THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 353 



the bifhop of Alexandria, becaufe the Egyptians, from old 

 times feem to have had this gift of computation given them; 

 and when thefe had fignitied to the apoftolic See the days 

 upon which the moveable, feafls were to happen, .the church 

 of Rome then notified this by writing to churches at a great-. 

 er diltance. 



We are not to doubt that this privilege, which the church 

 of Alexandria had been fo long in poffeilion of, contributed 

 much to inflame the minds of the Abyffinians againll the 

 Roman Catholic priefts, for altering the time of keeping 

 Eafter, by appointing days of their own ; for we fee violent 

 commotions to have arifen every year upon the celebration 

 of this feftival. . 



The Abyflinians have another way of defcribing time 

 peculiar to themfelves ; they read the whole of the four 

 evangelifts every year in their churches. They begin with 

 Matthew, then proceed to Mark, Luke, and John, in order; 

 and, when they fpeakof an event, they write and fay it hap- 

 pened in the days of Matthew, that is, in the firfl quarter of 

 the year, while the gofpel of St Matthew was yet reading 

 in the churches. . 



They compute the time of the day in a very arbitrary, ir- 

 regular manner. The twilight, as I have before obferved, 

 is veryfliort, almofl imperceptible, and was Hill more fo 

 when the court was removed farther to the fouthward in 

 Shoa. As foon as the fun falls below the horizon, night 

 comes on, and all the ftars appear. This term, then, the 

 twilight, they choofe for the beginning of their day, and 

 call it Najrge, which is the very time the twilight of the 



V.qu 111 Y y morning 



