Hamilton’s account ok The east indies.

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Moffava is fituated on the north-weft end of a large ifland, and affords a verygood harbour for (hipping of any fize; it has a garrifon of about 250 Turks in a caftlebuilt formerly by the Portugueze, who, according to their impolite cuftom, opprefsftrangers as well as natives, that come there to trade.

The country produceth low gold, elephants teeth, (laves, and feme .eoffee, but of alarger grain than what grows on the land oppofite to it in Arabia, at Betlefackee. The.current fmall money of Ethiopia is fait, which is dug out of the mountains as we do(tones from our quarries, which they break in pieces of feveral fizes, the largeft weight-ing about 80 pounds, the others in 40, 20, 10, or 5 pounds, and are fo expert in di- ;viding it, that they err not above 5 per cent, more or lefs in their calculation of weight;20 pounds is in value about one (hilling fterling, and thofe pieces of fait is the currentmoney in their markets for provifions, and likewife for cloth, when they buy a yard ortwo at a time; and when a merchant has got any confiderable quantity by him, thereare bankers to give gold for it.

The religion on the fea-coaft is Mahometan, but within land Cophties, who are cir-cumcifed Chriftians. The males they circumcife fometimes at eight days old, but thatceremony is often delayed till forty days, and fometimes not till the feventh or eighthyear of their age. They circumcife females as well as males. The circumcifion, theythink, is neceffary in memory of Jefus Chrift, and on a certain day yearly, they im-merfe themfelves in rivers or lakes, in remembrance of C'nrift’s immerfion or baptifm.They forbear eating forne beads fle(h, according to the Mofaical law. They hold from’Saturday’s noon to Sunday’s noon their fabbath. They receive the facrament (land-ing, and only in the church, and the wine only from the deacon’s hand in a fpoon.Their priefts eat no idle bread, but maintain themfelves by labour. They have manybifhops, but one they call Abunah above the reft ; he is held in great veneration, andwhen he goes abroad, he has great attendance, and rides on a mule, with a crofs inhis right hand.

They enter their churches bare-footed, becaufe God commanded Mofes to put offhis (hoes, for the ground he ftood on was holy. They allow but one wife, but asmany concubines as they pleafe. They allow of repudiation, but neither party canmarry again, till the term of three years be expired, and if the parties are not recon-ciled in that term, they think the breach too great ever to be clofed up again.

They have all the canonical books of our fcriptures, and feveral more. They reckonthe prophet Iddo one of the greater prophets, and put him in the clafs with Ifaiah,Ezekiel, Elifha, Elijah , and Daniel, and that he wrote 14,000 prophecies, many ofwhich they have at this day; that his prophecies of Jefus Chrift were clearer, or morediftindt than any the other prophets left behind them; but the fubftance of their prac-tical religion conlifts in their fads and feafts, for they do not much trouble themfelvesabout the doctrine of faith, repentance, and good works, which makes them very dif-folute in their lives.

We Europeans generally call the King of Ethiopia , Prefter John, but his fubjedtsknow no fuch appellation; ’tis true, he is fupreme in ecclefiaftical as well as civil af-fairs. His dominions are very large, and he has many tributaries, who (tile themfelveskings, and adt defpotically. The royal family are all kept at Amara, which is a plea-fant round hill, fituated in 12 degrees north from the equator, though I faw an oldPortugueze geographical defcription of Ethiopia , place it under the equinoctial. Thehill is walled round with a high wall, at lead 12 leagues in circumference, which cutsoff all communication with ftrangers or mal-contents. Within the walls are palaces,gardens, orchards, woods for wild game, rivulets and ponds for fi(h, and all that the

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