i 4 6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



pany him to the court. The fir ft: flep was to name Roderi- 

 go de Lima ambaffador from the king of Portugal, inflead 

 of Galvan, who was dead ; and, for his fuite, George de 

 Ereu, Lopez de Gama, John Scolare Secretary to the am- 

 baflador, John Gonfalvez his factor and interpreter, Emma- 

 nuel de Mare organift, Peter Lopez, Matter John his phyfi- 

 cian, Gafpar Pereira, and Lazarus d'Andrad a painter. The 

 three chaplains were John Fernandes, Peter Alphonfo Men- 

 dez, and Francifco Alvarez. In this company alfo went 

 Matthew, the Abyffinian ambafTador returned from Portu- 

 gal, and with him three Portuguese, one called Magailanes, 

 the other Alvaremgo, and the third Diego Fernandes. 



It feemed probable, the fevere blow which David had given 

 to the king of Adel, by the total deftruftion of his army on 

 the death of his general MafFudi, would have procured a 

 ceffation of hoftilities to the Abyffinian frontiers, which they 

 had not experienced during the life of that general ; but it 

 appeared afterwards, that, increafed in riches and popula- 

 tion by the great acceflion of power which followed the in- 

 terruption of the Indian trade in Arabia by the Turkifh 

 conqueil, far from entertaining thoughts of peace, they were 

 rather meditating a more formidable manner of attack, by 

 training themfelves to the ufe of fire-arms and artillery, of 

 which they had, provided a quantity, and to which the At 

 byffinians were as yet ftrangers. 



• * 

 The king was encamped in Shoa, covering and keeping 

 in awe his Mahometan provinces, Fatigar and Dawaro ; be- 

 fides which he feemed to have no object but the conqueil 

 of the Dobas, that bordered equally upon the Moorifh and 

 Chriilian frontiers, and who (though generally gained by 



the 



