CEDANT ARMA TOG^. 39 



a revolution. Between the two services, the Army and 

 the Church, there had existed a constant and perhaps 

 wholesome rivalry since the days of Menes, the first 

 king. It was a victory of the warrior class which 

 established the regal power. It was a victory of the 

 priests which assigned to themselves the right hand, to 

 the officers the left hand, of the Sovereign when seated 

 on his throne. It was an evident compromise between 

 the two that the king should be elected from the 

 army, and that he should be ordained as soon as he 

 was crowned. During the brilliant campaigns of the 

 Restoration the military had been in power, but a long 

 period of inaction had intervened since then. The 

 discipline of the soldiers was relaxed ; their dignity 

 was lowered ; they no longer tilled their own land ; 

 that was done by foreign slaves. Their rivals possessed 

 the affection and reverence of the common people, while 

 these soldiers, who had never seen a battle, were detested 

 as idle drones, who lived upon what they had not 

 earned. Under the new dynasty their position became 

 insecure. In Ethiopia there was no military caste. 

 The army of Sabaco had been levied from the pastoral 

 tribes on the outskirts of the desert, from the Abys- 

 sinian mountaineers and the negroes of the river plain. 

 The king of Ethiopia was a priest, elected by his peers. 

 He therefore regarded the soldier aristocracy with no 

 friendly eye. He did not formally invade their pre- 

 scriptive rights, but he must have disarmed them, or in 

 some way have taken out their sting. For as soon as 

 he was gone the priests were able to form an alliance 

 with the people, and to place one of their own caste 

 upon the throne. This king deprived the soldiers of 

 their lands, and the triumph of the hierarchy was 

 complete. 



