Pilgrimage, Book 7 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
A continuation of the Aethiopian Antiquities, and of the Queene of Saba.
HELIODORVS in his Historie (which although for the substance it be fained, as a louelove-discourse, yet must hold resemblance with thinges done) and for the variety and conceit thereof, commended by that learned aPhil. Melanct. in Epist.cd Operinum.German Philip, and by our English bSr Ph.Sidney.Philip (the soule of Poesie) mitated in his Arcadia, telleth of Hydaspes his Aethiopian King, that after his victorie at Syene, and hauing there performed his deuotions, and seene their Niloscopium (like to that at Memphis, and now at Cairo) and enquired the originalls of their feasts, and holy rites done in honour of that Riuer: when cHeliod.histor. Aethiop.l.9 et 10he came to the Cataracts, he sacrificed to Nilus, and the Gods of the Borders. He then sent messengers to the Wise…en, whom he calleth Gymnosophists, which are the Kings Counsellours, at Meroe, to certifie them of his victory, and to call a publike assembly wherein to gratifie the Gods for the same with sacrifices & solemne pomps, in the field consecrated to the Sunne, the Moone, and Bacchus. Persina, the Queene, deliuered those letters to the Gymnosophists, who dwelt by themselues in a Groue, consecrated to Pan; and before they would giuegive answere, consulted with the Gods by praier, and then Sisimures the chiefe of them promised all should be fulfilled. The Sacrifices were to bee done to the Sunne and Moone. and therefore, except Persina the Queene, which was Luna's Priest, no woman for feare of contaminating the Holies of those Pure and Bright Deities, might bee present. Hydaspes was Priest of the Sunne. Much preparation was made of Beasts for their Hecatombe's, and much concourse of people crossing the Riuer in those boats of Canes or Reedes. There was presented the Images of their Gods, Memnon, Perseus and Andromeda: and nigh to them sete the Gymnosophistae. Three Altars were erected; two ioyntly to the Sunne and Moone; a third to Bacchus by himselfe, to him they offered all sorts of Beasts; to Sol, white Chariot-horses; to the Moone, a yoke of Oxen. And when all things were ready, the people with shouts demanded the sacrifice, which vsually was accustomed for the health of their Nation. That was, some of the strangers taken in the warres, to be offered: First, triall dOur English and the German Histories mention the like clearing of adulterie, by going with bare feete on burning plowshare. Bale.was made by spits of gold, heated with fire, brought out of the Temple, whether the captiues had euer knowne carnall copulation: for treading on the same with their bare feet, such as were pure Virgins receiued no harme, others were scorched. These were offered in sacrifice to Bacchus; the other, to those purer Deities. These thinges hauehave I here inserted, not as done, but as like to such thinges, which among the Meroites vsed to be done, and agreeing with the generall deuotions of those Ethiopians. Philostratus ePhilo…t.de… vta Apaltonu.l.6.c.4.reporteth like matters of their Gymnosophits and of the Groue where they kept their generall consultations: otherwise, each of them by themselues a-part, obseruing their studies and holies. They worshipped Nilus. intending in their mysticall interpretation the Earth & the Water. They entertained strangers in the open aire. Thespesion was then (in Apollonius his time) chiefe of their society. At his command, an Elme did speake. They held the immortality of the soule. The Aethiopians sacrificed to Memnon and to the Sunne.
Lucian, after his scoffing manner gratulates the Aethiopians that fauour, which Iupiter vouchsafed them, in going on feasting, accompanied with the rest of the Gods, and that twelue daies together, if Homer fHom.Iliad.& Luciā.de sacrif.reckoned truly. But more gIdem de Astrologia.seriously elsewhere he vnsoldeth that mysterie, shewing that the Aethiopians were inuenters of Astrologie, helped therein by the clearnesse of the skie in that Region, and like temperature of the seasons. Of them the Egyptians learned, and furthered that science. In his Treatise hIdem de Sultatione.of Dancing, he affirmeth, that the Aethiopians vsed their haire in steed of a quiver, and neuer drew arrow from thence to shoot in battell, but with a dancing iesture.
Diodorus iD.Si….l.4.c.1.Siculus telleth, that the Ethiopians were accounted most ancient of all other men: and that not only Humanitie, but Diuinitie, was borne and bred amongst them: solemnities, pompes, holies, and religious rites, were their inuention. And therefore (saith he) Homer brings in Iupiter, feasting with the Ethiopians. The reward of their piety, was the immunitie of their region from forraine conquests. kMacrob.in S…mn.Scip. l.2. cap.10.Macrobius interprereth Iupiters banket with the Ethiopians of that Ocean, which Antiquitie imagined to be vnderunder all the Torrid Zone, that the fiery bodies of the srarres, supposed to be nourished with moisture, might there quench their thirst. So would those good men drowne a great part of the African and American world, in hospitality to the Starres, by their imagined middle-earth Ocean: which experience hath now sufficiently confuted.
Cambyses attempted and lost his Armie; and Semiranits entred, but soone returned: Hercules and Dionysisus ouer-ranne the rest of the World, the Ethiopians either for their deuotion they would not, or, for their strength, could not conquere. The Egyptians, some say, were Colonies from hence; yea, Egypt it selfe the dregs of that soile, which Nilus carryeth out of Ethiopia.
The Egyptians borrowed of the Ethiopians, to esteeme their Kings as Gods, and to hauehave such care of their Funeralls, the vse of Statues, and their Hieroglyphicali letters. Pierius lPier. Hieroglyphica., and others, hauehave written thereof … large. Their best men they chose for their Priests: and hee among them, who, when the God is carried about, shall bee possessed with some Bacchanal furie, is chosen King as by diuine appointment, and is of them worshipped as a God. His gouernement is gouerned by Lawes. They doe not put a Malefactor to death, but an Officer is sent to him with the signe of death mThe like is vsed in Japan., whereupon hee goeth home and slayeth himselfe. One would hauehave sled out of his Country; but the mother of the malefactor killed him, because he would not after his Country manner kill himselfe.
The Priests in Meroe exercised this authority (as it before said) ouer their Kings, and would send them word that the Oracles of the Gods commanded them to dye, neither might they reiect the diuine dispensation: and thus with arguments, not with armes, they perswaded them to a voluntarie death. But in the time of Ptolemaeus Secundus, King of Egypt, King Ergamenes well skilled in the Greeke sciences, and Philosophie, reiected that superstition. They say, that the custome yet (till Drodorus time) remaineth, that if the King be maimed, or by some accident want any member, his Courtiers also will depriue themselues of the same. Yea, when the King died, his friends thought it good fellowship to die with him, esteeming that death glorious, and the surest testimony of friendship.
The Ethiopians nDiod.Sit.Strabo.l.17.dwelling nearer to Arabia, armed their women in their wars, till they attained to a certaine age: the most of which ware a ring of brasse in their lip. They which dwelt further vp into the Country, were diuersly conceited of the Gods. for some they thinke immortall, as the Sunne, Moone, & the World: some mortall, as Pan, Hercules, Iupiter, for their vertues exalted to that dignitie. Strabo telles it in the singular number, that they thought that God to be immortall, which is the cause of all things. Their mortall God was vncertaine, and wanted name: but they most commonly esteemed their Kings, and Benefactors, for Gods. Some that inhabite nearer the Line worshipped no Gods: and were much offended with the Sunne, and hiding themselues in the Fennes, cursed him when he did rise. These things you may reade gathered out of Diodorus, and Strabo, oLaurentij Coruini Geograp. lo Bocmus de morib. gentium. Draudus in Solinum. Fr. Thamara de las Costumbras de todas las gentes.in Coruinus, Boemus, Draudius, and Thamara, with some other additions. Sardus saith, pSardus demorib. gentium. l.t.c.10.that the Aethiopians were circumcised: as were also (besides the Iewes, Aegyptians, and Arabians,) the Trogloditae, Macrones, Creophagi, and inhabitants of Thermodoon. As wee hauehave shewed of the Macrobij, or longliued Aethiopians, so there were others called Brachobij, of their shorter liues, wherof were reckoned two sorts: the Sidonij, neere to the Red Sea, and the Erembi, which some qRaph. Volaterianus Geograph. l.12.take for the Troglodytae. They liue not aboue fortie yeares. Plutarch rPlutarcide placitis Philosophorum.out of Asclepiades reporteth the like, saying that they were olde men at thirtie yeares. The same authour sId. de non irascendo.telleth, that they and the Arabians could not endure myce: and that the Persian Magi did likewise, esteeming them creatures odious to God. Alexander tGen. dierum l.2.25. C.30.ab Alexandro writeth, concerning the education of their Children, that, the Aethiopians feared their new-borne Infants in the foreheads, to preuent the distillations of Rheumes from the braine. And when they are somewhat growne, they make triall of their forwardnes, by setting them on the backes of certaine Foules, on which if they sit in their flying, without feare, they bring them vp very carefully: but if they shrinke and quake with feare, they expose them as a degenerate issue, vnworthy education. Their Letters they wrote not side-waies, after the Greeke or Hebrew manner, but after the present Chinian custome, downewards. They had seuen Characters, eueryevery of which had foure significations. What manner of writing they now vse appeareth in uDam a Goes. Zaga Zabo de fide Aethiopum.Damianus a Goex, or of Zaga Zabo rather, an Aethiopian Bishop, in his Treatise of their Religion, done into Latine by Damianus: but more fully in Iosephus xIof. Scaliger de Emend.l.7.Scaliger de Emendatione Temporum, who hath lent vsus a long Tractate in that language and writing, with the same words expressed in Hebrew and Latine Characters, and the interpretation of them also into Latine, in foure seuerall Columnes. He that listeth to reade some Philosophicall speculations of Nature in these Aethiopians, wherein they differ, & wherefore, from others: let him reade Coelius yCal.R.l.16 c.15.l.9.23.Rhodiginus of that Argument: he saith that they were expert in Naturall Magike. Nicephorus zNiceph.Hist. Eccles.l.9.c.18.writes, that Alexander the Great sent Assyrian Colonies into Aethiopia, which many ages after kept their owne language, and, like enough, their Religion. The Nations of Aethiopia, which are farre distant from Nilus, are *Dom.Niger.said to liue a miserable life. Their life is beastly, not discerning in their lust, Mother, Daughter, or any other name of kindred. Of their auncient exploites, we hauehave no continued History.
About the time of Christ, it appeareth, that Candace was Queene of Aethiopia.Sho was a manly Virago, as Strabo testifieth, who liued at the same time, and followed Aelius Gallus in this expedition. He forced Candace to send her Embassadours to Augustus for peace, which shee obtained. Sextus aSexti. Vict. Augustus.Victor mentioneth this Aethiopian Embassage. Dioclesian relinquished that part of Aethiopia, which the Romans held beyond Egypt, as not able to beare the charges. Iustinian bProcop. de Bello Persico.l.1.sent his Embassadours vntounto Hellisthaeus, the Aethiopian King, and to Esimiphaeus King of the Homerites, his Arabian neighbour, to aide him against the Persian. This Hellisthaeus had warred against the Homerites, for quarrel of Religion, because they were many of them Iewes, and others Gentiles, himselfe being a Christian: and because they made many forrages into the Christian Countreys. He so farre preuailed, as he made that Esimiphaeus, a Christian, their King: whose yoke they shooke off soone after: and Abram, a slaue, vsurped the State. He had beene seruant to a Romane at Adulis, a Citie of Aethiopia, worthy mention especially in this matter, for the ominous prosperitie of seruants. For the Citie it selfe was built by fugitiue seruants, which ranne from their Aegyptian Maisters: and this Abram a seruant there, obtained to be a King: neither could the Aethiopian with all his might depose him. The like cPauli Diaconi Iustinus.embassage to Archetas king of Ethiopia was sent by Instinus for aid against the Persian: both which I mention, to shew the greatnes at that time of his state, nothing comparable notwithstanding to that which after besel them. Among the Ethiopian Antiquities, Plato testifies, as Orosius dOros.lib.t.c.cites him, that many plagues and vncouth diseases infested, & almost altogether destroyed Ethiopia, about that time that Bacchus in uaded India. If any delight himself in such Legendary draffe as the coū terfet Abdias, eAbdias Bab. Apostolice hist. libr. 7.set forth by Wolfgangus Lazius, hath in it, touching the Magicians and Enchantments, and some other ceremonies of Ethiopia, I am loth to blot my paper with them: not because we are not certain of the truth (for in others we may be deceiued) but because we are certaine of the errors, so grosse that they may be seene and felt. Maruell that fWolfg. Lazius.Lazius, an historian, would with his Notes illustrate such a hotchpotch of darknes. And yet our countryman gJewell and Harding.Harding, leauing the cleare waters of truth, hath swallowed the same swill, as the Iewell of our Church hath taught him. The Eunuch of Candace was the first Ethiopian Christian, as Luke Act. 8. and Eusebius hEusch.Ec.bist.libr. … Pappus speakes of Thomas, Math…, and Mathias preaching in Ethiopia.do shew.
But before we come to their christian conuersion, we are first to declare their conuersion to Iudaisme (if it be true the Ethiopians write) in the time of Salomon. The Ethiopians hauing liued before a vagrant life, like the Nemades of old; & the Arabians, & other Libyan nations, not far from them in Asia & Africa at this day; Arue the Ethiopian king first fixed a setled abode at Axvms, & made it the royall city, iGenebr. chron. pag.118.after whom followed Agab, & in the third place, Ghedur or Sabanut, which subdued al Ethiopia, & left the kingdom to his daughter Makedae that reigned 80 yeres. An. 50 of her reigne she visited Salomon. After her they reckon these kings til Christs time, Melic, Andedo, Auda, Gigasio, Zangua, Guasio, Antet, Bahara, Canada, Chanze, Endur, Gnaza, Endrath, Chaales, Setija, Aglaba, Anscua, Breguas, Guase, Beseclugna, Baazena, in whose time they say CHRIST was borne. Genebrard setts downe the times of their reigne, which he confesseth, and it self conuineeth to be false. This Queen of Saba before mentioned, is by kIos. Antiquit libr.8.ca.2.Iosephius called Nicaule, the Queen (saith he) of Ethiopia & Egipt. But Zaga Zabo lZaga Zabo Episcopus Ethiop.in the Ethiopian history which he writ, & caused to be done into latine by Damianus a Goes, calls her Maqueda, whose history the Ethiopians hauehave written in a book as big as all Pauls Epistles. The summe of his report is this; She was a worshipper of Idols, as her auncesters had bin, when as Fame filled her ears with the renowne of Salomons name: & then sent a messenger to Ierusalem, to learn the truth, who at his return confirming those former reports, she went her self to visit him. Of him, besides many other things, she learned the Law, & the Prophets. By him she conceiued also a son, of whom she was deliuered in her iourney homewards, & named him Meilech. After 20. yeres education in Ethiopia, she sent him to Salomon his father, to be instructed of him in wisdome, desiring him to consecrate her sonne king of Ethiopia, before the Arke of the Couenant; she ordained also that women should not henceforth inherit, as before had bin accustomed. Salomon did this, & changed his name to Dauid: & after long instruction, sent him backe to his mother, attended with many noble companions, among whom was Azarias the son of Zadock the priest. This Azarias caused tables to be made like to those in the Ark, & pretending to sacrifice for the good succes of his iourny, went in & stole the tables of the Law, leauing in their roome these later counterfets, which he reuealed not to any, till he came to the borders of Ethiopia. Then Dauid being made acquainted with the fact, daunced for ioy, as his grandfather Dauid had done before the Arke wherin the Tables were inclosed, his people making great ioy. His mother resigned to him the Empire, & from that time to this, the kingdome hath passed in a right line, from mCandace was the name of diuers Ethiopian Queens, contrarie to this report.male to male: circumcision also with the law of Moses hath bin obserued. The Officers which Salomon appointed his son, are still cōtinued in the same families & order; nor may the Emperor chuse thē out of any other stocke then these of the Iews. This long Legend I report, not for the truth, but for that religious conceit wherewith it is accepted in Ethiopia. For who knowes not, that none but the high Priest, & that but once a yere, entred into that holy place, where the Ark was, and Nadabs and Abihu's fire, with other diuine iudgements; Vzzahs touching; and the Bethshemites viewing the Arke at so deare a rate; could not but make dreadfull so damnable an attempt. Besides, we should hauehave looked for our blessed Sauior out of Ethiopia, where Salomons …oires still reigne (if these say true) & not go to Salathiel and Zorobabel, descended of another brother, and therfore further off from the throne of their father Dauid, on which Christ was to sit, & to which he was borne, next and apparant heire, euen according to the flesh. And yet doth Genebrard credit these reports, & Baronins also in part as Luys de Vrreta reporteth, This Luys hath written 3. large books in Spanish, collected (as he saith) out of Don Iuan de Baltasar an Ethiopian of great accompt, who had beene Embassador frō his Mr. Alexander 3. the great Negus, into Persia & other places, & came into Spaine with his licence to imprint his Ethiopian history. Out of him Luys reporteth that the former book, whence Zaga Zabo the Bishop, Embassador to the King of Portugall, had taken those things, is Apocripha: yet so, as that it is true cōcerning that report of Maquedas conception, & the royall descent from thence till these times. The stealing of the tables he denieth; & affirmeth, that the truth was, that Salomon had bestowed on the Queen of Saba a fragment of the tables, which Moses brake in his zeale for the Israelits idolatry with the golden Calfe. For that conception by Salomon, he proueth it by, the Ethiopian Records, the title of their King, & his armes; which are the same, which the tribe of Iuda gaue, viz. a Lyon rampant, crowned, in a field Or, with this inscription, The Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda hath ouercome. Since they were Christians they hauehave added to these armes a cros…e, which the Lyon holdeth in his right foot. And in this right they lay challenge to Ierusalem for their inheritance. Now for the fragment of the table which Moses brake, it is receiued for a truth throughout Ethiopia, & it is still preserued in the hill Amara, as the greatest Iewell in the world. Baltasar had often seene and handled it. It seemeth to be of the Chalcedonie stone, shining, & transparent, and is a corner of a square table, the broken edges yet being manifest, with the letters, some broken, some whole, much differing frō the common Hebrew (which Genebrard saith the Iewes inuented, thereby to differ from the schismaticall kingdome of the Israelites, of the ten tribes; the Samaritans still retaining the former, as both he and Scaliger affirme.) But these letters cannot be read; for he brought a learned nR. Sedechias from Mecca.Iew, skilful in all the Eastern languages, Persian, Arabike, Indian, Chinois, &c. yet knew thē not. This relique is with such deuotiō admired of the Iewes, that when they passe but within sight of that hill Amara, they prostrate thēselues on the ground with much reuerēce, & for this cause make much of the Ethiopians (whersoeuer they meet them) as a people beloued of God, to whō he hath imparted such a Relique. They oVincent Ferrer, a Popish Saint.tell also a tale (I think) of the Queene of Saba, that in her iourney homewards she had a reuelation concerning a peece of wood which she saw, that it should be the same wheron Christ should after die for mankind: wherefore adoring the same with much deuotion & teares, she writ to Salomon thereof, who hid it in the earth 4 Stades, *Foure times the height of a man.where the poole of Bethesda was made afterwards, & by vertue therof wrought miracles. But the Ethiopian superstitiō hath fables enough of her own, & needs not the officious help of Romish Saints in this kind. As for that successiō of Iewish officers; Luys denies it, & saith the Iews are no where more hated thē in Ethiopia: & Alexander the 3. late Emperor among them, banished all Iewes & Mores out of all his dominions. The officers of the Emperor are the sons of the tributary kings his vassals, and the noblest of his subjects. And for the Iews which came with Meilech, or Meilolec, (after called Dauid) his next successor Iosua (so he cals him) becomming an Apostata, reduced idolatry: & wheras David his father had giuen them one of the Temples dedicated to the Sunne in Mount Amata, to make it an house of Prayer to the God of Israel, casting forth the Idols therin; now in this Iosues daies, some of them returned to Ierusalem, or to other prouinces of Africa, & some inhabited the vtmost parts of Africa, nere the Cape of Good Hope, & Deserts not before inhabited And the said Don Iuan de Baltasar, being sent by the Emperor into the lāds of Monopopata (so he cals it) & of Galofes, of Barbizin, of Mandinga, & of Zape, which are inhabited of idolatrous Gentiles, hee found among them some of these Iewes descended of that exiled stocke (as themselues also hold) which had forgotten their Iudaisme, & all knowledge of the scriptures, onelyonly had retained some reliques of it, & abstinence from swines flesh, differing also from those Gentils, in worshipping one God, wheras the other acknowledge One great God, whom they cal Caramus, but worship also Tigers, Lions, Flies, Spiders, Snakes, Lizards, & whatsoeuer first meete them in the morning. These Gentils pGods curse and mans follow the Iewes euerywhere, as the shadow the body.call the Iewes Tabayqueres, and will not admit them to purchase houses, or inheritance, but either vse them as interpreters or factors for Marchants (which is the highest step they can attaine to) or else employ them in base drudgeries, to be their Porters, slaughter-men, and such like, that they seeme rather slaues to those barbarous Nations, then to enioy any liberty of free-men. Rightly may those Nations bee called Barbarous, which seeme rather to barke then to speake, & yet they scorne that any should abase them, with the basest of Titles in their opinion to call them Tabayquero, and reuenge it with the death of the wrong doer.*In these reports, though there be many things falle yet may some be probably true: let the Reader Iudge.