THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 603 



fhould immediately attend him within the palace, in a pub- 

 lic place which is called the Afhoa, and that upon pain of 

 rebellion. 



The king appeared cloathed all in white, being the habit 

 of peace ; his head was bare, dreiTed,anointed, and perfumed, 

 and his face uncovered. He thus advanced to the rail o£ 

 the gallery, about 10 feet above the heads of the audience, 

 and, in a very graceful, compofed, but refolute manner, be- 

 gan a fhort oration to the people. " He put them in mind 

 " of their wantonnefs in having made Ouftas, a man not of 

 " the royal line of Solomon, king of Abyffinia ; of their ha- 

 " ving incited his brother, Tecla Haimanout, to alTaffinate 

 " their father Yafous ; that they had afterwards murdered 

 " Tecla Haimanout himfelf, one brother, and lately his 

 " other brother David, his own immediate predeceflbr: That 

 " he had taken due vengeance upon all the ringleaders of 

 *' thofe crimes, as was the duty of his place, and, if much 

 " blood had been fhed, it was becaufe many enormities had 

 " been committed ; but that knowing now that order was 

 " eftablifhed, and confpiracies extinguifhed among them, he 

 " had counterfeited death, to fignify an end was put to Ba- 

 " cufFa and his bloody meafures ; that he now was rifen 

 " again, and appeared to them by the name of Atzham 

 " Georgis, fon of Yafous the Great ; and ordered every man 

 " home to his houfe to rejoice at the acceflion of a new 

 " king, under whom they mould have juftice, and live 

 " without fear, as long as they refpected the king that God 

 " had anointed over them." 



This fpeech was followed by the loudeft acclamations, 



*' Long live Bacufla ! Long live Atzham Georgis !" It was 



4 G 2 well 



