THE MODERN PART OF AN Universal History, FROM THE Earlieft AccOUNT of TIME. Compiled from ORIGINAL WRITERS. By the AUTHOR'S of the ANTIENT PART. IN RECIO DECVS, LONDON: Printed for S. RICHARDSON, T. OSBORNE, C. HITCH, M.DCC.LX. Modern Hiftory: BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE Univerfal History. BOOK XVI. CHAP. IV. The Hiflory of Abiffinia, or Upper Ethiopia. Giving an Account of the principal modern Authors, WTM E have already given in our ancient history the best account we could of this vaft, and, in most respects, unknown empire, its limits, inhabitants, cities, &c. as far as they were known to the ancient writers, and the records they have left us of them would allow; and if the Abiffinia greater part of what not only they, but others of a more mo- little dern date, have written of it, be either too fabulous or un- known to certain, either with regard to its true fituation, extent and the an boundaries, as well as with relation to it nature, climate, &c. it tients and must be chiefly afcribed to that erroneous notion, which reigned moderns fo long among hiftorians and geographers, that all the countill fretries that lay fo near the equinoctial line, were, for the most quented by part, waste and uninhabitable; and to the fame cause we must guefe. attribute that fo much lefs hath been written of it than of many others, and that what we meet with concerning it, • Vol. xviii. p. 253, & feq. b Confer Atlas JOHNSON, MERCATOR, JOHN DE BARROS Decad. Afie 3. & al. MOD. HIST. VOL. XV. A before the Portu before the Portuguese found means to introduce themselves into it, appears at the beft uncouth and unfatisfactory; fo that it is entirely to the difcoveries which these have been enabled to make by their abode in those parts, and their own intimate acquaintance with their inhabitants, that we are obliged for that more perfect knowlege we have of them; Why so perfect only, we mean, in comparison of what we had begreat dif fore they published their accounts of this great empire; tho' ference fill ftill vaftly fhort of it, on account of the diffonancy we find in their ac- between them, in many respects, for want of proper means, counts of it. as well as time, for making their obfervations with greater Their exactness and certainty, concerning the true fituation of the whole country in general, and that of moft of its provinces and places of note in particular. We fhould perhaps more truly account for the great difference and imperfection which reign thro' the greatest part of their maps, both with regard to the extent, limits, longitude and latitude, &c. as well as in their defcriptions: of the inland parts, if we were to fay, that thofe good fathers, jefuits and others, who were sent miffionaries thither, to reduce the Abiffinian church to the obedience of the fee of Rome, had their hearts and minds too over full of this one important point, to find leisure for lesser diszeal to coveries; which being of fuch a nature as would rather exconvert cite the jealoufy than admiration of that rude and ignorant people, they thought might be more fitly postponed till the tives occa- main end of their miffion was once gained; after which they fions their might, with more pleasure and fafety, attend to the other lefs momentous branches of it. The misfortune was, that their untimely zeal for obtaining the one, brought fuch a dreadful and general perfecution upon them, as hath at once quafhed all the hopes and profpect of regaining either; not only the miffionaries of all denominations, but the very names of Portuguefe and Franks, by which they called the Europeans, are become deteftable to the whole Abiffinian nation, and are hardly ever mentioned without fome curfe or hateful epithet c. the na expulfion. WHAT occafioned this fudden and furprifing change, after the Portuguese had been fo kindly invited thither by one of their empreffes, had done her and fome of her fucceffors fuch All parts fignal fervices, for which they were raised to the highest deof it begree of esteem and confidence in the Abiffinian court, will be come inac- beft feen in the courfe of this hiftory: at prefent, it will be ceffible to fufficient to fay, that for their fakes all accefs to any part of that kingdom is, fince their expulfion, become to the laft de the Euro peans. TELLEZ, PONCET, LUDOLPH, MAILLET, & al. plur. gree |