Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/431
APPENDIX IlL 4 In all this time, which was about six months in continuance, we instructed many of the royal family in the Catholic faith and hav- ing every day in our hous a great'concourse of the principal mi- nisters of the country, nay even of priests and of the common ieo- pie, we gave up our time to instruct them all in the Christian doc- trine, and that in their own Cha/dean tongue, which, by the grace of Ood we had in a few months acquired so that many were en- lightened and convinced by our instruction, and being troubled in their guilty consciences, ced out publicly," We are vile Christians, and shall without fail go to hell." Others even shewed themselves desirous to make 10rofssion of the Catholic faith; but we, yet feel- ing ourselves insecure of a permanent footing in the king!l_ ore, de-. ferred it to a more faroarable opportunity. At length, after great demonstration of love from the-Emperor;the ministers, the people, and some of the priests, we thoughf ourselves safe, and promised ourselves a copiods harvest the Emperor having already destined me for his ambassador to the Apostolic See, for the advantage of the catholic faith in his kingdom: when, lo ! the enemy of the hu- man race excited against the King and against us a great rebellion among the people; i- nsomuch thafthe Arc- hbishop Gofto, fearing to lose hls emoluments, threatened to excommunicate the King and all the people, if he did not immediately expel us out of the kingdom. In a word, during the nights not only the furious populace, but also �many monks more outrageous than the populace, cried out to the King, rang the bells, anal demanded our expulsion with loud cries and threats of death. The Emperor, awakened and confounded by such an uproar, on the td of October sent for us to an audience, and communicated to us the pai_nful intelligence that we must de- part, which he did in the following wos: "It is with the. greatest reluctance that I have to acquaint you with the necessity of your .departure out of my kingdom, on account of the rebellion of my people, who threaten to lull both myself and you, unless you in- stsntiy go away. For some time past murmurings have arisen against you, which I have sought to apl_ use; but it is no longer in m wet to alia them, and therefore hasten your departure, and YPe. Y. avert this destruction from my head, as well as your own." To these words of the Emperor I answered, that we could not go away without first receiving'ihe consent of the sacred council; and thereupon I humbly prayed him to bear with us patiently till he should receive a letter from Roma. Meanwhile we determined not to leave our house, being much rather disposed to die for the Catho- lic faith, than to disgrace our ministry by a shameful flight. For three months, or thereabouts we continued to remain against the will of the Emperor, though more than once pressed to depart, in which time we frequently went into the presence of the Emperor and of the Sgeen-mother (Regina Madre ;) speaking to them with evan_-e- lical license on the sub)ect of the Catholic faith, and threatemg them at the same time wth eternal damnation if they did not yield obedience to the truths of the Gospel repeating to them the words of the Evangelist: "Fear not for those -thin which destroy the body, for they cannot hurt the soul; but rther fear ye for those thins which have the power to destroy the soul and body eternally." , GOOdie
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