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A41559 Geography anatomiz'd, or, The compleat geographical grammar being a short and exact analysis of the whole body of modern geography after a new and curious method / collected from the best authors and illustrated with divers maps by Pat. Gordon ... Gordon, Patrick, fl. 1700. 1699 (1699) Wing G1288; ESTC R15742 267,427 492

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and which some of our Modern Jews would fain perswade the World were now to be found in this Country being formerly said to be in Judaea 't is justly lookt upon as one of the many Rabbinical Fictions among them Although the Abyssines allow of an Ecclesiastical Hierarchy in the Alexandrian Church whose Patriarch is own'd as their Head yet they don 't now admit of any other Order among 'em superior to that of a Presbyter save only their Abbuna The Inhabitants of this Country being Persons of of a tawny Colour are generally esteem'd an ignorant lazy and perfidious sort of People not to be credited unless they swear by the Life of their Emperor Of several ridiculous Customs among 'em one is That they generally hate a Smith as the Devil Those in and about Chaxumo are reckon'd the best of the whole Empire divers of them being accounted very Ingenious besides many others who betake themselves to a devout and religious sort of living The Abyssine Tongue seems to have some Affinity with the Hebrew and Chaldaic It 's divided into a great many Dialects the chief and most refin'd of which is the Amaric and those so different from one another that some reckon no fewer than eight different Languages within the Limits of this Empire Remarkable is the Abyssine Tongue for one thing truly singular and peculiar to it viz. That whereas the Letter A is reckon'd the first of the Alphabet in all known Languages of the World yet wtih the Abyssines 't is commonly accounted the thirteenth according to Ludolphus his Grammar This spacious Country is subject to one Sovereign stil'd in the Ethiopian Language Naggasi which signifies Lord or Ruler otherways Neguscha Nagascht i ● Rex Regum As for the European Title of Prester or Presbyter John that 's now reckon'd as one of the many Vulgar Errors in the World It 's generally agreed upon That this Ethiopian Monarch fancieth himself to be sprung from Solomon and Maqueda or Nizaule according to Josephus Queen of the South He 's said to assume a great many vain and exorbitant Titles expressing all those Provinces by Name comprehended within the Circuit of his Dominions and stiling himself The Beloved of God sprung from the Stock of Judah The Son of David The Son of Solomon The Son of the Column of Sion The Son of the Seed of Jacob The Son of the Hand of Mary The Son of Nahu after the Flesh The Son of St. Peter and Paul after the Spirit c. His Government is altogether Despotical his Subjects being treated as the worst of Slaves He is so reverenc'd by the greatest of 'em that at his very Name they bow their Bodies and touch the Ground with one of their Fingers The Empire doth not descend to the Eldest Son but to him whom the Father upon his Death-bed shall be pleas'd to name The Abyssine Emperors for Ensigns Armorial bear a Lyon holding a Cross with the following Motto Vicit Leo de Tribu Juda. Within the Limits of this spacious Empire is a great mixture of People as Pagans Jews and Mahometans of various Nations but the main Body of the Natives is Christian They hold the written Word of God to be the only Rule of Faith and that the Canon of Holy Scripture consists of Eighty five Books whereof Forty six they say are in the Old and Thirty nine in the New Testament They 're not well acquainted with the Apostolick Creed but in lieu thereof do use the Nicene or rather Constantinopolitan As to the grand Doctrine of the Incarnation they 're generally Eutychians being formerly led into that detestable Heresy by Dioscorus Patriarch of Alexandria In the Person of their Emperor they lodge the Supreme Authority in all Matters as well Ecclesiastical as Civil and do thereupon wholly deny the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome allowing him indeed to be the first Patriarch but esteeming it Antichristian in him to pretend to a Jurisdiction over the whole Church of Christ As they disown the Pope's Supremacy so also do they disclaim most Points of the Popish Doctrine particularly those of Transubstantiation Purgatory Service in an Unknown Tongue Auricular Confession Images in Churches Celebacy of the Clergy Extream Unction c. They make use of different Forms in Baptism and keep both Saturday and Sunday as Sabbath They punctually observe Circumcision and abstain from eating of Swine's Flesh not out of any regard to the Mosaick Law but purely as an Ancient Custom of their Country They 're much enclin'd to giving of Alms and visiting the Sick Their Divine Service doth wholly consist in Reading of the Holy Scriptures Administration of the Eucharist and hearing some Homilies of the Fathers They repair to Church by times and never enter with their Shooes on nor sit down unless upon the bare Ground They carfully observe the appointed Hours for Publick Prayer and perform that Duty with great Devotion In a word many of the Abyssines express in several respects a deep Sense of Religion For a particular Account of this People both as to their Religion and other Remarkables Vid. J. Ludolphu●'s Ethiopick History The Roman Missionaries did so prevail about Seventy Years ago that the Popish Religion was like to have got sure footing in this Empire for they had once gain'd the Emperor and Court and obtain'd a Proclamation in their Favours enjoyning the whole Body of the People to embrace the Doctrine of the Roman Church But the Abyssines were so loath to part with the Religion of their Forefathers that the Emperor's endeavour to propagate the Roman Faith occasion'd many dreadful Insurrections in his Empire which could not be quell'd without shedding a Sea of Blood Finding therefore his endeavours to be in vain and dreading the consequence of making any new Attempt he wholly gave over the Design and not only return'd to his former Belief himself but also gave leave to all his Subjects to do the same And that he might regain the almost lost Affection of his People he forthwith banish'd out of his Dominions all Roman Missionaries whatsoever together with Alphonso Mendez a Jesuit who having been consecrated Patriarch of Ethiopia at Lisbon and approv'd by the Pope had been honourably receiv'd by the Abyssine Emperor under that Character and resided at Court in a peaceable discharge of his Office for several Years As for the Plantation of Christianity in this Country 't is a constant Tradition among the Inhabitants that the Eunuch baptiz'd by Philip the Deacon was Steward to the Empress of Ethiopia and that upon his return he converted the Court and whole Empire to the Christian Faith But following the Opinion of the most Judicious Writers this Country was destitute of the Blessed Gospel till the Fourth Century when first instructed therein by Frumentius the Son of a Tyrian Merchant who was consecrated Bishop by St. Athanasius and is commonly reckon'd the first Abbuna of this mighty Empire § 2