THE BGOURCHVOTSTHRYNILE, . Gus 
Tue firft in latter days who vifited Abyflinia was a monk, 
and at the fame time a merchant; he was fent by Norinofus, 
ambaffador of the emperor Juftin, in the fifth year of the 
reign of that prince, that is A. D. 522. He is called Cofmas the 
hermit, as alfo Indoplauftes. Many have thought that this 
name was given him from his having travelled much in 
India, properly fo called; but we have no evidence that Cof- 
mas was ever in the Afiatic India, and I rather imagine he 
obtained his name from his travels in Abyffinia, called by 
the ancients India; he went as far as Axum, and feems to 
~ have paid proper attention to the difference of climates, 
names, and fituations of places, but he arrived not at_the 
Nile, nor did he attempt it. The province of the Agows 
was probably at that time inacceflible, as the court was 
then in Tigre at Axum, a confiderable diftance beyond the 
Tacazzé, and is to the eaftward of it. 
None of the Portuguefe who firft arrived in Abyfiinia, 
neither Covillan, Roderigo de Lima, Chriftopher de Gama, 
nor the patriarch Alphonfo Mendes, ever faw, or indeed pre- 
tended to have feen, the fource of the Nile.” At laft, in the 
reign of Za Denghel, came Peter Paez, who laid claim to this 
honour ; how far his pretenfions are juft | am now going to. 
confider.—Paez has left a hiftory of the miifion, and fome 
remarkable occurrences that happened in that country, in 
two thick volumes octavo, clofely written in a plain {tile ; 
copies of this work were circulated through every college 
_and feminary of Jefuits that exifted in his time, and which. 
have been everywhere found in their libraries fince theif 
grace of that learned body. 
ATHANASIUS: 
