THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 22>s 



confequence, but gave his draft-board and men to a private 

 friend ; at the fame time renouncing his pretended divina- 

 tions, as deceitful and fmful, by the confidence he had pla- 

 ced in them. 



The king behaved with the greateft firmnefs and compo- 

 fare ; he was indeed graver than ufual, and talked lefs, but 

 was not at all dejeaed. Scarce any body came near him 

 the firft day, or even the fecond, excepting the priefts, fome 

 of the judges, and old inhabitants of the town, who had , 

 taken no part. Some of the priefls and monks, as is their 

 cuftom, ufed certain liberties, and mixed a confiderable de- 

 gree of impertinence in their converfations, hinting it as 

 doubtful, whether he would remain on the throne, and men- 

 tioning it, as on the part of the people, that he had imbibed 

 from Michael a propenfity towards cruelty and bloodflied, 

 what fome months ago no man in Gondar dared to have fur- 

 mifed for his life. Thefe he only anfwered with a very fevere 

 look, but faid nothing. One of thefe fpeeches being report- 

 ed to Gufho, not as a complaint from the king, but through 

 a by- (lander who heard it, that nobleman ordered the offen- 

 der (a prieft of Erba Tenfa, a church in Woggora) to be 

 llript naked to his waift, and whipt with thongs three times 

 round Aylo Mcidan, till his back was bloody, for this vio- 

 lation of the majefty of the fovereign : and this example, 

 which met with the public approbation of all parties, the 

 clergy only excepted, very much lefTened that infolencc 

 which the king's misfortunes had excited. 



He had ate nothing the firft day but a fmall piece of 

 wheat-loaf, dividing the reft among the few fervants that 



G g 2 attended 



