of his friends a fum fufficient to difcharge his debts; and finding that even this enticement would not delay the departure of the Portuguefe, he embarked his nephew in their fhips, with an hundred flaves, whom he prefented to the king of Portugal, to folicit his affiftance. The effect of this embaffy he could not stay to know, for being foon after depofed, he fought fhelter in the fortrefs of Arguin, whence he took fhipping for Portugal, with twentyfive of his principal followers.

The king of Portugal pleafed his own vanity and that of his fubjects, by receiving him with great ftate and magnificence, as a mighty monarch who had fled to an ally for fuccour in misfortune. All the lords and ladies of the court were affembled, and Bemoin was conducted with a fplendid attendance into the hall of audience, where the king rofe from his throne to welcome him. Bemoin then made a fpeech with great eafe and dignity, representing his unhappy ftate, and imploring the favour of his powerful ally. The king was touched with his affiction, and ftruck by his wifdom.

The converfion of Bemoin was much desired by the king; and it was therefore immediately propofed to him that he fhould become a chriftian. 'Ecclefiafticks were fent to inftruct him; and having now no more obftacles from intereft, he was eafily perfuaded to declare himfelf whatever would please thofe on whom he now depended. He was baptized on the third day of December 1489, in the palace of the queen, with great magnificence, and named John after the king,

Some

Some time was spent in feasts and sports on this great occafion, and the negroes fignalifed themfelves by many feats of agility, far furpaffing the power of Europeans, who having more helps of art, are lefs diligent to cultivate the qualities of nature. In the mean time twenty large fhips were fitted out, well manned, stored with ammunition, and laden with materials neceffary for the erection of a fort. With this powerful armament were fent a great number of miffionaries under the direction of Alvarez the king's confeffor. The command of this force, which filled the coaft of Africa with terror, was given to Pedro Vaz d'Acugna, furnamed Bisagu ; who foon after they had landed, not being well pleased with his expedition, put an end to its inconveniences by stabbing Bemoin fuddenly to the heart. The king heard of this outrage with great forrow, but did not attempt to punish the murderer.

The king's concern for the restoration of Bemoin was not the mere effect of kindness, he hoped by his help to facilitate greater defigns. He now began to form hopes of finding a way to the Eaft Indies, and of enriching his country by that gainful commerce: this he was encouraged to believe practicable, by a map which the Moors had given to prince Henry, and which subsequent dif. coveries have shewn to be fufficiently near to exactness, where a paffage round the fouth-eaft part of Africa was evidently described.

The king had another scheme yet more likely to . engage curiofity, and not irreconcileable with his interest. The world had for fome time been filled with the report of a powerful chriftian prince called Prefter

Prefter John, whofe country was unknown, and whom fome, after Paulus Venetus, fuppofed to reign in the midst of Afia, and others in the depth of Ethiopia, between the ocean and Red-fea. The account of the African chriftians was confirmed by fome yirians who had travelled into Spain, and by fome friars that had vifited the holy land; and the king was extremely defirous of their correfpondence and alliance.

Some obfcure intelligence had been obtained, which made it feem probable that a way might be found from the countries lately difcovered, to those of this far famed monarch. In 1486, an ambaffador came from the king of Bemin, to defire that preachers might be fent to inftruct him and his subjects in the true religion. He related that in the inland country, three hundred and fifty leagues eastward from Bemin, was a mighty monarch called Ogane, who had jurifdiction both fpiritual and temporal over other kings; that the king of Bemin and his neighbours, at their acceffion, fent ambaffadors to him with rich prefents, and received from him the inveftiture of their dominions, and the marks of fovereignty, which were a kind of fceptre, a helmet, and a latten cross, without which they could not be confidered as lawful kings; that this great prince was never feen but on the day of audience, and then held out one of his feet to the ambaffador, who kiffed it with great reverence, and who at his departure had a cross of latten hung on his neck, which ennobled him thenceforward, and exempted him from all fervile offices.

Bemoin had likewife told the king, that to the east of the kingdom of Tombut, there was among other princes, one that was neither Mahometan nor idolater, but who feemed to profefs a religion nearly resembling the chriftian. These informations compared with each other, and with the current accounts of Prefter John, induced the king to an opinion, which, though formed fomewhat at hazard, is still believed to be right, that by paffing up the river Senegal his dominions would be found. It was therefore ordered that when the fortrefs was finished, an attempt should be made to pass upward to the fource of the river. The defign failed then, and has never yet fucceeded.

Other ways likewife were tried of penetrating to the kingdom of Prefter John, for the king refolved to leave neither fea nor land unfearched till he should be found. The two meffengers who were fent firft on this defign, went to Jerufalem, and then returned, being perfuaded that, for want of understanding the language of the country, it would be vain or impoffible to travel farther. Two more were then difpatched, one of whom was Pedro de Covillan, the other Alphonfo de Pavia; they paffed from Naples to Alexandria, and then travelled to Cairo, from whence they went to Aden, a town of Arabia, on the Red-fea, near its mouth. From Aden, Pavia fet fail for Ethiopia, and Covillan for the Indies. Covillan vifited Canavar, Calicut, and Goa in the Indies, and Sofula in the eastern Africa, thence he returned to Aden, and then to Cairo, where he had agreed to, meet Pavia. At Cairo he was informed that Pavia was dead, but he met with two Portuguese Jews, one

of

of whom had given the king an account of the fituation and trade of Ormus: they brought orders to Covillan, that he fhould fend one of them home with the journal of his travels, and go to Ormus with

the other,

Covillan obeyed the orders, fending an exact account of his adventures to Lisbon, and proceeding with the other meffenger to Ormus; where having made fufficient enquiry, he fent his companion homewards with the caravans that were going to Aleppo, and embarking once more on the Red-sea, arrived in time at Abiffinia, and found the prince whom he had fought fo long, and with fuch danger.

Two fhips were fent out upon the fame fearch, of which Bartholomew Diaz had the chief command; they were attended by a finaller veffel laden with provifions, that they might not return upon pretence

of want either felt or feared.

Navigation was now brought nearer to perfection. The Portuguese claim the honour of many inventions by which the failor is affifted, and which enable him to leave fight of land, and commit himself to the boundlefs ocean. Diaz had orders to proceed beyond the river Zaire, where Diego Can had ftopped, to build monuments of his difcoveries, and to leave upon the coafts negroe men and women well inftructed, who might inquire after Prefter John, and fill the natives with reverence for the Portuguese,

Diaz, with much oppofition from his crew, whofe mutinies he repreffed, partly by foftnefs and partly by steadinefs, failed on till he reached the utmost point of Africa, which from the bad weather that he met there, he called Caba Tormentofo, or the Cape