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Africa. Having proceeded en their journey together from 

 Alexandria to Cairo, thence to Suez, and afterwards to 

 Aden, a rich trading town, without the ilraita of Babel- 

 mandeb, they feparated from one another. De Paiva foon 

 loft his hfe ; but Covillan fet fail for India, and having 

 vilited Calicut and Goa, and crolfed the Indian ocean to in- 

 fpeft the mines of Sofala, returned to Aden, and then to 

 Cairo, where he heard of the death of iiis companion. Here 

 he found two Jews with letters from the king of AbyfTmia, 

 whicli induced him to return to Aden ; whence he croffcd 

 to the dominions of that prince, uhole name was Alexan- 

 der, and whom he accompanied to Shoa, where the court 

 refided. Covillan iettled in the couutr)', became rich and 

 powerful, and no more returned to Europe. But the in- 

 telligence he tranfmitted from time to time to the court of 

 Portugal was important and ufeful. He defcribed the In- 

 dian ports which he had feen, the fituation and riches of the 

 mines of Sofala, the difpofition of the princes, and tlie 

 wealth and populoufnefs of the country where he dwelt ; 

 and he exhorted the king to profecute the dilcovery of the 

 palTage round Africa, affirming, that the cape iticlf was 

 well known in India, and accompanying his communication 

 with a chart, which he had obtained from a Moor in India, 

 and which exhibited the exaCl fituation of the Cape, and 

 the cities round the coaft. Covillan came into Abyffmia in 

 the year 1490, and the reigning prince, Alexander, or If- 

 cander, to whom he was introduced, died by violence, in 

 1495. He was fucceeded by an infant fon, who reigned 

 feven months ; after which his younger brother, Naod, was 

 eleftcd king by the unanimous voice of tlie people ; and hav- 

 ing, by his courage and prudence, delivered himfelf from the 

 fear of a foreign war, he applied with diligence to reform 

 internal abufes, and to cultivate the arts of peace. After a 

 reign of thirteen years, lie died in 1508, and was fucceeded 

 by his fon Da\'id III. an infant of eleven years of age, who 

 was fettled on the throne by the interell of Helena, widow 

 of Bxda Mariam. At the commencement of this reign, the 

 Turks, with a view of fliaring the profits of the trade of 

 the country, took pofTeflion of Zeyla, a fmall illand in the 

 Red Sea, oppofite to the coaft of Adel ; but their deiire of 

 poffefling India diverted their views from Adel and Abyf- 

 iinia. It was thought defirable, in the prefent fituation of 

 the country, to form an alliance with the Portuguefe, and 

 for this purpofe Matthew, an Armenian merchant, was de- 

 puted as an ambaffador. The principal objeft of the em- 

 bafly was to obtain a force fufficient to deftroy the Turkilh 

 power ; and, it is faid, that a third part of AbyfTmia was 

 offered as an acknowledgment. During the progrefs of this 

 embaffy, the Turks renewed their depredations on the Abyf- 

 finian teiritories. David prepared to rcfift them ; and, at 

 length, fucceeded in completely defeating and routing them. 

 On the day in July 15 16, when he obtained a decifive 

 viilory over the Moors, the ifland of Zeyla was taken, and 

 the town burnt by the Portuguefe fleet under Lopez Suarez 

 ds Alberguiera, who had brought back Matthew, and with 

 him an am-bafFador, from Portugal. The two ambaffadors, 

 accompanied by fifteen Portuguefe, fet out on a very dif- 

 ficult and perilous journey for the emperor's court. Matthew 

 died of an epidemic fever in the courfe of the journey ; but 

 the Portuguefe ambaffador arrived in Ijzo, within three 

 miles of the Abyfiinian camp. His reception was not favour- 

 able ; and it was not till aftjr a delay of five years, that the 

 bufinefs of the embafTy was completed, and he was allowed 

 to depart for Portugal. This long intercourfe between two 

 diftant nations, alarmed the Mahometan powers ; and the 

 Adclians, affifted by the Turks, defeated the emperor in fe- 

 veral fuccefiive battles, and over-ran the empire, plundering 



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and burning the towns and village?, and currying awny the 

 people for lluves. This deftructive v/ar c'jntin'i.d till the 

 year 1537. In tiie next year the aifain of .\byflinia fcemed 

 to revive, and a new embafTy to Portugal w.is projed'tid. 

 John Bermudes, one of the attendants of Roderie ), the 

 Portuguefe amhalTador, was deputed, who was liivdUd 

 with the eccleriallical authority of Abuna. Being a bigot to 

 tlic popilh religion, he declintd accepting the oTiice, ii:ih-tg 

 his ordination flionld be approved by the pope, which was 

 indireftly fubmitting the church of AhylTniia to that of 

 Rome ; and this fubmiffion on the part of David gave tlie 

 pope inexpreflible pleafure, at a time wlien fo many kiiijr. 

 doras in the weft v/ere revolting from liis fupremacy. ' Hav- 

 ing in iiis way through Italy obtained the pupe's fanctiiin, he 

 proceeded to Lifboii, and was acknowledged by tlie kir.g 

 as patriarch of Alexandria, Abyflinia, and of tlie fea ; and 

 he lucceeded in obtaining the fuccours which he requellcd. 

 When thefe fuccours arrived, they took the town of 

 Arkeeko, killed the governor, and madacred all the people 

 in the town whom they could find. The delay, however, 

 had reduced the Abyfiinians to great diftrefs. A Mahome- 

 tan chief had made an attack upon the rock Gefhen, where 

 the royal family had been kept, and mafTacred them ; and 

 David, linking under a complication of difafters, died in tiie 

 year 1540, and was fucceeded by his fon Claudius. On 

 his accefTion, the Moors formed a league agaiuft liim, but 

 were defeated. Aided by the Portuguefe forces, whieh had 

 joined thofe of the empire, Claudiuo freed himfelf from all 

 apprehenfion of foreign enemies ; ar.d he then direfted his 

 attention to the internal ftate of the country. John Ber- 

 mudes, infolent in his difpofition, and invelled with ample 

 eccleiiaftical powers, attempted the converfion of Claudius, 

 and inlifted that he ftionld eftablifh tlie popifli rehgion through 

 his dominions, as his father David had promifcd to do ; but 

 Claudius was invincible, and the alterc ition terminated in 

 the expulfion of the catholics, and the difcoiitinuance of all 

 intercourfe with the Europeans ; and Bermudes iiimfelf was 

 obliged to leave AbyfTmia, and return to Portugal. In 

 1558, the pope fent a new deputation of priefts; but, thougli 

 they were civilly received by Claudius, they feemed to have 

 had little fuccefs with refpeft to the principal objecl of their 

 miffion. The thoughts of Claudius were now employed 

 about a fucceffor ; and as he had no fon, it was propofcd to 

 ranfom his youngcft brother, the prince Menas, who had 

 been taken prifoner by the Moors in the time of David. 

 This bulinefs having been fettled, Claudius's premature and 

 violent death made way for the advancement ot Menas to 

 the throne in 1559. After a fliort reign, embroiled by in- 

 ternal rebellion, and the feditious practices of the popifti 

 miflionaries, he clofed his life in 1563, and was fucceeded 

 by his fon Sertza Denghal, who, after various conflicts with 

 the Moors, and with the Galla and Falafha, two neighbour- 

 ing nations, in which he was generally viflorious, died in con- 

 fequence of eating fifh of a poifonous nature, in 1593. Before 

 his death he nominated Za Denghal, his nephew, for iiis' 

 fucceffor. The affefrions of his people were alienated from 

 this prince on account of his attachment to the church of 

 Rome, whofe interell in Abyffmia had much declined, in 

 confequence of the death of Oviedo, and the other mif- 

 fionaries, and through want of a frelh fupply of catholic 

 preachers. In the year 1600, Peter Patz, or Pais, wai 

 fent on this miflion. He was learned, diligent, ami adive. 

 The emperor was engaged by his manners and difcourfes to 

 embrace the catholic religion ; he iffued orders for prohibit- 

 ing the obfervance of the Jewilh Sabbath, and fent letters to 

 pope Clement VIII. and Philip III. of Spain, requefting a 

 fupply of mechanics to inftruft his people in tlie ulcful arts, 



aud 



