3 |6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



the decline. Nineteen years of this mod active miffionan^ 

 anduhe death of three kings, had advanced it only: fo fan 

 as to be embraced publicly by one of them; after Paez's 

 death, in fix years- it fell, though, fnpportcd moil ftrenuoufly 

 by a king prodigal of the blood of his fubjects in this caufe* 

 by a patriarch fent from Rome, and by above 20 very zeal- 

 ous and active mimonaries ; and, as far as my forefight can 

 carry me, it is fo entirely fallen, that, unlefs by a fpecial mi-» 

 racle of Providence wrought for that purpofe, it never will 

 rife again. 



The king's renunciation of the Alexandrian faith; was 

 followed by a very flrong, or rather violent manifefto, and 

 we need, not be at a lofs to guefs whom he employed to 

 draw it up. It begins by aliening the fupremacy of the 

 church of Rome, as the fee of St Peter ; it mentions the 

 three firil general councils, which condemned Arius, Mace- 

 donius, and ■ Neilorius ; next quotes the council of Chal- 

 cedon, as the fourth general council, as having juflly con- 

 demned Diofcurus - r but fays not a word of the council of 

 Ephefus, which the Abyffinians receive inftead- of .. that of 

 Chalcedon ; infills largely upon the two natures in Chrift ; 

 then, leaving the patriarchs of Alexandria, it attacks not the 

 doctrine, but the morals of the Abunas, fent from Alexandria 

 into Abymnia, accufes the ecclefiaflics in general of fimony and 

 paying money to the Abuna for their ordination, (a well* 

 founded part of the charge) which I fear continues to this day* 



The Abuna Marcus was, it is there faid, convicted by So* 

 cinios, or Melee Segued, of a crime of fuch , turpitude that 

 the name of it mould never ilain paper. He was degraded 

 and banifhed to the hland of Dek fc His fucceffor Chriflodulus 



had. 



