6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



by this his inauguration name; his Chriftian name was 

 Guebra Mafcal. His reign began with a fcene as difgrace- 

 ful to the name of Chriftian as it was new in the annals of 

 Ethiopia, and which promifed a character very different 

 from what this prince preferved ever afterwards. He had 

 for a time, it feems, privately loved a concubine of his fa- 

 ther, but had now taken her to live with him publicly ; 

 and, not content with committing this fort of inceft, he, in 

 -a very little time after, had feduced his two filters. 



Tegulat * (the capital of Shoa) was then the royal refi- 

 dence ; and near it the monaftery of Debra Libanos, found- 

 ed by Tecia Haimanout reftorer of the line of Solomon. To 

 this monaftery many men, eminent for learning and religion, 

 had retired from the fcenes of war that defolated Paleftine 

 and Egypt. Among the number of thefe was one Hono- 

 rius, a Monk of the firft character for piety, who, fince, has 

 been canonized as a faint. Honorius thought it his duty 

 firft to admonilh, and then publicly excommunicate the 

 king for thefe crimes. 



It mould feem that patience was as little among this 

 prince's virtues as chaftity, as he immediately ordered Ho- 

 norius to be apprehended, ftripped naked, and feverely 

 whipped through every ftreet of his capital. That fame 

 night the town took lire, and was entirely confumed, and 

 the clergy loft no time to perfuade the people, that it was 

 the blood of Honorius that turned to fire whenever it had 

 dropt upon the ground, and fo had burnt the city. The 



king, 



* The city of Wolves, or Hyssnas. 



