THESOURCEOFTHENILE. 7 



king, perhaps better informed, thought otherwife of this, 

 and fuppofed the burning of his capital was owing to the 

 Monks themfelves. He therefore banillied thofe of Debra 

 Libanos out of the province of Shoa. The mountain of 

 Gefhen had been chofen for the prifon wherein to guard 

 the princes of the male-hne of the race of Solomon, after 

 the maflacre by Either *, upon the rock Damo in Tigre. 



Geshen is a very fteepand high rock, in the kingdom of 

 Amhara, adjoining to, and under the jurifdi6tion of Shoa. 

 Hither the king fent Philip the Itchegue, chief of the mo- 

 naflery of Debra Libanos, and he Scattered the reft through 

 Dembea, Tigre, and Begemder,(whofe inhabitants were moft- 

 ly Pagans and Jews), where they greatly propagated the 

 knowledge of the Chriftian religion. 



This inftancc of feverity in the king had the effccn: to 

 make all ranks of people return to their duty ; and all talk 

 of Honorius and his miracles was dropt. The town was re- 

 built fpeedily, more magnificently than ever, and Amda Sion 

 found time to turn his thoughts to correct thofe abufes, to 

 efface the unfavourable impreflion which they had made up- 

 on the minds of his people at home, and which, befidcs, had 

 gained confidcrablc ground abroad. 



It has been before mentioned, and will be further incul- 

 cated in the courfe of this hiftory as a fa6t, without the 

 remembrance of which the military expeditions of Abyffi- 

 nia cannot be well underftood, that two oppofite feafons 



prevail 



♦ She had ffver.il iwnies, as I have before faid, Judith in Tigre, and ia Amhara EJ}hn:. 



