ABSTRACT
Emperor Lebena Denguîl began to reign at the age of twelve years <[f. 264v/254v]> and exercised himself in matters of weaponry, horse racing, archery and hunting wild and dangerous animals, for such is the custom of kings’ sons until they learn how to govern the kingdom properly. Meanwhile, he governed the empire in the manner that his mother, Naôd Mogueçâ, commanded, with the counsel of Empress Elena,2 because they knew how to govern and Elena especially knew the laws of the empire. But when he reached the age of twenty, the king of Adel, who was called Mahamêd, came with many men and brought the vizier3 Mahafûd as captain general. When the emperor heard that those Moors were coming, he hurried off to encounter them and, on giving battle, defeated them and killed many men, with God’s help. And the Moorish king’s captain perished there too, although he himself escaped by fleeing. Soon afterwards, with the counsel of his lords, he decided to attack Adel, for it is the custom of victors to desire and seek to return to war, just as it is for the defeated to try to flee from it. Gathering many men, he entered the kingdom of Adel, burning many lands and destroying many fortresses, until he reached the land of Zancâr, where he destroyed the king’s fortress and mosque, and nobody dared fight him because of the great fear they now had of him. Having captured many men and taken a large amount of booty, he returned to his land in peace.
