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foiitli of ilut I Ivor, tlic power and religion of the Malio- 

 mctaiis were unkiiowii ; tlic couiitry was JiviJcJ into fnuiU 

 irnli-piiuKiit piiini])-.ilitii-i5, the pupiilation was conliJcniblc, 

 the foil fiTtilc ; aiiil tin- Portugwclc loon cUfcovercJ thai it 

 proiliicid ivory, rich ^unis, goUl, and other vahi -Lie com- 

 modities, wlii'cli affoidod tlic profpecl of a hicrativc com- 

 merce, as well as the gratilicatiou of curiofity. Having 

 ventured to crofs the line in 1471, they found that region 

 of the torrid zone, which was fnppofed to be icorclicd witli 

 iiitoKrahle heat, to be not only hahital)le, but popnUnis 

 and fertile. In 14^'4, a powerful fleet was fitted out, which, 

 after difcovering the kingdoms of Benin and Congo, ad- 

 vanced above 15CO miles beyond the line ; and in order to 

 fecure tlic poirelTion of tlic countries which they difcovered, 

 and to derive commercial advantages from ihem, forts were 

 ereifted on the coall of Guinea, colonies were fettled, and 

 bv various meafures of policy, the Portuguefe power and 

 commerce in Africa were cilabhflied npon a iolld foundation. 

 By conilant intercourfe with the Africans, the Portuguefe 

 gained increafing knowledge of the country ; tlicy found, that 

 contrar)' to the doiflrinc of Ptolemy, the continent inclined 

 towards the eall ; and they beg-an to indulge a hope, founded 

 on the report of the ancient Phoenician vorrtgcs round Africa, 

 of proceeding by the fame route to the Eall Indies,^ and of 

 engrofTing that commerce, which has been the fouree of wealth 

 and power to every nation by which it lias been polFelTed. 

 In i^Xf), a voyage of difcoveiy was projetled, and the con- 

 duft of it was committed to Bartholomew Diaz, an experi- 

 enci d and brave officer, who ftretched faitlier towards the 

 foutli tlian any of his predeceffoi-s, and difcovered near looo 

 miles of a new country. After encountering many difficul- 

 ties and hazards, in an unknown and tempelhious ocean, he 

 at length defcried tliat lofty promontory which bounds 

 Africa to the fonth ; but having made the difcoveiy, he 

 was compelled, by the fliattered Hate of his (hips, and the 

 turbulent difpofition of l>is crew, to return home. This 

 promontory he called Ciito 'Tormentofo, or th.e ftormy cape ; 

 but the king, his mailer, extending his views by this courle 

 to India, gave it a name of better omen, which it has ever 

 fince retained, — ihe Cape of Gond Hope. In 1497,3 fqua- 

 dron was equipped for profecuting the fcheme of opening a 

 palfage to the Eail Indies by this cape ; and the command 

 of it was entruiled with Vafco de Gama, a man of noble 

 birth, and pofTclTcd of talents adapted to the enterprife. 

 Ignorant of the courfc of the winds in the Atlantic ocean, 

 he fet fail in July, an improper feafon of the year ; and 

 bearing towards the fouth, he llruggled with contrary winds 

 for four months, before he reached the cape. During an 

 interval of calm weather, he doubled this fonnidable promon- 

 tory, and purfued his voyage towards the nortii-eall, along 

 the African coall. After touching at feveral ports and 

 various adventures, he came to anchor before the city of 

 Melinda. From hence he proceeded to Calecut, where he 

 arrived May 22, 149S ; but as he had neither force fuffici- 

 ent to attempt a fettlement, nor commodities pioper for 

 carrying on any commerce, he haftcned back to Portugal, 

 with an account of his fuccefs in performing a voyage the 

 longetl, as well as the moil: difficult, that had ever been 

 made fince the firft invention of navigalion. He landed at 

 I^ifbon, Sept. 14, 1499, two years, two months, and five days 

 from the time he left th.at port. To this voyage we are 

 indebted for tlie difcoveiy of the fouthern and wefteru 

 boundaries of the African continent ; and from the Por- 

 tuguefe we alfo derive our earliefl knowlege of many of its 

 interior parts, and of the moil coTifiderable k-ngdoms and 

 empires of which it confiib, particularly thofe of Habefli 

 or Abyssinia, Mosomotapa, Monolmugi, the eallern 



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kingdoms of Cos-co, Angola, Metamba, Loango, and 

 others on the wellern fide; thofe of Sofala, Mozam- 

 liniUE, QuiLOA, Mombaza, and Melinda, on the 

 eailcrn coall. Their niiflionaries collected and recorded 

 manv particulars with refpett to their various religions, go» 

 vernments, laws, cutloms, products, and commerce, at a 

 time when the means of information conceniing the interior 

 of Africa were very fcanty and imperfect. 



Africa, at a former diftant period, contained feveral king- 

 doms and flates, eminent for the liberal arts, for wealth ami 

 power, and for the moft extenlive commerce. Almoll aU 

 tlie northern parts of this continent were full of people, 

 fnmi the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Ilie kingdoms 

 of Egvpt and Ethioima were much celebrated, and the 

 rich and powerful Hate of Carthage extended her com- 

 merce to every region of the then known world ; and even 

 tlie Britifh Ihoreswere vllited by her Heets. At length tin; 

 Romans, after a contell which hilled for more than 100 

 years, totally fubdued this famous republic and deftroved 

 their city, and then reduced under tlieir power other king- 

 doms and ftates of Africa. See Numidia, Mauritanma, 

 G^TULIA, &c. The Roman empire retained its poffeflions 

 in this countiy for feveral ages, and found them an ample 

 fouree of revenue, as well as neceffary fupply. 



The 10,000 Euboic, or Phoenician talents, amount- 

 ing to about four milUons fterllng, wliich vanquilhcd * 

 Carthage was condemned to pay within the term of 

 fifty years, as Polybius informs us, (Hifl. 1. xv. c. 2. 

 p. 706.) were a flight acknowledgment of the fupcriority 

 of Rome, and bear a very fmall proportion to the taxes af- 

 terwards raifed both on the lands and on the perfons of the 

 inhabitants, after the fertile coall of Africa was reduced 

 into a province. It would be tedious to recite tlie oppref- 

 fions which the Africans fuffered from the rapacity of the 

 Roman governors, and the dillractions wliich were the con- 

 fequences of their religious dilputes, after the introduction 

 of Chrillianity, and which were rather augmented than ap- 

 peafed under the unfeafonable interference of the civil 

 power. Of the latter, fome account will be given under 

 the articles circumcelliones and donatists ; and with 

 ivlpecf to the former it will be fuffieieut to feleCt a finglc 

 inltanee. 



About the year of our Lord 366, Count Romanus pof- 

 fcffed the militaiy command of Africa. At this time the 

 three flourifliing cities of Oea, Leptis, and Sabrata, which, 

 under the name of Tripoh, had long conflituted a federal 

 union, were invaded and pillaged by the barbarians of Gx- 

 tulia ; and feveral of their molt honourable citizens were 

 iurprifed and malfacred. In this ftate of diflrefs they ap- 

 plied to Romanus for fuccour ; but the price of his afTift- 

 ance was fo enormous, that they \»'ere incapable of purchaf- 

 ing it. Their application by two deputies to the emperor 

 Valentinian was equally unavailing ; for though he deputed 

 Palladius to examine the flate of Africa, and the conduft of 

 Romanus, he behaved in fuch a manner that, for concealing 

 1.13 own guilt, he was under a neceffity of attefting the inno- 

 cence and merit of tlie Count. The charge of tlie Tripo- 

 litans was declared to be falfe and frivolous j the citizens of 

 Leptis were compelled to contradift the truth of their own 

 decrees, and to cenfure the behaviour of their own depu- 

 ties ; the prelident of Tripoli, who had prefumed to pity 

 the dillrefs of the province, was publicly executed at Uti- 

 ca ; four diftinguillied citizens were put to death, as accom- 

 plices of the imaginary fraud, and the tongues of two others 

 were cut out, by the exprefs order of the favage emperor. 

 Romanus was continued in the command, till tlie Africans 

 were provoked, by his avarice, to join the rebcllioiis Itandard 



