Ti: SOURCE OF THE NILE. 527 



" coming anvl ;^' oing wherever they will freely for their 

 " own advantage, whether they are our fubjedls or French- 

 " men, and whatever you fliall do to or for them, we fliall 

 " regard as done to or for ourfelves." 



03= The addrefs is — " To the balha, princes, and lords 

 " governing the town of great Cairo, may God favour 

 " them with his goodnefs." 



There are feveral things very remarkable in this letter. 

 The king of Abyflinia values himfelf, and his predecelTors, 

 upon never having moleiled or troubled any of his neigh- 

 bours who were kings, nor borne any envy towards them. 

 We are not then to believe what we fee often in hiflory, 

 that there was frequent war between Sennaar and Abyflinia, 

 or that Sennaar was tributary to Abyflinia. That ftripe of 

 country, inhabited by the Shangalla, would, in this cafe, 

 have been firft conquered. But it is more probable, that 

 the great difference of climate which immediately takes 

 place between the two kingdoms, the great want of water 

 on the frontiers, barriers placed there by the hand of Na- 

 ture, have been the means of keeping thefe kingdoms from 

 having any mutual concerns ; and fo, indeed, we may guefs 

 by the utter filence of the books, which never mention any 

 war at Sennaar till the beginning of the reign of Socinios, . 



I APPREHEND, that protcifling diftinguifhed perfons upon 

 great occaflons, alludes to the children of the king of Sen- 

 naar, who frequently fly after the death of their father to 

 Abyflinia * for protection, it being the cufl;om of that flate 



to 



* iVbdelcader, fon of Ounfa, retired here» 



