The Lord Or Governor Of The Place Was
A Catholic, And Had Desired Missionaries, But His Wife Had Conceived
An Implacable Aversion Both From Us And The Roman Church, And Almost
All The Inhabitants Of That Mountain Were Infected With The Same
Prejudices As She.
They had been persuaded that the hosts which we
consecrated and gave to the communicants were mixed with juices
Strained from the flesh of a camel, a dog, a hare, and a swine; all
creatures which the Abyssins look upon with abhorrence, believing
them unclean, and forbidden to them, as they were to the Jews. We
had no way of undeceiving them, and they fled from us whenever we
approached. We carried with us our tent, our chalices, and
ornaments, and all that was necessary for saying mass. The lord of
the village, who, like other persons of quality throughout
Aethiopia, lived on the top of a mountain, received us with very
great civility. All that depended upon him had built their huts
round about him; so that this place compared with the other towns of
Abyssinia seems considerable; as soon as we arrived he sent us his
compliments, with a present of a cow, which, among them, is a token
of high respect. We had no way of returning this favour but by
killing the cow, and sending a quarter smoking, with the gall, which
amongst them is esteemed the most delicate part. I imagined for
some time that the gall of animals was less bitter in this country
than elsewhere, but upon tasting it, I found it more; and yet have
frequently seen our servants drink large glasses of if with the same
pleasure that we drink the most delicious wines.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 71 of 149
Words from 19444 to 19731
of 41322
