442 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



poilible magnificence, and with every mark of fincerc 

 grief. 



Though the prophets had not juft fucceeded in what 

 they foretold, they kept neverthelefs a good countenance. 

 It is true that no blood was lhed, nor did the king die be- 

 fore he returned to Gondar ; but his mother died when he 

 was away, and that was much the fame thing, for they 

 contended that it was not a great miftake, from the bare 

 authority of a comet, to err only in the fex of the perfon 

 that was to die ; a queen for a king was very near calcu- 

 lation. As for the bloody ftory, and the king's death, they 

 faid they had miftaken the year in computing, but that 

 it Hill was to happen ( when it pleafed God ) fome other 

 time,. 



Every body agreed that thefe explanations were the befl 

 poilible, excepting the king, who perceived a degree of ma- 

 lice in the foretelling his death and certain lofs of his army 

 juft at the inftant he was taking the field. But he difgui- 

 fed his refentment under ftrong irony, with which he at- 

 tacked thefe diviners inceffantly. He had inquired accu- 

 rately the day of his mother's death : " How is it, fays he to 

 his chaplain, (or kees hatze) that this comet fhould come 

 to forrtd my mother's death, when ihe was dead four days 

 before it appeared ?" Another day, to the fame perfon he 

 faid, " I fear you do my mother too much honour at the 

 e:%:pence of religion. Is it decent to fuppofe that fuch a 

 flar, the moll remarkable appearance at the birth of Chriit„ 

 fhould now be employed on no greater errand than to 

 foretel the death of the daughter of Guebra Mafcal ?" Thefe* 

 and many more fuch railleries^ accounted by thefe vilion- 



aries^ 



