THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 387 



the flocks, Another denomination, part of them bore, was 

 Hycfos, founded by us Agfos, which lignifies armed fhepherds % 

 or fuch as wore harnefs, which may be fuppofed the fol- 

 diers, or armed force of that nation. The third we fee men- 

 tioned is Ag-ag, which is thought to be the nobles or 

 chiefs of thofe armed fhepherds, whence came their title 

 King of Kings *. The plural of this is Agagi, or, as it is writ- 

 ten in the Ethiopic, Agaazi. 



This term has very much puzzled both Scaliger and Lu- 

 dolf ; for, finding in the Abyffinian books that they are call- 

 ed Agaazi, they torment themfelves about finding the ety- 

 mology of that word. They imagine them to be Arabs 

 from near the Red Sea, and Mr Ludolf f thinks the term fig- 

 nifies banijhed men, Scaliger, too, has various guefles about 

 them nearly to the fame import. All this, however, is with- 

 out foundation ; the people affert themfelves at this day to 

 be Agaazi, that is, a race of Shepherds inhabiting the moun- 

 tains of the Habab, and have by degrees extended them- 

 felves through the whole province of Tigre, whofe capital 

 is called Axum, from Ag and Suah, the metropolis, or princi- 

 pal city of the fhepherds that wore arms. 



Nothing was more oppofite than the manners and life 

 of the Cufhite, and his carrier the fhepherd. The firft, 

 though he had forfaken his caves, and now lived in cities 

 which he had built, was necefTarily confined at home by his 

 commerce, amaffing gold, arranging the invoices of his 



3 C 2 fpices, 



* This was the name of the king of Amalek; he was an Arab fhepherd, flain by Sa- 

 muel, 1 Sam. xv. 33. 



f Ludolf lib. 1 cap. 4. 



