THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 43 ; 



the king's fide, no perfon of confideration was flain but 

 Kafmati Mazire, and very few on the part of the enemy r 



This year 1685, the 5th of Yafous's reign, there was no 

 military expedition. He had pardoned Abba Tebedin, and 

 Kafmati Wali, and the monks again defired an afiembly of 

 the clergy, which was granted. But the king feeing, at its 

 firft meeting, that it was to produce nothing but wrang- 

 ling and invectives ; with great calmnefs and refolutioa 

 told the afiembly, " That their difputes were of a nature 

 fo confufed and unedifying, that he queflioned much 

 their being really founded in fcripture ; and the rather 

 fo, becaufe the patriarch of Alexandria feemed neither to 

 know, nor concern himfelf about them, nor was the A- 

 buna, at his firft coming, ever inftructed on any one of thefe 

 points. If they were, however, founded in fcripture, one 

 of them was confeiledly in the wrong ; and, if fo, he doubted 

 it might be the cafe with both ; that he had, therefore, 

 come to a refolution to name feveral of the belt-qualified 

 perfons of both parties, who, in the prefence of the Itche- 

 gue and Abuna, might infpecl; the books, and from them 

 fettle fome premifes that might be hereafter accepted and 

 admitted as data by both," 



This being aflented to, the very next year He ordered 'two? 

 of the priefts of Debra Libanos then at Gondar, together 

 with Abba Tebedin,. Cofmas of Aruana, the Abuna Sanuda, 

 and the Itchegue, forthwith to repair to Debra Mariam, an 

 ifland in the lake Tzana, where, fequeftered from the 

 world, they might difcufs their feveral opinions, and fettle 

 fome points admiflible by both fides. After which, without 

 giving any opportunity for reply, he dnTolved the afiembly,.. 

 and took the field with his army. 



Taa 



