THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 131 



"been long accuftomed to go to the feveral kingdoms of the 

 Eaft upon mercantile commiflions for the king and for 

 his nobles. He had been at Cairo, Jerufalem, Ormus, Ifpa- 

 han, and in the Eafl Indies on the coaft of Malabar ; both 

 in places conquered by the Portuguefe, and in thofe that 

 yet held out under their native Pagan princes. He was 

 one of thofe factors which, as I have already faid, are em- 

 ployed hy the king and great men in AbyiTinia to fell or bar^ 

 ter, in the places above mentioned, fuch part of their re- 

 venue as are paid them in kind, 



These men are chiefly Greeks, or Armenians, but the 

 preference is always given to the latter. Both nations pay 

 caratch, or capitation, to the Grand Signior, (whofe fub- 

 jects they are) and both have, in confequence,,pafsports, pro- 

 tections, and liberty to trade wherever they pleafe through- 

 out the empire, without being liable to thofe infults and 

 extortions from the Turkim officers that other ilrangers are. 



The Armenians, of all the people in the Eaft, are thofe 

 moft remarkable for their patience and fobriety. They are 

 generally matters of moll of the eaflern languages; are of 

 ftrong, robufl conllitutions ; of all people, the moll attentive 

 to the beafls and merchandife they have in charge ; exceed- 

 ingly faithful, and content with little. This Matthew, queen 

 Helena chofe for her ambanador to Portugal, and joined a 

 young Abymnian with him, who died in the voyage. He was 

 charged with letters to the king, which, with the other dis- 

 patches, as they are long, and abound with fiction and bom- 

 ball rather than truth and fafls, I have not troubled myfelf to 

 tranfcribe ; they are, befides, in many printed collections*. 



R 2 It 



* Vide Marmol, vol. i. cap. 37. 



