4 2o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



have delivered the patriarch into his hands ; and, every one 

 that reads it mull allow, fuch language from a low-born 

 prieft to a king, deferved every exemplary punifhment of- 

 fended royalty could inflict : It would not have been mild r 

 had fuch liberty been taken by a ftranger in his native coun- 

 try, Portugal. 



The patriarch accufes Facilidas with the crime commit- 

 ted by Abfalom, which is, I fuppofe, debauching his father's 

 wives and concubines. But, unluckily for the truth of this 

 ftory, we have the Jefuit's own teftimony, that Socinios had 

 put away his wives and concubines before he embraced the 

 Catholic religion, fo at his father's death this was impof- 

 fible, unlefs he could commit inceft with his own mother, 

 who was at that time a woman near fixty. But we mall 

 fuppofe that they exifted, were never married, and, at the 

 time of their being put away, they were 18 years of age at 

 an average. The king put them away in the year 162 1 ; 

 and therefore, in the year 1634, they would be 30 years of^ 

 age ; and any body that has feen the effects that number of 

 years has upon Abyflinian beauty, muft confefs they could! 

 be no great temptation to a prince.. 



The next calumny mentioned in this libel is, the murder- 

 of his brother Claudius, nay, of all his brothers. Now we have 

 feen, in the hiflory of his reign, that Claudius had fairly for- 

 feited his life by a meditated fratricide, and by an overt act 

 of rebellion in which he was taken prifoner. Yetfo mild 

 and placable was Facilidas, that he refufed to put him to 

 death, but fent him prifoner to the mountain of Wechne, and 

 mercifully revived the ancient ufage of banifhing the princes 

 ef the blood- royaL to the mountain, inftead of executing 



thenu 



