THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 345 



Handing, which he had cukivated, every hour of his Hfe, by 

 ftudy or practice. 



Besides poITefling univerfal knowledge in fcholaftic divini- 

 ty, and the books belonging to his profeilion, he underllood 

 Greek, Latin, and Arabic well, was a good mathematician, an 

 excellent mechanic, wrought always with his own hands, 

 and in building was at once a careful, active labourer, and an 

 archite<5l of refined tafte and judgment. He was, by his 

 own ftudy and induftry, painter, mafon, carver, carpenter, 

 fmith, farrier, quarrier, and was able to build convents and 

 palaces, and furnifli them without calling one workman to 

 his alliftance ; and in this manner he is faid to have furnifli- 

 ed the convent at Collela, as alfo the palace and convent at 

 Gorgora, 



With all thcfe accompliflinients, he was fo affable, com- 

 paflionate, and humble in his nature, that he never had op- 

 portunity of convcrfing, even with heretics, without leaving 

 them his friends. He was remarkably chearful in his tem- 

 per ; and the moft forward always in promoting innocent 

 mirth, of that puerile fpecics which we in England cally?///, 

 in great requeft among the young men in Abyffinia, who 

 fpend much of their time in this fort of converfation, whe- 

 ther in the city or the camp. Above all, he was a patient, 

 diligent inftru(5tor of youth; and the greateft part of his dif- 

 eiples died in the perfccution that foon followed, refolutely 

 maintaining the truths of that religion their preceptor firfl 

 had taught them. In a word, he was the hinge upon which 

 the Catholic religion turned. He had found the feeds of it 

 fown in the country for a hundred years before his time, 

 which had borne little fruit, and was then apparently on 



Vol. II. X X the 



