THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 195 



hand, publicly declared to the king, that, having been am- 

 balTador from his father, and made his fubmiihon to the 

 Roman pontifF, for himfelf and for his kingdom, he now 

 expeded that Claudius would make good his father's en- 

 gagements, embrace the Roman Catholic religion him- 

 felf, and, without delay, proclaim it as the eftabliflied reli- 

 gion in Abyflinia. This the king pofitively refufed to do, 

 and a converfation enfued, which is repeated by Bermudes 

 himfelf, and fufhciently fhews the moderation of the young 

 king, and the fiery, brutal zeal of that ignorant, bigotted, 

 ill-mannered prieft. Hitherto the Abyflinians heard the 

 Portuguefe mafs with reverence and attention; and the 

 Portuguefe frequented the Abyflinian churches with com- 

 placency. They intermarried with each other, and the chil- 

 dren feem to have been chriftened indifferently by the 

 priefts of either church. And this might have long conti- 

 nued, had it not been for the impatience of Bermudes. 



The king, feeing the danger of conneding himfelf with 

 fuch a man, kept up every appearance of attachment to the 

 Alexandrian church. Yet, fays the Abyflinian hiftorian who 

 writes his life, it was well known that Claudius, in his heart, 

 was a private, but perfeft convert, to the Romilh faith, and 

 kept only from embracing it by his hatred to Bermudes, the 

 conllant perfuafion of the emprefs Sabel Wenghel, and the 

 recolledtion of the misfortunes of his father. Upon being 

 required publicly to fubmit himfelf to the See of Rome, he 

 declared that he had made no fuch promife; that he confider- 

 ed Bermudes as no patriarch, or, at beft, only patriarch of the 

 Franks ; and that the Abuna of Abyflinia was the chief 

 prieft acknowledged by him. Bermudes' told him, that he 

 was accurfcd and excommunicated. Claudius anfwered, that 



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