THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 235 



The prieft is faid to have limited his advice Hill further, and 

 to have only begged him to remember not to eat the filli of 

 a certain river in the territory of Giba in the province of 

 Shat. The king, however, flufhed with his vidory over the 

 Boren Galla, forgot the name of the river and the injunction; 

 and, having ate fifh out of this river, was immediately after 

 taken dangerouHy ill, and died on his return. 



The writer of his life fays, that the fatal effects of this 

 river were afterwards experienced in the reign of Yafous the 

 Great, at the time in which he wrote, when the king's whole 

 army, encamped along the fides of this river, were taken 

 with violent ficknefs after eating the fifli caught in it, and 

 that many of the foldicrs died. Whether this be really facT: 

 or not, I will not take upon me to decide. Whether iifh, or 

 any other animal, living in water impregnated with poifon- 

 ous minerals, can prcfcrve its own life, and yet imbibe a 

 quantity of poifon fufficient to deftroy the men that fliould 

 eat it, feems to me very doubtful. Something like this is 

 faid to happen in oyfters, which are found on copperas beds, 

 or have preparations of copperas thrown upon them to tinge 

 a part of them with green. I do not, however, think it 

 likely, that the creature would live after this metallic dofc, 

 or preferve a tafte that would make it food for man till he 

 accumulated a quantity fufficient to deftroy him. 



Sertza Denghel was of a very humane affable difpofi- 

 tion, very diiferent from his father Menas. He was ftedfall 

 in his adherence to the church of Alexandria, and feemed 

 perfectly indifferent as to the Romilli church and clergy. 

 In converfation, he frequently condemned their tenets, but 

 always commended the fobriety and fandity of their lives. 



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