36 
TRAVELS IN ABYSSINIA. 
A missionary possessed of the abilities and in- 
formation of Payz, could not be long of gaining 
an ascendency over a rude and illiterate monarch* 
By address and persuasion he effected, in a few 
days, what the threats and violence of his prede- 
cessors had vainly attempted during a series of 
years. The king not only professed himself a con- 
vert to the Romish faith, but made it the establish- 
ed religion of his dominions, which it continued to 
be for a long series of years. It is to be regret- 
ted, that we do not possess the journal of a 
missionary so much superior in intelligence to 
any of those who either went before, or succeeded 
him. His manuscripts are said to have been 
widely circulated among the Jesuits, so that they 
are probably still in existence, though they have 
never been published. Some of his observations 
only are recorded by Tellez, to whom they were 
transmitted by Almeyda. 
Payz found the emperor at Ondegere, on the 
banks of his " celebrated and native Nile," near 
the place where it falls into the lake of Dembea. 
Here he held his arrayal or camp, in which con- 
sisted all the court of Ethiopia, and all that could 
be reckoned a capital. It was enclosed within 
two large circles, formed by a stone wall, and a. 
lofty hedge ; and within were a number of houses, 
built partly of stone and partly of clay, with roofs 
of straw. Herein, says the writer, " consist all 
