THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ioj 



eer having coil little lefs than all prince Henry's difcoveries- 

 together had done. 



But Heaven rewarded. the wifdom of the king by a dis- 

 covery, the confequences- of which more than overpaid him, 

 in his mind, for his lofs. Prince Henry's principal view was 

 to difcover the way to India by the fouthern Cape of Africa ° y 

 but this as yet was not known to be* pomble. In order to 

 remedy a difappointment, if any fuch happened in this 

 fea-voyage, another was attempted by land. We have feen 

 that the common track for the Indian trade was from the 

 eaft to the weft fea, through the deferr, the whole breadth 

 of Africa. Prince Henry had projected a route parallel to. 

 this to the fouthward, through a Chriflian country : For it 

 had been long reported by the Chriftians from Jerufalem.^ 

 that a number of 'monks reforted thither, fubjects of a 

 Chriftian prince in the very heart of Africa, whofe domi- 

 nions were faid to reach, from the eaft to the weft fea. Se- 

 veral of thefe monks had been met at. Alexandria, whofe 

 patriarch had the fole right to fend a metropolitan into that 

 country. Thefe facts, though often known, had been as 

 often forgot by the weftern Chriftians. Marco Paulo*, a Ve- 

 netian traveller, had much confufed theflory, by faying he 

 had met, in his travels through Tartary, with this prince 3 „ 

 who they all agreed was a prieft, and was called Joannes 

 Prefbyter Prete Janni, orPrefter John. 



The king of Portugal,. therefore* chofe Peter Co villan and 

 Alphonfo de Paiva for his ambafladors. Covillan was a man 



qualified 



* Set Marco Paulo's Tiavds into Tartary. 



