THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6^5 



at court, than he was m the field, being a pleafant and a;- 

 greeable fpeaker in common converfation ; a powerful and 

 copious orator at council ; his language, whether Amharie 

 or Tigre, (but above all the latter) corre<5l and elegant above 

 any man's at court ; Heady to the meafures he adopted, but 

 often appearing to give them up eafily, and without paffion, 

 when he faw, by the circumflances of the times, he could 

 not prevail : though violent in the purfuit of riches, when 

 in his own province, where he fpared no means nor man 

 to procure them, no fooner had he come to Gondar than 

 he was lavifli of his money to extreme ; and indeed he fet 

 no value upon it farther than as it ferved to corrupt men 

 to his ends.. 



When he furrendered his treafure at the mountain Sa*. 

 mayat, he is faid to have divided it into feveral parcels with 

 his own hand. The greateft fhare fell to the king, who 

 thought he had got the whole ; but the ojOicers who received 

 it, and faw different quantities deftined for the Iteghe and 

 Ras Welled de I'Oul, took care tb convey them their fhare, 

 for fear of making powerful enemies. Kafmati Waragna. 

 had his part ; and even Kafmati Woldo, though Michael 

 foon after plundered and flew him. All Gondar were his 

 friends, becaufe all that capital was bribed on this occafioru 

 It was gold he only lent them, to refume it, (as he afterwa^-ds 

 did) with great intereft, at a proper time. 



It ftill remained in the king's breafl to wipe off his de« 

 feat at Sennaar, as he had, upon every other occafion, been 

 vidtorious; and even in this, he flill flattered himfelf he had 

 not been beat in perfon. He fet out again upon another 

 expedition to Atbara ; inflead of coafling along the Dender^ 



he 



