$6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



wife is not known, which occafioncd his death. Having, a 

 few moments before he died, recolleded that his face was 

 turned on a different fide from the kingdom of Adel, he or- 

 dered himfelf to be Ihifted in his bed, and placed fo as ta 

 look diredly towards it, (a token how much his heart was* 

 fet upon its deftru(5tion) and in tliat pofture lie expired. 



He was a prince of gr^at bravery and condti^ ; very mo- 

 derate in all his pleafures ; of great devotion ; zealous for 

 the eftablifhed church, but Heady in refilling the monks and 

 other clergy in all their attempts towards perfecution, in- 

 novation, and independency. Many ftories have been pro- 

 pagated of his inclination to the Catholic religion, and of 

 his averfion to having an Abuna from Egypt ; and it is faid, 

 that, during his whole reign, he obftinately perfifted in re- 

 fufing to fuffer any Abuna in his kingdom. But thefe are 

 fables invented by the Portuguefe priefts, who came into 

 Abyflinia fome time afterwards, and forged anecdotes to 

 ferve their own purpofcs ; for, unlefs we except the llory of 

 the Venetian, Branca Leon, there is not a word faid of any 

 conne<fl:ion Bseda Mai'iain ever had with the few Catholics 

 that then were in his country, and even that was a connec- 

 tion of his father's. And as to the other flory, we find in. 

 hiflory, that the Abuna had been in the country ever fmce 

 his father Zara Jacob's time; and that, at his defire, the 

 Abuna, Imaranha Chrirtos, came and received, in the field 

 ©f battle, large donations in gold, almoft as often as the 

 king gained a vidlory. Bacda Mariam died at the age of 

 forty, after reigning ten years, which v/ere fpent in conti- 

 nual war ; during the whole courfe of which he was fuc- 

 cefsful, and might (if he had lived) have very much weak- 

 ened the Mooxifli ftates, and prevented the terrible retalia- 

 tion 



