THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 475 



M fmitten the Edomitcs, and thine heart lifteth thee up to 

 " boaft : abide now at home, why moulded thou meddle 

 " to thine hurt, that thou lliouldeil fall, even thou, and Ju- 

 " dah with thee*?" 



The annals of Abyffinia, being very full upon this 

 point, have taken a middle opinion, and by no means an 

 improbable one. They fay flie was a Pagan when fhe left 

 Azab, but being full of adhiiration at the fight of Solo- 

 mon's works, fhe was converted to Judaifm in Jerufalem, 

 and bore him a fon, whom fhe called Menilek, and who was 

 their firft king. However ftrongly they affert this, and how- 

 ever dangerous it would be to doubt it in Abyffinia, I will not 

 here aver k for truth, nor much lefs flill will I pofitively con- 

 tradict it, as fcripture has faid nothing about it. I fuppofe, 

 whether true or not, in the circumflances fhe was, whilil 

 Solomon alfo, fo far from being very nice in his choice, was 

 particularly addicted to Idumeans f, and other flrange wo- 

 men, he could not more naturally engage himfelf in any 

 amour than in one with the queen of Saba, with whom 

 he had fo long entertained the moll lucrative connections, 

 and molt perfect friendfhip, and who, on her part, by fo 

 long a journey, had furcly made fuflicient advances. 



The Abyffinians, both Jews and Chriftians, believe the 

 xlvth pfalm to be a prophecy of this queen's voyage to Jeru- 

 falem ; that flic was attended by a daughter of Hiram's from 

 Tyre to Jerufalem, and that the laft part contains a decla- 



3 O 2 ration 



t €hron. chap. xxv. ver. 18. 19. -j- 1 Kings, chap. xi. ver. 1. 



