THE 'SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3-11. 



rare to common and material cafes, perhaps we had done 

 better. Neither of them hath ever yet been tranilated into 

 the Abyfiinian, fo as to be .under flood to mean the fame 

 thing in different places. This for a time was, in a certain 

 degree, remedied, or underftood, by the free accefc they had, 

 for feveral ages, both to Cairo and Jerufalem, where their 

 books were revifed and corrected, and many of the princi- 

 pal orthodox opinions inculcated. But, fince the conqucft 

 of Arabia and Egypt by Sultan Selim, in 15 16, the commu- 

 nication between Abyfiinia and thefe two countries hath 

 been-very precarious and dangerous, if not entirely cut off; 

 and now- as to doctrine, I am perfectly convinced they are 

 in every refpect to the full as great heretics as ever the Je- 

 fuits reprefented them. And I am confident, if any Catholic 

 mifTionaries attempt to inftoucl: them again, they will foon 

 lofe the ufe of letters, and the little knowledge they yet have 

 of religion, from prejudice only, and fear of incurring a 

 danger they are not fufficiently acquainted witli to follow 

 the means of avoiding it. 



The two natures in Chritt, the two perfons, their unity, 

 their equality, the inferiority of the manhood, doctrines, and 

 definitions of the time of St Athanafius, are all wrapt up in 

 tenfold darknefs, and inextricable from amidft the thick 

 clouds of-hercfy and ignorance of language. . Nature is of- 

 ten miftaken for perfon, and perfon for nature ; the fame of 

 the human fubilancc. It is monftrous to hear their rcafon- 

 ing upon it. One would think, that every different monk, 

 every time he talks, purpofely broached fome new herefy. 

 Scarce one of them that ever I converfed with, and thofe of 

 the very bell of them, would fuller it to be faid, that ChrilVs 

 body was .perfectly like our's. Nay, it was eafily fecn that, 



Vol. III. S f in 



