Cz TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



W ED EM ASFERL 



From 1370 to 1380. 

 Memoirs of this and the following Reign defeclive. 



WE know nothing of this prince, only that he fucceed- 

 ed his father Saif Araad, and reigned ten years ; yet 

 his name, which fignifi.es lover of war ^ feems to indicate an ac- 

 tive reign. It is remarkable, that in this reign is firil men- 

 tioned an asra of Abyflinian chronology, which has very 

 much puzzled feveral learned writers, and the origin of 

 which is not, perhaps, yet fully known. This is that epoch, 

 called that of Maharat, or Mercy, which Scaliger and Ludolf 

 have called the cera of grace. Scaliger fays, he has toiled 

 much before he found out what it was ; and I doubt his 

 toil has not been bleiTed with all the fuccefs we could wifh. 

 That it is not the aera of redemption, is plain upon a hun- 

 dred trials, nor of the converfion, nor of Dioclefian. What 

 it alludes to we know not, but it is firft quoted in the Abyf- 

 ffinian hiflory in this reign, and anfwers to the year 1348 

 of Ghrift ; but from what event it had its origin we cannot 

 pofitively fay, nor further, than that all which Scaliger has 

 faid concerning it is merely vifionary, 



1 DAVID 



