THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 151 



Goez, one of the firft hiftorians, fays, that he had feen a jour- 

 nal written in Alvarez's own name, very different from the 

 journal that is gone forth to the pubUc. For my part, I 

 can only fay, that what is related of the firft audience with 

 the king, and many of the following pages, feem to me to 

 be fabrications of people that never have been in Abyihnia; 

 and, if this is the cafe, no imputation can be laid againft 

 Francifco Alvarez, as, perhaps, he is not the author of the 

 mifreprefentation in queftion. But, as to the cordiahty with 

 which the Catholic religion was received by the monks 

 and people in general, during the long rtay and bad recep- 

 tion Don Roderigo met with, I have no fort of doubt that 

 this is a falfehood, and this muft be charged dire^ly to his 

 account. 



We have already feen that, early as Zara Jacob's time, the 

 religion of the Franks was held in the utmoft deteftation^ 

 and that in Bceda Mariam's reign the whole country was in 

 rebellion, becaufe the king had directed the Virgin Mary to 

 be painted by one Branca Leon, a Venetian painter, then 

 alive, and in court, when Don Roderigo de Lima was with 

 the king in Shoa. Ifcander and Naod were both Uriel in the 

 tenets of the church of Alexandria ; and two Abunas, Ima- 

 ranha Chriftos, who lived till Ifcander's time, and Abuna 

 Marcus, alive in Alvarez's, had given no allowance for 

 ftrange or foreign worfliip to be introduced. How the Ca- 

 tholic could be fo favourably and generally received in the 

 time of Alvarez is what I cannot conceive. Blood enough 

 was fpilt immediately afterwards, to fliew that this allcctioii 

 to the Roman Catholic religion, if any fuch there was in 

 Alvarez's time, muft have been merely tranfitory.. Wlicn, 

 therefore, I find any thing in this journal plainly mifunder- 



^ ftoodj, 



