432 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER- 
Tuere is but one church where I ever faw facred rites, or 
fomething like baptifm, conferred upon affes ; it is, I think, 
at Rome on St Andrew’s or St Patrick’s day. It fhould be 
St Balaam’s, if he was in the Roman kalendar as high as he is: 
in the Abyffinian. In that church (it is I think on Monte: 
Cavallo) all forts of affes, about and within Rome, are gather- 
ed together, and fhowers of holy water and bleflings rained’ 
by a prieft upon them. What is the formulalI do not know; 
although it is a joke put upon ftrangers, efpecially of one 
nation, to aflemble them there ; or whether the two church- 
es of Rome and: Abyflinia differ fo much.in this as in other~ 
points of difcipline, 1 am not informed ; but the rationality- 
and decency of fuch a. ceremony being the fame in all: 
churches, the fervice performed at the time fhould be the: 
fame lkewife.. 
I witx not then have any feruple to fay, that this whole ac=- 
count of Alvarez is a grofs fiction ; that no baptifm, or any. 
thing like baptifm, is meant by the ceremony ; that a man is. 
no more baptifed by keeping the anniverfary of our Saviour’s- 
baptifm, than he is crucified by keeping his crucifixion. The 
commemoration of our Saviour’s baptifm on the epiphany, 
and the bleffing the waters that day, is an old obfervance of: 
the eaftern church, formerly performed in public in Egyptas. 
now in Ethiopia. Since that of Alexandria fell into the hands: 
of Mahometans, the fear of infult and profanation has obliged: 
them to-confine this ceremony, and. all other proceffions, , 
within the wails of their churches, in each of which there- 
is conftantly a place devoted to this ufe. Thofe that cannot: 
attend the ceremony of afperfion in the church, efpecially- 
fick or infirm people, have the water fent to them, and a, 
targe contribution is made for the patriarch, or bifhop; yet: 
| Ae nobody, 
~~.) Se |) he 
EO “i. 
