THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4^ 



" fmitten the Edomites, and thine heart lifteth thee up to 

 " boaft : abide now at home, why fhouldeft thou meddle 

 " to thine hurt, that thou fhouldeft fall, even thou, and Ju- 

 " dah with thee *?" 



The annals of Abymnia, being very full upon this 

 point, have taken a middle opinion, and by no means an 

 improbable one. They fay llie was a Pagan when me left 

 Azab, but being full of admiration' at the fight of Solo- 

 mon's works, fhe was converted to Judaifm in Jerufalem, 

 and bore him a fon, whom fhe called Menilek, and who was 

 their firft king. However ftrongly they affert this, and how- 

 ever dangerous it would be to doubt it in Abymnia, I will not 

 here aver it for truth, nor much lefs ftill will I pofitively con- 

 tradict it, as fcripture has faid nothing about it. I fuppofe, 

 whether true or not, in the circumflances fhe was, whilfl 

 Solomon alfo, fo far from being very nice in his choice, was 

 particularly addicted to Idumeans f , and other ftrange wo- 

 men, he could not more naturally engage himfelf in any 

 amour than in one with the queen of Saba, with whom 

 he had fo long entertained the moft lucrative connections-, 

 and moft perfect friendfhip, and who, on her part, by fo 

 long a journey, had furely made fufficient advances. 



The Abyftinians, both Jews and Chriftians, believe the 

 "xlvth pfalm to be a prophecy of this queen's voyage to Jeru- 

 falem ; that me was attended by a daughter of Hiram's from 

 Tyre to Jerufalem, and that the laft part contains a deela- 



3O2 ration 



2 Chron. chap. xxv. ver. 18. 19. f 1 Kings, chap, xu ver. 1. 



