4<5o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



afk the patriarch why he difplaced Abuna Chriftodulus, and 

 appointed Abba Sanuda in his room, and defiring that Ab- 

 ba Marcus fhould be made Abuna, and Sanuda depofed. 

 The clergy met very punctually, and the patriarch's letter 

 was produced in the affembly, the Teal examined, and de- 

 clared to be the patriarch's, and unbroken. The letter being 

 opened by the king's order, it contained the patriarch's man- 

 date to depofe Abba Sanuda, and to put Marcus Abuna in his 

 place, which was immediately done by command of the king. 



While Yafous Was thus bufied in directing the affairs 

 of his kingdom with great wifdom and fuccefs, both in 

 church and ftate, a matter was in agitation, unknown to 

 him, at a diftance from his dominions, which had a ten- 

 dency to throw them again into confufion. 



Towards the end of the laft century, there was fettled at 

 Cairo a number of Italian mimonaries of the reformed 

 Order of St Francis, who, though they lived in "the fame 

 convent, and were maintained at the expence of the fa- 

 thers of the Holy Land, yet did they Hill pretend to be 

 independent of the guardian of Jerufalem, the fuperior of 

 thefe latter. 



The expence of their maintenance, joined with their pre- 

 tentions to independence, gave great offence to thofe religi- 

 ous of the Holy Land* who thereupon carried their com> 

 plaints to Rome, offering to be at the whole charge of the- 

 million of Egypt, and to furnifh from their own fociety 

 fubjects capable of attending to, and extending the Chrif- 

 tian faith. This offer met with the defired fuccefs at 

 Route* The minion of Egypt, to the exclufion of every 



other 



