€28 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



ikin, and being braced on their fides like a drum, were pro- 

 bably the inftrument called the tabor, or * tabret, beat upon 

 by the ha* "s, coupled in earlieft ages with the harp, and 

 preferved ftill in Abyflinia, though its companion, the laft- 

 mentioned inftrument, is no longer known there. 



In three following pannels were painted, in frefco, three, 

 harps, which merited the utmoft attention, whether we con- 

 fider the elegance of thefe inftruments in their form, and 

 the detail of their parts as they are here clearly exprefled, 

 or confine ©urfelves to the reflection that neceffarily follows, 

 to how great perfection mufic mull have arrived, before an 

 artift could have produced fo complete an inftrument as 

 either of thefe. 



As the firftliarp feemed to be the moft perfect, and leaft 

 fpoiled, I immediately attached myfelf to this, and deiired 

 my clerk to take upon him the charge of the fecond. In 

 this way, by fketching exactly, and loofely, I hoped to have 

 made myfelf matter of all the paintings in that cave, per- 

 haps to have extended my refearches to others, though, in 

 the fequel, I found myfelf miferably deceived. 



My firft drawing was that of a man playing upon a harp; 

 he was ftanding, and the inftrument being broad, and flat 

 at the bafe, probably for that purpofe, fupported itfelf eafily. 

 with a veiy little inclination upon his arm ; his head is 

 clofe fhaved, his eye-brows black, without beard or muf- 



tach >es« 



* Gen. xxxi, 27. Ifa. chap. xxjc. ver. 32. 



