Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 1, A-AME

A B Y [ 6
Abyflinia. ther of confiderable rank belonging to the left. This
-V—* had fuch an effea upon the whole Moorilh army, that
they began evidently to lofe courage j while the Abyf-
finians, afhamed of their conduct, now rufhed furioufly
on to refcue their prince from danger. The battle
continued for fome time with great obftinacy} but at
laft the centre and left wing of the Moors were entire-
The Moors jy. defeated. The right wing, compofed principally
defeated, £ Arabians, retired in a body ; but not knowing the
country, they entered a deep valley furrounded by per¬
pendicular rocks entirely covered with wood. The A-
byflinitms, imagined they had nothing more to do,
began to ftrip and mangle the bodies of the killed and
wounded ; but the king, perceiving that the Arabians
had brought themfelves into a fituation from whence
they never could be extricated, obliged his foldiers to
defift from this barbarous employment, and even killed
and almoft two of them who difobeyed his orders. The army
entirely cut was then divided into two parts, one of which fur-
3S‘ rounded the devoted Arabians, while the other was fent
a day’s journey after the remainder of the Moors.
Both parties proved equally fuccefsful. The king,
with part of his divifion, attacked the Arabians in
front, while the reft rolled great ftones down from the
tops of the rocks upon them. By this they were
thrown into fuch confufion, that being neither able to
fly nor refift, they were all killed to a man. The fate
of the Moors was little better. The other divifion of
the Abyflinian army found them lying round a large
pool of wrater, which they lapped like as many dogs.
In this helplefs fituation there was nothing requifite
but to order them to be flaughtered ; and this cruel or¬
der was punctually executed. The foldiers imagining
they ftiould now difcharge their vow to heaven, wea¬
ried themfelves with flaughter •, till at laft, being al-
moft fatiated with blood, they made a few prifoners,
among whom was Saleh king of Mara, with his queen ;
the former of whom was hanged by order of Amda
Sion, and the latter cut in pieces, and her body given
to the dogs by the foldiers.
Atnda Sion This fignal victory was gained in the end of July
purfues his 1316 } but as the rains at that feafon fet in with vio-
sdvantage. lence) moft of the army now again infifted on their re¬
turning home without delay. The king and principal
officers, however, were of opinion, that the advantages
fo dearly purchafed ought by all means to be purfued
till they had either reduced the Mahometans to fubjec-
tion, or at leaft deprived them of all power to make at¬
tacks on the empire with any profpeCl of fuccefs. This
opinion being adopted, the king fent back the bag¬
gage, women, and others who could be of no ufe to
the army ; retaining only the veteran foldiers, who
were able to encounter more than fix times the num¬
ber of fuch enemies as he could expefl to meet with.
His further Advancing farther into the Mahometan territories, he
ctmquefts. took up his refidence in a large town called Zey/rt ;
from whence he, that very night, fent out a detach¬
ment to furprife a large village in the neighbourhood
named Taraca. This was executed with fuccefs •, the
men were maffacred, and the women kept to fupply
the places of thofe who had been fent away. Conti¬
nuing ftill to advance, he detached parties to lay wafte
the countries all round ; and in this expedition he had
the good fortune to cut off two of the principal authors
of the conspiracy againft him, He then proceeded to
] A B Y
invade Talab and Abalge in the territories of the king Abyffinia.
of Adel. That monarch, now rendered defperate
the view of approaching ruin, had affembled all the(|e(j
troops he could raife, in order to make one laft effort
againft the enemy j but condufted himfelf with much
lefs prudence than he ought to have done when con¬
tending with fuch an experienced and vigilant adver-
fary. Amda Sion, confident of fuccefs, took no lefs
care how to prevent the enemy from efcaping than
how to gain the vi&ory. For this purpofe he dif-
patched parties of horfe to lie in wait in all thofe ave¬
nues by which he fuppofed that the Moors might at¬
tempt to make their efcape *, after which, falling furi-
oufly on the Adelians himfelf, and being well fupport-
ed by his troops, he gained a complete vidlory 5 the^e kmg^
king of Adel, with great numbers of his men, being”catccI
killed on the fpot, and almoft all the reft by the partiesi^Hed.
of horfe whom the Abyffinian monarch had potted iiv
ambuffi to intercept them.
As the lofs of this battle rendered the affairs of the
Adelians quite defperate, the three young princes, fons
of the late king, with their uncle, waited upon Amda
Sion with rich prefents, which they laid at his feet
in the moft humble manner, putting their foreheads The princea
in the duft, and intreating his pardon ; profeffing their
fubje&ion and readinefs to obey his commands, provid-mu’
ed that he would fpare the remainder of their country
and property. To this the king made a very unfa¬
vourable reply, reproaching them with indignities done
to himfelf; but efpecially with the facriiege they had
committed in burning churches and murdering priefts,
deftroying alfo defencelefs people in villages, merely
becaufe they imagined that he could not protefl them.
To puniffi thefe and other crimes, he faid, he was now
in the heart of their country $ and he was determined
never to turn his back upon Adel while he had ten men
capable of drawing their fwords ; for which reafon he
commanded them to return and expeft the approach of
his army.
By this fierce fpeech the brother and two eldeft
children of the king of Adel were fo dilheartened, that
they could not fpeak $ but the youngeft fon made a
very fpirited fpeech, in which he attempted to foften
the king by complimenting his valour, and ffiowing
that it was unworthy of his character to pufti the war
againft a people who were already conquered and de¬
fencelefs. All the anfwer he could obtain, however, Are unfa-
was, that unlefs the queen with the reft of the royal
family, and the principal people of the nation, wouldrcCe
come by to-morrow evening and furrender themfelves
as the princes had done, he w ould lay wafte the terri¬
tory of‘Adel, from the place where he fat to the Indian
ocean. On this the princes earneftly requefted their
mother to fubmit without referve to the clemency of
the Abyffinian monarch, and to wait upon him next
morning } but ffie was prevented from this by fome of The war
the nobility who had formerly advifed the war, and ^vhocont^nueSj
juftly fufpe&ed danger to themfelves if they fhould be
obliged to fubmit unconditionally to the conqueror.
They refolved, therefore, once more to venture a battle j
and the better to enfure fuccefs, they bound themfelves
by an oath to (land by each other to the laft extremity.
At the fame time they difpatched meffengers to the
princes, requefting them to make their efcape with all
manner of expedition, and to head the army themfelves;