THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 473 



d or Azab) lhall rife up in the judgment with this genera- 

 " tion, and lhall condemn it ; for Hie came from the uttcr- 

 " moll parts of the earth to hear the wifdom of Solomon ; 

 *' and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here *." No other 

 particulars, however, are mentioned about her in fcripture ; 

 and it is not probable our Saviour would fay fhe came from 

 the uttermoft parts of the earth, if fhe had been an Arab, 

 and had near 50 of the Continent behind her. The gold, 

 the myrrh, cafTia, and frankincenfe, were all the produce 

 of her own country ; and the many reafons Pineda f gives 

 to fliew fhe was an Arab, more than convince me that fhe 

 was an Ethiopian or Cufhite fhepherd. 



A strong objection to her being an Arab, is, that the 

 Sabean Arabs, or Homerites, the people that lived oppolite 

 to Azab on the Arabian fhore, had kings inflead of queens, 

 which latter the Shepherds had, and flill have. Moreover, 

 the kings of the Homerites were never feen abroad, and 

 were Honed to death if they appeared in public ; fubje6ts of 

 this {lamp would not very readily fufFer their queen to go 

 to Jerufalem, even fuppoilng they had a queen, which they 

 had not. 



Whether fhe was a Jewefs or a Pagan is uncertain ; Sa- 

 baifm was the religion of all the Eail. It was the conflant 

 attendant and flumbling-block of the Jews ; but confidering 

 the multitude of that people then trading from Jerufalem, 

 and the long time it continued, it is not improbable fhe was 



Vol. I. 3 O a Jewefs. 



* Matth. chap. xii. ver. 42. Luke xi. 31. 



f Pin. de reb. Solomon, lib. iv. cap. 14th. — Jofephus thinks ftie was an Ethiopian, fo do On'geri, 

 Anguftin, and St Anfelmo. 



