THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 491 



meters of this JewiSh nation, they will not eaSily believe that 

 they did ever willingly " receive the Old Teftament from a 

 " people who were the avowed champions of the New" 



They have, indeed, no knowledge of the New Teftament 

 but from conversation ; and do not curfe it, but treat it as 

 a folly where it fuppofes the Memah come, who, they feem 

 to think, is to be a temporal prince, prophet, prieft, and con- 

 queror. 



Still, it is not probable that a Jew would receive the 

 law and the prophets from a Christian, without abfolute ne- 

 ceflity, though they might very well receive fuch a copy from 

 a brother jew, which all the AbySiinians were, when this 

 translation was made. Nor would this, as I fay, hinder them 

 from following a copy really made by Jews from the text 

 itfeif, fuch as the Septuagint actually was. But, I confers, 

 great difficulties occur on every fide, and I defpair of having 

 them folved, unlefs by an able, deliberate analyfis of the 

 fpecimen of the Falafha language which I have preferved, 

 in which I earneftly requeft the concurrence of the learned. 

 A book of the length of the Canticles contains words 

 enough to judge upon the queflion, Whence the Falafha 

 came, and what is the probable caufe they had not a transla- 

 tion in their own tongue, Since a verfion became neceSTary ? 



I have lefs doubt that Frumentius translated the New 

 Teftament, as he muft have had afii Stance from thofeof his 

 own communion in Egypt ; and this is a further reafon 

 why I believe that, at his coming, he found the Old Tefta- 

 ment already translated into the Ethiopic language and cha- 

 sa&er, becaufe Bagla, or Geez, was an unknown letter, and 



3 Qj* the 



