THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 225 



think of the Armenian." It was finally agreed, that the let- 

 ters the Greeks had received mould be read to the king ; 

 that the letters I had from Metical Aga to the Ras mould 

 be given to Mahomet Gibberti, and that I mould be intro- 

 duced to the King and the Ras immediately after they were 

 ready. 



The reader may remember that, when I was at Cairo, I 

 obtained letters fromMark, the Greek patriarch, to the Greeks 

 at Gondar ; and particularly one, in form of a bull, or refcript, 

 to all the Greeks in Abyiiinia. In this, after a great deal of paf- 

 toral admonition, the patriarch faid, that, knowing their pro- 

 pensity to lying and vanity, and not being at hand to impofe 

 proper penances upon them for thefe fins, he exacted from 

 them, as a proof of their obedience, that they would, with 

 a good grace, undergo this mortification, than which there 

 could be no gentler impofed, as it was only to fpeak the truth. 

 He ordered them in a body to go to the king, in the man- 

 ner and time they knew bell, and to inform him that I was 

 not to be confounded with the reft of white men, fuch as 

 Greeks, who were all fubject to the Turks, and flaves ; but 

 that I was a free man, of a free nation ; and the bell of them 

 would be happy in being my fervant, as one of their bre- 

 thren, Michael, then actually was. I will not fay but this 

 was a bitter pill ; for they were high in office, all except 

 Petros, who had declined all employment after the murder 

 of Joas his mailer, whofe chamberlain he was. The order 

 "of the patriarch, however, was fairly and punctually per- 

 formed ; Petros was their fpokefman ; he was originally 

 a fhoemaker at Rhodes, clever, and handfome in his perfon, 

 but a great coward, though, on fuch an occafion as the pre- 

 fent, forward and capable enough. 



Vol. Ill, Ff I think 



