T h e r e is an officer named Kal Hatze who Hands always
upon fteps at the fide o f the lattice-window, where there is
a hole covered in the infide with a curtain .of green taffeta;
behind this curtain the k in g fits, and through this hole he
fends what he has to fay to the Board, who rife and receive
the melienger Handing: he had not interfered till,now,When
the officer faid, addreffing himfelf to Abba Salama, “ -The
k in g requires-of you to anfwer diredfly w h y you perfuaded
the Abuna to excommunicate him ? the Abuna is a Have o f
the Turks, and has no k ingpyou are born under a monarchy,
-why did you, who are his inferior in office, take upon you
to advife him at all ? or why, after having prefumed to ad-
vife him, did you advife him wrong, and abufe his ignorance
jn thefe matters Of, This queflion, which was a home one,
made him lofe all his temper ; he curfed the Abuna, called
him Mahometan, Pagan, Frank, and in fid e l; and was goin
g on in this w ild manner, when Tecla Haimanout *, the
eldeft o f the judges, got up, and addreffing himfe lf to the Ras,
I t is no. part o f my duty to hear all this railing, he.has not
fo much as offered one fadt material to his exculpation. g
T h e k in g ’s fec-retary fent up-to the-windowthefubflance
pf his defence, the criminal was carried at fome diftance
to the other end o f the-room, and the judges .deliberated
whilft .the k in g was reading. Very few words were faid
-among the re ft; the Ras was all the -time fpeaking to other
people : after he had ended this, he called upon the y.oung-
eft judge to give his opinion, and he gave it, ‘ He is guilty,
and ihould die the fame faid all the officers, and after
them the judges, and the fame faid f^afmati Tesfos after
» * them.
i* T h e fame whofe footwas byrt.by Stsrates’s. mule in j;be campaign o f Maitiha.
fhem. When it came to Ras hlichael to .gi-yehis yore, lie
ufiedhed moderation j he faid that he was aceufed for bping
his enemy and accomplice ; in either cafe, it is not fair
that lie ffiould judge him. .No fuperior officer being pre-
fent, the laft voice remained -with the king, who fent Jfial
■Hatze to the Board with his fentence,; ‘ He is gu ilty'an d
Jhall die the death.— The hangman Jhcdl hang him UPO h a tree
to-day.' The unfortunate Arab gaat -was immediately hurried
away by the guards to the p la e e o f execution, which is
a - large tree before the .king's gate ; where uttering, to the
■ very la# moment, curie-s agaisft the feing, the Ras, and the
Abuna, he fuffered the Heiuh he- w c ry richly •deferveft,
being hanged in the very veftments in which he ufed to
& before the k in g, without one ornament o f his civil or
faeerdotal pre-eminence h a vin g been taken from ,him
before the execution. In g o in g to the tree -he faid he had
-400-cows, which he be-queat-hed-co forae priefts to fa y prayers
£ fo r his fo u l; but the.Ras ordered them to h e brought jp
■Gondar, and diftrihuted among his fojdiers.
I h a v e entered into a longer derail o f this trial, at the
whole o f which I affifted, the rather jthatT m igh t afk this
queflion o f thefe that maintain the ahfoiute independence .of
the Abyffinian priefthood, Whether, if the many inftances
already mentioned have not had the effeifl, this one does
not fu lly convince them, that all e.ccleftaflical perfons are
fubjedt to the fecular power in Abyffinia as much as they
are in Britain or any European Proteftant Hate whatever ?
C h re jmation , Socinios’s brother, was next called, he.
feemed h a lf flead with fea r; lie only denied having any
concern in his brother being eledted king. He faid he
I ' H * ' • had