proved edition of an incident related by Jerome Lobo,[1] which occurred to him among the Galla, in the neighbourhood of Jubo, as Mr. Bruce, though in the habit of constantly abusing the Jesuits, was not averse from borrowing pretty largely from their works, of which the reader may be satisfied by a comparison of his writings with either those of Tellez or Lobo; particularly the former, from whom he has taken whole pages without any acknowledgment.
The Ras, as I have before mentioned, having concluded a peace with the Galla, mutual presents were exchanged, and on the 20th he set out on his return, by the way of Zingilia and the sources of the Tacazze. On the 22d, Mr. Pearce attended some of the principal chiefs, on a visit to Jummada Mariam, an holy church, which is entirely excavated out of a steep rock, and surrounded by groves of fir. This appears to be one of those singular excavations so minutely described by Father Alvarez,[2] who twice visited them during his stay in the country, and which were supposed to have been constructed in the tenth century, by one of the Abyssinian emperors, named Lalibala. The workmanship of this church was said by Mr. Pearce to have been very curious, and to have produced an effect extremely imposing in its general aspect. From the description, it must have been very similar to the one, which I formerly visited on my way to Chelicut, called Abba os Guba.[4] The priests be
- ↑ Rélation Historique d'Abyssinie, p. 23.
- ↑ Vide Alvarez' Description de l'Ethiopie, p. 139, et seq. and J. Ludolf's Commentarium, p. 235. "Ce sont églises, toutes entièrement cavées dans pierre vive, taillée d'un artifice incroyable: et se nommént ces églises Emanuel, Saint Sauvear, Sainte Marie, Sainte Croix, Saint George Golgota, Bethléen, Mercure et les Martyrs.[3]
- ↑ These are Churches entirely excavated out of the living stone, cut with incredible art—and are named Emanuel, The Holy Saviour, St. Mary, The Holy Cross, St. George of Golgotha, &c.
- ↑ Vide Lord Valentia's Travels, Vol. III. This was also seen by Father Alvarez, vide page 119, of his work; and near it he mentions a stream called Coror, (probably the Warré,) which has since been magnified into a river of far too great consequence in modern charts.
Alvarez, Déscription de 1558, l'Ethiopie, page 142. L'église de notre Dame n'est pas si grande que celle de Saint Sauveur, mais
