316 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
wall. St George is generally there with his dragon, and St 
Demetrius fighting a lion. There is no choice in their 
faints, they are both of the Old and New Teftament, and 
thofe that might be difpenfed with from both. There is 
St Pontius Pilate and his wife; there is St Balaam and his 
afs ; Samfon and his jaw-bone; and fo of the reft. But the 
thing that furprifed me moft was a kind of fquare-minia- 
ture upon the front of the head-piece, or mitre, of the prieft, 
adminiftring the facrament at Adowa, reprefenting Pharaoh 
on a white horfe plunging in the Red Sea, with many guns: 
and piftols {wimming upon the furface of it around him. . 
Noruine emboffed, nor in relief, ever appears in any of’ 
their churches ; all this would be reckoned idolatry, fo much 
fo that they do not wear a crofs, as has been reprefented, on 
the top of the ball of the fendick, or ftandard, becaufe it cafts. 
a fhade; but there is no doubt that pictures have been™ 
ufed in their churches from the very earlieft age of Chri- 
flianity. 
Tue Abuna is looked upon as the patriarch of the Abyf-- 
finian church, for they have little knowledge of the coptie 
patriarch of Alexandria. We are perfectly ignorant of the. 
hiftory of thefe prelates for many years after their appoint- 
ment. The firft-of thefe mentioned is Abuna Tecla Haima-- 
nout, who diftinguifhed himfelf by the reftoration of the 
royal family, and the regulations he made both in church: 
and flate, as we have feen.in the hiftory of thofe times: a: 
very remarkable, but wife regulation was then made, that: 
the Abyflinians fhould not have it in their power to choofe. 
one of their.own countrymen as Abuna.. 
WISE: 
