BARATTl's JOURNEY. 
65 
sages in the time of Moses. Some appeared to 
him to be made of the Egyptian papyrus. Twenty- 
three persons were constantly employed in tran- 
scribing such manuscripts as seemed to be falling 
into decay. 
The author gives a very favourable view of the 
Abyssinian clergy, who, both in belief and prac- 
tice, appear much superior to the Romish priests 
who were so zealous for their conversion. Their 
monks do not devote themselves to idleness and 
beggary, like those of Europe ; they employ a 
great part of the day in moderate labour, visiting 
the sick, and other charitable offices, and spend 
the evening in conversation and innocent amuse- 
ments. They live together in the greatest har- 
mony ; so that our author conceives, if there is a 
paradise upon earth, it is among these monks 
and friars of Ethiopia. In addition to their old 
creed, they have drawn up a new one to guard 
against the errors of the church of Rome. They 
declare, that, though the Virgin Mary be worthy 
of the highest reverence, she is neither to be 
worshipped nor prayed to ; that the cross is a 
mere badge of their profession, and possesses no 
virtue in itself ; that, though St Peter was the 
chief of the apostles, his successors at Rome en- 
joy no authority over the rest of the church ; 
that the apostles and martyrs are to be reverenced 
along with the angels, but not to be prayed to^ 
VOL, IIo E 
