2-322 MODERN PART OF AN Universal History, FROM THE Earlieft ACCOUNT of TIME. Compiled from ORIGINAL WRITER S. By the AUTHORS of the ANTIENT PART. VOL. XV. IN RECTO DE CVS LONDON: Printed for S. RICHARDSON, T. OSBORNE, C. HITCH, M.DCC.LX. [1] Modern Hiftory: BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE Universal History. BOOK XVI. CHA P. IV. The Hiftory of Abiffinia, or Upper Ethiopia. SECT. I. Giving an Account of the principal modern Authors, quoted through the Course of this Chapter; and of fundry Stratagems made ufe of to open a Commerce with that Empire. WR E have already given in our ancient hiftory the best account we could of this vaft, and, in most respects, unknown empire, its limits, inhabitants, cities, &c. as far as they were known to the ancient writers, and the records they have left us of them would allow; and if the Abiffinia greater part of what not only they, but others of a more mo- little dern date, have written of it, be either too fabulous or un- known to certain, either with regard to its true fituation, extent and the anboundaries, as well as with relation to it nature, climate, &c. it tients and moderns muft be chiefly afcribed to that erroneous notion, which reigned fo long among hiftorians and geographers, that all the countries that lay fo near the equinoctial line, were, for the moft part, wafte and uninhabitable; and to the fame cause we must attribute that fo much lefs hath been written of it than of many others, and that what we meet with concerning it, Vol. xviii. p. 253, & feq. b Confer Atlas JOHNSON, MERCATOR, JOHN DE PARROS Decad. Afixe 3. & al. MOD. HIST. VOL. XV. A before till frequented by the Portu guefe. before the Portuguese found means to introduce themselves into it, appears at the best uncouth and unfatisfactory; fo that it is entirely to the difcoveries which these have been enabled to make by their abode in those parts, and their own intimate acquaintance with their inhabitants, that we are obliged for that more perfect knowlege we have of them; Why fo perfect only, we mean, in comparison of what we had begreat dif fore they published their accounts of this great empire; tho' ference fill till vaftly fhort of it, on account of the diffonancy we find in their ac- between them, in many refpects, for want of proper means, counts of it. as well as time, for making their obfervations with greater exactness and certainty, concerning the true fituation of the whole country in general, and that of most of its provinces and places of note in particular. We fhould perhaps more truly account for the great difference and imperfection which reign thro' the greatest part of their maps, both with regard to the extent, limits, longitude and latitude, &c. as well as in their descriptions of the inland parts, if we were to say, that thofe good fathers, jefuits and others, who were sent miffionaries thither, to reduce the Abiffinian church to the obedience of the fee of Rome, had their hearts and minds too Their over full of this one important point, to find leifure for leffer difzeal to coveries; which being of fuch a nature as would rather exconvert cite the jealousy than admiration of that rude and ignorant people, they thought might be more fitly poftponed till the tives occa- main end of their miffion was once gained; after which they fions their might, with more pleasure and fafety, attend to the other lefs momentous branches of it. The misfortune was, that their untimely zeal for obtaining the one, brought such a dreadful and general perfecution upon them, as hath at once quashed all the hopes and profpect of regaining either; not only the miffionaries of all denominations, but the very names of Portuguefe and Franks, by which they called the Europeans, are become deteftable to the whole Abiffinian nation, and are hardly ever mentioned without fome curfe or hateful epithet c. the na expulfion. All parts WHAT occafioned this fudden and furprifing change, after the Portuguese had been fo kindly invited thither by one of their empreffes, had done her and fome of her fucceffors fuch fignal fervices, for which they were raised to the highest degree of esteem and confidence in the Abiffinian court, will be beft feen in the courfe of this hiftory: at prefent, it will be ceffible to fufficient to fay, that for their fakes all accefs to any part of that kingdom is, fince their expulfion, become to the laft de of it become inac the Euro peans. TELLEZ, PONCET, LUDOLPH, MAILLET, & al. plur. gree gree dangerous, and in fome measure impracticable, to all Europeans, in any difguife, or under any pretence whatfoever. All the paffes to it are guarded with the utmost diligence; and no fooner doth a stranger offer himself at any of their frontiers, but he is immediately examined from head to foot, to fee whether he carries any arms, letters, books, writings, or any other thing that is liable to fufpicion: his fkin, hair, complexion, fhape, &c. are fcrupulously fcrutinized, and especially whether he carries with him the fcar of circumcifion; which examen is the more easily made, as the travellers into those hot climes hardly wear any other covering than a blue linen fhirt; for none here, not even fubjects, are permitted to wear either cap, hofe, or flippers; that being the peculiar privilege of the emperor. The knowlege of the Ethiopic language, and the dark olive complexion, are no lefs neceflary to help an European to pafs unfufpected, than the mark of circumcifion and this fear of admitting any fpies or dangerous perfons into their dominions, not only makes them thus ftrict and diligent in examining every paffenger, but likewise very fevere on all thofe who run the risk of coming thither unprovided for fuch a fcrutiny ; an instance of which strict severity the reader may fee in the mar gin, out of the last quoted author, who refided at Cairo, as conful to the French nation, many years after the time in which it happened (A). : d UPON MAILLET defcript. d' Egypte, vol. ii. letter 8, Hague edit. p. 82. (A) The Abiffinian emperor having heard fome of his officers, whom he had fent to Cairo, give a certain Capuchin friar, then reficing in that city, large commendations for his excellent fkill in phyfic, and furprising fuccefs in curing variety of difeafes, fent him a kind invitation to come and fettle at his court, which he readily complied with; but whilst he was making preparations for that journey, fome other monks, of the fame Francifcan order, took it into their heads that that invitation might extend to all that were killed in that art, of which most of thofe good fathers take care to gain a com petent knowlege, that being the most effectual means of introducing them among thofe (otherwile jealous) princes, and procuring them an honourable protection and livelihood. In this perfuafion, fome of them ventured, unknown to the Capuchin, to get to that court fome time before him, in hopes of meeting the fame reception there; and upon their first appearing on the frontiers, news were dispatched to the emperor of their arrival; who fent immediate orders to have them fafely conveyed to him, not doubting but his Capuchin was at the head of them, and that the others were only his aff.ftA 2 ants |