THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. rjs- 



vion: Nor was it till 15 13, after he had ftaid three years in 

 India, that he got leave to proceed to Portugal by a fleet 

 returning home loaded with fpices. 



Damiakus Goez the hiftorian, though apparently a man- 

 of good fenfe and candour, cannot conjecSture why this Ar« 

 menian was fent as an ambafTador, and wifhes to be refol- 

 ved why not an Abyfllnian nobleman. But it is obvious 

 from the character I have already given of him, there could 

 be nobody in the emprcfs's power that had half his qualifi- 

 cations ; and, befides, an AbyfTinian 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 prote(5lion, and the firft Turk in whofe power he 

 might have fallen would have fold him for a flave. In no 

 other charaaer is any of his nation feen, either in Arabia 

 or India, and his mafter has no treaty with any flate what- 

 ever. Add to this, that an Abyfiinian fpeaks no language 

 but his own, which is not underftood out of his own country; 

 and is abfolutely ignorant even of the exirtence of other far 

 diftant nations. 



But, befides, there was an AbyfTinian fent with Matthew,, 

 who died; and here Damianus Goez's wonder fhould ceafe.. 



The fame ill-fortune, which had attended Matthew in. 

 India, followed him in his voyage to Portugal. The Cap- 

 tains of the fhips contended with each otlicr who Ihould; 

 behave worft to him ; and, in the midft of all this ill-treat- 

 ment, the Ihip which he was on board of arrived af Lifbon. 

 The king, upon hearing the particulars of this ill ufagc, 

 immediately put the oifenders in irons, where they had, 



probably, , 



