154 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



the Royal family refided in Shoa. All the churches in A* 

 byflinia are thatched. Some of Roderigo's own retinue, who 

 bore him ill-will, had put it into the king's head how ele- 

 gant this church would be if covered with lead, a thing 

 he certainly could have no idea of. He afked Don Roderigo, 

 whether the king of Portugal could not fend him as much 

 iheet-lead as would ferve to cover that church? To which 

 the ambaffador replied, That the king of Portugal, upon bare 

 mentioning the thing, would fend him as much fheet- 

 lead* as would cover not only that church, but all the other 

 churches he mould ever build in Abyilinia ; and, after all*, 

 the prefent would be but a trifling one. 



Immediately upon this the king changed his difcourfe;. 

 and obferved to the ambaffador, in a very ferious tone of voice, 

 " That, fmce they were now upon the fubje<5t of prefents, hs 

 could not help letting the king of Portugal know, that, if 

 ever he fent an ambanador again into that country, he 

 mould take care to accompany him with prefents of value, 

 for other wife ftranger ambaffadors that ventured to come 

 before him without thefe were very ill received." To which 

 the ambaffador returned warmly, " That it was very far from 

 being the cuftom of the king of Portugal to fend prefents to 

 any king upon earth; that, having no fuperior, it was ufual 

 for him^only toreceive them from others, and to accept them 

 or not, according to his royal pleafure ; for it was infinitely 

 below him to confider what was the value of the prefent it- 

 felf. He then defired the king of Abyflinia might be in- 

 formed, that he, Don Roderigo, came ambaffador from tho 

 general of the Indies, and not from the king of Portugal ; 

 neverthelefs, when the king of Portugal had lately difpat di- 

 ed: 



* Alvarez Hiijojre d'E:h|opic. p. 157. 



