THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 357 



patriarch, and the caufe muft have been tried before the 

 civil judge. But Mendes was of another opinion. He order- 

 ed the nobleman to make his defence before the ecclefialti- 

 cal tribunal ; and, upon his refufing this as a novelty to 

 which he was not bound, he condemned him immediately 

 to reftore the lands to the monk. This, too, was refufed on 

 the part of the prefent poiTefTor, who being one day attend- 

 ing the king at church, the patriarch, without preamble, 

 pronounced againft him a formal fentence of excommuni- 

 cation, by which he gave him over,, foul and body, to the 

 deviL 



Such procedure was* till then, unknown in Abymnia. 

 The nobleman, though otherwife brave, was fo much affect- 

 ed with the terms of his fentence as to faint, imagining, 

 himfelf already in the clutches of Satan, and it was with dif- 

 ficulty he was recovered, the king making intercemon 

 with the patriarch to take off this cenfure, or rather this 

 curfc 



Sudden as it was, however, in the inflicting, and eafy ra- 

 the removal, it made very lafting and ferrous inrpremons on 

 the minds of men of all ranks, greatly to the difadvantage 

 of the patriarch and the profefTors of his new religion, in 

 the exercife of which they did not difcover that degree of 

 charity, meeknefs, mercy, and Ion g-fuffe ring, that they had 

 been taught were the very eiTentials, of it. 



The next initance was this : There had been an Itchegue, 

 that is, the fuperior of the monks of Debra Libanos, an Or- 

 der inflituted by AbbaTecla Haimanout, the lalt Abyfhnian 

 Abuna, not more celebrated by the church than the ff ate, 



i a& 



