~ 
THE SOURCE OFTHE NILE. (355° 
the bifhop of Alexandria, becaufe the Egyptians, from old 
times, feem to have had this gift of computation given them, 
and when thefe had fignified. to the apoftolic See the days 
upon which the moveable feafts were to happen, the church 
of Rome then notified this by writing to churches at a great- 
er. diftance. 
We are not to doubt that-this privilege, which the church 
of Alexandria had been fo long in poffeffion of, contributed ° 
much to inflame the minds of the Abyflinians againft the 
Roman Catholie. priefts; for altering: the time of keeping 
Eafter, by appointing days of their own; for we fee violent 
commotions to have arifen-every year upon the celebration . 
of this. feftival.. 
Tue Abyflinians have another way of defcribing time 
peculiar to themfelves; they read the whole of the four 
evangelifts every year in their churches. They begin with. 
Matthew, then proceed to. Mark, Luke, and John, in order ;. 
‘and, when they fpeak of an event, they:write and. fay it hap- 
pened in the days of Matthew, that is, in the firft quarter of | 
the year, while the gofpel of St Matthew.was yet reading 
in the churches. . 
THEY compute the time of the day:in a very arbitrary, ir- 
regular.manner.. The twilight, as I have before obferved, 
is very fhort, almof{ imperceptible, and: was {till more. fo 
when .the court was removed farther to the fouthward in 
Shoa. As foon as the fun falls below. the horizon, night 
comes on, and-all the ftars. appear. This term, then, the 
twilight, they choofe for the beginning of their day, and 
call it. Naggé, which is the very time the twilight of the 
Vo. Il... : Y.y: morning 
