Pursuing his advantages, the Abyssinian monarch advanced still farther into the Mahometan territories, till he reached the dominions of the king of Adel. That prince, rendered desperate by the devastation of his country, and the prospect of its total ruin, resolved to make one last effort for its preservation. He therefore took the field against the Abyssinians, but conducted himself with less prudence than his own situation and the character of his adversary required. Victory again declared in favour of Amda Sion ; the king of Adel fell in the engagement ; and his troops, dispersed in all di rections, were intercepted by detachments of the Abys sinian army, which had been placed in ambush to prevent their escape.
After this disastrous event, the sons of the late king, dismayed by the prospect of inevitable destruction, ed upon Amda Sion with valuable presents ; and, trating themselves in the dust before him, besought him to pardon the injuries which they had committed, and assured him of their readiness to submit to his dominion, provided he would advance no farther into their country, but spare the lives and property of their afflicted sub- jects. The stern conqueror rejected their entreaties ndignation; reproached them with the enormities which they had perpetrated against his Christian sub jects; told them, that he had proceeded thus far into their kingdom to inflict the punishment due to their crimes ; and commanded them to return and expect thf approach of his army, as he would never turn his back upon Adel, while he had tun men capable of drawing their swords. Tile too eldest princes, with the uncle, who had accompanied then], were overawed by the fierce demeanour of the Abyssinian ; but the youngest made a spit it•d speech, in which lie complimented him on his unparalleled valour, and entreated him not to sully his fame by the oppression of a people already conquered and defenceless. The only answer he could obtain was, that unless the queen, his mother, with the rest of the royal family, and the principal people of the nation. should surrender themselves next e‘ening at his tent door, as he had done, he would lay waste the kingdom or Adel, from the place where he then sat, to the Indian Ocean. Radii r than submit to such cruel terms, the Adclians resolved to try once more the fortune el war and bound themselves, by mutual oaths, to stand by each other to the last extremity They informed the young princes of their resolution ; and requested them to seize the first opportunity of escaping from the camp of Arcola Sion, and take the command of the army, every man of which was ready to conquer, or die in their cause. Pro
voked by their obstinacy,the Abyssinian monarch divided his army into three detachments; two of winch were commanded to enter the enemy's country by different routes, while he himself marched directly to the spot where the Adclians were encamped. An obstinate en gagement ensued, in which the young king of AVypo particularly distinguished himself, opposing Amda Sion wherever he appeared, and exhorting his troops to re main firm to the last. At length, the Abyssinian monarch, observing the exploits of this young warrior, grasped a bow in his hand, and took so just an aim, that he shot him through the middle of the neck, so that, his head declining to one shoulder, he fell dead among his horse's feet. The Adelians, disheartened by their hero's fall, betook themselves to flight ; but, meeting with two de tachments of Amda Sion's army, they were so com pletely destroyed, that only three out of 5000 are said to have escaped. Nor had the Abyssinians much cause to rejoice in the victory ; for many of their principal officers were slain, and scarcely one of their horsemen left the field without a wound.
During the remainder of the campaign, the Abyssi nians were engaged in destroying the towns and vil lages, and laying waste the country of the Mahome tans ; exercising against these unhappy people every species of cruelty, on pretence of retaliating their inju ries against the Christians. Weary at length of con quest and bloodshed, the king returned in triumph to Tegulut, where he died a natural death, after a reign of thirty years ; during which, though almost constantly engaged in war, he never sustained a defeat.
The reign of Saif Araad, the son and successor of Amda Sion, is distinguished by remarkable transac tion, except his relieving the C,11,:ic patriarch, whom the soldan of Egypt had thrown into prison.
Theodorus, who occupied the throne From the year 1409 to 1412, was the first who retracted the grant of one-third of the kingdom, which Icon Amlac had made to the Abuna. Notwithstanding this infringement, how ever, on the power of the church, he was so revered by his subjects, for the sanctity of his character. that it is :Atli' a prevailing opinion m Abyssinia, that he is to rise again from the grave, and reign in his ancient kingdom lur a thousand years ; during which periou the of the warrior are to be hung up in the hall, and joy and peace are uhiversaily to preva.l.