A geographical historie of Africa, written in Arabicke and Italian by Iohn Leo a More, borne in Granada, and brought vp in Barbarie. Wherein he hath at large described, not onely the qualities, situations, and true distances of the regions, cities, townes, mountaines, riuers, and other places throughout all the north and principall partes of Africa; but also the descents and families of their kings ... gathered partly out of his owne diligent obseruations, and partly out of the ancient records and chronicles of the Arabians and Mores. Before which, out of the best ancient and moderne writers, is prefixed a generall description of Africa, and also a particular treatise of all the maine lands and isles vndescribed by Iohn Leo. ... Translated and collected by Iohn Pory, lately of Goneuill and Caius College in Cambridge

Princes confining vpon the Prete Ianni.

THis Prince, as farre as we can certainly vnderstand, confi∣neth especially with three other mightie princes: one is the king of Borno; another the great Turke; and the third the king of Adel. The king of Buruo ruleth ouer that countrey which extendeth from Guangara towards the east, about fiue hundred miles, betweene the deserts of Seu, and Barca, being of an vn∣eeuen situation, bicause it is partly mountainous, and partly plaine. In the plaines there dwelleth a very ciuill people in populous and much frequen∣ted villages, by reason of the abundance of graine, as also there is some con∣course of merchants thither. On the mountaines, shepheardes of great and smal beasts do inhabite, and their chiefe sustenance is mill: They lead a brutish life, without religion, with their wiues and children in common: They vse no other proper names, but those which are taken from the quali∣tie or forme of mens persons: the lame, the squint eied, the long, the stutte∣ring. This king of Borno is most mightie in men, vpon whom he laieth no other imposition but the tenth of their fruits; their profession is to robbe and steale from their neighbours, and to make them slaues: in exchange of whom, they haue of the merchants of Barbarie, horses. He hath vnder him many kingdomes, and people, partly white, and partly blacke. He molesteth the Abassines exceedingly with theftes, leadeth away their cattell, robbeth their mines, & maketh their men slaues. They fight on 〈◊〉〈◊〉-backe after the Gynnet fashion, they vse lances with two heads, & darts & arrowes: they as∣saile a countrey sometimes in one part, and otherwhiles in another, sud∣denly: but these may rather be termed theeues and robbers then right eni∣mies.

The Turke confineth with Abassia on the east; as likewise the king of Adel, who hemmeth it in betweene the east and the south. They disturbe the Prete exceedingly, restraining the limites of his Empire, and bringing his countrey into great miserie: For the Turkes besides the putting of a great part of Barnagasso, to sacke and spoile; (vpon which they entred the yeere of our Lord, 1558.) although they were driuen out againe, haue further ta∣ken all that from the Prete which he possessed on the sea coast: especiallie the portes and townes of Suaquen and Ercoco: In which two places, the mountaines lying betwixt Abassia and the red sea, doe open, and make a passage, for conueiance of victual, and trafficke, betweene the Abassins, and the Arabians: And it is not long, since the Lord Barnagasso was con∣strained to accord with the Turke, and to buie the peace of his countrie

with the tribute of a thousand ounces of gold by the yeere. Also the King of Adel procureth hym no lesse molestation: This man confineth with the kingdome of Fatigar, and extendeth his dominion euen to the Red sea, where he hath Assum, Salir, Meth, Barbora, Pidar, and Zeila. At Barbora manie shippes of Aden, and Cambaia arriue with their marchandize for ex∣change; from whence they receiue much flesh, honie, wax, and victuals for Aden; and gold, Iuorie, and other thinges for Cambaia. A greater quantitie of victuall is carried from Zeila, because there is aboundance of waxe, and honie, with corne and diuers fruites, which are laden for Aden, and for Arabia, and beastes also, as namely sheepe, with tayles wayghing more then fiue and twentie poundes, with their heads and necks all blacke, but the rest of them is white: as also certaine other all white with tayles a fathome long, and writhen like a vine branche, hauing thropples vnder their throtes like bulles. There be also certaine kine with branched hornes like to wild hartes, being blacke in colour and sorne others red, with one onely horne vpon their foreheads of an handfull and an halfe long, turning backward. The chiefe city of this kingdome is Arar eight and thirtie leagues from Zeila towards the South east. This king being a Mahumetan by a perpetuall profession of making war against the christians of Abassia, who are the subiects of the Prete, hath obteined of those Barbarians the surname of Holy: He stayeth his óportunitie while the Abassins be weakened, and brought downe with that long and hard fast of fiftie daies, when they can scarcely go about their domesticall affaires; and then he entreth into the countrey, sacketh the townes, leadeth the people away into seruitude, and doth a thousand iniu∣ries vnto them. The Abassin slaues are of great valew out of their owne countrey: whereupon the bordering, and other Princes both farre and neere esteeme them much, and many of them by meanes of their indu∣strie in seruice, of slaues haue become captaines and great Commanders, in Arabia, Cambaia, Bengala, and Sumatra: Bicause the Mahumetan prin∣ces of the east, being all tirants ouer kingdomes vsurped from the Gentiles, for securitie of their state, put no trust in their owne subiects: but arme themselues with a multitude of strange slaues, to whom they commit their persons, and the gouernment of their kingdome. And among all other slaues the Abassines beare away the bell, aswell for fidelitie, as for sound and good complexion. And bicause the king of Adel, with the multitude of these Abassin slaues, which he taketh in the townes and territories of Prete Ianni, filleth all Egypt, and Arabia (in exchange of whom he hath armour, munition, and soldiers, both from the Turke, and the Arabian Princes) in the yeere of our Lord 1550. Claudius king of Abassia, being after this sort sorely oppressed by Gradaamed king of Adel, who now for the space of fowerteene yeeres had with continuall incursions greeuously molested, and disturbed him, enforcing him to leaue his confines, and to retire into the hart of his empire, demaunded aide of Stephano Gama, the Indian Viceroy of Iohn the third king of Portugale, who was then with a good

fleete vpon The red sea. Whereupon he sent him fower hundred Portu∣gals, with a good quantitie of armes, and small shot, vnder the gouernment of Christopher da Gama his brother. With these men by the benefit of shot, he ouerthrew the enimie in two battailes; but in the third, the king of Adel hauing receiued a thousand Turkish harquebuziers from the gouernour of Zebit, with ten peeces of artillerie, the Abassins were put to 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and dis∣comfited, and their captaine taken prisoner, and put 〈◊〉〈◊〉 death. But the king of Adel afterwards sending backe the said Turkes, he and his people were sodainly, assailed, neere the riuer of Zeila, and mount Saual, by king Claudi∣us with threescore thousand foote, and fiue hundred Abassin horse, togi∣ther with those Portugales, who remained of the former ouerthrow, one of whom wounded Gradamed dangerously. But in the moneth of March, the yeere of our Lord 1559. king Claudius being set vpon againe by the Malacai Mores, he was slaine in the battaile: and the enimie-king acknow∣ledging so great a victorie from the handes of God, triumphed vpon an asse.

Adamas brother vnto king Claudius succeeded him, against whom (for he was halfe a Mahumetan) the best part of the Abassine nobilitie rebelled, and he was defeated by the Barnagasso in the yeere 1562. who hauing thus for a while disturbed the affaires of Ethiopia, it seemed that they were at length asswaged, & reestablished vnder Alexander, by the aide of the Por∣tugals, who haue carried thither armes as well of offence, as defence, and stirred vp the mindes and courages of the Abassines, by their example, to warre; For all those that remained of the discomfiture giuen to Christopher Gama, and diuers others which came thither afterwards, and do daily there arriue and staie, do marrie wiues, and haue children; and Alexander per∣mitted them to elect a iudge, who might execute iustice among them: So that they haue, and do daily bring into Abassia, the manner of warfare in Europe, with our vse of armes, and the manner of fortifying passages and places of importance. Afterwards certaine Florentines went into those countries, partly vpon pleasure, and partly for affaires of merchandize. For Francesco di Medici great Duke of Florence, had some commerce with the Abassines. The Prete therefore giues entertainment, and maketh much of the Frankes, (for so do they call the people of Europe) and hardly giueth them license to depart out of his kingdome. Besides these the Prete Ianni hath diuers other enimies, amongst whom is the king of Dancali, to whom the towne and port of Vela vpon the red sea pertaineth; he confineth with Balgada. The Moores also vexe him greatly, which inhabite the prouince, called Dobas, deuided into fowerteene Signiories; for though they be with∣in the confines of Prete Ianni his empire, yet notwithstanding for the most part they rebell from him: they haue a lawe, that none of them may marrie, before he first giue testimoniall that he hath slaine twelue Christians.