THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 87 



council of Florence, had come into Abyflinia with the Abu- 

 lia Imaranha Chriftos. Among thefe were fome monks 

 from Syria, or Egypt, who had propagated a herefy which 

 had found many difciples. They denied the confnbftantia- 

 iity of Chrift, whom they admitted to be perfect God and 

 likewife perfect man, but maintained that what we call his 

 humanity was a precious fubftance, or nature, not compofed 

 of flelh, blood, and arteries, (like ours), but infinitely more 

 noble, perfect, peculiar to, and only exifting in himfelf. An 

 afTembly of the clergy was called, this herefy condemned, 

 and thofe who had denied the perfect manhood of our Sa- 

 viour were put to death by different kinds of torture. Some 

 were fent to die in the Kolla, others expofed, without the 

 neceflaries of life, to perifh with cold on the tops of the 

 higheft mountains. 



There was another motive of difcontent which appear- 

 ed in that affembly, and which affected the king himfelf, 

 A Venetian, whofe name was Branca Leon, was one of the 

 ftrangers that arrived in Ethiopia at the time above men- 

 tioned. He was a limner by profeflion, and exceedingly 

 favoured by the late king, for whom he had painted, with 

 great applaufe, the pictures of Abyffinian Taints for the de- 

 coration of the churches. It happened that this man was 

 employed for an altar-piece of Atronfa Mariam ; the fubject 

 was a common one in Italy, Chrifl in his mother's arms ; 

 where the child, according to the Italian mode, is held in 

 his mother's left arm. This is directly contrary to the u- 

 fage of the Eafl, where the left hand is referved for the pur- 

 pofe of warning the body when needful, and is therefore 

 looked upon with difhonour, fo much, indeed, that at table 

 the right hand only is put into the plate* 



4 - The. 



