THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 235 



The prieft is faid to have limited his advice Hill further, and 

 to have only begged him to remember not to eat the fifh of 

 a certain river in the territory of Giba in the province of 

 Shat. The king, however, flufhed with his victory over the 

 Boren Galla, forgot the name of the river and the injunction; 

 and, having ate fifh out of this river, was immediately after 

 taken dangeroufly ill, and died on his return. 



The writer of his life fays, that the fatal effects of this 

 river were afterwards experienced in the reign of Yafous the 

 Great, at the time in which he wrote, when the king's whole 

 army, encamped along the fides of this river, were taken 

 with violent ficknefs after eating the fifh caught in it, and 

 that many of the foldiers died. Whether this be really fact 

 or not, I will not take upon me to decide. Whether fifh, or 

 any other animal, living in water impregnated with poifon- 

 ous minerals, can preferve its own life, and yet imbibe a 

 quantity of poifon fufhcient to deflroy the men that fhould 

 eat it, feems to me very doubtful. Something like this is 

 faid to happen in oyfters, which are found on copperas beds, 

 or have preparations of copperas thrown upon them to tinge 

 a part of them with green. I do not, however, think it 

 likely, that the creature would live after this metallic dofe, 

 or preferve a tafle that would make it food for man till he 

 accumulated a quantity fufficient to deflroy him. 



Sertza Denghel was of a very humane affable difpofi- 

 tion, very different from his father Menas. He was fledfafl 

 in his adherence to the church of Alexandria, and feemed 

 perfectly indifferent as to the Romifh church and clergy. 

 In converfation, he frequently condemned their tenets, but 

 always commended the fobriety and fanctity of their lives. 



Gg2 He 



