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THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 647 
fay, “‘ That it may be made thy holy blood:” and in their 
prayer they fay, “ Change this bread that it may, be made 
thy body ;” and again, “ May the Holy Ghoft fhine upon 
this bread, that it may be made the body of Chrift our God, 
and that this cup may be changed and become the blood, 
not the /ymbol, of the blood of Chrift our God.” With all 
refpect to Mr Ludolf’s opinion, I muft think that, though 
the benediction prayed upon the patine, fpoon, and chalice, is 
but an aukward expreflion, yet, if I underftand the language, 
* converte” and “immutetur’” are literal tranflations of the 
Ethiopic, and feem ‘to pray fora tranfubftantiation as direct- 
ly as words will admit, whether they believe in it or not; 
nor, as far as I know, can any ftronger or more expreifiive be 
found to fubftitute in their place. 
I swat finifh this fubje& (which is not of my province, 
and which I have mentioned, becaufe I know it is a matter 
which fome of my readers defire information upon) by an 
anecdote that happened a few months before my coming 
into Abyffinia, as it was accidentally told me by the prieft 
of Adowa the very day of the Epiphany, and which Janni 
vouched to be true, and to have feen. 
Tue Sunday before Ras Michacl’s departure for Gondar 
from Adowa, he went to church in great pomp, and there 
received the facrament. There happened to be fuch a crowd 
to fee him, that the wine, part of the confecrated elements, 
was thrown down and fpilt upon the fteps -whereon the 
communicants ftood at receiving. Some ftraw or hay was 
inftantly gathered and {prinkled upon it to cover it, and the 
communicants continued the fervice till the end, treading 
that grafs under foot. 
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