252 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



Sheba, was contemporary with Augustus and reigned 

 sixteen years, the birth of Christ taking place in the 

 eighth year of his reign. The conversion of Abyssinia 

 to Christianity took place under King Abreha, or 

 Atzeba, the thirteenth successor of Bazen, about 333 

 years after Christ, and the first Eishop of Abyssinia 

 was delegated by St. Athanasius of Alexandria, who 

 himself occupied the episcopal see of that city, 

 A.D. 330. 



It is also related that Frumentius, the apostle of 

 Abyssinia, came to the kingdom during the govern- 

 ment of a woman, who was probably the mother of a 

 king under age. The Greek philosopher Meropius, 

 who was living at Tyre and had embraced the Christian 

 religion, embarked upon the Eed Sea to go to India, 

 taking with him Frumentius and Adesius, two young 

 men whom he was anxious to establish in trade, after 

 having given them the best of educations. The ship 

 upon which they had embarked was wrecked off the 

 coast of Abyssinia, and while Meropius perished in 

 defending himself from the inhabitants, the two youths 

 were captured and taken to Axoum, where the court 

 then resided. They soon became acquainted with the 

 language, and as the Abyssinians were always very 

 kindly disposed towards strangers, they were very well 

 treated, Adesius being appointed master of the king's 

 household, a post which has since then always been 

 held by a foreigner. Frumentius was deemed worthy 

 to be entrusted with the education of the king, and 



