The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African TravellerHead, Francis Bond, Sir
History
The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African Traveller
Head, Francis Bond, Sir
Bruce, James, 1730-1794; Ethiopia -- Description and travel
"'I see, madam,' said I, 'Ayto Aylo has informed you of a few words that
some time ago dropped from me. I do certainly believe the miracles of
Christ and his apostles, otherwise I am no Christian; but I do not
believe these miracles of latter times, wrought upon trifling occasions,
like sports and jugglers' tricks.' 'And yet,' says she, 'our books are
full of them.' 'I know they are,' said I; 'but I never can believe that
a saint converted the devil, who lived, forty years after, a holy life
as a monk; nor the story of another saint, who, being sick and hungry,
caused a brace of partridges, ready roasted, to fly upon his plate that
he might eat them.' 'He has been reading the Synaxar,' says Ayto Aylo.
'I believe so,' says she, smiling; 'but is there any harm in believing
too much, and is not there great danger in believing too little?'
'Certainly,' continued I; 'but all I meant to say to Ayto Aylo was, that
I did not believe laying a picture upon Welled Hawaryat would recover
him when delirious in a fever.' She answered, 'There was nothing
impossible with God.' I made a bow of assent, wishing heartily the
conversation might end there."
Bruce, leaving Aylo with the queen, now returned to the Moors' town. In
the afternoon he heard that Welletta Selasse was dead; and at night,
Welled Hawaryat died also. The contagion from Masuah and Adowa had
spread itself all over Gondar. The daughter of Ozoro Altash was now
sick, and a violent fever had fallen upon Koscam. The next morning Aylo
came to Bruce, and told him that all faith in the saint, who had not
eaten or drank for twenty years, was abandoned since Welled Hawaryat's
death; and that it was the desire of the queen and Ozoro Esther that he
should remove to Koscam, to the iteghe's palace, where all their
children and grandchildren would be placed under his care.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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