126 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



then the latter became rich, from the gold, ivory, coffee, 

 cattle, hides, and all manner of provifion, procured by the 

 former from every part of the mountainous tradt above it. 

 Trade flouriflied and plenty followed iL The merchants 

 carried every fpecies of goods to the moll diftant provinces 

 in fafety, equally to the advantage of AbyfTmia and Adel. 

 Thefe advantages, fo fenfibly felt, were maintained by bri- 

 bery, and a conllant circulation of Mahometan gold in the 

 court of Abyffinia ; the kingdom, however, thus profpered. 

 A war with Adel, on the contrary, had its origin in a violent 

 defire of a barbarous people, fuch as the Abyffinians were, 

 to put themfelves in pofTeffion of riches which their neigh- 

 bours had gained by trade and indullry. 



She faw that, even in this the worft of cafes, nothing ut- 

 terly dellrudive could poilibly happen to the Abyffinians ; 

 in their inroads into that country, they plundered the mar- 

 kets and got, at the rilk of their lives, India Huffs of every 

 kind, for which elfe they would have paid money. On the 

 other hand, the people of Adel, when conquerors, acquired 

 no Huffs, no manufacflures, but the perfons of the Abyffi- 

 nians themfelves, whom they carried into flavery, and fold 

 in Arabia, and all parts of Afia, at immenfe profits. Next to 

 gold they are the moft agreeable and valuable merchandife 

 in every part of the eaft ; and thefe again, being chiefly the 

 idle people who delighted in war, their abfence promoted 

 the more defirable event of peace. 



In this Hate we fee that war was but another fpecies of 

 commerce between the two countries, though peace was 

 the moft eligible ftatc for them both ; and this the cmprefs 

 Helena had conftantiy endeavoured to maintain, but could 



not 



