The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Religion.

THe subiects of Presbiter Iohn are for the most part Christians, who remaine very obe∣dient, and well affected to their prince. There are also some Mahometans which are his tributaries; but these continually seeke meanes to reuolt. But to speake of them that follow the Christian religion, and to disconrse of their beliefe, which differs something from ours, although we all ackowledge one Sauiour, it shal be fit in my opinion to relate after what manner the faith crept into these countries.

The Abyssins in the beginning receiued Iudaisme, which extended vnto the neigh∣bour [ E] countries, by the meanes of Meilech the sonne of Saloman, of queene Maqueda his mother, and of the Iewes which accompanie him. At the least, the Abyssins say, that this is found in an old chronicle, the which is kept in the towne of Caxume. They recei∣ued the Christian faith by the meanes of queene Candaces eunuch, who was baptised by Philip, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles. The first place which was conuerted to the faith, was that of Tygia, and at this day, they make all their publicke instruments and wri∣tings in the Tygian tongue. They fell afterwards with the Cosites of Aegypt into the er∣ror of Eutiches, for that they depend of the Patriarch of Alexandria, whom they acknow∣ledge for their head, and from whom they receiue their Abuna or Patriarch: for this people following the authoritie of this Patriarch of Alexandria, and his doctrine, came [ F] 〈◊〉〈◊〉 corrupted: for that the brooke must of necessitie sauour like the spring; especially 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••hat the Abyssins could haue no entercourse with them of Rome, but by the meanes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••••xandria and Aegypt.

〈◊〉〈◊〉 that the mischiefe doth still encrease, the Abyssins hold with the errors of the

Cosites, many other impertinencies. Their ignorance and error augments by the com∣merce [ A] and conuersation they haue with idolates and Mahometans which enuiron them round about; yea there are many idolaters which liue in the middest of the Abyssins, as in the realmes of Damur, Corague, and Agaos.

[ XIII] But to let you vnderstand their beliefe, you must know that the Abyssins hold circum∣cision obstinatly, and not onely the men are circumcised, but also the women, I know not after what manner; the which the Iewes did not vse. Moreouer, following the law of Moy∣ses, they eat not any beast that is not clouen footed; and for this cause they abhor hares, geese, and duckes. They do reuerence Saturday more than Sunday, following therein the Iewes, who were so zealous in the obseruation of the Sabbath day. [ B]

Lay men weare their haire long, and shaue the chin and vpper lip, wearing a little crosse about their necks. Contrariwise the priests shaue their heads, and weare their beards long, hauing a crosse in their hands, (the which is not allowed among the Laytie, but only with the Lords) and a vessell of holie water, to giue vnto those that shall require it, with a blessing; and they are accustomed to cast of this holie water into the meat they eat, and into their drinke.

King Iohn ordained that there should be but foure parishes in euery towne. These pa∣rishes are made like vnto conuents, and in either of them there are thirteene priests to say Masse: and these judge of ciuile causes, as the Iudges do of criminall in the kings name. Of all the number of priests, they chuse twelue canons, the which do continually assist [ C] the Bishop, who is chosen out of that number, as the Archbishop is taken out of the num∣ber of the Bishops, and the eldest Bishop is made Archbishop.

The Monkes weare a long garment vnto the ground, the which for the most part is yellow and very hairie: Nuns vse also a long gowne, their heads are shauen, and they are gyrt with a leather belt. They are not shut vp in the Monasteries, but in certaine villages, vnder the obedience of the neerest Conuent.

Their Churches haue two curtaines, the one neere vnto the Altar; and no man enters into this place but the priests: the other in the middest where the clerkes remaine, at the least, they that haue the meanest orders: wherefore many seeke to be admitted, to the end they may haue accesse vnto this place. [ D]

Euery Church hath but one Altar, on which they say but one Masse a day. The walles of these Churches are couered with the pictures of our Lady, and of Saints, especially, of S. George on horsebacke. They haue no grauen images, and some thinke the onely rea∣son is for that they haue not wit enough to make them. They will not allow any to paint Iesus Christ crucified, saying, that they are not worthie to see him in that passion and torment.

They make the bread and wine, which the priests doe afterwards consecrat at Masse, with wonderfull care & ceremonie. They put off their shooes when they enter into their Churches, and they spit not in them, neither do they suffer any beasts to enter into them. If any one passeth on horsebacke before a Church, he lights, to witnesse the honour he [ E] beares vnto it. Their Church-yards are enuironed with high walls, to the end no beasts may enter into them. They haue bells of stone which are long and thinne, whereon they strike with a staffe: they haue some also of yron, with a clapper of the same mettall, and vse to carrie some in their processions, which they found.

They do not baptise their male children but fortie daies after their birth, and females after sixtie; and if any die in the meane time without baptisme, they say that the mothers receiuing of the communion during the time of her being with child suffiseth: they bap∣tise not but vpon Saturday and Sunday, and they presently giue the Eucharist to them that are baptised. In remembrance of our Sauiours baptisme, then cause themselues to bebaptised euery yere vpon Twelfth day: and to this end, there are pooles, and little lakes, [ F] whether they transport themselues.

They confesse themselues standing, and they keepe not much secret in their confession. They communicate vnder both kinds, and they consecrate bread without leauen. They go to the communion with their hands open, and lifted vp before their shoulders, and

[ A] they receiue standing. They neuer say Masse without Incense, nor without three persons, that is, the Priest, the Deacon, and Subdeacon.

Mariages are made by the meanes of priests, but they are not firme. Priests may ma∣rie, but they can haue but one wife, and if she dies, they may marie no more, or if they doe, they become lay men (the which is practised also among the Muscouites) euen as if they had layen with another woman. All the religious men are of the order of S. Antho∣nie. It is true, that from this there is another sprung, called Cestifanez, which is rather held for Iewish than Christian.

There raignes an heresie in this empire, which holds, that they ought not to worship [ B] any other Crosse, than that whereon Iesus Christ was crucified. They giue not the ex∣treame vnction to them that are neere death, but they cast Incense vpon the dead, wash them, wrap them vp, say the office for them, and carrie them to the ground, with a Crosse, Incense, and Holie water. They keepe Lent strictly, and with great abstinence. Their best meats at that time are hearbes, dried raysins, and some fish; which notwith∣standing they vse in few places. But many Priests, Monkes, and Nunnes, eat nothing but hearbes, either during the whole Lent, or euerie two daies: yet in the realmes of Barna∣gas, and Tygremaon, they eat flesh on Saturday, and Sunday.

Their Monkes and Nunnes do verie austere penances, as to weare a girdle of yron vp∣on their flesh; to passe the whole Lent, and neuer sit; to remaine in the coldest weather [ C] vp to the necke in water, or else in woods, vallies, or caues, farre from all companie. All Clarkes fast from Whitsuntide vntill Christmas, except Saturday, and Sunday, and lay men from Trinitie Sunday vnto Aduent, Wednesdaies, and Fridayes. Priests may not marie after they haue taken orders: but they may be receiued being married, vnlesse they haue had two wiues.

In the Holie weeke they neuer say Masse, but on Thursday and Saturday, and during all this weeke, the Abyssins salute not one another, and if they meet, they passe by, and lift not vp their eyes: and men of qualitie, go attired in blacke or blew, and they light no candles in their Churches. Vpon Maundie Thursday they vse the ceremonie to wash the poores feet. On good Friday they doe acts so full of pietie, and giue such testimonies [ D] of sorrow, as it is almost incredible. They beat one another with their fists and rodds: And they doe willingly receiue so many stripes or blowes from their priest, as the bloud runs downe their bodies. During the time that our Sauiours bodie lay in the graue, they attire themselues in mourning, and they eat not any thing, neither doe they go out of their Churches.

They hold seuen Churches to be most auncient, for that (say they) they were built whenas they receiued the Gospell. They will haue that of Caxumo vnder the name of S. Mary of Syon, to be the first, for that the first stone of the Altar was sent them from this mountaine. There are one hundred and fiftie Channons, and as many Monkes. Women enter not into their Churches, vnlesse it be at the towne of Bazua, where there are two, one for men, vnder the name of S. Michael, and the other for women, vnder the [ E] title of S. Peter, and S. Paule. There are verie many Monasteries: twelue miles from Chaxune, there is one, among the rest, which is called Alleluya; for that (as they say) a religious man being attentiue at his ordinarie prayers, heard the Angells sing Alleluya in the place.

Monkes may not marie, and women may not enter into the cloysters of men, nor any beast of that sex. There are many among them that marie two wiues, yea more, at one time, which are not punished: yet it is not lawfull for them to enter into the Church, but they may be diuorced. They feare excommunication wonderfully, and they are so de∣uout, as many come yearely to the holie Sepulchre.

They confesse and hold the Church of Rome to be the first in the world, and the Pope [ F] for the greatest man that is, and for the Vicar of Iesus Christ, and the successour of S. Peter, and their seat, which they call of Dauid, from whom they say they are descended, the second. They haue prophesies which import, that they should not haue aboue one hundred Abunes, that is to say, Patriarchs, from the Church of Alexandria, and that he

which they had in the yeare of our Lord God 1520, was the last, after which they had a [ A] new Rector or head from the Church of Rome. They haue the prophesies of two holie Hermits, which say, That the Francs shall joyne themselues with them, and ruine T or, Ziden, and Mecca, and take Aegypt; at what time the way to vnite them vnto the Chri∣stians in these parts, shall be open: And the Moores haue a prophesie, which saith, That Mecca, whereas the Prophet Mahomet hath his Sepulchre, shall be ruined by the Aethi∣opians. They haue not the heresie of the Monothelites amongst them, but they hold two natures in Iesus Christ, as we doe: the which appeares in their Aethiopian Masse, translated into Latine.

[ XIIII] Presbiter Iohn saith, in a letter sent vnto the Pope, that it is written in the life of S. Victor, [ B] and in the Bookes of the holie fathers, That a great Christian Lord should make a strict league with the king of Aethiopia.

Now that we haue set downe the Abyssins Estate touching spirituall matters, it shall be fit to make some mention of that which hath beene done in our time touching their reconciliation with the Church of Rome, and first we will begin with a famous embas∣sage. A little before our time, David king of the Abyssins, being yet but young, and vn∣der the gouernement of Hellen his grandmother, moued with the same of the happie suc∣cesse of the Portugals at the Indies, sent one called Mathew, an Armenian by nation, with an Abyssin Lord, to Alphonso of Albuquerque, viceroy at the Indies, to contract friendship with king D. Emanuel, to whom they brought letters from their prince in a little pipe of gold, and among other things, they presented vnto him a peece of the true [ C] Crosse in a box of gold.

These being afterwards returned from Portugall to the Indies, were ten yeares after their departure conducted to Ercocco, by Sequeira Generall of the Portugals: And there, by the meanes of the kind reception they gaue vnto Mathew, and of the joy that the Abyssins did shew for his returne, the Portugals were assured of that whereof they doubted, that he was embassadour vnto the great Neguz. With this occasion, Sequeira contracted a league, and made a pepetuall peace, in his kings name, with this monarch, in whose name the viceroy of Barnagas sware the league.

At the same time, Sequeira sent Roderick de Lima Embassadour to this Princes Court, [ D] with whom went Francis Aluares, who afterwards writ all this Historie. He returned from his embassage six yeres after his departure, that is to say, in the yeare of Christ 1526; bringing with him Zagazabe, an embassadour sent by Presbiter Iohn to the king of Portu∣gal, and Francis Aluares with presents and letters which he sent vnto the Pope. The letters were presented at Bolonia, at the coronation of the Emperour Charles the fift. The em∣perour of the Abyssins made mention in his letters, of Pope Eugenius the fourth, who had sent the Councell of Florence to his predecessours, and he remembred the vnion of the Easterne Church with the Roman.

In the yeare of our Redemption 1555, Iohn the third, king of Portugal, had a dessigne to trie all possible meanes to reconcile Presbiter Iohn wholy to the Church of Rome: for [ E] although that Davids Embassadour had done his obedience to Clement the seuenth in his kings name, yet they doubted (as it was likely) that for want of spiritual helpe, it would be vnprofitable; seeing they still followed the heresies of Eutiches and Dioscores, and de∣pended of the authoritie of the Patriarchs of Alexandria, and receiued the Abuna from him which was the arbitratour of Ecclesiasticall things, and administratour of the Sacra∣ments, who gaue orders throughout all Aethiopia, and was maister of the ceremonies, and Doctor of the faith. Whereupon, they thought they could not doe any thing more profitable, nor more necessarie than to send a lawfull Patriarch from Rome, to gouerne those soules, and with him certaine Priests of good life, and great learning, to conuert and maintaine those people in the true faith, by disputation, preaching, publique and pri∣uat [ F] discourses.

It seemed there was a good ouerture for this effect, for that Claude, king of the Abyssins had some yeares before receiued important succours from the Portugals against Gradaa∣met king of Adel, who had reduced him to extremitie, and in a letter written to Stephen

[ A] de Gama gouernor at the Indies, he had called his brother Christopher de Gama Martyr, for that he died in that war. Hauing therefore imparted this desseigne, first to Pope Iulio the third, and then to Pope Paul the fourth; they concluded to send thirteene Iesuite Priests into Aethiopia, men held to be of great pietie & learning. Iohn Nugnez Barette was made Patriarch, and they gaue him two Bishops for coadiutors, Melchior Carnee, and Andrew Oueido, with the titles of Bishops of Nicea, and Hierapolis. King Iohn did furnish this Em∣bassage not only with things necessarie for their voiage, but with all that might be dest∣red concerning sacred things, and with rich presents for Pesbiter Iohn.

But to make the matter more easie, they sent Iames Diaz before, from the town of Goa, [ B] into Aethiopia, by commaundement from the king of Portugal, and with him Gonsaluo Rodrigues to discouer the humor and disposition of the great Neguz, and of his subiects. They hauing ••ad audience of this prince, they deliuered him king Iohns letter, by which he did congratulat with him in the name of all Christians, for that following the exam∣ple of his father and grandfather, he had embraced the faith and Catholicke religion: whereat this Monarch was amazed, as a matter he had neuer dreamt of; and hauing ex∣amined why the king of Portugal had written those words, he excused himselfe vpon his secretaries, or the interpreter of the letters; adding, that although he did much esteeme this king, as his good brother, yet he had neuer any desseigne to stray from the faith of his auncestors. Rodrigues did not faint, but first of all did what he could to draw Claude to the [ C] truth, and the greatest difficultie he found, was the ignorance of Councells, and of all ec∣clesiasticall Histories, which was in the king, and in all the princes of Aethiopia.

Seeing then that the great Neguz gaue him no willing audience, he composed and published a booke in the Chaldean tongue, wherein confuting plainely the errors of the Abyssins, he shewed the soueraigne authorie of the Church of Rome; and this bred a great rumour, so as the king was forced to suppresse it cunningly, to free himsele from daunger.

Iames Diaz seeing that he lost his labour, and that the time of his returne grew neere, tooke leaue of Presbiter Iohn, and hauing giuen an account at Goa, in what estate he had left the businesse, it was not thought conuenient, that the Patriarch should with his per∣son [ D] put the reputation of the Holie See to compromise. But they resolued (for that they would not quite abandon so holie an enterprise) to send the Bishop of Hierapolis with two or three of his companions, to treat with more authoritie of that which father Rodri∣gues had treated of with so small fruit. This Bishop hauing embraced this enterprise with much content, went on his way with father Emanuell Fernandes, and some few others. Be∣ing come into the Abyssins countrie, he had more subiect to suffer, than to dispute, for that king Claude hauing been vanquished and slaine, he had for successor Adamas his bro∣ther, a sworne enemie to the holie See. This prince drew the bishop and his companions after him to the wars, and entreated them very cruelly, vsing no lesse rigour to the Abys∣sins that were conuerted. He was afterwards defeated in battaile by the Turkes, who stript the Bishop and his companions of all they had: so as they fell into so great miserie [ E] and pouertie, as all succours fayling them, they were forced to get their liuing by dig∣ging of the ground, vntill they all died there except one, who continued there, and gouerned about fiue hundred Catholickes, whereof some were Portugals, and some Abyssins conuerted, with wonderfull patience.