They Are Very Expert Horsemen, But
Badly Apparelled; And Are Much Given To Lying And Theft.
Among them
riches are not computed by money, but by the possession of cattle and
camels, yet gold is much valued.
In their own country they are dastardly
cowards, but in other countries valiant; insomuch that in India they say
that a good Lascarin, or what we call a soldier, must be an
Abyssinian; and they are so much esteemed in Ballagayat, Cambaya,
Bengal, and other places, that they are always made captains and
principal officers in the army. Their clothing is vile and poor. They
wear linen shirts, and the great personages have a kind of upper garment
called Beden. The vulgar people are almost quite naked. They eat
bollemus and raw flesh; or if held to the fire, it is so little done
that the blood runs from it. In the whole land there are no cities or
towns, so that they live in the field under tents and pavilions like the
Arabs[283]. They pride themselves on believing that the queen of Sheba
was of their country, alleging that she took shipping at Massua,
though others say at Swakem, carrying with her jewels of great value
when she went to Jerusalem to visit Solomon, making him great gifts, and
returned with child by him.
[Footnote 283: The word used here in the edition of Purchas is
Alarbes. - E.]
It is alleged in the history of Abyssinia, that when one of the Soldans
of Babylon in Egypt made war many years ago upon their emperor, he
gathered a multitude of people and turned the course of the Nile, so
that it might not run into Egypt[284]. The Soldan, amazed at this vast
enterprize, which he believed would entirely ruin the land of Egypt,
sent ambassadors with great gifts, and made peace with the emperor,
giving a privilege to the Abyssinians to pass through his country
without paying tribute, when on their way to visit the holy sepulchre at
Jerusalem, and the shrine of St Catharine on Mount Sinai.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 496 of 809
Words from 135105 to 135451
of 221361
