THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 57 



From Delhoya he proceeded to Degwa, from thence to 

 Warga, which he treated in the fame manner as Delhoya, 

 and then entered the province of Dawaro, where he under- 

 ftood that Hydar, governor of that province, with Saber- 

 eddin, and a very valuable convoy coming to him, under 

 their conduct, from Shoa, were intercepted by Hydar's peo- 

 ple, and their guard cut to pieces. Inflead, therefore, of 

 proceeding to Shoa, as his intention was, he encamped at 

 Bahalla, and there kept the feafl of Chriftmas, laying the 

 whole province, by parties, under military execution ; and 

 hearing there that Jofeph, governor of Serca, was in un- 

 derftanding with thofe of Dawaro, he put him in prifOn, 

 carrying off all his horfes, afles, mules, and a prodigious 

 quantity of other cattle, which he drove before him, and 

 ended his expedition by his entry into Shoa. 



This is the Abyflinian account of the reign of their prince 

 Amda Sion, a little abridged, and made more conformable to 

 the manner of writing Englifh hiftory. The hiftorian, contra- 

 ry to the ufual practice, gives no account of himfelf ; but he 

 feems to have lived in the time of Zara Jacob, the third reign 

 after this. Though he wrote in Shoa, his book is in pure 

 Geez, there" -being fcarcely an Amharic word in it. 



There are three things which I would now obferve ; not 

 becaufe they are (ingle inftances,, but, on the contrary, be- 

 caufe, though firfl mentioned here, they are uniformly con- 

 firmed throughout the whole Abyflinian hiftory. 



The firft is, that the king of Abyflinia is, in all matters 

 ecclefiaftical and civil, fupreme; that he punifhes all offences 

 committed by the clergy in as abfolute and direct a manner as 



Vol. II. H if 



