Returning From Sofala, He Went To Ormus, And
Thence To Cairo, Where He Learnt That Alonso De Payva Was Dead, And Meant
To Have Returned To Portugal.
He chanced to meet at Cairo two Spanish
jews, Rabbi Abraham, a native of Viseo, and Joseph, born in
Lamego; who,
after the departure of Covillian and Payva from Portugal, had told the
king that they had been in Cairo, where they had received much
information concerning Ormus, and of its trade with the Indies. From
these Jews Covillian received letters from the king, directed to him and
Payva, ordering them to return along with the Jews, if they had seen all
that he had given them in charge. If they had not executed all his
original instructions, they were now directed to send by the Jews an
exact account of all the knowledge they had acquired, and to use their
utmost efforts to visit Presbyter John, and to give all the information
in their power respecting Ormus, to Rabbi Abraham, who had sworn by his
law not to return to Portugal without visiting that place.
On receiving these letters, Covillian changed his intention of returning
into Portugal, and dispatched Joseph there with letters to the king,
giving an account of all that he had seen and learnt in India and Sofala,
and transmitted the chart on which he had inserted all the places he had
visited. In these letters he informed the king that the emperor of
Ethiopia was assuredly the same with Presbyter John; but my opinion is
that this is an error, as this sovereign has no such name in his own
dominions, as I shall more clearly shew hereafter. On the departure of
Joseph, Covillian and Rabbi Abraham went to Ormus, and thence back to the
Red Sea; whence Covillian sent Abraham into Portugal, with letters to the
king, containing all the information acquired in this part of the
expedition, and intimating his determination to go into the dominions of
Presbyter John. This he accordingly did, and came to the presence of the
then emperor of Ethiopia, named Alexander, to whom he delivered the
letters with which he had been entrusted by the king of Portugal for that
monarch. Alexander received him courteously, and seemed much pleased with
the letters of the king of Portugal, as being from so very distant a
Christian prince, yet did not seem to attach much credit or importance to
them. But he gave all honour, and many gifts to Covillian.
When Covillian was ready to depart from Ethiopia, and awaited leave for
that purpose, which he had solicited, Alexander died, and was succeeded
by a new emperor named _Nahu_, who could never be prevailed on to allow
of his departure; neither could he procure leave for that purpose from
the next emperor, David, the son of Nahu, so that Covillian had to remain
in Ethiopia, and never returned into Portugal. From that time King John
never heard more of him, and therefore concluded that he was dead;
nothing having ever been received from him respecting his travels, except
what was contained in the letters carried by the Jews, as before
mentioned.
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