THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 477 



heir male, however diflant, in exclusion of all heirs female 

 whatever, however near ; and that thefe two articles mould 

 be confidered as the fundamental laws of the kingdom, ne- 

 ver to be altered or abolifhed. And, laftly, That the heirs* 

 male of the royal houfe, mould always be fent prifoners to a 

 high mountain, where they were to continue till their death, 

 or till the fuccellion mould open to them. 



What was the reafon of this lafl regulation is not known, 

 ft being peculiar to Abyilinia, but the cuftom of having wo- 

 men for fovereigns, which was a very old one, prevailed 

 among the neighbouring mepherds in the lafl century, as 

 we mall fee in the courfe of this hiftory, and, for what we 

 know, prevails to this day. It obtained in Nubia till Augus- 

 tus's time, when Petreius, his lieutenant in Egypt, fubdued 

 her country, and took the queen Candace prifoner. It en- 

 dured alfo after Tiberius, as we learn from St Philip's bap- 

 tiling the eunuch*fervant of queen Candace, who mull haver 

 been fucceffor to the former; for flie, when taken prifoner 

 by Petreius, is reprefented as an infirm woman, having but 

 one eye -f. Candace indeed was the name of all the fove- 

 reigns, in the fame manner Casfar was of the Roman emper- 

 ors. As for the laft fevere part, the punifhment of the princes, , 

 it was probably intended to prevent fome diforders among 

 die princes of her houfe, that flie had obferved frequently 

 to happen in the houfe of David £ at Terufalem. 



The 



* Ads, chap. viil. ver. 27 and 38. f This fhews the falfehood of the remaik 



Strabo makes, that it was a cuftom in Meroe, if their fovereign was any way mutilated, for the 



fiibjecls to imitate the imperfection. In this cafe, Candace : s fubje&s would have all loft an eye, 



Suabo, lib. 17. p. 777, 778. 



1, 2 Sam. chap. xvi. ver. 22. 1 Kings, chap., ii. ver, 1 5. 



