THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 275 



I have mentioned a council of flatc held in Abyfllnia in 

 time of danger or difficulty, where the king fitting inviiible, 

 though prefent, gives his opinion by an officer called Kal- 

 Hatze. Upon his delivering the lenience from the king 

 the whole afTembly rife, and fland upon their feet; and this 

 they mult have done the whole time the council lafled had 

 the king appeared there in perfon. According to the cir- 

 cumflances of the time, the king goes with the majority, or 

 not; and if, upon a divilion, there is a majority againfl him, 

 he often punifhes the majority on the other fide, by fending 

 them to prifon for voting againfl his fcntiments ; for tho' 

 it is underflood, by calling of the meeting, that the majori- 

 ty is to determine as to the eligibility of the meafure, the 

 king, by his prerogative, fuperfedes any majority on the 

 other fide, and fo far, I fuppofe, has been an encroachment 

 upon the original conflitution. This I underfland was the 

 fame in Perfia. 



Xerxes *, being about to declare war againfl the Greeks, 

 affembled all the principal chiefs of Afia in council. " That 

 I may not, fays he, be thought to a£l only by my own judg- 

 ment, I have called you together. At the fame time, I 

 think proper to intimate to you, that it is your duty to 

 obey my will, rather than enter into any deliberation or re- 

 xnonflrances of your own." 



We will now compare fome particulars, the drefs and 

 ornaments of the two kings. The king of Abyflinia wears 

 his hair long ; fo did the ancient kings of Perfia. We learn 



M m 2 this 



• Herod, lib. vi. 



