MEMOIR OF BRUCE. 
19 
who laboured to connect the ecclesiastical affairs of 
that country with those of the patriarchate of Alex- 
andria. 
It was not until the epoch when the Portuguese, 
attracted at once hy their love of gold and their 
zeal for making converts to the Romish faith, pene- 
trated into Eastern Africa, that any degree of 
knowledge was obtained respecting its political con- 
dition, or its natural productions. The grand object 
of their maritime as well as their missionary exer- 
tions, was, as is well known, to reach the territory 
of that celebrated and mysterious personage called 
Prester John, whom they believed to be the king of 
the Christians and emperor of Ethiopia. Their 
pious curiosity was at length rewarded hy the dis- 
covery, or the supposed discovery, that the dominion 
of this second Melchizedek was no other than Abys- 
sinia. The error indeed was afterwards detected, 
but it had the effect of stimulating their apostolical 
zeal, and obtaining from eye-witnesses a more en- 
larged and accurate account of the country than had 
then reached Europe. The travels of the Jesuits in 
the sixteenth century, while labouring to propagate 
their faith among the natives,' are detailed in the 
Collection compiled by Father Baltkazzar Tellez, 
whose curious volume may be regarded as the first 
attempt to compose a general history of Ethiopia. 
One of these missionaries, Peter Paez, who set 
out in 1589, is generally alleged to have visited the 
sources of the Nile ; at least his description of them* 
as quoted by Kircher, strongly resembles that after- 
