244 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Accordingly, in the year 1600, Peter Paez, the mofl; ca-^ 

 pahle, as well as moft fuccefsful milTionary that ever enter- 

 ed Ethiopia, arrived at Mafuah, after having fufFered a long 

 imprifonment, and many other hardfliips, on his w^ay to that 

 ifland ; and, taking upon him the charge of the PortuguefCj^ 

 relieved Melchior Sylvanus, who returned to India. 



Paez, however, did not prefs on to court as his predecefi 

 fors, and even his fuccefTors conftantly did, but, confining 

 himfelf to the convent of Fremona in Tigre, he firfl fet him- 

 felf by an invincible application to attain the knowledge of 

 the Geez written language, in which he arrived to a degree 

 of knowledge fuperior to that of the natives themfelves. He 

 then applied to the inflrucftion of youth, keeping a fchool, 

 where he taught equally the children of the Portuguefe, and 

 thofe of the Abyffinians. The great progrefs made by the 

 fcholars fpeedily fpread abroad the reputation of the ma- 

 iler. Firft of all, John Gabriel, one of the moft dillinguifh- 

 ed officers of the Portuguefe, fpoke of him in the warmed 

 terms of commendation to Jacob, then upon the throne, 

 who fent to Paez, and ordered his attendance as foon as the 

 rainy feafon fhould be over. 



In the month of April 1604, Peter, attended only by two 

 of his young difciples, prefented himfelf to the king, who- 

 then held his court at Dancaz, where he was received with 

 the fame honours as are bellowed upon men of the firll 

 rank, to the great difcontent of the Abyflinian monks, who 

 ealily forefaw that their humiliation would certainly follow 

 this ^exaltation of Petros ; nor were they miflaken. In a dis- 

 pute held before the king next day, Peter produced the two 

 boysj as more than fuIHcient to filence all the theologians 



