A Sketch of the History of the Kingdom of Abyssinia.
It is a tradition among the Abyssinians, which they say they have had
from time immemorial, and which is equally received by the Jews and
Christians of that country, that, almost immediately after the flood,
Cush, grandson of Noah, with his family, passing through Atbara, then
without inhabitants, came to the chains of mountains which separate the
flat country of Atbara from the elevated part of Abyssinia. The
tradition farther says, that they built the city of Axum early in the
days of Abraham; and that they spread from thence until they became (as
Josephus says) the Meroeetes, or inhabitants of the islands of Meroee.
While population was thus extending towards the north, it is supposed
that the mountains parallel to the Red Sea, which in all times have been
called Saba or Azaba (which means south), became peopled with the
Agaazi, or Shepherds, who first possessed the high country of Abyssinia,
called Tigre, several tribes afterward occupying the other countries,
many of which still retain particular languages of their own.[25]
In the most ancient of these languages, tribes or assemblies of people
are called Habesh, which appellation was therefore supposed to have been
given to the whole country now known to us by the name of Abyssinia.
The inhabitants of Saba, Azab, or Azaba, all of which mean south, were a
separate and distinct people from the Ethiopians or Arabs; and it was a
custom among these Sabeans to have women for their sovereigns in
preference to men.
One of these queens, called Balkis by the Arabs and Maqueda by the
Abyssinians, having heard not only of the wisdom of Solomon, but of the
immense riches which he had accumulated in the north, determined to
witness for herself the reality of scenes, to the description of which
she had listened with so much delight; and, accordingly, this Queen of
Saba (Sheba), Azaba, or the South, suddenly appeared before Solomon.
Pagan, Arab, Moor, Abyssinian, and, indeed, the inhabitants of all the
countries around, vouch for this expedition very nearly in the language
of Scripture, which states, "And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the
fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him
with hard questions;" and again, "The Queen of the South shall rise up
in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for she came
from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and
behold, a greater than Solomon is here."
It is said by the Abyssinians that this Queen of Sheba or Saba left her
country a Pagan; but that, having received Solomon's answers to the hard
questions which she put to him, she returned converted to Judaism,
bringing with her a young child called Menilek, whose paternity was
ascribed to Solomon; and it may here be observed, that both the Jews and
Christians of Abyssinia still believe that the fourteenth Psalm is a
prophecy, not only of their queen's journey to Jerusalem, but that there
she should have a son, who was to be king over a nation of Gentiles.
The Abyssinians declare that Menilek, after residing some years with his
mother, was sent by her to his father, Solomon, to be instructed; that
he then took the name of David, and was anointed and crowned, in the
Temple of Jerusalem, as King of Ethiopia. After this ceremony he is said
to have returned to Azab, or Saba, accompanied by a colony of Jews, and
by a high-priest, Azazias, who brought with him a Hebrew transcript of
the Law. The moment had now arrived for the Queen of Saba to carry her
great and hitherto secret objects into execution. Abyssinia was
converted to the religion of Jerusalem; and, by the last act of the
queen's reign, she settled a new mode of succession to the crown, which
has existed very nearly to the present day.
She enacted, first, that the throne should be hereditary in the family
of Solomon for ever; secondly, that, on her demise, no woman should be
capable of wearing the crown, which should thenceforward descend to
heirs-male, however distant; and, lastly, that the heirs-male of the
royal house should be kept imprisoned on a high mountain, there to
remain until their death, or until they should be called to the throne.
The queen having decreed that these laws should be irrevocable, died,
after a long reign of forty years, in the year 986 before Christ. She
was succeeded by her son Menilek, whose posterity, according to the
annals of Abyssinia, and according to the belief of all the neighbouring
nations, have reigned ever since; their device being a lion passant,
with this motto: "Mo ansaba am Nizilet Solomon am Negade Juda;" which
signifies, "The Lion of the race of Solomon and tribe of Judah hath
overcome."
Separated from the present day by a period of nearly three thousand
years, the history of the Queen of Saba is unavoidably involved in great
obscurity; yet this faint outline of her character denotes a mind
possessed of superior abilities. Secluded in the remote country where
she reigned, it required no inconsiderable enterprise and determination
to have undertaken the great journey which Scripture records that she
performed; and this desire to introduce herself into the society of her
superior, and to become acquainted with a country in a higher state of
civilization than her own, shows a liberality which, in every situation
of life, has always been considered highly creditable. Her wish that her
sex should surrender to man, its natural guardian and protector, the
dignity of command and the power of dominion, is also a remarkable trait
in her character; and, whoever may have been the father of her son
Menilek, in establishing a succession of heirs-male, it was certainly
not impolitic to confer upon him dignity, in the real or imaginary claim
of being descended from the wisest as well as one of the most powerful
of kings.
With respect to her precaution of imprisoning all the heirs-male, in
order the more surely to maintain a succession to the crown, this
involves explanations respecting the habits and manners of the
Abyssinians which will better appear in another place: it may, however,
be here observed, that time is the best test of the fitness of any law
for the particular tribe or people for whom it is designed; and
therefore that, if this law has existed, as we are informed, for nearly
three thousand years, and during that immense period has practically
effected its object, the Queen of Sheba may very fairly be considered as
a person of wisdom, equal at least to many less ancient legislators,
whose laws and families are alike extinct.
We must now leave the Queen of Sheba, and speak of scenes which, being
nearer, are for that reason more worthy of our attention.
About one thousand three hundred years after the death of the queen, and
more than three hundred years after the birth of our Saviour, Meropius,
a Greek philosopher, accompanied by Frumentius and AEdesius, two young
men whom he had educated, embarked on board a vessel in the Red Sea for
India. As they were proceeding on their voyage, the vessel was wrecked
on the coast of Abyssinia, and they were instantly attacked by the
natives, who seemed more merciless than the rocks on which they had been
stranded. Meropius was killed, and the two youths were taken as
prisoners to Axum, which had been made the capital of Abyssinia by
Menilek, who removed his court from its ancient residence at Saba to a
place near Axum, which is called "Adega Daid" (the house of David) to
this day.
Frumentius and AEdesius, having received a good education, in a short
time learned the language of the country; and, as soon as their talents
and acquirements became known, they rose rapidly to distinction. AEdesius
was appointed to be keeper of the king's household, while the young
prince was intrusted to the care of Frumentius, who, after gradually
gaining possession of the affection as well as the mind of his pupil, at
length succeeded in imparting to him a love and veneration for the
Christian religion; and, as soon as this good feeling was confirmed,
Frumentius sought and obtained leave of absence, and hastened to St.
Athanasius at Alexandria, to whom he declared his belief that the
Abyssinians might easily be converted to Christianity if proper
ministers were sent to instruct them. Athanasius listened to the
statement with the earnest attention which it deserved, and in a very
short time Frumentius returned to Abyssinia as bishop of that country.
He found the young king firmly cherishing the religious hopes which he
had been taught to entertain, and, encouraged by Frumentius, he now
formally embraced Christianity.
His example was rapidly followed throughout the greater part of the
kingdom; and never did the seed of the Christian religion find a more
genial soil than when it first fell among the rugged mountains of
Abyssinia. There was no war to introduce it, no fanatic priesthood to
oppose it, no bloodshed to disgrace it; its only argument was its truth,
its only ornament its simplicity; and around our religion, thus shining
in its native lustre, men flocked in peaceful humility, and, hand in
hand, joined cheerfully in doctrines which gave glory to God in the
highest, and announced on earth peace, good will towards men.
Arianism, however, breaking out under the Emperor Constantius, he was
applied to by Athanasius to recall Frumentius; but, although the
lightning of heaven had illumined Abyssinia, the thunder of the Roman
Church was but faintly heard in so remote a region.
About one hundred and eighty years after the establishment of
Christianity, a religious war is said to have taken place between the
converted and unconverted Abyssinians (the Christians and the Jews).
After this event there is nothing of importance in the uncertain annals
of Abyssinia for upward of four hundred and forty years. Nine hundred
and sixty years after Christ, a strong party was formed among the Jews,
who, ever since the conversion of the race of Solomon to Christianity,
had preserved on the mountain of Samem, on a pinnacle which was named
the Jews' Rock, a separate royal family of their own.
Supported by their king and by his daughter Judith, a woman of great
beauty and possessing uncommon talents for intrigue, the Jews resolved
to attempt the subversion of the Christian religion, and the destruction
of the race of Solomon. They accordingly surprised the Mountain of Damo,
the residence of the Christian princes, the whole of whom, about four
hundred in number, were massacred, with the single exception of an
infant, Del Naad, who escaped into the powerful and loyal province of
Shoa. A solitary descendant of the blood of Solomon and the Queen of
Sheba was thus preserved to represent the royal line. Thus the Jews, by
means of their sanguinary victory, succeeded in interrupting the
succession; and, contrary to the long-respected law of Abyssinia, Judith
took possession of the throne, and not only enjoyed it herself for forty
years, but transmitted it to five of her posterity, whose names are said
to have been Totadem, Jan-Shum, Garcina-Shum, Harbai, and Maravi. On the
death of Maravi the crown descended to one of his relations, a
Christian, and it is said to have remained in his family (who, although
Christians, were not of the line of Solomon) for five generations:
however, about three hundred years after the murder of the princes,
Tecla Haimanout, a monk and native of Abyssinia, who had founded the
famous monastery of Debra Libanos, and been ordained abuna, or chief
priest of Abyssinia, persuaded the reigning king nobly to restore the
crown to the line of Solomon, which, as before stated, had been
preserved in the province of Shoa. A treaty was accordingly drawn up by
Tecla Haimanout, by which it was agreed that the kingdom of Abyssinia
should be resigned to one of the royal princes; that a portion of land
should be given to the retiring sovereign; that one third of the kingdom
should be ceded to the abuna (Tecla Haimanout himself), for the
maintenance of the Christian Church of Abyssinia; and, lastly, that no
native Abyssinian should thereafter be chosen abuna, but that that great
dignitary should always be ordained and sent from Cairo; by which
arrangement Tecla Haimanout wisely intended to secure to his church the
incalculable advantage of always having at its head a man independent of
the narrow prejudices and interests which would probably govern any
native of Abyssinia, and who would also bring into their secluded
country the books, knowledge, and improvements of the more civilized
part of the world.
This treaty having been concluded, a prince of the race of Solomon was
peacefully restored to the throne of his ancestors, and the title which
he assumed, "Icon Amlac," which means, "Let him be made our sovereign,"
was expressive of the general approbation which attended the measure.
The place of confinement for the princes of the blood of Solomon was now
established on the summit of the mountain of Geshen, in the province of
Amhara, instead of being, as it had been for the space of two hundred
years before the massacre of the princes, on the rock of Damo, in Tigre.
We need not linger over the petty wars and provincial troubles which
make up the Abyssinian history for several succeeding generations. About
the year 1418, Prince Henry of Portugal, who was half an Englishman,
being the youngest son of John I. of Portugal, by Philippina, sister of
Henry IV. of England, having long turned his attention to astronomy and
the higher branches of mathematics, prevailed upon his father to attempt
a passage to India by sailing round the Continent of Africa; and while
this expedition was, by slow degrees and repeated voyages, groping its
way over the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, Prince Henry suggested
that, to avoid all disappointment, it would be well to attempt also to
reach India by land; for it had long been reported by Christians from
Jerusalem, that monks occasionally resorted to the holy city who
declared themselves to be the subjects of a Christian prince, whose
dominions were in the heart of Africa. The King of Portugal, therefore,
determined to send ambassadors in search of this country, which was
supposed to be governed by Prester John; and accordingly, Peter Covillan
and Alphonso de Paiva sailed for Alexandria, carrying with them a rude
map which had been constructed under the direction of Prince Henry.
Embarking on the Red Sea, they sailed beyond the Straits of Babelmandel.
Alphonso de Paiva died; but Covillan, after a series of adventures,
reached Shoa, where the court of Abyssinia then resided; and here he was
greeted by the fatal intelligence, that an ancient law of the country
forbade him ever to revisit his native clime; that no stranger was ever
permitted to depart; that Abyssinia was but too truly the bourne from
which no traveller returns; and Covillan, in fact, never did return to
Europe.
He was, however, very well treated by the king and his people, and
permitted to send to Portugal descriptions and plans of all his
discoveries, which he most earnestly recommended should be followed up
by other expeditions from his country. But the foundation on which he
was building all his hopes suddenly gave way. Cape Tormentoso (the Cape
of Good Hope) was doubled; the barrier to India was thus broken down;
and the journey by land, as well as the importance of Abyssinia, were
alike neglected and forgotten. During two reigns Covillan remained
quietly at Shoa; but the Abyssinians then becoming embroiled in a war
with the Turks of Arabia, entreated Covillan to obtain for them the
assistance of Portugal, the King of Abyssinia promising that, as soon as
his throne should be re-established in security, he would submit himself
to the pope, and resign one third of his dominions to the Portuguese. A
letter was accordingly despatched by an Armenian merchant named Mateo,
who, after encountering for many years difficulties which often appeared
to be insurmountable, at last succeeded in reaching Portugal, where he
was received with every mark of attention and respect. A very numerous
embassy was accordingly sent out from Portugal; and, landing at the
north of Abyssinia, on the 16th of April, 1520, Don Roderigo, the
ambassador, his numerous retinue, and Mateo the Armenian (all equally
ignorant of the country), rashly resolved to proceed by land to the
king, who was in one of the southern districts of his dominions. They
crossed the whole extent of the empire, passing through unknown woods
and mountains, "full of savage beasts, with men more savage than the
beasts themselves," and intersected by large rivers, which were daily
swelling with the tropical rains. They had occasionally to pass over
deserts in which no sustenance was to be found either for man or beast.
At last they were placed in a situation which, by their description,
appears to have been still more dreadful; for, in their journey to the
convent of St. Michael, the wood or jungle became so thick that it was
almost impossible to penetrate it: thorns and briers impeded their
progress; unlooked-for ravines suddenly yawned beneath them; while
mountains upon mountains were towering above them, their black and bare
tops appearing, as it were, calcined by the rays of a burning sun, and
by the lightning which was incessantly flashing around them.
As the little band proceeded, terrified at the thunder which was
resounding in their ears, tigers and other wild beasts at times
presented themselves, their voracity seeming for the moment to be
appeased by astonishment; while immense baboons hurried by, clambering
up the trees, as if eager to view creatures so strangely resembling
themselves. At last the woods grew thinner, and some fields appeared;
but Mateo and Don Roderigo's servant, worn out by fear, fatigue, and
fever, became unable to proceed, and died.
After incredible difficulties the embassy reached the king at Shoa, on
the 16th of October, 1520; but, bringing no presents (it was with no
small difficulty that they had been able to bring themselves), they were
very coolly received. After they had explained the object of their
mission, the king was anxious to send back an answer to Portugal; and,
contrary to the custom of Abyssinia, he at last allowed Don Roderigo to
return, though he forcibly detained several of his attendants.
Roderigo reached Lisbon in safety with Zaga Zaab, ambassador from the
court of Abyssinia. About twelve years afterward, the abuna or patriarch
of Abyssinia, an imbecile old man, being at the point of death, the
king, for political as well as religious reasons, prevailed on him to
nominate as his successor John Bermudez, one of the Portuguese who had
been detained in the country ever since Roderigo's arrival. Bermudez,
anxious to revisit Europe, consented to accept the office, provided he
received the approbation of the pope; and the king, being hard pressed
in his wars, and fully aware of the value of European troops, proposed
that Bermudez should go first to the pope, and then to his own court, to
solicit for Abyssinia the assistance of Portugal. After some difficulty,
Bermudez set out for Rome, and, arriving there without accident, was
confirmed by Paul III. as patriarch not only of Abyssinia, but of
Alexandria likewise; nay, gratified at receiving a mission from a
Christian state so remote that he had hardly been aware of its
existence, the pope lavished on Bermudez the additional and
incomprehensible title of "Patriarch of the Sea." With these
distinctions Bermudez proceeded as ambassador from the King of Abyssinia
to Lisbon, where, on his arrival, his titles were all acknowledged, and
he himself treated with corresponding attention. His first act was to
give the Portuguese a specimen of Abyssinian discipline, by putting Zaga
Zaab in irons for having wasted so much time without effecting the
objects of his embassy.
Bermudez then addressed the King of Portugal; and he drew such a picture
of the wealth and power of Abyssinia, and of the advantages which would
be derived from an alliance with so remote and magnificent a country,
that the king promised to furnish him with four hundred troops; and many
more than that number eventually landed at Masuah, and advanced into
Abyssinia under the command of Don Christopher de Gama.
After marching for eight days to meet the king, Don Christopher received
a message from the Moorish general full of opprobrious expressions, to
which he returned a contemptuous answer; and on the 25th of March, 1542,
these rival commanders came in sight of each other at Airial, a small
village in the country of the Baharnagash. The Moorish army was composed
of a thousand horsemen, five thousand foot, fifty Turkish musketeers,
and a few pieces of small artillery. Don Christopher's forces consisted
of three hundred and fifty Portuguese infantry, and about twelve
thousand Abyssinians, with a few horsemen badly mounted, commanded by
the Baharnagash, and Rohel, governor of Tigre. A slight action ensued,
which terminated in favour of Don Christopher; and on the 30th of August
he again offered battle to the Moorish general.
The Portuguese had, early in the morning, strewed loose gunpowder in
front of their line; and on the first approach of the enemy they set
fire to it, which burned and frightened them very severely. The
Abyssinians, however, shortly afterward giving way, the little band of
Portuguese was instantly surrounded. Gallantly they resisted the fierce
attack that was made on them; and, Don Christopher having been wounded,
they cut their way through the enemy and retreated. During the night,
the Portuguese commander crawled into a wood alone, where he was
discovered by some Moorish horsemen, who, delighted at their prize,
immediately carried him before their general. This worthy no sooner saw
his prisoner than he began to load him with reproaches. Don Christopher,
who was as impetuous as he was brave, replied in terms full of
indignation and contempt; and this so enraged the Moor, that he flew
upon his defenceless captive, and with his own hand cut off his head.
The body of this brave man was severed into pieces, which were forwarded
to different parts of Arabia, and the scull was packed off for
Constantinople--the tribute of a barbarian to his superior in barbarism.
The victorious Moors then surrounded and attempted to seize a number of
women belonging to their enemy; but a noble Abyssinian lady, who was
married to a Portuguese officer, aware of the brutal character of the
Moors, set fire to some barrels of gunpowder that were in the tent, when
a terrific explosion took place, and the fears of the one sex, and the
savage passions of the other, were instantly hushed for ever!
The king expressed his unfeigned sorrow at the tragical fate of Don
Christopher, and sent three thousand ounces of gold to be divided among
the surviving Portuguese, who flocked around his throne, earnestly
entreating him to lead them to revenge the death of their commander.
This they had shortly afterward an opportunity of doing, in a battle in
which the Moors were defeated with great slaughter.
But, while the Portuguese troops were thus fighting for the Abyssinian
cause, their religion, from the conduct of Bermudez, was becoming
unpopular. For a long time the distinction between the Roman Catholic
and the Abyssinian, Greek, or Coptic system, was too trifling to be
observed. The Portuguese and the Abyssinians not only intermarried, but
their children were christened sometimes by the ministers of one church
and sometimes by those of the other: but Bermudez, in his intemperate
zeal, soon gave another aspect to affairs. His bigoted policy continued
for some time to disturb the country, but it at last reacted on himself:
the king in public firmly resisted his arguments, and the flame which he
had kindled only promoted his own downfall.
Deserting society, sullen, forlorn, and neglected, for some time he
attempted to occupy his mind by saying daily mass to some ten miserable
individuals. He then repaired to the port of Masuah, where, in squalid
insignificance, this "Patriarch of the Sea" embarked upon his fickle
element, and quitted Abyssinia for ever.
About this time, St. Ignatius, the founder of the order of Jesuits, was
at Rome. To his active and grasping mind the conversion of Abyssinia to
the Romish church seemed of so much importance, that it is said he
proposed himself to go and be the apostle of that kingdom. The pope,
however, who had need of Loyola's talents for higher purposes, refused
this offer; but one of the same fraternity, Nunez Baretto, was fixed
upon as patriarch. On his arrival at Goa, however, the king's continued
aversion to the Catholic church being communicated to him, he resolved
not to hazard his own patriarchal dignity, but to send Andreas Oviedo,
bishop of Hieropolis, and Melchior Carneyro, bishop of Nice, with
several other priests, as ambassadors to the court of Abyssinia. These
ecclesiastical emissaries arrived at the port of Masuah in 1558. The
king, fancying that they were Portuguese troops who had come to fight
for him, received them with marks of great delight; but when, on opening
their credentials, he found that they were priests instead of soldiers,
his countenance fell, and he became much troubled; "wondering," he said,
"that the King of Portugal should meddle with his affairs:" and adding,
"that he and his ancestors had paid obedience only to the chair of St.
Mark, and acknowledged no other patriarch than him of Alexandria." The
king and Oviedo had a violent discussion in public, which, of course,
ended in the defeat of the latter, who, for a considerable time, lived
in great obscurity. On the death of the king, however, his successor
accepted the congratulations of Oviedo; but, hearing that he continued
to preach, and to cause divisions among the people, he called him into
his presence, and ordered him to desist. Oviedo refused; and the king,
losing his temper, very improperly beat him with great violence, and
then banished him to a desert mountain.
After the departure of Bermudez, the Catholic religion had no longer any
support: the fathers who had remained in Abyssinia being dead, and the
gate of the kingdom closed by the violent animosities of the Turks, and
the cruelties they exercised on the missionaries who fell into their
hands, the few Catholics remaining in these regions were only lingering
out a wretched and hopeless existence. Affairs were in this state, when,
in the year 1600, Peter Paez, the most enterprising, enlightened, and
successful missionary that ever entered Ethiopia, landed at Masuah. He
had been taken by the Turks in the Red Sea, and had just escaped from a
seven years' imprisonment: adversity had thus given him a severer lesson
and a clearer knowledge of the world than generally falls to the lot of
members of his fraternity. On landing at Masuah, instead of rushing
forward with hasty, intemperate zeal, in the hope of converting all at
once a country, the language, habits, and prejudices of which he had as
yet no knowledge of except from books, he calmly and deliberately set
himself to work to learn the Geez, or written language. He next set up a
school, which gave him privately, and without danger, a thorough insight
into the Abyssinian character; and, after he had thus cautiously
practised on the minds of his pupils, he at length felt himself prepared
to encounter, by argument and persuasion, the passions and prejudices of
the Abyssinian court. In April, 1604, therefore, Peter presented himself
before the king, who received him with the same honours that he bestowed
on his own people of rank: a distinction which the monks of the
Abyssinian church viewed with great jealousy, foreseeing that the
exaltation of Paez would eventually be the cause of their own
humiliation. Mass was now said according to the ritual of the Romish
church; and a sermon followed, which was almost the first ever preached
in Abyssinia. Such was the eloquence of Paez, and so convincing did his
arguments appear, that the king resolved to embrace the Catholic
religion; and, guided by the persuasive missionary, he afterward went so
far as to write to Pope Clement VIII. and to Philip III. of Spain, to
ask for Jesuits to instruct his people.
Many of the courtiers soon followed the royal example. Latin prayers
were now repeated; mass was said; the incense smoked; and the host was
elevated in triumph. A party, however, was suddenly raised against Paez:
the abuna not only declared him excommunicated, but pronounced a curse
on all those who had supported, or who might support him or his cause. A
battle was in consequence fought; and the King of Abyssinia, the first
who had publicly avowed the Romish religion, died in the field.
After a series of sanguinary changes and contests, in the course of
which another sovereign had fallen, Socinios succeeded to the throne,
and began his reign with professions of moderation and neutrality. He,
however, very soon privately made profession of the Catholic faith; and
Paez, thus encouraged, asked the king for the territory of Dembea. This
province, lying around the great lake Tzana, is the most fertile and
cultivated country in Abyssinia. It is entirely flat, and seems to have
been formed by the subsidence of the water of the lake, which, from
visible marks, appears to have once covered four times its present
surface. Dembea, although fruitful, has, however, one inconvenience, to
which all level countries in this climate are subject: a mortal fever
rages in the whole extent of it from March to November. On the north
side of this lake, the country rises towards a rocky promontory, which
forms a peninsula running into the lake. Nothing can be more beautiful
than this small territory, moderately elevated above the water which
surrounds it on every side except the north. Its climate is delightful,
and no fevers or other diseases rage within it. The prospect of the lake
and distant mountains is magnificent beyond European conception, and
nature seems to have pointed out this lovely spot for pleasure, health,
and retirement.
As soon as Paez had obtained possession of his territory, he began to
build a convent. He had previously not only made tools of the European
shape, but taught several of the natives how to use them; and accustomed
to very rude habitations of but one story, the Abyssinians, to their
utter astonishment, now beheld the rapid erection of a stately fabric of
stone and lime. Paez was soon requested by the king to build him a
palace, which he readily undertook; and, as story was mounted upon
story, the fame of the builder rose with the edifice. This feeling Paez
artfully exerted all his abilities to turn to the advantage of the see
of Rome: his attempt, however, caused most violent dissensions; and the
mild principles of Christianity were disregarded and disgraced on both
sides. The chief point of controversy between the Coptic and the Romish
priests was the number of natures in Christ. The abuna declared that no
one could be saved who believed in more than one; the Catholics, that
those who did not believe in two were reprobate, and condemned to
everlasting punishment. This latter opinion was soon expressed otherwise
than by words. In a short time the bleeding head of the abuna, or
Patriarch of Abyssinia, was sent, as a religious offering, to Socinios,
who, hearing a monk deny the two natures of Christ, put a sudden stop to
his heresies by cutting out his tongue; while, on the other side, La
Selasse, a priest of Selado, refusing to deny the two natures of the
Saviour, was instantly stabbed with lances, and died exclaiming, "God
and Man! God and Man! God and Man!"
A rival king now stood up to oppose Socinios, and the whole country was
filled with rebellion and bloodshed. Socinios resolving publicly to
renounce the Alexandrian faith and to profess the Catholic, Paez most
willingly came forward, and with great pomp received his confession.
Delighted that his great object was at last attained, Paez, during the
heat of the day, returned to his house with his head uncovered,
triumphantly saying the "Nunc dimittis!" "Lord! now lettest thou thy
servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation!" and
from being thus exposed to the burning sun, aided perhaps by the highly
excited state of his feelings, he was taken violently ill, and died of a
raging fever on the 3d of May, 1624.
After the death of Paez, Alphonso Mendez, a Jesuit doctor of divinity,
and a man of great learning, having been ordained at Lisbon on the 25th
of May, 1625, reached Abyssinia the following year. Accompanied by
several missionaries, they experienced very great difficulties and
dangers in crossing the country to join King Socinios. When they at
length presented themselves before the king, he ordered Mendez to be
placed on his right hand; and at that very audience (on the 11th of
February, 1626) it was settled that Socinios should take an oath of
religious submission to the See of Rome. This ceremony was celebrated
with all the pageantry of a heathen festival. The palace was adorned
with great pomp, and Mendez there preached a sermon to the king and his
people, in Portuguese and Latin, not a word of either of which languages
could they understand. In return, a sermon was preached to Mendez, and
the missionaries who attended him, in the Amharic, which was equally
unintelligible to them. When this prelude was over, Mendez advanced,
holding in his hand the New Testament, and upon that sacred volume
Socinios, the degraded king of Abyssinia, was made to take the following
oath, the Jesuit Mendez standing by his side:
"We, Sultan Sequed, emperor of Ethiopia, do believe and confess that St.
Peter, prince of the apostles, was constituted by Christ our Lord head
of the whole Christian Church; and that he gave him the principality and
dominion over the whole world, by saying to him, 'Thou art Peter, and
upon this rock will I build my church; and I will give to thee the keys
of the kingdom of Heaven;' and again, when he said, 'Feed my sheep.'
Also we believe and confess, that the pope at Rome, lawfully elected, is
the true successor of St. Peter the apostle in government; that he
holdeth the same power, dignity, and primacy in the whole Christian
Church; and to the holy father, Urban VIII. of that name, by the mercy
of God, pope, and our lord, and to his successor in the government of
the church, we do promise, offer, and swear true obedience, and subject
with humility at his feet our person and empire: so help us God, and
these holy gospels."
What an abject picture is here presented to us! and how melancholy the
change in the aspect of the Christian faith, since we saw it first
established among the simple inhabitants of Abyssinia!
As soon as the oath was concluded, one of the king's governors drew his
sword, and swore that he would punish with that weapon any one who
should fall from his religious vows; and that he would even be the
greatest enemy of his prince if he should desert the Catholic faith.
These declarations were repeated by many of the officers of state. A
solemn excommunication was then pronounced against all who did not keep
the oath, and a proclamation was immediately issued, requiring all
persons intending to become priests to embrace the Catholic religion
under pain of death; and that all persons should follow the forms of the
Church of Rome in the celebration of Easter and Lent, under the same
dreadful penalty. Mendez vigorously followed up his success. The
Abyssinian clergy were reordained; the churches were reconsecrated;
grown men as well as children were again baptized; the feasts and
festivals of the Church of Rome were established; and the forms and
tenets of the Alexandrian faith were formally abrogated.
Mendez, however, had overacted his part: unlike Paez, he had neglected
to make himself competent first to lead the people whom he so hastily
desired to drive; and, in a short time, a violent reaction naturally
took place. The Abyssinians, still simple in their habits, and long
accustomed to the placid enjoyment of unaffected devotion, soon felt
that there was no real satisfaction to be derived from repeating prayers
in words which they could not comprehend. The king, meanwhile, finding
that his own power was gradually diminishing, and that he was losing the
affections as well as the obedience of his subjects, patiently listened
to their complaints: impressed by the native eloquence with which they
insisted on their right of addressing the Almighty in their own
language, he at length yielded to their request; and, though he himself
continued to follow the tenets of the Church of Rome, declared that, by
his people, prayers need no longer be uttered in a foreign tongue.
This concession, apparently simple and unobjectionable, was fatal to the
views of Mendez. As long, therefore, as he was able, he obstinately
resisted; but the voice of the people so resounded in his ears, that he
was very shortly obliged to pretend to submit, although in secret he
still did everything in his power to uphold his system. Thus Abyssinia
again became, as might naturally be expected, a scene of war; and
Tellez, the Portuguese historian, has published a long list of the names
of those who died in that country, martyrs to the Catholic faith. Many
battles were fought; and, for a considerable period, Socinios, who still
strenuously supported the religion of Rome, met with continued defeats;
until adversity, that stern but useful monitor, at last made him
sensible of the error he had committed. "These men whom you see
slaughtered," said one of his nobles rudely to him on a field of battle,
"were neither Pagans nor Mohammedans: they were Christians, once your
subjects and your friends. In killing these you drive the sword into
your own vitals." Still, however, the Jesuit Mendez hovered around him,
and for some time succeeded in keeping him in arms; but the spell was at
last broken, and Socinios, seeing that his subjects were all deserting
him, issued, on the 14th of June, 1632, the following singular
proclamation:
"Hear us! hear us! hear us! First of all, we gave you the Roman Catholic
faith, as thinking it a good one; but many people have died fighting
against it, and lastly these rude peasants of Lasta. Now, therefore, we
restore to you the faith of your ancestors; let your own priests say
their mass in their own churches; let the people have their own altars
for the sacrament, and their own liturgy, and be happy! As for myself, I
am now old, and worn out with war and infirmities, and no longer capable
of governing: I name my son, Facilidas, to reign in my stead."
Thus in one day fell the whole fabric of the Roman Catholic faith and
hierarchy in Abyssinia. Socinios lingered for two or three months after
this, and died firmly professing himself a Catholic to the last.
As soon as the new king had buried his father, he began to compose those
disorders which had so long distracted the country from difference of
religion. Accordingly, he at once wrote to Mendez to inform him that the
Alexandrian faith being now restored, his leaving the country had become
indispensable. He therefore commanded him and the Catholic priests to
retire to Fremona, there to await his farther pleasure.
Mendez, by subtle arguments, persuasions, and, lastly, by entreaties,
endeavoured to evade, or, at least, to defer the execution of this
mandate; but his words were now powerless, and he was peremptorily told
that if he did not depart, the time might arrive when it would be too
late for him to do so.
He and his companions were accordingly conducted by a party of
soldiers. On the road they were robbed and ill-treated, their guards
conniving at the attack; and at the end of April, 1633, they reached
Fremona. Among the Jesuits who accompanied Mendez was Jerome Lobo, one
of the most bigoted of the Portuguese, yet a man of enterprise and
talent, who had travelled over the greatest part of Abyssinia. For a
short time it was determined by these banished monks to send Lobo to
India or Spain, to solicit troops for the country. The king, however,
perfectly aware of all that passed, ordered the Jesuits at once to set
out for Masuah. On receiving this command, they managed, at the
suggestion of Lobo, to escape to the protection of a man of considerable
power who favoured them. The king wrote to this person, and desired him
to give them up, which he declined to do; but, by an odd sort of
compromise, agreed, instead of it, to sell them to the Turks.
The whole were accordingly, for a certain sum, delivered to the Basha of
Masuah. As soon as the intelligence reached Europe of the loss of
Abyssinia to the See of Rome, it became a subject of most violent
discussion. Many of the Catholic clergy insisted that the failure had
proceeded from the pride, obstinacy, and violence of the Jesuits; and it
was therefore determined at Rome to send to that country six French
capuchins of the reformed order of St. Francis.
Two of these attempted to enter Abyssinia by the Indian Ocean; but,
shortly after their landing, they were massacred. Two succeeded in
making their way into the country, and they suffered martyrdom by being
most barbarously stoned to death. The remaining two gave up the attempt,
and returned to Europe to report the sad fate of their companions. Three
other capuchins, deaf to the stern admonition which their church had
thus received from Abyssinia, volunteered their services to make a new
endeavour for the conversion, as it was termed, of that country. They
accordingly set out on their journey; and, after encountering very
considerable difficulties and hardships, at last succeeded in reaching
Suakem. The bashaw of this place had been previously written to by the
King of Abyssinia, who, after acquainting him with the expected arrival
of these three priests, concluded by earnestly requesting him to "treat
them," as he said, "according to their merits." As soon, therefore, as
they landed, their heads were cut off, and the skins of their sculls and
faces were stripped, stuffed, and sent off to the King of Abyssinia at
Gondar, "to satisfy him," as it was declared, "that these people had met
with the attention which they deserved."
There was no mistaking the meaning of this most unjust and barbarous
act; and when intelligence of it reached the Vatican, all hopes of
converting Abyssinia vanished.
In the year 1698, the reigning King of Abyssinia, being exceedingly
indisposed, sent to Cairo for a physician. Charles Poncet, a Frenchman
at Cairo, who had been bred up as a chymist and apothecary, set out
accordingly for Abyssinia, privately supported by Louis XIV., and taking
with him, disguised as a servant, Father Brevedent, a French Jesuit.
They travelled up the Nile, remained for some time at Sennaar, and at
length arrived in Abyssinia, where Brevedent, worn out by the climate
and the fatigue of his journey, died. In the year 1700 Poncet left
Gondar, having repaired the constitution of the King of Abyssinia at the
expense of his own, which was completely exhausted by the hardships to
which it had been subjected. He proceeded to Masuah, embarked on the Red
Sea, and reached Cairo, whence he proceeded to Paris, and published an
account of his travels.
Four years afterward, the King of Abyssinia having favourably received
several French letters which had been addressed to him, M. du Roule,
vice-consul at Damietta, was selected by Louis XIV. to proceed as his
ambassador to Abyssinia; and in July, 1704, he left Cairo for that
purpose; but a quarrel had now broken out among two parties of Capuchins
and Franciscans, between whom a most violent jealousy existed respecting
the conversion of Abyssinia. It has been supposed that this jealousy
was the secret cause of M. du Roule's death. As this traveller was
quitting Sennaar on his journey towards Abyssinia, he was surrounded in
the large square which is before the king's house. Four blacks murdered
him with their sabres; Gentil, his French servant, fell next, and his
three other companions were then inhumanly butchered.
When the King of Abyssinia heard of Du Roule's murder, he was much
disappointed and displeased, for he had really been desirous of
receiving this French ambassador, as well as the valuable presents which
he supposed he would bring with him. Unable to detect the sinister
conspiracy which had caused his death, he conceived that it had taken
place at the instigation of the Pasha of Cairo; and he accordingly
addressed to him and to his divan the following very singular
communication:
_Translation of an Arabic Letter from the King of Abyssinia to the Pasha
and Divan of Cairo._
"To the Pasha and Lords of the Militia of Cairo:
"On the part of the King of Abyssinia, the King Tecla Haimanout, son of
the King of the Church of Abyssinia.
"On the part of the august king, the powerful arbiter of nations, shadow
of God upon earth, the guide of kings who profess the religion of the
Messiah, the most powerful of all Christian kings, maintainer of order
between Mohammedans and Christians, protector of the confines of
Alexandria, observer of the commandments of the Gospel, heir from father
to son of a most powerful kingdom, descended of the family of David and
Solomon--may the blessing of Israel be upon our prophet, and upon them;
may his happiness be durable, and his greatness lasting; and may his
powerful army be always feared! To the most powerful lord, elevated by
his dignity, venerable by his merits, distinguished by his strength and
riches among all Mohammedans, the refuge of all those that reverence
him, who by his prudence governs and directs the armies of the noble
empire, and commands his confines; victorious viceroy of Egypt, the four
corners of which shall always be respected and defended--So be it! And
to all the distinguished princes, judges, men of learning, and other
officers, whose business it is to maintain order and good government,
and to all commanders in general--may God preserve them all in their
dignities, in the nobleness of their health! You are to know, that our
ancestors never bore any envy to other kings, nor did they ever occasion
them any trouble, or show them any mark of hatred. On the contrary, they
have, upon all occasions, given them proofs of their friendship,
assisting them generously, relieving them in their necessities, as well
in what concerns the caravan and pilgrims of Mecca in Arabia Felix, as
in the Indies, in Persia, and other distant and out-of-the-way places;
also, by protecting distinguished persons in every urgent necessity.
"Nevertheless, when the King of France, our brother, who professes our
religion and our law, having been induced thereto by some advances of
friendship on our part such as are proper, sent an ambassador to us; I
understand that you caused to arrest him at Sennaar; and also another,
by name Murat, the Syrian, whom likewise you did put in prison, though
he was sent to that ambassador on our part; and, by thus doing, you have
violated the law of nations; as ambassadors of kings ought to be at
liberty to go wherever they will; and it is a general obligation to
treat them with honour, and not to molest or detain them; nor should
they be subject to pay customs, or any sort of presents. We could very
soon repay you in kind, if we were inclined to revenge the insult you
have offered to the man Murat, sent on our part. _The Nile would be
sufficient to punish you, since God hath put into our power his
fountain, his outlet, and his increase, and that we can dispose of the
same to do you harm_: for the present, we demand of and exhort you to
desist from any future vexations towards our envoys, and not disturb us
by detaining those who shall be sent towards you; but you shall let
them pass, and continue their route without delay, coming and going
wherever they will, freely for their own advantage, whether they are our
subjects or Frenchmen; and whatever you shall do to or for them, we
shall regard as done to or for ourselves!"
The address is, "To the basha, princes, and lords governing the town of
great Cairo, may God favour them with his goodness."
The king, who had invited M. du Roule into his country, was shortly
afterward assassinated while he was hunting; and the reign of his
successor was a series of petty wars and commotions.
Several years afterward the Abyssinians resolved to invade Sennaar; but
their army, which is said to have amounted to eighteen thousand men,
either perished by the sword or by thirst, or were made prisoners. All
the sacred reliques, which the Abyssinian troops carry with them to
ensure victory, were conveyed in triumph to Sennaar, and with great
difficulty the king escaped to his palace at Gondar.
About the year 1735, some misfortune having happened to the Christians
at Smyrna, they flocked to Cairo: finding themselves very badly received
there, several sailed up the Red Sea on their way to India, and, missing
the monsoon, and being destitute of money and necessaries, a few of them
ventured to land at Masuah. They were silversmiths; and as the King of
Abyssinia happened at the moment of their landing to be much in want of
European workmen to assist him in adorning his palace, these men were
ordered to come to Gondar, where they remained for some time in the
king's service, and afterward gained a moderate livelihood by
ornamenting saddles, &c.
Great jealousies now began to be entertained in Abyssinia on account of
the favour shown to some of the Galla chieftains, who were brought to
court and received with distinction. Violent dissensions took place: two
kings successively met with a violent death; one being assassinated, and
the other poisoned by Ras Michael, the governor of the province of
Tigre, a most singular personage, with whom the reader will very shortly
be made acquainted.
King Tecla Haimanout succeeded to the throne; and the same year, 1769,
James Bruce, the enterprising hero of these pages, landed at Masuah.
Since the death of M. du Roule, which took place seventy years before
Bruce's arrival, Abyssinia had been so much forgotten in Europe that it
seemed almost to have been blotted from the map of the world. The
immense distance, the climate in which it was situated, the deserts
which nearly surrounded it, and the barbarous character of the nations
on its borders, were of themselves quite sufficient to deter any
ordinary traveller; and the dangers of the route, great as they really
were, had been much exaggerated by the disappointed and expelled
Romanists. The great link which had so long connected Abyssinia with
Europe, namely, the attempt to convert it to the See of Rome, had been
violently broken, and the chasm which now separated them no one seemed
desirous to pass.
Having thus given a short sketch of so much of the history of Abyssinia
as seemed absolutely necessary to interest the reader in the following
narrative, it remains only to be observed, that Bruce has furnished a
minute account (which occupies about a thousand pages of his volumes) of
the reigns of the several kings of Abyssinia, with descriptions of their
persons, their petty feuds and dissensions, their wars with the Moors,
the Galla, and the Falasha (or Jews), the burning of their churches,
their savage treatment of the Shangalla tribes, &c. The general reader
will, however, feel probably but little curiosity to spend his time over
the records of so remote a country; and more particularly as, after all,
they are not implicitly to be relied on.
FOOTNOTE:
[25] With very great difficulty, Bruce succeeded in getting the whole
book of Canticles translated into each of these languages.