THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 329 



days are equal to the nights, at leaft as to fenfe, even in the 

 month of January. 



The baptifm, Alvarez fays, began at midnight, and the. 

 old tutor dipt every perfon under water, taking him by the 

 head, faying, ' I baptile thee in the name of the Father, of the 

 Son, and of the Holy Ghoft.' It was moll thronged at fun- 

 rife,' and ended about nine o'clock ; a long time for an old 

 man to Hand in frozen water. 



The number (as women were promifcuoufly admitted)^ 

 could not be lefs than 40,000 ; fo that even the nine hours' 

 this baptift- general officiated, he mult have had exercife 

 enough to keep him warm, if 40,000, (many of them naked 

 beauties) palled through bis hands. 



The women were flark naked before the men, not even 

 a rag about them. Without fome fuch proper medium as 

 frozen water, I fear it would not have contributed much to 

 the interefts of religion to have trufted a prieft (even an old 

 one) among fo many bold and naked beauties, efpecially 

 as he had the firft fix hours of them in the dark. 



The Abuna, the king, and queen, were the three firft bap- 

 tifed, all three being abfolutely naked, having only a cotton 

 cloth round their middle. 1 am fure there never could be 

 a greater deviation from the manners of any kingdom, than 

 this, is from thofe of Abyffinia. The king is always cover- 

 ed ; you feldom fee any part of him but his eyes. The 

 queen and every woman in Abyffinia, in public and private) 

 {I mean where nothing is intended but converfation) are 

 covered to the chin. It is a difgrace to them to have even 



Vol. 111. T t their 



