - EDINBURGH: - PRINTED BY J. RUTHVEN, - FOR G. G. J. AND J. ROBINSON, - PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON. - - M.DCC.XC. - - - - -CONTENTS - -OF THE - -SECOND VOLUME. - - - BOOK III. - - ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA. - Translated from the Original. - - CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF THE ABYSSINIANS, FROM - THE RESTORATION OF THE LINE OF SOLOMON TO THE - DEATH OF SOCINIOS, AND THE DOWNFALL OF THE ROMISH - RELIGION. - - - ICON AMLAC. - From 1268 to 1283. - - _Line of Solomon restored under this Prince--He continues the Royal - Residence in Shoa--Tecla Haimanout dies--Reasons for the Fabrication - of the supposed Nicene Canon_, P. 1. - - - IGBA SION. - From 1283 to 1312. - - _Quick Succession of Princes--Memoirs of these Reigns - deficient_, 4 - - - AMDA SION. - From 1312 to 1342. - - _Licentious beginning of this King’s Reign--His rigorous Conduct - with the Monks of Debra Libanos--His Mahometan Subjects Rebel--Mara - and Adel declare War--Are defeated in several - Battles, and submit_, 5 - - - SAIF ARAAD. - From 1342 to 1370. - - _This Prince enjoys a peaceable Reign--Protects the Patriarch of - Cophts at Cairo from the Persecution of the Soldan_, 60 - - - WEDEM ASFERI. - From 1370 to 1380. - - _Memoirs of this and the following Reign defective._ 62 - - - DAVID II. - From 1380 to 1409. 63 - - THEODORUS. - From 1409 to 1412. - - _Memoirs of this Reign, though held in great Esteem in Abyssinia, - defective, probably mutilated by the Ecclesiastics_, 64 - - - ISAAC. - From 1412 to 1429. - - _No Annals of this, nor the four following Reigns._ 65 - - ANDREAS I. OR AMDA SION. 66 - - TECLA MARIAM, OR HASEB NANYA. - From 1429 to 1433. 67 - - - SARWE YASOUS. ib. - - - AMDA YASOUS. ib. - - - ZARA JACOB. - From 1434 to 1468. - - _Sends Ambassadors from Jerusalem to the Council of - Florence--First Entry of the Roman Catholics into Abyssinia, - Religion--King persecutes the Remnants of Sabaism and - Idolatry--Mahometan Provinces rebel, and are subdued--The - King dies_, 68 - - - BŒDA MARIAM. - From 1468 to 1478. - - _Revives the Banishment of Princes to the Mountain--War with - Adel--Death of the King--Attempts by Portugal to discover - Abyssinia and the Indies_, 78 - - - ISCANDER, OR, ALEXANDER. - From 1478 to 1495. - - _Iscander declares War with Adel--Good Conduct of the - King--Betrayed and Murdered by Za Saluce_, 114 - - - NAOD. - From 1495 to 1508. - - _Wise Conduct of the King--Prepares for a War with the - Moors--Concludes an Honourable Peace with Adel_, 120 - - - DAVID III. - From 1508 to 1540. - - _David, an Infant, succeeds--Queen sends Matthew Ambassador to - Portugal--David takes the field--Defeat of the Moors--Arrival - of an Embassy from Portugal--Disastrous War with Adel_, 124 - - CLAUDIUS, OR ATZENAF SEGUED. - From 1540 to 1559. - - _Prosperous Beginning of Claudius’s Reign--Christopher de Gama - lands in Abyssinia--Prevented by the Rainy Season from joining - the King--Battle of Ainal--Battle of Offalo--Christopher de Gama - Slain--Battle of Isaacs Bet--Moors defeated, and their General - Slain--Abyssinian Army defeated--Claudius Slain--Remarkable - Behaviour of Nur, Governor of Zeyla General of the - Moors_, 173 - - - MENAS, OR ADAMAS SEGUED. - From 1559 to 1563. - - _Baharnagash rebels, proclaims Tascar King--Defeated by the - King--Cedes Dobarwa to the Turks, and makes a League with the - of Masuab_, 206 - - - SERTZA DENGHEL, OR MELEC SEGUED. - From 1563 to 1595. - - _King crowned at Axum--Abyssinia invaded by the Galla--Account - of that People--The King defeats the Army of Adel--Beats the - Falasha, and kills their King--Battle of the Mareb--Basha slain, - and Turks expelled from Dobarwa--King is poisoned--Names Za - Denghel his Successor_, 214 - - - ZA DENGHEL. - From 1595 to 1604. - - _Za Denghel dethroned--Jacob a Minor succeeds--Za Denghel is - Restored--Banishes Jacob to Narea--Converted to the Romish - Religion--Battle of Bartcho, and Death of the King_, 238 - - - JACOB. - From 1604 to 1605. - - _Makes Proposals to Socinios, which are rejected--Takes the - Field--Bad Conduct and Defeat of Za Selasse--Battle of Debra - Zeit--Jacob defeated and Slain_, 252 - - - SOCINIOS OR MELEC SEGUED. - From 1605 to 1632. - - _Socinios embraces the Romish Religion--War with Sennaar--With - the Shepherds--Violent Conduct of the Romish Patriarch--Lasta - rebels--Defeated at Wainadega--Socinios restores the Alexandrian - Religion--Resigns his Crown to his Eldest Son_, 262 - - - BOOK IV. - - CONTINUATION OF THE ANNALS, FROM THE DEATH OF SOCINIOS, - TILL MY ARRIVAL IN ABYSSINIA. - - - FACILIDAS OR SULTAN SEGUED, - From 1632 to 1665. - - _The Patriarch and Missionaries are Banished--Seek the - Protection of a Rebel--Delivered up to the King, and sent - _Claudius rebels--Sent to Wechné--Death and Character of - the King_, 401 - - - HANNES I. OR ŒLAFESEGUED. - From 1665 to 1680. - - _Bigotry of the King--Disgusts his Son Yasous, who flies - from Gondar_, 423 - - - YASOUS I. - From 1680 to 1704. - - _Brilliant Expedition of the King to Wechné--Various Campaigns - against the Agows and Galla--Comet appears--Expedition against - Zeegam and the Eastern Shangalla--Poncet’s Journey--Murat’s - Embassy--Du Roule’s Embassy--Du Roule murdered at Sennaar--The - King is assassinated_, 425 - - - TECLA HAIMANOUT I. - From 1704 to 1706. - - _Writes in Favour of Du Roule--Defeats the Rebels--Is - Assassinated while Hunting_, 517 - - - TIFILIS. - From 1706 to 1709. - - _Dissembles with his Brother’s Assassins--Execution of the - Regicides--Rebellion and Death of Tigi_, 533 - - - OUSTAS. - From 1709 to 1714. - - _Usurps the Crown--Addicted to Hunting--Account of the - Shangalla--Active and Bloody Reign--Entertains Catholic sick - and dies, but how, uncertain_, 538 - - - DAVID IV. - From 1714 to 1719. - - _Convocation of the Clergy--Catholic Priests executed--A Second - Convocation--Clergy insult the King--His severe Punishment--King - dies of Poison_, 577 - - - BACUFFA. - From 1719 to 1729. - - _Bloody Reign--Exterminates the Conspirators--Counterfeits - Death--Becomes very Popular_, 595 - - - YASOUS II. OR, ADIAM SEGUED. - From 1729 to 1753. - - _Rebellion in the Beginning of this Reign--King addicted to - hunting--To building, and the Arts of Peace--Attacks Sennaar--Loses - his Army--Takes Samayat--Receives Baady King of Sennaar under - his Protection_, 608 - - - JOAS. - From 1753 to 1769. - - _This Prince a favorer of the Galla his Relations--Great - dissentions on bringing them to Court--War of Begemder--Ras - Michael brought to Gondar--Defeats Ayo--Mariam Barea refuses to - be accessary to his Death--King favours Waragna Fasil--Battle of - Azazo--King Assassinated in his Palace_, 660 - - - HANNES II. - 1769. - - _Hannes, Brother to Bacuffa, chosen King--Is brought from - Wechné--Crowned at Gondar--His horrid Behaviour--Refuses to - march against Fasil--Is poisoned by Order of Ras Michael_, 707 - - - TECLA HAIMANOUT II. - 1769. - - _Succeeds his Father Hannes--His Character and prudent - Behaviour--Cultivates Michael’s Friendship--Marches willingly - against Fasil--Defeats him at Fagitta--Description of that - Battle_, 709 - - - TRAVELS - - TO DISCOVER - - THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. - - - - - BOOK III. - - ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA, - - TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL: - - CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF THE ABYSSINIANS, FROM THE - RESTORATION OF THE LINE OF SOLOMON TO THE DEATH OF - SOCINIOS, AND THE DOWNFALL OF THE ROMISH RELIGION. - -[Illustration] - - -ICON AMLAC. - -From 1268 to 1283. - - _Line of Solomon restored under this Prince--He continues the - Royal Residence in Shoa--Tecla Haimanout dies--Reasons for the - Fabrication of the supposed Nicene Canon_. - - -Although the multiplicity of names assumed by the kings of Abyssinia, -and the confusion occasioned by this custom, has more than once been -complained of in the foregoing sheets, we have here a prince that is -an exception to this practice, otherwise almost general. Icon Amlac -is the only name by which we know this first prince of the race of -Solomon, restored now fully to his dominions, after a long exile his -family had suffered by the treason of Judith. The signification of his -name is, “Let him be made our sovereign,” and is apparently that which -he took upon his inauguration or accession to the throne; and his name -of baptism, and bye-name or popular name given him, are both therefore -lost. - -Although now restored to the complete possession of his ancient -dominions, he was too wise all at once to leave his dutiful kingdom of -Shoa and return to Tigré. He continued to make Tegulat, the capital of -Shoa, his seat of the empire, and there reigned fifteen years. - -In the 14th year of the reign of this prince, his great benefactor, -Abuna Tecla Haimanout, founder of the Order of Monks of Debra Libanos, -and restorer of the Royal family, died at that monastery in great -reputation and very advanced age. He was the last Abyssinian ordained -Abuna; and this sufficiently shews the date of that canon I have -already spoken of, falsely said to be a canon of the council of Nicea. - -Though Le Grande and some others have pretended to be in doubt at what -time, and for what reason, this canon could have been made, I think -the reason very plain, which fixes it to the time of Tecla Haimanout, -as well as shews it to be a forgery of the church of Alexandria, -no doubt with the council and advice of this great statesman Tecla -Haimanout. Egypt was fallen under the dominion of the Saracens; the -Coptic patriarch, and all the Christians of the church of Alexandria, -were their slaves or servants; but the Abyssinians were free and -independent, both in church and state, and a mortal hatred had followed -the conquest from variety of causes, of which the persecution of the -Christians in Egypt was not one of the least. As it was probable that -these reasons would increase daily, the consequence which promised -inevitably to follow was, that the Abyssinians would not apply to -Alexandria, or Cairo, for a metropolitan sent by the Mahometans, but -would choose a head of their own, and so become independent altogether -of the chair of St Mark. As they were cut off from the rest of the -world by seas and deserts almost inaccessible, as they wanted books, -and were every day relaxing in discipline, total ignorance was likely -to follow their separation from their primitive church, and this could -not end but in a relapse into Paganism, or in their embracing the -religion of Mahomet. - -This prohibition of making any of their countrymen Abuna, secured them -always a foreigner, and a man of foreign education and attachments, to -fill the place of Abuna, and by this means assured the dependence of -the Abyssinians upon the patriarch of Alexandria. This is what I judge -probable, for I have already invincibly shewn, that it is impossible -this canon could be one of the first general Council; and its being in -Arabic, and conceived in very barbarous terms, sufficiently evinces -that it was forged at this period. - -[Illustration] - - - - -IGBA SION. - -From 1283 to 1312. - -_Quick Succession of Princes--Memoirs of these Reigns deficient._ - - -To Icon Amlac succeeded Igba Sion, and after him five other princes, -his brothers, Bahar Segued, Tzenaf Segued, Jan Segued, Haseb Araad, -and Kedem Segued, all in five years. So quick a succession in so few -years seems to mark very unsettled times. Whether it was a civil war -among themselves that brought these reigns to so speedy a conclusion, -or whether it was that the Moorish states in Adel had grown in power, -and sought successfully against them, we do not know. One thing only -we are certain of, that no molestation was offered by the late royal -family of Lasta, who continued in peace, and firm in the observation -of their treaty. I therefore am inclined to think, that a civil war -among the brothers was the occasion of the quick succession of so many -princes; and that in the time when the kingdom was weakened by this -calamity, the states of Adel, grown rich and powerful, had improved -the occasion, and seized upon all that territory from Azab to Melinda, -and cut off the Abyssinians entirely from the sea-coast, and from an -opportunity of trading directly with India from the ports situated upon -the ocean. And my reason is, that, in a reign which speedily follows, -we find the kingdom of Adel increased greatly in power, and Moorish -princes from Arabia established in little principalities, exactly -corresponding with the southern limits of Abyssinia, and placed between -them and the ocean; and we see, at the same time, a rancour and hatred -firmly rooted in the breasts of both nations, one of the causes of -which is constantly alledged by the Abyssinian princes to be, that the -Moors of Adel were anciently their subjects and vassals, had withdrawn -themselves from their allegiance, and owed their present independence -to rebellion only. - -To these princes succeeded Wedem Araad, their youngest brother, who -reigned fifteen years, probably in peace, for in this state we find the -kingdom in the days of his successor; but then it is such a peace that -we see it only wanted any sort of provocation from one party to the -other, for both to break out into very cruel, long, and bloody wars. - -[Illustration] - - - - -AMDA SION. - -From 1312 to 1342. - - _Licentious beginning of this King’s Reign--His rigorous - Conduct with the Monks of Debra Libanos--His Mahometan Subjects - rebel--Mara and Adel declare War--Are defeated in several - Battles, and submit._ - - -Amda Sion succeeded his father, Wedem Araad, who was youngest brother -of Icon Amlac, and came to the crown upon the death of his uncles. -He is generally known by this his inauguration name; his Christian -name was Guebra Mascal. His reign began with a scene as disgraceful -to the name of Christian as it was new in the annals of Ethiopia, -and which promised a character very different from what this prince -preserved ever afterwards. He had for a time, it seems, privately loved -a concubine of his father, but had now taken her to live with him -publicly; and, not content with committing this sort of incest, he, in -a very little time after, had seduced his two sisters. - -Tegulat[1] (the capital of Shoa) was then the royal residence; and -near it the monastery of Debra Libanos, founded by Tecla Haimanout -restorer of the line of Solomon. To this monastery many men, eminent -for learning and religion, had retired from the scenes of war that -desolated Palestine and Egypt. Among the number of these was one -Honorius, a Monk of the first character for piety, who, since, has been -canonized as a saint. Honorius thought it his duty first to admonish, -and then publicly excommunicate the king for these crimes. - -It should seem that patience was as little among this prince’s virtues -as chastity, as he immediately ordered Honorius to be apprehended, -stripped naked, and severely whipped through every street of his -capital. That same night the town took fire, and was entirely consumed, -and the clergy lost no time to persuade the people, that it was the -blood of Honorius that turned to fire whenever it had dropt upon the -ground, and so had burnt the city. The king, perhaps better informed, -thought otherwise of this, and supposed the burning of his capital was -owing to the Monks themselves. He therefore banished those of Debra -Libanos out of the province of Shoa. The mountain of Geshen had been -chosen for the prison wherein to guard the princes of the male-line of -the race of Solomon, after the massacre by Esther[2], upon the rock -Damo in Tigré. - -Geshen is a very steep and high rock, in the kingdom of Amhara, -adjoining to, and under the jurisdiction of Shoa. Hither the king -sent Philip the Itchegué, chief of the monastery of Debra Libanos, -and he scattered the rest through Dembea, Tigré, and Begemder, (whose -inhabitants were mostly Pagans and Jews), where they greatly propagated -the knowledge of the Christian religion. - -This instance of severity in the king had the effect to make all ranks -of people return to their duty; and all talk of Honorius and his -miracles was dropt. The town was rebuilt speedily, more magnificently -than ever, and Amda Sion found time to turn his thoughts to correct -those abuses, to efface the unfavourable impression which they had made -upon the minds of his people at home, and which, besides, had gained -considerable ground abroad. - -It has been before mentioned, and will be further inculcated in the -course of this history as a fact, without the remembrance of which -the military expeditions of Abyssinia cannot be well understood, that -two opposite seasons prevail in countries separated by a line almost -imperceptible; that during our European winter months, that is, from -October to March, the winter or rainy season prevails on the coast of -the ocean and Red Sea, but that these rains do not fall in our summer, -(the rainy season in Abyssinia), which was the reason why Amda Sion -said to his mutinous troops, he would lead them to Adel or Aussa, where -it did not rain, as we shall presently observe. - -The different nations that dwell along the coast, both of the Red Sea -and of the ocean, live in fixed huts or houses. We shall begin at the -northmost, or nearest Atbara. The first is Ageeg, so named from a small -island on the coast, opposite to the mountains of the Habab, Agag, or -Agaazi, the principal district of the noble or governing Shepherds, -as is before fully explained, different in colour and hair from the -Shepherds of the Thebaid living to the northward. Then follow the -different tribes of these, Tora, Shiho, Taltal, Azimo, and Azabo, where -the Red Sea turns eastward, towards the Straits, all woolly-headed, -the primitive carriers of Saba, and the perfume and gold country. Then -various nations inhabit along the ocean, all native blacks, remnants of -the Cushite Troglodyte, but who do not change their habitations with -the seasons, but live within land in caves, and some of them now in -houses. - -In Adel and Aussa the inhabitants are tawny, and not black, and have -long hair; they are called Gibbertis, which some French writers of -voyages into this country say, mean Slaves, from Guebra, the Abyssinian -word for slave or servant. But as it would be very particular that a -nation like these, so rich and so powerful, who have made themselves -independent of their ancient masters the Abyssinians, have wrested so -many provinces from them, and, from the difference of their faith, hold -them in such utter contempt, should nevertheless be content to call -themselves their slaves, so nothing is more true, than that this name -of Gibberti has a very different import. Jabber, in Arabic, the word -from which it is derived, signifies the _faith_, or the _true faith_; -and Gibberti consequently means the _faithful_, or the _orthodox_, -by which name of _honour_ these moors, inhabiting the low country of -Abyssinia, call each other, as being constant in their faith amidst -Christians with whom they are at perpetual war. - -There is no current coin in Abyssinia. Gold is paid by weight; all -the revenues are chiefly paid in kind, viz. oxen, sheep, and honey, -which are the greatest necessaries of life. As for luxuries, they are -obtained by a barter of gold, myrrh, coffee, elephants teeth, and a -variety of other articles which are carried over to Arabia; and in -exchange for these is brought back whatever is commissioned. - -Every great man in Abyssinia has one of these Gibbertis for his -factor. The king has many, who are commonly the shrewdest and most -intelligent of their profession. These were the first inhabitants of -Abyssinia, whom commerce connected with the Arabians on the other side -of the Straits of Babelmandeb, with whom they intermarry, or with one -another, which preserves their colour and features, resembling both -the Abyssinians and Arabians. In Arabia, they are under the protection -of some of their own countrymen, who being sold when young as slaves, -are brought up in the Mahometan religion, and enjoy all the principal -posts under the Sherriffe of Mecca and the Arabian princes. These are -the people who at particular times have appeared in Europe, and who -have been straightway taken for, and treated as Ambassadors. - -More southward and westward are the kingdoms of Mara, Worgla, and -Pagoma, small principalities of fixed habitations by the sea, at times -free, at others dependent upon Adel; and, to the south of these, in the -same flat country, is Hadea, whose capital is Harar, and governed by a -prince, who is a Gibberti likewise; and who, by marrying a Sherriffa, -or female descendant of Mahomet, is now reckoned a Sherriffe or noble -of Mahomet’s family, distinguished by his wearing habits, for the most -part green, and above all a grass-green turban, a mark of hatred to -Christianity. - -The Gibbertis, then, are the princes and merchants of this country, -converted to the Mahometan faith soon after the death of Mahomet, when -the Baharnagash (as we have already stated) revolted from the empire -of the Abyssinians, in whose hands all the riches of the country are -centered. The black inhabitants are only their subjects, hewers of wood -and drawers of water, who serve them in their families at home, take -care of their camels when employed in caravans abroad, and who make the -principal part of their forces in the field. - -But there are other inhabitants still besides these Gibbertis and -native blacks, whom we must not confound with the indigenous of this -country, how much soever they may resemble them. The first of these are -by the Portuguese historians called _Moors_, who are merchants from -the west of Africa. Many of these, expelled from Spain by Ferdinand -and Isabella, fixed their residence here, and were afterwards joined -by others of their Moorish brethren, either exiles from Spain, or -inhabitants of Morocco, whom the desire of commerce induced first to -settle in Arabia, till the great oppressions that followed the conquest -of Egypt and Arabia, under Selim and Soliman, interrupted their -trade, and scattered them here along the coast. These are the Moors -that Vasques de Gama[3] met at Mombaza, Magadoxa, and Melinda; at all -places, but the last of which, they endeavoured to betray him. These -also were the Moors that he found in India, having no profession but -trade, in every species of which they excelled. - -The fourth sort are Arabian merchants, who come over occasionally to -recover their debts, and renew correspondences with the merchants of -this country. These are the richest of all, and are the bankers of the -Gibbertis, who furnish them funds and merchandise, with which they -carry on a most lucrative and extensive trade into the heart of Africa, -through all the mountains of Abyssinia to the western sea, and through -countries which are inaccessible to camels, where the ass, the mule, -and, in some places, oxen, are the only beasts used in carriage. - -There is a fifth sort, almost below notice, unless it is for the -mischief they have constantly done their country; they are the -Abyssinian apostates from Christianity, the most inveterate enemies it -has, and who are employed chiefly as soldiers. While in that country -they are not much esteemed, though, when transported to India, they -have constantly turned out men of confidence and trust, and the best -troops those eastern nations have. - -There is a sixth, still less in number than even these, and not -known on this Continent till a few years before. These were the -Turks who came from Greece and Syria, and who were under Selim, and -Soliman his son, the instruments of the conquest of Egypt and Arabia; -small garrisons of whom were everywhere left by the Turks in all -the fortresses and considerable towns they conquered. They are an -hereditary kind of militia, who, marrying each other’s daughters, -or with the women of the country, continue from father to son to -receive from Constantinople the same pay their forefathers had from -Selim. These, though degenerate in figure and manners into an exact -resemblance to the natives of the countries in which they since lived, -do still continue to maintain their superiority by a constant skill -and attention to fire-arms, which were, at the time of their first -appearance here, little known or in use among either Abyssinians or -Arabians, and the means of first establishing this preference. - -It has been already observed, that the Mahometan Moors and Arabs -possessed all the low country on the Indian Ocean, and opposite to -Arabia Felix; and being, by their religion, obliged to go in pilgrimage -to Mecca, as also by their sole profession, which was trade, they -became, by consequence, the only carriers and directors of the commerce -of Abyssinia. All the country to the east and north of Shoa was -possessed and commanded chiefly by Mahometan merchants appointed by -the king; and they had established a variety of marts or fairs from -Ifat, all the way as far as Adel. - -Adel and Mara were two of the most powerful kingdoms which lie on the -Indian Ocean; and, being constantly supported by soldiers from Arabia, -were the first to withdraw themselves from obedience to the king of -Abyssinia, and seldom paid their tribute unless when the prince came -to raise it there with an army. Ifat, Fatigar, and Dawaro, were indeed -originally Christian provinces; but, in weak reigns, having been ceded -to Moorish governors, for sums of money, they, by degrees, renounced -both their religion and allegiance. - -From what has been observed, the reader will conceive, that where it -is said the king, from his capital in Shoa, marched down into Dawaro, -Hadea, or Adel, that he then descended from the highest mountains down -to the flat country on the level with the sea. That this country, from -Hadea to Dawaro, having been the seat of war for ages, was, partly -by the soldier for the use of the camp, partly by the husbandman -for the necessaries of life, cleared of wood, where the water stood -constantly in pools throughout the year; and, being all composed of -fat black earth, which the torrents bring down from the rainy country -of Abyssinia, was sown with millet and different kinds of grain in the -driest ground, while, nearer the mountains, they pastured numerous -herds of cattle. Notwithstanding, however, the country was possessed -of these advantages, the climate was intensely hot, feverish, and -unhealthy, and, for the most part, from these circumstances, fatal to -strangers, and hated by the Abyssinians. - -Again, when it is said that the king had marched to Samhar, it is meant -that he had passed this fruitful country, and is come to that part of -the zone, or belt, (nearest the sea) composed of gravel; which, though -it enjoys neither the water nor the fruitfulness of the black earth, -is in a great measure free from its attendant diseases, and here the -cities and towns are placed, while the crop, oxen, and cattle, are in -the cultivated part near the mountains, which in the language of the -country is called _Mazaga_, signifying _black mould_. - -Lastly, when he hears the army murmuring at being kept during the -rainy season in the Kolla below, he is to remember, that all was -cool, pleasant, and safe in Upper Abyssinia. The soldiers, therefore, -languished for the enjoyment of their own families, without any other -occupation but merriment, festivity, and every species of gratification -that wine, and the free and uncontrouled society of the female-sex, -could produce. - -Having now sufficiently explained and described the various names and -inhabitants, the situation, soil, and climate of those provinces about -to be the theatre of the war, I shall proceed to declare the occasion -of it, which was nothing more than the fruit of those prejudices which, -I have already said, the loose behaviour of the king in the beginning -of his reign had produced among his neighbours, and the calamities -which had enfeebled the kingdom in the preceding reigns. - -It happened that one of those Moorish factors, whom I have already -described, having in charge the commercial interests of the king, -had been assassinated and robbed in the province of Ifat, when the -King was busied with Honorius and his Monks. Without complaining or -expostulating, he suddenly assembled his troops, having ordered them to -rendezvous at Shugura upon the frontiers, and, to shew his impatience -for revenge, with seven[4] horsemen he fell upon the nearest Mahometan -settlements, who were perfectly secure, and put all he found in his way -to the sword without exception. Then placing himself at the head of his -army, he marched, by a long day’s journey, straight to Ifat, burning -Hungura, Jadai, Kubat, Fadise, Calise, and Argai, towns that lye in -the way, full of all sorts of valuable merchandise, and, finding no -where a force assembled to oppose him, he divided his army into small -detachments, sending them different ways, with orders to lay the whole -countries, where they came, waste with fire and sword, while he himself -remained in the camp to guard the spoil, the women, and the baggage. - -The Moors, astonished at this torrent of desolation, which so suddenly -had broken out under a prince whom they had considered as immersed -in pleasure, flew all to arms; and being informed that the king was -alone, and scarcely had soldiers to guard his camp, they assembled -in numbers under the command of Hak-eddin, governor of Ifat, who had -before plundered and murdered the king’s servant. They then determined -to attack Amda Sion early in the morning, but luckily two of his -detachments had returned to the camp to his assistance, and joined him -the very night before. - -It was scarcely day when the Moors presented themselves; but, far from -surprising the Abyssinians buried in sleep, they found the king with -his army ranged in battle, who, without giving them time to recover -from their surprise, attacked them in person with great fury; and -singling out Derdar, brother to Hak-eddin, animating his men before -the ranks, he struck him so violently with his lance that he fell -dead among his horse’s feet, in the sight of both armies; whilst the -Abyssinian troops pressing every where briskly forward, the Moors took -to flight, and were pursued with great slaughter into the woods and -fastnesses. - -After this victory, the king ordered his troops to build huts for -themselves, at least such as could not find houses ready built. He -ordered, likewise, a great tract of land contiguous to be plowed and -sown, meaning to intimate, that his intention was to stay there with -his army all the rainy season. - -The Mahometans, from this measure, if it should be carried into -execution, saw nothing but total extirpation before their eyes; -they, therefore, with one consent, submitted to the tribute imposed -upon them; and the king having removed Hak-eddin, placed his brother -Saber-eddin in his stead, and the rainy season being now begun, -dismissed his army, and returned to Tegulat in Shoa. - -Though the personal gallantry of the king was a quality sufficient of -itself to make him a favourite of the soldiers, his liberality was not -less; all the plunder got by his troops in the field was faithfully -divided among those who had fought for him; nor did he ever pretend to -a share himself, unless on occasions when he was engaged in person, -and then he shared upon an equal footing with the principal officers. - -When returned to the capital, he shewed the same disinterestedness and -generosity which he had done in the field, and he distributed all he -had won for his share among the great men, whom the necessary duties -of government had obliged to remain at home, as also amongst the poor, -and priests for the maintenance of churches; and, as well by this, as -by his zeal and activity against the enemies of Christianity, he became -the greatest favourite of all ranks of the clergy, notwithstanding the -unpromising appearances at the beginning of his reign. - -The rainy season in Abyssinia generally puts an end to the active part -of war, as every one retires then to towns and villages to screen -themselves from the inclemency of the climate, deluged now with daily -rain. The soldier, the husbandman, and, above all, the women, dedicate -this season to continued festivity and riot. These villages and -towns are always placed upon the highest mountains. The valleys that -intervene are soon divided by large and rapid torrents. Every hollow -foot-path becomes a stream, and the valleys between the hills become -so miry as not to bear horse; and the waters, both deep and violent, -are too apt to shift their direction to suffer any one on foot to -pass safely. All this season, and this alone, people sleep in their -houses in safety; their lances and shields are hung up on the sides of -their hall, and their saddles and bridles taken off their horses; for -in Abyssinia, at other times, the horses are always bridled, and are -accustomed to eat and drink with this incumbrance. It is not, indeed, -the same sort of bridle they use in the field, but a small bit of iron -like our hunting-bridles, on purpose merely to preserve them in this -habit. The court, and the principal officers of government, retire to -the capital, and there administer justice, make alliances, and prepare -the necessary funds and armaments, which the present exigencies of the -state require on the return of fair weather. - -Amda Sion was no sooner returned to Tegulat, than the Moors again -entered into a conspiracy against him. The principal were Amano king -of Hadea, Saber-eddin, whom the king had made governor of Fatigar, -and privately, without any open declaration, Gimmel-eddin governor in -Dawaro. But this conspiracy could not be hid from a prince of Amda -Sion’s vigilance and penetration. He concealed, however, any knowledge -of the matter, lest it should urge the Moors to commence hostilities -too early. He continued, therefore, with diligence, and without -ostentation of any particular design, to make the ordinary preparations -to take the field on the approaching season. This, however, did not -impose upon the enemy. Whether from intelligence, or impatience of -being longer inactive, Saber-eddin began the first hostilities, by -surprising some Christian villages, and plundering and setting fire to -the churches before the rains had yet entirely ceased. - -Those that have written accounts of Abyssinia seem to agree in -extolling the people of that country for giving no belief to the -existence or reality of witchcraft or sorcery. Why they have fixed on -this particular nation is hard to determine. But, as for me, I have no -doubt in asserting, that there is not a barbarous or ignorant people -that I ever knew of which this can be truly said; but certainly it -never was less true than when said of Abyssinians. There is scarce a -monk in any lonely monastery, (such as those in the hot and unwholesome -valley of Waldubba), not a hermit of the many upon the mountains, not -an old priest who has lived any time sequestered from society, that -does not pretend to possess charms offensive and defensive, and several -methods by which he can, at will, look into futurity. The Moors are -all, to a man, persuaded of this: their arms and necks are loaded with -amulets against witchcraft. Their women are believed to have all the -mischievous powers of fascination; and both sexes a hundred secrets of -divination. The Falasha are addicted to this in still a greater degree, -if possible. It is always believed by every individual Abyssinian, -that the number of hyænas the smell of carrion brings into the city of -Gondar every night, are the Falasha from the neighbouring mountains, -transformed by the effect and for the purposes of inchantment. Even the -Galla, a barbarous and stranger nation, hostile to the Abyssinians, and -differing in language and religion, still agree with them in a hearty -belief of the possibility of practising witchcraft, so as to occasion -sickness and death at a very great distance, to blast the harvests, -poison the waters, and render people incapable of propagating their -species. - -Amano, king of Hadea, had one of these conjurers, who, by his knowledge -of futurity, was famous among all the Mahometans of the low country. -The king of Hadea himself had gone no further than to determine to -rebel; but whether he was to go up to fight with Amda Sion in Shoa, or -whether greater success would attend his expecting him in Hadea, this -was thought a doubt wholly within the province of the conjurer, who -assured Amano, his master, that if he did remain below, and wait for -Amda Sion, in Hadea, that prince would come down to him, and in one -battle lose his kingdom and his life. - -The king, whose principal view was to prevent the conjunction of the -confederates, and, if possible, to fight them separately, did not stay -till his whole army was assembled, but, as soon as he got together a -body of troops sufficient to make head against any one of the rebels, -he sent that body immediately on the service it was destined for, in -order to disappoint the general combination. - -A large number of horse and foot (whose post was in the van of the -royal army when the king marched at the head of it) was the first -ready, and, without delay, was sent against Amano into Hadea, under -the command of the general of the cavalry. This officer executed the -service on which he was sent with the greatest diligence possible, -having the best horses, and strongest and most active men in the army; -by long marches, he came upon the king of Hadea, surprised him before -his troops were all assembled, gave him an entire defeat, and made him -prisoner. However ill the conjurer had provided for the king’s safety, -he seems to have been more attentive to his own; great search was made -for him by order of Amda Sion, but he was not to be found, having very -early, upon the first sight of the king’s troops, fled and hid himself -in Ifat. - -The next detachment was sent against Saber-eddin in Fatigar. The -governor of Amhara commanded this, with orders to lay the whole -country waste, and by all means provoke Saber-eddin to risk a battle, -either before or after the junction of the troops which were to march -thither from Hadea. But when the king was thus busy with the Moors, -news were brought him that the Falasha had rebelled, and were in arms, -in very great numbers. The king ordered Tzaga Christos, governor of -Begemder, to assemble his troops with those of Gondar, Sacalta, and -Damot, and march against these rebels before they had time to ruin the -country; and having thus made provision against all his enemies, Amda -Sion proceeded with the remainder of his army to Dawaro. - -Hydar was governor in this province for the king, who, though he shewed -outwardly every appearance of duty and fidelity, was, notwithstanding, -deep in the conspiracy with Saber-eddin, and had close correspondence -with the king of Adel, whose capital, Aussa, was not at a great -distance from him. - -The king kept his Easter at Gaza, immediately upon the verge of the -desert; and, being willing to accustom his troops to action and -hardship, he left his tents and baggage behind with the army; and, -secretly taking with him but twenty-six horsemen, he made an incursion -upon Samhar, destroying all before him, and staying all night, tho’ he -had no provisions, in the middle of his enemies, without so much as -lying down to sleep, slacking his belt, or taking off any part of his -armour. - -The king was no sooner gone than the army missed him, and was all in -the greatest uproar. But, having finished his expedition, he joined -them in the morning, and encamped again with them. On his arrival, he -found waiting for him a messenger from Tzaga Christos, with accounts -that he had fought successfully with the Falasha, entirely defeated -them, slain many, and forced the rest to hide themselves in their -inaccessible mountains. Immediately after this intelligence, Tzaga -Christos, with his victorious army, joined the king also. - -These good tidings were followed by others equally prosperous from -Hadea and Fatigar. They were, that the king’s army in those parts had -forced Saber-eddin to a battle, and beaten him, taken and plundered his -house, and brought his wife and children prisoners; and that the troops -had found that country full of merchandise and riches of all kinds; -that they were already laden and incumbered with the quantity to such a -degree, that they were all speaking of disbanding and retiring to their -houses with riches sufficient for the rest of their lives, although a -great part of the country remained as yet untouched, and, therefore, -it was requested of the king in all diligence to enter it on his side -also, and march southward till both armies met. Immediately upon this -message, the king, having refreshed his troops, and informed them of -the good prospects that were before them, decamped with his whole army, -and entered the province of Ifat. - -When Saber-eddin saw the king’s forces were joined, that he had -no allies, and that it was, in the situation of his army, equally -dangerous to stay or to fly, he took a resolution of submitting himself -to the king’s mercy; but, first, he endeavoured to soften his anger, -and obtain some assurances through the mediation of the queen. The -king, however, having publicly reproved the queen for offering to -intermeddle in such matters, and growing more violent and inflexible -upon this application, there remained no alternative but that of -surrendering himself at discretion. Whereupon Saber-eddin threw himself -at the king’s feet. The soldiers and by-standers, far from being moved -at such a sight, with one voice earnestly besought the king, that the -murderer of so many priests, and the profaner and destroyer of so many -Christian churches, should instantly meet the death his crimes had -merited. The king, however, whose mercy seems to have been equal to his -bravery, after having reproved him with great asperity, and upbraided -him with his cruelty, presumption, and ingratitude, ordered him only to -be put in irons, and committed to a close prison. At the same time, he -displaced Hydar, governor of the province of Dawaro, of whose treason -he had been long informed; and he invested Gimmel-eddin, Saber-eddin’s -brother, with the government of the Mahometan provinces, who, as he -pretended, had not been present at the beginning of the war, but had -preserved his allegiance to the king, and dissuaded his brother from -the rebellion. - -While the king was thus settling the government of the rebellious -provinces, he received intelligence that the kings of Adel and Mara had -resolved to march after him into Shoa when he returned, and give him -battle. - -At this time the king was encamped on the river Hawash, at the head -of the whole army, now united. This news of the hostile intentions of -the kings of Adel and Mara, so exasperated him, that he determined -to enlarge his scheme of vengeance beyond the limits he had first -prescribed to it. With this view, he called the principal officers -of his army together, while he himself stood upon an eminence, the -soldiers surrounding him on all sides. Near him, on the same eminence, -was a monk, noted for his holiness, in the habit in which he celebrated -divine service. The king, in a long speech pronounced with unusual -vehemence, described the many offences committed against him by the -Mahometan states on the coast. The ringleaders of these commotions, -he declared, were the kings of Adel and Mara. He enumerated various -instances of cruelty, of murder, and sacrilege, of which they had been -guilty; the number of priests that they had slain, the churches that -they had burned, and the Christian women and children that they had -carried into slavery, which was now become a commerce, and a great -motive of war. They, and they only, had stirred up his Mahometan -subjects to infest the frontiers both in peace and war. He said, that, -considering the immense booty which had been taken, it might seem that -avarice was the motive of his being now in arms, but this, for his -own part, he totally disclaimed. He neither had nor would apply the -smallest portion of the plunder to his own use, but considered it as -unlawful, as being purchased with the blood and liberty of his subjects -and brethren, the meanest of whom he valued more than the blood and -riches of all the infidels in Adel. He, therefore, called them together -to be witnesses that he dedicated himself a soldier to Jesus Christ; -and he did now swear upon the holy eucharist, that, though but twenty -of his army should join with him, he would not turn his back upon Adel -or Mara, till he had either forced them to tribute and submission, or -extirpated them, and annihilated their religion. - -He then entered the tent-door, and took the sacrament from the hands -of the monk, in presence of the whole army. All the principal officers -did the same, and every individual of the army, with repeated shouts, -declared, that they acceded to, and were bound by, the oath the king -then had made. A violent fury spread in this instant through the whole -army; they considered that part of the king’s speech as a reproach, -which mentioned the spoils they had taken to have been bought by the -blood of Christians, their brethren. Every hand laid hold of a torch, -and, whether the plunder was his own or his fellow-soldiers, each -man set fire, without interruption, to the merchandise that was next -him. The whole riches of Ifat and Hadea, Fatigar and Dawaro, were -consumed in an instant by these fanatics, who, satisfied now that they -were purged from the impurity which the king had attributed to their -plunder, returned poor to their standards, but convinced in their own -conscience of having now, by their sacrament and expiation, become the -soldiers of Christ, they thirsted no longer after any thing but the -blood of the inhabitants of Adel and Mara. - -Soon after, Amda Sion heard that the Moors had attacked his army in -Ifat two several nights, and that his troops had suffered greatly, and -with difficulty been able to maintain themselves in their camp. The -king was then upon his march when he heard these disagreeable news; he -hastened, therefore, immediately to their relief, and encamped at night -in an advantageous post, short of his main army, with a view of taking -advantage of this situation, if the Moors, as he expected, renewed -their attack that night for the third time. - -The Abyssinians, to a man, are fearful of the night, unwilling to -travel, and, above all, to fight in that season, when they imagine -the world is in possession of certain genii, averse to intercourse -with men, and very vindictive, if even by accident they are ruffled or -put out of their way by their interference. This, indeed, is carried -to so great a height, that no man will venture to throw water out -of a bason upon the ground, for fear that, in ever so small a space -the water should have to fall, the dignity of some elf, or fairy, -might be violated. The Moors have none of these apprehensions, and -are accustomed in the way of trade to travel at all hours, sometimes -from necessity, but often from choice, to avoid the heat. They laugh, -moreover, at the superstitions of the Abyssinians, and not unfrequently -avail themselves of them. A verse of the Koran, sewed up in leather, -and tied round their neck or their arms, secures them from all -these incorporeal enemies; and, from this known advantage, if other -circumstances are favourable, they never fail to fight the Abyssinians -at or before the dawn of the morning, for in this country there is no -twilight. - -The Moors did not, in this instance, disappoint the king’s expectation; -as they, with all possible secrecy, marched to the attack of the camp, -while the king, having refreshed his troops, put himself in motion -to intercept them; and they were now arrived, and engaged in several -places with very great vigour. The camp was in apparent danger, though -vigorously defended. At this moment the king, with his fresh troops, -fell violently upon their rear; and, it being known to the Moors that -this was the king, they withdrew their army with all possible speed, -carrying with them a very considerable booty. - -The success which had followed these night expeditions, above all, -the small loss that had attended the pursuit, even after they were -defeated, from the perfect knowledge they had of the country, inspired -them with a resolution to avoid pitched battles, but to distress and -harrass the king’s army every night. They accordingly brought their -camp nearer than usual to the king’s quarters. This began to be felt by -the army, which was prevented from foraging at a great distance; but -provisions could not be dispensed with. The king, therefore, detached -a large body of horse and foot that had not been engaged or fatigued. -The greatest part of the foot he ordered to return with the cattle -they should have taken, but the horse, with each a foot-soldier behind -him, he directed to take post in a wood near a pool of water, where -the Moorish troops, after an assault in the night, retired, and took -refreshments and sleep by the time the sun began to be hot. The Moors -again appeared in the night, attacked the camp in several places, and -alarmed the whole army; but, by the bravery and vigour of the king, who -every where animated his troops by his own example, they were obliged -to retreat a little before morning, more fatigued, and more roughly -handled, than they had hitherto been in any such expedition. - -The king, as if equally tired, followed them no further than the -precincts of his camp; and the Moors, scarcely comforted by this -forbearance after so great a loss, retreated to receive succour of -fresh troops as usual, and enjoy their repose in the neighbourhood of -shade and water. They had, however, scarce thrown aside their arms, -disposed of their wounded in proper places, and begun to assuage their -thirst after the toils of the assault, when the Abyssinian horse, -breaking through the covert, came swiftly upon them, unable either to -fight or to fly, and the whole body of them was cut to pieces without -one man escaping. - -The king, upon return of his troops, began to consider, and, by -combining various circumstances in his mind, to suspect strongly, that, -from the Moors attacking him, as they had for some time lately done, -always in the most unfavourable circumstances, there must be some -intelligence between his camp and that of the enemy. Upon examining -more particularly into the grounds of this suspicion, three men of -Harar (who had long attended the army as spies) were discovered, and -being convicted, were carried out, and their heads cut off at the -entrance of the camp; after which the king, who now found himself -without an enemy in these parts, struck his tents, and returned to Gaza -in Dawaro. - -This movement of Amda Sion’s had more the appearance of opening a -campaign than the closing of one, and occasioned great discontent among -the soldiers, who had done their business, and were without an enemy, -just at that time that the rains fall so heavy, and the country becomes -so unwholesome as to make it unadvisable to keep the field. They, -therefore, remonstrated by their officers to the king, that they must -return to their houses for the several months of winter which were to -follow; and that, after the fatigues, dangers, and hardships they had -undergone for so many months, to persist in staying longer at such a -season in this country was equal to the condemning them to death. - -Gimmel-eddin, moreover, the new-appointed governor, insisted with -Amda Sion, that he was able enough himself to keep all the tributary -provinces in peace, and true allegiance to the king; but if, on the -contrary, the king chose to eat them up with a large army living -constantly among them, as well as upon every pretence laying them -waste with the sword in the manner he was now doing, he could not be -answerable for, nor did he believe they would be able to pay him, -the tribute he expected from them. But the king, who saw the motives -both of his officers and of the Moorish governor, continued firm in -his resolutions. He sharply reproved both Gimmel-eddin and his army -for their want of discipline, and desire of idleness, and ordered the -officers to acquaint their men, that, if they were afraid of rains, -he would carry them to _Adel_, where there were _none_; that, for his -part, he made a resolution, which he would keep most steadily, never -to leave his camp and the field while there was one village in his own -dominions that did not acknowledge him for its sovereign. - -Accordingly on the 13th day of June 1316, immediately after this -declaration, he struck his tents, and marched into Samhar, to -disappoint, if possible, the confederacy that some of the principal -Moorish states had entered into against him, which were agreed, one by -one, to harrass his camp by night, and, after having obliged him to -retreat to Shoa in disorder, to give him battle there before he had -time to refresh his troops. The authors of this conspiracy were seven -in number, Adel, Mara, Tico, Agwama, Bakla[5], Murgar, and Gabula, -and they had already collected a considerable army. The king, who saw -they persisted in their nightly attacks, rode out, thinly accompanied, -to choose a post for an encampment that was to give him the greatest -advantage over his enemy; and, whilst thus occupied, he was suddenly -surrounded by a body of troops of Adel lying in ambush for him. A -soldier (in appearance an Abyssinian) came so close to the king as to -strike him with his sword on the back with such violence that it cut -his belt in two, and, having wounded him thro’ his armour, was ready to -repeat the blow, when the king pierced him through the forehead with -his lance, upon which his party fled. - -But the Moors, for five successive nights, did not fail in their -attempts upon his camp, which wearied and greatly contributed to -discontent his men; and the more so, because the enemy declined coming -to any general engagement, though the king frequently offered it to -them. Amda Sion, therefore, decamped the 28th of June, and, leaving -this disadvantageous station, advanced a day’s march nearer Mara, -pointing, as it were, to the very center of that kingdom. But here, -again, he was stopt by the discontent of his soldiers, who absolutely -refused to go farther, or spend the whole season in arms, in this -inclement climate, while the rest of his subjects, in full enjoyment of -health and plenty, were rioting at home. - -This disposition of his army was no sooner known to the king than he -called the principal of them together, and, planting himself on a -rising ground, he began to harangue his soldiers with so much eloquence -and force of reasoning, that they who before had only learned to -admire their king as a soldier, were obliged to confess that, as an -orator, he as much excelled every man in his state, as he did the -lowest man of his kingdom in dignity. He put his soldiers in mind, -“that this was not a common expedition, like those of his predecessors, -marching through the country for the purpose of levying their revenue; -that the intention of the present war was to avenge the blood of so -many innocent Christians slain in security and full peace, from no -provocation but hatred of their religion: that they were instruments -in the hand of God to revenge the death of so many priests and monks -who had been wantonly offered as sacrifices upon their own altars: that -they were not a common army, but one confederated upon oath, having -sworn upon the sacrament, at the passage of the river Hawash, that they -would not return into Abyssinia till they had beat down and ruined the -strength of the Mahometans in those kingdoms; so that now, when every -thing had succeeded to their wishes, when every Mahometan army had -been defeated as soon as it presented itself, and the whole country -lay open to the chastisements they pleased to inflict, to talk of a -retreat or forbearance was to make a mockery at once of their oath, and -the motive of their expedition. He shewed, by invincible reasonings, -the great hardships and danger that would attend his retreat through a -country already wasted and unable to maintain his army; what an alarm -it would occasion in Shoa, to find him returning with an enemy at his -heels, following him to his very capital; that such, however, must be -the consequence; for it was plain, that, though the enemy declined -fighting, yet there was no possibility of hindering them from following -him so near as to give his retreat every appearance of flight, and to -bring an expedition, begun with success, to an ignominious and a fatal -end. - -“He upbraided them with his own example, that early their prophets had -foretold he was a prince fond of luxury and ease, which, in the main, -he did not deny, but confessed that he was so; and that they all should -have an attachment to their pleasures and enjoyments, he thought but -reasonable. He desired, however, in this, they would do as much as he -did, and only suspend their love of ease and rest as long as their duty -to God, to their country, and their murdered brethren, required; for, -till these duties were fulfilled, ease and enjoyment to a Christian, -and especially to them bound by oath to accomplish a certain purpose, -was, in his eyes, little short of apostacy.” A loud acclamation now -followed from the whole army. They declared again, that they renewed -their sacrament taken at the passage of the Hawash, that they were -Christ’s soldiers, and would follow their sovereign unto death. - -Though the great personal merit of the king, and the grace, force, -and dignity with which he spoke, had, of themselves, produced a very -sudden change in the mind of the soldiers, yet, to the increase of this -good disposition it had very much contributed, that a monk, of great -holiness and austerity of manners, living in a cell on the point of -a steep rock, had come down from Shoa to the camp, declaring that he -had found it written in the Revelation of St John, that this year the -religion of Mahomet was to be utterly extirpated throughout the world. -Full of this idea, on the feast of Ras Werk, in the month of July, -the army passed the Yass, a large river of the kingdom of Mara, and -encamped there. The troops were alarmed, the night after their arrival, -by a piece of intelligence which proved a falsehood. - -A woman, whose father had been a Christian, said, that she had very -lately left the Moorish camp; that the enemy were at no great distance, -and only waited a night of storm and rain to make a general attack -upon the king’s army; and the clouds threatening then a night of -foul weather, it was not doubted but the engagement was thereupon -immediately to follow. It blew, then, so violent a storm, that the -king’s tent, and most of those in the camp, were thrown down, and the -soldiers were in very great confusion, imagining, every moment, the -Moors ready to fall on them. But whether the story was a falsehood, or -the storm too great for the Moors to venture out, nothing happened that -night, nor, indeed, during their stay in that station. - -At this time a number of priests and others came out of curiosity to -see their king making conquests of provinces and people till then -unknown to them even by name: several large detachments of fresh troops -from Abyssinia also arrived, and joined the army. Upon this, Amda Sion -advanced a day’s journey farther into Mara, and took a strong post, -resolving to maintain himself there, and, by detachments, lay the whole -country desolate. This place is called _Dassi_. There was neither -river, however, nor spring near it, but only water procured by digging -in the sand, being what comes down from the sides of the mountains in -the rainy season, and, having filtered through the loose earth, has -reached the sand and gravel, where it stagnates, or finds slowly its -level to the sea. Here the king was taken dangerously ill with the -fever of the Kolla. - -The altercations between Amda Sion and his soldiers, and the -resolutions taken in consequence of these, were faithfully carried to -the king of Adel. The march of the king forward at such a season of -the year, the slow pace with which he advanced towards the very heart -of the country, the care he took of providing all necessaries for his -army, and his reinforcing it at such a season, all shewed this was no -partial, sudden incursion, but that it was meant as a decisive blow, -fatal to the independence of these petty sovereigns and states. To this -it may be added, that Gimmel-eddin, whom the king had released from -prison, and set over the Moorish provinces of Abyssinia, conveyed to -them, in the most direct manner, that such were the king’s purposes. He -told them, moreover, this march into their country was not either to -increase their tribute, or for the sake of plunder, or to force them -to be his subjects; that Amda Sion’s main design was against their -religion, which he and his soldiers had vowed they were to destroy; -that it was not their time to think of peace or tribute upon any terms; -for, were they even to sell their wives and children, the price would -not be accepted, unless they forsook the religion of their fathers, -and embraced Christianity. He further added, that _his_ resolution was -already taken, that he would die firm in the faith, a good Mahometan, -as he had lived; not tamely, however, but in the middle of his enemies; -and that he was now making every sort of preparation to resist to the -latest breath. - -No sooner was this intelligence from Gimmel-eddin published, than a -kind of frenzy seized the people of Adel; they ran tumultuously to -arms, and, with shrieks and adjurations, demanded to be led immediately -against the Abyssinians, for they no longer desired to live upon such -terms. - -There was among the leading men of the Moors one Saleh, chief of a -small district called Cassi, by birth a Sherriffe, _i. e._ one of the -race of Mahomet, and who, to the nobility of his birth, joined the -holiness of his character. He was _Imam_, as it is called, or _high -priest_ of the Moors, and, for both these reasons, held in the greatest -estimation among them. This man undertook, by his personal influence, -to unite all the Moorish states in a common league. For it is to be -observed, that, though religion was very powerful in uniting these -Moors against the Christians, yet the love of gain, and jealousies of -commerce, perpetually kept a party alive that favoured the king for -their own interest, in the very heart of the Moorish confederacies and -councils. To overcome this was the object of Saleh, and he succeeded -beyond expectation, as sixteen kings brought 40,000 men into the field -under their several leaders; but the chief command was given to the -king of Adel. - -I MUST put the reader in mind that I am translating an Abyssinian -historian. These, then, whom this chronicle stiles Kings, must be -considered as being only hereditary and independent chiefs, not -tributary to Abyssinia. Their names are Adel, Mara, Bakla, Haggara, -Fadise, Gadai, Nagal, Zuba, Harlar, Hobal, Hangila, Tarshish, Ain, -Ilbiro, Zeyla, and Eftè. Now, when we consider that these sixteen kings -brought only 40,000 men, and that they were commanded under these -sixteen by 2712 leaders, or governors of districts, all which are set -down by name, we must have a very contemptible opinion of the extent -and populousness of these newly-erected kingdoms. - -It appears to me unnecessary to repeat, after my historian, the names -of each of these villages, which probably do not now exist, and are, -perhaps, utterly unknown. I shall only observe in passing, that here -we find Tarshis, or Tarshish, a kingdom on the coast of the ocean, -directly in the way to Sofala; another strong presumption that Sofala -and Ophir were the same, and that this is the Tarshish where Solomon’s -fleet stopt when going to Ophir. - -Amda Sion’s fever hindering him to march forward, and being unwilling -to risk a battle where he was not able himself to command, he continued -close in his strong camp at Dassi, waiting his recovery; but, in the -mean time, he made considerable detachments on all sides to lay the -country waste around him, till he should be able to advance farther -into it. - -Of all the royal army, as it stood upon the establishment, the king had -only with him the troops from the provinces of Amhara, Shoa, Gojam, -and Damot, and these were what composed the rear, when the whole, -called the royal army, was assembled; all his troops were regularly -paid, well armed, and cloathed, and were not only provided with every -necessary, but were become exceedingly rich, and, therefore, the more -careless of discipline, and difficult to manage, on account of the -repeated conquests that had followed one another ever since the king -had crossed the river Hawash, and come into the desert kingdom of -Mara, unfruitful in its soil, but flourishing by trade, and rich in -India commodities. The soldiers had here so loaded themselves with -spoils and merchandise, that they began rather to think of returning -home, and enjoying what they had got, than of pushing their conquests -still farther to the destruction of Adel and Mara. The putrid state of -the water, in this sultry and unwholesome climate, had afflicted the -king with the fever of the country, which he thought not by any means -to remedy or prevent. No consideration could keep him from exposing -himself to the most violent sun-beams, and to the more noxious vapours -of the night; and it was now the seventh day his fever had been -increasing, although he neither ate nor drank. The army expecting, from -the king’s illness, a speedy order to return, conversed of nothing else -within their camp, with that kind of security as if they had already -received orders to return home. - -The Mahometan army had assembled, and no news had been brought of it -to the king. Saleh’s influence had united them all; and the king’s -sickness had made this easier than it otherwise would have been. It -happened, then, that, the king’s fever abating the ninth day, he sent -out to procure himself venison, with which this country abounds, and -which is believed, by people of all ranks in Abyssinia, to be the -only proper food and restorative after sickness. After having killed -sufficiently for the king’s immediate use, the huntsmen returned; two -only remained, who continued the pursuit of the game through the woods, -till they were four days journey distant from their camp, when, being -in search of water for their dogs, they met a Moor engaged in the -same business with themselves, who shewed them his army encamped at -no considerable distance, and in very great numbers. Upon this they -returned in all haste to the king to apprize him of his danger, and -he sent immediately some horse to discover the number, situation, and -designs of the enemy; above all, if possible, to take a prisoner, for -the huntsmen had put theirs to death, that he might be no incumbrance -to them upon their return. - -The king’s fever was now gone, but his strength was not returned; and, -the necessity of the case requiring it, he attempted to rise from his -bed and put on his armour, but, fainting, fell upon his face with -weakness, while his servant was girding his sword. - -The horse now returned, and confirmed the tidings the huntsmen had -brought; they had found the Moorish army in the same place it was -first discovered, by the water-side; but the account of their number -and appearance was such that the whole army was struck with a panic. -The king’s wives (as the historian says, by which it should appear he -had more than one) endeavoured to persuade him not to risk a battle -in the weak state of health he then was, but to retire from this -low, unwholesome country, and occupy the passes that lead into Upper -Abyssinia, so as to make it impossible for the enemy to follow him into -Shoa. - -The king having washed and refreshed himself, with a countenance full -of confidence, sat down at the door of his tent: whilst officers and -soldiers crowded about him, he calmly, in the way of conversation, told -them,--“That, being men of experience as they were, he was surprised -they should be liable, at every instant, to panic and despondency, -totally unworthy the character of a veteran army. You know,” said he, -“that I came against the king of Adel, and to recover that province, -one of the old dependencies of my crown. And though it has happened -that, in our march, you have loaded yourselves with riches, which I -have permitted, as well out of my love to you, as because it distresses -the enemy, yet my object was not to plunder merchants. If in battle -to-morrow I be beaten, for God forbid that I should decline it when -offered, I shall be the first to set you the example how to die like -men in the middle of your enemies. But while I am living, it never -shall be said that I suffered the standard of Christ to fly before -the profane ensigns of infidels. As to what regards our present -circumstances, my sickness, and the number of the Moorish troops, these -make no alteration in my good hopes that I shall tread upon the king -of Adel’s neck to-morrow. For as it was never my opinion that it was -my own strength and valour, or their want of it, which has so often -been the means of preserving me from their hands, so I do not fear at -present that my accidental weakness will give them any advantage over -me, as long as I trust in God’s strength as much as ever I have done.” - -The army, hearing with what confidence and firmness the king spake, -began to look upon his recovery as a miracle. They all, therefore, -with one accord, took to their arms, and desired to be led forward to -the enemy, without waiting till they should come to them. They only -beseeched the king that he would not expose his person as usual, but -trust to the bravery of his troops, eager for action, without being -lavish of that life, the loss of which would be to the Mahometans -a greater victory than the regaining all he had conquered. The king -hereon, bidding his troops to be of good courage, take rest and -refreshment, sent away the women, children, and other incumbrances, to -a small convent on the side of the mountain, called _Debra Martel_[6]; -and, being informed of the situation of the country in general, and -the particular posts where he could get water in greater plenty, he -advanced with his army by a slow march towards the enemy. - -The next day he received intelligence by a Moor, that the Mahometans -had not only thrown poison into all the wells, but had also corrupted -all the water in the front of the army by various spells and -inchantments; that they were not advancing, but were waiting for troops -from some of the small districts of Adel that had not yet joined the -army. Hereupon the king ordered his Fit-Auraris to advance a day -before him, and sent a priest, called _Tecla Sion_, with him, that he -might bless and consecrate the water, and thereby free it from the -inchantments of the Moors. He himself followed with his army, and sat -down by a small river a short way distant from the enemy. - -The Fit-Auraris is an officer that commands a party of men, who go -always advanced before the front of an Abyssinian army, at a greater or -smaller distance, according as circumstances require. His office will -be described more at large in the sequel. - -The king being arrived at the river, the army began to bathe -themselves, their mules, and their horses, in the same manner as is -usual throughout all Abyssinia on the feast of the Epiphany. This -lustration was in honour of Tecla Sion, who had consecrated the water, -broken all the magic spells, and changed its name to that of the river -Jordan. But, while they were thus employed, the Fit-Auraris had come -up with a large party of the enemy, and, with them, a number of women, -provided with drugs to poison and inchant the water; and this numerous -body of fanatics had fallen so rudely on the Fit-Auraris that it beat -him back on the main body, to whom he brought the news of his own -defeat. - -A violent panic immediately seized the whole Abyssinian army, and they -refused to advance a step farther. The tents had been left standing -on the side of the river they first came to, and they then passed to -the other side. But, upon sight of the Fit-Auraris, they returned to -the tents, that, having the river on their front, they might fight the -enemy with more advantage if they came to attack them. They did not -continue long in this resolution; the greatest part of them were for -leaving their tents, and retiring to Abyssinia for assistance, and, -when the numbers should be more upon an equality, return to fight the -enemy. The Moorish army at this instant coming in sight, increased the -number of converts to this opinion. - -The king, in the utmost agony, galloping through the ranks, continued -to use all manner of arguments with his mutinous soldiers. He told -them, that retiring to their camp was to put themselves in prison; -that, being mostly composed of horse, their advantage was in a plain -like that before them; that retreating to join the main body, at such a -distance, was a vain idea, as the enemy was so close at their heels. -Finally, all he desired of them was, that those who would not fight -should only stand as spectators, but not leave their places. As no sign -of content or conviction was returned, the king, seeing that all was -lost if they disbanded, the enemy being just ready to engage, ordered -his master of the horse, and five others, to attack the left wing of -the enemy, while he, with a small part of his servants and household, -did the same on the right. - -The Abyssinian history, seldom just to the memory of individuals, hath -yet, in this instance, (almost a single one), preserved the names of -these brave men. The first was Zana Asferi; the second, Tecla; the -third, Wanag Araad; the fourth, Saif Segued, (one of the king’s sons;) -the fifth, Badel Waliz; and the sixth, Kedami. These, as is supposed -with their attendants and servants, (though history is silent but as to -the six) fell furiously on the left of the Mahometan army. - -The king, at the first onset, killed, with his own hand, the two -leaders of the right wing; and his son, Saif Segued, having also slain -another considerable officer on the left, a panic seized both these -bodies of Moors, and the army apparently began, at one and the same -time, to waver: On which the Abyssinians, now ashamed of their conduct, -and perceiving the king’s danger, with a great shout fell furiously -upon the enemy. The whole Moorish army having, by this time, joined, -the battle was fought with great obstinacy on both sides, till first -the center, then the left wing of the Moors, was broken and dispersed; -but the right, consisting chiefly of strangers from Arabia, kept -together, and, not knowing the country, retired into a narrow deep -valley surrounded by steep perpendicular rocks, covered thick with -wood. - -The Abyssinian army, thinking all at an end by the flight of the -Moors, began, after their usual custom, to plunder, by stripping and -mangling the bodies of the killed and wounded. But the king, who, -from the mistake of the Arabians, saw the destruction of this right -wing certain, if immediately pursued, ordered it every where to be -proclaimed through the field, that the whole army should repair to -the royal standard, which he had set up on an eminence, and give over -plundering, under pain of death. Finding this order, however, slackly -obeyed, he himself, scouring the field at the head of a few horse, -with his own hand slew two of his soldiers whom he found stripping the -dead without regard to his proclamation. This example from a prince, -exceedingly sparing of the blood of his soldiers, had the effect to -recal them all to the royal standard displayed on a rising ground. - -He then separated his army into two divisions; all the foot, and those -of his horse that had principally suffered in the severe engagement of -the day, he led up to the mouth of the valley where the right wing of -the Arabians had shut themselves up; and, having beset all access to -the entrance of it, he ordered the foot to climb up through the woods, -and on every side surround the valley above the heads of those unhappy -people thus devoted to certain destruction. - -While this was doing, the king ordered those of the cavalry that had -suffered least in the fatigue of the day, to refresh themselves and -their horses. He knew no time was lost by this, as the Moorish army -that escaped from the engagement, worn out with fatigue, thirst, and -hunger, would only retire a short day’s march to the water, where, -finding themselves not pursued, and incumbered with the number of their -wounded, they would necessarily rest themselves; and this was precisely -the situation, in which his huntsmen first found them by the side of a -large pool of water. - -The king gave the command of this part of his army to the master of -the horse, with orders to pursue them one day farther; whilst he, -having taken a short refreshment, began to attack the right wing of -the Arabians shut up in the valley. The king, dismounting, led the -attack against the front of the Arabians, who, seeing their situation -now desperate, began to make every effort to get from the valley into -the plain. But they did not know yet upon what disadvantageous ground -they were engaged, till the soldiers from the rocks above, every way -surrounding them, rolled down immense stones which passed through them -in all directions. Pressed, therefore, violently, by the king in their -front, and in the rear destroyed by an enemy they neither could see -nor resist, they fell immediately into confusion, and were, to a man, -slaughtered upon the spot; upon which the king, giving to his troops -orders for a general plunder, retired himself to his camp, and in his -tent received from the master of the horse an account of his expedition. - -This officer had proceeded slowly, spreading his troops as wide as -possible upon the tract of the retreating enemy, to give a smaller -chance for any to escape. All directed their flight towards the pool -of water, and were there destroyed without mercy, till a little after -sun-set. The pursuers had then advanced to the ground where Saleh king -of Mara had gathered the scattered remains of his once powerful army, -but now overcome with heat, dispirited by their defeat, and worn out -by the fatigues of a long and obstinate engagement, all that remained -of these unfortunate troops were strowed upon the ground, lapping -water like beasts, their only comfort that remained, equally incapable -of fighting or flying. The master of the horse, in great vigour and -strength from his late refreshments and recent victory, had no trouble -with these unfortunate people but to direct their execution, and this -was performed by the soldiers with all the rage and cruelty that a -difference of religion could possibly inspire. For, after the king’s -speech of the 9th of June, in which he upbraided them with breach of -their oath, and that they were slow in avenging the blood of their -brethren and priests wantonly slain by the Moors, every man in the army -measured the exactness with which he acquitted himself of the sacrament -at the Hawash, only by the quantity of blood that he could shed. Weary -at last with butchery, a few were taken prisoners, and among these was -Saleh king of Mara. It was evening before the king returned from the -slaughter of the right wing; and it was night when the soldiers, as -fatigued with plundering as with fighting, returned to the camp. - -The next morning, he heard of the success of his cavalry under the -master of the horse, who joined him before mid-day. The unfortunate -Saleh was, in sight of the whole army, brought before the king, -cloathed in the distinguished habit and marks of his dignity in which -he had fought the day before at the head of his troops; gold chains -were about his arms, and a gold collar, enriched with precious stones -about his neck. The king scarcely deigned to speak to him, whilst the -royal prisoner likewise observed a profound silence. When the army had -satisfied their curiosity with the sight of this prince, (once the -object of their fear), the king, by a motion of his hand, ordered him -to be hanged upon a tree at the entrance of the camp, with all the -ornaments he had upon him. After this the queen of Mara, concerning -whom so many surprising stories had been told of her poisoning the -waters by drugs and inchantments, was, notwithstanding the known -partiality of this king for the fair sex, ordered to be hewn in pieces -by the soldiers, and her body given to the dogs. - -Amda Sion then dispatched a messenger with the news of his victory to -the queens his wives, and the rest of the ladies he had left with the -main army at Debra Martel, when the monks of the convent immediately -began a solemn procession and thanksgiving, attended by the exercise of -every sort of work of charity and piety. - -It was now the end of July, when the rains in Abyssinia become both -constant and violent, that the king called a council of the principal -nobility, officers, and priests, to determine whether he should go -straight home, or send their wives, children, and baggage before them -the direct road, when the light and unincumbered army should take a -compass, and lay waste a part of the kingdom of Adel they had already -invaded, and return in another direction. The majority of the army, and -the priests above all, were for the first proposal; but the king and -principal officers thought the advantages gained by so much blood were -to be followed, and not deserted, till they should either have reduced -the Mahometans to a state of weakness that should make them no longer -formidable to Abyssinia, or, if prosperous fortune still attended them -further, extirpate the people and religion together.--This opinion -prevailed. - -The king, therefore, dismissed his baggage, his women, children, -servants, and useless people. He retained an army of veteran soldiers -only, more formidable than six times the number that could be brought -against them; and, trusting now to the country into which he marched -for support, he advanced, and entered a town called Zeyla, and there -took up his quarters. He had scarce taken possession of the town, when -that very night he sent a detachment to surprise a large and rich -village called Taraca, where he put all the men to the sword, making -the women slaves for the service of the army, instead of those whom he -had sent home. - -The king’s views, by such small expeditions, were to accustom his -soldiers to fight out of his presence, and wean them from a persuasion, -now become general, that victory could not be obtained but where he -commanded. - -On the 10th of July, the king continued his march, without opposition, -to Darbè, whence, the next morning, he sent different parties to the -right and left, to burn and destroy the country. They accordingly laid -waste all the province of Gassi, slaying Abdullah the Sherriffe, who -was the governor and son of Saruch the Imam, author of the conspiracy -against him. From thence he fell suddenly upon Abalgé and Talab, a -large district belonging to the king of Adel. - -This prince, hearing that Amda Sion, instead of returning, as was -usual in the rainy season, into Abyssinia, had determined to continue -to ravage his whole country, had not, on his part, been remiss in -preparing means to resist him; and he had assembled, from every -province, all the forces they could raise, to make one last effort -against their common enemy. - -Amda Sion, therefore, had scarcely retired from the destruction of -Talab, when the king of Adel (become now desperate by being so long a -spectator of the ruin of his kingdom) marched hastily to meet him, with -much less precaution than his own situation, and the character of his -enemy, required. Amda Sion, whose whole wish was to bring the Moors to -an engagement as often as occasion presented, left off his plundering -upon the first news that the king of Adel had taken the field, and, -allowing him to choose the ground on which he was to fight, the next -day he marched against him, having (as sure of victory) first detached -bodies of horse to intercept those of the Moors that should fly when -defeated; For no general was more provident than this king for the -destruction of his enemy. He then led his troops against the king of -Adel, and, spurring his horse, was already in the midst of the Moorish -army before the most active of his soldiers had time to follow him. The -Abyssinians, as usual, threw themselves like madmen upon the Moors, -at the sight of the king’s danger. The king of Adel was defeated with -little resistance: that unfortunate prince himself was slain upon the -spot, and the greatest part of his army destroyed (after they thought -themselves safe) by the ambushes of fresh horse the king had placed in -their rear before the battle. - -The three children of the king of Adel, and his brother, who had all -been in the engagement, seeing the great inferiority of their troops, -and terrified at the approaching fate of their country, loading -themselves with the most valuable of their effects, (which, in token -of humility, they carried upon their heads, shoulders, and in their -hands,) came with these presents before the king, who was sitting armed -at the door of his tent, and, without further apology, or assurance -given, threw themselves, as is the custom of Abyssinia, at his feet, -with their foreheads in the dust, intreating pardon for what had -hitherto been done amiss; submitting to him as his subjects, professing -their readiness to obey all his commands, provided only that he would -proceed no further, nor waste and destroy their country, but spare what -still remained, which was, for the most part, the property of Arabian -merchants who had done him no injury. - -But the king seemed little disposed to credit these assurances. He told -them plainly, “That they, and all Ethiopia, knew the time was when they -were under his dominion, paid him the same tribute, and owed him the -same allegiance with the rest of his subjects; that neither he, nor -his predecessors, at that time, had ever oppressed them, but returned -them present for present, gold for gold, apparel for apparel, and -dismissed them contentedly home whenever they came to pay their duty -to them: That lately, from supposed weakness in him, when he was young -in the beginning of his reign, and encouraged by the great addition -of their brethren, who flocked to them from Arabia, they had, without -provocation, thrown off their allegiance to him, upbraiding him as a -eunuch, fit only to take care of the women of their seraglio, with many -such taunting messages, equally unworthy the majesty and memory of a -prince like him: That, could this be passed over, still there was a -crime that all the blood of Adel could not atone for: They had, without -provocation, murdered his priests, burnt their churches, and destroyed -his defenceless people in their villages, merely from a vain belief -that they were too far to be under his protection: That, to punish them -for this, he was now in the midst of their country, and, if his life -was spared, never would he turn his back upon Adel while he had ten men -with him capable of drawing their swords. He, therefore, ordered them -to return, and expect the approach of his army.” - -The two eldest children and the brother were so struck with the fierce -manner and countenance with which the king spoke, that they remained -perfectly silent. But the youngest son (a youth of great spirit, and -who, with the utmost difficulty, had been forced by his parents to fly -after the battle) answered the king with great resolution:-- - -“It is a truth known to the whole kingdom, that Adel has never belonged -to any sovereign on earth but to ourselves. Violence and power, which -destroy and set up kingdoms, have at times done so with ours; but that -you are not otherwise, than by these means, king of our country, our -colour, stature[7], and complexion sufficiently shew. We have been -free, and were conquered; we now have attempted to regain our freedom, -and we have failed: We have not been inferior to you in every kind of -civility, receiving you and your predecessors when you came into our -country, singing before you, and rejoicing, because we knew that you -had always among you men of great worth and bravery. - -“As to the accusation against us, that we robbed the Christians, -you yourself see the riches of our country, which we get by our own -industry and commerce, whilst the Abyssinians were naked shepherds and -robbers. In the days of your predecessors, a handful of us would have -chased an army of them, and it would be so now, were it not for the -personal valour and conduct of you their prince. But you, better than -any one, can be the judge of this; and I can appeal to you, how often -they have been upon the point of deserting you, in return for all the -victories and riches they have shared with you; while there is not a -Moor in Adel but would have willingly died in the presence of such a -prince as you. It is then _you_, not your army, that we fear; we know -perfectly the value of both. You have already enjoyed all the merit -and profit of conquest; but utterly destroying defenceless people is -unworthy of any king, and still more of a prince of your character.” - -The king, without any sign of displeasure at the freedom of this -speech, answered him calmly: “Words and resolutions like these -occasioned your father to lose his life in battle. I come not to argue -with you what you are to do, nor did I send for you to preach to you; -but if the queen your mother, the rest of your father’s family, and the -principal people who, after your father’s death, are now to govern -Adel, do not, by to-morrow evening, surrender themselves to me at my -tent-door, as you have done, I will lay the province of Adel waste, -from the place where I now sit, to the borders of the ocean.” - -This unpromising interview with the king was faithfully communicated by -the young princes to their mother, earnestly desiring her to trust the -king’s mercy, and to throw herself at his feet the next morning without -reserve. But those who had been the persuaders of the war (for the late -king of Adel was but a weak prince) reckoned themselves in much greater -danger with Amda Sion than was the royal family. They, therefore, -agreed to try their fortune again in battle, binding themselves to -live and die with each other, by mutual oaths and promises. They also -sent to the princes this resolution, by an old enemy of Amda Sion, -persuading them to make their escape as soon as possible, and come and -head their forces that were then raised, and ready to conquer or die -together, when the family should be out of the enemy’s hands. - -The king, well informed of what had passed, decamped immediately from -the station where he was, exceedingly irritated; and, having passed -the great river called Aco, he took post in the town of Marmagab; -and the next day, dividing his army, he sent two bodies by different -routes into the enemy’s territories, with a strict command to leave -nothing undestroyed that had the breath of life; he himself, with the -third division, burning and laying waste the whole country before him, -proceeded straight to the place where he heard the chiefs of Adel were -assembling an army. There he found some troops, mostly infantry, who -kept a good countenance, and seemed perfectly prepared and disposed -to engage him. But an immense multitude of useless people covered the -plain, old men, women, and children, with the parents, wives, and -families of those he had already slain; and these were determined, with -the remnant of their countrymen, to conquer this invader, or to perish. - -The king, upon perceiving this strange mixture, halted for a time in -great surprise and astonishment. He could not penetrate into the motive -of assembling such an army; and sending a party of horse, as it were, -to disperse them, he found everywhere a stout resistance; soldiers -well provided with swords and shields, and a multitude of archers, who -rained showers of arrows upon him, while the women, with clubs, poles, -stakes, and stones, damped the ardour of his soldiers, who, when they -first charged, scarcely expected resistance. The king, seeing the -battle every minute become more doubtful, and having but few troops, -began to repent that he had weakened his army by detachments; he -instantly dispatched orders to them to advance, and fall upon the enemy -in the nearest direction possible. At the same time, he himself made an -extraordinary effort with his horse, but all in vain; and he found, on -every side, people who presented themselves willingly to death, but who -would not quit their station while they had power to defend themselves -in it. - -Conspicuous above all these for his dress, his youth, his many acts -of valour, and his graceful figure, was the young king of Wypo, who, -encouraging his troops, presented himself wherever Amda Sion was in -person. The remarkable resistance that this young prince made, soon -drew the attention of the king of Abyssinia; who, sheathing his -sword, took a bow in his hand, and, as my historian says, choosing the -broadest arrow he could find, struck this young hero through the middle -of his neck, so that, half being cut through, his head inclined to one -shoulder, and soon after he fell dead among his horse’s feet. - -This sight was one just calculated to strike such an army as this with -terror. They immediately turned their backs, and, unluckily falling in -with the two detachments marching to the king’s relief, they were all -cut to pieces to the number of 5000; a great proportion of which were -women and aged persons, unskilled in war, further than as they were -prompted by a long sufferance of injuries, accumulated now to a mass, -that made them weary of life. My historian further says, that three -only of the Moorish army escaped. On the king’s side many principal -officers were killed; and there was scarce one horseman that was not -wounded. Amda Sion, therefore, when speaking of this campaign, after -his return, among his nobility at Shoa, used to say, “Deliver me from -fighting with old women;” alluding to this battle, where he was in -the greatest danger. The fate of the unfortunate king of Wypo was -particularly hard. He had lately married the king of Adel’s daughter; -and it was the staying for him, and his marriage, that lost the -favourable opportunity of fighting the Abyssinians, when the army was -in despondency upon the king’s being taken ill of the fever. - -The next campaign the king began, by a march first to Sassogade, where -he assisted at the celebration of the feast of St John the Baptist; and -he gave orders, that day, to raze all the Mahometan mosques to the -ground, to destroy all the grain, burn the villages, and put the people -to the sword, which was executed accordingly. The king then decamped -the fourth of July; and, passing the great river (Zorat) came to the -country of the Oritii, and took up his quarters there. The people of -this province were in the very worst reputation for cruelty, and hatred -of the Christian name. They were perpetually making incursions into the -Christian villages, and those that fell alive into their hands, they -either castrated, cut off their nose or ears, or otherwise mangled them. - -The king, to vindicate the severity he was about to exercise, ordered -all those people, who had suffered in this manner, to be collected and -brought before him. The number appeared very considerable; and, having -inquired in what occupations they had been employed, they answered, -that their business was to cut down wood, draw and fetch water, and -some of them to take care of the Moorish women. Violently affected with -this, he called his principal officers, and commanded them, that, when -he decamped with his army the next day, small parties should remain -in ambush on each side of the town. The king, early in the morning, -marched out with sound of trumpet; and the Moors, thinking the army -gone, returning to their houses, were set upon by the parties, and -destroyed. - -The next place the king came to was Haggara, where he staid eight -days, and celebrated there the feast of the Cross; surrounding his -camp with palisades, as if he was to stay there a considerable time. -Here he made his soldiers deposit all their plunder, leaving it under -the care of a weak guard, and marched out with sound of trumpet, as -if he was going upon some expedition. There was a large body of troops -in ambush, and the Moors, concealed in woods, and hiding-places, -attacked the intrenchment as soon as the king was gone, and had forced -the palisades, when they were every where surrounded by the parties -left behind, and were all cut to pieces, excepting the old men and -women, whose noses and lips the king ordered to be cut off, by way of -retaliation, and then dismissed them. Great store of bows, good arms -and cloathing, were taken here, lately brought from Arabia for the use -of the confederates. - -The king now turned his face homewards, marched off in seven days to -Begul in the Sahara, and thence sent a message to the governor of Ifat, -commanding him to send to him all those Christians who had apostatized -from their faith in his or his brother’s time; with notice, that, if -he did not comply, he would put him and all his family to death, and -give his command to another family. The king ordered these apostates, -when delivered, to be severely whipped, and, fettering them with heavy -irons, imprisoned them. - -From Begul the army marched to Waz, thence to Gett, and from Gett to -Harla, still laying waste the country. From Harla they marched five -days to Delhoya, being determined to make a severe example of this -place, because the inhabitants had killed the governor the king had -left with them, and, making large fires for the purpose, had burnt and -tormented the Christians residing there. He came, therefore, upon this -town, and surrounded it in the night; and, after putting men, women, -and children to the sword, he razed it to the ground. - -From Delhoya he proceeded to Degwa, from thence to Warga, which he -treated in the same manner as Delhoya, and then entered the province -of Dawaro, where he understood that Hydar, governor of that province, -with Saber-eddin, and a very valuable convoy coming to him, under their -conduct, from Shoa, were intercepted by Hydar’s people, and their -guard cut to pieces. Instead, therefore, of proceeding to Shoa, as -his intention was, he encamped at Bahalla, and there kept the feast -of Christmas, laying the whole province, by parties, under military -execution; and hearing there that Joseph, governor of Serca, was in -understanding with those of Dawaro, he put him in prison, carrying -off all his horses, asses, mules, and a prodigious quantity of other -cattle, which he drove before him, and ended his expedition by his -entry into Shoa. - -This is the Abyssinian account of the reign of their prince Amda Sion, -a little abridged, and made more conformable to the manner of writing -English history. The historian, contrary to the usual practice, gives -no account of himself; but he seems to have lived in the time of Zara -Jacob, the third reign after this. Though he wrote in Shoa, his book is -in pure Geez, there being scarcely an Amharic word in it. - -There are three things which I would now observe; not because they are -single instances, but, on the contrary, because, though first mentioned -here, they are uniformly confirmed throughout the whole Abyssinian -history. - -The first is, that the king of Abyssinia is, in all matters -ecclesiastical and civil, supreme; that he punishes all offences -committed by the clergy in as absolute and direct a manner as if these -offences were committed by a layman. Of this the treatment of Honorius -is an example, who made use only of spiritual weapons against offences, -that surely deserved the censure of all churches. - -With whatever propriety this sentence might have been inflicted upon -individuals, and, perhaps, without any bad consequence to the public in -general, the law of the land, in Abyssinia, could not suffer this to be -inflicted on their king, because very bad effects must have followed it -towards the common-weal; for excommunication there is really a capital -punishment if executed with rigour. It is a kind of _interdictio aquæ -et ignis_, for you yourself are expressly prohibited from kindling a -fire, and every body else is laid under a prohibition from supplying -either fire or water. No one can speak, eat, or drink with you, enter -your house, or suffer you to enter theirs. You cannot buy nor sell, nor -recover debts. If under this situation you should be violently slain by -robbers, no inquisition is made into the cause of your death, and your -body is not suffered to be buried. - -I would submit now to the judgment of any one, what sort of government -there would be in Abyssinia, if a priest was suffered to lay the king -under such interdict or restriction. The kings of that country do -not pretend to be saints; indeed, it may be said, they are the very -contrary, leading very free lives. Pretences are never wanting, and it -is only necessary to find a fanatic priest (which, God knows, is not a -rarity in that country) to unhinge government perpetually, and throw -all into anarchy and confusion. But nothing of this kind occurs in -their history, though the bigotted Le Grande, and some of the Jesuits, -less bigotted than him, have asserted, that such a practice prevailed -in the Abyssinian church, to shew its conformity with the church -of Rome; which we shall see, however, contradicted almost in every -prince’s reign. - -The second thing I shall observe is, that there is no ground for that -prejudice, so common in the writers concerning this country, who say -that these people are Nomades, perpetually roving about in tents. If -they had ever so little reflected upon it, there is not a country in -the world where this is less possible than in Abyssinia, a country -abounding with mountains, where every flat piece of ground is, once -a-day, during six months rain, cut through by a number of torrents, -sweeping cattle, trees, and every thing irresistibly before them; where -no field, unless it has some declivity, can be sown, nor even passed -over by a traveller, without some danger of being swept away, during -the hours of the day when the rain is most violent; in such a country -it would be impossible for 30 or 40,000 men to encamp from place to -place, and to subsist without some permanent retreat. Accordingly they -have towns and villages perched upon the pinnacles of sharp hills and -rocks, and which are never thought safe if commanded by any ground -above them; in these they remain, as we do in cities, all the rainy -season: Nor is there a private person (not a soldier) who hath a tent -more than in Britain. In the fair season, the military encamp in all -directions cross the country, either to levy taxes, or in search of -their enemy; but nothing in this is particular to Abyssinia; in most -parts of Africa and Asia they do the same. - -The third particular to be observed here is, that, in this prince’s -reign, the king’s sons were not imprisoned in the mountain. For Saif -Araad was present with his father at the defeat of Saleh king of Mara, -and yet the mountain of Geshen was then set apart as a prison. For -the Itchegué of Debra Libanos was banished there; from which I infer, -that after the massacre of the royal family by Judith, on the mountain -of Damo, and the flight of the prince Del Naad, to Shoa, the king’s -children were not confined, nor yet till long after their restoration -and return to Tigré, as will appear in the sequel. - -Amda Sion died of a natural death at Tegulat in Shoa, after a reign of -30 years, which were but a continued series of victories, no instance -being recorded of his having been once defeated. - -[Illustration] - - - - -SAIF ARAAD. - -From 1342 to 1370. - -_This Prince enjoys a peaceable Reign--Protects the Patriarch of Cophts -at Cairo from the Persecution of the Soldan._ - - -Saif Araad succeeded his father Amda Sion; and it should seem that, -in his time, all was peaceable on the side of Adel, as nothing is -mentioned relative to that war. Indeed, if the increase of trade and -power in that corner of Abyssinia arose from the troubles and want of -security which the merchants laboured under in Arabia, we cannot but -suspect, from a parity of reasoning, that the violent manner in which -war had been carried on by Amda Sion, must have occasioned a great many -inhabitants to repass the Straits, and return to their own homes. - -At this time, news were brought from Cairo, that the Soldan had thrown -the Coptic patriarch, Marcus, into prison. There was then a constant -trade carried on between Cairo and Abyssinia, through the desert; and -also from Cairo and Suakem on the Red Sea. Besides, great caravans, -formerly composed of Pagans, now of Mahometans, passed from west to -east, in the same manner as in ancient times, to buy and disperse India -goods through Africa. Saif Araad, not having it in his power to give -the patriarch other assistance, seized all the merchants from Cairo, -and sent horse to interrupt and terrify the caravans. As the cause of -this was well known, and that the patriarch was in prison for the sake -only of extorting money from him, people on all sides cried out upon -the bad policy of the Soldan, who thereupon ordered Abuna Marcus to be -set at liberty, without any other condition, than that he should make -peace with Saif Araad on the part of Egypt, which was done through the -mediation of that prelate. - -[Illustration] - - - - -WEDEM ASFERI. - -From 1370 to 1380. - -_Memoirs of this and the following Reign defective._ - - -We know nothing of this prince, only that he succeeded his father Saif -Araad, and reigned ten years; yet his name, which signifies _lover -of war_, seems to indicate an active reign. It is remarkable, that -in this reign is first mentioned an æra of Abyssinian chronology, -which has very much puzzled several learned writers, and the origin -of which is not, perhaps, yet fully known. This is that epoch, called -that of Maharat, or Mercy, which Scaliger and Ludolf have called the -æra of grace. Scaliger says, he has toiled much before he found out -what it was; and I doubt his toil has not been blessed with all the -success we could wish. That it is not the æra of redemption, is plain -upon a hundred trials, nor of the conversion, nor of Dioclesian. What -it alludes to we know not, but it is first quoted in the Abyssinian -history in this reign, and answers to the year 1348 of Christ; but -from what event it had its origin we cannot positively say, nor -further, than that all which Scaliger has said concerning it is merely -visionary. - -[Illustration] - - - - -DAVID II. - -From 1380 to 1409. - - -Wedem Asferi was succeeded by his brother David, Saif Araad’s second -son. This prince’s reign is remarkable in the annals of the church of -Abyssinia, because, at this time, a piece of the true cross, on which -our Saviour died, was brought hither from Jerusalem; and, in memory of -this great event, the king ordered the sacerdotal vest, or capa, which -was before plain, to be embroidered with flowers. - -This king, after reigning twenty-nine years, one day viewing a -favourite, but vicious horse, received so violent a kick upon his head -that it fractured his skull, so that he died upon the spot, and was -buried in the great island of Dek in the lake Dembea, or Tzana. - -[Illustration] - - - - -THEODORUS. - -From 1409 to 1412. - -_Memoirs of this Reign, though held in great Esteem in Abyssinia, -defective; probably mutilated by the Ecclesiastics._ - - -David was succeeded by his eldest son Theodorus. He is called Son of -the Lion, by the poet, in the Ethiopic encomium upon him, still extant -in the liturgy. A miracle is mentioned to have happened, (which would -lead us to suspect that he was a saint), during the celebration of -his festival, by his mother, who is called Mogessa[8]. This lady had -contented herself with providing great quantity of flesh for the feast; -but, to make it more complete, the heavens in a shower supplied it with -store of fine fish, ready roasted. - -He was buried in the church of Tedba Mariam in Amhara, after having -reigned three years. There must have been something very brilliant -that happened under this prince, for though the reign is so short, -it is before all others the most favourite epoch in Abyssinia. It is -even confidently believed, that he is to rise again, and to reign in -Abyssinia for a thousand years, and in this period all war is to cease, -and every one, in fulness, to enjoy happiness, plenty, and peace. -Foolish as these legends are, and distant the time, this one was the -source of great trouble and personal danger to me, as will be seen in -the sequel. What we know certain in this prince’s history is, that he -abrogated the treaty of partition made by Icon Amlac in favour of the -Abuna Tecla Haimanout and his successors, by which one third of the -kingdom of Abyssinia was for ever to be set apart as a revenue for the -Abuna. This wise prince modified so excessive a provision, reserving to -the Abuna for his maintenance a sufficient territory in every province -of the kingdom. It is still judged immoderate, and has suffered many -defalcations under later princes, who, perhaps, not acting upon the -principles of Theodorus, have not been commended by posterity in the -manner he has been. - -[Illustration] - - - - -ISAAC. - -From 1412 to 1429. - -_No Annals of this nor the four following Reigns._ - - -Theodorus was succeeded by Isaac his brother, second son of David. -In his reign the Falasha, who, since their overthrow in the time of -Amda Sion, had been quiet, broke out into rebellion. We do not know -the particulars, but apprehend some injustice was at that time done, -or attempted, against the Jews; for 24 Judges, 12 from Shoa and 12 -from Tigré, (the number having been doubled when there were two kings -reigning[9]), were of a different opinion, and would not comply with -the king’s will, who thereupon deprived them all of their office. The -king, coming upon the army of the Falasha in Woggora, entirely defeated -them at Kossogué, and, in memory thereof, built a church on the place, -and called it Debra Isaac, which remains there to this day. - -Isaac reigned near 17 years, was a prince of great piety and courage. -The annals of his reign, probably during the troublesome time that -followed, have been lost, and with them great part of his atchievements. - -[Illustration] - - - - -ANDREAS I. OR AMDA SION. - - -Isaac was succeeded by his son Andreas, who reigned only seven months, -and they were both buried at Tedba Mariam. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TECLA MARIAM, OR HASEB NANYA. - -From 1429 to 1433. - - -This prince was third son of David, and succeeded his nephew. He -reigned four years, and took for his inauguration name, Haseb Nanya. - -[Illustration] - - - - -SARWE YASOUS. - - -This prince was son of Tecla Mariam, he reigned only four months; his -inauguration name was Maharak Nanya. He has been omitted in some of the -lists of kings. - -[Illustration] - - - - -AMDA YASOUS. - - -Sarwe Yasous was succeeded by his brother Amda Yasous, whose -inauguration name was Badel Nanya. He was second son of Tecla Mariam, -and reigned nine months. - -[Illustration] - - - - -ZARA JACOB. - -From 1434 to 1468. - - _Sends Ambassadors from Jerusalem to the Council of - Florence--First Entry of the Roman Catholics into Abyssinia, - and Dispute about Religion--King persecutes the Remnants of - Sabaism and Idolatry--Mahometan Provinces rebel, and are - subdued--The King dies._ - - -These very short reigns were followed by one of an extraordinary -length. Zara Jacob, fourth son of David II. succeeded his nephew, -and reigned 34 years, and, at his inauguration, took the name of -Constantine. He is looked upon in Abyssinia to have been another -Solomon; and a model of what the best of sovereigns should be. From -what we know of him, he seems to have been a prince who had the best -opportunity, and with that the greatest inclination to be instructed in -the politics, manners, and religion of other countries. - -A convent had been long before this established at Jerusalem for the -Abyssinians, which he in part endowed, as appears by his letters still -extant[10], written to monks of that convent. He also obtained from -the Pope[11] a convent for the Abyssinians at Rome, which to this day -is appropriated to them, though it is very seldom that either there, -or even at Jerusalem, there are now any Abyssinians. By his desire, -and in his name, ambassadors (_i. e._ priests from Jerusalem) were -sent by Abba Nicodemus, the then Superior, who assisted at the council -of Florence, where, however, they adhered to the opinion of the Greek -church about the proceeding of the Holy Ghost, which created a schism -between the Greek and Latin churches. This embassy was thought of -consequence enough to be the subject of a painting in the Vatican, and -to this picture we owe the knowledge of such an embassy having been -sent. - -The mild reign of the last Soldan of Egypt seems greatly to have -favoured the disposition of Zara Jacob, in maintaining an intercourse -with Europe and Asia. And it is for the first time now in this reign -that we read of a dispute upon religion with the Franks, or Frangi, -a name which afterwards became more odious and fatal to whomsoever -it was applied. Abba George is said to have disputed before the king -upon some point of his religion, and to have confuted his opponent -even to conviction. We are not informed of the name of Abba George’s -antagonist, but he is thought to have been a Venetian painter[12], who -lived many years after in Abyssinia, and, it is believed, died there. -From this time, however, in almost every reign, there appear marks of -a party formed in favour of the church of Rome, which probably had its -first rise from the Abyssinian embassy to the council of Florence. - -Although the established religion in Abyssinia was that of the Greek -church of Alexandria, yet many different superstitions prevailed in -every part of the country. On the coast of the Red Sea, as well as -the Ocean, that is in the low provinces adjoining to the kingdom of -Adel, the greatest part of the inhabitants were Mahometans; and the -conveniencies of trade had occasioned these to disperse themselves -through many villages in the high country, especially in Woggora, and -in the neighbourhood of Gondar. Dembea on the south, and the rugged -district of Samen on the east, were crowded with many deformed sects, -while the people of the low valleys, towards Nubia, the Agows at the -head of the Nile, and those of the same name, though of a different -nation and language, at the head of the Tacazzé, in Lasta, were, for -the greatest part, Pagans, _i. e._ of the old religion of Sabeans, -worshipping the planets, stars, the wind, trees, and such like. But a -more abominable worship than this seemed especially predominant among -some of the Agows at the source of the Nile, and the people bordering -upon Nubia, as they adored the cow and serpents for their gods, and -supposed that, by the latter, they could divine all that was to happen -to them in futurity. - -Whether it was that a long war had thrown a veil over these abuses, -or whether (which is more probable) a spirit of toleration had still -prevailed in this country, which had at first been converted to -Christianity without blood-shed, it is not easy at this time to say. -Only their history does not mention, that, before the reign of this -prince, idolatry had been considered as a capital crime, or judicially -inquired into, and tried as such. An accusation, however, at this time, -being brought against some families for worshipping the cow and the -serpent, they were, by the king’s orders, seized and brought before -himself sitting in judgment, with the principal of his clergy, and -with his officers of state, with whom he associated some strangers, -lately come from Jerusalem; a custom which prevails to this day. These -criminals were all capitally convicted, and executed. A proclamation -from the king followed, declaring, That any person who did not, upon -his right hand, carry an amulet, with these words, _I renounce the -devil for Christ our Lord_, should forfeit his personal estate, and be -liable to corporal punishment. - -It has been the custom of all Pagan nations to wear amulets upon their -arms, and different parts of their bodies. From the Gentiles this usage -was probably first learned by the Jews. Amulets were adopted by the -Mahometans, but, till now, not worn in Abyssinia by any Christians. - -These executions, which at first consisted of seven people only, began -to be repeated in different places, and at different times. The person -employed as inquisitor, and the manner this examination was made, -tended to make it still more odious. Amda Sion, the Acab Saat, was the -man to whom this persecution was committed. He was the king’s principal -confident; of very austere manners: he neither shaved his head nor -changed his cloaths; had no connection with women, nor with any great -man in court; never saw the king but alone, and, when he appeared -abroad, was constantly attended by a number of soldiers, with drums and -trumpets, and other equipage, not at all common for a clergyman. He -had under him a number of spies, who brought him intelligence of any -steps taken in idolatry or treason; and, after being, as he supposed, -well informed, he went to the house of the delinquent, where he -first refreshed himself and his attendants, then ordered those of the -house he came for, and all that were with them, to be executed in his -presence. - -Among those that suffered were the king’s two sons-in-law, married to -his daughters Medehan Zamidu, and Berhan Zamidu, having been accused -by their wives, the one of adultery, the other of incest: they were -both put to death in their own houses, in a very private and suspicious -manner. This execution being afterwards declared by the king in an -assembly of the clergy and states, certain priests, or others, from -Jerusalem, in public, condemned this procedure of the king, as contrary -to law, sound policy, and the first principles of justice, which seems -to have had such an effect that we hear no more of these persecutions, -nor of Amda Sion the persecutor, during the whole of this reign. - -The king now turned his thoughts upon a nobler object, which was that -of dividing his country into separate governments, assigning to each -the tax it should pay, at what time, and in what manner, according to -the situation and capacity of each province. The prosperity of the -Moorish states, from the extensive trade constantly carried on there, -the bad use they made of their riches by employing them in continual -rebellions, made it necessary that the king should see and inquire into -each person’s circumstances, which he proposed to do, as was usual, -before the time of their several investitures. - -The chief of the rich district of Gadai, was the first called on by the -king, as it is on this occasion that considerable presents (seldom -less than two years rent of the province) are given, about one half to -the king, the other among his courtiers. There was, at this period, a -Moorish woman of quality in court, called the queen of Zeyla. She had -been brought to the palace with a view that the king should marry her, -but he disliking her for the length, as is said, or some other defect, -in her foreteeth, had married her to a nobleman. - -This injury had sunk very deep in the breast of the queen of Zeyla, -though she was only nominally so, having been expelled from her kingdom -before her coming into Abyssinia. But it happened that she was sister -to Mihico son of Mahomet, chief of Gadai, whom she earnestly persuaded -to stay at home, and she succeeded so far, as not only to prevail -upon him to be absent, but also to withdraw himself entirely from his -allegiance. - -At this very time, the king was informed by a faithful servant, a -nobleman of Hadea, that the chief of Gadai had long been meditating -mischief, and endeavouring to prevail with the king of Adel to march -with his army, while great part of the principal people of Hadea, whom -he had seduced, were to fall, on the opposite side, upon Dawaro and -Bali. - -The king, however, received certain accounts from Adel, that all was -quiet there; and inquiring who of his Moorish servants were of the -conspiracy in Hadea, he found them to be Goodalu, Alarea, Ditho, Hybo, -Ganzè, Saag, Gidibo, Kibben, Gugulé, and Haleb. As there were still -forces enough in the province to resist this confederacy, the king, -instead of levying an army against them, thought the proper way was -to send them a governor, who should divide the interest and strength -of the enemy. There was then an uncle of Mihico remaining in exile at -Dejan[13], whither he had been sent formerly into banishment at the -instance of his nephew, but he still preserved the command of a small -district called Bomo, as well as the good inclinations of his own -subjects of Gadai, who held his memory in great veneration. The king, -therefore, sent for this governor of Bomo, and, setting before him the -behaviour of his nephew, he gave him the investiture of his government, -with many presents both useful and honourable; and, having ordered some -troops from Amhara to attend him, he dismissed him, to punish and expel -his nephew from the province of Gadai. - -The fair of Adel was nigh, and thither all the inhabitants of Bali -and Dawaro go. It was at this time the conspirators of Hadea had -agreed to fall upon the provinces; while, probably, those at the fair -had been likewise destined to cut off the inhabitants which might be -found there. To counteract these designs, the king, by proclamation, -expressly forbade any of the inhabitants of Bali or Dawaro to go to the -fair, but all to join the governor of Bomo, who no sooner presented -himself in his district, than the people of all ranks flocked to him -and submitted. - -Mihico saw himself undone by this address of the king, of which he was -quite uninformed. He fled immediately with his family, endeavouring, -if possible, to reach Adel; and having come the length of Bawa Amba, -a high mountain, where is one of the narrowest and most difficult -passes between the high country and the Kolla, here he strowed about, -in different places, all the riches that he had brought along with -him, in hopes that his pursuers, wearied by the time they came there, -should, by the difficulty of the ground, and the booty everywhere to -be found, be induced to proceed no further. But this stratagem did -not succeed; for he was so closely followed that he was overtaken and -slain, his head, hands, and feet were cut off, and immediately sent -to the king, who, after public rejoicings, gave the government of -Gadai to the person who first informed him of Mihico’s conspiracy, and -confirmed the governor of Bomo in the province of Hadea likewise, which -he made hereditary in his family. In order also to be more in readiness -to suppress such insurrections for the future, he gave his Christian -soldiers lands adjacent to each other, forming a line all along the -frontiers of the Mahometan provinces of Bali, Fatigar, Wadge, and -Hadea, that they might be ready at an instant to suppress any tumult in -the provinces themselves, or resist any incursions from the kingdom of -Adel. - -The king now set about fulfilling another duty of his reign, that of -repairing the several churches in Abyssinia which had been destroyed -in the late war by the Mahometans, and of building new ones, which it -is their constant custom to vow and to erect where victories had been -obtained over an infidel enemy. While thus employed, news were sent him -from the patriarch of Alexandria, that the church of the Virgin had -been destroyed at that city by fire. Full, therefore, of grief for this -misfortune, he immediately founded another in Abyssinia, to repair -that loss which Christianity had suffered in Egypt. - -Being now advanced in life, he would willingly have dedicated the -remainder of it to these purposes, when he was awakened from his -religious employments by an alarm of war. The rebels of Hadea, by -changing their chief, had not altered their dispositions to rebel, -and, seeing the king given to other pursuits, they began to associate -and to arm. The governor, whom the king had created after the death of -Mihico, gave the king a very late notice of this, which he dissembled, -as he was the queen Helena’s father: but having, under pretence of -consecrating the church of St Cyriacos, assembled a sufficient number -of men whom he could trust, he made a sudden irruption into the rebel -provinces before they had united their forces. The first that the king -met to oppose him was an officer of the rebel governor of Fatigar, -who imagined he was engaging only the van of a separate body of Zara -Jacob’s troops, not believing him to be yet come up in person with -so small a number: But being undeceived, he bestirred himself so -courageously, that he reached the king’s person, and broke his lance -upon him; but, in return, received a blow from the lance of the king -which threw him to the ground; at the sight of which his whole party -took flight, but were overtaken and put to the sword almost to a man; -nor was the king’s loss considerable, his number being so small. - -Upon this defeat, Hiradin, the governor’s brother, declared his revolt, -and advanced to fight the king at the passage of the river Hawash. Zara -Jacob, much offended at this fresh delinquency, sent an officer, called -Han Degna, who found him at the watering-place unsuspecting an enemy; -and, before he could put his army in order, he was surrounded, slain, -and his head sent to the king, who rejoiced much at the sight, it being -brought him on Christmas day. - -After this the king collected his dead, and buried them with great -honour and shew of grief. He then summoned the governor of Hadea, -who professed himself willing to submit his loyalty and conduct to -the strictest inquiry. Above all the reasons which hindered him from -attending the king, one was known to be, that the queen was not without -reason suspected to favour the Mahometans, being originally of that -faith herself, and, therefore, for fear of revealing his secret to the -enemy, the king did not choose to make her father, the governor of -Hadea, partaker in his expedition, but, from jealousy to the queen, -ordered him to stay at home. Notwithstanding which it was found, that -all in his government were in their allegiance, and ready to march upon -the shortest notice had the king required it; therefore he extended his -command over the conquered provinces, in room of the rebel governors -whom he had removed. - -[Illustration] - - - - -BÆDA MARIAM. - -From 1468 to 1478. - - _Revives the Banishment of Princes to the Mountain--War with - Adel--Death of the King--Attempts by Portugal to discover - Abyssinia and the Indies._ - - -Bæda Mariam succeeded to the throne (as his historian says) against his -father’s inclination, after having received much ill usage during the -earlier part of his life, of which this was the occasion. His mother -took so violent and irregular a longing to see her son king, that -she formed a scheme, by the strength of a party of her relations and -friends, trusting to the weakness of an old man, to force him into a -partnership with his father. Examples of two kings, at the same time, -and even in this degree of relation, were more than once to be found -in the Abyssinian annals, but those times were now no more. A strong -jealousy had succeeded to an unreasonable confidence, and had thrown -both the person and pretensions of the heirs-apparent of this age to as -great a distance as was possible. - -The queen, whose name was Sion Magass, or the Grace of Sion, first -began to tamper with the clergy, who, though they did not absolutely -join her in her views, shewed her, however, more encouragement than was -strictly consistent with their allegiance. From these she applied to -some of the principal officers of state, and to those about the king, -the best affected to her son and his succession. These, aware of the -evil tendency of her scheme, first advised her, by every means, to lay -it aside; and afterwards, seeing she still persisted, and afraid of a -discovery that would involve her accomplices in it, they disclosed the -matter to the king himself, who resented the intention so heinously, -that he ordered the queen to be beaten with rods till she expired. -Her body afterwards was privately buried in a church dedicated to the -Virgin Mary, not far from Debra Berhan[14]. - -Nothing had hitherto appeared to criminate the young prince. But it -was soon told the king, that, after the death of the queen, her son -Bæda Mariam had taken frankincense and wax-tapers from the churches, -which he employed, at stated times, in the observation of the usual -solemnities over his mother’s grave. The king, having called his son -before him, began to question him about what he had heard; while -the prince, without hesitation, gave him a full account of every -circumstance, glorying in what, he said, was his duty, and denying that -he was accountable to any man on earth for the marks of affection which -he shewed to his mother. - -The king, considering his son’s justification as a reproach made to -himself for cruelty, ordered the prince, and, with him, his principal -friend Meherata Christos, to be loaded with irons, and banished to -the top of a mountain; and it is hard to say where this punishment -would have ended, had not the monks of Debra Kosso and Debra Libanos, -and all those of the desert, (who thought themselves in some measure -accomplices with his mother), by exhortations, pretended prophecies, -dreams and visions, convinced the king, that Providence had decreed -unalterably, that none but his son, Bæda Mariam, should succeed him. -To this ordinance the old king bowed, as it gave him a prospect of the -long continuance of his family on the throne of Abyssinia. - -Zara Jacob was no sooner dead, than his son, Bæda Mariam, who succeeded -him, began to apply himself seriously to the affairs of government. -From the reign of Judith, (in the tenth century), when so many of the -princes of the royal family were massacred, the custom of sending -the royal children to confinement on the top of a mountain had been -discontinued. These children all lived at home with their respective -fathers and mothers, like private persons; and the kings seemed to -connive at abolishing their former practice, for no mountain had been -yet chosen as a substitute to the unfortunate Damo. The disagreement -between Zara Jacob and his queen, with the cause of it, and the -prince’s frankness and resolution, seemed to point out the necessity of -reviving the salutary severity of the ancient laws. Bæda Mariam gave -orders, therefore, to arrest all his brethren, and send them prisoners -for life to the high mountain of _Geshen_, on the confines of Amhara -and Begemder, which ever after continued the state-prison for the royal -children, till a slaughter, like to that made upon mount Damo, was the -occasion, as we shall see, of deserting Geshen likewise. - -The king applied himself next to measures for the better government -of his country. He ordered a general pardon to be proclaimed to all -who, by the severity of the late reign, lay under sentence of death, -banishment, or any other punishment; and, convoking the states of the -kingdom, he met them with a chearfulness and openness which inspired -confidence into every rank, while, at the same time, he filled all the -places he found vacant, or that he thought proper to change, with men -of the greatest integrity. He then reviewed the whole cavalry that were -in his service, which he distributed into bodies, and stationed them in -places where they could be readiest called, to execute those designs he -had then in contemplation. - -The next year the king went to Debra Libanos in Shoa. It was, however, -observed, that his preparations were not such as were usual in these -short journies, nor such as were made in peaceable times. On the -contrary, orders were sent to the borders of Tigré to receive the -royal army, which was soon to arrive in those parts. The rumour of -this was quickly spread abroad, and affected all the neighbouring -states, according to their several interests. Mahomet king of Adel was -the first that took the alarm. Tho’ a kind of peace had subsisted for -several years between Adel and Abyssinia, yet inroads had been made -from each country into the other; and these might have served them as -pretexts for war, had that been the inclination of the times. Yet, as -both countries happened to be disposed for peace, these outrages passed -unnoticed. - -But, to prevent surprise upon this last movement of the troops, the -king of Adel thought he had a right to be informed of Bæda Mariam’s -intentions, and, with this view, he sent some of the principal people -of his country as ambassadors, under pretext of congratulating the king -upon his accession to the throne. They met the king in Shoa, and had -carried with them very considerable presents. They were received in a -very distinguished manner; and the presents which Bæda Mariam returned -to the king of Adel were nothing inferior to those he accepted. After -having entertained the ambassadors several days with feasting and -diversions, he confirmed a peace under the same duties upon trade that -had formerly subsisted. - -The king of Dancali also, old, infirm, yet constant in his attachment -to the Abyssinians, was not without his inquietudes, though he was -not afraid they intended to attack his poor territory with an army. -He dreaded lest the army in its march should drink up that little -quantity of water which remained to him in summer, and, without which, -his kingdom would become uninhabited. It is a low, sandy district, -lying on the Red Sea, just where the coast, after bearing a little to -the east of north from Suez to Dancali, makes an elbow, and stretches -nearly east, as far as the Straits of Babelmandeb. It has the mines of -fossile-salt immediately on the north and north-west, a desert part of -the province of Dawaro to the south, and the sea on the north. But it -has no port, excepting a spacious bay, with tolerable anchorage, called -_the Bay of Bilur_[15], in lat. 13° 3´, and, corruptly in vulgar maps -and writings, the Bay of Bayloul. - -The kingdom of Dancali is bounded on the east at Azab by part of the -kingdom of Adel, and the myrrh country. The king is a Mahometan, as -are all his subjects. They are called Taltal, are all black, and only -some of them woolly-headed; a circumstance which probably arises from -a mixture with the Abyssinians, whose hair is long. There are but two -small rivers of fresh water in the whole kingdom; and even these are -not visible above ground in the hot season, but are swallowed up in the -sand, so as to be dug for when water is wanted. In the rainy season, -these are swollen by rain falling from the sides of the mountains and -from the high lands of Abyssinia, and then only they run with a current -into the sea. All the rest of the water in this country is salt, or -brackish, and not fit for use, unless in absolute necessity and dry -years. Even these sometimes fail, and they are obliged to seek, far off -in the rainy frontiers of Abyssinia, water for themselves, and pasture -for their miserable goats and sheep. - -When the Indian trade flourished, this prince’s revenue arose chiefly -from furnishing camels for the transport of merchandise to all parts -of Africa. Their commerce is now confined to the carrying bricks of -solid, or fossile salt, dug from pits in their own country, which, -in Abyssinia, pass instead of silver currency; these they deliver at -the nearest market in the high lands at a very moderate profit, after -having carried them from the sea-side through the dry and burning -deserts of their own country, at the great risk of being murdered by -Galla. - -The presents sent to Bæda Mariam from Dancali did not make a great -figure when compared with those of Adel. They consisted of one horse, -a mule, a shield of elephant’s hide, a poisoned lance, two swords, and -some dates. Poor as these presents were, they were much more respected -than those of Adel, because they came from a loyal heart; while the -others were from a nation distinguished every year by some premeditated -action of treachery and bloodshed. The king, having first sent for -the Abuna, Imaranha Christos, and called the ambassadors of Dancali -and Adel into his presence, declared to them, that neither of these -states was to be the scene of war, but that he was instantly to march -against the Dobas[16], whose constant inroads into his country, and -repeated cruelties, he was resolved no longer to suffer. He required -the ambassadors to warn their masters to keep a strict neutrality, -otherwise they would be infallibly involved in the same calamities with -that nation. - -Lent being now near, the king returned to Ifras, there to keep his -fast, and distributed his horse on the side of Ambasanet, having sent -orders to the governor of Amhara to join him immediately, who was -then at Salamat besieging a party of rebels upon Mount Gehud, which -signifies the _Mountain of Manifestation_. It was the intention of the -king, that the troops of Amhara, Angot, and Tigré should press upon -the enemy from the high country, while he with his own troops (chiefly -horse) should cut off their retreat to the plains of salt; and it was -here that the king of Dancali was afraid that they would interfere with -his fresh water. - -This prince kept strictly his promise of secrecy made to Bæda Mariam, -while the king of Adel observed a very different line of conduct; for -he not only discovered the king’s intention, but he invited the Dobas -to send their wives, children, and effects into Adel, while his troops -should cut off the king’s provision, and fight him wherever they saw -that it could be done with advantage. The plan was speedily embraced. -Twelve clans of Dobas marched with their cattle, as privately as -possible, for Adel; but the king’s intelligence was too good, and his -motions too rapid, to allow their schemes to be carried into execution. -With a large body of horse, he took possession of a strong pass, called -Fendera; and when that unhappy people, fatigued with their march, and -incumbered with baggage, arrived at this spot, they were cut to pieces -without resistance, and without distinction of age or sex. - -The king, at the beginning of this campaign, declared, that his -intention was not to carry on war with the Dobas as with an ordinary -enemy, but totally to extirpate them as a nuisance; and, to shew -himself in earnest in the declaration, he now made a vow never to -depart from the country till he had plowed and sown the fields, and ate -the crop on the spot with his army. He, therefore, called the peasants -of two small neighbouring districts, Wadge and Ganz, and ordered them -to plow and sow that part; which having seen done, the king went to -Axum, but returned again to the Dobas, by the feast of the Epiphany. -That cruel, restless nation, saw now the king’s real intent was their -utter destruction, and that there was no possibility of avoiding it -but by submission. This prudent conduct they immediately adopted; and, -great part of them renouncing the Pagan religion, they so satisfied -Bæda Mariam that he decamped from their country, after having, at his -own expence, restored to them a number of cattle equal to that which -he had taken away, having also given up, untouched, the crop which had -been sown, and recompensed the peasants of Wadge and Ganz for their -corn and labour. - -Having resolved to chastise the king of Adel for his treacherous -conduct, he retired southward into the provinces Dawaro and Ifat; and, -as if he had had no other views but those of peace, he crossed over -to Begemder, where he directed the Abuna to meet him with his young -son Iscander, of whom his queen, Romana Werk[17], had been lately -delivered. From this he proceeded to Gojam, everywhere leaving orders -with the proper officers to have their troops in readiness against his -return; and having delivered the young prince to Ambasa David, governor -of that province, he proceeded to Gimbota, a town lying on the banks -of the Nile, which, in honour of his son’s governor, he changed to -David Harasa[18]. Having thus settled the prince to his mind, he sent -orders to the army in Tigré and Dawaro to advance into the southernmost -frontier of Adel. He himself returned by the way he went to Gojam, and -collecting the troops, and the nobility who flocked to him on that -occasion, he marched straight for the same country. - -Whilst the king was occupied in these warlike preparations, a violent -commotion arose among his clergy at home. In the reign of Zara Jacob, -a number of strangers, after the council of Florence, had come into -Abyssinia with the Abuna Imaranha Christos. Among these were some monks -from Syria, or Egypt, who had propagated a heresy which had found many -disciples. They denied the consubstantiality of Christ, whom they -admitted to be perfect God and likewise perfect man, but maintained -that what we call his _humanity_ was a precious substance, or nature, -not composed of flesh, blood, and arteries, (like ours), but infinitely -more noble, perfect, peculiar to, and only existing in himself. An -assembly of the clergy was called, this heresy condemned, and those -who had denied the perfect manhood of our Saviour were put to death by -different kinds of torture. Some were sent to die in the Kolla, others -exposed, without the necessaries of life, to perish with cold on the -tops of the highest mountains. - -There was another motive of discontent which appeared in that assembly, -and which affected the king himself. A Venetian, whose name was -Branca Leon, was one of the strangers that arrived in Ethiopia at the -time above mentioned. He was a limner by profession, and exceedingly -favoured by the late king, for whom he had painted, with great -applause, the pictures of Abyssinian saints for the decoration of the -churches. It happened that this man was employed for an altar-piece of -Atronsa Mariam; the subject was a common one in Italy, Christ in his -mother’s arms; where the child, according to the Italian mode, is held -in his mother’s left arm. This is directly contrary to the usage of -the East, where the left hand is reserved for the purpose of washing -the body when needful, and is therefore looked upon with dishonour, so -much, indeed, that at table the right hand only is put into the plate. - -The fanatic and ignorant monks, heated with the last dispute, were -fired with rage at the indignity which they supposed was offered to -our Saviour. But the king, struck with the beauty of the picture, and -thinking blood enough had been already shed upon religious scruples, -was resolved to humour the spirit of persecution no farther. Some of -the ringleaders of these disturbances privately disappearing, the -rest saw the necessity of returning to their duty; and the picture -was placed on the altar of Atronsa Mariam, and there preserved, -notwithstanding the devastation of the country by the Moors under the -reigns of David III. and Claudius, till many years afterwards, together -with the church, it was destroyed by an inroad of the Galla. - -In the mean time, the army from Dawaro had entered the kingdom of Adel -under Betwudet[19] Adber Yasous, and, expecting to find the Moors quite -unprepared, they had begun to waste every thing with fire and sword. -But it was not long before they found the inhabitants of Adel ready to -receive them, and perfectly instructed of the king’s intentions, from -the moment he left Dawaro, to go to meet his son in Gojam. Indeed, -it could not be otherwise, from the multitude of Moors constantly in -his army, who, though they put on the appearance of loyalty, never -ceased to have a warm heart towards their own religion and countrymen. -Advanced parties appeared as soon as the Abyssinian army entered the -frontiers; and these were followed by the main body in good order, -determined to fight their enemy before they had time to ravage the -country. - -A battle immediately followed, very bloody, as might be expected from -the mutual hatred of the soldiers, from the equality in numbers, and -the long experience each had in the other’s manner of fighting. The -battle, often on the point of being lost, was as often retrieved by -the personal exertion of the Moorish officers, upon whom the loss -principally fell. Sidi Hamet, the king’s son, the chiefs of Arar, -Nagal, Telga, Adega, Hargai, Gadai, and Kumo, were slain, with -several other principal men, who had either revolted from the king of -Abyssinia, or whom friendship to the king of Adel had brought from the -opposite coast of Arabia. - -The king was still advancing with diligence, when he was overtaken -by an express, informing him that his queen Romana was delivered of -another prince, christened by the name of Anquo Israel. Upon which -good tidings he halted at once to rest and feast his army; and, in -the middle of the festivity, an express from Adber Yasous brought him -news of the complete victory over the Moors, and that there was now -no army in Adel of consequence enough to keep the field. Hereupon the -king detached a sufficient number of troops to reinforce Adber Yasous -in Adel, and continued himself recruiting his army, and making greater -preparations than before, that, during the first of the season, he -might utterly lay waste the whole Moorish country, or so disable them -that they might, for many years, be content to enjoy peace under the -condition of becoming his tributaries. - -While planning these great enterprises, the king was seized with a pain -in his bowels, whether from poison or otherwise is not known, which -occasioned his death. Having, a few moments before he died, recollected -that his face was turned on a different side from the kingdom of Adel, -he ordered himself to be shifted in his bed, and placed so as to look -directly towards it, (a token how much his heart was set upon its -destruction) and in that posture he expired. - -He was a prince of great bravery and conduct; very moderate in all his -pleasures; of great devotion; zealous for the established church, but -steady in resisting the monks and other clergy in all their attempts -towards persecution, innovation, and independency. Many stories have -been propagated of his inclination to the Catholic religion, and of his -aversion to having an Abuna from Egypt; and it is said, that, during -his whole reign, he obstinately persisted in refusing to suffer any -Abuna in his kingdom. But these are fables invented by the Portuguese -priests, who came into Abyssinia some time afterwards, and forged -anecdotes to serve their own purposes; for, unless we except the -story of the Venetian, Branca Leon, there is not a word said of any -connection Bæda Mariam ever had with the few Catholics that then were -in his country, and even that was a connection of his father’s. And -as to the other story, we find in history, that the Abuna had been in -the country ever since his father Zara Jacob’s time; and that, at his -desire, the Abuna, Imaranha Christos, came and received, in the field -of battle, large donations in gold, almost as often as the king gained -a victory. Bæda Mariam died at the age of forty, after reigning ten -years, which were spent in continual war; during the whole course of -which he was successful, and might (if he had lived) have very much -weakened the Moorish states, and prevented the terrible retaliation -that fell afterwards from that quarter upon his country.--It will be -proper now to look back into the transactions in Europe, which are -partly connected with the history of this kingdom. - -The conquest of the north part of Africa followed the reduction of -Egypt, and the whole coast of Barbary was crowded with Mahometans, from -Alexandria to the western ocean, and from the Mediterranean to the edge -of the desert. Even the desert itself was filled with them; and trade, -security, and good faith, were now everywhere disseminated in regions, -a few years before the seat of murder and pillage. - -Tarik and his Moors had invaded Spain; Musa followed him, and conquered -it. The history of Count Julian is in every one’s hand; unfortunate -in having had the provocation, still more so in having had the power -to revenge it, by sacrificing at once his sovereign, his country, -religion, and life, to the private injuries done to his daughter. As -often as I have read the history of this catastrophe, so often have I -regretted to see with how little ceremony this young lady hath been -treated by authors of all languages and nations. They call her _Caaba_, -with the same ease and indifference as they would have called her Anne, -or Margaret. This must be from mere ignorance. Caaba could not be -the name of the daughter of Count Julian before her seduction. Caaba -means _Harlot_, in the broadest way possible to express the term, and -very cruelly and improperly, it seems to be given her, even after her -misfortune; for she was a daughter of the first family in Spain, of -unexceptionable virtue. She was not seduced, but _forced_ by the king, -while in the palace, and under protection of the queen. - -A great influx of trade followed the conquest; and the religion, that -contained little restraint and great indulgence, was every where -embraced by the vanquished, who long had been Christians in name only. -On the other side, the conquerors were now no longer that brutish set -of madmen, such as they were under the Khalifat of the fanatic Omar. -They were now men eminent for their rank and attainments in every -species of learning. This was a dangerous crisis for Christianity, -and nothing else was threatened than its total subversion. The whole -world, without the help of England, had not virtue enough to withstand -this torrent. That nation, the favourite weapon in the hand of Heaven -for chastising tyranny and extirpating false religion, now lent its -assistance, and the scale was quickly turned. - -At that time Europe saw with surprise an inconsiderable number of -fishermen, very inconveniently placed at the farthest end of the -Adriatic Gulf, applying themselves with unwearied care and patience to -cultivate, gather together, and improve the remnants and gleanings of -the Indian trade by Alexandria, under all the cruelties and oppressions -of those ignorant and barbarous conquerors the Turks, whom no prospect -of gain, no change of place, no frequency of commerce, could ever -civilize or subject to the rules of justice. Venice became at once -the great market for spices and perfumes, and consequently the most -considerable maritime power that had appeared in Europe for ages. - -Genoa followed, but sunk, after great efforts, under the power of her -rival; while Venice remained mistress of the sea, of a large dominion -upon the continent, and of the Indian spice trade, the origin and -support of all her greatness. - -Rhodes, and the ships of the Military Order of St John of Jerusalem, to -whom that island belonged, greatly harrassed the maritime trade carried -on by the Moors in their own vessels from Alexandria, who were every -day more discouraged by the unexpected progress of these _once petty_ -Christian states. Trade again began to be carried on by caravans in the -desert. Large companies of merchants from Arabia, passed in safety to -the western ocean, and were joined by other traders from the different -parts of Barbary while passing to the southward of them, and that with -such security and expedition, that the Moors began to set little value -on their manner of trading by sea, content now again with the labours -and conveniencies of their ancient, faithful friend, and servant, the -camel. - -Ormus, a small island in the Persian Gulf, had, by its convenient -situation, become the market for the spice trade, after the -discouragements it had received in the Mediterranean. All Asia was -supplied from thence, and vessels, entering the Straits of Babelmandeb, -had renewed the old resort to the temple of Mecca. From hence all -Africa, too, was served by caravans, that never since have forsaken -that trade, but continue to this day, and cross the continent, in -various directions. - -John I. king of Portugal, after many successful battles with the Moors, -had at last forced them to cross the sea, and return vanquished to -their native country. By this he had changed his former dishonourable -name of _bastard_ to the more noble and much more popular one of John -the _avenger_. This did not satisfy him. Assisted by some English -navigators, he passed over to Barbary, laid siege to Ceuta, and -speedily after made himself master of the city. This early connection -with the English arose by his having married Philipina of Lancaster, -sister of Henry IV. king of England, by whom he had five sons, all -of them heroes, and, at the taking of Ceuta, capable of commanding -armies. Henry, the youngest, scarce twenty years of age, was the first -that mounted the walls of that city in his father’s presence, and was -thereupon created Master of the Order of Christ, a new institution, -whose sole end and view was the extirpation of the Mahometan religion. - -Although every thing promised fair to John in the war of Africa, yet -it early occurred to prince Henry, that a small kingdom like Portugal -never could promise to do any thing effectual against the enormous -power of the Mahometans, then in possession of extensive dominions in -the richest parts of the globe. The sudden rise of Venice was before -his eyes, and almost happened in his own time. By applying to trade -alone, she had acquired a power sufficient to cope with the stoutest of -her enemies. Portugal, small as it was, merited quite another degree of -respect; but poverty, ignorance, pride, and idleness prevailed among -the poor people; even agriculture itself was in a manner abandoned -since the expulsion of the Moors. - -Prince Henry, from his early years, had been passionately addicted to -the study of what is generally known by the name of _mathematics_, -that is, geometry, astronomy, and consequently arithmetic. He was of a -liberal turn of mind, devoid of superstition, haughtiness, or passion; -the Arab and the Jew were admitted to him with great freedom, as the -only masters who were capable of instructing him in those sciences. -It was in vain to attempt to rival Venice in possession of the -Mediterranean trade: no other way remained but to open the commerce to -India by the Atlantic Ocean, by sailing round the point of Africa to -the market of spices in India. Full of this thought, he retired to a -country palace, and there dedicated the whole of his time to deliberate -inquiry. The ignorance and prejudices of the age were altogether -against him. The only geography then known was that of the poets. It -was the opinion of the Portuguese, that the regions within the tropics -were totally uninhabited, scorched by eternal sun-beams, while boiling -oceans wasted these burning coasts; and, therefore, they concluded, -that every attempt to explore them was little better than downright -madness, and a braving, or tempting, of Providence. - -But, on the other hand, he found great materials to comfort him, and -to make him persist in his resolution. For Greek history, to which he -then had access, had recorded two instances, which shewed that the -voyage was not only possible, but that it had been actually performed, -first by the Phœnicians, under Necho king of Egypt, then by Eudoxus, -during the time of Ptolemy Lathyrus, who, after doubling the southern -Cape of Africa, arrived in safety at Cadiz. Hanno, too, had sailed from -Carthage through the Straits, and reached to 25° of north latitude -in the Atlantic Ocean. In more modern times, even in the preceding -century, Macham, an Englishman, returning from a voyage on the west -coast of Africa, was shipwrecked on the island of Madeira, together -with a woman whom he tenderly loved. After her death he became weary -of solitude; and having constructed a bark, or canoe, with which he -paddled over to the opposite coast, he was taken by the natives, and -presented to the Caliph as a curiosity. And the Normans of Dieppe had, -as a company, traded in 1364, not fourscore years from prince Henry’s -time, as far as Sierra de Leona, only 7° from the Line. - -The prince’s humanity to his Moorish prisoners had likewise been -rewarded by substantial information; they reported that some of their -countrymen of the kingdom of Sus had advanced far into the desert, -carrying their water and provisions along with them on camels; that, -after many days travel, they came to mines of salt, and, having loaded -their cargoes, they proceeded till they came within the limits of the -rains; there they found large and populous towns, inhabited by a people -totally black and woolly-headed, who reported that there were many -countries even beyond them, occupied by numerous and warlike tribes. -To complete all, Don Pedro, Henry’s brother, returning from Venice, -brought along with him from that city a map, on which the whole coast -of the Atlantic Ocean was distinctly traced, and the southern extremity -of Africa was represented to be a cape surrounded with the sea, which -joined with the Indian Ocean. - -No sooner was the prince thus satisfied of the possibility of a passage -to India round Africa, than he set about constructing the necessary -instruments for navigation. He corrected the solar tables of the Arabs, -and made some alterations in the astrolabe: For, strange to tell! -the quadrant was not then known in Portugal, though, a hundred years -before, Ulughbeg had measured the sun’s height at Samarcand in Persia, -with a quadrant of about 400 feet radius, the largest ever constructed, -if, indeed, the size of this be not exaggerated. - -Henry, who, by his liberality and affability, had drawn together the -most learned mathematicians and ablest pilots of the age, now proposed -to reduce his speculations to practice. Many ships had sailed in the -course of his disquisitions, and ten years had now elapsed before -the prince, after all his encouragement, could induce the captains -to proceed farther than Cape Non, or, thirty leagues further, to -Cape Bojador. To this their courage held good; after which, the fear -of fiery oceans reviving in their minds, they returned exceedingly -satisfied with their own perseverance and abilities. Henry, though -greatly hurt at this behaviour, dissembled the low opinion which -he had formed of both. He contented himself with proposing to them -different reasons and rewards; and urged them to repeat their voyages, -which, however, constantly ended in the same disappointment. And -it is probable a much longer time might have been spent in these -miscarriages, had not accident, or rather providence, stept in to his -assistance. - -John Gonsalez, and Tristan Vaz, two gentlemen of his bed-chamber, -seeing the impression this behaviour had made on the prince, and having -obtained a small ship from him, resolved to double Cape Bojador, and -discover the coast beyond it. Whether the fiery oceans might not have -presented themselves to these gentlemen, I know not; but a violent -storm forced them to sea. After being tossed about in perpetual fear -of shipwreck for several days, they at last landed on a small island, -which they called Port Santo. These two navigators possessed the true -spirit of discovery. Far from giving themselves up for lost in a new -world, or content with what they had already done, they set about -making the most diligent observation of every thing remarkable in this -small spot. The island itself was barren; but, examining the horizon -all around, they observed a black fixed spot there, which never either -changed its place or dimensions. Satisfied, therefore, that this -was land, they returned to the Infant with the news of this double -discovery. - -Three vessels were speedily equipped by the prince; two of them given -to Vaz and Arco, and the third to Bartholomew Perestrello, gentleman -of the bed-chamber to Don John his brother. These adventurers were -far from disappointing his expectations; they arrived at Port Santo, -and proceeded to the fixed spot, which they found to be the island of -Madeira, wholly covered with wood; an island that has ever since been -of the greatest use to the trade of both Indies, and which has remained -to the crown of Portugal, after the greatest part of their other -conquests in the east are lost. John I. was now dead, and Edward had -succeeded him. The infant Henry, however, still continued the pursuit -of his discoveries with the greatest ardour. - -Giles D’Anez, stimulated by the success of the last adventures, put -to sea with a resolution to double Cape Bojador close in shore, so as -to make his voyage a foundation for pushing farther the discovery; -and, being lucky in good weather, he fairly doubled the Cape; and, -continuing some leagues farther into the bay to the south of it, he -returned with the same good fortune to Portugal, after having found -the ocean equally as navigable on the other side as on this; and that -there was no foundation for those monstrous appearances or difficulties -mariners till now had expected to find there. - -The successful expedition round Cape Bojador being soon spread abroad -through Europe, excited a spirit of adventure in all foreigners; -the most capable of whom resorted immediately to prince Henry, from -their different countries, which further increased the spirit of the -Portuguese, already raised to a very great height. But there still -was a party of men, who, not susceptible of great actions themselves, -dedicated their time with some success to criticising the enterprises -of others. These blamed prince Henry, because, when Portugal was -exhausted both of men and money by a necessary war in Africa, he -should have chosen that very time to launch out into expences and vain -discoveries of countries, in an immense ocean, which must be useless, -because incapable of cultivation. And though they did not advance, -as formerly, that the ocean was boiling among burning sands, they -still thought themselves authorised to assert, that these countries -must, from their situation under the sun, be so hot as to turn all -the discoverers black, and also to destroy all vegetation. Futile as -these reasons were, at another time they would have been sufficient to -have blasted all the designs of prince Henry, had they made half the -impression upon the king that they did upon the minds of the people. -Portugal was then only _growing_ to the pitch of heroism to which it -soon after arrived, their spirit being continually fostered by a long -succession of wise, brave, and well-informed princes. - -Edward, the reigning prince, disdained to give any answer to such -objections, otherwise than by doubling his respect and attention for -his uncle Henry. To encourage him still further, he conferred upon -him for life the sovereignty of Madeira, Port Santo, and all the -discoveries he should make on the coast of Africa; and the spiritual -jurisdiction of the island of Madeira, upon his new Order of Christ, -for ever. - -These voyages of discovery were constantly persevered in. Nugno Tristan -doubled Cape Blanco, and came to a small river, which, from their -finding gold in the hands of the natives, was afterwards called _Rio -del Oro_; and here a fort was afterwards built by the Portuguese, -called _Arguim_. I would not, however, have it supposed, that gold is -the produce of any place in the latitude of Cape Blanco. It was brought -here from the black nations, far to the southward, to purchase salt -from the mines which are in this desert near the Cape. The sight of -gold, better than any argument, served to calm the fears, and overcome -the scruples, of those who hitherto had been adversaries to these -discoveries. - -In the year 1445, Denis Fernandes first discovered the great river -Senega, the northern banks of which are inhabited by Asenagi Moors, -whose colour is tawny, while the southern, or opposite banks, belong -to the Jaloffes, or Negro nation, the chief market for the gum-arabic. -Passing this river he discovered Cape Verde; and, to his inexpressible -satisfaction, though now in the midst of the torrid zone, he found -the country abounded with large rivers, and with the most luxuriant -verdure. He found a civil war in the nation of Jaloffes. Bemoy, a -prince of that nation, had, in a minority, intruded himself into -the throne of his brothers, (to whom he was but half blood), by the -address of his mother. The eldest of the three brothers preserved the -shadow of government, and seemed to favour the usurpation. Bemoy had -improved that interval by cultivating the Portuguese friendship to the -uttermost. He promised every thing; a place to build their city on the -continent, which the king very much desired; and to be a convert to -Christianity, the only thing the king wished still more. His eldest -brother dying, the king was briskly pressed by the two younger, and -steadily supported by the Portuguese, from whom he had borrowed large -sums; but still appearing to trifle with the day of his conversion, and -the day of his payment, the king ordered the Portuguese to withdraw -from his country, and leave him to his fortune. The loss of a battle -with his brothers soon reduced him to the necessity of flying across -the deserts to Arguim, and thence to Portugal, with a number of his -followers. He was received by the king of Portugal with all the honours -due to a sovereign prince, and baptised at Lisbon, the king and queen -being his sponsors. - -Great festivals and illuminations were made at this acquisition to -Christianity; and Bemoy appeared at those festivals as the greatest -ornament of them, performing feats of horsemanship never before -practised in Portugal. The modesty and propriety of his conversation -and behaviour in private, and the great dignity and eloquence which he -displayed in public, began to give the Portuguese a very different idea -of his clan from that which they had formerly entertained. - -In the mean time the king went rapidly on with the preparations -that were to establish Bemoy in his kingdom; and the festivals -were no sooner terminated, than Bemoy found a large army and fleet -ready to sail with him, the command of which, unhappily for him -and the expedition, was given to Tristan d’Acugna, a soldier of -great experience and courage, but proud, passionate, and cruel; the -disagreeable name of Bisagudo[20] had already been fixed upon him by -his countrymen. - -The fleet performed the voyage, and the troops landed happily. -They were, by their number and valour, far from any apprehension -of opposition. The general began immediately to lay the foundation -of a fort, without having sufficiently attended to its unhealthy -situation. The spot which was chosen being low and marshy, fevers began -early to make havock among his men, and the work of course went on -proportionably slower. The murmurs of the army against his obstinacy -in adhering to the choice of this place, and his fear that he himself -should be left alone governor of it, made D’Acugna desperate; when one -day, taking his pleasure on board a ship, and having had some words -with Bemoy, he stabbed him with his dagger to the heart, so that he -fell dead without uttering a word. The fort was abandoned, and the army -returned to Portugal, after having cost little less than all prince -Henry’s discoveries together had done. - -But Heaven rewarded the wisdom of the king by a discovery, the -consequences of which more than overpaid him, in his mind, for his -loss. Prince Henry’s principal view was to discover the way to India -by the southern Cape of Africa; but this as yet was not known to be -possible. In order to remedy a disappointment, if any such happened -in this sea-voyage, another was attempted by land. We have seen that -the common track for the Indian trade was from the east to the west -sea, through the desert, the whole breadth of Africa. Prince Henry -had projected a route parallel to this to the southward, through a -Christian country: For it had been long reported by the Christians -from Jerusalem, that a number of monks resorted thither, subjects of -a Christian prince in the very heart of Africa, whose dominions were -said to reach from the east to the west sea. Several of these monks had -been met at Alexandria, whose patriarch had the sole right to send a -metropolitan into that country. These facts, though often known, had -been as often forgot by the western Christians. Marco Paulo[21], a -Venetian traveller, had much confused the story, by saying he had met, -in his travels through Tartary, with this prince, who they all agreed -was a priest, and was called Joannes Presbyter Prete Janni, or Prester -John. - -The king of Portugal, therefore, chose Peter Covillan and Alphonso -de Paiva for his ambassadors. Covillan was a man qualified for the -undertaking. He had several times been employed by the late king in -very delicate affairs, out of which he extricated himself with great -credit by his address and secrecy. He was, besides this, in the -vigour of his age, bold, active, and perfectly master of all sorts of -arms; modest and chearful in conversation, and, what crowned all, had -happily a great readiness in acquiring languages, which enabled him to -explain himself wherever he went, without an interpreter; an advantage -to which, above all others, we are to ascribe the success of such a -journey. - -It was at the court of Bemoy that the first certain account of the -existence of this Christian prince was procured. This people, on the -west coast of Africa, reported, that, inland to the eastward, were many -powerful nations and cities, governed by princes totally independent -of each other; that the eastermost of these princes was called prince -of the Mosaical people, who were neither Pagans nor Idolaters, but -professed a religion compounded of the Christian and Jewish. - -It seems plain that this intelligence must have been brought by the -caravans; or, indeed, the case may have been that the language of the -Negroes had, of old, been a dialect of Abyssinian. The black Ethiopians -above Thebes are reported to have bestowed much care upon letters; and -they certainly reformed the hieroglyphics, and probably invented the -Syllabic alphabet, which we know is used in Abyssinia to this day, -and which was probably the first among the nations. Be that as it -will, the various names which the Senega went by were all Abyssinian -words. Senega comes from Asenagi, which is Abyssinian, and signifies -_carriers_, or _caravans_; Dengui, _a stone_, or _rock_; Angueah, a -tree of that name; Anzo, _a crocodile_; and, at the same time, all -these are names of Abyssinian rivers. - -It was at Benin, another Negro country, that the king again received -a confirmation of the existence of a Christian prince, who was said -to inhabit the heart of Africa to the south-east of this state. The -people of Benin reported him to be a prince exceedingly powerful; that -his name was Ogané, and his kingdom about 250 leagues to the eastward. -They added, that the kings of Benin received from him a brass cross and -a staff as their investiture. It should seem that this Ogané is but a -corruption of Jan, or Janhoi, which title the eastern Christians had -given to the king of Abyssinia. But it is very difficult to account for -the knowledge of Abyssinia in the kingdom of Benin, not only on account -of the distance, but likewise, because several of the most savage -nations of the world, the Galla and Shangalla, occupy the intervening -space. - -The court of Abyssinia, as we shall see afterwards, did, indeed, -then reside in Shoa, the south-east extremity of the kingdom, and, -by its power and influence, probably might have pushed its dominion -through these barbarians, down to the neighbourhood of Benin on the -western ocean. But all this I must confess to be a simple conjecture -of mine, of which, in the country itself, I never found the smallest -confirmation. - -Amha Yasous (prince of Shoa) being at court, on a visit to the king -at Gondar, in the years 1770 and 1771, and the strictest friendship -subsisting between us, every endeavour possible was used on my part to -examine this affair to the bottom. A number of letters were written, -and messengers sent; and, at this prince’s desire, his father directed, -that all the records of government should be consulted to satisfy me. -But never any thing occurred which gave room to imagine the prince of -Shoa had ever been sovereign of Benin, nor was the western ocean, or -that state, known to them in my time. Yet the country alluded to could -be no other than Abyssinia; and, indeed, the crooked staff, as well as -the cross, corroborate this opinion, unless the whole was an invention -of the Negroes, to flatter the king of Portugal. - -That prince was resolved no longer to delay the discovery of the -markets of the spice-trade in India, and the passage over land, -through Abyssinia, to the eastern ocean. He, therefore, as has been -before said, dispatched Covillan and de Paiva to Alexandria, with the -necessary letters and credit. They had likewise a map, or chart, given -them, made under the direction of prince Henry, which they were to -correct, or to confirm, according as it needed. They were to enquire -what were the principal markets for the spice, and particularly the -pepper-trade in India; and what were the different channels by which -this was conveyed to Europe; whence came the gold and silver, the -medium of this trade; and, above all, they were to inform themselves -distinctly, whether it was possible to arrive in India by sailing round -the southern promontory of Africa. - -From Alexandria these two travellers proceeded to Cairo, thence to -Suez, the port on the bottom of the Red Sea, where joining a caravan -of western Moors, they continued their route to Aden, a rich trading -town, without the Straits of Babelmandeb. Here they separated: -Covillan set sail for India, De Paiva for Suakem, a small trading -town and island in Barbaria, or Barabra of the ancients. What other -circumstances occurred we know not, only that De Paiva, attempting his -journey this way, lost his life, and was never more heard of. - -Covillan, more fortunate, passed over to Calicut and Goa in India; -then crossed the Indian Ocean to Sofala, to inspect the mines; then -he returned to Aden, and so to Cairo, where he expected to meet his -companion De Paiva; but here he heard of his death. However, he was -there met by two Jews with letters from the king of Abyssinia, the one -called Abraham, the other Joseph. Abraham he sent back with letters, -but took Joseph along with him again to Aden, and thence they both -proceeded to Ormus in the Persian Gulf. Here they separated, and the -Jew returned home by the caravans that pass along the desert to Aleppo. -Covillan, now solely intent upon the discovery of Abyssinia, returned -to Aden, and, crossing the Straits of Babelmandeb, landed in the -dominions of that prince, whose name was Alexander, and whom he found -at the head of his army, levying contributions upon his rebellious -subjects. Alexander received him kindly, but rather from motives of -curiosity than from any expectation of advantage which would result -from his embassy. He took Covillan along with him to Shoa, where the -court then resided. - -Covillan returned no more to Europe. A cruel policy of Abyssinia -makes this a favour constantly denied to strangers. He married, and -obtained large possessions; continued greatly in the favour of several -succeeding princes, and was preferred to the principal offices, in -which, there is no doubt, he appeared with all the advantage a polished -and instructed mind has over an ignorant and barbarous one. Frequent -dispatches from him came to the king of Portugal, who, on his part, -spared no expence to keep open the correspondence. In his journal, -Covillan described the several ports in India which he had seen; the -temper and disposition of the princes; the situation and riches of the -mines of Sofala: He reported that the country was very populous, full -of cities both powerful and rich; and he exhorted the king to pursue, -with unremitting vigour, the passage round Africa, which he declared -to be attended with very little danger; and that the Cape itself was -well known in India. He accompanied this description with a chart, or -map, which he had received from the hands of a Moor in India, where the -Cape, and cities all around the coast, were exactly represented. - -Upon this intelligence the king fitted out three ships under -Bartholomew Dias, who had orders to inquire after the king of Abyssinia -on the western ocean. Dias passed on to lat. 24½ deg. south, and there -set up the arms of the king of Portugal in token of possession. He then -sailed for the harbour of the Herdsmen, so called from the multitude -of cows seen on land; and, as it should seem, not knowing whither he -was going, came to a river which he called _Del Infante_, from the -captain’s name that first discovered it, having, without dreaming of -it, passed that formidable Cape, the object so much desired by the -Portuguese. Here he was tossed for many days by violent storms as he -came near land, being more and more in the course of variable winds, -but, obstinately persisting to discover the coast, he at last came -within sight of the Cape, which he called the _Cape of Tempests_, from -the rough treatment his vessel had met in her passage round it. - -The great end was now obtained. Dias and his companions had really -suffered much, and, upon their return, they did not fail to do ample -justice to their own bravery and perseverance; in doing this, they had -conjured up so many storms and dreadful sights, that, all the remaining -life of king John, there was no more talk but of this Cape: Only the -king, to hinder a bad omen, instead of the Cape of Tempests, ordered it -to be called the Cape of Good Hope. - -Although the discovery now was made, there were not wanting a -considerable number of people of the greatest consequence who were for -abandoning it altogether; one of their reasons was curious, and what, -if their behaviour afterwards had not been beyond all instance heroic, -would have led us to imagine their spirit of religion and conquest -had both cooled since the days of prince Henry. They were afraid, -lest, after having discovered a passage to India, the depriving the -Moorish states of their revenues from the spice-trade, should unite -these powers to their destruction. Now, to destroy their revenues -effectually, and thereby ruin their power, was the very motive which -set prince Henry upon the discovery, as worthy the Grand Master of the -Order of Christ; an order founded in the blood of unbelievers, and -devoted particularly to the extirpation of the Mahometan religion. - -Don Emmanuel, then king, having no such apprehensions, resolved to -abide the consequences of a measure the most arduous ever undertaken -by any nation, and which, though it had cost a great deal of time and -expence, had yet succeeded beyond their utmost expectations. It was not -till after long deliberation that he fixed upon Vasques de Gama, a man -of the first distinction, remarkable for courage and great presence of -mind. Before his departure, the king put into his hands the journal -of Peter Covillan, with his chart, and letters of credit to all the -princes in India of whom he had obtained any knowledge. - -The behaviour of Vasques de Gama, at parting, was far from being -characteristic of the soldier or great man: his processions and -tapers favoured much more of the ostentatious devotion of a bigotted -little-minded priest, and was much more calculated to depress the -spirits of his soldiers, than to encourage them to the service they -were then about to do for their country. It served only to revive in -their minds the hardships that Dias had met off the Terrible Cape, -and persuade them there was in their expedition much more danger than -glory. I would not be understood as meaning to condemn all acts of -devotion before military expeditions, but would have them always short, -ordinary, and uniform. Every thing further inspires in weak minds a -sense of danger, and makes them despond upon any serious appearance of -difficulty. - -July 4th, 1497, Vasques, with his small fleet, sailed from Lisbon; and, -as the art of navigation was considerably improved, he stood out to sea -till he made the Canary Islands, and then those of Cape de Verde, where -he anchored, took in water and other refreshments. After which he was -four months struggling with contrary winds and blowing weather, and at -last obliged, through perfect fatigue, to run into a large bay called -_St Helena_[22], in lat. 32° 32´ south. The inhabitants of this bay -were black, of low stature, and their language not understood, though -it afterwards was found to be the same with that of the Cape. They were -cloathed with skins of antelopes, which abounded in the country, since -known to be that of the Hottentots; their arms were the horns and bones -of beasts and fishes, for they had no knowledge of iron. - -The Portuguese were unacquainted with the trade-winds in those southern -latitudes; and Vasques had departed for India, in a most unfavourable -season of the year. The 16th of November they sailed for the Cape with -a south-west wind; but that very day, the weather changing, a violent -storm came on, which continued increasing; so, although on the 18th -they discovered their long-desired Cape, they did not dare or attempt -to pass it. Then it was seen how much stronger the impressions were -that Dias had left imprinted in their minds, than those of duty, -obedience, and resignation, which they had so pompously vowed at the -chapel, or hermitage. All the crew mutinied, and refused to pass -farther; and it was not the common sailors only; the pilots and masters -were at their head. Vasques, satisfied in his mind that there was -nothing extraordinary in the danger, persevered to pass the Cape in -spite of all difficulties; and the officers, animated with the same -ardour, seized the most mutinous of their masters and pilots, and -confined them close below in heavy irons. - -Vasques himself, taking hold of the rudder, continued to steer the ship -with his own hand, and stood out to sea, to the astonishment of the -bravest seaman on board. The storm lasted two days, without having in -the least shaken the resolution of the admiral, who, on the 20th of -November, saw his constancy rewarded by doubling that Cape, which he -did, as it were, in triumph, sounding his trumpets, beating his drums, -and permitting to his people all sorts of pastimes which might banish -from their minds former apprehensions, and induce them to agree with -him, that the point had very aptly been called the Cape of Good Hope. - -On the 25th they anchored in a creek called _Angra de Saint Blaze_. -Soon after their arrival there appeared a number of the inhabitants on -the mountains, and on the shore. The general, fearing some surprise, -landed his men armed. But, first, he ordered small brass bells, and -other trinkets, to be thrown out of the boats on shore, which the -blacks greedily took up, and ventured so near as to take one of them -out of the general’s own hand. Upon his landing, he was welcomed with -the sound of flutes and singing. Vasques, on his part, ordered his -trumpets to sound, and his men to dance round them. - -ALL along from St Blaze, for more than sixty leagues, they found the -coast remarkably pleasant, full of high and fair trees. On Christmas -day they made land, and entered a river which they called _the river of -the kings_; and all the distance between this and St Blaze they named -_Terra de Natal_. The weather being mild, they took to their boats -to row along the shore, on which were observed both men and women of -a large stature, but who seemed to be of quiet and civil behaviour. -The general ordered Martin Alonzo, who spoke several languages of -the Negroes, to land; and he was so well received by the chief, or -king, that the admiral sent him several trifles, with which he was -wonderfully pleased, and offered, in return, any thing he wanted of the -produce of his country. - -On the 15th of January, in the year 1498, having taken in plenty of -water, which the Negroes, of their own accord, helped them to put on -board, they left this civil nation, steering past a length of coast -terminated by a Cape called the _Cape of Currents_. There the coast of -Natal ends, and that of Sofala begins, to the northward of the Cape. At -this place, Gama from the south joined Covillan’s track from the north, -and these two Portuguese had completely made the circuit of Africa. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -ISCANDER, OR ALEXANDER. - -From 1478 to 1495. - -_Iscander declares War with Adel--Good Conduct of the King--Betrayed -and murdered by Za Saluce._ - - -As soon as the king Bæda Mariam was dead, the history of Abyssinia -informs us, that a tumultuous meeting of the nobles brought from the -mountain of Geshen the queen Romana, with her son Iscander, who upon -his arrival was crowned without any opposition. - -It is to be observed in the Abyssinian annals, that very frequent -minorities happen. A queen-mother, or regent, with two or three of the -greatest interest at court, are, during the minority, in possession of -the king’s person, and govern in his name. The transactions of this -minority, too, are as carefully inserted in the annals of the kingdom -as any other part of the subsequent government, but as the whole of -these minorities are but one continued chain of quarrels, plots, and -treachery, as soon as the king comes of age, the greatest part of this -reign of his ministers is cancelled, as being the acts of subjects, -and not worthy to be inserted in their histories; which they entitle -_Kebra Za Negust_, the greatness or atchievements of their kings. -This, however political in itself, is a great disadvantage to history, -by concealing from posterity the first cause of the most important -transactions. - -For several years after Iscander ascended the throne, the queen his -mother, together with the Acab Saat, Tesfo Georgis, and Betwudet Amdu, -governed the kingdom despotically under the name of the young king. -Accordingly, after some years sufferance, a conspiracy was formed, -at the head of which were two men of great power, Abba Amdu and Abba -Hasabo, but the conspirators proving unsuccessful, some of them were -imprisoned, some put to death, and others banished to unwholesome -places, there to perish with hunger and fevers. - -The king from his early age had shewn a passionate desire for a war -with Adel, and that prince, whose country had been so often desolated -by the Abyssinian armies, omitted no opportunity of creating an -interest at that court, that should keep things in a quiet state. In -this, however, he was much interrupted at present by a neighbouring -chief of Arar, named Maffudi. This man, exceedingly brave, capable -of enduring the greatest hardships, and a very great bigot to the -Mahometan religion, had made a vow, that, every Lent, he would spend -the whole forty days in some part of the Abyssinian kingdom; and -to this purpose he had raised, at his own expence, a small body of -veteran troops, whom he inspired with the same spirit and resolution. -Sometimes he fell on one part of the frontier, sometimes upon another; -slaying, without mercy, all that made resistance, and driving off -whole villages of men, women, and children, whom he sent into Arabia, -or India, to be sold as slaves. - -It was a matter of great difficulty for the king of Adel to persuade -the Abyssinians that Maffudi acted without his instigation. The young -king was one who could not distinguish Adel from Arar, or Mahomet’s -army from Maffudi’s. He bore with very great impatience the excesses -every year committed by the latter; but he was over-ruled by his -nobility at home, and his thoughts turned as much as possible to -hunting, to which he willingly gave himself up; and, tho’ but fifteen -years of age, was the person, in all Abyssinia, most dexterous at -managing his arms. At last, being arrived at the age of seventeen, -and returning from having observed a very successful expedition made -by Maffudi against his territories, he ordered Za Saluce, his first -minister, commander in chief, and governor of Amhara, to raise the -whole forces to the southward, while he himself collected the nobility -in Angot and Tigré. With those, as soon as the rainy season was over, -he descended into the kingdom of Adel. - -The king of Adel had been forced into this war, yet, like a wise -prince, he was not unprepared for it. He had advanced directly towards -the king, but had not passed his frontiers. Some inhabitants of a -village called _Arno_, all Mahometans, but tributary to the king of -Abyssinia, had murdered the governor the king had set over them. -Iscander marched directly to destroy it, which he had no sooner -accomplished, than the Moorish army presented itself. The battle was -maintained obstinately on both sides, till the troops under Za Saluce -withdrew in the heat of the engagement, leaving the king in the midst -of his enemies. This treason, however, seemed to have inspired the -small army that remained with new courage, so that the day was as yet -dubious, when Iscander, being engaged in a narrow pass, and seeing -himself close pressed by a Moor who bore in his hand the green standard -of Mahomet, turned suddenly upon him, and slew him with a javelin; and, -having wrested the colours from him as he was falling, he, with the -point of the spear that bore the ensign, struck the king of Adel’s son -dead to the ground, which immediately caused the Moors to retreat. - -The young prince was too prudent to follow this victory in the state -the army then was; for that of Adel, though it had retreated, did not -disperse. Za Saluce was returning by long marches to Amhara, exciting -all those in his way to revolt; and it was high time, therefore, for -the king to follow him. But, unequal as he was in strength to the -Moors, he could not reconcile it with his own honour to leave their -army masters of the field. He, therefore, first consulted the principal -officers of his troops, then harangued his men, which, the historian -says, he did in the most pathetic and masterly manner; so that, with -one voice, they desired instantly to be led to the Moors. The king -is said to have ranged his little army in a manner that astonished -the oldest officers. He then sent a defiance to the Moors, by several -prisoners whom he released. They, however, more desirous to keep him -from ravaging the country than to fight another battle, continued -quiet in their tents; and the king, after remaining on the field till -near noon, drew off his troops in the presence of his enemy, making a -retreat which would not have been unworthy of the hero whose name he -bore. - -The king, in his return to Shoa, left his troops, which was the -northern army, in the northern provinces, as he passed; so that he -came to Shoa with a very small retinue, hearing that Za Saluce had -gone to Amhara. This traitor, however, had left his creatures behind -him, after instructing them what they were to do. Accordingly, the -second day after Iscander’s arrival in Tegulat, the capital of Shoa, -they set upon him, during the night, in a small house in Aylo Meidan, -and murdered him while he was sleeping. They concealed his body for -some days in a mill, but Taka Christos, and some others of the king’s -friends, took up the corpse and exposed it to the people, who, with one -accord, proclaimed Andreas, son of Iscander, king; and Za Saluce and -his adherents, traitors. - -In the mean time, Za Saluce, far from finding the encouragement he -expected in Amhara, was, upon his first appearance, set upon by the -nobility of that province; and, being deserted by his troops, he was -taken prisoner; his eyes were put out, and, being mounted on an ass, he -was carried amidst the curses of the people through the provinces of -Amhara and Shoa. - -Iscander was succeeded by his son Andreas, or Amda Sion, an infant, who -reigned seven months only. - -A wonderful confusion seems to be introduced at this time into history, -by the Portuguese writers. Iscander is said to die in the 1490. He -began, as they say, to reign in 1475, and this is confirmed by Ludolf; -and, on all hands, it is allowed he reigned 17 years, which would -have brought the last year of his reign to 1492. It seems also to be -agreed by the generality of them, that Covillan saw and conversed with -this prince, Iscander, some time before his death: this he very well -might have done, if that prince lived to the 1492, and Peter Covillan -came into Abyssinia in 1490, as Galvan says in his father’s memoirs. -But then Tellez informs us expressly, that Iscander was dead 6 months -before the arrival of Peter Covillan in that country: If Peter Covillan -arrived 6 months after the death of Iscander, it must have been in the -end of his son’s reign, Amda Sion, who was an infant, and reigned only -7 months. - -Alvarez omits this king, Amda Sion, altogether, and so does Tellez; and -there is a heap of mistakes here that shew these Portuguese historians -paid very little attention to the chronology of these reigns. They -call Alexander the father of Naod, when he was really but his brother; -and Helena, they say, was David’s mother, when, in fact, she was his -grandmother, or rather his grandfather’s wife; for Helena, who was -Iteghé in the time of David the III. had never either son or daughter. -So that if I differ, as in fact I do, 4 years, or thereabout, in this -account, I do not think in those remote times, when the language and -manner of accounting was so little known to these strangers, that I, -therefore, should reject my own account and servilely adopt theirs, -and the more so, because, as we shall see in its proper place, by the -examination and comparison made by help of an eclipse of the sun in -the 13th year of Claudius’ reign in the 1553, and counting from that -downwards to my arrival in Abyssinia, and backwards to Iscander, that -that prince must have begun his reign in 1478, and reigning 17 years, -did not die till the year 1495, and therefore must have seen Peter -Covillan, and conversed with him, if he had arrived in Abyssinia so -early as the 1490. - -[Illustration] - - - - -NAOD. - -From 1495 to 1508. - -_Wise Conduct of the King--Prepares far a War with the Moors--Concludes -an honourable Peace with Adel._ - - -After the unfortunate death of the young king Alexander, the people -in general, wearied of minorities, unanimously chose Naod for their -king. He was Alexander’s younger brother, the difference of ages -being but one year, though he was not by the same mother, but by the -king’s second wife Calliope. He was born at a town called Gabargué, -the day the royal army was cut off in his father’s time, when both the -Betwudets perished. From this circumstance, the Empress Helena and her -party had used some underhand means to set him aside as unfortunate, -and in his place to put Anquo Israel, Bæda Mariam’s youngest son, that -they might govern him and the kingdom during his non-age. But Taka -Christos, their man of confidence, being, on his first declaration of -such intentions, cut off by the army in Dawaro, Naod was immediately -proclaimed, and brought from the mountain of Geshen. - -Although Naod was in the prime of life, and vigorous both in body and -mind, yet such were the circumstances of the kingdom at his accession, -that it seemed a task too arduous for any one man. The continual -intrigues of the empress, the quantity of Mahometan gold which was -circulating on every occasion throughout the court, the little success -the army had in Adel, as also the treachery of Za Saluce, and the -untimely end of the young prince, who seemed to promise a remedy to the -misfortunes, had so disunited the principal people in the government, -that there did not seem a sufficient number of men worthy of trust -to assist the king with their councils, or fill, with any degree of -dignity, the places that were vacant. - -Naod was no sooner seated on the throne than he published a very -general and comprehensive amnesty. By proclamation he declared, “That -any person who should upbraid another with being a party in the -misfortunes of past times, or say that he had been privy to this or to -that conspiracy, or had been a favourite of the empress, or a partizan -of Za Saluce, or had received bribes from the Moors, should, without -delay, be put to death.” This proclamation had the very best effect, as -it quieted the mind of every guilty person when he saw the king, from -whom he feared an inquiry, cutting off all possible means by which it -could be procured against him. Andreas a monk, a man of quality, and of -very great consequence in that country, a relation of the king by his -mother, having affected to talk lightly of the proclamation, the king -sent for him, and ordered the tip of his tongue to be cut off in his -presence. This man, whose fault seems only to have been in his tongue, -and of whom a very great character is given, lived in the succeeding -reign to give the king a very distinguished proof of his attachment to -his family, and love of his country. - -Naod having thus prudently quieted disturbances at home, turned his -thoughts to the war with Maffudi; for the king of Adel himself had -made his peace through mediation of the empress Helena; and this king, -more politic than Alexander his brother, was willing to dissemble with -the king of Adel, that he might fight his two adversaries singly: He, -therefore, prepared a smaller army than was usual for the king to head, -without suffering a Moor of any kind to serve in it. - -It was known to a day when Maffudi was to enter upon his expeditions -against Abyssinia. For near thirty years he had begun to burn the -churches, and drive off the people and cattle on the first day of -Lent; and, as Lent advanced, he with his army penetrated farther up -the country. The Abyssinians are the strictest people in the world in -keeping fasts. They are so austere that they taste no sort of animal -food, nor butter, eggs, oil, or wine. They will not, though ever so -thirsty, drink a cup of water till six o’clock in the evening, and then -are contented, perhaps, with dry or sour leaven bread, the best of them -only making use of honey; by which means they become so weak as to be -unable to bear any fatigue. This was Maffudi’s reason for invading the -country in Lent, at which time scarce a Christian, through fasting, was -able to bear arms. - -Naod, like a wise prince who had gained the confidence of his army, -would not carry with him any man who did not, for that time, live -in the same free and full manner he was used to do in festivals. He -himself set the example; and Andreas the monk, after taking upon -himself a vow of a whole year’s fasting for the success of the army, -declared to them, that there was more merit in saving one Christian -village from slavery, and turning Mahometan, than in fasting their -whole lives. - -The king then marched against Maffudi; and having taken very strong -ground, as if afraid of his army’s weakness, the Moors, contrary to -advice of their leader, attacked the king’s camp in the most careless -and presumptuous manner. They had no sooner entered, however, by ways -left open on purpose for them, than they found the king’s army in -order to receive them, and were so rudely attacked, that most of those -who had penetrated into the camp were left dead upon the spot. The -king continued the pursuit with his troops, retook all the prisoners -and cattle which Maffudi was driving away, and advanced towards the -frontiers of Adel, where ambassadors met him, hoping, on the part of -the king, that his intention was not to violate the treaty of peace. - -To this the king answered, That, so far from it, he would confirm the -peace with them, but with this condition, that they must deliver up to -him all the Abyssinians that were to be found in their country taken by -Maffudi in his last expedition, adding, that he would stay fifteen days -there to expect his answer. The king of Adel, desirous of peace, and -not a little terrified at the disaster of Maffudi, hitherto reckoned -invincible, gathered together all the slaves as soon as possible, and -returned them to the king. - -Naod having now, by his courage and prudence, freed himself from fear -of a foreign war, returned home, and set himself like a wise prince to -the reforming of the abuses that prevailed everywhere among his people, -and to the cultivation of the arts of peace. He died a natural death, -after having reigned 13 years. - -[Illustration] - - - - -DAVID III. - -From 1508 to 1540. - - _David, an Infant, Succeeds--Queen sends Matthew Ambassador to - Portugal--David takes the Field--Defeat of the Moors--Arrival - of an Embassy from Portugal--Disastrous War with Adel._ - - -The vigorous reign of Naod had at least suspended the fate of the whole -empire; and, had it not been that they still persisted in that ruinous -and dangerous measure of following minority with minority, by the -election of children to the throne, it is probable this kingdom would -have escaped the greatest part of those dismal calamities that fell -upon it in the sequel. But the Iteghé Helena, and the Abuna Marcos, -(now become her creature) had interest enough, notwithstanding the -apparent necessities of the times, to place David son of Naod upon -the throne, a child of eleven years old, that they might take upon -themselves the government of the kingdom; whereas Anquo Israel (third -son of Bæda Mariam) was of an age proper to govern, and whom they would -have preferred to Naod for the same reason, merely because he was then -a child. - -Besides the desire of governing, another motive operated, which, -however good in itself, was very criminal from the present -circumstances. A peace with Adel was what the empress Helena constantly -desired; for she could not see with indifference the destruction of -her own country, far less contribute to it. She was herself by origin -a Moor, daughter of Mahomet, governor for the king in Dawaro; had been -suspected, so early as her husband’s time, of preferring the welfare of -her own country to that of the kingdom of Abyssinia. - -This princess, perfectly informed of the interests of both nations, -seems, in her whole conduct, to have acted upon the most judicious and -sensible principles. She knew the country of Adel to be, by situation -and interest, perfectly commercial; that part of Africa, the opposite -Arabia, and the peninsula of the Indies, were but three partners -joined in one trade; they mutually consumed each other’s produce; they -mutually contributed to export the joint produce of the three countries -to distant parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa; which three continents -then constituted the whole known world. When Adel was at peace with -Abyssinia, then the latter became rich, from the gold, ivory, coffee, -cattle, hides, and all manner of provision, procured by the former -from every part of the mountainous tract above it. Trade flourished -and plenty followed it. The merchants carried every species of goods -to the most distant provinces in safety, equally to the advantage of -Abyssinia and Adel. These advantages, so sensibly felt, were maintained -by bribery, and a constant circulation of Mahometan gold in the court -of Abyssinia; the kingdom, however, thus prospered. A war with Adel, on -the contrary, had its origin in a violent desire of a barbarous people, -such as the Abyssinians were, to put themselves in possession of riches -which their neighbours had gained by trade and industry. - -She saw that, even in this the worst of cases, nothing utterly -destructive could possibly happen to the Abyssinians; in their inroads -into that country, they plundered the markets and got, at the risk of -their lives, India stuffs of every kind, for which else they would have -paid money. On the other hand, the people of Adel, when conquerors, -acquired no stuffs, no manufactures, but the persons of the Abyssinians -themselves, whom they carried into slavery, and sold in Arabia, and -all parts of Asia, at immense profits. Next to gold they are the most -agreeable and valuable merchandise in every part of the east; and -these again, being chiefly the idle people who delighted in war, their -absence promoted the more desirable event of peace. - -In this state we see that war was but another species of commerce -between the two countries, though peace was the most eligible state -for them both; and this the empress Helena had constantly endeavoured -to maintain, but could not succeed among a people fond of war, by any -other means, but by giving them a minor for their king, who was by the -law of the land under her direction, as the country was, during his -minority, under her regency. - -Although this, the ordinary state of the empress’s politics, had -hitherto answered well between the kingdoms, when no other parties -were engaged, the introduction of a third power, and its influence, -totally changed that system. The Turks, an enemy not yet known in any -formidable line by the southern part of Africa, or Asia, now appeared -under a form that made all those southern states tremble. - -Selim, emperor of Constantinople, had defeated Canso el Gauri, Soldan -of Egypt, and slain him in the field. After a second battle he had -taken Cairo, the capital of that country; and, under the specious -pretence of a violation of the law of nations, by Tomum Bey, the -successor, who was said to have put his ambassadors to death, he had -hanged that prince upon one of the principal gates of his own capital; -and, by this execution, had totally destroyed the succession of the -Mamalukes. Sinan Basha, the great general and minister of Selim, in a -very few months over-ran all the peninsula of Arabia, to the verge of -the Indian Ocean. - -These people, trained to war, Mahomet had inspired with enthusiasm, -and led them to the conquest of the East. Trade and luxury had, after -that, disarmed and reduced them to much the same situation as, in a -former age, they had been found by Augustus Cæsar. Sinan Basha, with -a troop of veterans, had, by degrees extirpated the native princes of -the country; those that resisted, by force; and those that submitted -to him, by treachery; and in their place, in every principal town, he -had substituted Turkish officers of confidence, strongly supported by -troops of Janizaries, who knew no other government but martial law. - -War had now changed its form entirely under these new conquerors. -Muskets, and large trains of artillery, were introduced against -javelins, lances, and arrows, the only arms then known in Arabia, and -in the opposite continent of Abyssinia. A large fleet, crowded with -soldiers, and filled with military stores, the very name of which, as -well as their destructive qualities, were till now unknown in these -southern regions, were employed by the Turks to extend their conquest -to India, where, though by the superior valour of the Portuguese -they were constantly disappointed in their principal object, they -nevertheless, in their passage outward and homeward, reinforced their -several posts in Arabia, from which they looked for assistance and -protection, had any enemy placed himself in their way, or a storm, or -other unexpected misfortune, overtaken them in their return. - -These Janizaries lived upon the very bowels of commerce. They had, -indeed, for a shew of protecting it, established customhouses in their -various ports; but they soon made it appear, that the end proposed -by these was only to give them a more distinct knowledge who were -the subjects from whom they could levy the most enormous extortions. -Jidda, Zibid, and Mocha, the places of consequence nearest to Abyssinia -on the Arabian shore, Suakem, a sea-port town on the very barriers -of Abyssinia, in the immediate way of their caravan to Cairo, on the -African side, were each under the command of a Turkish basha, and -garrisoned by Turkish troops sent thither from Constantinople by the -emperors Selim and Soliman, his successors. - -The peaceable Arabian merchants, full of that good faith which -successful commerce inspires, fled everywhere from the violence and -injustice of these Turkish tyrants, and landed in safety their riches -and persons on the opposite shore of the kingdom of Adel. The trade -from India, flying from the same enemy, took refuge in Adel among -its own correspondents, the Moorish merchants, during the violent -and impolitic tyranny that everywhere took place under this Turkish -oppression. - -Zeyla is a small island, on the very coast of Adel, opposite to Arabia -Felix without the Straits of Babelmandeb, upon the entrance of the -Indian Ocean. The Turks of Arabia, though they were blind to the cause, -were sensible of the great influx of trade into the opposite kingdom. -They took possession, therefore, of Zeyla, where they established what -they called a Customhouse, and by means of that post, and gallies -cruising in the narrow Straits, they laid the Indian trade to Adel -under heavy contributions, that might, in some measure, indemnify them -for the great desertion their violence and injustice had occasioned in -Arabia. - -This step threatened the very existence both of Adel and Abyssinia; and -considering the vigorous government of the one, and the weak politics -and prejudices of the other, it is more than probable the Turks would -have subdued both Adel and Abyssinia, had they not, in India their -chief object, met the Portuguese, strongly established, and governed -by a succession of kings who had not in any age their equals, and -seconded by officers and soldiers who, for discipline, courage, love to -their country, and affection to their sovereign were, perhaps, superior -to any troops, or any set of individuals, that, as far as we can judge -from history, have ever yet appeared in the world. - -It was not now a time for a woman to reign, nor, which was the same -thing, to place a child upon the throne. The empress Helena saw this -distinctly; but her ambition made her prefer the love of reigning -to the visible necessities and welfare of her country. She knew the -progress and extent of the Portuguese power in India; and saw plainly -there was no prospect, but in their assistance, at once to save both -Abyssinia and Adel. - -Peter Covillan, sent thither as ambassador by John king of Portugal, -had, for two reigns, been detained in Abyssinia, with a constant -refusal of leave to return. He was now become an object of curiosity -rather than use. However, except his liberty, he had wanted nothing. -The empress had married him nobly in the country; had given him large -appointments, both as to profit and dignity. She now began to be -sensible of the consequence of having with her a man of his abilities, -who could open to her the method of corresponding effectually both with -India and Portugal in their own language, to which, as well as to the -persons to whom her letters were to be addressed, she was then an utter -stranger. - -She had about her court an Armenian merchant named Matthew, a person -of great trust and discretion, who had been long accustomed to go -to the several kingdoms of the East upon mercantile commissions for -the king and for his nobles. He had been at Cairo, Jerusalem, Ormus, -Ispahan, and in the East Indies on the coast of Malabar; both in places -conquered by the Portuguese, and in those that yet held out under -their native Pagan princes. He was one of those factors which, as I -have already said, are employed by the king and great men in Abyssinia -to sell or barter, in the places above mentioned, such part of their -revenue as are paid them in kind. - -These men are chiefly Greeks, or Armenians, but the preference is -always given to the latter. Both nations pay caratch, or capitation, -to the Grand Signior, (whose subjects they are) and both have, in -consequence, passports, protections, and liberty to trade wherever they -please throughout the empire, without being liable to those insults and -extortions from the Turkish officers that other strangers are. - -The Armenians, of all the people in the East, are those most remarkable -for their patience and sobriety. They are generally masters of most -of the eastern languages; are of strong, robust constitutions; of all -people, the most attentive to the beasts and merchandise they have in -charge; exceedingly faithful, and content with little. This Matthew, -queen Helena chose for her ambassador to Portugal, and joined a young -Abyssinian with him, who died in the voyage. He was charged with -letters to the king, which, with the other dispatches, as they are -long, and abound with fiction and bombast rather than truth and facts, -I have not troubled myself to transcribe; they are, besides, in many -printed collections[23]. - -It appears clearly from these letters, that they were the joint -compositions of Covillan, who knew perfectly the manner of -corresponding with his court upon dangerous subjects, and of the simple -Abyssinian confidents of the empress Helena, who, unacquainted with -embassies or correspondence with princes, or the ill consequence that -these letters would be of to their ambassador and his errand, if they -happened to be intercepted by an enemy, told plainly all they desired -and wished to execute by the assistance of the Portuguese. Thus, in the -first part of the letter, (which we shall suppose dictated by Covillan) -the empress remits the description of her wants, and what is the -subject of the embassy, to Matthew her ambassador, whom she qualifies -as her confidential servant, instructed in her most secret intentions; -desiring the king of Portugal to believe what he shall report from her -to him in private, as if they were her own words uttered immediately -from her to him in person. So far was prudent; such a conduct as we -should expect from a man like Covillan, long accustomed to be trusted -with the secret negociations of his sovereign. - -But the latter end of his dispatches (the work, we suppose, of -Abyssinian statesmen) divulges the whole secret. It explains the -motives of this embassy in the clearest manner, desiring the king of -Portugal to send a sufficient force to destroy Mecca and Medina; to -assist them with a sufficient number of ships, and to annihilate the -Turkish power by sea; while they, by land, should extirpate all the -Mahometans on their borders; and it stigmatizes these Mahometans, both -Turks and Moors, with the most opprobrious names it was possible to -devise. - -With the first part of these dispatches, it is plain, Matthew, as -an envoy, might have passed unmolested; he had only to give to the -secret wishes of the empress, with which he was charged, what kind -of mercantile colour he pleased. But the last part of the letter -brought home to him a charge of the deepest dye, both of sacrilege -and high-treason, that he meditated against the Ottoman empire, whose -Raya[24] he was; and, there can be no doubt, had these letters been -intercepted and read, Matthew’s embassy and life would have ended -together under some exquisite species of torture. This, indeed, -he seems to have apprehended; as, after his arrival in India, he -constantly refused to shew his dispatches, even to the Portuguese -viceroy himself, from whom, in the instant, he had received very -singular favour and protection. - -The king, when of age, never could be brought to acknowledge this -embassy by Matthew; but, as we shall see, did constantly deny it. If -we believe the Portuguese, the despair of the empress was so great, -that she offered one-third of the kingdom to the king of Portugal if he -relieved her. Nothing of this kind appears in the letters; but, if this -offer was part of Matthew’s private dispatches, we may see a reason why -David did not wish to own the commission and offer as his. - -Matthew had a safe passage to Dabul in India, but here his misfortunes -began. The governor, taking him for a spy, confined him in close -prison. But Albuquerque, then viceroy of India, residing at Goa, who -had himself a design upon Abyssinia, hearing that such a person, in -such a character, was arrived, sent and took him out of the hands -of the governor of Dabul, where his sufferings else would not have -so quickly ended. All the Portuguese cried out upon seeing such an -ambassador as Matthew sent to their master; sometimes they pretended -that he was a spy of the Sultan, at other times he was an impostor, a -cook, or some other menial servant. - -Albuquerque treated with him privately before he landed, to make his -commissions known to him; but he expressly refused shewing any letter -unless to the king himself in Portugal. This behaviour hurt him in the -eyes of the viceroy, who was therefore disposed, with the rest of his -officers, to slight him when he should come ashore. But Matthew, now -out of danger, and knowing his person to be sacred, would no longer -be treated like a private person. He sent to let the viceroy, bishop, -and clergy know, that, besides his consequence as an ambassador, which -demanded their respect, he was the bearer of a piece of wood of the -true cross, which he carried as a present to the king of Portugal; -and, therefore, he required them, as they would avoid an imputation -of sacrilege, to shew to that precious relict the utmost respect, and -celebrate its arrival as a festival. No more was necessary after this. -The whole streets of Goa were filled with processions; the troops -were all under arms; the viceroy, and the principal officers, met -Matthew at his landing, and conveyed him to the palace, where he was -magnificently lodged and feasted. But nothing could long overcome the -prejudices the Portuguese had imbibed upon the first sight of him; and, -notwithstanding he carried a piece of the true cross, both he and it -soon fell into perfect oblivion: Nor was it till 1513, after he had -staid three years in India, that he got leave to proceed to Portugal by -a fleet returning home loaded with spices. - -Damianus Goez the historian, though apparently a man of good sense and -candour, cannot conjecture why this Armenian was sent as an ambassador, -and wishes to be resolved why not an Abyssinian nobleman. But it is -obvious from the character I have already given of him, there could -be nobody in the empress’s power that had half his qualifications; -and, besides, an Abyssinian nobleman would not have ventured to go, as -knowing very well that everywhere beyond the limits of his own country -he would have been without protection, and the first Turk in whose -power he might have fallen would have sold him for a slave. In no other -character is any of his nation seen, either in Arabia or India, and -his master has no treaty with any state whatever. Add to this, that an -Abyssinian speaks no language but his own, which is not understood out -of his own country; and is absolutely ignorant even of the existence of -other far distant nations. - -But, besides, there was an Abyssinian sent with Matthew, who died; and -here Damianus Goez’s wonder should cease. - -The same ill-fortune, which had attended Matthew in India, followed -him in his voyage to Portugal. The Captains of the ships contended -with each other who should behave worst to him; and, in the midst of -all this ill-treatment, the ship which he was on board of arrived at -Lisbon. The king, upon hearing the particulars of this ill usage, -immediately put the offenders in irons, where they had, probably, lain -during their lives, had they not been freed by the intercession of -Matthew. - -David (as I have before observed) was only eleven years old[25] when -he was placed upon the throne; and, at his inauguration, took the name -of Lebna Denghel, or the Virgin’s Frankincense; then that of Etana -Denghel, or the Myrrh of the Virgin; and after that, of Wanag Segued, -which signifies Reverenced, or Feared, among the Lions, with whom, -towards the last of his reign, he resided in wilds and mountains more -than with men. - -During this minority, there was peace with Mahomet king of Adel. -Maffudi still continued his depredations; and, by his liberality, had -formed strong connections with the Turks in Arabia. In return for the -number of slaves whom he had sent to Mecca, a green silk standard, -(that of Mahomet and of the Faith), and a tent of black velvet, -embroidered with gold, were sent him by the Sherriffe, the greatest -honour a Mahometan could possibly receive, and he was also made Shekh -of the island of Zeyla, which was delivering the key of Abyssinia to -him. - -It was not till David had arrived at sixteen years of age that the -constant success of Maffudi, the honours bestowed upon him, and the -gain which accrued from all his expeditions, had at last determined -the king of Adel to break the peace with Abyssinia, and join him. -These princes, with the whole Mahometan force, had fallen together -upon Dawaro, Ifat, and Fatigar; and, in one year, had driven away, -and slain, above nineteen thousand Christians, subjects to the king. -A terror was now spread over the whole kingdom, and great blame laid -both upon the empress and the king, for sitting and looking timidly on, -while the Turks and Moors, year after year, ravaged whole provinces -without resistance. - -These murmurs at last roused David, who, for his own part, had not -suffered them willingly so long. He determined immediately to raise an -army, and to command it in person: In vain the empress admonished him -of his danger, and his absolute want of experience in matters of war; -in vain she advised him to employ some of the old officers against the -veteran Moorish troops. - -The king answered, That every officer of merit had been tried already, -and baffled from beginning to end, so that the army had no confidence -in them; that he was resolved to take his trial as the others had done, -and leave the event where it ought to be left. Though the diviners all -prophesied ill from this resolution of the king, the generality of the -kingdom, and young nobility, flocked to his standard, rejoicing in a -leader so near their own age. The middle-aged had great hopes of the -vigour of that youth; and the old were not more backward, satisfied of -the weight their years and experience must give them in the councils of -a young king. - -Seldom a better army took the field; and the empress, from her own -treasures, furnished every thing, even to superfluity, engaging all -the people of consequence by giving them in the most affable manner, -presents in hand, and magnificent promises of recompence hereafter. -Great as these preparations were, they had not made much impression -among the confederates in Adel; and already the king had put himself at -the head of his army, before the Moors seemed to think it worth their -while to follow him. They were, indeed, at that very time, laying waste -a part of the kingdom of Abyssinia. The king, then, by quick marches, -advanced through Fatigar, as if he was going to Aussa, the capital of -Adel. - -Between Fatigar and the plain country of Adel there is a deep large -valley, through which it was necessary the army should pass. Very steep -mountains bound it on every side, whilst two openings (each of them -very narrow) were the only passages by which it was possible to enter -or go out. The king divided his army into two; he kept the best troops -and largest body with himself, and sent Betwudet with the rest, as if -they intended to fight the enemy before they gained the defiles. The -Moors, on the other hand, terrified at what must happen if the king -with his army marched into their defenceless country, accounted it a -great escape to get into these very defiles before they were forced -to an engagement. Betwudet, who desired no more, gave them their way, -and, entering the valley behind them, encamped there. The king, at the -other end, had done the same, unseen by the enemy, who thought he was -advanced on his march to Aussa. The Moors were thus completely hemmed -in, and the king’s army vastly superior. He had ordered his tents to -be left standing, with a body of troops in them, and these completely -covered the only outlet to the valley, whilst Betwudet and his party -had advanced considerably, and made much the same disposition. - -The king drew up his troops early in the morning, and offered the -enemy battle, when the whole Abyssinian army was surprised to discover -a backwardness in the Moors so unlike their behaviour at former -times; well they might, when they were informed from whom that panic -among the Moors came. Maffudi, a fanatic from the beginning, whether -really deceived by such a prophecy, or raised to a pitch of pride -and enthusiasm by the honours he had received, and desirous, by a -remarkable death, to deserve the rank of martyr among those of his own -religion, or from whatever cause it arose, came to the king of Adel, -and told him, that his time was now come; that it had been prophesied -to him long ago, that if, that year, he fought the king of Abyssinia in -person, he was there to lose his life: That he knew, for certain, David -was then present, having, with his own eyes, seen the scarlet tent, -(a colour which is only used by the king); he desired, therefore, the -king of Adel to make the best of his way through a less steep part of -the mountain, which he shewed him; to take his family and favourites -along with him, and leave under his command the army to try their -fortune with David. Mahomet, at no time very fond of fighting, never -found himself less so than upon this advice of Maffudi’s. He resolved, -therefore, to follow his council; and, before the battle began, -withdrew himself through the place that was shewn him, and was followed -by a few of his friends. - -It was now 9 o’clock, and the sun began to be hot, before which the -Abyssinians never choose to engage, when Maffudi, judging the king of -Adel was beyond danger, sent a trumpet to the Abyssinian camp, with a -challenge to any man of rank in the army to fight him in single combat, -under condition that the victory should be accounted to belong to that -army whose champion was victorious, and that, thereupon, both parties -should withdraw their troops without further bloodshed. It does not -appear whether the conditions were agreed to, but the challenge was -accepted as soon as offered. Gabriel Andreas the monk, who, in the -reign of Naod, had, by the king’s order, lost a part of his tongue -for giving it too much licence, offered himself first to the king, -beseeching him to trust to him that day, his own honour, and the -fortune of the army. The king consented without hesitation, with the -general applause of all the nobility; for Andreas, though a monk, was -a man of great family and distinction; the most learned of the court; -liberal, rich, affable, and remarkable for facetious conversation; -he was, besides, a good soldier, of tried skill and valour, and, in -strength and activity, surpassed by no man in the army. - -Maffudi was not backward to present himself; nor was the combat longer -than might be expected from two such willing champions. Gabriel -Andreas, seeing his opportunity, with a two-handed sword struck Maffudi -between the lower part of the neck and the shoulder, so violently, that -he nearly divided his body into two, and felled him dead to the ground. -He then cut his head off, and threw it at the king’s feet, saying, -“There is the Goliath of the Infidels.” - -This expression became instantly the word of battle, or signal to -charge. The king, at the head of his troops, rushed upon the Moorish -army, and, throwing them into disorder, drove them back upon Betwudet, -who, with his fresh troops, forced them again back to the king. -Seeing no hopes of relief, they dispersed to the mountains, and were -slaughtered, and hunted like wild beasts by the peasants, or driven -to perish with thirst and hunger. About 12,000 of the Mahometan army -are said to have been slain upon the field, with no very considerable -loss on the side of the conquerors. The green standard of Mahomet was -taken, as also the black velvet tent embroidered with gold; which -last, we shall see, the king gave to the Portuguese ambassador some -time afterwards, to consecrate and say mass in. A vast number of -cattle was taken, and with them much rich merchandise of the Indies. -Nor did the king content himself with what he had got in battle. He -advanced and encamped at a place where was held the first market of -Adel[26]. The next day he proceeded to a town where was a house of the -king, and, going up to the door, and finding it locked, he struck the -door with his lance, and nobody answering, he prohibited the soldiers -from plundering it, and retired with his army home, leaving his lance -sticking in the door as a sign of his having been there, and having had -it in his power. - -Though the king was received on his return amidst the greatest -acclamations of his subjects, as the saviour of his country, the eyes -of the whole nation and army were first fixed on Andreas, whose bravery -had at last delivered them from that constant and inveterate scourge, -Maffudi. Every body pressed forward to throw flowers and green branches -in his way; the women celebrating him with songs, putting garlands on -his head, and holding out the young children to see him as he passed. -The battle was fought in the month of July 1516; and, the same day, -the island of Zeyla, in the mouth of the Red Sea, was taken, and its -town burned by the Portuguese armament, under Lopez Suarez Alberguiera. - -Neither the suspicions transmitted from India, nor the mean person of -Matthew the ambassador, seem to have made any impression upon the king -of Portugal. He received him with every sort of honour, and testified -the most profound respect for his master, and attention to the errand -he came upon. Matthew was lodged and maintained with the utmost -splendour; and, considering the great use of so powerful a friend on -the African coast of the Red Sea, where his fleets would meet with -all sort of provision and protection, while they pursued the Turkish -squadrons, he prepared an embassy on his part, and sent Matthew home on -board the fleet commanded by Lopez Suarez for India. - -Edward Galvan, a man of capacity and experience, who had filled the -offices of secretary of state and ambassador in Spain, France, and -Germany, arrived at that time of life when he might reasonably expect -to pass the rest of his days in ease, wealth, and honour, found himself -unexpectedly chosen, at the age of eighty-six, to go ambassador from -his sovereign to Abyssinia. Goez had much more reason to wonder at the -ambassador fixed upon by his master, than at that of Abyssinia sent by -the empress Helena to Portugal. The fleet under Suarez entered the Red -Sea, and anchored at the flat island of Camaran, close on the coast of -Arabia Felix, one of the most unwholesome places he could have chosen. -Here Edward Galvan died; and here Suarez, most ignorantly, resolved to -pass the winter, which he did, suffering much for want of every sort -of provision but water; whereas twenty-four hours of any wind would -have carried him to Masuah, to his journey’s end; where, if he had lost -the monsoon, he would still have had great abundance of necessaries, -and been in the way every moment of promoting the wishes of his master. - -Lopez de Segueyra succeeded the ignorant Suarez, who had returned to -India. He fitted out a strong fleet at Goa, with which he entered the -Red Sea, and sailed for the island of Masuah, where he arrived the 16th -of April 1520, having Matthew along with him. Upon the first approach -of the fleet, the inhabitants, both of the island and town, abandoned -them, and fled to Arkeeko on the main land. Segueyra having remained -before Masuah a few days without committing any hostilities, there came -at last to him a Christian and a Moor from the continent; who informed -him that the main-land, then before him, was part of the kingdom of -Abyssinia, governed by an officer called Baharnagash: they added, -that the reason of their flying at the sight of the fleet was, that -the Turks frequently made descents, and ravaged the island; but that -all the inhabitants of the continent were Christians. The Portuguese -general was very joyful on this intelligence, and began to treat -Matthew more humanely, finding how truly and exactly he had described -these places. He gave, both to the Christian and Moor that came off to -him, a rich vest; commended them for having fled to Arkeeko rather than -expose themselves to an attack from the Turks, but directed them to -assure the people on the continent, that they too were all Christians, -and under the command of the king of Abyssinia; being arrived there -purposely for his service, so that they might return, whenever they -should please, in perfect safety. - -The next day, came down to the shore the governor of Arkeeko, -accompanied with thirty horsemen, and above two hundred foot. He was -mounted on a fine horse, and dressed in a kind of shirt resembling -that of the Moors. The governor brought down four oxen, and received -in return certain pieces of silk, with which he was well pleased. A -very familiar conversation followed; the governor kindly inviting the -Portuguese general ashore, assuring him that the Baharnagash, under -whose command he was, had already intelligence of his arrival. - -In answer to his inquiries about the religion of the country, the -governor told him, that in a mountain, then in sight, twenty-four miles -distant, there was a convent called _the Monastery of Bisan_, (which -Matthew had often described in the voyage) whose monks, being informed -of his arrival, had deputed seven of their number to wait upon him, -whom the Portuguese general went to meet accordingly, and received them -in the kindest manner. - -These monks, as soon as they saw Matthew, broke out into the warmest -expressions of friendship and esteem, congratulating him with tears in -their eyes upon his long voyage and absence. The Portuguese general -then invited the monks on board his vessel, where he regaled them, and -gave to each presents that were most suitable to their austere life. On -his side, Segueyra chose seven Portuguese, with Peter Gomez Tessera, -auditor of the East Indies, who understood Arabic very well, to return -the visit of the monks, and see the monastery of Bisan. This short -journey they very happily performed. Tessera brought back a parchment -manuscript, which he received as a present from the monks, to be sent -to the king of Portugal. - -It was on the 24th of April that the Baharnagash arrived at Arkeeko, -having before sent information of his intended visit. The Portuguese -general, who never doubted but that he would come to the sea-side, -pitched his tents, and spread his carpets and cushions on the ground to -receive him. But it was signified to him from the Baharnagash, who was -probably afraid of putting himself under the guns of the fleet, that -he did not intend to advance so far, and that the governor should meet -him half way. This being agreed to on both sides, they sat down on the -grass. - -The Baharnagash began the conversation, by telling the Portuguese, -they had, in virtue of certain prophecies, been long expected in this -country; and that he, and all the officers of Abyssinia, were ready to -do them every service and kindness. After the Portuguese general had -returned a proper answer, the priests and monks concluded the interview -with certain religious services. Segueyra then made the Baharnagash -a present of a very fine suit of complete armour with some pieces of -silk; while the Baharnagash, on his side, made the return with a very -fine horse and mule. - -All doubt concerning Matthew was removed at this interview; he was -acknowledged as a genuine ambassador. The Portuguese now flocked to -Segueyra, beseeching him to choose from among his men, who should -accompany him to the court. The first step was to name Roderigo de -Lima ambassador from the king of Portugal, instead of Galvan, who was -dead; and, for his suite, George de Breu, Lopez de Gama, John Scolare -secretary to the ambassador, John Gonsalvez his factor and interpreter, -Emmanuel de Mare organist, Peter Lopez, Master John his physician, -Gaspar Pereira, and Lazarus d’Andrad a painter. The three chaplains -were John Fernandes, Peter Alphonso Mendez, and Francisco Alvarez. In -this company also went Matthew, the Abyssinian ambassador returned from -Portugal, and with him three Portuguese, one called Magailanes, the -other Alvaremgo, and the third Diego Fernandes. - -It seemed probable, the severe blow which David had given to the king -of Adel, by the total destruction of his army on the death of his -general Maffudi, would have procured a cessation of hostilities to -the Abyssinian frontiers, which they had not experienced during the -life of that general; but it appeared afterwards, that, increased in -riches and population by the great accession of power which followed -the interruption of the Indian trade in Arabia by the Turkish conquest, -far from entertaining thoughts of peace, they were rather meditating a -more formidable manner of attack, by training themselves to the use of -fire-arms and artillery, of which they had provided a quantity, and to -which the Abyssinians were as yet strangers. - -The king was encamped in Shoa, covering and keeping in awe his -Mahometan provinces, Fatigar and Dawaro; besides which he seemed to -have no object but the conquest of the Dobas, that bordered equally -upon the Moorish and Christian frontiers, and who (though generally -gained by the Mahometans) were, when occasion offered, enemies to -both. The Shum[27] of Giannamora, a small district belonging to -Abyssinia, full of brave soldiers, and considerably reinforced by David -for the very purpose, had the charge of bringing these barbarians to -subjection, as being their immediate neighbour. - -The king had afterwards advanced eastward to the frontiers of Fatigar, -but was still in the southern part of his dominions. The ambassador -and his retinue were landed on the north. They were to cross the -whole extent of the empire through woods and over mountains, the -like of which are not known in Europe, full of savage beasts, and -men more savage than the beasts themselves; intersected by large -rivers, and what was the worst circumstance, swelling every day by the -tropical rains. Frequently deserts of no considerable length, indeed, -intervened, where no sustenance was to be found for man or beast, nor -relief for accidental misfortunes. Yet such was the bravery of that -small company, that they hesitated not a moment to undertake this -enterprise. Every thing was thought easy which contributed to the glory -of their king, and the honour of their country. - -It was not long before this gallant company found need of all their -constancy and courage; for in their short journey to the convent of St -Michael (the first they attempted) they found the wood so thick that -there was scarcely passage for either man or beast. Briers and thorns, -too, of a variety of species, which they had never before seen, added -greatly to the fatigue which the thickness of the woods had occasioned. -Mountains presented themselves over mountains, broken into terrible -precipices and ravines, by violent torrents and constant storms; their -black and bare tops seemed as it were calcined by the rays of a burning -sun, and by incessant lightnings and thunder. Great numbers of wild -beasts also presented themselves everywhere in these dark forests, -and seemed only to be hindered from devouring them by their wonder -at seeing so many men in so lonely a situation. At last the woods -began to grow thinner, and some fields appeared where the people were -sitting armed, guarding their small flocks of half-starved goats and -kine, and crops of millet, of which they saw a considerable quantity -sown. The men were black, their hair very gracefully plaited, and were -altogether naked, excepting a small piece of leather that covered their -middle. At this place they were met by twelve monks, four of whom were -distinguished by their advanced years and the respect paid to them by -the others. - -Having rested their mules and camels a short time, they again began -their journey by the side of a great lake, near which was a very high -mountain, and this they were too weary to attempt to pass. Full of -discontent and despondency, they halted at the foot of this mountain, -where they passed the night, having received a cow for supper, a -present from the convent. Here Matthew (the ambassador) separated -his baggage from that of the caravan, and left it to the care of -the monks. He had probably made some little money in Portugal; and, -distrusting his reception with the king, wisely determined to place it -out of danger. The precaution, however, proved superfluous; for, a -few days after, an epidemical fever began to manifest itself, which, -in eight-and-forty hours, carried off Matthew, and soon after Pereira, -the servant of Don Roderigo; so that no opportunity now offered for an -explanation with the king about his or the empress’s promise of ceding -one-third of the kingdom to the Portuguese in case the king would send -them succour. Terrified by the fever, and the bad prospect of the -weather, they resumed their journey. - -The monastery of Bisan (to which they were now going) is so called from -the great quantity of water which is everywhere found about it. The -similitude of sound has made Poncet[28], and several other travellers, -call it the Monastery of the Vision; but Bisan (water) is its true -name, being plentifully supplied with that most valuable element. A -number of lakes and rivers are interspersed through its plains; while -abundant springs, that are never dry, flow from the top of each rock, -dashing their rills against the rugged projections of the cliffs below. - -The monastery of Bisan, properly so called, is the head of six others -in the compass of 26 miles; each convent placed like a tower on the top -of its own rock. That upon which Bisan is situated is very high, and -almost perpendicular; and from this rises another still higher than it, -which, unless to its inhabitants, is perfectly inaccessible. It is, on -every side, surrounded with wood, interspersed with fruit-trees of many -different kinds, as well of those known as of those unknown in Europe. -Oranges, citrons, and limes are in great abundance; wild peaches and -small figs of a very indifferent quality; black grapes, on loaded -branches, hang down from the barren timber round which they are twined, -and afford plentiful supply to man and beast: The fields are covered -with myrtles and many species of jessamin; with roses too of various -colours; but fragrance is denied to them all, except one sort, which is -the white one, single-leafed[29]. - -The monks of these convents were said once to be about a thousand -in number. They have a large territory, and pay a tribute in cows -and horses to the Baharnagash, who is their superior. Their horses -are esteemed good, as coming from the neighbourhood of the Arabs. -However, though I had the absolute choice of them all during the time -I commanded the king’s guard, I never could draw from that part of the -country above a score of sufficient strength and size to bear a man in -complete armour. - -I shall now leave Don Roderigo to pursue his journey towards the king -at Shoa. The history of it, and of his embassy, published at large -by Alvarez his chaplain, has not met, from the historians of his -own country, with a reception which favours the authenticity of its -narrative. There are, indeed, in the whole of it, and especially where -religion is concerned, many things very difficult of belief, which seem -to be the work of the Jesuits some years posterior to the time in which -Alvarez was in Abyssinia. Tellez condemns him, though a writer of those -times; and Damianus Goez, one of the first historians, says, that he -had seen a journal written in Alvarez’s own name, very different from -the journal that is gone forth to the public. For my part, I can only -say, that what is related of the first audience with the king, and many -of the following pages, seem to me to be fabrications of people that -never have been in Abyssinia; and, if this is the case, no imputation -can be laid against Francisco Alvarez, as, perhaps, he is not the -author of the misrepresentation in question. But, as to the cordiality -with which the Catholic religion was received by the monks and people -in general, during the long stay and bad reception Don Roderigo met -with, I have no sort of doubt that this is a falsehood, and this must -be charged directly to his account. - -We have already seen that, early as Zara Jacob’s time, the religion -of the Franks was held in the utmost detestation, and that in Bæda -Mariam’s reign the whole country was in rebellion, because the king had -directed the Virgin Mary to be painted by one Branca Leon, a Venetian -painter, then alive, and in court, when Don Roderigo de Lima was with -the king in Shoa. Iscander and Naod were both strict in the tenets of -the church of Alexandria; and two Abunas, Imaranha Christos, who lived -till Iscander’s time, and Abuna Marcus, alive in Alvarez’s, had given -no allowance for strange or foreign worship to be introduced. How the -Catholic could be so favourably and generally received in the time of -Alvarez is what I cannot conceive. Blood enough was spilt immediately -afterwards, to shew that this affection to the Roman Catholic religion, -if any such there was in Alvarez’s time, must have been merely -transitory. When, therefore, I find any thing in this journal plainly -misunderstood, I explain and vindicate it; where I see there is a fact -deliberately misrepresented, such as the celebration of the Epiphany, -I refute it from ocular demonstration. The rest of the journal I -leave _in medio_ to the judgment of my reader, who will find it at -his bookseller’s; only observing, that there can be no doubt that the -journey itself was made by Don Roderigo, and the persons named with him. - -I have preserved the several stations of these travellers in my map, -though a great part of the countries through which they passed is now -in the hands of the Galla, and is as inaccessible to Abyssinians as it -is to strangers. - -There are two particulars in Alvarez’s account of this journey which -very much surprise me. The first is, the daily and constant danger this -company was in from tigers, so daring as to present themselves within -pike-length. Of this I have taken notice in the appendix when speaking -of the hyæna. - -The other particular relates to the field of beans through which they -passed. I never yet saw this sort of grain, or pulse, in Abyssinia. -The lupine, a wild plant, somewhat similar, chiefly infects those -provinces from which the honey comes, and is regarded there with the -utmost aversion. The reason of which will be seen in the sequel. But -as these Mahometans, through whose country Don Roderigo passed, are -not indigenous, and never had any connection with the ancient state -of manners or religion of this country, it is more than probable the -cultivation of the bean is no older than the settlement of these -Mahometans here, long after the Pythagorean prejudices against that -plant were forgotten. - -It was on the 16th of April 1520 that Don Roderigo de Lima landed -in Abyssinia; and it was the 16th of October of the same year when -he arrived within sight of the king’s camp, distant about three -miles. The king had advanced, as hath been said, into Fatigar, about -twenty-five miles from the first fair in the kingdom of Adel, and -something less than two hundred from the port of Zeyla. The ambassador, -after so painful a journey, expected an immediate admission into the -king’s presence. Instead of which, a great officer, called _the Hadug -Ras_[30], which is chief or commander of the asses, was sent to carry -him three miles farther distant, where they ordered him to pitch -his tent, and five years passed in the embassy afterwards before he -procured his dismission. - -Alvarez accounts very lamely for this prodigious interval of time; and, -excepting the celebration of the Epiphany, he does not mention one -remarkable occurrence in the whole of this period. One would imagine -their stay had not been above a month, and that one conversation only -passed upon business, which I shall here set down as a specimen of the -humour the parties were in the one with the other. - -The king carried the ambassador to see the church Mecana Selassé, the -church of the Trinity, which was then repairing, where many of the -kings had been buried while the Royal family resided in Shoa. All the -churches in Abyssinia are thatched. Some of Roderigo’s own retinue, who -bore him ill-will, had put it into the king’s head how elegant this -church would be if covered with lead, a thing he certainly could have -no idea of. He asked Don Roderigo, whether the king of Portugal could -not send him as much sheet-lead as would serve to cover that church? -To which the ambassador replied, That the king of Portugal, upon bare -mentioning the thing, would send him as much sheet-lead[31] as would -cover not only that church, but all the other churches he should ever -build in Abyssinia; and, after all, the present would be but a trifling -one. - -Immediately upon this the king changed his discourse; and observed to -the ambassador, in a very serious tone of voice, “That, since they -were now upon the subject of presents, he could not help letting the -king of Portugal know, that, if ever he sent an ambassador again into -that country, he should take care to accompany him with presents of -value, for otherwise stranger ambassadors that ventured to come before -him without these were very ill received.” To which the ambassador -returned warmly, “That it was very far from being the custom of the -king of Portugal to send presents to any king upon earth; that, having -no superior, it was usual for him, only to receive them from others, -and to accept them or not, according to his royal pleasure; for it was -infinitely below him to consider what was the value of the present -itself. He then desired the king of Abyssinia might be informed, that -he, Don Roderigo, came ambassador from the general of the Indies, and -not from the king of Portugal; nevertheless, when the king of Portugal -had lately dispatched Galvan, who had died upon the road, ambassador -to his highness, he had sent with him presents to the value of 100,000 -ducats, consulting his own greatness, but not considering himself as -under any obligation to send any presents at all; and as to the many -scandalous aspersions that had been thrown upon him by mean people, -which the king had given credit to, and were made constantly part of -his discourse, he wished his highness, from the perusal of the letters -which he had brought from the general of the Indies, to learn, that the -Portuguese were not accustomed to use lying and dissimulation in their -conversations, but to tell the naked truth; to which he the ambassador -had strictly confined himself in every circumstance he had related to -his highness, if he pleased to believe him; if not, that he was very -welcome to do just whatever he thought better in his own eyes. Yet -he would, once for all, have his highness to know, that, though he -came only as ambassador from the general of the Indies, he could, as -such, have presented himself before the greatest sovereign upon earth, -without being subjected to hear such conversation as he had been daily -exposed to from his highness, which he, as a Portuguese nobleman and -a soldier, though he had been no ambassador at all, was not any way -disposed to suffer, and therefore he desired his immediate dismission.” - -Upon this the king said, “That the distinction he had shewn him was -such as he would never have met with from any of his predecessors, -having brought no present of any value.” To which the ambassador -replied in great warmth, “That he had received no distinction in this -country whatever, but only injuries and wrongs; that he should think he -became a martyr if he died in this country where he had been robbed -of every thing, except the clothes upon his back; that Matthew, who -was but a pretended ambassador, had been much otherwise treated by -the king of Portugal; but for himself he desired nothing but a speedy -dismission, having delivered his letters and done his errand: Till that -time, he should expect to be treated like a man of honour, above lying -or falsehood.” To this the king answered, “That he believed him to be -a man of honour, worth, and veracity, but that Matthew was a liar: at -the same time he wished Don Roderigo to know, that he was perfectly -informed what degree of respect and good usage Matthew had met with -from the king of Portugal’s officers and captains, but that he did not -impute this to Don Roderigo.” - -There was a rumour at court which very much alarmed the ambassador; it -was, that the king intended to detain him according to the invariable -custom and practice of his country. Two Venetians, Nicholas Branca Leon -and Thomas Gradinego, had been forcibly detained since the reign of -Bæda Mariam. But what terrified Don Roderigo still more, as a case most -similar to his, was the sight of Peter Covillan then in court, who had -been sent ambassador by John king of Portugal to Iscander, and ever -since was detained without being able to get leave to return, but was -obliged to marry and settle in the country. - -What was the emperor’s real intention is impossible now to know; -but, having resolved to send an Abyssinian ambassador to the king of -Portugal, it was necessary to dismiss Don Roderigo likewise. However, -he did not entirely abandon the whole of his design, but forcibly -detained Master John the secretary, and Lazarus d’Andrad the painter, -and obliged Don Roderigo to depart without them. Zaga Zaab, an -Abyssinian monk, who had learned the Portuguese language by waiting on -Don Roderigo during his stay in Abyssinia, was chosen for the function; -and they set out together for Masuah, plentifully furnished with every -thing necessary for the journey, and arrived safely there without -any remarkable occurrence, where they found Don Hector de Silveyra, -governor of the Indies, with his fleet, waiting to carry Don Roderigo -de Lima home. Whether the king had changed his mind or not is doubtful; -but, on the 27th of April 1526, arrived four messengers from court -with orders for Don Roderigo to return, and also to bring Don Hector -along with him. This was immediately and directly refused; but it was -left in the power of Zaga Zaab to return if he pleased, who however -declared, that, if he staid behind, he should be thrown to the lions. -He, therefore, went on board with great readiness, and they all sailed -from Masuah on the 28th of April of the year just mentioned, in their -return to India. - -These frequent intercourses with the Portuguese had given great alarm -to the Mahometan powers, though neither the king of Abyssinia, nor the -Portuguese themselves, had reaped any profit from them, or the several -fleets that had arrived at Masuah, which had really no end but to seek -the ambassador Don Roderigo. The six years spent in wrangling and -childish behaviour, both on the part of the king and the ambassador, -had an appearance of something serious between the two powers; and -what still alarmed the Moors more was, that no part of the secret had -transpired, because no scheme had really been concerted, only mere -proposals of vain and idle enterprises, without either power or will -to put them in execution. Such were the plans of a joint army, to -attack Arabia, and to conquer it down to Jerusalem. The Turks[32] were -on their progress southward in great force; they had conquered Arabia -in less than half the time Don Roderigo had spent quarrelling with -the king about pepper and mules; and a storm was ready to break in a -quarter least expected. - -In the gentle reigns of the Mamalukes, before the conquest of Egypt -and Arabia by Selim[33], a caravan constantly set out from Abyssinia -directly for Jerusalem. They had then a treaty with the Arabs. This -caravan rendezvoused at Hamazen, a small territory abounding in -provisions, about two days journey from Dobarwa, and nearly the same -from Masuah; it amounted sometimes in number to a thousand pilgrims, -ecclesiastics as well as laymen. They travelled by very easy journies, -not above six miles a-day, halting to perform divine service, and -setting up their tents early, and never beginning to travel till -towards nine in the morning. They had, hitherto, passed in perfect -safety, with drums beating and colours flying, and, in this way, -traversed the desert by the road of Suakem. - -The year after Selim had taken possession of Cairo, Abba Azerata -Christos, a monk famous for holiness, had conducted fifteen hundred -of these pilgrims with him to Jerusalem, and they had arrived without -accident; but, on their return, they had fallen in with a body of -Selim’s troops, who slew a great part of them, and forced others to -take refuge in the desert, where they perished with hunger and thirst. -In the year 1525, another caravan assembled at Hamazen, consisting of -336 friars and priests, and fifteen nuns. They set out from Hamazen on -the 12th day after leaving this place, travelling slowly; and, being -loaded with provisions and water, they were attacked by the Moors of -that district, and utterly defeated and robbed. Of the pilgrims taken -prisoners, all the old men were put to the sword, and the young were -sold for slaves; so that of 336 persons fifteen only escaped, but -three of which lived to return to Shoa at the time the ambassador was -there. This was the first vengeance the Moors to the northward had -yet taken for the alliance made with the Portuguese; and, from this -time, the communication with Cairo through the desert ceased as to the -Christians, and was carried on by Mahometans only. - -Since the time of Peter Covillan’s arrival in Abyssinia, the views of -all parties had very much changed. The Portuguese at first coveted -the friendship of Abyssinia, for the sake of obtaining through it a -communication with India. But they now became indifferent about that -intercourse, since they had settled in India itself, and found the -convenience of the passage of the Cape of Good Hope. David, freed -from his fears of the Moors of Adel, whom he had defeated, and seeing -the great power of the Turks, so much apprehended after the conquest -of Egypt, disappointed in India in all their attempts against the -Portuguese settlements there; being, moreover, displeased with the -abrupt behaviour of the ambassador Don Roderigo, and the promises the -empress Helena had made by Matthew without his knowledge, he wished -no further connection with the Portuguese, for whose assistance, he -thought, he should have no use. - -Selim, whose first object was the conquest of India, had met there so -rude a reception that he began to despair of further success in his -undertaking; but, having conquered Arabia on one side of the Red Sea, -he was desirous of extending his dominions to the other also, and -for three reasons: The first was, that the safety of the holy place -of Mecca would be much endangered should a Portuguese army and fleet -rendezvous in Abyssinia, and be joined by an army there. The second, -that his ships and gallies could not be in security at the bottom of -the Gulf, should the Portuguese obtain leave to fortify any island -or harbour belonging to the Abyssinians. The third, that the king of -Abyssinia being, as he was taught to believe, the prince whom the -prophet Mahomet had honoured with his correspondence, he thought it -a duty incumbent upon him to convert this prince and kingdom to the -Mahometan religion by the sword, a method allowable in no religion but -that of Mahomet and of Rome. - -The ancient and feeble arms of lances and bows, carried by half-naked -peasants assembled in haste and at random for an occasion, were now -laid aside. In place of these, Selim had left garrisons of veteran -troops in all the sea-coast towns of Arabia, exercised in fire-arms, -and furnished with large trains of artillery, supported by a large -fleet which, though destined against the Portuguese in India, and -constantly beat by them, never failed, both going and coming, to -reinforce their posts in Arabia with stores and fresh soldiers. - -The empress Helena died in 1525, the year before the Portuguese embassy -ended, after having brought about an interview between the two nations, -which, by the continual disavowal of Matthew’s embassy, it is plain -that David knew not how to turn to his advantage. Soon after her death, -the king prepared to renew the war with the Moors, without having -received the least advantage from the Portuguese. But very differently -had the people of Adel employed this interval of peace. They had -strengthened themselves by the strictest friendship with the Turkish -officers in Arabia, especially with the basha of Zibit, a large trading -port nearly opposite to Masuah. A Turkish garrison was put into Zeyla; -and a Turk, with a large train of artillery, commanded in it. All was -ready against the first invasion the king was to make, and he was now -marching directly towards their country. - -The first retaliation, for the Portuguese friendship, (as we have -already observed) had been the cutting off the caravan for Jerusalem. -In revenge for this, the king had marched into Dawaro, and sent a body -of troops from that province to see what was the state of the Moorish -forces in Adel. These were no sooner arrived on the frontiers of that -kingdom, than they were met by a number of the enemy appointed to -guard those confines, and, coming to blows, the Abyssinians defeated, -and drove them into the desert parts of their own country. The king -still advanced till he met the Mahometan army, and a battle was fought -at Shimbra Coré, where the Abyssinian army was totally defeated; the -Betwudet, Hadug Ras, the governor of Amhara, Robel, governor of the -mountain of Geshen, with the greatest part of the nobility, and four -thousand men, were all slain. - -Mahomet, called Gragnè, (which signifies _left-handed_) commanded this -army. He was governor of Zeyla, and had promoted the league with the -Turkish bashas on the coast of Arabia; and, having now given the king -a check in his first enterprise, he resolved to carry on the war with -him in a way that should produce something decisive. He remained then -quiet two years at home, sent all the prisoners he had made in the -last expedition to Mecca, and to the Turkish powers on the coast, and -required from them in return the number of troops stipulated, with a -train of portable artillery, which was punctually furnished, while a -large body of janizaries crossed over and joined the Moorish army. -Mahomet led these troops straight into Fatigar, which he over-ran, as -he did the two other neighbouring provinces Ifat and Dawaro, burning -and laying waste the whole country, and driving, as was his usual -manner, immense numbers of the inhabitants, whom the sword had spared, -back with him to Adel. - -The next year, Mahomet marched from Adel directly into Dawaro, -committing the same excesses. The king, who saw in despair that total -ruin threatened his whole country, and that there were no hopes but in -a battle, met the Moorish army at Ifras, very much inferior to them in -every sort of appointment. The battle was fought 1st May 1528; the king -was defeated, and Islam Segued, his first minister, who commanded the -army that day, with many of his principal officers, were slain upon the -spot, and the Moorish army took possession of Shoa. David retreated -with his broken army into Amhara, and encamped at Hegu, thinking to -procure reinforcements during the bad weather, but Gragnè was too near -to give him time for this. He entered Amhara, destroying all before -him. The second of November he burnt the church of Mecana Selassé of -the holy sepulchre, and Atronsa Mariam; and, on the 8th of the same -month, Ganeta Georgis; on the 2d of December, Debra Agezia-beher; the -6th of the same month, St Stephen’s church; after which he returned to -Adel with his booty. - -The following year Gragnè returned in April, plundered and burnt -Warwar, and wintered there. In the year 1530 Gragnè invaded the -province of Tigré in the month of October, while the king, who had -wintered in Dembea, marched up to Woggora; thence, in December, he went -to Tsalamet, and returned to Tigré to keep the feast of the Epiphany. - -The king, next year, marched through Tzegadé, and Gragnè close followed -him, as if he had been hunting a wild beast rather than making war. -The 2d of January he burnt Abba Samuel, then went down into Mazaga -the borders of Sennaar to a conference with Muchtar, one of his -confederates, when it was resolved that they should fight the king -wherever they could meet him, and attach themselves to his person -alone. Gragnè by forced marches overtook the king upon the Nile at -Delakus, the 6th of February, and offered him battle, knowing the -proud spirit of David, that he would not refuse, however great the -disproportion was. - -The event was such as might be expected. Fortune again declared against -the king. Negadé Yasous, Acab Saat, and many others of the nobility -perished, fighting to the last, in the sight of their sovereign. In -this battle the brave monk, Andreas[34], much advanced in years, was -slain, behaving with the greatest gallantry, unwilling to survive the -ruin of his country. - -The Moors now found it unnecessary to keep together an army. They -divided into small parties, that they might more effectually and -speedily ruin the country. Part of Gragnè’s army was detached to burn -Axum; the other under Simeon continued in Amhara to watch the king’s -motions; and, while he attempted to relieve Axum, dispersed his army, -on which the town was burnt, and with it many of the richest churches -in Abyssinia, Hallelujah, Banquol, Gaso, Debra Kerbé, and many others. -And, on the 7th of April, Saul, son of Tesfo Yasous, fought another -detachment of the Moorish army, and was cut to pieces. - -The 28th year of his reign, 1536, the king crossed the Tacazzé, and had -many disastrous encounters with the people of Siré and Serawé. Tesfo -l’Oul, who commanded in this latter province for the king, surprised -a Turkish party under Adli, whom he slew, and met with the same fate -himself from Abbas, Moorish governor of Serawé, when a great many of -the principal people of that province were there slain. Galila, a large -island in the lake Tzana, was plundered, and the convent upon it burnt. -It was one of the principal places where the Abyssinians hid their -treasure, and a great booty was found there. - -In the following year, Gragnè, in a message represented to him, that -he might see he was fighting against God, exhorting him to be wise, -and make his peace in time, which he should have upon the condition of -giving him his daughter in marriage, and he would then withdraw his -army, otherwise he would never leave Abyssinia till he had reduced -it to a condition of producing nothing but grass. But the king, -nothing daunted, returned him for answer, That he was an infidel, and -a blasphemer, used as an instrument to chastise him and his people -for their many sins; that it was his duty to bear the correction -patiently; but that it would soon happen, when this just purpose was -answered, that he would be destroyed, and all those with him, as such -wicked instruments had always been; that he the king, and Abyssinia -his kingdom, would be preserved as a monument of the mercy of God, who -never entirely forsook his people, though he might chastise them. - -Indeed, the condition of the country was now such that a total -destruction seemed to be at hand; for a famine and plague, its constant -companion, raged in Abyssinia, carrying off those that the sword had -spared. - -Gideon and Judith, king and queen of the Jews, in the high country of -Samen, after having suffered much from Gragnè, had at last rebelled and -joined him; and the king, who it seems continued to shew an inclination -to the Catholic church, which he had imbibed during the embassy of Don -Roderigo, by this had occasioned many to fall off from him, he and the -court observing Easter according to the Roman kalendar, while the rest -of the clergy and kingdom continued firm to that of Alexandria. - -At this time Osman of Dawaro, Jonadab, Kefla, Yousef, and other rebel -Abyssinians, part of Ammer’s army, one of Gragnè’s generals, surprised -the king’s eldest son, Victor, going to join his father the 7th day of -March; slew him, and dispersed his army. Three days after, the king -himself came to action, with Ammer at Zaat in Waag, but he was there -again beaten, and his youngest son Menas was taken prisoner. The king -had scarce now an attendant, and, being almost alone, he took refuge -among the rocks and bushes in a high mountain called _Tsalem_, in the -district of Tsalamet. But he had not remained above a day there, when -he was followed by Joram, (rebel-master of that district) and narrowly -escaped being taken as he was crossing the Tacazzé on foot and alone; -whence he took refuge on mount Tabor, a very high mountain in Siré, and -there he passed the winter. - -The amazing spirit and constancy of the king, who alone seemed not to -forsake the cause of his kingdom, who now, without children or army, -still singly, made war for the liberty of his country, astonished all -Abyssinia as well friends as enemies. Every veteran soldier, therefore, -that could escape the small parties of the Moors which surrounded the -king, joined him at Tabor, and he was again at the head of a very -small, but brave body of troops, though it was scarcely known in what -part of the kingdom he was hid. When Achmet-eddin, lieutenant of Ammer, -passed through Siré, loaded with the spoils of the churches and towns -he had plundered, the king, finding him within his reach, descended -from the mountain, and, by a sudden march, surprised and slew him with -his own hand, leaving the greatest part of his army dead on the field. -After which he distributed the booty among his small army. - -Ammer, the king’s mortal enemy, who had taken upon himself the -destruction of the royal family, descended into the province of Siré, -and neighbourhood of Tabor, and there indulged himself in the most -wanton cruelties, torturing and murdering the priests, burning churches -and villages, hoping by this the king would lose his temper, and leave -his strong-hold in the mountain. But hearing at the same time, that a -large quantity of plate, and other treasure, belonging to the church -Debra Kerbé, had been carried into an island in the lake Tzana for -safety, he left the king, and seized his booty in the lake to a very -great amount. - -However, he there fell ill of a fever; but, on his return, was so -far advanced in his recovery as to resume his schemes of destroying -the king; when, the night of the 10th of February 1538, while he was -sleeping in bed in his tent, a common soldier, from what quarrel or -cause is not known, went secretly and stabbed him several times in the -belly with a two-edged knife, so that he died instantly, to David’s -great relief, and much to the safety of the whole kingdom. - -It was now 12 years since Don Roderigo de Lima had sailed from Masuah, -carrying with him Zaga Zaab ambassador from the king of Abyssinia. -This embassy arrived safe in Lisbon, and was received with great -magnificence by king John; but, as the circumstances of the kingdom -when he left Masuah were really flourishing, and as the treatment he -met in Portugal was better than he had, probably, ever experienced at -home, he seems to have been in no haste to put an end to this embassy. -On the other side, the king of Portugal’s affairs in India were arrived -at that degree of prosperity and power, that little use remained for -such an ally as the king of Abyssinia. - -The Moorish trade and navigation to India had already received a fatal -blow, as well from the Portuguese themselves, as from the fall of the -Mamalukes in Egypt; and Soliman, and his servant Sinan Basha, by their -conquest, and introducing soldiers who had not any idea or talent for -trade, but only plunder and rapine, had given a finishing stroke to -what the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope began. The filling Arabia -with fire-arms and Turks was now of consequence to none but to David; -and of such a consequence it had been, that, as we have seen, in the -course of 12 years it had left him nothing in Abyssinia but the bare -name of king, and a life so precarious that it could not be counted -upon from one day’s end to the other. - -David had detained in Abyssinia two Portuguese, one called Master John, -the other Lazarus d’Andrad a painter, being two of Don Roderigo’s train -that came from the Indies with him. The Abuna (Mark) was become old and -incapable, and, since the Turkish conquest of Egypt, very indifferent -to, and unconnected with, what passed at Cairo. Before he died, at the -king’s desire he had appointed John his successor, and accordingly -ordained him Abuna, as well as having first given him all the inferior -orders at once; for John was a layman and student in physic; a very -simple creature, but a great bigot; and we shall from henceforward call -him John Bermudes. - -John very willingly consented to his ordination, provided the pope -approved of it; and he set out for Rome, not by the usual way of -India, but through Arabia and Egypt; and, arriving there without -accident, was confirmed by Paul III. the then pope, not only as -patriarch of Abyssinia, but of Alexandria likewise; to which he added, -as Bermudes says, the most unintelligible and incomprehensible title -of Patriarch of the Sea. Bermudes, to this variety of charges, had -this other added to him, of ambassador from King David to the court -of Portugal; and for this he was certainly very fit, however he might -be for his ecclesiastical dignities; for he had been now 12 years in -Abyssinia, knew the country well, and had been witness of the variety -of distresses which, following close one upon another, had brought this -country to its then state of ruin. - -While these things passed in the north of Abyssinia, a terrible -catastrophe happened in the south. A Mahometan chief, called Vizir -Mudgid, governor of Arar, having an opportunity from his situation to -hear of the riches which were daily carried from churches, and other -places, for safety into the mountain of Geshen, took a resolution to -attempt that natural fortress, though in itself almost impregnable, and -strengthened by an army constantly encamped at the foot of it. - -When Mudgid arrived near the mountain he found it was forsaken by the -troops destined to guard it; and led by a Mahometan, who was a menial -servant to the princes above, he ascended with his troops without -opposition, putting all the royal family that were prisoners, and -indeed every individual of either sex resident there, indiscriminately -to the sword. - -The measure of David’s misfortunes seems to have been now full, and he -died accordingly this very year 1540. - -It will be necessary here to remind the reader, that Alvarez, the -chaplain and historian of the first Portuguese embassy, was (as he -said) on his return appointed by king David to make his submission -to the pope. Leaving Zaga Zaab, therefore, in Portugal, he proceeded -to Bologna, where the emperor Charles V. was then in person, before -whom and the pope himself he delivered his credentials framed by Peter -Covillan, and afterwards, in a long speech, the reasons of his embassy. - -The pope received this submission of David with infinite pleasure, -at a time when so many kingdoms in the west were revolting from his -supremacy. He considered it as a thing of the greatest moment to be -courted before the emperor by so powerful a prince in Africa. But as -for the emperor himself, though he was then preparing for an expedition -against the Mahometans, and though it was his favourite war, he seems -to have been perfectly indifferent either to the embassy itself, or -to the person that sent it; a great proof that he believed there was -nothing real in it. - -Many other people have doubted whether this embassy, or that of -John Bermudes, actually came from the Abyssinian court, as the king -would scarcely have abandoned the form of the Alexandrian church in -which he had been brought up by Abuna Mark, then alive. Abuna Mark, -moreover, could scarcely be believed to have promoted embassies which -were intended to strike at the root of his own religion, and the -patriarchal power with which he was endowed. - -But to this it is easily answered, That the Abyssinian historian of -David’s reign, through the whole course of it, readily admits his -constant attachment to the see of Rome. He gives a striking example -of it during the war with Gragnè, when the king celebrated Easter -after the manner of the Roman Catholics, though it was to have this -certain effect of dividing his kingdom, and alienating the minds of -his subjects, of whose assistance he was then in the utmost need. -And as for the Abuna, we are to consider that Cairo had been taken, -and the government, which Abuna Mark owned for the lawful one, had -been overturned by the Turks who then possessed it, and were actually -persecuting the Alexandrian church. - -The Abuna, then, and the king also, had the same reason for not -applying to Cairo, the seat of the Turks their enemies; and, therefore, -they more readily accommodated matters with a people from whom only -their assistance could come; and without whom, it was probable, that -both the Christian religion and civil government of Abyssinia would -fall together. - -It has been said of this king by the European writers who have touched -upon the history of his reign, that he was a prince who had began it in -the most promising manner, but after the death of the empress Helena, -he had abandoned himself to all sort of debauchery, and especially that -of women; insomuch, as Mr Ludolf says, he suffered his concubines to -have idols in his palace. This I take to be a calumny copied from the -Portuguese priests, who never forgave him the denial of his writing -the letters by Matthew, in which it was said he gave the Portuguese, -or rather king of Portugal, one-third of the kingdom; for he succeeded -to the crown at 11 years of age, defeated and slew Maffudi when he -was about sixteen; and, when Don Roderigo and the Portuguese embassy -were with him, he was then something more than twenty, a very devout, -prudent prince, according to the account Alvarez, an eye-witness, gives -of him; and all this time empress Helena was alive. - -Again, the very year after the Portuguese embassy left Abyssinia, -that is, in the year 1526, the king was defeated by the Moors, and, -from that time to his death, was hunted about the country like a wild -beast, from rock to rock, very often alone, and at all times slenderly -attended, till he died, in 1540, at the age of 46; so there is no -period during his life in which this calumny can be justly fixed upon -him. - -As for the idolatry he is accused of suffering in his palace among his -Pagan mistresses, I cannot recollect any place in the adjoining nations -from which he could have brought these idolatrous rites or mistresses. -The Pagan countries around him profess a remnant of ill-understood -Sabaism, worshipping the stars, the moon, and the wind; but I do not, -as I say, recollect any of these bordering on Abyssinia who worship -idols. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CLAUDIUS, OR ATZENAF SEGUED. - -From 1540 to 1559. - - _Prosperous Beginning of Claudius’s Reign--Christopher de Gama - lands in Abyssinia--Prevented by the rainy Season from joining - the King--Battle of Ainal--Battle of Offalo--Christopher - de Gama slain--Battle of Isaac’s Bet--Moors defeated, and - their General slain--Abyssinian Army defeated--Claudius - slain--Remarkable Behaviour of Nur, Governor of Zeyla, General - of the Moors._ - - -Claudius succeeded his father David III. being yet young, and found the -empire in circumstances that would have required an old and experienced -prince. But, though young, he possessed those graceful and affable -manners which, at first sight, attached people of all sorts to him. -He had been tutored with great care by the empress Helena, was expert -in all warlike exercises, and brave beyond his years.--So say the -Abyssinian annals; and though I have not thought myself warranted to -depart from the letter of the context, yet it is my duty to the reader -to shew him how this could not be. - -Claudius was born about the 1522; the empress Helena died in 1525. From -this it is plain, the first three years of his life was all that he -could be under the tutelege of the empress Helena; and, at so early -a period, it is not possible he could receive much advantage. The -princess, to whom he was indebted for his education, was Sabel Wenghel, -celebrated in the Abyssinian history for wisdom and courage equal to -the empress Helena herself. She was relict of David. We shall hereafter -see her called Helena likewise upon another occasion; but the reader is -desired to have in mind, that this confusion of persons is owing only -to that of names to be met with almost in every reign in the Abyssinian -history. - -Claudius is said likewise in these annals to have been a child at -the time of his accession; but, having been born in the 1522, and -succeeding to the throne in 1540, he must have been eighteen years of -age; and this cannot be called childhood, especially in Abyssinia, -unless, as I have before said, this observation of age was relative to -the arduous task he had in hand, by succeeding to a kingdom arrived at -the very eve of perdition. - -The Moors, notwithstanding the constant success they had against David, -still feared the consequences of his long experience and undaunted -resolution in the most adverse fortune. They were happy, therefore, -in the change of such an enemy, however unfortunate, for a young man -scarcely yet out of the influence of female government, which had -always been favourable to them, and their religion. - -A general league was formed without delay among all the Mahometan -chiefs to surround Claudius, and fall upon him before he was in a -situation to defend himself, and by one stroke to put an end to the -war. They accordingly set about collecting troops from all quarters, -but with a degree of inattention and presumption that sufficiently -shewed they thought themselves in no danger. But the young king having -good intelligence that vizir Asa, Osman, Debra Yasous, and Joram, -(who had so nearly taken his father prisoner in the mountain Tsalem) -had their quarters near him, and neglected a good look-out, fell upon -them, without their knowing what his force was, entirely defeated them, -dispersed their army, and struck a panic into the whole confederacy by -the manner this victory was followed up; the king himself on horseback -continued the pursuit all that day and night, as also the next day, and -did not return to his camp till the second evening after his victory, -having slain without mercy every one that had fallen into his hands, -either in the flight, or in the field of battle. - -Claudius’s behaviour, on this first occasion, raised the soldiers -confidence to a degree of enthusiasm. Every man that had served under -his father repaired to him with the greatest alacrity. Above all, the -Agows of Lasta came down to him in great troops from their rugged and -inaccessible mountains, the chief of that warlike nation being related -to him by his mother. - -The king in person at the head of his army became now an object of -such consideration as to make the Mahometan chiefs no longer retire -as usual to winter in Adel, but canton themselves in the several -districts they had conquered in Abyssinia, and lay aside the thoughts -of farther wasting the country, to defend themselves against so active -and spirited an assailant. They agreed then to join their whole forces -together, and march to force the king to a battle. Osman of Ganzé, -vizir Mudgid who had settled in Amhara, Saber-eddin[35], and all the -lesser rebel officers of Siré and Serawé, effected a junction about -the same time without opposition. Jonathan alone, a rebel of great -experience, had not yet appeared with his troops. The king, on the -other hand, did not seem over anxious to come to an engagement, though -his army was every day ready for battle; and his ground was always -taken with advantage, so that it was almost desperate to pretend to -force him. - -Jonathan at last was on his way to join the confederates; but the king -had as early intelligence of his motions as his friends: and, while -he was yet two days march distant from the camp, the king, leaving -his tents standing and his fires lighted, by a forced march in the -night came upon him, (while he thought him blocked up by his rebel -associates at a distance) and, finding Jonathan without preparation or -defence, cut his whole army to pieces, slew him, and then returned to -his own tents as rapidly as he went, having ordered small detachments -to continue in the way between him and his camp, patroling lest some -ambush should be laid for him by the enemy, who, if they had been -informed of his march, though they were too late to prevent the success -of it, might still have attempted to revenge it. - -But intelligence was now given to the Moors with much less punctuality -and alacrity than formerly. So generally did the king possess the -affections of the country-people, that no information came to the -confederate army till the next day after his return, when, early in the -morning, he dispatched one of the Moorish prisoners that he had taken -three days before, and spared for the purpose, carrying with him the -head of Jonathan, and a full account of the havock to which he had been -a witness. - -This messenger bore also the king’s defiance to the Moors, whom he -challenged, under the odious epithets they deserved, to meet him; and -then actually to shew he was in earnest, marched towards them with his -army, which he formed in order of battle. But tho’ they stood under -arms for a considerable time, whilst several invitations to single -combat were sent from the Christian horsemen, as their custom is, -before they engage, or when their camps are near each other, yet the -Moors were so astonished at what had happened, and what they saw now -before them, that not one officer would advise the risking a battle, -nor any one soldier accept of the challenge offered. The king then -returned to his camp, distributed the whole booty among his soldiers, -and refreshed them, preserving a proper station to cover the wounded, -whom he sent off to places of security. - -The king was in the country of Samen in the neighbourhood of Lasta. -He then decamped and passed the river Tacazzé, that he might be -nearer those districts of which the Turks had possessed themselves. -In this march all sorts of people joined the victorious army. Those -that had revolted, and many that had apostatized, came without fear -and surrendered themselves, trusting to the clemency of the prince. -Many of the Moors, natives of Abyssinia, did the same, after having -experienced the difference between the mild Christian government, and -that of their new masters, the Moors and Turks of Adel. - -The king encamped at Sard, there to pass his Easter; and, as is usual -in the great festivals, many of the nobility obtained leave to attend -the religious offices of the season at home with their families. Ammer, -governor of Ganzé, who knew the custom of the country, thought this -was the time to surprise the king thinly attended; and it might have -succeeded, if intelligence of the enemy’s designs had not been received -almost as soon as they were formed. Claudius, therefore, drawing -together some of the best of his forces, placed himself in ambush in -Ammer’s, way, who, not suspecting, fell into it with his army, which -was totally destroyed on the 24th of April 1541. After which the king -left his own quarter at Sard and came to Shume. - -While things were taking this favourable turn in Abyssinia, the -ambassador, John Bermudes, had passed from Rome to Lisbon, where he -was acknowledged by the king as patriarch of Alexandria, Abyssinia, -and, as he will have it, of the Sea. The first thing he did was to give -the Portuguese a sample of Abyssinian discipline, by putting Zaga Zaab -in irons for having wasted so much time without effecting any of the -purposes of his embassy; but, by the interposition of the king, he was -set at liberty in a few days. Bermudes then fell roundly to the subject -of his embassy, and drew such a picture of the distresses of Abyssinia, -and insisted in his own blunt way so violently with the king of -Portugal, and the nobility in general, that he procured an order from -the king for Don Garcia de Noronha, who was then going out viceroy of -the Indies, to send 400 Portuguese musqueteers from India to the relief -of Abyssinia, and to land them at Masuah. - -John Bermudes, to secure the assistance promised, resolved to embark -in the same fleet with Don Garcia; but he fell sick, from poison given -him, as he apprehends, by Zaga Zaab, and this delayed his embarkation a -year. The next year, being recovered of his illness, he arrived safely -at India. In the interim Don Garcia died, and Don Stephen de Gama, who -succeeded him, did not embrace the scheme of the intended succour with -such eagerness as Bermudes could have wished. - -After some delay, however, it was resolved that Don Stephen should -himself undertake an expedition from India, to burn the Turkish gallies -that were at Suez. In this, however, Don Stephen was disappointed. -Upon intelligence of the intended visit, the Turkish gallies had been -all drawn ashore. He came after this to the port of Masuah, where -the fleet intended to water; and, for that purpose, their boats were -sent to Arkeeko, a small town and fortress upon the main-land, where -good water may be found. But the Moors and Turks from Zeyla and Adel -were now masters there, who took the 1000 webs of cotton-cloth the -captain had sent to exchange for water and provisions, and sent him -word back, that his master, the king of Adel, was now king of all -Ethiopia, and would not suffer any further trade to be carried on, but -through his subjects; if, therefore, the captain of the fleet would -make peace with him, he should restore the cotton-webs which had been -taken, supply him plentifully with provisions, and make amends for the -sixty Portuguese slain on the coast near Zeyla: For, upon the fleet’s -entering the Red Sea, this number of Portuguese had run away with a -boat; and, landing in the kingdom of Adel, where they could procure -no water, they were decoyed to give up their arms, and were then all -massacred. - -The captain, Don Stephen, saw the trap laid for him by the Moors, and, -resolving to pay them in their own coin, he returned this answer to -their message, “That he was very willing to trade with the Moorish -officer, but did not demand restitution of the clothes, as they were -taken in fair war. As for the sixty Portuguese, they had met the death -they deserved, as being traitors and deserters: That he now sent a -thousand more clothes, desiring water and provisions, especially live -cattle; and that, as it was now the time of their festival, he would -treat with them for peace, and bring his goods ashore as soon as the -holidays were over.” - -This being agreed to on both sides, with equal bad faith and intention -towards each other, and Don Stephen having obtained his refreshments, -he strictly forbade any further communication with the shore. He then -selected a body of six hundred men, the command of whom he gave to -Martin Correa, who, in light boats, without shewing any fire, landed -undiscovered below Arkeeko, and took possession of the entrances to -the town, putting all that they met to the sword. Nur, governor of -the province for the king of Adel, fled as soon as he had heard the -Portuguese were in the town: He was already in the fields, when Martin -Correa shot him with a musquet, and cut off his head, which was -sent before them to the queen, Sabel Wenghel, then in a strong-hold -of the province of Tigré, and with her Degdeasmati (which, in common -discourse, is called _Kasmati_) Robel. This was the person of that name -who had met Don Roderigo in his journey to find the king, and who was -now governor of the province. The queen received the Moorish general’s -head with great demonstrations of joy, considering it as an early -pledge of future victories. - -In the mean time, Don Stephen de Gama, captain of the fleet, began to -inrol the men destined to march to join Claudius. Four hundred and -fifty musqueteers was the number granted by the king to Bermudes; but -an ardent desire of glory had seized all the Portuguese, and every -one strove to be in the nomination for that enterprise. All that Don -Stephen could do was to choose men of the first rank for the officers; -and these, of necessity, having many servants whom they carried with -them, greatly, by this means, encreased the number beyond the 450. Don -Christopher de Gama, Don Stephen’s youngest brother, a nobleman of -great hopes, was chosen to command this small army of heroes. - -A very great murmuring, nevertheless, prevailed among those that -were refused, which was scarcely kept in due bounds by the presence -and authority of the governor Don Stephen himself. And from this -honourable emulation, and the discontent these brave soldiers who were -left behind shewed, the bay where the galley rode in the harbour of -Masuah, on board which this council was held, is called to this day -_Bahia dos Agravados_, the Bay of Wronged, or Injured People, sometimes -misinterpreted the Bay _of the Sick_. - -The army under Don Christopher marched to Arkeeko, where the next day -came the governor Don Stephen, and the principal officers of the fleet, -and took leave of their countrymen; and, after receiving the blessing -of Don John Bermudes, _Patriarch of the Sea_, the governor and rest of -the Portuguese embarked, and returned to India. - -Don Christopher, with the greatest intrepidity, began his march towards -Dobarwa, the easiest entrance into Abyssinia, though still over rugged -and almost inaccessible mountains. The Baharnagash had orders to attend -him, and furnish this little army with cattle both for their provision -and carriages; and this he actually performed. But the carriages of the -small train of artillery giving way in this bad road, and there being -nobody at hand to assist them with fresh ones in case the old failed, -Gama made certain carriages of wood after the pattern of those they -had brought from Portugal; and, as iron was a very scarce commodity in -Abyssinia, he made them split in pieces some barrels of old and useless -firelocks for the wheels with which they were to draw their artillery. - -The queen, without delay, came forward to join Don Christopher; -who, hearing she was at hand, went to meet her a league from the -city with drums beating and colours flying, and saluted her with a -general discharge of fire-arms, which terrified her much. Her two -sisters accompanied her, and a number of attendants of both sexes. Don -Christopher, at the head of his soldiers, paid his compliments with -equal gallantry and respect. The queen was covered from head to foot, -but lifted up her veil, so that her face could be seen by him; and he, -on the other hand, appointed a hundred musqueteers for her guard; and -thus they returned to Dobarwa mutually satisfied with this their first -interview. - -Don Christopher marched from Dobarwa eight days through a very rugged -country, endeavouring, if possible, to bring about a junction with the -king. And it was in this place, while he was encamped, that he received -a message from the Moorish general, full of opprobrious expressions, -which was answered in much the same manner. Don Christopher continued -his march as much as he could on account of the rains; and Gragnè, -whose greatest desire was to prevent the junction, followed him into -Tigré. Neither army desired to avoid the other, and they were both -marching to the same point; so that on the 25th of March 1542, they -came in sight of each other at Ainal, a small village in the country of -the Baharnagash. - -The Moorish army consisted of 1000 horsemen, 5000 foot, 50 Turkish -musqueteers, and a few pieces of artillery. Don Christopher, besides -his 450 musqueteers, had about 12,000 Abyssinians, mostly foot, with -a few bad horse commanded by the Baharnagash, and Robel governor of -Tigré. Don Christopher, whose principal view was a junction with the -king, though he did not decline fighting, yet, like a good officer, he -chose to do it as much as possible upon his own terms; and, therefore, -as the enemy exceeded greatly in the number of horse, he posted himself -so as to make the best of his fire-arms and artillery. And well it was -that he did so, for the Abyssinians shewed the utmost terror when the -firing began on both sides. - -Gragne, mounted on a bay horse, advancing too near Don Christopher’s -line that he might see if in any part it was accessible to his cavalry, -and being known by his dress to be an officer of distinction, he was -shot at by Peter de Sa, a Portuguese marksman, who killed his horse, -and wounded the rider in the leg. This occasioned a great confusion, -and would probably have ended in a defeat of the Moors, had not the -Portuguese general also been wounded immediately after by a shot. -Don Christopher, to shew his confidence of victory, ordered his men -forthwith to pitch their tents, upon which the Moors retired with -Gragnè (whom they had mounted on another horse) without being pursued, -the Abyssinians having contented themselves with being spectators of -the battle. - -Don Christopher, with his army and the empress, now entered into -winter-quarters at Affalo; nor did Gragnè depart to any distance from -him, but took up his quarters at Zabul, in hopes always to fight the -Portuguese before it was possible for them to effect a junction with -the king. The winter passed in a mutual intercourse of correspondence -and confidence between the king and Don Christopher, and in determining -upon the best scheme to pursue the war with success. Don Christopher -and the queen were both of opinion, that, considering the small number -of Portuguese first landed, and their diminution by fighting, and a -strange climate, it was risking every thing to defer a junction till -the winter was over. - -The Moorish general was perfectly of the same opinion; therefore, -as soon as the king began his march from Dembea, Gragnè advanced to -Don Christopher’s camp, and placed himself between the Portuguese -army and that of the king, drawing up his troops before the camp, and -defying the Portuguese to march out, and fight, in the most opprobrious -language. Don Christopher, in a long catalogue of virtues which he -possessed to a very eminent degree, had not the smallest claim to -that of patience, so very necessary to those that command armies. He -was brave to a fault; rash and vehement; jealous of what he thought -military honour; and obstinate in his resolutions, which he formed in -consequence. The defiance of this barbarian, at which an old general -would have laughed, made him utterly forget the reasons he himself -frequently alledged, and the arguments used by the queen, which the -king’s approach daily strengthened, that it was risking every thing to -come to a battle till the two armies had joined. He had, however, from -no other motive but Gragnè’s insolence, formed his resolution to fight, -without waiting a junction; and accordingly the 30th of August, early -in the morning, having chosen his ground to the best advantage, he -offered battle to the Moorish army. - -Gragne, by presents sent to the basha of Zibid, had doubled his number -of horse, which now consisted of 2000. He had got likewise 100 Turkish -musqueteers, an infinite number of foot, and a train of artillery more -numerous and complete than ever had been seen before in Abyssinia. The -queen, frightened at the preparation for the battle, fled, taking with -her the Portuguese patriarch, who seemed to have as little inclination -as she had to see the issue of the day. But Don Christopher, who knew -well the bad effects this example would have, both on Abyssinians and -Portuguese, sent twenty horse, and brought them both back; telling -the patriarch it was a breach of duty he would not suffer, for him -to withdraw until he had confessed him, and given the army absolution -before the action with the Infidels. - -The battle was fought on the 30th of August with great fury and -obstinacy on both sides. The Portuguese had strewed, early in the -morning, all the front of their line with gun-powder, to which, on -the approach of the Turks, they set fire by trains, which burnt -and disabled, a great many of them; and things bore a prosperous -appearance, till the Moorish general ordered some artillery to be -pointed against the Abyssinians, who, upon hearing the first explosion, -and seeing the effect of some balls that had lighted among them, fled, -and left the Portuguese to the number only of 400, who were immediately -surrounded by the Moorish army. Nor did Gragnè pursue the fugitives, -his affair being with the Portuguese, the smallness of whose number -promised they would fall an easy and certain sacrifice. He therefore, -attacked their camp upon every side with very little success, having -lost most of his best officers, till, unfortunately, Don Christopher, -fighting and exposing himself everywhere, was singled out by a Turkish -soldier, and shot through the arm. Upon this all his men turned their -thoughts from their own preservation to that of their general, who -obstinately refused to fly, till he was by force put upon a litter, and -sent off, together with the patriarch and queen. - -Night now coming on, Don Christopher had got into a wood in which there -was a cave. There he ordered himself to be set down to have his wounds -dressed; which, being done, he was urged by the queen and patriarch to -continue his flight. But he had formed his resolution, and, without -deigning to give his reasons, he obstinately refused to retreat a step -farther. In vain the queen, and those that knew the country, told him -he was just in the tract of the Moorish horsemen, who would not fail -soon to surround him. He repeated his resolution of staying there -with such a degree of firmness, that the queen and patriarch, who had -no great desire for martyrdom, left him to his fate, which presently -overtook him. - -In one of Don Christopher’s expeditions to the mountains, he had taken -a very beautiful woman, wife to a Turkish officer, whom he had slain. -This lady had made a shew of conversion to Christianity; lived with him -afterwards, and was treated by him with the utmost tenderness. It was -said, that, after he was wounded and began to fly, this woman had given -him his route, and promised to overtake him with friends that would -carry him to a place of safety. Accordingly, some servants left by -the queen, hidden among the rocks, to watch what might befal him, and -assist him if possible, saw a woman, in the dawn of the morning, come -to the cave, and return into the wood immediately, whence there rushed -out a body of Moorish horse, who went straight to the cave and found -Don Christopher lying upon the ground sorely wounded. Upon the first -question that was asked him, he declared his name, which so overjoyed -the Moors, that they gave over further pursuit, and returned with the -prisoner they had taken. Don Christopher was brought into the presence -of the Moorish general, Gragnè, who loaded him with reproaches; to -which he replied with such a share of invectives, that the Moor, in the -violence of his passion, drew his sword and cut off his head with his -own hand. His head was sent to Constantinople, and parts of his body to -Zibid and other quarters of Arabia. - -The Portuguese camp was now taken, and all the wounded found in it -were put to death. The women, from their fear, having retired all into -Don Christopher’s tent, the Turks began to indulge themselves in their -usual excesses towards their captives, when a noble Abyssinian woman, -who had been married to a Portuguese, seeing the shocking treatment -that was awaiting them, set fire to several barrels of gun-powder that -were in the tent, and at once destroyed herself, her companions, and -those that were about to abuse them. - -The queen and the patriarch, after travelling through most difficult -ways, and being hospitably entertained whereever they passed, at last -took up their residence in the Jews mountain, a place inaccessible in -point of strength, having but one entrance, and that very difficult, -being also defended by a multitude of inhabitants who dwell on a large -plain on the top of that mountain, where there is plenty of space to -plow and sow, and a large stream of water that runs through the whole -of it. Here they staid two months, as well to repose themselves as -to give the king time to relieve them. After hearing that he was in -motion, they left the mountain of the Jews, and met him on his march -towards them. - -Claudius shewed great signs of sorrow for the death of Don Christopher, -and mourned three days. He then sent 3000 ounces of gold to be divided -among the Portuguese, who, in the place of Don Christopher, had elected -Alphonso Caldeyra for their captain. These all flocked about the king, -demanding that he would lead them to battle, that they might revenge -the death of Don Christopher. Soon after which, Alphonso Caldeyra, -exercising a horse in the field, was thrown off and died of the fall. -In his place was elected Arius Dias, a Portuguese, born at Coimbra, -whose mother was a black; he was very much favoured by the king, who -now began to cultivate particular parties among the Portuguese, in -order to divide them, and loosen their attachment for their patriarch, -religion, and country. - -The king marched from Samen to Shawada, where the Moorish army came -in full force to meet him. They were not, however, those formidable -troops that had defeated and taken Don Christopher: For the Turkish -soldiers, who were the strength of the army, expecting to have shared -a great sum each for Don Christopher’s ransom, thought themselves -exceedingly injured by the manner in which he was put to death; and -they had accordingly all to a man returned into Arabia, leaving Gragnè -to fight his own battles for his own profit. Nor was Claudius ignorant -of this; and having collected all his army he gave the Moors battle on -the 15th of November in a plain called Woggora, on the top of Lamalmon, -in which the Moors, notwithstanding their recent victory, were not long -in yielding to the superiority of the king’s troops. - -The loss of the day was not inconsiderable. Mahomet, Osman, and Talil, -three Moorish leaders, famous for their successes against David the -king’s father, were this day slain in the field. - -Claudius now descended into the low country of Derseguè, a very -plentiful province, to which the Moors always retreated to strengthen -themselves after any misfortune. This the king utterly destroyed; -while Gragnè did the same with those countries in Dembea that had been -recovered by the king. Claudius then returned to Shawada, and Gragnè to -Derseguè. After that the king marched to Wainadega, and Gragnè, leaving -Derseguè, advanced so near the king’s army, that the outposts were -nearly in sight of each other. In such a position of two such armies a -battle became inevitable. - -Accordingly, on the 10th of Feb. 1543, in the morning, the king, whose -quarters were at Isaac’s Bet, having well refreshed his army, marched -out of his camp, and offered the enemy battle. The Portuguese, ever -mindful of Don Christopher, fought with a bravery like to desperation, -and the presence of the king keeping the Abyssinians in their duty, -the van of Gragnè’s army was pushed back upon the center, and much -confusion was like to follow, till Gragnè advanced alone before them, -waving and beckoning with his hands to his men that they should follow; -and he was already come so near the Portuguese line as to be easily -known and distinguished by them. - -Peter Lyon, a man of low stature, but very active and valiant, who had -been valet-de-chambre to Don Christopher, having crept unseen along -the course of a river a considerable space nearer, to make his aim -more certain, shot Gragnè with his musquet, so that the ball went -through his body in the moment that both armies joined. Gragnè, finding -that his wound was mortal, rode aside from the pressure of the troops -towards a small thicket, and was closely followed by Peter Lyon, who -saw him fall dead from his horse; and, desirous still to do further -service in the battle, he would not incumber himself with his head, -but, cutting off one of the ears, he put it in his pocket, and returned -to the action. The Moorish army no sooner missed the presence of their -general, than concluding all lost, they fell into confusion, and were -pursued by the Portuguese and Abyssinians, with a great slaughter, till -the evening. - -The next morning, in surveying the dead, the body of Gragnè was found -by an Abyssinian officer, who cut his head off, and brought it to the -king, who received him with great honour and promise of reward. Peter -Lyon stood a silent spectator of the impudence of his competitor; but -Arius Dias, who knew the fact, desired the king’s attention; saying, at -the same time, “That he believed his majesty knew Gragnè well enough to -suppose that he would not suffer any man to cut off his ear, without -having it in his power to sever his head also; and consequently, that -the ear must be in possession of a better man than he that had brought -his head to the camp.” Upon this, Peter Lyon pulled the ear out of his -pocket, and laid it at the king’s feet, amidst the acclamations of all -present, for his bravery in revenging his old master’s death, and his -modesty in being content with having done so, without pretending to any -other reward. - -In this battle, a son of Gragnè was taken prisoner, with many other -considerable officers; and Del Wumbarea, wife of Gragnè, with Nur son -of Mudgid, and a few troops, were obliged to throw themselves, for -safety, among the wilds and woods of Atbara, thereby escaping with -great difficulty. - -The king had now ample revenge of all the Moorish leaders who had -reduced his father to such extremities, excepting Joram, who had driven -the king from his hiding-place on mount Tsalem, and forced him to cross -the Tacazzé on foot, with equal danger of being drowned or taken. This -leader had, much against his will, been detained from the last battle, -but, hoping to be still in time, was advancing by forced marches. The -king, informed of his route, detached a party of his army to meet him -before the news of the battle could reach him. They having placed them -selves in ambush, he fell into it with his army, and was cut to pieces: -this completed Claudius’s account with his father’s enemies. - -During the late war with Gragnè, the provinces of Tigré and Siré had -been the principal seat of the war. They were immediately in the way -between Dembea, Masuah, and the other Moorish posts upon the Red Sea; -the enemy had crossed them in all directions, and a proportionable -devastation had been the consequence. Gragnè had burnt Axum, and -destroyed all the churches and convents in Tigré. The king, now -delivered from this enemy, had applied seriously to repair the ravages -which had been made in the country. For this purpose he marched with a -small army towards Axum, intending afterwards an expedition against the -Galla. - -It was in the 13th year of the reign of Claudius, while he was at -Siré, that there happened a very remarkable eclipse of the sun, which -threw both court and army into great consternation. The prophets and -diviners, ignorant monks of the desert, did not let slip so favourable -an opportunity of increasing their consequence by augmenting this -panic, and declaring this eclipse to portend nothing less than the -renewal of the Moorish war. The year, however, passed in tranquillity -and peace. Two old women, relations of the king, are said to have died; -and it was in this great calamity that these diviners were to look for -the completion of their prophecies. It is from this, however, that -I have taken an opportunity to compare and rectify the dates of the -principal transactions in the Abyssinian history. Siré, where the king -then resided, was a point very favourable for this application; for, -in my journey from Masuah to Gondar, I had settled the latitude and -longitude of that town by many observations. - -On the 22d of January 1770, at night, by a medium of different passages -of stars over the meridian, and by an observation of the sun the noon -of the following day, I found the latitude to be 14° 4´ 35´´ north, and -the evening of the 23d, I observed an emersion of the first satellite -of Jupiter, and by this I concluded the longitude of Siré to be 38° 0´ -15´´ east of the meridian of Greenwich. - -The 13th year of the reign of Claudius falls to be in the 1553, and I -find that there was a remarkable eclipse of the sun that did happen -that same year on the 24th of January N. S. which answers to the 18th -of the Ethiopic month Teir. The circumstances of this eclipse were as -follow: - - _H._ _M._ _S._ - Beginning, 7 21 0 A. M. - Middle, 8 40 0 - End 10 1 0 - -The quantity of the sun’s disk obscured was 10 digits; so that this -was so near to a total eclipse, it must have made an impression on -the spectators minds that sufficiently accounts for the alarm and -apprehensions it occasioned. - -In the month of January, nothing can be more beautiful than the sky in -Siré; not a cloud appears; the sky is all of a pale azure, the colour -lighter than an European sky, and of inexpressible beauty. The manner -of applying this eclipse I shall mention hereafter. - -Eclipses of the moon do not seem to be attended to in Abyssinia. The -people are very little out in the night, insomuch that I do not find -one of these recorded throughout their history. The circumstances of -the season make even those of the sun seldomer visible than in other -climates, for in the rainy season, from April to September, the heavens -are constantly overcast with clouds, so that it is mere accident if -they can catch the moment it happens. But in the month of Teir, that -is December and January, the sky is perfectly serene and clear, and at -this time our eclipse above mentioned happened. - -The king now took into his consideration the state of the church. He -had sent for an Abuna from Cairo to succeed Abuna Marcus, and he was -now in his way to Abyssinia, while Bermudes, not able to bear this -slight, on the other hand, publicly declared to the king, that, having -been ambassador from his father, and made his submission to the Roman -pontiff, for himself and for his kingdom, he now expected that Claudius -would make good his father’s engagements, embrace the Roman Catholic -religion himself, and, without delay, proclaim it as the established -religion in Abyssinia. This the king positively refused to do, and -a conversation ensued, which is repeated by Bermudes himself, and -sufficiently shews the moderation of the young king, and the fiery, -brutal zeal of that ignorant, bigotted, ill-mannered priest. Hitherto -the Abyssinians heard the Portuguese mass with reverence and attention; -and the Portuguese frequented the Abyssinian churches with complacency. -They intermarried with each other, and the children seem to have been -christened indifferently by the priests of either church. And this -might have long continued, had it not been for the impatience of -Bermudes. - -The king, seeing the danger of connecting himself with such a man, -kept up every appearance of attachment to the Alexandrian church. Yet, -says the Abyssinian historian who writes his life, it was well known -that Claudius, in his heart, was a private, but perfect convert, to -the Romish faith, and kept only from embracing it by his hatred to -Bermudes, the constant persuasion of the empress Sabel Wenghel, and -the recollection of the misfortunes of his father. Upon being required -publicly to submit himself to the See of Rome, he declared that he had -made no such promise; that he considered Bermudes as no patriarch, -or, at best, only patriarch of the Franks; and that the Abuna of -Abyssinia was the chief priest acknowledged by him. Bermudes told him, -that he was accursed and excommunicated. Claudius answered, that he, -Bermudes, was a nestorian heretic, and worshipped four gods. Bermudes -answered plainly, that he lied; that he would take every Portuguese -from him, and return to India whence he came. The king’s answer was, -that he wished he would return to India; but as for the Portuguese, -neither they, nor any other person, should leave his kingdom without -his permission. Accordingly, having perfectly gained Arius Dias, he -gave him the name of Marcus, with the command of the Portuguese, and -sent him a standard with his own arms, to use instead of the king of -Portugal’s. But the Abyssinian page being met, on his return, with the -Portuguese standard in his hand, by James Brito, he wrested it from -him, felling him to the ground with a blow of his sword on the head. - -From expostulations with the king, the matter of religion turned into -disputes among the priests, at which the king always assisted in -person. If we suppose they were no better sustained on the part of -the Abyssinians than they were by the patriarch Bermudes, who we know -was no great divine, we cannot expect much that was edifying from the -arguments that either of them used. The Portuguese priests say[36], -that the king, struck with the ignorance of his own clergy, frequently -took the discussion upon himself, which he managed with such force -of reasoning as often to put the patriarch to a stand. From verbal -disputes, which terminated in nothing, Bermudes was resolved to appeal -to arguments in writing; and, with the help of those that were with -him of the same faith, a fair state of the differences in question was -made in a small book, and presented to the king, who read it with so -much pleasure that he kept it constantly by him. This gave very great -offence to the Abyssinian clergy; and the Abuna being now arrived, -the king desired of him liberty to read that book, which he refusing, -put the young king into so violent a passion that he called the Abuna -Mahometan and Infidel to his face. - -Things growing worse and worse between the Portuguese and Abyssinians, -by the incendiary spirit of the brutish Bermudes, from reproaches they -came to blows; and this proceeded so far, that the Portuguese one night -assaulted the king’s tent, where they slew some, and grievously wounded -others. Upon this, the king, desirous to estrange him a little from the -Portuguese, sent Bermudes to the country of the Gafats, where he gave -him large appointments, in hopes that the natural turbulence of his -temper would involve him in some difficulties. And there he staid seven -months, oppressing the poor ignorant people, and frightening them with -the noise of his fire-arms. During this period, the king went on an -expedition against the Galla; Bermudes then returned to court, where he -found that Arius Dias was dead, and a great many of the Portuguese very -well attached to the king. But he began his old work of dissention, -insomuch that the king determined to banish him to a mountain for life. - -Gaspar de Suza now commanded the Portuguese instead of Arius Dias, a -man equally beloved by his own nation and the king. By his persuasions, -and that of Kasmati Robel, the banishment to the mountain was laid -aside; but Bermudes was privately persuaded to embark for India while -it was yet time; and accordingly he repaired to Dobarwa, where he -remained two years, as it should seem, perfectly quiet, neglected, and -forlorn; saying daily mass to ten Portuguese who had settled in that -town after the defeat of Don Christopher. He then went to Masuah, and -the monsoon being favourable, he embarked on board a Portuguese vessel, -carrying with him the ten Portuguese that were settled at Dobarwa, who -all arrived safely at Goa. - -St Ignatius, founder of the Order of Jesuits, was then at Rome in -the dawn of his holiness. The conversion of Abyssinia seemed of such -consequence to him, that he resolved himself to go and be the apostle -of the kingdom. But the pope, who had conceived other hopes of him and -his Order more important and nearer at hand, absolutely refused this -offer. One of his society, Nugnez Baretto, was, however, fixed upon -for patriarch, without any notice being taken of Don John Bermudes. By -him Ignatius sent a letter addressed to Claudius, which is to be found -in the collections[37]. It does not, I think, give us any idea of the -ingenuity or invention of that great saint. It seems mostly to beg the -question, and to contain little else than texts of scripture for his -future missionaries to preach and write on, relative to the difference -of tenets of the two churches. - -With this letter, and a number of priests, Baretto came to Goa. But -news being arrived there of king Claudius’s steady aversion to the -Catholic church, it was then thought better, rather than risk the -patriarchal dignity, to send Andrew Oviedo bishop of Hierapolis, -and Melchior Carneyro bishop of Nice, with several other priests, -as ambassadors from the governor of India to Claudius, with proper -credentials. They arrived safely at Masuah in 1558, five days before -the Turkish basha came with his fleet and army, and took possession of -Masuah and Arkeeko, though these places had been occupied by the Turks -two years before. - -When the arrival of these Portuguese was intimated to Claudius, he was -exceedingly glad, as he considered them as an accession of strength. -But when, on opening the letter, he saw they were priests, he was -very much troubled, and said, that he wondered the king of Portugal -should meddle so much with his affairs; that he and his predecessors -knew no obedience due but to the chair of St Mark, or acknowledged -any other patriarch but that of Alexandria; nevertheless, continued -he with his usual goodness and moderation, since they are come so -far out of an honest concern for me, I shall not fail to send proper -persons to receive and conduct them. This he did, and the two bishops -and their companions were immediately brought to court. It was at this -time that the dispute about the two natures began, in which the king -took so considerable a part. He was strenuous, eloquent, and vehement -in the discussion; when that was ended, he still preserved his usual -moderation and kindness for the Portuguese priests. - -Nugnez died in India, and Oviedo succeeded him as patriarch to -Abyssinia, it having been so appointed by the pope from the beginning -of their mission. - -Claudius had no children; a treaty was therefore set on foot, at the -instance of the empress Sabel Wenghel, for ransoming the prince Menas -who had been taken prisoner in his father David’s time, and ever since -kept in confinement among the Moors, upon a high mountain in Adel. -The same had happened to a son of Gragnè likewise, made prisoner at -the battle of Wainadega, when his father was slain by Claudius. The -Moors settled in Abyssinia, as well as all the Abyssinian rebels who -had forsaken their allegiance or religion during the war, were to a man -violently against setting Menas at liberty, for he was the only brother -Claudius had, and a disputed succession was otherwise probable, which -was what the Moors longed for. Besides this, Menas was exceedingly -brave, of a severe and cruel temper, a mortal enemy to the Mahometans, -and at this time in the flower of his age, and perfectly fit to govern. -It was not, then, by any means, an eligible measure for those who were -naturally the objects of his hatred, to provide such an assistant and -successor to Claudius. - -Del Wumbarea thought, that, having lost her husband, to be deprived of -her son likewise, was more than fell to her share in the common cause. -She, too, had therefore applied to the basha of Masuah, who looked no -farther than to a ransom, and cared very little what prince reigned in -Abyssinia. He, therefore, undertook the management of the matter, and -declared that he would send Menas to the Grand Signior, as soon as an -answer should come from Constantinople, while Claudius protested, that -he would give up Gragnè’s son to the Portuguese, if the ransom for his -brother was not immediately agreed on. This resolution, on both sides, -quickly removed all objections. Four thousand ounces of gold were -paid to the Moors and the basha; Menas was released and sent home to -Claudius, who thereupon, in his turn, set Ali Gerad, son of Gragnè by -Del Wumbarea, at liberty, and with him Waraba Guta brother of the king -of Adel, and this finished the transaction. - -I must here observe, that what Bermudes[38] says, that Del Wumbarea was -taken prisoner and given in marriage to Arius Dias, was but a fable, -as appears both from the beginning and sequel of the narrative. Del -Wumbarea having thus obtained her son, took a very early opportunity -of shewing she had not yet forgot the father. Nur, governor of Zeyla, -son of Mudgid, who had slain the princes imprisoned upon the mountain -of Geshen, was deeply in love with this lady, and had deserved well -of her, for he had assisted her in making her escape into Atbara that -day her husband was slain. But this heroine had constantly refused -to listen to any proposals; nay, had vowed she never would give her -hand in marriage to any man till he should first bring her the head -of Claudius who had slain her husband. Nur willingly accepted the -condition, which gave him few rivals, but rather seemed to be reserved -for him, and out of the power of every one else. - -Claudius, before this, had marched towards Adel, when he received a -message from Nur, that, though Gragnè was dead, there still remained a -governor of Zeyla, whose family was chosen as a particular instrument -for shedding the blood of the Abyssinian princes; and desired him, -therefore, to be prepared, for he was speedily to set out to come to -him. Claudius had been employed in various journies through different -parts of his kingdom, repairing the churches which Gragnè and the other -Moors had burnt; and he was then rebuilding that of Debra Werk[39] -when this message of Nur was brought to him. This prince was of a -temper never to avoid a challenge; and if he did not march against Nur -immediately, he staid no longer than to complete his army as far as -possible. He then began his march for Adel, very much, as it is said, -against the advice of his friends. - -That such advice should be given, at this particular time, appears -strange; for till now he had been constantly victorious, and his -kingdom was perfectly obedient, which was not the case when any one of -the former battles had been fought. But many prophecies were current -in the camp, that the king was to be unfortunate this campaign, and -was to lose his life in it. These unfortunate rumours tended much -to discourage the army, at the same time that they seemed to have a -contrary effect on the king, and to confirm him in his resolution to -fight. The truth is, the clergy, who had seen the country delivered -by him from the Mahometans in a manner almost miraculous, and the -constancy with which he withstood the Romish patriarch, and frustrated -the designs of his father against the Alexandrian church, and who had -experienced his extreme liberality in rebuilding the churches, had -wrought his young mind to such a degree of enthusiasm that he was -often heard to say, he preferred a death in the middle of an army of -Infidels to the longest and most prosperous life that ever fell to the -lot of man. It needed not a prophet to have foretold the likely issue -of a battle in these circumstances, where the king, careless of life, -rather sought death than victory; where the number of Portuguese was so -small as to be incapable, of themselves, to effect any thing; where, -even of that number, those that were attached to the king were looked -upon as traitors by those of the party of the patriarch; and where the -Abyssinians, from their repeated quarrels and disputes, heartily hated -them all. - -The armies were drawn up and ready to engage, when the chief priest of -Debra Libanos came to the king to tell him a dream, or vision, which -warned him not to fight; but the Moors were then advancing, and the -king on horseback made no reply, but marched briskly forward to the -enemy. The cowardly Abyssinians, upon the first fire, fled, leaving the -king engaged in the middle of the Moorish army with twenty horse and -eighteen Portuguese musqueteers, who were all slain around his person; -and he himself fell, after fighting manfully, and receiving twenty -wounds. His head was cut off, and by Nur delivered to Del Wumbarea, -who directed it to be tied by the hair to the branch of a tree before -her door, that she might keep it constantly in sight. Here it remained -three years, till it was purchased from her by an Armenian merchant, -her first grief, having, it is probable, subsided upon the acquisition -of a new husband. The merchant carried the head to Antioch, and buried -it there in the sepulchre of a saint of the same name. - -Thus died king Claudius in the 19th year of his reign, who, by his -virtues and capacity, might hold a first place among any series of -kings we have known, victorious in every action he fought, except -in that one only in which he died. A great slaughter was made after -this among the routed, and many of the first nobility were slain in -endeavouring to escape; among the rest, the dreamer from Debra Libanos, -his vision, by which he knew the king’s death, not having extended so -far as to reveal his own. The Abyssinians immediately transferred the -name of this prince into their catalogue of Saints, and he is called St -Claudius in that country to this day. Though endowed with every other -virtue that entitled him to his place in the kalendar, he seems to have -wanted one--that of dying in charity with his enemies. - -This battle was fought on the 22d March 1559; and the victory gained -by Nur was a complete one. The king and most of his principal officers -were slain; great part of the army taken prisoners, the rest dispersed, -and the camp plundered; so that no Moorish general had ever returned -home with the glory that he did. But afterwards, in his behaviour, he -exhibited a spectacle more memorable, and that did him more honour -than the victory itself; for, when he drew near to Adel, he clothed -himself in poor attire like a common soldier, and bare-headed, mounted -on an ordinary mule, with an old saddle and tattered accoutrements, he -forbade the songs and praise with which it is usual to meet conquerors -in that country when returning with victory from the field. He declined -also all share in the success of that day, declaring that the whole of -it was due to God alone, to whose mercy and immediate interposition he -owed the destruction of the Christian army. - -The unworthy and unfortunate John Bermudes having arrived in Portugal -from India, continued there till his death; and, in the inscription -over his tomb, is called only _Patriarch of Alexandria_. Yet it is -clear, from the history of these times, that he was first ordained by -the old patriarch Marcus; and that the pope, Paul III. only confirmed -the ordination of this heretical schismatical prelate, though we -have stated that he was ordained by the pope, according to his own -assertion, to be patriarch of Alexandria, Abyssinia, and the Sea. -Bermudes lived many years after this, and never resigned any of his -charges. - -However, on his arrival in Europe, several supposed well-meaning -persons at Rome began to discourse among themselves, as if the -conversion of Abyssinia had not had a fair trial when trusted in the -hands of such a man as Bermudes. Scandalous stories as to his moral -character were propagated at Rome to strengthen this. He was said to -have stolen a golden cup in Abyssinia[40]; but this does not appear -to me in any shape probable, or like the manners of the man. He was -a simple, ill-bred zealot, exceedingly vain, but in no-wise coveting -riches or gain of any sort. Sebastian king of Portugal, hearing the -bad posture of the Catholic religion in Abyssinia, and the small hopes -of the conversion of that country, besought the pope to send all the -missionaries that were in that kingdom to preach the gospel in Japan: -but Oviedo stated such strong reasons in his letter to Rome, that he -was confirmed in the mission of Ethiopia. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -MENAS, or ADAMAS SEGUED. - -From 1559 to 1563. - - _Baharnagash rebels, proclaims Tascar King--Defeated by the - King--Cedes Dobarwa to the Turks, and makes a League with the - Basha of Masuah._ - - -MENAS succeeded his brother Claudius, and found his kingdom in almost -as great confusion as it had been left by his father David. His first -campaign was against Radaet the Jew. The king attacked him at his -strongest post in Samen, where he fought him with various success; and -the enterprise did not seem much advanced, when a hermit, residing -in these mountains, probably tired with the neighbourhood of such -troublesome people, came and told the king, it had been revealed to him -that the conquest of the Jews was not allotted to him, nor was their -time yet come. - -While the king seemed disposed to avail himself of the hermit’s -warning, as a decent excuse to get rid of an affair that did not -succeed to his mind, an accident happened which determined him to quit -his present undertaking. Two men, shepherds of Ebenaat in Belessen, -from what injury is not known, engaged two of the king’s servants, -who were their relations, to introduce them into Menas’s tent while -sleeping, with a design to murder him in his bed. While they were -preparing to execute their intention, one of them stumbled over the -lamp that was burning, and threw it down. The king awakening, and -challenging him with a loud voice, the assassin struck at him with his -knife, but so feebly, from the fright, that he dropt the weapon upon -the king’s cloak without hurting him. They sled immediately out of -the tent, but were taken at Ebenaat the next day, and brought back to -the king, who gave orders to the judges to try them: they were both -condemned, the one to be thrust through with lances, the other to be -stoned to death; after which, both their bodies were thrown to the dogs -and to the beasts of the field, as is practised constantly in all cases -of high-treason. - -The second year of the reign of Menas was ushered in by a conspiracy -among the principal men of his court, at the head of which was Isaac -Baharnagash, an old and tried servant of his brother Claudius. This -officer had been treated ill by Menas in the beginning of his reign; -and, knowing the prince’s violent and cruel disposition, he could not -persuade himself that he was yet in safety. - -Menas, to suppress this rebellion in its infancy, sent Zara Johannes, -an old officer, before him, with what forces he could collect in -the instant; but Isaac, informed of the bad state of that army, and -consequently of his own superiority, left him no time to strengthen -himself, but fell furiously upon him, and, with little resistance, -dispersed his army. This loss did not discourage the king; he had -assembled a very considerable force, and, desirous still to encrease -it, he was advancing slowly that he might collect the scattered remains -of the army that had been defeated. The Baharnagash, though victorious, -saw with some concern that he could not avoid the king, whose courage -and capacity, both as a soldier and a general, left him every thing to -fear for his success. - -Ever since the massacre of the princes upon mount Geshen by vizir -Mudgid, in the reign of David III. none of the remains of the royal -family had been confined as heretofore. Tascar, Menas’s nephew, was -then at liberty, and, to strengthen his cause, was proclaimed king -by the Baharnagash, soon after the defeat of Menas’s army under Zara -Johannes. He was a prince very mild and affable in his manners, in all -respects very unlike his uncle then reigning. - -It was on the 1st of July 1561, that the king attacked the Baharnagash -in the plain of Woggora; and, having entirely routed his army, Tascar -was taken prisoner, and ordered by the king his uncle to be carried -to the brink of the high rock of Lamalmon, and, having been thrown -over the steep precipice, he was dashed to pieces. Isaac himself -escaped very narrowly, flying to the frontier of his government in -the neighbourhood of Masuah. The Baharnagash comprehended distinctly -to what a dangerous situation he was now reduced. No hopes of safety -remained but in a peace with the basha. This at first appeared not -easily obtained; for, while Isaac remained in his duty in the reign of -Claudius, he had fought with the basha, and lost his brother in the -engagement. But present necessity overcame the memory of past injuries. - -Samur Basha was a man of capacity and temper; he had been in possession -of Masuah ever since the year 1558. He saw his own evident interest -in the measure, and appeared full as forward as the Baharnagash to -complete it. Isaac ceded Dobarwa to the basha, and put him into -immediate possession of it, and all the low country between that -and Masuah. By this acquisition, the Turks, before masters of -the sea-coast, became possessed of the whole of the flat country -corresponding thereto, as far as the mountains. Dobarwa is a large -trading town, situated in a country abounding with provisions of all -kinds which Masuah wanted, and it was the key of the province of Tigré -and the high land of Abyssinia. - -Menas, at his accession, had received kindly the compliments of -congratulation made by the Portuguese patriarch, Oviedo. But hearing -that he still continued to preach, and that the effect of this was -frequent divisions and animosities among the people, he called him into -his presence, and strictly commanded him to desist, which the patriarch -positively refusing, the king lost all patience, and fell violently -upon him, beating him without mercy, tearing his clothes and beard, -and taking his chalice from him, that he might prevent him from saying -mass. He then banished him to a desert mountain, together with Francis -Lopez, where for seven months he endured all manner of hardships. - -The king, in the mean time, published many rigorous proclamations -against the Portuguese. He would not permit them to marry with -Abyssinians. Those that were already married he forbade to go to the -Catholic churches with their husbands; and, having again called the -patriarch into his presence, he ordered him forthwith to leave his -kingdom upon pain of death. But Oviedo, who seems to have had an -ambition to be the proto-martyr, refused absolutely to obey these -commands. He declared that the orders of God were those he obeyed, not -the sinful ordinances of man; and, letting slip his cloak from his -shoulders, he offered his bare neck to the king to strike. This answer -and gesture so incensed Menas, that, drawing his sword, he would have -very soon put the patriarch in possession of the martyrdom he coveted, -had it not been for the interposition of the queen and officers that -stood round him. - -Oviedo, after having been again soundly beaten, was banished a second -time to the mountain; and in this sentence were included all the rest -of the Portuguese priests, as well as others. But the bishop would not -submit to this punishment, but with the Portuguese, his countrymen, -joined the Baharnagash, who had already completed his treaty with Samur -Basha. - -Isaac, before the Portuguese priests, had shewn a desire of becoming -Catholic, and of protecting, or even embracing, their religion; and -they, on their part, had assured him of a powerful and speedy succour -from India, which was just what he wanted; and with this view he had -placed himself to the greatest advantage, avoiding a battle, and -awaiting those auxiliaries, of the arrival of which the king was very -apprehensive. But the season of ships coming from India had passed -without any appearance of Portuguese, and the king was resolved to try -his fortune without expecting what another season might produce. On the -other hand, Isaac, strengthened by his league with the basha, thought -himself in a condition to take the field, rather than to lessen his -reputation by constantly declining battle. - -In these dispositions both armies met, and the confederates were again -beaten by the king, with very little loss or resistance. This battle -was fought on the 20th of April 1562. Immediately after this victory -the king marched to Shoa, and sent several detachments of his army -before him to surprise the robbers called Dobas, and drive off their -cattle. What he intended by retiring so far from his enemies, the -Baharnagash and Basha, is what we do not know. Both of them were yet -alive, but probably so weakened by their last defeat as to leave no -apprehensions of being able to molest the country by any incursions. - -The king, being advanced into the province of Ogge, was taken ill of -the Kolla, or low-country fever, and, after a few days illness, he died -there on the 13th of January 1563, leaving three sons, Sertza Denghel, -who succeeded him, Tascar, and Lesana Christos. - -Some European historians[41] have advanced that Menas was defeated and -slain in this last engagement just now mentioned. This, however, is -expressly contradicted in the annals of these times, which mention the -death of the king in the terms I have here related; nor were either of -the chiefs of the rebels, the Basha or Baharnagash, slain that day. The -rebellion still continued, Isaac having proclaimed a prince of the name -of John to be king in place of Tascar, his deceased brother. - -Menas was a prince of a very morose and violent disposition, but very -well adapted to the time in which he lived; brave in his person, active -and attentive to the affairs of government. He was sober, and an enemy -to all sorts of pleasure; frugal, and, in his dress or stile of living, -little different from any soldier in his army. - -These qualities made him feared by the great, without being beloved -by the common soldiers accustomed to the liberality and magnificence -of Claudius; and this want of popularity gave the Romish priests -an opportunity to blacken his character beyond what in truth he -deserved. Thus, they say, that he had changed his religion during his -imprisonment, and turned Mahometan, and that it was from the Moors he -learned that ferocity of manners. But to this the answer is easy, That -the manners of his own countrymen, that is of mountaineers without any -profession but war and blood, in which they had been exercised for -centuries, were, probably of themselves, much more fierce and barbarous -than any he could learn among the people of Adel, occupied from time -immemorial in commerce and the pursuit of riches, and necessarily -engaged in an honest intercourse, and practice of hospitality, with -all the various nations that traded with them. Besides, were this -otherwise, he never had any society with these Moors. Banishment to -the top of a mountain[42] would have been his fate in Abyssinia, had -he lived a few years earlier or later than he did. Yet the mountain -upon which the royal family was confined had not yet produced one of -such savage manners; and it is not probable that he was more strictly -guarded in Adel than he would have been in his own country. - -As to his religion, we can only say that he abhorred the Romish -faith, from the behaviour of those that professed it; and, that he -had abundant reason so to do, we need only appeal to their conduct in -the preceding reign, according to the accounts given by the Catholics -themselves. Let any man consider a king such as Claudius was; seated -on his throne in the midst of his courtiers and captains; cursed and -excommunicated; called heretic and liar to his face by an ignorant -peasant and stranger, such as John Bermudes; attacked in the night, and -forced to fly for his life by a body of strangers who depended upon him -for their daily bread: Next consider Menas, at his first accession, -desiring their patriarch to desist from preaching a religion that was -fatal to the quiet of his kingdom by sowing dissentions among it as it -had done in the two preceding reigns; and then figure a fanatic priest, -declaring that he would neither depart nor obey these orders; then say -what would have been done to strangers in France, Spain, or Portugal, -that had behaved in this manner to the sovereign or ministers of these -countries. Add to this, that all the Portuguese to a man appeared in -the army of a rebel subject in the last battle, supporting the cause -of a pretender to his crown. If, upon a fair review of all this, it -is any matter of surprise that he should be averse to such people and -behaviour, I am no judge of the fair feelings of man, and the duty a -prince owes to himself or posterity, his country or dignity. - -As to his inclination to the Mahometan religion, the fact is, that -he opposed it even with his sword during his whole reign, and never -swerved from his attachment to the church of Alexandria, or his -friendship and respect to the Abuna Yousef, to the end of his life, -as far as we can learn from history. And least, of all people in the -world, does it become the Roman Catholics to accuse him of being -Mahometan, because a letter is still extant to Menas from pope Paul -III[43], wherein the pope stiles him beloved _son in Christ_, and the -_most holy of priests_. - -[Illustration] - - - - -SERTZA DENGHEL, OR MELEC SEGUED. - -From 1563 to 1595. - - _King crowned at Axum--Abyssinia invaded by the Galla--Account - of that People--The king defeats the Army of Adel--Beats the - Falasha, and kills their King--Battle of the Mareb--Basha - slain, and Turks expelled from Dobarwa--King is poisoned--Names - Za Denghel his Successor._ - - -MENAS was succeeded by his son, Sertza Denghel, who took the name of -Melec Segued. He was only twelve years old when he came to the throne, -and was crowned at Axum with all the ancient ceremonies. The beginning -of his reign was marked by a mutiny of his soldiers, who, joining -themselves to some Mahometans, plundered the town, and then disbanded. -A misunderstanding also happened with Ayto Hamelmal, son to Romana -Werk, daughter of Hatzé Naod, which threatened many misfortunes in its -consequences. - -Tecla Asfadin, governor of Tigré, was ordered by the king to march -against him; and the armies fought with equal advantage. But Hamelmal -dying soon after, his party dispersed without further trouble. Fasil, -too, his cousin, who had been appointed governor of Damot, rebelled -soon after, and was defeated by the king, who this year (the fourth of -his reign) commanded his army for the first time in person, and greatly -contributed to the victory, though he was but then sixteen years of age. - -The sixth year of his reign he marched against a clan of Galla, called -Azé, whom he often beat, staying in the country two whole years. Upon -his return, he found the Baharnagash, Isaac and Harla, and other -malcontents, when a sort of a pacification followed; and having -received from the rebels considerable presents, he sat down at Dobit, a -small town in Dembea, where he passed the winter. - -All this time Oviedo and the Portuguese did not appear at court. -The king, however, did not molest the priests in their baptisms, -preachings, or any of their functions. He often spake favourably of -their moral characters, their sobriety, patience, and decency of -their lives; but he condemned decisively the whole of their religious -tenets, which he pronounced to be full of danger and contradiction, and -destructive of civil order and monarchical government. At this period -the Galla again made an irruption into Gojam. - -It is now time we should speak of this nation, which has contributed -more to weakening and reducing the Abyssinian empire, than all their -civil wars, and all the foreign enemies put together. When I spoke of -the languages of the several nations in Abyssinia, I took occasion -merely to mention the origin of these Galla, and their progress -northward, till their first hostile appearance in Abyssinia. I shall -now proceed to lay before the reader what further I have collected -concerning them. Many of them were in the king’s service while I was in -Abyssinia; and, from a multitude of conversations I had with all kinds -of them, I flatter myself I have gathered the best accounts regarding -these tribes. - -The Galla are a very numerous nation of Shepherds, who probably lived -under or beyond the Line. What the cause of their emigration was we -do not pretend to say with certainty, but they have, for many years, -been in an uniform progress northward. They were at first all infantry, -and said the country they came from would not permit horses to breed -in it, as is the case in 13° north of the Line round Sennaar. Upon -coming northward, and conquering the Abyssinian provinces, and the -small Mahometan districts bordering on them, they have acquired a breed -of horses, which they have multiplied so industriously that they are -become a nation of cavalry, and now hold their infantry in very little -esteem. - -As under the Line, to the south of Abyssinia, the land is exceedingly -high, and the sun seldom makes its appearance on account of the -continual rains, the Galla are consequently of a brown complexion, -with long black hair. Some, indeed, who live in the valleys of the -low country, are perfectly black. Although the principal food of this -people at first was milk and butter, yet, when they advanced into -drier climates, they learned of the Abyssinians to plow and sow the -fields, and to make bread. They seem to affect the number seven, and -have divided their immense multitude threefold by that number. They -all agree, that, when the nation advanced to the Abyssinian frontiers, -they were then in the centre of the continent. The ground beginning to -rise before them, seven of their tribes or nations filed off to the -east towards the Indian Ocean; and, after making settlements there, and -multiplying exceedingly, they marched forward due south into Bali and -Dawaro, which they first wasted by constant incursions, then conquered -and settled there in the reign of David III. in 1537. - -Another division of seven tribes went off to the west about the same -time, and spread themselves in another semicircle round the south side -of the Nile, and all along its banks round Gojam, and to the east -behind the country of the Agows, (which are on the east side of the -Nile) to that of the Gongas and Gafats. The high woody banks of this -river have hitherto been their barrier to the southward; not but that -they have often fought for, and often conquered, and still oftener -plundered, the countries on the Abyssinian side of that river; and, -from this reign downwards, the scene of action with the Abyssinians has -constantly been on the east side of the river. All I mean is, they have -never made a settlement on the Abyssinian side of the Nile, except -such tribes of them as, from wars among themselves, have gone over to -the king of Abyssinia and obtained lands on the banks of that river, -opposite to the nation they have revolted from, against which they have -ever after been the securest bulwark. - -A third division of seven tribes remained in the center, due south -of the low country of Shoa; and these are the least known, as having -made, the fewest incursions. They have, indeed, possessed Walaka, a -small province between Amhara and Shoa; but this has been permitted -politically by the governor of Shoa, as a barrier between him and -Abyssinia, on whose sovereign he scarcely acknowledges any dependence -but for form’s sake, his province being at present an hereditary -government descending from father to son. - -All these tribes of Galla gird Abyssinia round at all points from east -to west, making inroads, and burning and murdering all that fall into -their hands. The privities of the men they cut off, dry, and hang -them up in their houses. They are so merciless as to spare not even -women with child, whom they rip up in hopes of destroying a male. The -western part of these Galla, which surrounds the peninsula of Gojam and -Damot, are called the Boren Galla; and those that are to the east are -named Bertuma Galla, though this last word is seldom used in history, -where the Galla to the westward are called Boren; and the others Galla -merely, without any other addition. All these tribes, though the most -cruel that ever appeared in any country, are yet governed by the -strictest discipline at home, where the smallest broil or quarrel among -individuals is taken cognizance of, and receives immediate punishment. - -Each of the three divisions of Galla elect a king, that is, there is -a king for every seven tribes. There is also a kind of nobility among -them, from whose families alone the sovereign can be chosen. But there -are certain degrees of merit (all warlike) that raise, from time to -time, their plebeian families to nobility, and the right of suffrage. -No one of these nobles can be elected till past forty years of age, -unless he has slain with his own hand a number of men which, added to -his years, makes up forty. - -The council of each of the seven tribes first meets separately in its -own district: Here it determines how many are necessary to be left -behind for the governing, guarding, and cultivating the territory, -while those fixed upon by most votes go as delegates to meet the -representatives of the other nations at the domicil, or head-quarters -of the king, among the tribe from which the sovereign of the last -seven years was taken. Here they sit down under a tree which seems to -be sacred, and the god of all the nations. It is called Wanzey[44]; -has a white flower, and great quantity of foliage, and is very common -in Abyssinia. After a variety of votes, the number of candidates is -reduced to four, and the suffrage of six of these nations go then no -farther; but the seventh, whose turn it is to have a king out of their -tribe, choose, from among the four, one, whom they crown with a garland -of Wanzey, and put a sceptre, or bludgeon, of that wood in his hands, -which they call Buco. - -The king of the western Galla is stiled Lubo, the other Mooty. At this -assembly, the king allots to each their scene of murder and rapine; but -limits them always to speedy returns in case the body of the nation -should have occasion for them. The Galla are reputed very good soldiers -for surprise, and in the first attack, but have not constancy or -perseverance. They accomplish incredible marches; swim rivers holding -by the horses tail, (an exercise to which both they and their horses -are perfectly trained;) do the utmost mischief possible in the shortest -time; and rarely return by the same way they came. They are excellent -light horse for a regular army in an enemy’s country. - -Iron is very scarce among them, so that their principal arms are poles -sharpened at the end, and hardened in the fire, which they use like -lances. Their shields are made of bulls hides of a single fold, so -that they are very subject to warp in heat, or become too pliable and -soft in wet weather. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, the report -of their cruelty made such an impression upon the Abyssinians, that, -on their first engagements they rarely stood firmly the Galla’s first -onset. Besides this, the shrill and very barbarous noise they are -always used to make at the moment they charge, used to terrify the -horses and riders, so that a flight generally followed the attack made -by Galla horse. - -These melancholy and frantic howls I had occasion to hear often in -those engagements that happened while I was in Abyssinia. The Edjow, a -body of Galla who had been in the late king Joas’s service, and were -relations to him by his mother, who was of that clan of southern Galla, -were constantly in the rebel army, and always in the most disaffected -part, who, with the troops of Begemder and Lasta, attacked the king’s -household, where he was in person; and, though they behaved with a -bravery even to rashness, most of them lost their lives, upon the -long pikes of the king’s black horse, without ever doing any notable -execution, as these horses were too-well trained to be at all moved -with their shrieks, when they charged, though their bravery and -fidelity merited a better fate. - -The women are said to be very fruitful. They do not confine themselves -even a day after labour, but wash and return to their work immediately. -They plow, sow, and reap. The cattle tread out the corn, but the men -are the herdsmen, and take charge of the cattle in the fields. - -Both sexes are something less than the middle size, exceedingly light -and agile. Both, but especially the men, plait their hair with the -bowels and guts of oxen, which they wear likewise, like belts, twisted -round their middle; and these, as they putrify, occasion a terrible -stench. Both copiously anoint their heads and bodies with butter, -or melted grease, which is continually raining from them, and which -indicates that they came from a country hotter than that which they -now possess. They greatly resemble the Hottentots in this filthy taste -of dress. The rest of their body is naked; a piece of skin only covers -them before; and they wear a goat’s skin on their shoulders, in shape -of a woman’s handkerchief, or tippet. - -It has been said[45], that no religion was ever discovered among them. -I imagine that the facts upon which this opinion is founded have never -been sufficiently investigated. The Wanzey-tree, under which their -kings are crowned, is avowedly worshipped for a god in every tribe. -They have certain stones also, for an object of their devotion, which -I never could sufficiently understand to give further description of -them. But they certainly pay adoration to the moon, especially the -new moon, for of this I have frequently been a witness. They likewise -worship certain stars in particular positions, and at different times -of the year, and are, in my opinion, still in the ancient religion of -Sabaism. All of them believe that, after death, they are to live again; -that they are to rise with their body, as they were on earth, to enter -into another life they know not where, but they are to be in a state of -body infinitely more perfect than the present, and are to die no more, -nor suffer grief, sickness, or trouble of any kind. They have very -obscure, or no ideas at all of future punishment; but their reward is -to be a moderate state of enjoyment with the same family and persons -with which they lived on earth. And this is very nearly the same belief -with the other Pagan nations in Africa with which I have conversed -intimately; and this is what writers generally call a belief of the -immortality of the soul. Nor did I ever know one savage that had a more -distinct idea of it, or ever separated it from the immortality of the -body. - -The Galla to the south are mostly Mahometans; on the east and west -chiefly Pagans. They intermarry with each other, but suffer no -strangers to live among them. The Moors, however, by courage, patience, -and attention, have found out the means of trading with them in a -tolerable degree of safety. The goods they carry are coarse Surat -blue cloaths, called _marowty_; also myrrh and salt. This last is the -principal and most valuable article. - -The Galla sometimes marry the Abyssinian women, but the issue of those -marriages are incapable of all employment. Their form of marriage is -the following: The bridegroom, standing before the parents of the -bride, holds grass in his right hand and the dung of a cow in his left. -He then says, “May this never enter, nor this ever come out, if he does -not do what he promises;” that is, may the grass never enter the cow’s -mouth to feed it, or may she die before it is discharged. Matrimonial -vows, moreover, are very simple; he swears to his bride that he shall -give her meat and drink while living, and bury her when dead. - -Polygamy is allowed among them, but the men are commonly content with -one wife. Such, indeed, is their moderation in this respect, that it -is the women that solicit the men to increase the number of their -wives. The love of their children seems to get a speedy ascendency over -passion and pleasure, and is a noble part of the character of these -savages that ought not to be forgot. A young woman, having a child -or two by her husband, intreats and solicits him that he would take -another wife, when she names to him all the beautiful girls of her -acquaintance, especially those that she thinks likeliest to have large -families. After the husband has made his choice, she goes to the tent -of the young woman, and sits behind it in a supplicant posture, till -she has excited the attention of the family within. She then, with an -audible voice, declares who she is; that she is daughter of such a one; -that her husband has all the qualifications for making a woman happy; -that she has only two children by him; and, as her family is so small, -she comes to solicit their daughter for her husband’s wife, that their -families may be joined together, and be strong; and that her children, -from their being few in number, may not fall a prey to their enemies -in the day of battle; for the Galla always fight in families, whether -against one another, or against other enemies. - -When she has thus obtained a wife for her husband, she carries her -home, puts her to bed with her husband, where, having left her, she -feasts with the bride’s relations. There the children of the first -marriage are produced, and the men of the bride’s family put each their -hands upon these children’s heads, and afterwards take the oath in the -usual manner, to live and die with them as their own offspring. The -children, then, after this species of adoption, go to their relations, -and visit them for the space of seven days. All that time the husband -remains at home in possession of his new bride; at the end of which -he gives a feast, when the first wife is seated by her husband, and -the young one serves the whole company. The first wife from this day -keeps her precedence; and the second is treated by the first wife like -a grown up-daughter. I believe it would be very long before the love -of their families would introduce this custom among the young women of -Britain. - -When a father dies and leaves many children, the eldest succeeds to the -whole inheritance without division; nor is he obliged, at any time, or -by any circumstance, to give his brothers a part afterwards. If the -father is alive when the son first begins to shave his head, which is -a declaration of manhood, he gives two or three milk-cows, or more, -according to his rank and fortune. These, and all their produce, remain -the property of the child to whom they were given by his father; and -these the brother is obliged to pay to him upon his father’s death, in -the same number and kinds. The eldest brother, is moreover, obliged to -give the sister, whenever she is marriageable, whatever other provision -the father may have made in his lifetime for her, with all its increase -from the day of the donation. - -When the father becomes old and unfit for war, he is obliged to -surrender his whole effects to his eldest son, who is bound to give him -aliment, and nothing else; and, when the eldest brother dies, leaving -younger brothers behind him, and a widow young enough to bear children, -the youngest brother of all is obliged to marry her; but the children -of the marriage are always accounted as if they were the eldest -brother’s; nor does this marriage of the youngest brother to the widow -entitle him to any part of the deceased’s fortune. - -The southern Galla are called Elma Kilelloo, Elma Gooderoo, Elma -Robali, Elma Doolo, Elma Bodena, Elma Horreta, and Elma Michaeli; these -are the seven southern nations which the Mahometan traders pass through -in their way to Narea, the southernmost country the Abyssinians ever -conquered. - -The western Galla for their principal clans have the Djawi, Edjow -or Ayzo, and Toluma, and these were the clans we principally fought -with when I was in Abyssinia. They are chiefly Pagans. Some of their -children, who were left young in court, when their fathers fled, after -the murder of the late king their master, were better Christians and -better soldiers than any Abyssinians we had. - -It is not a matter of small curiosity to know what is their food, that -is so easy of carriage as to enable them to traverse immense deserts, -that they may, without warning, fall upon the towns and villages in the -cultivated country of Abyssinia. This is nothing but coffee roasted, -till it can be pulverised, and then mixed with butter to a consistency -that will suffer it to be rolled up in balls, and put in a leather bag. -A ball of this composition, between the circumference of a shilling -and half-a-crown, about the size of a billiard-ball, keeps them, they -say, in strength and spirits during a whole day’s fatigue, better than -a loaf of bread, or a meal of meat. Its name in Arabia and Abyssinia -is Bun, but I apprehend its true name is Caffé, from Caffa the south -province of Narea, whence it is first said to have come; it is white -in the bean. The coffee-tree is the wood of the country, produced -spontaneously everywhere in great abundance, from Caffa to the banks of -the Nile. - -Thus much for this remarkable nation, whose language is perfectly -different from any in Abyssinia, and is the same throughout all the -tribes, with very little variation of dialect. This is a nation that -has conquered some of the finest provinces of Abyssinia, and of whose -inroads we shall hereafter have occasion to speak continually; and it -is very difficult to say how far they might not have accomplished the -conquest of the whole, had not providence interposed in a manner little -expected, but more efficacious than a thousand armies, and all the -inventions of man. - -The Galla, before their inroads into Abyssinia, had never in their own -country seen or heard of the small-pox. This disease met them in the -Abyssinian villages. It raged among them with such violence, that whole -provinces conquered by them became half-desert; and, in many places, -they were forced to become tributary to those whom before they kept in -continual fear. But this did not happen till the reign of Yasous the -Great, at the beginning of the present century, where we shall take -fresh notice of it, and now proceed with what remains of the reign -of Sertza Denghel, whom we left with his army in the 9th year of his -reign, residing at Dobit, a small town in Dembea, watching the motion -of the rebels, Isaac Baharnagash, and others, his confederates. - -The tenth year of his reign, as soon as the weather permitted him, the -king went into Gojam to oppose the inroads of the Djawi, a clan of the -western or Boren Galla, who then were in possession of the Buco, or -royal dignity, among the seven nations. But they had repassed the Nile -upon the first news of the king’s march, without having time to waste -the country. The king then went to winter in Bizamo, which is south of -the Nile, the native country of these Galla, the Djawi. - -If this nation, the Galla, has deserved ill of the Abyssinians by the -frequent inroads made into their country, they must, however, confess -one obligation, that in the end they entirely ruined their ancient -enemy, the Mahometan king of Adel, and reduced him to a state of -perfect insignificance. - -Sertza Denghel then returned with his army into Dembea, where, finding -the militia of that province much disaffected by communication with the -Moorish soldiers settled among them from Gragnè’s time to this day, and -that most of them had in their hearts forsaken the Christian religion, -and were all ready to fail in their allegiance, he assembled the -greatest part of them without their arms, and, surrounding them with -his soldiers, cut them to pieces, to the number of 3000 men. - -In the 13th year of his reign, Mahomet king of Adel marched out of his -own country with the view of joining the Basha and Baharnagash. But -the king, ever watchful over the motions of his enemies, surprised -the Baharnagash before his junction either with Mahomet or the basha, -and defeated or dispersed his army, obliging him to fly in disguise, -with the utmost danger of being taken prisoner, to hide himself with -the basha at Dobarwa. He then appointed Darguta, governor of Tigré, an -old and experienced officer, giving him the charge of the province, -and to watch the basha; and, leaving with him his wounded, (and in -their place taking some fresh soldiers from Darguta) he, by forced -marches, endeavoured to meet Mahomet, who had not heard of his victory -over Isaac; and being informed that the king of Adel was encamped on -the hither side of the river Wali, having passed it to join Isaac, -the king, by a sudden movement, crossed the river, and came opposite -to Mahomet’s quarters, who was then striking his tents, having just -heard of the fate of the Baharnagash. Mahomet and his whole army were -struck with a panic at this unexpected appearance of the king on the -opposite side of the river, which had cut off his retreat to Adel. -Fearing, however, there might still be an enemy behind him, and that -he should be hemmed in between both, he resolved to pass, but did it -in so tumultuous a manner that the king’s army had no trouble but to -slaughter those who arrived at the opposite bank. Great part of the -cavalry, seeing the fate of their companions at the ford, attempted to -pass above and below by swimming: but, though the river was deep and -smooth, the banks were high, and many were drowned, not being able to -scramble up on the other side. Many were also destroyed by stones, and -the lances of Sertza Denghel’s men, from the banks above; some passed, -however, joining Mahomet, and leaving the rest of the army to attempt a -passage at the ford, crossed with the utmost speed lower down the river -without being pursued, and carried the news of their own defeat to Adel. - -The whole Moorish army perished this day except the horse, either by -the sword or in the river; nor had the Moors received so severe a -blow since the defeat of Gragnè by Claudius. The king then decamped, -and took post at Zarroder, on the frontiers of Adel, with a design to -winter there and lay waste the country, into which he intended to march -as soon as the fair weather returned. But it was the misfortune of this -great prince, that his enemies were situated at the two most distant -extremities of the kingdom. For the Galla attacked Gojam on the west, -at the very time he prepared to enter Adel on the east. Without loss of -time, however, he traversed the whole kingdom of Abyssinia, and came up -with the Boren Galla upon the river Madge, but no action of consequence -followed. The Galla, attempting the king’s camp in the night, and -finding themselves too weak to carry it, retreated immediately into -their own country. While returning to Dembea, he met a party of the -Falasha, called Abati, at Wainadega, and entirely destroyed them, so -that not one escaped. - -The king was now so formidable that no army of the enemy dared to face -him, and he obliged the Falasha to give up their king Radaet, whom he -banished to Wadge; and the four following years he spent in ravaging -the country of his enemies the Galla, in Shat and Bed, and that of the -Falasha in Samen and Serkè, where he beat Caliph king of the Falasha, -who had succeeded Radaet. - -The Galla, in advancing towards Gojam and Damot, had over-run the -whole low country between the mountains of Narea and the Nile. The -king, desirous to open a communication with a country where there was -a great trade, especially for gold, crossed the Nile in his way to -that province, the Galla flying everywhere before him. He was received -with very great joy by the prince of that country, who looked upon him -as his deliverer from those cruel enemies. Here he received many rich -presents; more particularly a large quantity of gold, and he wintered -at Cutheny in that province, where Abba Hedar his brother died, having -been blown up with gun-powder, with his wife and children. The Nareans -desired, this year, to be admitted to the Christian faith; and they -were converted and baptised by a mission of priests sent by the king -for that purpose. - -At the time he was rescuing the kingdom of Narea, Cadward Basha, a -young officer of merit and reputation, lately come from Constantinople -to Dawaro as basha of Masuah, had begun his command with making inroads -into Tigré, and driving off a number of the inhabitants into slavery. -The king, necessarily engaged at a distance, suffered these injuries -with a degree of impatience; and, after having provided for the -security of the several countries immediately near him, he marched with -his army directly for Woggora, committing every degree of excess in his -march, in order to provoke the Falasha to descend from their heights -and offer him battle. - -A frugal œconomical people, such as the Jews are, could not bear to -see their cattle and crops destroyed in so wanton a manner before -their very faces. They came, therefore, down in immense numbers to -attack the king, one of the most excellent generals Abyssinia ever -had, at the head of a small, but veteran army. Geshen, brother of the -famous Gideon, was then king of the Jews, and commanded the army of -his countrymen. The battle was fought on the plain of Woggora on the -19th of January 1594, with the success that was to be expected. Four -thousand of the Jewish army were slain upon the spot; and, among them, -Geshen, their unfortunate king and leader. - -After this victory, Sertza Denghel marched his army into Kuara, -through the country where the Jews had many strong-holds, and received -everywhere their submission. Then turning to the left, he came through -the country of the Shangalla, called Woombarea, and so to that of the -Agows. There he heard that new troubles were meditating in Damot; but -the inhabitants of that province were not yet ripe enough to break out -into open rebellion. - -That he might not, therefore, have two enemies at such a distance from -each other upon his hands at once, this year, as soon as the rains -were over, he determined to march and attack the basha. The basha was -very soon informed of his designs, and as soon prepared to meet them; -so that the king found him already in the field, encamped on his own -side of the Mareb, but without having committed, till then, any act -of hostility. He marched out of his camp, and formed, upon seeing the -royal army approach; leaving a sufficient field for the king to draw up -in, if he should incline to cross the river, and attack him. - -This confident, rather than prudent conduct of the basha, did not -intimidate the king, who being used to improve every advantage coolly, -and without bravado, embraced this very opportunity his enemy chose -to give him. He formed, therefore, on his own side of the Mareb, and -passed it in as good order as possible, considering it is a swift -stream, and very deep at that season of the year. He halted several -times while his men were in the water, to put them again in order, as -if he had expected to be attacked the moment he landed on the other -side. The basha, a man of knowledge in his profession, who saw this -cautious conduct of the king, is said to have cried out, “How unlike he -is to what I have heard of his father!” alluding to the general rash -behaviour of the late king Menas whilst at the head of his army. - -Sertza Denghel having left all his baggage on the other side, and -passed the river, drew up his army in the same deliberate manner in -which he had crossed the Mareb, and formed opposite to the basha; as if -he had been acting under him, and by his orders, availing himself with -great attention of all the advantages the ground could afford him. The -basha, confident in the superior valour of his troops, thought, now he -had got the king between him and the river, that he would easily that -day finish Sertza Denghel’s life and reign. - -The battle began with the most determined resolution and vigour on -both sides. The Abyssinian foot drove back the Turkish infantry; and -the king, dismounting from his horse, with his lance and shield in -his hand, and charging at their head, animated them to preserve that -advantage. On the other hand, the basha, who had soon put to flight -part of the Abyssinian horse with whom he had engaged, fell furiously -upon the foot commanded by the king, the Turks making a great carnage -among them with their sabres, and the affair became but doubtful, when -Robel, gentleman of the bed-chamber to the king, who commanded the -pike-men on horseback, part of the king’s household troops, seeing his -master’s danger, charged the Turkish horse where he saw the basha in -person, and, clearing his way, broke his pike upon an officer of the -basha who carried the standard immediately before him, and threw him -dead at his feet. Being without other arms, he then drew the short -crooked knife which the Abyssinians always carry in their girdle, and, -pushing up his horse close before the basha could recover from his -surprise, he plunged it in his throat, so that he expired instantly. So -unlooked-for a spectacle struck a panic into the troops. The Turkish -horse first turned their backs, and a general rout followed. - -The basha’s body was carried upon a mule out of the field, and struck a -terror into all the Mahometans wherever it passed. It no sooner entered -Dobarwa than it was obliged to be carried out at the other end of the -town. Sertza Denghel was not one that slumbered upon a victory. He -entered Dobarwa sword in hand, putting all the Pagans and Mahometans -that fell in his way to death, and, in this manner, pursued them to -the frontiers of Masuah, leaving many to die for want of water in that -desert. - -The king, in honour of this brave action performed by Robel, ordered -what follows to be writ in letters of gold, and inserted in the -records of the kingdom: “Robel, servant to Sertza Denghel, and son to -Menetcheli, slew a Turkish basha on horseback with a common knife.” - -Sertza Denghel, having thus delivered himself from the most formidable -of his enemies, marched through Gojam again into Narea, extirpating, -all the way he went, the Galla that obstructed his way to that state. -He left an additional number of priests and monks to instruct them in -the Christian religion; though there are some historians of this reign -who pretend that it was not till this second visit that Narea was -converted. - -However this may be, victory had everywhere attended his steps, and -he was now preparing to chastise the malcontents at Damot, when he -was accosted by a priest, famous for his holiness and talent for -divination, who warned him not to undertake that war. But the king, -expressing his contempt of both the message and messenger, declared his -fixed resolution to invade Damot without delay. The priest is said -to have limited his advice still further, and to have only begged him -to remember not to eat the fish of a certain river in the territory -of Giba in the province of Shat. The king, however, flushed with his -victory over the Boren Galla, forgot the name of the river and the -injunction; and, having ate fish out of this river, was immediately -after taken dangerously ill, and died on his return. - -The writer of his life says, that the fatal effects of this river were -afterwards experienced in the reign of Yasous the Great, at the time -in which he wrote, when the king’s whole army, encamped along the -sides of this river, were taken with violent sickness after eating -the fish caught in it, and that many of the soldiers died. Whether -this be really fact or not, I will not take upon me to decide. Whether -fish, or any other animal, living in water impregnated with poisonous -minerals, can preserve its own life, and yet imbibe a quantity of -poison sufficient to destroy the men that should eat it, seems to me -very doubtful. Something like this is said to happen in oysters, which -are found on copperas beds, or have preparations of copperas thrown -upon them to tinge a part of them with green. I do not, however, think -it likely, that the creature would live after this metallic dose, or -preserve a taste that would make it food for man till he accumulated a -quantity sufficient to destroy him. - -Sertza Denghel was of a very humane affable disposition, very different -from his father Menas. He was stedfast in his adherence to the church -of Alexandria, and seemed perfectly indifferent as to the Romish church -and clergy. In conversation, he frequently condemned their tenets, but -always commended the sobriety and sanctity of their lives. He left -no legitimate sons, but many daughters by his wife Mariam Sena; and -two natural sons, Za Mariam and Jacob. He had also a nephew called _Za -Denghel_, son of his brother Lesana Christos. - -It is absolutely contrary to truth, what is said by Tellez and others, -that the illegitimate sons have no right to succeed to the crown. There -is, indeed, no sort of difference, as may be seen by many examples in -the course of this history. - -Sertza Denghel at first seemed to have intended his nephew, Za Denghel, -to succeed him, a prince who had every good quality; was arrived at an -age fit for governing, and had attended him and distinguished himself -in great part of his wars. But, being upon his death-bed, he changed -his mind, probably at the instigation of the queen and the ambitious -nobles, who desired to have the government in their own hands during a -long minority. His son Jacob, a boy of seven years old, was now brought -into court, and treated as heir-apparent, which everybody thought was -but natural and pardonable from the affection of a father. - -At last when he found that he was sick to death, the interest and love -of his country seemed to overcome even the ties of blood; so that, -calling his council together around his bed, he designed his successor -in this last speech: ‘As I am sensible I am at the point of death, next -to the care of my soul, I am anxious for the welfare of my kingdom. -My first idea was to appoint Jacob my son to be successor; and I had -done so unless for his youth, and it is probable neither you nor I -could have cause to repent it. Considering, however, the state of -my kingdom, I prefer its interest to the private affection I bear my -son; and do, therefore, hereby appoint Za Denghel my nephew to succeed -me, and be your king; and recommend him to you as fit for war, ripe -in years, exemplary in the practice of every virtue, and as deserving -of the crown by his good qualities, as he is by his near relation to -the royal family.’ And with these words the king expired in the end of -August 1595, and was buried in the island Roma. - -As soon as Sertza Denghel died, the nobility resumed their former -resolutions. The very reasons the dying king had given them, why -Za Denghel was fitted to reign, were those for the which they were -determined to reject him; as they, after so long a reign as the last, -were perfectly weary at being kept in their duty, and desired nothing -more than an infant king and a long minority: this they found in Jacob. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -ZA DENGHEL. - -From 1595 to 1604. - - _Za Denghel dethroned--Jacob a Minor succeeds--Za Denghel is - restored--Banishes Jacob to Narea--Converted to the Romish - Religion--Battle of Bartcho, and Death of the King._ - - -SERTZA DENGHEL had several daughters, one of whom was married to Kefla -Wahad, governor of the province of Tigré, and another to Athanasius, -governor of Amhara. These two were the most powerful men then in -the kingdom. The empress and her two sons-in-law saw plainly, that -the succession of Za Denghel, a man of ripe years, possessed of -every requisite for reigning, was to exclude them from any share in -government but a subaltern one, for which they were to stand candidates -upon their own merits, in common with the rest of the nobility. - -Accordingly, no sooner was Sertza Denghel dead, perhaps some time -before, but a conspiracy was formed to change the order of succession, -and this was immediately executed by order of this triumvirate, who -sent a body of soldiers and seized Za Denghel, and carried him close -prisoner to Dek, a large island in the lake Tzana, belonging to the -queen, where he was kept for some time, till he escaped and hid himself -in the wild inaccessible mountains of Gojam, which there form the -banks of the Nile. They carried their precautions still further; and -subsequent events after shewed, that these were well-grounded. They -sent a party of men at the same time to surprise Socinios, but he, -sufficiently upon his guard, no sooner saw the fate of his cousin, Za -Denghel, than he withdrew himself, but in such a manner that shewed -plainly he knew the value of his own pretensions, and was not to be an -unconcerned spectator if a revolution was to happen. - -In order to understand perfectly the claims of those princes, who were -by turns placed on the throne in the bloody war that followed, it will -be necessary to know that the emperor David III. had three sons: The -eldest was Claudius, who succeeded him in the empire; the history of -whose reign we have already given: The second was Jacob, who died a -minor before his brother, but left two sons, Tascar and Facilidas: The -third son was Menas, called Adamas Segued, who succeeded Claudius his -brother in the empire; whose reign we have likewise given in its proper -place. - -Menas had four sons; Sertza Denghel, called Melec Segued, who succeeded -his father in the empire, and whose history we have just now finished; -the second Aquieter; the third Abatè; and the fourth, Lesana Christos; -whose son was that Za Denghel of whom we were last speaking, appointed -to succeed to the throne by his uncle Sertza Denghel, when on his -death-bed. - -Tascar, the son of Jacob, died a minor; he rebelled against his uncle -Menas, in confederacy with the Baharnagash, as we have already seen; -and his army being beat by his uncle and sovereign, he was, by his -order, thrown over the steep precipice of Lamalmon, and dashed to -pieces. Facilidas, the second remaining son of the same minor Jacob, -lived many years, possessed great estates in Gojam, and died afterwards -in battle, fighting against the Galla, in defence of these possessions. - -This Facilidas had a natural son named Socinios, who inherited his -father’s possessions; was nephew to Sertza Denghel, and cousin-german -to Za Denghel appointed to succeed to the throne; so that Za Denghel -being once removed, as Jacob had been postponed, there could be no -doubt of Socinios’s claim as the nearest heir-male to David III. -commonly called Wanag Segued. - -Socinios, from his infancy, had been trained to arms, and had undergone -a number of hardships in his uncle’s wars. Part of his estate had -been seized, after his father’s death, by men in power, favourites of -Sertza Denghel; and he hoped for a complete restitution of them from Za -Denghel his cousin, when he should succeed, for these two were as much -connected with each other by friendship and affection, as they were by -blood. Nor would any step, says the historian, have ever been taken -by Socinios towards mounting the throne, had Za Denghel his cousin -succeeded, as by right he ought. - -In the mean time, he was at the head of a considerable band of -soldiers; had assisted Fasa Christos, governor of Gojam, in defeating -the Galla, who had over-run that province; and, by his courage and -conduct that day, had left a strong impression upon the minds of the -troops that he would soon become the most capable and active soldier of -his time. - -The queen and her two sons-in-law being disappointed in their attempt -upon Socinios, were obliged to take the only step that remained in -their choice, which was to appoint the infant Jacob[46] king, a child -of seven years old, and put him under the tutelage of Ras Athanasius. - -The empress Mariam Sena, and her two sons-in-law, had gained to their -party Za Selassé, a person of low birth, native of an obscure nation -of Pagans, called Guraguè, a man esteemed for bravery and conduct, and -beloved by the soldiers; but turbulent and seditious, without honour, -gratitude, or regard, either to his word, to his sovereign, or the -interests of his country. - -Jacob had suffered patiently the direction of those that governed him, -so long as the excuse of his minority was a good one. But being now -arrived at the age of 17, he began to put in, by degrees, for his share -in the direction of affairs; and observing some steps that tended to -prolong the government of his tutors, by his own power he banished Za -Selassé, the author of them, into the distant kingdom of Narea. - -This vigorous proceeding alarmed the empress and her party. They saw -that the measure taken by Jacob would presently lead all good men -and lovers of their country to support him, and to annihilate their -power. They resolved not to wait till this took place, but instantly to -restore Za Denghel, whom, with great difficulty, they found hid in the -mountains between Gojam and Damot. And, to remove every suspicion in Za -Denghel’s breast, Ras Athanasius repaired to the palace, giving Jacob -publicly, even on the throne, the most abusive and scurrilous language, -calling him an obstinate, stubborn, foolish boy; declaring him degraded -from being king, and announcing to his face the coming of Za Denghel to -supplant him. Jacob’s behaviour on so unexpected an occasion was not -such as Athanasius’s rash speech led to expect. He gave a cool and mild -reply to these invectives; but, finding himself entirely in his enemy’s -power, without losing a moment, he left his palace in the night, taking -the road to Samen, not doubting of safety and protection if he could -reach his mother’s relations among those high, rocky mountains. - -Fortune at first seemed to favour his endeavours. He arrived at a small -village immediately in the neighbourhood of the country to which he was -going; but there he was discovered and made prisoner; carried back and -delivered to Za Denghel his rival, whom he found placed on his throne. - -In all these cases, it is the invariable, though barbarous practice of -Abyssinia, to mutilate any such pretender to the throne, by cutting off -his nose, ear, hand, or foot, as they shall be inclined the patient -should die or live after the operation, it being an established law, -that no person can succeed to the throne, as to the priesthood, without -being perfect in all his limbs. Za Denghel, as he could not adopt so -inhuman a procedure even with a rival, contented himself with only -banishing Jacob to Narea. - -Ever since that period of Menas’s reign, when Samur, basha of Masuah, -had been put in possession of Dobarwa in virtue of a treaty with -Isaac Baharnagash, then in rebellion, the Catholic religion was left -destitute of all support, the fathers that had remained in Abyssinia -being dead, and the entry into that kingdom shut up by the violent -animosity of the Turks, and the cruelties they exercised upon all -missionaries that fell into their hands. The few Catholics that -remained were absolutely deprived of all assistance, when Melchior -Sylvanus, an Indian vicar of the church of St Anne at Goa, was pitched -upon as a proper person to be sent to their relief. His language, -colour, eastern air and manners, seemed to promise that he would -succeed, and baffle the vigilance of the Turks. - -He arrived at Masuah in 1597, and entered Abyssinia unsuspected; but -the power of the Turk being much lessened by the great defeat given -them by Sertza Denghel, who slew Cadward Basha, and retook Dobarwa -and all its dependencies, as has been already mentioned, a very -considerable part of their former dangers, the missionaries might -now hope to escape. But there still remained others obstructing the -communication with India, which, however, were surmountable, and gave -way, as most of the kind do, to prudence, courage, and perseverance. - -Accordingly, in the year 1600, Peter Paez, the most capable, as well -as most successful missionary that ever entered Ethiopia, arrived at -Masuah, after having suffered a long imprisonment, and many other -hardships, on his way to that island; and, taking upon him the charge -of the Portuguese, relieved Melchior Sylvanus, who returned to India. - -Paez, however, did not press on to court as his predecessors, and even -his successors constantly did, but, confining himself to the convent of -Fremona in Tigré, he first set himself by an invincible application to -attain the knowledge of the Geez written language, in which he arrived -to a degree of knowledge superior to that of the natives themselves. -He then applied to the instruction of youth, keeping a school, where -he taught equally the children of the Portuguese, and those of the -Abyssinians. The great progress made by the scholars speedily spread -abroad the reputation of the master. First of all, John Gabriel, one of -the most distinguished officers of the Portuguese, spoke of him in the -warmest terms of commendation to Jacob, then upon the throne, who sent -to Paez, and ordered his attendance as soon as the rainy season should -be over. - -In the month of April 1604, Peter, attended only by two of his young -disciples, presented himself to the king, who then held his court at -Dancaz, where he was received with the same honours as are bestowed -upon men of the first rank, to the great discontent of the Abyssinian -monks, who easily foresaw that their humiliation would certainly -follow this exaltation of Petros; nor were they mistaken. In a dispute -held before the king next day, Peter produced the two boys, as more -than sufficient to silence all the theologians in Abyssinia. Nor can -it ever be doubted, by any who know the ignorance of these brutish -priests, but that the victory, in these scholastic disputes, would be -fairly, easily, and completely on the side of the children. - -Mass was then said according to the usage of the church of Rome, which -was followed by a sermon (among the first ever preached in Abyssinia,) -but so far surpassing, in elegance and purity of diction, any thing yet -extant in the learned language, Geez, that all the hearers began to -look upon this as the first miracle on the part of the preacher. - -Za Denghel was so taken with it, that, from that instant, he not only -resolved to embrace the Catholic religion, but declared this his -resolution to several friends, and soon after to Paez himself, under -an oath of secrecy that he should conceal it for a time. This oath, -prudently exacted from Peter, was as imprudently rendered useless by -the zeal of the king himself, who being of too sanguine a disposition -to temporize after he was convinced, published a proclamation, -forbidding the religious observation of Saturday, or the Jewish -sabbath, for ever after. He likewise ordered letters to be wrote to -the pope Clement VIII. and to Philip III. king of Spain and Portugal, -wherein he offered them his friendship, whilst he requested mechanics -to assist, and Jesuits to instruct his people. - -These sudden and violent measures were presently known; and every -wretch that had, from other causes, the seeds of rebellion sown in his -heart, began now to pretend they were only nourished there by a love -and attachment to the true religion. - -Many of the courtiers followed the king’s example; some as courtiers -for the sake of the king’s favour, and meaning to adhere to the -religion of Rome no longer than it was a fashion at court, promoted -their interest, and exposed them to no danger; others, from their -firm attachment to the king, the resolution to support him as their -rightful sovereign, and a confidence in his superior judgment, and -that he best knew what was most for the kingdom’s advantage in its -present distracted state, and for the confirmation of his own power, -so intimately connected with the welfare of his people. Few, very few -it is believed, adopted the Catholic faith, from that one discourse -only, however pure the language, however eloquent the preacher. A -hundred years and more had passed without convincing the Abyssinians in -general, or without any material proof that they were prepared to be so. - -However, the Jesuits have quoted an instance of this instantaneous -conversion by the sermon, which, for their credit, I will not omit, -though no notice is taken of it in the annals of those times, where it -is not indeed to be expected, nor do I mean that it is less credible on -this account. - -An Abyssinian monk, of very advanced years, came forward to Peter -Paez, and said in a loud voice before the king, “Although I have lived -to a very great age, without a doubt of the Alexandrian faith, I -bless God that he has spared me to this day, and thereby given me an -opportunity of choosing a better. The things we knew before, you have -so well explained, that they become still more intelligible; and we are -thereby confirmed in our belief. Those things that were difficult, and -which we could hardly understand, you have made so clear, that we now -wonder at our own blindness in not having seen them plainly before. -For these benefits which I now confess to have received, I here make -my declaration, that it is my stedfast purpose, with the assistance of -Almighty God, to live and die in the faith you profess, and have now -preached.” - -Among those of the court most attached to the king was Laeca Mariam, -the inseparable companion of his good and bad fortune, who had followed -his master from principles of duty and affection, without designing to -throw away a consideration upon what were likely to be the consequences -to himself. He was reputed, in his character and abilities as a -soldier, to be equal to Za Selassé, but a very different man, compared -to him in his qualities of civil life; for he was sober in his general -behaviour, sparing in discourse, and much more ready to do a good -office than to promise one; very affable and courteous in his manner, -and of so humble and unassuming a deportment, that it was thought -impossible to be real in a man, who had so often proved his superiority -over others upon trial. - -This man, a true royalist, was one of those that embraced the Catholic -religion that day, probably following the example of the king; and -this, in the hands of wicked men their enemies, became very soon a -pretence for the murder of both; for Za Selassé, impatient of a rival -in any thing, more especially in military knowledge, began to hold -seditious assemblies, and especially with the monks, whom he taught to -believe what the king’s conduct daily confirmed, that the Alexandrian -faith was totally reprobated, and no religion would be tolerated but -that of the church of Rome. - -Gojam, a province always inveterate against any thing that bore the -smallest inclination to the church of Rome, declared against the king; -and, before he went to join his associates, the traitor, Za Selassé, in -a conference he had with the Abuna Petros, proposed to him to absolve -Za Denghel’s subjects and soldiers from their oaths of allegiance to -their sovereign. The Abuna, a man of very corrupt and bad life, very -hearty in the cause, and an enemy to the king, was staggered at this -proposal; not that he was averse to it, because it might do mischief, -but because he doubted whether any such effect would follow it as Za -Selassé expected; and he, therefore, asked what good he expected from -such a novelty? when this traitor assured him, that it would be most -efficacious for that very reason, because it was then first introduced: -the Abuna forthwith absolved the soldiers and subjects of Za Denghel -from their allegiance, declaring the king excommunicated and accursed, -together with all those that should support him, or favour his cause. - -I must here observe, that, though we are now writing the history of the -17th century, this was the first example of any priest excommunicating -his sovereign in Abyssinia, except that of Honorius, who excommunicated -Amda Sion for the repeated commission of incest. And the doubt the -zealot Abuna Petros had of its effect as being a novelty, which fact -the Jesuits themselves attest, shews it was a practice that had not its -origin in the church of Alexandria. Neither had these curses of the -Abuna any visible effect, till Za Selassé had put himself at the head -of an army raised in Gojam. The king was prepared to meet him, and -ready to march from Dancaz. - -Za Denghel immediately marched out into the plain of Bartcho, and -in the way was deserted, first by Ras Athanasius, then by many of -his troops; and, by this great desertion in his army, found the -first effects of the Abuna’s curses, insomuch, that John Gabriel, a -Portuguese officer of the first distinction, advised the king to retire -in time, and avoid a battle, by flying to strong-holds for a season, -till the present delusion among his subjects should cease. But the -king, thinking himself dishonoured by avoiding the defiance of a rebel, -resolved upon giving Za Selassé battle, who, being an able general, -knew well the danger he would incur by delay. - -It was October 13th 1704 that the king, after drawing up his army in -order of battle, placing 200 Portuguese, with a number of Abyssinian -troops, on the right, took to himself the charge of the left, and -called for Peter Paez to give him absolution; but that Jesuit was -occupied at a convenient distance in Tigré, by his exorcisms destroying -ants, butterflies, mice, locusts, and various other enemies, of much -more importance, in his opinion, than the life of a king who had -been blindly, but directly conducted to slaughter by his fanatical -preachings. - -The battle began with great appearance of success. On the right, the -Portuguese, led by old and veteran officers, destroyed and overturned -every thing before them with their fire-arms: but on the left, where -the king commanded, things went otherwise, for the whole of this -division fled, excepting a body of nobility, his own officers and -companions, who remained with him, and fought manfully in his defence. -Above all, the king himself, trained to a degree of excellence in the -use of arms, strong and agile in body, in the flower of his age, and -an excellent horseman, performed feats of valour that seemed above the -power of man: but he and his attendants being surrounded by the whole -army of Za Selassé, and decreasing in number, were unable to support -any longer such disadvantage. - -Laeca Mariam, solicitous only for the king’s safety, charging furiously -every one that approached, was thrust through with a lance by a common -soldier who had approached him unobserved. The king, desirous only -to avenge his death, threw himself like lightning into the opposite -squadron, and received a stroke with a lance in his breast, which -threw him from his horse on the ground. Grievous as the wound was, -he instantly recovered himself, and, drawing his sword, continued to -fight with as much vigour as ever. He was now hemmed in by a ring of -soldiers, part of whom, afraid of encountering him, remained at a -distance, throwing missile weapons without good direction or strength, -as if they had been hunting some fierce wild beast. Others, wishing to -take him prisoner, abstained from striking him, out of regard to his -character and dignity; but the traitor, Za Selassé, coming up at that -instant, and seeing the king almost fainting with fatigue, and covered -with wounds, pointed his lance, and, spurring his horse, furiously -struck him in the middle of the forehead, which blow threw the king -senseless to the ground, where he was afterwards slain with many -wounds. - -The battle ended with the death of Za Denghel; many saw him fall, and -more his body after the defeat; but no one chose to be the first that -should in any way dispose of it, or care to own that they knew it. It -lay in this abject state for three days, till it was buried by three -peasants in a corner of the plain, in a little building like a chapel -(which I have seen) not above six feet high, under the shade of a very -fine tree, in Abyssinia called _sassa_: there it lay till ten years -after, when Socinios removed it from that humble mausoleum, and buried -it in a monastery called Daga, in the lake Dembea, with great pomp and -magnificence. - -The grief which the death of Za Denghel occasioned was so universal, -and the odium it brought upon the authors of it so great, that neither -Za Selassé nor Ras Athanasius dared for a time take one step towards -naming a successor, which the fear of Za Denghel, and the uncertainty -of victory, had prevented them from doing by common consent before the -battle. There was no doubt but that the election would fall upon Jacob, -but he was far off, confined in the mountainous country of Caffa in -Narea. The distance was great; the particular place uncertain; the way -to it lay through deserts, always dangerous on account of the Galla, -and often impassable. - -[Illustration] - - - - -JACOB. - -From 1604 to 1605. - - _Makes Proposals to Socinios, which are rejected--Takes the - Field--Bad Conduct and Defeat of Za Selassé--Battle of Debra - Zeit--Jacob defeated and slain._ - - -During the interim, Socinios appeared in Amhara, not as one -offering himself as a candidate to be supported by the strength and -interest of others, but like a conqueror at the head of a small but -well-disciplined army of veteran troops, ready to compel by force those -who should refuse to swear allegiance to him from conviction of his -right. - -The first step he took was to send Bela Christos, a nobleman of known -worth, to Ras Athanasius then in Gojam, stating to him his pretensions -to succeed Za Denghel in the kingdom, desiring his assistance with his -army, and declaring that he would acknowledge the service done him as -soon as it was in his power. Without waiting for an answer, at the head -of his little army he passed the Nile, and entered Gojam. He then sent -a second message to Ras Athanasius, acquainting him that he was at -hand, and ordering him to prepare to receive him as his sovereign. - -This abrupt and confident conduct of Socinios very much disconcerted -Ras Athanasius. He had as yet concerted nothing with his friend Za -Selassé, and it was now late to do it. There was no person then within -the bounds of the empire that solicited the crown but Socinios, and -he was now at hand, and very much favoured by the soldiers. For these -reasons, he thought it best to put a good face upon the matter in his -present situation. He, therefore, met Socinios as required, and joined -his army, as if it had been his free choice, and saluted him king in -the midst of repeated chearful congratulations of both armies now -united. - -Having succeeded in this to his wish, Socinios lost no time to try the -same experiment with Za Selassé, who was then in Dembea, the province -of which he was governor. To him he sent this message, “That God by -his grace having called him to the throne of his ancestors, he was now -on his march to Dembea, where he requested him to prepare his troops -to receive him, and dispose them to deserve the favours that he was -ready to confer upon all of them.” Za Selassé remained for a while as -if thunder-struck by so peremptory an intimation. Of all masters he -most wished for Jacob, because, from experience, he thought he could -govern him. Of all masters he most feared Socinios, because he knew he -possessed capacity and qualities that would naturally determine him to -govern alone. After having concerted with his friends, he sent Socinios -answer, “That not having till now known any thing of his claims or -intentions, he had sent an invitation to Jacob into Narea, whose answer -he expected; but that, in case Jacob did not appear, he then would -receive Socinios with every mark of duty and affection, and hoped he -would grant him the short delay to which he had inadvertently, though -innocently, engaged himself.” - -This answer did in no shape please Socinios, who dispatched the -messenger immediately with this declaration, “That he was already king, -and would never cede his right to Jacob, who was deposed and judged -unworthy to reign; no nor even to his father Melec Segued, though he -should rise again from the grave, and claim the throne he had so long -sat upon.” - -Za Selasse, easily penetrating that there was no peace in Socinios’s -intentions, first imprisoned the messenger, and, instead of another -answer, marched instantly with his whole army to surprise him before he -had time to take his measures. And in this he succeeded. For Socinios -being at that instant overtaken by sickness, and not knowing what trust -to put in Athanasius’s army, retired in haste to the mountains of -Amhara; while Athanasius also withdrew his troops till he should know -upon what terms he stood both with Za Selassé and the king. - -Still no return came from Jacob. The winter was nearly past, and not -only the soldiers, but people of all ranks began to be weary of this -interregnum, and heartily wished for their ancient form of government. -They said, That since Jacob did not appear, there could be no reason -for excluding Socinios, whose title was undoubted, and who had all the -qualities necessary to make a good king. - -Za Selasse, seeing this opinion gained ground among his troops, and -fearing they might mutiny and leave him alone, made a virtue of -necessity: he dispatched an ambassador to acknowledge Socinios as his -sovereign, and declare that he was ready to swear allegiance to him. -Socinios received this embassy with great apparent complacency. He -sent in return a monk, in whom he confided, a person of great worth -and dignity, to be his representative, and receive the homage of Za -Selassé and his army. On the news of this monk’s approach, Za Selassé -sent on his part ten men, the most respectable in his camp, to meet -this representative of the king, and conduct him into the camp, where -Za Selassé, and all his troops, did homage, and swore allegiance -to Socinios. Feasts and presents were now given in the camp, as is -usual at the accession of a new king to the throne, and all the army -abandoned themselves to joy. - -These good tidings were immediately communicated both to Socinios and -Ras Athanasius. But, in the midst of this rejoicing, a messenger came -from Jacob, informing Za Selassé that he was then in Dembea; that he -had conferred upon him the title of Ras and Betwudet, that is, had -made him the king’s lieutenant-general throughout the whole empire. Za -Selassé, in possession of the height of his wishes, and making an ample -distribution among his troops, determined immediately to march and join -Jacob in Dembea; but first he wrote privately to the ten men that had -accompanied the monk to Socinios, that they should withdraw themselves -as suddenly and privately as possible before the coming of Jacob was -known. Eight of these were lucky enough to do so; two of them were -overtaken in the flight and brought back to Socinios, who ordered them -to immediate execution. - -Ras Athanasius, seeing the prosperous turn that Jacob’s affairs had -taken, renounced his oath to Socinios, and repaired to Jacob at Coga, -while Socinios retired into Amhara at the head of a very respectable -army, waiting an opportunity to repay Jacob for his ambition, and -Athanasius and Za Selassé for their treason and perjury towards him. - -Although Jacob was now again seated on the throne, surrounded by the -army and great officers of the empire, his mind was always disturbed -with the apprehension of Socinios. In order to free himself from this -anxiety, he employed Socinios’s mother in an application to her son, -with an offer of peace and friendship; promising, besides, that he -would give him in property the kingdoms of Amhara, Walaka, and Shoa, -and all the lands which his father had ever possessed in any other part -of Abyssinia. Socinios shortly answered, “That what God had given him, -no man could take from him; that the whole kingdom belonged to him, nor -would he ever relinquish any part of it but with his life. He advised -Jacob to consider this, and peaceably resign a crown which did not -belong to him; and the attempting to keep which, would involve him and -his country in a speedy destruction.” - -Upon this defiance, seeing Socinios implacable, Jacob took the field, -and was followed by Za Selassé. But this proud and insolent traitor, -who never could confine himself within the line of his duty, even under -a king of his own choosing, would not join his forces with Jacob, but -vain-gloriously led a separate army, subject to his orders alone. In -this manner, having separate camps, choosing different ground, and -sometimes at a considerable distance from each other, they came up -with Socinios in Begemder. Jacob advanced so near him that his tent -could be distinctly seen from that of Socinios, and, on the morrow, -Jacob and Za Selassé, drawing up their armies, offered Socinios battle. - -That wise prince saw too well that he was overmatched; and, though -he desired a battle as much as Jacob, it was not upon such terms as -the present. He declined it, and kept hovering about them as near as -possible on the heights and uneven ground, where he could not be forced -to fight till it perfectly suited his own interest. - -This refusal on the part of Socinios did but increase Za Selassé’s -pride. He despised Jacob as a general, and thought that Socinios -declining battle was owing only to the apprehension he had of his -presence, courage, and abilities. He continued parading with the -separate army, perfectly intoxicated with confidence and an imaginary -superiority, neglecting all the wholesome rules of war rigidly adhered -to by great generals for the sake of discipline, however distant they -may be from their enemy. - -It was not long before this was told Socinios, who soon saw his -advantage in it, and thereupon resolved to fight Za Selassé singly, -and watch attentively till he should find him as far as possible -from Jacob. Nor did he long wait for the occasion; for Za Selassé, -attempting to lead his army through very uneven and stony ground, -called _the Pass of Mount Defer_, and at a considerable distance from -Jacob, Socinios attacked him while in the pass so rudely, that his -army, entangled in broken and unknown ground, was surrounded and almost -cut to pieces. Za Selassé, with a few followers, saved themselves by -the goodness of their horses, and joined the king, being the first -messengers of their own defeat. - -Jacob received the news of this misfortune without any apparent -concern. On the contrary, he took Za Selassé roundly to task for -having lost such an army by his misconduct; and from that time put on -a coolness of carriage towards him that could not be bruiked by such -a character. He made direct proposals to Socinios to join him, if he -could be assured that his services would be well received. Socinios, -though he reposed no confidence in one that had changed sides so often, -was yet, for his own sake, desirous to deprive his rival of an officer -of such credit and reputation with the soldiers. He therefore promised -him a favourable reception; and, a treaty being concluded, Socinios -marched into Gojam, followed by Jacob, and there was joined by Za -Selassé whom Jacob had made governor of that province. - -Jacob, not knowing how far this desertion might extend, and to shew -Socinios the little value he set upon his new acquisition, immediately -advanced towards him, and offered him battle. This was what Socinios -very earnestly wished for; but, as his army was much inferior to -Jacob’s, he seemed to decline it from motives of fear, till he had -found ground proper for his army to engage in with advantage. - -Jacob, sensible of the great superiority he had, (historians say it -was nearly thirty to one) grew every day more impatient to bring -Socinios to an engagement, fearing he might retreat, and thereby -prolong the war, which he had no doubt would be finished by the first -action. Therefore he was anxious to keep him always in sight, without -regarding the ground through which his eagerness led him. Several days -the two armies marched side by side in sight of each other, till they -came to Debra Tzait, or the Mountain of Olives. There Jacob halted; he -then advanced a little further, and seeing Socinios encamped, he did -the same in a low and very disadvantageous post on the banks of the -river Lebart. - -Socinios having now obtained his desire, early in the morning of the -10th of March 1607 fell suddenly upon Jacob cooped up in a low and -narrow place, which gave him no opportunity of availing himself of his -numbers. Jacob soon found that he was over-reached by the superior -generalship of his enemy. Socinios’s troops were so strongly posted, -that Jacob’s soldiers found themselves in a number of ambushes they -had not foreseen, so that, fighting or flying being equally dangerous -to them, his whole army was nearly destroyed in the field, or in the -flight, which was most ardently and vigorously followed till night, -with little loss on the part of Socinios. - -This battle, decisive enough by the route and dispersion of the enemy, -became still more so from two circumstances attending it: The first was -the death of his competitor, who fell unknown among a herd of common -soldiers in the beginning of the action, without having performed, in -his own person, any thing worthy of the character he had to sustain, -or that could enable any spectator to give an account in what place -he fell; the consequence of which was, that he was thought to be -alive many years afterwards. The second was the death of the Abuna -Petros. This priest had distinguished himself in Za Denghel’s reign, -by absolving the king’s subjects and soldiers from their oaths of -allegiance, which was followed by the unfortunate death of Za Denghel -in the plain of Bartcho. Vain of the importance he had acquired by the -success of his treason, he had pursued the same conduct with regard -to Socinios, and followed Jacob to battle, where, trusting to his -character and habit for the safety of his person, he neglected the -danger that he ran amidst a flying army. While occupied in uttering -vain curses and excommunications against the conquerors, he was known, -by the crucifix he held in his hand, by a Moorish soldier of Socinios, -who thrust him through with a lance, then cut his head off, and carried -it to the king. - -The Abyssinian annals state, that, immediately after seeing the head -of Abuna Peter, Socinios ordered a retreat to be sounded, and that no -more of his enemies should be slain. On the contrary, the Jesuits have -said, that the pursuit was continued even after night; for that a body -of horse, among whom were many Portuguese belonging to the army of -Jacob, flying from Socinios’s troops, fell over a very high precipice, -it being so dark that they did not discover it; and that one soldier, -called Manuel Gonsalez, finding his horse leave him, as it were flying, -lighted luckily on a tree, where, in the utmost trepidation, he sat -all night, not knowing where he was. This fear was greatly encreased -in the morning, when he beheld the horses, and the men who were his -companions, lying dead and dashed to pieces in the plain below. - -Ras Athanasius, who had followed the party of Jacob, narrowly escaped -by the swiftness of his horse, and hid himself in the monastery of -Dima, at no great distance from the field of battle; and Peter Paez, -from remembrance of his former good offices, having recommended him -to Sela Christos, Socinios’s brother-in-law, he was pardoned; but -losing favour every day, his effects and lands having been taken -from him on different occasions, he is said at last to have died for -want, justly despised by all men for unsteadiness in allegiance to -his sovereigns, by which he had been the occasion of the death of two -excellent princes, had frequently endangered the life and state of -the third, and had been the means of the slaughter of many thousands -of their subjects, worthier men than himself, as they fell in the -discharge of their duty. But before his death he had still this further -mortification, that his wife, daughter of Sertza Denghel, called Melec -Segued, voluntarily forsook his bed and retired to a single life. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -SOCINIOS, OR MELEC SEGUED. - -From 1605 to 1632. - - _Socinios embraces the Romish Religion--War with Sennaar--With - the Shepherds--Violent Conduct of the Romish Patriarch--Lasta - rebels--Defeated at Wainadega--Socinios restores the - Alexandrian Religion--Resigns his Crown to his eldest Son._ - - -Socinios, now universally acknowledged as king, began his reign with a -degree of moderation which there was no reason to expect of him. Often -as he had been betrayed, many and inveterate as his enemies were, now -he had them in his power, he sought no vengeance for injuries which -he had suffered, but freely pardoned every one, receiving all men -graciously without reproach or reflections, or even depriving them of -their employments. - -Being informed, however, that one Mahardin, a Moor, had been the first -to break through that respect due to a king, by wounding Za Denghel at -the battle of Bartcho, he ordered him to be brought at noon-day before -the gate of his palace, and his head to be there struck off with an -ax, as a just atonement for violated majesty. - -The king, now retired to Coga, gave his whole attention to regulate -those abuses, and repair those losses, which this long and bloody -war had occasioned. He had two brothers by the mother’s side, men of -great merit, Sela Christos, and Emana Christos, destined to share the -principal part in the king’s confidence and councils. - -Bela Christos, a man of great family, who had been attached to him -since he formed his first pretensions to the crown, was called to -court to take his share in the glory and dangers of this reign, which -it was easy to see would be a very active one; for every province -around was full of rebels and independents, who had shaken off the -yoke of government, paid no taxes, nor shewed other respect to the -king than just what at the moment consisted with their own interest or -inclination. - -The Portuguese soldiers, remnants of the army which came into Abyssinia -under Christopher de Gama, had multiplied exceedingly, and their -children had been trained by their parents in the use of fire-arms. -They were at this time incorporated in one body under John Gabriel a -veteran officer, who seems to have constantly remained with the king, -while his soldiers (at least great part of them) had followed the -fortune they thought most likely to prevail ever since the time of -Claudius. - -Menas did not esteem them enough to keep them in his army at the -expence of enduring the seditious conversations of their priests -reviling and undervaluing his religion and government. He therefore -banished them the kingdom; but, instead of obeying, they joined the -Baharnagash, then confederated with the Turks and in rebellion against -his sovereign, as we have already mentioned. Sertza Denghel seems to -have scarcely set any value upon them after this, and made very little -use of them during his long reign. Upon the infant Jacob’s being put -upon the throne they all adhered to him; and, after Jacob’s banishment, -part of them had attached themselves to Za Denghel, and behaved with -great spirit in the battle of Bartcho. - -Upon Jacob’s restoration they had joined him, and with him were -defeated at the decisive battle of Lebart, being all united against -Socinios; so that, on whatever side they declared themselves, they -were constantly beaten by the cowardice of the Abyssinians with whom -they were joined. Yet, tho’ they had been so often on the side that -was unfortunate, their particular loss had been always inconsiderable; -because, whatever was the fate of the rest of the army, none of the -country troops would ever stand before them, and they made their -retreat from amidst a routed army in nearly the same safety as if they -had been conquerors; because it was not, for several reasons, the -interest of the conquerors to attack them, nor was the experiment ever -likely to be an eligible one to the assailants. - -Socinios followed a conduct opposite to that of Menas. He determined to -attach the Portuguese wholly to himself, and to make them depend upon -him entirely. For this reason he made great advances to their priests, -and sent for Peter Paez to court, where, after the usual disputes upon -the pope’s supremacy, and the two natures in Christ, mass was said, -and a sermon preached, much with the same success as it had been in the -time of Za Denghel, and with full as great offence to the Abyssinian -clergy. - -The province of Dembea, lying round the lake Tzana, is the most fertile -and the most cultivated country in Abyssinia. It is entirely flat, -and seems to have been produced by the decrease of water in the lake, -which, from very visible marks, appears to have formerly been of four -times the extent of what it is at present. Dembea, however fruitful, -has one inconvenience to which all level countries in this climate are -subject: A mortal fever rages in the whole extent of it, from March to -Heder Michael, the eighth day of November, when there are always gentle -showers. This dangerous fever stops immediately upon the falling of -these rains, as suddenly as the plague does upon the first falling of -the nucta, or dew, in Egypt. - -On the south side of this lake the country rises into a rocky -promontory, which forms a peninsula and runs far into the lake. Nothing -can be more beautiful than this small territory, elevated, but not -to an inconvenient height, above the water which surrounds it on all -sides, except the south. The climate is delightful, and no fevers -or other diseases rage here. The prospect of the lake and distant -mountains is magnificent beyond European conception, and Nature seems -to have pointed this place out for pleasure, health, and retirement. -Paez had asked and obtained this territory from the king, who, he says, -gave him a grant of it in perpetuity. The manner of this he describes: -“A civil officer is sent on the part of the king, who calls together -all the proprietors of the neighbouring lands, and visits the bounds -with them; they kill a goat at particular distances, and bury the heads -under ground upon the boundary line of this regality; which heads, Paez -says, it is felony to dig up or remove; and this is a mark or gift of -land in perpetuity.” - -Without contradicting the form of burying the goats heads, I shall only -say, I never saw or heard of it, nor is there such a thing as a gift -of land in _perpetuum_ known in Abyssinia. All the land is the king’s; -he gives it to whom he pleases during pleasure, and resumes it when it -is his will. As soon as he dies the whole land in the kingdom (that of -the Abuna excepted) is in the disposal of the crown; and not only so, -but, by the death of every present owner, his possessions, however long -enjoyed, revert to the king, and do not fall to the eldest son. It is -by proclamation the possession and property is reconveyed to the heir, -who thereby becomes absolute master of the land for his own life or -pleasure of the king, under obligation of military and other services; -and that exception, on the part of the Abuna, is not in respect to -the sanctity of his person, or charge, but because it is founded upon -treaty[47], and is become part of the constitution. - -The Abyssinians saw, with the utmost astonishment, the erection of a -convent strongly built with stone and lime, of which before they had no -knowledge, and their wonder was still increased, when, at desire of the -king, Paez undertook, of the same materials, to build a palace for him -at the southmost end of this peninsula, which is called Gorgora. It was -with amazement mixed with terror that they saw a house rise upon house, -for so they call the different storeys. - -Paez here displayed his whole ingenuity, and the extent of his -abilities. He alone was architect, mason, smith, and carpenter, -and with equal dexterity managed all the instruments used by each -profession in the several stages of the work. The palace was what -we shall call wainscoted with cedar, divided into state-rooms, and -private apartments likewise for the queen and nobility of both sexes -that formed the court, with accommodations and lodgings for guards and -servants. - -As the king had at that time a view to attack the rebels, the Agows -and Damots, and to check the inroads of the Galla into Gojam, he -saw with pleasure a work going on that provided the most commodious -residence where his occupation in all probability was chiefly to lie. -His principal aim was to bring into his kingdom a number of Portuguese -troops, which, joined to those already there, and the converts he -proposed to make after embracing the Catholic religion, might enable -him to extirpate that rebellious spirit which seemed now universally -to have taken possession of the hearts of his subjects, and especially -of the clergy, of late taught, he did not seem to know how, that most -dangerous privilege of cursing and excommunicating kings. He had not -seen in Peter Paez and his fellow-priests any thing but submission, and -a love of monarchy; their lives and manners were truly apostolical; and -he never thought, till he came afterwards to be convinced upon proof, -that the patriarch from Rome, and the Abuna from Cairo, tho’ they -differed in their opinion as to the two natures in Christ, did both -heartily agree in the desire of erecting ecclesiastical dominion and -tyranny upon the ruins of monarchy and civil power, and of effecting a -total subordination of the civil government, either to the chairs of St -Mark or St Peter. - -In the winter, during the cessation from work, Socinios called Paez -from Gorgora to Coga, where he enlarged the territory the Jesuits -then had at Fremona. After which he declared to him his resolution -to embrace the Catholic religion; and, as Paez says, presented him -with two letters, one to the king of Portugal, the other to the pope: -the first dated the 10th of December 1607, the latter the 14th of -October of the same year. These letters say not a word of his intended -conversion, nor of submission to the see of Rome; but complain only of -the disorderly state of his kingdom, and the constant inroads of the -Galla, earnestly requesting a number of Portuguese soldiers to free -them from their yoke, as formerly, under the conduct of Christopher de -Gama, they had delivered Abyssinia from that of the Moors. - -While these things passed at Coga, two pieces of intelligence were -brought to the king, both very material in themselves, but which -affected him very differently. The first was, that the traitor Za -Selassé, while making one of his incursions into Gojam, had fallen into -an ambush laid for him by the Toluma Galla, guardians of that province -on the banks of the Nile, and that these Pagans had slain him and cut -off his head, which they then presented to the king, who ordered it to -be exposed on the lance whereon it was fixed, in the most conspicuous -place in the front of his palace. - -This was the end of Ras Za Selassé, a name held in detestation to -this day throughout all Abyssinia. Though his death was just such as -it ought to have been, yet, as it was in an advanced time of life, he -still became a hurtful example, by shewing that it was possible for a -man to live to old age in the continual practice of murder and treason. - -He was of low birth, as I have already observed, of a Pagan nation -of Troglodytes, of the lowest esteem in Abyssinia, employed always -in the meanest and most servile occupations, in which capacity he -served first in a private family. Being observed to have an active, -quick turn of mind, he was preferred to the service of Melec Segued, -upon whose death he was so much esteemed by his son Jacob, for the -expertness and capacity he shewed in business, that he gave him large -possessions, and appointed him afterwards to several ranks in the army; -having regularly advanced through the subordinate degrees of military -command, always with great success, he was made at last general; and -being now of importance sufficient to be able to ruin his benefactor, -he joined Ras Athanasius, who had rebelled against Jacob, by whom he -was taken prisoner, and, being mercifully dealt with, only banished -to Narea. From this disgraceful situation he was freed by Za Denghel, -who conferred upon him the most lucrative important employment in -the state. In return, he rebelled against Za Denghel; and at Bartcho -deprived him of his kingdom and life. Upon Jacob’s accession he was -appointed Betwudet, the first place in Ethiopia, after the king, -and governor of Gojam, one of the largest and richest provinces in -Abyssinia. But he soon after again forsook Jacob, swore allegiance to -Socinios, and joined him. - -Not content with all this, he began to form some new designs while -with the court at Coga; and, having said to some of the king’s -servants, over wine, that it was prophesied to him he should kill -three kings, which he had verified in two, and was waiting for the -third, this speech was repeated to Socinios, who ordered Za Selassé to -be apprehended; and, though he most justly deserved death, the king -mercifully commuted his punishment to banishment to the top of Oureé -Amba, which signifies the Great Mountain upon the high ridge, called -_Gusman_, near the banks of the Nile; and, though close confined in -the caves on the top of that mountain, after a year’s imprisonment he -escaped to Walaka, and there declared himself captain of a band of -robbers, with which he infested the province of Gojam, when he was -slain by a peasant, and his head cut off and sent to Socinios, who very -much rejoiced in the present, and disposed of it as we have mentioned. - -The second piece of intelligence the emperor received was that in the -mountains of Habab, contiguous to Masuah, where is the famous monastery -of the monks of St Eustathius, called _Bisan_; a person appeared -calling himself Jacob, son of Sertza Denghel, and pretending to have -escaped from the battle of Lebart; thus, taking advantage of the -circumstance of Jacob’s body not having been found in the field among -the dead after that engagement, he pretended he had been so grievously -wounded in the teeth and face that it was not possible to suffer the -deformity to appear; for which reason, as he said, but, as it appeared -afterwards, to conceal the little resemblance he bore to Jacob, he -wrapped about his head the corner of his upper cloth, and so concealed -one side of his face entirely. - -All Tigré hastened to join this impostor as their true sovereign; -who, finding himself now at the head of an army, came down from the -mountains of Bisan, and encamped in the neighbourhood of Dobarwa upon -the Mareb, where he had a new accession of strength. - -The shape of the crown in Abyssinia is that of the hood, or capa, which -the priests wear when saying mass. It is composed of silver, sometimes -of gold, sometimes of both metals, mixed and lined with blue silk. It -is made to cover part of the forehead, both cheeks, and the hind-part -of the neck likewise to the joining of the shoulders. A crown of this -shape could not but be of great service in hiding the terrible scars -with which the impostor’s face was supposed to be deformed. He had -accordingly got one made at Masuah, beat very thin out of a few ounces -of gold which he had taken from a caravan that he had robbed. He wore -it constantly upon his head as a token that he was not a candidate for -the crown, but real sovereign, who had worn that mark of power from his -infancy. - -The news of this impostor, with the usual exaggeration of followers, -soon came to Sela Christos, governor of Tigré, who, seeing that the -affair became more serious every day, resolved to attempt to check it. -He conceived, however, he had little trust to put in the troops of -his province, who all of them were wavering whether they should not -join the rebel. His sole dependence, then, was upon the troops of his -own household, veteran soldiers, well paid and cloathed, and firmly -attached to his person, and likewise upon the Portuguese. Above all, -being himself a man of consummate courage and prudence, he was far from -judging of the power of his enemy by the multitude of rabble which -composed it. - -As soon as the armies came in presence of each other, Jacob offered -the governor battle. But no sooner did the impostor’s troops see the -eagerness with which the small but chosen band rushed upon them, than -they fled and dispersed; and though Sela Christos had taken every -precaution to cut off the pretended Jacob from his usual sculking -places, it was not possible to overtake or apprehend him; for he -arrived in safety in one of the highest and most inaccessible mountains -of the district, whence he looked down on Sela Christos and his army -without apprehension, having behind him a retreat to the more distant -and less known mountains of Hamazen, should his enemies press him -further. - -As long as Sela Christos remained with his little army in that country, -the impostor Jacob continued on the highest part of the mountains, -accompanied only by two or three of his most intimate friends, who -being people whose families dwelt in the plain below, brought him -constant intelligence of what passed there. - -Sela Christos, wishing by all means to engage the enemy, marched into -a considerable plain called _Mai-aquel_; but, seeing on every side the -top of each mountain guarded by troops of soldiers, he was afraid he -had advanced too far; and, apprehensive lest he should be inclosed in -the midst of a multitude so posted, he began to think how he could best -make his retreat before he was surrounded by so numerous enemies. But -they no sooner saw his intention by the movement of his army, than, -leaving their leader as a spectator above, they fell on all sides upon -Sela Christos’s troops, who, having no longer any safety but in their -arms, began to attack the hill that was next them, which they stormed -as they would do a castle. Finding the small resistance that each of -these posts made, the governor divided his small army into so many -separate bodies, leaving his cavalry in the plain below, who, without -fighting, were only employed in slaughtering those his troops had -dislodged from their separate posts. - -The day after, the impostor assembling his scattered troops, retreated -towards the sea into the territory of Hamazen, between the country of -the Baharnagash and the mountains of the Habab. - -Sela Christos, finding that, while he pursued his victory in these -distant parts, the spirit of rebellion increased nearer home, resolved -to inform the king his brother of the unpromising state of his affairs -in Tigré, and the great necessity there was of his presence there. -Nor did Socinios lose a moment after receiving this intelligence from -Sela Christos, although it had found him, in one respect, very ill -prepared for such an undertaking; for he had sent all his horse from -Coga upon an expedition against the Shangalla and Gongas, nations on -the north-west border of this kingdom; so that, when he marched from -Wainadega, his cavalry amounted to 530 men only, besides a small -reinforcement brought by Emana Christos, governor of Amhara. - -It was at Aibo the king turned off the road to Tigré towards Begemder, -and that day encamped at Wainadega. From Wainadega he advanced to -Davada; and, crossing the Reb, he turned off by the way of Zang, and -encamped at Kattamè. He then proceeded to Tzamè, and arrived at Hader. -At this place some spies informed him that an advanced party of the -Galla Marawa were strongly lodged in a hill not far off. Upon receiving -this notice, Socinios ordered his army to refresh themselves, to -extinguish all lights, and march with as little noise as possible. - -While it was scarce dawn of day, a strong detachment of the king’s -army surrounded the hill where the Galla were, and found there a small -number of these savages placed like piquets to give the alarm and -prevent surprise. Eleven Galla were slain, and their heads cut off and -carried to the king, the first fruits of his expedition. - -Resolving to profit by this early advantage, Socinios followed with all -diligence, and came in sight of the army of the enemy, without their -having taken the smallest alarm. They were lying closely and securely -in their huts that they had made. A large ravine full of trees and -stumps divided the two armies, and in part concealed them from each -other. The king ordered Emana Christos, and Abeton Welleta Christos, -to pass the ravine with the horse, and fall upon the Galla suddenly, -throwing the heads of those of the advanced guard they had cut off on -the ground towards them. - -Before the king’s horse had passed the ravine, the Galla were alarmed, -and mounted on horseback. As they never fight in order, it required no -time to form; but they received the king’s cavalry so rudely, that, -though Emana Christos and the young prince behaved with the utmost -courage, they were beat back, and obliged to fly with considerable -loss, being entangled in the bushes. No sooner did the king observe -that his horse were engaged, than he ordered his troops to pass -the ravine to support them, and was desirous to bring on a general -engagement. But a panic had seized his troops. They would not stir, but -seemed benumbed and overcome by the cold of the morning, spectators of -the ruin of the cavalry. - -Emana Christos, and those of the cavalry that had escaped the massacre, -had repassed the ravine, and dispersed themselves in the front of the -foot; while the victorious Marawa, like ignorant savages, pushed their -victory to the very front of the king’s line. Socinios, ordering all -the drums of the army to beat and trumpets to sound, to excite some -spirit in his troops, advanced himself before any of his soldiers, and -slew the first Galla within his reach with his own hands. The example -and danger the king exposed himself to, raised the indignation of -the troops. They poured in crowds, without regarding order, upon the -Marawa, great part of whom had already passed the ravine, and all that -had passed it were cut to pieces. - -The Galla, unable to stand this loss, fled from the field, and -immediately after left Begemder. The want of horse on the king’s part -saved their whole army from the destruction which would infallibly have -been the consequence of a vigorous pursuit, through a country where -every inhabitant was an enemy. The king after this returned to his -palace at Coga to finish the business he had in hand. - -In the mean time, a report was spread through all Tigré, that the king -had been defeated by the Galla, and that Ras Sela Christos had repaired -to Gondar in consequence of that disaster. The impostor Jacob lost no -time in taking advantage of this report. He descended from his natural -fortress, and, in conjunction with the governor of Axum, slew several -people, and committed many ravages in Siré. The Ras no sooner learned -that he was encamped on plain ground, than he presented himself with -the little army he had before; and, though the odds against him were -excessive, yet by his presence and conduct, the rebels, though they -fought this time with more than ordinary obstinacy, were defeated with -great loss, and their leader, the supposed Jacob, forced again to his -inaccessible mountains. - -Socinios having now finished the affairs which detained him at Coga, -and being informed that the southern Galla, resenting the defeat of -the Marawa, had entered into a league to invade Abyssinia with united -forces, and a complete army to burn and lay waste the whole country -between the Tacazzé and Tzana, and to attack the emperor in his capital -of Coga, which they were determined to destroy, sent orders to Kasmati -Julius, his son-in-law, to join him immediately with what forces -he had, as also to Kesla Christos; and, being joined by both these -officers and their troops, he marched and took post at Ebenaat in the -district of Belessen, in the way by which the Galla intended to pass to -the capital, and he resolved to await them there. - -The Galla advanced in their usual manner, burning and destroying -churches and villages, and murdering without mercy all that were so -unfortunate as to fall into their hands. The king bore these excesses -of his enemy with the patience of a good general, who saw they -contributed to his advantage. He therefore did not offer to check any -of their disorders, but by not resisting rather hoped to encourage -them. He had an army in number superior, and this was seldom the case; -but in quality there was no comparison, five of the king’s troops being -equal to twenty of the enemy, and this was the general proportion in -which they fought. He, therefore, contented himself with choosing -proper ground to engage, and improving it by ambushes such as the -nature of the field permitted or suggested. - -It was the 7th of January 1608, early in the morning, that the Galla -presented themselves to Socinios in battle, in a plain below Ebenaat, -surrounded with small hills covered with wood. The Galla filled the -whole plain, as if voluntarily devoting themselves to destruction, and -from the hills and bushes were destroyed by fire-arms from enemies -they did not see, who with a strong body took possession of the place -through which they entered, and by which they were to return no more. - -Socinios that day, for what particular reason does not appear, -distinguished himself among the midst of the Galla, by fighting like a -common soldier. It is thought by the historians of those times, that he -had received advice while at Coga, that his son-in-law Julius intended -to rebel, and therefore he meant to discourage him by comparison of -their personal abilities. This, however, is not probable; the king’s -character was established, and nothing more could be added to it. -However that may be, all turned to the disadvantage of the Galla. No -general or other officer thought himself entitled to spare his person -more than the king; all fought like common soldiers; and, being the -men best armed and mounted, and most experienced in the field, they -contributed in proportion to the slaughter of the day. About 12,000 men -on the part of the Galla were killed upon the spot; the very few that -remained were destroyed by the peasants, whilst 400 men only fell on -the part of the king, so it was a massacre rather than a battle. - -Socinios now resolved to try his fortune against the impostor Jacob, -and with that resolution he crossed Lamalmon, descending to the Tacazzé -in his way to Siré. Here, as on the frontiers of his province, he was -met by Sela Christos, who brought Peter Paez along with them. Both were -kindly received by the king, who encamped in the large plain before -Axum, in consequence of a resolution he had long taken of being crowned -with all the ancient ceremonies used on this occasion by former kings, -while the royal residence was in the province of Tigré. - -It was on the 18th of March, according to their account, the day of -our Saviour’s first coming to Jerusalem, that this festival began. His -army consisted of about 30,000 men. All the great officers, all the -officers of state, and the court then present, were every man dressed -in the richest and gayest manner. Nor was the other sex behind-hand in -the splendour of their appearance. The king, dressed in crimson damask, -with a great chain of gold round his neck, his head bare, mounted upon -a horse richly caparisoned, advanced at the head of his nobility, -passed the outer court, and came to the paved way before the church. -Here he was met by a number of young girls, daughters of the umbares, -or supreme judges, together with many noble virgins standing on the -right and left of the court. - -Two of the noblest of these held in their hands a crimson cord of -silk, somewhat thicker than common whip-cord, but of a looser texture, -stretched across from one company to another, as if to shut up the -road by which the king was approaching the church. When this cord was -prepared and drawn tight about breast-high by the girls, the king -entered, advancing at a moderate pace, curvetting and shewing the -management of his horse. He was stopped by the tension of this string, -while the damsels on each side asking who he was, were answered, “I am -your king, the king of Ethiopia.” To which they replied with one voice, -“You shall not pass; you are not our king.” - -The king then retires some paces, and then presents himself as to -pass, and the cord is again drawn across his way by the young women -so as to prevent him, and the question repeated, “Who are you?” The -king answered, “I am your king, the king of Israel.” But the damsels -resolved, even on this second attack, not to surrender but upon their -own terms; they again answer, “You shall not pass; you are not our -king.” - -The third time, after retiring, the king advances with a pace and air -more determined; and the cruel virgins, again presenting the cord and -asking who he is, he answers, “I am your king, the king of Sion;” and, -drawing his sword, cuts the silk cord asunder. Immediately upon this -the young women cry, “It is a truth, you are our king; truly you are -the king of Sion.” Upon which they begin to sing Hallelujah, and in -this they are joined by the court and army upon the plain; fire-arms -are discharged, drums and trumpets sound; and the king, amidst these -acclamations and rejoicings, advances to the foot of the stair of the -church, where he dismounts, and there sits down upon a stone, which, by -its remains, apparently was an altar of Anubis, or the dog-star: At his -feet there is a large slab of free-stone, on which is the inscription -mentioned by Poncet, and which shall be quoted hereafter, when I come -to speak of the ruins of Axum. - -After the king comes the nebrit, or keeper of the book of the law in -Axum, supposed to represent Azarias the son of Zadock; then the twelve -umbares, or supreme judges, who with Azarias accompanied Menilek, the -son of Solomon, when he brought the book of the law from Jerusalem, and -these are supposed to represent the twelve tribes. After these follow -the Abuna at the head of the priests, and the Itchegué at the head of -the monks; then the court, who all pass through the aperture made by -the division of the silk cord, which remains still upon the ground. - -The king is first anointed, then crowned, and is accompanied half up -the steps by the singing priests, called Depteras, chanting psalms -and hymns. Here he stops at a hole made for the purpose in one of the -steps, and is there fumigated with incense and myrrh, aloes and cassia. -Divine service is then celebrated; and, after receiving the sacrament, -he returns to the camp, where fourteen days should regularly be spent -in feasting, and all manner of rejoicing and military exercise. - -The king is, by the old custom, obliged to give a number of presents, -the particulars of which are stated in the deftar, or treasury-book, -the value, the person to whom they are due, and the time of giving; but -a great part of these are gone into desuetude since the removal of the -court from Tigré, as also many of the offices are now suppressed, and -with them the presents due to them. - -The nobles and the court were likewise obliged to give presents to the -king upon that occasion. The present from the governor of Axum is two -lions and a fillet of silk, upon which is wrote, “_Mo Anbasa am Nizilet -Solomon am Negadé Jude_--The lion of the tribe of Judah and race of -Solomon hath overcome;” this serves as a form of investiture of lands -that the king grants, a ribband bearing this inscription being tied -round the head of the person to whom the lands are given. - -This governor was then in rebellion, so did not assist at the ceremony. -Notwithstanding the difference of expence which I have mentioned, by -suppressing places, presents, and dues, the king Tecla Haimanout told -me at Gondar, that when he was in Tigré, driven there by the late -rebellion, Ras Michael had some thoughts of having him crowned there -in contempt of his enemies; but, by the most moderate calculation that -could be made, not to turn the ceremony into ridicule by parsimony, -it would have cost 20,000 ounces of gold, or L. 50,000 Sterling; upon -which he laid aside the thoughts of it, saying to the king, “Sir, -trust to me, 20,000 ounces of Tigré iron shall crown you better; if -more is wanted, I will bestow it upon your enemies with pleasure till -they are satisfied;” meaning the iron balls with which his soldiers -loaded their musquets. - -After the coronation was over, the king passed the Mareb, desiring to -finish his campaign by the death of his competitor Jacob; but that -impostor knew too well the superiority of his rival, and hid himself -in the inmost recesses, without other attendants than a few goats, who -furnished him with their milk, as well as their society. - -Socinios left the affair of the rebel Jacob to be ended by Amsala -Christos, an officer of great prudence, whom he made governor of Tigré; -and, taking his brother Ras Sela Christos along with him, returned -to Coga[48]. Amsala Christos being seized with a grievous sickness, -saw how vain it was for him to pursue the suppression of a rebellion -conducted by such a head as this impostor Jacob, and therefore secretly -applied to two young men, Zara Johannes and Amha Georgis, brothers, and -sons of the Shum Welled Georgis, who had committed murder, and were -outlawed by Socinios, and, keeping hid in the mountains, had joined in -fellowship with the impostor Jacob. - -These, gained by the promise of pardon given them by Amsala Christos, -chose an opportunity which their intimacy gave them, and, falling upon -Jacob unawares in his retirement, they slew him, cut his head off, -and sent it to the king at Coga, who received it very thankfully, and -returned it to Tigré to Amsala Christos, to be exposed publicly in all -the province to undeceive the people; for it now appeared, that he had -neither scars in his face, broken jaw, nor loss of teeth, but that the -covering was intended only to conceal the little resemblance he bore to -king Jacob, slain, as we have seen, at the battle of Lebart; and he was -now found to have been a herdsman, in those very mountains of Bisan to -which he had so often fled for refuge while his rebellion lasted. - -The king, in his return from Tigré, passing by Fremona, sent to the -Jesuits there thirty ounces of gold, about L. 75 Sterling, for their -immediate exigency; testifying, in the most gracious manner, his -regret, “That the many affairs in which he was engaged had prevented -him from hearing mass in their convent, as he very sincerely wished to -do; but he left with them the Abuna Simon, to whom he had recommended -to study their religion, and be a friend to it.” - -In this he shewed his want of penetration and experience; for though he -had seen wars between soldier and soldier, who, after having been in -the most violent state of enmity, had died in defence of each other as -friends, he was not aware of that degree of enmity which reigns upon -difference of opinion, not to say religion, between priest and priest. -It was not long, however, before he saw it, and the example was in the -person of his present friend the Abuna Simon. - -While Socinios was yet in Tigré, news were brought to Coga from Woggora -to Sanuda Tzef Leham[49] of Dembea, who could not accompany the king -to Tigré on account of sickness, but was left with the charge of the -capital and palace during the king’s absence, that Melchizedec, one -of the meanest and lowest servants of the late king Melec Segued, had -rebelled, and was collecting troops, consisting of soldiers, servants, -and dependents of that prince, and had slain some of Socinios’s -servants. Sanuda was a brave and active officer; but, being without -troops, (the king having carried the whole army to Tigré) immediately -set out from Maitsha to the town of Tchelga, one of the frontiers of -Abyssinia, possessed by Wed Ageeb prince of the Arabs. - -It is here to be observed, that though the territorial right of Tchelga -did then, and does still appertain to the kingdom of Abyssinia, -yet the possession of it is ceded by agreement to Wed Ageeb, under -whose protection the caravans from Egypt and Sennaar, and those from -Abyssinia to Sennaar and Egypt, were understood to be ever since they -were cut off in the last century by the basha of Suakem, for this -purpose, that a customhouse might be erected, and the duties divided -between the two kingdoms equally. The same is the case with Serké, a -town belonging to Sennaar, ceded for the same purpose to the king of -Abyssinia. - -It happened that Abdelcader[50], son of Ounsa, late king of Sennaar, or -of Funge, as he is called in the Abyssinian annals, had been deposed -by his subjects in the 4th year of his reign, and remained at Tchelga -under the mutual protection of Wed Ageeb and the emperor of Abyssinia, -a kind of prisoner to them both; and had brought with him a number of -soldiers and dependents, the partakers of his former good fortune, who, -finding safety and good usage at Tchelga, were naturally well-affected -to the king. These, ready mounted and armed, joined Sanuda immediately -upon his declaring the exigency; and with these he marched straight to -Coga, to the defence of the palace with which he had been intrusted. - -Melchizedec, whose design was against Coga, no sooner heard Sanuda was -arrived there than he marched to surprise him, and a very bloody and -obstinate engagement followed. The Funge, piqued in honour to render -this service to their protector, fought so obstinately that they were -all slain, and Sanuda, mounted that day upon a fleet horse belonging to -Socinios, escaped with difficulty, much wounded. - -As soon as Socinios heard of this misfortune, he sent Ras Emana -Christos, who marched straight to Woggora, creating Zenobius, son of -Imael, governor of that district; and there he found Sanuda Zenobius -and Ligaba Za Denghel together, in a place called Deberasso. - -As soon as the rebel Melchizedec heard Emana Christos was come, and -with him the fore-mentioned noblemen, he set himself to exert the -utmost of his power to draw together forces of all kinds from every -part he could get them, and his army was soon increased to such a -degree as, notwithstanding the presence of Emana Christos, to strike -terror into all the territory and towns of Dembea. Nothing was wanted -but a king of the royal race for whom to fight. Without a chief of this -kind, it was evident that the army, however often successful, would -at last disperse. They, therefore, brought one Arzo, a prince of the -royal blood, from his hiding-place in Begemder. Arzo, in return for a -throne, conferred the place of Ras upon Melchizedec. Za Christos, son -of Hatzir Abib, was appointed to the command of the army under him; -and, having finished this and many such necessary preparatives, they -marched straight to meet Emana Christos, with a better countenance than -rebel armies generally bear. - -It was the 9th of March 1611, at 9 in the morning, when the two armies -were first in sight of each other, nor did they long delay coming to -an engagement. The battle was very obstinate and bloody; Melchizedec -re-established his character for worth, at least as a soldier; the same -did Za Christos. Of the competitor Arzo, history makes no mention; his -blood, probably, was too precious to risk the spilling of it, being so -far-fetched as from king Solomon. After a most obstinate resistance, -part of Za Christos’s army was broken and put to flight; but it rallied -so often, and sold the ground it yielded so dear, that it gave time to -Emana Christos to come up to his army’s assistance. - -The Ras, who was as brave a soldier as he was a wise and prudent -general, saw it was a time when all should be risked, and threw himself -into the midst of his enemies; and he was now arrived near the place -where Melchizedec fought, when that rebel, seeing him advancing so fast -among his slaughtered followers, guessing his intention, declined the -combat, turned his horse and fled, while affairs even yet appeared in -his favour. This panic of the general had the effect it ordinarily has -in barbarous armies. Nobody considered how the prospect of the general -issue stood; they fled with Melchizedec, and lost more men than would -have secured them victory had they stood in their ranks. - -A body of troops, joined by some peasants of Begemder, pursued -Melchizedec so closely that they came up with him and took him -prisoner, together with Tensa Christos, a very active partizan, and -enemy to Emana Christos. Having brought them to the camp, before -the Ras returned to Coga, they were tried and condemned to die for -rebellion, as traitors, and the sentence immediately executed, after -which their heads were sent to the king. Very soon after this, Arzo, -and his general Za Christos, were taken and sent to the king, who -ordered them to be tried by the judges in common form, and they -underwent the same fate. - -The king was employed in the winter season while he resided at Coga, -in building a new church, called St Gabriel. But the season of taking -the field being come, he marched out with his army and halted at -Gogora, sending Emana Christos and Sela Christos against the rebels; -these were not in a particular clan, or province, for all the country -was in rebellion, from the head of the Nile round, eastward, to the -frontiers of Tigré. Part of them indeed were not in arms, but refused -to pay their quota of the revenue; part of them were in arms, and would -neither pay, nor admit a governor from the king among them; others -willingly submitted to Socinios, and were armed, only thereby to -exempt themselves from payment. - -Sela Christos fell upon the inhabitants of the mountainous district -of Gusman, on the Nile, whose principal strong-hold, Oureé Amba, he -forced, killing many, and carrying away their children as slaves, -which, upon the intercession of Peter Paez, were given to the Jesuits -to be educated as Catholics. - -The next attempt was upon the Gongas, a black Pagan nation, with which -he had the same success; the rest were the Agows, a very numerous -people, all confederates and in arms, and not willing to hear of any -composition. The king ordered one of these tribes, the Zalabassa, to -be extirpated as far as possible, and their country laid waste. But -notwithstanding this example, which met with great interruption in -the execution, the Agows continued in rebellion for several years -afterwards, but much impoverished and lessened in number by variety of -victories obtained over them. - -The two next years were spent in unimportant skirmishes with the Agows -of Damot, and with the Galla, invaders of Gojam. In 1615, the year -after, Tecla Georgis made governor of Samen, and Welled Hawaryar, -shum of Tsalemat[51], were both sent against a rebel who declared -himself competitor for the crown. His name was Amdo. He pretended to -be the late king Jacob, son of Melec Segued; and this character he -gave himself, without the smallest communication with the relations -or connections of that prince. As soon as Assera Christos and Tecla -Garima, servants of Welled Hawaryat, heard of this adventurer, they -surprised him in Tsalemat, and, putting him in irons, confined him in -the house of Assera Christos. - -Gideon, king of the Jews, whose residence was on the high mountain of -Samen, upon hearing that Amdo was prisoner, sent a body of armed men -who surprised Assera Christos in his own house in the night, and killed -him, bringing with them his prisoner Amdo to Samen, and delivered him -to Gideon there; who not only took him into protection, but assisted -him in raising an army by every means in his power. There were not -wanting there idle vagabonds and lawless people enough, who fled to -the standard of a prince whose sole view seemed to be murder, robbery, -and all sort of licentiousness. It was not long till Amdo, by the -assistance of Gideon, found himself at the head of an army, strong -enough to leave the mountain, and try his fortune in the plain below, -where he laid waste Shawada, Tsalemat, and all the countries about -Samen which persevered in their duty to the king. - -Socinios, upon this, appointed Julius his son-in-law governor of -Woggora, Samen, Waag, and Abbergalé, that is, of all the low countries -from the borders of the Tacazzé to Dembea. Abram, an old officer of -the king, desirous to stop the progress of the rebel, marched towards -him, and offered him battle; but that brave officer had not the success -his intention deserved, for he was defeated and slain; which had such -an effect upon Julius, that, without hazarding his fortune farther, -he sent to beseech the king to march against Amdo with all possible -expedition, as his affairs were become desperate in that part of his -dominions. - -The king hereupon marched straight to Woggora, and joined Julius at -Shimbra-Zuggan; thence he descended from Samen, and encamped upon -Tocur-Ohha, (the black river) thence he proceeded to Debil, and then -to Sobra; and from this last station he sent a detachment of his army -to attack a strong mountain called Messiraba, one of the natural -fortresses of Gideon, which was forced by the king’s troops after some -resistance, and the whole inhabitants, without distinction of age or -sex, put to the sword, for such were the orders of the king. - -This first success very much disheartened the rebels, for Messiraba -was, by nature, one of the strongest mountains, and it, besides, had -been fortified by art, furnished with plenty of provisions, and a -number of good troops. The next mountain Socinios attacked was Hotchi, -and the third Amba Za Hancassé, where he had the like success, and -treated the inhabitants in the same manner; thence he removed his -army to Seganat, where he met with a very stout resistance; but this -mountain, too, was at last taken, Gideon himself escaping narrowly by -the bravery of his principal general, who, fighting desperately, was -slain by a musqueteer. - -The constant success of the king, and the bloody manner in which he -pursued his victory, began to alarm Gideon, lest the end should be the -extirpation of his whole nation. He, therefore, made an overture to -the king, that, if he would pardon him and grant him peace, he would -deliver the rebel Amdo bound into his hands. - -The king assented to this, and Amdo was accordingly delivered up; and, -being convicted of rebellion and murder, he was sentenced to be nailed -to a cross, and to remain there till he died. But the terrible cries -and groans which he made while they were fixing him to the cross, so -much shocked the ears of the king, that he ordered him to be taken -down, and his head struck off with an ax, which was executed in the -midst of the camp. - -Socinios after this retired to Dancaz, and ordered Kefla governor of -Gojam, and Jonael his master of the household, to march suddenly and -surprise Belaya, a country belonging to the Gongas and Guba, Pagan -nations, on whom, every year, he made war for the sake of taking slaves -for the use of the palace. These two officers, with a large body, -mostly horse, fell unawares upon the savages at Belaya, slaying part, -and bringing away their children. But not content with doing this, they -likewise attacked the two districts of Agows, Dengui and Sankara, then -in peace with the king, and drove away an immense number of cattle, -which the king no sooner heard, than he ordered a strict search to -be made, and the whole cattle belonging to the Agows to be gathered -together, and restored to their respective owners; a piece of justice -which softened the hearts of this people more than all the severities -that had been hitherto used; and the good effects of which were soon -after seen upon the Agows, though it produced something very different -in the conduct of Jonael. - -The king this year, 1616, left his capital at the usual time, in the -month of November, and ordered his whole household to attend him. His -intention was against the Galla on the west of Gojam, especially the -tribe called Libo. But this campaign was rendered fruitless by the -death of the king’s eldest son, Kennaffer Christos, a young prince -of great hopes, esteemed both by the king and the people. He had -an excellent understanding, and the most affable manners possible, -to those even whom he did not like; was very fond of the soldiers; -merciful, generous, and liberal; and was thought to be the favourite of -the king his father, who buried him with great pomp in the church of -Debra Roma, built by king Isaac, in the lake Tzana. - -In the midst of this mourning, there came a very bloody order[52] from -the king. History barely tells us the fact, but does not assign any -other reason than the wanton manner in which Gideon king of the Jews -had endeavoured to disturb his reign and kingdom, which was thought a -sufficient excuse for it. However this may be, the king gave orders -to Kasmati Julius, Kasmati Welled Hawaryat, Billetana Gueta Jonael, -and Fit-Auraris Hosannah, to extirpate all the Falasha that were in -Foggora, Janfakara, and Bagenarwè, to the borders of Samen; also all -that were in Bagla, and in all the districts under their command, -wherever they could find them; and very few of them escaped, excepting -some who fled with Phineas. - -In this massacre, which was a very general one, and executed very -suddenly, fell Gideon king of that people; a man of great reputation, -not only among his subjects, but throughout all Abyssinia, reputed -also immensely rich. His treasures, supposed to be concealed in the -mountains, are the objects of the search of the Abyssinians to this day. - -The children of those that were slain were sold for slaves by the king; -and all the Falasha in Dembea, in the low countries immediately in -the king’s power, were ordered upon pain of death to renounce their -religion, and be baptised. To this they consented, seeing there was -no remedy; and the king unwisely imagined, that he had extinguished, -by one blow, the religion which was that of his country long before -Christianity, by the unwarrantable butchery of a number of people whom -he had surprised living in security under the assurance of peace. Many -of them were baptised accordingly, and they were all ordered to plow -and harrow upon the sabbath-day. - -The king next sent orders to Sela Christos, and Kefla governor of -Gojam, that, assembling their troops, they should transfer the war into -Bizamo, a province on the south side of the Nile, called also in the -books a kingdom. Through this lies the road of the merchants leading to -Narea. It is inhabited by several clans of Pagans, which together make -the great division of these nations into Boren, and Bertuma Galla[53]. - -The army passed the Nile, laying waste the whole country, driving off -the cattle, collecting the women and children as slaves, and putting -all the men to the sword; without these people, though they make -constant inroads into Gojam, appearing anywhere in force to stop the -desolation of their country. The whole tract between Narea and the Nile -was now cleared of enemies, and a number of priests at that time sent -to revive drooping Christianity in those parts. - -In the year 1617, a league was again made among the Boren Galla, that -part of them should invade Gojam, while the others (namely the Marawa) -should enter Begemder. Upon hearing this, the king in haste marched -to Begemder, that he might be ready in case of need to assist Tigré. -He then fixed his head-quarters at Shima, but from this he speedily -removed; and, passing Emfras, came to Dobit, a favourite residence of -the emperor Jacob, where he held a council to determine which of the -two provinces he should first assist. - -It was the general opinion of his officers, that to march at that -time of the year into Tigré by Begemder, was to destroy the army, -and distress both provinces; that an army, well provided with horse, -was necessary for acting with success against the Galla, and that, -in effect, though the royal army at present was so appointed, yet -there was no grass at that time of the year in all that march for the -subsistence of the cavalry, and very little water for the use of man -or beast, an inconvenience the Galla themselves must experience if -they attempted an invasion that way. It was, moreover, urged, that, -if the king should march through Woggora and Lamalmon, they might get -more food for their beasts, and water too; but then they would throw -themselves far from the place where the Galla had entered, and would be -obliged to fall into the former road, with the inconveniencies already -stated. The consequence of this deliberation was, that it was with -very great regret the good of the common-weal obliged them to leave -Tigré to the protection of Providence alone for a time, and hasten to -meet the enemy that were then laying Gojam waste. - -With this view the king left Dobit, and came to the river Gomara in -Foggora. He then passed the Nile near Dara, and came to Selalo, where -he heard that the Djawi had passed the Nile from Bizamo, and entered -Gojam at the opposite side to where he then was. He there left his -baggage, and, by a forced march, advancing three days journey in one, -he came to Bed, upon the river Sadi; but, instead of finding the enemy -there, he received intelligence from Sela Christos, that he had met -the Galla immediately after their passing the Nile; had fought them, -and cut their army to pieces, without allowing them time to ravage the -country. - -Upon this good news the king turned off on the road to Tchegal and -Wainadassa, and ordered Bela Christos to assemble as great an army as -he could, and fall upon the Djawi and Galla in Walaka and Shoa, as also -Ras Sela Christos, to pass the Nile and join him there. - -That general lost no time, but marched straight to Amca Ohha, or -the river Amca, where he found the Edjow, who fled upon his coming, -without giving him any opportunity of bringing them to an engagement, -abandoning their wives, children, and substance, to the mercy of the -enemy. Sela Christos, having finished this expedition as he intended, -returned to join the king, whom he found encamped upon the river Suqua, -near Debra Werk, guarding those provinces in the absence of Sela -Christos. From this the king, retreating towards Dembea, passed the -Nile near Dara, and encamped at Zinzenam, whence he marched round the -lake into Dembea to his palace at Gorgora. - -This village, whose name signifies _rain upon rain_, affords us a proof -of what I have said in speaking of the cause of the overflowing of the -Nile, in contradiction to the Adulitic inscription, that no snow falls -in Abyssinia, or rather, that though snow may have fallen in the course -of centuries, it is a phænomenon so rare as not to have a name or word -to express it in the whole language, and is entirely unknown to the -people in general, at least to the west of the Tacazzé. - -The Abyssinian historian, from whom these memoirs are composed, says, -“That this village, called Zinzenam, has its name from an extraordinary -circumstance that once happened in these parts, for a shower of rain -fell, which was not properly of the nature of rain, as it did not run -upon the ground, but remained very light, having scarce the weight of -feathers, of a beautiful white colour like flour; it fell in showers, -and occasioned a darkness in the air more than rain, and liker to mist. -It covered the face of the whole country for several days, retaining -its whiteness the whole time, then went away like dew, without leaving -any smell or unwholesome effect behind it.” - -This was certainly the accidental phænomenon of a day; for, -notwithstanding the height of the mountains Taranta and Lamalmon, snow -never was seen there, at least for ages past; and Lasta, in whose -mountains armies have perished by cold, as far as a very particular -inquiry could go, never yet had snow upon them; and Zinzenam is not in -these mountains, or in any elevated situation. On the contrary, it is -adjoining to the plain country of Foggora, near where it borders upon -Begemder, not above 20 miles from the second cataract, or 40 miles from -Gondar; so that this must have been a short and accidental change of -the atmosphere, of which there are examples of many different kinds, in -the histories of all countries. - -As soon as the weather permitted, the king left his palace at Gorgora -in the way to Tocussa, where he staid several days; removed thence to -Tenkel, where he continued also four days, and proceeded to Gunkè, -where he halted. From his head-quarters at Gunkè, the king, meditating -an expedition against Atbara, sent a messenger to Nile Wed Ageeb, -prince of the Arabs, desiring a meeting with him before he attacked -the Funge, for so they call the subjects of the new monarchy, lately -established at Sennaar by the conquest of the Arabs, under Wed Ageeb, a -very considerable part of whose territory they had taken by force, and -now enjoyed as their own possessions. - -Abdelcader, son of Ounsa, was the ninth prince of the race of Funge -then reigning; a weak, and ill-inclined man, but with whom Socinios -had hitherto lived in friendship, and, in a late treaty, had sent him -as a present, a nagareet, or kettle-drum, richly ornamented with gold, -with a gold chain to hang it by. Abdelcader, on his part, returned to -Socinios a trained falcon, of an excellent kind, very much esteemed -among the Arabs. - -Soon after this, Abdelcader was deposed by his brother Adelan, son of -Ounsa, and fled to Tchelga, under protection of the king of Abyssinia, -who allowed him an honourable maintenance; a custom always observed in -such cases in the East, by princes towards their unfortunate neighbours. - -Baady, son of Abdelcader, an active and violent young prince, although -he deposed his uncle Adelan, took this protection of his father in -bad part. It was likewise suggested to him, that the present sent -by Socinios, a nagareet, or kettle-drum, imported, that Socinios -considered him as his vassal, the drum being the sign of investiture -sent by the king to any one of his subjects whom he appoints to -govern a province, and that the return of the falcon was likely to -be considered as the acknowledgement of a vassal to his superior. -Baady, upon his accession to the throne, was resolved to rectify this -too great respect shewn on the part of his father, by an affront he -resolved to offer. With this view, he sent to Socinios two old, blind, -and lame horses. - -Socinios took this amiss, as it was intended he should, and the slight -was immediately followed by the troops of Atbara, under Nile Wed Ageeb, -sent by Baady to make an inroad into Abyssinia, to lay waste the -country, and drive off the people, with orders to sell them as slaves. - -Among the most active in this expedition, were those of the town of -Serké. When Baady complained that his father and rival was protected -in his own town of Tchelga, it had been answered, That true it was, -Tchelga had been ceded and did belong to Sennaar, for every purpose of -revenue, but that the sovereignty of the place had never been alienated -or surrendered to the king of Sennaar, but remained now, as ever, -vested in the king of Abyssinia. Serkè stood precisely in the same -situation with respect to Abyssinia, as Tchelga did to Sennaar, when -Socinios demanded satisfaction for the violence committed against him -by his own town of Serkè. The same answer was given him, That for all -fiscal purposes Serkè was his, but owed him no allegiance; for, being -part of the kingdom of Sennaar, it was bound to assist its sovereign in -all wars against his enemies. - -Socinios, deeply engaged in the troubles that attended the beginning of -his reign, passed over for a time both the affront and injury, but sent -into Atbara to Nile Wed Ageeb, proposing a treaty with him independent -of the king of Sennaar. - -There were, at this time, three sorts of people that inhabited the -whole country from lat. 13° (the mountains of Abyssinia) to the tropic -of Cancer (the frontiers of Egypt.) The first was the Funge, or -negroes, established in Atbara since the year 1504, by conquest. The -second, the old inhabitants of that country, known in very early ages -by the name of _Shepherds_, which continues with them to this day; -and these lived under a female government. The third, the Arabs, who -came hither after the conquest of Egypt, in an army under Caled Ibn el -Waalid, or Saif Ullah, _the Sword of God_, during the Khalifat of Omar, -destined to subdue Nubia, and, still later, in the time of Salidan and -his brother. - -These Arabs had associated with the first inhabitants, the Shepherds, -from a similarity of life and manners, and, by treaty, the Funge had -established a tribute to be paid them from both; after which, these -were to enjoy their former habitations without further molestation. - -This prince of the Arabs, Nile Wed Ageeb, embraced the offer of the -king of Abyssinia very readily; and a treaty was accordingly made -between Socinios and him, and a territory in Abyssinia granted him on -the frontiers, to which he could retire in safety, as often as his -affairs were embroiled with the state of Sennaar. - -It happened soon after this, that Alico, a Mahometan, governor of the -Mazaga for Socinios, that is, of Nara and Ras el Feel, a low country, -as the name imports, of black earth, revolted from his master, and fled -to Sennaar, carrying with him a number of the king’s horses. Socinios -made his complaint to the king of Sennaar, who took no notice of it, -neither returned any answer, which exasperated Socinios so much that it -produced the present expedition, and was a cause of much bloodshed, and -of a war which, at least in intention, lasts to this day between the -two kingdoms. - -Wed Ageeb, upon Socinios’s first summons, came to Gunkè, his -head-quarters, attended by a number of troops, and some of the best -horse in Atbara. Upon his entering the king’s tent, he prostrated -himself, (as is the Abyssinian custom) acknowledged himself the king’s -vassal, and brought presents with him to a very considerable value. -Socinios received him with great marks of distinction and kindness. He -decorated him with a chain and bracelets of gold, and gave him a dagger -of exquisite workmanship, mounted with the same metal; clothed him in -silk and damask after the Abyssinian fashion, and confirmed the ancient -treaty with him. The fruit of all this was presently seen; the king and -his new ally fell suddenly upon Serké, put all the male inhabitants to -the sword, sold the women and children as slaves, and burned the town -to the ground. The same they did to every inhabited place on that side -of the frontier, west to Fazuclo. After which, the king, having sent -a sarcastic compliment to Baady, returned to Dancaz, taking Wed Ageeb -with him. - -Socinios had only ravaged the frontier of the kingdom of Sennaar to -the westward, from Serkè towards Fazuclo. This was but a part of the -large scheme of vengeance he had resolved to execute progressively from -Serkè, in reparation of the affront he had received from the king of -the Funge. But he delegated what remained to the two princes his sons, -and to the governor of Tigré. - -Welled Hawaryat, at the head of the Koccob horse, and another body of -cavalry reckoned equal in valour, called _Maia_, and the greatest part -of the king’s household troops, were ordered to fall upon that part of -the frontier of Sennaar which the king had left from Serké eastward. -Melca Christos, with the horse of Siré and Samen, was appointed to -attack the frontier still farther east, opposite to the province of -Siré. Tecla Georgis, governor of Tigré, was directed to lay waste that -part of the kingdom of Sennaar bordering upon the frontiers of his -province. - -The whole of this expedition succeeded to a wish; only Melea Christos, -in passing through the country of Shangalla, was met by a large army of -that people, who, thinking the expedition intended against them, had -attacked him in his passage, with some appearance of advantage; but by -his own exertions, and those of his troops alarmed at their prince’s -danger, he not only extricated himself from the bad situation he was -in, but gave the Shangalla so entire an overthrow, that one of their -tribes was nearly exterminated by that day’s slaughter, and crowds of -women and children sent slaves to the king at Dancaz. - -The delay that this occasioned had no bad effect upon the expedition. -The victorious troops poured immediately into Atbara under Melca -Christos, and completed the destruction made by Welled Hawaryat, and -the governor of Tigré. All Sennaar was filled with people flying from -the conquerors, and an immense number of cattle was driven away by the -three armies. Baady seems to have been an idle spectator of this havock -made in his kingdom; and the armies returned without loss to Dancaz, -loaded with plunder. - -Still the vengeance of Socinios was not satisfied. The Baharnagash, -Guebra Mariam, was commanded to march against Fatima queen of the -Shepherds, called at that time Negusta Errum, queen of the Greeks. This -was a princess who governed the remnant of that ancient race of people, -once the sovereigns of the whole country, who, for several dynasties, -were masters of Egypt, and who still, among their ancient customs, -preserved that known one, of always placing a woman upon the throne. -Her residence was at Mendera[54], on the N. E. of Atbara, one of the -largest and most populous towns in it; a town, indeed, built like the -rest, of clay, straw, and reeds, but not less populous or flourishing -on that account. It was in the way of the caravans from Suakem, both -to Abyssinia and Sennaar, as also of those large caravans to and from -Sudan, the Negro country upon the Niger, which then came, and still use -that road in their way to Mecca. Its female sovereign was considered -as guardian of that communication, and the caravans passing it. - -The Baharnagash had in orders from Socinios to pursue this queen till -he had taken her prisoner, and to bring her in that condition into his -presence. The enterprise was by no means an easy one. Great part of -the road was without water; but Guebra Mariam, the Baharnagash, was an -active and prudent officer, and perfectly acquainted with the several -parts of the country. With a small, but veteran army, he marched down -the Mareb, between that river and the mountains, destroying all the -places through which he passed, putting the inhabitants unmercifully -to the sword, that no one might approach him, nor any report be made -of his numbers, which were everywhere magnified by those that escaped, -and who computed them from the greatness of the desolation they had -occasioned. - -On the 13th day he came before Mendera, and sent a summons to the queen -Fatima to surrender. Being told that she had fled on his approach, -he answered, That he cared not where she was; but that, unless she -surrendered herself prisoner before he entered Mendera, he would first -set the town on fire, and then quench the flames by the blood of its -inhabitants. - -Fatima, though old and infirm, was too great a lover of her people -to risk the fulfilling this threat from any consideration of what -might happen to her. She surrendered herself to Guebra Mariam, with -two attendants; and he, without loss of time, marched back to his own -country, abstaining from every sort of violence or excess in his way, -from respect to his female prisoner, whom he brought in triumph before -Socinios to Dancaz, and was the first messenger of his own victory. - -Socinios received this queen of the Greeks on his throne; but, in -consideration of her infirmities, dispensed with the ceremony of -prostration, constantly observed in Abyssinia on being introduced to -the presence of the king: seeing that she was unable to stand during -the time of her interrogation, he ordered a low stool to be set for -her on the ground; a piece of consideration very rarely shewn to any -stranger in Abyssinia, however great their dignity and quality. - -Socinios sternly demanded of his prisoner, “Why she and her -predecessors, being vassals to the crown of Abyssinia, had not only -omitted the payment of their tribute, but had not even sent the -customary presents to him upon his accession to the throne?” - -To this the queen answered with great frankness and candour, “That it -was true, such tributes and presents were due, and were also punctually -paid from old times by her ancestors to his, as long as protection -was afforded them and their people, and this was the principal cause -of paying that tribute; but the Abyssinians having first suffered the -country to be in great part conquered by the Arabs, and then again by -the Funge, without ever interfering, she had concluded a peace with the -Funge of Sennaar, and paid the tribute to them, in consequence of which -they defended her from the Arabs: That she had had no soldiers but such -as were employed in keeping a strict watch over the road through the -desert to Suakem, which was anciently trusted to her; that the other -part of her subjects was occupied in keeping and rearing great herds of -cattle for the markets of Sennaar and other towns, as well as camels -for the caravans of Mecca, Cairo, and Sudan, both employments being -of public benefit; and, therefore, as she did harm to none, she had a -greater reason to wonder what could be his motive of sending so far -from home to seek her, and her harmless subjects, in the desert, with -such effusion of innocent blood.” - -The king hearing this sagacious answer, which was followed by many -others of the kind, was extremely pleased; but assured her, “That he -intended to maintain his ancient right both over her subjects, and the -Arabs under Wed Ageeb, who was now his vassal, in all the country from -Fazuclo to Suakem; that he considered the Funge as usurpers, and would -certainly treat them as such.” After this Socinios dismissed the queen, -and gave her assurances of protection, having first cloathed her as -his vassal in silk and damask, after the fashion of women in her own -country. - -But it was not long before this train of success met with a -considerable check. Very soon afterwards, the king being in Gojam, -a message was brought to him from the principal people of Narea, -informing him plainly, “That Benero, having become cruel and -avaricious, put many people to death wantonly, and many more for -the sake of their money; having taken from them their wives and -daughters, either for his own pleasure, or to sell them as slaves to -the Galla--they had at last murdered him, and chosen a man in his room -distinguished for his virtue and goodness.” - -The king was very much exasperated at this message. He told them, -however bad Benero might have been, he considered his murder as an -insult done to himself, and had, therefore, dispatched Mustapha Basha -with some troops, and given command to all the Mahometans in Narea to -assist him, and to inquire into the death of Benero, and the merit of -his successor. - -At the same time, the Galla made an inroad into Begemder; and Welled -Hawaryat, assembling what troops he could, in haste, to stop the -desolation of that province, and having come in sight of the enemy, -he was forsaken by his army, and slain, together with the Cantiba of -Dembea, Amdo, and Nile Wed Ageeb prince of the Arabs, after fighting -manfully for the king. Socinios, upon the arrival of this news, gave -himself up to immoderate sorrow; not so much for the loss of his army -which had misbehaved, as for the death of Welled Hawaryat his favourite -son, and Amdo and Nile, the two best officers in his army. - -It will now be necessary that we look back a little to the state of -religious affairs in Abyssinia, which began from this time to have -influence in every measure, and greatly to promote the troubles of -that empire; though they were by no means their only cause, as some -have said, with a view to throw greater odium upon the Jesuits, who -surely have enough to answer for, without inflaming the account by any -exaggeration. - -Paez, in the course of building the palace at Gorgora, had deservedly -astonished the whole kingdom by a display of his universal genius and -capacity. If he was assiduous and diligent in raising this fabric, he -had not neglected the advancing of another, the conversion of Abyssinia -to the obedience of the see of Rome. - -Ras Sela Christos (if we believe these missionaries) had converted -himself, by reading with attention the Abyssinian books only. Being -about to depart from Gojam to fight against the Galla, he wanted very -much to have made his renunciation and confession in the presence of -Peter Paez. But, as he was busied at Gorgora building a convent and -palace there, he contented himself with another Jesuit, Francisco -Antonio d’Angelis; and, being victorious in his expedition, he gave -the fathers ground and a sum of money to build a monastery at Collela, -which was now the third in Abyssinia belonging to the Jesuits. - -As for the king, though probably already determined in his own mind, he -had not taken any step so decisive as could induce the compliance of -others. Disputes were constantly maintained, for the most part in his -presence, between the missionaries and the Abyssinian monks, chiefly -concerning the long-agitated question, the two natures in Christ, in -which, although the victory declared always in favour of the Jesuits, -if we may credit their representations, no conviction followed on the -part of the adversaries. At last Abuna Simon complained to the king, -that unusual and irregular things had been permitted without his -knowledge; that disputes upon articles of faith had been held without -calling him, or his being permitted to give his clergy the advantage of -his support in these controversies. - -The king, who did not believe that the Abuna’s eloquence or learning -would make any great alteration, ordered the disputations to be held -a-new in the Abuna’s presence. That priest’s ignorance made the matter -worse; and the king, holding this point as now settled, made his first -public declaration, that there were two natures in Christ, perfect God -and perfect man, really distinct between themselves, but united in one -divine person, which is the Christ. - -At this time, letters came by way of India, both from the king of -Spain, Philip II. dated in Madrid the 15th of March 1609, and from the -pope Paul V. of the 4th of January 1611. These letters contain nothing -but general declamatory exhortations to Socinios to persevere in the -Christian faith, assuring him of the assistance of the Holy Spirit, -instead of those Portuguese regiments which he had solicited. However, -the affair of the conversion being altogether settled between the -king and Paez, it was thought proper to make the renunciation first, -and then depend upon the king of Spain and the pope for sending the -soldiers, if their prayers were not effectual. - -It was necessary that Socinios should write to the pope, notifying -his submission to the see of Rome. But letters on such a subject were -thought of too great consequence to be sent, as former dispatches to -Europe had been, without being accompanied by proper persons, who, -upon occasion, might assume the character of ambassadors, and give any -assurance or explanation needful. - -It was at the same time considered, that the way by Masuah was so -liable to accidents, the intermediate province of Tigré being still as -it were in a state of rebellion, that it would be easy for the enemies -of the Catholic faith to intercept these messengers and letters by -the way, so that their contents might be published amongst the king’s -enemies in Abyssinia, without ever being made known in Europe. Some -proposed the longer, but, as they apprehended, the more secure way, by -passing Narea and the provinces south of the frontiers of that kingdom, -partly inhabited by Gentiles, partly by Mahometans, to Melinda, on the -Indian Ocean, where they might embark for Goa. - -Lots were cast among the missionaries who of their number should -undertake this long and dangerous journey. The lot fell upon Antonio -Fernandes, a man of great prudence, much esteemed by the king, and by -the general voice allowed to be the properest of all the society for -this undertaking. He, on his part, named Fecur Egzie (_beloved of the -Lord_) as his companion, to be ambassador to the king of Spain and the -pope. This man had been one of the first of the Abyssinians converted -to the Catholic faith by the Jesuits, and he continued in it steadily -to his death. He was a person of tried courage and prudence, and of a -pleasant and agreeable conversation. - -It was the beginning of March 1613 Antonio Fernandes[55] set out for -Gojam, where was Ras Sela Christos. Fecur Egzie had set out before, -that he might adjust his family affairs, and took with him ten -Portuguese, six of whom were to go no farther than Narea, and return, -the other four to embark with him for India. - -The governor detained the small company till he procured guides from -among the Shats and Gallas, barbarous nations near Narea, and eastward -of it, from whom he took hostages for properly protecting this caravan -in their way, paying them well, as an encouragement for behaving -honestly and faithfully. - -On the 15th of April they had set out from Umbarma, then the -head-quarters of Sela Christos, who gave them for guards forty -men armed with shields and javelins. Nor was it long before their -difficulties began. Travelling about two days to the west, they came -to Senaffé, the principal village or habitation of the Pagan Gongas, -very recently in rebellion, and nearly destroyed, rather than subdued. -To the first demand of safe conduct, they answered in a manner which -shewed that, far from defending the travellers from others, they were -resolved themselves to fall upon them, and rob or murder them in -the way. One Portuguese offered himself to return with Fernandes to -complain of these savages to Sela Christos; who, upon their arrival, -dispatched three officers with troops to chastise these Pagans, and -convey the ambassador and his attendants out of their territory and -reach. - -The Gongas, being informed that a complaint was sent to Sela Christos, -which would infallibly be followed by a detachment of troops, gave -the ambassador the safeguard he demanded, which carried him in three -days to Minè[56]. This is the name of some miserable villages, often -rebuilt, and as often destroyed, upon a ford of the Nile, over which is -the ordinary passage for the Mahometan merchants into Bizamo, the way -to the mountainous country of Narea and Caffa. As the rains had begun -to fall here with violence, when Fernandes and his companions arrived, -they were obliged to pass the river on skins blown full of wind. - -The distance from Minè to Narea is 50 leagues due south, with little -inclination to west. The road to it, and the places through which you -pass, are very distinctly set down in my map, and, I believe, without -any material error; it is the only place where the reader can find this -route, which, till now, has never been published. - -The next day our travellers entered the kingdom of Bizamo, inhabited -by Pagan Galla. These people came in crowds with arms in their hands, -insisting upon being paid for liberty of passing through their country; -but, seeing the company of the ambassador take to their arms likewise, -they compounded for a few bricks of salt and coarse cotton cloaths, and -thereupon suffered them to pass. The same day, the guide, sent from -Narea to conduct them by crooked and unfrequented paths out of the way -of the Pagan Galla, made them to enter into a large thicket through -which they could scarcely force themselves; after which they came to -a river called _Maleg_, when it was nearly night. Next day they could -find no ford where they could pass. They now entertained a suspicion, -that the guard from Narea had betrayed them, and intended to leave them -in these woods to meet their death from the Galla. - -The day after, they found the ford, and passed it without difficulty; -and, being on the other side, they began to be a little more composed, -as being far from the Pagans, and now near entering the territory of -Narea. After ascending a high mountain, they came to Gonea, where they -found a garrison under one of the principal officers of that kingdom, -who received them with great marks of honour and joy, on account of the -warm recommendation Sela Christos had given them, and perhaps as much -for a considerable present they had brought along with them. - -Narea, the southmost province of the Abyssinian empire, is still -governed by its native princes, who are called _the Beneros_; its -territory reached formerly to Bizamo. - -The Galla have quite surrounded them, especially on the south-east and -north. What is to the west is a part of Africa, the most unknown. The -people of Narea have a small trade with Melinda on the Indian Ocean, -and with Angola on the western, by means of intermediate nations. Narea -is abundantly supplied with gold from the Negro country that is nearest -them. Some have, indeed, said there is gold in Narea; but, after a -very diligent investigation, I find it comes chiefly from towards the -Atlantic. - -The kingdom of Narea stands like a fortified place in the middle of a -plain. Many rivers, rising in the fourth and fifth degrees of latitude, -spread themselves, for want of level, over this flat country, and -stagnate in very extensive marshes from south by east, to the point of -north, or north-west. - -The foot of the mountains, or edge of these marshes nearest Narea, -is thick overgrown with coffee-trees, which, if not the _only_, is -the _largest_ tree known there. Then comes the mountainous country of -Narea Proper, which is interspersed with small, unwholesome, but very -fertile valleys. Immediately adjoining is the more mountainous country -of Caffa, without any level ground whatever. It is said to be governed -by a separate prince: they were converted to Christianity in the time -of Melec Segued, some time after the conversion of Narea. The Galla, -having settled themselves in all the flat ground to the very edge of -the marshes, have, in great measure, cut off the communication with -Abyssinia for many years together; so that their continuance in the -Christian faith seems very precarious and uncertain, for want of books -and priests to instruct them. - -The Nareans of the high country are the lightest in colour of any -people in Abyssinia; but those that live by the borders of the marshes -below are perfect blacks, and have the features and wool of negroes: -whereas all those in the high country of Narea, and still more so in -the stupendous mountains of Caffa, are not so dark as Neopolitans or -Sicilians. Indeed it is said that snow has been seen to lie on the -mountains of Caffa, as also in that high ridge called Dyre and Tegla; -but this I do not believe. Hail has probably been seen to lie there; -but I doubt much whether this can be said of a substance of so loose a -texture as snow. - -There is great abundance both of cattle, grain, and all sorts of -provisions in Narea, as well in the high as in the low country. Gold, -which they sell by weight, is the medium of commerce within the country -itself; but coarse cotton cloths, stibium, beads, and incense, are the -articles with which their foreign trade to Angola, and the kingdoms on -the Atlantic, is carried on. - -The Nareans are exceedingly brave. Though they have been conquered, and -driven out of the low country, it has been by multitudes--nation after -nation pouring in upon them with a number of horse to which they are -perfect strangers: But now, confined to the mountains, and surrounded -by their marshes and woods, they despise all further attempts of the -Galla, and drive them from their frontiers whenever they approach too -near. - -In these skirmishes, or in small robbing parties, those Nareans are -taken, whom the Mahometan merchants sell at Gondar. At Constantinople, -India, or Cairo, the women are more esteemed as slaves than those -of any other part of the world, and the men are reckoned faithful, -active, and intelligent. Both sexes are remarkable for a chearful, -kind disposition, and, if properly treated, soon attach themselves -inviolably to their masters. The language of Narea and Caffa is -peculiar to that country, and is not a dialect of any neighbouring -nation. - -Antonio Fernandes in this journey, seeking to go to India by Melinda in -company with Fecur Egzie ambassador, passed through this country; but -none of the Jesuits ever went to Narea with a view of converting the -people, at which I have been often surprised. There was enough of gold -and ignorance to have allured them. That softness and simplicity of -manners for which the Nareans are remarkable, their affection for their -masters and superiors, and firm attachment to them, would have been -great advantages in the hands of the fathers. Every Abyssinian would -have encouraged them at the beginning of this mission; and, if once -they had firmly established themselves in a country of so difficult -access, they might have bid defiance to prince Facilidas, and the -persecution that destroyed the progress of the Catholic faith in that -reign. - -From Gonea, in six days they came to the residence of Benero, the -sovereign of the country; since the conquest and conversion under Melec -Segued, he is called Shum. The ambassador and Fernandes were received -by the Benero with an air of constraint and coolness, though with -civility. They found afterwards the cause of this was the insinuation -of a schismatic Abyssinian monk, then at the court of that prince, who -had told him that the errand of the ambassador and missionary to India -was to bring Portuguese troops that way into Abyssinia, which would end -in the destruction of Narea, if it did not begin with it. - -Terrified at a danger so near, the Benero called a council, in which -it was resolved that the ambassador should be turned from the direct -road into the kingdom of Bali, to a much more inconvenient, longer, and -dangerous one; and, the ambassador hesitating a little when this was -proposed, the Benero told him plainly, that he would not suffer him to -pass further by any other way than that of Bali. - -Bali was once a province belonging to Abyssinia, and was the first -taken from them by the Galla. It is to the north-east of Narea, to the -west of the kingdom of Adel, which separates it from the sea; of which -ample mention has been already made in the beginning of this history. - -This was to turn them to Cape Gardefan, the longest journey they could -possibly make by land, and in the middle of their enemies; whereas -the direction of the coast of the Indian Ocean running greatly to the -westward, and towards Melinda, was the shortest journey they could make -by land. Melinda, too, had many rich merchants, who, though Moors, did -yet traffic in the Portuguese settlements on the coast of Malabar, and -had little intelligence or concern with the religious disputes which -raged in Abyssinia. - -However, I very much doubt whether this nearest route could be -accomplished, at least by travellers, such as Fecur Egzie, Fernandes, -and their companions, all ignorant of the language, and, therefore, -constantly at the discretion of interpreters, and the malice or private -views of different people through whose hands they must have passed. - -The Benero, having thus provided against the dangers with which his -state was threatened, if our travellers went by Melinda, made them -a present of fifty crusades of gold for the necessaries of their -journey; and, as their way lay through the small state of Gingiro, and -an ambassador from the sovereign of that state was then at Narea, he -dispatched that minister in great haste, recommending the Portuguese to -his protection so long as they should be in his territory. - -Fecur Egzie and his company set out with the ambassador of Gingiro in a -direction due east; and the first day they arrived at a post of Narea, -where was the officer who was to give them a guard to the frontiers; -and who, after some delay, in order to see what he could extort from -them, at last gave them a party of eighty soldiers to conduct them to -the frontiers. - -After four long days journey through countries totally laid waste by -the Galla, keeping scouts constantly before them to give advice of -the first appearance of any enemy, that they might hide themselves in -thickets and bushes; at mid-day they began to descend a very steep -craggy ridge of mountains, when the ambassador of Gingiro, now their -conductor, warned them, that, before they got to the foot of the -mountain, they should enter into a very thick wood to hide themselves -till night, that they might not be discovered by the Galla shepherds -feeding their flocks in the plain below; for only at night, when they -had retired, could those plains be passed in safety. - -At four o’clock in the afternoon they began to enter the wood, and were -lucky in getting a violent shower of rain, which dislodged the Galla -sooner than ordinary, and sent them, and their cattle home to their -huts. But it was, at the same time, very disagreeable to our travellers -on account of its excessive coldness. Next day, in the evening, -descending another very rugged chain of mountains, they came to the -banks of the large river Zebeé, as the Portuguese call it; but its true -name is Kibbeé, a name given it by the Mahometan merchants, (the only -travellers in this country) from its whiteness, approaching to the -colour of melted butter, which that word signifies. - -The river Zebeé, or Kibbeé, surrounds a great part of the kingdom of -Gingiro. It has been mistaken for the river El Aice, which runs into -Egypt in a course parallel to the Nile, but to the west of it. - -Narea seems to be the highest land in the peninsula of Africa, so that -here the rivers begin to run alternately towards the Cape of Good Hope -and Mediterranean; but the descent at first is very small on either -side. In the adjoining latitudes, that is 4° on each side of the Line, -it rains perpetually, so that these rivers, though not rapid, are yet -kept continually full. - -This of Zebeé, is universally allowed by the merchants of this country -to be the head of the river Quilimancy, which, passing through such -a tract of land from Narea to near Melinda, must have opened a very -considerable communication with the inland country. - -This territory, called Zindero, or Gingiro, is a very small one. The -father and Fecur Egzie rested the sixth day from their setting out -from Narea. The river Zebeé, by the description of Fernandes, seems to -incline from its source in a greater angle than any river on the north -of that partition. He says it carries more water with it than the Nile, -and is infinitely more rapid, so that it would be absolutely impassable -in the season of rains, were it not for large rocks which abound in its -channel. - -The passage was truly tremendous; trees were laid from the shore to the -next immediate rock; from that rock to the next another tree was laid; -then another that reached to the shore. These trees were so elastic as -to bend with the weight of a single person. At a great distance below -ran the foaming current of the river, so deep an abyss that it turned -the heads of those who were passing on the moveable elastic support or -bridge above. - -Yet upon this seeming inconvenience the existence of that country -depended. The Galla that surrounded it would have over-run it in a -month, but for this river, always rapid and always full, whose ordinary -communication by a bridge could be destroyed in a moment; and which, -though it had one ford, yet this was useless, unless passengers had -assistance from both sides of the river, and consequently could never -be of service to an enemy. - -The terrible appearance of this tottering bridge for a time stopped -the ambassador and missionary. They looked upon the passing upon these -trembling beams as certainly incurring inevitable destruction. But the -reflection of dangers that pressed them behind overcame these fears, -and they preferred the resolution to run the risk of being drowned in -the river Zebeé, rather than, by staying on the other side all night, -to stand the chance of being murdered by the Galla. But, after all the -men only could pass the bridge, they were obliged to leave the mules -on the other side till the next morning, with instructions to their -people, that, upon the first appearance of the Galla, they should leave -them, and make their best way over the bridge, throwing down one of the -trees after them. The next morning, two peasants, subjects of Gingiro, -shewed them the ford, where their beasts passed over with great -difficulty and danger, but without loss. - -It was necessary now to acquaint the king of Gingiro of their arrival -in his kingdom, and to beg to be honoured with an audience. But he -happened at that time to be employed in the more important business of -conjuration and witchcraft, without which this sovereign does nothing. - -This kingdom of Gingiro may be fixed upon as the first on this side -of Africa where we meet with the strange practice of divining from -the apparition of spirits, and from a direct communication with the -devil: A superstition this which likewise reaches down all along the -western side of this continent on the Atlantic Ocean, in the countries -of Congo, Angola, and Benin. In spite of the firmest foundation in -true philosophy, a traveller, who decides from the information and -investigation of facts, will find it very difficult to treat these -appearances as absolute fiction, or as owing to a superiority of -cunning of one man in over-reaching another. For my own part, I confess -I am equally at a loss to assign reasons for disbelieving the fiction -on which their pretensions to some preternatural information are -founded, as to account for them by the operation of ordinary causes. -The king of Gingiro found eight days necessary before he could admit -the ambassador and Fernandes into his presence. On the ninth, they -received a permission to go to court, and they arrived there the same -day. - -When they came into the presence of the king he was seated in a large -gallery, open before, like what we call a balcony, which had steps from -below on the outside, by which he ascended and descended at pleasure. -When the letter which the ambassador carried was intimated to him, he -came down from the gallery to receive it, a piece of respect which he -shewed to the king of Abyssinia, though he was neither his subject nor -vassal. He inquired much after the king’s health, and stood a little by -the ambassador and Fernandes, speaking by an interpreter. Afterwards -he again returned to his balcony, sat down there, read his letter, and -then corresponded with the ambassador by messages sent from above to -them below. - -It is impossible to conceive from this, or any thing that Fernandes -says, whether the language of Gingiro is peculiar to that country or -not. The king of Gingiro read Socinios’s letter, which was either in -the Tigré or Arabic language. Fernandes understood the Arabic, and -Fecur Egzie the Tigré and Amharic. It is not possible, then, to know -what was the language of the king of Gingiro, who read and understood -Socinios’s letter, but spoke to Fecur Egzie by an interpreter. - -At last the king of Gingiro told them, that all contained in the king -of Abyssinia’s letter was, that he should use them well, give them good -guard and protection while they were in his country, and further them -on their journey; which he said he would execute with the greatest -pleasure and punctuality. - -The next day, as is usual, the ambassador and missionary carried the -king’s present, chints, calicoe, and other manufactures of India, -things that the king esteemed most. In return to Fernandes he sent a -young girl, whom the father returned, it not being customary, as he -said, for a Christian priest to have girls in his company. In exchange -for the girl, the good-natured king of Gingiro sent him a slave of the -other sex, and a beautiful mule. With all respect to the scruples of -the father, I think it would have been fair to have kept the beautiful -mule, and given the young female Gingerite to his companion in the -journey, Fecur Egzie, who could have had no scruples. - -Fernandes says he received the boy from the only view of saving his -soul by baptism. I wonder, since Providence had thrown the girl first -in his way, by what rule of charity it was he consigned her soul to -perdition by returning her, as he was not certain at the time that he -might not have got a mule or camel in exchange for the girl; and then, -upon his own principles, he certainly was author of the perdition of -that soul which Providence seemed to have conducted by an extraordinary -way to the enjoyment of all the advantages of Christianity; surely the -care of Neophytes of the female sex was not a new charge to the Jesuits -in Abyssinia. - -It seems to be ridiculous for Fernandes to imagine that the sovereign -of this little state called himself Gingiro, knowing that this word -signified a monkey. His enemies might give him that name; but it is -not likely he would adopt it himself. And the reason of that name is -still more ridiculous; for he says it is because the gallery is like -a monkey’s cage. If that was the case, all the princes in Congo and -Angola give their audiences in such places. Indeed, it seems to me that -it is here the customs, used in these last-mentioned parts of Africa, -begin, although Gingiro is nearer the coast of the Indian Ocean than -that of the Atlantic. The colour of the people at Gingiro is nearly -black, still it is not the black of a negro; the features are small -and straight as in Europe or Abyssinia. - -All matters in this state are conduced by magic; and we may see to -what point the human understanding is debased in the distance of a -few leagues. Let no man say that ignorance is the cause, or heat -of climate, which is the unintelligible observation generally made -on these occasions. For why should heat of climate addict a people -to magic more than cold? or, why should ignorance enlarge a man’s -powers, so that, overleaping the bounds of common intelligence, it -should extend his faculty of conversing with a new set of beings in -another world? The Ethiopians, who nearly surround Abyssinia, are -blacker than those of Gingiro, their country hotter, and are, like -them, an indigenous people that have been, from the beginning, in the -same part where they now inhabit. Yet the former neither adore the -devil, nor pretend to have a communication with him: they have no -human sacrifices, nor are there any traces of such enormities having -prevailed among them. A communication with the sea has been always -open, and the slave-trade prevalent from the earliest times; while the -king of Gingiro, shut up in the heart of the continent, sacrifices -those slaves to the devil which he has no opportunity to sell to man. -For at Gingiro begins that accursed custom of making the shedding -of human blood a necessary part in all solemnities. How far to the -southward this reaches I do not know; but I look upon this to be the -geographical bounds of the reign of the devil on the north side of the -equator in the peninsula of Africa. - -This kingdom is hereditary in one family, but does not descend in -course to the eldest son, the election of the particular prince being -in the nobles; and thus far, indeed, it seems to resemble that of their -neighbours in Abyssinia. - -When the king of Gingiro dies, the body of the deceased is wrapped in -a fine cloth, and a cow is killed. They then put the body so wrapped -up into the cow’s skin. As soon as this is over, all the princes -of the royal family fly and hide themselves in the bushes; while -others, intrusted with the election, enter into the thickets, beating -everywhere about as if looking for game. At last a bird of prey, called -in their country Liber, appears, and hovers over the person destined to -be king, crying and making a great noise without quitting his station. -By this means the person destined to be elected is found, surrounded, -as is reported, by tigers, lions, panthers, and suchlike wild beasts. -This is imagined to be done by magic, or the devil, else there are -everywhere enough of these beasts lying in the cover to furnish -materials for such a tale, without having recourse to the power of -magic to assemble them. - -As they find their king, then, like a wild beast, so his behaviour -continues the same after he is found. He flies upon them with great -rage, resisting to the last, wounding and killing all he can reach -without any consideration, till, overcome by force, he is dragged to -a throne, which he fills in a manner perfectly corresponding to the -rationality of the ceremonies of his instalment. - -Although there are many that have a right to seek after this king, yet, -when he is discovered, it does not follow, that the same person who -finds him should carry him to his coronation; for there is a family -who have a right to dispute this honour with the first possessor; and, -therefore, in his way from the wood, they set upon the people in whose -hands he is, and a battle ensues, where several are killed or wounded; -and if these last, by force, can take him out of the hands of the first -finder, they enjoy all the honours due to him that made him king. - -Before he enters his palace two men are to be slain; one at the foot -of the tree by which his house is chiefly supported; the other at -the threshold of his door, which is besmeared with the blood of the -victim. And, it is said, (I have heard this often in Abyssinia from -people coming from that country) that the particular family, whose -priviledge it is to be slaughtered, so far from avoiding it, glory in -the occasion, and offer themselves willingly to meet it.--To return to -our travellers-- - -The father and the ambassador, leaving the kingdom of Gingiro, -proceeded in a direction due east, and entered the kingdom of Cambat, -depending still on the empire of Abyssinia, and there halted at -Sangara, which seems to be the principal place of the province, -governed at that time by a Moor called _Amelmal_. - -On the left of Cambat are the Guragués, who live in some beggarly -villages, but mostly in caves and holes in the mountains. The father -was detained two days at Sangara, at the persuasion of the inhabitants -there, who told him there was a fair in the neighbourhood, and people -would pass in numbers to accompany him, so that there would be no -danger. But, after staying that time at Sangara, he found that the -intention of this delay was only to give time to some horsemen of the -Guragués to assemble, in order to attack the caravan on the road, which -they did soon after; and, though they were repulsed, yet it was with -loss of one of the company, a young man related to Socinios, who, being -wounded with a poisoned arrow, died some days after. - -In the mean time, an Abyssinian, called _Manquer_, overtook their -caravan. As he was a schismatic, his intention was very well known -to be that of disappointing their journey; and he prevailed with -Amelmal so far as to make him suspect that the recommendations which -the ambassador brought were false. He, therefore, insisted on the -ambassador’s staying there till he should get news from court. Amelmal, -Manquer, and the ambassador, each dispatched a messenger, who tarried -three months on the road, and at last brought orders from the king to -dispatch them immediately. - -As Amelmal now saw the bad inclination of Manquer, he detained him -at Cambat that he might occasion no more difficulties in their way. -He gave the ambassador likewise seven horses, which were said to be -the best presents to the princes or governors that were in his road, -and dispatched the travellers with another companion, Baharo, who had -brought the letters from the king. - -From Cambat they entered the small territory of Alaba, independent of -the king of Abyssinia, whose governor was called _Aliko_, a Moor. This -man, already prejudiced against the missionary and the ambassador, -was still hesitating whether to allow them to proceed, when Manquer, -who fled from Amelmal, arrived. Aliko, hearing from this incendiary, -that the father’s errand was to bring Portuguese that way from India -to destroy the Mahometan faith, as in former times, burst into such -violent rage as to threaten the father, and all with him, with death, -which nothing but the reality of the king’s letters, of which he had -got assurance from Baharo, and some regard to the law of nations, -on account of the ambassador Fecur Egzie, could have prevented. In -the mean time, he put them all in close prison, where several of the -Portuguese died. At last, after a council held, in which Manquer gave -his voice for putting them to death, a man of superior character in -that country advised the sending them back to Amelmal, the way that -they came; and this measure was accordingly adopted. - -They returned, therefore, from Cambat, and thence to Gorgora, without -any sort of advantage to themselves or to us, only what arises -from that opportunity of rectifying the geography of the country -through which they passed; and even for this they have furnished but -very scanty materials, in comparison of what we might reasonably -have expected, without having occasioned any additional fatigue to -themselves. - -We have already said, that though Socinios had not openly declared his -resolution of embracing the Catholic faith, yet he had gone so far as -to declare, upon the dispute held between the Catholic and schismatic -clergy, in his own presence and that of the Abuna, that the Abyssinian -disputants were vanquished, and ought to have been convinced from the -authority of their own books, especially that of Haimanout Abou, the -faith of the ancient fathers and doctors of their church received -by them from the beginning as the undoubted rule of faith: That the -doctrine of the Catholic church being only what was taught in the -Haimanout Abou concerning the two natures in Christ, this point was to -all intents and purposes settled; and, therefore, he signified it as -his will, that, for the future, no one should deny that there are two -natures in Christ, distinct in themselves, but divinely united in one -person, which was Christ; declaring at the same time, that in case any -person should hereafter deny, or call this in doubt, he would chastise -him for seven years. - -The Abuna, on the contrary, supported by the half-brother of the king, -Emana Christos, (brother to Ras Sela Christos) published a sentence -of excommunication, by affixing it to the door of one of the churches -belonging to the palace, in which he declared all persons accursed who -should maintain two natures in Christ, or embrace or vindicate any of -the errors of the church of Rome. - -The king had received various complaints of the Agows, who had abused -his officers, and refused payment of tribute. He had set out upon an -expedition against them, intending to winter in that country; but, -hearing of the rash conduct of the Abuna, and the leagues that were in -consequence everywhere forming against him, he returned to Gorgora, -and sent to the Abuna, that unless, without delay, he recalled the -excommunication he had published, he should be forthwith punished with -loss of his head. This language was too clear and explicit to admit a -doubt of its meaning; and the Abuna, giving way for the time, recalled -his excommunication. - -A conspiracy was next formed by Emana Christos, the eunuch Kefla Wahad -master of the household to the king, and Julius governor of Tigré, -to murder Socinios in his palace; for which purpose they desired an -audience upon weighty affairs, which being granted by the king, the -three conspirators were admitted into his presence. - -It was concerted that Julius should present a petition of such a nature -as probably to produce a refusal; and, in the time of the altercation -that would ensue, when the king might be off his guard, the other two -were to stab him. - -Just before the conversation began, he was advised of his danger -by a page, and Julius presenting his petition, the king granted it -immediately, before Emana Christos could come up to assist in the -dispute which they expected; and this conspirator appearing in the -instant, the king, who had got up to walk, invited them all three up -to the terrace. This was the most favourable opportunity they could -have wished. They, therefore, deferred assaulting him till they should -have got up to the terrace: The king entered the door of the private -stair, and drew it hastily after him. It had a spring-lock made by -Peter Paez, which was fixed in the inside, and could not be opened from -without, so that the king was left secure upon the terrace. Upon this -the conspirators, fearing themselves discovered, retired, and from that -time resolved to keep out of the king’s power. - -At that period, Socinios had determined upon an expedition against the -Funge, that is, against the blacks of Sennaar, who had entered his -country in a violent manner, destroying his people, and carrying them -off as slaves. It was, therefore, concerted, that while the king was -busied far off with the Funge, Emana Christos, Julius, and the eunuch -Kefla, at once should attack Sela Christos, at whom, next to the king, -the conspirators chiefly aimed; and the cause was, that the king had -taken the posts of Ras and the government of Gojam from Emana Christos, -who was a schismatic, and had given them to his younger brother, Sela -Christos, a violent Catholic. - -Julius began by a proclamation in Woggora, in which he commanded, that -those who believed two natures in Christ should immediately leave the -province, and that all those who were friends to the Alexandrian faith -should forthwith repair to him, and fight in defence of it. He then -ordered the goods of all the Catholics in Tigré to be confiscated, and -straightway marched to surprise Sela Christos then in Gojam. But the -king received intelligence of his designs, and returned into Dembea -before it was well known that he had left it. This, at first, very much -disconcerted Julius; and the rather, that Emana Christos and Kefla -Wahad kept aloof, nor had they declared themselves openly yet, nor did -they seem inclined to do it till Julius had first tried his fortune -with the king. - -This rebel, now full of presumption, advanced with his army to where -the Nile issues out of the great lake Tzana; and there he found the -Abuna Simon, who had staid for some weeks in one of the islands upon -pretence of devotion. Simon, after having confirmed Julius in his -resolution of murdering the king, his father-in-law, or of dying in -defence of the Alexandrian faith, if necessary, persuaded him to -lay aside his design of marching against Sela Christos, but rather -immediately to return back and surprise the king before these two -joined. - -Julius readily adopted this advice of the Abuna; while that priest, to -shew he was sincere, offered to accompany him in person, and share his -fortune. This was accepted with pleasure by Julius, who next morning -received the Abuna’s benediction at the head of his army, and assisted -at a solemn excommunication pronounced against the king, Sela Christos, -the fathers, and all the Catholics at court. - -The king’s first thought, upon hearing these proceedings, was to send -some troops to the assistance of Sela Christos, warning him of his -danger; but, upon hearing measures were changed, and that the first -design was against himself, he marched to meet Julius, and sent a -message to Sela Christos to join him with all possible speed; and, as -he was an excellent general, he took his post so judiciously that he -could not be forced to fight against his will till succour was brought -him, without great disadvantage to the enemy. - -Julius, fearing the junction of Sela Christos, endeavoured to fight -the two armies separately. For which purpose he advanced and pitched -his camp close within sight of that of Socinios, resolving to force -him to an engagement. This was thought a very dangerous measure, and -was contrary to the advice of all his friends, who saw how judiciously -Socinios had chosen his ground; and it was known to the meanest -soldier on both sides, how consummate the king was in the art of war. - -But the Abuna having persuaded him, that, as soon as the soldiers -should see him, they would abandon the king and join his colours, early -in the morning he put on his coat of mail, and, mounted on a strong -and fiery horse, was proceeding to the king’s camp, when Malacotawit, -his wife, (daughter to Socinios) persuaded him at least to take some -food to enable him to bear the fatigues of the day. But disdaining such -advice, he only answered furiously, “That he had sworn not to taste -meat till he had brought her her father’s head;” and, without longer -waiting for the rest of his troops, he leaped over the enemy’s lines in -a quarter where the Abuna had promised he should be well received. - -Indeed, on his first appearance, no one there opposed his passage, but -seemed rather inclined to favour him as the Abuna had promised: And he -had now advanced near to a body of Tigré soldiers that were the guard -of the king’s tent, loudly crying, “Where is your emperor?” when one -of these with a stone struck him so rudely upon the forehead that it -felled him to the ground; and, being now known, another soldier (called -Amda) thrust him through with a sword, and thereafter killed him with -many wounds. His head was cut off and carried to Socinios. - -The few that attended him perished likewise among the soldiers. Nor did -any of Julius’s army think of a battle, but all sought their safety -by a flight. The king’s troops being all fresh, pursued the scattered -rebels with great vigour, and many were slain, without any loss on the -part of the royalists. - -The Abuna Simon had, for a considerable time, stood as an ecclesiastic, -unhurt and unheeded, among the flying troops. Being at last -distinguished by his violent vociferation, and repeated imprecations -upon the king and the conquerors, he was slain by a common soldier, who -cut his head off and carried it to Socinios, who ordered it, with the -body, to be taken from the field of battle and buried in a church-yard. - -Socinios gave the spoil of the camp to his soldiers. It was said, -that no time, since the Turks were defeated under Mahomet Gragnè, -was there ever so much treasure found in a camp. The pride of Julius -induced him to carry all his riches with him. They were the fruits -of avarice and oppression in all the principal posts of the empire, -and which in their turn he had enjoyed. They were likewise the spoils -of the Catholics, newly acquired by the confiscations made since his -rebellion. A great number of cattle was likewise taken, which the king -distributed among the priests of the several churches, the judges, and -other lay-officers. Very great rejoicings were made everywhere, in the -midst of which arrived Ras Sela Christos with his army from Gojam, and -was struck with astonishment on seeing the small number of troops with -which the king had been exposed to fight Julius, and how complete a -victory he had gained with them. - -In the mean time, Emana Christos had retired to a high mountain in -Gojam, called _Melca Amba_, where he continued to excite the people -of that province to rebel and join Julius, whose arrival he daily -expected, that, together, they might fight Sela Christos. But the -rashness of Julius, and the march of Sela Christos to the king’s -assistance, had very much disconcerted their whole scheme. - -Af Christos, who commanded in Gojam after the departure of Ras Sela -Christos, sent to Melca Amba, “reproaching Emana Christos with -seditious practices; upbraiding him with the unnatural part he acted, -being a brother-german to Sela Christos, and brother to Socinios by -the same mother, while Julius was married to his daughter, and had -constantly enjoyed the great places of the empire. He asked him, What -they could be more? Kings they could not be, neither he nor Julius. -Ras, the next place in the empire, they both had enjoyed; and, if the -king had taken that office lately from Emana Christos, he had not given -it to a stranger, but to his brother Sela Christos, who, it was but -fair, should have his turn; and that the importance of his family was -not the less increased by it. Lastly, he represented the danger he ran, -if Julius made his peace, of falling a sacrifice as the adviser of the -rebellion.” - -Emana Christos answered, “That though he rebelled with Julius, and at -the same time, yet it was not as a follower of Julius, nor against -the king; but that he took up arms in defence of the ancient faith -of his country, which was now, without reason, trodden under foot in -favour of a religion, which was a false one if they understood it, and -an useless one if they did not. He said he was satisfied of his own -danger; but neither his connection with the king, nor his being related -to Sela Christos, could weigh with him against his duty to God and -his country. The king and his brother might be right in embracing the -Romish religion, because they were convinced of the truth of it: he had -used, however, the same means, and the same application, had heard the -arguments of the same fathers, which, unluckily for him, had convinced -him their religion was not a true, but a false one. For the same -reasons he continued to be an Alexandrian, which his brother alledged -had made him a Roman. He, therefore, begged Af Christos to consider, -by a review of things since David III.‘s time, how much blood the -change would cost to the kingdom by the attempt, whether it succeeded -or not; and whether, after that consideration, it was worth trying the -experiment.” - -This artful and sensible message, sent by a man of the capacity and -experience of Emana Christos, easily convinced Af Christos that it was -not by argument Emana Christos was to be brought to his duty; but, like -a good officer, he kept up correspondence with him, that he might be -master of the intelligence to what place he retired. - -Soon after Sela Christos had left Gojam to join the king, by forced -marches he surrounded Melca Amba, where Emana Christos was, and had -assembled a number of troops to descend into the plain and create a -diversion in favour of Julius. The mountain had neither water in it nor -food for such a number of men, nor had Emana Christos forces enough to -risk a battle with an officer of the known experience of Af Christos, -who had chosen the ground at his full leisure, and with complete -knowledge of it. - -Three days the army within the mountain held out without complaining; -but, in the evening of the third day, some monks and hermits -(_holy men_, the abettors of this rebellion) came to Af Christos -to remonstrate, that there were several convents and villages in -the mountain, also small springs, and barley enough to answer the -necessities of the ordinary inhabitants, but were not enough for such -an additional number which had taken forcible possession of the wells, -and drank up all the water, to the immediate danger of the whole -inhabitants perishing with thirst. - -To this Af Christos answered, That the reducing the mountain, and the -taking Emana Christos, was what was given him in commission by the -king, to attain which end he would carefully improve all the means in -his power. He was sorry, indeed, for the distress of the convents in -the mountain, but could not help it; nor would he suffer one of them to -remove or come down into the plain, nor would he discontinue blockading -the mountain while Emana Christos was there and alive. No other -alternative, therefore, remained but the delivering up Emana Christos. -His army would have fought for him against a common enemy, but against -thirst their shields and swords were useless. - -Af Christos, with his prisoner, forthwith proceeded to join the king, -and passed the Nile into Begemder. At crossing the river Bashilo, they -were informed of the defeat and death of Julius and the Abuna. The -messenger had also letters for Emana Christos, whom the king did not -know to be yet prisoner: among these was one from Sela Christos, in -which he upbraided his brother with his unnatural treason, and assured -him speedily of a fate like that of Julius. Emana Christos received -this intelligence almost dead with fear, for never was a prophecy made -which seemed to have needed less time to accomplish than this of his -brother’s. - -Af Christos surrendered his prisoner to the king at Dancaz, who -immediately assembled a full convocation of judges of all degrees; -and the prisoner being ordered to answer to his charge concerning the -rebellion of Julius and his conspiracy against the king’s life, he took -the part he had been advised, and palliated the whole of his actions, -without positively denying any one of them, and submitted to the -king’s mercy. The judges, considering the defence, unanimously found -him guilty of death; but the king, whose last vote, when sitting in -judgment, supersedes and overturns all the rest, reprieved, and sent -him prisoner to Amhara. - -Hitherto the king had contented himself with fixing two points in -favour of the Roman church, in contradiction to that of Alexandria. -The first denounced punishment to every one who did not believe that -there are two natures in Christ, and that he is perfect God and perfect -man, without confusion of persons. The second was rather a point of -discipline than of faith; yet it was urged as such, by declaring it to -be unlawful to observe Saturday, the ancient Jewish sabbath. The first -of these, if it was not the cause, had been assumed as the pretext for -the rebellion of Julius. The second produced that of Jonael governor of -Begemder, of which we are now to speak. But thus far only the king had -gone. He had not openly joined the church of Rome, nor as yet renounced -that of Alexandria, nor forced any one else to do so. - -The first prelude to Jonael’s rebellion was an anonymous letter -written to the king, in which all the stale and lame arguments of -the Alexandrians were raked together, and stated with a degree of -presumption worthy of the ignorance and obstinacy of those from -whom they came. This, though ridiculous, and below notice in point -of argument, offended greatly both the king and the Jesuits, by the -asperity of its terms, and the personal applications contained in it. -The king was treated as another Dioclesian, thirsting after Christian -blood, and for this devoted to hell; as were also the Jesuits, whom -they called relations of Pilate, in allusion to their origin from Rome. - -The king, grievously offended, added this injunction to the former -proclamation, “That all out-door work, such as plowing and sowing, -should be publicly followed by the husbandman on the Saturday, under -penalty of paying a web of cotton cloth, for the first omission, which -cloth was to be of five shillings value; and the second offence, was -to be punished by a confiscation of moveables, and the crime not to be -pardoned for seven years;”--the greatest punishment for misdemeanors in -Abyssinia. To this Socinios added, _vivâ-voce_, from his throne, that -he never _abolished_, but _explained_ and established their religion, -which always taught, as their own books could testify, that Christ -was perfect God and perfect man, two distinct natures united in one -hypostasis of the eternal word; neither was it in compliance with the -Jesuits that he abrogated the observation of the Jewish sabbath, but -in obedience to the council of Chalcedon, which was founded in the -holy scriptures, for which he was ready at all times to lose his life, -though he should endeavour first to inflict that punishment on such as -were its enemies. - -In order to shew that he did not mean to trifle, he ordered the tongue -of a monk (called Abba Af Christos) to be cut out, for denying the -two natures in Christ; and Buco, one of the principal generals of his -court (who afterwards died a zealous Catholic) he ordered to be beaten -with rods, and degraded from his employment, for observing the Jewish -sabbath. - -The king, having given these public, unequivocal testimonies of his -resolution, put himself at the head of his army, and marched against -Jonael; but that rebel, not daring to meet his offended sovereign, -retired into the mountains; whereupon the king laid waste the country -of the Galla, who had protected him. This occasioned a division among -the Galla themselves. One party declaring for the king, apprehended -Jonael with intention to deliver him up; but he was soon rescued out of -their hands by the contrary party, enemies to Socinios. His protectors -being once known, the manner of working his destruction was soon -known likewise. The king’s presents made their way to that faithless -people, the only barbarians with whom the right of hospitality is not -established. Upon receiving the king’s bribe, they murdered Jonael, cut -his head off, and sent it to the king. - -The rebellion in Damot was not so easily quelled. Sela Christos, -a zealous Catholic, was sent against the rebels to inforce the -proclamation with regard to the sabbath. But as his connections -were very considerable among them, he chose first to endeavour, by -fair means, to induce the ignorant savages to return to reason and -obedience. With this view, he sent to expostulate with them; and to -beg that, in articles of faith, they would suffer themselves to be -examined and instructed by men of learning and good life; not by those -monks, ignorant like themselves, from whom they only could learn vice, -blasphemy, and rebellion. To this the Damots answered, as one man, -That, if his friendship for them and good intentions were real, he -should give them, for proof, the immediate burning of all the Latin -books which had been translated into the Ethiopian language, and that, -then, he should hang those Jesuits who were with him upon a high tree. - -We are not, however, to consider this was really from a conviction or -persuasion of the Damots, who inhabit a province bordering upon the -Agows and Gongas, and their Christianity much upon a par with that -of either of these nations. But the fact was, that the fanatics and -zealots for the Alexandrian faith had retired in great numbers to -Damot, as to a province the worst affected to the king, from the recent -violence of Julius, who, in an expedition against the Shangalla, by -order of the king had driven off the cattle of the peaceable Damots, -who had been then guilty of no offence. And as these were ready -to rebel for a quarrel merely their own, it was very easy for the -schismatical monks to add this religious grievance to the sum of the -preceding. - -Sela Christos had with him about 7000 men, most of them Catholics and -veteran soldiers; and among these 40 Portuguese, partly on foot, armed -with musquets, the others on horseback, clad in coats of mail. Very -different was the army of Damots. They were superior in number for they -exceeded 12000 men, and among these were 400 monks, well armed with -swords, lances, and shields, earnestly bent upon the obtaining a crown -of martyrdom in defence of their religion, from the innovation proposed -by Socinios. At the head of these was a fanatical monk (one Batacu) who -promised them armies of angels, with flaming swords, who should slay -their enemies, but render them invulnerable, as he declared himself to -be, either by sword or lance. - -The battle was fought at the foot of the mountains of Amid Amid, on the -6th of October 1620. Sela Christos, sure of victory, and unwilling to -slaughter a people he had been used to protect, began first to shew his -superiority in slight skirmishes. After which, desiring a parley, he -sent messengers to them, begging them to consider their own danger, and -offering them a general amnesty upon their submission. These messengers -were not allowed to approach, for showers of arrows that were poured -upon them; so the battle began with great animosity on both sides. The -Damots were soon broken and put to flight by the superiority of Sela -Christos’s soldiers. But the 400 monks, already mentioned, fought most -desperately in defiance of numbers, nor did they seek their safety -by a flight. One hundred and eighty of them were killed on the place -they occupied, valiantly fighting to the very last. A rare example, -and seldom found in history, that fanatics like these, always ready to -rebel, should persist and sacrifice their lives to the follies of their -own preaching. - -As for their celestial auxiliaries, whose assistance they were promised -as far as could be discovered, they neither did harm nor good. We may -suppose they stood neuter. But Batacu the hermit, ringleader of this -sedition, whose body was so miraculously armed, that neither sword -nor spear could make any impression upon it, was unfortunately thrust -through with a lance in the very beginning of the engagement, which -greatly served to discredit these supernatural aids. - -It was in this year 1620, that Socinios marched into Begemder against -Jonael. At which time Peter Paez was employed at Gorgora in building -the church there. The king returned immediately to Dancaz after the -defeat of Jonael, and passed his winter at that place. - -It was on the 16th of January 1621, that the dedication of the church -of Gorgora was made by Peter Paez; and at that time the king was in -Begemder. Upon his return to Dancaz he met Paez at Gorgora for the -first time. He remained at Gorgora till the 3d of October of that year, -when the news of the defeat of the Damots by Sela Christos arrived, -which he received in presence of that priest at Gorgora. In this, both -the Jesuits and Abyssinian annals agree. It is not then possible that -Peter Paez could have been with the king at Sacala, or Geesh, in the -country of the Agows on the 21st of March 1621[57]; for both Peter Paez -and Socinios were at that time in Gorgora. - -At this time the Ethiopic memoirs of Socinios’s reign interrupted their -continual topics of rebellion and bloodshed, to record a very trifling -anecdote; which, however, I insert, as it serves to give some idea of -the simplicity and ignorance of those times. - -The historian says, that this year there was brought into Abyssinia, -a bird called _Para_, which was about the bigness of a hen, and spoke -all languages; Indian, Portuguese, and Arabic. It named the king’s -name: although its voice was that of a man, it could likewise neigh -like a horse, and mew like a cat, but did not sing like a bird. It was -produced before the assembly of judges, of the priests, and the azages -of court, and there it spoke with great gravity. The assembly, after -considering circumstances well, were unanimously of opinion, that the -evil spirit had no part in endowing it with these talents. But to be -certain of this, it was thought most prudent to take the advice of Ras -Sela Christos, then in Gojam, who might, if he thought fit, consult the -superior of Mahebar Selassé; to them it was sent, but it died on the -road. The historian closes his narrative by this wise reflection on the -parrot’s death; “Such is the lot of all flesh.” - -The king, immediately after his victory over Jonael, had resolved to -throw off the mask, and openly to profess the Catholic religion. The -success of Sela Christos against the Damots had confirmed him. He had -passed the rainy season, as I have before observed, between Gorgora -and Dancaz; and, in the usual time, in the month of November, marched -to Foggora, a narrow stripe of plain country, reaching from Emfras to -Dara, bounded on one side by the lake Dembea, and on the other by the -mountains of Begemder. - -For this purpose he sent to Peter Paez, his ordinary confessor, to -come to him; and, having told him his resolution, he declared, that, -in proof of the sincerity of his conversion, he had put away all his -wives (of whom he had several of the first quality, and many children -by them) and retained only his first, by whom he had the eldest of his -sons, destined to succeed him in the empire. - -Paez, having received his confession, and public renunciation of the -Alexandrian faith, returned to Gorgora singing his _nunc dimittis_, -as if the great end of his mission was now completed; nor was he -deceived in his prognostication. For, having too much heated himself -with zeal in travelling, he was, upon his arrival, taken with a violent -fever; and, tho’ every sort of remedy was administered to him by -Antonio Fernandes, yet he died on the third of May 1623, with great -demonstrations of piety and resignation, and firm conviction, that he -had done his duty in an active, innocent, and well-spent life. - -He had been seven years a captive in Arabia in the hands of the Moors, -and nineteen years missionary in Abyssinia, in the worst of times, and -had always extricated himself from the most perilous situations, with -honour to himself and advantage to his religion. In person, he was very -tall and strong; but lean from continual labour and abstinence. He was -red faced; which, Tellez says, proceeded from the religious _warmth_ of -his heart. He had a very good understanding, which he had cultivated, -every hour of his life, by study or practice. - -Besides possessing universal knowledge in scholastic divinity, and the -books belonging to his profession, he understood Greek, Latin, and -Arabic well, was a good mathematician, an excellent mechanic, wrought -always with his own hands, and in building was at once a careful, -active labourer, and an architect of refined taste and judgment. He -was, by his own study and industry, painter, mason, carver, carpenter, -smith, farrier, quarrier, and was able to build convents and palaces, -and furnish them without calling one workman to his assistance; and in -this manner he is said to have furnished the convent at Collela, as -also the palace and convent at Gorgora. - -With all these accomplishments, he was so affable, compassionate, and -humble in his nature, that he never had opportunity of conversing, even -with heretics, without leaving them his friends. He was remarkably -chearful in his temper; and the most forward always in promoting -innocent mirth, of that puerile species which we in England call _fun_, -in great request among the young men in Abyssinia, who spend much -of their time in this sort of conversation, whether in the city or -the camp. Above all, he was a patient, diligent instructor of youth; -and the greatest part of his disciples died in the persecution that -soon followed, resolutely maintaining the truths of that religion -their preceptor first had taught them. In a word, he was the hinge -upon which the Catholic religion turned. He had found the seeds of it -sown in the country for a hundred years before his time, which had -borne little fruit, and was then apparently on the decline. Nineteen -years of this most active missionary, and the death of three kings, -had advanced it only so far as to be embraced publicly by one of -them; after Paez’s death, in six years it fell, though supported most -strenuously by a king prodigal of the blood of his subjects in this -cause, by a patriarch sent from Rome, and by above 20 very zealous and -active missionaries; and, as far as my foresight can carry me, it is -so entirely fallen, that, unless by a special miracle of Providence -wrought for that purpose, it never will rise again. - -The king’s renunciation of the Alexandrian faith was followed by a -very strong, or rather violent manifesto, and we need not be at a loss -to guess whom he employed to draw it up. It begins by asserting the -supremacy of the church of Rome, as the see of St Peter; it mentions -the three first general councils, which condemned Arius, Macedonius, -and Nestorius; next quotes the council of Chalcedon, as the fourth -general council, as having justly condemned Dioscurus; but says not -a word of the council of Ephesus, which the Abyssinians receive -instead of that of Chalcedon; insists largely upon the two natures in -Christ; then, leaving the patriarchs of Alexandria, it attacks not -the doctrine, but the morals of the Abunas, sent from Alexandria into -Abyssinia, accuses the ecclesiastics in general of simony and paying -money to the Abuna for their ordination, (a well-founded part of the -charge) which I fear continues to this day. - -The Abuna Marcus was, it is there said, convicted by Socinios, or -Melec Segued, of a crime of such turpitude that the name of it should -never stain paper. He was degraded and banished to the island of Dek. -His successor Christodulus had many concubines. Abuna Petros, who -succeeded, took the wife of a poor Egyptian, and lived with her; he -then excommunicated his sovereign Jacob, after he had reigned seven -years, and died in battle in the actual commission of treason, fighting -against the prince. - -Simon, the last Abuna, besides living in adultery with the wife of an -Egyptian called Matti, kept several young women with him as concubines; -and being detected in having a daughter by one of them, with a view to -conceal it, he caused the child to be exposed to be devoured by the -hyæna. After living in constant disobedience to God’s law, he joined -the crime of rebellion to the repeated breach of every command in the -decalogue; and appearing in battle, and excommunicating his sovereign, -God (says the manifesto) delivered him into our victorious hands, and -he was slain by a common soldier in the very commission of his crime. - -It must be owned, we cannot have a worse picture of any Christian -church than that here given of the bishop’s church of Alexandria. -Charity should induce us to hope some exaggeration had crept into it. -Yet when we consider that the facts mentioned were all within the space -of forty years, and consequently must have been within the knowledge, -not only of Socinios, but of many people then alive and at court, we -cannot, with the impartiality of an historian, deny our apprehensions, -that these charges were but too-well founded. - -However this may be, neither the king’s example, nor his manifesto, -had the effect he desired. A rebel, whom the annals call the son of -Gabriel, declared himself against the king in Amhara, just at the time -that Socinios, misled by the enemies of Sela Christos, had begun -to entertain suspicion of his loyalty, and had deprived him of the -government of Gojam and the Agows. Finding, after an examination, there -was no person that was qualified to bring this affair to a happy issue -but Sela Christos, he replaced him in his government of Gojam, giving -him, at the same time, orders to march against the son of Gabriel, into -Amhara. - -This command of the king, Ras Sela Christos soon complied with, and, -upon his first appearance in that province, the rebel retired to a -high mountain which he made his place of arms, the top producing both -provisions and water sufficient to maintain a large garrison. - -The Ras, seeing that force availed nothing, had recourse to the usual -trap these rebels fall into. Weary of confinement on the mountain, -sensible that he was by himself too weak to leave it, while such -an enemy expected him below, he accepted the friendship of the -neighbouring Galla, who offered to join him in such numbers as to -enable him to descend from the mountain, and try his fortune in a -battle. The treaty was concluded, and the junction no sooner effected, -than the faithless Galla, before gained by the Ras, fell upon the son -of Gabriel with their clubs, and killed him on the spot, having so -mangled his body that scarce a piece was reserved to send to his enemy. - -The joy this victory occasioned at court met with a great addition -by the arrival of the Romish patriarch. It has been before observed, -that the king had himself wrote letters to the pope and king of -Spain, declaring his intentions to turn Catholic. Peter Paez, Antonio -Fernandes, and the other priests, had given a much more favourable -prospect of religious affairs than had as yet been conveyed to Rome; -the wiser part of the conclave, however, had doubted. But now, the king -had voluntarily made his recantation, it was no longer thought time for -delay, and accordingly Alphonso Mendez, a Jesuit doctor of divinity, a -man of great learning, by birth a Portuguese, was ordained at Lisbon -the 25th of May 1624. - -From thence he proceeded to India by the way of Goa, attended by -several fresh missionaries; and finding there letters from Socinios, -and a passport from the king of Dancali, a Mahometan prince in alliance -with the Abyssinians, he arrived at Bilur, an open bay in the small and -barren state of Dancali, on the second of May 1625, and was received, -by the brother of the reigning prince, with every token of friendship -that so poor a state and sovereign could afford; the king of Dancali -himself was at the distance of six days journey, in a place where there -was greater plenty of water and provisions. The following day the king -sent four mules for the fathers to join him, and received them in a -room of a round figure, surrounded and covered with bundles of straw, -but so low they scarce could raise themselves after having made their -bows. - -In this miserable kingdom, which I shall not describe, as, since that -period, it has been conquered by the Galla, the patriarch and fathers -staid almost in want of necessaries for sixteen days. At last they -set out, having, with much difficulty, mustered sufficient beasts of -burden to carry their baggage. The road lay through part of the country -wherein are the mines of fossile-salt, hot, barren, and absolutely -without water, and exposed greatly to the incursions of the Galla. -After two days journey, they arrived in the morning of the third, at -the foot of Senaffé, where there was water. It is the frontier (as the -name imports) of the province of Enderta, now united to the government -of Tigré. It is part of that ridge of mountains which separates the -seasons, occasioning summer on the one side, while rain and cold -prevail on the other. - -On the night before they came to the mountain, while dubious of -their way, a star of more than ordinary magnitude, and of surprising -brightness, appeared over the patriarch, giving so strong a light -that it illuminated the heavens down to the horizon. It was not, -in its place or manner of appearing, like a common star, but stood -stationary, in the way leading to Senaffé, for above six minutes, and -disappeared[58]. This star, the patriarch and his followers modestly -say, was probably the same that conducted the Magi to the cradle of -Christ, and was now sent to shew them the way into Abyssinia. - -While they were at the foot of this mountain, the Muleteers, all -Mahometans, thought the occasion a proper one to plunder them, by -obliging them to pay an additional hire for their beasts, which they -pretended were not able to ascend so steep a mountain. The camels -certainly could not pass; but mules and asses have a more practicable -road, for the sake of carrying the salt. They insisted to leave the -company till they should bring them fresh mules. The caravan consisted -of the patriarch and six ecclesiastics, priests, and friars, and -thirteen laymen, three of whom were musicians. It was very probably -their intention to have sent to them people who would very soon have -put a fatal period to the mission, had not Emanuel Baradas, with -a number of Abyssinians, and officers, and plenty of all things -necessary, joined the patriarch on the 16th of June 1625; while their -late conductors, conscious of misbehaviour, fled without seeking their -hire. - -In five days they came to Fremona, where they staid till November; and, -in December, arrived at Gorgora, where they were introduced to the -king in his palace. Socinios ordered the patriarch to be placed on a -seat equal in height to his own, on his right hand; and at that very -audience, which was on the 11th of February 1626, it was settled that -the king should take an oath of submission to the see of Rome. - -This useless, vain, ridiculous ceremony, was accordingly celebrated -on the 11th of February, with all the pageantry of a heathen festival -or triumph. The palace was adorned with all the pomp and vanity that -the church of Rome, and especially that part of it, the Order of -the Jesuits, had solemnly abjured. The patriarch, as a mark of his -superiority over the Abunas, preached a sermon in the Portuguese -language upon the primacy of the chair of St Peter, full of Latin -quotations, which is said to have had a wonderful effect upon the king -and Sela Christos, neither of whom understood one word either of Latin -or Portuguese. - -That part of the patriarch’s discourse, which was applicable to -Socinios’s conversion, was answered by Melca Christos, governor -of Samen, (himself a schismatic) in the language of Amhara, which -neither the patriarch nor his retinue understood, and concluded with -these words, “That as the king thought himself obliged to fulfil -those promises of submitting himself to the see of Rome which his -predecessors had made, the time was now come in which he should do -that, if such was his pleasure. These last words of the orator seem not -to have satisfied the zeal of Socinios. He interrupted Melca Christos -by saying, that it was not now, but a long time since, that he had -submitted to the church of Rome, as true successor of St Peter; and -the present occasion was only a confirmation of what he had formerly -professed.” - -The patriarch answered by a few words, prudently and sensibly, I -suppose to save time, seeing that, short or long, his discourse would -not be understood. But proceeding to facts, he opened a new testament, -while Socinios, upon his knees, took the following oath: “We, sultan -Segued, emperor of Ethiopia, do believe and confess that St Peter, -prince of the apostles, was constituted, by Christ our Lord, head of -the whole Christian church, and that he gave him the principality and -dominion over the whole world, by saying to him, _You are Peter, and -upon this rock will I build my church; and I will give you the keys of -the kingdom of heaven_. And again when he said, _Keep my sheep_. Also -we believe and confess, that the pope of Rome, lawfully elected, is the -true successor of St Peter the apostle, in government; that he holdeth -the same power, dignity, and primacy, in the whole Christian church: -and to the holy father Urban VIII. of that name, by the mercy of God, -pope, and our lord, and to his successor in the government of the -church, we do promise, offer, and swear true obedience, and subject, -with humility at his feet, our person and empire: so help us God and -these holy gospels before us.”--After this, each man swore personal -obedience, officers, priests, and monks, according to their several -orders or conditions. - -The prince royal Facilidas, purely and simply in the form prescribed, -took this oath, without any addition or alteration. But Ras Sela -Christos, heated with zeal, after repeating the formula, drawing his -sword in violent passion, uttered these words, “What has passed let it -be past; but, from this day forward, he that falls from his duty this -shall be his judge[59].” - -This hasty speech, not well understood, was thought by some to reflect -on those he had discovered to be in the confederacy with the rebel son -of Gabriel. As the court was full of parties and discontent, every one -applied the threat to himself, and all joined in a league to undo Sela -Christos, who had so wantonly declared himself the leader and champion -of persecution. - -To this oath of obedience to the pope, he likewise added one to the -king, and to the prince his successor, Facilidas, with a strange -clause, or qualification, which made what he said formerly still -worse:--“I likewise swear to the prince, as heir of his father in this -empire, as long as he shall hold favour, and defend the holy Catholic -faith; and if he shall fail in this, I hereby swear to be his greatest -enemy.” This extravagant addition he insisted should be imposed -upon all the officers of state, and of the army then at court, and -therefore did most deservedly seal his own condemnation and punishment, -which overtook him in the end, though it did not follow till long -afterwards. - -To these violent proceedings were added others still more violent. A -solemn excommunication was pronounced against all such as did not keep -that oath, and a proclamation was forthwith made, “That all people, in -the line of being ordained priests, should first embrace the Catholic -religion upon pain of death; that all should observe the form of the -church of Rome in the celebration of Easter and Lent, under the same -penalty; and with that the ceremonies of the day ended.” - - _Tempus erit cum magno optaverit emptum,_ - _Intactum Pallanta._ - -It was a day ever to be marked with black, not only in the annals of -Ethiopia, but in those of Rome. - -Although the arrival of the patriarch at Bilur had been happily -effected, both as to himself and those that attended him, it was not -so with some of his brethren sent to assist him in that mission. Two -Jesuits, Francisco Machado and Bernard Pereira, had received the king’s -letters in India for their safe conduct to Bilur in Dancali. Whether by -malice, or inadvertency, the king’s secretary, instead of Bilur, had -mentioned Zeyla in the letter. - -Zeyla, an island belonging to the king of Adel, was of all other -places that where the people were most inveterate against the Catholic -religion. No sooner did the Shekh know the quality and errand of these -missionaries, than he confined them to close prison, where, after -great suffering, they were both put to death; and, to aggravate this, -a letter was written to Socinios stigmatizing him with the name of -apostate from the religion of his forefathers, and applying to him many -opprobrious names. - -This letter, at another time, would not have failed to have been -followed by the chastisement it deserved. But Adel, formerly a -flourishing and commercial kingdom, was now fallen, and reduced to -a multitude of banditti. Trade had left it. A garrison of nominal -janizaries, since the reign of Sultan Selim, had kept the little island -of Zeyla for the pretended purpose of a customhouse; but, in fact, it -was a post of robbers, who only maintained themselves there for the -sake of plundering merchants who came by sea; while the Galla poured in -numbers upon the prince from the continent, and of the ancient kingdom -of Adel, had left him nothing but Aussa the capital, a town situated -upon a rock, on the banks of the river Hawash, Azab, and Raheeta, and -a few other miserable villages upon the sea; and even part of these -were daily falling into the hands of that enemy, destined very soon to -over-run them all. This abject state to which they had been reduced, we -may suppose, was the only reason that protected them from the vengeance -of a high-spirited prince, such as Socinios certainly was. - -This violent conduct of Socinios in his abjuration was followed by that -of the patriarch Alphonso Mendes, perfectly in the same spirit. The -clergy were re-ordained, their churches consecrated anew, grown men -as well as children again baptised, the moveable feasts and festivals -reduced to the forms and times of the church of Rome; circumcision, -polygamy, and divorce were abrogated for ever; and the many questions -that thereupon arose, and which were understood to belong to the civil -judge, the patriarch called to his own tribunal exclusively. - -All the tenets of the church of Alexandria, whether of faith or -discipline, were rejected; and it was not known how far the patriarch -intended to subject the civil jurisdiction of the judges to the -ecclesiastical power. Two steps that he took, the one immediately after -the other, seemed to give great reason of fear upon this head. - -In order to understand the first of these cases, it will be necessary -to know, that it is a fundamental constitution of the monarchy of -Ethiopia, that all lands belong to the king; and that there is no such -thing as church-lands in this country. Those that the king has given -for the maintenance of churches or monasteries are resumed every day, -at the instance of, and for the convenience of individuals, and new -ones granted in their stead sometimes of a greater value, sometimes of -a less. Nor have the priests or monks any property in these lands. A -lay-officer, appointed by the king, divides to each monk or priest, his -quota of the revenue, applying any overplus to other uses, which is, we -may suppose, often putting it into his own pocket. - -There was a nobleman of great distinction for his family and rank at -court, for his age, and the merit of his service; he had occupied some -of the lands belonging to a monk who happened to be a Catholic. This -man, had he been an Alexandrian, could have had no recourse to the -Abuna his patriarch, and the cause must have been tried before the -civil judge. But Mendes was of another opinion. He ordered the nobleman -to make his defence before the ecclesiastical tribunal; and, upon his -refusing this as a novelty to which he was not bound, he condemned him -immediately to restore the lands to the monk. This, too, was refused on -the part of the present possessor, who being one day attending the king -at church, the patriarch, without preamble, pronounced against him a -formal sentence of excommunication, by which he gave him over, soul and -body, to the devil. - -Such procedure was, till then, unknown in Abyssinia. The nobleman, -though otherwise brave, was so much affected with the terms of his -sentence as to faint, imagining himself already in the clutches of -Satan, and it was with difficulty he was recovered, the king making -intercession with the patriarch to take off this censure, or rather -this curse. - -Sudden as it was, however, in the inflicting, and easy in the removal, -it made very lasting and serious impressions on the minds of men of all -ranks, greatly to the disadvantage of the patriarch and the professors -of his new religion, in the exercise of which they did not discover -that degree of charity, meekness, mercy, and long-suffering, that they -had been taught were the very essentials of it. - -The next instance was this: There had been an Itchegué, that is, the -superior of the monks of Debra Libanos, an Order instituted by Abba -Tecla Haimanout, the last Abyssinian Abuna, not more celebrated by the -church than the state, as being the restorer of the line of Solomon, -for many years banished to Shoa; and this superior, besides the dignity -of his office, was remarkable for an innocent, pious, and holy life. -It happened that a Catholic monk officiated in a church where this -Itchegué had been buried under the altar; the patriarch declared the -church defiled by the burial of that heretic and schismatic, and -suspended the celebration of divine service till the body was raised -and thrown out of the church in a most indecent manner. Universal -discontent seized the minds of all men; and, from that time, it seemed -the friends of the old religion began again to recover strength, and -the Catholics to be looked upon, if not with hatred, yet with terror. -And every trifle now contributed towards the one or the other. - -The Jesuits, following practices or customs of their own, had thought -fit to exhibit a kind of religious plays or farces. The devil in these -pieces is always the buffoon; he plays harlequin and slight-of-hand -tricks, fires squibs and gun-powder, very little consistent with the -decency of the other persons who compose the drama. This continued -to be practised in several Catholic countries in Europe, while that -learned company existed[60]. It happened to be necessary to introduce -figures of this kind blacked all over, and in masks, with cloven feet, -&c. The first exhibition of these figures so surprised and terrified -the Abyssinian audience, that they fled immediately upon their -appearance, crying out, Alas! alas! these Franks have brought devils -into our country with them! - -This great extension of civil jurisdiction, and the large strides it -took to annihilate the civil power, the encroachments it made upon the -prerogative of the king, till now supreme in all causes ecclesiastical -and civil, the more than regal, the more, if possible, than papal -pride of the patriarch, began to be felt universally, and it was seen -to be intended to lessen every order of government, from the king to -the lowest officer in the province. From this time, therefore, we date -the decline of the Catholic interest in Abyssinia. The first blow was -given it by the king himself, not with a view to destroy it, for he -was a sincere Catholic upon principle, but to controul and keep it -within some bounds, as he found there was no order could otherwise be -maintained. - -He desired the patriarch to permit the use of the ancient liturgies of -Ethiopia, altered by himself in every thing where they did not agree -with that of the church of Rome. With this the patriarch was obliged to -comply, because there was in it an appearance of reason that men should -pray to God in a language that they understood, and which was their -own, rather than a foreign tongue of which they did not understand -one word. This was thought so obvious in Ethiopia as not to admit -any doubt. But the order and practice of the church of Rome was just -the contrary; and this wound was a mortal one; for no sooner was the -permission given to use their own liturgies, than all the Abyssinians -embraced them to a man, and went on in their old prayers and services -without any of the patriarch’s alterations. - -To these events, not important in themselves, but only from the effect -they had upon the minds of mankind, succeeded tragedies of a more -serious nature. I have already observed, in speaking of the Galla, -that they were divided into three principal divisions, those on the -east of Abyssinia were called Bertuma Galla, those on the south called -Toluma, and those on the west Boren Galla; each of these were divided -into seven, and these again subdivided into a number of tribes. Each -of these seven nations choose a king once in seven years called Lubo; -and it is usually the first act of the new king’s reign to over-run the -neighbouring provinces of Abyssinia, laying every thing waste with fire -and sword for this year, even if they had no provocation, but had been -at peace for several years before. - -The Abyssinians remained long in ignorance of this cause of these -invasions, and, while that was the case, they could take no measures to -be prepared against, and resist them. But after, when the customs of -the Galla were better known, their periodical invasions were watched -and provided against, so that though they were still continued, they -were generally repelled with the slaughter and defeat of the invaders. - -It happened that the present year, 1627, was the season of electing -the king, and of the invasion. Though the time of the expedition -was known, no intelligence had been given of the manner in which it -was to be executed. In past times, the nations, or tribes of Galla, -assaulted each the opposite province in whose frontiers they were -settled; but this year it was agreed among them to choose one province, -Gojam, which, by uniting their whole force, they were to devote to -destruction, or, if possible, keep possession of it. - -Buco was governor of Gojam; the king had sent Sela Christos to his -assistance, and was intending to follow with another army himself. In -the mean time, the passes through which the Galla used to enter were -all lined with men, and every preparation made to receive them. - -These barbarians advanced to the Nile in multitudes never seen before; -and, finding the province perfectly on its guard, they feigned a panic, -or disagreement among themselves, retired in seeming confusion, and -dispersed, some, as it was said, to their own homes, and some to an -expedition against Narea. This in reality had often happened; but now -it was only a stratagem; for they all assembled in their own country -Bizamo, of which the Abyssinians had no intelligence. Buco, thinking he -was free of them for that year, disbanded his troops, or detached them -to other services; Sela Christos did the same; neither did Socinios -advance with his army. - -In that interval of weakness, news were sent to Buco that the Galla had -passed the Nile. Upon which he advanced with 1000 foot and 200 horse, -believing that it was some small part of that army which he thought -had some time before been dispersed. After hearing mass with great -devotion, and receiving the sacrament, in passing through a thick wood -he was assaulted by the Galla. Being a man, brave in his own person, -and exceedingly well-trained to arms, he fought so successfully, and -so encouraged his men by his example, that he cut that body of Galla -entirely to pieces; and, as he thought the whole matter then at an -end, he ordered his drums to beat, and his trumpets to sound, in token -of victory. - -The rest of the Galla, who were now dispersed through the province, -but at no great distance, burning and destroying, as their custom is, -and who left this body behind them only to secure their retreat across -the river, returned all to their colours, upon hearing the drums and -trumpets of Kasmati Buco, whom they did not know to be so near; and, as -soon as he came in sight, despising his small number, they surrounded -them on every side. Buco immediately saw that he was a lost man; but, -considering the multitude of the enemy, and the unprepared state of the -province, he thought his own life and those of his followers could not -be better employed than by obstinately fighting to disable the enemy, -so as to put it out of their power to pursue the ruin of the country -further; throwing himself furiously into the thickest of the Galla, he, -at first onset, killed four of the most forward of their leaders, and -made himself a lane through the troops opposing him; and he was now got -without their circle, when some of his officers seeing him, cried to -him to make the best of his way, as affairs were desperate, and not to -add by his death to the misfortunes of that day. - -Upon this he paused, as recollecting himself for a moment; but, -disdaining to survive the loss of his army, he threw himself again -among the Galla, where his men were still fighting, carrying victory -wherever he went. His horse was at last wounded, and, being otherwise -young and untrained, became ungovernable. It was necessary to quit him, -when, drawing his sword, and leaping upon the ground, he continued the -fight with the same degree of courage, till the Galla, who did not dare -to approach him near, killed him by a number of javelins thrown at a -distance. - -The news of the defeat and death of Buco reached Sela Christos, then in -march to join him; nor did the misfortune that had already happened, -nor the bad prospect of his own situation, alter his resolution of -attacking the enemy: But he first wrote to the king his brother, -telling him his situation, and the probable consequences of doing his -duty as he had determined, laying all the blame upon the malice of -his enemies, who, to gratify their own private malice, had left him -without assistance, and occasioned misfortunes so detrimental to the -common-weal. - -Sela Christos passed this night upon a rising ground, and in the -morning early descended into the plain, with a view of attacking the -Galla, when, to his great surprise, that barbarous people, content with -the slaughter of Kasmati Buco and his army, and not willing to risk a -large quantity of plunder with which their whole army was loaded, had -repassed the Nile, and returned home. - -Tecla Georgis was son-in-law to Socinios, and then governor of Tigré, -but at variance with his father-in-law upon some quarrel with his wife. -Determined on this account to rebel, he associated with some noblemen -of the first rank and power in Tigré, particularly Guebra Mariam and -John Akayo, declaring to them, that he would no longer suffer the Roman -religion, but defend the ancient church of Alexandria to the utmost -of his power. And, to convince all the Abyssinians of his sincerity, -he tore off the figures of crucifixes, and all church-ornaments and -images of saints that were in relief, and burned them publicly, to make -his reconciliation with the king impossible. He then called before -him Abba Jacob his Catholic chaplain, and, having stripped him of his -pontificals, killed him with his own hand. There was no method he could -devise of bringing his quarrel sooner to an issue than this which he -had adopted. But he did not seem to have taken equal pains to provide -for his defence, as he had done to give provocation. - -Socinios, upon the first intelligence of this murder and treason, -ordered Keba Christos to march against him with the troops that he had -at hand. This general, equally a good soldier, subject, and Catholic, -being convinced of the necessity of punishing speedily so monstrous -a crime, passed by forced marches through Siré to Axum, thence to -Fremona; and, having appointed Gaspar Paez to meet him there, he -confessed himself, and received the sacrament from that Jesuit’s hands. -From Fremona he continued with the same speed, making three ordinary -days marches in one, being desirous of preventing the possibility of -Tecla Georgis’s collecting troops, and taking refuge on a mountain -called _Masba_, which he heard to be his design. - -It was the 12th of December 1628 that news were brought him of the -situation of the enemy; upon which he ordered his baggage to be left -behind, and every soldier to carry two loaves, and to march without -resting till he came up with Tecla Georgis. - -In the morning of the day following, two horsemen, on the scout before -him, discovered five of the rebel soldiers upon the look-out likewise. -These, upon seeing Keba Christos’s horsemen, returned immediately to -their master, and told him that they had seen armed men, and conceived -them to be the soldiers of Keba Christos. To this intelligence Tecla -Georgis answered, That Keba Christos was in the king’s palace at Dancaz -the 15th of November, and that it was impossible he then could be so -near with an army, if he had even wings to fly; but that the men they -had seen were probably reinforcements that he expected. - -Keba Christos, on the contrary, hearing that the enemy was at hand, -drew up his army in three divisions. The first consisted of his own -household, the second of a body of horse of the king’s household, -called _the Koccob Horse_, or _Star Cavalry_, from a silver star which -each of them wears on the front of his helmet; and the third, of the -people of Tigré who had joined him. In this order he came in sight -of his enemy posted upon a small height, divided only from him by a -narrow plain. Tecla Georgis, convinced now that it was Keba Christos, -formed his army into two divisions; the one composed of a body called -_Tcheraguas_, the other of a body called _Sultan ba Christos_; with -these was a large corps of Galla which had lately joined them. - -Keba Christos, now turning to his troops, briefly said, “My children, -I will not waste my time nor yours in discourse, or in telling you -what you are to do. You have all arms in your hands; you are good -Christians; and I can positively assure you there is not before you one -of your enemies that is not also an enemy to Christ.” Then, placing -himself before the Koccob horse, he pulled off his helmet and gave it -to his servant, saying, “By my naked face you shall know me to-day, -that I am not going in the midst of you as general or commander, but -foot for foot along with you like a common soldier.” - -Upon having uncovered his head, he was quickly known by Tecla Georgis, -from whose troops a number of muskets was fired at him. But this had -so little effect upon this gallant officer, that, changing his place, -(which then was at the head of the second division) he placed himself -still nearer the enemy in the front of his own household troops, which -were the first; and the Galla charging them in that instant, he slew -their leader with his own hand. Upon the death of their commander, -these barbarians immediately fled, as is their custom, while Keba -Christos endeavoured to make his way to where Tecla Georgis was -employed keeping his troops from following so bad an example. But so -soon as that rebel saw his enemy approach him, he and his whole army -joined the Galla in their flight; tho’ he narrowly escaped, by the -swiftness of his horse, a light javelin, thrown by Keba Christos, which -struck him behind, but so feebly, by reason of the distance, that it -did not pierce his armour. - -The king’s troops pursued vigorously, and soon brought to their general -the mule, the sword, and helmet of Tecla Georgis, with the heads of -300 slain in the battle, most of them Gallas, and with them 12 heads -of the most turbulent rebellious monks of Tigré. With these they also -brought Adera, sister to Tecla Georgis, wounded in the throat, who -had instigated him very strongly to commit the violences against the -professors of the Catholic religion. Tafa, too, his master of the -household, was taken prisoner; and it being made known to Keba Christos -that this man had assisted at the murder of Abba Jacob, he ordered him -directly to be put to death. - -Tecla Georgis, aided by the strength of his horse and knowledge of -the country, escaped and concealed himself from his pursuers for four -days; but, on the Saturday that followed the victory, he was found in a -cavern with his great confidents, Woldo Mariam, and a schismatic monk -whose name was Sebo Amlac. Tecla Georgis was carried alive to Keba -Christos, who sent him to the king, his two companions being slain as -soon as found, and their heads accompanied their living master, which, -on their arrival at Dancaz, the king ordered to be hung upon a tree. - -Tecla Georgis being convicted of sacrilege as well as murder, having -burnt the crucifixes and images of the saints, was condemned to be -burnt alive, and a lime-kiln was immediately prepared in which he was -to suffer. Upon hearing this, he desired a Catholic confessor, as -wishing to be reconciled to the church of Rome, and for this purpose -he sent a request to the patriarch, who was at three leagues distance, -and who dispatched Antonio Fernandes with full powers to absolve from -all manner of sins, and at the same time gave him orders to intercede -strongly with the king to pardon the criminal. Tecla Georgis confessed -publicly at the door of the church, and abjured the errors of the -church of Alexandria. - -After this, the father Fernandes applied to the king, pleading strongly -for his pardon. To which the king answered, “Many reasons there are why -I should desire to pardon Tecla Georgis. To say no more, he has been -married to two of my daughters, and he has by them two sons, both good -soldiers and horsemen, who actually ride before me, and accompany me -in battle. I have therefore pardoned him all the affronts and injuries -he has done to me. But, were I to take upon myself to pardon the -affronts and insults he has offered the Divine Majesty, I should turn -the punishment of his sins upon myself, my family, and kingdom; and, -therefore, I refuse your petition, and order you to return forthwith to -Gorgora.” - -After the departure of the father, in consideration that Tecla Georgis -had again embraced the Catholic religion, the king altered his sentence -of being burnt, into that of being hanged privately in the house where -he was then in prison; and, for that purpose, the executioner had -brought with him the cord with which Tecla had ordered the feet of Abba -Jacob to be tied. No sooner did he perceive that there were no hopes of -pardon, by their beginning to tie his hands, than he again, with a loud -voice, renounced his confession, declaring that he died an Alexandrian, -and that there was but one nature in Christ. The executioner -endeavoured to stop his further blasphemies, by drawing him up on the -beam in the room; but he resisted so strongly, that there was time to -inform Socinios of his abjuration: upon which the king ordered that -he should be hanged publicly upon a pine-tree; and he was accordingly -taken down, half-strangled, from the beam in the house, and hung upon -the tree before the palace. - -Adera, his sister, was next examined; and it being clearly proved -that she had been a very active agent in the murder of Abba Jacob, -she likewise was condemned to be hanged upon the same tree with her -brother, fifteen days afterwards. - -All that interval, the queen and ladies at court employed their utmost -interest with the king to pardon Adera, for they looked upon it as a -disgraceful thing, both to their sex and quality, that a woman of her -family should be thus publicly executed. All the ladies of the court -having joined, therefore, in a public petition to the king while on -his throne, he is said to have answered them by the following short -parable:-- - -“There was once an old woman, who being told of the death of an infant, -said, with great indifference, Children are but tender; it is no wonder -that they die, for any thing will kill a child. Being told of a youth -dying, she observed, Young people are forward and rash; they are always -in the way of some disaster; no wonder they die; it is impossible it -should be otherwise. But being told an old woman was dead, she began to -tear her hair, and lament, crying, Now the world is at an end if old -women begin to die, fearing that her turn might be the next. In this -manner all of you have seen Tecla Georgis die, and also several of his -companions, and you have not said a word. But now it is come to the -hanging of one woman, you are all alarmed, and the world is at an end. -Do not then deceive yourselves, but be assured that the same cord which -tied the feet of Abba Jacob, still remains sufficient to hang that sow -Adera, and all those that shall be so wicked as to behave like her, to -the disgrace of your sex, and their own rank and quality.” - -The effects of these ostentatious acts of reformation soon produced -consequences which troubled their joy. The Agows of Lasta, called -Tcheratz Agow, who live at the head of the Tacazzé, rebelled. The -country they occupy is not extensive, but exceedingly populous, and was -supposed at that time to be able to bring into the field above 50,000 -fighting men, besides leaving behind a sufficient number to defend -the passes and strong-holds of their country, which are by much the -most difficult and inaccessible of any in Abyssinia. They are divided -into five clans, Waag, Tettera, Dehaanah, Gouliou, and Louta, each -having an independent chief. They are exceedingly warlike; and, though -the country be so rude and rocky, they have a considerable number of -good horses; and are in general reckoned among the bravest and most -barbarous soldiers in Abyssinia. Their province abounds with all sorts -of provisions, and they rarely can be forced to pay any thing to -government in the name of tax, or tribute. - -Tecla Georgis was now dead, but the cause of the rebellion still -subsisted. While governor of Begemder, he had connived at many abuses -of his officers who occupied the posts nearest to Lasta. These being -young men, from wantonness only, without provocation, had made many -different inroads, driving away cattle, and committing many other -excesses. The Agows carried their complaints to the governor, who, far -from hearing or redressing their wrongs, justified the conduct of his -officers, by making inroads himself immediately after; but coming to an -action in person with that people, he was shamefully beat, and a great -part of his army left dead upon the field. - -This misfortune very much affected Socinios. Nor did the Agows -themselves doubt, but that a speedy chastisement was to follow this -victory over Tecla Georgis. - -There was a youth descended of the royal family, who, to preserve the -freedom of his person, lived among the Galla, in expectation of better -times. His name was Melca Christos. To him the Agows applied, that, -with this prince of the house of Solomon at their head, they might wipe -off the odium of being reputed rebels, and appear as fighting under a -lawful sovereign for reformation of abuses. The renunciation of the -Alexandrian faith, forcibly obtruded upon them by Socinios, served -as cause of complaint. The Roman Catholic writers in the history of -this mission, say this was but a pretext, in which I conceive they are -right. I have lived among the Agows of Lasta, and in intimacy with -many of them, who are not, to this day, so anxious about Christianity -as to ascend one of their hills for the difference between that and -Paganism; and I am satisfied, for these 300 years last past there has -been scarcely a common layman in Lasta that has known the distinction -between the Alexandrian and the Roman church. - -In the beginning of February 1629 the king marched from Dancaz -towards Gojam, where he collected an army of 30,000 men, which, with -the baggage, servants, and attendants, at that time very great and -numerous, amounted to above 80,000 men. - -Socinios detached a number of small parties to enter Lasta at different -places. On the other hand, Melca Christos assembled his troops on the -most inaccessible rocks; whence, when he spied occasion, he came -suddenly down and surprised the enemy below. Among all the rude, high, -and tremendous mountains of which this country consists, there is one -especially, called by the name of _Lasta_. It is in the territory of -Waag, strongly surrounded with inaccessible precipices, having a large -plain on the top, abounding with every thing necessary, and watered by -a fine stream that never fails. - -The manner in which the Agows remained secure in this strong post was -misconstrued into fear by the king’s army, which, in two divisions, -advanced to the attack of the mountain. That on the right had with some -difficulty scrambled up without opposition; but, being now arrived to -the steep part of the rock, such a number of large stones was rolled -down upon them from above, that this division of the army was entirely -destroyed. The number of stones on the brink of the precipices was -inexhaustible; and, once put in motion, pursued the scattered troops -with unavoidable speed, even down to the plains below. Among the slain -was Guebra Christos, the king’s son-in-law, dashed to pieces by the -fragment of a rock. The left division was upon the point of suffering -the same misfortune, had not Keba Christos come to their relief and -drawn them off, just before the enemy had begun to discharge this -irresistible artillery against them. - -The king, thus shamefully beaten, retired to Dancaz, leaving the -entrances from Lasta strongly defended, lest these mountaineers should, -by way of retaliation, fall upon the province of Begemder. But the -late ill-fortune had dispirited the troops, and caused an indifference -about duty, a want of obedience, and a relaxation in discipline in the -whole army. Each of the detachments, therefore, one after the other, -left their post from different excuses, and returned home. The bad -consequence of this was now experienced. The Agows entered Begemder -spreading desolation everywhere. Melca Christos, no longer sculking -among the rocks of Lasta, planted his standard upon the plain, within -five days march of the capital where the king was residing. - -The jealousies that had arisen between Socinios and his brother-in-law -Sela Christos, had been so much aggravated since the oath administered -by the patriarch, that the king had again deprived him of Gojam, -suffering him to live in obscurity in Damot, and among the Agows, -occupied, as the Jesuits say, in the conversion of that Pagan people, -by destroying their idols, which they represent to be a species of -cane or bamboo[61], and in forbidding the ceremonies of adoration and -devotion, which at stated times they paid to the river. - -No remedy could be proposed, but the presence of Sela Christos, who, -upon the first warning, joined the king, and coming suddenly upon the -army of Lasta occupied in laying waste the low country of Begemder, -gave them such an overthrow that sufficiently compensated the first -loss of the king, and forced them again to take refuge among their -strong-holds in Lasta. - -A misfortune of another kind followed this victory: Laeca Mariam, a -near relation to the king, was appointed governor of Begemder; but -no sooner did he see himself vested with that government, than he -meditated shaking off his allegiance to Socinios. - -The king, after his last battle with the Agows, had named his son -Facilidas commander in chief of his forces; and, to secure him a -powerful and able assistant, he had first restored Sela Christos to his -government of Gojam, then sent him with an army to join Facilidas, and -command under him. - -The success was answerable to the prudence of the measure; for, -immediately upon their arrival, they obliged Laeca Mariam to seek for -refuge in the mountains of Amhara, and, without giving him time to -recollect himself there, forced their way to the mountain to which he -had retired, and from which he and his followers had no way to escape, -but by venturing down a steep precipice; in attempting this, Laeca -Mariam fell, and was dashed to pieces, as were many others of his -followers; the rest were slain by the army that pursued them. - -At this time, Facilidas began to attract the eyes of the nation in -general. Besides personal bravery, he had shewn great military talents -in the former campaign of Lasta. Though young, he was in capacity and -resolution equal to his father, but less warm, more reserved in his -temper and discourse. He was thought to be an enemy to the Catholic -religion, because he did not promote it, and neither exceeded nor fell -short of what his father commanded him. Yet, he lived with the Jesuits -on such an even footing, that they confess they did not know whether he -was their friend or enemy: he kept one of their number, called Father -Angelis, constantly in his household, where he was much favoured, and -constantly in his presence. He was thought to be an enemy to Sela -Christos, though he never had shewn it. - -Facilidas received a flattering message from Urban VIII. but did not -answer it; nor does it appear his father ever desired him; for, through -the whole course of the life of Socinios, as his enemies are forced to -confess, he paid to his father’s will, the most passive obedience in -every thing. The tyranny, however, of church-government began to appear -unmasked; and it is probable that the king, though resolved to die a -Roman Catholic from principles of conscience, was indifferent about -forging for his son the chains he had himself worn with pain. - -However this may be, the last step of placing Facilidas at the head -of the army was construed as another stroke of humiliation to the -Catholics, especially as it was followed with the removal of Keba -Christos (the support of that religion) from court, where he had been -appointed Billetana Gueta. It is true he was removed by what, in other -times, would have been called preferment; but things had now changed -their qualities, and places were not estimated, as formerly, by the -consequence they gave in the empire, but by the opportunities they -afforded of constant access to the king, and occasion of joining in -councils with him, and defeating those of their enemies. - -Keba Christos being sent governor to Tigré, was to enter Lasta from -that quarter on the N. E. He is said to have received his appointment -with a great degree of concern, and to have told his friends, that he -foresaw he never was to return from that expedition, which he did not -regret, because he was convinced, by living much longer, it would be -made his duty to assist at the fall of the Catholic religion. - -After having performed his devotions at Fremona, this general advanced -through Gouliou, a territory mostly inhabited by Galla, and destitute -of any sort of provisions; after which he took possession of the -mountains of Lasta, with a view to cover the march of the young prince -Facilidas, whom he every day expected. But that prince not appearing in -time, and provisions becoming scarce, no measure remained but making -his retreat to Tigré; and, although he formed the best disposition for -that purpose, the people of Lasta observing his intention in time, on -his first movement attacked his rear-guard while he was descending the -mountain, and put it to flight; being thereby masters of the higher -ground, they had the command of the cowardly soldiers below them, who -could not insure their destruction more certainly than by the indecent -manner in which they were flying. - -Keba Christos, deserted by all except a few servants, continued -courageously fighting; and, although it was very possible for him to -have escaped, he disdained to survive the loss of his army. Receiving -at that time a wound from a javelin, which passed through his belly, -and judging the stroke to be mortal, he gave up all further resistance, -fell upon his knees to prayer, and was again wounded by a stone, which -struck him to the ground. Two of the mountaineers immediately came -up to him, one of whom did not know him, and contented himself with -stripping the body; but the other remembering his face, cut his head -off, and carried it to the rebel Melca Christos. - -The misfortune was followed by another in Gojam, great to the nation -in general, and greater still to the Catholic cause in particular. At -the time that Sela Christos was in Begemder with prince Facilidas, the -Galla from Bizamo, supposing the province of Damot without defence, -passed the Nile, laying the whole province waste before them. Fecur -Egzie, lieutenant-general under Sela Christos, although he had with him -only a small number of troops, did not hesitate to march against those -savages, to endeavour, if possible, to stop their ravages. The Galla, -surprised at this, thought it was Sela Christos, and fled before him. -He had now pursued them almost alone, and lighted in a low meadow to -give grass to his horse, when he was surrounded and slain by a number -of the enemy that lay hid among the bushes, and discovered how ill he -was attended. - -He was reputed a man of the best understanding, and the most liberal -sentiments of any in Ethiopia; a great orator, excelling both in the -gracefulness of manner and copiousness and purity of his language. He -was among the first that embraced the Catholic religion, even before -the king or Sela Christos, and was the principal promoter of the -translations of the Portuguese books into Ethiopic, assisted by the -Jesuit Antonio de Angelis. We have seen, in the year 1613, the great -efforts he made in the embassy to India by the coast of Melinda. He was -an excellent horseman, but more violent and rash in battle than could -have been expelled from a man of such mild manners. - -There happened at this time another novelty. The king brought the -patriarch from Gorgora to Dancaz this year, at Easter, to hear that -feast celebrated, with the Ethiopic service amended, of which we have -already spoken abundantly. This countenance, so unnecessarily given -to an innovation that produced every day such very bad effects to the -Catholic interest, joined to many other circumstances, seemed clearly -to indicate a change in that prince’s mind. - -The patriarch having made but a short stay at Dancaz, it was currently -reported a disagreement had happened, and that the king had sent -him prisoner to Gorgora; and this false report affected greatly the -weight the Catholics were supposed before to have had at court. But -the transaction that followed was of a nature to promise much more -consequences. - -Socinios had a daughter called _Ozoro Wengelawit_, which means the -Evangelical, a name she certainly deserved not from her manners. This -lady was first married to Bela Christos, a man of rank at court, from -whom she had been divorced. She was next married to another, and then -(her two former husbands being still alive) to Tecla Georgis, who had -before married her sister, another of the king’s daughters. During this -marriage she had openly lived in adultery with Za Christos, who had -been married to her sister, a third daughter of the king. Za Christos -had been happy enough in preserving this lady’s esteem longer than -any other of her husbands, and nothing would content her now but a -marriage with her lover solemnly and publicly. For which purpose she -applied to the patriarch to dispense with the affinity between her and -Za Christos, arising from his having been married before to her sister. - -It is not to be supposed that the patriarch would have resisted, -if nothing had stood in the way except the affinity: but weighty -impediments presented themselves besides; for either the first marriage -was valid, or it was not. If it was valid, then Wengelawit could not -marry Za Christos or any one else, because her husband was alive; nor -could she marry her second, nor Tecla Georgis, her third. If the first -marriage was not valid, then the second was, which husband was still -alive; and, in this case, a licence to marry was giving her liberty of -having three husbands at one time. The patriarch, for these reasons, -refused his authority to this manifold adultery and incest; nor could -he, notwithstanding the intercession of the whole court, ever be -brought to comply. His firmness (however commendable) greatly increased -the hatred to his person, and aversion to the church of Rome. - -One day when the king was sitting in his apartment, a monk entered the -room, crying with a loud voice, “Hear the ambassador of God and of the -Virgin Mary!” The king, upon first sight of the man, expecting some -improper liberty might be taken, ordered his attendants to turn him out -at the door, and, being removed from his presence, to bring word what -he had to say, which was to this effect: “It is three days since I rose -from the dead. One day when I was standing in paradise, God called me, -and sent me with this message to you:--O emperor! says God, it is now -many years that I hoped you would amend of the great sin, the having -forsaken the faith of your ancestors. All this time the Virgin Mary was -kneeling before her blessed Son, beseeching him to pardon you; and, -upon the whole, it was agreed, that, unless you repent in a fortnight’s -time, you should be punished in such a manner that you will not forget -it presently.” - -Socinios desired them to ask the man, “How it was possible that, -having so lately left the grave, his body should have so little of -the emaciated appearance of one long buried, and be now in such good -case, fat and fair?” To this he answered, “That, in paradise, he -thanked God there was abundance of every thing; and people were very -well used there, for he had lived upon good bread, and plenty of good -wine, biskets, and sweetmeats.” To which Socinios answered, “Tell him, -after the pains he had taken, it would be wrong in me to keep him long -from so good a place as this his paradise. Let him go and acquaint the -person who sent him, I shall live and die in the Roman Catholic faith; -and, in order that he may deliver the message quickly in the other -world, speed him instantly out of this, by hanging him upon the tree -before the palace-gate.” - -The love of the wine, sweetmeats, and other celestial food, seemed to -have forsaken the ambassador. Upon hearing this message he recanted, -and was pardoned at the joint petition of those of the court that were -present, who concurred with the monk in thinking, that the message of -the emperor was an indecent one, and ought not to be delivered; that -having been in paradise once, was as much as fell to the lot of any -one man, and that he should therefore remain upon earth. The intended -catastrophe, then, of this singular ambassador was remitted; but the -truth of his mission was believed by the populace, and raised great -scruples in every weak mind. - -The many misfortunes that had lately befallen the troops of the -king were accounted as so much increase of power to the rebel Melca -Christos, who, encouraged by the correspondence he held with the chiefs -of the Alexandrian religion, began now to take upon him the state and -office of a king. His first essay was to send, as governor to the -province of Tigré, a son of that great rebel Za Selassé, whose manifold -treasons, we have already seen, occasioned the death of two kings, Za -Denghel and Jacob. - -Asca Georgis was then governor of Tigré for Socinios, a man of merit -and valour, but poor, and though related to the king himself, had very -few soldiers to be depended on, excepting his own servants, and two -bodies of troops which the king had sent him to maintain his authority, -and to keep his province in order. - -The new governor, sent by the rebel Melca Christos, had with him a -considerable army; and, knowing the weakness of Asca Georgis, he -paraded through the province in the utmost security. - -One Saturday which, in defiance of the king’s edict, he was to -solemnize as a festival equal to Sunday, he had resolved on a party -of pleasure in a valley, where, much at his ease, he was preparing an -entertainment for his troops and friends, and such of the province as -came to offer their obedience. Intelligence of this party came to -three Shum’s, commanders of small districts, two of them sons-in-law -of the king, the third a very loyal subject. These three sent to Asca -Georgis, to propose that, at a stated time, they should, each with his -own men, fall separately upon the son of Za Selassé, and interrupt his -entertainment. - -This was executed with great order and punctuality. In the height of -the festival, the rebels were surrounded by an unexpected enemy. To -think of fighting was too late, nor was there time for flight. The -greatest part of the army was cut to pieces with little resistance. -The new governor saved himself among the rest by the goodness of his -horse, leaving Billetana Gueta, or chief master of the household of the -rebel Melca Christos, dead upon the spot, with about 4000 of his men. -Among the plunder were taken 32 kettle-drums, which alone were evidence -sufficient of the greatness of the slaughter. - -Although the happy turn Socinios’s affairs had taken had given him -leisure to pass this winter at home, and in greater quiet than he had -done in former ones, yet the calm which it had produced was of very -short duration. The people of Lasta, perceiving some of the prince’s -army busy in destroying their harvest when almost ripe, came down -suddenly upon them from the mountain, and put them to flight with -very great slaughter. The blame of this was laid upon Sela Christos, -who might have prevented the calamity; and this accusation, with many -others, were brought against him to the king by Lesana Christos. - -This man had been condemned to die for an offence, some time before, by -Ras Sela Christos; but having fled to the king, who heard his cause, -the sentence was reversed. Some time after this he fell into the hands -of the Ras, who put him to death upon his former sentence, without -regarding the late pardon of the king. This violent act became the -foundation upon which his enemies built many accusations, mostly void -of truth. - -The king upon this took from him the government of Gojam, and gave -it to a young nobleman whose name was Serca Christos, supposed to be -a friend and dependent upon the prince Facilidas. Serca Christos was -no sooner arrived in his government than he resolved to rebel, and -privately solicited the young prince Facilidas to take up arms and -make a common cause against the king his father, in favour of the -Alexandrian church. At the time that the young man departed to his -government, Socinios had earnestly recommended to him, and he had most -solemnly promised, to protect the Catholic religion in his province, -and seemingly for this purpose he had taken with him a Jesuit named -Francisco de Carvalho. - -Another affair which the king particularly charged him with was, the -care of a caravan which once a-year came from Narea. This, besides many -other valuable articles for the merchant, brought 1000 wakeas of gold -as tribute to the king, equal to about 10,000 dollars, or crowns of -our money: its whole way was through barbarous and lawless nations of -Galla till they arrived at the Nile; then through Gafats and Gongas, -immediately after having passed it. - -Serca Christos, in his march, was come to a settlement of those -last-mentioned savages, where Gafats, Agows, and Damots, all in peace, -pastured immense flocks of cattle together. There are no where, I -believe, in the world, cattle so beautiful as those of the Gafats, nor -in such numbers. Large plains, for many days journey, are filled so -full of these that they appear as one market. - -Serca Christos halted here to give grass to his horses; and, while this -was doing, it entered into his young head, that making prize of the -cattle was of much greater consequence than protecting the caravan of -Narea. Assembling then his cavalry, he fell upon the poor Gafats and -Damots, who feared no harm; and, having soon put them all to flight, he -drove off their cattle in such numbers, that, at Dancaz, it was said, -above 100,000 had reached that market. - -The king, much shocked at this violent robbery, ordered Serca Christos -to give up the cattle, and surrender himself as prisoner. This message -of the king he answered in terms of duty and obedience; but, in the -mean time, went to the prince, and proposed to him to declare himself -king and champion of the church of Alexandria. Facilidas received him -with sharp reproofs, and he returned home much discontented. However, -as he had now declared himself, he resolved to put the best face upon -the matter; and, in order to make it generally believed that the prince -and he understood each other, he sent him publicly word, “I have -done what your highness ordered me; come and take possession of your -kingdom.” Upon which the prince ordered his messenger to be put in -irons, and sent to Dancaz to the king his father. - -After this, Serca Christos ordered proclamation to be made that prince -Facilidas was king, at the palace of the governor of Gojam, which Sela -Christos had built near the convent of Collela. As one article of it -was the abolishing the Roman faith, the fathers ran precipitately into -the convent, and shut the doors upon themselves, fearing they should be -insulted by the army of schismatics: but a number of the Portuguese, -who lived in the neighbourhood, being brought into the church with -them, and there having been loop-holes made in the walls, and abundance -of fire-arms left there in deposit by Sela Christos, the rebel governor -did not choose to attempt any thing against them at that time. On the -contrary, he sent them word that he was in his heart a Roman Catholic, -and only, for the present, obliged to dissemble; but he would protect -them to the utmost, desiring them to send him the fire-arms left there -by Sela Christos, which they absolutely refused to do. - -Serca Christos, apprehending that his army (if not acting under some -chief of the royal family) would forsake him on the first appearance of -the prince, had recourse to a child of the blood-royal, then living in -obscurity among his female relations, and this infant he made king, in -hopes, if he succeeded, to govern during his minority. There were many -who expected the prince would reconcile him to the king, especially -as he had yet preserved a shadow of respect for the Jesuits, and this -he imagined was one cause why the schismatics had not joined him in -the numbers necessary. In order to shew them that he designed no -reconciliation with the king, and to make such agreement impossible, he -adopted the same sacrilegious example that had so ill succeeded with -Tecla Georgis. - -Za Selasse, a priest of Selalo, had been heard to say, when Serca -Christos was appointed to the government of Gojam, “There is an end -of the Catholic faith in this province.” Being now called before the -governor, he was forbid to say mass according to the forms of the -church of Rome. This the priest submitted to; but, being ordered to -deny the two natures in Christ, he declared this was a point of faith -which he would never give up, but always confess Christ was perfect God -and perfect man. Upon this Serca Christos ordered him to be slain; and -he was accordingly thrust through with many lances, repeating these -words, God and man! God and man! till his last breath. - -Serca Christos had now drawn the sword, and thrown away the scabbard. -Upon receiving the news, the king ordered the prince, who waited -but his command, to march against him. The murder of Za Selassé had -procured an accession of fanatics and monks, but very few soldiers; so -that as soon as he heard with what diligence the prince was advancing, -he left his whole baggage, and fled into those high and craggy -mountains that form the banks of the Nile in Damot. - -The prince pressed closely upon him, notwithstanding the difficulty of -the ground; so that no safety remained for him but to pass the Nile -into the country of the Galla, where he thought himself in safety. In -this, however, he was mistaken. He had to do with a general of the most -active kind, in the person of Facilidas, who crossed the Nile after -him, and, the third day, forced him to a battle on such ground as the -prince had chosen, who was likewise much his superior in number of -troops. But there was no longer any remedy; Serca Christos made the -best that he could of this necessity, and fought with great obstinacy, -till his men being for the most part slain, he was forced, with the few -that remained, to take refuge on a high hill, whence the prince obliged -him to deliver himself up to his mercy without condition. - -Facilidas immediately dispatched news of his victory to court, and -fifteen days after, he followed himself, bringing Serca Christos, -with six of his principal officers and counsellors, loaded with heavy -chains. Being interrogated by the judges, What he had to answer for -his treasons? the prisoner denied that he had any occasion to answer, -because he had already received pardon from the prince. This excuse -was not admitted, the prince having disowned it absolutely. Upon which -he was sentenced to death; and, though he appealed to the king, his -sentence was confirmed. - -It was too late to execute the sentence that night, but next morning -the seven prisoners were put to death. One of the principal servants -of Serca Christos being asked to confess and turn Catholic, abandoned -himself to great rage, uttering many curses and blasphemies against the -king, who, therefore, ordered him to be fastened upon a hook of iron, -where he continued his curses till at last he was slain by lances. - -Serca Christos, cousin to Socinios, was treated with more respect. He, -with seeming candour, declared, that he would die a Catholic; and the -king, very desirous of this, gave orders to Diego de Mattos, a priest, -to attend him constantly in prison. After which, one night he sent five -of his confidential servants, who killed him privately, to prevent his -recantation. - -Socinios had again taken Gojam from Sela Christos; which last disgrace -so affected him, that he desired to retire and live as a private man in -that province. - -The king, having now no other enemy, all his attention was employed in -preparing for a campaign against Melca Christos of Lasta. But, as he -found his army full of disaffection, it was proposed to him, before he -took the field, to content them so far as to indulge the Alexandrians -in some rites of the old church; and a proclamation was accordingly -made by the king, “That those who chose to observe the Wednesday -as a fast, instead of Saturday, might do it;” and some other such -indulgences as these were granted, which were understood to affect the -faith. - -As soon as this came to the ears of the patriarch, he wrote a very -sharp letter to the king, reproving him for the proclamation that -he had made; adding, that it was an encroachment upon the office of -the priesthood, that he, a layman, should take upon him to direct in -matters merely ecclesiastical. He warned the king, moreover, that God -would call him to the very strictest account for this presumption, -and reminded him of the words of Azarias the chief priest to king -Uzziah, and of the punishment of leprosy that followed the king’s -encroachment on the ecclesiastical function; and insisted upon Socinios -contradicting his proclamation by another. - -Socinios so far complied, that the alteration made by the last -proclamation was confined to three articles. First, that no liturgy, -unless amended by the patriarch, was to be used in divine service. -Secondly, that all feasts, excepting Easter and those that depended -upon it, should be kept according to the ancient computation of time. -And, thirdly, that, whoever chose, might fast on Wednesday, rather than -on the Saturday. - -At the same time, the king expressed himself as greatly offended at -the freedom of the application of the story of Azarias and Uzziah to -him. He told the patriarch plainly, that it was not by his sermons, -nor those of the fathers, nor by the miracles they wrought, nor by the -desire of the people, but by his edicts alone, that the Roman religion -was introduced into Ethiopia; and, therefore, that the patriarch had -not the least reason to complain of any thing being altered by the -authority that first established it. But, from this time, it plainly -appears, that Socinios began to entertain ideas, at least of the church -discipline and government, very opposite to those he had when he first -embraced the Romish religion. - -The king now set out in his campaign for Lasta with a large army, which -he commanded himself, and under him his son, the prince Facilidas. Upon -entering the mountain, he divided his army into three divisions. The -first commanded by the prince, and under him Za Mariam Adebo his master -of the household, was ordered to attack, scale, and lodge themselves -on the highest part of the mountain. The second he gave to Guebra -Christos, governor of Begemder; and in this he placed the regiment, or -body of troops, called Inaches, veteran soldiers of Sela Christos, and -a small, but brave body of troops containing the sons of Portuguese: -These he directed to occupy the valleys and low ground. In the center -the king commanded in person. - -The rebel chief and his mountaineers remained in a state of security; -for they neither thought to be so speedily attacked, nor that Socinios -could have raised so large an army. They abandoned, therefore, the -lower ground, and all took posts upon the heights. The prince advanced -to the first entrance, and ordered Damo, his Billetana Gueta, to force -it with four companies of good soldiers, who ascended the mountain with -great perseverance; and, notwithstanding the obstinate defence of the -rebels, made themselves master of that post, having killed two of the -bravest officers Melca Christos had, the one named Billene, the other -Tecla Mariam, sirnamed _defender of the faith_, because he was the -first that brought Galla to the assistance of Melca Christos. - -There were likewise slain, at the same time, four priests and five -monks, after a desperate resistance; one of whom, calling the king’s -troops Moors, forbade them to approach for fear of defiling him, and -then, with a book in his hand, threw himself over the rock, and was -dashed to pieces in the plain below. Here the prince met with an enemy -he did not expect: The cold was so excessive, that above fifty persons -were frozen to death. - -The top of the mountain, which was the second entry into Lasta, was -occupied by a still larger body of rebels, and, therefore, necessary -to be immediately stormed, else those below were in imminent danger -of being dashed to pieces by the large stones rolled down upon them. -The prince divided his army into two parties, exhorting them, without -loss of time, to attack that post; but the rebels, seeing the good -countenance with which they ascended, forsook their station and fled; -so that this second mountain was gained with much less loss and -difficulty than the first. - -Behind this, and higher than all the rest, appeared the third, which -struck the assailants at first with terror and despair. This was -carried with still less loss on the part of the prince, because he was -assisted by the Inaches and Portuguese, who cut off the communication -below, and hindered one mountain from succouring the other. Here they -found great store of arms, offensive and defensive; coats of mail, -mules, and kettle drums; and they penetrated to the head-quarters -of Melca Christos, which was a small mountain, but very strong in -situation, where a Portuguese captain seized the seat which served as a -throne to the rebel; and, had not they lost time by falling to plunder, -they would have taken Melca Christos himself, who with difficulty -escaped, accompanied by ten horse. - -To this last mountain Socinios repaired with the prince, and they were -joined by the governors of Amhara and Tigré, who had forced their way -in from the opposite side. - -Hitherto all had gone well with the king; but when he had detached -Guebra Christos, governor of Begemder, with the Inaches and Portuguese, -who were at some distance, to destroy the crop, the mountaineers, again -assembled on a high hill above them, saw their opportunity, and fell -suddenly upon the spoilers, and cut all the soldiers of Begemder to -pieces. A considerable part of the Inaches fell also; but the rest, -joining themselves with the Portuguese in one body, made good their -retreat to the head-quarters. - -The destruction of the corn everywhere around them, and the -impossibility of bringing provisions there, as they were situated in -the midst of their enemies, obliged the king to think of returning -before the rebels should collect themselves, and cut off his retreat. -And it was with great difficulty, and still greater loss, he -accomplished this, and retired to Dancaz, abandoning Lasta as soon as -he had subdued it, but leaving Begemder almost a prey to the rebels -whom he had conquered in Lasta. - -Socinios being now determined upon another campaign against Lasta, -and for the relief of Begemder, ordered his troops to hold themselves -in readiness to march as soon as the weather should permit. But an -universal discontent had seized the whole army. They saw no end to this -war, nor any repose from its victories obtained with great bloodshed, -without spoil, riches, or reward; no territory acquired to the king, -nor nation subdued; but the time, when they were not actually in the -field, filled up with executions and the constant effusion of civil -blood, that seemed to be more horrid than war itself. They, therefore, -positively refused to march against Lasta; and the prince was deputed -by them to inform the king, that they did not say the Roman faith was -a bad one, as they did not understand it, nor desire to be instructed; -that this was an affair which entirely regarded themselves, and no one -would pretend to say there was any merit in professing a religion -they did not understand or believe: that they were ready, however, to -march and lay down their lives for the king and common-weal, provided -he restored them their ancient religion, without which they would have -no concern in the quarrel, nor even wish to be conquerors. Whether -the king was really in the secret or not, I shall not say; but it is -expressly mentioned in the annals of his reign, that Socinios did -promise by his son to the army, that he would restore the Alexandrian -faith if he should return victorious over Lasta; and the sudden manner -in which he executed this must convince every other person that it was -so. - -The army now marched from Dancaz, upon intelligence arriving that the -rebels had left their strong-holds in Lasta, and were in their way to -the capital to give the king battle there. It was the 26th of July -1631 the king discovered, by his scouts, that the rebel Melca Christos -was at hand, having with him an army of about 25,000 men. Upon this -intelligence he ordered his troops to halt, and hear mass from Diego de -Mattos; and, having chosen his ground, he halted again at mid-day, and -confessed, according to the rite of the church of Rome, and then formed -his troops in order of battle. - -It was not long till the enemy came in sight, but without shewing that -alacrity and desire of engaging they used to do when in their native -mountains. The king, at the head of the cavalry, fell so suddenly and -so violently upon them, that he broke through the van-guard commanded -by Melca Christos, and put them to flight before his foot could come -up. The rest of the army followed the example of the leader, and the -enemy were everywhere trodden down and destroyed by the victorious -horse, till night put an end to the pursuit. - -Melca Christos, in the beginning of the engagement, saved himself by -the swiftness of his horse; but 8000 of the mountaineers were slain -upon the spot, among whom was Bicané, general to Melca Christos, an -excellent officer both for council and the field, and several other -considerable persons, as well inhabitants of Lasta as others, who had -taken that side from dislike to the king and his measures. - -Next morning the king went out with his son to see the field of battle, -where the prince Facilidas is said to have spoke to this effect in name -of the army: “These men, whom you see slaughtered on the ground, were -neither Pagans nor Mahometans at whose death we should rejoice--they -were Christians, lately your subjects and your countrymen, some of them -your relations. This is not victory which is gained over ourselves. In -killing these you drive the sword into your own entrails. How many men -have you slaughtered? How many more have you to kill? We are become a -proverb even among the Pagans and Moors for carrying on this war, and -for apostatizing, as they say, from the faith of our ancestors.”--The -king heard this speech without reply, and returned manifestly -disconsolate to Dancaz; though many times before he had feasted and -triumphed for the gaining of a lesser victory. - -After his arrival at Dancaz, he had a conference with the patriarch -Alphonso Mendes, who, in a long speech, upbraided him with having -deserted the Catholic faith at the time when the victory obtained by -their prayers gave him an opportunity of establishing it. The king -answered, with seeming indifference, that he had done every thing -for the Catholic faith in his power; that he had shed the blood of -thousands, and as much more was to be shed; and still he was uncertain -if it would produce any effect; but that he should think of it, and -send him his resolutions to-morrow. - -The next day Socinios made a declaration by Za Mariam to the patriarch, -to this purport: “When we embraced the faith of Rome, we laboured for -it with great diligence, but the people shewed no affection for it. -Julius rebelled out of hatred against Sela Christos, under pretence of -being defender of the ancient faith, and was slain, together with many -of his followers. Gabriel did the same. Tecla Georgis, likewise, made a -league to die for the Alexandrian faith, which he did, and many people -with him. The same did Serca Christos the preceding year; and those -peasants of Lasta fight for the same cause at this day. The faith of -Rome is not a bad one; but the men of this country do not understand -it. Let those that like it remain in that faith, in the same way as the -Portuguese did in the time of Atzenaf Segued; let them eat and drink -together, and let them marry the daughters of Abyssinians. As for those -that are not inclined to the Roman faith, let them follow their ancient -one as received from the church of Alexandria.” - -Upon this declaration, delivered by Za Mariam, the patriarch inquired -if it came from the king. Being answered that it did; after a little -pause, he returned this answer by Emanuel Almeyda, “That the patriarch -understood that both religions should be permitted in the kingdom, and -that the Alexandrians were to have every indulgence that could be -wished by them, without violating the purity of the Catholic faith; -that, therefore, he had no difficulty of allowing the people of Lasta -to live in the faith of their ancestors without alteration, as they had -never embraced any other; but as for those that had sworn to persist -in the Catholic faith, and had received the communion in that church, -by no means, without a grievous sin, could it be granted to them to -renounce that faith in which they had deliberately sworn to live and -die.” - -The king, upon this answer, which he understood well, and expected, -only replied, “What is to be done? I have no longer the power of -government in my own kingdom;”--and immediately ordered a herald to -make the following proclamation:-- - -“Hear us! hear us! hear us! First of all we gave you the Roman Catholic -faith, as thinking it a good one; but many people have died fighting -against it, as Julius, Gabriel, Tecla Georgis, Serca Christos, and, -lastly, these rude peasants of Lasta. Now, therefore, we restore to -you the faith of your ancestors; let your own priests say their mass -in their own churches; let the people have their own altars for the -sacrament, and their own liturgy, and be happy. As for myself, I am now -old and worn out with war and infirmities, and no longer capable of -governing; I name my son Facilidas to reign in my place.” - -Thus, in one day, fell the whole fabric of the Roman Catholic faith, -and hierarchy of the church of Rome, in Abyssinia; first regularly -established, as I must always think, by Peter Paez, in moderation, -charity, perseverance, long-suffering, and peace; extended and -maintained afterwards by blood and violence beyond what could be -expected from heathens, and thrown down by an exertion of the civil -power in its own defence, against the encroachments of priesthood -and ecclesiastical tyranny, which plainly had no other view than, -by annihilating the constitution under its native prince, to reduce -Abyssinia to a Portuguese government, as had been the case with so many -independent states in India already. - -This proclamation was made on the 14th of June 1632. After this -Socinios took no care of public affairs. He had been for a long time -afflicted with various complaints, especially since the last campaign -in Lasta; and affairs were now managed by prince Facilidas in his -father’s place, though he did not take upon him the title of King. -Emana Christos, brother of Sela Christos, a steady Alexandrian, and -Guebra Christos, were then made governors of Lasta and Begemder; but no -steps were taken in this interval against the Jesuits. - -On the 7th of September the king died, and was buried with great -pomp, by his son Facilidas, in the church of Ganeta Jesus, which he -himself had built, professing himself a Roman Catholic to the last. -The Portuguese historians deny both his resignation of the crown, and -his perseverance in the Roman Catholic faith to his death, but this -apparently for their own purposes. - -He was a prince remarkable for his strength of body; of great courage -and elevation of mind; had early learned the exercise of arms, -patience, perseverance, and every military virtue that could be -acquired; and had passed the first of his life as a private person, in -the midst of hardships and dangers. - -He is celebrated to this day in Abyssinia for a talent, which seems to -be the gift of nature, that of choosing upon the first view the proper -ground for the camp or battle, and embracing, in his own mind in a -moment, all the advantages and disadvantages that could result from any -particular part of it. This talent is particularly recorded in several -short proverbs, or military adages, such as the following: “Blind him -first, or you shall never beat him.” This most material qualification -seemed to have been in part transmitted to Ras Michael, the great -general in my time, descended from Socinios by his mother; and, by this -superiority alone over the other commanders opposed to him, he is said -to have been victorious in forty-three pitched battles. - -Socinios embraced the Catholic religion from conviction, and studied it -with great application, as far as his narrow means of instruction would -allow him; and there can be no doubt that, under the moderate conduct -of Peter Paez, who converted him, he would have died a martyr for that -religion; and there seems as little reason to doubt, conscientious as -he was, if he had been a young man he would have quitted it for the -good of his country, and from his inability to suffer the tyranny of -the patriarch Alphonso Mendes, and his continual encroachment upon -civil government. Being, in the last years of his life, left without -one soldier to draw his sword for the Catholic cause, he kept his -religion, and abandoned his crown; and having been, it should seem, for -some time convinced that the government of the church of Rome, in such -hands as he left it, was incompatible with monarchy, he took no pains -to change Facilidas’s known sentiments, or to render him favourable to -the Roman faith, or to name another of his sons to succeed him whom he -found to be more so. - -The Jesuits, considering only the catastrophe, and unmindful of the -strenuous efforts made to establish their religion during his whole -reign, have traduced his character as that of an apostate, for giving -way to the universal demand of his people to have their ancient form -of worship restored when his army had deserted him, and he himself was -dying of old age. But every impartial man will admit, that the step he -took, of abdicating his sovereignty over a people who had abjured the -religion he had introduced among them, was, in his circumstances, the -noblest action of his life, and just the reverse of apostacy. - -This resignation of the crown, and his tenacious persevering in the -Catholic faith, together with the moderation of his son, the prince -Facilidas, in appointing a regency to govern, rather than to mount -the throne himself during his father’s life, are three facts which we -know to be true from the Abyssinian annals, and which the Jesuits have -endeavoured to suppress, that they might the more easily blacken the -character both of the father and the son. - -They have pretended that it was the queen, and other ladies at court, -who by their influence seduced the king from the Catholic religion. -But Socinios was then past seventy, and the queen near sixty, and he -had no other wives or mistresses. To judge, moreover, by his behaviour -in the affair of Adera, sister to Tecla Georgis, the voice of the -women at court seems to have had no extraordinary weight with him. In a -word, he never varied in his religion after he embraced that of Rome, -but stedfastly adhered to it, when the pride and bad conduct of the -Jesuits, its professors, had scarcely left another friend to it in the -whole kingdom; and, therefore, the charge of apostacy is certainly an -unmerited falsehood. - -As it is plain the Portuguese, from the beginning, believed their -religion could only be established by force, and were persuaded such -means were lawful, the blame of so much bloodshed for so many years, -and the total miscarriage of the whole scheme at last, lay at the -door of their sovereign, the king of Spain and Portugal; who, having -succeeded to his wish in his conquest of India, seems not to have had -the same anxiety the patriarch had for the conversion of Abyssinia, -nor even to have thought further of sending a body of troops with -his priests to the succour of Socinios, whom he left to the prayers -of Urban VIII. the merit of Ignatius Loyola, and the labours of his -furious and fanatic disciples. - - - - - TRAVELS - - TO DISCOVER - - THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. - - - BOOK IV. - - ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA, - TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL. - - CONTINUATION OF THE ANNALS, FROM THE DEATH OF SOCINIOS - TILL MY ARRIVAL IN ABYSSINIA. - -[Illustration] - - - - -FACILIDAS, OR SULTAN SEGUED. - -From 1632 to 1665. - - _The Patriarch and Missionaries are banished--Seek the - Protection of a Rebel--Delivered up to the King, and sent to - Masuah--Prince Claudius rebels--Sent to Wechné--Death and - Character of the King._ - - -As soon as the prince Facilidas had paid the last honours to his -father, he set about composing those disorders which had so long -distracted the kingdom by reason of the difference of religion. -Accordingly he wrote to the patriarch, that, the Alexandrian faith -being now restored, his leaving the kingdom had become indispensible: -that he had lately understood, that an Abuna, sent for by his -predecessor and by himself, was now actually on the way, and only -deferred his arrival from a resolution not to enter the kingdom -till the Romish patriarch and his priests should have left it; and, -therefore, he commanded the patriarch and fathers, assembled from their -several convents in Gojam and Dembea, to retire immediately to Fremona, -there to wait his further pleasure. - -The patriarch endeavoured to parry this, with offering new concessions -and indulgencies; but the king informed him that he was too late; and -that he wished him to be advised, and fly, while it was time, from -greater harm that would otherwise fall upon him. - -It was not long before the patriarch had revenge of Facilidas for this -intimation of the expectation of a successor in the person of the -Abuna. For on that very Easter there did arrive one, whose name was -Sela Christos, calling himself Abuna, who performed all the functions -of his office, dedicated churches, administered the sacrament, and -ordained priests. After continuing in office some months, he was -detected by a former companion of his, and found to be a man of very -bad character, from Nara, the frontier of Abyssinia, and that by -profession he had been a dealer in horses. - -Facilidas then ordered his uncle, Sela Christos, to be brought before -him, received him kindly, and offered him again his riches and -employments. That brave man, Christian in every thing but in his hatred -and jealousy against his sovereign and nephew, refused absolutely to -barter his faith to obtain the greatest good, or avoid the greatest -punishment, it was in the power of the king to inflict. After repeated -trials, all to no purpose, the king, overcome by the instigation of -his enemies, banished him to Anabra in Shawada, a low, unwholesome -district amidst the mountains of Samen. But hearing that he still kept -correspondence with the Jesuits, and that their common resolution was -to solicit Portuguese troops from India, and remembering his former -oath, he sent orders to his place of exile to put him to death, and he -was in consequence hanged upon a cedar-tree. - -Tellez, the Portuguese historian, in his collection of martyrs that -died for the faith in Abyssinia, has deservedly inserted the name -of Sela Christos; but professes that he is ignorant of the time of -his death, and under what species of torment he suffered. The only -information that I can give is what I have just now written. It was in -the beginning of the year 1634 he was carried to Shawada in chains, and -confined upon the mountain Anabra; but no mention is made of any other -hardship being put upon him than his being in irons, nor is more usual -in that kind of banishment. It was at the end of that year, however, -that he was executed in the manner above mentioned, being suspected of -having corresponded with the patriarch and Jesuits, and afterwards of -inciting his nephew Claudius to rebel, as, it appears, he had meditated -long before, and actually did very soon after. - -The 9th of March 1633, the king ordered the patriarch to leave Dancaz, -and, with the rest of the fathers, to proceed immediately to Fremona, -under the conduct of four people of the first consideration, Tecla -Georgis, brother of Keba Christos, Tecla Saluce, one of the principal -persons in Tigré, and two Azages, men of great dignity at court. These -were joined by a party of soldiers belonging to Claudius, brother of -the king, supposed to have been in the conspiracy with Sela Christos -his uncle, to supplant his brother Facilidas by the help of the Jesuits -and Portuguese troops from India. But as soon as the patriarch had -fallen into disgrace, and Sela Christos lost his life, that prince -returned to the church of Alexandria, as did all the other sons of -Socinios; after which, Claudius seized to his own use all the lands and -effects that he found in Gojam, and was now by the king made governor -of Begemder. Under this escort the patriarch and his company arrived -at Fremona in the end of April 1633, after having been often robbed -and ill-treated by the way, the guards that were given to defend them -conniving with the banditti that came to rob them. - -However strictly the fathers observed the precepts of scripture on -other occasions, in this they did not follow the line of conduct -prescribed by our Saviour--“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor -hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off -the dust of your feet.” They were not sheep that went patiently and -dumb to the slaughter; and, if their hearts, as they say, were full of -love and charity to Abyssinia, it was strangely accompanied with the -resolution they had taken to send Jerome Lobo, the most famous, because -the most bigotted Jesuit of the whole band, first to the viceroy of -India, and then to Spain, to solicit an army and fleet which were to -lay all this kingdom in blood. - -The king was perfectly advised of all that passed. As he saw that the -patriarch endeavoured to gain time, and knew the reason of it; and, as -the fathers among them had a considerable quantity of fire-arms, he -sent an officer to the patriarch at Fremona, commanding him to deliver -up the whole of these, with gun-powder and other ammunition, and to -prepare, at the same time, to set out for Masuah. This at first the -patriarch refused to do. Nor did Facilidas punish this disobedience by -any harsher method than convincing him mildly of the imprudence and -inutility of such refusal, and the bad consequences to themselves. -Upon which the patriarch at last surrendered the articles required -to the officer sent by the king, but he resolved very differently as -to the other injunction of carrying all his brethren to Masuah. On -the contrary, he determined by every means to scatter them about the -kingdom of Abyssinia, and leave them behind if he was forced to embark -at Masuah, which he, however, resolved to avoid and resist to the -utmost of his power. - -In order to do this, it was resolved that he should solicit the -Baharnagash (John Akay, then in rebellion) to take them under his -protection, and for that purpose to send a number of armed men, on a -night appointed, to meet them near Fremona, and carry them in safety -from any pursuit of the governor of Tigré. This project, extraordinary -as it was, succeeded. Akay promised them his protection. The patriarch -and priests, deceiving the guard the king had set upon them, escaped -in the night, and joined the soldiers of John Akay, commanded by Tecla -Emanuel, who was ready to receive them: They took refuge at Addicota, -the soldiers of the guard, though alarmed, not daring to pursue them in -the night, as not knowing the number and power of their protectors, -and fearing they might fall into some ambush. - -It may not be amiss here to take notice, that this John Akay was the -very man with whom Tecla Georgis had associated for the murder of -Abba Jacob. He was a shrewd man, and had great power by living in -the neighbourhood of Sennaar, to which country he could retreat when -occasion required. He received the patriarch with great kindness. - -Addicota is an inaccessible rock, perpendicular on all sides, excepting -where there is a narrow path by which was the entrance. Here the -patriarch thought he could continue in Abyssinia, in defiance of -Facilidas, till he should procure succours from India. - -It was not, however, long before he found how little dependence there -was upon this new protector; for, in the midst of all his schemes, he -received orders to remove from Addicota, under pretence that they were -not there enough in safety; and Akay transferred them vexatiously from -place to place, into hot and unwholesome situations, always under the -same pretence, till he had destroyed their healths, and exhausted their -strength and patience. - -There is but one way of disposing such people to grant a favour, and -it was surprising the patriarch did not find this out sooner. Jerome -Lobo was sent with a small present in gold, desiring they might have -leave to continue in their old habitation, Addicota. Lobo found John -Akay very much taken up in a pursuit that some ignorant monks had put -into his head. They had made him believe that there was a treasure hid -under a certain mountain which they had shewn him, but that the devil -who guarded it had constantly hindered his predecessors from acquiring -it. At present they had found out, that this devil had gone a journey -far off, was become blind and lame, and was, besides, in very great -affliction for the death of a son, the only hopes of his devilship’s -family, having now only a daughter remaining, very ugly, lame, -squinting, and sickly, and that all these reasons would hinder him from -being very anxious about his treasure. But, even supposing he did come, -they had an old monk that would exorcise him, a man as eminent for -wisdom as for sanctity. - -In short, they produced a monk, one of their brethren, above a hundred -years old, whom they mounted upon a horse, then tied him to the animal, -wrapping him round with black wool, which, it seems, was the conjuring -habit. He was followed by a black cow and some monks, who carried beer, -hydromel, and roasted wheat, which was necessary, it seemed, to refresh -the devil after his long journey and great affliction, and put him in -good humour, if he should appear. - -The old monk sung without ceasing, the workmen wrought vigorously, and -much earth and stones were removed; at last they discovered some rat, -mice, or mole-holes, at the sight of which a cry of joy was heard from -all the parties present. - -The old monk sings again; the cow is brought in great hurry, and -sacrificed, and pieces of it thrown to the rats and mice: again they -fall to work with double keenness, the mole-holes vanish, and a hard -rock appears. This being the last obstacle, they fall keenly upon the -rock, and the old monk chants till he is hoarse with singing; the heat -of the sun is excessive; no gold appears; John Akay loses his patience, -and asks when it may be seen? The monks lay the whole blame upon him, -because, they say, he had not enough of faith. They give over work; -with one consent fall to eating the cow, and then disperse. - -Father Jerome, takes the opportunity of this disappointment to abuse -the monks. He presents the Baharnagash with two ounces of gold, and -some other trifles, instead of the treasure which he was to get in the -mountain: he obtains the request he came to solicit, and the patriarch -and fathers return to Addicota. - -Facilidas, informed of the asylum afforded to the Jesuits who had fled -from Fremona, applied to John Akay, promising him forgivenness of what -was past if he would deliver the priests under his protection. This -John Akay declined to do from motives of delicacy. It was breaking his -word to deliver his guests into the hands of the king; but, by a very -strange refinement, he agreed to sell them to the Turks. Accordingly -they were delivered for a sum to the basha of Masuah, who received them -with much greater kindness than they had experienced in the Christian -country from which they fled. - -Two Jesuits were purposely left behind, with the consent of John -Akay, unknown to Facilidas, in fervent hopes that some occasion would -soon offer of suffering martyrdom for the true faith; and in this -expectation they were not long disappointed, all those who were left in -Abyssinia having lost their lives by violent deaths, most of them on a -gibbet, by order of Facilidas, the last of whom was Bernard Nogeyra. - -Facilidas, weary of the obstinacy of these missionaries, uneasy also -at the suspicions they created, that a number of Portuguese troops -would be poured in upon his country by the viceroy of India, concluded -a treaty with the bashas of Masuah and Suakem, for preventing any -Portuguese passing into Abyssinia, by shutting these ports against -them. Not above eight years before, that is, in the year 1624, Socinios -had sent a zebra, and several other curious articles, as presents -to the basha of Suakem, with a request to him not to obstruct, as -the Turks had used to do, the entrance of any Portuguese into his -dominions. But those times were now so changed, that both nations, -Turks and Abyssinians, had resolved, with one consent, to exclude them -all, for their mutual safety, peace, and advantage. - -This treaty with the Turks, made by Facilidas, probably gave rise -to that calumny of the Jesuits, that, for fear of a return of the -Portuguese, that prince had embraced the Mahometan religion, and sent -for preceptors from Mocha to instruct him in their tenets. This, I say, -if not founded upon the treaty I mention, was destitute of the least -shadow of truth; but, like other calumnies then propagated in great -number, arose solely from the rage, malice, and heated imaginations of -desperate fanatics. - -Amidst the general regret this revolution in the church of Ethiopia -occasioned at Rome, there were some who thought the pride, obstinacy, -and violence of the Jesuits, the hardness and cruelty of their hearts -in instigating Socinios to that perpetual effusion of blood, and -their independence, their encroachments upon, and resistance of the -civil power, were faults resulting from the institutions of that -particular society, and that these occasioned the miscarriage; that a -well-grounded aversion to the teachers had created a repugnance to the -doctrines preached, and was the reason of the expulsion of the fathers, -and the relapse of Abyssinia to the Alexandrian faith. From this -persuasion, six capuchins, all of them Frenchmen of the reformed Order -of St Francis, were sent from Rome after the death of Nogeyra, by the -congregation _De Propagandâ Fide_, and these had protections from the -grand signior. - -Two attempted the entering Abyssinia by way of the Indian Ocean, that -is, from Magadoxa, and were slain by the Galla, after advancing a very -short way into the country. Two of them penetrated into Abyssinia, and -were stoned to death. The remaining two, hearing the fate of their -companions at Masuah, and not being so violently bent upon a crown of -martyrdom as were the Portuguese missionaries, prudently returned home, -carrying with them the account of this bad success. - -Three other capuchins were sent after this. It is impossible to judge -from their conduct what idea they had formed; for they themselves -gave the first information of their intended coming to Facilidas, who -thereupon recommended it to the basha to receive them according to -their merits; and thereupon, on their arrival at Suakem, their heads -were cut off by his order; the skins of their heads and faces stripped -off and sent to the king of Abyssinia, that, by their colour, he might -know them to be franks, and by their tonsure to be priests. Nor was -it possible afterwards to introduce any Catholic missionaries, either -during this or the following reign. - -Facilidas having thus provided against being further disturbed by -missionaries, and having reduced all his subjects to the obedience of -the Alexandrian church, sent again messengers to bring an Abuna from -Cairo, while he took the field against Melca Christos his rival, who -continued in arms at the head of the peasants of Lasta, though there -was now no longer any pretence that the Alexandrian faith was in -danger. Both armies met in Libo, a country of the Galla, where a panic -seized the king’s troops, his horse flying at the first onset. The -royal army being entirely dispersed, Melca Christos pursued his good -fortune, and entered the king’s palace, took possession of the throne, -and was crowned; he appointed to all the great places in government, -and distributed a largess, or bounty, to his soldiers. - -The Portuguese historians say, that this happened at Dancaz, not at -Libo. But they should have remembered what they before have said, that -an epidemic fever raged in all Dembea, so that the king was not at -Dancaz that year. He passed the winter of the preceding one at Dobit, -near Begemder. - -The memoirs of these missionaries, even when they were in the country, -are to be read with great caution, being full of misrepresentations of -the manners and characters of men, magnifying some actions, slighting -others, and attributing to their favourites services that were really -performed by their adversaries; and, from the coming of Alphonso -Mendes, till they were banished to Masuah, great part of their account -is untrue, and the rest very suspicious. After their retiring to India, -which is the time we are now speaking of, the whole that they have -published is one continued tissue of falsehood and calumny, either -hear-say stories communicated to them, as they say, by the remnants -of zealots still alive in Abyssinia, or fabrications of their own, -invented for particular purposes. In continuing this history, I shall -take notice of some of these, though for facts I rely entirely upon the -annals of the country, treating, however, the Abyssinian account of the -Jesuits’ doctrines and behaviour with the same degree of caution. - -This forwardness of his rival Melca Christos did not discourage -Facilidas. Without losing a moment, he sent expresses to Kasmati Dimmo, -governor of Samen, to Ras Sela Christos, of Damot, and to his brother -Claudius, governor of Begemder, ordering them to march and attack Melca -Christos, then acting as sovereign in the king’s palace at Libo. - -These three generals were not slack in obeying the commands of -Facilidas. They surrounded Melca Christos before he expected them, and -forced him to a battle, in which he was defeated and lost his whole -army. He himself, fighting manfully at the head of his troops, was -slain hand to hand by Cosmas, a soldier of Kasmati Claudius, the king’s -brother. - -Jerome Lobo mentions Facilidas’s bad success against the Gallas and -Agows as an instance of divine vengeance which pursued him. But if the -approbation or disapprobation of heaven is to be appealed to in this -reign as a proof of the justness of the measures taken, we must be -obliged to say the cause of the Jesuits was not the cause of heaven. -If we except the temporary advantage gained over Facilidas, and the -accident that happened to his army at Lasta, perpetual victory had -attended the wars in which this prince was engaged; for so far was he -from being unfortunate this campaign against the Agows, that, on the -9th of February 1636, he marched from Libo into Gojam, and totally -defeated the two great tribes Azena and Zeegam. After which he sent his -army with Kasmati Melca Bahar, who coming up with the Galla, a great -body of whom had made an incursion into Gojam, he totally overthrew -them, and passing the Nile into their country, laid it waste, and -returned with a great number of cattle, and multitudes of women and -children to be sold as slaves. - -The king then returned to Begemder, and took up his head-quarters -at Gonsala; but, soon hearing that the Abuna Marcus was arrived, he -quitted that place, and came to meet him in Gondar. - -The next year, which was the fifth of his reign, and the first of the -coming of Abuna Marcus, he again fought with the Agows, and beat the -Denguis, Hancasha, and the Zeegam, and passed that winter in Gafat; -nor was he ever unfortunate with the Agows or Galla. But a misfortune -happened this year (the 6th of his reign) which very much affected the -whole kingdom. The people of Lasta seemed to grow more inveterate -after the defeat they had received under Melca Christos. In the stead -of that prince slain in battle, they appointed his son, a young man of -good hopes. - -Facilidas, trusting to his former reputation acquired in these -mountains in his father’s time, on the 3d of March 1638 advanced with -a large army into Lasta, with a design to bring these peasants to a -battle. But the rebels, growing wise by their losses, no longer chose -to trust themselves on the plain, but, retiring to the strongest -posts, fortified them so judiciously, that, without risking any loss -themselves, they cut off all supplies or provisions coming to the -king’s army. - -It happened at that time the cold was so excessive that almost the -whole army perished amidst the mountains; great part from famine, but -a greater still from cold, a very remarkable circumstance in these -latitudes. Lasta is barely 12° from the Line, and it was now the -equinox in March, so that the sun was but 12° from being in the zenith -of Lasta, and there was in the day twelve hours of sun. Yet here is -an example of an army, not of foreigners, but natives, perishing with -cold in their own country, when the sun is no farther than 12° from -being vertical, or from being directly over their heads; a strong proof -this, as I have often remarked, that there is no way of judging by the -degrees of heat in the thermometer, what effect that degree of heat or -cold is to have upon the human body. - -The eighth year of the reign of Facilidas, Claudius, governor of -Begemder, his brother, revolted and joined the rebels of Lasta. It -seems, that this prince had been long encouraged by the Jesuits, and -his uncle Sela Christos, in expectation of succeeding his father -Socinios, and supplanting Facilidas, his brother, in the kingdom. But, -after the banishment of the Jesuits, and the death of Sela Christos, -Facilidas thinking, these bad counsellors being removed, he would -continue firm in his duty, and willing to disbelieve the whole that had -been reported of his designs, made him governor of Begemder. - -It happened, however, that this very year two Abunas arrived from -Egypt, one by way of Sennaar, the other by Dancali. Upon inquiry it was -found, that Abba Michael, the latter of these Abunas, had been sent for -by Kasmati Claudius, in expectation that he was to be on the throne by -the time of his Abuna’s arrival. This implied clearly that the king’s -death was agreed on. Claudius, without attempting a vindication, or -awaiting the discussion of this step, fled to Lasta, and joined Laeca, -son of Melca Christos, a youth then at the head of the rebels. - -Facilidas banished Abba Michael to Serké, a Mahometan town in the way -to Sennaar, and admitted Abba Johannes, whom he himself had sent for -from Cairo, into the office of Abuna. - -Soon after this, Claudius was surprised and taken prisoner, and brought -to the king, and, though stained in a high degree with ingratitude, -treason, and intended fratricide, he could not be brought to order his -execution, but, like a wise and merciful prince, reflecting on the -ancient usages of the empire, and how much royal blood might be daily -saved by sequestering the descendents of the imperial family upon the -mountain, he chose that of Wechné in Belessen, which served ever after -for this purpose. - -This is the third mountain within the reach of written history, first -chosen, and then reprobated, as a state-prison for all the males of the -royal family, excepting the one seated upon the throne. - -This interruption of the imprisonment of the princes for a time, and -the resuming it again for another period, have led the Portuguese -writers, very little acquainted with the history or constitution of -this country, into various disputes and difficulties, which I shall -fully explain and reconcile in their proper place. It is sufficient -for the present to observe, that Claudius was sent into exile to the -mountain of Wechné, and that he was the first prince banished thither, -where he lived for many years. - -The king, finding that nothing material pressed at home, marched into -Gojam to Enzagedem, whence he sent Ras Bela Christos against the -Shangalla, N. W. of the country of the Agows. These people being put -upon their guard by their neighbours, all disaffected to the king, -contrived to place themselves in ambush so judiciously, that Bela -Christos, marching in security into their country, was surrounded by -the Shangalla, whom he thought yet at a distance. Great part of his -troops was slain by the arrows of the enemy, who, from their caves and -holes in the mountain, poured their missile weapons, stones, and arrows -on the troops, at so small a distance that every one took place, though -above the reach of swords, and lances, or such common weapons; others -were overpowered by large bodies of men sallying from the thickets, and -fighting them firmly foot to foot. Many officers were that day slain, -among the rest Alzaguè and Petros, two persons of great distinction -in the palace. But the king, however afflicted for the loss of his -men, well knew that this defeat would have no other consequences; so -returned to his capital, with resolution to make another vigorous -effort against Lasta. - -The manner in which this expedition was prevented cannot but give us -a high idea of Facilidas: Laeca, at the head of an army of veteran -troops, whose affection he never had occasion to doubt, thought it -safer to trust to the generosity of a king, who had slain his father in -battle, than to the acquiring a crown that was not his, by persevering -any longer in rebellion. Accordingly he surrendered himself, without -condition, to Facilidas, who immediately committed him to prison, which -seeming severity, however, meant nothing further, than to shew him -the lenity which followed was entirely his own, and not suggested to -him by the officiousness of courtiers; for no sooner was he arrived -at Gondar, than he sent for Laeca from prison, received him not only -kindly, but with great marks of distinction; and, instead of banishing -him to Wechné, as he did his own brother Claudius, and which, as being -of the blood-royal, should have been his destination likewise, the king -entered into a kind of treaty with Laeca, by which he gave him large -possessions in Begemder near Lasta, and married him to his daughter -Theoclea, by whom, however, he had no children, but lived long in -constant friendship and confidence with Facilidas. - -Except the events which I have already recorded, there is nothing -farther in this long reign worthy of being insisted upon; the early -inroads of the Galla, in plundering parties, and the seditions and -revolts of the Agows from the oppression and extortion of their -governors, were such as we find in every reign; and in all these -Facilidas was victorious, whilst the Hancasha and Zeegam were greatly -weakened in these campaigns. - -Facilidas was taken ill at Gondar, in the end of October, of a disease -which, from its first appearance, he thought would prove mortal. He, -therefore, sent to his eldest son Hannes, whom he had constantly kept -with him, and who was now of age to govern, and recommended to him -his kingdom, and the persevering in the ancient religion. He died the -30th of September 1665, in great peace and composure of mind, and they -buried him at Azazo. - -If we are obliged to give his father the preference, from the greater -variety of trials which he underwent, we must in justice allow, that, -after his father, Facilidas was the greatest king that ever sat -upon the Abyssinian throne. He had every good quality necessary to -constitute a great prince, without any alloy or mixture, that, upon so -much provocation as he had, might have misled him to be a bad one. He -was calm, dispassionate, and courteous in his behaviour. In the very -difficult part he had to act between his father and the nation, the -necessities of the times had taught him a degree of reserve, which, if -it was not natural, was not therefore the less useful to him. He was -in his own person the bravest soldier of his time, and always exposed -himself in proportion as the occasion was important. - -To this were added all the qualities of a good general, in which -character he seems to have equalled his father Socinios, who else was -universally allowed to be the first of his time. Fierce and violent in -battle, he was backward in shedding blood after it. Though an enemy -to the Catholic religion, yet, from duty to his father, he lived -with the patriarch and Jesuits upon so familiar a footing, that they -confess themselves it was not from any part of his behaviour to them -they ever could judge him an enemy. He was most remarkable for an -implicit submission to his father’s commands; and, upon this principle, -fought in favour of the Catholic religion against his own friends and -persuasion, because such were the orders of his sovereign. He was of a -very mild and pleasant temper, as appeared by his behaviour to Melca -Christos, to his brother Claudius, to his uncle Sela Christos, and to -the patriarch and Jesuits. - -It is true, that, of these last, Sela Christos, and many of the -Jesuits, were put to death in his reign; but this was not till they had -experienced repeated acts of mercy and forgivenness; still, persisting -in constant rebellion against government, they were justly cut off -as traitors and rebels by the civil power, in the very act of their -conspiracy against the life of the king and constitution of the country. - -There is published by Tellez a letter of Alphonso Mendes, written, as -is falsely said, from Masuah, where it is dated, but truly from Goa. -If, as the patriarch pretends, he wrote it from Masuah, it is another -proof of this prince’s clemency, that he ever suffered the author of -such an indecent libel to return to India in peace. It is well known, -that, on the first requisition of Facilidas, the Turks would have -delivered the patriarch into his hands; and, every one that reads it -must allow, such language from a low-born priest to a king, deserved -every exemplary punishment offended royalty could inflict: It would not -have been mild, had such liberty been taken by a stranger in his native -country, Portugal. - -The patriarch accuses Facilidas with the crime committed by Absalom, -which is, I suppose, debauching his father’s wives and concubines. -But, unluckily for the truth of this story, we have the Jesuit’s own -testimony, that Socinios had put away his wives and concubines before -he embraced the Catholic religion, so at his father’s death this was -impossible, unless he could commit incest with his own mother, who -was at that time a woman near sixty. But we shall suppose that they -existed, were never married, and, at the time of their being put away, -they were 18 years of age at an average. The king put them away in the -year 1621; and, therefore, in the year 1634, they would be 30 years of -age; and any body that has seen the effects that number of years has -upon Abyssinian beauty, must confess they could be no great temptation -to a prince. - -The next calumny mentioned in this libel is, the murder of his brother -Claudius, nay, of all his brothers. Now we have seen, in the history of -his reign, that Claudius had fairly forfeited his life by a meditated -fratricide, and by an overt act of rebellion in which he was taken -prisoner. Yet so mild and placable was Facilidas, that he refused to -put him to death, but sent him prisoner to the mountain of Wechné, and -mercifully revived the ancient usage of banishing the princes of the -blood-royal to the mountain, instead of executing them, which had been -the practice to his time, and had occasioned the death of above sixty -of these unfortunate princes within the last hundred years. - -To mount Wechné he also sent his own son David, and with him all his -brothers; and, so far from being murdered, we shall find them mostly -alive attending an extraordinary festival made for their sakes by -Facilidas’s grandson; an accident so rare, that it seems Providence had -permitted it in favour and vindication of truth and innocence, and to -stamp the lie upon the patriarch’s scandalous aspersions. - -The third falsehood is, that Facilidas turned Mahometan, and got -doctors from Mocha to instruct him in the Koran. We have already seen -what gave rise to this, if it indeed had any foundation at all; but -it is a well-known fact, that, though he governed the church, during -a whole reign, mildly and judiciously, without any mark of bigotry, -never were two princes better affected to the Alexandrian church than -Facilidas and his son; and never were two that had better reason, -having both seen the disorders that other religions had occasioned. - -We see throughout all this piece of the patriarchs, a self-sufficient -mind, gratifying itself by disgorging its passion and malice. If -Alphonso Mendes had no regard, as it seems indeed he had not; if he -had no reverence to higher powers, such as scripture had taught him -to have; if he was too enlightened, or too infatuated, to take our -Saviour’s precepts for his rule, and, shaking the dust of Abyssinia -from his feet, remit them to a Judge who will, at his own time, -separate good from evil, still he should have had, at least, a -brotherly love and charity for those unfortunate people who were to -fall into Facilidas’s hands; and we cannot reasonably suppose but that -the constant butcheries committed by the Turks afterwards upon the -Catholic priests, wild enough to enter at Masuah and Suakem, were the -fruits of the calumnious, intemperate libel of the patriarch. - -After the death of the last missionary, Bernard Nogeyra, no -intelligence arrived of what was doing in Abyssinia, excepting from the -Dutch settlements of Batavia, where Abyssinian factors, or merchants, -had arrived; and where the industrious Mr Ludolf, very much engaged -in the history of this country, and who spared no pains, maintained -a correspondence, and thence he was informed that Facilidas had died -after a long and prosperous reign, and had left his kingdom in peace to -his son. - -This intelligence alarmed the zeal of two great champions of the -Jesuits; the one M. le Grande, late secretary to the French embassy to -Portugal; and the other M. Piques, a member of the Sorbonne, a very -confused, dull disputant upon the difference of religion. - -These two worthies, without any proof or intelligence but their own -warm and weak imaginations, fell violently upon poor Ludolf, accusing -him of falsehood, partiality, and prevarication; and, right or wrong, -they would have Facilidas plunged up to the neck in troubles, wading -through labyrinths of misfortunes, conspiracies, and defeats, certainly -dead, or about to die some terrible death by the vengeance of heaven; -and this ridiculous report is unjustly spread abroad by all the zealots -of those times. _Fata obstant_;--truth will out. The annals of the -country, written without a regard to either party, state, that, in the -long reign of Facilidas, notwithstanding the calamitous state in which -his father left him the empire, very few misfortunes only are reported -to have happened either to himself or lieutenants. - -[Illustration] - - - - -HANNES I. OR ŒLAFE SEGUED. - -From 1665 to 1680. - -_Bigotry of the King--Disgusts his Son Yasous, who flies from Gondar._ - - -If this prince succeeded to his kingdom in peace, he had the address -still to keep it so. He was not in his nature averse to war, though, -besides two feeble attempts he made upon Lasta, and one against the -Shangalla, all without material consequences, no military expedition -was undertaken in his time; and no rebellion or competitor (so frequent -in other reigns) at all disturbed his. - -Hannes seems to have had the seeds of bigotry in his temper; from the -beginning of his reign he commanded the Mahometans to eat no other -flesh but what had been killed by Christians; and gathered together -the Catholic books, which the Jesuits had translated into the Ethiopic -language, and burned them in a heap. Much of his attention was given -to church matters, and, in regulating these, he seems to have employed -most of his time. He deposed the Abuna Christadulus, appointed by his -father, and in his place put the Abuna Sanuda. - -This last measure seems to have displeased his eldest son Yasous, who -fled from the palace one night, and passed the Nile; and, though he was -followed by Kasmati Aserata Christos, he was not overtaken, but staid -some time in his sister’s house, and then returned to Gondar at the -request of his father. - -A convocation of the clergy, the second in this reign, was now held, -and great heats and divisions followed among two orders of monks, -those of Eustathius and those of Debra Libanos. The king seems to have -assisted at all these debates, and to have contented himself with -holding the balance in his hands without declaring for either party. -But these altercations and disputes could not satisfy the active spirit -of the prince his son, who again fled from his father and from Gondar, -but was overtaken at the river Bashilo, and brought back to the palace, -where he found his father ill. - -Hannes died the 19th of July, and was buried at Tedda, after having -reigned 15 years. He seems, from the scanty memorials of his long -reign, to have been a weak prince; but, perhaps, if the circumstances -of the times were fully known, he may have been a wise one. - -[Illustration] - - - - -YASOUS I. - -From 1680 to 1704. - - _Brilliant Expedition of the King to Wechné--Various Campaigns - against the Agows and Galla--Comet appears--Expedition against - Zeegam and the Eastern Shangalla--Poncet’s Journey--Murat’s - Embassy--Du Roule’s Embassy--Du Roule assassinated at - Sennaar--The King is assassinated._ - - -Yasous succeeded his father Hannes with the approbation of the whole -kingdom. He had, as we have seen, twice in Hannes’s life-time absconded -from the palace; and this was interpreted as implying an impatience to -reign. But I rather think the cause was a difference of manners, his -father being extremely bigotted, sordid, and covetous; for he never, in -those elopements, pretended to make a party contrary to his father’s -interest, nor shewed the least inclination to give either the army or -the people a favourable impression of himself, to the disadvantage of -the king. There was, besides, a difference in religious principles. -Yasous had a great predilection for the monks of Debra Libanos, or -the high church; while Hannes, his father, had done every thing in his -power to instil into his son a prepossession in favour of those of Abba -Eustathius. - -To these opinions, therefore, so widely different, as well in -religion as the things of the world, I attribute the young prince’s -disinclination to live with his father. This seems confirmed by the -first step he took upon his mounting the throne, which was to make an -alteration in the church government from what his father had left it at -his death. - -It was on the 7th of July 1680 he was proclaimed king; the next day -he deposed the Acab Saat Constantius, and gave his place to Asera -Christos. He then called a council of the clergy on the 27th of -September, when he deposed Itchegué Tzaga Christos, and in his room -named Cyriacus. - -It was now the time that, according to custom, he was to make his -profession in regard to the difference I have formerly mentioned that -subsisted between the two parties about the incarnation of Christ. -But this he refused to do in the present state of the church, as -there was then no certain Abuna in Abyssinia. For Hannes, before he -died, had written to the patriarch of Alexandria to depose both Abuna -Christodulus and Marcus, who, in case of death, was to have succeeded -him, and this under pretence that he had varied in his faith between -the two contending parties. - -Hannes, therefore, desired the patriarch to appoint Abuna Sanuda, -a man known to be devoted to the monks of St Eustathius and their -tenets; whereas the other two priests were supposed to be inclined to -the monks of Debra Libanos. Yasous told his clergy that he would not -suffer Sanuda to be elected; and the assembly, with little opposition, -conformed to the sentiments of the king, who sent immediately thereupon -to Cairo, demanding peremptorily that Marcus might be appointed Abuna, -and declaring his resolution to admit no other. He then ordered the -church of Tecla Haimanout to be consecrated with great solemnity; he -repaired and adorned it with much magnificence, and endowed it with -lands, which increased its revenue very considerably. - -These two circumstances (especially the last) shewed distinctly to the -whole kingdom his affection for the high church, as explicitly as any -proclamation could have done. And in this he continued steady during -his whole life, notwithstanding the many provocations he met with from -that restless body of men. - -Having thus settled the affairs of the church, he proceeded to those -of the state, and appointed Anastasius (then governor of Amhara) to be -Ras, or lieutenant-general, in his whole kingdom, allowing him also to -keep his province of Amhara. In this he shewed a wisdom and penetration -that gained him the good opinion of every one; for Anastasius was a -man advanced in years, of great capacity and experience, and of a most -unblemished character among his neighbours, who, in all their own -affairs, had recourse to, and were determined by, his counsels. - -The king then took a journey of a very extraordinary nature, and such -as Abyssinia had never before seen. Attended only by his nobility, of -whom a great number had flocked to him, he sat down at the foot of the -mountain of Wechné, and ordered all the princes of the royal family who -were banished, and confined there, to be brought to him. - -During the last reign, the mountain of Wechné, and those forlorn -princes that lived upon it, had been, as it were, totally forgotten. -Hannes having sons of an age fit to govern, and his eldest son Yasous -living below with his father, no room seemed to remain for attempting -a revolution, by the young candidates escaping from the mountain. This -oblivion to which they were consigned, melancholy as it was, proved -the best state these unhappy prisoners could have wished; for to be -much known for either good or bad qualities, did always at some period -become fatal to the individuals. Punishment always followed inquiries -after a particular prince; and all messages, questions, or visits, at -the instance of the king, were constantly fore-runners of the loss of -life, or amputation of limbs, to these unhappy exiles. To be forgotten, -then, was to be safe; but this safety carried very heavy distress along -with it. Their revenues were embezzled by their officers or keepers, -and ill paid by the king; and the sordid temper of Hannes had often -reduced them all to the danger of perishing with hunger and cold. - -Yasous, as he was well acquainted with all these circumstances, so he -was, in his nature and disposition, as perfectly willing to repair -the injuries that were past, and prevent the like in future. Nothing -tended so much to conciliate the minds of the people to their sovereign -as this behaviour of Yasous. - -In the midst of his relations there now appeared (as risen from the -dead) Claudius, son of Socinios, the first exile who was sent to the -mountain of Wechné by his brother Facilidas, grandfather of Yasous. -This was the prince who, as we have already stated, was fixed upon -by the Jesuits to succeed his father, and govern that country when -converted to the Romish religion by their intrigues, and conquered by -the arms of the Portuguese: This was the prince who, to make their -enemies appear more odious, these Jesuits have asserted was slain -by his brother Facilidas, one instance by which we may judge of the -justice of the other charges laid against that humane, wise, and -virtuous prince, whose only crime was an inviolable attachment to the -religion and constitution of his country, and the just abhorrence -he most reasonably had, as an independent prince, to submit the -prerogatives of his crown, and the rights of his people to the blind -controul of a foreign prelate. - -There came from the mountain also the sons of Facilidas, with their -families; and likewise his own brothers, Ayto Theophilus, and Ayto -Claudius, sons of his father Hatzè Hannes. The sight of so many noble -relations, some advanced in years, some in the flower of their youth, -and some yet children; all, however, in tatters, and almost naked, -made such an impression on the young king that he burst into tears. -Nor was his behaviour to the respective degrees of them less proper or -engaging. To the old he paid that reverence and respect due to parents; -to those about his own age, a kind and liberal familiarity; while he -bestowed upon the young ones caresses and commendations, sweetened with -the hopes that they might see better times. - -His first care was to provide them all plentifully with apparel and -every necessary. His brothers he dressed like himself, and his uncles -still more richly. He then divided a large sum of money among them all. - -In the month of December, which is the pleasantest season of the whole -year, the sun being moderately hot, the sky constantly clear and -without a cloud, all the court was encamped under the mountain, and the -inferior sort strewed along the grass. All were treated at the expence -of the king, passing the day and night in continual festivals. It is -but right, said the king, that I should pay for a pleasure so great -that none of my predecessors ever dared to taste it; and of all that -noble assembly none seemed to enjoy it more sincerely than the king. -All pardons solicited for criminals at this time were granted. In this -manner having spent a whole month, before his departure the king called -for the deftar, (_i. e._ the treasury book) in which the account of -the sum allowed for the maintenance of these prisoners is stated; and -having inquired strictly into the expenditure, and cancelled all grants -that had been made of any part of that sum to others, and provided -in future for the full, as well as yearly payment of it, he, for his -last act, gave to the governor of the mountain a large accession of -territory, to make him ample amends for the loss of the dues he was -understood to be intitled to from that revenue. After this, he embraced -them all, assuring them of his constant protection; and, mounting his -horse, he took the keeper along with him, leaving all the royal family -at their liberty at the foot of the mountain. - -This last mark of confidence, more than all the rest, touched the minds -of that noble troop, who hurried every man with his utmost speed to -restore themselves voluntarily to their melancholy prison, imputing -every moment of delay as a step towards treason and ingratitude to -their munificent, compassionate, and magnanimous benefactor. All their -way was moistened with tears flowing from sensible and thankful hearts; -and all the mountain resounded with prayers for the long life and -prosperity o£ the king, and that the crown might never leave the lineal -descendents of his family. It was very remarkable, that, during this -long reign, though he was constantly involved in war, no competitor -from the mountain ever appeared in breach of those vows they had so -voluntarily undertaken. - -There was another great advantage the king reaped by this generous -conduct. All the most powerful and considerable people in the kingdom -had an opportunity, at one view, to see each individual of the royal -family that was capable of wearing the crown, and all with one voice -agreed, upon the comparison made, that, if they had been then assembled -to elect a king, the choice would not have fallen upon any but the -present. - -Though the country of the Agows of Damot is generally plain and laid -out in pasture, each tribe has some mountain to which, upon the -alarm of an enemy, they retire with their flocks. The Galla, being -their neighbours on the other side of the Nile to the south, and the -Shangalla in the low country immediately to the west, these natural -fortresses are frequently of the greatest use during the incursions of -both. - -They alone, of all the nations of Abyssinia, have found it their -interest so far to cultivate their neighbours the Shangalla, that there -are places set apart in which both nations can trade with each other in -safety; where the Agows sell copper, iron, beads, skins, or hides, and -receive an immense profit in gold; for, below these to the south and -west, is the gold country nearest Abyssinia, none of that metal being -anywhere found in Abyssinia itself. - -Yasous, from this country of the Agows, descended into that of the -Shangalla; where, conforming to the ancient custom of Abyssinia, he -hunted the elephant and rhinoceros, the ordinary first expedition in -the kings his predecessors reigns, but the second in his; the first -having been (as before stated) spent in charity and mercy, much more -nobly, at the foot of the mountain of Wechné. - -Yasous is reported to have been the most graceful and dexterous -horseman of his time. He distinguished himself in this hunting as much -for his address and courage against the beasts, as he had, for a short -while before, done by his affability, generosity, and benevolence, -amidst his own family. All was praise, all was enthusiasm, wherever the -young king presented himself; the ill-boding monks and hermits had not -yet dared to foretel evil, but every common mouth predicted this was to -be an active, vigorous, and glorious reign, without being thought by -this to have laid any pretension to the gift of prophecy. - -It was now the second year of his reign when the king took the field -with a small, but very well chosen army. The Edjow and Woolo, two of -the most powerful tribes of southern Galla, taking advantage of the -absence of Ras Anastasius, had entered Amhara by a pass, on the side -of which is situated Melec Shimfa, one of the principal towns of the -province. - -The king, leaving old Anastasius to the government of Gondar, took -upon himself the relief of Amhara; and, being joined by all the -troops in his way, he arrived at Melec Shimfa before the Galla had -any intelligence of him. The Galla always chose for their residence -a very level country, because they are now become all horsemen. The -country of Amhara, on the contrary, is full of high mountains, and -only accessible by certain narrow passes. The king, therefore, instead -of marching directly to the enemy, passed above them, and left them -still advancing, burning the villages and churches in the country -below. He then took possession of the pass (through which he knew they -must retreat) with a strong body of troops; and filled the entrance -of the defile, which was very rugged ground, with fusileers, and his -best foot armed with lances: after this, he separated his horse into -two divisions, and, reserving one half to himself, gave the other to -Kasmati Demetrius. He then placed the troops conducted by himself in -a wood, about half a mile from the entrance of the pass, and ordered -Demetrius to fall upon the Galla briskly on the plain, but to retreat -as if terrified by their numbers, and to make the best of his way then -to the pass in the mountains. - -Demetrius, finding the enemy’s parties scattered wide wasting the -country, fell upon them, and slew many, till he had arrived near the -middle of their body, when the Galla, used to such expeditions, poured -in from all sides, and presently united. Demetrius, surrounded on every -side, was slain, fighting to the last in the most desperate manner, and -his party, much diminished in number, fled in a manner that could not -be mistaken for stratagem. They were closely pursued, and followed into -the pass by the Galla, who thought they had thus entirely cut them off -from Amhara. But they were soon received by a close fire from the foot -among the bushes, and by the lances that mingled with them from every -side of the mountain. - -The king, upon the first noise of the musquetry, advanced quickly with -his horse, and met the Galla, in the height of their confusion, flying -back again into the plain. Here they fell an easy sacrifice to the -fresh troops led by Yasous, and to the peasants, exasperated by the -havoc they before had made in the country. Of the enemy, about 6000 -men fell this day on the field; a few were brought to Gondar, and, in -contempt, sold for slaves. Few on the king’s side were slain, excepting -those that fell with Demetrius, the account of whose death the king -heard without any signs of regret:--“I told the man (says the king) -that he should shew himself and retire; if I wanted a victory I would -have led the army in person; I march against the Galla, not as a king, -but as an executioner, because my aim is to extirpate them.” - -Although Yasous was stedfast in his own opinion as to his religion, or, -as it may be more properly called, the disputes and quibbles with the -monks concerning it, yet he suffered each sect to enjoy its own, and, -probably, in his heart he perfectly despised both. - -The monks, however, were far from possessing any such spirit of -toleration. They considered the deposing of Acab Saat, Constantius, -and the Itchegué Tzaga Christos, as a declaration of dislike the king -entertained towards their party. They bore with great impatience and -indignation, that Abuna Sanuda, who was once their zealous partizan -in the time of Hannes, should now suddenly change his sentiments, and -declare implicitly for those of the king, and thereby increase both the -number and the consequence of their adversaries. They declared that -they would suffer every thing rather than live under a king who shewed -himself so openly a favourer of Debra Libanos, though it was now but -their turn, having in the last reign had a king more partial, and more -attached to St Eustathius, than ever Yasous was to any set of monks -whatever. - -The ringleaders in all these seditious declarations were Abba Tebedin, -superior of the monastery of Gondga, and Kasmati Wali of Damot, by -origin a Galla. These two turbulent men, having first drawn over to -their party the Agows and province of Damot, passed over the Nile -to Goodero and Basso, whom they joined, and then proclaimed king -one Isaac, grandson of Socinios a prince, who was never sent to the -mountain, but whose predecessors, being at liberty when Facilidas -first banished his brothers and children to Wechné, had fled to the -Galla, and there remained in obscurity, waiting the juncture which now -happened to declare his royal descent, and offer himself for king. - -The Galla, who sought but a pretence for invading Abyssinia, readily -embraced this opportunity, and swarmed to him on all sides. His army, -in a very short time, was exceedingly numerous, and the Agows and all -Damot were ready to join him when he should repass the Nile. This -revolt was indeed likely to have proved general, but for the activity -and diligence of the king, who, on the first intelligence, put himself -so suddenly in motion that he was on the banks of the Nile before -the Galla on the one side were ready for their junction with the -confederates on the other. - -The king’s presence imposed upon the Agows and the rebels of Damot, -so that they let him pass quietly over the Nile into the country of -the Galla, hoping that, as their designs were not discovered, he might -again return through their country in peace if victorious over the -Galla; but, if he was beaten, they then were ready to intercept him. - -But the Galla, who expected that they would have had to fight with an -army already fatigued and half-ruined by an action with the Agows on -the other side of the river, no sooner saw it pass the Nile unmolested -in full force, than they began to think how far it was from their -interest to make their country a seat of war, when so little profit was -to be expected. On the approach, therefore, of the king’s army, many -of them deserted to it, and made their peace with him. The few that -remained faithful to Isaac were dispersed after very little resistance; -and he himself being taken prisoner, and brought before the king, was -given up to the soldiers, who put him to death in his presence. On the -king’s side, no person of consideration was slain but Kasmati Maziré, -and very few on the part of the enemy. - -This year 1685, the 5th of Yasous’s reign, there was no military -expedition. He had pardoned Abba Tebedin, and Kasmati Wali, and the -monks again desired an assembly of the clergy, which was granted. But -the king seeing, at its first meeting, that it was to produce nothing -but wrangling and invectives; with great calmness and resolution told -the assembly, “That their disputes were of a nature so confused and -unedifying, that he questioned much their being really founded in -scripture; and the rather so, because the patriarch of Alexandria -seemed neither to know, nor concern himself about them, nor was the -Abuna, at his first coming, ever instructed on any one of these -points. If they were, however, founded in scripture, one of them was -confessedly in the wrong; and, if so, he doubted it might be the case -with both; that he had, therefore, come to a resolution to name several -of the best-qualified persons of both parties, who, in the presence of -the Itchegué and Abuna, might inspect the books, and from them settle -some premises that might be hereafter accepted and admitted as _data_ -by both.” - -This being assented to, the very next year he ordered two of the -priests of Debra Libanos then at Gondar, together with Abba Tebedin, -Cosmas of Aruana, the Abuna Sanuda, and the Itchegué, forthwith to -repair to Debra Mariam, an island in the lake Tzana, where, sequestered -from the world, they might discuss their several opinions, and settle -some points admissible by both sides. After which, without giving any -opportunity for reply, he dissolved the assembly, and took the field -with his army. - -The king, though perfectly informed of the part that the whole province -of Damot had taken in the rebellion of Isaac, as also great part of -the Agows, but most of all that tribe called Zeegam, yet had so well -dissembled, that most of them believed he was ignorant of their fault, -and all of them, that he had no thoughts of punishing them, for he had -returned through Damot, after the defeat of Isaac, without shewing -any mark of anger, or suffering his troops to commit the smallest -hostility. He now passed in the same peaceable manner through the -country of Zeegam, intending to attack the Shangalla of Geesa and -Wumbarea. - -These two tribes are little known. Like the other Shangalla they are -Pagans, but worship the Nile and a certain tree, and have a language -peculiar to themselves. They are woolly-headed, and of the deepest -black; very tall and strong, straighter and better-made about the -legs and joints than the other blacks; their foreheads narrow, their -cheekbones high, their noses flat, with wide mouths, and very small -eyes. With all this they have an air of chearfulness and gaiety which -renders them more agreeable than other blacks. Their women are very -amorous, and sell at a much greater price than other blacks of the sex. - -This country is bounded on the south by Metchakel; on the west by the -Nile; the east by Serako, part of Guesgué and Kuara; and, on the north, -by Belay, Guba, and the Hamidge[62] of Sennaar. They make very frequent -inroads, and surprise the Agows, whose children they sell at Guba to -the Mahometans, who traffic there for gold and slaves, and get iron and -coarse cotton-cloths in return. Their country is full of woods, and -their manner of life the same as has been already described in speaking -of the other tribes. - -The Geesa live close upon the Nile, to which river they give their -own name. It is also called Geesa by the Agows, in the small district -of Geesh, where it rises from its source. They never have yet made -peace with Abyssinia, are governed by the heads of families, and live -separately for the sake of hunting, and, for this reason, are easily -conquered. The men are naked, having a cotton rag only about their -middle. The nights are very cold, and they lie round great fires; but -the fly is not so dangerous here as to the eastward, so that goats, in -a small number, live here. Their arms are bows, lances, and arrows; -large wooden clubs, with knobs, nearly as big as a man’s head, at the -end of them; their shields are oval. They worship the Nile, but no -other river, as I have said before; it is called Geesa, which, in their -language, signifies the first Maker, or Creator. They imagine its water -is a cure for most diseases. - -East of the Geesa is Wumbarea, which reaches to Belay. The king fell -first on the Geesa, part of whom he took, and the rest he dispersed. He -then turned to the right through Wumbarea, and met with some resistance -in the narrow passes in the mountains, in one of which Kasmati Kosté, -(one of his principal officers) a man of low birth, but raised by his -merit to his present rank, was slain by an arrow. - -The king then repassed the Agows of Zeegam, in the same peaceable -manner in which he came, and then marched on without giving any cause -of suspicion, taking up his quarters at Ibaba. It was here he had -appointed an assembly of the clergy to meet, before whom the several -delegates, chosen to consider the controverted points, and find some -ground for a reconciliation, were to make their report. The Abuna, -Itchegué, and all those who, for this purpose, were shut up in Debra -Mariam, appeared before the king. But, however amicably things had been -carried on while they were shut up in the island, the usual warmth and -violence prevailed before the assembly. Ayto Christos, Abba Welled -Christos of Debra Libanos, on one side, and Tebedin and Cosmas on the -other, fell roundly, and without preface, upon a dispute about the -incarnation, so that the affair from argument was likely to turn to -sedition. - -The turbulent Tebedin, leaving the matter of religion wholly apart, -inveighed vehemently against the retirement to Debra Mariam, which he -loudly complained of as banishment. Ras Anastasius and Abuna Sanuda -reproved him sharply for the freedom with which he taxed this measure -of the king, and in this they were followed by many of the wiser sort -on both sides. Immediately after the assembly, the king ordered Tebedin -to be put in irons, and sent to a mountainous prison. He then returned -to Gondar. - -This year, the 9th of Yasous reign, there appeared a comet, remarkable -for its size and fiery brightness of its body, and for the prodigious -length and distinctness of its tail. It was first taken notice of -at Gondar, two days before the feast of St Michael, on which day the -army takes the field. A sight so uncommon alarmed all sorts of people; -and the prophets, who had kept themselves within very moderate bounds -during this whole reign, now thought that it was incumbent upon them -to distinguish themselves, and be silent no longer. Accordingly they -foretold, from this phenomenon, and published everywhere as a truth -infallibly and immutably pre-ordained, that the present campaign was -to exhibit a scene of carnage and bloodshed, more terrible and more -extensive than any thing that ever had appeared in the annals of -Ethiopia. That these torrents of blood, which were everywhere to follow -the footsteps of the king, were to be stopped by his death, which was -to happen before he ever returned again to Gondar; and, as the object -of the king’s expedition was still a secret, these alarming presages -gained a great deal of credit. - -But it was not so with Yasous, who, notwithstanding he was importuned, -by learned men of all sorts, to put off his departure for some days, -absolutely refused, answering always such requests by irony and -derision: “Pho! Pho! says he, you are not in the right; we must give -the comet fair play; use him well, or he will never appear again, and -then idle people and old women will have nothing to amuse themselves -with.” - -He accordingly left Gondar at the time he had appointed; and he was -already arrived at Amdaber, a few day’s distance from the capital, -when an express brought him word of his mother’s death, on which he -immediately marched back to Gondar, and buried her in the island of -Mitraha with all possible magnificence, and with every mark of sincere -grief. - -Though the prophets had not just succeeded in what they foretold, they -kept nevertheless a good countenance. It is true that no blood was -shed, nor did the king die before he returned to Gondar; but his mother -died when he was away, and that was much the same thing, for they -contended that it was not a great mistake, from the bare authority of -a comet, to err only in the sex of the person that was to die; a queen -for a king was very near calculation. As for the bloody story, and the -king’s death, they said they had mistaken the year in computing, but -that it still was to happen (when it pleased God) _some other time_. - -Every body agreed that these explanations were the best possible, -excepting the king, who perceived a degree of malice in the foretelling -his death and certain loss of his army just at the instant he was -taking the field. But he disguised his resentment under strong irony, -with which he attacked these diviners incessantly. He had inquired -accurately the day of his mother’s death: “How is it, says he to his -chaplain, (or kees hatzé) that this comet should come to _foretel_ -my mother’s death, when she was dead four days before it appeared?” -Another day, to the same person he said, “I fear you do my mother -too much honour at the expence of religion. Is it decent to suppose -that such a star, the most remarkable appearance at the birth of -Christ, should now be employed on no greater errand than to foretel -the death of the daughter of Guebra Mascal?” These, and many more -such railleries, accounted by these visionaries, as little short of -impiety, so mortified Kostè (the kees hatzé,) a great believer in, and -protector of the dreamers, that he resigned all his employments, and -retired among the hermits into the desert of Werk-leva towards Sennaar, -to study the aspects of the stars more accurately, and more at leisure. - -Though we neither pay this comet the superstitious reverence the idle -fanatics of Abyssinia shewed it, nor yet treat it with that contempt -which this great king’s good sense prompted him to do, we shall make -some use of it, acknowledging our gratitude to the historian who has -recorded it. We shall hereby endeavour to establish our chronology -in opposition to that of the catholic writers, relating to the date -of some transactions with which they were not cotemporaries, and -only relate from hearsay, as happening before the arrival of the -missionaries in this country. - -Yasous the Great, of whom we are now writing, came to the throne upon -the death of his father Hannes in 1680; the 9th year of this reign then -was 1689. - -Hedar is the 3d month of the Abyssinians, and answers to part of our -November; and the 12th of that month, Hedar, is the feast of St Michael -the archangel, or 8th day of our month November, N. S. - -Gondar is in lat. 12° 34´ 30´´ N. and in long. 37° 33´ 0´´ E. from the -meridian of Greenwich. By the fiery appearance of the nucleus, or body -of the comet, it certainly then was very near the sun, and either was -going down upon it to its perihelion, or had already passed it, and -was receding to its aphelion; but by its increasing tail, already at -a great length, we may conjecture it was only then going down to its -conjunction, and was then near approaching to the sun. - -From this we should conclude that this comet must have been seen, -however rapidly it did move, some time before the 6th of November, -or two days before the feast of St Michael. But this depends on the -circumstances of the climate; for though the tropical rains cease the -first of September, the cloudy weather continues all the month of -October; at the end of these fall the latter rains in gentle showers, -which allay the fevers in Dembea, and make the country wholesome for -the march of the army, and these rains fall mostly in the night. From -this it is probable that the comet, having at first little light and no -tail, as yet at a distance from the sun, was not very apparent to the -naked eye, till by its increased motion and heat it had acquired both -tail and brightness, as it approached its perihelion. - -Now we find by our European accounts[63], that, in the year 1689, there -did appear a comet, the orbit of which was calculated by M. Pingrè. And -this comet arrived at its perihelion on the 1st day of December 1689, -so was going down much inflamed, and with a violent motion to the sun, -the 6th of November, when it was observed at Gondar, being but 25 days -then from its perihelion. - -As these circumstances are more than sufficient to constitute the -identity of the comet, a phænomenon too rare to risk being confounded -with another, we may hardly conclude the 9th year of Yasous the First -to be the year 1689 of Christ, such as our chronology, drawn from the -Abyssinian annals, states it to be; or, at least, if there is any -error, it must be so small as to be of no sort of consequence to any -sort of readers, or influence upon the narrative of any transactions. - -The 10th year began with a sudden and violent alarm, which spread -itself in an instant all over the kingdom without any certain -authority. The Galla with an innumerable army were said to have entered -Gojam, at several places, and laid waste the whole province, and this -was the more extraordinary, as the Nile was now in the height of its -inundation. On his march, the king learned that this story arose merely -from a panic; and this formidable army turned out no more than a small -band of robbers of that nation, who had passed the river in their usual -way, part on horseback, while the foot were dragged over, hanging at -the horses tails, or riding on goats skins blown up with wind. This -small party had surprised some weak villages, killed the inhabitants, -and immediately returned across the river. But the alarm continued, -and there were people at Gondar who were ready to swear they saw the -villages and churches on fire, and a large army of Galla in their march -to Ibaba, at the same time that there was not one Galla on the Gojam -side of the river. - -The king, however, either considering this small body of Galla coming -at this unseasonable time, and the panic that was so artificially -spread, as a feint to throw him off his guard when a real invasion -might be intended, or with a view to cover his own designs, summoned -all the men of the province of Gojam to meet him in arms at Ibaba the -7th day of January, being the proper season for preparing an expedition -into the country of the Galla. He himself in the mean time retired to -Dek, an island in the lake Tzana, there to stay till his army should be -collected. - -While the king was in the island, a number of the malcontents among the -monks, who had, in the several assemblies, been banished for sedition -with Tebedin, came to him there, desiring to be heard before an -assembly; and they brought with them Arca Denghel, of Debra Samayat, to -support their petition. The king answered, that he was ready to call an -assembly, provided the Abuna desired, or would promise to be present; -but that the Abuna was then at Debra Mariam, where they might go and -know his mind. - -The Abuna, who foresaw little good could be expected from such -meetings, and knew how disagreeable they were to the king, absolutely -refused to attend. On this they returned again to the king, desiring -that, of his own mere prerogative, he would call their assembly without -consulting further the Abuna. To this the king answered boldly, That -he knew it was his right to call his subjects together, without any -other reason for so doing but his will; yet, when the avowed cause of -the meeting was to canvass matters of faith, he had made it a rule to -himself, that the Abuna should always be present, or at least consent -to the meeting. And with this answer he ordered them all to depart -immediately. - -Many of the principal people about the king advised him to put these -turbulent people in irons, for daring to come into his presence without -leave. But Yasous was contented to remand each to the place of his -banishment from whence he came. He then removed from Dek to Ibaba, on -the 10th of January, the journey being no more than two easy days; -but, whether it was that the Galla did not intend another invasion, or -whether they were overawed by the king’s preparations and presence, and -did not think themselves safe even in their own country, none of them -this year passed the Nile, or gave any uneasiness either to Gojam or -Damot. - -Though the whole nation believed that the king’s attention was entirely -engaged in the various expeditions against the Galla and Shangalla, -which he executed with so much diligence and success, yet there was -still a principal object superior to all these, which remained a secret -in his own breast, after the parties concerned had absolutely forgot -it. All his campaigns against the Shangalla were only designed to lull -asleep those he considered as his principal enemies, that he might make -the blow he aimed at them more certain and effectual. - -Six years had now passed since the Agows, and particularly the most -powerful tribe of them, the Zeegam, had, with those of Damot and the -Galla, conspired to put the crown upon the head of the rebel prince -Isaac, who had lost his life in the engagement which followed on the -other side of the Nile. It will be remembered also, that the country -of the Agows is in general open, full of rich plains, abundantly -watered by variety of fine streams; in other parts, gentle risings -and descents, but without mountains, saving that, almost in every -tribe, Nature had placed one rugged mountain to which these people -retired upon the approach of their neighbouring enemies the Galla and -Shangalla. This description does, in a more extensive manner, belong to -the country of the Zeegam, the most powerful, rich, and trading tribe -of the whole nation. - -Not one single mountain, but a considerable ridge, divides the country -nearly in the middle, the bottom of which, and nearly one-third up, -is covered with brush-wood, full of stiff bamboos and canes, bearing -prickly fruit, with aloes, acacia very thorny, and of several dwarf -shrubby kinds, interspersed with the kantuffa[64], a beautiful thorn, -which alone is considered, where it grows thick and in abundance, as -a sufficient impediment for the march of a royal army. Through these -are paths known only to the inhabitants themselves, which lead you to -the middle of the mountain, where are large caves, probably begun by -Nature, and afterwards enlarged by the industry of man. The mouths of -these are covered with bushes, canes, and wild oats, that grow so as to -conceal both man and horse, while the tops of these mountains are flat -and well-watered, and there they sow their grain out of the reach of -the enemy. Upon the first alarm they drive the cattle to the top, lodge -their wives and children in the caves, and, when the enemy approaches -near, they hide the cattle in the caves likewise, some of which -cavities are so large as to hold 500 oxen, and all the people to which -they belong. The men then go down to the lowest part of the mountain, -from whose thickets they sally, upon every opportunity that presents -itself, to attack the enemy whom they find marauding in the plains. - -The king had often assembled his army at Ibaba, only four days march -from Zeegam. He had done more; he had passed below the country, -and returned by the other side of it, in his attack upon Geesa and -Wumbarea; but he had never committed any act of hostility, nor shewn -himself discontented with them. To deceive them still farther, he -ordered now his army to meet him at Esté in Begemder; and sent to -Kasmati Claudius, governor of Tigré, to join him with all his forces as -soon as he should hear he was arrived at Lama, a large plain before we -descend the steep mountain of Lamalmon, which stands not far from the -banks of the river Tacazzé. He privately gave orders also to Kasmati -Claudius, Kasmati Dimmo Christos of Tigré, and to Adera and Quaquera -Za Menfus Kedus, to inform themselves where the water lay below, and -whether there was enough for his army in Betcoom, for so they call the -territory of the eastern branch of Shangalla adjoining to Siré and -Tigré. By this manœuvre the enemy was deceived, as the most intelligent -thought he was to attack Lasta, and the others, that knew the secret of -the water, were sure his march was against the Shangalla. - -The king began his march from Ibaba, and crossed the Nile at the second -cataract below Dara, where there is a bridge; and, entering Begemder, -he joined his army at Esté, which was going in a route directly from -Agow and Damot towards Lasta. But no sooner was he arrived at Esté, -than, that very night, he suddenly turned back the way he came, and, -marching through Maitsha, he crossed the Nile, for the second time, at -Goutto, above the first cataract. - -The morning of the 3d of May, the sixth day of forced marches, without -having encamped the whole way, he entered Zeegam at the head of his -army. He found the country in perfect security, both people and -cattle below on the plains and in the villages; and having put all -to the sword who first offered themselves, and the principal of the -conspirators being taken prisoners, he sold their wives and children -at a public auction for slaves to the highest bidder. He then took the -principal men among them along with him for security for paying six -years tribute which they were in arrears, fined them 6000 oxen, which -he ordered to be delivered upon the spot; and then collecting his army, -he sent to the chiefs of Damot to meet him before he entered their -territory, and to bring security with them for the fine he intended to -lay upon them, otherwise he would destroy their country with fire and -sword; and he advanced the same day to Assoa, south of the sources of -the Nile, divided only from Damot by the ridge of mountains of Amid -Amid. - -The people of Damot, inhabiting an open level country without defence, -had no choice but to throw themselves on the king’s mercy, who fined -them 500 ounces of gold and 100 oxen, and took the principal people -with him in irons as hostages. - -He then returned, leaving the sources of the Nile on his right, through -Dengui, Fagitta, and Aroosi; crossed the river Kelti, having the Agow -and Atchesser on his left, and returned to Gondar by Dingleber. He -then gave 2000 cattle to the churches of Tecla Haimanout and Yasous, -being neared the king’s palace, to the Itchegué Hannes, the judges and -principal servants of his household, to all a share, without reserving -one to himself. And the rains being now very constant, (for it was the -25th of June) he resolved to continue the rest of the winter in Gondar -to regulate the affairs of the church. - -This year the king resumed his expedition against the Shangalla, -towards which he had taken several preparatory steps, while he was -projecting the surprise of the Zeegam. These are the Troglodytes on -the eastern part of Abyssinia, towards the Red Sea, south of Walkayt, -Siré, Tigré, and Baharnagash, till they are there cut off by the -mountains of the Habab. These, the most powerful of all their tribes, -are comprehended under the general name of _Dobenah_; the tribe Baasa, -which we have already spoken of as occupying the banks of the Tacazzé, -are the only partners they have in the peninsula formed by that river -and the Mareb. Their country and manner of life have been already -abundantly described. It is all called Kolla, in opposition to Daga, -which is the general name of the mountainous parts of Abyssinia. - -The king, being informed by Kasmati Claudius that there was water in -great plenty at Betcoom, marched from Gondar the 29th of October to -Deba, thence to Kossoguè, after to Tamama. He then turned to the left -to a village called Sidrè, nearer to the Shangalla. From this station -he forbade the lighting fires in the camp, and took the road leading to -the Mareb; then turning to the left, the 1st of December he surprised a -village called Kunya. The king was the first who began the attack, and -was in great danger, as Mazmur, captain of his guard, was killed by a -lance at his side. But the soldiers rushing in upon sight of the king’s -situation, who had already slain two with his own hand, the village was -carried, and the inhabitants put to the sword, refusing all to fly, and -fighting obstinately to the last gasp. - -From Kunya the king proceeded rapidly to Tzaada Amba[65], the largest -and most powerful settlement of these savages. They have no water -but what they get from the river Mareb, which, as I have elsewhere -observed, rises above Dobarwa, and, after making the circle of that -town, loses itself soon after in the sand for a space, then appears -again, and, after a short course, hides itself a second time to the N. -E. near the Taka, whose wells it supplies with fresh water. But in the -rainy months it runs with a full-stream, in a wide and deep bed, and -unites itself to the Tacazzé, with it making the northmost point of the -ancient island of Meroë. - -The king met the same success at Tzaada Amba that he had before -experienced at Kunya, at which last village he passed the feast of the -epiphany and benediction of the waters; a ceremony annually observed -both by the Greek and Abyssinian church, the intent of which has been -strangely mistaken by foreigners. - -From Kunya, his head-quarters, Yasous attacked the several nations -of which this is, as it were, the capital, Zacoba, Fadè, Qualquou, -and Sahalé, and he returned again to Tzaada Amba, resolving to -complete their destruction. The remains of these miserable people, -finding resistance vain, had hid themselves in inaccessible caves in -the mountains, and the thickest parts of the woods, where they lay -perfectly concealed in the day-time, and only stole out when thirst -obliged them at night. The king, who knew this, and that they had no -other water but what they brought from the Mareb, formed a strong line -of troops along the banks of that river, till the greatest part of the -Shangalla of Tzaada Amba died with thirst, or were taken or slain by -the army. - -His next enterprize was to attempt Betcoom, a large habitation of -Shangalla east of the Mareb, whose number, strength, and reputation for -courage, had hitherto prevented the Abyssinians from molesting them, -never having touched, unless the farthest skirts of their country. The -names of their tribes inhabiting Betcoom are, Baigada, Dadé, Ketfè, -Kicklada, Moleraga, Megaerbé, Gana, Selé, Hamta, Shalada, Elmsi, and -Lentè. The small river of Lidda falling from a high precipice, when -swelled with the winter rains, hollows out deep and large reservoirs -below, which it leaves full of water when the rains cease, so that -these people are here as well supplied with water as those that dwell -on the large rivers the Mareb and Tacazzé. This was a circumstance -unknown, till this sagacious and provident king ordered the place to -be reconnoitred by Kasmati Claudius, then marched and encamped on the -river Lidda, which, after a short but violent course, falls into the -Mareb. - -The Shangalla of Betcoom did nothing worthy of their reputation or -numbers. They had already procured intelligence of the fate of great -part of their nation, and had dispersed themselves in unknown and -desolate places. The king, however, made a considerable number of -slaves of the younger sort, and killed as many of the rest as fell into -his hands. - -Leaving Betcoom, the army proceeded still eastward; passed through the -mountains of the Habab, into the low level country which runs parallel -to the Red Sea, at the base of these mountains, where he spent several -days hunting the elephant, some of which he slew with his own hand, and -turned then to the left to Amba Tchou[66] and Taka. - -The Taka are a nation of Shepherds living near the extremity of the -rains. They are not Arabs, but live in villages, and were part formerly -of the Bagla, or Habab; they speak the language of Tigré, and are now -reputed part of the kingdom of Sennaar. - -While the king was at Taka, he received the disagreeable news, that, -after he had left the Shangalla on the Mareb, Mustapha Gibberti, a -Mahometan soldier in the service of Kasmati Fasa Christos of Dedgin, -had, with a small number of men, ventured down, thinking that he should -surprise the Shangalla of Tzaada Amba, before they recovered from -their late misfortune. This Mustapha had slain two or three Shangalla -with fire-arms; and at first they stood aloof as fearing the king. But -finding soon that it was no part of his army, and only a small body -of adventurers, the Shangalla ‘now collected in numbers, surrounded -Mustapha and his party, whom they cut off to a man; and, pursuing their -advantage, they entered and took Dedgin, wounded Kasmati Fasa Christos, -and put the inhabitants of the town to the sword’. - -News of this misfortune were carried speedily to Kasmati Claudius, -governor of Tigré: Cassem, a Mahometan, led the Gibbertis, the people -of that religion in the province; and, as he was an advanced party, -came speedily to blows with the Shangalla, and was closely engaged, -with great appearance of success, when Claudius came up with an army -that would soon have put an end to the contest. But no sooner was -his army engaged with the Shangalla, than a panic seized him, and he -sounded a retreat; which, in an instant, became a most shameful flight. -Cassem and his gibbertis fell, fighting to the last man in the middle -of their enemies. The Shangalla followed their advantage, and great -part of the Abyssinian army perished in the flight; Claudius, tho’ he -escaped, left his standard, kettle-drums, and his whole province in -possession of the enemy. - -The king, upon hearing this, returned hastily into Siré; and his -presence established order and tranquillity in that province, already -half abandoned for fear of the Shangalla. From Siré the king proceeded -to Axum, where he celebrated his victories over the Shangalla, by -several days of feasting and thanksgiving. - -In the midst of this rejoicing, news were brought that Murat, a servant -of the king, whom he had dispatched to India with merchandise, to -bring such commissions as he stood in need of, was arrived at Masuah, -where Musa the Naybe, or Turkish governor of the island, had detained -him, and seized his goods, under some vexatious pretences. There is -not indeed a more merciless, thievish set of miscreants, than in that -government of Masuah. But the king knew too well the few resources that -island had, to be long in applying a remedy, without moving from Axum; -after being fully informed of the affair, in all its circumstances, -by Murat, he sent to Abba Saluce, Guebra Christos, and Zarabrook of -Hamazen, the governors of the districts, that as it were surround -Masuah, prohibiting all, upon pain of death, to suffer any provisions -to be carried by any person whatever into the island of Masuah. - -A severe famine instantly followed, which was to terminate in certain -death, before any relief could come to them, unless from Abyssinia. -The Naybe Musa, therefore, found into what a terrible scrape he had -got; but hunger did not leave him a moment to deliberate. No third -way remained, but either he must see the king, or die; and without -hesitation he chose the former. He, therefore, set out for Axum, -bringing with him Murat and all the merchandises he had seized, as also -several very considerable presents for Yasous himself, who accepted -them, received his submission, and ordered the communication with -Abyssinia to be open as before. This done, he dismissed the Naybe, who -returned to Masuah in peace. - -The next affair that came before the king was that of Kasmati Claudius, -(governor of Tigré) who was accused and found guilty of having fled -while the battle with the Shangalla was yet undecided, leaving his -standard and kettle-drums in the power of the enemy. Besides his -present misbehaviour, strong prejudice existed against him, drawn from -his former character; for it was averred, from very credible authority, -that on one occasion, upon a very slender appearance of sedition, -he ordered his troops to fire upon several priests of Axum, some of -whom were killed on the spot. Besides which, in the reign of Hatzè -Hannes, he was found guilty of capital crimes committed at Emfras, -condemned to die, and was already hanging upon the tree, when a very -seasonable reprieve arrived from the king, and he was thereupon cut -down whilst yet alive. Yasous contented himself with depriving him of -his employment, and afterwards sending him to perpetual banishment. - -The next brought to their trial were Za Woldo, and Adera and his sons. -These last were very near relations to the king, for they were sons of -Ozoro Keduset Christos, daughter of Facilidas. They were accused of -having deserted their country and left it waste to be over-run by wild -beasts, and a rendezvous for the Shangalla, who thence extended their -incursions as far as Waldubba. Of this there was ample proof against -them, and they were therefore sentenced to die, but the king commuted -their punishment into that of being imprisoned for life in a cave in -the island of Dek. - -As for the province of Siré itself, he declared all the inhabitants and -nobility, degraded from their rank, and all lands, whether feus from -the king, or held by any other tenure, were confiscated, resumed by, -and re-united to the crown. He then reduced the whole province from a -royal government to a private one, and annexed it to the province of -Tigré, whose governor was to place over it a shum, or petty officer, -without any ensigns of power. And, last of all, he gave the government -of Tigré to the Ras Feres, or master of the horse, in room of Kasmati -Claudius degraded and banished. - -The many striking examples which the king had lately given, one close -upon the other, of his own personal bravery, his impartial justice, his -secrecy in his expeditions, and the certain vengeance that followed -where it was deserved, his punishment of the Zeegam, his expedition -against the Shangalla, his affair with the Naybe Musa, and his -behaviour to the cowardly Claudius and dastardly nobility of Siré, -fully convinced his subjects of all degrees, that neither family, nor -being related to the crown, nor the strength of their country, nor -length of time since they offended, nor indeed any thing but a return -to and continuance in their duty, could give them security under such -a prince. Thus ended the campaign of the Dobenah, spoke of to this -day in Abyssinia as the greatest warlike atchievement of any of their -kings. Twenty-six thousand men are said to have perished by thirst -when the king took possession of the water at Tzaada Amba. And yet, -notwithstanding the small-pox which, in some places, exterminated -whole tribes, the Dobenah have not lost an inch of territory, but seem -rather to be gaining upon Siré. - -Yasous arrived at Dancaz on the 8th of March 1692, having dismissed his -army as he passed Gondar. From Dancaz he went to Lasta, and after a -short stay there, came to Arringo in Begemder. At this place the king -received accounts that far exceeded his expectations, and gratified his -warmest wishes. He had long endeavoured to gain a party among the Galla -to divide them; and, though no marks of success had yet followed, he -still had continued to use his endeavours. - -On his arrival at Arringo, he was met by a chief of the southern -Galla, called Kal-kend, who brought him advice that, while he was -busy with the Shangalla, an irruption had been made into Amhara by -the Galla tribes of Liban and Toluma; that they, the king’s friends, -had come up with them at Halka, fought with them, and beat them, and -freed Amhara entirely from all apprehension. The king, exceedingly -rejoiced to see his most inveterate enemies become the defenders of his -country, ordered the governor of Amhara to pay the Kal-kend 500 webs -of cotton-cloth, 500 loads of corn, and escort both the men and the -present till they were safely delivered in their own country. - -The 30th of June the king arrived at Gondar from Arringo, and -immediately summoned an assembly of the clergy to meet and receive -a letter from the patriarch of Alexandria, brought by Abba Masmur -of Agde, and Abba Dioscuros of Maguena, who were formerly sent to -Egypt to ask the patriarch why he displaced Abuna Christodulus, and -appointed Abba Sanuda in his room, and desiring that Abba Marcus should -be made Abuna, and Sanuda deposed. The clergy met very punctually, and -the patriarch’s letter was produced in the assembly, the seal examined, -and declared to be the patriarch’s, and unbroken. The letter being -opened by the king’s order, it contained the patriarch’s mandate to -depose Abba Sanuda, and to put Marcus Abuna in his place, which was -immediately done by command of the king. - -While Yasous was thus busied in directing the affairs of his kingdom -with great wisdom and success, both in church and state, a matter was -in agitation, unknown to him, at a distance from his dominions, which -had a tendency to throw them again into confusion. - -Towards the end of the last century, there was settled at Cairo a -number of Italian missionaries of the reformed Order of St Francis, -who, though they lived in the same convent, and were maintained at the -expence of the fathers of the Holy Land, yet did they still pretend -to be independent of the guardian of Jerusalem, the superior of these -latter. - -The expence of their maintenance, joined with their pretensions to -independence, gave great offence to those religious of the Holy Land, -who thereupon carried their complaints to Rome, offering to be at the -whole charge of the mission of Egypt, and to furnish from their own -society subjects capable of attending to, and extending the Christian -faith. This offer met with the desired success at Rome. The mission of -Egypt, to the exclusion of every other Order, was given to the fathers -of Jerusalem, or the Holy Land, whom we shall henceforth call Capuchin -friars. These capuchins lost no time, but immediately dismissed the -reformed Franciscans, whom we shall hereafter distinguish by the name -of Franciscans, suffering only two of that Order to remain at Cairo. - -The Franciscans, thus banished, returned all to Rome, and there, for -several years together, openly defended their own cause, insisting upon -the justice of their being replaced in the exercise of their ancient -functions. This, however, they found absolutely impossible. They were a -poor Order, and the interest of the capuchins had stopped every avenue -of the sacred college against them. Finding, therefore, that fair and -direct means could not accomplish their ends, they had recourse to -others not so commendable, and by these they succeeded, and obtained -their purpose. They pretended that, when the Jesuits were chased out of -Abyssinia, a great number of Catholics, avoiding the persecution, had -fled into the neighbouring countries of Sennaar and Nubia; that they -still remained, most meritoriously preserving their faith amidst the -very great hardships inflicted upon them by the infidels; but that, -under these hardships, they must soon turn Mahometans, unless spiritual -assistance was speedily sent them. - -This representation, as totally void of truth as ever fable was, was -confirmed by the two Franciscans, who still remained at Cairo by -permission of the capuchins, or fathers of the Holy Land; and, when -afterwards published at Rome, it excited the zeal of every bigot -in Italy. All interested themselves in behalf of these imaginary -Christians of Nubia; and pope Innocent XII. was so convinced of the -truth of the story, as to establish a considerable fund to support the -expence of this, now called the Ethiopic mission, the sole conduct of -which remains still with the reformed Franciscans. - -To take care of these fugitive Christians of Nubia, though it was the -principal, yet it was not the only charge committed to the fathers of -his mission. They were to penetrate into Abyssinia, and keep the seeds -of the Romish faith alive there until a proper time should present -itself for converting the whole kingdom. - -In order to this, a large convent was bought for them at Achmim, the -ancient Panopolis in Upper Egypt, that here they might be able to -afford a refreshment to such of their brethren as should return weary -and exhausted by their preaching among the Nubian confessors; and, for -further assistance, they had permission to settle two of their Order at -Cairo, independent of the fathers of the Holy Land, notwithstanding the -former exclusion. - -Such is the state of this mission at the present time. No Nubian -Christians ever existed at the time of their establishment, nor is -there one in being at this day. But if their proselytes have not -increased, their convents have. Achmim, Furshout, Badjoura, and Negadè -are all religious houses belonging to this mission, although I never -yet was able to learn, that either Heretic, or Pagan, or Mahometan, -was so converted as to die in the Christian faith at any one of these -places; nor have they been much troubled with relieving their brethren, -worn out with the toils of Abyssinian journies, none of them, as far -as I know, having ever made one step towards that country; nor is this -indeed to be regretted by the republic of letters, because, besides -a poor stock of scholastic divinity, not one of them that I saw had -either learning or abilities to be of the smallest use either in -religion or discovery. - -It was now the most brilliant period of the reign of Louis XIV. almost -an Augustan age, and generally allowed so, both in France and among -foreigners. Men of merit, of all countries and professions, felt -the effects of the liberality of this great encourager of learning; -public works were undertaken, and executed superior to the boasted -ones of Greece or Rome, and a great number and variety of noble events -constituted a magnificent history of his reign, in a series of medals. -Religion alone had yet afforded no hint for these. His conduct in this -matter, instead of that of a hero, shewed him to be a blind, bloody, -merciless tyrant, madly throwing down in a moment, with one hand, what -he had, with the assistance of great ministers, been an age in building -with the other. The Jesuits, zealous for the honour of the king, their -great protector, thought this a time to step in and wipe away the -stain. With this view they set upon forwarding a scheme, which might -have furnished a medal superior to all the rest, had its inscription -been, “The Kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts.” - -Father Fleuriau, a friend of father de la Chaise, the king’s confessor, -was employed to direct the consul of Cairo, that he should, in -co-operation with the Jesuits privately, send a fit person into -Abyssinia, who might inspire the king of that country with a desire -of sending an embassy into France, and, upon the management of this -political affair, they founded their hopes of getting themselves -replaced in the mission they formerly enjoyed, and of again superseding -their rivals the Franciscans, in directing all the measures to be taken -for that country’s conversion. But this required the utmost delicacy, -for it was well known, that the court of Rome was very much indisposed -towards them, imputing to their haughtiness, implacability, and -imprudence, the loss of Abyssinia. Their conduct in China, where they -tolerated idolatrous rites to be blended with Christian worship, began -also now to be known, and to give the greatest scandal to the whole -church. It was, therefore, necessary to make the king declare first in -their favour before they began to attempt to conciliate the pope. - -Louis took upon him the protection of this mission with all the -readiness the Jesuits desired; and the Jesuit Verseau was sent -immediately to Rome, with strong letters to cardinal Jansen, protector -of France, who introduced him to the pope. - -Verseau knew well the consequence of the protection with which he was -honoured. At his first audience he declared, in a very firm voice and -manner, to the pope, that the king had resolved to take upon himself -the conduct of the Ethiopic mission, and that he had cast his eyes upon -them (the Jesuits) as the fittest persons to be entrusted with the -care of it, for _reasons best known to himself_. The pope dissembled; -he extolled, in the most magnificent terms, the king’s great zeal for -the advancement of religion, approved of the choice he had made of the -Jesuits, and praised their resolution as highly acceptable to him, -immediately consenting that Verseau, and five other Jesuits, should -without delay pass into Abyssinia. - -But it very soon appeared, that, however this might be the language -of the pope, nothing could be more remote from his intentions; for, -without the knowledge of the Jesuits, or any way consulting them, he -appointed the superior of the Franciscans to be his legate a latere to -the king of Abyssinia, and provided him with presents to that prince, -and the chief noblemen of his court. - -Some time afterwards, when, to prevent strife or concurrence, the -Jesuits applied to the pope to receive his directions which of the two -should first attempt to enter Abyssinia, the Franciscans, or their own -Order, the pope answered shortly, That it should be those who were most -expert. Whether this apparent indisposition of his Holiness intimidated -Verseau is not known; but, instead of going to Cairo, he went to -Constantinople, thence to Syria, to a convent of his Order of which -he was superior, and there he staid. So that the Ethiopic mission at -Cairo remained in the hands of two persons of different Orders, the one -Paschal, an Italian Franciscan friar, the other a Jesuit and Frenchman, -whose name was Brevedent. - -Brevedent was a person of the most distinguished piety and probity, -zealous in promoting his religion, but neither imprudent nor rash in -his demonstrations of it; affable in his carriage, chearful in his -disposition, of the most profound humility and exemplary patience. -Besides this, he was reputed a man of good taste and knowledge in -profane learning, and, what crowned all, an excellent mathematician. -He seems indeed to me to have been a copy of the famous Peter Paez, who -first gave an appearance of stability to the Portuguese conversion of -Abyssinia; like him he was a Jesuit, but of a better nation, and born -in a better age. - -I must here likewise take notice of what I have already hinted, that -in Abyssinia the character of ambassador is not known. They have no -treaties of peace or commerce with any nation in the world: But, for -purposes already mentioned, factors are employed; and, Abyssinia -being everywhere surrounded by Mahometans, these of course have the -preference; and, as they carry letters from their masters, the custom -of the East obliges them to accompany these with presents to the -sovereigns of the respective kingdoms through which they pass, and -this circumstance dignifies them with the title of ambassador in the -several courts at which they have business. Such was Musa, a factor of -the king, whom we have seen detained, and afterwards delivered by the -Naybe of Masuah, not many years before, in this king’s reign; and such -also was Hagi Ali, then upon his master’s business at Cairo, when M. de -Maillet was consul there, and had received his instructions from father -Fleuriau at Paris, to bring about this embassy from Abyssinia. - -Besides his other business, Hagi Ali had orders to bring with him a -physician, if possible, from Cairo; for Yasous and his eldest son were -both of a scorbutic habit, which threatened to turn into a leprosy. -Hagi Ali, in former voyages, had been acquainted with a capuchin friar -Paschal; and, having received medicines from him before, he now applied -to Paschal to return with him into Abyssinia, and undertake the cure -of the king. Paschal very readily complied with this, upon condition -that he should be allowed to take for his companion a monk of his own -Order, friar Anthony; to which Hagi Ali readily consented, happy in -being enabled to carry two physicians to his master instead of one. - -The French consul was soon informed of this treaty with the friar -Paschal; and, having very easy means to bring Hagi Ali to his house, -he informed him, that neither Paschal nor Anthony were physicians, but -that he himself had a man of his own nation, whose merit he extolled -beyond any thing that had hitherto been said of Hippocrates or Galen. -Hagi Ali very willingly accepted of the condition, and it was agreed -that, as Verseau had not appeared, Brevedent above mentioned should -attend the physician as his servant. - -This physician was Charles Poncet, a Frenchman, settled in Cairo, who -was (as Mr Maillet says) bred a chymist and apothecary, and, if so, -was necessarily better skilled in the effects and nature of medicine -than those are who call themselves physicians, and practise in the -east. Nothing against his private character was intimated by the -consul at this time; and, with all deference to better judgment, I -must still think, that if Poncet did deserve the epithets of drunkard, -liar, babbler, and thief, which Maillet abundantly bestows upon him -towards the end of this adventure, the consul could not have chosen a -more improper person as the representative of his master, nor a more -probable one to make the design he had in hand miscarry; nor could he, -in this case, ever vindicate the preventing Paschal’s journey, who must -have been much fitter for all the employments intended than such a man -as Poncet was, if one half is true of that which the consul said of him -afterwards. - -Maillet, having so far succeeded, prevailed upon one Ibrahim Hanna, -a Syrian, to write five letters, according to his own ideas, in the -Arabic language, one of which was to the king, the four others to -the principal officers at the court of Abyssinia: doubting, however, -whether Ibrahim’s expressions were equal to the sublimity of his -sentiments, he directed him to submit the letters to the consideration -of one Francis, a monk, capuchin, or friar of the Holy Land. Ibrahim -knew not this capuchin; but he was intimate with another Francis of the -reformed Franciscan Order, and to him by mistake he carried the letters. - -These Franciscans were the very men from whom Mr de Maillet would have -wished to conceal the sending Poncet with the Jesuit Brevedent; but -the secret being now revealed, Ibrahim Hanna was discharged the French -service for this mistake; and Hagi Ali departing immediately after with -Poncet and Brevedent, no time remained for the Franciscans to take the -steps they afterwards did to bring about the tragedy in the person of -Poncet, which they completely effected in that of Mr Noir du Roule. - -Mr Poncet, furnished with a chest of medicines at the expence of the -factory, accompanied by father Brevedent, who, in quality of his -servant, now took the name of Joseph, joined Hagi Ali, and the caravan -destined in the first place, to Sennaar the capital of Nubia. - -Poncet set out from Cairo on the 10th of June of the year 1698, and, -fifteen days after, they came to Monfalout, a considerable town upon -the banks of the Nile, the rendezvous of the caravan being at Ibnah, -half a league above Monfalout. Here they tarried for above three -months, waiting the coming of the merchants from the neighbouring towns. - -In the afternoon of the 24th of September, they advanced above a league -and a half distance, and took up their lodging at Elcantara, or the -bridge, on the eastern bank of the Nile. A large calish, or cut, from -the Nile stretches here to the east, and, at that season, was full of -water, the inundation being at its height. - -Poncet believes he was on the eastern banks of the Nile; but this is a -mistake. Siout and Monfalout, the cities he speaks of, are both on the -western banks of that river; nor had the caravan any thing to do with -the eastern banks, when their course was for many days to the west, and -to the southward of west. Nor was the bridge he passed a bridge over -the Nile. There are no bridges upon that river from the Mediterranean -till we arrive at the second cataract near the lake Tzana in Abyssinia. -The amphitheatre and ruins he speaks of are the remains of the ancient -city Isiu; and what he took for the Nile was a calish from the river to -supply that city with water. - -The 2d of October the caravan set out in earnest, and passed, as he -says, into a frightful desert of sand, having first gone through a -narrow passage, which he does not mention, amidst those barren, bare, -and stony mountains which border the valley of Egypt on the west. - -The 6th of October they came to El-Vah, a large village, or town, -thick-planted with palm-trees, the Oasis Parva of the ancients, the -last inhabited place to the west that is under the jurisdiction of -Egypt. By softening the original name, Poncet calls this Helaoue, -which, as he says, signifies _sweetness_. But surely this was never -given it from the productions he mentions to abound there, _viz._ senna -and coloquintida. The Arabs call El-Vah a shrub or tree, not unlike -our hawthorn either in form or flower. It was of this wood, they say, -Moses’s rod was made when he sweetened the waters of Marah. With a -rod of this wood, too, Khalid Ibn el Waalid, the great destroyer of -Christians, sweetened these waters at El-Vah, once very bitter, and -gave it the name from this miracle. A number of very fine springs burst -from the earth at El-Vah, which renders this small spot verdant and -beautiful, though surrounded with dreary deserts on every quarter; it -is situated like an island in the midst of the ocean. - -The caravan rested four days at El-Vah to procure water and provisions -for the continuation of the journey thro’ the desert. Poncet’s -description of the unpleasantness of this, is perfectly exact, and -without exaggeration. In two days they came to Cheb, where there -is water, but strongly impregnated with alum, as the name itself -signifies; and, three days after, they reached Selima, where they found -the water good, rising from an excellent spring, which gives its name -to a large desert extending westward forty-five days journey to Dar -Fowr, Dar Selè, and Bagirma, three small principalities of Negroes -that live within the reach of the tropical rains. - -At Selima they provided water for five days; and, on the 26th of -October, having turned their course a little to the eastward, came to -Moscho, or Machou, a large village on the western banks of the Nile, -which Poncet still mistakes for the eastern, and which is the only -inhabited place since the leaving El-Vah, and the frontiers of the -kingdom of Dongola, dependent upon that of Sennaar. The Nile here takes -the farthest turn to the westward, and is rightly delineated in the -French maps. - -Poncet very rightly says, this is the beginning of the country of the -Barabra, or Berberians, (I suppose it is a mistake of the printer -when called in the narrative Barauras). The true signification of the -term is _the land of the Shepherds_, a name more common and better -known in the first dynasties of Egypt than in more modern histories. -The Erbab (or governor) of this province received him hospitably, and -kindly invited him to Argos, his place of residence, on the eastern or -opposite side of the Nile, and entertained him there, upon hearing from -Poncet that he was sent for by the king of Abyssinia. - -After refreshing themselves eight days at Moscho, they left it on the -4th of November 1698, and arrived at Dongola on the 13th of the same -month. The country which he passed along the Nile is very pleasant, and -is described by him very properly. It does not owe its fertility to the -overflowing of the Nile, the banks of that river being considerably too -high. It is watered, however, by the industry of the inhabitants, who, -by different machines, raise water from the stream. - -We are not to attribute to Poncet, but to those who published, the -story here put into father Brevedent’s mouth about the fugitive -Christians in Nubia, which fable gave rise to the first institution of -the Ethiopic mission. “It drew tears, says he, from the eyes of father -Brevedent, my dear companion, when he reflected that it was not long -since this was a Christian country; and that it had not lost the faith -but only for want of some person who had zeal enough to consecrate -himself to the instruction of this abandoned nation.” He adds, that -upon their way they found a great number of hermitages and churches -half ruined; a fiction derived from the same source. - -Dongola was taken, and apostatized early, and the stones of hermitages -and churches had long before this been carried off, and applied to the -building of mosques. Father Brevedent, therefore, if he wept for any -society of Christians at Dongola, must have wept for those that had -perished there 500 years before. - -Poncet was much caressed at Dongola for the cures he made there. The -Mek, or king, of that city wished him much to stay and settle there; -but desisted out of respect, when he heard he was going to the emperor -of Ethiopia. Dongola, Poncet has placed rightly on the eastern bank of -the Nile, about lat. 20° 22´. - -The caravan departed from Dongola on the 6th of January 1699; four days -after which they entered into the kingdom of Sennaar, where they met -Erbab Ibrahim, brother of the prime minister, and were received civilly -by him. He defrayed their expences also as far as Korti, where they -arrived the 13th of January. - -Our travellers from Korti were obliged to enter the great desert of -Bahiouda, and cross it in a S. E. direction till they came to Derreira, -where they rested two days, which, Poncet says, was done to avoid the -Arabs upon the Nile. These Arabs are called Chaigie; they inhabit the -banks of that river to the N. E. of Korti, and never pay the king his -revenue without being compelled and very ill-treated. - -The country about Derreira is called Belled Ullah, from the cause of -its plenty rather than the plenty itself. This small district is upon -the very edge of the tropical rains, which it enjoys in part; and, by -that, is more fruitful than those countries which are watered only by -the industry of man. The Arabs of these deserts figuratively call rain -Rahamet Ullah, ‘the mercy of God’, and Belled Ullah, ‘the country which -enjoys that mercy.’ - -Some days after the caravan came to Gerri. Poncet says, the use of this -station was to examine caravans coming from the northward, whether they -had the small-pox or not. This usage is now discontinued by the decay -of trade. It must always have served little purpose, as the infection -oftener comes in merchandise than by passengers. At Gerri great respect -was shewn to Poncet, as going to Ethiopia. - -I cannot conceive why Poncet says, that, to avoid the great windings -of the Nile, he should have been obliged to travel to the north-east. -This would have plainly carried him back to the desert of Bahiouda, and -the Arabs: his course must have been S. W. to avoid the windings of the -Nile, because he came to Herbagi, which he describes very properly as a -delicious situation. The next day they came to Sennaar. - -The reader, I hope, will easily perceive that my intention is not -to criticise Mr Poncet’s journey. That has been done already so -illiberally and unjustly that it has nearly brought it into disrepute -and oblivion. My intention is to illustrate it; to examine the facts, -the places, and distances it contains; to correct the mistakes where it -has any, and restore it to the place it ought to hold in geography and -discovery. It was the first intelligible itinerary made through these -deserts; and I conceive it will be long before we have another; at any -rate, to restore and establish the old one will, in all sensible minds, -be the next thing to having made a second experiment. - -He surely is in some degree of mistake about the situation of Sennaar -when he says it is upon an eminence. It is on a plain close on the -western banks of the Nile. A small error, too, has been made about its -latitude. By an observation said to have been made by father Brevedent, -the 21st of March 1699, he found the latitude of Sennaar to be 13° 4´ -north. The French maps, the most correct we have in all that regards -the east, place this capital of Nubia in lat. 15° and a few minutes. -But the public may rest assured, that the correct latitude of Sennaar, -by a mean of very small differences of near fifty observations, made -with a three-feet brass quadrant, in the course of several months I -staid in that town, is lat 13° 34´ 36´´ north. - -What I have to say further concerning Sennaar will come more naturally -in my own travels; and I shall only so far consider the rest of -Poncet’s route, as to explain and clear it from mistakes, Sennaar being -the only point in which our two tracts unite. - -I shall beg the reader to remark, that, from the time of Poncet’s -setting out of Egypt till his arrival at Sennaar, so far was he from -being ill-looked upon, or any bad construction being put upon his -errand, that he was, on the contrary, respected everywhere, as going to -the king of Abyssinia. It never was then imagined he was to dry up the -Nile, nor that he was a conjurer to change its course, nor that he was -to teach the Abyssinians to cast cannon and make war, nor that he was -loaded with immense sums of money. These were all _piæ fraudes_, lies -invented by the priests and friars to incite these ignorant barbarians -to a crime which, though it passed unrevenged, will justly make these -brethren in iniquity the detestation of men of every religion in all -ages. - -Poncet left Sennaar the 12th of May 1699, and crossed the Nile at -Basboch, about four miles above the town, where he stopped for three -days. This he calls a fair village; but it is a very miserable one, -consisting of scarce 100 huts, built of mud and reeds. - -He departed the 15th in the evening, and travelled all the night as -far as Bacras, and arrived the day after at Abec; then at Baha, a long -day’s journey of about ten hours. He is mistaken, however, when he says -Baha is situated upon the banks of the Nile, for it is upon a small -river that runs into it. But, at the season he passed it, most of those -rivers were dried up. - -On the 19th he came to Dodar, a place as inconsiderable as Baha; then -to Abra, a large village; then to Debarke and Enbulbul. On the 25th -they came to Giesim. Giesim is a large village situated upon the banks -of the Nile, in the middle of a forest of trees of a prodigious height -and size, all of which are loaded with fruit or flowers, and crowded -with paroquets, and variety of other birds, of a thousand different -colours. They made a long stay at this place, not less than nineteen -days. - -In this interval, father Brevedent is said to have made an observation -of the latitude of the place, which, if admitted, would throw all the -geography of this journey into confusion. Poncet says, that Giesim -is half-way between Sennaar and the frontiers of Ethiopia, and that -a small brook, a little beyond Serké, is the boundary between those -states. Now, from Sennaar to Giesim are nine stages, and one of them we -may call a double one, but between Giesim and Serkè, only four; Giesim -then cannot be half way between Sennaar and Serkè.--Again, the latitude -of Sennaar is 13° 4´ north, according to Brevedent, or rather 13° -34´. Now, if the latitude of Giesim be 10°, then the distance between -Sennaar and it must be about 250 miles which they had travelled in -eight days, or more than thirty miles a-day, which, in that country, is -absolutely impossible. - -But what must make this evident is, that we know certainly that Gondar, -the metropolis to which they were then going, is in lat. 12° 34´ north. -Giesim then would be south of Gondar, and the caravan must have passed -it when the observation was made. But they were not yet arrived at the -confines of Sennaar, much less to the capital of Abyssinia, to which -they were indeed advancing, but were still far to the northward of it. -There is a mistake then in this observation which is very pardonable, -Brevedent being then ill of a mortal dysentery, which terminated in -death soon after. We shall, therefore, correct this error, making the -latitude of Giesim 14° 12´ north, about 110 English miles from Sennaar, -and 203 from Gondar. - -The 11th of June they set out from Giesim for Deleb, then to Chow, and -next to Abotkna. They rested all night, the 14th, in the delightful -valley of Sonnone, and, two days after, they came to Serkè, a large -town of trade, where there are many cotton weavers. Here ends the -kingdom of Sennaar, the brook without this town being the boundary of -the two states. - -Arrived now in Abyssinia, they halted at Tambisso, a village which -belongs to the Abuna; next at Abiad, a village upon the mountain. On -the 23d they stopped in a valley full of canes and ebony-trees, where -a lion carried away one of their camels. On the 24th they passed the -Gandova, a large, violent, and dangerous river. The country being -prodigiously woody, one of their beasts of carriage, straggling from -the caravan, was bit on the hip by a bear, as Mr Poncet apprehends. -But we are now in the country corresponding to that inhabited by -the Shangalla, that is one of the hottest in the world, where the -thermometer rises to 100° in the shade. Bears are not found in climates -like this; and most assuredly there are none even in the higher and -colder mountains above. Poncet does not say he saw the bear, but judged -only by the bite, which might have been that of a lion, leopard, or -many other animals, but more probably that of the hyæna. - -The 27th they arrived at Girana, a village on the top of a mountain. -Here they left their camels, and began to ascend from the Kolla into -the more temperate climate in the mountains of Abyssinia. From Girana -they came to Barangoa, and the next day to Tchelga, where anciently was -the customhouse of Sennaar while peace and commerce subsisted between -the two kingdoms. The 3d of July they arrived at Barcos, or Bartcho, -about half a day’s journey from Gondar; and on the 9th of August father -Brevedent died. Poncet was himself detained by indisposition at this -village of Barcos till the 21st of July, on which day he set out for -Gondar and arrived in the evening, where he succeeded to his wishes, -performing a complete cure upon his royal patient in a very short time; -and so fulfilled this part of his mission as perfectly as the ablest -physician could have done. - -As for the other part with which he was charged, I doubt very much if -it was in his power to perform it in another manner than he did. It -required a mind full of ignorance and presumption, such as was that of -Mr de Maillet and all the missionaries at the head of whom he was, -to believe that it was possible for a private man, such as Poncet, -without language, without funds, without presents, or without power -or possibility of giving them any sort of protection in the way, to -prevail upon 26 or 28 persons, on the word of an adventurer only, to -attempt the traversing countries where they ran a very great risk of -falling into slavery--to do what? why, to go to France, a nation of -Franks whose very name they abhorred, that they might be instructed in -a religion they equally abhorred, to meet with certain death if ever -they returned to their own country; and, unless they did return, they -were of no sort of utility whatever. - -M. de Maillet should have informed himself well in the beginning, if it -was possible that the nobility in Abyssinia could be so contemptible as -to suffer twelve of their children to go to countries unknown, upon the -word of a stranger, at least of such a doubtful character as Poncet. I -say doubtful, because, if he was such a man as M. de Maillet represents -him, a drunkard, a liar, a thief, a man without religion, a perpetual -talker, and a superficial practitioner of what he called his own trade, -surely the Abyssinians must have been very fond of emigration, to have -left their homes under the care of such a patron as this. When did M. -de Maillet ever hear of an Abyssinian who was willing to leave his own -country and travel to Cairo, unless the very few priests who go for -duty’s sake, for penances or vows, to Jerusalem? When did he ever hear -of an Abyssinian layman, noble, or plebeian, attending even the Abuna -though the first dignitary of the church? We shall see presently a poor -slave, a Christian Abyssinian boy, immediately under the protection of -M. de Maillet, and going directly from him into the presence of his -king, taken forcibly from the chancellor of the nation[67], and made a -Mahometan before their eyes. - -The Abyssinian embassy then demanded from France, and recommended to M. -de Maillet, was a presumptuous, vain, impracticable chimera, which must -have ended in disappointment, and which never could have closed more -innocently than it did. - -I shall pass over all that happened during Poncet’s stay at Gondar, as -he did not understand the language, and must therefore have been very -liable to mistake. But as for what he says of armies of 300,000 men; -of the king’s dress at his audience; of his mourning in purple; of -the quantity of jewels he had, and wore; of his having but one wife; -and of large stone-crosses being erected on the corners of the palace -at Gondar; these, and several other things, seem to me to have been -superadded afterwards. Nor do I think what is said of the churches and -Christians remaining in the kingdom of Dongola, nor the monstrous lie -about the golden rod suspended in the air in the convent of Bisan[68], -is at all the narrative of Poncet, but of some fanatic, lying friar, -into whose possession Poncet’s manuscript might have fallen. The -journey itself, such as I have restored it, is certainly genuine; and, -as I believe it describes the best and safest way into Abyssinia, I -have rectified some of the few errors it had, and now recommend it to -all future travellers, and to the public. - -This is to be understood of his travels to Abyssinia, his journey in -returning being much more inaccurate and incomplete, the reason of -which we have in his own words: “I have not, says he, exactly noted -down the places through which we passed, the great weakness I then lay -under not permitting me to write as I could have wished.” I shall, -therefore, say little upon his return, as the deficiency will be -carefully supplied by the history of my own journey from Masuah, the -road by which he left the country being very nearly the same as that by -which I entered. - -It was on the 2d of May of the year 1700 that Poncet left Gondar and -took his journey to the town of Emfras. Here there is a mistake in the -very beginning. Emfras[69], at which place I staid for several weeks, -is in lat. 12° 12´ 38´´, and long. 37° 38´ 30´´, consequently about 22 -miles from Gondar, almost under the same meridian, or south from it; -so that, as he was going to the east, and northward of east, this must -have been so many miles out of his way; for, going towards Masuah, his -first station must have been upon the river Angrab. - -The same may be said of his next to Coga. It was a royal residence -indeed, but very much out of his way. He has forgot likewise, when -he says, that, in the way from Gondar to Emfras, you must go over a -very high mountain. The way from Gondar to Emfras is the beaten way to -Begemder, Foggora, and Dara, and so on to the second cataract of the -Nile. It is on that plain the armies were encamped before the battle -of Serbraxos[70], whence the road passes by Correva, which is indeed -upon a rising ground, sloping gently to the lake Tzana, but is not -either mountain or hill. - -Seven or eight days are a space of time just enough for the passing -through Woggora, where he justly remarks the heats are not so excessive -as in the places he came from. He takes no notice of the passage of -Lamalmon, which ought to have been very sensible to a man in a decayed -state of health, the less so as he was only descending it. Every thing -which relates to the passage of the Tacazzé is just and proper, only -he calls the river itself the Tekesel, instead of the true name, the -_Tacazzé_. It was the Siris of the ancients; and it is doing justice -to both countries, when he compares the province of Siré with the most -delicious parts of his own country of France. This province is that -also where he might very probably receive the young elephant, which he -says awaited him there as a present to the king of France, and which -died a few days after. - -He passed afterwards to Adowa. It is the capital of Tigré, is still the -seat of its governor, and was that of Ras Michael in my time. All that -he says of the intermediate country and its productions, shew plainly -that his work is genuine, and his remarks to be those of an eye-witness. - -From this province of Tigré he enters the country of the Baharnagash, -and arrives at Dobarwa, which he erroneously calls Duvarna, and -says it is the capital of the province of Tigré, whereas it is that -of the Baharnagash. Isaac Baharnagash, when in rebellion against his -sovereign, surrendered this town to the Turks in the year 1558, as may -be seen at large in my history of the transactions of those times. - -As the authenticity of this journey, and the reality of Poncet’s -having been in Abyssinia, has been questioned by a set of vain, -ignorant, fanatic people, and that from malice only, not from spirit -of investigation, of which they were incapable, I have examined every -part of it, and compared it with what I myself saw, and shall now give -one other instance to prove it genuine, from an observation Poncet has -made, and which has escaped all the missionaries, though it was entire -and visible in my time. - -Among the ruins of Axum[71] there is a very high obelisk, flat on both -sides, and fronting the south. It has upon it no hieroglyphic, but -several decorations, or ornaments, the fancy of the architect. Upon a -large block of granite, into which the bottom of it is fixed, and which -stands before it like a table, is the figure of a Greek patera, and on -one side of the obelisk, fronting the south, is the representation of -a wooden door, lock, and a latch to it, which first seems designed to -draw back and then lift up, exactly in the manner those kind of locks -are fashioned in Egypt at this very day. Poncet observed very justly, -there are no such locks made use of in Abyssinia, and wonders how they -should have represented a thing they had never seen, and, having done -so, remained still incapable to make or use it. Poncet was no man of -reading out of his own profession; he nowhere pretends it; he recorded -this fact because he saw it, as a traveller should do, and left others -to give the reason which he could not. Poncet calls this place Heleni, -from a small village of that name in the neighbourhood. Had he been a -scholar he would have known that the ruins he was observing were those -of the city of Axum, the ancient metropolis of this part of Ethiopia. - -Ptolemy Evergetes, the third Grecian king of Egypt, conquered this -city and the neighbouring kingdom; resided some time there; and, being -absolutely ignorant of hieroglyphics, then long disused, he left the -obelisk he had erected for ascertaining his latitudes ornamented with -figures of his own choosing, and the inventions of his subjects the -Egyptians, and particularly the door for a convenience of private life, -to be imitated by his new-acquired subjects the Ethiopians, to whom it -had hitherto been unknown. - -From Dobarwa he arrived at Arcouva, which, he says, geographers -miscall Arequies. M. Poncet might have spared this criticism upon -geographers till he himself had been better informed, for both are -equally miscalled, whether Arcouva or Arequies. The true and only name -of the place, known either to Mahometans or Christians, is Arkeeko, as -the island to which he passed, crossing an arm of the sea, is called -Masuah, not Messoua, as he everywhere spells it. - -From Masuah, Poncet crossed the Red Sea to Jidda, passing the island -Dahalac and Kotumbal, a high rock, the name of which is not known to -many navigators. - -Had old Murat, Musa, and Hagi Ali, happened at that time to have been -upon some mercantile errand to Cairo, there is no doubt but they would -have been preferred and become ambassadors to France. They would have -gone there, perplexed the minister and the consul with a thousand -lies and contrivances, which the French never would have been able to -unravel; they would have promised every thing; obtained from the king -some considerable sum of money, on which they would have undertaken -to send the embassy in any form that was prescribed, and, after their -return home, never been heard of more. But those worthies were, -probably, all employed at this time; therefore the only thing Poncet -could do was to bring Murat, since he was to procure at all events an -ambassador. - -He had been a cook to a French merchant at Aleppo; was a maker of -brandy at Masuah; and probably his uncle old Murat’s servant at the -time. But he was not the worse ambassador for this. Old Murat, Hagi -Ali, and Musa, had perhaps been also cooks and servants in their -time. Prudence, sobriety, and good conduct, skill in languages, and -acquaintance, with countries recommended them afterwards to higher -trusts. Old Murat probably meant that his nephew should begin his -apprenticeship with that embassy to France; and M. Poncet, to increase -his consequence, and fulfil the commission the consul gave him, allowed -him to invent all the rest. - -Poncet, from Jidda, went to Tor, and thence to Mount Sinai, where, -after some stay, being overtaken by Murat, they both made their entry -into Cairo. - -M. de Maillet, the consul, was an old Norman gentleman, exceedingly -fond of nobility, consequently very haughty and overbearing to those -he reckoned his inferiors, among which he accounted those of his own -nation established at Cairo, though a very amiable and valuable set -of men. He was exceedingly testy, choleric, obstinate, and covetous, -though sagacious enough in every thing concerning his own interest. He -lived for the most part in his closet, seldom went out of his house, -and, as far as I could learn, never out of the city. There, however, he -wrote a description of all Egypt, which since has had a considerable -degree of reputation[72]. - -Maillet had received advice of the miserable state of this embassy from -Jidda, that the Sherriffe of Mecca had taken from Poncet, by force, -two female Abyssinian slaves, and that the elephant was dead; which -particulars being written to France, he was advised in a letter from -father Fleuriau by no means to promote any embassy to the court of -Versailles; that a proper place for it was Rome; but that in France -they looked upon it in the same light as they did upon an embassy from -Algiers or Tunis, which did no honour to those who sent it, and as -little to those that received it; this, however, was a new light. - -M. de Maillet, by this letter, becoming master of the ambassador’s -destiny, began first to quarrel with him upon etiquette, or who should -pay the first visit; and, after a variety of ill-usage, insisted upon -seeing his dispatches. This Murat refused to permit, upon which the -consul sent privately to the basha, desiring him to take the dispatches -or letters from Murat, sending him at the same time a considerable -present. - -The basha on this did not fail to extort a letter from Murat by threats -of death. He then opened it. It was in Arabic, in very general and -indifferent terms, probably the performance of some Moor at Masuah, -written at Murat’s instance. And well was it for all concerned that it -was so; for had the letter been a genuine Abyssinian letter, like those -of the empress Helena and king David III. proposing the destruction -of Mecca, Medina, and the Turkish ships on the Red Sea, the whole -French nation at Cairo would have been massacred, and the consul and -ambassador probably impaled. - -The Jesuits, ignorant of this manœvure of M. de Maillet, but alarmed -and scandalized at this breach of the law of nations, for such the -basha’s having opened a letter, addressed to the king of France, was -justly considered, complained to M. Feriol the French ambassador at -Constantinople, who thereupon sent a capigi from the port, to inquire -of the basha what he meant by thus violating the law of nations, and -affronting a friendly power of such consequence as France. - -These capigis are very unwelcome guests to people in office to whom -they are sent. They are always paid by those they are sent to. Besides -this, the report they carry back very often costs that person his -life. The basha, accused by the capigi at the instance of the French -ambassador at Constantinople, answered like an innocent man, That he -had done it by desire of the French consul, from a wish to serve him -and the nation, otherwise he should never have meddled in the matter. -The consequence was, M. de Maillet was obliged to pay the basha the -expence of the capigi; and, having some time afterwards brought it in -account with the merchants, the French nation at Cairo, by deliberation -of the 6th of July of the year 1702, refused to pay 1515 livres, the -demand of the basha, and 518 livres for those of his officers. - -The consul, however, had gained a complete victory over Murat, and -thereupon determined to send Monhenaut, chancellor of France at Cairo, -with letters, which, though written and invented by himself, he -pretended to be translations from the Ethiopian original. - -But father Verseau, the Jesuit, now returned to Cairo, who had entered -into a great distrust of the consul since the discovery of his intrigue -with the basha about Murat’s letter, resolved to be of the party. -Poncet, who was likewise on bad terms with the consul, neither inclined -to lose the merits of his travels into Abyssinia, nor trust the recital -of it to Monhenaut, or to the manner in which it might be represented -in the consul’s letters. These three, Monhenaut, Poncet, and Verseau, -set out therefore for Paris with very different views and designs. They -embarked at Bulac, the shipping-place of Cairo upon the Nile, taking -with them the ears of the dead elephant. - -The remaining part of the present brought for the king of France by -this illustrious embassy, was an Abyssinian boy, a slave bought by -Murat, and who had been hid from the search of the Sherriffe, when he -forcibly took from him the two Abyssinian girls, part of the intended -present also. This boy no sooner embarked on board the vessel at Bulac -than a great tumult arose. The janizaries took the boy out of the -vessel by force, and delivered him to Mustapha Cazdagli, their kaya; -nor could all the interest of M. de Maillet and the French nation, or -all the manœuvres of the Jesuits, ever recover him. - -As for Monhenaut, Poncet, and Verseau, his protectors, they were -obliged to hide themselves from the violence of the mob, nor dared -they again to appear till the vessel sailed. And happy was it for them -that this fell out at Cairo, for, had they offered to embark him at -Alexandria, in all probability it would have cost all of them their -lives. - -I must beg leave here to suggest to the reader, how dangerous, as -well as how absurd, was the plan of this embassy. It was to consist -of twenty-eight Abyssinians, twelve of whom were to be sons of noble -families, all to be embarked to France. What a pleasant day would the -embarkation have been to M. de Maillet! What an honourable appearance -for his king, in the eyes of other Christian princes, to have seen -twenty-eight Christians under his immediate protection, twelve of -whom we might say were princes, (as all the nobility in Abyssinia are -directly of the family of the king), from motives of vanity only, by -the pride of the Jesuits, and the ignorance of the consul, hurried in -one day into apostacy and slavery! Whatever Maillet thought of Poncet’s -conduct, his bringing Murat, and him only, cook as he was, was the very -luckiest accident of his life. - -I know French flatterers will say this would not have happened, or, -if it had, a vengeance would have followed, worthy the occasion and -the resentment of so great a king, and would have prevented all such -violations of the law of nations for the future. To this I answer, The -mischief would have been irreparable, and the revenge taken, however -complete, would not have restored them their religion, and, without -their religion, they themselves would not have returned into their own -country, but would have remained necessary sacrifices, which the pride -and rashness of the Jesuits had made to the faith of Mahomet. - -Besides, where is the threatened revenge for the assassination of M. -du Roule, then actual ambassador from the king of France, of which I -am now to speak? Was not the law of nations violated in the strongest -manner possible by his murder, and without the smallest provocation? -What vengeance was taken for this?--Just the same as would have been -for the other injury; for the Jesuits and consul would have concealed -the one, as tenderness for the Franciscan Friars had made them cover -the other, left their abominable wickedness should be exposed. If the -court of France did not, their consul in Cairo should have known what -the consequence would be of decoying twenty-eight Abyssinians from -their own country, to be perverted from their own religion, and remain -slaves and Mahometans at Cairo, a nuisance to all European nations -established there. - -Upon the arrival of the triumvirate at Paris, Monhenaut immediately -repaired to the minister; Verseau was introduced to the king, and -Poncet, soon after, had the same honour. He was then led as a kind -of show, through all Paris, cloathed in the Abyssinian dress, and -decorated with his gold chain. But while he was vainly amusing himself -with this silly pageantry, the consul’s letters, and the comments made -upon them by Monhenaut, went directly to destroy the credit of his ever -having been in Abyssinia, and of the reality of Murat’s embassy. - -The Franciscan friars, authors of the murder of M. du Roule, enemies to -the mission, as being the work of the Jesuits; M. Piques, member of the -Sorbonne, a body never much distinguished for promoting discoveries, -or encouraging liberal and free inquiry; Abbé Renaudot, M. le Grande, -and some ancient linguists, who, with great difficulty, by the industry -of M. Ludolf, had attained to a very superficial knowledge of the -Abyssinian tongue, all fell furiously upon Poncet’s narrative of his -journey. One found fault with the account he gave of the religion of -the country, because it was not so conformable to the rites of the -church of Rome, as they had from their own imagination and prejudice, -and for their own ends conceived it to be. Others attacked the truth -of the travels, from improbabilities found, or supposed to be found, -in the description of the countries through which he had passed; while -others discovered the forgery of his letters, by faults found in the -orthography of that language, not one book of which, at that day, they -had ever seen. - -All these empty criticisms have been kept alive by the merit of the -book, by this alone they have any further chance of reaching posterity; -while, by all candid readers, this itinerary, short and incomplete as -it is, will not fail to be received as a valuable acquisition to the -geography of these unknown countries of which it treats. - -I think it but a piece of duty to the memory of a fellow-traveller, to -the lovers of truth and the public in general, to state the principal -objections upon which this outcry against Poncet was raised; that, by -the answers they admit of, the world may judge whether they are or are -not founded in candour, and that before they are utterly swallowed up -in oblivion. - -The first is, that of the learned Renaudot, who says he does not -conceive how an Ethiopian could be called by the name of Murat. To -this I answer, Poncet, de Maillet, and the Turkish Basha, say Murat -was an Armenian, a hundred times over; but M. Renaudot, upon his own -authority, makes him an Ethiopian, and then lays the blame upon others, -who are not so ignorant as himself. - -Secondly, Poncet asserts Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia; whereas -the Jesuits have made no mention of it, and this is supposed a strong -proof of Poncet’s forgery. I answer, The Jesuits were banished in -the end of Socinios’s reign, and the beginning of that of his son -Facilidas, that is about the year 1632; they were finally extirpated in -the end of this last prince’s reign, that is before the year 1666, by -his ordering the last Jesuit Bernard Nogueyra, to be publicly hanged. -Now Gondar was not built till the end of the reign of Hannes I. who was -grandson to Socinios, that is about the year 1680. Unless, then, these -holy Jesuits, who, if we believe the missionaries, had all of them a -sight into futurity before their martyrdom, had, from these their _last -visions_, described Gondar as capital of Abyssinia, it does not occur -to me how they should be historians of a fact that had not existence -till 50 years after they were dead. - -Thirdly, Poncet speaks of towns and villages in Ethiopia; whereas -it is known there are no towns, villages, or cities, but Axum.--I -believe that if the Abyssinians, who built the large and magnificent -city of Axum, never had other cities, towns, and villages, they were -in this the most singular people upon earth; or, if places where -6000 inhabitants live together in contiguous houses, separated with -broad streets where there are churches and markets, be not towns and -villages, I do not know the meaning of the term; but if these are -towns, Poncet hath said truth; and many more such towns, which he never -did see nor describe, are in Abyssinia at this day. - -Fourthly, The Abyssinians live, and always have lived, in tents, not in -houses.--It would have been a very extraordinary idea in people living -in tents to have built such a city as Axum, whose ruins are as large -as those of Alexandria; and it would be still more extraordinary, that -people, in such a climate as Abyssinia, in the whole of which there -is scorching weather for six months, deluges of rain, storms of wind, -thunder, lightning, and hurricanes, such as are unknown in Europe, -for the other six, should choose to live in tents, after knowing how -to build such cities as Axum. I wonder a man’s understanding does not -revolt against such absurdities in the moment he is stating them. - -The Abyssinians, while at war, use tents and encampments, to secure the -liberty of movements and changing of ground, and defend themselves, -when stationary, from the inclemency of the weather. But no tent has, -I believe, yet been invented that could stand in the fields in that -country from June to September; and they have not yet formed an idea of -Abyssinia who can suppose this. - -I conceive it is _ignorance_ of the language which has led these -_learned_ men into this mistake. The Abyssinians call a house, standing -by itself, allotted to any particular purpose, Bet. So Bet Negus is a -palace, or the house of a king; Bet Christian is a church, or a house -for Christian worship; whilst Bet Mocha is a prison, or house under -ground. But houses in towns or villages are called Taintes, from the -Abyssinian word Tain, to sleep, lie down, rest, or repose. I suppose -the similitude of this word to tents has drawn these _learned_ critics -to believe, that, instead of towns, these were only collections of -tents. But still I think, no one acquainted with the Abyssinian -language, or without being so, would be so void of understanding as to -believe, a people that had built Axum of stone, should endure, for ages -after, a tropical winter in bare tents. - -The fifth thing that fixes falsehood upon Poncet is, that he describes -delicious valleys beyond European ideas; beautiful plains, covered -with odoriferous trees and shrubs, to be everywhere in his way on the -entrance of Abyssinia; whereas, when Salidan’s brother conquered -this country, the Arabian books say they found it destitute of all -this fruitfulness. But, with all submission to the Arabian books, to -Abbé Renaudot and his immense reading, I will maintain, that neither -Salidan, nor his brother, nor any of his tribe, ever conquered the -country Poncet describes, nor were in it, or ever saw it at a distance. - -The province where Poncet found these beautiful scenes lies between -lat. 12 and 13°. The soil is rich, black mould, which six months -tropical rain are needed to water sufficiently, where the sun is -vertical to it twice a-year, and stationary, with respect to it, for -several days, at the distance of 10°, and at a lesser distance still -for several months; where the sun, though so near, is never seen, but -a thick screen of watery clouds is constantly interposed, and yet the -heat is such, that Fahrenheit’s thermometer rises to 100° in the shade. -Can any one be so ignorant in natural history, as to doubt that, under -these circumstances, a luxuriant, florid, odoriferous vegetation must -be the consequence? Is not this the case in every continent or island -within these limits all round the globe? - -But Poncet contradicts the Arabian books, and all travellers, modern -and ancient; for they unanimously agree that this country is a dreary -miserable desert, producing nothing but Dora, which is millet, and such -like things of little or no value. I wish sincerely that M. Renaudot, -when he was attacking a man’s reputation, had been so good as to name -the author whose authority he relied on. I shall take upon me to deny -there ever was an Arabian book which treated of this country. And with -regard to the ancient and modern travellers, his quotations from -them are, if possible, still more visionary and ridiculous. The only -ancient travellers, who, as I believe, ever visited that country, were -Cambyses’s ambassadors; who, probably, passed this part of Poncet’s -track when they went to the Macrobii, and the most modern authors (if -they can be called modern) that came nearest to it, were the men sent -by Nero[73] to discover the country, whose journey is very doubtful; -and they, when they approached the parts described by Poncet, say “the -country began to be green and beautiful.” Now I wish M. Renaudot had -named any traveller more modern than these messengers of Nero, or more -ancient than those ambassadors of Cambyses, who have travelled through -and described the country of the Shangalla. - -I, that have lived months in that province, and am the only traveller -that ever did so, must corroborate every word Poncet has said upon this -occasion. To dwell on landscapes and picturesque views, is a matter -more proper for a poet than a historian. Those countries which are -described by Poncet, merit a pen much more able to do them justice, -than either his or mine. - -It will be remembered when I say this, it is of the country of the -Shangalla, between lat. 12° and 13° north, that this is the people who -inhabit a hot woody stripe called Kolla, about 40 or 50 miles broad, -that is from north to south, bounded by the mountainous country of -Abyssinia, till they join the Nile at Fazuclo, on the West. - -I have also said, that, for the sake of commerce, these Shangalla have -been extirpated in two places, which are like two gaps, or chasms, -in which are built towns and villages, and through which caravans -pass between Sennaar and Abyssinia. All the rest of this country is -impervious and inaccessible, unless by an armed force. Many armies have -perished here. It is a tract totally unknown, unless from the small -detail that I have entered into concerning it in my travels. - -And here I must set the critic right also, as to what he says of the -produce of these parts. There is no grain called Dara, at least that I -know of. If he meant millet, he should have called it Dora. It is not a -mark of barrenness in the ground where this grows: part of the finest -land in Egypt is sown with it. The banks of the Nile which produce -Dora would also produce wheat; but the inhabitants of the desert like -this better; it goes farther, and does not subject them to the violent -labour of the plough, to which all inhabitants of extreme hot countries -are averse. - -The same I say of what he remarks with regard to cotton. The finest -valleys in Syria, watered by the cool refreshing springs that fall from -Mount Libanus, are planted with this shrub; and, in the same grounds -alternately, the tree which produces its sister in manufactures, silk, -whose value is greatly inhanced by the addition. Cotton clothes all -Ethiopia; cotton is the basis of its commerce with India, and of the -commerce between England, France, and the Levant; and, were it not for -some such ignorant, superficial reasoners as Abbé Renaudot, cotton, -after wool, should be the favourite manufacture of Britain. It will in -time take place of that ungrateful culture, flax; will employ more -hands, and be a more ample field for distinguishing the ingenuity of -our manufacturers. - -We see, then, how the least consideration possible destroys these -ill-founded objections, upon which these very ignorant enemies of -Poncet attempted to destroy his credit, and rob him of the merit of -his journey. At last they ventured to throw off the mask entirely, by -producing a letter supposed to be written from Nubia by an Italian -friar, who asserts roundly, that he hears Poncet was never at the -capital of Ethiopia, nor ever had audience of Yasous; but stole the -clothes and money of father Brevedent, then married, and soon after -forsook his wife and Ethiopia together. - -Maillet could have easily contradicted this, had he acted honestly; for -Hagi Ali had brought him the king of Abyssinia’s letter, who thanked -him for his having sent Poncet, and signified to him his recovery. -But without appealing to M. Maillet upon the subject, I conceive -nobody will doubt, that Hagi Ali had a commission to bring a physician -from Cairo to cure his master, and that Poncet was proposed as that -physician, with consent of the consul. Now, after having carried Poncet -the length of Bartcho, where it is agreed he was when Brevedent died, -(for he was supposed there to have robbed that father of his money) -what could be Hagi Ali’s reason for not permitting him to proceed half -a day’s journey farther to the capital, and presenting him to the king, -who had been at the pains and expence of sending for him from Egypt? -What excuse could Hagi Ali make for not producing him, when he must -have delivered the consul’s letters, telling him that Poncet was come -with the caravan for the purpose of curing him? - -Besides this, M. de Maillet saw Hagi Ali afterwards at Cairo, where -he reproached him with his cruel behaviour, both to Poncet and to -friar Justin, another monk that had come along with him from Ethiopia. -Maillet then must have been fully instructed of Poncet’s whole life -and conversation in Ethiopia, and needed not the Italian’s supposed -communication to know whether or not he had been in Ethiopia. Besides, -Maillet makes use of him as the forerunner of the other embassy he was -then preparing to Gondar, and to that same king Yasous, which would -have been a very strange step had he doubted of his having been there -before. - -Supposing all this not enough, still we know he returned by Jidda, -and the consul corresponded with him there. Now, how did he get from -Bartcho to the Red Sea without passing the capital, and without -the king’s orders or knowledge? Who franked him at those number of -dangerous barriers at Woggora, Lamalmon, the Tacazzé, Kella, and Adowa, -where, though I had the authority of the king, I could not sometimes -pass without calling force to my assistance? Who freed him from the -avarice of the Baharnagash, and the much more formidable rapacity of -that murderer the Naybe, who, we have seen in the history of this -reign, attempted to plunder the king’s own factor Musa, though his -master was within three days journey at the head of an army that in a -few hours could have effaced every vestige of where Masuah had stood? -All this, then, is a ridiculous fabrication of lies; the work, as I -have before said, of those who were concerned in the affair of the -unhappy Du Roule. - -Poncet, having lost all credit, retired from Paris in disgrace, without -any further gratification than that which he at first received. He -carried to Cairo with him, however, a gold watch and a mirror, which he -was to deliver to the consul as a present to his companion Murat, whose -subsistence was immediately stopped, and liberty given him to return to -Ethiopia. - -Nor did Maillet’s folly stop here. After giving poor Murat all the -ill-usage a man could possibly suffer, he entrusted him with a -Jesuit[74] whom he was to introduce into Ethiopia, where he would -certainly have lost his life had not the bad-treatment he received by -the way made him return before he arrived at Masuah. - -This first miscarriage seemed only to have confirmed the Jesuits more -in their resolution of producing an embassy. But it now took another -form. Politicians and statesmen became the actors in it, without a -thought having been bestowed to diminish the enemies of the scheme, or -render their endeavours useless, by a superior knowledge of the manners -and customs of the country through which this embassy was to pass. - -No adventurer, or vagrant physician, (like Poncet) was to be employed -in this second embassy. A minister versed in languages, negociations, -and treaties, accompanied with proper drugomans and officers, was to -be sent to Abyssinia to cement a perpetual friendship and commerce -between two nations that had not a national article to exchange with -each other, nor way to communicate by sea or land. The minister, who -must have known this, very wisely, at giving his fiat, pitched upon the -consul M. de Maillet to be the ambassador, as a man who was acquainted -with the causes of Poncet’s failure, and, by following an opposite -course, could bring this embassy to a happy conclusion for both nations. - -Maillet considered himself as a general whose business was to direct -and not to execute. A tedious and troublesome journey through dangerous -deserts was out of the sphere of his closet, beyond the limits of which -he did not choose to go. Beyond the limits of this, all was desert to -him. He excused himself from the embassy, but gave in a memorial to -serve as a rule for the conduct of his successor in the nomination in -a country he had never seen; but this, being afterwards adopted as a -well-considered regulation, proved one of the principal causes of the -miscarriage and tragedy that followed. - -M. Noir du Roule, vice-consul at Damiata, was pitched upon as the -ambassador to go to Abyssinia. He was a young man of some merit, had -a considerable degree of ambition, and a moderate skill in the common -languages spoken in the east, but was absolutely ignorant of that of -the country to which he was going, and, what was worse, of the customs -and prejudices of the nations through which he was to pass. Like most -of his countrymen, he had a violent predilection for the dress, -carriage, and manners of France, and a hearty contempt for those of -all other nations; this he had not address enough to disguise, and -this endangered his life. The whole French nation at Cairo were very -ill-disposed towards him, in consequence of some personal slight, or -imprudences, he had been guilty of; as also towards any repetition of -projects which brought them, their commerce, and even their lives into -danger, as the last had done. - -The merchants, therefore, were averse to this embassy; but the Jesuits -and Maillet were the avowed supporters of it, and they had with them -the authority of the king. But each aimed to be principal, and had very -little confidence or communication with his associate. - -As for the capuchins and Franciscans, they were mortally offended with -M. de Maillet for having, by the introduction of the Jesuits, and the -power of the king of France, forcibly wrested the Ethiopic mission from -them which the pope had granted, and which the sacred congregation of -cardinals had confirmed. These, by their continual communication with -the Cophts, the Christians of Egypt, had so far brought them to adopt -their designs as, one and all, to regard the miscarriage of du Roule -and his embassy, as what they were bound to procure from honour and -mutual interest. - -Things being in these circumstances, M. du Roule arrived at Cairo, and -took upon him the charge of this embassy, and from that moment the -intrigues began. - -The consul had persuaded du Roule, that the proper presents he should -take with him to Sennaar were prints of the king and queen of France, -with crowns upon their heads; mirrors, magnifying and multiplying -objects, and deforming them; when brocade, sattin, and trinkets of gold -or silver, iron or steel, would have been infinitely more acceptable. - -Elias, an Armenian, a confidential servant of the French nation, was -first sent by way of the Red Sea into Abyssinia, by Masuah, to proceed -to Gondar, and prepare Yasous for the reception of that ambassador, -to whom he, Elias, was to be the interpreter. So far it was well -concerted; but, in preparing for the end, the middle was neglected. A -number of friars were already at Sennaar, and had poisoned the minds -of that people, naturally barbarous, brutal, and jealous. Money, in -presents, had gained the great; while lies, calculated to terrify and -enrage the lower class of people, had been told so openly and avowedly, -and gained such root, that the ambassador, when he arrived at Sennaar, -found it, in the first place, necessary to make a _procez verbal_, or -what we call a precognition, in which the names of the authors, and -substance of these reports, were mentioned, and of this he gave advice -to M. de Maillet, but the names and these papers perished with him. - -It was on the 9th of July 1704 that M. du Roule set out from Cairo, -attended by a number of people who, with tears in their eyes, foresaw -the pit into which he was falling. He embarked on the Nile; and, in -his passage to Siout, he found at every halting-place some new and -dangerous lie propagated, which could have no other end but his -destruction. - -Belac, a Moor, and factor for the king of Sennaar, was chief of the -caravan which he then joined. Du Roule had employed, while at Cairo, -all the usual means to gain this man to his interest, and had every -reason to suppose he had succeeded. But, on his meeting him at Siout, -he had the mortification to find that he was so far changed that it -cost him 250 dollars to prevent his declaring himself an abettor of -his enemies. And this, perhaps, would not have sufficed, had it not -been for the arrival of Fornetti, drugoman to the French nation at -Cairo, at Siout, and with him a capigi and chiaoux from Ismael Bey, the -port of janizaries, and from the basha of Cairo, expressly commanding -the governor of Siout, and Belac chief of the caravan, to look to the -safety of du Roule, and protect him at the hazard of their lives, and -as they should answer to them. - -All the parties concerned were then called together; and the fedtah, -or prayer of peace, used in long and dangerous journies, was solemnly -recited and assented to by them all; in consequence of which, every -individual became bound to stand by his companion even to death, and -not separate himself from him, nor see him wronged, though it was for -his own gain or safety. This test brought all the secret to light; -for Ali Chelebi, governor of Siout, informed the ambassador, that the -Christian merchants and Franciscan friars were in a conspiracy, and -had sworn to defeat and disappoint his embassy even by the loss of his -life, and that, by presents, they had gained him to be a partner in -that conspiracy. - -Belac, moreover, told him, that the patriarch of the Cophts had assured -the principal people of which that caravan consisted, that the Franks -then travelling with him were not merchants, but sorcerers, who were -going to Ethiopia, to obstruct, or cut off the course of the Nile, that -it might no longer flow into Egypt, and that the general resolution was -to drive the Franks from the caravan at some place in the desert which -suited their designs, which were to reduce them to perish by hunger or -thirst, or else to be otherwise slain, and no more heard of. - -The caravan left Siout the 12th of September. In twelve days they -passed the lesser desert, and came to Khargué, where they were detained -six days by a young man, governor of that place, who obliged M. du -Roule to pay him 120 dollars, before he would suffer him to pass -further; and at the same time forced him to sign a certificate, that he -had been permitted to pass without paying any thing. This was the first -sample of the usage he was to expect in the further prosecution of his -journey. - -On the 3d of October they entered the great desert of Selima, and on -the 18th of same month they arrived at Machou, or Moscho, on the Nile, -where their caravan staid a considerable time, till the merchants had -transacted their business. It was at this place the ambassador learned, -that several Franciscan friars had passed the caravan while it remained -at Siout, and advanced to Sennaar, where they had staid some time, but -had lately left that capital upon news of the caravan’s approaching, -and had retired, nobody knew whether. - -A report was soon after spread abroad at Cairo, but no one could -ever learn whence it came, that the ambassador, arriving at Dongola, -had been assassinated there. This, indeed, proved false, but was, in -the mean time, a mournful presage of the melancholy catastrophe that -happened soon afterwards. - -M. du Roule arrived at Sennaar towards the end of May, and wrote at -that time; but a packet of letters was after brought to the consul at -Cairo, bearing date the 18th of June. The ambassador there mentions, -that he had been well received by the king of Sennaar, who was a young -man, fond of strangers; that particular attention had been shewn -him by Sid Achmet-el-coom; or, as he should have called him, Achmet -Sid-el-coom, i.e. Achmet master of the household. This officer, sent -by the king to visit the baggage of the ambassador, could not help -testifying his surprise to find it so inconsiderable, both in bulk and -value. - -He said the king had received letters from Cairo, informing him that he -had twenty chests of silver along with him. Achmet likewise told him, -that he himself had received information, by a letter under the hand -and seal of the most respectable people of Cairo, warning him not to -let M. du Roule pass; for the intention of his journey into Abyssinia -was to prevail on Yasous to attack Masuah and Suakem, and take them -from the Turks. Achmet would not suffer the bales intended for the king -of Abyssinia to be opened or visited, but left them in the hands of the -ambassador. - -M. du Roule, however, in writing this account to the consul, intimated -to him that he thought himself in danger, and declares that he did -not believe there was on earth so barbarous, brutal, and treacherous a -people, as were the Nubians. - -It happened that the king’s troops had gained some advantage over the -rebellious Arabs, on which account there was a festival at court, -and M. du Roule thought himself obliged to exert himself in every -thing which could add to the magnificence of the occasion. With this -intention he shaved his beard, and drest himself like a European, and -in this manner he received the visit of the minister Achmet. M. Macé, -in a letter to the consul of the above date, complains of this novelty. -He says it shocked every body; and that the[75]mirrors which multiplied -and deformed the objects, made the lower sorts of the people look upon -the ambassador and his company as sorcerers. - -Upon great festivals, in most Mahometan kingdoms, the king’s wives have -a privilege to go out of their apartments, and visit any thing new that -is to be seen. These of the king of Sennaar are very ignorant, brutish, -fantastic, and easily offended. Had M. du Roule known the manners of -the country, he would have treated these black majesties with strong -spirits, sweetmeats, or scented waters; and he might then have shewed -them with impunity any thing that he pleased. - -But being terrified with the glasses, and disgusted by his inattention, -they joined in the common cry, that the ambassador was a magician, -and contributed all in their power to ruin him with the king; which, -after all, they did not accomplish, without the utmost repugnance and -difficulty. The farthest length at first they could get this prince to -go was, to demand 3000 dollars of the ambassador. This was expressly -refused, and private disgust followed. - -M. du Roule being now alarmed for his own safety, insisted upon liberty -to set out forthwith for Abyssinia. Leave was accordingly granted him, -and after his baggage was loaded, and every thing prepared, he was -countermanded by the king, and ordered to return to his own house. A -few days after this he again procured leave to depart; which a short -time after was again countermanded. At last, on the 10th of November, -a messenger from the king brought him final leave to depart, which, -having every thing ready for that purpose, he immediately did. - -The ambassador walked on foot, with two country Christians on one hand, -and Gentil his French servant on the other. He refused to mount on -horseback, but gave his horse to a Nubian servant to lead. M. Lipi, -and M. Macé, the two drugomans, were both on horseback. The whole -company being now arrived in the middle of the large square before the -king’s house, the common place of execution for criminals, four blacks -attacked the ambassador, and murdered him with four strokes of sabres. -Gentil fell next by the same hands, at his master’s side. After him M. -Lipi and the two Christians; the two latter protesting that they did -not belong to the ambassador’s family. - -M. du Roule died with the greatest magnanimity, fortitude, and -resignation. Knowing his person was sacred by the law of nations, he -disdained to defend it by any other means, remitting his revenge to the -guardians of that law, and he exhorted all his attendants to do the -same. But M. Macé the Drugoman, young and brave, and a good horseman, -was not of the sheep kind, to go quietly to the slaughter. With his -pistols he shot two of the assassins that attacked him, one after the -other, dead upon the spot; and was continuing to defend himself with -his sword, when a horseman, coming behind him, thrust him through the -back with a lance, and threw him dead upon the ground. - -Thus ended the second attempt of converting Abyssinia by an embassy. -A scheme, if we believe M. de Maillet, which had cost government a -considerable expence, for in a memorial, of the 1st of October 1706, -concerning the death of M. du Roule, he makes the money and effects -which he had along with him, when murdered, to amount to 200 purses, or -L.25,000 Sterling. This, however, is not probable; because, in another -place he speaks of M. du Roule’s having demanded of him a small supply -of money while at Sennaar, which friar Joseph, a capuchin, refused -to carry for him. Such a supply would not have been necessary if the -ambassador had with him such a sum as that already mentioned; therefore -I imagine it was exaggerated, with a view to make the Turkish basha of -Suakem quarrel with the king of Sennaar about the recovering it. - -The friars, who were in numbers at Sennaar, left it immediately before -the coming of M. du Roule. This they might have done without any bad -intention towards him; they returned, however, immediately after his -murder. This, I think, very clearly constitutes them the authors of -it. For had they not been privy and promoters of the assassination, -they would have fled with fear and abhorrence from a place where six of -their brethren had been lately so treacherously slain, and were not yet -buried, but their carcases abandoned to the fowls of the air, and the -beasts of the field, and where they themselves, therefore, could have -no assurance of safety. - -They however pretended, first to lay the blame upon the king of -Abyssinia, then upon the king of Sennaar, and then they divided it -between them both. But Elias, arrived at Gondar, vindicated that -prince, as we shall presently see, and the list of names taken at -Sennaar; and a long series of correspondence, which afterwards came -out, and a chain of evidence which was made public, incontestibly prove -that the king of Sennaar was but an agent, and indeed an unwilling one, -who two several times repented of his bloody design, and made M. du -Roule return to his own house, to evade the execution of it. - -The blood then of this gallant and unfortunate gentleman undoubtedly -lies upon the heads of the reformed Franciscan friars, and their -brethren, the friars of the Holy Land. The interest of these two -bodies, and a bigotted prince, such as Louis XIV then was, was more -than sufficient to stop all inquiry, and hinder any vengeance to -be taken on those holy assassins. But he who, unperceived, follows -deliberate murther through all its concealments and darkness of its -ways, in a few years required satisfaction for the blood of du Roule, -at a time and place unforeseen, and unexpected. - -We shall now return to Gondar to king Yasous, who being recovered of -his disease, and having dismissed his physician, was preparing to set -out on a campaign against the Galla. - -Yasous, for his first wife, had married Ozoro Malacotawit, a lady of -great family and connections in the province of Gojam. By her he had -a son, Tecla Haimanout, who was grown to manhood, and had hitherto -lived in the most dutiful affection and submission to his father, -who, on his part, seemed to place unlimited confidence in his son. He -now gave a proof of this, not very common in the annals of Abyssinia, -by leaving Tecla Haimanout behind him, at an age when he was fit to -reign, appointing him Betwudet, with absolute power to govern in his -absence. Yasous had a mistress whom he tenderly loved, a woman of great -quality likewise, whose name was Ozoro Kedustè. She was sister to his -Fit-Auraris, Agné, a very distinguished and capable officer, and by her -he had three children, David, Hannes, and Jonathan. - -It happened, while he was watching the motions of the Galla, news were -brought that Ozoro Kedustè had been taken ill of a fever; and though, -upon this intelligence, he disposed his affairs so as to return with -all possible expedition, yet when he came to Bercanté, the lady’s -house, he found that she was not only dead, but had been for some -time buried. All his presence of mind now left him; he fell into the -most violent transport of wild despair, and, ordering her tomb to be -opened, he went down into it, taking his three sons along with him, -and became so frantic at the sight of the corpse, that it was with the -utmost difficulty he could be forced again to leave the sepulchre. -He returned first to Gondar, then he retired to an island in the lake -Tzana, there to mourn his lost mistress. - -But before this, Elias, ignorant of what had passed at Sennaar, -presented M. de Maillet’s letter to him, beseeching his leave for -M. du Roule to enter Abyssinia, and come into his presence. This he -easily procured: Yasous was fond of strangers; and not only granted the -request, but sent a man of his own to Sennaar with letters to the king -to protect and defray the expences of the ambassador to Gondar. This -man, who had affairs of his own, loitered away a great deal of time in -the journey, so that Elias, upon first hearing of the arrival of the -ambassador, set out himself to meet him at Sennaar. The king, in the -mean time, having finished his mourning, dispatched Badjerund Oustas -to his son the Betwudet, at Gondar, ordering him forthwith to send him -a body of his household troops to rendezvous on the banks of the lake, -opposite to the island Tchekla Wunze, where he then had his residence. - -It has been said, contrary to all truth, by those who have wrote -travels into this country, that sons born in marriage had the same -preference in succession as they have in other countries. But this, as -I have said, is entirely without foundation: For, in the first place, -there is no such thing as a regular marriage in Abyssinia; all consists -in mere consent of parties. But, allowing this to be regular, not only -natural children, that is, those born in concubinage where no marriage -was in contemplation; and adulterous bastards, that is, the sons of -unmarried women by married men; and all manner of sons whatever, -succeed equally as well to the crown as to private inheritance; and -there cannot be a more clear example of this than in the present -king, who, although he had a son, Tecla Haimanout, born of the queen -Malacotawit in wedlock, was yet succeeded by three bastard brothers, -all sons of Yasous, born in adultery, that is, in the life of the -queen. David and Hannes were sons of the king by his favourite Ozoro -Kedustè; Bacuffa, by another lady of quality. - -Although the queen, Malacotawit, had passed over with seeming -indifference the preference the king had given his mistress, Ozoro -Kedustè, during her lifetime, yet, from a very unaccountable kind of -jealousy, she could not forgive those violent tokens of affection -the king had shewn after her death, by going down with his sons and -remaining with the body in the grave. Full of resentment for this, she -had persuaded her son, Tecla Haimanout, that Yasous had determined to -deprive him of his succession, to send him and her, his mother, both -to Wechné, and place his bastard brother, David, son of Ozoro Kedustè, -upon the throne. - -The queen had been very diligent in attaching to her the principal -people about the court. By her own friends, and the assistance of the -discontented and banished monks, she had raised a great army in Gojam -under her brothers, Dermin and Paulus. Tecla Haimanout had shewn great -signs of wisdom and talents for governing, and very much attached to -himself some of his father’s oldest and ablest servants. - -It was, therefore, agreed, in return to Yasous’s message by Oustas, -to answer, That, after so long a reign, and so much bloodshed, the -king would do well to retire to some convent for the rest of his -life, and atone for the many great sins he had committed; and that he -should leave the kingdom in the hands of his son Tecla Haimanout, as -the ancient king Caleb had resigned his crown into the hands of St -Pantaleon in favour of his son Guebra Mascal. As it was not very safe -to deliver such a message to a king such as Yasous, it was therefore -sent to him, by a common foot-soldier, who could not be an object of -resentment. - -The king received it at Tchekla Wunze, the island in the lake Tzana, -where he was then residing. He answered with great sharpness, by the -same messenger, “That he had been long informed who these were that had -seduced his son, Tecla Haimanout, at once from his duty to him as his -father, and his allegiance as his sovereign; that though he did not -hold them to be equal in sanctity to St Pantaleon, yet, such as they -were, he proposed immediately to meet them at Gondar, and settle there -his son’s coronation.” - -This ironical message was perfectly understood. Those of the court -that were with Tecla Haimanout, and the inhabitants of the capital, -met together, and bound themselves by a solemn oath to live and die -with their king Tecla Haimanout. The severity of Yasous was well known; -his provocation now was a just one; and the measure of vengeance that -awaited them, every one concerned knew to be such that there was no -alternative but death or victory. - -Neither party were slack in preparations. Kasmati Honorius, governor of -Damot, a veteran officer and old servant of Yasous, collected a large -body of troops and marched them down the west side of the lake. Yasous -having there joined them, and putting himself at the head of his army, -began his march, rounding the lake on its south side towards Dingleber. - -Neither did Tecla Haimanout delay a moment after hearing his father was -in motion, but marched with his army from Gondar, attended with all the -ensigns of royalty. He encamped at Bartcho, in that very field where -Za Denghel was defeated and slain by his rebellious subjects. Thinking -this a post ominous to kings, he resolved to wait for his father there, -and give him battle. - -The king, in his march through the low country of Dembea, was attacked -by a putrid fever, very common in those parts, which so increased upon -him that he was obliged to be carried back to Tchekla Wunze. This -accident discouraged his whole party. His army, with Honorius, took the -road to Gojam, but did not disperse, awaiting the recovery of the king. - -But the queen, Malacotawit, no sooner heard that Yasous her husband -was sick at Tchekla Wunze, than she sent to her son Tecla Haimanout -to leave his unwholesome station, and march back immediately to -Gondar; and, as soon as he was returned, she dispatched her two -brothers, Dermin and Paulus, with a body of soldiers and two Mahometan -musqueteers, who, entering the island Tchekla Wunze by surprise, -shot and disabled the king while sitting on a couch; immediately -after which, Dermin thrust him through with a sword. They attempted -afterwards to burn the body, in order to avoid the ill-will the -sight of it must occasion: In this, however, they were prevented by -the priests of the island and the neighbouring nobility, who took -possession of the body, washed it, and performed all the rites of -sepulture, then carried it in a kind of triumph, with every mark of -magnificence due to the burial of a king, interring it in the small -island of Mitraha, where lay the body of all his ancestors, and where I -have seen the body of this king still entire. - -Nor did the prince his son, Tecla Haimanout, now king, discourage the -people in the respect they voluntarily paid to his father. On the -contrary, that parricide himself shewed every outward mark of duty, to -the which inwardly his heart had been long a stranger. - -Poncet, who saw this king, gives this character of him: He says he -was a man very fond of war, but averse to the shedding of blood. -However this may appear a contradiction, or said for the sake of the -antithesis, it really was the true character of this prince, who, fond -of war, and in the perpetual career of victory, did, by pushing his -conquests as far as they could go, inevitably occasion the spilling of -much blood. Yet, when his army was not in the field, though he detected -a multitude of conspiracies among priests and other people at home, -whose lives in consequence were forfeited to the law, he very rarely, -either from his own motives, or the persuasion of others, could be -induced to inflict capital punishments though often strongly provoked -to it. - -Upon his death the people unanimously gave to him the name of Tallac, -which signifies _the Great_, a name he has ever since enjoyed -unimpeached in the Abyssinian annals, or history of his country, from -the which this his reign is taken. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TECLA HAIMANOUT I. - -From 1704 to 1706. - -_Writes in Favour of Du Roule--Defeats the Rebels--Is assassinated -while hunting._ - - -Elias the Armenian, of whom we have already spoken, and who was -charged with letters of protection from Yasous to meet M. du Roule at -Sennaar, had reached within three days journey of that capital when -he heard that king Yasous was assassinated. Terrified at the news, he -returned in the utmost haste to Gondar, and presented the letters, -which had been written by Yasous, to be renewed by his son, king Tecla -Haimanout. Tecla Haimanout read his father’s letters, and approved of -their contents, ordering them to be copied in his own name; and Elias -without delay set out with them. I have inserted a translation of these -letters, which were originally written in Arabic, and seem to me to -be of the few that are authentic among those many which have been -published as coming from Abyssinia. - -“The king Tecla Haimanout, son of the king of the church of Ethiopia, -king of a thousand churches. - -[Illustration: JESUS son of MARY -Race of Solomon Son of David, Israel, Edom, Isaac.[76]] - -“On the part of the powerful august king, arbiter of nations, shadow -of God upon earth, the guide of kings who profess the religion of the -Messiah, the most powerful of Christian kings, he that maintains order -between Mahometans and Christians, protector of the boundaries of -Alexandria, observer of the commandments of the gospel, descended of -the line of the prophets David and Solomon,--may the blessing of Israel -be upon our prophet and upon them.--To the king Baady, son of the king -Ounsa, may his reign be full of happiness, being a prince endowed with -these rare qualities that deserve the highest praises as governing his -kingdom with distinguished wisdom, and by an order full of equity.--The -king of France, who is a Christian, wrote a letter seven or eight -years ago, by which he signified to me, that he wished to open a trade -for the advantage of his subjects and of mine, which request we have -granted. We come at present to understand, that he has sent us presents -by a man whose name is du Roule, who has likewise several others along -with him, and that these people have been arrested at your town of -Sennaar. We require of you, therefore, to set them immediately at -liberty, and to suffer them to come to us with all the marks of honour, -and that you should pay regard to the ancient friendship which has -always subsisted between our predecessors, since the time of the _king -of Sedgid_ and the _king of Kim_, to the present day. We also demand -of you to suffer all the subjects of the king of France to pass, and -all those that come with letters of his consul who is at Cairo, as all -such Frenchmen come for trade only, being of the same religion with -us. We likewise recommend to you, that you permit to pass freely, all -French Christians, Cophts, and Syrians who follow our rites, observing -our religion, and who intend coming into our country; and that you do -not suffer any of those who are contrary to our religion to pass, such -as the monk Joseph, and his companions, whom you may keep at Sennaar, -it being in no shape our intention to suffer them to come into our -dominions, where they would occasion troubles, as being enemies to our -faith. God grant you your desires.”--Wrote the 10th of Zulkadé, Anno -1118, _i. e._ the 21st of January 1706. - - ☞The direction is--“To king Baady, son of king Ounsa, may God - favour him with his grace.” - -The first thing I remark upon this letter is, the mention of the -ancient peace and friendship which subsisted between the predecessors -of these two princes now corresponding. It was a friendship, he says, -that had endured from the time of the king of _Sedgid_, and the king of -_Kim_, to the present day. - -The kingdom of Sennaar, as we shall see, was but a modern one, and -recently established by conquest over the Arabs. Therefore the kingdoms -of _Sedgid_ and of _Kim_ were before that conquest, places whence this -black nation came that had established their sovereignty at Sennaar by -conquest: from which, therefore, I again infer, there never was any -war, conquest, or tribute between Abyssinia and that state. - -The Arabs, who fed their flocks near the frontiers of the two -countries, were often plundered by the kings of Abyssinia making -descents into Atbara; but this was never reckoned a violation of peace -between the two sovereigns. On the contrary, as the motive of the -Arabs, for coming south into the frontiers of Abyssinia, was to keep -themselves independent, and out of the reach of Sennaar, when the king -of Abyssinia fell upon them there, he was understood to do that monarch -service, by driving them down farther within his reach. The Baharnagash -has been always at war with them; they are tributary to him for eating -his grass and drinking his water, and nothing that he ever does to -them gives any trouble or inquietude to Sennaar. It is interpreted as -maintaining his ancient dominion over the Shepherds, those of Sennaar -being a new power, and accounted as usurpers. - -M. de Maillet, nor M. le Grande his historian, have not thought fit -to explain who the monk Joseph was mentioned in this letter. Now it -is certain, that, when Murat and Poncet were returned from Abyssinia, -there was a missionary of the minor friars, who arrived in Ethiopia, -had an audience of the king, and wrote a letter in his name to the -pope, wherein he has foisted many improbabilities and falsehoods; -and concludes with declaring on the part of Yasous, that he submits -to the see of Rome in the same manner the kings his predecessors had -submitted. He makes Yasous speak Latin, too; and it is perfectly -plain from the[77]whole letter, that, though he writes it himself, he -cannot conceal that the king Yasous wanted him very much away, and -was very uneasy at his stay at Gondar. Who this was we know not, but -suppose it was one of those assassins of M. du Roule, carrying on a -private intrigue without participation of the consul, some of whom were -afterwards detected in Walkayt in the reign of David IV. - -As for Elias, the forerunner of the French embassy, now become the only -remains of it, he continued in Abyssinia (to judge by his letter) in -great poverty, till the year 1718, immediately after which he went over -to Arabia Felix, and first wrote from Mocha to M. de Maillet consul -at Cairo, as it will appear in the reign of David IV. where I have -inserted his letter; that written to M. du Roule in the name of Yafous, -that of Tecla Haimanout to the Basha and Divan of Cairo, I have now -here inserted, because I have advanced facts founded upon them. - - -TRANSLATION _of an_ ARABIC LETTER _from the_ KING _of_ ABYSSINIA _to_ -M. DU ROULE. - -“The king Tecla Haimanout, king of the established church, son of the -king of a thousand churches. - -“This letter cometh forth from the venerable, august king, who is the -shadow of God, guide of Christian princes that are in the world, the -most powerful of the Nazarean kings, observer of the commandments -of the gospel, protector of the confines of Alexandria, he that -maintaineth order between Mahometans and Christians, descended from the -family of the prophets David and Solomon, upon whom being the blessings -of Israel, may God make his happiness eternal, and his power perpetual, -and protect his arms--So be it.--To his excellence the most virtuous -and most prudent man du Roule, a Frenchman sent to us, may God preserve -him, and make him arrive at a degree of eminence--So be it.--Elias, -your interpreter whom you sent before you, being arrived here, has been -well received. We have understood that you are sent to us on the part -of the king of France our brother, and are surprised that you have been -detained at Sennaar. We send to you at present a letter for king Baady, -in order that he may set you at liberty, and not do you any injury, -nor to those that are with you, but may behave in a manner that is -proper both for you and to us, according to the religion of Elias that -you sent, who is a Syrian; and all those that may come after you from -the king of France our brother, or his consul at Cairo, shall be well -received, whether they be ambassadors or private merchants, because -we love those that are of our religion. We receive with pleasure those -who do not oppose our laws, and we send away those that do oppose them. -For this reason we did not receive immediately Joseph[78] with all his -companions, not choosing that such sort of people should appear in our -presence, nor intending that they should pass Sennaar, in order to -avoid troubles which may occasion the death of many; but with respect -to you, have nothing to fear, you may come in all safety, and you shall -be received with honour.”--Written the 10th of the month Zulkadé, Anno -1118, _i. e._ the 21st of January of the year 1706. - - ☞ The address is--“Let the present be delivered to M. du Roule - at the town of Sennaar.” - -I shall only observe upon this letter, that all the priests, who had -flocked to Sennaar before M. du Roule arrived there, disappeared upon -his near approach to that city, after having prepared the mischief -which directly followed. And, no sooner was the murder, which they -before concerted, committed, than they all flocked back again as if -invited to a festival. M. de Maillet speaks of several of them in his -letters, where he complains of the murder of du Roule, and says that -they were then on their way to enter Abyssinia. Of these probably was -this Joseph, whom Tecla Haimanout strictly prohibits to come farther -than Sennaar, having seen what his father had written concerning him in -the first letters Elias was charged with. - -Others are mentioned in Elias’s letter to the consul as having been in -Abyssinia. He calls them those of the league of Michael and Samuel, -of whom we shall speak afterwards. But, even though the French consul -had ordered his nation to drive all the subjects of Sennaar from their -houses and service, none of these missionaries were afraid to return -and abide at Sennaar, because they knew the murder of the ambassador -was the work of their own hands, and, without their instigation, would -never have been committed. - -The unlucky messenger, Elias, was again about to enter Sennaar, when -he received information that du Roule was assassinated. If he had -fled hastily from this inauspicious place upon the murder of Yasous, -his haste was now ten-fold, as he considered himself engaged in the -same circumstances that had involved M. du Roule’s attendants in his -misfortunes. - -The king, upon hearing the account given by Elias of the melancholy -fate of the ambassador at Sennaar, was so exasperated, that he gave -immediate orders for recalling such of his troops as he had permitted -to go to any considerable distance; and, in a council held for that -purpose, he declared, that he considered the death of M. du Roule as -an affront that immediately affected his crown and dignity. He was, -therefore, determined not to pass it over, but to make the king of -Sennaar sensible that he, as well as all the other kings upon earth, -knew the necessity of observing the law of nations, and the bad -consequence of perpetual retaliations that must follow the violation of -it. In the mean time, thinking that the basha of Cairo was the cause of -this, he wrote the following letter to him. - - -TRANSLATION _of an_ ARABIC LETTER _from the_ KING _of_ ABYSSINIA _to -the_ BASHA _and_ DIVAN _of_ CAIRO. - -“To the Pacha, and Lords of the Militia of Cairo. - -“On the part of the king of Abyssinia, the king Tecla Haimanout, son of -the king of the church of Abyssinia. - -“On the part of the august king, the powerful arbiter of nations, -shadow of God upon earth, the guide of kings who profess the religion -of the Messiah, the most powerful of all Christian kings, he who -maintains order between Mahometans and Christians, protector of the -confines of Alexandria, observer of the commandments of the gospel, -heir from father to son of a most powerful kingdom, descended of the -family of David and Solomon,--may the blessing of Israel be upon our -prophet, and upon them may his happiness be durable, and his greatness -lasting, and may his powerful, army be always feared.--To the most -powerful lord, elevated by his dignity, venerable by his merits, -distinguished by his strength and riches among all Mahometans, the -refuge of all those that reverence him, who by his prudence governs -and directs the armies of the noble empire, and commands his confines; -victorious viceroy of Egypt, the four corners of which shall be always -respected and defended:--so be it.--And to all the distinguished -princes, judges, men of learning, and other officers whose business -it is to maintain order and good government and to all commanders -in general, may God preserve them all in their dignities, in the -nobleness of their health. You are to know that our ancestors never -bore any envy to other kings, nor did they ever occasion them any -trouble, or shew them any mark of hatred. On the contrary, they have, -upon all occasions, given them proofs of their friendships, assisting -them generously, relieving them in their necessities, as well in what -concerns the caravan and pilgrims of Mecca in Arabia Felix, as in the -Indies, in _Persia_, and other distant and out-of-the-way places, also -by protecting distinguished persons in every urgent necessity. - -“Nevertheless, the king of France our brother, who professes our -religion and our law, having been induced thereto, by some advances of -friendship on our part such as are proper, sent an ambassador to us; -I understand that you caused arrest him at Sennaar, and also another -by name Murat, the Syrian, whom you did put in prison also, though he -was sent to that ambassador on our part, and by thus doing, you have -violated the law of nations, as ambassadors of kings ought to be at -liberty to go wherever they will; and it is a general obligation to -treat them with honour, and not to molest or detain them, nor should -they be subject to pay customs, or any sort of presents. We could very -soon repay you in kind, if we were inclined to revenge the insult -you have offered to the man Murat sent on our part; the Nile would -be sufficient to punish you, since God hath put into our power his -fountain, his outlet, and his increase, and that we can dispose of the -same to do you harm; for the present we demand of, and exhort you to -desist from any future vexations towards our envoys, and not disturb -us by detaining those who shall be sent towards you, but you shall let -them pass and continue their route without delay, coming and going -wherever they will freely for their own advantage, whether they are our -subjects or Frenchmen, and whatever you shall do to or for them, we -shall regard as done to or for ourselves.” - - ☞ The address is--“To the basha, princes, and lords governing - the town of great Cairo, may God favour them with his goodness.” - -There are several things very remarkable in this letter. The king of -Abyssinia values himself, and his predecessors, upon never having -molested or troubled any of his neighbours who were kings, nor borne -any envy towards them. We are not then to believe what we see often in -history, that there was frequent war between Sennaar and Abyssinia, -or that Sennaar was tributary to Abyssinia. That stripe of country, -inhabited by the Shangalla, would, in this case, have been first -conquered. But it is more probable, that the great difference of -climate which immediately takes place between the two kingdoms, the -great want of water on the frontiers, barriers placed there by the hand -of Nature, have been the means of keeping these kingdoms from having -any mutual concerns; and so, indeed, we may guess by the utter silence -of the books, which never mention any war at Sennaar till the beginning -of the reign of Socinios. - -I apprehend, that protecting distinguished persons upon great -occasions, alludes to the children of the king of Sennaar, who -frequently fly after the death of their father to Abyssinia[79] for -protection, it being the custom of that state to murder all the -brothers of the prince that succeeds, instead of sending them to a -mountain, as they do in Abyssinia. - -The next thing remarkable is his protection of the pilgrims who go to -Mecca, and the merchants that go to India. Several caravans of both -set out yearly from his kingdom, all Mahometans, some of whom go to -Mecca for religion, the others to India, by Mocha, to trade. But it is -not possible to understand how he is to protect the trade in Persia, -with which country he certainly has had no sort of concern these 800 -years, nor has it been in that time possible for him either to molest -or protect a Persian. What, therefore, I would suppose, is, that the -king has made use of the common phrase which universally obtains here -both in writing and conversation, calling Ber el Ajam the West, and Ber -el Arab the East coast of the Red Sea.--Ber el Ajam, in the language of -the country, is the coast where there is water or rain, in opposition -to the Tehama, or opposite shore of Arabia, where there is no water. -The Greeks and Latins translated this word into their own language, but -did not understand it; only from the sound they called it Azamia, from -Ajam. Now Ajam, or Ber el Ajam, is the name of Persia also; and the -French interpreter says, the king of Abyssinia protects the caravans of -Persia; when he should say, the caravans, going through Ber el Ajam, -the Azamia of the ancients, to embark at the two ports Suakem and -Masuah, both in the country of that name. - -The next thing to remark here is, that the king acknowledges Murat to -be his ambassador; and it is the arresting him, which we have seen -was done at the instance of M. de Maillet collusively, that the king -says was a violation of the law of nations; and it was this insult, -done to Murat his ambassador, that he all along complains of, not that -offered to du Roule, which he leaves to the king of France; for he -says expressly, if he was to starve, or destroy them all, by stopping -the Nile from coming into Egypt, it would be on account of the insult -offered to Murat, the envoy, or man, sent on his part to France. It is -plain, therefore, that M. de Maillet persecuted the poor Syrian very -wrongfully, and that in no one instance, from first to last, was he -ever in the right concerning that embassy. - -This step, which justice dictated, was not without its reward; for -Tecla Haimanout, who had assembled his army on this account sooner than -he otherwise intended, found immediately after, that a rival and rebel -prince, Amda Sion, was set up against him by the friends of his father -Yasous, and that he had been privately collecting troops, intending to -take him by surprise, when he was, however, at the head of his army -ready to give him battle. - -The first thing the king did was to dispatch a large body of troops to -reinforce Dermin, governor of Gojam, and to him he sent positive orders -to force Amda Sion to fight wherever he should find him, while he, with -the royal army, came forward with all expedition to keep the people in -awe, and prevent them from joining his rival. - -Amda Sion, on the other hand, lost no time. From Ibaba, through -Maitsha, he marched straight to Gondar. Being arrived at the king’s -house at Dingleber, he sat down on the throne with the ensigns of -royalty about him, and there appointed several officers that were most -needed, in the army, the provinces, and about his person. During his -stay here, news were brought that Dermin had followed him step by step -in the very track he had marched, and laid the whole country waste that -had shewn him any countenance or favour. Amda Sion’s heart seemed to -fail him upon this; for he left Dingleber, crossed the ford at Delakus, -and endeavoured to pass Dermin, by keeping on the west side of the -Nile, and on the low road by which he returned to Ibaba. - -Dermin, well-informed as to his motions, and perfectly instructed in -the situation of the country, instead of passing him, turned short -upon his front, crossing the Nile at Fagitta, and forced him to an -engagement in the plain country of Maitsha. The battle, though it was -obstinately fought by the rebels, ended in a complete victory in favour -of the king. Those among the rebels who most distinguished themselves -were the banished monks, the greatest part of whom were slain fighting -desperately. Among these, were Abba Welleta Christos, Tobias and his -brother Abba Nicolaus, who had been ringleaders in the late religious -disputes in the time of Yasous, and were now chiefs of the rebellion -against his son. - -The greatest part of the loss fell upon the common men of Gojam, of -the clans Elmana and Densa. No man of note among them was lost; only -Amda Sion, who fell at their head in the beginning of the engagement, -fighting with all the bravery that could be expected from a man in his -circumstances. The rebel army was entirely dispersed. On the king’s -side no man of consideration was slain, but Anastè, son of Ozoro Sabel -Wenghel. - -After having reinforced Dermin, the first thing the king did was -to send three of his brothers, David, Hannes, and Jonathan, to be -imprisoned on the mountain of Wechné. He then marched with his army -from Gondar; and, being ignorant of what had happened, he dispatched -his master of the horse, by way of Dingleber, to join Kasmati Dermin, -in case he had not still been strong enough to fight the rebels. With -his main army he took the road to Tedda, intending to proceed to Gojam; -but, by the way, was informed that Dermin had defeated and slain his -rival Amda Sion: and he had scarce crossed the Nile at Dara, when -another messenger arrived with news that Dermin had also come up with -Kasmati Honorius and his army on the banks of the Nile, at Goutto, had -entirely defeated and slain him, together with his principal officers, -and dispersed the whole army. Upon this the king marched towards Ibaba, -and was there joined by Dermin, when great rejoicing and feasting -ensued for several days. - -On this occasion the king crowned his mother Malacotawit, conferring -upon her the dignity and title of Iteghè; the consequence of which -station I have often described. Having now no longer enemies to -fear, he was persuaded, by some of his favourites, first to dismiss -Dermin and his army, then all the troops that had joined him, and go -with a few of his attendants, or court, to hunt the buffalo in the -neighbouring country, Idi; which council the young prince too rashly -adopted, suspecting no treason. - -While the hunting-match lasted, a conspiracy was formed by Gueber Mo, -his two brothers, Palambaras, Hannes, and several others, old officers -belonging to the late king Yasous, who saw that he intended, one by -one, to weed them out of the way as soon as safely he could, and that -the whole power and favour was at last to fall into the hands of the -Iteghé, and her brothers Dermin and Paulus. Accordingly one morning, -the conspirators having surrounded him while riding, one of them thrust -him through the body with a sword, and threw him from his mule upon the -earth. They then laid his body upon a horse, and, with all possible -expedition, carried him to the house of Azena Michael, where he arrived -yet alive, but died immediately upon being taken from the horse. -Badjerund Oustas, and some others of his father’s old officers, who had -attached themselves to him after his father’s death, took the body of -the king and buried it in Quebran. - -As soon as this assassination was known, the master of the horse, with -the few troops that he could gather together, came to the palace, and -took a young son of Tecla Haimanout, aged only four years, whom he -proclaimed king, and the Iteghé, Malacotawit, regent of the kingdom. -But Badjerund Oustas, and those who had not been concerned in the -murder of either king, went straight to the mountain of Wechné, and -brought thence Tisilis, that is Theophilus, son to Hannes, and brother -to the late king Yasous, whom they crowned at Emfras, and called him, -by his inauguration name, Atserar Segued. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TIFILIS. - -From 1706 to 1709. - -_Dissembles with his Brother’s Assassins--Execution of the -Regicides--Rebellion and Death of Tigi._ - - -Theophilus, a few days after his coronation, having called the whole -court and clergy together, declared to them, that his faith upon the -disputable point concerning our Saviour’s incarnation was different -from that of his brother Yasous, or that of his nephew Tecla Haimanout, -but in every respect conformable to that of the monks of Gojam, -followers of Abba Eustathius, and that of the Iteghè, Malacotawit, -Dermin, and Paulus. A violent clamour was instantly raised against the -king by the priests of Debra Libanos, as having forsaken the religious -principles of his predecessors. But the king was inflexible; and this -ingratiated him more with the inhabitants of Gojam. Not many days -after, the king arrested the master of the horse, Johannes Palambaras, -the Betwudet Tigi, and several others, all supposed to be concerned in -the murder of the late king, and confined them in several places and -prisons. - -This last action of the king entirely relieved the minds of all the -friends of Tecla Haimanout from any further fear of being called to -account for the murder of Yasous; and, in consequence of this, the -queen Malocotawit, with her brothers Dermin and Paulus, and all the -murderers of the late king Yasous, came to Gondar that same winter to -do homage to Theophilus, whom they now thought their greatest protector. - -But the wise and sagacious king had kept his secret in his own bosom. -All his behaviour hitherto had been only dissimulation, to induce his -brother’s murderers to come within his power. And no sooner did he see -that he had succeeded in this, than the very first day, while they were -yet at audience, he ordered an officer, in his own presence, to arrest -first the queen, and then her two brothers Dermin and Paulus. He gave -the same directions concerning the rest of the conspirators, who were -all scattered about Gondar, eating, drinking, and fearing nothing, but -rejoicing at the happy days they had promised themselves, and were now -to see: he ordered the whole of them, amounting to 37 persons, many of -these of the first rank, to be all executed that same forenoon. - -He began with the queen, who was taken immediately from his presence -and hanged by the common hangman on the tree before the palace gate; -the first of her rank, it is believed, that ever died so vile a death, -either in Abyssinia or any other country, the history of which has come -down to our hands. Dermin and Paulus were first carried to the tree -to see their sister’s execution; after which, one after the other, -they were thrust through with swords, the weapon with which they had -wounded the late king Yasous. But the two Mahometans were shot with -muskets, it having been in that manner they had ended the late king’s -life, after Dermin had wounded him with a sword. As they had committed -high treason, none of the bodies of these traitors were allowed to be -buried; they were hewn in small pieces with knives, and strewed about -the streets, to be eat by the hyænas and dogs; a most barbarous and -offensive custom, to which they strictly adhere to this very day. - -After having thus taken ample vengeance for the murder of his brother -Yasous, Theophilus did not stop here. Tecla Haimanout was, it is true, -a parricide, but he was likewise a king, and his nephew; nor did it -seem just to Theophilus that it should be left in the will of private -subjects, after having acknowledged Tecla Haimanout as their sovereign, -to choose a time afterwards, in which they were to cut him off for -a crime which, however great, had not hindered them from swearing -allegiance to him at his accession, and entering into his service at -the time when it was recently committed. He, therefore, ordered all the -regicides in custody to be put to death; and sent circular letters to -the several governors, that they should observe the same rule as to all -those directly concerned in the murder of his nephew Tecla Haimanout, -who should be found in places under their command. - -Tigi, formerly Betwudet, had been imprisoned in Hamazen, a small -district near the Red Sea, under the government of Abba Saluce. -This man, by birth a Galla, had escaped from Hamazen, and collected -a considerable army of the different tribes of his nation, Liban, -Kalkend, and Basso; and, having found one that pretended to be of the -royal blood, he proclaimed him king, and put his army in motion. - -Upon the first news of this revolt, the king, though attended with few -troops, immediately left Gondar, ordering all those whose duty it was -to join him at Ibaba. Having there collected a little army, he marched -immediately for the country of the Basso, destroying every thing with -fire and sword. Tigi, in the mean time, by forced marches came to -Ibaba, where he committed all sorts of cruelties without distinction -of age or sex. The cries of the sufferers reached the king, who turned -immediately back to the relief of Ibaba; and, not discouraged by his -enemy’s great superiority of number, offered battle to them as soon as -he arrived. Nor did Tigi and his Galla refuse it; but, on the 28th day -of March 1709, a very obstinate engagement ensued; where, though the -king was inferior in forces, yet being himself warlike and active, he -was so well seconded by his troops that Basso and Liban were almost -entirely cut off. - -In the field of battle there was a church, built by the late king -Yasous after a victory gained there over the Pagans, whence it had the -name it then bore, Debra Mawea, or the _Mountain of Victory_. A large -body of these Galla, seeing that all went against them in the field, -fled to the church for a sanctuary, trusting to be protected from the -fury of the soldiers by the holiness of the place, and they so far -judged well; for the king’s troops, though they surrounded the church -on every side, did not offer to break into it, or molest the enemy that -had sheltered themselves within. Theophilus, informed of this scruple -of his soldiers, immediately rode up to them, crying out, “That the -church was defiled by the entrance of so many Pagans, and no longer -fit for Christian worship, that they should therefore immediately put -fire to it, and he would build a nobler one in its place.” The soldiers -obeyed without further hesitation; and, with cotton wads wrapt about -the balls of their guns, they set fire to the thatch, with which every -church in Abyssinia is covered. The whole was instantly consumed, and -every creature within it perished. Many principal officers and men of -the best families on the king’s side, Billetana Gueta, Sana Denghel, -and Billetana Gueta Kirubel, Ayto Stephenous, son of Ozoro Salla of -Nara, all men of great consideration, were slain that day. What came of -the rebel prince was never known. Tigi, with his two sons, fled from -the field; but they were met by a peasant, who took them prisoners -first; and, after discovering who they were, put them all three to -death, and brought their heads to the king. - -After so severe a rebuke, the Galla, on both sides of the Nile, seemed -disposed to be quiet, and the king thereupon returned to Gondar amidst -the acclamations of his soldiers and subjects; but scarce had he -arrived in the capital when he was taken ill of a fever, and died on -the 2d of September, and was buried at Tedda, after a reign of three -years and three months. - -[Illustration] - - - - -OUSTAS. - -From 1709 to 1714. - - _Usurps the Crown--Addicted to hunting--Account of the - Shangalla--Active and bloody Reign--Entertains Catholic Priests - privately--Falls sick and dies; but how, uncertain._ - - -It has been already observed in the course of this history, that the -Abyssinians, from a very ancient tradition, attribute the foundation -of their monarchy to Menilek son of Solomon, by the queen of Saba, or -Azab, rendered in the Vulgate, the Queen of the south. The annals of -this country mention but two interruptions to have happened, in the -lineal succession of the heirs-male of Solomon. The first about the -year 960, in the reign of Del Naad, by Judith queen of the Falasha, -of which revolution we have already spoken sufficiently. The second -interruption happened at the period to which we have now arrived in -this history, and owed its origin, not to any misfortune that befel the -royal family as in the massacre of Judith, but seemed to be brought -about by the peculiar circumstances of the times, from a well-founded -attention to self-preservation. - -Yasous the Great, after a long and glorious reign, had been murdered by -his son Tecla Haimanout. Two years after, this parricide fell in the -same manner. The assassination of two princes, so nearly related, and -in so short a time, had involved, from different motives, the greatest -part of the noble families of the kingdom, either in the crime itself, -or in the suspicion of aiding and abetting it. - -Upon the death of Tecla Haimanout, Tifilis, or Theophilus, brother of -Yasous, had been brought from the mountain, and placed on the throne -as successor to his nephew; this prince was scarcely crowned when he -made some very severe examples of the murderers of his brother, and he -seemed privately taking informations that would have reached the whole -of them, had not death put an end to his inquiries and to his justice. - -The family of king Yasous was very numerous on the mountain. It was -the favourite store whence both the soldiery and the citizens chose -to bring their princes. There were, at the very instant, many of his -sons princes of great hopes and of proper ages. Nothing then was more -probable than that the prince, now to succeed, would be of that family, -and, as such, interested in pursuing the same measures of vengeance -on the murderers of his father and of his brother as the late king -Theophilus had done; and how far, or to whom this might extend, was -neither certain nor safe to trust to. - -The time was now past when the nobles vied with each other who should -be the first to steal away privately, or go with open force, to take -the new king from the mountain, and bring him to Gondar, his capital: -A backwardness was visible in the behaviour of each of them, because in -each one’s breast the fear was the same. - -In so uncommon a conjuncture and disposition of men’s minds, a subject -had the ambition and boldness to offer himself for king, and he was -accordingly elected. This was Oustas[80], son of Delba Yasous, by a -daughter of the late king of that name; and Abyssinia now saw, for the -second time, a stranger seated on the throne of Solomon. Oustas was a -man of undisputed merit, and had filled the greatest offices in the -state. He had been Badjerund, or master of the household, to the late -king Yasous. Tecla Haimanout, who succeeded, had made him governor of -Samen; and though, in the next reign, he had fallen into disgrace with -Theophilus, this served but to aggrandize him more, as he was very soon -after restored to favour, and by this very prince raised to the dignity -of Ras, the first place under the king, and invested at once with the -government of two provinces, Samen and Tigré. He was, at the death of -Theophilus, the greatest subject in Abyssinia; one step higher set him -on the throne, and the circumstances of the time invited him to take -it. He had every quality of body and mind requisite for a king; but the -constitution of his country had made it unlawful for him to reign. He -took, upon his inauguration, the name of Tzai Segued. - -Oustas, though a new king, followed the customs of the ancient monarchs -of Abyssinia; for that very reason was unwilling to add novelty to -novelty, and it has been a constant practice with these to make a -public hunting-match the first expedition of their reign. On these -occasions the king, attended by all the great officers of state, -whose merit and capacity are already acknowledged, reviews his young -nobility, who all appear to the best advantage as to arms, horses, and -equipage, with the greatest number of servants and attendants. The -scene of this hunting is always in the Kolla, crowded with an immense -number of the largest and fiercest wild beasts, elephants, rhinoceros, -lions, leopards, panthers, and buffaloes fiercer than them all, wild -boars, wild asses, and many varieties of the deer kind. - -As soon as the game is roused, and forced out of the wood by the -footmen and dogs, they all singly, or several together, according to -the size of the beast, or as strength and ability in managing their -horses admit, attack the animal upon the plain with long pikes or -spears, or two javelins in their hands. The king, unless very young, -sits on horseback on a rising ground, surrounded by the graver sort, -who point out to him the names of those of the nobility that are happy -enough to distinguish themselves in his sight. The merit of others is -known by report. - -Each young man brings before the king’s tent, as a trophy, a part of -the beast he has slain; the head and skin of a lion or leopard; the -scalp or horns of a deer; the private parts of an elephant; the tail -of a buffalo, or the horn of a rhinoceros. The great trouble, force, -and time necessary to take out the teeth of the elephant, seldom make -them ready to be presented with the rest of the spoils; fire, too, is -necessary for loosing them from the jaw. The head of a boar is brought -stuck upon a lance; but is not touched, as being unclean. - -The elephant’s teeth are the king’s perquisites. Of these round ivory -rings are turned for bracelets, and a quantity of them always brought -by him to be distributed among the most deserving in the field, and -kept ever after as certificates of gallant behaviour. Nor is this -mark attended with honour alone. Any man who shall from the king, -queen-regent, or governor of a province, receive so many of these rings -as shall cover his arm down to his wrist, appears before the twelve -judges on a certain day, and there, laying down his arm with these -rings upon it, the king’s cook breaks every one in its turn with a kind -of kitchen-cleaver, whereupon the judges give him a certificate, which -proves that he is entitled to a territory, whose revenue must exceed -20 ounces of gold, and this is never either refused or delayed. All -the different species of game, however, are not equally rated. He that -slays a Galla, or Shangalla, man to man, is entitled to two rings; he -that slays an elephant to two; a rhinoceros, two; a giraffa, on account -of its speed, and to encourage horsemanship, two; a buffalo, two; a -lion, two; a leopard, one; two boars, whose tusks are grown, one; and -one for every four of the deer kind. - -Great disputes constantly arise about the killing of these beasts; to -determine which, and prevent feuds and quarrels, a council sits every -evening, in which is an officer called _Dimshasha_, or _Red Cap_, from -a piece of red silk he wears upon his forehead, leaving the top of his -head bare, for no person is allowed to cover his head entirely except -the king, the twelve judges, and dignified priests. This officer -regulates the precedence of one nobleman over another, and is possessed -of the history of all pedigrees, the noblest of which are always -accounted those nearest to the king reigning. - -Every man pleads his own cause before the council, and receives -immediate sentence. It is a settled rule, that those who strike the -animal first, if the lance remain upright, or in the same direction -in which it enters the beast, are understood to be the slayers of -the beast, whatever number combat with him afterwards. There is one -exception, however, that if the beast, after receiving the first wound, -tho’ the lance is in him, should lay hold of a horse or man, so that -it is evident he would prevail against them; a buffalo, for example, -that should toss a man with his horns, or an elephant that should take -a horse with his trunk, the man who shall then slay the beast, and -prevent or revenge the death of the man or horse attacked, shall be -accounted the slayer of the beast, and entitled to the premium. - -This was the ancient employment of these councils. In my time they kept -up this custom in point of form; the council sat late upon most serious -affairs of the nation; and the death, banishment, and degradation of -the first men in the kingdom were agitated and determined here under -the pretence of sitting to judge the prizes of pastimes. This hunting -is seldom prolonged beyond a fortnight. - -The king, from ocular inspection, is presumed to be able to choose -among the young nobility those that are ready for taking the necessary -charges in the army; and it is from his judgment in this that the -priests foretel whether his reign is to be a successful one, or to end -in misfortune and disappointment. - -Oustas, having taken a view of his nobility, and attached such to -him as were most necessary for his support, set out for this hunting -with great preparations. The high country of Abyssinia is destitute -of wood; the whole lower part of the mountains is sown with different -sorts of grain; the upper part perfectly covered with grass and all -sorts of verdure. There are no plains, or very small ones. Such a -country, therefore, is unfit for hunting, as it is incapable of either -sheltering or nourishing any number of wild beasts. - -The lower country, however, called Kolla, is full of wood, consequently -thinly inhabited. The mountains, not joined in chains or ridges, run -in one upon the other, but, standing each upon its particular base, -are accessible all round, and interspersed with plains. Great rivers -falling from the high country with prodigious violence, during the -tropical rains, have in the plains washed away the soil down to the -solid rock, and formed large basons of great capacity, where, though -the water becomes stagnant in pools when the currents fail above, -yet, from their great depth and quantity, they resist being consumed -by evaporation, being also thick covered with large shady trees whose -leaves never fall. These large trees, which, in their growth, and -vegetation of their branches, exceed any thing that our imagination -can figure, are as necessary for food, as the pools of water are for -cisterns to contain drink for those monstrous beasts, such as the -elephant and rhinoceros, who there make their constant residence, -and who would die with hunger and with thirst unless they were thus -copiously supplied both with food and water. - -This country, flat as the deserts on which it borders, has fat black -earth for its soil. It is generally about 40 miles broad, though in -many places broader and narrower. It reaches from the mountains of the -Habab, or Bagla, which run in a ridge, as I have already said, from -the south of Abyssinia[81] north down into Egypt, parallel to the Red -Sea, dividing the rainy seasons, and it stretches like a belt from east -to west to the banks of the Nile, encircling all the mountainous, or -high land part of Abyssinia; which latter country is, at all times, -temperate, and often cold, while the other is unwholesome, hazy, close, -and intolerably hot. - -Many nations of perfect blacks inhabit this low country, all Pagans, -and mortal enemies to the Abyssinian government. Hunting these -miserable wretches is the next expedition undertaken by a new king. The -season of this is just before the rains, while the poor savage is yet -lodged under the trees preparing his food for the approaching winter, -before he retires into his caves in the mountain, where he passes that -inclement season in constant confinement, but as constant security; for -these nations are all Troglodytes, and by the Abyssinians are called -Shangalla. - -However Oustas succeeded in attaching to him those of the nobility that -partook of his sports, his good fortune in the capital was not equal -to it. A dangerous conspiracy was already forming at Gondar by those -very people who had persuaded him to mount the throne, and whom he had -left at home, from a persuasion that they only were to be trusted with -the support of his interest and the government in his absence. - -Upon the first intelligence, the king, with a chosen body of troops, -entered Gondar in the night, and surprised the conspirators while -actually sitting in council. Ras Hezekias, his prime minister, and -Heraclides, master of his household, and five others of the principal -confederates, lost their ears and noses, and were thrown into prison in -such circumstances that they could not live. Benaia Basilé, one of the -principal traitors, and the most obnoxious to the king, escaped for a -time, having had already intelligence of Oustas’s coming. - -The king having quieted every thing at Gondar, being at peace with all -his neighbours, and having no other way to amuse his troops and keep -them employed, set out to join the remainder of his young nobility whom -he had left in the Kolla to attack the Shangalla. - -The Shangalla were formerly a very numerous people, divided into -distinct tribes, or, as it is called, different nations, living each -separately in distinct territories, each under the government of -the chief of its own name, and each family of that name under the -jurisdiction of its own chief, or head. - -These Shangalla, during the fair half of the year, live under the shade -of trees, the lowest branches of which they cut near the stem on the -upper part, and then bend, or break them down, planting the ends of the -branches in the earth. These branches they cover with the skins of wild -beasts. After this they cut away all the small or superfluous branches -in the inside, and so form a spacious pavilion, which at a distance -appears like a tent, the tree serving for the pole in the middle of it, -and the large top overshadowing it so as to make a very picturesque -appearance. - -Every tree then is a house, under which live a multitude of black -inhabitants until the tropical rains begin. It is then they hunt the -elephant, which they kill by many various devices, as they do the -rhinoceros and the other large creatures. Those who reside where water -abounds, with the same industry kill the hippopotami, or river-horses, -which are exceedingly numerous in the pools of the stagnant rivers. -Where this flat belt, or country, is broadest, the trees thickest, and -the water in the largest pools, there the most powerful nations live, -who have often defeated the royal army of Abyssinia, and constantly -laid waste, and sometimes nearly conquered, the provinces of Tigré and -Siré, the most warlike and most populous part in Abyssinia. - -The most considerable settlement of this nation is at Amba Tzaada, -between the Mareb and Tacazzé, but nearer by one-third to the Mareb, -and almost N. W. from Dobarwa. These people, who have a variety of -venison, kill it in the fair months, and hang it up, cut into thongs as -thick as a man’s thumb, like so many ropes, on the trees around them. -The sun dries and hardens it to a consistence almost like leather, or -the hardest fish sent from Newfoundland. This is their provision for -the winter months: They first beat it with a wooden mallet, then boil -it, after which they roast it upon the embers; and it is hard enough -after it has undergone all those operations. - -The Dobenah, the most powerful of all the Shangalla, who have a -species of supremacy or command over all the rest of the nations, live -altogether upon the elephant or rhinoceros. In other countries, where -there is less water, fewer trees, and more grass, the Shangalla feed -chiefly upon more promiscuous kinds of food, as buffaloes, deer, boars, -lions, and serpents. These are the nations nearer the Tacazzé, Ras el -Feel, and the plains of Siré in Abyssinia, the chief of which nations -is called Baasa. And still farther west of the Tacazzé, and the valley -of Waldubba, is a tribe of these, who live chiefly upon the crocodile, -hippopotamus, and other fish; and, in the summer, upon locusts, which -they boil first, and afterwards keep dry in baskets, most curiously -made with split branches of trees, so closely woven together as to -contain water almost as well as a wooden vessel. - -This nation borders nearly upon the Abyssinian hunting-ground; but, -not venturing to extend themselves in the chace of wild beasts, they -are confined to the neighbourhood of the Tacazzé, and rivers falling -into it, where they fish in safety: the banks of that river are -deep, interrupted by steep precipices inaccessible to cavalry, and, -from the thickness of the woods, full of thorny trees of innumerable -species, almost as impervious to foot. These streams, possessed only by -themselves, afford the Baasa the most excellent kinds of fish in the -most prodigious plenty. - -In that part of the Shangalla country more to the eastward, about N. -N. E. of Amba Tzaada, in the northern extremities of the woody part, -where the river Mareb, leaving Dobarwa, flows through thick bushes till -it loses itself in the sands, there is a nation of these blacks, who -being near the country of the Baharnagash, an officer whose province -produces a number of horse, dare not, for that reason, venture to make -an extensive use of the variety of wild beasts which throng in the -woods to the southward, for fear of being intercepted by their enemy, -constantly upon the watch for them, part of his tribute being paid in -black slaves. These, therefore, confine themselves to the southern part -of their territory, near the Barabra. - -The extraordinary course of this river under the sand, allures to it -multitudes of ostriches, which, too, are the food of the Shangalla, -as is a beautiful lizard, never, that I know, yet described. These -are the food of the eastern Shangalla; and I must here observe, that -this country and people were much better known to the ancients than -to us. The Egyptians traded with them, and caravans of these people -were constantly in Alexandria in the reigns of the first Ptolemies. -Most of the productions of these parts, and the people themselves, are -mentioned in the remarkable procession made by Ptolemy Philadelphus on -his accession to the throne of Egypt, as already observed, though a -confusion often arises therein by this country being called by the name -of India. - -Ptolemy, the geographer, classes these people exactly enough, -and distinguishes them very accurately by their particular food, -or dietetique regimen, though he errs, indeed, a little in the -particular situation he gives to the different nations. His Rhizophagi, -Elephantophagi, Acridophagi, Struthiophagi, and Agriophagi, are all the -clans I have just described, existing under the same habits to this day. - -This soil, called by the Abyssinians _Mazaga_, when wet by the tropical -rains, and dissolving into mire, forces these savages to seek for -winter-quarters. Their tents under the trees being no longer tenable, -they retire with their respective foods, all dried in the sun, into -caves dug into the heart of the mountains, which are not in this -country basaltes, marble, or alabaster, as is all that ridge which -runs down into Egypt along the side of the Red Sea, but are of a -soft, gritty, sandy stone, easily excavated and formed into different -apartments. Into these, made generally in the steepest part of the -mountain, do these savages retire to shun the rains, living upon the -flesh they have already prepared in the fair weather. - -I cannot give over the account of the Shangalla without delivering -them again out of their caves, because this return includes the -history of an operation never heard of perhaps in Europe, and by which -considerable light is thrown upon ancient history. No sooner does the -sun pass the zenith, going southward, than the rains instantly cease; -and the thick canopy of clouds, which had obscured the sky during their -continuance, being removed, the sun appears in a beautiful sky of pale -blue, dappled with small thin clouds, which soon after disappear, and -leave the heavens of a most beautiful azure. A very few days of the -intense heat then dries the ground so perfectly, that it gapes in -chasms; the grass, struck at the roots by the rays, supports itself no -more, but droops and becomes parched. To clear this away, the Shangalla -set fire to it, which runs with incredible violence the whole breadth -of Africa, passing under the trees, and following the dry grass among -the branches with such velocity as not to hurt the trees, but to -occasion every leaf to fall. - -A proper distance is preserved between each habitation, and round the -principal watering-places; and here the Shangalla again fix their tents -in the manner before described. Nothing can be more beautiful than -these shady habitations; but they have this fatal effect, that they -are discernible from the high grounds, and guide their enemies to the -places inhabited. - -The country now cleared, the hunting begins, and, with the hunting, -the danger of the Shangalla. All the governors bordering upon the -country, from the Baharnagash to the Nile on the west, are obliged to -pay a certain number of slaves. Ras el Feel (my government) was alone -excepted, for a reason which, had I staid much longer in the country, -would probably have been found more advantageous to Abyssinia than -all the slaves they procure by the barbarous and prodigal effusion of -the blood of these unhappy savages; for, when a settlement of these -is surprised, the men are all slaughtered; the women, also, are many -of them slain, many throw themselves down precipices, run mad, hang -themselves, or starve, obstinately refusing food. - -The boys and girls under 17 and 18 years of age, (the younger the -better) are taken and educated by the king, and are servants in -all the great houses of Abyssinia. They are instructed early in the -Christian religion, and the tallest, handsomest, and best inclined, -are the only servants that attend the royal person in his palace. -The number of the men was 300 that had horses in my time. They were -once 280, and, before my time, less than 200. These are all cloathed -in coats of mail, and mounted on black horses; always commanded by -foreigners devoted entirely to the king’s will. By strict attention -to their morals, removing all bad examples from among them, giving -premiums to those that read most and best, (for they had all time -enough upon their hands, especially in winter) and, above all, by -the great delight and pleasure the king used to take in conversing -with them while alone, countenancing and rewarding them in the line -he knew I followed, this body became, as to firmness and coolness in -action, equal perhaps to any of the same number in the world; and the -greatest difficulty was keeping them together, for all the great men -used to wish one of them for the charge of his door, which is a very -great trust among the Abyssinians. The king’s easiness was constantly -prevailed upon to promise such, and great inconvenience always followed -this, till Ras Michael discharged this practice by proclamation, and -set the example, by returning four that he himself had kept for the -purpose before mentioned. - -While what I have said is still in memory, I must apply a part of -it to explain a passage in Hanno’s Periplus. We saw, says that bold -navigator, when rowing close along the coast of Africa, rivers of fire, -which ran down from the highest mountains, and poured themselves into -the sea; this alarmed him so much, that he ordered his gallies to keep -a considerable offing. - -After the fire has consumed all the dry grass on the plain, and, from -it, done the same up to the top of the highest mountain, the large -ravines, or gullies, made by the torrents falling from the higher -ground, being shaded by their depth, and their being in possession of -the last water that runs, are the latest to take fire, though full of -every sort of herbage. The large bamboos, hollow canes, and such like -plants, growing as thick as they can stand, retain their greenness, and -are not dried enough for burning till the fire has cleared the grass -from all the rest of the country. At last, when no other fuel remains, -the herdsmen on the top of the mountains set fire to these, and the -fire runs down in the very path in which, some months before, the water -ran, filling the whole gully with flame, which does not end till it -is checked by the ocean below where the torrent of water entered, and -where the fuel of course ceases. This I have often seen myself, and -been often nearly inclosed in it, and can bear witness, that, at a -distance, and by a stranger ignorant of the cause, it would very hardly -be distinguished from a river of fire. - -The Shangalla go all naked; they have several wives, and these very -prolific. They bring forth children with the utmost ease, and never -rest or confine themselves after delivery, but washing themselves and -the child with cold water, they wrap it up in a soft cloth made of the -bark of trees, and hang it upon a branch, that the large ants, with -which they are infested, and the serpents, may not devour it. After a -few days, when it has gathered strength, the mother carries it in the -same cloth upon her back, and gives it suck with the breast, which she -throws over her shoulder, this part being of such a length as, in some, -to reach almost to their knees. - -The Shangalla have but one language, and of a very guttural -pronunciation. They worship various trees, serpents, the moon, planets, -and stars in certain positions, which I never could so perfectly -understand as to give any account of them. A star passing near the -horns of the moon denotes the coming of an enemy. They have priests, -or rather diviners; but it should seem that these were looked upon as -servants of the evil-being, rather than of the good. They prophecy bad -events, and think they can afflict their enemies with sickness, even at -a distance. They generally wear copper bracelets upon their wrists and -arms. - -I have said the Shangalla have each several wives. This, however, -is not owing to any inordinate propensity of the men to this -gratification, but to a much nobler cause, which should make European -writers, who object this to them, ashamed at the injustice they do -the savage, who all his life, quite the reverse of what is supposed, -shews an example of continence and chastity, which the purest and most -refined European, with all the advantages of education, cannot pretend -to imitate. - -It is not the men that seek to avail themselves of the liberty they -have by their usages of marrying as often and as many wives as they -please. Hemmed in on every side by active and powerful enemies, who -consider them as a species of wild beasts, and hunt them precisely as -they do the elephant and rhinoceros, placed in a small territory, -where they never are removed above 20 miles from these powerful -invaders furnished with horses and fire-arms, to both of which they -are strangers, they live for part of the fair season in continual -apprehension. The other part of the season, when the Abyssinian armies -are all collected and abroad with the king, these unhappy savages are -constantly employed in a most laborious hunting of large animals, such -as the rhinoceros, the elephant, and giraffa; and afterwards, in the no -less laborious preparation of the flesh of these quadrupeds, which is -to serve them for food during the six months rains, when each family -retires to its separate cave in the mountain, and has no intercourse -with any of its neighbours, but leaves the country below immersed in a -continual deluge of rain. In none of these circumstances, one should -imagine, the savage, full of apprehension and care, could have much -desire to multiply a race of such wretched beings as he feels himself -to be. It is the wife, not the man, that is the cause of this polygamy; -and this is surely a strong presumption against what is commonly said -of the violence of their inclinations. - -Although the Shangalla live in separate tribes, or nations, yet -these nations are again subdivided into families, who are governed -by their own head, or chief, and of a number of these the nation is -composed, who concur in all that regards the measures of defence and -offence against their common enemy the Abyssinian and Arab. Whenever -an expedition is undertaken by a nation of Shangalla, either against -their enemies, the Arabs on the north, or those who are equally their -enemies, the Abyssinians on the south, suppose the nation or tribe to -be the Baasa, each family attacks and defends by itself, and theirs is -the spoil or plunder who take it. - -The mothers, sensible of the disadvantage of a small family, therefore -seek to multiply and increase it by the only means in their power; -and it is by their importunity that the husband suffers himself to be -overcome. A second wife is courted for him by the first, in nearly the -same manner as among the Galla. - -I will not fear to aver, as far as concerns these Shangalla, or -negroes, of Abyssinia, (and, I believe, most others of the same -complexion, though of different nations), that the various accounts -we have of them are very unfairly stated. To describe them justly, we -should see them in their native purity of manners, among their native -woods, living on the produce of their own daily labours, without other -liquor than that of their own pools and springs, the drinking of which -is followed by no intoxication or other pleasure than that of assuaging -thirst. After having been torn from their own country and connections, -reduced to the condition of brutes, to labour for a being they never -before knew; after lying, stealing, and all the long list of European -crimes, have been made, as it were, necessary to them, and the delusion -occasioned by drinking spirits is found, however short, to be the only -remedy that relieves them from reflecting on their present wretched -situation, to which, for that reason, they most naturally attach -themselves; then, after we have made them monsters, we describe them as -such, forgetful that they are now not as their Maker created them, but -such as, by teaching them our vices, we have transformed them into, for -ends which, I fear, one day will not be found a sufficient excuse for -the enormities they have occasioned. - -I would not, by any means, have my readers so far mistake what I have -now said as to think it contains either censure upon, or disapprobation -of, the slave-trade. I would be understood to mean just the contrary; -that the abuses and neglect of manners, so frequent in our plantations, -is what the legislature should direct their coercion against, not -against the trade in general, which last measure, executed so suddenly, -cannot but contain a degree of injustice towards individuals. It is -a shame for any government to say, that enormous cruelties towards -any set of men are so evident, and have arrived to such excess, -without once having been under consideration of the legislature to -correct them. It is a greater shame still for that government to say, -that these crimes and abuses are now grown to such a height that -wholesome severity cannot eradicate them; and it cannot be any thing -but an indication of effeminacy and weakness at once to fall to the -destruction of an object of that importance, without having first tried -a reformation of those abuses which alone, in the minds of sober men, -can make the trade exceptionable. - -The incontinence of these people has been a favourite topic with which -blacks have been branded; but, throughout the whole of this history, -I have set down only what I have observed, without consulting or -troubling myself with the systems or authorities of others, only so -far, as having these relations in my recollection, I have compared them -with the fact, and found them erroneous. As late as two centuries ago, -Christian priests were the only historians of heathen manners. - -In the number of these Shangalla, or negroes, of which every department -of Gondar was full, I never saw any proof of unbridled desires in -either sex, but very much the contrary; and I must remark, that every -reason in physics strongly militates against the presumption. - -The Shangalla of both sexes, while single, go entirely naked: the -married men, indeed, have a very slender covering about their waist, -and married women the same. Young men and young women, till long past -the age of puberty, are totally uncovered, and in constant conversation -and habits with each other, in woods and solitudes, free from -constraint, and without any punishment annexed to the transgression. -Yet criminal commerce is much less frequent among them than in the same -number chosen among Christian nations, where the powerful prejudices of -education give great advantage to one sex in subduing their passions, -and where the consequences of gratification, which always involve some -kind of punishment, keep within bounds the desires of the other. - -No one can doubt, but that the constant habit of seeing people of all -ages naked at all times, in the ordinary transactions and necessities -of life, must greatly check unchaste propensities. But there are still -further reasons why, in the nature of things an extraordinary vehemence -of passion should not fall to be a distinguishing characteristic -among the Shangalla. Fahrenheit’s thermometer rises there beyond -100°. A violent relaxation from profuse perspiration must greatly -debilitate the savage. In Arabia and Turkey, where the whole business -of man’s life is the devoting himself to domestic pleasure, men remain -constantly in a sedentary life, eat heartily, avoiding every manner -of exercise, or expence of animal spirits by sweats. Their countries, -too, are colder than that of the Shangalla, who, living sparingly -under a burning sun, and obliged to procure food by laborious hunting, -of consequence deprive themselves of that quantity of animal spirits -necessary to lead them to any extreme of voluptuousness. And that this -is the case is seen in the constitution of the Shangalla women, even -though they are without fatigue. - -A woman, upon bearing a child or two, at 10 or 11 years old, sees her -breast fall immediately down to near her knees[82]. Her common manner -of suckling her children is by carrying them upon her back, as our -beggars do, and giving the infant the breast over her shoulders. They -rarely are mothers after 22, or begin child-bearing before they are -10; so that the time of child-bearing is but 12 years. In Europe, very -many examples there are of women bearing children at 14, the civil law -fixes puberty at 12, but by an inuendo[83] seems to allow it may be -something earlier. Women sometimes in Europe bear children at 50. The -scale of years of child-bearing between the savage and the European is, -therefore, as 12 is to 38. There can be little doubt but their desires -are equal to their strength and constitution; but a Shangalla at 22 is -more wrinkled and deformed, apparently by old age, than is a European -woman of 60. - -To come still nearer; it is a fact known to naturalists, and which -the application of the thermometer sufficiently indicates, that there -is a great and sensible difference in the degree of animal heat in -both sexes of different nations at the same ages or time of life. The -voluptuous Turk estranges himself from the fairest and finest of his -Circassian and Georgian women in his seraglio, and, during the warm -months in summer, addicts himself only to negro slaves brought from -the very latitudes we are now speaking of; the sensible difference of -the coolness of their skins leading him to give them the preference at -that season. On the other hand, one brown Abyssinian girl, a companion -for the winter months, is sold at ten times the price of the fairest -Georgian or Circassian beauty, for opposite reasons. - -The very great regard I shall constantly pay my fair readers has made -me, as they may perceive, enter as tenderly as possible into these -discussions, which, as a philosopher and a historian, I could not, -however, wholly omit: the most useful study of mankind is man; and not -the least interesting view of him is when, stripped of his vain-glory -and the pageantry of palaces, he wanders naked and uncorrupted among -his native woods and rivers. - -I must mention, greatly to the credit of two of the first geniuses -of this age, M. de Buffon and Lord Kaimes, that they were both so -convinced by the arguments above mentioned, stated in greater detail -and with more freedom, that they immediately ordered their bookseller -to strike out from the subsequent editions of their work all that had -been advanced against the negroes on this head, which they had before -drawn from the herd of prejudiced and ignorant compilers, strangers to -the manners and language of the people they were dishonouring by their -descriptions, after having before abused them by their tyranny. - -The Shangalla have no bread: No grain or pulse will grow in the -country. Some of the Arabs, settled at Ras el Feel, have attempted to -make bread of the feed of the Guinea grass; but it is very tasteless -and bad, of the colour of cow-dung, and quickly producing worms. - -They are all archers from their infancy. Their bows are all made of -wild fennel, thicker than the common proportion, and about seven feet -long, and very elastic. The children use the same bow in their infancy -that they do when grown up; and are, by reason of its length, for the -first years, obliged to hold it parallel, instead of perpendicular -to the horizon. Their arrows are full a yard and a half long, with -large heads of very bad iron rudely shaped. They are, indeed, the only -savages I ever knew that take no pains in the make or ornament of this -weapon. A branch of a palm, stript from the tree and made straight, -becomes an arrow; and none of them have wings to them. They have this -remarkable custom, which is a religious one, that they fix upon their -bows a ring, or thong, of the skin of every beast slain by it, while -it is yet raw, from the lizard and serpent up to the elephant. This -gradually stiffens the bow, till, being all covered over, it can be no -longer bent even by its master. That bow is then hung upon a tree, -and a new one is made in its place, till the same circumstance again -happens; and one of these bows, that which its master liked best, is -buried with him in the hopes of its rising again materially with his -body, when he shall be endowed with a greater degree of strength, -without fear of death, or being subjected to pain, with a capacity -to enjoy in excess every human pleasure. There is nothing, however, -spiritual in this resurrection, nor what concerns the soul, but it -is wholly corporeal and material; although some writers have plumed -themselves upon their fancied discovery of what they call the savages -belief of the immortality of the soul. - -Before I take leave of this subject, I must again explain, from -what I have already said, a difficult passage in classical history. -Herodotus[84] says, that, in the country we have been just now -describing, there was a nation called Macrobii, which was certainly not -the real name of the Shangalla, but one the Greeks had given them, from -a supposed circumstance of their being remarkable long livers, as that -name imports. These were the western Shangalla, situated below Guba and -Nuba, the gold country, on both sides of the Nile north of Fazuclo. - -The Guba and the Nuba, and various black nations that inhabits the -foot of that large chain of mountains called Dyre and Tegla[85], are -those in whose countries the finest gold is found, which is washed from -the mountains in the time of violent rains, and lodged in holes, and -roots of trees and grass, by the torrents, and there picked up by the -natives; it is called Tibbar, or, corruptly, gold-dust. The greatest -part finds its way to Sennaar by the different merchants, Pagan and -Mahometan, from Fazuclo and Sudan. The Agows and Gibbertis also bring -a small quantity of it to Gondar, mostly debased by alloy; but there -is no gold in Abyssinia, nor even in Nubia, west of Tchelga, among the -Shangalla themselves. - -Cambyses marched from Egypt expressly with a view of conquering the -gold country, and sent messengers before him to the king, or chief of -it, requiring his immediate submission. I omit romantic and fabulous -circumstances; but the answer of the king of Macrobii to Cambyses was, -Take this bow, and till you can bring me a man that can bend it, you -are not to talk to us of submission. The bow was accordingly carried -back with the defiance, but none of the Persian army could bend it. Yet -it was their own weapon with which they practised from their infancy; -and we are not to think, had it been possible to bend this bow, but -that some of their numerous archers would have done it, for there is no -such disproportion in the strength of men. But it was a bow which had -lost its elastic force from the circumstance above mentioned, and had -been long given up as impossible to be bent by the Macrobii themselves, -and was now taken down from the tree where it had probably some time -hung, and grown so much the less flexible, and intended to be buried, -as these bows are, in the grave with their master, who is to use it, -after his resurrection, in another world, where he is to be endowed -with strength infinitely more than human: it is probable this bow -would have broke, rather than have bent. - -If the situation of these Macrobii in Ptolemy did not put it past -dispute that they were Shangalla, we should hesitate much at the -characteristic of the nation; that they were long livers; none of these -nations are so; I scarcely remember an example fairly vouched of a -man past sixty. But there is one circumstance that I think might have -fairly led Herodotus into this mistake; some of the Shangalla kill -their sick, weak, and aged people; there are others that honour old -age, and protect it. The Macrobii, I suppose, were of this last kind, -who certainly, therefore, had many old men, more than the others. - -I shall now just mention one other observation tending to illustrate a -passage of ancient history. - -Hanno, in his Periplus, remarks, that, while sailing along the coast of -Africa, close by the shore, and probably near the low country called -Kolla, inhabited by the kind of people we have been just describing, -he found an universal silence to prevail the whole day, without any -appearance of man or beast: on the contrary, at night, he saw a -number of fires, and heard the sound of music and dancing. This has -been laughed at as a fairy tale by people who affect to treat Hanno’s -fragment as spurious; for my own part, I will not enter into the -controversy. - -A very great genius, (in some matters, perhaps, the greatest that ever -wrote, and in every thing that he writes highly respectable) M. de -Montesqieu, is perfectly satisfied that this Periplus[86] of Hanno is -genuine; and it is a great pleasure again to endeavour to obviate any -doubt concerning the authenticity of the work in this second passage, -as I have before done in another. - -In countries, such as those that we have been now describing, and -such as Hanno was then sailing by, when he made the remark, there is -no twilight. The stars, in their full brightness, are in possession -of the whole heavens, when in an instant the sun appears without a -harbinger, and they all disappear together. We shall say, at sun-rising -the thermometer is from 48° to 60°; at 3 o’clock in the afternoon it -is from 100° to 115°; an universal relaxation, a kind of irresistible -languor and aversion to all action takes possession both man and beast; -the appetite fails, and sleep and quiet are the only things the mind is -capable of desiring, or the body of enduring: cattle, birds, and beasts -all flock to the shade, and to the neighbourhood of running streams, or -deep stagnant pools, and there, avoiding the effects of the scorching -sun, pant in quiet and inaction. From the same motive, the wild beast -stirs not from his cave; and for this, too, he has an additional -reason, because the cattle he depends upon for his prey do not stroll -abroad to feed; they are asleep and in safety, for with them are their -dogs and their shepherds. - -But no sooner does the sun set, than a cold night instantly succeeds -a burning day; the appetite immediately returns; the cattle spread -themselves abroad to feed, and pass quickly out of the shepherds sight -into the reach of a multitude of beasts seeking for their prey. Fires, -the only remedy, are everywhere lighted by the shepherds to keep these -at a respectful distance; and dancing, singing, and music at once -exhilarate the mind, and contribute, by alarming the beasts of prey, -to keep their flocks in safety, and prevent the bad effects of severe -cold[87]. This was the cause of the observation Hanno made in sailing -along the coast, and it was true when he made it: just the same may be -observed still, and will be, so long as the climate and inhabitants are -the same. - -I have been more particular in the history of this extraordinary -nation, because I had, by mere accident, an opportunity of informing -myself fully and with certainty concerning it; and, as it is very -improbable that such an opportunity will occur again to any European, I -hope it will not be ungratefully received. - -I shall only add an answer to a very obvious question which may occur. -Why is it that, in this country, nothing that would make bread will -grow? Is it from the ignorance of the inhabitants in not choosing -the proper seasons, or is it the imperfection of the soil? To this I -answer, Certainly the latter. For the inhabitants of Ras el Feel were -used to plow and sow, and did constantly eat bread; but the grain was -produced ten or fifteen miles off upon the sides of the mountains -of Abyssinia, where every certain number of soldiers had small farms -allowed them for that purpose by government; but still they could never -bring up a crop in the Mazaga; and the progress of the miscarriage -was this: Before the month of May all that black earth was rent into -great chasms, trode into dust, and ventilated with hot winds, so as -to be a perfect _caput mortuum_, incapable of any vegetation. Upon -the first sprinkling of rain the chasms are filled up, and the whole -country resembles dry garden-mould newly dug up. As the sun advances -the rains increase; there is no time to be lost now; this is the -season for sowing; let us suppose wheat. In one night’s time, while -the wheat is swelling in the ground, up grows an immense quantity of -indigenous natural grass, that, having sowed itself last year, has lain -ever since in a natural matrix, ready to start at the most convenient -season. Before the wheat, or any grain soever can appear, this grass -has shot up so high and so thick as absolutely to choke it. Suppose -it was possible to hoe or weed it, the grass will again overtop the -grain before it is an inch from the ground. Say it could be again hoed -or cleared, by this time the rains are so continual, the black earth -becomes a perfect mire. The rain increases, and the grain rots without -producing any crop. - -The same happens to millet, or Indian corn; the rain rots the plant -which is thrown down by the wind. It is equally destroyed if sown -at the end of the rains; the grass grows up, wherever the ground is -cleared, in a greater proportion, if possible, than in the beginning of -the year; and the rain ceasing abruptly, and the sun beginning to be -intensely hot the very day it passes the zenith, the earth is reduced -to an impalpable powder, whilst the grain and plant die without ever -shewing a tendency to germinate. - -We left the king, Oustas, after detecting a conspiracy, ready to fall -upon some settlement of Shangalla. This he executed with great success, -and surrounded a large part of the nation called Baasa, encamped under -the trees suspecting no danger. He put the grown people to the sword, -and took a prodigious number of children of both sexes captive. He -was intending also to push his conquest farther among these savages, -when he was called to Gondar by the death of his prime minister and -confident, Ras Fasa Christos. - -Besides his attention to hunting and government, the king had a very -great taste for architecture, which, in Abyssinia, is a very popular -one, though scarcely any thing is built but churches. In the season -that did not permit him to be in the field, he bestowed a great deal of -leisure and money this way; and he was, at this time, busy erecting a -magnificent church to the Nativity, about a mile below Gondar, on the -small river Kahha. - -But the season of hunting returning before he had finished it, he left -it to repair to Bet Malo, a place in the Kolla, where he had built a -hunting-seat, not far distant from the Shangalla, called Baasa. Here -he had a most successful hunting-match of the buffalo, rhinoceros, -and elephant, in which he often put himself in great danger, and -distinguished himself in dexterity and horsemanship greatly above any -of his court. He returned upon news, that persons, whom he had secretly -employed, had apprehended Betwudet Basilé, and his son Claudius, who -had escaped when the last conspirators were seized. Both these he -sentenced immediately to lose their eyes. - -These hunting-matches, so punctually observed, and so eagerly followed -by a man already past the flower of his youth, had, in their first -appearance, nothing but sound policy. The king’s title was avowedly a -faulty one; and the many conspiracies that had been formed had shewn -him the nobility were not all of them disposed to bear his yoke; -nothing then was more political than to keep a considerable number of -them employed in field-exercises, to be informed of their inclinations, -and to attach them to his person by favours. At the head of this -little, but very active army, he was ready in a moment to fall upon -the disaffected, before they could collect strength sufficient for -resistance. Time, however, shewed this was not entirely the reason of -these continual intervals of absence for so long a time in the Kolla. - -Notwithstanding the misfortune that had befallen the French ambassador, -M. du Roule, at Sennaar, in the reign of Yasous I. and Tecla Haimanout -his son, under Baady el Ahmer, there had still remained below, in -Atbara, some of those missionaries who had courage and address enough -to attempt the journey into Abyssinia, and they succeeded in it. Oustas -had probably been privy to their arrival in Yasous’s time, and had, -equally with him, a favourable opinion of the Romish religion. - -These missionaries, though Yasous was now dead, were perfectly well -received by Oustas; he had given them in charge to Ain Egzie, an old -and loyal servant of Yasous, and governor of Walkayt. He had placed -also with them an Abyssinian priest, who had been in Jerusalem, and -was well-affected to the Romish faith, to be their interpreter, stay -with them always, and manage their interests, while he himself, -stealing frequently from the hunting-matches, heard mass, and received -the communion, returning back to his camp, as he flattered himself, -unperceived. These meetings with the priests were not, however, so well -concealed but that they came to the knowledge of many people about -court, both seculars and clergy. But the king’s character, for severity -and vigilance, made everybody confine their thoughts, whatever they -were, within their own breasts. - -The employment of this year was a short journey to Ibaba, a large -market-town, where there is a royal residence, below Maitsha, on the -west, or Gojam side of the Nile, from which it is about three days -distance. From this he returned again, and went to Tcherkin, a small -village in Kolla, beyond Ras el Feel, in the way to Sennaar, the -principal abode of the elephant. But, in the first day’s hunting, -Yared, master of his household, and a considerable favourite, being -torn to pieces by one of these quadrupeds, he gave over the sport, and -returned very sorrowful to bury him at Gondar, leaving three of his -servants to execute a design he had formed against the Baasa in that -neighbourhood. - -From the constant interruptions Oustas had met with in all these -hunting-matches, and his success, notwithstanding, whenever he had -himself attended, the divining monks had prophesied his reign was to -be short, and attended with much bloodshed; nor were they for once -distant from the truth; for, in the month of January 1714, while he -was over-looking the workmen building the church of Abba Antonius at -Gondar, he was taken suddenly ill, and, suspecting some unwholesomeness -or _witchcraft_ in his palace, he ordered his tent to be pitched -without the town till the apartments should be smoaked with gunpowder. -But this was done so carelessly by his servants, that his house was -burnt to the ground, which was looked upon as a very bad omen, and made -a great impression upon the minds of the people. - -The 27th of January it was generally understood that the king was -dangerously ill, and that his complaint was every day increasing. Upon -this the principal officers went, according to the usual custom, to -condole with and comfort him. This was at least what they pretended. -Their true errand, however, was pretty well known to be an endeavour to -ascertain whether the sickness was of the kind likely to continue, till -measures could be adopted with a degree of certainty to take the reins -of government out of his hand. - -The king easily divined the reason of their coming. Having had a good -night, he used the strength that he had thereby acquired to rouse -himself for a moment, to put on the appearance of health, and shew -himself, as usual, engaged in his ordinary dispatch of business. The -seeming good countenance of the king made their condolence premature. -Some excuse, however, for so formal a visit, was necessary; but -every apology was not safe. They adopted this, which they thought -unexceptionable, that hearing he was sick, which they happily found he -was not, they came to propose to him a thing equally proper whether he -was sick or well; that he would, in time, settle the succession upon -his son Fasil, then in the mountain of Wechné, as a means of quieting -the minds of his friends, preventing bloodshed, and securing the crown -to his family. - -Oustas did the utmost to command himself upon this occasion, and to -give them an answer such as suited a man in health who hoped to live -many years. But it was now too late to play such a part; and, in spite -of his utmost dissimulation, evident signs of decay appeared upon him, -which his visitors conjectured would soon be past dissembling, and they -agreed to stay with the king till the evening. - -But the soldiers on guard, who heard the proposal of sending for -Oustas’s son, and who really believed that these men spoke from their -heart, and were in earnest, were violently discontented and angry at -this proposal. They began to be weary of novelty, and longed for a -king of the ancient royal family. As soon, therefore, as it was dark -they entered Gondar, and called together the several regiments, or -bodies of soldiers, which composed the king’s household. Having came -to a resolution how they were to act, they returned to their quarters -where they were upon guard, and meeting the great officers coming out -of Oustas’s tent, where they, too, had probably agreed upon the same -measure, though it was not known, the soldiers drew their swords, -and slew them all, being seven in number. Among these were Betwudet -Tamerté, and the Acab Saat; the one the principal lay-officer, the -other the chief ecclesiastic in the king’s house. - -This massacre seemed to be the signal for a general insurrection, -in the course of which, part of the town was set on fire. But the -soldiers, at their first meeting in the palace[88], had shut up the -coronation-chamber, and the other royal apartments, and possessed -themselves of the kettle-drum by which all proclamations were made at -the gate, driving away, and rudely treating the multitude on every -side. At last they brought out the drum, though it was yet night, and -made this proclamation:--“David, son of our late king Yasous, is our -king.” The tumult and disorder, nevertheless, still continued; during -all which, it was very remarkable no one ever thought of offering an -injury to Oustas. - -While these things were passing at Gondar, a violent alarm had seized -all the princes upon the mountain of Wechné. They had been treated -with severity during Oustas’s whole reign. Their revenues had been -with-held, or at least not regularly paid, and they had been reduced -nearly to perish for want of the necessaries of life. When, therefore, -the accounts of Oustas’s illness arrived, and that the principal -people had proposed to name Fasil his son, then their fellow-prisoner, -to succeed him, their fears no longer reminded them of the hardships -of his father’s reign, as they expected utter extirpation as the only -measure by which he could provide for his own security. Full of these -fears, they agreed, with one consent, to let down from the mountain -fifty princes of the greatest hopes, all in the prime of life, and -therefore most capable of defending their own right, and securing -the lives of those that remained upon the mountain, from the cruel -treatment they must obviously expect if they fell into the hand of an -usurper or stranger. - -The brother of Betwudet Tamerté, who, with the six others, had been -murdered before Oustas’s tent, was, at this time, guardian of the -mountain of Wechné. His brother’s death, however, and the unsettled -state of government, had so much weakened both his authority and -attention, that he either did not choose, or was not able, to prevent -the escape of these princes, all flying for their lives, and for the -sake of preserving the ancient constitution of their country. And that -this, and no other was their object, appeared the instant the danger -was removed; for, as soon as the news that David was proclaimed at -Gondar arrived at the mountain, all the princes returned of their own -accord, excepting Bacuffa, younger brother to the king, who fled to the -Galla, and lay concealed among them for a time. - -On David’s arrival at Gondar, all the old misfortunes seemed to be -forgotten. The joy of having the ancient royal line restored, got the -better of those fears which first occasioned the interruption. The -prisons were thrown open, and David was crowned the 30th of January -1714, amidst the acclamations of all ranks of people, and every -demonstration of festivity and joy. - -David was son of Yasous the Great, and consequently brother to the -parricide Tecla Haimanout, but by another mother. At his coronation he -was just twenty-one years of age, and took for his inauguration name -Adebar Segued. - -In all this time, however, Oustas was alive. Oustas was, indeed, sick, -but still he was king; and yet it is surprising that David had been now -nine days at Gondar, and no injury had been offered to Oustas, nor any -escape attempted for him by his friends. - -It was the 6th of February, the day before Lent, when, the king -sent the Abuna Marcus, Itchegué Za Michael, with some of the great -officers of state, to interrogate Oustas judicially, for form’s sake, -as to his title to the crown. The questions proposed are very short -and simple--“Who are you? What brought you here?” To these plain -interrogatories, Oustas, then struggling with death, answered, however, -as plainly, and without equivocation, “Tell my king David, that true it -is I have made myself king, as much as one can be that is not of the -royal family; for I am but a private man, son of a subject, Kasmati -Delba Yasous: all I beg of the king is to give me a little time, and -let me die with sickness, as I shortly shall, without putting me to -torment or pain.” - -On the 10th day of February, that is four days after the interrogation, -Oustas died, but whether of a violent or natural death is not known. -The historian of his reign, a cotemporary writer, says, some reported -that he died of an amputation of his leg by order of the king; others, -that he was strangled; but that most people were of opinion that he -died of sickness; and this I think the most probable, for had the king -been earnestly set upon his death, he would not have allowed so much -time to pass, after his coronation, before his rival was interrogated; -nor was there any reason to allow him four days after his confession. -David’s moderation after the death, moreover, seems to render this -still more credible; for he ordered his body to be buried in the church -of the Nativity, which he had himself built, with all the honours and -public ceremonies due to his rank as a nobleman and subject, who had -been guilty of no crime, instead of ordering his body to be hewn in -pieces, and scattered along the ground without burial, to be eat by -the dogs; the invariable punishment, unless in this one instance, of -high-treason in this country. - -Posterity, regarding his merit more than his title, have, however, kept -his name still among the list of kings; and tradition, doing him more -justice still than history, has ranked him among the best that ever -reigned in Abyssinia. - -[Illustration] - - - - -DAVID IV. - -From 1714 to 1719. - - _Convocation of the Clergy--Catholic Priests executed--A - second Convocation--Clergy insult the King--His severe - Punishment--King dies of Poison._ - - -The moderation of the king, both before and after the death of Oustas, -and perhaps some other favourable appearances now unknown to us, set -the monks, the constant pryers into futurity, upon prophecying that the -reign of this prince was to be equal in length to that of his father -Yasous the Great, and that it was to be peaceable, full of justice and -moderation, without execution, or effusion of civil blood. - -David, immediately upon his accession, appointed Fit-Auraris Agnè, -Ozoro Keduste’s brother[89], his Betwudet, and Abra Hezekias his -matter of the household; and was proceeding to fill up the inferior -posts of government, when he was interrupted by the clamours of a -multitude of monks demanding a convocation of the clergy. - -These assemblies, however often solicited, are never called in -the reign of vigorous princes, but by the special order of the -sovereign, who grants or refuses them purely from his own free-will. -They are, however, particularly expected at the accession of a new -prince, upon any apprehension of heresy, or any novelty or abuse in -church-government. - -The arrival of a new-Abuna from Egypt is also a very principal reason -for the convocation. These assemblies are very numerous. Many of the -most discreet members of the church absent themselves purposely. On -the other hand, the monks, who, by vows, have bound themselves to the -most painful austerities and sufferings; those that devote themselves -to pass their lives in the deep and unwholesome valleys of the country; -hermits that starve on the points of cold rocks; others that live in -deserts surrounded with, and perpetually exposed to wild beasts; in -a word, the whole tribe of fanatics, false prophets, diviners, and -dreamers, people who affect to see and foreknow what is in future -to happen, by living in perfect ignorance of what is passing at the -present; people in constant habits of dirt and nastiness, naked, or -covered with hair; in short, a collection of monsters, scarcely to -be described or conceived, compose an ecclesiastical assembly in -Abyssinia, and are the leaders of an ignorant and furious populace, -who adore them as saints, and are always ready to support them in some -violation of the laws of the country, or of humanity, to which, by -their customs and manner of life, their very first appearance shews -they have been long strangers. - -David, however averse to these assemblies, could not decently refuse -them, now a new prince was set on the throne, a new Abuna was come -from Egypt, and a complaint was ready to be brought that the church -was in danger. The assembly met in the usual place before the palace. -The Itchegué, or head of the monks of Debra Libanos, was ready with a -complaint, which he preferred to the king. He stated it was notorious, -but offered to prove it if denied, that three Romish priests, with an -Abyssinian for their interpreter, were then established in Walkayt, -and, for several years, had been there maintained, protected, and -consulted by the late king Oustas, who had often assisted at the -celebration of mass as solemnized by the church of Rome. - -David was a rigid adherent to the church of Alexandria, and educated -by his mother in the tenets of the monks of Saint Eustathius, that is, -the most declared enemies of every thing approaching to the tenets of -the church of Rome. He was consequently, not by inclination, neither -was he by duty, obliged to undertake the defence of measures adopted by -Oustas, of which he was besides ignorant, having been confined in the -mountain of Wechné. He ordered, therefore, the missionaries, and their -interpreter, whose name was Abba Gregorius, to be apprehended. - -These unfortunate people were accordingly produced before the most -prejudiced and partial of all tribunals. Abba Masmarè and Adug Tesfo -were adduced to interrogate and to interpret to them, as they -understood the Arabic, having been at Cairo and Jerusalem. The trial -neither was, nor was intended to be long. The first question put was -a very direct one; Do you, or do you not, receive the council of -Chalcedon as a rule of faith? and, Do you believe that Leo the pope -lawfully and regularly presided at it, and conducted it? To this the -prisoners plainly answered, That they looked upon the council of -Chalcedon as the fourth general council, and received it as such, -and as a rule of faith: that they did believe pope Leo lawfully and -regularly presided at it, as being head of the Catholic church, -successor to St Peter, and Christ’s vicar upon earth. Upon this a -general shout was heard from the whole assembly; and the fatal cry, -“Stone them.”--“Whoever throws not three stones, he is accursed, and an -enemy to Mary,” immediately followed. - -One priest only, distinguished for piety and learning among his -countrymen, and one of the chief men in the assembly, with great -vehemence declared, they were tried partially and unfairly, and -condemned unjustly. But his voice was not heard amidst the clamours -of such a multitude; and the monks were accordingly by the judges -condemned to die. Ropes were instantly thrown about their necks, and -they were dragged to a place behind the church of Abbo, in the way to -Tedda, where they were, according to their sentence, stoned to death, -suffering with a patience and resignation equal to the first martyrs. - -The justice, however, which we owe to the memory of the deceased M. du -Roule, must always leave a fear in every Christian mind, that, spotted -as these missionaries were with the horrid crime of the premeditated, -unprovoked murder of that ambassador, the indifference they testified -at the approach, and in the immediate suffering of death, had its -origin rather in hardness of heart than in the quietness of their -consciences. Many fanatics have been known to die, glorying in having -perpetrated the most horrid crimes to which the sentence of eternal -damnation is certainly annexed in the book before them. - -I have often, both on purpose and by accident, passed by this place, -where three large, and one small pile of stones, cover the bodies of -these unfortunate sufferers; and, with many heavy reflections, upon -my own danger, I have often wondered how these three priests, of -whatever nation they were, passed unnoticed among the number of their -fraternity, whose memory is honoured with long panegyrics by the Romish -writers of those times, as destined one day to appear in the kalendar. -Though those that compose the long list of Tellez died with piety -and resignation, they were surely guilty in the way they almost all -were engaged, contrary to the laws and constitution of the country, -in actions and designs that can be fairly qualified by no other name -than that of treason, while no such political meddling out of their -profession ever was reproached to these three, even by their enemies. - -Tellez says not a word of them; Le Grande, a zealous Catholic writer -of these times, but little; though he publishes an Arabic letter to -consul Maillet, which mentions their names, their sufferings, and other -circumstances attending them. I shall, therefore, take the liberty of -offering my conjecture, as I think this silence, or the suppression of -a fact, gives me a title to do; but shall first produce the letter of -Elias Enoch, upon which I found my judgment. - - -TRANSLATION _of an_ ARABIC LETTER _wrote to_ M. DE MAILLET. - -“After having assured M. de Maillet, the consul, of my respects, and -of the continuation of my prayers for his health, as being a gentleman -venerable for his merits, distinguished by his knowledge and great -penetration, of a noble birth, always beneficent, and addicted to -pious actions, (may God preserve his life to that degree of honour due -to so respectable a person), I now write you from the town of Mocha. -I left Abyssinia in the year 1718, and came to this town of Mocha in -extreme poverty, or rather absolutely destitute. God has assisted me: -I give praise to him for his bounty, and always remain much obliged to -you. What follows is all that I can inform you as touching the news of -Abyssinia. King Yasous is long since dead: his son, Tecla Haimanout, -having seized upon the kingdom by force, caused his father to be -assassinated. This king Yasous, having given me leave to go to Sennaar, -furnished me with a letter addressed to the king there, in which he -desired him to put no obstacles in the way of du Roule the French -ambassador’s journey, but to suffer him to enter Ethiopia. He also gave -me another letter addressed to the basha and officers of Grand Cairo; -and another letter to the ambassador himself, by which he signified -to him that he might enter into Ethiopia without fear. Accordingly I -had departed with these letters for Sennaar; but king Tecla Haimanout, -son of king Yasous, having taken possession of the kingdom while I was -yet in Abyssinia, I returned and delivered to him the letters which -had been given me by his father. It was now three months since Tecla -Haimanout had been upon the throne; he approved of the letters, and -caused them to be transcribed in his own name; and ordered me to go and -join du Roule the ambassador, and accompany him back again to Gondar. -King Yasous had already sent an officer to meet the ambassador at -Sennaar; and he had been gone six months without my knowledge; but that -officer, having trifled away his time in trading, did not enter Sennaar -till that king had caused the ambassador to be murdered, together with -those that were with him. As for me, not knowing what had happened, -I was advancing with the orders of Tecla Haimanout, when, being now -within three days journey of Sennaar, I heard of the ambassador’s -death, and that of his companions; and being terrified at this, I -returned into Abyssinia to let Tecla Haimanout know what the king of -Sennaar had done. Immediately upon hearing of this, Tecla Haimanout -formed a resolution to declare war against the king of Sennaar, but was -soon after slain in a mutiny of the soldiers. He reigned two years. -Tifilis, brother of Yasous, succeeded him, and reigned three years and -three months. Oustas, nephew of king Yasous, succeeded Tifilis, and -usurped the kingdom, of which he was actually prime minister, being -son of a sister of Yasous. Oustas was dethroned, and died soon after. -David, son of Yasous, succeeded him, and reigned five years and five -months. The _friars_, who arrived in Ethiopia in the reign of Oustas, -were stoned to death, upon the succession of David to the throne, by -those that were of the party of David. A son of _Michael_, whom he -had by a slave, aged only six years, was stoned with him. It was the -_fourth_ son he had. I made Yasous believe that the religion of the -French was the same with that of Ethiopia,” &c. &c. - -From this letter, we see a boy of six years old, son of one of these -priests or friars, was stoned to death with them; and his heap of -stones appears with those of the others. It was, indeed, a common -test of the people suspected to be priests, who stole into Abyssinia, -to offer them women, their vows being known, and that they could not -marry. I apprehend, to avoid detection, one at least of them had -broken his vow of celibacy and chastity, and that this child was the -consequence, but not the only one, as Enoch says, in his letter, he had -three others; and this probably was the reason why the Catholics of -those times had consigned their merit to oblivion, rather than record -it with their failings. - -For although we know that there were friars who had been in Ethiopia -since the time of Oustas, we should not have been informed who they -were, had it not been for a small sheet, published at Rome in the year -1774, by a capuchin priest called Theodosius Volpi, sent to me by my -learned and worthy friend the honourable Daines Barrington. From this -we find, that these three were, Liberato de Wies, apostolical prefect -in Austria; Michael Pius of Zerbe, in the province of Padua; and Samuel -de Beumo, of the Milanese. The account of their death is the same as -already given, though the publisher suppresses the stoning of the -child, and the existence of the three other, fruits of the seraphic -mission, through the endeavours of father Michael Pius of Zerbe, of the -province of Milan. The child, too, stoned to death with his father, -was six years old, and was, as Elias says, fourth son of Michael; -and it was in 1714 this catastrophe happened, so that this will bring -these fathers entrance into Nubia about the time of the murder of M. du -Roule: so consistent with every crime is fanaticism and false religion. - -The barbarous monks, gratified in the first instance, would not be -contented without extending their vengeance to Abba Gregorius, the -Abyssinian priest, the interpreter. But David, who found upon trial -that, in going to attend the priests in Walkayt, he had only obeyed the -express command of Oustas, then his sovereign, absolutely refused to -suffer him to be either tried or punished, but dismissed him, without -further censure or question, to his native country. - -While David was thus employed at Gondar, news were brought to him -that his brother Bacuffa had left the Galla, and was then in a small -town in Begemder, called Wetan. It was this prince who, together with -fifty others of the royal family, were let down from the mountain of -Wechné, upon Oustas’s son being proposed, and he alone refused to -return upon his brother’s accession to the throne. David sent Azaleffi, -Guebra Mehedin, and Badjerund Welled de l’Oul, to Wetan, where they -apprehended Bacuffa by surprise, and lodged him in the mountain of -Wechné, after having cut off a very small part of the tip of his nose, -which was scarcely discernible when he came to the throne. - -Kasmati Georgis, had been banished to the mountain in the reign of the -late king, where he had contracted an intimate friendship with David. -He had also married a sister of Ozoro Mamet, by whom Yasous had several -children, particularly one Welleta Georgis, a prince then of years -to govern, and confined to the mountain. David, on his coming to the -throne, did not forget his old friendship on the mountain; and, passing -by Emfras, he sent to Wechné to bring down Kasmati Georgis to Arringo, -one of the king’s palaces in Begemder, where he intended to pass the -summer. On his return he gave him the government of Gojam; and his -favourite Agné, his uncle, dying at this time, very much regretted, -Georgis was also created Betwudet in his place. - -This year Abuna Marcus died; and his successor, Abuna Christodulus, -arriving the third day of November, this made the calling of another -assembly of the clergy absolutely necessary, although, from the humour -the last was in, the whole time of their meeting, the king was very -little inclined to it. - -The monks in Abyssinia, as I have often said, are divided into two -bodies, those of Debra Libanos and those of Abba Eustathius. Some have -imagined that the difference between these two bodies arises from a -dispute about two natures in Christ. But this is from misinformation; -for, were a dispute to arise about the two natures in Christ, each -party would declare the other a heretic; but at present a few equivocal -words, used to define the mode and moment of our Saviour’s incarnation, -though neither opinion is thought heretical[90], have the effect to -make these two sects enemies all their lives. - -The Abuna is the head of the Abyssinian church; yet, as he is known to -be a slave of the Mahometans, upon his first arrival, and permission -obtained from the king, the assembly meets in a large outer court, -or square, before the palace, where he is interrogated, and where he -declares which of the two opinions he adopts. If he has been properly -advised, he declares for the ruling and strongest party; though -sometimes he is determined, by the address of those about him, to side -with the weakest; and very often, if he has had no instruction on his -arrival, he does not know what this reference means; for no trace of -such dispute exists among his brethren in Cairo, from whence he came. -He is, moreover, a stranger to the language, and the words containing -either opinion, which, for shortness sake, are made to mean a great -deal more than they at first seem to import; and, whether freely or -literally translated, are equally unintelligible to a foreigner. After -the Abuna has declared his choice, this is announced by beat of drum to -the people, and is called _Nagar Haimanout_, or, the Proclamation of -the Faith. The only ordinary effect this declaration has, is to make -the person who is at the head of one party an adversary to him who is -the head of the other, all his life after. - -The king at his accession makes his declaration also. The clergy -maintain, that he should do this in an assembly called for that -purpose, though the king denies that there is any necessity for -the clergy to be present; but he considers it as his privilege to -choose his own time and place, and announces it to the people, by -proclamation, at what time, and in what manner, he thinks most -convenient. - -Although David had given his permission to assemble the clergy to hear -the Abuna’s declaration, he did not think himself bound to assist at -it, and, therefore, he sent to the monks of Debra Libanos, and those of -Abba Eustathius, to go to the Abuna with Betwudet Georgis, who should -interrogate the Abuna, and report the answer to the king, who thereupon -would order it to be proclaimed to the people. The monks of Debra -Libanos refused this, as they did not consider Georgis as indifferent, -being known to be a staunch Eustathian. They declared, therefore, they -would neither hear nor regard what the Abuna said, unless it was in -the king’s presence; and this was just what David was resolved not to -humour them in. - -Betwudet Georgis, the great officers of state, and most of the people -of consideration about Gondar, waited upon the Abuna as the king had -commanded; and the Betwudet having desired him to make his profession, -he would only give this evasive answer, That his faith was in all -respects the same as that of Abba Marcos and Abba Sanuda, the ancient -and orthodox Abunas. - -This answer left every party at liberty to imagine that the Abuna was -their own. But this evasion did not content the king, who therefore -ordered the Betwudet, without taking further notice of the Abuna, to -make proclamation in terms of the profession of the monks of Abba -Eustathius. This occasioned great heats among the monks of Debra -Libanos. They ran all with one accord to the Itchegué’s house, for he -is their general, or chief of their convent, and here they came to -the most violent resolutions, declaring that they would die either -together, or man by man, in support of their privileges and the -freedom of their assemblies. From the Itchegué’s house they ran to -the Abuna’s, without soliciting or receiving any permission from the -king; and, upon interrogation, they succeeded with the Abuna to the -height of their wishes; for he answered in the precise words of their -profession--“One God, of the Father alone, united to a body perfectly -human, consubstantial with ours, and by that union becoming the -Messiah;” in direct opposition to what was proclaimed by the king’s -order at the gate of the palace the day before--Perfect God and perfect -man, by the union one Christ, whose body is composed of a precious -substance, called _Bahery_, not consubstantial with ours, or derived -from his mother. - -Had they stopt here it had been well; but the victory was too great, -too unexpected, and complete, to admit of their sitting quietly down -without a triumph. They returned, therefore, from the Abuna’s, frantic -with joy, shouting, and singing, and more peculiarly one kind of song, -or hallelujah, used always upon victories obtained over infidels. As -they passed the door of the king’s palace, some of the officers of -the household, Azage Zakery, Azage Tecla Haimanout, and Badjerund -Welleta David, moderate men, lovers of peace, and inclined to no party, -endeavoured to persuade them to content themselves with what they -had done, to disperse, and each go to his home, before some mischief -overtook them. But they were too high-minded. They redoubled their -songs; and, in this manner, again assembled in the Itchegué’s house to -deliberate on what further they were to attempt; when one of the monks, -a prophet, or dreamer, declared, “That God had opened his eyes, and -that he then saw a cherub with a flaming sword guarding the Itchegué’s -gate:” with such a centinel they concluded that they were perfectly -safe from any attempts of man. - -In the mean time, however, the king was violently affected at the -seditious behaviour of the monks; nor did he hesitate a moment in -what manner he was to punish it. As they had employed the song which -was sung only for victories obtained over infidels, by which they -meant to allude particularly to the king, he detached a body of Pagan -Galla to punish them; having surrounded the Itchegué’s house, where -the monks were assembled, they forced open the gate, (and the cherub -with the flaming sword not interfering) they fell, sword in hand, upon -the unarmed priests, and in an instant laid above a hundred of the -principal of them dead upon the floor. They then sallied out with their -bloody weapons into the street, and hewed to pieces those that attended -the procession, and who were still diverting themselves with their -song. Gondar now appeared like a town taken by storm; every street was -covered with the dead, and dying; and this massacre continued till next -day at noon, when, by proclamation, the king ordered it to cease. - -David, now satisfied as to the priests, thought he owed to the Abuna -a mortification for his double-dealing. He sent, therefore, the -soldiers to take him out of his house, and bring him to the gate of -the palace, where the poor wretch, half dead with fear, expected every -moment to fall by the bloody hands of the Djawi. Having enjoyed his -panic some time, the king ordered him to be placed close beside the -kettle-drum, and a profession of faith was made in the royal presence, -and announced by beat of drum to the people, agreeing in every respect -to that published the first day by Betwudet Georgis, and directly -contradicting what he had said with his own mouth to the monks of Debra -Libanos, which was the occasion of the riot. - -This bloody, indiscriminate massacre had comprehended too many men -of worth and distinction not to occasion great discontent among the -principal people both within and without the palace. Conspiracies -against the king were now everywhere openly talked of, the fruits of -which soon appeared. David fell sick, and those about him endeavoured -to persuade him that it was the remains of an injury which he had -lately received from a fall off his horse. But, upon the meeting of a -council on the 9th of March 1719, it was discovered and proved, that -Kasmati Laté and Ras Georgis had employed Kutcho, keeper of the palace, -to give a strong poison to the king, which he had taken that morning -from the hands of a Mahometan. Ras Georgis was then brought before the -council, and scarcely denied the fact; upon which his only son was -ordered to be hewn to pieces before his face, and immediately after the -father’s eyes were pulled out. Kutcho, keeper of the palace, and the -Mahometan who gave the poison, were hewn to pieces with swords before -the gate of the palace, and their mangled bodies thrown to the dogs. -The king died that evening in great agony. - -The king’s favourite, Betwudet Georgis, found himself now in a most -dangerous situation. David his protector was dead, and he was left now -alone to answer for those bloody measures of which he was universally -believed to be the adviser. It was absolutely necessary, therefore, if -possible, to secure a successor of David’s own family, who might stop -the prosecutions against him for steps the king had adopted as his own, -and as such had carried into execution. - -We have already observed, that, when banished to the mountain of Wechné -by Oustas, he had contracted there, first a friendship with David, -and, at the same time, with another prince, Ayto Welled Georgis, who -was son to Yasous by Ozoro Mamet, whose sister Georgis had married, -and consequently was uncle to Ayto Welleta Georgis, as having married -his aunt, sister to Ozoro Mamet. When this prince now arrived at -manhood, he knew himself perfectly secure; and, therefore, a number -of the men in power being then assembled at his house, he lost no -time, but surrounded it with a body of soldiers. He proposed to them -Welled Georgis as immediate successor to David. The people present, -seeing themselves in the soldiers hands, and convinced from the -recent examples, that Georgis was not very tender in the use of them, -in appearance chearfully, and without hesitation, approved of the -Betwudet’s choice; and Lika Jonathan, one of the chief civil judges, -performed the office of crier, proclaiming with an audible voice, -“Ayto Welled Georgis, brother to our late king David, son of our great -king Yasous, he is now our king. Mourn for the king that is dead, but -rejoice with the king that is alive.” This is the ordinary stile of -the proclamation. Mutual congratulations and promises passed among the -members of the meeting, but with very different resolutions. - -All the company, escorted by a body of archers, and another of -fuzileers, with Betwudet Georgis at their head, repaired to the great -place before the palace to make the same proclamation by beat of drum -that they had done in the Betwudet’s house. They found the drum ready, -and the whole body of the king’s household troops under arms, and -drawn up before it. Upon the sight of their companions, the soldiers -left the Betwudet, and fell into a proper place reserved vacant for -them by their brethren. Without loss of time the drum was beat, and a -proclamation made, “Bacuffa, son of Yasous, is our king! Mourn for the -dead, and rejoice with the living.” Loud acclamations from the people -were echoed back again by the soldiers, and Bacuffa’s name was received -with universal acclamations. Some of the principal people then went -to the council-chamber, and sent proper officers, with a good body of -troops, to escort the king from Wechné. - -Upon their arrival they found the sentiments of the princes upon the -election were widely different from those testified by the people. -They all to a man declared their dissent from that election. They -upbraided Bacuffa for his brutal manners; for his violent, unsociable, -unrelenting temper, from the which, they said, they had the cruelest -consequences to apprehend; and, indeed, it was not without great reason -that they made these remonstrances; for Bacuffa, when he escaped from -the mountain, fled for refuge among the Galla, and received there -a very strong tincture of the savage manners of that nation, which -neither those of Gondar nor the army could have an opportunity to judge -of. Resolute, active, and politic, he was very well formed to hold -the reins of government in unsettled times; but his temper of itself -exceedingly suspicious, and the little regard he had for the life of -man, made his whole reign (as it was feared) one continued tragedy. So -that, notwithstanding the goodness of his understanding, and many acts -of wisdom and justice, he is considered as a bloody, merciless tyrant, -and his memory regarded with the greatest detestation. - -On the first news of the insurrection of the princes on Wechné, Kasmati -Amha Yasous, governor of Begemder, marched with his whole force and -encamped under the mountain. He then received Bacuffa, as king, having -rescued him from the hands of his relations; and, in order to obviate, -as much as possible, any future trouble, he obliged the different -branches of the royal family to a reconciliation with each other, -making Bacuffa, on the one side, swear that he was not to remember nor -revenge any injury or affront received upon the mountain; and them on -the mountain swear also, that they would forget all old disagreements, -consider Bacuffa as their king, and not create him any trouble in his -reign by escapes, or other rebellious practices. - -As it was then night, Bacuffa staid in the house of Azage Assarat, -and the next morning came to Serbraxos, whence he sent to the monks -of Tedda to meet him there. From Tedda he proceeded to Gondar, where -he was met by the Abuna and Itchegué amidst the acclamations of a -prodigious number of people. - -[Illustration] - - - - -BACUFFA. - -From 1719 to 1729. - - _Bloody Reign--Exterminates the Conspirators--Counterfeits - Death--Becomes very popular._ - - -Honest men, who loved their country, saw the dangerous situation it was -then in. Every day had produced instances of a growing indifference to -that form of government which, from the earliest times, they had looked -upon as sacred; and upon every slight and unreasonable disgust a person -of consequence thought he had met with, a party was immediately formed, -and nothing less was agreed on than directly imbruing their hands in -the blood of their sovereign. - -A prince was necessary who had qualities of mind proper to enable him -to put a stop to these enormities before they involved the state in -one scene of anarchy and ruin. Bacuffa was thought to answer these -expectations; and, in the end, he was found to exceed them. Silent, -secret, and unfathomable in his designs, surrounded by soldiers -who were his own slaves, and by new men of his own creation, he -removed those tyrants who opposed their sovereigns upon the smallest -provocation. Conspiracy followed conspiracy, and rebellion; but all -were defeated, as soon as they had birth, by the superior activity and -address of the king. - -I have said he was called Bacuffa by the Galla; but, in compliance -with the custom of Abyssinia, already mentioned, he had assumed still -two other names, which were, Atzham Georgis, his name of baptism, and -Adebar Segued, which means “reverenced by the towns or inhabited places -of the country,” given him at his inauguration. As for that of Bacuffa, -which meant the _inexorable_, it was the less dishonourable from having -been given him by impartial strangers from their own observation while -he was yet in private life; his whole conduct afterwards shewed how -justly. - -The king has near his person an officer who is meant to be his -historiographer. He is also keeper of his seal, and is obliged to make -a journal of the king’s actions, good or bad, without comment of his -own upon them. This, when the king dies, or at least soon after, is -delivered to the council, who read it over, and erase every thing false -in it; whilst they supply any material fact that may have been omitted, -whether purposely or not. This would have been a very dangerous book -to have been kept in Bacuffa’s time; and, accordingly, no person chose -ever to run that risk; and the king’s particular behaviour afterwards -had still the further effect, that nobody would supply this deficiency -after his death, a general belief prevailing in Abyssinia that he is -alive to this day, and will appear again in all his terrors. It is -owing to this circumstance that we have nothing complete of this king’s -reign; only a few anecdotes are preserved, some of them very odd ones. -I shall only, for the present, choose such of those as lead me to the -subject I have in hand. - -Bacuffa was exceedingly fond of divinations, dreams, and prophecies, -so are all the Abyssinians; but he imbibed an additional propensity -to these, among the Pagans to whom he had fled. One day, when walking -alone, he perceived a priest exceedingly attentive in observing the -forms that little pieces of straw, cut to certain lengths, made upon a -pool of water into which ran a small stream. From the combination of -these in letters, or figures, as they chanced to fall, an answer is -procured to the doubt proposed, which, if you believe these idlers, is -perfectly infallible. - -Bacuffa in disguise, dressed like a poor man, is said to have asked the -priest after what he was inquiring. The priest answered, He was trying -whether the king would have a son, and who should govern the kingdom -after him. The king abode the investigation patiently; and the answer -was, That he should have a son; but that a Welleta Georgis should -govern the kingdom after him for thirty years, though that Welleta -Georgis should be neither his son nor any descendant of his. Full of -thought at this untoward prediction, he harboured it in his breast -without communicating it to any one, and resolved to blast the hopes -of every Welleta Georgis that should be so unfortunate as to stand -within the possibility of reigning after him. Many innocent people of -different parts disappeared from this unknown crime; and eleven princes -on the mountain of Wechné, some say more, lost their lives for a name -that is very common in Abyssinia, without one overt act of treason, -or even a suspicion of what they were accused. A panic now struck all -ranks of people, without terminating in any scheme of resistance; -which sufficiently shewed that the king had succeeded in dissolving -all confederacies among his subjects, and destroying radically that -rebellious spirit which had operated so fatally in the last reigns. - -It is a custom among the kings of Abyssinia, especially in intervals -of peace, to disappear for a time, without any warning. Sometimes, -indeed, one or two confidential servants, pretending to be busied in -other affairs, attend at a distance, and keep their eye upon him, -while, disguised in different manners, he goes like a stranger to those -parts he intends to visit. In one of these private journeys, passing -into Kuara, a province on the N. E. of Abyssinia, near the confines of -Sennaar, Bacuffa happened, or counterfeited, to be seized by a fever, -a common disease of that unwholesome country. He was then in a poor -village belonging to servants of a man of distinction, whose house was -on the top of the hill immediately above, in temperate and wholesome -air. The hospitable landlord, upon the first hearing of the distress -of a stranger, immediately removed him up to his house, where every -attention that could be suggested by a charitable mind was bestowed -upon his diseased guest, who presently recovered his former state of -health, but not till the kind assistance and unwearied diligence of the -beautiful daughter of the house had made the deepest impression upon -him, and laid him under the greatest obligations. - -The family consisted of five young men in the flower of their youth, -and one daughter, whose name was Berhan Magass, _the Glory of -Grace_, exceedingly beautiful, gentle, mild, and affable; of great -understanding and prudence beyond her age; the darling, not only of her -own family, but of all the neighbourhood. - -Bacuffa recovering his health, returned speedily to the palace, which -he entered privately at night, and appeared early next morning sitting -in judgment, and hearing causes, which, with these princes, is the -first public occupation of the day. - -A messenger, with guards and attendants, was immediately sent to -Kuara, and Berhan Magass hurried from her father’s house, she knew not -why, but her surprise was carried to the utmost, by being presented -and married to the king, no reply, condition, or stipulation being -suffered. She gained, however, and preserved his confidence as long -as he lived: not that Bacuffa valued himself upon constancy to one -wife, more than the rest of his predecessors had done. He had, indeed, -many mistresses, but with these he observed a very singular rule; he -never took to his bed any one woman whatever, the fair Berhan Magass -excepted, without her having been first so far intoxicated with wine or -spirits as not to remember any thing that passed in conversation. - -While Bacuffa was on his concealed journey to Kuara, a very dangerous -conspiracy was forming at Gondar, under the immediate conduct of Ozoro -Welleta Raphael, the king’s sister, a very ambitious woman, and of -an unquiet, enterprising temper. Disgusted by her brother’s refusal -of a gift of some crown lands which were then vacant, and without -any owners, she thought no vengeance adequate to the affront, but -dethroning Bacuffa. With this view she engaged several men of power in -her interest, and particularly the black servants of the palace who -attend immediately upon the king’s person, and were to seize upon, or -destroy him, the moment he returned. This plot, in all its particulars, -was conveyed to the king. - -There was an old, abandoned house of king Yasous, at Bartcho, about a -day’s journey south of Gondar; it stands on a very extensive plain. -The king intending, as he said, to repair, or rather clean and prepare -this house for his immediate reception, ordered all the black slaves -from Gondar thither for that purpose, together with some of their -ringleaders. Kasmati Waragna, in the mean time, was ordered to bring a -thousand horsemen of his Galla Djawi. He arrived at Bartcho nearly at -the same time with the black servants, who being unarmed, as suspecting -nothing, and on foot, after a sharp reproof from the king, were all -surrounded and cut to pieces by the hands of Waragna, and orders were -immediately sent to Gondar to extirpate the remainder there; and this -execution laid a foundation for a feud that endures to this day between -the Galla troops and the black horse, who were then abolished, as the -Galla have been since, though both were part of the king’s household -formerly, before David’s or Bacuffa’s time. As for Welleta Raphael, -she was seized that same night, and was conveyed to Walkayt, to be -confined there, with private instructions, however, to put her to death -speedily, which were executed accordingly. - -The queen had a son within the year, whom the council named Yasous, -after his grandfather, whose memory will ever be dear in Abyssinia; and -this again revived the old apprehensions that Welleta Georgis was to -govern the country (as the prophet said) for thirty years. Tormented -with this idea, rather than the havoc it had occasioned, he devised -with himself a scheme which he thought would certainly detect this -future usurper of his crown and dethroner of his child. But first he -directed that the queen should be crowned, a ceremony that carries -great consequences along with it when solemnized properly, as at that -time she is made regent, or Iteghè, in all minorities that may happen -afterwards. - -After he had created his wife Iteghè, Bacuffa pretended to be sick: -several days passed without hopes of recovery; but at last the news -of the king’s death were published in Gondar. The joy was so great, -and so universal, that nobody attempted to conceal it. Every one found -himself eased of a load of fear which had become insupportable. Several -princes escaped from the mountain of Wechné to put themselves in the -way of being chosen; some were sent to by those great men who thought -themselves capable of effecting the nomination, and a speedy day was -appointed for the burial of the king’s corpse, when Bacuffa appeared, -in the ordinary seat of justice, early in the morning of that day, -with the Iteghè, and the infant Yasous, his son, sitting in a chair -below him. - -There was no occasion to accuse the guilty. The whole court, and all -strangers attending there upon business, fled, and spread an universal -terror through the whole streets of Gondar. All ranks of people were -driven to despair, for all had rejoiced; and much less crimes had been -before punished with death. What this sedition would have ended in, it -is hard to know, had it not been for the immediate resolution of the -king, who ordered a general pardon and amnesty to be proclaimed at the -door of the palace. - -There are two kettle-drums of a large size placed one on each side of -the outer gate of the king’s house. They are called the _lion_ and -the _lamb_. The lion is beat at the proclamations which regard war, -attainders for conspiracies and rebellions, promotions to supreme -commands, and suchlike high matters. The lamb[91] is heard only on -beneficent, pacific occasions, of gifts from the crown, of general -amnesties, of private pardons, and reversals of penal ordinances. The -whole town was in expectation of some sanguinary decree, when, to -their utter surprise, they heard the voice of the lamb, a certain sign -of peace and forgivenness; and speedily followed by a proclamation, -forbidding people of all degrees to leave their houses, that the king’s -word was pledged for every one’s security; and that all the principal -men should immediately attend him within the palace, in a public place -which is called the Ashoa, and that upon pain of rebellion. - -The king appeared cloathed all in white, being the habit of peace; his -head was bare, dressed, anointed, and perfumed, and his face uncovered. -He thus advanced to the rail of the gallery, about 10 feet above the -heads of the audience, and, in a very graceful, composed, but resolute -manner, began a short oration to the people. “He put them in mind of -their wantonness in having made Oustas, a man not of the royal line -of Solomon, king of Abyssinia; of their having incited his brother, -Tecla Haimanout, to assassinate their father Yasous; that they had -afterwards murdered Tecla Haimanout himself, one brother, and lately -his other brother David, his own immediate predecessor: That he had -taken due vengeance upon all the ringleaders of those crimes, as -was the duty of his place, and, if much blood had been shed, it was -because many enormities had been committed; but that knowing now that -order was established, and conspiracies extinguished among them, he -had counterfeited death, to signify an end was put to Bacuffa and his -bloody measures; that he now was risen again, and appeared to them by -the name of Atzham Georgis, son of Yasous the Great; and ordered every -man home to his house to rejoice at the accession of a new king, under -whom they should have justice, and live without fear, as long as they -respected the king that God had anointed over them.” - -This speech was followed by the loudest acclamations, “Long live -Bacuffa! Long live Atzham Georgis!” It was well known that this king -never failed in his word, or any way prevaricated in his promises. -Every one, therefore, went home in as perfect peace as if war had never -been among them; and Bacuffa’s delicacy in this respect was seen a few -days after; for Hannes his brother having been brought clandestinely -from Wechné by Kasmati Georgis, a nobleman of great consequence, -they were both taken by the governor of Wechné and sent in chains to -the king. The ordinary process would have been to put them instantly -to death, as being apprehended in the very highest act of treason; -nor would this have alarmed any person whatever, or been thought an -infraction of the king’s late promise. Bacuffa, however, was of another -mind. He sent the criminal judges, who ordinarily sit upon capital -crimes, to meet the two prisoners in their way to Gondar, and carried -them back to the foot of the mountain of Wechné to have their crimes -proved, and to be tried there out of his presence and influence, where -they were both condemned, Hannes to have an arm cut off, Georgis to be -sent to prison to the governor of Walkayt, with private orders to put -him to death; both which sentences were executed, though Hannes so far -recovered that he was king of Abyssinia in my time, notwithstanding -this mutilation; but it was a direct violation of the laws of the land. - -It is said that a discovery, which happened in the king’s feigned -illness, promoted this sudden revolution of manners. In one of his -secret tours through Begemder, (after Tigré, the most powerful province -in Abyssinia, and by much the most plentiful) being disguised like a -poor man, dirty and fatigued with the length of the way and heat of -the weather, he came to the house of a private person, not very rich, -indeed, but of noble manners and carriage, and who, by the justice and -mildness of his behaviour and customs, had acquired a great degree of -influence among his neighbours. The father was old and feeble, but the -son in the vigour of his age, who was then standing in a large pool of -water, at his father’s door, washing his own cotton cloak, or wrapper, -which is their upper garment; an occupation below no young man in -Abyssinia. - -Bacuffa, as overcome with heat, threw himself down under the shade of -a tree, and, in a faint voice and foreign dialect, intreated the young -man to wash his cloak likewise, after having finished his own. The -young man consented most willingly; and, throwing by his own garment, -fell to washing the stranger’s with great diligence and attention. -In the mean time, Bacuffa began questioning him about the king, and -what his opinion was of him. The young man answered, he had never -formed any. Bacuffa, however, still plied him with questions, while he -continued washing the cloak, without giving him any answer at all; at -last, being able to hold out no longer, he gathered Bacuffa’s cloak in -his arms, wet as it was, and threw it to him: “I thought, says he, when -you prayed me to take your cloak, that I was doing a charitable action -to some poor Galla fainting with fatigue, and perhaps with hunger; -but, since I have had it in my hands, I have found you an instructor -of kings and nobles, a leader of armies and maker of laws. Take your -cloak, therefore, and wash it yourself, which is what Providence has -ordained to be your business; it is a safer trade, and you will have -less time to censure your superiors, which can never be a proper or -useful occupation to a fellow like you.” - -The king took his wet cloak, and the rebuke along with it, and, on his -return, he sent for the man to Gondar, and raised him in a short time -to the first offices in the state. He possessed his entire confidence; -and he deserved it. He was the only man to whom the king had confided -his fears of the usurper Welleta Georgis. While Bacuffa was supposed -to be ill, the queen and this officer only present, he mentioned, for -the first time, some surprise that no such person as Welleta Georgis -had appeared during so long and so many inquiries, and could not help -dropping some words as if he doubted the truth of this prophecy. - -Badjerund Waragna, for that was the name of the king’s friend, -maintained modestly that it might be a temptation of the devil to -mislead him to his destruction. He told the king, that, by his own -account of it, this Welleta Georgis was to have no power over _him_, as -he was only to appear in his son’s time. He begged him, therefore, to -lay aside all further thoughts of his prophecy, whilst he trusted his -son’s succession to God’s mercy, and to the prayers, the charity, and -prudence of the queen. The Iteghé all this time was lost in silence. -She desired the king to repeat to her the whole circumstances of the -prophecy, which he distinctly did. “I wish,” says she laughing, “this -Welleta Georgis may not be now nearer us than we imagine; perhaps in -the palace.” “In the palace!” says the king, with great emotion. “I -doubt so,” says the queen; “suppose it should be me your own wife; for -Welleta Georgis was the name given to me in baptism; and your late -coronation of me, should a minority happen in the person of your son, -or even a grandson, undoubtedly leaves me regent of the kingdom by -your own intentions when you made me Iteghè.” - -Whether the king was convinced or not, is not known; but he, from this -time, desisted from his persecution of Welleta Georgis; and this the -queen often told me among several anecdotes of that singular reign. -She was my great patroness while at Gondar, and from her I received -constant protection in the most disastrous times. To the credit of the -prophet, she continued regent full thirty years; till the folly and -ambition of her own family gave her a master that put an end to all her -influence, except what she enjoyed from exemplary piety, and the most -extensive works of charity and mercy. - -The king died after a vigorous reign, and after having cut off the -greatest part of the ancient nobility near Gondar, who were of age -to have been concerned in the transactions of the last reigns. This -has rendered his memory odious, though it is universally confessed he -saved his country from an aristocratical or democratical usurpation; -both equally unconstitutional, as they equally struck at the root of -monarchy. - -The queen, with very great prudence, concealed the day of the king’s -death; nor did any one, after the last experiment, affect rashly to -believe that his death was real. Thus all were upon their guard against -another resurrection. In that interval, she called her brothers from -Kuara, and strengthened her son’s and her own government, by putting -the principal offices of state into the hands of persons attached to -her family, so that, though her son Yasous was an infant, no attempt -was at that time made towards any resolution. Even after the king’s -death was known to be real, for many years afterwards there were people -of credit at different times found, who said they had met him at sundry -places alive; whether by instigation, for any particular purpose, or -not, is difficult to say. - -[Illustration] - - - - -YASOUS II. OR, ADIAM SEGUED. - -From 1729 to 1753. - - _Rebellion in the beginning of this Reign--King addicted - to hunting--To building, and the Arts of Peace--Attacks - Sennaar--Loses his Army--Takes Samayat--Receives Baady King of - Sennaar under his Protection._ - - -Besides the queen, mother of Yasous, Bacuffa had several other wives -and divers children by them; none of them, however, had any degree -of interest, or many followers, owing to the very singular practice -of Bacuffa, already mentioned, in not admitting to his bed, from the -time of his coming to the crown, any women except the queen, mother of -Yasous, without having first so far intoxicated them with liquor as to -produce an oblivion of all that passed at the interview. Some say this -arose from his own jealous ideas; but the most general opinion was, -that it was a kind of covenant with the queen, by which she pardoned -him this temporary alienation of his person, for this security, that -he was to give her no rival in his confidence. Indeed, his own temper -led him naturally to estrange himself from every intimate connection, -that could pretend to any lawful share with him in government. And this -had gone so far, that he sent his wife, favourite as she was, and his -son Yasous, to the low, hot, and unwholesome province of Walkayt, the -ordinary place to which state criminals were banished, in order that -they might be under the eye of Ain Egzie, a confidential servant of -his, and governor of that province. It is true this was done without -any mark of disgust; and the queen returned immediately by his own -command; but Yasous staid at Walkayt with Ain Egzie, till he was four -years old, without the king his father having shewn any anxiety for his -return. - -The queen’s first care was to call her brothers to court. The eldest, -Welled de l’Oul, had been a favourite of the late king, and occupied -under him a very considerable post in the palace. Geta, her second -brother, was a man of slow parts, but esteemed a good soldier; being -covetous, he was not a favourite of the people, and less so of the -king. The third was Eshtè, (pronounced in that country Shitti); he was -amiable, liberal, affable, and brave, but rather given to indolence -and pleasure, which alone hindered him from being a good statesman -and general. He was a kind friend to strangers, a good master, and -placable enemy; stedfast to his promise, and on all occasions a lover -of truth; a quality so very rare in Abyssinia, that it was said there -had not been one in this respect like him since the time of Yasous the -Great. Notwithstanding this, Bacuffa liked him not, as being too great -a favourite of the people, and, for that reason, never gave him any -employment. - -The next brother was Eusebius, a very brave and skilful soldier, but -rash, avaricious, passionate, and treacherous, and as great an enemy -to truth as his brother Eshtè was a friend to it. Bacuffa, upon some -slight complaint, had resolved to put him to death; and, though he was -dissuaded from this, he could never be so far reconciled to him as ever -to release him from prison. The fifth brother was Netcho, whom the -desire of living at home, or, perhaps, a want of money to defray his -expences at court, kept low and in obscurity all his life-time. Yet he -was a tried, gallant, and skilful soldier; and in later years, when -I was at Gondar, was often praised as such by Ras Michael, the best -judge, because the greatest general of his time, though, by reason of -Netcho’s private life, and absence from court, he never charged him -with any important commission. Another brother was dead, and had left a -son called Mammo, a good horseman, the only quality, as far as I know, -that he possessed to which could justly be annexed the epithet of Good. - -Of these brothers, Geta and Netcho were alive in my time. Eshtè was -dead, but had left two sons, Ayto Engedan and Ayto Aylo, who were -among the most intimate of my friends, from my entering Ethiopia till -my leaving it; both were brave and good, and endowed with excellent -qualities. Engedan, without any allowance for his country, and want of -education, was, I think, by very much, the most amiable and complete -man that I have ever yet seen. - -Sanuda, son of Welled de l’Oul, played a very considerable part in the -revolution that happened in my time; was of a figure more than ordinary -graceful; was brave, and did not want good dispositions; but these -were obscured by debauchery in wine and women, to which there were no -bounds. Eusebius left two sons, both more worthless and profligate than -himself, and both came to untimely ends: Guebra Mehedin, the eldest, -was slain in a private quarrel at Lebec by a near relation, Kasmati -Ayabdar, after having robbed my servants and plundered my baggage, in -Foggora, near the village Dara; and the second, Ayto Confu, was killed -in rebellion at the battle of Serbraxos, among the Begemder horse, -fighting against his sovereign. - -Mammo we shall find acting insignificant parts at times, never -trusted, nor of consequence to any one. As for the queen herself, -she was reputed the handsomest woman of her time. She was descended -from Victor, eldest brother to Menas, and son of David, who died -without coming to the crown. This daughter was married to Robel, -governor of Tigré, whose mother was a Portuguese, and the queen -inherited the colour of her European ancestors; indeed was whiter than -most Portuguese. She was very vain of this her descent; had a warm -attachment to the Catholic religion in her heart, as far as she could -ever learn it; nor did she value herself less upon her beauty, as we -may judge by the several names she took at different times. The first -was Iteghè Mantuab, or _the beautiful queen_; the second was Berhan -Magwass, or _the glory of grace_; though her christened name was -Welleta Georgis, as we have already observed. - -After the death of her husband, Bacuffa, she is said to have descended -to a variety of attachments of short duration. She married a man of -quality, Kasmati Netcho of Kuara, by whom she had three daughters. The -first was Ozoro Esther, of whom I shall often speak, being, next to her -mother, the greatest friend I had in Abyssinia, and one who had the -most frequent opportunities of being so. She was married, in very early -life, to Kasmati Netcho of Tcherkin, a man of great personal qualities, -and who had a very large territory, reaching down to the Pagan blacks, -or Troglodytes, called Shangalla. - -This marriage was of very short duration. Netcho left one son, Ayto -Confu, my very great and firm, though young friend, who likewise -inherited his father’s fortune and virtues. She was afterwards married -to Ayo Mariam Barea, (excepting Ras Michael) reputed the best general -in Abyssinia, but who died before I came into the country. By him she -had one son and a daughter, infants. Lastly, she was married to Ras -Michael, by whom she had two sons, the favourites of Michael’s old -age. Rustic and cruel as that old tyrant was, bred up in blood, and -delighting in it, she governed him despotically, from the day of her -marriage, yet so prudently, as to excite the envy of no one, excepting -the murderers of her husband Mariam Barea, who, luckily, were also the -constitutional enemies of her country. - -The second daughter of the Iteghé was Ozoro Welleta Israel, the most -beautiful woman in Abyssinia, with whom I had very little acquaintance, -she being at constant war with Ras Michael. She had married a nobleman -of the first consideration, to whom half of the large and rich province -of Gojam belonged, by whom she had Aylo, one of the largest men that I -ever saw, the only particular remarkable in him. - -The third was Ozoro Altash, married to Welled Hawaryat, Ras Michael’s -son, by whom she had three children, two sons and one daughter. One of -them died of the small-pox soon after my arrival at Gondar, as did his -father also; the other son and daughter happily recovered. - -Bacuffa had provided sufficiently for the security of his provinces, by -placing tried and veteran officers in his governments. Elias, indeed, -was Ras and Betwudet at Gondar, and he was suspected of wishes contrary -to his allegiance; but far before any, in the confidence of the late -king, was Waragna Shalaka, that is, colonel of a regiment of Djawi -Galla, with which he defended the provinces of Damot and Agow against -his countrymen on the other side of the Nile; for he was a Galla of -that nation himself, and his name was Usho, which signifies _a dog_. -But it was more by his interest, which he preserved with those people, -than by his arms, that he kept those barbarians from wasting that -country. - -The reader will easily remember the first occasion of his coming to -Gondar was when Bacuffa saw him washing his clothes in a pool of water; -and from the reproof, and his behaviour to the king on that occasion, -as well as the duty and implicit obedience he paid to his commands -afterwards, he was called Waragna, by way of contradiction, that word -signifying a sturdy rebel, or one that stands up in defiance of the -king. That name became much more famous afterwards in the person of -his son, Waragna Fasil, to the very great detriment of the country in -general. - -The first thing the queen did was to send Shalaka Waragna, and -Billetana Gueta David, with a large body of Mahometan fusileers, Djawi -and Toluma Galla, to guard the mountain of Wechné, where the males of -the royal family were imprisoned, that no competitor might be released -from thence. The next step was to marry Ozoro Welleta Tecla Haimanout -to Ras Elias, to confirm him, if possible, in his much suspected -allegiance. After which, the Ras, judges, and soldiers of the king’s -household, made this proclamation--“Bacuffa, king of kings, is dead! -Yasous, king of kings, liveth! Mourn for those that are dead, and -rejoice with those that are alive!” Orders were then given for burying -Bacuffa with all magnificence possible. - -The first thing that seemed the beginning of trouble in the new -regency, and likely to destroy the calm that had hitherto subsisted, -was an information given by Azage Georgis against Tecla Saluce, a great -officer at court. Georgis accused him before the king and council, that -he had been heard to say that king Yasous was dangerously ill. Tecla -Saluce absolutely denied this charge, and said it was an invention -of his enemy Georgis, and challenged him to prove it. Evidence being -called, he was convicted in the most direct and satisfactory manner; -was therefore condemned to death, and hewn to pieces at the king’s gate -that same day by the common soldiers. - -Here is a species of treason without any overt act. The imagining the -king’s death, which seems much to resemble the law of England, may -be defended from the importance of the case, but scarcely from any -principle of justice or reason. - -It soon appeared that a conspiracy had been on foot; several great -men fled from court, among these Johannes, who had the charge of the -king’s horses. But Shalaka Waragna and Billetana Gueta David, being -sent immediately after him, this conspiracy was soon stifled, and -the ringleaders dispersed, mostly into Amhara, where they were taken -prisoners by Woodage governor of the province, and sent to the king. -Johannes, finding it impossible to escape, took to one of those papyrus -boats used in navigating the lake Tzana; and, being driven by the wind, -landed in an island[92] belonging to the queen, where he was taken -prisoner, with his wife and family, and delivered up, on condition that -he should not be put to death. - -Kasmati Cambi, returning from Damot, fell accidentally upon Palambaras -Masmari and several others, and brought them prisoners to Gondar. A -council was thereupon held, and the conspirators put upon their trial. -Palambaras Masmari, and Abou Barea who was one of the judges, were -condemned to be hanged on the tree before the palace-gate. Johannes and -the rest were committed to close prison, in the hands of the Betwudet. - -It was thought a proper expedient to check these disorders, to hasten -the coronation of the king, though very young. The judges and all the -officers being assembled in the presence-chamber, where the king sits -on his throne, (for in the council-chamber he sits in a kind of cage, -or close balcony) where no part of him is discovered, Sarach Masseri -Mammo, whose office it was, stood up with the Kees Hatzé, or king’s -almoner; when this last had anointed him with oil, Mammo placed the -crown upon his head; upon which the whole assembly, his mother only -excepted, fell down and paid him homage; and at his inauguration he -took the name of Adiam Segued. - -On a separate throne, on his right hand, sat the queen-mother. She, -too, was crowned, though not anointed; but the same homage was -performed to her that had been done to the king, who sat on the throne -with his head covered; nor did the Abuna interfere, nor was his -attendance judged any part of the ceremony. - -The first seeds of discontent had been sown in Damot, where a party of -rebels had attacked Kasmati Cambi in the night, cut most of his army to -pieces, and obliged Shalaka Job to fly into Gojam, and then return in -haste to Gondar. - -The king found no better remedy against this rebellion than to appoint -Kasmati Waragna governor of Damot, and Sanuda guardian of Wechné, with -orders to take with him a son of the late Oustas the usurper, and -confine him with the king’s sons upon that mountain. At the same time -he appointed Ayo governor of Begemder; both these preferments being -much to the satisfaction of the whole nation. Waragna, knowing the -necessities of his province, marched from Gondar with what forces he -could collect, and took up his head-quarters at Samseen, where, on -the very night after his arrival, he was set upon by Tensa Mammo at -the head of the Agows. However unexpected this was, Waragna, a good -soldier, was not to be taken by surprise. He knew the country, and -had not a great opinion either of the force or courage of the enemy, -or capacity of their general. Presenting, therefore, only one half of -his troops, which could not be easily discovered in the dark, he sent -Fit-Auraris Tamba to make a small compass, and fall upon their rear -with the other half. Mammo’s troops, thinking this to be a fresh and -separate army, immediately took to flight, and were many of them slain, -after leaving behind them their tents, baggage, and the greatest part -of their fire-arms, which had been of very little service to them in -the dark. - -Waragna, who knew the consequence of his province was the riches of -it, and the dependence the capital had upon it for constant supplies -of provisions, was loath to pursue his victory farther, if any means -could be fallen upon to bring about a pacification. To effect this, -he dispatched messengers to his friends, the Galla, on the other side -of the Nile, ordering them to be ready to pass the river on the day -he should appoint, and to lay waste the country of the Agow with fire -and sword. He then decamped with his army from Samseen, and marched to -Sacala, and took up his head-quarters in St Michael’s church, where -he found the Agows in the utmost terror from apprehension of being -over-run with barbarians. But he soon eased them of their fears by a -proclamation, in which he told them plainly, that it was owing to the -goodness of the country, and not any merit in the people, that the -king’s palace and capital was so plentifully supplied with provisions -from thence; that all his pursuit was peace, but that he was resolved -to effect that end by every possible means; therefore the time was now -come that they were to make a resolution, and abide by it, to submit -and behave peaceably as good citizens ought; or, when his army of Galla -joined him, he would extirpate them to the last man. In the mean time, -he published an amnesty of all that had passed. - -The Agows knew well that they were in the hands of one who was no -trifler, nor in his heart much their friend. They ran to him, ready to -make that composition which he should raise from them for their past -transgressions and his future protection. The tribute laid upon them, -for both was moderate beyond all expectation, 2000 oxen for the king -and queen, and 500 for himself; upon which he left Sacala, and entered -Goutto, a very fertile country, between Maitsha and the Agows, where he -used the same moderation, and by these means quieted and reconciled his -whole province. - -Nothing could have been more advantageous to the king’s affairs than -the prudent conduct of this wise officer, which left him at liberty to -afford him his assistance; for in the mean time a conspiracy was formed -at Gondar, which had taken deep root, and had a powerful faction, -Elias, late Ras and Betwudet, Tensa Mammo, Guebra l’Oul, Matteos and -Agnè, all principal men in Gondar, and possessed of great riches and -dependencies throughout the whole kingdom. - -On the 8th of December 1734, being joined by their followers from -without, they all rendezvoused upon the river Kahha, below the -town. After holding council in the king’s house which is there, they -resolved to proclaim one of the princes upon the mountain Wechné, named -Hezekias, king. For this purpose, furnished with a kettle-drum, they -marched in three divisions, by three different ways, to the palace, -avowedly with an intention to force the gates and murder the king and -queen. But Fit-Auraris Ephraim, having intelligence of this tumult, -first shut up and obstructed all the entrances to the king’s house, -then gave advice to Billetana Gueta, Welled de l’Oul, of the rebellion -of Tensa Mammo, their design to murder the king, and their having -proclaimed Hezekias. - -These immediately repaired to the king’s house to take council together -what was to be done, and to defend the place if it was necessary. The -rebels were now drawn up, and were beating their kettle-drum to make -their proclamation, “Hezekias was king!” while Shalaka Tchinsho, a -young nobleman of great hopes, who commanded the troops in the court -where was the outer gate, impatient to hear an usurper proclaimed in -the very face of his sovereign, directed the outer-court gate to be -opened, and, with two bodies of Galla, Djawi and Toluma, and several -corps of lances, which compose the king’s household, however inferior -in number, he rushed upon the rebels so suddenly, that they were soon -obliged to think of other occupation. - -The first that fell was Asalessi Lensa, who stood by the drum, and was -slain by Shalaka Tchinsho with his own hand; his drum taken and sent to -the king as the first fruits of the day. The soldiers, encouraged by -the example of their leader, fell fiercely upon the rebels, dispersed -and broke through them wherever they saw the greatest number together; -a great slaughter was made, and Tensa Mammo, with difficulty, escaped. -The victory indeed would have been complete, had not an accidental -shot from a distance wounded Shalaka Tchinsho mortally. His own people -carried him within the gate of the palace, where he gloriously expired -at the feet of his sovereign. - -The rebels, notwithstanding this check, increased every day in number -and resolution, when the news arrived that Waragna had composed all the -differences in Damot, Agow, and Goutto, and, at the head of a numerous -army, was waiting the king’s orders. This intelligence first had the -effect to disconcert the rebels, who suddenly left the capital in their -way to Wechné. - -The king, now master of Gondar, ordered a proclamation to be made for -all persons whatever holding fiefs of the crown, as also all others, -to assemble before him on a short day, where the Itchegué and Abuna, -holding the picture of our Saviour, with the crown of thorns[93], up -before the people, did administer to them a solemn oath, to live and -die with the king and Iteghé; a feeble experiment, often tried by a -weak government. The only consequence of this was present expence to -the crown in a distribution of beef, honey, butter, wheat, and all -kinds of provisions; after which each man returned to his house, ready -to repeat the perjury ten times a day for the same emolument, and same -sincerity. - -Messengers were next dispatched to Kasmati Waragna, ordering him to -come to Gondar with the greatest force he could raise. The same day -Azage Kyrillos, whom the king had made governor of Wechné, and Azage -Newaia Selassé, went to the mountain, pretending that king Yasous was -dead, and that the choice of the principal members of government had -fallen upon Hezekias, who thereupon was delivered to him, and saluted -king; and, without losing time, they marched to Kahha, and encamped on -that river below Gondar. - -In the mean while, the great men and officers of the court, and in -particular those who had estates and houses in Gondar, began to -consider the danger of the town at the so near approach of the rebels. -Several districts, or streets, situated on eminences, by shutting up -access to them, were made tenable posts, and, having filled them with -good soldiers, they set about the defence of the town and annoying the -enemy. Hezekias had removed to the house of Basha Arkillidas; and it -was agreed to send their whole forces to see if they could succeed in -forcing the king’s house. But before this another stratagem was tried -to alienate the minds of the people of Gondar from their sovereign. It -was said that certain Roman Catholic priests had arrived at Gondar; -that they were shut up privately in the palace with the king and queen; -and, upon the Abuna and Itchegué coming to Hezekias to ask him how he -happened to be proclaimed king, without making to them some confession -of his faith, (a question they put to all young or weak princes), -Hezekias answered, It was because he had heard the Itchegué, and the -rest of the clergy, seemed to be careless about the true faith, by -suffering Catholic priests to live with the king in the palace. A -great ferment immediately followed; all the monks, priests, and madmen -that could be assembled, (and on these occasions they gather quickly), -with the Itchegué and Abuna at their heads, went to Dippabye, the open -place before the palace, and pronounced the Iteghè, Yasous, and all -their abettors, accursed and given up to burn with Dathan and Abiram. - -For several days and nights attempts were made to set fire to, and -break open the gate. But the loyalists charged them so vigorously upon -all these occasions, especially Billetana Gueta Welled de l’Oul, and -the walls of the palace were so exceedingly thick and strong, that -little progress was made in proportion to the men these attempts cost -daily. However, on that side of the palace called Adenaga, the rebels -had lodged themselves so near as to set part of it on fire. - -The king’s house in Gondar stands in the middle of a square court, -which may be full an English mile in circumference. In the midst of -it is a square tower, in which there are many noble apartments. A -strong double wall surrounds it, and this is joined by a platform roof; -loop-holes, and conveniences for discharging missile weapons, are -disposed all around it. The whole tower and wall is built of stone and -lime; but part of the tower being demolished and laid in ruins, and -part of it let fall for want of repair, small apartments, or houses of -one storey, have been built in different parts of the area, or square, -according to the fancy of the prince then reigning, and these go now -by the names of the ancient apartments in the palace, which are fallen -down. - -These houses are composed of the frail materials of the country, wood -and clay, thatched with straw, though, in the inside, they are all -magnificently lined, or furnished. They have likewise magnificent -names, which we have mentioned already. These people, barbarous as they -are, have always had a great taste for magnificence and expence. All -around them was silver, gold, and brocade, before the Adelan war, in -which they lost the commerce of that country, by losing their connexion -with India. - -The next night the soldiers of Elias made their lodgments so near the -walls, that, with fiery arrows, they set one of these houses, called -“Werk Sacala,” within the square, in flames; but Welled de l’Oul, with -the Toluma Galla, sallying at that instant, surprised Elias’s soldiers, -not expecting such interruption, and put the greatest part of them to -the sword, setting on fire the houses that were near the palace, till -part was entirely burnt to the ground. The next night, an attempt was -made upon the gate to blow it up with gunpowder; but, before it was -completed, the two rebels employed in the work were shot dead from the -wall, and their train miscarried. - -On the 25th of December they burned a new house in the town built by -the king, called Riggobee Bet. These frequent fires had turned the -minds of people in general very much against Hezekias the rebel. The -night after, there was another great fire in the king’s house; Zeffan -Bet, and another large building, were destroyed by the rebels, as was -the church of St Raphael. Gondar looked like a town that had been taken -by an enemy, and battles were every day fought in the streets, with no -decisive advantage to either party. Some part of the town was on fire -every night; nobody knew for what reason, nor what was the quarter that -was next to be burnt. - -In the mean time, Azage Georgis arrived in the country of the Agows -at Basil Bet, where Waragna was, and delivered him the king’s order, -that he should make all possible haste to his assistance at Gondar, -with as large an army as he could suddenly bring; and these dispatches -conferred upon him at the same time, as a mark of favour, the post of -Ibaba Azage, or governor of Ibaba, together with Elmana and Densa, two -districts inhabited by Galla, subjects to the king, which posts were -then held by Tensa Mammo, and forfeited by his rebellion. - -The next morning Waragna left his head-quarters at Basil Bet; thence he -marched to Gumbali, and thence to Sima. At Sima he heard, that, the day -before, it had been proclaimed at Ibaba, by orders of Tensa Mammo, that -Yasous was dead, and Hezekias was now king; upon this intelligence he -marched from Sima, and, while it was yet early in the day, he came to -Ibaba. - -The first inquiry was concerning the Shum (or chief of the town) left -there by Tensa Mammo; and this man, coming readily to him to receive -his commands, and offer him any service in his power, was asked by -whose orders the proclamation of Hezekias was made? Being answered, -by Tensa Mammo’s, he directed the Shum and his two sons to be hanged -on three separate trees in the middle of the town; the Shum with -the nagareet round his neck which had served in the proclamation -of Hezekias; he then declared Tensa Mammo a rebel and outlaw, and -confiscated his estate to the king’s use. - -At Ibaba he met Fit-Auraris Tamba, with a large body of Damots and -Djawi; then he decamped from Ibaba, and, at the bridge over the -Nile, was met by Azage Georgis, with all Maitsha, Elmana, and Densa -following, and thence proceeded to Waira, where he set Arkillidas at -liberty. This officer, after distinguishing himself before all others -in the king’s defence, had been taken prisoner by Tensa Mammo, and -sent thither. Advancing into Foggora, with a large army, he halted -at Gilda, and sent some soldiers on the road to Gondar, to see if he -could apprehend any travellers, especially those going or coming to or -from market. But, after three days waiting on the road, the soldiers -returned without any person or intelligence, by which he judged the -town was already in great straits. In two days after, he advanced to -Wainarab, and thence he sent his Fit-Auraris forward to set a house -at Tedda on fire, to shew to the king at Gondar that he was thus -far advanced to his assistance. This barbarous custom of burning a -house wherever an army encamps, though but for an hour, is invariably -practised, as a signal by armies, throughout all Abyssinia. - -At this time there was a treaty begun between the king and Tensa Mammo. -The rebels, weary of the little advantage they had gained, and hearing -Waragna was about to march against them, offered the queen her own -terms, provided she published a general amnesty, and that each man -should be allowed to keep the posts he had before the rebellion. The -queen, weary and terrified with war, readily agreed to this proposal; -and this facility, instead of accelerating the treaty, gave the rebels -an opportunity of asking further terms, and a settlement was spoken of -for the king Hezekias, in some of the low provinces near Walkayt. - -Welled de l’Oul, the queen’s brother, a man in whom the rebels had -trust, seconded his sister’s desire, and carried on the treaty, but -from different motives; it was his opinion, that, to make peace with -the rebels, leaving their party unbroken, was to spread the infection -of rebellion all over the kingdom; and to let them keep their posts, -was leaving a sword in their hands to enable them to defend themselves -on any future occasion. He therefore thought, that, as the king had -Waragna now at his command, they should make use of him to pluck up -this rebellion by the roots, cut off all the ringleaders, and disperse -the faction; but, in the mean time, in order to be able to effect this, -they should keep up the appearance of being anxious for agreeing, in -order to lull the enemy asleep, till Waragna made his instructions and -designs known to the king. - -From Wainarab, Waragna sent a messenger to let the king and queen know -of his arrival; and with him came Arkillidas, that no doubt might -remain of the truth of the message. This officer told the king, that -Waragna should advance to Tedda, and offer the rebels battle there; but -if they retired (as he heard they intended) to Abra, he would follow -them thither. He desired the king also to issue his orders to the -several Shums to guard the roads, that as few of the ringleaders of the -rebels might escape as possible. - -Hezekias, with his army, decamped, taking the road to Woggora; and -Waragna, following him, came up with him at Fenter, on January 20th -1735. The rebels, inferior in number, though they did not wish an -engagement at that time, were too high-minded to avoid it when offered. -Both armies fought a long time with equal fortune; and though Waragna -at the first onset had slain two men with his own hands, and taken -two prisoners, the battle was supported with great firmness till the -evening, when Waragna ordered all his Galla, the men of Maitsha, -Elmana, and Densa, to leave their horses, and charge the enemy on foot. -This confident step, unknown and unpractised by Galla before, had the -desired effect. The Galla now fought desperately for life, not for -victory, being deprived of their only means of saving themselves by -flight. - -Most of the principal officers among the rebels being killed or -wounded, their army at last was broken, and took to flight. Hezekias -was surrounded and taken, fighting bravely; being first hurt in -the leg, and then beat off his horse with a stone. The pursuit was -presently stayed. Tensa Mammo escaped safely through Woggora, a -disaffected province; and had now passed the Tacazzé, when he was taken -by the men of Siré, and brought to the king for the reward that had -been offered for his head by Waragna. - -Hezekias was brought to his trial before the king, nor did he presume -to deny his guilt. He was therefore sentenced to die, and committed to -close prison. Tensa Mammo was arraigned, and, although he confessed -the treason, he pleaded the peace he had made with the king before -the arrival of Waragna at Gondar. This plea was unanimously over-ruled -by the judges, because the treaty had not been completed. He was, -therefore, sentenced to die, and immediately carried out to the -daroo-tree before the palace, and hanged between two of his most -confidential counsellors. - -The Abuna and Itchegué were next ordered to appear, and answer for the -crime of high treason in excommunicating the king; they declared they -proceeded on no other grounds than an information, that the king and -queen were turned Franks, and had two Catholic priests with them in -the palace. The men complained of were produced, and proved to be two -Greeks; Petros, a native of Rhodes, and Demetrius. This explanation -being given, the Abuna and Itchegué thereupon asked pardon of the king -and queen, and were ordered to make their recantation at Dippabye, -which they immediately did, declaring they were wrong, and had -proceeded on false information. - -It was on the 28th of January that Sanuda and Adero were ordered to -carry king Hezekias to Wechné, which they did, and left him there -without disfiguring him in any part of his body, as is the cruel, but -usual custom in such cases. But both the Iteghè and her son were of the -most merciful disposition; and the general reputation they had for this -was often the cause of tumults and rebellions that would not have had -birth in severer reigns. - -It was not long after this when there appeared a pretender to the -crown, very little expected. He said he was the old king Bacuffa; that -he had given it out that he was dead, for political reasons, and was -come again to claim his crown and kingdom. Never was resurrection -so little wished for as this; a violent fear fell upon part of the -multitude for some time; but his name making no party, whether true or -false, he was seized upon without bloodshed, tried, and condemned to -die. This punishment was changed into one of a _supposed_ gentler kind, -the cutting off his leg, and sending him to Wechné. The operation, -always performed in the grossest manner by an ax, high up the leg, and -near the knee, is generally fatal; for there is no one, having either -skill or care, to take up the ends of the veins and arteries separated -by the amputation; they only apply useless stiptics and bandages, of -no effect, till the patient bleeds to death. This is the common case, -so that the pretended Bacuffa died, in consequence of the operation, -before he came to Wechné, though he was by his sentence reprieved from -death. - -The king, now arrived at the seventh year of his reign, proclaimed a -general hunt, which is a declaration of his near approach to manhood; -but he pursued it no length, and again returned to Gondar. - -At that time, a great party of the queen’s relations was made against -Ayo governor of Begemder, It began by a competition between Kasmati -Geta the queen’s brother, and Ayo, who should have that province. The -common voice was for Ayo, not only as a man of the greatest interest -in the province, but in all respects unexceptionable throughout the -kingdom. Welled de l’Oul, (brother to Geta) however, being now Ras -and Betwudet, Geta governor of Samen, Eusebius, and all the rest of -them in high places at court, Geta was preferred to the government -of Begemder. Ayo, though avowedly a good subject of the king, was -determined not to be made a sacrifice to a party. He therefore refused -to resign his government, and prepared to defend himself. - -Upon this, Adero, governor of Gojam, with the whole forces of that -province, passed the Nile, and entered Begemder; Geta on the side of -Samen, and last of all Welled de l’Oul marched with a royal army to -join the forces that had already begun to lay waste the country, where -unusual excesses were committed. Ayo’s house was burned to the ground, -so were all those of his party, and their lands destroyed, greatly to -the general damage of the province and capital. Ayo was now obliged to -save himself by flight. It was said, that the king (though his army was -ready) refused to march against Ayo; but with a party of his own set -out for Aden, on the frontiers of Sennaar, to hunt there; nor did he -return till the executions were over in Begemder. - -Adero fell back to Gojam, and Welled de l’Oul to Gondar soon after. -The king himself appeared very much contented with his own expedition, -in which he had shown great dexterity and bravery, having killed -two young elephants, and a gomari, or hippopotamus, with his own -hands. Nor did he stay any time at Gondar, or make any preferments, -the usual consequences of victories, but prepared again for another -hunting-expedition, or an attack upon the Shangalla. The queen and -Welled de l’Oul opposed strongly his resolution. But Yasous seemed to -be weary of being governed. He was fast advancing to manhood, and of -a disposition rather forward for his age. His expedition against the -Shangalla was attended with no accident; and he returned to Gondar on -the 3d of June, with a number of slaves, much better pleased that he -had neglected, rather than taken, his mother’s advice. - -It was on the 23d day of December that Yasous again set out on another -hunting-party, and killed two elephants and a rhinoceros. He then -proceeded to Tchelga, and from Tchelga to Waldubba; thence he went -to the rivers Gandova and Shimfa. These are two rivers we shall have -occasion frequently to speak of in our return through Sennaar, in which -kingdom the one is called Dender, the other Rahad. Here he exercised -himself at a very violent species of hunting, that of forcing the -gieratacachin, which means long-tail; it is otherwise called giraffa in -Arabic. It is the tallest of beasts; I never saw it dead, nor, I think, -more than twice alive, and then at a distance. It is, however, often -killed by the elephant-hunters. Its skin is beautifully variegated when -young, but turns brown when arrived at any age. It is, I apprehend, the -camelopardalis, and is the only animal, they say, that, in swiftness, -will beat a horse in the fair field. - -It was not with a view to hunt only, that Yasous made these frequent -excursions towards the frontiers of Sennaar. His resolution was formed -(as it appeared soon after) in imitation of his forefather Socinios, -to revive his right over the country of the _Shepherds_, his ancient -vassals, who, since the accession of strength by uniting with the -Arabs, had forgot their ancient tribute and subjection, as we have -already observed. - -The king in five days marching from Gidara came to a station of the -Daveina, which is a tribe of shepherds, by much the strongest of any -in Atbara. He fell into their encampments a little before the dawn of -day. The first shew they made was that of resistance, till they had got -their horses and camels saddled; they then all fled, after the king -had killed three of them with his own hand. Ras Woodage signalized -himself likewise by having slain the same number with the king. The -cattle, women, and provisions fell all into the king’s hand, and were -driven off to Gondar. Their arrival gave the town an entertainment to -which they had a long time been strangers. Many thousand camels were -assembled in the plain, where stands the palace of Kahha, (upon a river -of that name) large flocks of horned cattle, of extraordinary beauty, -were also brought from Atbara, which the king ordered to be distributed -among his soldiers, and the priests of Gondar, and such of the officers -of state as had been necessarily detained on account of the police, and -had not followed the army. - -This year, 1736, there happened a total eclipse of the sun which very -much affected the minds of the weaker sort of people. The dreamers and -the prophets were everywhere let loose, full of the lying spirit which -possessed them, to foretel that the death of the king, and the downfal -of his government were at hand, and deluges of civil blood were then -speedily to be spilt both in the capital and provinces. There was not, -indeed, at the time any circumstance that warranted such a prediction, -or any thing likely to be more fatal to the state, than the expenditure -of the large sums of money that the turn the king had taken subjected -him to. - -He had built a large and very costly church at Koscam, and he was -still engaged in a more expensive work in the building of a palace at -Gondar. He was also rebuilding his house at Riggobee-ber, (the north -end of the town) which had been demolished by the rebels; and had begun -a very large and expensive villa at Azazo, with extensive groves, or -gardens, planted thick with orange and lemon trees, upon the banks of -a beautiful and clear river which divides the palace from the church -of Tecla Haimanout, a large edifice which, some time before, he had -also built and endowed. Besides all these occupations, he was deeply -engaged in ornamenting his palace at Gondar. A rebellion, massacre, -or some such misfortune, had happened among the Christians of Smyrna; -who, coming to Cairo, and finding that city in a still less peaceable -state than the one which they had left, they repaired to Jidda in their -way to India; but missing the monsoon, and being destitute of money -and necessaries, they crossed over the Red Sea for Masuah, and came -to Gondar. There were twelve of them silver-smiths, very excellent in -that fine work called filligrane, who were all received very readily by -the king, liberally furnished both with necessaries and luxuries, and -employed in his palace as their own taste directed them. - -By the hands of these, and several Abyssinians whom they had taught, -sons of Greek artists whose fathers were dead, he finished his -presence-chamber in a manner truly admirable. The skirting, which in -our country is generally of wood, was finished with ivory four feet -from the ground. Over this were three rows of mirrors from Venice, all -joined together, and fixed in frames of copper, or cornices gilt with -gold. The roof, in gaiety and taste, corresponded perfectly with the -magnificent finishing of the room; it was the work of the Falasha, and -consisted of painted cane, split and disposed in Mosaic figures, which -produces a gayer effect than it is possible to conceive. This chamber, -indeed, was never perfectly finished, from a want of mirrors. The king -died; taste decayed; the artists were neglected, or employed themselves -in ornamenting saddles, bridles, swords, and other military ornaments, -for which they were very ill paid; part of the mirrors fell down; part -remained till my time; and I was present when the last of them were -destroyed, on a particular occasion, after the battle of Serbraxos, as -will be hereafter mentioned. - -The king had begun another chamber of equal expence, consisting of -plates of ivory, with stars of all colours stained in each plate at -proper distances. This, too, was going to ruin; little had been done in -it but the alcove in which he sat, and little of it was seen, as the -throne and person of the king concealed it. - -Yasous was charmed with this multiplicity of works and workmen. He -gave up himself to it entirely; he even wrought with his own hand, -and rejoiced at seeing the facility with which, by the use of a -compass and a few straight lines, he could produce the figure of a -star equally exact with any of his Greeks. Bounty followed bounty. The -best villages, and those near the town, were given in property to the -Greeks that they might recreate themselves, but at a distance, always -liable to his call, and with as little loss of time as possible. He -now renounced his favourite hunting-matches and incursions upon the -Shangalla and Shepherds of Atbara. - -The extraordinary manner in which the king employed his time soon made -him the object of public censure. Pasquinades began to be circulated -throughout the capital; one in particular, a large roll of parchment, -intituled, “The expeditions of _Yasous the Little_.” The king in -reality was a man of short stature. The Ethiopic word Tannush, joined -to the king’s name Yasous el Tannush, applied both to his stature and -actions. So Tallac, the name given to another Yasous, his predecessor, -signified great in capacity and atchievement, as well as that he was of -a large and masculine person. - -These expeditions, though enumerated in a large sheet of parchment, -were confined to a very few miles; from Gondar to Kahha, from Kahha -to Koscam, from Koscam to Azazo, from Azazo to Gondar, from Gondar to -Koscam, from Koscam to Azazo, and so on. It was a similar piece of -ridicule upon his father Philip, as we are informed, that, in the last -century, cost Don Carlos, prince of Spain, his life. - -This satire nettled Yasous exceedingly; and, to wipe off the imputation -of inactivity and want of ambition, he prepared for an expedition -against Sennaar. It was not, however, one of those inroads into Atbara -upon the Arabs and Shepherds, whom the Funge had conquered and made -tributary to them; but was a regular campaign with a royal army, aimed -directly at the very vitals of the monarchy of Sennaar, the capital -of the Funge, and at the conquest or extirpation of those strangers -entirely from Atbara. - -We have seen, in the course of our history, that these two kingdoms, -Abyssinia and Funge, had been on very bad terms during several of the -last reigns; and that personal affronts and slights had passed between -the cotemporary princes themselves. Baady, son of L’Oul, who succeeded -his father in the year 1733, had been distinguished by no exploits -worthy of a king, but every day had been stained with acts of treachery -and cruelty unworthy of a man. No intercourse had passed between Yasous -and Baady during their respective reigns; there was no war declared, -nor peace established, nor any sort of treaty subsisting between them. - -Yasous, without any previous declaration, and without any provocation, -at least as far as is known, raised a very numerous and formidable -army, and gave the command of it to Ras Welled de l’Oul; and Kasmati -Waragna was appointed his Fit-Auraris. The king commanded a chosen -body of troops, separate from the rest of the army, which was to act -as a reserve, or as occasion should require, in the pitched battle. -This he ardently wished for, and had figured to himself that he was -to fight against Baady in person. Yasous, from the moment he entered -the territory of Sennaar, gave his soldiers the accustomed licence -he always had indulged them with, when marching through an enemy’s -country. He knew not, in these circumstances, what was meant by mercy; -all that had the breath of life was sacrificed by the sword, and the -fire consumed the rest. - -An universal terror spread around him down to the heart of Atbara. The -Shepherds and Arabs, as many as could fly, dispersed themselves in -the woods, which, all the way from the frontiers of Abyssinia to the -river Dender, are very thick, and in some places almost impenetrable. -Some of the Arabs, either from affection or fear, joined Yasous in -his march; among these was Nile Wed Ageeb, prince of the Arabs; others -taking courage, gathered, and made a stand at the Dender, to try their -fortune, and give their cattle time to pass the Nile, and then, if -defeated, they were to follow them. Kasmati Waragna, (as Fit-Auraris) -joined by the king, no sooner came up with these Arabs on the banks -of the Dender, than he fell furiously upon them, broke and dispersed -them with a considerable slaughter; then leaving Ras Welled de l’Oul -with the king, and the main body to encamp, taking advantage of the -confusion the defeat of the Arabs had occasioned, he advanced by a -forced march to the Nile, to take a view of the town of Sennaar. - -Baady had assembled a very large army on the other side of the river, -and was preparing to march out of Sennaar; but, terrified at the king’s -approach, the defeat of the Arabs, and the velocity with which the -Abyssinians advanced, he was about to change his resolution, abandon -Sennaar, and retire north into Atbara. - -There is a small kingdom, or principality, called Dar Fowr, all -inhabited by negroes, far in the desert west of Sennaar, joining with -two other petty negro states like itself, still farther westward, -called Selé and Bagirma, while to the eastward it joins with Kordofan, -formerly a province of Dar Fowr, but conquered from it by the Funge. - -Hamis, prince of Dar Fowr, had been banished from his country in a late -revolution occasioned by an unsuccessful war against Selé and Bagirma, -and had fled to Sennaar, where he had been received kindly by Baady, -and it was by his assistance the Funge had subdued Kordofan. This -prince, a gallant soldier, could not bruik to see the green standard -of his prophet Mahomet flying before an army of Christians; and, being -informed of the king’s march and separation from the main body nearly -as soon as it happened, he proposed to Baady, that, as an allurement -to Yasous to pass the river with only the troops he had with him, he -should do from prudence what he resolved to do from fear, and fall -back behind Sennaar, leaving it to Yasous to enter; but, in the mean -time, that, he should dispatch him with 4000 of his best horse, armed -with coats of mail, to pass the Nile at a known place below, on the -right of Welled de l’Oul, on whom he should fall by surprise, and, if -lucky enough to defeat him, as was probable, he would then close upon -Yasous’s rear, which would of necessity either oblige him to surrender, -or lose his life and army in attempting to repass the river between -the two Nubian armies. This counsel, for many reasons was perfectly -agreeable to Baady, who instantly fell back from covering Sennaar, and -then detached Hamis to make a circuit out of sight, and cross the Nile -as proposed. - -In the mean time, Yasous advanced to Basboch, where he found -the current too rapid, and the river too deep for his infantry. -He dispatched, therefore, a messenger to Welled de l’Oul for a -reinforcement of horse, and gave his infantry orders to retire to -the main body upon the arrival of the reinforcement of cavalry. This -resolution he had taken upon advancing higher up the river from -Basboch, till opposite to the town of Sennaar, and when divided only -from it by the Nile. He there saw the confusion that reigned in that -large town. No preparation for resistance being visible, the cries -of women at the sight of an enemy so near them, and the hurry of -the men deserting their habitation loaded with the most valuable of -their effects, all increased the king’s impatience to put himself in -possession of this capital of his enemy. - -It happened that an Arab, belonging to Nile Wed Ageeb, had seen the -manœuvre of Hamis and his cavalry. This man, crossing the Nile at the -nearest ford, came and told his master, Wed Ageeb, what he had seen, -who informed the king of his danger. Upon interrogating the Arab, it -was found that the affair of Welled de l’Oul would certainly be over -before the king could possibly join him; and in that case he must -fall in the midst of a victorious army, and his destruction must then -be inevitable, if he attempted it. It was, therefore, agreed, as the -only means possible to save the king and that part of the army he had -with him, to retreat in the route Shekh Nile should indicate to them, -marching up with the river Nile close on their right hand, and leaving -the desert between that and the Dender, which is absolutely without -water, to cover their left. This was executed as soon as resolved. - -In the mean time, Hamis had crossed the Nile, and continued his march -with the utmost diligence, and, in the close of the evening, had fallen -upon Welled de l’Oul as unexpectedly as he could have wished. The -Abyssinians were everywhere slaughtered and trodden down before they -could prepare themselves for the least resistance. All that could fly -sheltered themselves in the woods: but this refuge was as certain death -as the sword of the Funge; for, after leaving the river Dender, all the -country behind them was perfectly destitute of water. Ras Welled de -l’Oul, and some other principal officers, under the direction of some -faithful Arabs, escaped, and, with much difficulty, two days after, -joined the king. - -Besides these, the army, consisting of 18,000 men, either perished -by the sword, by thirst, or were taken prisoners; all the sacred -reliques, which the Abyssinians carry about with their armies to ensure -victory, and avert misfortune; the picture of the crown of thorns, -called _sele quarat rasou_; pieces of the true cross; a crucifix -that had on many occasions spoke, (which should ever after be dumb -since it spoke not that day); all these treasures of priestcraft were -taken by the Funge, and carried in triumph to Sennaar. Great part of -those Arabs, who had joined the king in his march northward, had now -quitted him and attached themselves to the pursuit of the fugitive -remains of Welled de l’Oul’s army. As these Arabs were those that lived -nearest the Abyssinian frontier, and to whom the king had done no -harm, because they had mostly joined him, no sooner was he informed of -their treachery, but just arrived in their country, and scarcely out -of danger from the pursuit of the Funge, Yasous turned short to the -left, destroying with fire and sword all the families of those that had -forsaken him, and so continued to do till arrived on the banks of the -Tacazzé. - -The Arabs and Shepherds there, many of whom had just returned from -the destruction of Welled de l’Oul’s army at Sennaar, and were now -rejoicing their families with the news of so complete a victory, and -that all danger from the Christian army was over, were astonished -to see Yasous at the head of a fresh and vigorous army, burning and -destroying their country, and committing all sort of devastation, when -they thought him long ago dead, or fugitive, and skulking half-famished -on the banks of the Dender. - -The king returned in this manner to Gondar, carrying more the -appearance of a conqueror than one who had suffered the loss of a -whole army, his soldiers being loaded with the spoils of the Arabs, -and multitudes of cattle driven before them. It was but too visible, -however, by the countenances of many, how wide a difference there was -between the loss and the acquisition. - -It was, indeed, not from the presence or behaviour of the king, nor yet -from his discourse, that it could be learned any such misfortune had -befallen him. On the contrary, he affected greater gaiety than usual, -when talking of the expedition; and said publicly, and laughing, one -day, as he arose from council, “Let all those who were not pleased -with the song of Koscam sing that of Sennaar.” From this many were -of opinion, that he enjoyed a kind of malevolent pleasure from the -misfortune which had befallen his army, who, not content with seeing -him cultivate and enjoy the arts of peace, had urged him to undertake a -war of which there was no need, and for which there was no provocation -given, though in it there was every sort of danger to be expected. - -Although Yasous gave no consolation to his people, the priests and -fanatics soon endeavoured to prepare them one. Tensa Mammo arrived from -Sennaar with the crown of thorns, the true cross, and all the rest of -that precious merchandise, safe and entire, only a little profaned by -the bloody hands of the Moors. Ras Welled de l’OuL’s army, consisting -of 18,000 of their fellow-citizens, was lying dead upon the Dender. -It was no matter; they had got the speaking crucifix, but had paid -8000 ounces of gold for it. Still it was no matter; they had got the -crown of thorns. The priests made processions from church to church, -singing hallelujahs and songs of thanksgiving, when they should have -been in sackcloth and ashes, upon their knees deprecating any further -chastisement upon their pride, cruelty, and profaneness. All Gondar was -drunk with joy; and Yasous himself was astonished to see them singing -the song of Sennaar much more willingly than that of Koscam. - -At this time died Abuna Christodulus; and it was customary for the king -to advance the money to defray the expence of bringing a successor. But -Yasous’s money was all gone to Venice for mirrors; and, to defray the -expence of bringing a new Abuna, as well as of redeeming of the sacred -reliques, he laid a small tax upon the churches, saying merrily, “that -the Abuna and the crosses were to be maintained, and repaired by the -public; but it was incumbent upon the church to purchase new ones when -they were worn out.” - -Theodorus, priest of Debra Selalo, Likianos of Azazo, and Georgis -called Kipti, were consigned to the care of three Mahometan merchants -and brokers at court, whose names were Hamet Ali, Abdulla, and -Abdelcader, to go to Cairo and fetch a successor for Christodulus. They -arrived at Hamazen on April 29th 1743, where the Mahometan guides chose -rather to pass the winter-season than at Masuah, as at that place they -were apprehensive they would suffer extortions and ill-usage of every -sort. We know not what came of Georgis Kipti; but, as soon as the rainy -season was over, Theodorus and Likianos came straight to Masuah. - -As soon as the Naybe got the whole convoy of priests and Mahometans -into his hands, he demanded of them half of the money the king had -given them to defray the expences of fetching the Abuna. He pretended -also, that both Mahometans and Christians should have passed the rainy -season at Masuah. He declared that this was his perquisite, and that -he had prepared great and exquisite provisions for them, which, being -spoiled and become useless, it was but reasonable they should pay as if -they had consumed them: till this was settled, he declared that none of -them should embark or stir one step from Masuah. - -The news of this detention soon arrived at Gondar; and Yasous gave -orders that Michael Suhul, governor of Tigré, (afterwards Ras) and -the Baharnagash, should with an army blockade Masuah, so as to starve -the Naybe into a more reasonable behaviour. But, before this could be -executed, the Naybe had called the priests before him, and declared, -if they did not surrender the money that instant, he would put them to -death; and, in place of giving them time to resolve, he gave them a -very plain hint to obey, by ordering the executioner to strike off the -heads of two criminals condemned for other crimes, after having brought -them into their presence. The poor wretches, Theodorus and Likianos, -did not resemble Portuguese, who would have braved these threats in the -pursuit of martyrdom. The sight of blood was the most convincing of -all arguments the Naybe could use. They gave up the money, leaving the -division of it to his own discretion. He then hurried them on board a -vessel, giving Michael and the Baharnagash notice that they were gone -in safety, and that he had obeyed the king’s orders in all respects. -Michael was at that time in the strictest friendship with the Naybe, -who was his principal instrument in collecting fire-arms in Arabia -to strengthen him in the quarrel he was then meditating against his -sovereign. - -On the 8th of February 1744 the priests and their guides sailed from -Masuah; and they did not arrive at Jidda till the 14th of April. There -they found that the ships for Cairo were gone, and that they had lost -the monsoon; and, as no misfortune comes single, the Sherriffe of Mecca -made a demand upon them for as much money as they had paid the Naybe; -and, upon refusal, he put Abdelcader in prison, nor was he released for -a twelvemonth after, when the money was sent from Abyssinia; and it -was then agreed, that 75 ounces of gold[94] should in all future times -be paid for leave of passage to those who went to Cairo to fetch the -Abuna; and 90 ounces a piece to the Sherriffe, and to the Naybe, for -allowing him to pass when chosen, and furnishing him with necessaries -during his stay in their respective government; and this is the -agreement that subsists, to this day. - -In this interim, Likianos of Azazo, one of the priests, weary of the -journey and of his religion, and having quarrelled with Abdulla, -renounced the Christian faith, and embraced that of Mahomet; and -Theodorus, Abdulla, and Hamet Ali, being the only three remaining, -hired a vessel at Jidda to carry them to the port of Suez, the bottom -of the Arabic Gulf. Before they had been a month at sea, Abdulla died, -as did Hamet Ali seven days after they arrived at Suez. They had been -on sea three months and six days from Jidda to that port, because they -sailed against the monsoon. - -It was the 25th of June that Theodorus arrived at Cairo, delivered the -king’s present, the account of the Abuna’s death, and the king’s desire -of having speedily a successor. The patriarch, having called together -all his bishops, priests, and deacons, conferred the dignity on a -monk of the Order of St Anthony, the only Order of monks the Coptic -church acknowledges. These pass a very austere life in two convents -in a dreary desert, never tasting flesh, but living on olives, salt -sardines[95], wild herbs, and the worst of vegetables. Yet so attached -are they to this solitude, that, when they are called to be ordained to -this prelature of Abyssinia, a warrant from the basha, and a party of -Turks, is necessary to bring this elect one to Cairo in chains, where -he is kept in prison till he is ordained; guarded afterwards, and then -forced on board a vessel which carries him to Abyssinia, whence he is -certain never to return. - -The Abuna departed from Suez the 20th of September; the beginning of -November he arrived at Jidda; in February 1745 he sailed from Jidda, -taking with him Abdelcader, now freed from prison; he arrived at Masuah -the 7th of March, and immediately sent an express to notify his arrival -to the king and queen, and to Ras Welled de l’Oul. Congratulations -upon the event were returned from each of them; they requested he would -immediately come to court; but this the Naybe refused to permit, till -he had first received his dues; and Yasous seemed inclined to pay no -more for him than what he had cost already. - -The priests, and devout people in Tigré, were very desirous to free -the Abuna from his confinement in Masuah. They saw that the king was -not inclined to advance money, and all of them knew perfectly, that, -whatever face he put upon the matter, the Ras would not give an ounce -of gold to prevent the Abuna from staying there all his life. In this -exigency they applied to Janni, a Greek, living at Adowa, (of whom -I shall hereafter speak), a confidential servant and favourite of -Michael, and also well acquainted at Masuah, to see if he could get him -released by stratagem. Janni concerted the affair with the monks of -the monastery of Bizan, two of whom conducted the Abuna by night out -of the island of Masuah, and landed him safely in their monastery in -the wilderness, with the _myron_, or consecrated oil, in one hand, and -his missal, or liturgy, in the other. So far the escape was complete; -but unluckily no orders had been given for Theodorus, who accordingly -remained behind at Masuah. - -The Naybe, exasperated at the Abuna’s flight, wrecked his vengeance on -poor Theodorus; he put him in irons, and threw him into close prison, -where he remained for two months. There was no remedy but paying -80 ounces of gold to the Naybe for his release; he might else have -remained there for ever. - -The king, not a little surprised at these frequent insolences on the -part of the Naybe, began to inquire what could be the reason; for -he perfectly knew, not only Suhul Michael, the governor of Tigré, -but even the Baharnagash could reduce Masuah to nothing with their -little finger; and he was informed, that a strong friendship subsisted -between the Naybe and Suhul Michael, and that it was by relying on his -friendship that the Naybe adventured to treat the king’s servants, at -different times, in the manner he had done. - -Yasous, desirous to verify this himself, and to dissolve the bands of -so unnatural a friendship, marched into Tigré with a considerable army. -Passing by Adowa, the residence of Suhul Michael, he was pleased with -the warlike appearance of this his feat of government, and the perfect -order and subordination that reigned there. Certain disorders and -tumults were said to prevail in the neighbouring province of Enderta -where Kasmati Woldo commanded. The savage people, called Azabo, living -at Azab, the low country below Enderta and the Dobas, (a nation of -_Shepherds_ near them, still more savage, if possible, than them) had -laid waste the districts that were next to their frontier, burning the -churches, and slaying the priests in the daily inroads which they made -into Abyssinia. All these things, bad enough indeed, were at this time -aggravated, as was thought, for two reasons; the first was to cast -an odium upon Kasmati Woldo, Michael’s great enemy, as incapable of -governing his province; the second, to prevent the king in his progress -to Masuah, as he openly professed his fixed intention was to punish the -Naybe with the utmost severity. - -The protection of his subjects, therefore, from the savages, was -represented to the king as the most pressing service; and, marching -with his usual diligence straight to Enderta, he was met there by -Kasmati Woldo, an old experienced officer, who aiming at no preferment, -paying his tribute punctually, and having been constantly occupied in -repelling the incursions of the Pagans on the frontier, had not been at -court since the reign of Theophilus. - -After receiving the necessary information about the country he intended -to enter, and taking Kasmati Woldo’s two sons with him, the king -descended into the low country of Dancali, once a petty Mahometan -kingdom, and friendly to Abyssinia, now a mixture of Galla and the -natives called Taltal. Without delay he pushed on to Azab, spreading -desolation through that little province, always desert enough from its -nature, though formerly, from its trade, one of the richest spots in -the world. - -The king then turned to the right upon the Dobas, who, not expecting -an army of that strength, fled and left their whole cattle a prey to -Yasous and his soldiers; a greater number was scarce ever seen in -Abyssinia. The king now returned to Enderta, where he confirmed Kasmati -Woldo in his government with distinguished marks of favour; and he this -year again came back victorious to Gondar, leaving his campaign against -the Naybe for another season. - -In passing by Adowa, a fray happened among the king’s troops and those -of Michael; several were killed on both sides; and, as the dispute -was between Tigré and Amhara, the two great divisions of the country, -it threatened to create a party-quarrel between the soldiers of one -division and those of the other. No notice was taken of this when -Yasous marched eastward; but, on his return, Michael begged the king -to interfere, and make peace between the two parties. To this Yasous -answered, That he did not think it worth his while, for they would make -peace themselves when they were tired of quarrelling. - -Whether this was the motive of sending for Michael to Gondar, or -whether it was the story of the Naybe, or what else was the king’s -motive, we do not know; but, so soon as he was arrived in the capital, -he sent Kasmati Ephraim, and Shalaka Kefla, into Tigré, commanding -Michael’s attendance at Gondar. This Michael absolutely refused; he -pretended Kasmati Woldo had estranged the king’s affection from him, -and that Yasous had called him to Gondar now to put him to death, -upon a pretence of his soldiers quarrel with the king’s troops. This -refusal was repeated to Yasous, without any palliation whatever; and -he instantly marched from Gondar, and encamped upon the river Waar, -where he was reinforced a few days afterwards by Ras Welled de l’Oul, -whose intention was to persuade Michael to submission; for he had been -advised not to trust the king’s oath of forgivenness unless he had -likewise that of Welled de l’Oul. - -The king’s readiness disconcerted Suhul Michael. Tho’ well armed and -appointed himself, as also an excellent general, he did not risk the -presenting himself against the king on a plain; for Yasous was much -beloved by the soldiers, and always very kind and liberal to them. - -The mountain Samayat, though not the most inaccessible in Tigré, was a -place of great consequence and strength, when possessed by an army and -officer such as Michael. To this natural fortress he carried all his -valuable effects, occupied and obstructed all the avenues to it, and -resolved there to abide his fortune. The king, with his army, sat down -at the foot of the mountain; and, encircling it with troops, he ordered -it to be assaulted on four sides at once; on one, by Kasmati Ayo, -governor of Begemder; on the second, by Kasmati Waragna; the third, by -Kasmati Woldo; and the fourth, by Ras Welled de l’Oul. The king himself -went round about to every place, giving his orders, encouraging his -men, and fighting himself in the foremost ranks like a common soldier. -The mountain was at length carried, with much bloodshed on both sides, -and Michael was beat from every part of it but one, which, though not -strong enough to hold out against the king’s army, if well defended -could not be carried without great loss of men. - -Here Michael desired to capitulate. But, before he left the mountain -and surrendered to the king, he desired that an officer of trust -might be sent to him, because he had then upon the mountain a large -collection of treasure, which he desired to keep for the king’s use, -otherwise it would be dissipated and lost in the hands of the common -soldiers. The Ras sent two confidential officers, who took from the -hands of Michael a prodigious sum of gold, the precise amount of which -is not named. He then descended the mountain, carrying, as is the -custom of the country for vanquished rebels, a stone upon his head, as -confessing himself guilty of a capital crime. A violent storm of rain -and wind prevented, for that day, his coming into the presence of the -king; and the devil, as the Abyssinians believe, began in that storm a -correspondence with him which continued many years; I myself have often -heard him vaunt of his having maintained, ever since that time, an -intercourse with St Michael the archangel. - -On the morning of the 27th of December, Ras Welled de l’Oul ordered -Michael to attend him in the habit of a penitent; and, followed by his -companions in misfortune, (that part of his troops which was taken -on the mountain) and surrounded by a number of soldiers, with drums -beating and colours flying, he was carried into the king’s presence. - -Ras Welled de l’Oul had, with difficulty, engaged the king’s promise -that he was not to put him to death. The good genius of Yasous and his -family was labouring by one last effort to save him. On seeing Michael -upon the ground, Yasous fell into a violent transport of rage, spurned -him with his foot, declaring he retracted his promise, and ordered him -to be carried out, and put to death before the door of his tent. Ras -Welled de l’Oul, Kasmati Waragna, Kasmati Woldo, and all the officers -of consideration, either of the court or army, now fell with their -faces upon the ground, crying to the king for mercy and forgivenness. -Yasous, if in his heart he did not relent, still was obliged to pardon -on such universal solicitation; and this he did, after making the -following observation, which soon after was looked on as a prophecy: -“I have pardoned that traitor at your instance, because I at all times -reward merit more willingly than I punish crimes; but I call you all to -witness, that I wash my hands before God to-day of all that innocent -blood Michael shall shed before he brings about the destruction of his -country, which I know in his heart he has been long meditating.” - -I cannot help mentioning it as an extraordinary circumstance, that -at the time I was at Gondar, in the very height of Suhul Michael’s -tyranny, a man quarrelled with another who was a scribe, and accused -him before Michael of having recorded this speech of the king, as I -have now stated it, in a history that he had written of Yasous’s reign. -The book was produced, the passage was found and read; and I certainly -expected to have seen it torn to pieces, or hung upon a tree about -the author’s neck. On the contrary, all the Ras said was, “If what he -writes is true, wherein is the man to blame?” And turning with a grin -to Tecla Haimanout, one of the judges, he said, “Do you remember? I -do believe Yasous did say so.” The book was restored to the author, -and no more said of the matter, not even an order was given to erase -the passage. He had no objection to Yasous and to his whole race being -prophets; he had only taken a resolution that they should not be kings. - -A general silence followed this speech of Yasous, instead of the -acclamations of joy usual in such cases. The king then ordered Ras -Welled de l’Oul to lead the army on to Gondar, which he did with -great pomp and military parade, while the king, who could not forget -his forebodings, retired to an island, there to fast some days in -consequence of a vow that he had made. This being finished, Yasous -returned to Gondar; and, as he was now in perfect peace throughout his -kingdom, he began again to decorate the apartments of his palace. A -large number of mirrors had arrived at this time, a present from the -Naybe of Masuah, who, after what had happened to his friend Michael, -began to feel a little uneasy about the fate of his island. - -While Yasous was thus employed, news were sent him from Kasmati Ayo, -governor of Begemder, that he had beat the people of Lasta in a pitched -battle in their own country, had forced their strong-holds, dispersed -their troops, and received the general submission of the province, -which had been in rebellion since the time of Hatzè Socinios, that is, -above 100 years. Immediately after these news, came Ayo himself to -parade and throw his _unclean_ trophies of victory before the king, -and brought with him many of the principal people of Lasta to take the -oaths of allegiance to the king. - -Yasous received the accounts of the success with great pleasure, and -still more so the oaths and submissions made to him. He then added -Lasta to the province of Begemder, and cloathed Ayo magnificently, as -well as all those noblemen that came with him from Lasta. The end of -this year was not marked with good fortune like the beginning. A plague -of locusts fell upon the country, and consumed every green thing, so -that a famine seemed to be inevitable, because, contrary to their -custom, they had attached themselves chiefly to the grain. This plague -is not so frequent in Abyssinia as the Jesuits have reported it to be. -These good fathers indeed bring the locusts upon the country, that, by -their pretended miracles, they may chace them away. - -Michael had continued some time in prison, in the custody of Ras Welled -de l’Oul. But he was afterwards set at full liberty; and it was now -the 17th year of Yasous’s reign, when, on the 17th of September 1746, -at a great promotion of officers of state, Michael, by the nomination -of the king himself, was restored to his government of Tigré; and, -a few days after, he returned to that province. All his ancient -friends and troops flocked to him as soon as he appeared, to welcome -him upon an event looked upon by all as nearly miraculous. Nor did -Michael discourage that idea himself, but gave it to be understood, -among his most intimate friends, that a vision had allured him that -he was thenceforward under the immediate protection of St Michael the -archangel, with whom he was to consult on every emergency. - -As soon as he had got a sufficient army together, the first thing he -did was to attack Kasmati Woldo, without any provocation whatever; -and, after beating him in two battles, he drove him from his province, -and forced him to take refuge among the Galla, where, soon after, by -employing small presents, he procured him to be murdered; the ordinary -fate of those who seek protection among those faithless barbarians. - -It will seem extraordinary that the king, who had such recent -experience of both, the one distinguished for his duty, the other for -his obstinate rebellion, should yet tamely suffer his old and faithful -servant to fall before a man whom in his heart he so much mistrusted. -But the truth is, all Michael’s danger was past the moment he got -free access to the king and queen, though he was deservedly esteemed -to be the ablest soldier in Abyssinia of his time, he was infinitely -more capable in intrigues, and private negociations at court, than -he was in the field, being a pleasant and agreeable speaker in common -conversation; a powerful and copious orator at council; his language, -whether Amharic or Tigré, (but above all the latter) correct and -elegant above any man’s at court; steady to the measures he adopted, -but often appearing to give them up easily, and without passion, when -he saw, by the circumstances of the times, he could not prevail: though -violent in the pursuit of riches, when in his own province, where he -spared no means nor man to procure them, no sooner had he come to -Gondar than he was lavish of his money to extreme; and indeed he set no -value upon it farther than as it served to corrupt men to his ends. - -When he surrendered his treasure at the mountain Samayat, he is said to -have divided it into several parcels with his own hand. The greatest -share fell to the king, who thought he had got the whole; but the -officers who received it, and saw different quantities destined for the -Iteghé and Ras Welled de l’Oul, took care to convey them their share, -for fear of making powerful enemies. Kasmati Waragna had his part; -and even Kasmati Woldo, though Michael soon after plundered and slew -him. All Gondar were his friends, because all that capital was bribed -on this occasion. It was gold he only lent them, to resume it, (as he -afterwards did) with great interest, at a proper time. - -It still remained in the king’s breast to wipe off his defeat at -Sennaar, as he had, upon every other occasion, been victorious; and -even in this, he still flattered himself he had not been beat in -person. He set out again upon another expedition to Atbara; instead -of coasting along the Dender, he descended along the Tacazzé into -Atbara, where, finding no resistance among the Shepherds, he attached -himself in particular to the tribe called Daveina, which, in the former -expedition, had joined Welled de l’Oul’s army. Upon the first news of -his approach they had submitted; but, notwithstanding all promises and -pretences of peace, he fell upon them unawares, and almost extirpated -the tribe. - -Suhul Michael, while the king was thus occupied in the frontier of his -province, did every thing that a faithful, active subject could do. -He furnished him constantly with the best intelligence, supplied him -with the provisions he wanted, and made, from time to time, strong -detachments of troops to reinforce him, and to secure such posts as -were most commodious and important in case of a retreat becoming -necessary. - -Yasous, who had succeeded to his wish, was fully sensible of the value -of such services, and sent, therefore, for Michael, commanding his -attendance at Gondar. There was no fear, no hesitation now, as before -in the affair of Samayat. He decamped upon the first notice, even -before the rainy season was over, and arrived at Gondar on August 30th -1747, bringing with him plenty of gold; few soldiers, indeed, but those -picked men, and in better order, than the king had ever yet seen troops. - -It was plain now to everybody, that nothing could stop Michael’s -growing fortune. He alone seemed not sensible of this. He was humbler -and less assuming than before. Those whom he had first bribed he -continued still to bribe, and added as many new friends to that list -as he thought could serve him. He pretended to no precedency or -pre-eminence at court, not even such as was due to the rank of his -place, but behaved as a stranger that had no fixed abode among them. - -One day, dining with Kasmati Geta, the queen’s brother, who was -governor of Samen, and drinking out of a common-glass decanter called -Brulhé, when it is the privilege and custom of the governor of Tigré -to use a gold cup, being asked, Why he did not claim his privilege? he -said, All the gold he had was in heaven, alluding to the name of the -mountain Samayat, where his gold was surrendered, which word signifies -Heaven. The king, who liked this kind of jests, of which Michael was -full, on hearing this, sent him a gold cup, with a note written and -placed within it, “Happy are they who place their riches in heaven;” -which Michael directed immediately to be engraved by one of the Greeks -upon the cup itself. What became of it I know not; I often wished -to have found it out, and purchased it. I saw it the first day he -dined, after coming from council, at his return from Tigré, after the -execution of Abba Salama; but I never observed it at Serbraxos, nor -since. I heard, indeed, a Greek say he had sent it by Ozoro Esther, as -a present to a church of St Michael in Tigré. - -Enderta was now given him in addition to the province of Tigré, and, -soon after, Siré and all the provinces between the Tacazzé and the Red -Sea; so he was now master of near half of Abyssinia. - -The rest of this king’s reign was spent at home in his usual amusements -and occupations. Several small expeditions were made by his command, -under Palambaras Selassé, and other officers, to harrass the Shepherds, -whom he conquered almost down to Suakem. His ravages, however, had -been confined to the peninsula of Atbara, and had not ever passed to -the eastward of the Tacazzé, but he had impoverished all that country. -After this, by his orders, the Baharnagash, and other officers, entered -that division called Derkin, between the Mareb and the Atbara, and, -still further, between the Mareb and the mountains, in a part of it -called Ajam. In this country Hassine Wed Ageeb was defeated by the -Baharnagash with great slaughter; and the Shekh of Jibbel Musa, one of -the most powerful of the Shepherds, was taken prisoner by Palambaras -Selassé, without resistance, and carried, with his wife, his family, -and cattle, in triumph to Gondar, where, having sworn allegiance to the -king, he was kindly treated, and sent home with presents, and every -thing that had been taken from him. - -This year, being the 24th of Yasous’s reign, he was taken ill, and died -on the 21st day of June 1753, after a very short illness. As he was but -a young man, and of a strong constitution, there was some suspicion he -died by poison given him by the queen’s relations, who were desirous to -secure another minority rather than serve under a king, who, by every -action, shewed he was no longer to be led or governed by any, but least -of all by them. - -Yasous was married very young to a lady of noble family in Amhara, -by whom he had two sons, Adigo and Aylo. But their mother pretending -to a share of her husband’s government, and to introduce her friends -at court, so hurt Welleta Georgis the Iteghé, or queen-regent, that -she prevailed on the king to banish both the mother and sons to the -mountain of Wechné. - -In order to prevent such interference for the future, the Iteghé -took a step, the like of which had never before been attempted in -Abyssinia. It was to bring a wife to Yasous from a race of Galla. Her -name was Wobit, daughter of Amitzo, to whom Bacuffa had once fled when -he escaped from the mountain before he was king, and had been kindly -entertained there. Her family was of the tribe of Edjow, and the -division of Toluma, that is, of the southern Galla upon the frontiers -of Amhara. They were esteemed the politest, that is, the least -barbarous of the name. But it was no matter, they were Galla, and that -was enough. Between them and Abyssinia, oceans of blood had been shed, -and strong prejudices imbibed against them, never to be effaced by -marriages. She was, however, brought to Gondar, christened by the name -of Bessabéc, and married to Yasous: By her he had a son, named Joas, -who succeeded his father. - -[Illustration] - - - - -JOAS. - -From 1753 to 1768. - - _This Prince a Favourer of the Galla his Relations--Great - Dissentions on bringing them to Court--War of Begemder--Ras - Michael brought to Gondar--Defeats Ayo--Mariam Barea refuses to - be accessary to his Death--King favours Waragna Fasil--Battle - of Azazo--King Assassinated in his Palace._ - - -UPON the first news of the death of king Yasous, the old officers and -servants of the crown, remembering the tumults and confusion that -happened in Gondar at his accession, repaired to the palace from their -different governments, each with a small well-regulated body of troops, -sufficient to keep order, and strengthen the hands of Ras Welled de -l’Oul, whom they all looked upon as the father of his country. The -first who arrived was Kasmati Waragna of Damot; then Ayo of Begemder, -and very soon after, though at much the greatest distance, Suhul -Michael, governor of Tigré. These three entered the palace, with -Welled de l’Oul at their head, and received the young king Joas from -the hands of the Iteghé his grandmother, and proclaimed him king, with -the usual formalities, without any opposition or tumult whatever. - -A number of promotions immediately followed; but it was observed with -great discontent by many, that the Iteghé’s family and relations were -grown now so numerous, that they were sufficient to occupy all the -great offices of state without the participation of any of the old -families, which were the strength of the crown in former reigns; and -that now no preferment was to be expected unless through some relation -to the queen-mother. - -Welled Hawarayat, son to Michael governor of Tigré, had married Ozoro -Altash, the queen’s third daughter, almost a child; and long before -that, Netcho of Tcherkin had married Ozoro Esther, likewise very -young; and Ras Michael, old as he was, had made known his pretensions -to Ozoro Welleta Israel, the queen’s second daughter, immediately -younger than Ozoro Esther. These proposals, from an old man, had been -received with great contempt and derision by Welleta Israel, and she -persevered so long in the derision of Michael’s courtship, that it left -strong impressions on the hard heart of that old warrior, which shewed -themselves after in very disagreeable consequences to that lady all the -time Michael was in power. - -The first that broke the peace of this new reign was Nanna Georgis, -chief of one of the clans of Agows of Damot. Engaged in old feuds with -the Galla on the other side of the Nile, the natural enemies of his -country, he could not see, but with great displeasure, a Galla such -as Kasmati Waragna, however worthy, governor of Damot, and capable, -therefore, of over-running the whole province in a moment, by calling -his Pagan countrymen from the other side. - -Waragna, though this was in his power, knew the measure was unpopular. -Kasmati Eshté was the queen’s brother, and governor of Ibaba, a royal -residence, which has a large territory and salary annexed to it. When, -therefore, at council, he had complained of the injury done to him by -Nanna Georgis, he refused the taking upon him the redressing these -injuries, and punishing the Agows, unless Kasmati Eshté was joined in -the commission with him. - -The reason of this was, as I have often before observed, that, as the -Agows are those that pay the greatest tribute in gold to the king, -and furnish the capital with all sorts of provisions, any calamity -happening in their country is severely felt by the inhabitants of -Gondar; and the knowledge of this occasions a degree of presumption and -confidence in the Agows, of which they have been very often the dupes. -This, indeed, happened at this very instant. For Waragna and Eshtè -marched from Gondar, and with them a number of veteran troops of the -king’s household of Maitsha, depending on Ibaba; and this army, without -bringing one Galla from the other side of the Nile, gave Nanna Georgis -and his Agows such an overthrow that his clan was nearly extirpated, -and many of the principal of that nation slain. - -Nanna Georgis, who chiefly was aimed at as the author of this revolt, -escaped, with great difficulty, wounded, from the field; and the feud -which had long subsisted between Waragna’s family and the race of -the Agows, received great addition that day, and came down to their -posterity, as we shall soon see by what happened in Waragna’s son’s -time at the bloody and fatal battle of Banja. - -The next affair that called the attention of government, was a -complaint brought by the monks of Magwena, a ridge of rocks of but -small extent not far from Tcherkin, the estate of Kasmati Netcho. -These mountains, for a great part of the year, almost calcined under a -burning sun, have, in several months, violent and copious showers of -rain, which, received in vast caves and hollows of the mountain, and -out of the reach of evaporation, are means of creating and maintaining -all sorts of verdure and all scenes of pleasure, in the hot season of -the year, when the rains do not fall elsewhere; and as the rocks have -a considerable elevation above the level of the plain, they are at no -season infected with those feverish disorders that lay the low country -waste. - -Netcho was a man of pleasure, and he thought, since the monks, by -retiring to rocks and deserts, meant thereby to subject themselves to -hardship and mortification, that these delightful and flowery scenes, -the groves of Magwena, were much more suited to the enjoyment of -happiness with the young and beautiful Ozoro Esther, than for any set -of men, who by their austerities were at constant war with the flesh. -Upon these principles, which it would be very difficult for the monks -themselves to refute, he took possession of the mountain Magwena, and -of those bowers that, though in possession of saints, did not seem to -have been made for the solitary pleasures of one sex only. This piece -of violence was, by the whole body of monks, called Sacrilege. Violent -excommunications, and denunciations of divine vengeance, were thundered -out against Kasmati Netcho. An army was sent against him; he was -defeated and taken prisoner, and confined upon a mountain in Walkayt, -where soon after he died, but not before the Iteghè had shewn her -particular mark of displeasure, by taking her daughter Ozoro Esther, -his wife, from him, that she, too, and her only son Confu, might not -be involved in the monk’s excommunications, and the imputed crime of -sacrilege. - -At this time died Kasmati Waragna, full of years and glory, having, -though a stranger, preserved his allegiance to the last, and more than -once saved the state by his wisdom, bravery, and activity. He is almost -a single example in their history, of a great officer, governor of a -province, that never was in rebellion, and a remarkable instance of -Bacuffa’s penetration, who, from a single conversation with him, while -engaged in the vilest employment, chose him as capable of the greatest -offices, in which he usefully served both his son and grandson. - -Soon after, Ayo governor of Begemder, an older officer still than -Waragna, arrived in Gondar, and resigned his government into the -queen’s hands. This resignation was received, because it was understood -that it was directly to be conferred upon his son Mariam Barea, by far -the most hopeful young Abyssinian nobleman of his time. Another mark -of favour, soon followed, perhaps was the occasion of this. Ozoro -Esther, the very young widow of Netcho, was married, very much against -her own consent, to the young governor of Begemder, and this marriage -was crowned with the universal applause of court, town, and country; -for Mariam Barea possessed every virtue that could make a great man -popular; and it was impossible to see Ozoro Esther, and hear her speak, -without being attached to her for ever after. - -Still the complaint remained, that there was no promotion, no -distinction of merit, but through some relation to the queen-mother; -and the truth of this was soon so apparent, and the discontent it -occasioned so universal, that nothing but the great authority Ras -Welled de l’Oul, the Iteghé’s brother, possessed, could hinder this -concealed fire from breaking out into a flame. - -The queen, mother to Joas, was Ozoro Wobit, a Galla. Upon Joas’s -accession to the throne, therefore, a large body of Galla, said to be -1200 horse, were sent as a present to the young king as the portion -of his mother. A number of private persons had accompanied these; -part from curiosity, part from desire of preferment, and part from -attachment to those that were already gone before them. These last were -formed into a body of infantry of 600 men, and the command given to a -Galla, whose name was Woosheka; so that the regency, in the person of -the queen, seemed to have gained fresh force from the minority of the -young king Joas, as yet perfectly subject to his mother. - -There were four bodies of household troops absolutely devoted to the -king’s will. One of these, the Koccob horse, was commanded by a young -Armenian not 30 years of age. He had been left in Abyssinia by his -father in Yasous’s time, and care had been taken of him by the Greeks. -Yasous had distinguished him by several places while a mere youth, and -employed him in errands to Masuah and Arabia, by which he became known -to Ras Michael. Upon the death of Yasous, the Iteghè put him about her -grandson Joas, as Baalomal, which is, _gentleman of the bed-chamber_, -or, _companion to the king_. He then became Asaleffa el Camisha, which -means _groom of the stole_, but at last was promoted to the great -place of Billetana Gueta Dakakin, _chamberlain_, or _master of the -household_, the third post in government, by which he took place of all -the governors of provinces while in Gondar. - -There is no doubt Joas would have made him Ras, if he had reigned as -long as his father. Besides his own language, he understood Turkish, -Arabic, and Malabar, and was perfect master of the Tigré. But his -great excellence was his knowledge of Amharic, which he was thought to -speak as chastely and elegantly as Ras Michael himself. He is reported -likewise to have possessed a species of jurisprudence, whence derived -I never knew, which so pleased the Abyssinians, that the judges often -requested his attendance on the king; at which time he sat at the head -of the table, where it is supposed the king would place himself did he -appear personally in judgment, (which, as it may be learned from divers -places in this history, he never does); certain mornings in the week, -therefore, he sat publicly in the market-place, and gave judgment soon -after the break of day. - -I saw this young man with his father at Loheia. He understood no -European language; was just then returned from India, and had a -considerable quantity of diamonds, and other precious stones, to -sell. He spoke with tears in his eyes of Abyssinia, from which he was -banished, and urged that I should take him there with me. But I had -too much at stake to charge myself with the consequences of anybody’s -behaviour but my own, and therefore refused it. - -The great favour the Galla were in at court encouraged many of their -countrymen to follow them; and, by the king’s desire, two of his uncles -were sent for, and they not only came, but brought with them a thousand -horse. These were two young men, brothers of the queen Wobit, just now -dead. The eldest was named Brulhé, the younger Lubo. In an instant, -nothing was heard in the palace but Galla. The king himself affected to -speak nothing else. He had entirely intrusted the care of his person -to his two uncles; and, both being men of intrigue, they thought -themselves sufficiently capable to make a party, support it, and place -the king at the head of it; and this they effected as soon as it was -conceived, whilst the Abyssinians saw, with the utmost detestation and -abhorrence, a Gallan and inimical government erected in the very heart -or metropolis of their country. - -Woodage had been long governor of Amhara. He had succeeded Palambaras -Duré in Bacuffa’s time, when he had been promoted to the dignity of -Ras. - -These two were heads of the only great families in Amhara, who took -that government as it were by rotation. Woodage, in one of the -excursions into Atbara, had made an Arab’s, or a Shepherd’s daughter, -prisoner, baptized her, and lived with her as his mistress. The -passion Woodage bore to this fair slave was not, however, reciprocal. -She had fixed her affections upon his eldest son, and their frequent -familiarities at last brought about the discovery. This very much -shocked Woodage; but, instead of having recourse to public justice, he -called his brothers, and some other heads of his family before him, and -examined into the fact with them, desiring his son to defend himself. -The crime was clearly proved in all its circumstances. Upon which -Woodage, by his own authority, condemned his son to death; and not only -so, but caused his sentence to be put in execution, by hanging the -young man over a beam in his own house. As for the slave, he released -her, as not being bound to any return of affection to him, from whom -she had only received evil, and been deprived of her natural liberty. - -It seems this claim of _patria potestas_ was new in Abyssinia; and -Bacuffa took it so ill, that he deprived Woodage of his office, and -banished him to Amhara, then governed by Palambaras Duré. To this loss -of influence another circumstance contributed. He was a relation of -Yasous’s first wife, who, by the Iteghé’s intrigues, had been sent -with her two sons to the mountain of Wechné, and Joas, a young son of -Yasous, preferred in their places. - -It happened that Palambaras Duré died; and as the succession fell -regularly upon the unpopular Woodage, the king’s uncle, Lubo obtained -a promise of the government of Amhara for himself. All Gondar was -shocked at this strange choice: Amitzo and his Edjow were already upon -the southern frontiers of that province, domiciled there; and there -was no doubt but this nomination would put Amhara into his possession -for ever. All the inhabitants of Gondar were ready to run to their -arms to oppose this appointment of the king; and it was thought that, -underhand, the Iteghè fomented this dissatisfaction. The king, however, -terrified by the violent resentment of the populace, at the instance of -Ras Welled de l’Oul, recalled his nomination. - -At this time Michael, who saw the consequence of these disputes, but -abstained from taking any share, because he knew that both parties were -promoting his interest by their mutual animosity, came to Gondar in -great pomp, upon an honourable errand. - -Baady, son of l’Oul, king of Funge, or, as they are called in the -Abyssinian annals, Noba[96], who had defeated Yasous at Sennaar, after -a tyrannical and bloody reign of thirty-three years, was deposed in -1764 by Nasser his son, whom his minister Shekh Adelan, with his -brother Abou Kalec, governor of Kordofan, had put in his place; and -Baady had fled to Suhul Michael, whose fame was extended all over -Atbara. Michael received him kindly, promised him his best services -with Joas, and that he would march in person to Sennaar, and reinstate -him with an army, if the king should so command. - -Michael conducted him into the presence of the king, where, in a -manner unbecoming a sovereign, and which Joas’s successor would not -have permitted, he kissed the ground, and declared himself a vassal -of Abyssinia. The king assigned him a large revenue, and put him in -possession of the government of Ras el Feel upon the frontier of -Sennaar, where Ras Welled de l’Oul advised him to wait patiently till -the dissensions that then prevailed at court were quieted, when Michael -should have orders to reinstate him in his kingdom. This was a wise -counsel, but he to whom it was given was not wise, and therefore did -not follow it. After some short stay at Ras el Feel he was decoyed from -this place of refuge by the intrigues of Adelan, and brought to trust -himself in Atbara, where he was betrayed and taken prisoner by Welled -Hassen, Shekh of Teawa, and murdered by him in Teawa privately, as we -shall hereafter see, two years after his flight from Gondar. - -At this time, Ras Welled de l’Oul’s death was a signal for all parties -to engage. Nothing had withheld them but his prudence and authority; -and from that time began a scene of civil blood, which has continued -ever since, was in its full vigour at the time when I was in Abyssinia, -and without any prospect that it would ever have an end. - -The great degree of power to which the brothers and their Galla -arrived; the great affection the king shewed to them, owing to their -having early infected him with their bloody and faithless principles, -gave great alarm to the queen and her relations, whose influence they -were every day diminishing. The last stroke, the death of Welled -de l’Oul, seemed to be a fatal one, and to threaten the entire -dissolution of her power. In order to counterbalance this, they -associated to their party and council Mariam Barea, who had lately -married Ozoro Esther, and was in possession of the second province -in the state for riches and for power, and greatly increased in its -importance by the officer that commanded it. Upon the death of Welled -de l’Oul, the principal fear the party of the Galla had was, that -Mariam Barea should be brought to Gondar as Ras. The union between him -and Kasmati Eshtè, formerly as strong by inclination as now it was by -blood, put them in terror for their very existence, and a stroke was to -be struck at all hazards that was to separate these interests for ever. - -Eshte, upon taking possession of the province of Damot, found the -Djawi, established upon the frontiers of the province, very much -inclined to revolt. Notwithstanding peace had been established among -the Agows ever since Nanna Georgis had been defeated at the last -battle, the Galla had still continued to rob and distress them, -contrary to the public faith that had been pledged to them. - -Eshte was too honest a man to suffer this; but the truth was, the Djawi -had felt the advantage of having a man like the late Waragna governor -of Damot; and they wanted, by all means, to reduce the ministers to the -necessity of making that command hereditary in his family, by Fasil his -son being preferred to succeed him. - -This Fasil, whom I shall hereafter call Waragna Fasil, a name which -was given to distinguish him from many other Fasils in the army, was a -man then about twenty-two, whom Eshté had kept about him in a private -station, and had lately given him a subaltern command among his own -countrymen, the Djawi of Damot. From the services that he had then -rendered, it was expected a greater preferment was to follow. - -The insolence of the Djawi had come to such a pitch that they had -offered Eshté battle; but they had fled with very little resistance, -and been driven over the Nile to their countrymen whence they came. -Eshté, roused from his indolence, now shewed himself the gallant -soldier that he really was. He crossed the Nile at a place never -attempted before; and though he lost a considerable number of men -in the passage, yet that disadvantage was more than compensated by -the advantage it gave him of falling upon the Galla unexpectedly. He -therefore destroyed, or dispersed several tribes of them, possessed -himself of their crops, drove off their cattle, wives, and children, -and obliged them to sue for peace on his own terms; and then repassed -the Nile, re-establishing the Djawi, after submission, in their ancient -possessions. - -Upon news of Welled de l’Oul’s death, and the known intention of the -queen that Eshté should succeed him in the office of Ras, he was -mustering his soldiers to march to Gondar: Damot, the Agows, Goutto, -and Maitsha, all readily joined him from every quarter; and Waragna -Fasil had been sent to bring in the Djawi with the rest. Eshtè had -marched by slow journies from Buré, slenderly attended, to arrive at -Goutto the place of rendezvous; and, being come to Fagitta, in his -way thither, he encamped upon a plain there, near to the church of St -George. - -It was in the evening, when news were brought him that the whole Djawi -had come out, to a man, from goodwill, to attend him to Gondar. This -mark of kindness had very much pleased him; and he looked upon it -as a grateful return for his mild treatment of them after they were -vanquished. A stool was set in the shade, without a small house where -he then was lodged, that he might see the troops pass; when Hubna -Fasil, a Galla, who commanded them, availing himself of the privilege -of approaching near, always customary upon these occasions, run him -through the body with a lance, and threw him dead upon the ground. The -rest of the Galla fell immediately upon all his attendants, put them to -flight, and proclaimed Waragna Fasil governor of Damot and the Agows. - -This intelligence was immediately sent to their countrymen, Brulhé and -Lubo, at Gondar, who prevailed upon the king to confirm Waragna Fasil -in his command, though purchased with the murder of the worthiest man -in his dominions, who was his own uncle, brother to the Iteghè; and -this was thought to more than counterbalance the accession of strength -the queen’s party had received from the marriage of Ozoro Esther with -Mariam Barea. - -In critical times like these, the greatest events are produced from the -smallest accidents. Ayo, father to Mariam Barea, had always been upon -bad terms with Michael. It was at first emulation between two great -men; but, after Ayo had assisted the king in taking Michael prisoner -at the mountain Samayat, this emulation had degenerated into perfect -hatred on the part of Michael. - -Just before Kasmati Ayo had resigned Begemder to his son, and retired -to private life, two servants of Michael had fled with two swords, -which they used to carry before him, claiming the protection of Kasmati -Ayo. Michael had claimed them before the king, who, loath to determine -between the two, not being at that time instigated by Galla, had -accepted the proposal of Michael to have the matter of right tried -before the judges; but, upon his resignation of the province, and -retiring, the thing had blown over and been forgotten. - -Soon after this accession of Mariam Barea, Michael intimated to him -the order the king had given that the judges should try the matter -of difference between them. Mariam Barea refused this, and upbraided -Michael with meanness and prostitution of the dignity he bore, to -consent to submit himself to the venal judgment of weak old men, whose -consciences were hackneyed in prejudice or partiality, and always -known to be under the influence of party. He put Suhul Michael in -mind also, that, being both of them the king’s lieutenant-generals, -representatives of his person in the provinces they governed, noble by -birth, and soldiers by profession, they had no superior but God and -their sovereign, therefore it was below them to acknowledge or receive -any judgment between them unless from God, by an appeal to the sword, -or from the king, by a sentence intimated to them by a proper officer; -that Suhul Michael might choose either of these manners of deciding the -difference as should seem best unto him; and if he chose the latter, -of abiding by the sentence of the king, he would then restore him the -swords upon the king’s first command, but he despised the judges, and -disowned their jurisdiction. - -This spirited answer was magnified into the crime of disobedience and -rebellion. Michael pursued it no further. He knew it was in good hands, -which, when once the matter was set agoing, would never let it drop. -Accordingly, to every one’s surprise but Michael’s, a proclamation -was made, that the king had deprived Mariam Barea of his government -for disobedience, and had given it to Kasmati Brulhé his uncle, now -governor of Begemder. - -All Abyssinia was in a ferment at this promotion. The number, power, -and vicinity of that race of Galla being considered, this was but -another way of giving the richest and strongest barrier of Abyssinia -into the hands of his hereditary and bloody enemy. There could be no -doubt, indeed, but that, as soon as Brulhé should have taken possession -of his government, it would be instantly over-run by the united force -of that savage and Pagan nation; and there was nothing afterwards to -avert danger from the metropolis, for the boundaries of Begemder reach -within a very short day’s journey of Gondar. - -Mariam Barea, one of the noblest in point of birth in the country where -he lived, setting every private consideration aside, was too good a -citizen to suffer a measure so pernicious to take place quietly in his -time, while the province was under his command. But, besides this, -he considered himself as degraded and materially hurt both in honour -and in interest, and very sensibly felt the affront of being, himself -and his kindred, subjected to a race of Pagans whom he had so often -overthrown in the field. - -The king’s army marched, under the command of his uncle Brulhé, to take -possession of his government; it was with much difficulty, indeed, that -Joas could be kept from appearing in person, but he was left under the -inspection and tuition of his uncle Lubo, at Gondar. Brulhé made very -slow advances; his army several times assembled, as often disbanded -of itself; and near a year was spent before he could move from his -camp on the lake Tzana, with a force capable of shewing or maintaining -itself in Begemder, from the frontiers of which he was not half a day’s -journey. - -Mariam Barea remained all this time inactive in Begemder, attending to -the ordinary duties of his office, with a perfect contempt of Brulhé -and his proceedings. But, in the interim, he left no means untried -to pacify the king, and dissuade him from a measure he saw would be -ruinous to the state in general. - -Mariam Barea, though young, had the prudence and behaviour of a man -of advanced years. He was esteemed, without comparison, the bravest -soldier and best general in the kingdom, except old Suhul Michael, his -hereditary rival and enemy. But his manners were altogether different -from those of Michael. He was open, chearful, and unreserved; liberal, -even to excess, but not from any particular view of gaining reputation -by it; as moderate in the use of victory as indefatigable to obtain it; -temperate in all his pleasures; easily brought to forgive, and that -forgivenness always sincere; a steady observer of his word, even in -trifles; and distinguished for two things very uncommon in Abyssinia, -regularity in his devotions, and constancy to one wife, which never was -impeached. In his last remonstrance, after many professions of his -duty and obedience, he put the king in mind, that, at his investiture, -“The laws of the country imposed upon him an oath which he took in -presence of his majesty, and, after receiving the holy sacrament, that -he was not to suffer any Galla in Begemder, but rather, if needful, die -with sword in hand to prevent it; that he considered the contravening -that oath as a deliberate breach of the allegiance which he owed to God -and to his sovereign, and of the trust reposed in him by his country; -that the safety of the princes of the royal family, sequestered upon -the mountain of Wechné, depended upon the observance of this oath; -that otherwise they would be in constant danger of being extirpated -by Pagans, as they had already nearly been in former ages, at two -different times, upon the rocks Damo and Geshen; he begged the king, -if, unfortunately, he could not be reconciled to him, to give his -command to Kasmati Geta, Kasmati Eusebius, or any Abyssinian nobleman, -in which case he would immediately resign, and retire to private life -with his old father.” - -He concluded by saying, that, “As he had formed a resolution, he -thought it his duty to submit it to the king; that, if his majesty -was resolved to march and lead the army himself, he would retire till -he was stopt by the frontiers of the Galla, and the farthest limits -of Begemder; and, so far from molesting the army in their route, the -king might be assured, that, though his own men should be straitened, -abundance of every kind of provision and refreshment should be left in -his majesty’s route. But if, contrary to his wish, troops of Galla, -commanded by a Galla, should come to take possession of his province, -he would fight them at the well of Fernay[97], before one Galla should -drink there, or advance a pike-length into Begemder.” - -This declaration was, by orders of Ras Michael, entered into the -Deftar, and written in letters of gold, after Mariam Barea’s death, no -doubt at the instigation of Ozoro Esther, jealous for the reputation -of her dead husband. It is intitled, _the dutiful declaration of the -governor of Begemder_; and is signed by two Umbares, or judges. Whether -the original was so or not, I cannot say. - -The return made to this by the king was of the harshest kind, full of -taunts and scoffs, and presumptuous confidence; announcing the speedy -arrival of _Brulhé_, as to a certain victory; and, to shew what further -assistance he trusted in, he ordered Ras Michael to be proclaimed -governor of Samen, the province on the Gondar side of the Tacazzé, that -no obstacle might be left in the way of that general from Tigré, if it -should be resolved upon to call him. - -In Abyssinia there is a kind of glass bottle, very light, and of the -size, shape, and strength of a Florence wine-flask; only the neck is -wider, like that of our glass decanters, twisted for ornament sake, -and the lips of it folded back, such as we call cannon-mouthed. These -are made at Trieste on the Adriatic; and thousands of packages of -these are brought from Arabia to Gondar, where they are in use for -all liquors, which are clear enough to bear the glass, such as wine -and spirits. They are very thin and fragil, and are called _brulhé_. -Mariam Barea, provoked at being so undervalued as he was in the king’s -message, returned only for answer, “Still the king had better take my -advice, and not send his _brulhé’s_ here; they are but weak, and the -rocks about Begemder hard; at any rate, they do right to move slowly, -otherwise they might break by the way.” - -As soon as this defiance was reported to the king and his counsellors -all was in a flame, and orders given to march immediately. The whole -of the king’s household, consisting of 8000 veteran troops, were -ordered to join the army of Brulhé. This, tho’ it added to the display -of the army, contributed nothing to the real strength of it; for all, -excepting the Galla, were resolved neither to shed their own blood nor -that of their brethren, under the banners of so detested a leader. - -This was not unknown to Mariam Barea; but neither the advantage -of the ground, the knowledge of Brulhé’s weakness, nor any other -consideration, could induce him to take one step, or harrass his enemy, -out of his own province; nor did he suffer a musket to be fired, or a -horse to charge, till Brulhé’s van was drawn up on the brink of the -well Fernay. After he had placed the horse of the province of Lasta -opposite to the Edjow Galla, against whom his design was, the armies -joined, and the king’s troops immediately gave way. The Edjow, however, -engaged fiercely and in great earnest with the horse of Lasta, an enemy -fully as cruel and savage as themselves, but much better horsemen, -better armed, and better soldiers. The moment the king’s troops turned -their backs, the trumpets from Mariam Barea’s army forbade the pursuit; -while the rest of the Begemder horse, who knew the intention of their -general, surrounded the Edjow, and cut them to pieces, though valiantly -fighting to the last man. - -Brulhé fell, among the herd of his countrymen, not distinguished by any -action of valour. Mariam Barea had given the most express orders to -take him alive; or, if that could not be, to let him escape; but by no -means to kill him. But a menial servant of his, more willing to revenge -his master’s wrongs than adopt his moderation, forced his way through -the crowd of Galla, where he saw Brulhé fighting; and, giving him two -wounds through his body with a lance, left him dead upon the field, -bringing away his horse along with him to his master as a token of his -victory. Mariam Barea, upon hearing that Brulhé was dead, foresaw in a -moment what would infallibly be the consequence, and exclaimed in great -agitation, “Michael and all the army of Tigré will march against me -before autumn.” - -He was not in this a false prophet; for no sooner was Brulhé’s defeat -and death known, than the king, from resentment, fear the fatal ruler -of weak minds, the constant instigation of Lubo, and the remnant of -Brulhé’s party, declared there was no safety but in Ras Michael. -An express was therefore immediately sent to him, commanding his -attendance, and conferring upon him the office of Ras, by which he -became invested with supreme power, both civil and military. This was -an event Michael had long wished for. He had nearly as long foreseen -that it must happen, and would involve both king and queen, and their -respective parties, equally in destruction; but he had not spent his -time merely in reflection, he had made every preparation possible, -and was ready. So soon then as he received the king’s orders, he -prepared to march from Adowa with 26,000 men, all the best soldiers in -Abyssinia, about 10,000 of whom were armed with firelocks. - -It happened that two Azages, and several other great officers, were -sent to him into Tigré with these orders, and to invest him with the -government of Samen. Upon their mentioning the present situation of -affairs, Michael sharply reflected upon the king’s conduct, and that -of those who had counselled him, which must end in the ruin of his -family and the state in general. He highly extolled Mariam Barea as the -only man in Abyssinia that knew his duty, and had courage to persevere -in it. As for himself, being the king’s servant, he would obey his -commands, whatever they were, faithfully, and to the letter; but, as -holding now the first place in council, he must plainly tell him the -ruin of Mariam Barea would be speedily and infallibly followed by that -of his country. - -After this declaration, Michael decamped with his army encumbered by no -baggage, not even provisions, women, or tents, nor useless beasts of -burden. His soldiers, attentive only to the care of their arms, lived -freely and licentiously upon the miserable countries through which they -passed, and which they laid wholly waste as if belonging to an enemy. - -He advanced, by equal, steady, and convenient marches, in diligence, -but not in haste. Not content with the subsistence of his troops, -he laid a composition of money upon all those districts within a -day’s march of the place through which he passed; and, upon this not -being readily complied with, he burnt the houses to the ground, and -slaughtered the inhabitants. Woggora, the granary of Gondar, full of -rich large towns and villages, was all on fire before him; and that -capital was filled with the miserable inhabitants, stript of every -thing, flying before Ras Michael as before an army of Pagans. The -king’s understanding was now restored to him for an instant; he saw -clearly the mischief his warmth had occasioned, and was truly sensible -of the rash step he had taken by introducing Michael. But the dye was -cast; repentance was no longer in season; his all was at stake, and he -was tied to abide the issue. - -Michael, with his army in order of battle, approached Gondar with a -very warlike appearance. He descended from the high lands of Woggora -into the valleys which surround the capital, and took possession of the -rivers Kahha and Angrab, which run through these valleys, and which -alone supply Gondar with water. He took post at every entrance into the -town, and every place commanding those entrances, as if he intended to -besiege it. This conduct struck all degrees of people with terror, from -the king and queen down to the lowest inhabitant. All Gondar passed -an anxious night, fearing a general massacre in the morning; or that -the town would be plundered, or laid under some exorbitant ransom, -capitation, or tribute. - -But this was not the real design of Michael; he intended to terrify, -but to do no more. He entered Gondar early in the morning, and did -homage to the king in the most respectful manner. He was invested with -the charge of Ras by Joas himself; and from the palace, attended -by two hundred soldiers, and all the people of note in the town, he -went straight to take possession of the house which is particularly -appropriated to his office, and sat down in judgment with the doors -open. - -Marauding parties of soldiers had entered at several parts of the town, -and begun to use that licence they had been accustomed to on their -march, pilfering and plundering houses, or persons that seemed without -protection. Upon the first complaints, as he rode through the town, he -caused twelve of the delinquents to be apprehended, and hanged upon -trees in the streets, sitting upon his mule till he saw the execution -performed. After he had arrived at his house, and was seated, these -executions were followed by above fifty others in different quarters of -Gondar. That same day he established four excellent officers in four -quarters of the town. The first was Kefla Yasous, a man of the greatest -worth, whom I shall frequently mention as a friend in the course of my -history; the second, Billetana Gueta Welleta Michael, that is, first -master of the household to the king. He had given that old officer that -office, upon superseding Lubo the king’s uncle, without any consent -asked or given. He was a man of a very morose turn, with whom I was -never connected. The third was Billetana Gueta Tecla, his sister’s -son, a man of very great worth and merit, who had the soft and gentle -manners of Amhara joined to the determined courage of the Tigran. - -Michael took upon himself the charge of the fourth district. He did -not pretend by this to erect a military government in Gondar; on the -contrary, these officers were only appointed to give force to the -sentences and proceedings of the civil judges, and had not deliberation -in any cause out of the camp. But two Umbares, or judges, of the twelve -were obliged to attend each of the three districts; two were left in -the king’s house, and four had their chamber of judicature in his. - -The citizens, upon this fair aspect of government, where justice -and power united to protect them, dismissed all their fears, became -calm and reconciled to Michael the second day after his arrival, and -only regretted that they had been in anarchy, and strangers to his -government so long. - -The third day after his arrival he held a full council in presence of -the king. He sharply rebuked both parties in a speech of considerable -length, in which he expressed much surprise, that both king and queen, -after the experience of so many years, had not discovered that they -were equally unfit to govern a kingdom, and that it was impossible to -keep distant provinces in order, when they paid such inattention to -the police of the metropolis. Great part of this speech applied to the -king, who, with the Iteghè and Galla, were in a balcony as usual, in -the same room, though at some distance, and above the table where the -council sat, but within convenient hearing. - -The troubled state, the destruction of Woggora, and the insecurity of -the roads from Damot, had made a famine in Gondar. The army possessed -both the rivers, and suffered no supply of water to be brought into the -town, but allowed two jars for each family twice a-day, and broke them -when they returned for more[98]. - -Ras Michael, at his rising from council, ordered a loaf of bread, a -brulhé of water, and an ounce of gold, all articles portable enough to -be exposed in the market-place, upon the head of a drum, without any -apparent watching. But tho’ the Abyssinians are thieves of the first -rate, tho’ meat and drink were very scarce in the town, and gold still -scarcer, though a number of strangers came into it with the army, and -the nights were almost constantly twelve hours long, nobody ventured to -attempt the removing any of the three articles that, from the Monday -to the Friday, had been exposed night and day in the market-place -unguarded. - -All the citizens, now surrounded with an army, found the security and -peace they before had been strangers to, and every one deprecated -the time when the government should pass out of such powerful -hands. All violent oppressors, all those that valued themselves as -leaders of parties, saw, with an indignation which they durst not -suffer to appear, that they were now at last dwindled into absolute -insignificance. - -Having settled things upon this basis, Ras Michael next prepared to -march out for the war of Begemder; and he summoned, under the severest -penalties, all the great officers to attend him with all the forces -they could raise. He insisted likewise that the king himself should -march, and refused to let a single soldier stay behind him in Gondar; -not that he wanted the assistance of those troops, or trusted to them, -but he saw the destruction of Mariam Barea was resolved on, and he -wished to throw the odium of it on the king. He affected to say of -himself, that he was but the instrument of the king and his party, and -had no end of his own to attain. He expatiated, upon all occasions, -upon the civil and military virtues of Mariam Barea; said, that he -himself was old, and that the king should walk coolly and cautiously, -and consider the value that officer would be of to his posterity and to -the nation when he should be no more. - -Upon the first news of the king’s marching, Mariam Barea, who was -encamped upon the frontiers near where he defeated Brulhé, fell back -to Garraggara the middle of Begemder. The king followed with apparent -intention of coming to a battle without loss of time; and Mariam Barea, -by his behaviour, shewed in what different lights he viewed an army, at -the head of which was his sovereign, and one commanded by a Galla. - -No such moderation was shewn on the king’s part. His army burnt and -destroyed the whole country through which they passed. It was plain -that it was Joas’s intention to revenge the death of Brulhé upon the -province itself, as well as upon Mariam Barea. As for Ras Michael, -the behaviour of the king’s army had nothing in it new, or that could -either surprise or displease him. Friend as he was to peace and good -order at home, his invariable rule was to indulge his soldiers in -every licence that the most profligate mind could wish to commit when -marching against an enemy. - -It was known the armies were to engage at Nefas Musa, because Mariam -Barea had said he would fight Brulhé, to prevent him entering the -province, but retreat before the king till he could no longer avoid -going out of it. The king then marched upon the tract of Mariam Barea, -burning and destroying on each side of him, as wide as possible, by -detachments and scouring parties. Allo Fasil, an officer of the king’s -household, a man of low birth, of very moderate parts, and one who used -to divert the king as a kind of buffoon, otherwise a good soldier, had, -as a favour, obtained a small party of horse, with which he ravaged the -low country of Begemder. - -The reader will remember, in the beginning of this history, that a -singular revolution happened, in as singular a manner, the usurper -of the house of Zaguè having voluntarily resigned the throne to the -kings of the line of Solomon, who for several hundred years had been -banished to Shoa. Tecla Haimanout, founder of the monastery of Debra -Libanos, a saint, and the last Abyssinian that enjoyed the dignity of -Abuna, had the address and influence to bring about this revolution, -or resignation, and to restore the ancient line of kings. A treaty -was made under guarantee of the Abuna, that large portions of Lasta -should be given to this prince of the house of Zaguè, free from all -tribute, tax, or service whatever, and that he should be regarded as -an independent prince. The treaty being concluded, the prince of Zaguè -was put in possession of his lands, and was called Y’Lasta Hatzè, which -signifies, not the king of Lasta, but _the king_ at or in Lasta[99]. -He resigned the throne, and Icon Amlac of the line of Solomon, by the -queen of Saba, continued the succession of princes of that house. - -That treaty, greatly to the honour of the contracting parties, made -towards the end of the 13th century, had remained inviolate till the -middle of the 18th; no affront or injustice had been offered to the -prince of Zaguè, and in the number of rebellions which had happened, by -princes setting up their claims to the crown, none had ever proceeded, -or in any shape been abetted, by the house of Zaguè, even though Lasta -had been so frequently in rebellion. - -As Joas was a young prince, now for the first time in the province of -Begemder and passing not far from his domains, the prince of Zaguè -thought it a proper civility and duty to salute the king in his -passage, and congratulate him upon his accession to the throne of -his father. He accordingly presented himself to Joas in the habit of -peace, while, according to treaty, his kettle-drums, or nagareets, were -silver, and the points of his guard’s spears of that metal also. The -king received him with great cordiality and kindness; treated him with -the utmost respect and magnificence; refused to allow him to prostrate -himself on the ground, and forced him to sit in his presence. Michael -went still farther; upon his entering his tent he uncovered himself -to his waist, in the same manner as he would have done in presence of -Joas. He received him standing, obliged him to sit in his own chair, -and excused himself for using the same liberty of sitting, only on -account of his own lameness. - -The king halted one entire day to feast this royal guest. He was an old -man of few words, but those very inoffensive, lively, and pleasant; -in short, Ras Michael, not often accustomed to fix on favourites at -first sight, was very much taken with this Lasta sovereign. Magnificent -presents were made on all sides; the prince of Zaguè took his leave and -returned; and the whole army was very much pleased and entertained at -this specimen of the good faith and integrity of their kings. - -He had now considerably advanced through his own country, Lasta, which -was in the rear, when he was met by Allo Fasil returning from his -plundering the low country, who, without provocation, from motives -of pride or avarice, fell unawares upon the innocent, old man, whose -attendants, secure, as they thought, under public faith, and accoutred -for parade and not for defence, became an easy sacrifice, the prince -being the first killed by Allo Fasil’s own hand. - -Fasil continued his march to join the king, beating his silver -kettle-drums as in triumph. The day after, Ras Michael, uninformed of -what had passed, inquired who that was marching with a nagareet in -his rear? as it is not allowed to any other person but governors of -provinces to use that instrument; and they had already reached the -camp. The truth was presently told; at which the Ras shewed the deepest -compunction. The tents were already pitched when Fasil arrived, who, -riding into Michael’s tent, as is usual with officers returning from -an expedition, began to brag of his own deeds, and upbraided Michael, -in a strain of mockery, that he was old, lame, and impotent. - -This raillery, though very common on such occasions, was not then -in season; and the last part of the charge against him was the most -offensive, for there was no man more fond of the sex than Michael was. -The Ras, therefore, ordered his attendants to pull Fasil off his horse, -who, seeing that he was fallen into a scrape, fled to the king’s tent -for refuge, with violent complaints against Michael. The king undertook -to reconcile him to the Ras, and sent the young Armenian, commander -of the black horse, to desire Michael to forgive Allo Fasil. This he -absolutely refused to do, alledging, that the passing over Fasil’s -insolence to himself would be of no use, as his life was forfeited for -the death of the prince of Zaguè. - -The king renewed his request by another messenger; for the Armenian -excused himself from going, by saying boldly to the king, That, by the -law of all nations, the murderer should die. To the second request the -king added, that he required only his forgivenness of his insolence -to him, not of the death of the prince of Zaguè, as he would direct -what should be done when the nearest of kin claimed the satisfaction -of retaliation. To this Ras Michael shortly replied, “I am here to -do justice to every one, and will do it without any consideration or -respect of persons.” And it was now, for the first time, Abyssinia ever -saw a king solicit the life of a subject of his own from one of his -servants, and be refused. - -The king, upon this, ordered Allo Fasil to defend himself; and things -were upon this footing, the affair likely to end in oblivion, though -not by forgivenness. But, a very short time after, the prince of -Zaguè’s eldest son came privately to Michael’s tent in the night; and, -the next morning, when the judges were in his tent, Michael sent his -door-keeper (Hagos) reckoned the bravest and most fortunate in combat -of any private man in the army, and to whom he trusted the keeping of -his tent-door, to order Allo Fasil to answer at the instance of the -prince of Zaguè, then waiting him in court, Why he had murdered the -prince his father? Fasil was astonished, and refused to come: being -again cited in a regular manner by Hagos, he seemed desirous to avail -himself of the king’s permission to defend himself, and call together -his friends. Hagos, without giving him time, thrust him through with -a lance; then cut off his head, and carried it to Michael’s tent, -repeating what passed, and the reason of his killing him. - -As a refusal in all such instances is rebellion, this had passed -according to rule: a party of Tigrans was ordered to plunder his -tent; and all the ill-got spoils which he had gained from the poor -inhabitants of Begemder were abandoned to the soldiers. Fasil’s head -was given to the prince of Zaguè, as a reparation for the treaty being -violated; the silver nagareet and spears were returned; and, highly -as this affair had been carried by Ras Michael, the king never after -mentioned a word of it. But this was universally allowed to be the -first cause of their disagreement. - -Mariam Barea, seeing no other way to save his province from ruin but by -bringing the affair to a short issue, resolved likewise to keep his -promise. He retired to Nefas Musa, and encamped in the farthest limits -of his province: behind this are the Woollo Galla, relations of Amitzo -the king’s parents. Joas and Ras Michael followed him without delay, -and, having called in all the out-posts, both sides prepared for an -engagement. - -About nine in the morning, Mariam Barea presented his army in order -of battle. Michael had given orders to Kefla Yasous and Welleta -Michael how to form his. He then mounted his mule, and with some of -his officers rode out to view Mariam Barea’s disposition. The king, -anxious about the fortune of the day, and terrified at some reports -that had been made him, by timid, or unskilful people, of the warlike -countenance of Mariam Barea’s army, sent to the Ras, whom he saw -reconnoitring, to know his opinion of what was likely to happen. “Tell -the king,” says the veteran, “that a young man like him, fighting with -a subject so infinitely below him, with an army double his number, -should give him fair play for his life and reputation. He should send -to Mariam Barea to encrease the strength of his center by placing the -troops of Lasta there, or we shall beat him in half an hour, without -either honour to him or to ourselves.” The king, however, did not -understand that sort of gallantry; he thought half an hour in suspence -was long enough, and he ordered immediately a large body of musquetry -to reinforce Fasil, who commanded the center, and thereby he weakened -his own right wing. - -Michael, who commanded the right of the royal army, had placed himself -and his fire-arms in very rough ground, where cavalry could not -approach him, and where he fired as from a citadel, and soon obliged -the left wing of the rebels to retreat. But the king, Kefla Yasous, -and Lubo on the right, were roughly handled by the horse of Lasta, and -would have been totally defeated, the king and Lubo having already left -the field, had not Kefla Yasous brought up a reinforcement of the men -of Siré and Temben, and retrieved the day, at least brought things upon -an equal footing. - -Fasil, with the horse of Foggora and Damot, and a prodigious body -of the Djawi and Pagan Galla, desirous to shew his consequence, and -confirm himself in his ill-got government by his personal behaviour, -attacked the Begemder horse in the center so irresistibly, that -he not only broke through them in several places, but threw the -whole body into a shameful flight. Mariam Barea himself was wounded -in endeavouring to stop them, and hurried away, in spite of his -inclination, crying out in great agony, “Is there not one in my army -that will stay and see me die like the son of Kasmati Ayo?” It was all -in vain; Powussen, and a number of his own officers, surrounding him, -dragged him as it were by force out of the field. The country behind -Nefas Musa is wild, and cut with deep gullies, and the woods almost -impenetrable; they were therefore quickly out of the enemy’s pursuit, -and safe, as they thought, under the protection of the Woollo Galla. -The whole army of Begemder was dispersed, and Michael early forbade -further pursuit. - -The account of this battle, and what preceded it, from the murder of -the prince of Zaguè, is not in the annals or history of Abyssinia, -which I have hitherto followed; at least it has not appeared yet, -probably out of delicacy to Ozoro Esther, fear of Ras Michael, and -respect to the character of Mariam Barea, whose memory is still dear to -his country. But the whole was often, at my desire, repeated to me by -Kefla Yasous, and his officers who were there, whom he used to question -about any circumstance he did not himself remember, or was absent from; -for he was a scrupulous lover of truth; and nothing pleased him so much -as the thought that I was writing his history to be read in my country, -although he had not the smallest idea of England or its situation. - -As for the conversation before the battle, it was often told me by Ayto -Aylo and Ayto Engedan, sons of Kasmati Eshté, who were with the Ras -when he delivered the message to the king, and were kept by him from -engaging that day in respect to Mariam Barea, who was married to their -aunt Ozoro Esther. - -The king and Lubo sent Woosheka to their friends among the Woollo, who -delivered up the unfortunate Mariam Barea, with twelve of his officers -who had taken refuge with him. Mariam Barea was brought before the king -in his tent, covered with blood that had flowed from his wound; his -hands tied behind his back, and thus thrown violently with his face to -the ground. A general murmur which followed shewed the sentiments of -the spectators at so woful a sight; and the horror of it seemed to have -seized the king so entirely as to deprive him of all other sentiments. - -I have often said, the Mosaical law, or law of retaliation, is -constantly observed over all Abyssinia as the criminal law of the -country, so that, when any person is slain wrongfully by another, it -does not belong to the king to punish that offence, but the judges -deliver the offender to the nearest relation of the party murdered, who -has the full power of putting him to death, selling him to slavery, or -pardoning him without any satisfaction. - -Lubo saw the king relenting, and that the greatest crime, that of -rebellion, was already forgiven. He stood up, therefore, and, in -violent rage, laid claim to Mariam Barea as the murderer of his -brother: the king still saying nothing, he and his other Galla hurried -Mariam Barea to his tent, where he was killed, according to report, -with sundry circumstances of private cruelty, afterwards looked upon -as great aggravations. Lubo, with his own hand, is said to have cut -his throat in the manner they kill sheep. His body was afterwards -disfigured with many wounds, and his head severed and carried to -Michael, who forbade uncovering it in his tent. It was then sent to -Brulhé’s family in their own country, as a proof of the satisfaction -his friends had obtained; and this gave more universal umbrage than did -even the cruelty of the execution. - -Several officers of the king’s army, seeing the bloody intentions of -the Galla, advised Powussen, and the eleven other officers that were -taken prisoners, to make the best use of the present opportunity, and -fly to the tent of Michael and implore his protection. This they most -willingly did, with this connivance of Woosheka, who had been intrusted -with the care of them, and Lubo having finished Mariam Barea, came -to the king’s tent to seek the unhappy prisoners, whom he intended -as victims to the memory of Brulhé likewise. Hearing, however, that -they were fled to Michael’s tent, he sent Woosheka to demand them; -but that officer had scarce opened his errand, in the gentlest manner -possible, when Michael, in a fury, cried out, Cut him in pieces before -the tent-door. Woosheka was indeed lucky enough to escape; but we shall -find this was not forgot, for his punishment was more than doubled soon -afterwards. - -At seeing Mariam Barea’s head in the hands of a Galla, after -forbidding him to expose it in his tent, Michael is said to have made -the following observation: “Weak and cowardly people are always in -proportion cruel and unmerciful. If Brulhé’s wife had done this, I -could have forgiven her; but for Joas, a young man and a king, whose -heart should be opened and elated with a first victory, to be partaker -with the Galla, the enemies of his country, in the murder of a nobleman -such as Mariam Barea, it is a prodigy, and can be followed by no good -to himself or the state; and I am much deceived if the day is not at -hand when he shall curse the moment that ever Galla crossed the Nile, -and look for a man such as Mariam Barea, but he shall not find him.” -And, indeed, Michael was very well entitled to make this prophecy, -for he knew his own heart, and the designs he had now ready to put in -execution. - -It is no wonder that these free communications gave the king reason to -distrust Michael. And it was observed that Waragna Fasil had insinuated -himself far into his favour: his late behaviour at the battle of -Nefas Musa had greatly increased his importance with the king; and -the number of troops he had now with him made Joas think himself -independent of the Ras. Fasil had brought with him near 30,000 men, -about 20,000 of whom were horsemen, wild Pagan Galla, from Bizamo and -other nations south of the Nile. The terror the savages occasioned -in the countries through which they passed, and the great disorders -they committed, gave Ras Michael a pretence to insist that all those -wild Galla should be sent back to their own country. I say this was -a pretence, because Michael’s soldiers were really more cruel and -licentious, because more confident and better countenanced than these -strangers were. But the war was over, the armies to be disbanded, these -Pagans were consequently to return home; and they were all sent back -accordingly, excepting 12,000 Djawi, men of Fasil’s own tribe, and some -of the best horse of Maitsha, Agow, and Damot. - -This was the first appearance of quarrel between Fasil and Ras Michael. -But other accidents followed fast that blew up the flame betwixt them; -of which the following was by much the most remarkable, and the most -unexpected. - -At Nefas Musa, near to the field of battle, was a house of Mariam -Barea, which he used to remove to when he was busy in wars with -the neighbouring Galla. It was surrounded with meadows perfectly -well-watered, and full of luxuriant grass. Fasil, for the sake of his -cavalry, had encamped in these meadows; or, if he had other views, they -are not known; and though all the doors and entrances of the house -were shut, yet within was the unfortunate Ozoro Esther, by this time -informed of her husband’s death, and with her was Ayto Aylo, a nobleman -of great credit, riches, and influence. He had been at the campaign of -Sennaar, and was so terrified at the defeat, that, on his return, he -had renounced the world, and turned monk. He was a man of no party, and -refused all posts or employments; but was so eminent for wisdom, that -all sides consulted him, and were in some measure governed by him. - -This person, a relation of the Iteghé’s, had, at her desire, attended -Ozoro Esther to Nefas Musa, but, adhering to his vow, went not to -battle with her husband. Hearing, however, of the bad disposition of -the king, the cruelty of the Galla, and the power and ambition of -Fasil, whose soldiers were encamped round the house, he told her that -there was only one resolution which she could take to avoid sudden -ruin, and being made a sacrifice to one of the murderers of her husband. - -This princess, under the fairest form, had the courage and decision of -a Roman matron, worthy the wife of Mariam Barea, to whom she had born -two sons. Instructed by Aylo, early in the morning, all covered from -head to foot, accompanied by himself, and many attendants and friends, -their heads bare, and without appearance of disguise, they presented -themselves at the door of Michael’s tent, and were immediately -admitted. Aylo announced the princess to the Ras, and she immediately -threw herself at his feet on the ground. - -As Michael was lame, tho’ in all other respects healthy and vigorous, -and unprepared for so extraordinary an interview, it was some time -before he could get upon his feet and uncover himself before his -superior. This being at last accomplished, and Ozoro Esther refusing to -rise, Aylo, in a few words, told the Ras her resolution was to give him -instantly her hand, and throw herself under his protection, as that of -the only man not guilty of Mariam Barea’s death, who could save her and -her children from the bloody cruelty and insolence of the Galla that -surrounded her. Michael, sanguine as he was in his expectations of the -fruit he was to reap from his victory, did not expect so soon so fair a -sample of what was to follow. - -To decide well, instantly upon the first view of things, was a talent -Michael possessed superior to any man in the kingdom. Tho’ Ozoro Esther -had never been part of his schemes, he immediately saw the great -advantage which would accrue to him by making her so, and he seized -it; and he was certain also that the king, in his present disposition, -would soon interfere. He lifted Ozoro Esther, and placed her upon his -seat; sent for Kefla Yasous and his other officers, and ordered them, -with the utmost expedition, to draw up his army in order of battle, as -if for a review to ascertain his loss. At the same time he sent for -a priest, and ordered separate tents to be pitched for Ozoro Esther -and her household. All this was performed quickly; then meeting her -with the priest, he was married to her at the door of his own tent in -midst of the acclamations of his whole army. The occasion of these loud -shouts was soon carried to the king, and was the first account he had -of this marriage. He received the information with violent displeasure, -which he could not stifle, or refrain from expressing it in the -severest terms, all of which were carried to Ras Michael by officious -persons, almost as soon as they were uttered, nothing softened. - -The consequences of the marriage of Ozoro Esther were very soon seen -in the inveterate and determined hatred against the Galla. Esther, -who could not save Mariam Barea, sacrificed herself that she might -avenge his death, and live to see the loss of her husband expiated by -numberless hecatombs of his enemies and murderers. Mild, gentle, and -compassionate as, from my own knowledge, she certainly was, her nature -was totally changed when she cast back her eyes upon the sufferings of -her husband; nor could she be ever satiated with vengeance for those -sufferings, but constantly stimulated Ras Michael, of himself much -inclined to bloodshed, to extirpate, by every possible means, that -odious nation of Galla, by whom she had fallen from all her hopes of -happiness. - -Fasil, as being a Galla, the first man that broke thro’ the horse of -Begemder, and wounded and put to flight her husband Mariam Barea, was -in consequence among the black list of her enemies. Fasil, too, had -murdered Kasmati Eshté, who was her favourite uncle, fast friend to -Mariam Barea, and the man that had promoted her marriage with him. - -The great credit of Fasil with the king had now given Ras Michael -violent jealousy. These causes of hatred accumulated every day, so that -Michael had already formed a resolution to destroy Fasil, even though -the king should perish with him. In these sentiments, too, was Gusho of -Amhara, a man of great personal merit, of whose father, Ras Woodage, we -have already spoken, who had filled successively all the great offices -in the last reign. He was immensely rich; had married a daughter of Ras -Michael, and afterwards six or seven other women, being much addicted -to the fair sex, and was lately married to Ozoro Welleta Israel, the -Iteghé’s daughter. Nor was he in any shape an enemy to wine; but very -engaging, and plausible in discourse and behaviour; in many respects -a good officer, careful of his men, but said to be little solicitous -about his word or promise to men of any other profession but that of a -soldier. - -An accident of the most trifling kind brought about an open breach -between the king and the Ras, which never after was healed. The weather -was very hot while the army was marching. One day, a little before -their arrival at Gondar, in passing over the vast plain between the -mountains and the lake Tzana, (afterwards the scene of much bloodshed) -Ras Michael, being a little indisposed with the heat, and the sun at -the same time affecting his eyes, which were weak, without other design -than that of shading them, had thrown a white cloth or handkerchief -over his head. This was told the king, then with Fasil in the center, -who immediately sent to the Ras to inquire what was the meaning of that -novelty, and upon what account he presumed to cover his head in his -presence? The white handkerchief was immediately taken off, but the -affront was thought so heinous as never after to admit of atonement. - -It must be here observed, that, when the army is in the field, it is a -distinction the king uses, to bind a broad fillet of fine muslin round -his head, which is tied in a double knot, and hangs in two long ends -behind. This, too, is worn by the governor of a province when he is -first introduced into it; and, in absence of the king, is the mark of -supreme power, either direct or delegated, in the person that wears it. - -Unless on such occasions, no one covers his head in presence of the -king, nor in sight of the house or palace where the king resides: But -it was not thought, that, being at such a distance in the rear, he was -in the king’s presence, nor that what was caused by infirmity was to -be construed into presumption, or weighed by the nice scale of jealous -prerogative. - -The armies returned to the valleys below Gondar, and encamped -separately there, Fasil upon the river Kahha, and Ras Michael on the -Angrab. Gusho was on the right of Michael and left of Fasil, a little -higher up the Kahha, near Koscam, the Iteghè’s palace; but he was on -the opposite side of the river from Fasil, where he had a house of -his own, and several large meadows adjoining. Gusho’s servants and -soldiers now began cutting their master’s grass, and were soon joined -by a number of Fasil’s people, who fell, without ceremony, to the same -employment. An interruption was immediately attempted, a fray ensued, -and several were killed or wounded on both sides, but at last Fasil’s -people were beat back to their quarters. - -Gusho complained to Ras Michael of this violation of his property; and -he being now in Gondar, and holding the office of Ras, was, without -doubt, the superior and regular judge of both, as they were both out -of their provinces, and immediately in Michael’s. Upon citation, Fasil -declared that he would submit to no such jurisdiction; and, the -case being referred to the judges next day, it was found unanimously -in council, that Ras Michael was in the right, and that Fasil was -guilty of rebellion. A proclamation in consequence was made at the -palace-gate, superseding Fasil in his government of Damot, and in every -other office which he held under the king, and appointing Boro de Gago -in his place, a man of great interest in Damot and Gojam, and with the -Galla on both sides of the Nile, and married to a sister of Kasmati -Eshté’s, by another mother, otherwise a man of small capacity. - -Fasil, after a long and private audience of the king in the night, -decamped early in the morning with his army, and sat down at Azazo, the -high road between Damot and Gondar, and there he intercepted all the -provisions coming from the southward to the capital. - -It happened that the house in Gondar, where Ras Michael lived, was but -a small distance from the palace, a window of which opened so directly -into it, that Michael, when sitting in judgment, could be distinctly -seen from thence. One day, when most of his servants had left him, a -shot was fired into the room from this window of the palace, which, -though it missed Michael, wounded a dwarf, who was standing before -him fanning the flies from off his face, so grievously, that the page -fell and expired at the foot of his master. This was considered as the -beginning of the hostilities. Nobody knew from whose hand the shot -came; but the window from which it was aimed sufficiently shewed, that -if it was not by direction, it must at least have been fired with the -knowledge of the king. - -Joas lost no time, but removed and encamped at Tedda, and sent Woosheka -to Michael with orders to return to Tigré, and not to see his face; -and, at the same time, declared Lubo governor of Begemder and Amhara. -The Ras scarcely could be brought to see Woosheka; but did not deign -to give any further answer than this, “That the king should know, that -the proper persons to correspond with him as Ras, upon the affairs of -the kingdom, were the judges of the town, or of the palace; not a slave -like Woosheka, whose life, as well as that of all the Gallas in the -king’s presence, was forfeited by the laws of the land. He cautioned -him from appearing again in his presence, for if he did, that he should -surely die.” - -The next day a message came from the king, by four judges, forbidding -the Ras again to drink of either the Angrab or the Kahha, but to strike -his tents and return to Tigré upon pain of incurring his highest -displeasure.--To this Michael answered, “That, true it was, his -province was Tigré, but that he was now governor of the whole realm; -that he was an extraordinary officer, called to prevent the ruin of -the country, because, confessedly, the king could not do it; that the -reason of his coming existed to that day; and he was very willing to -submit it to the judges for their solemn opinion, whether the kingdom, -at present in the hands of the Galla, was not in more danger from the -power of those Galla than it was from the constitutional influence of -Mariam Barea. He added, that he expected the king should be ready to -march against Fasil, for which purpose he was to decamp on the morrow.” -The king returned an absolute refusal to march: The Ras thereupon made -proclamation for all the Galla, of every denomination to leave the -capital, the next day, upon pain of death, declaring them outlawed, and -liable to be slain by the first that met them, if, after twenty-four -hours, they were found in Gondar or its neighbourhood, or, after ten -days, in any part of the kingdom. After this, accompanied by Gusho, he -decamped to dislodge Fasil from the strong post which he held at Azazo. - -By the king’s refusal to march with Ras Michael in person, it was -supposed that his household troops would not join, but remain with him -to garrison his palace. Joas, however, was too far decided in favour -of Fasil to remain neuter. Michael had encamped the 21st of April in -the evening, on the side of the hill above Azazo, in very rough and -rocky ground, as unfavourable for Fasil’s horse as the slope it had was -favourable for Michael’s musquetry. - -The battle was fought on the 22d in the morning, and there was much -blood shed for the time that it lasted. A nephew of Michael, and -his old Fit-Auraris, Netcho, were both slain, and Fasil was totally -defeated. The Galla, who had come from the other side of the Nile, were -very much terrified at Michael’s fire-arms, which contained what they -called the zibib, or grape, meaning thereby the ball. Fasil retired -quickly to Damot, to increase and collect another army again, and to -try his fortune after the rains. - -It happened, unfortunately, that among the prisoners taken at Azazo -were some of the king’s black horse. These being his slaves, and -subject only to his commands, sufficiently shewed by whose authority -they came there. They were, therefore, all called before Michael; -two of them were first interrogated, whether the king had sent them -or not? and, upon their denying or refusing to give an answer, their -throats were cut before their companions. The next questioned was -a page of the king, who seeing, from the fate of his friends, what -was to follow his denial, frankly told the Ras, that it was by the -king’s special orders they, and a considerable body of the household -troops, had joined Fasil the night before; and further, that it was the -Armenian, who, by the king’s order, had fired at him, and killed the -dwarf who was fanning the flies from him. - -Upon this information all the prisoners were dismissed. The army -returned the same night to Gondar, and, though they had been fasting -all day, a council was held, which sat till very late, at the rising of -which a messenger was dispatched to Wechné for Hatzé Hannes, who was -brought to the foot of the mountain the next day. In the same night -Shalaka Becro, Nebrit Tecla and his two sons, Lika Netcho and his two -sons, and a monk of Tigré, called Welleta Christos, were sent to the -palace to murder the king, which they easily accomplished, having found -him alone. They buried him in the church of St Raphael, as we shall -find from the regicide’s own confession, when he was apprehended, when -we shall relate the particulars. - -At the same time Michael exhibited a strange contrast in his behaviour -to the Armenian, who had fled to the house of the Abuna for refuge. -He sent and took him thence, and banished him from Abyssinia, but so -considerately, that he dispatched a servant with him to Masuah to -furnish him with necessaries, to see him embark, and save him from the -cruelty and extortions of the Naybe. - -[Illustration] - - - - -HANNES II. - -1769. - - _Hannes, Brother to Bacuffa, chosen King--Is brought from - Wechné--Crowned at Gondar--Refuses to march against Fasil--Is - poisoned by Order of Ras Michael._ - - -HANNES, a man past seventy years of age, made his entry into Gondar -the 3d of May 1769. He was brother to Bacuffa, and having in his time -escaped from the mountain, and being afterwards taken, his hand was cut -off by order of the king his brother, and he was sent back to the place -of his confinement. - -It is a law of Abyssinia, as we have already observed, derived from -that of Moses, that no man can be capable either of the throne or -priesthood, unless he be perfect in all his limbs; the want of a hand, -therefore, certainly disqualified Hannes, and it was with that intent -it had been cut off. When this was objected to him in council, Michael -laughed violently, and turned it into ridicule; “What is it that a king -has to do with his hands? Are you afraid he shall not be able to saddle -his own mule, or load his own baggage? Never fear that; when he is -under any such difficulty, he has only to call upon me[100], and I will -help him.” - -Hannes, besides his age, was very feeble in body; and having had no -conversation but with monks and priests, this had debilitated his mind -as much as age had done his body. He could not be persuaded to take any -share in government. The whole day was spent in psalms and prayers; -but Ras Michael had brought from the mountain with him two sons, -Tecla Haimanout the eldest, a prince of fifteen years of age, and the -younger, called George, about thirteen. - -Guebra Denghel, a nobleman of the first family in Tigré had married -a daughter of Michael by one of his wives in that province. By her -he had one daughter, Welleta Selassé, whom Michael in the beginning, -while Joas and he were yet friends, had destined to be queen, and to -be married to him. Hannes was of the age only to need a Shunnamite; -and Welleta Selassé, young and beautiful, and who merited to be -something more, was destined as this sacrifice to the ambition of her -grandfather. A kind of marriage, I believe, was therefore made, but -never consummated. She lived with Hannes some months in the palace, -but never took any state upon her. She was a wife and a queen merely -in name and idea. Love had in that frozen composition as little share -as ambition, and those two great temptations, a crown and a beautiful -mistress, could not animate Hatzé Hannes to take the field to defend -them. Every possible method was taken by Michael to overcome his -reluctance, and do away his fears. All was vain; he wept, hid himself, -turned monk, demanded to be sent again to Wechné, but absolutely -refused marching with the army. - -Michael, who had already seen the danger of leaving a king behind him -while he was in the field, and finding Hannes inexorable, had recourse -to poison, which was given him in his breakfast; and the Ras, by this -means, in less than six months became the deliberate murderer of two -kings. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TECLA HAIMANOUT II. - -1769. - - _Succeeds his Father Hannes--His Character and prudent - Behaviour--Cultivates Michael’s Friendship--Marches willingly - against Fasil--Defeats him at Fagitta--Description of that - Battle._ - - -TECLA HAIMANOUT succeeded his father. He was a prince of a most -graceful figure, tall for his age, rather thin, and of the whitest -shade of Abyssinian colour, such are all those princes that are born -in the mountain. He was not so dark in complexion as a Neapolitan or -Portugueze, had a remarkably fine forehead, large black eyes, but -which had something very stern in them, a straight nose, rather of -the largest, thin lips, and small mouth, very white teeth and long -hair. His features, even in Europe, would have been thought fine. He -was particularly careful of his hair, which he dressed in a hundred -different ways. Though he had been absent but a very few months from -his native mountain, his manners and carriage were those of a prince, -that from his infancy had sat upon an hereditary throne. He had an -excellent understanding, and prudence beyond his years. He was said -to be naturally of a very warm temper, but this he had so perfectly -subdued as scarcely ever to have given an instance of it in public. He -entered into Ras Michael’s views entirely, and was as forward to march -out against Fasil, as his father had been averse to it. - -From the time of Hannes’s accession to the throne, Tecla Haimanout -called Michael by the name of Father, and during the few slight -sicknesses the Ras had, he laid by all his state, and attended him -with an anxiety well becoming a son. At this time I entered Abyssinia, -and arrived in Masuah, where there was a rumour only of Hatzé Hannes’s -illness. - -The army marched out of Gondar on the 10th of November 1769, taking -the route of Azazo and Dingleber. Fasil was at Buré, and had assembled -a large army from Damot, Agow, and Maitsha. But Welleta Yasous, his -principal officer, had brought together a still larger one, from the -wild nations of Galla beyond the Nile, and this not without some -difficulty. The zibib, or bullet, which had destroyed so many of them -at Azazo, had made an impression on their minds, and been reported to -their countrymen as a circumstance very unpleasing. These wild Pagans, -therefore, had, for the first time, found a reluctance to invade their -ancient enemies the Abyssinians. - -Fasil, to overcome this fear of the zibib, had loaded some guns with -powder, and fired them very near at some of his friends, which of -course had hurt nobody. Again he had put ball in his gun, and fired at -cattle afar off; and these being for the most part slightly wounded, -he inferred from thence that the zibib was fatal only at a distance, -but that if they galloped resolutely to the mouth of the gun, the grape -could do no more than the first gun he fired with powder had done to -those he had aimed at. - -As soon as Fasil heard that Michael was on his march, he left Buré and -advanced to meet him, his wish being to fight him if possible, before -he should enter into those rich provinces of the Agows, from whence -he drew the maintenance of his army, and expected tribute. Michael’s -conduct warranted this precaution. For no sooner had he entered Fasil’s -government, than he laid waste all Maitsha, destroying every thing with -fire and sword. The old general indeed being perfectly acquainted with -the country, and with the enemy he was to engage, had already fixed -upon his field of battle, and measured the stations that would conduct -him thither. - -Instead of taking up the time with spreading the desolation he had -begun, after the first two days, by forced marches he came to Fagitta, -considerably earlier than Fasil expected. This field that Michael had -chosen, was rocky, uneven, and full of ravines in one part, and of -plain smooth turf on the other, which divisions were separated by a -brook full of large stones. - -The Nile was on Ras Michael’s left, and in this rugged ground he -stationed his lances and musquetry; for he never made great account -of his horse. Two large churches, St Michael and St George, planted -thick with cedars, and about half a mile distant from each other, were -on his right and left flanks, or rather advanced farther before his -front. A deep valley communicated with the most level of these plains, -descending gently all the way from the celebrated sources of the Nile, -which were not more than half a day’s journey distant. Michael drew up -his army behind the two churches, which were advanced on his right and -left flanks, and among the cedars of these he planted 500 musqueteers -before each church, whom the trees perfectly concealed; he formed his -horse in front, knowing them to be an object the Galla did not fear, -and likely to lead them on to charge rashly. These he gave the command -of to a very active and capable officer, Powussen of Begemder, one of -those eleven servants of Mariam Barea, whose lives Michael saved, by -protecting them in his tent after the battle of Nefas Musa. He had -directed this officer, with a few horse, to scour the small plain, as -soon as he saw the Galla advancing into it from the valley. - -As soon as the sun became hot, Fasil’s wild Galla poured into the -plain, and they had now occupied the greatest part of it, which was not -large enough to contain his whole army, when their skirmishing began -by their driving Powussen before them, who fled apparently in great -confusion, crossed the brook, and joined the horse, and formed nearly -between the churches. The Galla, desirous to pursue, were impeded by -the great stones, so that they were in a crowd at the passage of the -brook. - -Ayto Welleta Gabriel, factor to Ozoro Esther, was intoxicated with -liquor, but he was a brave man, very active and strong, and of a good -understanding, though, according to a custom among them, he, at times, -to divert the Ras, played the part of a buffoon. In this character, -with his musquet only in his hand, he, though on foot, skirmished in -the middle of a party of Powussen’s horse. When they turned to fly, -Welleta Gabriel found it convenient to do so likewise, and he crossed -the brook without looking behind him. Upon turning round, he saw the -Galla halt, as if in council, in the bed of the rivulet, and taking up -his gun as a bravado, he levelled at the crowd, and had the fortune to -hit the principal man among them, who fell dead among the feet of the -horses. - -A small pause ensued; the cry of the Zibib! the Zibib! immediately -began, and a downright confusion and flight followed. The Galla, -already upon the plain, turned upon those coming out of the valley, -and these again upon their companions behind them. The cry of Zibib -Ali[101]! Zibib Ali! was repeated through the whole, spreading terror -and dismay wherever it was heard. Nobody knew what was the misfortune -that had befallen them. Welleta Yasous, who commanded the van, was -carried away by the multitude flying: Fasil, who was at the head of the -Damot and Agows, had not entered the valley, nor could any one tell him -what was the accident in the plain. - -Even Michael himself, (as I have heard him say) when, sitting upon -his mule on a small eminence, he saw this extraordinary confusion -and retreat, was not able to assign any cause for it. Though no man -on these occasions had more presence of mind, he remained for a time -motionless, without giving any orders. The troops, however, that lay -hid in the groves of cedars before the churches, who had been silent -and attentive, and Powussen, who commanded the horse which had been -skirmishing, saw distinctly the operation of Welleta Gabriel, and the -confusion that had followed it; without loss of time they attacked the -Galla in the valley, and were soon joined by Gusho and the rest of the -army. - -Fasil, in despair at a defeat of which he knew not the cause, came down -among the Galla, fighting very bravely, often facing about upon those -that pressed them, and endeavouring at least to retreat in some sort -of order; but the musqueteers from the church, commanded by Hezekias, -instead of entering the valley, had advanced and ascended the hills, so -that from the sides of them, in the utmost security, they poured down -shot upon the fliers beneath them. - -Fasil here lost a great part of his army; but seeing a place in one of -the hills accessible, he left the valley, and ascended the side of the -mountain, leading a large body of his own troops; and, having gained -the smooth ground behind the musqueteers, he came up with them, whilst -intent only upon annoying the Galla, and cut 300 to pieces. Content -with this advantage, and finding his army entirely dispersed, he passed -the sources of the Nile at Geesh, descended into the plain of Assoa, -and encamped near Gooderoo, a small lake there, intending to pass the -night, and collect his scattered forces. - -Michael’s army had given over pursuit, but Powussen, with some chosen -horse of Lasta and Begemder, followed Fasil upon his track, and came up -with him a little before the dusk of the evening, on the side of the -lake. Here a great slaughter of wounded and weary men ensued: Fasil -fled, and no resistance was attempted, and the soldiers, satiated with -blood, at last returned, and pursued the enemy no further. - -It was the next day in the evening before Powussen joined the camp, -having put to the sword, without mercy, all the stragglers that fell in -the way upon his return. The appearance of this man and his behaviour -made Michael’s joy complete, who already had begun to entertain fears -that some untoward accident had befallen him. - -This was the battle of Fagitta, fought on the 9th of December 1769, on -the very ground in which Fasil, just five years before, had murdered -Kasmati Eshté. Those philosophers, who disclaim the direction of a -divine Providence, will calculate how many chances there were, that, -in a kingdom as big as Great Britain, the commission of a crime and its -punishment should both happen in one place, on one day, in the short -space of five years, and in the life of one man. - -The extraordinary severity exercised upon the army of the Galla, -after the battle, was still as apparent as it had been in the flight. -Woosheka, of whom we have had already occasion to speak, fell in -among the horse of Powussen and Gusho, and being known, his life was -spared. He was cousin-german to Lubo, but a better man and soldier -than his relation, and, in all the intrigues of the Galla at Gondar, -was considered as an undesigning man, of harmless and inoffensive -manners. He had been companion of Gusho, and many of the principal -commanders in the army, and, after the defeat at Nefas Musa, had the -guard of Powussen and the eleven officers, whom he suffered to escape -into Michael’s tent, as I have already said, while Lubo was murdering -Mariam Barea. He had been, for a time, well known and well esteemed -by Ras Michael, nor was he ever supposed personally to have offended -him, or given umbrage to any one. As he was a man of some fortune and -substance, it was thought the forfeiture of all that he had might more -than atone for any fault that he had ever committed. - -It was therefore agreed on the morning after Powussen’s return from the -pursuit, that Gusho and he, when they surrendered this prisoner, should -ask his life and pardon from the Ras, and this they did, prostrating -themselves in the humblest manner with their foreheads on the earth. -Ras Michael, at once forgetting his own interest, and the quality -and consequence of the officers before him, fell into a violent and -outrageous passion against the supplicants, and, after a very short -reproof, ordered each of them to their tents in a kind of disgrace. - -He then sternly interrogated Woosheka, whether he did not remember -that, at Tedda, he had ordered him out of the country in ten days? -then, in his own language of Tigré, he asked, if there was any one -among the soldiers that could make a leather bottle? and being answered -in the affirmative, he ordered one to be made of Woosheka’s skin, but -first to carry him to the king. The soldiers understood the command, -though the miserable victim did not, and he was brought to the king, -who would not suffer him to speak, but waved with his hand to remove -him; and they accordingly carried him to the river side, where they -flayed him alive, and brought his skin stuffed with straw to Ras -Michael. - -It was not doubted that Ozoro Esther, then in the camp, had sealed the -fate of this wretched victim. She appeared that night in the king’s -tent dressed in the habit of a bride, which she had never before done -since the death of Mariam Barea. Two days after, having obtained her -end, she returned triumphant to Gondar, where Providence visited her -with distress in her own family, for the hardness of her heart to the -sufferings of others. - -During this time I was at Masuah, where, by reason of the great -distance and interruption in the roads, these transactions were not -yet known. Hatzé Hannes was still supposed alive, and my errand from -Metical Aga that of being his Physician. I shall now begin an account -of what passed at Masuah, and thence continue my journey to Gondar till -my meeting with the king there. - - -_END OF THE SECOND VOLUME._ - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - - -[Footnote 1: The city of Wolves, or Hyænas.] - -[Footnote 2: She had several names, as I have before said, _Judith_ in -Tigré, and in Amhara _Esther_.] - -[Footnote 3: Conquetes de Portugais par Lafitan, vol. I. liv. ii. p. -90. Id. ibid. p. 144.] - -[Footnote 4: It has been imagined that this number should be increased -to seventy, but I have, followed the text; there would be little -difference in the rashness of the action.] - -[Footnote 5: A tribe of the Shepherds; all the rest, but the two first, -unknown in Abyssinia at this day.] - -[Footnote 6: Mountain of the Testimony.] - -[Footnote 7: The Moors in general are much squarer, stouter-made men, -than the Abyssinians.] - -[Footnote 8: Probably Magwas, or Berhan Magwass, the Glory of Grace; -a name often used by queens; for Mogessa has no signification, that I -know, in any of the languages of Ethiopia.] - -[Footnote 9: That is, while the family of Zaguè reigned, in Tigré, and -that of Solomon in Shoa, before the restoration.] - -[Footnote 10: Vid. Ludolf, lib. 3. No. 29. I have this letter at length -prefixed to the large volume of Canons and Councils, a copy of which -was sent by Zara Jacob to the monks in Jerusalem.] - -[Footnote 11: St. Stefano in Rotondis.] - -[Footnote 12: Francisco de Branca Leon.] - -[Footnote 13: One of the steep mountains used for prisons.] - -[Footnote 14: Another church on a hill, one of the quarters of Gondar. -It signifies the Hill of Glory, or Brightness.] - -[Footnote 15: Bilur, in the language of Samhar, signifies _fossile -salt_; if it is coloured with any mineral, so as to be either red or -green, it is, in this latter case, applied often to emeralds, and -green-rock crystal.] - -[Footnote 16: A race of very barbarous people, all shepherds, having -great substance, and much resembling the nations of Galla. They are -Pagans.] - -[Footnote 17: The pomegranate of gold.] - -[Footnote 18: The station of David.] - -[Footnote 19: Betwudet is an officer that has nearly the same power as -Ras; there were two of these, and both being slain at one battle, as we -shall see in the sequel, the office grew into disuse as unfortunate.] - -[Footnote 20: The literal translation of this is, _doubly sharp_, or -_sharp to a fault_; a character he had gained in Portugal.] - -[Footnote 21: See Marco Paulo’s Travels into Tartary.] - -[Footnote 22: On the west side of the peninsula on the Atlantic.] - -[Footnote 23: Vide Marmol, vol. i. cap. 37.] - -[Footnote 24: Is a subject paying Capitation.] - -[Footnote 25: Vid. David’s letter to Emanuel, king of Portugal 1524.] - -[Footnote 26: Vide Map of Shoa.] - -[Footnote 27: Or Governor.] - -[Footnote 28: Vide Poncet’s travels, in his return through Tigré, p. -116. London edit. 12mo. 1709.] - -[Footnote 29: In Barbary called _Mishta_, in Abyssinia, _Kagga_.] - -[Footnote 30: This is a name of humility. He is a great officer, and -has no care or charge of asses.] - -[Footnote 31: Alvarez Histoire d’Ethiopic, p. 157.] - -[Footnote 32: Canso el Gauri, and Tomum Bey.] - -[Footnote 33: Selim I. emperor of the Ottomans.] - -[Footnote 34: It was he who, as we have seen, slew the Moor Maffudi in -single combat in the beginning of this reign.] - -[Footnote 35: Constant in the faith.] - -[Footnote 36: Tellez, lib. 2. cap. 27.] - -[Footnote 37: Dated at Rome 16th Feb. 1555. See Tellez, lib. 2. cap. -22.] - -[Footnote 38: See Bermudes’s account of these times, printed at Lisbon -by Francis Correa, A. D. 1565.] - -[Footnote 39: The Mountain of Gold.] - -[Footnote 40: Purch. vol. 2.] - -[Footnote 41: Ludolf, lib. 2. cap. 6.] - -[Footnote 42: To Geshen or Wechné.] - -[Footnote 43: See Le Grande’s History of Abyssinia.] - -[Footnote 44: See the article Wanzey in the Appendix.] - -[Footnote 45: Jerome Lobo Hist. of Abyssinia ap. Le Grande.] - -[Footnote 46: The name of infant-king seems to have been given as a -nick-name in Abyssinia, and is preserved to this day.] - -[Footnote 47: We have mentioned this treaty in the reign of Icon Amlac.] - -[Footnote 48: Then the metropolis upon the Lake Tzana.] - -[Footnote 49: Register of the cattle; so the governor of Dembea is -called.] - -[Footnote 50: See the History of the rise of this monarchy in my return -through Sennaar.] - -[Footnote 51: A low territory at the foot of Lamalmon.] - -[Footnote 52: It was probably part of the fruits of the new religion, -and the work of his new religious advisers.] - -[Footnote 53: The words, Boren, and Bertuma Galla, have no meaning in -the Ethiopic.] - -[Footnote 54: See the Map.] - -[Footnote 55: See the provincial letters of the Jesuits in Tellez, lib. -iv. cap. 5.] - -[Footnote 56: Which signifies the Passage.] - -[Footnote 57: This will be more enlarged upon hereafter.] - -[Footnote 58: Tellez, lib. iv. cap. 38.] - -[Footnote 59: It is apparently a speech in a passion, for this Sela -Christos was one of the most learned of the Abyssinians; yet the words -themselves, if literally translated, are scarcely intelligible.] - -[Footnote 60: I have seen them often at Madrid.] - -[Footnote 61: Called by the Agows, Krihaha.] - -[Footnote 62: A name of the black Pagans bordering on Sennaar to the -south-west.] - -[Footnote 63: Astronom. de M. de La Lande, liv. 19. p. 366.] - -[Footnote 64: See the article _kantuffa_ in the Appendix.] - -[Footnote 65: The white mountain.] - -[Footnote 66: The mountain of salt.] - -[Footnote 67: By Chancellor of the Nation is meant the officer -immediately next the consul, who keeps the records, and has a -department absolutely independent of the Consul.] - -[Footnote 68: Vid. Poncet.] - -[Footnote 69: It is plain Poncet had no instruments for observation -with him, nor was he probably acquainted with the use of them.] - -[Footnote 70: To be described hereafter.] - -[Footnote 71: See an elevation of this in my account of Axum.] - -[Footnote 72: And there he wrote his Teliamede which supposes men -were first created fishes, for which he was excommunicated. It was an -opinion perfectly worthy of alarming the Sorbonne.] - -[Footnote 73: Plin. vol. 1. lib. 6. cap. 30. p. 376.] - -[Footnote 74: Father Bernat, a Frenchman.] - -[Footnote 75: We have seen these were recommended by M. Maillet, the -consul.] - -[Footnote 76: This is not the king’s seal. It is the invention of some -Mahometan employed to write the letters.] - -[Footnote 77: See the letter itself, it is the last in Le Grande’s -book, and in Latin, if I remember rightly.] - -[Footnote 78: Vid. the letter as quoted above.] - -[Footnote 79: Abdelcader, son of Ounsa, retired here.] - -[Footnote 80: It signifies Justus.] - -[Footnote 81: Vid general map.] - -[Footnote 82: Juvenal, sat. 13. l. 163.] - -[Footnote 83: Nisi malitia suppleat ætatem.] - -[Footnote 84: Herod. lib. 3, par. 17, & seq.] - -[Footnote 85: Supposed to be the Garamantica Vallis of Ptolemy.] - -[Footnote 86: Dodswell’s dissertation of Hanno’s Periplus--Montesquieu, -tom. I. lib. 21. cap. 11.] - -[Footnote 87: This sensation of the savage in the heart of Africa seems -to be unknown to the enemies of the slave-trade; they talk much of -heat, without knowing the material suffering of the negro is from cold.] - -[Footnote 88: There seems here some contradiction which needs -explanation. It is said that the palace was burnt before Oustas went to -his tent. How then could the soldiers assemble in it afterwards? The -palace consists of a number of separate houses at no great distance, -but detached from one another with one room in each. That where the -coronation is performed is called Anbasa Bet; another, where the king -sits in festivals, is called Zeffan Bet; another is called Werk Sacala, -the gold-house; another Gimja Bet, or the brocade-house, where the -wardrobe and the gold stuffs used for presents, or received as such, -are laid. Now, we suppose Oustas in any one of these apartments, say -Zeffan Bet, which he left to go to his tent, and it was then burnt; -still there remained the coronation-house where the regalia was kept, -which the soldiers locked up that it might not be used to crown Fasil, -Oustas’s son, whom they thought the seven great men they had murdered -conspired to place upon the throne after his father.] - -[Footnote 89: Mistress to Yasous, and mother to David.] - -[Footnote 90: But there can be no doubt both opinions are absolute -heresy, in the most liberal sense of that word, as expressly denying -our Saviour’s consubstantiality.] - -[Footnote 91: This drum is of beaten silver; the Abyssinians say, that -this metal alone is capable of conveying the sweet sound contained in -a proclamation of peace. It was carried off by the rebels after the -retreat of Serbraxos.] - -[Footnote 92: Dek.] - -[Footnote 93: A relict of the most precious kind, believed to have come -from Jerusalem, and been painted by St Luke.] - -[Footnote 94: About one hundred and eighty-six pounds, an ounce of gold -at a medium being 10 crowns.] - -[Footnote 95: This is a fish common in the Mediterranean, of the kind -of anchovies, the common food of the galley-slaves, and lower sort of -people.] - -[Footnote 96: Noba, in the language of Sennaar, signifies Soldier; it -is probably from this the ancient name of Nubia first came.] - -[Footnote 97: A well near Karoota, immediately on the frontiers of -Begemder.] - -[Footnote 98: This is commonly done in times of trouble, to keep the -townsmen in awe, as if fire was intended, which would not be in their -power to quench.] - -[Footnote 99: Nearly the same distinction as the silly one made in -Britain between the French king and king of France.] - -[Footnote 100: What made the ridicule here was, Michael was older than -the king, and could not stand alone.] - -[Footnote 101: They have the grape along with them.] - - -[Transcriber's Note: - -Inconsistent double quotes and capitalization are as in the original. - -Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original.] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels to Discover the Source of the -Nile, Volume II, by James Bruce - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS VOL. 2 OF 2 *** - -***** This file should be named 54181-0.txt or 54181-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/1/8/54181/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Wayne Hammond and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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