34 
TRAVELS IN ABYSSINIA. 
the whole reign of Adamas, the persecution 
against him never experienced any remission. 
The Pope, moved by the doleful accounts which 
he continually transmitted of his sufferings, wrote, 
proposing that he should leave Abyssinia, and un- 
dertake some less turbulent mission. Oviedo de- 
clined this offer ; but solicited without intermis- 
sion 1500 Portuguese troops, with which he un- 
dertook to convert not only Abyssinia, but all the 
neighbouring kingdoms. But though the king of 
Portugal shewed some disposition to adopt this 
suggestion, his zeal was never sufficiently ardent 
to carry it finally into effect. Oviedo died at Fre- 
9 mona in 1577. 
The next person who took a lead in the affairs 
of the Portuguese in Ethiopia was Pero Payz, who, 
along with Antonio de Montserrat, set out from 
Goa in February 1589. In passing through the 
Red Sea, he was taken captive by the Turks, and 
detained in captivity seven years. At the end of 
that time he was ransomed, and proceeded into 
Abyssinia. After being well received by his coun- 
trymen at Fremona, he went forward to visit the 
emperor. Payz appears to have been a man supe- 
rior in every respect to his predecessors in the 
same situation. Instead of endeavouring to carry 
every thing by main force, and overbearing inso- 
lence, he sought to ingratiate himself with the 
emperor j and his extensive information and ad- 
