56 
TRAVELS IN ABYSSINIA, 
About this time a civil dissension arose, in 
which the missionaries were very nearly involved. 
The viceroy of Tigre had married a daughter of 
the emperor ; but that lady, instead of paying any 
regard to her conjugal duties, abandoned herself 
to every species of dissoluteness. The viceroy, it 
seems, ** was more nice in that matter than peo- 
" pie of rank in this country generally are." It 
would seem as if the father thought the nicety 
somewhat superfluous ; though he admits, that it 
requires a considerable degree of patience to en- 
dure such injuries. " The viceroy's virtue," says 
he, " was not proof against this temptation ; he 
" fell into a deep melancholy," and made bitter 
complaints to the emperor of the scandalous con- 
duct of his daughter. That monarch, it appears, 
treated the affair very lightly, which more and 
more exasperated the viceroy, till he at length de- 
termined to raise the standard of revolt. In this 
crisis he applied for the aid of the Abyssinian 
priests, who readily promised to espouse his cause, 
provided he would assist them in putting to death 
all the Romish missionaries. The viceroy, though 
on a pretty intimate footing with Lobo, listened 
only to the dictates of policy, and promised every 
thing to the priests. He used various stratagems 
and allurements to draw the father into his power, 
and the latter had even set out to visit him ; but 
learning fully the course which the prince was 
