THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 287 



priefts in Abyfiinia that have been detected there, in thefe 

 latter days, have been ftoned to death, and their bodies lie 

 ftill in the ftreets of Gondar, in the fquares or walte-places, 

 covered with the heaps of fton'es which occafioned their 

 death by being thrown at them. There are three of thefe 

 heaps at the church of Abbo, all covering Francifcan friars ; 

 and, befides them, a fmall pyramid over a boy who was 

 ftoned to death with them, about the firft year of the reigri 

 of David the IV. * This boy was one of foiir fons that 

 one of the Francifcan friars had had by an Abyffinian 

 woman in the reign of Ouftas. In Perfia we find, that Pa- 

 gorafus (according to Ctefias -f) was ftoned to death by the 

 order of the king ; and the fame author fays, that Pharna- 

 cyas, one of the murderers of Xerxes, was ftoned to death 

 likewife. 



Among capital punifhments may be reckoned likewife 

 the plucking out of the eyes, a cruelty which I have but too 

 often feen committed in the fhort ft ay that I made in Abyf- 

 finia. This is generally inflicted upon rebels. I have al- 

 ready mentioned, that, after the Slaughter of the battle of 

 Fagitta, twelve chiefs of the Pagan Galla, taken prifoners by 

 Ras Michael, had their eyes torn out, and were afterwards a- 

 bandoned to ftarve in the valleys below the town. Several pri- 

 foners of another rank, noblemen of Tigre, underwent the 

 fame misfortune; and, what is wonderful, not one of them 

 died in the operation, nor its confequences, though perform- 

 ed in the coarfeft manner with an iron forceps, or pincers. 



3 Xenophoii 



* See this hiftory of Abyffinia in vit. David IV. t Vide Ctefiani Hockerii..- 



