THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 341 



on horfeback, clad in coats of mail. Very different was the 

 army of Damots. They were fuperior in number for they 

 exceeded 12000 men, andamongthele were 400 monks, well 

 armed with fwords, lances, and fliields, earneftly bent upon 

 the obtaining a crown of martyrdom in defence of their re- 

 ligion, from the innovation propofed by Socinios. At the 

 head of thefe was a fanatical monk (one Batacu) who pro- 

 mised them armies of angels, with flaming fwords, who 

 fhould flay their enemies, but render them invulnerable, 

 as he declared himfelf to be, either by fword or lance. 



The battle was fought at the foot of the mountains of 

 Amid Amid, on the 6th of 0(flober 1620. Sela Chriftos, 

 fure of vidtory, and unwilling to flaughter a people he had 

 been ufed to prote<5l, began firft to fliew his fiiperiority in 

 flight flcirmifhes. After which, deflring a parley, he fent 

 meffengers to them, begging them to conflder their own 

 danger, and ofl'ering them a general amnefty upon their 

 fubmiflion. Thefe meffengers were not allowed to approach, 

 for fliowers of arrows that were poured upon them ; fo the 

 battle began with great animofity on both fides. The Da- 

 mots were foon broken and put to flight by the fuperiority 

 of Sela Chriftos's foldiers. But the 400 monks, already men- 

 tioned, fought moll defperately in defiance of numbers, nor 

 did they feek their fafety by a flight. One hundred and 

 eighty of them were killed on the place they occupied, vali- 

 antly fighting to the very laft. A rare example, and feldom 

 found in hiftory, that fanatics like thefe, always ready to 

 rebel, fliould pcrfift and facrifice their lives to the follies of 

 their own preaching. 



As 



