THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 437 



the king's fide, no perfon of confideration was ilain but 

 Kafmati Mazirc, and very few on the part of the enemy. 



This year 1685, the 5th of Yafous's reign, there was no 

 miUtary expedition. He had pardoned Abba Tebedin, and 

 Kafmati Wali, and the monks again defired an affembly of 

 the clergy, which was granted. But the king feeing, at its 

 iirft meeting, that it was to produce nothing but wrang- 

 ling and invecflives ; with great calmnefs and refolution 

 told the affembly, " That their difputes were of a nature 

 fo confufed and unedifying, that he quellioned much 

 their being really founded in fcripture ; and the rather 

 fo, becaufe the patriarch of Alexandria feemed neither to 

 know, nor concern himfelf about them, nor was the A- 

 buna, at his firft coming, ever inil:ru(5led on any one of thcfe 

 points. If they were, hov/ever, founded in fcripture, one 

 of rhem was confellecUy in the wrong ; and, if fo, he doubted 

 ir might be the cafe with both ; that he had, therefore, 

 eome to a refolution to name feveral of the beft-qualilicd 

 perfons of both parties, who, in the prefence of the Itche- 

 gue and Abuna, mighc infpc(5t the books, and from them 

 fettle fome premifes that might be hereafter accepted and 

 admitted as data by both." 



This being afTented to, the very next year he ordered two 

 of the priefts of Debra Libanos tlien at Gondar, togetlier 

 Willi Abba Tebedin, Colmas of Aruana, the Abuna Sanuda, 

 and the Itchegue, forthwith 10 repair to Debra Mariam, an 

 iiland in the lake Tzana, where, fequeilered from the 

 world, they might difcuf. their feveral opinions, and fettle 

 feme points admiflible by both fules- Afier which, without 

 giving any opportunity for reply, he dilTolved the aflembly,. 

 and took the lield with his army. 



The 



