Miserable indeed appeared the chance of conversion; and after a fierce
struggle of thirty years, there remained not one priest of the Romish
faith to administer the sacraments to the numerous European settlers and
descendants in the country. Even the Jesuits themselves lost heart for
the time; but the zeal of Philip the Second stirred the dying embers,
and fresh candidates for strife, honour, and martyrdom, were soon in the
field.
Peter Pero Pays and Antonio de Montzerado, disguised as Armenian
merchants, first attempted the perilous undertaking; but being wrecked
upon the Arabian coast, they were recognised as Christian ministers, and
languished during seven years in a Moslem dungeon.
Goa next poured forth her priests to the ineffectual contest. In
seeking the promised land, Abraham de Georgis was discovered in Turkish
garb on the island of Massowah, and the governor swore by the holy
Prophet, that, since the kafir had donned the attire of the true
believer, he should also adopt the tenets of the true faith, or die the
death of a dog. But the Jesuit clung to his creed, and suffered
accordingly; and, shortly afterwards, Jean Baptiste being detected in
assumed costume, by the Turks of Comera, he also shared the same fate as
his immediate predecessor, in the thorny path of martyrdom.
Thus even the road itself seemed to close, and all intercourse was
denied with a country wherein the presence of Europeans was neither
desired nor permitted; and which would have been suffered to remain
unmolested, had not exaggerated ideas of its wealth still pervaded the
imagination of all classes throughout the western world.
Don Alexis de Menezez, the zealous Archbishop of Goa, who had already
with fire and sword propagated Christianity throughout Malabar, now
entered the lists, and his sagacious and discerning mind selected the
vicar of Saint Anne as a fit tool for the execution of his project.
Melchior Sylva, a converted Brahmin, might, from his colour and
language, pass through the Turkish wicket. His zeal was great as that
of his superior, and the valuable presents whereof he was made the
bearer, might prove a bait sufficiently tempting to lure the simple
Abyssinian into a fresh connexion.
The intelligence of his safe arrival, and of the gracious reception of
the presents, again roused the ardent spirit of the order of Jesus; and
Peter Pays was quickly ransomed from the Arabs, and despatched with a
full train of priests to Ethiopia, where he arrived in September of the
year 1603.
Superior in every respect to his predecessors, this missionary, instead
of attempting to carry his measures by force and overbearing insolence,
sought the softer path of insinuation; and whilst his extensive
knowledge and plausible address proved strong recommendations in his
favour, many circumstances also conspired to forward his views. The
country was in a most unsettled state, and the assistance of a few
Portuguese troops could turn the scale of war. The condition of the
church was low and miserable. Eighty years of incessant strife and
distraction had crushed the very name of learning and literature. Few
persons were to be found who could read, write, or dispute. Ignorant
and unworthy men filled every sacred office; and the ancient defenders
of the Alexandrian faith had been swept away on the battlefield.
Amidst wars, and rumours of wars, Peter quietly settled with his
followers at Maiguagua. Schools were opened, and the wonder ran through
the land, that youths of tender age could refute the most learned sages
of the wilderness of Walkayet. The curiosity of Za Dengel, the
temporary occupant of the throne, was excited, and Peter, with his
erudite pupils, was summoned to the court.
Prompted by the hope of obtaining assistance from Portugal, this weak
prince, under an oath of secrecy, immediately embraced the religion of
his guest. But his time was fully occupied in the more worldly object
of strengthening himself upon a throne to which he had been elevated by
his evil genius; and the falling away from the faith of his forefathers
being at length whispered abroad, a rebellion was the consequence.
The approaching storm having been perceived by the monk, he withdrew
from court before the burst of a revolution, which for some time crushed
his every hope of success. The Emperor was slain. New aspirants strove
for the ascendency; and war reigned for a season throughout the entire
land.
Confident in the near approach of Portuguese troops, which had been
requested when Sylva carried to India the tidings of the first
conversion, Peter now resolved upon the bold game of espousing the
weaker party, and thus gaining a firmer hold in event of success. The
expected reinforcements did not, however, arrive in time; and the defeat
and death of his _protege_ was followed by the advancement of the
pretender Susneus to the throne of the empire.
Notwithstanding his appearance as a declared partisan in the opposing
ranks, Peter's abilities as an architect now created a fresh diversion
in his favour. The novel idea of a two-storied edifice engrossed the
thoughts of the reigning king; and men flocked from the remotest parts
of the country to gaze upon a fabric of stone, which was considered to
be one of the wonders of the world. A missionary possessing the varied
abilities and acquirements of Pays could not be long in gaining
ascendency over a rude and illiterate monarch; and by address and
perseverance he had soon effected that which the threats and violence of
his predecessors had vainly attempted during a long course of years.
Ras Sela Christos, brother to the Emperor, was the first-fruit of the
harvest. Partaking of the holy supper with the Latins, he publicly
embraced their religion, and many chiefs and nobles followed his
illustrious example. Crowded assemblies were held, in which the
eloquence of the Jesuits entirely bore down the feeble efforts of the
ignorant and uncultivated natives. The holiness of life which was
strictly preserved among the neophytes and proselytes of the Catholics,
added to the impression entertained of their wisdom; and the
introduction of useful arts, raised the glory of the fathers still
higher in the land; and the prospect of the aid of disciplined soldiers
from the West overturned the last remaining scruple in the mind of the
monarch.
An edict was published interdicting all persons from holding office who
were not well inclined towards the Latin religion; and severe
punishments were threatened for the promulgation of ancient doctrines.
Assistance was solicited from Rome and Lisbon; and the work of European
persecution favourably commenced, by scourging with whips all those
stubborn monks who refused to forego their ancient belief.
Abba Simeon, the Abuna, repaired to the court to remonstrate with the
Emperor on the scandalous interference with his prerogatives in
convening meetings and authorising debates upon ecclesiastical matters;
but his pride was timely soothed by the royal assurance that all had
been undertaken for the benefit of true religion, and that the subject
should be fully discussed in his own presence. Again the subtilties and
dialectics of the missionaries prevailed; and the total defeat of the
Patriarch and his clergy was followed by a second more severe ordinance,
awarding the penalty of death to all who should henceforth deny the two
natures of Christ.
Wonderful was the sensation created by this severe edict, so
diametrically at variance with the mild spirit of religion, and with all
the ancient usages of the land. Aware of the feelings of the strong
party at court, as well as of the entire body of the people, the Abuna
placarded on the doors of the chapels an excommunication of all who
should accept the religion of the Franks; and the monarch, irritated by
this resistance, published a manifesto, "That his subjects should
forthwith embrace the Catholic faith."
This served as the signal-trumpet for the fight. All classes armed
themselves in defence of their religion; and Aelius, the king's
son-in-law, placed himself at the head of the malcontents in Tigre.
Not yet thoroughly prepared for the struggle, the Emperor found it
convenient for a time to temporise, and requested one further debate,
which was to prove final between the disputants. The mild Abuna
listened to the proposal, and accompanied by a large train of monks
appeared in the royal camp, whilst the Jesuit and his colleagues
advanced into the arena from the opposite side. The controversy was
renewed, and raged fiercely for six days; but disputes in religion are
seldom adjusted by the reasoning of the doctors, and the parties
withdrew mutually incensed against each other.
One further effort was made to restore the disturbed harmony. The
Empress Hamilmala, and many of the courtiers, with tears implored the
king to desist from his undertaking; and the patriarch and the clergy,
throwing themselves prostrate on the earth, embraced his knees, and
entreated him to turn a deaf ear to the poisonous insinuations of the
deceitful Jesuits, and graciously to allow his subjects to remain
faithful to the religion of their forefathers. But the heart of the
monarch remained closed to the prayer. The Abuna quitted the court,
plunged in the deepest distress, and a bloody war ensued, which shook
the empire to its foundation.
When Aelius fully understood the last resolution taken by his
father-in-law, to defend the Catholics and their religion, he publicly
appealed to the people of Tigre, and proclaimed that all who were
disposed to embrace the Jesuitical faith might repair to the deluded
Emperor, whilst those who held to the ancient belief should forthwith
gather under his standard. Finding himself shortly afterwards at the
head of a large army, he marched towards the royal camp, resolved to
establish the received doctrine of the land, or to perish in the
attempt.
Abba Simeon, who had attained the venerable age of one hundred years,
joined the army of the defenders of the Alexandrian faith; and in giving
them his patriarchal blessing, assured the soldiery that all who should
fall in the combat died the death of the martyr, and would receive the
reward in heaven. The desired effect was produced, and the hearts of
the entire force burned with one eager zeal to meet the accursed enemies
of their religion.
On the appearance of the inflamed force a reconciliation was attempted,
and the daughter of the Emperor was made the bearer of terms to her
rebel lord. Her tears and entreaties were, however, totally
disregarded. The impetuous youth prepared for instant attack; and the
princess had barely time to regain her father's tent, when hostilities
were commenced.
The soldiers of the viceroy rushed furiously upon the royal encampment,
and Aelius succeeded in forcing his way, at the head of a small body of
troops, to the very pavilion of his father-in-law. But he was here
struck from his horse by a stone, and stabbed upon the ground. A panic
seized the army of the fallen leader, and the rabble, casting away their
arms, fled in all directions.
The aged Abuna found himself alone and deserted in the same spot which
he had occupied during the attack. His years and high clerical bearing
disarmed the violence of the Abyssinian soldiery; but a Portuguese
partisan at length threw himself upon the patriarch, and, regardless of
his white and venerable hairs, transfixed him with a spear. A frightful
massacre ensued; and the heads of the principal leaders of the
unsuccessful rebellion were exposed on the gates of the capital as a
bloody warning to the seditious.
Volume 3, Chapter XIV.