154 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



the Royal family refided in Shoa. All the churches in A* 

 byffinia are thatched. Some of Roderigo's own retinue, who 

 bore him ill-will, had put it into the king's head how ele- 

 gant this church would be if covered with lead, a thing 

 he certainly could have no idea of. He afked Don Roderigo, 

 whether the king of Portugal could not fend him as much 

 iheet-lead as would ferve to cover that church? To which 

 the ambalTador replied, That the king of Portugal, upon bare 

 mentioning the thing, would fend him as much fheet- 

 lead* as would cover not only that church, but all the other 

 churches he jQiould ever build in Abyffinia ; and, after all, 

 the prefent wo\iIdbe but a trifling, one, . 



Immediately upon this the king changed his difcourfe;; 

 audobferved to the ambaffador, in a very ferious toneof voicr, 

 "That, fmce they were now upon thefubjeclof prefents, hs 

 could not help letting the king of Portugal know, that, if 

 ever he fent. an ambaflador again into that country, he • 

 Ihould take care to accompany him with prefents of valuci 

 for otherwife ftranger ambaffadors that ventured to come 

 before him without thefe were very ill received." To which 

 the ambaffador returned warmly, " That it wa-s very far from 

 being the cuftom of the king of Portugal to fend prefents to 

 any king upon earth ; that, having no fuperior, it was ufual 

 for him, only to receive them from others, and to accept them . 

 or not, according to his royal pleafure ; for it was infinitely 

 below him taconfider what was the- value of the prefent it- 

 felf. He then.defired the king of Abyffinia might be in^ 

 formed, that he, Don Roderigo, came ambaffador from the 

 general of the Indies, and not from the king of Portugal ; , 

 neverthclefs, when the king of Portugal had lately difpatch- 



edi 



* Alvarez Hiftojre d'Ethjopjc. p. 157. 



