<[f. 432v/421v]> Chapter XXII1 On the uprisings and deaths that occurred in the kingdom of Gojâm for the keeping of the Sabbath, and what the emperor did about this

Not only did the monks of the kingdom of Begmêder stir up many people against the emperor because he was commanding them not to keep the Sabbath, but the ones in Gojâm were worse, because they assembled the main soldiery of that kingdom, who are called Damôtes, and persuaded them to rise up and fight against Erâz Cela Christôs, who was forcing everyone to work on the Sabbath, by telling them to die for the keeping of the Sabbath since this was a matter of faith that they were obliged to defend to the death. They also told them that members of the Roman Church, who wanted the Sabbath not to be kept, communed with camel, hare and rabbit brains, married their sisters and insulted Our Lady. With these and many other lies that they invented they made so many men join the Damotes that they very confidently took to the field against Erâz Cela Christôs, who is the viceroy of that kingdom. Even 1,500 of his own servants crossed over to them, and they say that among them were over 400 monks exhorting them to fight valiantly and constantly. They called them Soldiers of Mary and said that, since that is what they were, they should kill those who denied Mary, meaning all those who followed the {faith of the} Roman Church. When the soldiers saw that their masters - who in outward appearance were so scornful of honours and worldly things and wore just tanned cowhides like very thick chamois leather - were telling them those things about people of the Roman Church and that they had an obligation to die for the keeping of the Sabbath, they all of one heart resolved to fight Erâz Cela Christôs and his followers and to kill as many as they could. And they started at once to rob and use violence against those they thought were taking the viceroy’s side.