A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 98
Ethiopia Superior; called also Abassia, described.
It is watered with four principal Rivers, and as many huge Lakes: The first River is Taucea, running Northward, but drunk up by the thirsty sands, before it can come to the Sea: It hath bordering upon it, Mountains of admirable height, and inaccessible: The second River is Oara, larger than Nilus, that emptieth it self into the Sea of Zeila: the water is very clear, but the superstitious Abassines refuse to drink of it, because in its passage it watereth some Mahometan Regions. The third is Gabea, and the fourth is Nilus: One of the Lakes is called Dambea, threescore mile long, and five and twenty broad: It abounds with fish, and River-horses; and in it are many Islands, in which traitors are confined.
The Abassine soil is for the most part hollow, and in the midst of the plains, rise many Rockie-hills, which in times of war serve them for Fortresses: The whole Country abounds with Mettal-Mines; but the inhabitants, partly through ignorance, and partly for fear of the Turks, if the riches of their Country should bee discovered, suffer them to lye hidden in the earth, only they make use of so much Iron as lyes upon the surface of the earth. Of plants and trees there is great variety: There are Hares, Goats, Bores, Harts, Elephants, Camells, Buffalls, Lions, Panthers, Tigers, Rhinocerotes, and Jaraffs.
The air in this Country is most part warm, and temperate: In some parts very hot, and unwholesome. The Winter is from the end of May, to the beginning of September; in which time it rains almost every day, which is often accompanied with thunder: their VVine is made of Honey; their Churches are usually compassed with trees for shade.
The richer sort buy garments of the Saracens, the rest both men and women cover their bodies either with a skin, or some course Hempencloth: when they do reverence to any, they put off their cloth from the shoulders to their navel; their hair is long, which serves them for a Hat: the better sort curle and anoint their hair with butter; they brand marks in their bodies, especially in their face; on their little fingers they suffer their nails to grow as long as they will; their hands and feet are bare, which they colour reddish; they are artlesse and lazie: they lye on Ox hides, they eat their meat out of great bowles of wood, without any Napperie: they have no Cities, but great unwalled Villages; their greatest Town hath scarce sixteen thousand houses: These houses are small, without elegancy or story, round, and covered with earth, and straw: They paint Christ, the Virgin, and other Saints black, as Devils, and wicked men white. Their Temples are round, having a double Porch: they neither walk, nor talk, nor sit, nor spit, nor laugh in the Church, nor admit Dogs into the Churchyards: some Churches are only for men, others for women: In small Villages they are common to both, but with divisions that they cannot see one another.
The chiefest Port belonging to the Abissines is Suaque…n, situated in the Arabian Gulph: It excels most of the Cities in the Orient, in four things: First, in the goodnesse and security of the Haven, which is fenced by nature against all storms, and will contain two hundred ships, besides multitudes of small Vessels.
Secondly, In the easinesse of loading, and unloading of them: For the City being built in an Island, they set the beak-heads of their Ships and Gallies over the streets, and by casting a plank over, they are emptied into the ware-houses.
Thirdly, For trafick with strange Nations; for there repair thither Merchants from all parts of India, Cambaia, Pegu, Malacca, Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt, &c. which trade for abundance of gold, and Ivory.
Fourthly, For the strength of the City, which is very great, by reason of Sholds, Flats, Islands, Rocks, Banks of sand, &c. which makes the approaches very difficult, and dangerous. This Country of Abassia is as big as Germany, France, and Italy, and hath in it plenty of Rice, Barley, Beans, Pease, Sugar, &c.