_— ape Ss 
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 129 
me injuftice if you will not believe that I had rather obey 
your commands than thofe of any general upon earth: 
But, pray, what is the meaning of the Ras’s fpeech to me 
about both armies withing to fight at Serbraxos *? Where is 
this Serbraxos ?’—“ Why, fays fhe, here, on a hill juft by; 
the Begemder people have a prophecy, that one of their go- 
vernors is to fight a king at Serbraxos, to defeat him, and 
flay him there: in his place is to fucceed another king, 
whofe name is Theodorus, and in whofe reign all Abyfii- 
nia is to be free from war, or from any trouble, ficknefs, or 
famine; that the Galla, Shangalla, and Mahometans are all 
to be deftroyed, and the empire of Abyflinia to be extended 
as far as Jerufalem.”—“ All this deftruction and conqueft 
without war! That will be curious indeed. I think I could 
with to fee this Theodorus,” faid J, laughing. “ See him 
you will, replied Ozoro Efther ; peace, happinefs, and plen- 
ty will laft all his reign, and a thoufand years afterwards. 
Enoch and Elias will rife again, and will fight and deftroy 
Gog and Magog, and all this without any war.”—“ On 
which I again faid, that muft be cleverly managed. And 
now, why does Ras Michael choofe to fight at Serbraxos? I 
do not think he is defirous to pay his court to the king 
Theodorus, or any king brought him by Begemder.”— 
“« Why, fays fhe, all the hermits and holy men on our fide, 
that can prophecy, have affured him he is to beat the re- 
bels this month at Serbraxos; and a very holy man, a her- 
mait from Waldubba, came to him at Gondar, and obliged 
him to march out againit his will, by telling him this pro- 
phecy, which he knows to be true, as the man is not like 
VoL. IV. R common 
* Serbraxos, abbreviation for Serba Chriftos, the Crofs of Chrift. 
