1843.] and the Abyssinian Church. 723 



were lightly launched in civil disputes, and the souls of the royal coun- 

 cillors of the state were committed to the devil for daring to question the 

 authority of the foreign priest. Conspiracies were hatched against the 

 imperial person, and the body of a distinguished nonconformist ecclesi- 

 astic, which had been interred within the walls of the church, was 

 exhumed by the orders of the Portuguese prelate, and thrown to the 

 wild beasts ; an action which raised the indignation of the Ethiopians to 

 the highest pitch against a set of men, who had ever the words of 

 religion in their mouth ; but who, after persecuting the living, denied 

 even to the dead that repose which neither Pagan nor Mahomedan 

 ever disturbed. 



The detestation of the fathers and their religion daily waxed stronger 

 in the hearts of all. Their great patron, Ras Cella Christos, was de- 

 prived of power and property for seditious attempts, and the bold moun- 

 taineers of Begemedet at length seized their long spears to uphold the 

 faith of their ancestors. The viceroy was driven from the province, and 

 Malcaus, a youth of royal blood appointed defender of the ancient 

 religion, and leader of the armed host of peasants, who flocked to his 

 standard from all parts of the country ; but especially from Lasta, the 

 seat of the bravest warriors of the land. 



To quell this insurrection, the emperor assembled in Godjam an army 

 of twenty-five thousand men, and attacked the insurgents among their 

 strong-holds. His troops were, however, repulsed at all points, with the 

 loss of many officers and men, and he was reluctantly obliged to retreat 

 to the plains. Deputies followed from the victorious camp, to suppli- 

 cate him to take pity upon his subjects, and to dismiss those evil- 

 minded strangers, who had so long oppressed Abyssinia. The royal 

 army was in no heart or condition to renew hostilities ; rumours went 

 through the land that angels sent from heaven had proclaimed the res- 

 toration of the ancient religion, and in the general excitement the king 

 perceived that his own authority would be fatally compromised, unless 

 some concessions were made. 



But the Patriarch was inflexible, and letters were at the same time 

 received from Rome, instigating the emperor to combat stoutly with his 

 rebellious subjects, and extending to Ethiopia the general absolution 

 of the great year of Jubilee. The unhappy inhabitants laughed to 

 scorn the offer of this indulgence, and were utterly unable to com pre- 



