THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 245 



in Abyflinia. Nor can it ever be doubted, by any who know 

 the ignorance of thefe brutifh priefts, but that the vidtory, in 

 thefe fcholaftic difputes, would be fairly, ealily, and com-, 

 pletely on the fide of the children. 



Mass was then faid accordingto the ufageof the cljurchof 

 Rome,which was followed by a fermon (among the firft ever 

 preached in AbyfTmia,) but fo far furpaffing, in elegance and 

 purity of didion, any thing yet extant in the learned lan- 

 guage, Geez, that all the hearers began to look upon this as 

 the firft miracle on the part of the preacher. 



Za Denghel was fo taken with it, that, from that inftant, 

 he not only refolved to embrace the Catholic religion, but 

 declared this his refolution to feveral friends, and foon af- 

 ter to Paez himfelf, under an oath of fccrecy that hefhould 

 conceal it for a time. This oath, prudently exadled from 

 Peter, was as imprudently rendered ufelefs by the zeal of 

 the king himfelf, who being of too fanguine a difpofition 

 to temporize after he was convinced, publifhed a procla- 

 mation, forbidding the religious obfcrvation of Saturday, 

 or the Jewifh fabbath, for ever after. He likcwife ordered 

 letters to be wrote to the pope Clement VIII. and to Philip 

 III. king of Spain and Portugal, wherein he offered them his 

 friendfhip, whilfl he requefted mechanics to ailill, and Jc- 

 fuits to inftrud his people. 



These fudden and violent mcafures were prefently 

 known ; and every wretch that had, from other caufes, the 

 feeds of rebellion fown in his heart, began now to pretend 

 they were only nouriflied there by alove and attachment 

 to the true religion.. 



