The source of the nile. 595 



any merit in profeffing a religion they did not underftand 

 or believe : that they were ready, however, to march and lay 

 down their lives for the king and common-weal, provided 

 he reftored them their ancient religion, without which they 

 would have no concern in the quarrel, nor even wifli to be 

 conquerors. Whether the king was really in the fecret or 

 not, I fhall not fay; but it is exprefsly mentioned in the an- 

 nals of his reign, that Socinios did promife by his fon to 

 the army, that he would rellore the Alexandrian faith if he 

 fhould return victorious over Lafta ; and the fudden man- 

 ner in which he executed this muft convince every other 

 perfon that it was fo. 



The army now marched from Dancaz, upon intelligence 

 arriving that the rebels had left their ftrong- holds in Lafta, 

 and were in their way to the capital to give the king battle 

 there. It was the 26th of July 1631 the kingdifcovered, by 

 his fcouts, that the rebel Mclca Chriftos was at hand, having 

 with him an army of about 25,000 men. Upon this intelli- 

 gence he ordered his troops to halt, and hear mafs from 

 Diego de Mattos ; and, having chofen his ground, he halted 

 again at mid-day, and confeiTed, according to the rite of the 

 church of Rome, and then formed his troops in drdcr of 

 battle. 



It was not long till the enemy came in fight, but without 

 ihewing that alacrity and delire of engaging they ufed to do 

 when in their native mountains. The king, at the head of 

 the cavalry, fell fo fuddenly and fo violently upon them, 

 that he broke through the van-guard commanded by Mclca 

 Chriftos, and put them to flight before his foot could come 

 up. The reft of the army followed the example of the lead- 



VoL. Ih 3 D er. 



