2 7 o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



place in Ethiopia, after the king, and governor of Go- 

 jam, one of the largeft and richeft provinces in Abyflinia. 

 But he foon after again forfook Jacob, fwore allegiance to 

 Socinios, and joined him. 



Not content with all this, he began to form fome new 

 defigns while with the court at Coga; and, having faid to 

 fome of the king's fervants, over wine, that it was prophe- 

 fied to him he mould kill three kings, which he had veri- 

 fied in two, and was waiting for the third, this fpeech was 

 repeated to Socinios, who ordered Za Selaffe to be appre- 

 hended ; and, though he moil juftly deferved death, the king 

 mercifully commuted his punifhment to banifliment to the 

 top of Ouree Amba, which fignifies the Great Mountain upon 

 the high ridge, called Gufman, near the banks of the Nile ; 

 and, though clofe confined in the caves on the top of that 

 mountain, after a year's imprifonment he efcaped to Wal- 

 aka, and there declared himfelf captain of a band of rob- 

 bers, with which he infefted the province of Gojam, when 

 he was {lain by a peafant, and his head cut off and lent to 

 Socinios, who very much rejoiced in the prefent, and dif- 

 pofed of it as we have mentioned. 



The fecond piece of intelligence the emperor received 

 was that in the mountains of Habab, contiguous to Mafuah, 

 where is the famous monaftery of the monks of St Euftathi- 

 us, called Bifan; aperfon appeared calling himfelf Jacob, foil 

 ef Sertza Denghel, and pretending to have efcaped from the 

 battle of Lebart ; thus, taking advantage of the circumflance 

 of Jacob's body not having been found in the field among 

 the dead after that engagement, he pretended he had been 

 fo grievoufly wounded in the teeth and face ( that it was 



not 



