H.H. my father had the good fortune to be loved and to be feared. If a man—however great his position might be—was found to be in the wrong, my father would determine the punishment according to the measure of his offence; but because he would not keep silent, they came to fear him. But a few days later he would cause pleasure by sending to the home a gelded ox, honey, and butter, if the convicted person was a great man of position; or a castrated goat and money to buy honey and butter, if he was an ordinary person; indeed, the people would love him for this because there was nothing of actual cruelty in him towards the man against whom he had meted out punishment. Besides, even though no man is perfect and pure before God, since my father's main thought was to please God in every possible manner, he was determined to help with money those in difficulty, to reconcile those who had fallen foul of the Emperor Menelik, to offer prayers at any hour that remained from the work of government in which he was engaged, to assist in their troubles the monks in each of the monasteries and the priests in each of the churches—that he was doing all this was part of his resolve to please God without being vainglorious. He was a fine example of good deeds.
the
words of is majesty from my life and ethiopias progress
i love this book
give thanks ark i for having a copy on line for the world to see
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