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It was, therefore, agreed,: in return to Yafous's mefiage 

 by Ouftas, to anfwer, That, after fo long a reign, and fo 

 much bloodfhed, the king would do well to retire to fome 

 convent for the reft of his life, and atone for the many great 

 fins he had committed ; and. that he fhould leave the king- 

 dom in the hands of his fon Tecla Haimanout,. as the an- 

 cient king Caleb had refigned his crown into the hands o£ 

 St Pantaleon in favour of his fon Guebra Mafcal. As it was, 

 not very fafe to deliver fuch a meflage to a king fuch as<, 

 Yafous, it was therefore fent to him by a common foot-fol*- 

 dier, who could not be anobjecl:, of refentment,. 



The king received it at Tchekla Wunze, the iiland in 

 the lake Tzana, where he was then.refiding.. He anfwered 

 with great fliarpnefs, by the fame mefTenger, " That he 

 bad been long informed who thefe were that had feduced; 

 his fon, Tecla Haimanout, at once from his duty to him as. 

 his father, and his allegiance as his fovereign ; that though; 

 he did not hold them to be equal. in fanctity to St Pantaleon,, 

 yet, fuch as they were, he propofed immediately to meet 

 them at, Gondar* and fettle there his fon's coronation." 



This ironical meiTage was perfe&ly underftood. Thofe 

 ©f the court that were with Tecla Haimanout, and the inha* 

 bitants of the capital, met together,, and bound themfelves 

 by a folemn oath to live andjdie with their king Tecla Hai- 

 manout. The feverity of Yafous was well known; his pro- 

 vocation now was a juft one; and the meafure of vengeance- 

 that awaited them, every one concerned knew to be fuch? 

 that there was no alternative but death or victory. 



Neither 



