420 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



have delivered the patriarch into his hands ; and, every one 

 that reads it mull allow, fuch. language from alow-born 

 pried to a king, deferved; every exemplary punifhment of- 

 fended royalty could inflidl : It would' not have been mild,, 

 had fuch liberty been uk.en by a ft ranger in his native coun-- 

 try, Portugaii 



The patriarch accufes Facilidas with the criine ODmmit* 

 ted by Abfalom, which is, I fuppofe, debauching his father's- 

 wives and concubines. But, unluckily for the truth of this 

 ftory, we have the Jefuit'S own teftimony, that Socinios had: 

 put away his wives and concubines before he embraced the 

 Catholic religion, fo at his father's death this was impof- 

 fible, unlefs he could commit inceft with his own mother,, 

 who was at that time a woman near fixty.. But we fhali; 

 fuppofe that they exifted^ were never married, and, at the 

 time of their being put away, they were 1 8 years of age at; 

 an average. The king put them away in the year 1621 j, 

 and, therefore, in the year 1634, they would be 30 years of. 

 age ; and any body that has feen the effects that number of 

 years has upon Abyflinian beauty, muft confefs tliey could' 

 be no great temptation to a prince. 



The next calumny mentioned in this libel is, tKe murder 

 of his brother Claudius, nay, of all his brothers. Now we have 

 feen, in the hiftory of his reign, that Claudius had fairly forr- 

 feited his life by a meditated fratricide, and by an overt ad of 

 rebellion in which he was taken prifoner. Yet fo mild and; 

 placable was Facilidas, that he refufed to put him to death,. 

 but fent him prifoner to the mountain of Wechne, and mer- 

 cifully revived the ancient ufage of banifliing the princes 

 of the blood-royal to the. mountain, iaftead of executing 



thexa. 



