2 7 3 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



ing and chaffing his legs, faw a foldier, probably a Pcrfian, 

 who had loft his feeling by extreme numbncfs. The king 

 immediately leaped from his chair, and ordered the foldier 

 to be let down upon it. The fire foon brought him to his 

 fenfes, but lie had alnioft lofl them again with fear, by find- 

 ing himfelf in the king's feat. To whom Alexander faid, 

 " Remember, and diftinguifh, how much more advantage- 

 " ous to man my government is than that of the kings 

 " of Perfia* By fitting down on my feat, you have faved 

 " your life ; by fitting on theirs, you would infallibly have 

 " loft it." 



In Abyfiinia it is confidered as a fundamental law of the 

 land, that none of the royal family, who has any deformity 

 or bodily defect, mail be allowed to fucceed to the crown ; 

 and, for this purpofe, any of the princes, who may have 

 efcaped from the mountain of Wechne, and who are after- 

 wards taken, are mutilated in fome of their members, that 

 thus they may be difqualified from ever fucceeding. In 

 Perfia the fame was obferved. Procopius | tells us, that Za* 

 mes, the fon of Cabades, was excluded from the throne be- 

 caufe he was blind of one eye, the law of Perfia prohibit- 

 ing any perfon that had a bodily defect to be elected king. 



The kings of Abyffinia were feldom feen by their fub- 

 jects. Juftin ^ fays, the Perfians hid the perfon of their king 

 to increafe their reverence for his majefty. And it was a 

 law of Deioces §, king of the Medes, that nobody mould be 



permitted 



Val. Max. lib. v. cap. 16 CVCurt. lib. viii. f Procop. lib. i. cap. 1 1, 



f Juftir. lib. i. § Herod, lib. i. 



