Former emperors, Anastasius and Justin, had sent several embassies to these nations at the southern end of the Red Sea; to the Homeritae, to persuade them to attack the Persian forces in Arabia, and to the Hexumitae, for the encouragement of trade.  Justinian also sent an embassy to the Homeritae under Abram; and, as he was successful in his object, he entrusted a second embassy to Abram’s son.  Nonnosus landed at Adule on the Abyssinian coast, and then travelled inward for fifteen days to Auxum, the capital.  This country was then called Ethiopia; it had gained the name which before belonged to the valley of the Nile between Egypt and Meroe.  On his way to Auxum, he saw troops of wild elephants, to the number, as he supposed, of five thousand.  After delivering his message to Elesbaas, then King of Auxum, he crossed the Red Sea to Caisus, King of the Homeritae, a grandson of that Arethas to whom Justin had sent his embassy.  Notwithstanding the natural difficulties of the journey, and those arising from the tribes through which he had to pass, Nonnosus performed his task successfully, and on his return home wrote a history of his embassies.

The advantage gained to the Hexumitae by their invasion of the Homeritae was soon lost, probably as soon as their forces were withdrawn.  The trade through the country of the Homeritae was again stopped; and such was the difficulty of navigation from the incense coast of Africa to the mouths of the Indus, that the loss was severely felt at Auxum.  Elesbaes therefore undertook to repeat the punishment which had been before inflicted on his less civilised neighbours, and again to open the trade to the merchants from the Nile.  It was while he was preparing his forces for this invasion that Cosmas, the Alexandrian traveller, passed through Adule; and he copied for the King of Auxum the inscription above spoken of, which recorded the victories of his predecessor over the enemies he was himself preparing to attack.

The invasion by Elesbaes, or Elesthaeus as he is also named, was immediately successful.  The Homeritae were conquered, their ruler was overthrown; and, to secure their future obedience, the conqueror set over these Jewish Arabs an Abyssinian Christian for their king.  Esimaphaeus was chosen for that post; and his first duty was to convert his new subjects to Christianity.  Political reasons as well as religious zeal would urge him to this undertaking, to make the conquered bear the badge of the conqueror.  For this purpose he engaged the assistance of Gregentius, a bishop, who was to employ his learning and eloquence in the cause.  Accordingly, in the palace of Threlletum, in the presence of their new king, a public dispute was held between the Christian bishop and Herban, a learned Jew.  Gregentius has left us an account of the controversy, in which he was wholly successful, being helped, perhaps, by the threats and promises of the king.  The arguments used were not quite the same as they would be now.  The bishop explained