6i8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Before I flate the account of his obfervations in his own, 

 or in Kircher's words, I have one obfervation to make re- 

 garding the dates and time of the journey. That memo- 

 rable day which has been fixed upon for the difcovery, is 

 the 21ft of April 1618. The rains are then begun, and on 

 that account the feafon being very unwholefome, armies, 

 without extreme neceflity, are rarely in the field ; between 

 September and February at fartheft is the time the Abyfli- 

 nian army is abroad from the capital, and in aclion. 



There are two nations of Agows in Abyfiinia, the one 

 near the fountains of the Nile, called the Agows of Damot ; 

 the other near the head of the Tacazze, in the province of 

 Lafta, called the Tcheratz Agows. Now, we fee from the 

 annals of Socinios's reign, that he had feveral campaigns 

 againft the Agows. The firft was in the fourth year of his 

 reign, in the year 1608 ; his annals fay it was againft the 

 Tcheratz Agow. His fecond campaign was in the feventh 

 year of his reign, or 161 1 ; that, too, was againft the Agows 

 of Lafta ; fo that if Peter Paez was with the emperor in either 

 of thefe campaigns, he could not have feen the head of any 

 river but that of the Tacazze. The third campaign was in 

 in 1625, againft Sacala, Geefh, and Afhoa, when the Galla 

 made an inroad into Gojam, but retired upon the royal 

 army's marching againft them, and crofted the Nile into 

 their own country. Socinios upon this had advanced againft 

 the Agows of Damot, then in rebellion alfo, and had fought 

 with Sacala, Aflioa, and Geefh likewife, the clan imme- 

 diately contiguous to the fources. Now this was furely 

 the time when Peter Paez, or any attendant on the emperor, 

 might have feen the fountains of the Nile in fafety, as the 

 king's army, in whole or in part, mufl have been encamp- 

 ed 



