|3 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ' 
 
 
 I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. | 
 
NOTES 
 
 JOURNAL OF E M. FLAJD, 
 
 ONE OF BISHOP GOBAT'S PILGRIM MISSIONARIES 
 IN ABYSSINIA. 
 
 EDITED, 
 
 WITH A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE ABYSSINIAN CHURCH, 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. W. DOUGLAS VEITCH, 
 
 HON CHAPLAIN TO THE ANGLICAN BISHOP IN JERUSALEM; AND SECRETARY TO 
 THE COMMITTEE OF THE JERUSALEM DIOCESAN MISSIONARY FUND. 
 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 JAMES NISBET AND CO., 21 BERNEBS STREET. 
 
 M.DCCC.LX. 
 
■vJ 
 
 3 J*° 
 
 EDINBURGH ! 
 
 PAINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY, 
 
 PAUL'S WORK. 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 At a time when missions to Africa are so warmly ad- 
 vocated, the following unpretending volume may not 
 be without its use. It will convey intelligence of the 
 existence now in Africa of a mission, as yet but little 
 known, to an ancient Church and once-powerful nation 
 — a mission which, after struggling through many diffi- 
 culties, seems now, by God's blessing, fairly established, 
 with a reasonable prospect of success, provided means 
 to meet its increasing wants are provided. The Editor 
 would use, with slight alteration, the prayer which ter- 
 minates the history of the learned Ludolph: — "The 
 Almighty God stir up the hearts of British Christians 
 to lend their assistance to this ancient Christian nation, 
 which might prove so useful to propagate Christianity 
 in these remote parts of the world, and so glorious to 
 themselves and their posterity ! " And he would add 
 his own fervent desire, that the simple Gospel of Jesus 
 Christ, set forth before the Abyssinian Church, which 
 so firmly withstood all the efforts of the Jesuits to bring 
 
IT PEEFACE. 
 
 it into subjection to Borne, may, under God's blessing, 
 lead it to reform those errors of doctrine and discipline 
 which have crept in during the long ages of its event- 
 ful and often melancholy history. 
 
 A brief sketch of a portion of that history will be 
 found in the following pages. 
 
At the commencement of the fourth century, Mero- 
 pius, a merchant, or, as some say, a philosopher of 
 Tyre, touching on the western coast of the Eed Sea, as 
 he was journeying to India, was murdered by the bar- 
 barous natives, who, however, spared the lives of two 
 youths, his companions, Adesius and Frumentius, and 
 carried them to the court of the Emperor of Abyssinia. 
 Their talents soon brought them into notice. The latter 
 received employment as a secretary, the former was 
 employed in the buttery. 
 
 On the death of the King, the Queen, who adminis- 
 tered the government during her son's minority, pro- 
 moted them to the important post of tutors to the infant 
 sovereign. On attaining his majority, and assuming 
 the reins of government, he granted them permission 
 to return home. Adesius went at once to Tyre, but 
 Frumentius, who, apparently with some success, had 
 endeavoured, during his long detention at the Abyssinian 
 court, to spread the knowledge of the gospel, proceeded 
 to Alexandria to concert with the Patriarch, the re- 
 nowned Athanasius, means for establishing an Abys- 
 
 A 
 
2 CHURCH FOTJNDED — FIEST BISHOP. 
 
 siiiian Church. Seeing his zeal, and pleased with his 
 character, the Patriarch considered the mission could 
 not be intrusted to better hands than those of Frumen- 
 tius himself, and accordingly consecrated him first 
 Bishop of Abyssinia.* 
 
 Little is known, says Geddes, of this Church till we 
 come down to the close of the fifteenth century. It 
 followed the Alexandrian Church in the adoption of 
 the Eutychian heresy of but one nature in Christ, con- 
 demned in the Council of Chalcedon a.d. 451, and was 
 thus estranged from the communion of the great ma- 
 jority of the Oriental Churches; and when subsequently 
 the Saracens (who, under the celebrated Ainrou, in- 
 vaded Egypt, A.D. 638) extended their dominions along 
 the whole northern coast of Africa, as far as Suta, it 
 was so entirely severed from all connexion with Christ- 
 endom, that its very existence was forgotten. And well 
 would it have been for Abyssinia had it remained in 
 oblivion, till some other nation than Portugal revived 
 its memory, and other hands than those of Loyola and 
 his fellows undertook its restoration. 
 
 Towards the close of the fifteenth century some Por- 
 tuguese vessels, which had been sent on a voyage of dis- 
 
 * Frumentius, under the name of " Abba Salama," is celebrated 
 in the Ethiopian Martyrology. — (Ludoljyh.) He was consecrated 
 a.d. 330. The Abyssinian Church, till this day, has but one bishop, 
 styled Abuna, who is consecrated by the Coptic " Patriarch of Alex- 
 andria, of the Chair of St Mark." By the Arabic (pseudo) canons 
 of the Council of Nice the seventh place of precedence is assigned 
 to the Abuna of Abyssinia. 
 
FIRST INTERCOURSE WITH PORTUGAL. 3 
 
 covery along the west coast of Africa by Don John II., 
 having entered the river Zaire, in the kingdom of Congo, 
 heard of Christians in the interior. On receiving this 
 news, Don John, who was not more devoted to geogra- 
 phical pursuits than to the interests of what he thought 
 Christianity, viz., the ascendancy of Popery, despatched 
 Pedro Calvilham, as ambassador, to open communica- 
 tions with this long-forgotten branch of the Catholic 
 Church. After many difficulties and delays, Calvilham 
 succeeded in reaching Abyssinia, through Egypt, A.D. 
 1 490, where he was courteously received by Alexander, 
 the reigning Emperor. Alexander's design to send an 
 embassy to Lisbon in return, was prevented by death, 
 and his successor Nahod, conceiving some suspicion 
 that Calvilham was a spy, cast him into prison. In the 
 reign of his successor, Lebna Dengel, or David, the 
 Empress Helena, regent during his minority, having 
 heard of the Portuguese successes in India, willingly 
 gave ear to a request from Alphonso Albuquerque, for 
 aid in an expedition he was carrying on in the Persian 
 Gulf ; and feeling how advantageous it would be to 
 the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia, surrounded as it 
 was by Mohammedans and Pagans, to enter into an 
 alliance with a powerful Christian nation, she sent an 
 embassy to Lisbon, A.D. 1509, to Emmanuel, Don John's 
 successor, presenting him with a fragment of the true 
 cross, proposing a matrimonial alliance between the 
 two royal families, and engaging, if he would send out 
 a fleet, to supply it with every necessary store. 
 
4 COMMENCEMENT OF TSOUBJLE3. 
 
 To this embassy the King responded, but it was not 
 till 1520 that his ambassadors arrived in Abyssinia. No- 
 thing of immediate consequence, however, was effected ; 
 nor was it till 1527, after Emmanuel's death, that they 
 returned to Lisbon, bringing with them Zaga Zabo as 
 Abyssinian ambassador to the Portuguese court. But 
 the ultimate results were of great and melancholy im- 
 portance to Abyssinia ; for we may date from this in- 
 tercourse the rise of those events which, for upwards of 
 a century, plunged that unhappy kingdom in rebellion 
 and civil war, and deluged it with blood, and the com- 
 mencement of that effort to subjugate Abyssinia to 
 Borne, which all but ended in the subversion of the 
 monarchy and the Church.* 
 
 The commencement of troubles was as follows : — 
 Ahmet, nicknamed Gragne, or the left-handed, a fero- 
 cious Mohammedan chief, King of Arur or Hurrar, 
 east of Shon,-J- apprehensive of an alliance between 
 Abyssinia and the Portuguese, now becoming powerful 
 in India, allying himself with the King of Adel, at that 
 time at war with David, invaded Abyssinia, and suc- 
 ceeded in making himself master of the fairest provinces 
 of the empire. In this emergency, David resolved to 
 solicit Portuguese aid, and compelling the Abuna to 
 consecrate one Bermudcs, a Portuguese long resident 
 
 * Salt calculates, that the commotions caused by the Jesuit effort 
 to introduce the Roman faith lasted, with little intermission, for the 
 long space of 1 14 years. 
 
 f Ludolph, 478. 
 
POPE APPOINTS BERMUDES PATRIARCH. 5 
 
 in Abyssinia, as bishop, and nominate him his successor, 
 he sent him ambassador to Lisbon and Eome. At 
 Rome he was received with open arms by Paul III, 
 who was graciously pleased to confer on him the patri- 
 archate of Ethiopia,* in all the glory of which new 
 dignity he experienced a most gracious reception at 
 Lisbon, whither he went from Eome, and in 1539 em- 
 barked for Goa, with an order to the viceroy to send 
 400 or 500 Portuguese musketeers to the Emperor's 
 assistance. It arrived, however, too late for David, who 
 died in 1540, "leaving his son Claudius a broken and 
 distressed empire, and all princes an example of the folly 
 of depending on remote foreign succours/' — (Geddes.) 
 
 In 1541, Christopher, son of the famous Vasco de 
 Gama,-f- accompanied by the Patriarch Bermudes, ar- 
 rived with 400 men, and a small train of artillery, and 
 found the Emperor Claudius in the utmost peril. They 
 performed, so say the Jesuits, prodigies of valour, and 
 not a few miracles were wrought on their behalf — use- 
 less ones apparently — for, after a brief space, De Gama 
 was entirely routed, captured, and beheaded. 
 
 After his death, the fortune of war changed, for 
 Claudius, having succeeded in gathering an army of 
 some 8000 or 9000 men, aided by the few surviving Por- 
 tuguese, engaged Gragne in a pitched battle, in which 
 he was victorious, and his antagonist slain. 
 
 * 1538. Strangely enough, recognising the validity of consecra- 
 tion by a heretic — and by one bishoj)- 
 
 f Another son, Stephen, was at this time Viceroy of Goa. 
 
6 PORTUGUESE CLAIM RESISTED. 
 
 On his restoration to the qniet possession of his 
 throne, Claudius shewed every disposition to treat the 
 Portuguese with kindness. But the arrogant conduct, 
 and the absurd demands of the Patriarch, soon produced 
 discord. He claimed from the King, under pain of 
 excommunication, and the loss of the Portuguese 
 alliance, the fulfilment of an alleged promise to embrace 
 the Eoman Catholic faith, and cede one-third of his 
 dominions to the Portuguese. The King stoutly denied 
 that any such promise had ever been given — declared 
 that, in his opinion, Popery was Nestorianism, and the 
 Pope a heretic,* and that he (Bermudes) had nothing 
 to do with his subjects, who had a patriarch of their 
 own, the Patriarch of Alexandria, to whom they were 
 subject ; and to prove his determination to maintain the 
 established order of ecclesiastical affairs, as the Abuna- 
 ship was vacant, he sent, more major um, to request the 
 Patriarch would consecrate and send one without loss 
 of time. His request was immediately complied with, 
 and on some impertinent interference on the part of Ber- 
 mudes, the King committed him to prison. After some 
 months he contrived to escape, and took refuge with the 
 Baharnagash (Coast-king) of Tigre' ; and thus ended 
 the first act of the sad drama of Bomish effort in Abys- 
 sinia. The second introduces the Jesuits on the stage. 
 
 * A somewhat similar judgment was pronounced by the Oriental 
 Churches, on the settlement of the affairs of the Russian Church. 
 " Old Rome has fallen through the AjwllinaHan heresy." — Moura- 
 yieff 's " History of the Russian Church." 
 
SECOND ROMISH MISSION. 7 
 
 The peace obtained by this expulsion of the Eomish 
 missionaries was not destined to last. The celebrated 
 Ignatius Loyola cast his eyes on Abyssinia as a worthy 
 field for the exercise of his talents, and applied to 
 Pope Julius for permission to head a mission to that 
 devoted country. The Pope, however, could not, or 
 would not, spare so zealous a servant, and refused ; but, 
 won over by the indefatigable perseverance* of his 
 petitioner, he gave his sanction to a mission of members 
 of the new order, which, "that it might represent 
 Christ and His Apostles,"-)- was appointed to consist 
 of a patriarch and twelve followers. Two of these were 
 consecrated bishops, and were, in case they survived 
 him, to succeed to the patriarchate in turns ; the re- 
 maining ten were simple friars. The Papal bull was 
 published February 17, 1554, addressed to " My beloved 
 Son, John Nunez Baretto," appointing him " Patriarch 
 of Ethiopia, and of all the kingdoms of our beloved 
 Son in Christ, the illustrious Emperor of the said 
 Ethiopia, which is at this time in a manner destitute 
 of the consolations of a pastor." J 
 
 * He enjoined all the Jesuits in Lisbon to petition the King 
 once a month, and employed a Portuguese nobleman at Eome to 
 speak to the Portuguese ambassador on the subject once in three 
 days. He so faithfully obeyed the injunction, that at last, when the 
 ambassador's servants saw him coming, they were wont to say, 
 " Here comes our Lord's tertian ague !" 
 
 + Geddes, 151. 
 
 % Pio Nono, therefore, in the mission of Cardinal Wiseman to 
 restore the priesthood and Church to England, has only followed 
 infallible precedent. 
 
8 BARETTO APPOINTED PATEIAECH. 
 
 Baretto and his coadjutors, Andrew Oviedo, Bishop 
 of Hierapolis, and Melchior Carneiro, Bishop of Nice, 
 in partibus, were accordingly consecrated at Lisbon, 
 from whence they sailed for Goa, where they arrived 
 in 1556. But it appears the King had had some doubts 
 about the readiness of the Abyssinians to secure the 
 benefits intended by the Jesuit mission, and besides 
 this there was an ecclesiastical difficulty to be removed. 
 The Holy Father had forgotten, when he appointed 
 a patriarch in the person of Baretto, that Bermudes 
 already held that office. Orders to the Viceroy of Goa 
 were therefore sent, by a vessel then sailing, to despatch 
 messengers into Abyssinia, as soon as the vessel arrived, 
 to endeavour to solve the doubts and remove the diffi- 
 culty. James Dias Oprestes, Gonzalo Rodriguez, and 
 Fulgentio Freyere, all Jesuits, were selected, and 
 proceeded forthwith to the Abyssinian court (having 
 an interview with Bermudes, then with the Baharna- 
 gash, on the way.) They were courteously received by 
 the Emperor, but assured that it was needless for the 
 King of Portugal to send learned friars to him, as he 
 had enough of his own — that he had no intention to 
 submit himself to the Pope, but would follow the cus- 
 toms of his ancestors, and yield obedience to the Patri- 
 arch of Alexandria, the spiritual head of the Abyssin- 
 ian Church,* and to him alone. With this assurance 
 they were courteously dismissed. The ecclesiastical 
 
 * According to the ancient constitution, the Emperor is supreme 
 in all causes, ecclesiastical and civil. — Geddes, 32. 
 
PAPAL CLAIMS AGAIN URGED. 9 
 
 difficulty, however, which still remained was very char- 
 acteristically solved by the Jesuit Rodriguez. He 
 returned to Bermudes, and drew so frightful a picture 
 of the danger he had incurred — of his narrow escape 
 from death for having asserted Roman Catholic doc- 
 trines, and so insisted on the hopelessness of endeavour- 
 ing, for the present, to bring about the submission of 
 the Abyssinian Church to Rome, that the poor Patri- 
 arch fled to Goa. There he was entertained for a year 
 in the Jesuits' College, " a civility that order seldom or 
 never pass to any foreigner that they have not some 
 design upon," and then provided with a passage to 
 Lisbon. * 
 
 When the new Patriarch arrived at Goa, it was not 
 deemed expedient that he should immediately proceed 
 in person to Abyssinia; and his coadjutor, Oviedo, 
 accompanied by several of the others, was sent instead. 
 On their arrival, Oviedo wrote to the King, using the 
 following characteristic language: — "I come from 
 Rome, being sent by the Pope, to be coadjutor to the 
 Patriarch, who is now in the Indies, with whose autho- 
 rity I am invested, his Holiness having pleased to 
 bestow it upon me." He was admitted to an audience, 
 at which the same weary demands were made for sub- 
 mission to the Roman See, and the same answers 
 
 * By some accident, he was left behind- at St Helena, where he 
 was detained a whole year. He contrived, however, somehow to 
 get to Lisbon in 1558, where he lived for several years, never, how- 
 ever, resigning his patriarchate. 
 
10 THEY ARE REFUSED. 
 
 returned as before. The King, moreover, to refute 
 the accusation of heresy, placed in Oviedo's hands a 
 confession of faith he had lately published ; and further, 
 worried by the pertinacity of the bishop, offered to 
 refer the matter to his council. But the Jesuit, well 
 aware that he had nothing to hope in that quarter, 
 wrote an insolent letter to the Emperor, requiring an 
 immediate answer, whether he would, or would not 
 comply, with his demands, that he might know how to 
 act* 
 
 Yet even this insolence could not rouse the Emperor 
 to adopt those stringent measures which might have 
 averted the evils about to befall his kingdom. He 
 temporized — he permitted discussions, in which he 
 himself took a part — he even answered a tract, written 
 by Oviedo, on the errors of the Abyssinian Church, in 
 which, while defending it, he declared that " he had 
 neither seen nor heard anything to convince him that, 
 as a Christian, he was bound to submit himself, and his 
 empire, to the Pope." 
 
 Insolence at last reached its culminating point ; for, 
 finding he availed nothing, either by arguments or 
 demands, this foreign priest had the audacity, at 
 Decome, on February 5, 1559, to excommunicate the 
 Abyssinian Church. The Emperor seems to have paid 
 
 * " Your Highness must let me have your answer to what I have 
 desired in His Holiness' name, that I may take my measures 
 accordingly." The whole letter is given in Geddes, and is well 
 worth reading, as a specimen of the intolerable assumption of the 
 Roman Church. 
 
ABYSSINIAN CHUECH EXCOMMUNICATED. 11 
 
 little regard to this empty noise, but it had this effect 
 on his mind, that " the more he knew of Popery and 
 its ways, the worse he liked it." But his attention was 
 soon called, from ecclesiastical difficulties and disputes, 
 to the defence of the empire. For Nur, son of the 
 King of Adel, invaded Abyssinia, and Claudius was 
 defeated, and died in battle. 
 
 Adam, his brother and successor in all except his 
 dislike of Popery, was a very different character from 
 Claudius, whom even the Portuguese allow to have been 
 a prince of admirable natural parts, of good learning, 
 and pleasing address. He declared himself the irre- 
 concileable enemy of Romanism, to his toleration ' of 
 which he attributed his brother's loss of his kingdom 
 and life ; and, sending for Oviedo, he threatened him 
 with death "if he continued sowing and divulging 
 Roman paradoxes among his subjects;" and on his 
 refusing to obey, and declaring he would do what he 
 considered his office required, he drew his sword, and, 
 but for the entreaty of the Queen and the nobles, would 
 have slain him on the spot. The constant intercourse 
 kept up between the Portuguese and the Baharnagash 
 of Tigre', and the knowledge, through some intercepted 
 letters, that they had been soliciting military aid from 
 G-oa, by emissaries despatched through the Bahama- 
 gash's country, increased this dislike ; and the suspicion 
 of intrigue was soon confirmed, for the Baharnagash 
 retired from court, and, depending on assistance from 
 Goa, which, as we learn by a letter of the coadjutor to 
 
1 2 JESUIT INTRIGUES. 
 
 Pope Pius V. had been promised, took up arms, and 
 was immediately joined by the greater number of the 
 Portuguese. The arms of Adam were victorious, and 
 the Baharnagash, accompanied by the Portuguese, took 
 refuge with the Turks, who, encouraged by their re- 
 presentations of the distracted state of the empire, and 
 of the troops they expected to receive from Goa, in- 
 vaded Abyssinia. Adam wisely kept Oviedo and the 
 fathers with him as hostages, and carried them to the 
 war, and, staking all on the issue of a pitched battle, 
 he was defeated and slain. The fathers, who were with 
 the camp, were taken prisoners, and stripped of all their 
 possessions. 
 
 Adam was succeeded by Saged. The distracted 
 state of the kingdom seems to have left him little time 
 to attend to ecclesiastical affairs. And, during his 
 long reign of thirty years, the fathers seem to have 
 confined their attention to urgent applications for 
 military aid, — " We are agreed," wrote the Patriarch 
 Baretto, to the General of the Order of the Jesuits, 
 " that nothing but a good body of Portuguese soldiers 
 would ever be able to reduce Ethiopia to the obedience 
 of the Eoman Church." Again, " If we had but 500 
 or GOO stout musketeers, we would undertake to 
 reduce it." Their pertinacity, however, while it failed 
 of success, appears to have worn out the patience of 
 the Portuguese government ; for the Regent Cardinal 
 Don Henry, uncle to the King Don Sebastian, dis- 
 gusted by their urgency and their indiscreet accusa- 
 
MISSION RECALLED BY THE POPE. 13 
 
 tion against himself as indifferent to the interests of 
 the Catholic Church, applied to Pope Pius V. for their 
 recall, requesting that they might be sent somewhere 
 else, "where they might do more good, and make less 
 noise." * A Papal order was accordingly issued that 
 Baretto should go on a mission to Japan or China. 
 He declared his willingness to obey ; but begged his 
 Holiness to consider well, before he abandoned a 
 mission to a country affording the prospect of a rich 
 harvest of souls, and abounding with the finest gold. 
 But neither the souls nor the gold prevailed. The 
 mission was abandoned ; and Baretto, while preparing 
 to depart on his long voyage, died at Fremona, whither 
 the fathers had retired, July 9, ] 567. 
 
 " Thus/' in the words of Dr Lee, " ended a mission 
 which, for the extent of mischief which it did and the 
 villany displayed by its abettors, can only be equalled 
 by that which succeeded it — undertaken with similar 
 views, supported by the same base machinations, and 
 terminating in similar disgrace/' 
 
 The commencement of the next mission may be 
 dated from AD. 1603. Several ineffectual efforts were 
 made in the intervening period, but it was in that year 
 that Peter Pays,*f* a Spaniard, appeared on the scene, 
 
 * Geddes, 211. 
 
 t Pays was a bold and zealous man. As early as 1588 he had 
 been sent to Abyssinia from Goa, disguised as an Armenian mer- 
 chant—been taken prisoner by the Turks, and endured a seven 
 years' captivity. He turned his captivity to good account, by mak- 
 ing himself thoroughly master of the Arabic language. 
 
14 SECOND JESUIT MISSION. 
 
 again to inflict on unhappy Ethiopia a renewal of all 
 its former sufferings. He succeeded, after some little 
 time, in securing the favour of the King, Za Dengel, 
 and received an invitation to court, where he so well 
 improved his opportunity, that ere long the King con- 
 fided to him his conviction of the truth of the Eomish 
 doctrine, and his determination to submit himself to 
 the authority of the Pope. The favour shewn to the 
 foreigners, however, alienated the affections of his own 
 subjects ; and the nobles, complaining that the King 
 had revolted from the Alexandrian Church, united 
 against him. A rival claimant for the crown com- 
 plicated the affair ; and in the war which broke out 
 Za Dengel lost his life. 
 
 During the disputes which ensued about the succes- 
 sion to the throne, Peter prudently retired to Fremona, 
 where he found no less than four Jesuits arrived to aid 
 him. And when Sultan Seged finally succeeded in 
 establishing himself on the throne, two of these were 
 sent to congratulate him on his success. The current 
 of royal favour seems to have been turned towards the 
 fathers by their endeavours ; and Peter and his coadju- 
 tors were invited to court, where they so well employed 
 their time and opportunities, that ere long the Emperor, 
 and the Eas Cella Christos, his brother, acknowledged 
 their conversion to Romanism — the latter making open 
 profession of his faith — a step which succeeding events 
 renders it not unjust to suspect was brought about by 
 other means than simple conviction. 
 
CONVERSION OF THE EMPEROR AND HIS BROTHER. 15 
 
 Both the Emperor and his brother wrote to the Pope 
 and King of Spain, acknowledging their own conver- 
 sion, and promising submission to the Roman See, but 
 provided troops were sent to support them, without 
 which they confess " it is impossible." But, in the 
 meantime, the favour shewn to the Romanists, again, 
 as in the former reign, excited attention and alarm, 
 and drew out the Abuna from his retirement. Find- 
 ing that public religious discussions had been held 
 without his sanction or presence, and, moreover, that 
 the Emperor had usurped episcopal functions, by inter- 
 dicting the assertion of the " one nature in Christ," 
 under severe penalties, he made his appearance at 
 court, and even threatened the Emperor with excom- 
 munication. Disregarding the threat, and offended at 
 its boldness, and urged on by his Jesuit advisers, he 
 issued a second decree, forbidding the assertion of the 
 one nature under penalty of death. The Abuna 
 thundered forth the threatened excommunication — the 
 Emperor answered it by a proclamation commanding 
 all his subjects to embrace the Roman faith, on which, 
 at the recommendation of the Abuna, the nobles 
 formed an association for defence, in which they were 
 heartily joined by the great body of the people. And 
 now rebellion, war, and bloodshed commenced. 
 
 Elius, the Emperor's son-in-law, was the first to take 
 up arms ; and the Queen, with many of the grandees, 
 foreseeing the evils which were about to ensue, implored 
 the Emperor to desist. But, infatuated by his Jesuit 
 
16 CIVIL WAR — DEATH OF THE ABUNA. 
 
 counsellors, he replied, that, " although he was sensible 
 that he had so far lost the hearts of his subjects, by the 
 favour he had shewn to the Eoman Catholics, that they 
 were all ready to rebel, he was resolved either to lose 
 his crown or establish that faith in Ethiopia." A 
 convention of the clergy was summoned, at which the 
 Abuna was present, which ended " in leaving matters a 
 deal worse than it found them." And as a last resource, 
 the Abuna, attended by a large concourse of the monks 
 and clergy, waited on the Emperor, and, throwing them- 
 selves at his feet, implored him to give up the effort, 
 which they warned him would fail — for that " he was 
 not able to destroy a religion which had been main- 
 tained in Ethiopia by so many emperors through so 
 many ages." * But all was ineffectual. The die was cast. 
 
 The Abuna joined the party of Elius, who was sup- 
 ported by the great body of the people. But the royal 
 arms were crowned with success. Elius was slain, and 
 with him the aged Abuna, who had nearly completed 
 the full term of a century of life. 
 
 Encouraged by this success, the Emperor proceeded 
 with his innovations ; forbad the observation of the 
 Sabbath ;•(• enjoined all his subjects to work on that 
 day ; and committed the proclamation of the edict to 
 Joauel, the Viceroy of Begameder. Well aware of 
 the storm it would raise, Joanel performed his duty 
 
 * Geddes. 
 
 f The Abyssinian Church observed the Jewish Sabbath as well as 
 the Lord's-day. 
 
THE EMPEROR PROFESSES ROMANISM. 17 
 
 with right goodwill, and an instant rebellion in the pro- 
 vince was the consequence. The people flew to arms, im- 
 ploring the Viceroy to lead them ; a petition he answered 
 by the assurance that " he never would lay down his arms 
 till he had secured their religion to them." The rebellion 
 was, however, speedily suppressed. Joanel was defeated, 
 and escaped to the territory of the Gallas, where he was 
 murdered. 
 
 Next followed a revolt of the Damotes, excited by 
 the intolerable exactions of the Jesuits ; but that too, in 
 its turn, was equally unsuccessful. And Pays, just 
 before his death, had the satisfaction of seeing his 
 iniquitous efforts crowned with temporary success. Eor, 
 elated by his good fortune, the Emperor, thinking the 
 time was come for the execution of his long-contem- 
 plated design, performed a solemn act of confession 
 and abjuration of heresy to Peter, by whom he was 
 absolved and reconciled to the Eoman Church. 
 
 Immediate intelligence of this auspicious event was 
 despatched to Goa and Rome ; and though without any 
 positive authority, the General of the Order made sub- 
 mission for the Emperor to the Pope. The Emperor 
 appears to have heard of this act, and of the nomina- 
 tion of a new Patriarch of Ethiopia, in the person of 
 Alphonso Mendez, without disapproval. Mendez speed- 
 ily sailed for the East ; and arriving at Eremona 
 in 1624, the public submission of the Emperor was 
 fixed for the close of the year. A splendid ceremony 
 was performed. The Patriarch preached on the text, 
 " Thou art Peter," &c, " the common Eoman mump- 
 
18 FOEMAL SUBMISSION TO ROME. 
 
 simus," as decides styles it ; and then the King solemnly 
 pronounced the submission — " To the Holy Father, 
 Urban VIII., who is, by the grace of God, Pope at this 
 time and our Lord, and to his successors in the govern- 
 ment of the Church, I swear obedience and submission, 
 with all humility, at his feet, for our own person and 
 empire."- After the Emperor, his son, Basilides, the 
 princes, viceroys, and ecclesiastics took the oath ; and 
 thus for brief space the ancient independent Church 
 of Abyssinia seemed abolished.* It was but a show, 
 however. The great body of the people were still 
 firmly attached to the Church of their fathers, and 
 ready to rise at any moment, when a leader could be 
 found, in defence of the ancient religion. 
 
 Indications of this spirit were not awanting. Two 
 of the missionaries persisting in saying mass in a church 
 in Tigre, were murdered the same night in their beds. 
 But about two years after the arrival of the Patriarch, 
 the storm burst forth. Tecla George, the Emperor's 
 son-in-law, undaunted by the ill success of his prede- 
 cessors in revolt, took up arms with the avowed object 
 of defendinp; the Alexandrian Church. Collecting all 
 the crucifixes and Koinish trumpery on which he could 
 lay his hands, he made a bonfire of them ; but, un- 
 happily, his next act was not so innocent ; for, provoked 
 by his chaplain's refusal to return to the Alexandrian 
 faith, he put him to death with his own hands. His 
 
 * Native priests were interdicted from officiating till licensed by 
 the Patriarch, and all subjects commanded to embrace the Roman 
 faith. 
 
WRETCHED STATE OF THE COUNTRY. 19 
 
 effort was, however, an utter failure. His forces were 
 routed. He himself and his sister fell into the hands 
 of the victors, and in spite of all the efforts of the 
 Queen and the court, both were hanged. 
 
 And now the state of the country was wretched in 
 the extreme. Men fled " to bury themselves in caves 
 and dens of the earth, whence they were either dragged 
 to be burned alive, if they refused conversion, or 
 smoked to death in their retreats." But success bred 
 presumption, and ere long the intolerance of these 
 Jesuit disturbers of the peace, worked their downfall. 
 
 On some pretext or other, they excommunicated a 
 nobleman of high rank, chamberlain to the Emperor 
 and a counsellor of state, adding the indignity of cor- 
 poral chastisement. And, not satisfied with this insult 
 to the laity, they further alienated the monks, by for- 
 bidding mass to be celebrated in a church polluted by 
 the interment of the Etchegua, the head of the body, 
 ordering at the same time that it should be disinterred 
 as the corpse of a heretic, and thrown out to be devoured 
 by the wild beasts. 
 
 A new rebellion broke out in Bagemeder for the de- 
 fence of religion, quelled only with great bloodshed, but . 
 in which Kebo Christos, the royalist general fell, a loss 
 soon followed by the death of another general, TecneEgzi, 
 favourable to the Boman cause. Encouraged by these 
 losses of their opponents, the Alexandrian party ventured 
 on»a strong remonstrance to the Emperor, on the folly of 
 attempting to force a religion on his subjects they were 
 determined not to receive, at the $ost of all the horrors 
 
20 REMONSTRANCE OF THE ABYSSINIANS. 
 
 of civil war. The remonstrance was not altogether with- 
 out effect. Suspicious of a conspiracy among the Roman 
 Catholics to dethrone him, and set the Ras Cella Christos 
 in his place, combined with the miserable troubles which 
 affected the country, tended to weaken his regard for 
 the fathers, and some overtures were made for an ac- 
 commodation. They met, of course, with the strenuous 
 opposition of the Patriarch, and came to nothing. Fresh 
 rebellion was the consequence, and fresh bloodshed, till 
 the Emperor's party meeting with some ill success, a 
 certain toleration was permitted to the Alexandrian 
 party, which, however, while it was offensive to the. 
 Patriarch, failed to give anything like general satisfac- 
 tion to the Abyssinians. Civil war, therefore, still 
 continued, till at last, after a sanguinary battle, in which 
 no less than 8000 of the Alexandrian party fell, a pa- 
 thetic appeal was made to the Emperor. " You see, sire, 
 how many bodies lie before you. Whose are they ? Are 
 they heathens or Mohammedans ? They are, to a man, 
 Christians — your own subjects. Those breasts, sire, in- 
 stead of lying breathless at your feet, would, on a better 
 policy, have been the terror of the infidels. Forbear, we 
 entreat you, to persevere in a contest which must end in 
 the overthrow of your religion and empire." The Queen 
 also added her earnest expostulations, representing how 
 surely this frantic attempt to set up a new faith, in op- 
 position to the general opinions, attended as it was by 
 such misery and loss of life to his own subjects, must 
 eventually cause his own destruction. 
 
 These remonstrances had the desired effect in opening 
 
EXPULSION OF THE JESUITS. 21 
 
 the eyes of the Emperor to the folly of the hopeless con- 
 test on which he had entered. A council was summoned, 
 in which it was decided that Abyssinia should return to 
 the faith of its forefathers. The Jesuits remonstrated, 
 but received for answer that all that could be done had 
 been done to establish the Church of Rome ; that the effort 
 had left the Emperor all but bereft of a kingdom and sub- 
 jects, and therefore it was vain to expect more from him. 
 
 A proclamation was immediately made, permitting; 
 the free exercise of the Alexandrian faith, the priests 
 to take possession of the churches of which they had 
 been deprived, and to officiate as formerly. It was re- 
 ceived with the most extravagant demonstrations of joy. 
 Bonfires of Roman trumpery were seen blazing all over 
 the land, and the praises of the Emperor were in every 
 mouth. The permissive proclamation was soon followed 
 by a positive decree, commanding all the subjects to re- 
 turn to the ancient Church of the land ; and the Emperor 
 having been permitted to undo, in some measure, 
 the evil he had caused, departed this life, dying in 
 September 1632, about a couple of months after he had 
 restored peace to the long-afflicted realm. 
 
 Jesuit intrigue and efforts were now brought to an 
 end. Basilides, the late Emperor's son and successor, 
 impressed with the conviction that his late father's sus- 
 picion of conspiracy was justly entertained, banished 
 the fathers to Fremona ; and soon after, intelligence 
 reaching him of efforts on their part to compass their 
 long-cherished ends by the aid of Portuguese soldiers 
 from Goa, from Ethiopia. 
 
22 bishop gobat's mission. 
 
 Since that period Komish efforts have been made, 
 but without success. We come now to the commence- 
 ment of a mission of a very different character. 
 
 In the close of the year 1829, Mr Gobat was sent 
 into Abyssinia by the Church Missionary Society, and 
 returned to Cairo after a four years' residence, the 
 results of which have been published.* He again re- 
 turned, 1834, when a mission was commenced, from 
 which, however, he was forced to retire, in 1836, 
 from long-continued and dangerous illness. It was 
 carried on till 1838, when it was abandoned, very 
 much in consequence of Jesuit intrigues. In 1845 he 
 was appointed vice-president of "The Malta Protestant 
 College," and in the following year, Anglican Bishop of 
 Jerusalem. He never forgot Abyssinia ; and on Janu- 
 ary 28, 1856, four missionaries, who had been for 
 some time training under his own eye in Jerusalem, 
 left Cairo, and on the 9th of May following, crossed the 
 frontiers and entered Abyssinia. The following brief 
 notices of the progress of their enterprise are gathered 
 from the Journal of Martin Mad, one of their number : — 
 
 On the 28th of January 1856, Messrs Mad, Bender, 
 Mayer, and Kienzlen, who had been educated at the 
 Institution for training Pilgrim Missionaries at Saint 
 Crischona, and subsequently prepared for upwards of 
 a year under Bishop Gobat's eye in Jerusalem, left 
 Cairo to commence a mission in Abyssinia,-)- and on 
 
 * Gobat's " Three Years in Abyssinia." 
 
 f " On the mode adopted by the Moravian brethren, viz : — Be- 
 ginning a small settlement and cultivating the land, while the 
 
ARRIVAL OF MISSIONARIES. 23 
 
 May 9, " safely arrived, with their freight of Bibles,* at 
 Wochne, the first Abyssinian village and market-place." 
 
 From thence, leaving his brethren suffering from 
 illness, Mr Flad went "to the camp of King Theodoras, 
 on the lake Zana, over against the isle Debra Mariam, 
 some miles to the east of the place where the Abais 
 (Nile) leaves the lake." The King had left the camp 
 before he arrived. He therefore sought the Abuna 
 Salama in the island above mentioned, who received 
 him kindly, and wrote to the King on his behalf. An 
 immediate answer was returned by his majesty, ex- 
 pressive of satisfaction at the arrival of the mission- 
 aries, directing Mr Flad to remain with the Abuna till 
 his return, and enjoining the Governors of Dembea and 
 Tchelga to bring on the brethren and their luggage 
 from Wochne. 
 
 "After a few days," writes Mr Flad, "the King 
 arrived, and I had the honour of being invited to dine 
 with him, under the royal tent, in company with Mr 
 Bell (an English gentleman), Likmaguasf- to the King, 
 
 missionaries instructed the youth of the neighbouring villages in 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, without pretending to any ecclesiastical 
 authority." — Bishop Gobat's Address at the third annual meeting of 
 the Jerusalem Diocesan Missionary Fund. 
 
 * One hundred Bibles and three hundred Testaments in the 
 vernacular Amharic, a grant from the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society. The Society generously paid the whole cost of transport 
 from London to Abyssinia. It has made two other grants subse- 
 quently, making, in all, 350 Bibles, 1050 Testaments, in Amharic; 
 140 Testaments, 30 Epistles, 50 Psalters, and 150 parts, in Ethiopic; 
 to the value, in all, of £640, besides a grant in money of £145. 
 
 f A military title, corresponding, in some measure, to our marshal 
 
24 KING REBUKES AN ATTACK ON BISHOP GOBAT. 
 
 and Cantiba Heslu of Gondar. The conversation 
 turned on Bishop Gobat. Cantiba said, amongst other 
 things, ' Samuel was a good and pious priest, but his 
 doctrine about the Virgin Mary is wrong. He com- 
 pared her to a house in which Christ lived nine months, 
 without purifying and sanctifying it ; you English are 
 the enemies of St Mary, and therefore bad Christians.' 
 When the King heard this, he raised himself angrily 
 and said, 'Ye Gondar debteras* are like devils; you 
 begin strife and contention with every one, representing 
 those better than yourselves as bad men and heretics ; 
 you will all receive the reward of the devil' On this 
 all were silent ; and Mr Bell told me afterwards that 
 we may regard Cantiba Heslu as the enemy of all 
 Europeans/' 
 
 Shortly after this interview the King shifted his 
 quarters, and was followed by the Abuna and Mr Flad. 
 The latter was on the point of returning to the island 
 for his luggage, in order to join his brethren, when, 
 most providentially, he was sent for by the King, by 
 which, probably, his life was saved. " Praised be God ! " 
 he says, " my life was thereby saved. A sudden blast 
 upset the boat, and I, who cannot swim, would doubtless 
 have been drowned. I suffered a great loss in my 
 journal and only German Testament. Divers were sent 
 by the Abuna and the King, but nothing was recovered. "+ 
 
 * " Debtera " means learned. It is also applied to those who are 
 preparing for holy orders. 
 
 f The above brief extract is from Mr Flad's recollections of the 
 lost journal. 
 
COMMENCEMENT OF MISSIONARY LABOURS. 25 
 
 JOURNAL. 
 
 Tuesday, June 3. — To-day I was dismissed by the 
 King, with a recommendation to Bethada Warke, 
 Governor of Efag, to take care of me on my journey, 
 and provide good quarters every night. 
 
 June 4. — Reached Ouarata, on the Zana, a free 
 town. The country, which is exceedingly fruitful, 
 though unhealthy, produces plenty of honey and wax. 
 Fish is abundant. The teeth of the hippopotamus, 
 which nearly equal ivory, are exported from hence, by 
 way of Massowah, to the East Indies. 
 
 June 5. — Arrived at Eaggera. On leaving Ouarata 
 this morning, a nun, who met me outside the town, 
 taking me, as she said, for the angel Gabriel, ran after 
 me, crying and imploring my blessing and the remis- 
 sion of her sins ! Many people came round me at my 
 evening quarters, to whom I read out of the Amharic 
 Testament. 
 
 June 8. — Bethada Tshova — Sunday. I retired and 
 was refreshed by solitary prayer and meditation on 
 God's Word. In the evening my host gave a feast to 
 the poor, for the good of his soul, as he said. Num- 
 bers came to drink Abyssinian ale, who quite filled his 
 large house. By his permission, I addressed them, as 
 well as I was able, in their own language, on God's 
 grace, revealed in Christ — the sinfulness of man, and 
 the necessity of a change of heart and life. An 
 alaca* who was present, asked, " What is your faith % " 
 
 * " Alaca means great ; but now corresponds to rector, in English. 
 
26 CONVERSATION" ON RULE OF FAITH. 
 
 " All that is written in the thirty-nine books of the 
 Old Testament, and the twenty-seven of the New/' I 
 replied, "we believe, and seek to live np to, and act 
 accordingly ; but we do not believe other books which 
 do not agree with these Divine ones/' 
 
 " But do you not," he continued, "revere also St 
 Mary, St George, St Michael, Tecla Haimanout, and 
 others ? — and do you not pray to them ? " 
 
 " We honour them/' I said, " as far as we know them 
 to have been pious ; but, as no passage of God's Word 
 commands it, we neither adore nor pray to them ; and, 
 inasmuch as we know that they were sinners like our- 
 selves, we judge such also to be sinful. It is written, 
 ' Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only 
 shalt thou serve.' " 
 
 He seemed grieved, and, after a pause, said, " But 
 the apostles prayed to St Mary." 
 
 " The apostles, dear friend ! this is not written in 
 the Holy Scripture," I replied. 
 
 " But it is in our books," he answered. 
 
 " Who can say that your books are true?" I rejoined. 
 " I fear many lies are written in them. But look/' 
 (and I held but my Testament,) "this is the Word 
 of God, the holy Gospels, and the Epistles of the 
 Apostles. He who believes this, and lives accord- 
 ingly, will never perish." 
 
 However, it is not necessary that an alaca should be a priest. On the 
 contrary, few priests are alacas. An alaca has the care of furnishing 
 everything for, and placing priests in, the church of which he has 
 the charge. There are churches which, after defraying all the ex- 
 penses, bring an income of a thousand dollars yearly to the alaca." 
 — Gobat's " Three Years in Abyssinia," 2d ed. p. 54, note. 
 
DISTRIBUTION OF BIBLES. 27 
 
 June 9. — Arrived at Gunter, where I found my 
 three brethren, Kienzlen and Mayer, ill of fever. 
 They had much to relate of suffering and privations 
 during their stay at Wochne. 
 
 June 10. — To-clay many priests and scholars came 
 from different churches to ask for books. To those 
 who could read we gave Bibles or Testaments, in 
 order that there might be one or two in each church. 
 We exhorted all, on dismissing them, to study God's 
 word diligently themselves, and to read it to others, 
 which many of them most solemnly promised to do (in 
 the face of God). 
 
 June 11.— A Falasha (a Jew) came to-day to re- 
 ceive a Bible I had promised him yesterday. He re- 
 ceived it with the most extravagant signs of joy. The 
 Christian priests, however, were much dissatisfied with 
 my giving a Bible to a Jew. Yet every one I asked, 
 even the Christians, bore testimony that he read it 
 himself, and to others. 
 
 Continuing their journey, (the three brethren still 
 suffering severely from fever, distributing Bibles where- 
 ever the capacity of the applicants to read rendered it 
 expedient, and taking every opportunity of preaching 
 to the people,) we find them — 
 
 June 14, at Adisgje, at the house of Fentscho En- 
 geda. As he had formerly asked a Bible, I now gave 
 him one. Although he received it with pleasure, I 
 could plainly see a pistol or a sword would have been 
 a more acceptable present. The Abyssinians have a 
 very general persuasion that it is only the priests who 
 
28 JOUKNAL — QUAEEEL WITH THE PEOPLE. 
 
 have any concern with the Bible. I sought therefore 
 to convince him how much more precious the Word of 
 God is than any worldly possession, being our only 
 guide to heaven. 
 
 Early on the 1 7th, we left Adisgje, accompanied by 
 Fentscho Engeda, who was met on the road by mes- 
 sengers and soldiers from the King, ordering him to 
 prepare provisions against the next day for a party of 
 the military who would arrive. He sent for me in the 
 evening. I found him surrounded by the King's sol- 
 diers and his own servants, to whom he related nearly 
 all I had as yet said to him on the subject of religion, 
 as well as much that had been read to him, at his own 
 request, by Eos Tadeous, the priest, who came with us 
 from Jerusalem, and by a debtera he had sent for of 
 his own accord. All listened attentively ; and the 
 address, we hope, was not in vain. A soldier said, 
 "It is true, we are bad Christians, and in our present 
 state cannot go to heaven. Tell us what we must do 
 to be saved." I answered the question as well as I 
 could in their language, and I hope evangelically. 
 
 Passing on to Emfras, where we arrived on the 18th, 
 we were transferred to the protection of Gurumba 
 Sahle, the Shum (governor), and here an event occurred 
 which threatened us with some trouble, but at the 
 same time gave us an opportunity of enforcing the 
 duty of submission to the Government. 
 
 We had dismissed the people who had brought on 
 our baggage, and the Governor, who had gone to the 
 market to procure animals to carry it on, severely beat 
 
ILLNESS OF BENDEK— VISIT TO ABUNA. 29 
 
 a merchant who refused to give his for the purpose. 
 The man threw himself on the ground, feigning to be 
 mortally wounded. In the afternoon, the son and a 
 kinsman of the merchant came with fetters to bind the 
 Shum, and carry him to the King, that they might 
 demand blood-money for the man, whom they reported 
 to be dying. After a clamorous discussion, they re- 
 ferred the case to me. I said, " The Shum is acting by 
 the King's authority, whose subjects you are. The 
 merchant has refused to obey his commands to carry 
 on the baggage, and therefore he is justly punished. 
 Certainly it would be wrong in the Shum to beat a man 
 to death for such a cause ; but I suspect you are lying 
 when you represent him to be dying. We are strangers, 
 and if you carry the Shum to the King, which we can- 
 not prevent, we will accompany him, to represent to 
 his majesty how disobedient you have been." I then 
 asked them, on their oath, whether the man was really 
 dying, when they acknowledged that he was not — that 
 he was much better. On this the Shum restored their 
 asses, which he had seized, and thus the affair ended 
 peaceably. 
 
 On the 21st we reached Efag. Bender was so ill 
 during the journey that we were obliged to put a servant 
 on the mule along with him, to keep him from falling 
 off. On Sunday, 22d, Mayer and Kienzlen accom- 
 panied me on a visit to the Abuna. We presented 
 him with an Amharic Bible, some lead pencils, sealing- 
 wax, shoes, medicines, and an umbrella. He accepted 
 also a box of books, from which, however, he only 
 
30 PROFESSIONS OF FRIENDSHIP FROM ABUNA. 
 
 selected those in Ethiopic. His conversation was 
 chiefly about medicine, agriculture, and gardening. 
 But in our presence he commanded the Af Negus 
 Warke to solicit from the King three houses for us, 
 and provision of bread, milk, and meat. On our taking 
 leave, he said, " If you need money, or anything else, 
 write to me to G-ondar. I am your friend, and you are 
 my brethren." 
 
 We likewise visited the Etchegua, (head of the 
 monks,) to whom we presented books in Amharic, as 
 well as Ethiopian, which at first he declined. We 
 overheard him say to the monks present, (not 
 thinking, I suppose, that we understood the Amharic,) 
 " The English are our enemies; — they bring us Amharic 
 books, to render our sacred language obsolete." At last 
 he accepted the books, but begged from us a silk caftan 
 and an umbrella ; which we had not to give him. 
 
 June2S. — Applications made to-day by several priests 
 and debteras for Ethiopic Testaments and Psalters. We 
 found, however, they were unable to translate what 
 we made them read (St Matt, ii.) This gave us an 
 opportunity of urging on them their wickedness in 
 being ignorant of God's Word, when they had under- 
 taken the office of instructors of the people, and despis- 
 ing the translation which they understand. We find 
 that the priests generally highly disapprove of the 
 Bible's bein^ translated into Amharic. 
 
 June 27. — To-day a messenger from the King brought 
 an order to the Shiim to bring us to him at Derita. 
 Many people came to us for books— among these a 
 
CONVEKSATION WITH A FALASHA. 31 
 
 soldier, from a distance of fifteen miles. Considering the 
 distance he had travelled a proof of a sincere desire for 
 the Word of God, we complied with his request, and 
 gave him a Testament, which he promised to study and 
 read to his comrades. 
 
 I had also the following conversation with a 
 Falasha* : — 
 
 Flad. "What is your belief V 
 
 Falasha. " The law, David, and the prophets." 
 
 Fl. " Have you these books, and in what language ?" 
 
 Fal. " We have them, and in Ethiopia" 
 
 I saw, however, that when I named the prophets, he 
 did not know them ; and I continued, " What hopes 
 and promises have you ?" 
 
 Fal. " Our hope is the law and God." 
 
 Fl. " But do you not know that a man cannot be 
 saved by the law ? " 
 
 Fal. "How so?" 
 
 Fl. " The law condemns all who do not keep it ; 
 God's Word tells us we are all sinners, and ' the just 
 man falleth seven times a-day.' Our own experience 
 shews us this ; so we cannot be saved by the law." 
 
 He seemed deeply moved, and looked on the ground. 
 After a time he raised his eyes to heaven, and sighing, 
 said, " God is our hope." 
 
 Fl. " How good it would be for you to believe in 
 Jesus Christ, by whose grace you may be justified and 
 saved. Without believing in Him, a man cannot enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven." 
 
 * The Jews in Abyssinia are so called. 
 
82 CUSTOMS OF THE 
 
 Fal. " You believe in Christ. Well, your country is 
 good, and your Christians. But the Abyssinian Chris- 
 tians are bad ; their works are wicked, and their 
 worship is idolatry. They bow down to images, which 
 the law forbids/' 
 
 Fl. " True ; but you are not justified by this for 
 rejecting Christ?" 
 
 Fal. " In our books there is nothing written about 
 Christ." 
 
 Fl. "David, and Moses, and the Prophets write 
 about Messiah, whom God would send into the world, 
 to save the world by Him." 
 
 Fal. " I do not know this," 
 
 He wished to go, but I detained him, wishing to gain 
 some information about this interesting remnant of 
 God's people. So I asked, " Have you any schools ?" 
 
 Fal. " Yes ; but only for boys." 
 
 Fl. " Why not for girls too V 
 
 Fal. "Because it is not becoming to instruct 
 females." 
 
 Fl. " What do you think about the state of the soul 
 after death?" 
 
 Fal. " No one is allowed to die in our houses, be- 
 cause the soul would not be able to soar freely to 
 heaven. When any one is at the point of death, we 
 carry him into a tent, where he remains till he dies. If 
 he has lived piously, kept the law, and done no ill to 
 his neighbour, his soul flies up to the place where 
 Abraham and David are. If he has lived wickedly, it 
 goes downward." 
 
THE FALASHA — INTERVIEW WITH THE KING. 33 
 
 Fl. " Have you any communication with the Chris- 
 tians?" 
 
 Fal. " No ; we speak with them, but do not eat 
 with them, or partake of anything that comes from 
 them. If we meet with them, we wash ourselves, and 
 our clothes seven times. We never allow them to 
 enter our houses/' 
 
 Fl. " But should a Christian, by some means, enter 
 your house, would you injure or kill him?" 
 
 Fal. " Oh, no ; that would be a sin ; but the place 
 where he sat, and wherever he stepped, would be 
 washed seven times." 
 
 Fl. " How many Falashas do you believe to be in 
 Abyssinia ?" 
 
 Fal. " Lo ! as many as there are hairs on my head." 
 
 Fl. " At what time did you come into Abyssinia ?" 
 
 Fal. " I know not ; our priests do."* 
 
 The following day, the 28th, the King counter- 
 manded the order for going to him at Derita, directing 
 them to remain at Efag till his return from an expedi- 
 tion to Weinnadega, when he promised to carry them 
 with him to Debra Tabor. But finding it impossible 
 to procure lodgings, or even food, Flad and Mayer 
 went to Derita, where they were graciously received, 
 and were furnished with an order for " a good house" 
 and provisions. At this interview, " we," writes the 
 Journal, " presented the King with an Amharic Bible 
 
 * Some Christians, who were present at the conversation, esti- 
 mated the numbers at 10,000. — Ed. 
 
 C 
 
34 EVIL EEPOET OF MISSION AEIES TO THE KING. 
 
 adorned with gold, an Amharic atlas, and a work on 
 ecclesiastical and profane history, several Amharic and 
 Ethiopic New Testaments and Psalters, and a Bible, 
 with other gifts. On receiving them, to our great 
 delight, he said, looking at the Ethiopic books, ' What 
 is the use of these ? — the translation is far better.' 
 Mr Bell, however, acknowledged to us after the inter- 
 view, that at that moment his Majesty would have 
 been more pleased with a box of English gunpowder 
 than, as he said, with books he already possessed. He 
 told us also that evil, and, as he believed false, reports 
 had reached the King's ears. Betwodet Beru, for in- 
 stance, says, that on your journey you received the 
 sacrament without any church or tabot ;* and his 
 father confessor reports that you have been distribut- 
 ing books, and have written down the names of all who 
 receive them, sending them to England, saying, 'All 
 these have accepted our faith.' He warned us, if we 
 
 * The tabot is accounted very sacred. It is a plank of wood, 
 about an ell in length and one half in breadth. In the centre is one 
 large cross, inscribed with the name of Christ, with twelve smaller 
 ones round it, with the names of the apostles. It is placed in the 
 chancel, (Holy of Holies, as they call it,) and the elements at the 
 celebration of the Lord's Supper are placed on it, and also brought 
 out on it, to be distributed to the communicants. It is considered 
 a representation of the ark of the covenant, said to be preserved 
 in the Church of Axum. The tradition is, that Menilec, the sup- 
 posed son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, from whom the 
 royal family are said to have sprung, having been educated at 
 Jerusalem under his father, on his return to Abyssinia, stole many 
 of the sacred utensils from the Temple, and among the rest the 
 ark, which he deposited at Axum. — Ed. 
 
INTEKVIEW AGAIN WITH THE KING. 35 
 
 desired to remain in Abyssinia, to say nothing about 
 faith and religion,* and avoid all appearance of teach- 
 ing. What falsehoods have been spread about us ! In 
 all calumny, disgrace, or persecution, Lord Jesus be 
 Thou with us!" 
 
 Mr Flad had another interview with the King on the 
 following day, affording an opportunity of explaining 
 the subject of missions. After some conversation 
 " about the construction of bridges, road-making, house- 
 building, and burning lime, Af Negus Warke inquired 
 earnestly "who were the people who sent so many books, 
 and what was their motive V I told him that, some 
 time ago, Samuel Gobat, now a bishop in Jerusalem, 
 who had visited Abyssinia, and still greatly loved the 
 people, had sent us with these books, because he knew 
 they had very few copies of the Word of God in their 
 own language. Besides, there are many pious people 
 in England and Germany who consider it a Christian 
 duty, though the expense is very great, to send the 
 Bible to all nations in their own languages, — moved 
 to this by the love of Jesus, and their desire for the 
 eternal salvation of their brethren, through Him. He 
 was much astonished at this, and observed, " This shews 
 that the English are good Christians." 
 
 For a brief space the missionaries were housed in a 
 miserable abode, at a place called Bata, where, not only 
 they had barely room to move about among their bag- 
 
 * How different the King's feelings are now, and how unnecessary 
 the caution of Mr Bell, will be seen afterwards. The position of 
 the missionaries at this moment must have been very trying. — Ed. 
 
36 CONVEESATIONS 
 
 gage, but, though three were suffering from fever, were 
 frequently obliged to shift their beds during the night, 
 to escape the torrents of rain which poured down 
 through the roof. Still, from day to day, they con- 
 tinued their work, availing themselves of every oppor- 
 tunity of preaching the gospel, and distributing the 
 Word of God. 
 
 They had many conversations with the priests. One 
 or two specimens follow, as a sample of what is fre- 
 quently to be found in the Journal : — 
 
 Friday, June 4. — Some priests, with their scholars, 
 came to-day for books, which we supplied. With 
 Walda Sellasse I read Matt. viii. ■ When I asked how 
 he explained the word faith, he answered, " To believe 
 in the tabot, St Mary, St Michael, St George, Tecla 
 Haimanout," &c, and in the Triune God. I read 
 Heb. xi. with him, and sought to shew him, from 
 it, what true saving faith is. But the Abyssinians too 
 generally understand nothing of the evangelical faith 
 described by St Paul. It is hidden from them. 
 
 Again, on the 9th. — Tickle, priest of the church of 
 Eaphael, came to-day. We had a long discussion about 
 faith, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and fasting. The 
 latter he asserted was commanded in the Word of God, 
 promising to shew me the passages at his next visit, as 
 well as commands to observe circumcision, and to 
 baptize male infants on the fortieth, females on the 
 eightieth day after birth. I then led the conversation 
 to some of the errors of his Church, urging him that 
 we ought to receive God's Word as the only rule of our 
 
WITH PKIESTS. 37 
 
 faith, and that it was great sin to esteem any book as 
 equal to, or, as some of them do, superior to the Bible. 
 
 Next day he returned. He at once declared their 
 dislike of the Amharic translation. I told him it was 
 indeed sinful to despise what they could understand, 
 and value what not one in a hundred could compre- 
 hend. He is counted a learned man, and not a little 
 proud of his reputation. After reading Matt, ii., which 
 he translated tolerably, I reminded him of his promise 
 of yesterday. He made diligent search in his Ethiopic 
 Testament, but, it is needless to say, failed to find the 
 promised authorities. He then admitted the observ- 
 ances he had mentioned were not enjoined in the gospel, 
 but in other works. 
 
 Flad. "But which word is the greater, God's or 
 man's ? " 
 
 Teckla. " God's certainly." 
 
 Fl. " That Word, while it does not contain these 
 things, teaches us we cannot be saved by fasting, and 
 alms, and observances, but only by faith in Christ, by 
 whom we are justified, and have peace with God." 
 
 He seemed not to like this turn of the conversation, 
 and sought to change it. " Do your priests marry," 
 he asked. 
 
 Fl. " Yes ; even our bishops." 
 
 Tec. " What ! your bishops have wives ! ! " 
 
 Fl. " Certainly." Read 1 Tim. iii. " A bishop 
 must be the husband of one wife/' &c. 
 
 Having read half through the chapter, he said, 
 " We make some difference in our estimation of 
 
38 SUFFERINGS OF THE MISSIONARIES. 
 
 the Gospels and St Paul, and gave me to understand 
 they scarcely acknowledge his Epistles as canonical. 
 Soon after he left me, one of his scholars, to whom I 
 had given a Testament, brought it back, saying his 
 master had forbidden him to keep it. 
 
 Among the provisions ordered by the King with the 
 " good house " was some wine. It proved even less like 
 the order than the house. On opening it, in the hope 
 that it would prove serviceable in restoring the strength 
 of the invalids, they found vinegar had been substi- 
 tuted. "Deceit," says the Journal, "is the besetting- 
 sin of the Abyssinians." They were to have a new 
 and most disagreeable proof of it soon. 
 
 On the 30th came an order to go the King at Gondar. 
 The persons employed by the Shum to collect mules 
 and asses for the journey made money by giving back to 
 the owners all that had been promised. On preparing 
 to start, therefore, they found no means of transport, and 
 the day was spent in quarrelling. Late in the evening, 
 however, a mule and two asses were brought, and Flad, 
 accompanied by Mayer, still suffering from fever, com- 
 menced a miserable journey in the rainy season. 
 Swollen rivers had to be crossed — morasses, in which 
 their beasts "stuck fast in the mire" — vermin at the 
 resting-places, destroying rest — no wonder there was 
 some depression of spirits. "0 Lord!" on one occasion 
 we find in the Journal, "refresh my heart with the dew 
 from above as thou refreshest the earth. 
 
 " Spirit of Life ! come from above, 
 Thou eternal, faithful God, 
 
ILLNESS OF FLAD. 39 
 
 Bring to my heart, thou heavenly dove, 
 The comforts of Thy holy Word. 
 May unction, patience, love, and light 
 Chase away my gloomy night ! " 
 
 Suffering so, that sometimes he could scarcely sit his 
 mule, the missionary continued his journey, arriving at 
 Gondar, at the house of the Abuna, — 
 
 August 5. — He spoke much of his resolution to 
 build a school at Gondar, at which Arabic, Ethiopic, 
 and Coptic should be taught. He said, also, he thought 
 of employing Madrakal, an Arabic teacher.* 
 
 One hurried interview with the King, at which 
 nothing passed " except the usual salutations, was all 
 the result of this long and distressing journey." On the 
 very next day Flad had " a vehement attack of inter- 
 mitting fever, with a painful abscess in the neck, 
 so that I could not leave the house, nor see the King, 
 who departed on the 1 3th with his soldiers, leaving 
 orders for us with the Abuna to come with all our 
 effects to Gondar." 
 
 Accordingly, Flad determined to go back to the breth- 
 ren, leaving, at his request, Mayer with the Abuna, who 
 wished for his services " in cultivating his garden, and 
 
 * Madrakal was an Abyssinian, educated at the Malta Protestant 
 College. " For four years," Bishop Gobat testifies of him, " he had 
 laboured faithfully in Abyssinia, amid much poverty and privation. 
 I wish I could employ him, for he is worthy. But, under my pre- 
 sent pecuniary circumstances, I dare not undertake it." Could the 
 bishop be enabled to employ him his experience of the country 
 would be very valuable, and the excellent education the college has 
 given him be turned to good account. — Ed. 
 
40 INTERESTING CHAEACTEE. 
 
 making a veranda to his house." The journey com- 
 menced on the 15th under miserable auspices. Ill of 
 fever, he was overtaken by a violent thunder-storm, 
 and " wet through and through ;" and before night had 
 to be dragged through a swollen torrent, the Gebasa 
 " holding on with both hands to the wattled door of a 
 house on which the luggage was placed to be carried 
 over." It was a sad sort of navigation for a man ill of 
 fever, but " necessity can break iron. Oh, how could I 
 thank God enough, when I was at last enabled to warm 
 myself at the fire, in the house of the hospitable Kidana, 
 and satisfy my hunger! I had eaten nothing since 
 yesterday morning." 
 
 The account of these simple people is very interesting. 
 The country was flooded, and they pressed him to re- 
 main with them for a fortnight at least. But on the 
 20th the abscess broke, and thus, one great cause of suf- 
 fering being removed, he continued his journey. 
 
 "Kidana and his wife/' pursues Mr Flad, "are 
 peaceable, pious, and devoted people. They are well 
 spoken of by all. She attends me like a mother, de- 
 claring it is all for Christ's sake, who commands us to 
 be careful to entertain strangers. When I spoke to him 
 about man's sinfulness and need of redemption, he told 
 me that when young he had been very wicked ; that he 
 had lived in fornication, as most Abyssinians do, but 
 that about fifteen years ago he had reformed ; that he 
 and his wife were Bala-Korban : i.e., living in legiti- 
 mate wedlock, and that together they frequented the 
 church, and received the Lord's Supper." 
 
CONVEKSATION — ST PAUL REJECTED. 41 
 
 On the 22d Flad rejoined his brethren at Bata, and 
 found them all recovered. 
 
 As soon as he returned, Tickle, mentioned before, 
 came, intent on proving the obligation of circumcision. 
 Considering he is reputed a learned man, the conver- 
 sation affords a fair specimen of the state of religion and 
 intellect in the country : 
 
 He thought the point proved by St Luke ii We 
 argued this was not a command but a narrative ; that 
 Christ being " born under the law," was of course cir- 
 cumcised, but that this was no proof that we should be 
 so too. Besides, St Paul says, Gal. v., " If ye be circum- 
 cised Christ shall profit you nothing.' - ' On this he 
 said, " leave out St. Paul,* I do not accept him." "Well," 
 I said, " if you do not accept St Paul, I shut my book ; I 
 have done with you. Nor can I esteem you to be a 
 priest — for a priest cannot despise the Word of God/' 
 I spoke to him earnestly, and to my great grief got 
 rather irritated. When I became silent, he said — 
 " Well, I will hear what St Paul says." On which I 
 read Gal. v. vi. with him, and St Matt, xxviii. 20, as a 
 proof that our Lord commanded his apostles to teach 
 and baptize, but not to circumcise. I then shewed him, 
 from Acts vii., that the first Abyssinian Christian was 
 only baptized. We, however, made no impression ; he 
 only laughed, as if it was an indifferent matter. 
 
 * The priests very generally appear, by the Journal, to undervalue 
 St Paul. On another occasion an old priest said, " St Paul is of no 
 use for us— he is for you, the English. St Mark is ours ; St Mark 
 and the ecclesiastical fathers are sufficient for us." — Ed. 
 
42 priests' idea of apostolical sue cession. 
 
 Till the close of the year the missionaries were in a 
 very unsettled state. On January the 2d, 1857, we 
 find them all at Gondar. Darius the intervening 
 period they had many opportunities of preaching the 
 gospel, and it was during the same time that they first 
 came into communication with the Falasha. They com- 
 j^lain much of the deceitful character of the people. 
 The debteras, for instance, as they found at last, were 
 in the habit of coming, some as many as three times 
 over, in different dresses, and under different names, to 
 get books, which, when they succeeded in obtaining, 
 they sold. And, as their acquaintance with the priests 
 improved, they found no reason to form a better esti- 
 mate than the people themselves, who declared, "our 
 priests are no good priests — they do not instruct us in 
 the gospel.'"' They found them impressed with a sad 
 idea that the " power of the keys" conferred a species of 
 immunity from guilt ; for. having detected a priest in 
 flagrant falsehood, and warned him '•'• that all liars must 
 have their portion with the father of lies/' he answered, 
 laughing scornfully, " we are followers of the apostles ; 
 whether we commit fornication or perjury it matters not, 
 since the power of the keys is in our hands. " " Such is the 
 language/' says Flad, "of numbers among them; and when 
 I sometimes indulge a hope for Abyssinia, the monks, 
 priests, and debteras always rise up before my mind, as 
 incorrigible themselves, and the opponents of any good 
 influence we may exercise on others. I fear they are 
 enemies of the truth, and of the cross of Christ. I took 
 occasion once to express my opinion to them very 
 
FALASHA. 43 
 
 plainly, on their great moral inferiority to the Jews. 
 They assert them to be wizards and cannibals — eating 
 men by some secret process of sorcery. ' In truth,' " I 
 said, " ' I love the Falashas more than I do you, for their 
 works are better and more godly than yours.' " (I proved 
 this by instances). " I respect them too, because they are 
 descendants of the ancient people of God, who has given 
 them glorious promises, which are yet to be fulfilled. 
 When our fathers were yet heathen, theirs were wor- 
 shippers of the true God. And, remember, Abraham, 
 and David, and Solomon were Falashas themselves." An 
 old man who stood by, broke out into loud exclama- 
 tions — " Such a thing I never heard — David a Falasha ! 
 " Yes, my friend," I said, "and the man after God's own 
 heart, too." He struck his head with both hands, again 
 exclaiming, "David a Falasha! David a Falasha!! 
 Such a thing our priests never tell us." " Well," I said, 
 "the Bible tells it you." "You are a man of God." 
 was his reply. 
 
 After this period their intercourse with this interest- 
 ing people was very constant, and the eagerness they 
 evinced to possess the Bible — " their Father's word," 
 as they beautifully styled it — was very gratifying. Nor 
 did they evince any of that extreme excitement on being 
 exhorted about Christianity, so unfortunately prevalent 
 among Jews, in almost all other parts of the world. 
 
 The following is one out of many conversations re- 
 lated in the Journal : — 
 
 Dec. 24. — I conversed with a Jew well acquainted 
 with Old Testament history. He asked, " To whom 
 
44 CONVERSATION WITH A FALASHA. 
 
 were the words ' Let us make man in our own image/ 
 addressed." I read St John i 1-6 to him in expla- 
 nation. He was surprised at the passage, and remarked, 
 " We do not know how to explain the plural number in 
 this passage." We then went on to Deut. xviii. 13-19. 
 
 Flad. " Who is this prophet ? " 
 
 Fal. "Christ/'- 
 
 Fl. " Why do you not hear him ? " 
 
 Fal. " We believe in Moses and the prophets, and 
 keep the law ; what do we want more ? " 
 
 Fl. " Dear friend, you are in want of everything ; 
 you have no Saviour to reconcile you to God. Be sure 
 you are not able to fulfil the law perfectly ; you are a 
 transgressor of it, a sinner, and therefore you are cursed 
 by the law for ever." 
 
 Fal. " It is true, I am not able to fulfil the law 
 perfectly." 
 
 Fl. " Well, God is holy, and no unreconciled sinner 
 can stand before Him. Who will take away your sins V 
 
 Fal. " We have sacrifices, but I know they are not 
 sufficient." 
 
 I then began to proclaim to him Jesus Christ as the 
 all-sufficient sacrifice for sin, and experienced in a great 
 measure the assistance of the Lord. May He bless the 
 conversation ! When he left me he said, " If the Jews 
 hear that friends have come to them, who love, and have 
 brought them, the Word of their fathers, they will all 
 come and converse with you." 
 
 This assurance proved true. The Jews came in 
 numbers, and we distributed all the Bibles we had 
 
ARRIVAL OF THE COPTIC PATRIARCH. 45 
 
 remaining, but had not sufficient for all. Those who 
 did not receive could hardly be persuaded to go away. 
 We could only get rid of them by promising to bring 
 in a year a fresh supply from England. Two Jewish 
 boys, seeing we had not Bibles left, asked for New 
 Testaments. It is quite inexplicable how the news of 
 our giving Bibles to the Jews could have spread so 
 quickly. It is little more than a week since we com- 
 menced, and yet they have come to us from distances of 
 from three to five days. The Lord's name be praised that 
 He has opened a way for His Word, among the poor 
 despised seed of Israel, in Habesh ! May He help us 
 soon to bring a large number of Bibles to spread among 
 His people ! The servants of the Abuna blamed us for 
 receiving the Falashas into the house, fearing lest any 
 of them, being boudas* should devour some of the 
 children. They say, besides, that the Abuna will be 
 angry at our meddling with them. 
 
 About this period the Coptic Patriarch, the spiritual 
 head of the Abyssinian Church, arrived at Tschenda,-f- 
 on a visit to the Abuna, and a mission from Said Pacha 
 to the King. Important results ensued from this visit, 
 as will presently appear. 
 
 * Sorcerers. 
 
 + Tschenda is a monastery and large town, the property of the 
 Abuna. It is chiefly inhabited by Coptic Christians, and most 
 of the Abunas are buried there. There are, however, a good num- 
 ber of both Jews and Mohammedans. A rabbi resides here, who 
 is said to be an accomplished and amiable man, deeply skilled in the 
 Ethiopic language. The Abuna was willing to allow the missionarie* 
 to settle here. — Ed. 
 
46 ABYSSINIAN CHRISTMAS. 
 
 At Gondar, on January 6, was celebrated the Abys- 
 sinian Christmas.* " It well deserves," says the Jour- 
 nal, " its Amharic name ' Baal,' " which is the word in 
 that language for a festival. During the whole night 
 all were in the churches. In the morning, at sunrise, 
 they commenced slaughtering cattle, the flesh of which 
 they eat raw, drinking immoderately. It is a common 
 saying among them, that it is a shame on this day for an 
 Abyssinian to be sober enough to see the sun at noon. 
 
 Immediately after this abominable festival, the 
 missionaries resolved that one of the number, Bender, 
 should return to Jerusalem for a large supply of Am- 
 haric Bibles and Testaments, as well as for necessaries 
 for the proposed settlement at Gondar, near Tschenda. 
 The King's permission was necessary for both the journey 
 and the settlement ; the Abuna's for the latter, as the 
 land was his private property. Accordingly, Flad and 
 Bender set out together for the royal camp, in the 
 Tshin-Mieda,f a little to the north of Debra Tabor. Part 
 of the route lay through the province of Begember, 
 which produced luxuriant crops of barley, and abounded 
 in horses and sheep ;J and " the fine fresh Alpine air," 
 writes Mr Flad, " refreshed us after the heats." On 
 arriving, we went at once to Mr Plowden, H.B.M.C., 
 and Mr Bell. The former gave us one of his tents and 
 abundant refreshments. The same evening we paid our 
 
 * The Abyssinians reckon 7349 years from the creation. They 
 date the Nativity about the year 5500. 
 + Plain of Kings. 
 X Eight or nine sheep could be purchased for a dollar. 
 
QUARREL OF THE KING WITH THE PATRIARCH. 47 
 
 respects to the Patriarch and the Abuna. With the latter 
 we settled everything to our satisfaction, and got per- 
 mission from the former for Bender to join his party on 
 his return to Cairo. It only remains now to secure the 
 King's leave, with whom we hope to have an audience 
 to-morrow. The consul encouraged us to hope that we 
 should succeed, and that the King would be willing to 
 contribute £100 for the expenses of the journey, in 
 order to facilitate the arrival of some workmen, with 
 their tools, whom Bishop Gobat was endeavouring to 
 procure for him. On the morning of the 1 2th I was 
 called to the King, but the business in hand made our 
 affairs be put aside for the time. He had quarrelled 
 with the Patriarch and Abuna ; imprisoned them in a 
 house which he had so surrounded with thorns that 
 none could approach ; taken away all their attendants 
 but five, disarmed all the Copts, and quartered them 
 with Abyssinians, and set a guard of soldiers over them. 
 As far as we could gather, the reasons of all this were 
 as follows : — The Patriarch, wishing to return to Egypt, 
 had asked of the King a mitre for himself, to procure 
 which he had brought considerable wealth with him. 
 He also solicited the King to write a friendly letter to 
 Said, Pacha of Egypt, and send him presents, request- 
 ing him to restore to the Patriarch some Christian Copts, 
 whom he had taken for soldiers ; and, lastly, that he 
 (the King) would send all English and Germans out of 
 the country, in return for which he would send him thirty 
 workmen from Egypt, with various other presents. The 
 Abuna, on his part, had demanded of the King the 
 
48 ASSEMBLY IN THE ROYAL QUARTERS. 
 
 liberation of all captives, and permission for himself 
 to accompany the Patriarch to Cairo, another Abnna 
 being sent from thence to supply his place. This is 
 all I could learn, but there were certainly other things ; 
 and the impression made on the King's mind was, that 
 the Patriarch was in the interest of Said Pacha, and had 
 nothing else in* view than to bring Abyssinia into his 
 'power. When, therefore, the next day Mr Bell spoke 
 to the King on our behalf, he sent us kind salutations, 
 but orders not to return to Gondar, till he had settled 
 his difficulties with the fathers. To Mr Bell he said, 
 " I look on them, as well as on Mr Plowden and your- 
 self, as my friends, and you and they shall be witnesses 
 how these fathers deal with me." 
 
 We were almost immediately summoned to the royal 
 quarters. We found all the soldiers drawn out ; and 
 when we entered, the King received us in the most dis- 
 tinguished manner ; and, turning to the assembly, said, 
 " These are sincere friends of mine. They seek our 
 welfare, and have brought us Bibles and Testaments in 
 our own language. But one holy father (the Patriarch) 
 is come as a merchant and ambassador, asking for 
 wax and ivory, and mules and zebal, &c, and for 
 friendship with the Mohammedans, and advises me to 
 send all Europeans, whom I love, out of the country." 
 To a number of priests who were assembled, imploring 
 for the liberation of the Patriarch and Abuna, he 
 caused a letter to be read, which they had drawn up 
 for him to send, as from himself, to the Pacha, and 
 dismissed them, saying, " Consider this letter, and the 
 
THE king's address. 49 
 
 intentions of my fathers, and you will see I do not 
 wrong them. I am Christ's servant. He made me 
 king, and gave me the victory over all my enemies. 
 I am labouring, for His honour, to protect our Church 
 against Mohammedans ; and,- by His power, I endea- 
 vour to lead all heathens around me to Christianity. 
 But he (the Patriarch) comes asking for a mitre, and 
 to make us subjects of Said Pacha. But, God helping 
 me, as long as I have life I will keep down the 
 Patriarch, the Bishop, and Said Pacha — yea, even the 
 Queen of England, should she help him. If I wrong 
 them, may God hear their prayers, and give them 
 wings to escape over the hedge that surrounds them. 
 Then I will repent. These Englishmen " (pointing to 
 the consul, Mr Bell, and us) " are my friends, and have 
 good intentions towards me, I know. They shall be 
 my witnesses ; and I will send accounts to all the 
 Courts of Europe, and they shall judge of my conduct." 
 His Majesty spoke with great vehemence and excite- 
 ment. 
 
 He then sent us with some Abyssinians to seize all 
 the money, dresses, &c. of the Patriarch. It was very 
 disagreeable to us to be employed on such a service ; 
 but, in the King's present mood, we dare not refuse. 
 Why have we come into the camp at this troubled 
 time? Lord, Thou knowest. The dresses of the 
 Patriarch were carried into the church, his jewels and 
 money into the royal tent. The latter, to his Majesty's 
 astonishment, amounted to 1002 napoleons. This, 
 but for the earnest remonstrances of his grandees and 
 
50 THE PATRIARCH RELEASED. 
 
 counsellors, and the British consul, he would instantly 
 have distributed among the poor. 
 
 During five days the incarceration of the prelates 
 continued, and there were many interviews. On the 
 1 6th, the differences were composed, and a high festival 
 of reconciliation was held in the camp. The whole 
 army and nearly a thousand priests and debteras were 
 assembled. We were also called. Before all, the King 
 confessed that he had erred — that he had been insti- 
 gated by the devil — but was now ready to humble 
 himself, and seek reconciliation with his fathers. He 
 then sent a messenger to them, begging pardon and 
 reconciliation. On the return of the messenger with a 
 kind answer, he ordered all the barriers to be re- 
 moved, went himself, and, kneeling, confessed his error, 
 and begged for pardon. The royal crown was then 
 brought forth, and consecrated by the Patriarch. He 
 then consecrated the King, and crowned him Emperor 
 of Abyssinia. The state chairs of the Patriarch and 
 Abuna, which had been seized, with the rest of their 
 property, were then brought, carried by the King him- 
 self, and restored to them. The whole assembly then 
 went in grand procession to the royal tent. 
 
 Still the King's mind was not entirely satisfied. He 
 therefore commanded a Testament, an image of Christ, 
 wearing the crown of thorns, and a picture of the 
 Trinity, to be brought out of the church, and caused 
 both to swear by them, in presence of the whole 
 assembly, that their intentions towards him were good 
 and faithful. The Patriarch, with great eloquence, 
 
THE PATEIAECH'S SPEECH. 51 
 
 asserted his love and loyalty, and solemnly blessed, 
 first the King, and then the people. His address to 
 them he concluded with the following strange ex- 
 pression : — " Never forsake the Alexandrian faith — 
 cleave to it steadfastly. You will be saved by it ; and 
 if not, I will go to hell instead of you." 
 
 I thought I could see the Abuna was by no means 
 satisfied. But the whole scene touched my heart. I 
 was especially moved by the King's address, particu- 
 larly where he said, " I am the servant of Christ, 
 called by Him to the throne, and desiring only to do 
 His will — to protect the Abyssinian Church, and to 
 extend it among the heathen nations." 
 
 In the evening the Abuna sent for me. He was full 
 of joy, and very kind, as was the Patriarch also. I 
 asked pardon for the part I had been obliged to take. 
 He replied that he could perfectly place himself in my 
 position, and that I was quite right to obey the King. 
 " I believe," he said, " you love me — and I love you. 
 You are my only friendly acquaintance in Abyssinia/' 
 He then entered at large on the vexation and annoy- 
 ance every Abyssinian prince had caused him. 
 
 Two days subsequent to these events, January 18, 
 the annual feast of the Baptism of Jesus was celebrated. 
 On the previous evening, the tent-church of the camp, 
 with the tabot, was carried by the King, the Patriarch, 
 the Abuna, and the soldiers, to a neighbouring stream. 
 At sunrise, every one who could went to the water ; 
 and as soon as the Church-service was ended, the tabot 
 was carried to the bank. It was washed in the stream, 
 
52 VISIT TO BATHS. 
 
 and then, as well as the stream, consecrated by the 
 Abuna, by which they believe that the Holy Ghost 
 descends into the stream, as He came down at the 
 baptism of Jesns in the Jordan. Immediately all, 
 young and old, threw themselves into the water. The 
 Lord's Supper was then celebrated ; after which the 
 tabot was carried, with great pomp r and the firing of 
 cannon, and music and dancing, back to the camp. 
 
 January 27. — To-day the King, who has not yet 
 given us the permission we have sought to return 
 to Gondar, sent us compliments through Mr Bell, say- 
 ing, "Be not afraid that I keep you here so long. I 
 look upon you as my friends. Since Mr Bender is pre- 
 paring to return to Jerusalem, and I wish to send a 
 gift to the bishop, Samuel Gobat, and to his wife, you 
 must wait till the affair with the Patriarch is finally 
 settled. Then I will send you off with honour." 
 
 February 8. — Plans are all changed. Mr Bell hav- 
 ing got the King's permission for himself and Mr 
 Consul Plowden to go to the baths of Wansaje,* asked 
 leave for us to return to Gondar. He ordered him 
 instead to carry us with him to the baths. Mr Bender, 
 who is suffering from fever, declined the journey ; but 
 I, who am suffering from an abscess on my foot, for 
 which the waters are thought good, avail myself of it. 
 
 Saturday, 14. — We arrived at the baths yesterday. 
 The second night of our journey we passed at Arango, 
 
 * A warm, sulphurous spring, of the temperature of 108 deg., 
 much and successfully used by the Abyssinians in all sorts of 
 cutaneous disorders. 
 
INTERVIEW WITH THE KING. 53 
 
 about half-way down the heights of Bagemder, where 
 are the ruins of a church and castle, built by King 
 Amticzan. I had a long conversation with a Galla, 
 from. Gumma. The Gadderu-Gallas have lately sent 
 three horses to the King, as a token of friendship. It 
 is said that this tribe has never been subdued by any 
 Abyssinian king. The consul and Mr Bell went fishing 
 with great success. The method is curious : — They 
 threw a madega* and a-half of the bruised fruit of the 
 Berbera tree into the water. Very soon the fish came 
 to the surface, rolling about as if intoxicated, and were 
 easily taken in nets and baskets, to the number of 
 about a hundred. 
 
 Tuesday, 17. — Left for Guramba, another hot 
 spring, of the temperature of 127 deg. Abyssinia is 
 very rich in these springs. At Melsha, a small pro- 
 vince in the south of Zana Sum, there are no less than 
 seven, of various temperatures and mineral qualities. 
 
 The next day orders arrived for Mr Bender to join 
 the King at his camp. He complied, and had the 
 satisfaction of finding his brother-labourer perfectly 
 recovered ; and two days after they, with a Mr Coffin, 
 were invited to the royal tent. The interview is thus 
 described : — 
 
 " As we sat quietly in the forepart of the tent, the 
 King said, ' Why are you so quiet, my children ? Do 
 not be afraid. Am I not your father ? I am king ; 
 but in God's eyes we are all equal. You are servants 
 of Christ ; so am I. I am king ; but there is another 
 * Madega, a measure containing about a bushel. 
 
54 king's secrecy. 
 
 king over me, that is Christ/ — ' Yes, sir,' I replied, 
 'you are king, and, I believe, ordained of God, but 
 only over our bodies ; Christ is king of our souls. 
 There is no respect of persons with Him. We are 
 all sinners ; but He has redeemed us from our sins, 
 having bought us with His precious blood, that we 
 should live unto Him. Thus we are His servants.' 
 — On this the King exclaimed, ' Hun at ! Hunat ! ! ' 
 (truth.)" 
 
 Towards the close of the conversation, which was a 
 long one, the King gave evidence of the deep attention 
 he had paid : — 
 
 " For when the interpreter was about to repeat what 
 I had said, he stopped him, saying, 'Thou didst not 
 well understand, Martin.' I will repeat his words, ' 
 Martin ! Martin ! thou knowest well the Holy Book/ 
 He then repeated all I had said, and dismissed us. 
 Before taking leave, I asked permission to go to Gon- 
 dar. ' Be not over anxious, my children,' he replied ; 
 ' as soon as Likmaguas and Mr Plowden come, I will 
 tell you all my heart.' " 
 
 After being kept in attendance following the move- 
 ments of the camp for some time, the desired permis- 
 sion was at length granted ; and, on the 3d March, 
 Mr Flad again arrived at Gondar. He gives the fol- 
 lowing characteristic account of the King's movements, 
 while relating his wanderings with him : — 
 
 " The King gives his confidence to no one ; he never 
 says what he is about to do. If he is going to under- 
 take a military expedition, and attack his enemies, he 
 
CONVERSATION WITH ALACA OF KEDUS GABRIEL, oo 
 
 orders his Hawalsh (herald) to proclaim through the 
 camp, • Prepare provisions for so many days/ When 
 the day he has fixed for setting out arrives, he mounts 
 his mule, and all follow, no one knowing whither." 
 
 Monday, 23. — I have been engaged lately on some 
 manual labour for the King and the Abuna. But still 
 our missionary work has been continued. We have 
 had many conversations with the priests and debteras, 
 on the great points of justification by faith, and the 
 great worth of God's Word in the vulgar tongue. We 
 were much surprised yesterday at seeing none of the 
 debteras of the Church of Kedus Gabriel, who frequented 
 us most, and whom brother Kienzlen had taken par- 
 ticular pains with. On inquiry, we were told that the 
 Alaca had threatened to excommunicate all who came 
 to us. We therefore sent him our salutations, and asked 
 his reasons. He returned answer, "I have nothing 
 against you, except that you do not serve our Church, 
 nor adore our tabot, nor kiss our churches, nor take 
 the Holy Supper with us/' Shortly after, he came 
 himself. He said, " I have nothing against you ; but 
 my pupils become negligent in their studies and attend- 
 ance at church. For long they have been accustomed 
 to spend nearly the whole day with you, so I have been 
 obliged to threaten them with excommunication to 
 bring them to order ! " Knowing well this was a mere 
 excuse, we told him, " We cannot kiss your churches, 
 nor adore your tabot, since we believe it contrary to 
 the Bible, and therefore sinful. As to not serving 
 your Church, we believe we have served it more than 
 
56 MAYEE EXPELLED FEOM THE ABUNA'S COURT. 
 
 yourselves ; for we have distributed 500 copies of the 
 Scriptures among your people, in a language they can 
 understand. That serving the Church means giving 
 you dollars, garments, and church utensils, we cannot 
 think ; and our reason for going so seldom to church 
 on Sundays and festivals is, that you perform the ser- 
 vice in a language nobody understands. Such service 
 does not please God, because it does not instruct, nor 
 lead the people to God. If you will pray, and sing, 
 and read the Bible in the Amharic, we will attend your 
 services. As for the Holy Supper, if you will shew us 
 your opinions, and that they are conformable to the 
 Word of God, we will not hesitate to commemorate with 
 you." He made no reply, but his manner indicated 
 great dislike to us, arising, no doubt, from our having 
 often protested against the errors of the Abyssinian 
 Church — viz., that fasting, almsgiving, and donations 
 to churches and monasteries justify us before God, and 
 give us a meritorious claim to heaven. Brother Mayer 
 was expelled out of the Abuna's court the other day, 
 for no other reason than that he did not observe the 
 Abyssinian fasts, nor adore the tabot, nor kiss the 
 churches, nor had given donations to them. 
 
 When I look at the blindness and ignorance of this 
 people, and see how they are misled by their leaders, 
 my heart is deeply moved, and I feel ready to undergo 
 anything to do them good ; but then, when I look at 
 the power and influence of the priests, my heart fails 
 me. We have taught much last year, and, through 
 God's Word, wrought conviction in many hearts ; but 
 
ABSUKD KEPORTS. 57 
 
 what has been the end with most of them ? They have 
 consulted their priests, and their exhortations, and 
 some quotations from their holy books, have pulled down 
 what we built up. Lord, thou hast said, " Behold, 
 I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them 
 out." Deal thus with this people ! 
 
 February 26. — As a specimen of the ridiculous reports 
 spread about us, I give the following : — Marcha Warke 
 told us to-day that the priest of the Church of Kedus 
 Gabriel had complained of us, for receiving Falashas, 
 and reading the Bible with, and administering to them 
 the Lord's Supper ! " When you sing," he said, " at 
 your morning prayers, they believe you celebrate the 
 Holy Supper. I have been endeavouring to convince 
 them they are wrong, but to no purpose ; they believe 
 one of you is a priest/' 
 
 February 27. — The bad effect of this opinion (at least, 
 we think so) appears to-day. We have received a letter 
 from the Abuna, saying we must leave the house he had 
 lent us here, as he wanted it for himself and the Patri- 
 arch, when he comes to Gondar. He offers his land at 
 Gondar, to build on for ourselves, well knowing we are 
 ordered by the King not to leave Gondar. We have 
 succeeded in hiring a house for eight dollars per annum. 
 It is the property of Woldero Sahle Trungo, who is 
 said to be a kinswoman of the King. 
 
 April 13. — We are advised by Mr Plowden, lest 
 Gondar should be attacked by the rebels, to remove 
 our things into one of the churches, and to be in 
 readiness for a flight to Dembea. The Governor and 
 
58 ABYSSINIAN EASTER. 
 
 the Abulia are said already to have removed part of 
 their property into the church for safety. 
 
 April 14. — A Jew, Za Jasu, came to-day, a second 
 time, a journey of four days, to beg for a Bible. Seeing 
 his earnestness, we spared him one of our house Bibles ; 
 and as they are now celebrating the Passover, I read 
 with him the history of the Exodus. 
 
 April 21. — Last Sunday was the Abyssinian Easter. 
 On the Friday before, every one went to church ; but 
 the worship seemed to be little more than making as 
 many genuflections, and as rapidly as possible, to the four 
 quarters of the heavens. He who could accomplish three 
 hundred acquired great merit. The slaughtering of 
 animals for the eight days' feast succeeding the fast, 
 commenced soon after sunrising on Sunday. We 
 had great difficulty in making our servants slay their 
 animals on Saturday. They pleaded their priests' for- 
 bidding them to eat on the feast, meat killed during the 
 fast. We set against this God's command to rest on 
 the Sabbath. They yielded, but were much displeased. 
 
 May 22. — We have daily visitors, whom one of us 
 makes a point of attending ; and we have many con- 
 versations, sometimes disputes. Among our frequent 
 
 visitors is Mr , a man of most excellent moral 
 
 character, but a rationalist. When, lately, the text, 
 " This a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, 
 that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners," 
 was quoted, he said that the faithfulness of the saying 
 was very questionable ; that we ought not to believe 
 what does not commend itself to human reason — and 
 
1 
 
 I 
 
 FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 59 
 
 therefore it was impossible to believe Christ to be God ; 
 that He was only a man, a teacher of the law ; and that 
 man did not need a Redeemer. " Whatever," he said, 
 " in the gospel does not agree with my reason, I reject. 
 In such cases, I believe the writers have added to God's 
 revelation, his own notions — Jews and Mohammedans 
 will be saved just as well as Christians. They all believe 
 in God, and he who does so must be saved, or God 
 would be unjust." 
 
 Our hopes as to establishing a mission are not very 
 bright ; and we fear, unless we consent to work for the 
 King, we shall not be allowed to stay long. 
 
 Monday, June 1. — This is a day of mourning in 
 Gondar. Walda Kedana Mariam is dead, of whom they 
 say, " Za Gondar amba mota," (the fortress of Gondar 
 is dead.) They speak mueh in his praise. " He was 
 a father to the poor, kept churches in repair, and re- 
 stored the holy vessels, and often kept off the rebels 
 by great sacrifices." His property is said to be worth 
 60,000 dollars, 160 mules, and 40 slaves. These he 
 freed before death, giving to each 1 5 dollars. He has be- 
 queathed 5 dollars to each of the 44 churches in Gondar. 
 I may mention here some of the Abyssinian funeral 
 ceremonies. Interment generally takes place a few 
 hours after death. The body, if of a rich man, is 
 buried in a coffin ; if of a poor man, in a mat or skin. 
 The priests come immediately after the death to pray 
 over the corpse, perfume it with incense, and cross it. 
 They also incense the grave. The women sing a dirge, 
 and perform a funeral dance, to the hollow-sounding 
 
60 TIGRIS EEBELS. 
 
 strokes of a drum, before the house. The relations and 
 intimate friends sit on the ground in the court of the 
 house, and utter doleful cries, rubbing their temples 
 with a sort of coarse cloth, till the blood comes, and 
 beating their faces with their shoes, and even with 
 stones. They often carry the marks of this treatment 
 for months. The funeral procession halts seven times 
 for offering prescribed prayers, and singing appointed 
 psalms. After seven days the friends and relations 
 have a great meeting for lamentation, but also to eat 
 and drink, each one bringing his provisions with him, 
 as during that season of sorrow nothing is ground, 
 baked, or cooked in the house. Prayers continue to 
 be offered for the dead for thirty, forty, or fifty days. 
 After this, the tarkar (great festival) is celebrated, at 
 which the deceased is absolved from all his sins, and 
 declared to be released from purgatory. To the priests 
 and debteras at the feast, the words of our Lord are 
 
 often very applicable : — " Woe unto you , which 
 
 devour widows' houses ; " for many, who had property 
 before, are, after it, found to have become poor. 
 
 June 1 9. — We have experienced nothing worth relat- 
 ing of late ; few visits. Men's minds are so disquieted 
 for fear of the rebels in Tigrd One of their leaders got 
 possession of the province of Woggera, and is prepar- 
 ing to march on Gondar. All have been busy, our- 
 selves among the number, in securing property in the 
 churches, and all are longing for the return of the King, 
 who is reported to be on the march. 
 
 June 21. — Visited to-day two Copts, who are with 
 
ATTACK ON GONDAR EXPECTED. 61 
 
 the Abulia. One of them shewed me a letter from the 
 Patriarch, in which he writes, — "The King has conquered 
 the Walloes, leaving a Christian governor. Many of 
 them have been baptized.* The King intends to con- 
 vert all the Mohammedans, Jews, Kamants, and G-allas. 
 Within twenty days we shall come to Gondar, and then 
 return to Cairo/' I do not know how far this news 
 may be trusted. 
 
 July 13. — For some days Gondar has been in a state 
 of excitement, on account of Warringje, the rebel chief 
 who invaded Woggera. We commit ourselves to God, 
 who says, " Fear not, I am with thee." Warringje had 
 made peace with Alga Tashu, Governor of Woggera, 
 and Bal Ambra Warkelul, intending, when he could 
 find opportunity, to make them prisoners. A friend 
 of the Governor's, who was in the rebel camp, betrayed 
 the plot, and a battle ensued, in which Warringje 
 gained the victory. He is reported to be on his way 
 to attack Gondar. Mr Plowden has advised us to flee 
 to Woechne ; but the fever is raging there — we have, 
 therefore, decided to remain. Should the danger grow 
 imminent, we shall, with our friend, the Alaca Habeta 
 Selasse, take refuge in the Etchegua's church, which the 
 rebels have always hitherto spared, out of respect to the 
 Etchegua's chair. 
 
 July 22. — The most contradictory reports come daily 
 from the rebel army. The day before yesterday the 
 Abuna fled, with ten slaves of the Patriarch's, to 
 Tschenda ; and to-day the town was thrown into confu- 
 
 * They are Mohammedans. 
 
62 CONVERSATION WITH GEBEA JESUS. 
 
 sion by the arrival of Alga Tashu, with six hundred 
 soldiers, flying before the rebels. The whole town rose 
 against them. They refused, however, to depart, till 
 threatened with excommunication by the priests, on 
 which they retired quietly. 
 
 July 25. — Had a long conversation with Gebra Jesus 
 to-day. He always leaves a good impression on my 
 mind. He is learned, but humble, modest, and willing 
 to be instructed in the best things ; but sadly super- 
 stitious withal. He defends the ceremony of kissing 
 churches ; yet when I said, " Kiss Jesus, by a holy obe- 
 dience, and you will be dearer to Him than if you 
 kissed daily all the doors and windows of all the forty- 
 four churches in Gondar," he replied, " This is true — 
 I believe it;" still he pleaded for the custom. We 
 then got on the adoration of the saints. " They them- 
 selves/' I said, " disapprove of your doing so." — See 
 Rev. xix. 10. 
 
 Gebra Jesus. " But to get at a king or great man, 
 we need a balderata.* If, then, St Michael, or St 
 Phanuel will be my balderata, and I ask them to pray 
 to God to forgive me, I believe I do no wrong/' 
 
 Flad. "Does a child need a balderata with his 
 father?" 
 
 Gebra Jesus. " No ; surely not." 
 
 Flad. " Well, if the child did go to a balderata, and 
 beg him to intercede, what would the father think?" 
 
 Gebra Jesus. " He would feel ill disposed towards 
 his child/' 
 
 * Usher. 
 
ABSURD TRADITIONS. 63 
 
 Flad. " This is just your case. God is your Father, 
 and yet you call on some one to speak to Him for you, 
 and that, too, while Jesus — God's own Son, and your 
 dearest Brother — has promised to do this for you/' 
 (1 Tim. ii. 5; 1 John ii. 1.) "Besides, is there any 
 one omniscient, omnipresent, all-seeing, but God?" 
 
 Gebra Jesus. " No, sir." 
 
 Flad. "Well, then, by this you confess your balde- 
 rata cannot hear your prayer, or those of the many 
 thousands who are calling on him, at the same moment. 
 If he could, he would be omnipresent, &c, and so 
 equal to God. Would it not be better to choose Him 
 for your balderata, who is God, and appointed of God 
 for this very thing, the Lord God, Jesus Christ?" 
 
 "Yea, yea," he said, smiling; "you have always 
 something to say against us." 
 
 July 27. — As a specimen of what we have to contend 
 with, in our efforts to enlighten the ignorance of the 
 priesthood, I record the following ; — I had a long dis- 
 cussion with Eostateous, a priest and monk, who 
 asserted as facts : 1. A small piece of the true cross, 
 said to have been buried in the Walloo country, 
 wrought many miracles. 2. Tecla Haimanout still per- 
 forms miracles in Habesh. 3. The devil is found to keep 
 at the distance of forty paces from every one who wears 
 a cross. 4. Christ did not die for the Jews, but only for 
 the Gentiles. 5. True Christians are only to be found in 
 Habesh. 6. The Abyssinians became Christians before 
 Christ died. 7. Christ baptized, and wrought many 
 miracles when he was in Egypt; among others He 
 
64 THREATENED ATTACK AVERTED — IMAGES. 
 
 baptized, and restored his sword to the malefactor 
 who was pardoned on the cross, he being at that time 
 a robber in Egypt. 
 
 July 29. — Glad tidings have reached Gondar to-day. 
 Therebelsof Woggera have quarrelled among themselves, 
 and fought with one another, and Warringje has taken 
 to flight. All cause for apprehension is now removed. 
 Praised be the Lord who has mercifully delivered this 
 city and province from the danger that threatened it ! 
 
 August 13. — We visited to-day the Church of Kos- 
 quam, one of the noblest in Gondar. It was erected 
 by one Queen Etjegie Matowe, and is a monument of 
 what Abyssinia owes to the Portuguese. The walls 
 are covered with images of saints. There are also re- 
 presentations of God the Father, as an old man with a 
 white beard ; of God the Son, sometimes as a hand- 
 some young man, sometimes as a babe in the arms of 
 Mary ; and of God the Holy Ghost, as a dove hovering. 
 There are also some relics of the founder : an alga,* a 
 wantsha,-f* a bishop's mitre, and a coffin, covered with 
 Russia leather. I returned with Wandafrash, a servant 
 of the Abuna, with whom I had a long discussion on 
 the profit of fasting. I tried to convince him, as I 
 always do when on this subject, that it is a useful 
 exercise ; but that no man, as the Abyssinians believe, 
 can acquire righteousness or merit heaven on account 
 of it. 
 
 Our visit to the church brought on a long discussion 
 about images. For in the evening, Debtera Dasta 
 
 * Bedstead, or sofa. + A drinking-cup of horn. 
 
FEESH DISTURBANCES. 65 
 
 called, and inquired how we liked the church, and if 
 there were any such in our land? 
 
 " Perhaps there are/' I said ; " still we do not make 
 the house of God a temple of idols, as you do. Your 
 people use these images as idols, for they kiss and adore 
 them." 
 
 " Unlearned people do," he said, " but learned men 
 see in them only memorials of sacred history, which is 
 no sin." 
 
 " But remember," I replied, " God has forbidden you 
 to make, or bow down to, any graven image, or like- 
 ness of anything in heaven, or earth, or water. How 
 do you understand these words ?" 
 
 "God has, indeed, said so/' he answered; "but it is 
 the custom of our land to adore images, and it seems 
 to me that it is not very wrong." 
 
 "Surely that is scarcely to be questioned," I said. 
 "I feel sure you do wrong. In this, as in other things, 
 you have departed from the Word of God. Neither 
 Christ nor His apostles have recommended to us the 
 worship of saints ; and the early Christians had no 
 images. It was not till after the third century, when 
 Christians began to fall from the love of God and true 
 religion, and forgot that the true worshippers must 
 worship the Father in spirit and in truth, that they 
 began to use images." 
 
 He candidly admitted all this, and ended our con- 
 versation by saying, " This is true — you are right ; we 
 must teach our people better." 
 
 August 19. — A fresh disturbance in Woggera has 
 
66 AVENGER OF BLOOD. 
 
 given us an opportunity of noticing how in some things 
 the Abyssinians observe, but in a perverted way, Jewish 
 legal customs. The rebels, who had fallen out among 
 themselves, made it up, and jointly appointed a go- 
 vernor over Woggera, and made an inroad into the 
 province of Semien. Two of Alga Tashu's soldiers, 
 however, murdered him, and fled for safety to the 
 monastery of Gondar. If a murderer flies to a monas- 
 tery, and rings a bell appointed for the purpose, the 
 priests protect him, and he can only be delivered up to 
 the avenger of blood, after the murder has been proved, 
 and he refuses to pay the price of blood. He is gene- 
 rally, however, induced to promise payment, by being 
 refused communion. If he has not the money, he is 
 placed in the custody of one of the relations of the 
 dead, who compels him to travel from market to 
 market, and town to town, and house to house, crying, 
 " Ja nass — -ja nass I " * People contribute liberally in 
 such cases. I have seen women give away their neck- 
 laces and rings. 
 
 August 28. — I had an interesting interview with 
 Mamher Waldu, head of the priests of the Church 
 Kedus Georges. We read Eom. iv. v., and Gal. v. I 
 spoke with him about "faith that worketh by love ; " and 
 how, as is proved by the examples of Abraham and 
 David, it is the only thing that "availeth." I found him 
 sober-minded and honest, and without prejudice — rare 
 in an Abyssinian. Moreover, when I inquired about 
 his views of original sin, in reference to the verse, " as 
 
 * For my life — for my life. 
 
TRADITIONS. 67 
 
 by one man sin entered into the world, and death by 
 sin, and so death passed npon all men, because that all 
 have sinned/' I found them much the same as ours. 
 But I had a curious instance, somewhat of a similar 
 sort to that related (June 27) before, of the way in 
 which even the best among the Abyssinian priests 
 allow foolish traditions and glosses to take the place of 
 simple Scripture. I asked him what were their views 
 about man's fall ? The simple Bible history was per- 
 verted and put forth thus, — When Adam and Eve dwelt 
 in innocence in Paradise, the devil, under the form of a 
 serpent, seduced Eve into eating of a certain fig-tree, 
 which God had forbidden. She persuaded her husband 
 to eat with her ; but when he was on the point of 
 swallowing the fruit, he remembered God's command, 
 and spat it out. Hence the swelling on the throat of 
 all males. They were then driven out of Paradise, 
 which so affected Adam that he wept for one hundred 
 years. Eve gave birth to twins twice — first to Cain 
 and his sister, then to Abel and his — and each was to 
 marry his twin. But it happened that Abel's sister- 
 wife was more beautiful than Cain's, who envied his 
 brother, but did not know how to get his wife for him- 
 self. The devil therefore came to him, and advised 
 him to put his brother to death. He replied, " How ? 
 — death ! What is death ? " " Come/' said Satan, 
 " and I will shew you." He therefore took him into a 
 field, and placed a raven before him, saying, "Take 
 this stone, and strike the raven on the head with it." 
 Cain obeyed, and struck the bird dead. " Do in like 
 
68 FESTIVAL OF TECLA HAIMANOUT. 
 
 manner," said the devil, " to thy brother." Cain did 
 so, and Abel died. Thus death entered. Adam, when 
 he saw this, was so afflicted, that he wept again for one 
 hundred years. 
 
 August 29. — To-day we witnessed a melancholy 
 scene. It is the festival of Tecla Haimanout. The peo- 
 ple, about two hundred in number, stood in the church, 
 with pots full of water. These were blessed and conse- 
 crated with the prayer of Tecla Haimanout, and are be- 
 lieved to cure all diseases. Sick persons wash them- 
 selves with it. 
 
 We have many visitors ; but I have learned by 
 experience that nothing is gained by disputes on 
 the j)oints wherein we differ. I am persuaded that 
 missionary work will be best promoted in Abyssinia by 
 the free circulation of the Amharic Bible and Testa- 
 ment throughout the country, and by reading it to the 
 unlearned and with the learned, adding always a few 
 simple and practical explanations. 
 
 It is strange how superstitions gain credit, in spite 
 of experience of their falsity. The following may well 
 be classed with that about the healing power of the 
 water, mentioned above. On the western side of 
 Gondar stands the ruins of a church built by King 
 Vasil. A solitary monk has been residing there for 
 the last two years. For the last six days some Gondar 
 debteras have shut themselves up in it, engaged in 
 praying the prayer of St Ephraim, day and night. 
 They believe that on the seventh day the water in the 
 vessel, over which this prayer is offered, boils; it is 
 
GALL AS. 69 
 
 then drank, and is considered as a preventative against 
 forgetting what they have learned already, and as in- 
 suring their learning with great facility for the future, 
 and lastly, that it will make them share in the wisdom 
 of St Ephraim the Syrian. 
 
 September 7. — To-day they celebrate the festival of 
 the angel Raphael, one of the greatest in the calendar. 
 He is believed to open all the doors of heaven, of which 
 he is porter, that God's blessing may come down on 
 the earth, and all the fruits of the field. Earth is con- 
 secrated in the church, to be used as medicine, and to 
 drive away mice. Rain, falling to-day, is believed to 
 possess a healing quality. Some did fall ; and all our 
 household stood out in it, half undressed, and collected 
 it in vessels, to wash themselves with. 
 
 September 8. — We have a pleasing account to-day of 
 the Galla, from Walda Georgis, a debtera of the Church 
 of Bata Maream. He says they are hard of belief, and 
 would need one who could work miracles to preach to 
 them. They are very hospitable, and a stranger could live 
 safely among them, were he a good and righteous man. 
 They would love him as Wak * An openly profligate 
 person would be in clanger. This character is import- 
 ant to us. Uncertain as we are about the possibility 
 of establishing a mission among the Christians in 
 Abyssinia, it is well to know there is such a people, 
 who would receive us kindly, and where there would 
 be no obstacle, on the King's part, to our settlement. 
 
 September 24 — Last Saturday we sent two of our ser- 
 
 *God. 
 
70 LETTER TO THE KING. 
 
 rants to the King with a letter (as much in the Abyssinian 
 style as we could), and some pieces of work I had pre- 
 pared for his Majesty. Seeing we cannot secure a fixed 
 position in Abyssinia unless we work for him, we have 
 determined to offer him our services. We think that, 
 by occasionally giving him our labours, we shall have 
 the opportunity of exercising a Christian influence over 
 a number of Abyssinian lads, and instructing them in 
 many useful things. For a long time we have struggled 
 with difficulties, seeking for some way of establishing 
 a mission. The very first thing to be done is to 
 acquire the entire confidence of the King, in order to 
 which we must come into close contact with him, 
 (which we shall do by working for him), and exhibit a 
 Christian conversation before him and all. We commit 
 our plans to God, praying Him to order our course for us. 
 We are encouraged by the remembrance that St Paul 
 wrought for his support while he preached the gospel. 
 Our letter, literally translated, was as follows : — 
 
 " This letter is sent by Messrs Flad, Bender, Mayer, 
 and Kienzlen, to the King of Kings, Theodorus. — 
 Since we had the honour of taking leave of your Ma- 
 jesty, till now, how did you do ? How did you pass 
 the rainy season ? By your God, we are in the enjoy- 
 ment of good health, and living in the district of the 
 Etchegua, in Gondar. I, Flad, have made for your 
 Majesty three holsters, a cartridge-box, a game-bag, 
 and one for your son. When your Majesty was at 
 Gondar, it was your royal pleasure that we should work 
 for you, according to our capacities and skill; but 
 

 ILLNESS — EEPLY OF THE KING. 71 
 
 you have hitherto given us no orders about what we 
 are to do for you. We therefore remained quiet. The 
 works we can do are — Bender, masonry ; Mayer, gar- 
 dening ; Kienzlen, carpentry. Your Majesty told us 
 formerly to wait for you in Gondar, and that at your 
 return you would be pleased to tell us your heart. 
 Our money is diminished. Bender wishes to go to 
 Jerusalem to fetch some. If your Majesty has any- 
 thing to send thither, or wishes for anything from 
 thence, be pleased to favour us with your commands. 
 
 " The reader of this letter will bow himself for us." 
 
 October 17. — I have suffered dreadfully since 1 7th 
 of September. It began with violent toothache ; and 
 one day, our shoes being all worn out, we resolved to 
 go barefoot, as the people here generally do. I caught 
 cold, which brought on a metat, as the Abyssinians 
 call it — i. e., a tumor in my neck and right-jaw ; so 
 that for many days I could swallow no solid food. To- 
 day brother Kienzlen opened it with a lancet, which 
 has relieved the intolerable pain. 
 
 A letter has come from Mr Bell, by our servants 
 whom we sent to the King : — 
 
 " My dear Me Flad, — I presented your holsters, &c, 
 to his Majesty, who was much pleased, and returns you 
 many thanks. With regard to your sending brother 
 Bender to Jerusalem, he says, ' Wait till we meet/ We 
 are now going to Tigre. His Majesty says, moreover, 
 if you wish to leave the country altogether, you are 
 welcome ; but if you wish to stay here, you must not 
 go backward and forward, till he has arranged his affairs 
 
72 APPREHENSIONS OF EXPULSION. 
 
 with the Turks — i. e. s with the Coptic Patriarch of 
 Cairo and Said Pacha. When that is done, you shall 
 go backwards and forwards as you like. In the mean- 
 time, if you like to stay in my country, which his 
 Majesty has given me, you are welcome to build houses, 
 and do as you like. — Your sincere, 
 
 "F. F. Bell/' 
 Besides the letter, we had verbal greetings from the 
 King : — " I have nothing against your people, but I 
 have many enemies. Bender dare not go to Jerusalem 
 alone ; but if you all want to go, then come to me 
 when I come into the neighbourhood of Gondar, and 
 I will take leave of you. If you wish to remain, the 
 Governor of Dembea shall supply your maintenance." 
 We knew what this meant — to g:ive nothing. But we 
 are in great difficulties ; we cannot make up our 
 minds to go, and have still some money left. Our 
 friends explain the King's language as an indirect ex- 
 pression of a will that we should go, and we fear it 
 may be soon changed into a command. The cause of 
 all this, as explained by Aico John* (a man in high 
 esteem, and undoubtedly the most honoured of all the 
 former royal family), is this : — " The King gives you to 
 understand/' he said " that you must go. The reason 
 is, that news has arrived that the English and French 
 have taken Palestine and Egypt from the Turks. The 
 French are to have Palestine, and the English Egypt 
 and also Ethiopia. They are on their way to take 
 possession of Abyssinia ; their ships are already at 
 
 * Shadow-king. 
 
INTERVIEW WITH THE KING. 73 
 
 Massowah." This falsehood has been spread by a 
 Syrian, named John, a bosom friend of the King, and 
 a bitter enemy of Europeans ; so it is to be feared the 
 King may send all Europeans away. It is incredible 
 how easily the most absurd reports gain credit here. 
 Many even intelligent people still believe that Mr Isen- 
 berg brought soldiers in his trunks among his boohs ! 
 
 Up to the 10th of November, the missionaries were 
 still without any commands as to their movements. 
 Their time was occupied with many conversations with 
 persons of all classes, on the important truths of the 
 gospel ; but on the 10th, Mad, who in the meantime 
 had visited the baths of Weinsie, in company with Mr 
 Plowden, went with him to the King at his camp, at 
 Amora Gedal. " We found him/' the journal con- 
 tinues, " seated on his carpet, surrounded with work- 
 men, making bullets and gunpowder. He received us 
 graciously, expressing the kindest sympathy on account 
 of my tumor, which he immediately noticed, and 
 his astonishment at what the white people could bear. 
 'We,' he said, 'die of the slightest ailments/ He 
 asked me if Bender could assist in repairing a bridge. 
 I told him he could, and Mr Bell mentioned that 
 Kienzlen understood working in wood, and would be 
 ready to assist in the work. He was evidently pleased, 
 saying, ' Eshe/ (it is right.) The consul then told him 
 that in a year Bishop Gobat would send him workmen. 
 He made no reply to this, but inquired whether Samuel 
 Gobat was married, and how many children he had." 
 
 After the interview I spoke with Mr Bell about our 
 
74 THE KING'S LAVISH ALMS. 
 
 position, and asked his opinion of the King's expres- 
 sions in his letter. He said, " I know the King will 
 not send you away, but it will be impossible for you 
 to remain, if you go about teaching. If some of you 
 will cultivate the ground, and others work for the King, 
 you may remain as long as you please. You will not 
 be able to establish a mission, any more than Jacobi,* 
 who expended 100,000 dollars, and was driven out 
 after all. Eemain at Gondar, and when the King re- 
 turns ask permission to establish a mission among the 
 Gallas. He will, probably, consent ; if not, you can 
 then return to Jerusalem/' After this interview, Flad 
 returned to the baths, with Mr Plowden ; but receiv- 
 ing no benefit from the waters, and Mr Plowden and 
 Kienzlen declaring his disease to be a lymphatic gan- 
 grene, which could not be cured in Abyssinia, he re- 
 turned to the camp, to urge for permission to go to 
 Cairo. While there, he witnessed a scene very charac- 
 teristic of the King. 
 
 Thursday, Nov. 18, is the festival of Kedus Michel. 
 In the morning, the King went among the poor, 
 lame, blind, and lepers, to distribute alms. Mr Bell 
 reckoned the number who received alms, of from one to 
 three pieces of salt, a dollar, clothes, a horse, or a mule, 
 from 5000 to G000. He is so great a benefactor to 
 the poor, that his army is often without food in conse- 
 quence of his lavish generosity. The Abuna told me, 
 
 f A Jesuit, who went about baptiziug and ordaining, as if there 
 were no church in Abyssinia, and whom the King expelled as soon as 
 he obtained the power. 
 
FLAD PERMITTED TO GO TO JERUSALEM. 75 
 
 that on one occasion, when he had exhausted all he had, 
 without being able to give to all, he sent to the Queen 
 to beg her to give him her ornaments. She refused 
 at first ; but he sent again, saying, " Be not troubled, 
 my love, I will give you more beautiful ornaments, as 
 soon as God shall give me more money/' She then 
 sent them, and he distributed them, saying to each, as 
 he gave a portion, " Go and sell this to the gold- 
 smiths." 
 
 I ought to have mentioned a week ago, that the 
 King has dismissed the Patriarch, with many presents, 
 and sends along with him an ambassador to Said 
 Pacha. This facilitated my plans ; for, late in the 
 evening, Mr Bell came to tell me that his Majesty had 
 given me permission to go, when and where I pleased. 
 " Martin may go," he said, " whenever and wherever he 
 pleases. Hitherto I detained him on account of the 
 Patriarch. I did not want any one to go to Egypt 
 before I had settled the Egyptian affairs. Let Martin, 
 however, remain a few days till I have prepared a 
 letter, and present for Samuel Gobat. 
 
 Wednesday, Nov. 25. — This morning the English 
 consul and myself were summoned to the King. On 
 our arrival, he caused a letter to the chief officer of 
 Customs at Gondar to be read, which contained an 
 order to give me a mule of the best sort, and a royal 
 saddle for Bishop Gobat ; also an Abyssinian under 
 garment, with a light dress, for Mrs Gobat, as a gift 
 from the Queen ; also a mule for myself. He then 
 commanded two letters to be written, one to the Queen 
 
76 KIND DISMISSAL BY THE KING. 
 
 of England, the other to the Bishop, which he read 
 himself, and ordered to be sealed ; after which he dis- 
 missed us, praying God to bless me and restore my 
 health, and commending me to His almighty protec- 
 tion in my jonrney. The orders to the chief of the 
 Customs were very precise, that the bishop's mule 
 should be of the very best quality. He was allowed 
 to spend from 30 to 40 dollars in the purchase. 
 
 December 7. — After my dismissal by the King, I 
 returned to Gondar, to prepare, and take leave of the 
 brethren. This morning I bade farewell to many 
 friends, who collected in the court-yard to bid me adieu. 
 I addressed a brief exhortation to them. Quite a crowd 
 accompanied me outside the walls, and many tears were 
 shed. I felt much moved. I went with a heavy heart. 
 The gloomy prospect of the mission, my illness, a deep 
 sense of many shortcomings and sins during my resi- 
 dence in this country — all depressed me. I could only 
 ejaculate, " God be merciful to me a sinner/' I turned 
 to my Bible for comfort, and found it. The Psalm 
 lxxxvi. revived my spirit and strengthened my faith. 
 
 March 19. — Arrived to-day at Cairo. The journey 
 was much protracted by the Patriarch, with whom I 
 travelled by the King's command, visiting the bishops 
 and priests in all the villages. My gangrene is nearly 
 quite healed. And now, " Bless the Lord, my soul, 
 and forget not all His benefits. Who forgiveth thine 
 iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth 
 thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lov- 
 ing-kindness and tender mercies ! " 
 
CONVERSATION WITH THE KING. 77 
 
 On the journey, I had much intercourse with Lie 
 Mamheran Alaca Gebru Jesus, father confessor to the 
 King, and ambassador to Said Pacha of Egypt, who ac- 
 companied the Patriarch. We read much of the gospel 
 together. One of his conversations revived my hopes 
 of the ultimate success of the mission. He made a 
 favourable impression on me. He is not so narrow- 
 minded and bigoted as most other learned men in 
 Abyssinia. The chief points in the doctrine of our 
 salvation appears to him to be the Holy Trinity, 
 and the two natures in Christ — that He is very God 
 and very man, in one individual person. The chief 
 differences between us are on the subject of obligatory 
 fasting, and the worship of the Virgin Mary. He 
 admitted the Abyssinians were alarmed lest we, as 
 Englishmen,* should take possession of the country. 
 " The King," he said, " often told me the English are 
 good Christians, because they send many Bibles and 
 Testaments gratuitously into our country. He is an 
 enemy to our Gees, but a friend to your Amharic 
 translation of the Bible. If it please God to establish 
 him on the throne, he will banish the Gees lanoriao;e 
 from our churches, and order portions of the Holy 
 Bible to be read every Sunday and festival day to the 
 people in the Amharic translation — only the Werdasy 
 Marain (Song of the Virgin) will be read in Gees. 
 He has himself made a commencement, by employing 
 
 * By Englishman an Abyssinian understands not an English sub- 
 ject, but a Protestant as distinct from a Frenchman, by which he 
 understands a Roman Catholic. 
 
78 ADVICE OF THE CONFESSOE. 
 
 a debtera to copy the Psalms out of your Bible for 
 him, and uses them daily at prayers. I also am a 
 friend to the Amharic language ; and, if the King 
 shall accomplish this general use of it in the churches, 
 then I believe the people will be happy and blessed/' 
 I asked him if the King would be pleased if I came 
 back with a fresh supply of Bibles. He raised his 
 hand to heaven and said, " May God grant you health 
 to do this ! But then you must lay your books at the 
 King's feet, and say, ' These I bring for you and your 
 people/ It will give the greatest pleasure to the King 
 if he can distribute them to the people himself ; and I, 
 if I live, will be your friend, and tell the King all the 
 good I have heard and seen of you." My servant told 
 me that he (the ambassador), and all the Abyssinians 
 with him, speak well of me, and of what I have said 
 to them. He said to my servant, " I never knew such 
 a white man — he always speaks the truth according to 
 the Word of God : I never heard him tell a lie — all he 
 says is in the New Testament ; he is right when he 
 says that, in our doctrines and ceremonies, we do not 
 conform to the Sacred Scriptures, but go contrary to 
 them. I do, however, agree with him — we do go 
 astray from the doctrines of the gospel." My servant 
 on this asked, "If you know this, why do you not 
 bring back our Church to the gospel V "I am not 
 able/' he replied, " to do this alone, against the 
 Abuna, the Etchegua, and the priests — they would all 
 oppose, and condemn me as a heretic." 
 
 " And now it may perhaps be asked, What has been 
 
REVIEW OF THE MISSION. 79 
 
 done in Abyssinia? and what can be done there at 
 present ? 
 
 "I. What has been done? 
 
 " I answer, In all the provinces of Anihara, the Bible 
 has been circulated in the vernacular tongue. Besides 
 this, many copies have been sent into various parts of 
 Shoa and Tigre. Many priests, who disliked and spoke 
 against our Amharic books when we arrived in the 
 country, now love and recommend them. Although we 
 cannot hope that all the copies we have distributed are 
 read with diligence, yet we are assured that a very large 
 portion of them are read, both by the priests and their 
 scholars. The religious conversations we held with the 
 learned and unlearned, the high and the low, were 
 spread far and wide, and much of our testimony was 
 understood, received, and believed. Though we may 
 scarcely speak of real conversion through our instru- 
 mentality, still 'light has sprung up' in many a soul. 
 The extent of what God may have wrought in those 
 souls by His "Word, He alone knows ; we, as sowers, 
 have sown the word, it is He must give the increase. 
 
 " II. What can be done at present ? 
 
 " I reply, The mission can do little more at present 
 than continue to disseminate the Word of God, always 
 the best missionary in any country, in the vernacular 
 tongue. It would be a great benefit to tliem to have a 
 new edition of the Psalm#bf David printed in a small 
 size — no book is more in request than this. And 
 
80 PLANS FOE THE FUTTJEE. 
 
 should the King realise his intention of introducing, 
 throughout the whole of Abyssinia, the custom of 
 having the Bible read every Sunday and festival day 
 to the people in the churches, then, indeed, there would 
 be hope for Abyssinia. The influence of the priests, 
 monks, and debteras would be at an end, through the 
 knowledge the people would thus acquire of the Sacred 
 Scriptures. If Bishop Gobat, on the receipt of King 
 Theodoras' letter and the promised present, would be 
 willing to make a present in return of some thousand 
 Testaments and some hundred Bibles, it would be re- 
 ceived with thankfulness, and contribute to the achieve- 
 ment of his purpose, to establish the happiness of his 
 people upon the saving knowledge of the "Word of God. 
 " My own personal desire is, God granting me health 
 and life, to return to Abyssinia, and to continue, as 
 described in my journal, our missionary work among 
 the people in word and deed — some of us occasionally 
 doing some work for the King. Then (whenever he 
 shall have subdued the rebellion) we may be enabled 
 to effect a permanent establishment. By degrees we 
 may succeed in establishing schools, to educate young 
 men as colporteurs, Scripture readers, and school- 
 masters. This must be a work of time — it may even 
 take years to accomplish. At the present moment our 
 work seems clearly defined, viz. — To disseminate the 
 Scriptures throughout the whole country, and to en- 
 deavour, by useful labour and a pious walk and con- 
 versation, to earn the confidence of the King and of 
 his people!' 
 
EETUEN OF FLAD. 81 
 
 The desire of Flad has been accomplished. From 
 Cairo he went to Jerusalem, accompanied Bishop Gobat 
 to Europe, and is now again in Abyssinia. The advice 
 of the King's confessor was followed, as the following 
 letter, the latest received from Abyssinia, shews, as well 
 as that the mission may now be considered as estab- 
 lished, with the full sanction of the King : — 
 
 COPY. 
 
 Gondab, May 4, 1859. 
 
 My Loed, — Having been requested by the King to 
 come to Gondar, on account of the illness of the British 
 Consul, who is now sending a messenger to Massowah, 
 I have begged him to forward this, as I wish to em- 
 brace every opportunity of giving you information of 
 what is going on in this country. Before coming here, 
 I saw the brethren Flad, Saalmuller, and Waldmeyer, 
 (just arrived from Egypt,) who related to me their 
 trying experience in their journey. 
 
 They, together with Mrs Flad, arrived at Matama, 
 on the frontier, in perfect health, from which place 
 they informed me of their safe arrival. We were then 
 in the King's camp, who also received a letter from 
 them, with which he was much pleased. Their journey 
 forward into this country was somewhat retarded on 
 account of an expedition of the King's to the Gallas ; 
 and brother Schrol (a master-gunsmith, a man of deep 
 and enlightened piety) fell ill, and died at Wohnd, of 
 inflammation of the brain. Immediately after, his son 
 (a fine lad of fifteen, and of the same profession) died 
 
 F 
 
82 DEATHS OF MISSIONARIES. 
 
 of typhus at Tchelga. Brother Mad next became ill 
 nearly unto death, and was carried in a litter by men 
 to this place. Meyer, also, (who had gone to meet the 
 brethren,) and Saalmuller, caught the fever, but not 
 seriously. Mrs Flad and Waldmeyer alone escaped, 
 and are still in good health. I am grieved to com- 
 municate such melancholy intelligence. The King is 
 much grieved. He feels especially the loss of such a 
 man as Schrol and his son, as he had long desired to 
 have such a workman. But He who has done it 
 knows why ; and all that our God does is good, and 
 never to be blamed, as we can attest by many experi- 
 ences in this country. I met the surviving brethren 
 on the shore of the lake Zana, with the King. Our 
 meeting, though joyful, was mingled with sorrow 
 for the loss we have sustained. I found Mad free 
 from fever, but still much reduced, and very weak. 
 His wife is in excellent health. 
 
 If you have received our.Eeport of December 1858, 
 of our journey to the Woollo-Gallas, and of our con- 
 versations with the King, you will easily believe me, 
 and rejoice to hear it, that the King has received and 
 welcomed the brethren in the best and kindest manner. 
 As we now know the King's mind, we wrote to the 
 brethren, (coming from Egypt,) requesting them at once 
 to give his Majesty all the Bibles which the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society had sent to him. Formerly 
 we had advised that only a portion should be given. 
 He received them with the utmost joy, and began im- 
 mediately to distribute them. Whenever he gave a 
 
THE KING'S LIBEBAL VIEWS. 83 
 
 Bible to any of the superior priests of the churches, he 
 enjoined them henceforth to teach the people out of 
 these books, in the vernacular Amharic alone. We 
 have often conversed with him on this subject, and he 
 is now most zealous in his endeavours to introduce the 
 Amharic as the ecclesiastical language of the country, 
 in which, if he succeeds, I shall consider the first and 
 most important step is taken towards a reformation. 
 He has already begun to act as a reformer. He con- 
 siders the Holy Scriptures as all that is essential, which 
 he thinks involves the belief of the Trinity, and right 
 views of the sacraments. Outward ceremonies he con- 
 siders unimportant, and will not compel foreigners to 
 comply with them. He therefore conjured us thrice 
 over to tell him, in truth, whether we believed the 
 gospel. Each time we assured him we did, with our 
 whole heart; that we made it our rule of faith and 
 practice, and were ready to die for it. He exclaimed, 
 "Now we are united; you are my children, of whom I 
 am bound to take care. Let us jmrtake of the Lord's 
 Supper together to-morrow." On that\ night we really 
 made a covenant of friendship with him. Bender and 
 I remained with him till midnight, and had a most in- 
 teresting and agreeable conversation with him. " Yea/' 
 he said, " ask what you will, and I will give it you." 
 
 On the following day he engaged us to go with him, 
 and shew him how to blast rocks ; and when he had 
 seen us blast nine large stones, he was satisfied and 
 delighted, and, unknown to us, proceeded with some of 
 his chief officers to our tent, and ordered our servant to 
 
84 CONFIDENCE OF THE KING. 
 
 give him some of our wine and provisions, of which he 
 partook with his attendants. When we returned in the 
 evening, we were delighted by finding the King there. 
 He at once called us to him, saying, "Come, my 
 children, you have long been my guests, it is now 
 time that I should be yours." He made us sit by him 
 and drink to his health. He remained till late at night, 
 and, among other things, said, " Do not believe I am 
 an Abyssinian at heart; no, I am as one of you." Next 
 day he presented us with 400 dollars, and an order on 
 the chief officer of Customs for 600 more — making 
 about £120. He gave us, besides, silk gowns and 
 Margaff-dereb— clothes only worn by the great people 
 of the country. 
 
 Thus you see that during the last year the Lord has 
 been with us, and done more for us than we could have 
 asked or expected, in moving the King to have such 
 full confidence in us. He would not taste a drop of 
 wine in any Abyssinian house for fear of poison. 
 
 We are on tolerably good terms with the Abuna ; but 
 he is a covetous man, and not very upright ; moreover, 
 he is rather jealous at seeing the King's favour for us, 
 and his disposition to follow our advice. 
 
 I have just visited and examined our Jewish school, 
 and have been much pleased with it. It now contains 
 twenty-three boys; but now all, both young and old, 
 will learn. The schoolmaster assures me that many 
 Jews — some from great distances — come to ask him 
 to instruct their children ; and he gives me hopes that, 
 within a short time, the numbers will rise to fifty. I 
 
NOTICE OF THE ABYSSINIAN JEWS. 85 
 
 saw, with pleasure, that all the children read fluently ; 
 and I hope that, ere long, the Christians will be zealous, 
 and ask for schools for their children. Lately, the 
 King himself examined one of our boys, and was much 
 pleased with him. We have taken him into our house. 
 
 With kind regards from all the brethren to Mrs. 
 Gobat and yourself, — I remain, an humble and weak 
 pilgrim, J. J. Gottleib Kienzlen. 
 
 The Anglican Bishop at Jerusalem. 
 
 NOTICE OF THE FALASHA, OR ABYSSINIAN JEWS — 
 APPENDED TO MR FLAD'S JOURNAL. 
 
 " I beg to notice here a few particulars with regard 
 to a portion of that remarkable nation, the Jews, in 
 Habesh. I paid many visits among them, and had 
 many conversations with them, but am not yet suffi- 
 ciently acquainted with their Divine services, mariners, 
 and customs, to give full satisfaction to those who are 
 interested in them. They are reserved about these 
 matters, and apt to evade answers to inquiries. They 
 are most numerous in the provinces of Ouara and 
 Gotsham. The Chief Eabbi resides in Ouara. But 
 they are to be found scattered throughout Tchelga, 
 Dembea, Woggera, and Shoa — in the latter their num- 
 ber is represented to be considerable. Each Jewish 
 village has in the middle its Mesjid (synagogue), witU 
 its single door to the east ; but not always a priest. 
 In these a light is always kept burning. Within, to- 
 wards the west, carpets or mats are spread, on which 
 the priest stands at prayer. They are always eunuchs. 
 
86 NOTICE OF THE ABYSSINIAN JEWS. 
 
 Their sacerdotal garments consist of wide trousers, 
 white ; a shirt of some fine white stuff, and a girdle of 
 white Abyssinian cloth round the loins. They also 
 wear a white turban. They use the Psalms at prayer. 
 Besides the Sanbal (Sabbath) they strictly keep various 
 other festivals enjoined in the law. No work is done 
 from sunset on Friday till sunset on Saturday. They 
 employ Mohammedans as their shepherds. They eat 
 the Passover, calling it Korban (sacrifice) ; our Jews 
 call it only the remembrance of the sacrifice. They 
 observe the feast of unleavened bread, in remembrance 
 of the Exodus, for a week. They also keep the Peast 
 of Tabernacles and the new moons. Every Sabbath a 
 lamb is offered at the Mesjid. The flesh, roasted, is 
 eaten by the congregation — the bones and intestines 
 are burnt. If they are unable to offer a lamb, bread 
 is brought into the Mesjid, which they eat together, 
 calling it an offering. The poorer partake first. The 
 priests receive tithes of everything. They have but few 
 schools — most of the children learn to read at the 
 Christian schools. They live in lawful matrimony — 
 sins of un chastity are almost unknown among them. 
 Their gravediggers, who are seven in number, are un- 
 clean after digging a grave, for seven days. They 
 never allow a death to take place in their houses. The 
 dying person is carried into a tent before the house, 
 where he remains till he dies. After childbirth, a 
 woman is unclean for forty days. If any of their cattle 
 are torn by wild beasts, it is unclean, and given away 
 to the Mohammedans. Those who live at enmity are 
 
NOTICE OF THE ABYSSINIAN JEWS. 87 
 
 excluded from Divine service till they are reconciled 
 before the priest. The Jews are more industrious than 
 the Christians. They all practise agriculture, and have 
 had land given to them for this purpose by the pre- 
 sent king, who is very friendly to them. Besides agri- 
 culture, they also practise masonry, smithcraft, weaving, 
 &c, but never merchandise. 
 
 " As regards missionary work among them, we can 
 testify that they shewed a longing desire for the Word 
 of God (the Old Testament.) Had we last year had 
 some hundreds of Bibles, we might have distributed 
 them amongst the Jews, with certainty that they would 
 read them. They believe that Christ was the great 
 prophet spoken of by Moses, (Deut. xviii. 15) — The Son 
 of the Virgin, (Isa. vii. 14)— The Child, (Isa. ix. 6)— The 
 Shiloh, (Gen. xlix. 10.) If asked why they do not 
 'hear Him/ (Deut. xviii. 15, 18, 19,) they answer, 'Be- 
 cause our fathers did not.' We once conversed with a 
 priest about the prophecies of the Old Testament till 
 he struck his head with his hands, crying out, ' Hold 
 your peace ! hold your peace ! ! I will not hear any- 
 thing about Christ. I will not believe in Him/ Our 
 intercourse with them made us hope much from mis- 
 sionary work among them, although the Abyssinian 
 priests and Christians generally expressed their despair 
 of ever bringing the Jews to believe in Christ. 'The 
 Kamants and Tiggers/ they said, 'might sooner be 
 converted than the Jews/ Our hope is, that this 
 interesting people may be raised from their present 
 degradation, and perhaps even become a salt for the 
 
88 NOTICE OF THE ABYSSINIAN JEWS. 
 
 Abyssinian Church. In its present state, we could not 
 advise any Jews who may be brought to believe on 
 Christ, to join the Abyssinian Church. To form a 
 separate church of believing Israelites might be dan- 
 gerous. Our plan must be to instruct them as far as 
 we can, and trust to God in His good time to make 
 our way plain/' 
 
 THE END. 
 
 BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. 
 
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