M. d’Abbadie is anxious that the work on Ethiopia of the Jesuit Almeida, a MS. of which is in the British Museum, should be translated and published, as he considers it to be the most exact account of that country. I am indebted to M. d’Abbadie for several explanations of Ethiopic words and names which have been given in the notes: many of these were too much disfigured to be recognisable.

On one occasion, the Portuguese performed before Prester John a representation of the Adoration of the Magi, or an Epiphany miracle play. This would probably be similar to one that was found in a thirteenth century Service Book of Strasbourg, and which was published by Mr. Walter Birch in the tenth volume of the Transactions of the Royal Society of Literature.

The Abyssinian envoy, Mattheus, who went to Portugal and returned to his country with the Portuguese Embassy, suffered much on his way to Portugal, and also on his return, by reason of the doubts cast upon the authenticity of his mission. What happened to him in India on his way to Portugal, is mentioned at length in Mr. Birch’s translation of the Commentaries of Albuquerque, vol. iii, p. 250. The truth appears to be that he was sent by Queen Helena, the queen-mother.

In several cases, the dates given by Alvarez of the days of the week and the days of the month do not agree, but as these dates refer to the departure from some village, and not to any historical event, I have not thought it worth while to verify and correct these discrepancies.

Mr. Clements Markham has compiled a map of Abyssinia for this volume, extending from Massowah to Shoa.

Some years ago a rather savage criticism of the publications of the Hakluyt Society complained of the excessive length of their Introductions. This one is much shorter than it should have been, not in deference to the critic, but because the researches necessary for doing justice to the work of Alvarez have been interfered with and prevented by other less agreeable occupations; but the delivery of this volume could not be delayed any longer, and the members of the Society are entreated to excuse its brevity.

June 29th, 1881.

TITLES OF THE CHAPTERS.

Prologue to the King our Sovereign [1]
CAP. I.
How Diogo Lopez de Sequeira succeeded to the government ofIndia after Lopo Soarez, who was governor before him, andhow he brought Mattheus to the port of Maçua [3]
CAP. II.
How the Captain of Arquiquo came to visit the Captain General,and also some Friars of Bisam [4]
CAP. III.
How the Captain General ordered mass to be said in the chiefmosque of Maçua, and ordered it to be named St. Mary ofthe Conception, and how he sent to see the things of theMonastery of Bisam [6]
CAP. IV.
How the Captain General and the Barnagais saw each other, andhow it was arranged that Rodrigo de Lima should go withMattheus to Prester John [7]
CAP. V.
Of the goods which the Captain sent to Prester John [10]
CAP. VI.
Of the day that we departed and the fleet went out of the port,and where we went to keep the feast, and of a gentleman whocame to us [11]
CAP. VII.
How Mattheus made us leave the road, and travel through themountain in a dry river bed [12]
CAP. VIII.
How Mattheus again took us out of the road, and made us go tothe monastery of Bisam [14]
CAP. IX.
How we said mass here, and Frey Mazqual separated from us, andwe went to a monastery, where our people fell sick [16]
CAP. X.
How Don Rodrigo sent to ask the Barnagais for equipment for hisdeparture [20]
CAP. XI.
Of the fashion and situation of the monasteries and their customs,first this of St. Michael [21]
CAP. XII.
Where and how the bread of the Sacrament is made, and of aProcession they made, and of the pomp with which the massis said, and of entering into the church [28]
CAP. XIII.
How in all the churches and monasteries in the country of PresterJohn only one mass is said each day; and of the situation ofthe monastery of Bisan where we buried Mattheus; and ofthe fast of Lent [30]
CAP. XIV.
How the monastery of Bisan is the head of six monasteries, of thenumber of the brothers, and ornaments, of the “castar”which they do to Philip, whom they call a Saint [33]
CAP. XV.
Of the agriculture of this country, and how they preserve themselvesfrom the wild beasts, and of the revenues of the monastery [35]
CAP. XVI.
How the friars impeded our departure, and of what happened tous on the road [37]
CAP. XVII.
How we passed a great mountain in which there were many apes,on a Saturday, and on the following Sunday we said mass ina village called Zalote [39]
CAP. XVIII.
How we arrived at the town of Barua, and how the Ambassadorwent in search of the Barnagais, and of the manner of hisstate [41]
CAP. XIX.
How they gave us to eat in the house of the Barnagais, and howin this country the journeys are not reckoned by leagues [43]
CAP. XX.
Of the town of Barua, and of the women and their traffic, and ofthe marriages which are made outside of the churches [44]
CAP. XXI.
Of their marriages and benedictions, and of their contracts, andhow they separate from their wives, and the wives from them,and it is not thought strange [46]
CAP. XXII.
Of the manner of baptism and circumcision, and how they carrythe dead to their burial [48]
CAP. XXIII.
Of the situation of the town of Barua, chief place of the kingdomof the Barnagais, and of his hunting [50]
CAP. XXIV.
Of the lordship of the Barnagais, and of the lords and captainswho are at his orders and commands, and of the dues whichthey pay [52]
CAP. XXV.
Of their method of guarding their herds from wild beasts, andhow there are two winters in this country: and of two churchesthat are in the town of Barua [54]
CAP. XXVI.
How the priests are, and how they are ordained, and of the reverencewhich they pay to the churches and their churchyards [56]
CAP. XXVII.
How we departed from Barua, and of the bad equipment we haduntil we arrived at Barra [58]
CAP. XXVIII.
How the goods arrived at the town of Barra, and of the bad equipmentof the Barnagais [59]
CAP. XXIX.
Of the church of the town of Barra, and its ornaments, and of thefair there, and of the merchandise, and costumes of the friars,nuns, and priests [61]
CAP. XXX.
Of the state of the Barnagais and manner of his house, and howhe ordered a proclamation to be made to go against the Nobiis,and the method of his justice [63]
CAP. XXXI.
How we departed from Barra to Temei, and of the quality of thetown [66]
CAP. XXXII.
Of the multitude of locusts which are in the country, and of thedamage they do, and how we made a procession, and thelocusts died [67]
CAP. XXXIII.
Of the damage which we saw in another country caused by thelocusts in two places [71]
CAP. XXXIV.
How we arrived at Temei, and the ambassador went in search ofTigrimahom, and sent to call us [72]
CAP. XXXV.
How the Tigrimahom sent a captain in search of our goods, and ofthe buildings which are in the first town [74]
CAP. XXXV.[2]
How we departed from Bafazem, and went to the town calledHouses of St. Michael [76]
CAP. XXXVI.
Which speaks of the town of Aquaxumo, and of the gold whichthe Queen Saba took to Solomon for the temple, and of a sonthat she had of Solomon [78]
CAP. XXXVII.
How St. Philip declared a prophecy of Isaiah to the eunuch ofQueen Candace, through which she and all her kingdom wereconverted, and of the edifices of the town of Aquaxumo [80]
CAP. XXXVIII.
Of the buildings which are around Aquaxumo, and how gold isfound in it, and of the church of this town [84]
CAP. XXXIX.
How close to Aquaxumo there are two churches on two peaks,where lie the bodies of two saints [86]
CAP. XL.
Of the countries and lordships that are to the west and to thenorth of Aquaxumo, where there is a monastery, namedHallelujah, and of two other monasteries to the east [87]
CAP. XLI.
How we departed from the church and houses of St. Michael, andwent to Bacinete, and from there to Maluc; and of the monasterieswhich are near it [89]
CAP. XLII.
Of the animals which are in the country, and how we turnedback to where the ambassador was [92]
CAP. XLIII.
How the Tigrimahom being about to travel, the ambassador askedhim to despatch him, and it was not granted to him, and theambassador sent him certain things, and he gave him equipment,and we went to a monastery, where the friars gavethanks to God [94]
CAP. XLIV.
How we went to the town of Dangugui, and Abefete, and howBalgada Robel came to visit us, and the service which hebrought, and of the salt which is in the country [97]
CAP. XLV.
How we departed, and our baggage before us, and how a captainof the Tigrimahom who conducted us was frightened by afriar who came in search of us [99]
CAP. XLVI.
How we departed from the town of Corcora, and of the luxuriantcountry through which we travelled, and of another which wasrough, in which we lost one another at night, and how thetigers fought us [101]
CAP. XLVII.
How the friar reached us in this town, and then we set out on ourway to a town named Farso: of the crops which are gatheredin it, and of the bread they eat, and wine they drink [105]
CAP. XLVIII.
How we departed from the town of Farso, well prepared, becausewe had to pass the skirt of the country of the Moors [108]
CAP. XLIX.
How the people of Janamora have the conquest of these DobaMoors, and of the great storm of rain that came upon usduring our halt in a river channel [112]
CAP. L.
How we departed from this poor place, and of the fright they gaveus, and how we went to sleep Saturday and Sunday at ariver named Sabalete [114]
CAP. LI.
Of the church of Ancona, and how in the kingdom of Angote ironand salt are current for money, and of a monastery which isin a cave [117]
CAP. LII.
Of a church of canons who are in another cave in this same lordship,in which lie a Prester John and a Patriarch of Alexandria [119]
CAP. LIII.
Of the great church edifices that there are in the country ofAbuxima, which King Lalibela built, and of his tomb in thechurch of Golgotha [122]
CAP. LIV.
Of the fashion of the church of San Salvador, and of other churcheswhich are in the said town, and of the birth of King Lalibela,and the dues of this country [125]
CAP. LV.
How we departed from Ancona, and went to Ingabelu, and howwe returned to seek the baggage [131]
CAP. LVI.
How the ambassador separated from the friar, and how those ofus who remained with the friar were stoned, and some captured,and how the ambassador returned, and we were invitedby the Angote Ras, and went with him to church, and of thequestions he asked, and dinner he gave us [133]
CAP. LVII.
How the ambassador took leave of the Ras of Angote, and thefriar, with most of us, returned to the place where we werestoned, and from there we went to a fertile country, and achurch of many canons [138]
CAP. LVIII.
Of the mountain in which they put the sons of the Prester John,and how they stoned us near it [140]
CAP. LIX.
Of the greatness of the mountain in which they put the sons ofPrester John, and of its guards, and how his kingdoms areinherited [143]
CAP. LX.
Of the punishment that was given to a friar, and also to someguards, for a message which he brought from some princes tothe Prester; and how a brother of the Prester and his unclefled, and of the manner in which they dealt with them [145]
CAP. LXI.
In what estimation the relations of the Prester are held, and ofthe different method which this David wishes to pursue withhis sons, and of the great provisions applied to the mountain [148]
CAP. LXII.
Of the end of the kingdom of Angote, and beginning of the kingdomof Amara, and of a lake and the things there are in it,and how the friar wished to take the ambassador to a mountain,and how we went to Acel, and of its abundance [150]
CAP. LXIII.
How we came to another lake, and from there to the church ofMacham Celacem, and how they did not let us enter it [153]
CAP. LXIV.
How the Presters endowed this kingdom with churches, and howwe went to the village of Abra, and from there to some greatdykes [156]
CAP. LXV.
How we came to some gates and deep passes difficult to travel,and we went up to the gates, at which the kingdom beginswhich is named Xoa [158]
CAP. LXVI.
How the Prester John went to the burial of Janes Ichee of themonastery of Brilibanos, and of the election of another Ichee,who was a Moor [161]
CAP. LXVII.
How we travelled for three days through plains, and of the curingof infirmities and of the sight of the people [163]
CAP. LXVIII.
How a great lord of title was given to us as a guard, and of thetent which he sent us [165]
CAP. LXIX.
How the ambassador, and we with him, were summoned by orderof the Prester, and of the order in which we went, and of hisstate [166]
CAP. LXX.
Of the theft which was done to us when the baggage was moved,and of the provisions which the Prester sent us, and of theconversation the friar had with us [170]
CAP. LXXI.
How the Prester moved away with his court, and how the friartold the ambassador to trade if he wished, and how the ambassadorwent to the court [172]
CAP. LXXII.
Of the Franks who are in the country of the Prester, and howthey arrived here, and how they advised us to give thepepper and goods which we brought [174]
CAP. LXXIII.
How they told the ambassador that the grandees of the court werecounselling the Prester not to let him return, and how heordered him to change his tent, and asked for a cross, andhow he sent to summon the ambassador [177]
CAP. LXXIV.
How the ambassador having been summoned by the Prester, hedid not hear him in person [180]
CAP. LXXV.
How the ambassador was summoned another time, and he tookthe letters he had brought, and how we asked leave to saymass [184]
CAP. LXXVI.
Of the questions which were put to the ambassador by order ofPrester John, and of the dress which he gave to a page, andalso whether we brought with us the means of making wafers [187]
CAP. LXXVII.
How the Prester John sent to call me, the priest Francisco Alvarez,and to take to him wafers and vestments, and of the questionswhich he asked me [188]
CAP. LXXVIII.
Of the robbery which took place at the ambassador’s, and of thecomplaint made respecting it to Prester John, and how wewere robbed, and how Prester John sent a tent for a church [194]
CAP. LXXIX.
How the Prester sent to call the ambassador, and of the questionshe put to him, and how he sent to beg for the swords whichhe had, and some pantaloons, and how they were sent [195]
CAP. LXXX.
How Prester John sent certain horses to the ambassador for themto skirmish, and how they did it, and of a chalice which thePrester sent him, and of questions which were put, and ofthe robbery in the tent [197]
CAP. LXXXI.
How the Prester sent to show a horse to the ambassador, and howhe ordered the great men of his Court to come and hear ourmass, and how the Prester sent to call me, and what he askedme [199]
CAP. LXXXII.
How the Ambassador was summoned, and how he presented theletters which he had brought to Prester John, and of his ageand state [202]
CAP. LXXXIII.
How I was summoned, and of the questions which they put to merespecting the lives of St. Jerome, St. Dominick, and St.Francis [205]
CAP. LXXXIV.
How the lives of the said Saints were taken to him, and how hehad them translated into his language, and of the satisfactionthey felt at our mass, and how Prester John sent for us andclothed us [209]
CAP. LXXXV.
Of the sudden start which Prester John made for another place,and of the way in which they dealt with the ambassadorrespecting his baggage, and of the discord there was, and ofthe visit the Prester sent [212]
CAP. LXXXVI.
How the Prester was informed of the quarrels of the Portuguese,and entreated them to be friends, and what more passed, andof the wrestling match and the baptism we did here [214]
CAP. LXXXVII.
Of the number of men, horse and foot, who go with the Presterwhen he travels [217]
CAP. LXXXVIII.
Of the churches at Court, and how they travel, and how the altarstones are reverenced, and how Prester John shows himself tothe people each year [219]
CAP. LXXXIX.
How Prester John sent to call me to say mass for him on Christmas-day,and of confession and communion [220]
CAP. XC.
How the Prester gave leave to go to the ambassador and theothers, and ordered me to remain alone with the interpreter,and of the questions about Church matters, and how we allsang compline, and how Prester John departed that night [224]
CAP. XCI.
How the Prester went to lodge at the church of St. George, andordered it to be shown to the people of the embassy, andafter certain questions ordered me to be shown some richumbrellas [228]
CAP. XCII.
Of the travelling of Prester John, and the manner of his statewhen he is on the road [231]
CAP. XCIII.
How the Prester went to the church of Macham Selasem, and ofthe procession and reception that they gave him, and whatpassed between His Highness and me respecting the reception [233]
CAP. XCIV.
Of the fashion and things of this church of the Trinity, and howthe Prester sent to tell the ambassador to go and see thechurch of his mother, and of the things which happened in it [236]
CAP. XCV.
How Prester John sent to tell those of the embassy and the Franksto go and see his baptism, and of the representation whichthe Franks made for him, and how he ordered that I shouldbe present at the baptism, and of the fashion of the tank, andhow he desired the Portuguese to swim, and gave them abanquet [240]
CAP. XCVI.
How I went with an interpreter to visit the Abima Mark, and howI was questioned about circumcision, and how the Abimacelebrates the holy orders [245]
CAP. XCVII.
How the Prester questioned me about the ceremony of holyorders, and also how I went to the lesser orders which theycall zagonais, and what sort of people are ordained [248]
CAP. XCVIII.
How long a time the Prester’s country was without an Abima, andfor what cause and where they go to seek them, and of thestate of the Abima, and how he goes when he rides [253]
CAP. XCIX.
Of the assembly of clergy, which took place in the church ofMacham Selasem when they consecrated it, and of the translationof the King Nahum, father of this Prester, and of asmall church there is there [256]
CAP. C.
Of the conversation which the ambassador had with the Presterabout carpets, and how the Prester ordered for us an evening’sentertainment and banquet [258]
CAP. CI.
How the Prester sent to call the ambassador and those that werewith him, and of what passed in the great church [261]
CAP. CII.
How the ambassador and all the Franks went to visit the Abima,and of what passed there [263]
CAP. CIII.
How Pero de Covilham, Portuguese, is in the country of thePrester, and how he came there, and why he was sent [265]
CAP. CIV.
How Prester John determined to write to the King and to theCaptain-major, and how he behaved with the ambassador andwith the Franks who were in his country, and of the decisionas to departure [270]
CAP. CV.
How the Prester sent to the ambassador thirty ounces of gold, andfifty for those that came with him, and a crown and lettersfor the King of Portugal, and letters for the Captain-major,and how we left the Court and of the road we took [273]
CAP. CVI.
Of what happened in the town of Manadeley with the Moors [277]
CAP. CVII.
How two great gentlemen from the Court came to us to makefriendship between us, and committed us to the captain-major [279]
CAP. CVIII.
How they took us on the road to the Court, and how they broughtus back to this country [283]
CAP. CIX.
In what time and day Lent begins in the country of Prester John,and of the great fast and abstinence of the friars, and how atnight they put themselves in the tank [284]
CAP. CX.
Of the fast of Lent in the country of Prester John, and of theoffice of Palms and of the Holy Week [289]
CAP. CXI.
How we kept a Lent at the Court of the Prester, and we kept itin the country of Gorage, and they ordered us to say mass,and how we did not say it [293]
CAP. CXII.
How Don Luis de Meneses wrote to the ambassador to depart,and how they did not find him at Court, and how the KingDon Manuel had died [298]
CAP. CXIII.
Of the battle which the Prester had with the King of Adel, andhow he defeated Captain Mahomed [304]
CAP. CXIV.
How the Prester sent us a map of the world which we had broughthim, for us to translate the writing into Abyssinian, andwhat more passed, and of the letters for the Pope [311]
CAP. CXV.
How in the letters of Don Luis it was said that we should requirejustice for certain men of his who had been killed, and thePrester sent there the Chief Justice of the Court, and Zagazabo,in company of Don Rodrigo to Portugal [314]
CAP. CXVI.
How Zagazabo the ambassador returned to the Court, and I withhim, for business which concerned him, and how they floggedthe Chief Justice and two friars, and why [317]
CAP. CXVII.
How, after the death of Queen Helena, the great Betudete wentto collect the dues of her kingdom, and what they were, andhow the Queen of Adea came to ask assistance, and whatpeople came with her on mules [321]
CAP. CXVIII.
How assistance was given to the Queen of Adea, and how thePrester ordered the great Betudete to be arrested, and why,and how he became free, and also he ordered other lords tobe arrested [325]
CAP. CXIX.
How the Tigrimahom was killed, and the other Betudete deposed,also Abdenago from his lordship, and the ambassador wasprovided for, and Prester John went in person to the kingdomof Adea [329]
CAP. CXX.
Of the manner in which the Prester encamps with his Court [331]
CAP. CXXI.
Of the tent of justice and method of it, and how they hear theparties [333]
CAP. CXXII.
Which speaks of the manner of the prison [335]
CAP. CXXIII.
Where the dwellings of the Chief Justices are situated, and thesite of the market place, and who are the merchants andhucksters [336]
CAP. CXXIV.
How the lords and gentlemen and all other people pitch theirtents, according to their regulations [337]
CAP. CXXV.
Of the manner in which the lords and gentlemen come to theCourt, and go about it, and depart from it [338]
CAP. CXXVI.
How those who go to and come from the wars approach thePrester more closely, and of the maintenance they get [340]
CAP. CXXVII.
Of the manner in which they carry the Prester’s property whenhe travels, and of the brocades and silks which he sent toJerusalem, and of the great treasury [340]
CAP. CXXVIII.
How three hundred and odd friars departed from Barua in pilgrimageto Jerusalem, and how they killed them [342]
CAP. CXXIX.
Of the countries and kingdoms which are on the frontiers ofPrester John [345]
CAP. CXXX.
Of the kingdom of Adel, and how the king is esteemed as a saintamongst the Moors [346]
CAP. CXXXI.
Of the kingdom of Adea, where it begins and where it ends [346]
CAP. CXXII.
Of the lordships of Ganze and Gamu, and of the kingdom ofGorage [347]
CAP. CXXXIII.
Of the kingdom of Damute, and of the much gold there is in it,and how it is collected, and to the south of this are the Amazons,if they are there [347]
CAP. CXXXIV.
Of the lordships of the Cafates, who they say had been Jews, andhow they are warriors [349]
CAP. CXXXV.
Of the kingdom of Gojame which belonged to Queen Helena,where the river Nile rises, and of the much gold there is there [350]
CAP. CXXXVI.
Of the kingdom of Bagamidri, which is said to be very large, andhow silver is found in its mountains [351]
CAP. CXXXVII.
Of some lordships which are called of the Nubians, who had beenChristians, and of the number of churches which are in thecountry which they border upon [351]
CAP. CXXXVIII.
Of the officials that Solomon ordained for his son that he had ofthe Queen Sabba when he sent him to Ethiopia; and howthey still draw honour from these offices [353]
CAP. CXXXIX.
How the ambassador of Prester John took possession of his lordship,and the Prester gave him a title of all of it, and we departedto the sea [354]
CAP. CXL.
How the Portuguese came for us, and who was the captain [356]
CAP. CXLI.
How the Barnagais made ready, and we travelled with him onthe road to the sea [360]
_______________________
In this Part is related the Journey which was made from the countryof the Prester John to Portugal.
CAP. I.
Of how we departed from the port and island of Masua untilarriving at Ormuz [364]
CAP. II.
Of the translation of the letter which Prester John sent to DiegoLopez, and which was given to Lopo Vaz de Sampayo [368]
CAP. III.
Of the voyage we made from Ormuz to India, as far as Cochim [374]
CAP. IV.
Of the voyage we made from Cananor to Lisbon, and of whathappened to us by the way [378]
CAP. V.
Of the journey we made from Lisbon to Coimbra, and how weremained at Çarnache [382]
CAP. VI.
How we departed from Çarnache on the way to Coimbra, and thereception that was made, and how the embassage was given,and of the welcome which the King our Sovereign gave us [385]
CAP. VII.
Of the translation of the letter which the Prester sent to DonManuel [389]
CAP. VIII.
Translation of the letter of Prester John to the King Don Joamour Sovereign [396]
CAP. IX.
Of certain questions which the Archbishop of Braga put toFrancisco Alvarez, and the answers which he gave [401]