THE SOURCE Of THE NIXE. 243 



atioiii, it being an eftabliflied law, that no perfon can fuc- 

 ceed to the tlirone, as to the priefthood, without being per- 

 fed in all his limbs. Za Denghcl, as he could not adopt fo 

 inhuuaan a procedure e\'Ten with a rival, content«l himfelf 

 with only baniiking Jacob to Narea. 



Ever fince that period of Mcnas's reign, when Sa- 

 mur, bafha of Mafuah, had been put in pofleHion of Dobar- 

 \va in vircue of a treat)^ widi Ifaac Biiharnagalh, then in 

 rebellion, ithe Catholic religion was left deftitutc of all fup- 

 port, the fathers that had remained in Abyilinra being dead, 

 and the entry into that kingdom Ihut up by the violent ani- 

 inofity of the Turks, and the cruelties they exercifed upon all 

 millionaries that fell into their hands. The few Catholics 

 that remained were abfolutely deprived of all afliftance, 

 -when Melchior Sylvanus, an Inthan vicar of the church of 

 St Anne at Goa, was pitched upon as a proper perfon to be 

 fent to their relief. His language, colour, eaftern air and 

 manners, feemed to promiie that he would fucceed, and 

 vbaiiie the vigilance of the Turks. 



He arrived at Mafuah in 1597, ^^^ entered Abyffinia un- 

 fufpedted; but the power of the Turk being much leflened 

 hy the great defeat given them by Scrtza Denghel, who flew 

 vCadwardBaiha, and retook Dobarwa and all its dependencies, 

 as has been already jnentioned, a very confiderable part of 

 "their former dangers, the millionxi ies might now hope to 

 • efcape. But there Hill remained others obflru(5liiig the com- 

 munication with India, which, however, were furmount- 

 able, and gave way, as moll of the kind do, to prudence, 

 tcourage, and perfeverance. 



H h 2 Accordingly, 



