The Emperor joins the Habassins and Portugueses where they had not been Ten Days before the Emperor came to them with a small Army but having after some Months got a Body of 500 Horse and 8000 Foot together he resolved to march and offer the Enemy Battel being strongly urged to it by the Portugueses who tho but 90 in number were mad to revenge the Death of their General Cunha who after the Defeat had retreated with 40 of his Portugueses into Tigre was sent to to come and join the Gross but that not being possible by reason of the Enemy's being posted betwixt them the Emperor advanced with the Forces he had with him and being come within sight of the Enemy encamped himself strongly for some days during which time there were frequent Skirmishes in all of which the Portugueses are said to have done Wonders if not to have wrought Miracles The Habassin General in whose Conduct and Courage the Soldiers placed their chief confidence happening to be slain in an Ambush the Turks had laid for him the Emperor had much ado to keep the Army from dispersing upon that unlucky Accident and to prevent it was obliged to offer the Enemy Battel some days sooner than he had otherwise intended to have done The Portugueses having desired it had the Van given them and were joined with 250 Habassin Horse and 3500 Foot The Rear which was commanded by the Emperor in Person consisted of the same Number of Horse and Foot The Enemies Van which was made up of 200 Turks with Fire-Arms 600 Moorish Horse and 7000 Foot was commanded by Granhe himself and the Rear consisting of 600 Horse and 6000 Foot by a great Turkish Captain The Two Armies were no sooner drawn into the Field He fights and routs Granhe than they ran upon one another with great Fury making a great Slaughter on both sides and the Body of Turks happening to charge the Habassins that were in the Van gave them such a shock as obliged them to retreat in great disorder which having been timely observed by the Portugueses who were hewing their way through the Battalions they were engaged withal they wheeled about and attacked the Victorious Turks with that vigor that they quickly forced them to give ground and with the loss of a great many of their best men to retire to their Gross but the Portugueses not being content with that followed their Blow and with the Assistance of the Habassins who had rallied again broke into the Main Body of the Enemy so as to make it give ground apace which being perceived by Granhe he galloped up to them and having put himself on their Head did act the part both of a great Captain and a stout Soldier till he received a Mortal Wound with a Musket Bullet in his breast Granhe killed fighting His men when they saw him fall from his Horse instead of seeking to revenge his Death or to carry off his Body threw down their Arms and betook themselves to their heels only a Turkish Captain who was near him when he received his Death's Wound defended his Body with his Scimiter in his hand till he fell dead upon it and sold his own life dear The Portugueses and Habassins pursued the Enemy so close that few of them escaped the Turks were all killed to 14 who keeping together in a Body got before it was day to the place where Granhe had left his Queen whom with a vast Treasure in Gold and Jewels they conveyed to a place of safety to the great loss and sorrow of the Habassins It is said there was not one Portuguese killed or wounded in this Fight which they will have to have been a miracle owing to the Standard they had bore ever since Gamas's death which was our Lady of mercy whereas before when they lost men they had fought under the Banner of the five Wounds of Christ which are the Arms of the King of Portugal Upon the news of this Victory all the Princes and Governors of Ethiopia The Emperor being restored to the quiet possession of his Kingdom quarrels with the Portugueses who had sided with Granhe flocked to throw themselves at the Emperor's feet who by pardoning them all to a man was immediately restored to the full and quiet possession of his Empire The Emperor for some time after the Victory caressed the Portugueses highly acknowledging on all occasions that he owed his Crown purely to their Valour But whether it was that the Emperor after the fashion of too many Princes looking upon the Services the Portugueses had done him as too great to be rewarded by him did for that reason begin to hate them as a reproach to him or that the Portugueses overvaluing their Services which is likewise a common fault on the other side did grow troublesome and insolent thereupon The chief cause of this Quarrel was the Abund urging the Emperor to turn Roman-Catholick presently and demanded greater Rewards than were just or than the Emperor could conveniently give them or whether it was the Patriarch's teizing the Emperor instantly to declare himself a Roman-Catholick it is certain they came in a short time to an open rupture the Emperor accusing the Portugueses of Impertinence and Insolence and the Portugueses the Emperor of Ingratitude and breach of Faith pretending he had promised the King of Portugal that whensoever he should be restored to the peaceable possession of his Empire he would immediately declare himself a Roman-Catholick and give the third part of his Dominions to the Portugueses But the Emperor as he absolutely denied his having ever made any such promise so he conjured the Patriarch not to trouble him any more about his Religion being resolved never to change it for that of Popery which he called Nestorianism and accused of worshipping Four Gods The Emperor is resolved never to turn Roman-Catholick adding accused of worshipping Four Gods adding That he was the Pastor and Prelate of all the Franks that were in Ethiopia but had nothing to do with his Subjects who had a Prelate of their own to wit the Patriarch of Alexandria in whose obedience after the Example of his Ancestors he was resolved to live and die The Patriarch finding he was not to be persuaded to embrace Popery was for trying whether he could not terrify him into it by obliging the Portugueses by his Censures not to serve him any longer until he made profession of it The Emperor is said at first to have laughed at this Excommunication as the effect of the impotent Passion of an angry old man who would needs be exercising jurisdiction where he had none and it is more than probable considering his present Circumstances and the small number the Pertugueses were then reduced to that he continued to do so to the last Notwithstanding it is reported That when he found the Portugueses would serve him no longer unless he declared himself a Roman-Catholick that he submitted abjuring
Master May Christ our Lord who is the beginning and end of all things carry on that Amity and Friendship which he hath begun between us The principal cause of my writing to your Majesty at this time is to renew the Familiarity and Correspondence which was between our Ancestors which Friendship together with the Adoption of the Holy Spirit has much enobled us Wherefore we desire your Majesty to send us some strong and stout Soldiers to help us to beat the Enemy out of our Ports your Troops when they arrive will find us provided with Arms and all other necessary Provisions of War and in a readiness to assist them to the utmost It being much fitter that those Ports should be in your Majesty's hands than in the hands of the greatest Enemies of our holy Faith your Majesty's Ancestors sent an Army of Gallant men into Ethiopia at a time when the Enemy was ready to have destroy'd our Faith and Empire We might destroy all our Enemies with great ease if we were assisted by the powerful Kings that profess the Gospel and who do comfort our hearts with the Memory of heavenly things we being all Sons of Heaven as St. John witnesseth saying What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit Furthermore we are at war with another Enemy who are called Gauls and who do give us much trouble Wherefore we beseech your Majesty to send us some stout Troops and such as are Zealous for our holy Apostolical Faith and that with all possible Expedition We on our part have for some time been ready to receive them and if they were once come it will quickly appear that all that we design is feasible For why since Christ our Lord is our Common Head and we are all his Members and the Heavenly Father hath begot us all in one Womb of Baptism and that not with corruptible seed should we not be all tied in one chain of love with one Soul and one Body If these Letters were writ by the Habassin Emperor which I do very much doubt they plainly discover that the Fathers chief Argument to persuade him to submit himself to the Pope was the promise of Portuguese Troops but the reason why I suspect these Letters not to have been writ by the Emperor but by some Missionary in the Indies and who had never so much as been in Ethïopia are 1. That Seltam Saged or Suseneus 's Father was never Emperor as he is said in these Letters to have been 2. Guerreiro in his relation of Ethiopia printed at Lisbon in the Year 1611 sets them down under the name of the Emperor Jacob These Letters were probably forged by some Missionary or Malasequet 3. Their Phraseology excepting an affected sprinkling here and there of uncouth Phrases as also their Complements are so much Spanish that an Habassin has not less of the air of a Spaniard than they have of the Letters that were certainly known to have been writ by some of those Emperors Lastly Pereira tells us That the Habassin Emperors from the time that the remains of Gama 's Troops went over to the Turks and assisted them against Ademas dreaded nothing so much as the coming of Portuguese Soldiers from the Indies but whatever the Emperors did there being nothing that the Jesuits desired so earnestly it is to be feared that they made bold with the Emperor's name in the solliciting of them But there are more Letters behind which whether genuine or suppositious I shall set down leaving them to the censure of the judicious Reader The Letter of Raz Athanateus to the King of Portugal THE Letter of Peace and Love Athanateus's Letter to the King of Portugal sent by Athanateus cometh to the High and Powerful Emperor of Portugal with the Peace of our Lord Christ who was Crucified on the holy Cross for the Redemption of the World May this Peace be always with your Majesty The cause of my writing this Letter to you is the earnest desire that the Emperor and I both have to see some Portuguese Troops in this Countrey We do therefore most earnestly beseech your Majesty to send us a Body of stout well-disciplin'd men in order to there covering of our Ports which are at this time in the hand of the Enemies of our Faith When your Soldiers arrive we will take care that they shall be supplied with Arms and all other Necessaries Your Majesty's Ancestors assisted us when the Mahometans broke in upon us and we do to this day remember what great things Christ wrought for us by their means I must therefore a second time intreat your Majesty to send us a Body of stout Soldiers whom when they arrive I shall be ready to receive with open Arms and my mind gives me they will come at some time or other concerning which affair Father Peter Pays will write more at large to your Majesty Written in Ethiopia the 13th of December 1607. The Letter of Raz Athenateus to the Viceroy of the Indies THE Letter of Peace and Love His Letter to the Viceroy of the Indias sent by Athenateus cometh to the great Viceroy of the Indies with the peace of our Lord Christ who died on the holy Cross for our Redemption may that Peace be always with your Excellency and your whole State Amen Hear Sir My Father was always a great friend to the Portugueses that came into these parts having continually favoured them in all things as I have done ever since his death having on all occasions assisted them both with my Interest and my Purse and saved several of them when condemned to die being willing to preserve the remains of the first Portugueses that came among us until more should come to them for the good of this Empire I have had it for some years in my thoughts to write to you but have still been hindered by the Wars we have of late been so much embroiled in out of which God has been pleased to deliver us at last and to give us an Emperor of a Sound Judgment and who governs all things with great prudence who upon my acquainting him with the great need we stand in of Portuguese Succors was pleased to write himself to the King of Portugal for some commanding me to do the same and to acquaint him how much we desire them and how much their coming will be for God's Service I must therefore intreat your Excellency to lend us your helping-hand in this affair that so it may be brought to a speedy Issue Let there be at least a Thousand Soldiers sent and let it be done with all possible Expedition for which Service you will have honour in the sight of God who will undoubtedly reward you for it and were there but once a way opened for it your Excellency shall want nothing that this Empire affords I shall say no more since Father Peter Pays who is acquainted with all my secrets can disclose
in our Mouths and Memories and that I may be always delighting my self in your Gifts For the same reason I do earnestly intreat you to send me some Learned Men and Artificers namely Carvers of Images Sword-Cutlers and Gunsmiths and Gilders and Carpenters but especially Artificers who knew how to Build Houses with Stone and to cover them with Lead and Copper I should be glad likewise to have some that understand how to make Glass and Musical Instruments and how to play well upon them with some Pipers and Trumpeters These Artificers I desire chiefly from your Holiness but in case you should have none to spare I must intreat you to order some of the Christian Kings your Sons who are all at your Commands to send them unto me Which Artificers when they arrive here shall be treated honourably and rewarded according to their deserts they shall also have good Wages and whenever they shall desire it they shall have free leave to return home and be well rewarded for their pains for I will detain no body against his will how beneficial soever his stay should be to me But to pass to other things I must expostulate with you holy Father Why do you not exhort the Christian Kings your Sons to lay down their Arms as becomes Brethren and to agree among themselves seeing they are all your Sheep and you are their Pastor Your Holiness is not ignorant of the Gospel-Commands and of its having said A kingdom divided against it self cannot stand but will become desolate For if those Kings would but all join together they would quickly destroy all the Mahometans and with ease demolish the Sepulchre of their False Prophet Apply your self therefore to this holy Father that so there may be a firm Peace and Confederacy established among them and exhort them to assist us who are besieged on all sides by Wicked Mahometans and Moors The Turks and Moors can assist one another and their Kings and Rulers do all agree together I have a Mahometan for my Neighbour who is constantly supplied with Arms Horses and all Military Weapons by Princes of his own Sect namely the Kings of India Persia and Egypt this is a great mortification to me to see the Enemies of the Christian Religion enjoy Peace and live together like Brethren and at the same time to see Christian Kings my Brethren not in the least concerned at the Injuries I endure not one of them offering to succour me as becomes a Christian notwithstanding the filthy Sons of Mahomet are always ready to succor one another not that I desire any Soldiers of them for I have enough of my own and to spare but all that I desire of them is only their Prayers and Supplications and your Holiness and my Brethren's Favour The reason why I want your Friendship is that I may be furnished by you with such things as are necessary to terrify the Mahometans the Enemies of the Name of Christ And that my Neighbours may be made sensible of my being favoured by the Christian Kings my Brethren and of their being ready to assist me whenever there shall be occasion which would be much for the honour of all of us that are of the same Faith and Religion and do intend to persist therein God fulfil your Desires to the praise of Jesus Christ and of God our Father who is praised by all thorow all Ages and you my Lord and holy Father with all the Saints of Christ at Rome embrace me and let all my Subjects and all that dwell in Ethiopia be received with the same Embraces and let thanks be returned to Christ with your Spirit These Letters your Holiness will receive from my Brother John King of Portugal the most Powerful Son of King Emanuel who will send them to you by our Ambassador Francisco Alvarez A Second Letter of David Emperor of Ethiopia to the Roman Pontiff written in the Year 1524. HAppy and holy Father who art made by God the Conservator of the Nations and who dost sit in the Chair of St. Peter To thee are given the keys of the kingdom of heaven so that whatsoever thou binded or loosest on earth is bound and loose in heaven according to what Christ hath said in St. Matthew 's Gospel I the King at whose Name the Lyons tremble who at my Baptism was called Atami Tinghil that is the Frankincense of the Virgin but who when I took the Administration of my Empire upon me assumed the Names of David the Beloved of God the Pillar of Faith the Prince of Judah the Son of Solomon the Son of the Pillar of Sion the Son of Zara Jacob the Son of the Hand of Mary the Son of Nau by the Flesh Emperor of the Great and High Ethiopia and of vast Kingdoms and Dominions King of Xoa and Caffate and Fatigar Angot Baru Baaltinganze Adea Vanga and Mahon and Saba from whence the Queen of Saba went and Barnagays the Lord of all Nubia to the Confines of Egypt All which Countries and a great many more not here mentioned are under our Dominion neither have I mentioned the fore-named out of Pride or Vaingloy or for any other reason but that the Great God may be the more praised who of his singular bounty has been pleased to bestow the foresaid Christian Empires upon my Ancestors and who hath likewise been gracious to me after a special manner that I might constantly do service to his Religion making me Lord of Adel and the Scourge of the Mahometans and Gentiles who do worship Idols I do after the manner of other Christian Kings my Brethren to whom I am no-ways inferior either in Power or Religion send to kiss your Holiness's Feet Within my own Territories I am the Fillar of Faith neither am I assisted with any Foraign Succors but I do place my whole trust and confidence in God as my Ancestors did before me who have all been sustained and governed by him ever since his Angel spoke to Philip who instructed the Eunuch of the powerful Queen Candace Empress of Ethiopia in the Faith as he was coming from Jerusalem to Gaza Philip then baptized the Eunuch and the Eunuch afterwards baptized the Queen with the greatest part of her Court and People who from that day to this have continued Christians and strong in the Faith My Ancesters without any other than Divine Assistance have propagated the Faith thorow vast Regions which I likewise labour daily to do being fixed between the large Borders of my Kingdoms as a Lyon encompassed within a Wood and strongly fortified against the Mahometans and other Nations that are Enemies to the Christian Faith and who will not give ear to the Word of God and my Exhortation For which reason I with my Sword girt about me do persecute them and will by degrees expel them relying on the Divine Assistance which is never wanting to me which is more than all Christan Kings can say who if they would but agree together might with
been Emperor himself for Seven years and that with the Approbation of the People who had also restored him after he had been Deposed for some time neither was his being a Bastard any bar to him since according to the Natural and Civil Law a Bastard may succeed his Father as John the First of Portugal did his Fathor Don Peter besides Suseneus was a Bastard no less than Jacob. On the other side saith Tellez it may be alledged That Jacob having been deposed to make room for Za Danguil who was both the true Heir and was chosen by the Grandees and People upon Danguil 's death the Throne became void and the Election of an Emperor out of the Royal Family devolved to the Commonwealth whereupon Suseneus who was the Grandson of an Infante was chosen Emperor by the Army upon Jacob 's having delayed coming to them Concluding That whatever Princes Titles or Pretences in such cases may be in Speculation according to the Practice of the World he has the best Title that â—â—s the longest Sword But to return to the Fathers who having staid at Court till Winter obtained leave to go to Gorgora to fix a Residence there but they had not been gone a Month before the Emperor writ to them to come to Court again declaring that he could not be without their Company any longer The Fathers obey'd the summons and repaired to Coga a place near the Lake of Dembea where the Emperor at that time had his Camp They were no sooner arrived but the Emperor gave them an Audience and after that was over ordered them to Dine with him that is in the same Room though not at the same Table The Portugueses give a tedious account of the particulars of this Entertainment the main of which are That the Emperor does not feed himself but has his Meat put into his Mouth by his Pages that his Diet was plain and without any thing of Cookery and that he had neither Knife Spoon Table-Cloth nor Napkin and had Bread for his Trencher and never Drank till he had done Eating Father Peter and his Companions never missed the Emperor's Levee the Emperor taking great delight to discourse with them about Religion and the difference that is between the Habassin and Roman Churches which Conferences having continued for some time The Emperor offers to write to the King of Portugal and the Pope and is encouraged by Father Peter to do it the Emperor sent one day to Father Peter to come to him alone and being come he told him That nowithstanding he was convinced that he ought to submit himself and his Empire to the Pope yet it would not be safe for him to attempt it before he had some assurance that the King of Portugal would assist him against those who would oppose him in doing of it That he intended therefore to write a Letter to the Pope and another to the King about it The Father having extolled his good intentions encouraged him to write those Letters assuring him of as good an Answer to them as he could desire The Emperor Seltem Saged's Letter to the Pope THE Letter of the Emperor of Ethiopia The Emperor's Letter to the Pope Malac Eguet cometh to the holy Pope of Rome with the Peace of our Lord Christ who loved us and washed us from our Sins in his blood and hath made us a Kingdom and a Priesthood to God the Father May this Peace be always with your Holiness and the Catholick Church of Christ Amen We have for a long time had a great affection for the Christians of your parts upon the account of the benefits this Empire received from them when it was formerly rescued by the Portugueses out of the hands of Mahometans and restored by them to its ancient estate and quiet most of whose Race died in our Father's Reign who was willing they should enjoy what his Ancestors had given them whereupon so soon as through God's Grace I took the Government of the Empire upon me I determined to renew our Alliance with the Faithful People of Christ in order to remedy the manifest distractions our Empire of late years has been put into by the Mahometans for notwithstanding we have subdued most of our Domestick Enemies we have Enemies still that are much more Powerful that is the Infidel Gauls who have Conquered a great part of our Empire and destroyed many of our Churches and which is worst of all are daily Invading us and exercising unheard-of Cruelties on Old Men Widows and Children whom we are not able to protect without being assisted by our Brother the Emperor of Portugal We do therefore implore his aid as our Ancestors did that of his Predecessors formerly and that there may be no failure we resolved to intreat your Holiness who is the Father and Pastor of all faithful Christians to write to our Brother to grant us what we desire of him before the Gauls grow stronger upon us As to the landing of the Succors he shall send it will be done without any danger they that are the Masters of our Coast being at this time very weak at Sea so being assured that your Holiness will assist us according to our necessities we will trouble you with no more words but shall refer the relation of the state of our Empire and of the kindness wherewith we Treat those of the Portuguese race and of the care we take of the Fathers and their Churches to Father Peter Pays to whom I have recommended the doing of it and to whose account I desire you to give the same credit as you do to this Letter We conclude praying that our Lord Christ would preserve your Holiness for many Years for the good of the Catholick Church Written in Ethiopia on the 14th of October 1607. The Emperor's Letter to the King of Spain THE Letter sent by the Emperor Malac Eguet His Letters to the King of Spain cometh to the Emperor of Spain the Holy Land of St. Peter the Prince of the Doctors and of the Catholick Church of our Lord of which the Apostle St. Paul said I have betrothed thee to one man to present thee a chast Virgin to Christ To whom be glory and in imitation of the most pure Messenger St. Gabriel who saluting our Lady the Virgin said The Lord save thee and of Christ our Lord who on the Evening of the Lord's-day after his Resurrection said to his Apostles being assembled together Peace be among you and as St. Paul writes in all his Epistles The Peace of our Lord be with your Majesty our Brother in the Faith that was preached by St. Peter at the time when our Lord Christ commanded his Apostles to go all over the world and preach the Gospel to all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost How is your Majesty and how is your Empire we are in health thorough the Intercession of St. Peter your and our
Gama after having strictly Survey'd it judged it the best way to make an Assault upon all the Entries at once and accordingly charged Francis Velho and Manoel da Cunha with the First and John de Fanseca and Francis d' Abrew with the Second who had each of them Three Field-Pieces taking the Third which was by much the strongest to himself In the Night he ordered several false Attacks to be made on purpose to make the Enemy spend their Arrows which they did in great showers without Killing or Wounding one of the Portugueses who having performed their Devotions and received the Patriarch's Blessing advanced so soon as it was Day with their Artillery with which having plaid for some time upon the Entry they afterwards fell palmall upon those that Guarded them by whom they were warmly received and repulsed twice Gama who little expected to have met with such a stout Resistance was much concerned to see his Men beat off so nevertheless resolving since he had begun it either to carry his Point The strong Mountain of Amba Canet is stormed by Gama or to lose his Life in the Enterprise he made a Third Attack in which after a long struggle he obliged the Enemy to leave the Pass and Retreat with a great loss of Men to the top of the Mountain The other two Passes were likewise opened by his Men much about the same time but the Garison after this was so far from offering to Capitulate that they disputed every Inch of the top of the Mountain with the Portugueses fighting it out to the last man Of the Porrugueses there were but 7 Killed and 40 wounded in all this Action Gama so soon as he was absolute Master of the Place sent down one to wish the Empress Joy of it and to desire her to do her Mountain Amba Camet the honour to visit it assuring her that she might now safely do it there being not one Mahometan left alive upon it the Empress was over-joy'd at the News and having magnified the Portuguese Valour and Conduct beyond measure she returned her Thanks to Gama for the great Service he had done her Son in reducing such a strong Place but desired to be excused from visiting of it For besides that it was very steep she had not courage enough to behold the Carcasses it must be covered withal He sent likewise to the Patriarch to come up and Consecrate the Mosque which he did The Church that had been turned into a Mosque is consecrated the by Abunâ— Dedicating it to our Lady of Victory in which after he heard Mass and Buried his Dead he went down to wait upon the Empress who received him with the greatest Joy and Respect imaginable extolling his Courage and Conduct to the Skies She gave the Government of the Mountain to a Captain that was in her train whose Ancestors had formerly been Governors of it The Camp continued near this Mountain all the Month of February for the sake of the wounded men during which time Gama received a Message brought by two Portugueses from Manuel de Vasconselho who had been sent by the Viceroy with Five Ships to learn where the Turkish Galleys were and with a fresh Supply of Arms and Ammunition Upon this advice Gama sent Francisco Velho with a Guard of 40 Portugueses well armed and mounted to Matzua where Vasconselho was with his Fleet with an Order to receive the Arms and Ammunition that was sent to him by his Brother to whom he gave a full account by Letter of the State of Affairs in Ethiopia and of all that he had done in it Having dispatched this business and their wounded men being all either dead or cured the Empress and Gama marched into a fertile Countrey whose Prince was a Christian by whom they were joyfully entertained wanting for nothing that was necessary for their Camp But they had not been many days in these good Quarters before Gama received Letters from the Emperor desiring him to march towards him with all the haste he could he being informed that Granhe had resolved to get betwixt them with an Army which neither of them alone could be able to deal with Upon this Advice Gama made long Marches to have got to the Emperor Gama is intercepted in his March towards the Emperor by Granhe but was notwithstanding that intercepted by Granhe from whom upon Palm-Sunday he received a Message telling him That he wondred at his having the Impudence to come as he did into his Kingdom with a Handful of men A Huffing Message with a ridiculous Present is sent to Gama by Granhe for which tho he well deserved to be chastised to discourage others from making such mad Adventures yet considering he was but a Boy and had been wheedled into it by the Empress who was certainly the falsest Woman in the world he was ready not only to pardon him but to convey him and his men safe back to their Ships desiring him withal to accept of the Present he had sent him which was a Monk's Cowl and a Rosary of Beads as much more proper for him than a Sword and Armour Gama treated the Messenger civilly presenting him with a Silk Vest and a Medal bidding him tell his Master That he should have an Answer from him in a day or two A Council of War having been called thereupon it was agreed that Gama should return the following Answer to Granhe That he was sent into Ethiopia by the great Lyon of the Sea and the most powerful Lord of the Earth whose custom it was to succor all that are in distress and who having been informed that the most Christian Emperor of Ethiopia his Brother in Arms was conquered and in a manner driven out of his Empire by Infidels and the Enemies of the holy Catholick Faith had sent him with some Troops to restore him to his Empire which tho they were but few in number yet he did not doubt but they were enough to fight the greatest Armies of one who had been so wicked as without any reason or colour of Justice to dispossess a Prince of his Empire and that not with his own strength but because the true God was pleased to permit it to be so for the chastisement of the Sins of the Habassins whose Wrath he hoped was now abundantly satisfied with what they had already suffered so that he would now in his great mercy restore them again to their Ancient Liberties and give them the Lands of their Forefathers of which he had so unjustly robbed them With this Answer he sent him a large Looking-glass with a pair of Pinchers such as Women use Gama returns Granhe a Message with a Present no less huffing than ridiculous Granhe though desperate mad at this Answer and Present yet could not forbear saying That Captains who had the courage to fight Armies with handfuls of men deserved to have great honours done them by all Princes But perceiving the Portugueses were
not to be persuaded to lay down their Arms he thought the best way to deal with such desperate People would be to starve them which he reckoned would be easie for him to do they being at that time but 350 fighting Men whereas his Army consisted of 15000 Foot and 1500 Horse besides 200 Turks with fire-Fire-Arms But the Mahometans after having besieged Gama at a distance for some days being ashamed of taking such a course with a Body of men which they reckoned would not be a Breakfast to them did oblige Granhe to change his Measures and to lead them up to the Enemy whom when they came near they found strongly encamped Gama besieged on all sides by Granhe Granhe finding the Enemy thus posted and being neither willing to discourage his Men by marching back again nor to hazard them by making an Assault ordered a Breast-work to be run up within Musket-shot of them from behind which he for some day mauled the Portugueses with his Fire-Arms Gama whose number could not long endure this sport resolved whatever it cost him next night to dislodge the Infidels which with the help of his Artillery he did in a few hours obliging them to keep their former distance which was without Cannon Shot of his Camp in which Action he had several wounded but not one killed He opens a passage to himself with the bravery of his Men being assisted with Artillery After this Gama was more at ease for the present yet being sensible that this would not do his business the Enemy as they lay keeeping him from supplies of Provisions he was forced to decamp which he did before day and in very good order bringing up the Rear himself The Infidels perceiving so soon as it was light that the Portugueses had left their Camp pursued them with great fury reckoning now they had got them upon plain ground to have made short work with them But Gama when they were come near him plied them so with his Artillery that he made them retreat in disorder leaving several of their best men dead or wounded behind them Granhe himself having his Horse shot under him and receiving a wound in his Thigh with a Musket-bullet there were 11 Portugueses one of whom was an Ensign killed in this Action and several wounded Gama himself having received a slight wound in the Leg who having lain still 12 days to cure his wounded men and observed that the Enemy had resumed his first method of starving them he determined to fall upon them in their Quarters which he did with good success driving them from their Posts and making a great slaughter among them in this Attack Gama lost 14 more of his Portugueses besides two that were blown up by a Barrel of Gunpowder which took fire by accident the noise of which was of no small advantage to him the Enemies Horses being put into such a disorder therewith that the Officers were not able to bring them together again he had likewise 70 wounded two whereof died of their Wounds Granhe finding there was no breaking this Body of Portugueses by reason of their Discipline and Artillery He obligeth Granhe to retreat the noise whereof neither his Men nor Horse could bear he retreated for eight days together into a Mountainous Countrey leaving the Portugueses to the mercy of the heat and barrenness of Ethiopia which he hoped would make an end of them in a little time Gama having thus rid himself of the Enemy removed his Camp to the Banks of a large and pleasant River where he had been but two days when the Portugueses he had sent to Matzua returned to him but without bringing any thing of that they were sent for the Ships that brought the Arms and Ammunition having been frighted away before they got to Matzua by some Intelligence they had received of a Fleet of Turkish Gallies making towards them Bahurnagays likewise came back to him at the same time with a Body of 500 Habassin Foot and 30 Horse Gama though much troubled at this disappointment yet that he might lose no time resolved with this small Reinforcement to pursue Granhe and if it were possible to drive him out of the Fastnesses he was retired to And so instead of marching towards the Emperor as he had been desired that he might engross the whole glory of overcoming Granhe to himself he marched from the Emperor after him for eight days but as we shall see by the sequel of the Story was at all this pains to catch a Tartar He had fallen upon Granhe as soon as he came up with him had he not been hindred by the Empress who protested against coming to a Battel before they had their whole Army together and with much a-do persuaded him to expect the Emperor with his Troops which were reported to be much greater than they were While Gama was in these quarters a certain Jew who was Governor of a strong Mountain called Oaty in the Province of Cemen came to wait on him and to let him know That in the neighbouring Mountains there were great numbers of curious Horses which were but weakly guarded offering if he would send any of his men to seize them to be their Guide himself he further told him Gama conducted by a Jew to a Mountain of which and a great drove of Horses he makes himself master That it was absolutely necessary for him to make himself Master of all the Passes of that Countrey for otherwise it would not be possible for the Emperor who he knew was not strong enough to force his way to come at him Gama was much concerned at the last part of the Jew's Intelligence having imagined the Emperor to have been much stronger than he assured him he was whereupon he asked the Empress what she thought of the Jew's report concerning her Son's Army She told him frankly That she thought it was but too true hereupon he determined to go and either make himself Master of those Horses and Passes or die in the Attempt In pursuance of which resolution that he might not alarm Granhe he marched secretly out of his Camp by night with a 100 of his Portugueses and never halted till he came to the great River Tavaze over which he was forced to waft his men upon Boracho's or Hides full of Wind but what was worst of all when they came near the Mountain his design was upon he found the Garison much stronger than the Jew had represented it to have been there being no fewer than 3000 Foot and 400 Horse in it but Gama was gone too far to think of Retreating and therefore Fight he must and did and after having killed the Governor Cid Ahamed with his own hand the Infidels being but raw men dispersed upon it and were most of them knocked on the head by the Jews who are the Natives of that Countrey the Jew who was the Guide is said to have been so struck with this Victory and particularly