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this is contrary to the pofitive evicknce of Abyfilnian hif- 

 tory, which fays exprefsly, that thf cpaft was invented by 

 Demetrius of Akxandria. This Demetrius was the 1 2th 

 patriarch of Alexandria, and elefted about the 190th year 

 of Chrill, or in the reign of Severus, and confcquently long 

 before the time of Dioclefian. The AbyfTmians have another 

 mode of computing time, that is peculiar to themfelves. 

 They read the whole of the evangelifts, in order, every year 

 in their churches ; and when they fpcak of an event, they 

 write or fay, it happened in the days of Matthew ; that h, 

 in the firft quarter of th.e year, whilil they were reading the 

 gofpcl of St. Matthew in their churches. They compute 

 the time of the day in a very arbitrary manner. Tiie twi- 

 light being very fliort, is feleCted for the beginning of their 

 day ; this they call Nagge, which comprehends the duration 

 of twilight. Mcfet expreffes the moment wlien the evening 

 twilight begins. Mid-day is called Kater, which iigiiifies 

 culmination. All tlie other parts of time they defcribe, in 

 converfation, by pointing at the place in the heavens where 

 the fun was, when the event, which they are defcribing, 

 happened. After all, nothing can be more inaccurate than 

 the Abyfiinian calculations. This is a circumftance which 

 renders the hiftorical records of Abyffinia very confufed and 

 indeterminate. Bcfides, the earlier part of their hiftoiy is, 

 on account of its remotenefs, involved in a confiderable de- 

 gree of obfcurity and uncertainty ; and in later ages, the 

 accefs into this country was difficult, and the intercourfc 

 with it very rare and limited. For that kind of knowledge 

 of this countiy, in modern times, which is attended with any 

 degree of certainty, we are firft indebted to the difcoveries 

 of the Portuguefe. But the zeal of their mifiionaries to 

 convert the Abyffinians to the Catholic faith, involved them 

 in difficulties and pcrfecution, and barred the accefs of other 

 Europeans, for a confiderable tim.e, into this country. The 

 firft hiftory of AbyfTinia was written by Alvarez, who ac- 

 companied an ambaifador fent thither by Emanuel king of 

 Portugal ; and it was printed at Eifbon in 1540. It is pre- 

 ferved in Purchas's coUcftion. Father Bermudes, who alfo 

 vifited the country, has given fome account of it, intermixed 

 with much fable. His relation was printed in 1565. Father 

 Pais, who refided there for a confiderable time, and died 

 there in 1622, wrote an account, which extends from 1556 

 to his death. Father Almeyda, who travelled through the 

 inland provinces ; Father Mendcz, who refided there ten 

 years ; and Father Jerome Lobo, who arrived in Abyffinia 

 in 1624, refided there nine years, and travelled above 

 <58,ooo miles in this empire, and whofe hiilory was publidied 

 by M. le Grand at Paris I7;^8, have given diftinft details of 

 the provinces, produce, cuftonis, and inhabitants of Abyf- 

 finia. From theie feveral fources, and the letters ot the 

 Abyffinian miffioraries to the college of Jefuits at Lifoon, 

 Father Balthazar Tcllez derived materials for his general 

 hiftory, which was publifhed in the Portuguefe language in 

 1660. Poncet, a phyfician, who was fent by the French 

 conful at Cairo into Abyffinia, to cure the emperor of an 

 obftinate difeafe, in 169S, publifhed an account of the rch- 

 gion, laws, and cuftom.s of the Abyffinians ; but his per- 

 fonal obfervation was very reftridted, and of courfe he muft 

 have depended veiy much upon the report of thofe with 

 whom he converfcd. The Jefuit writers have concurred to 

 degrade and vilify him without fufficient reafon ; hut his ac- 

 count is in general juft and credible, and is held in good 

 eftimation. The hiftor.y of Ludolph, in folio, is the moft 

 comprehenfive of any that had been written at liis time. It 

 is chiefly compiled from the Portuguefe authors above men- 

 tioned ; though he relies too implicitly in many inftances on 

 the authority of the Abbot Oregon/, vvhofc learning, capa- 

 Vot. I. 



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city, and integrity, did not warrant the confidi-nce repofed 

 in liim. Ludolph's liiftoiy was decried by ihc Jtfuitj. M. 

 Maillet, in his dtfcription of Egypt, hath given fomc ac- 

 count of this country, hut it is more inc:dontal than dircift and 

 circumftantial. But the moft comprehenfive account of 

 Abyffinia is that publilhed by James Biucc, Elq. F. K. ,S. 

 in 5 vols. 410. in 1790, after a reiidcnce of fcvcral yean, in 

 the country. His work is intitled, " Tnivcls to difeovt r 

 " tlie Source of the Nile, in the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 

 " |77ti 1772. and 1773." Of this work wc have frttly 

 availed ouri'clve.; in the compilation of tliis article. 



The clironicle of Axum, which is tlie molt ancient rcpo- 

 fitory of the antiquities of the ct-untry, and which, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Bruce, is a book efttemed llie firft in aull-.ority 

 after the facred Scriptures, f.iy:i, that Ahyflinia iiad iicvtr 

 been inhabited till 1808 years before Chrift ; and 200 ytar» 

 after that, or in the year 1 600 before Clirift, it was laid 

 waftc by a flood, and the face of the country was much 

 changed and deformed, fo that it was denominated at that 

 time Oure Miilre, or the country bid waftc ; or, a« it ii 

 called in Scripture itfelf, a bnd which the waters and llood* 

 liad fpoiled. 



It is the concurrent opinion of many authors, ancient and 

 modern, that Abyfiinia, called alfo Ethiopia, was firft 

 peopled by the early defcendants of Cufii, the tldtft fon of 

 Ham : and it is a ti-adition among the Abyffinians, which 

 they pretend to have had from time immemorial, that alniolt 

 immediately after the flood, Cu(h, grandfon of Noah, with 

 his family, pafllug through Atbara from the low country of 

 Eg}-pt, then without inhabitants, came to ttic ridge of 

 mountains, which ftill feparates the flat country of Atbara 

 from the m.ore mountainous high land of Abyffinia. Their 

 tradition fays, that, terrified by the late dreadful event, the 

 flood ftill recent in their memories, and apprehending a fi- 

 milar calamity, they chofe for their habitation caves in the 

 fides of thefe mountains, rather than truft themfelves again 

 on the plain. This apprehenfion would be naturally in- 

 creafed by the tropical rains of this climate. In tlK-fe 

 mountains, therefore, the Cufhi'.es firft refided ; and as they 

 became more populous, they extended their borders to thofe 

 other mountains that were near them, fprcading the induftry 

 and arts which they cultivated, as well towards the eaftcrn 

 as the weftern ocean, but never venturing to quit their ftatid 

 refidcnce on the mountains, and to fettle at a diftance from 

 them in the plains and vallics. The Abyffinian tradition 

 adds, that they built the city of Axum at an early period, 

 in the days of Abraham. Soon afterwards, without utter- 

 ly forfaking their firft habitations in the mountains, they 

 puflied their colony to Atbara, and built another city called 

 Meroc. This they did, fays Mr. Bruce, partly to avoid a 

 fly, named Zi MB, which was very troubhfome both to thim 

 and to their cattle. From thence tliey advanced to Thebes ; 

 and, by degrees, as they proceeded, they acquired a great-.r 

 degree of courage, and of confidence in their own fecurily. 

 Whilft they were thus cftabliftiing themftWcs in the cer.tral 

 and northern terntory of the country, their brethren to the 

 fovith were not idle. Having extended thcmlclves along the 

 mountains that ru;i parallel to the Arabian gulph towardd 

 Saba, or Azabo, fignifying foy.lh, which was an appro- 

 priate appellation, becaufe it was on tlie fouth coaft of the 

 Arabian gulph, and the firft land to the fo\itiiward that 

 bounded the African continent, they enjoyed the perfumes 

 and aromatics of the eaft, myrrh, frankincenfe, and caffia. 

 The Cufhites in tmvelling fouihward towards the moun- 

 tains of Sofala, fuppoted by Mr. Bruce to be the Ophir 

 of Scri]")ture, found mines of gold and fiber, which became 

 gradually ample fources of commerce and wealth. But be- 



M ing 



