Bemoin had likewise 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 passed 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

young men difpatched as ambaffadors, to defire inftructors to be fent for the converfion of his kingdom.

The ambaffadors were honourably received, and baptifed with great pomp, and a fleet was immedidiately fitted out for Congo, under the command of Gonfalvo Sorza, who dying in his paffage, was fucceeded in authority by his nephew Roderigo.

When they came to land, the king's uncle, who commanded the province, immediately requested to be folemnly initiated into the chriftian religion, which was granted to him and his young fon, on Eafter day 1491. The father was named Manuel, and the fon Antonio. Soon afterwards the king, queen, and eldest prince, received at the font the names of John, Eleanor, and Alphonfo, and a war breaking out, the whole army was admitted to the rites of chriftianity, and then fent against the enemy. They returned victorious, but foon forgot their faith, and formed a confpiracy to reftore paganism; a powerful oppofition was raised by infidels and apoftates, headed by one of the king's younger fons; and the miffionaries had been deftroyed had not Alphonfo pleaded for them and for chriftianity.

The enemies of religion now became the enemies of Alphonfo, whom they accufed to his father of difloyalty. His mother, queen Eleanor, gained time by one artifice after another, till the king was calmed; he then heard the caufe again, declared his fon innocent, and punished his accufers with death.

The king died foon after, and the throne was difputed by Alphonfo, fupported by the chriftians,

and

Cape of Storms. He would have gone forward, but his crew forced him to return. In his way back he met the Victualler, from which he had been parted nine months before; of the nine men which were in it at the feparation, fix had been killed by the negroes, and of the three remaining, one died for joy at the fight of his friends. Diaz returned to Lisbon in December 1487, and gave an account of his voyage to the king, who ordered the Cape of Storms to be called thenceforward Cabo de Buena Esperanza, or the Cape of Good Hope.

Some time before the expedition of Diaz, the river Zarie and the kingdom of Congo had been difcovered by Diego Can, who found a nation of negroes who spoke a language which thofe that were in his fhips could not understand. He landed, and the natives, whom he expected to fly like the other inhabitants of the coaft, met them with confidence, and treated them with kindnefs; but Diego finding that they could not understand each other, feized fome of their chiefs, and carried them to Portugal, leaving fome of his own people in their room to learn the language of Congo.

The negroes were foon pacified, and the Portuguefe left to their mercy were well treated; and as they by degrees grew able to make themselves understood, recommended themfelves, their nation, and their religion. The king of Portugal fent Diego back in a very short time with the negroes whom he had forced away; and when they were fet fafe on shore, the king of Congo conceived so much esteem for Diego, that he fent one of those who had returned back again in his fhip to Lisbon, with two

young

weft from that line to the Spaniards, and all that lies eaft to the Portuguefe. This was no fatisfactory divifion, for the east and west must meet at last, but that time was then at a great distance.

According to this grant, the Portuguefe continued their difcoveries eastward, and became masters of much of the coaft both of Africa and the Indies; but they seized much more than they could occupy, and while they were under the dominion of Spain, loft the greater part of their Indian territories.

HE importance of education is a point fo generally understood and confeffed, that it would be of little ufe to attempt any new proof or illuftration of its neceffity and advantages.

At a time when fo many fchemes of education have been projected, fo many propofals offered to the Publick, fo many fchools opened for general knowledge, and fo many lectures in particular fciences attended; at a time when mankind feems intent rather upon familiarifing than enlarging the several arts; and every age, fex and profeffion, is invited to an acquaintance with thofe ftudies, which were formerly fuppofed acceffible only to fuch as had devoted themselves to literary leifure, and dedicated their powers to philofophical enquiries; it feems rather requifite that an apology fhould be made for any further attempt to fmooth a path fo frequently VOL. IX.

Dd