THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 235 
confequence, but gave his draft-board and men to a private 
friend ; at the fame time renouncing his pretended divina- 
tions, as deceitful and finful, by the confidence he had pla- 
cedin them. 
Tue king behaved with the greateft firmnefs and compo- 
fure ; he was indeed graver than ufual, and talked lefs, but 
was not at all dejected. 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 priefts 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 bloodthed, 
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 toGutho, not as a complaint from the king, but through 
a by-ftander who heard it, that nobleman ordered the offen- 
der (a prieft of Erba Tenfa, a church in Woggora) to be 
ftript naked to his wait, and whipt with thongs three times 
round Aylo Meidan, 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 leffened that infolence 
which the king’s misfortunes had excited. 
ie had ate nothing the firft day but a fmall piece of 
wheat-loaf, dividing the reft among the few fervants that 
Gga attended 
