THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. joj 



fhe firft is their chriftened name, their fecond a nick, or bye- 

 name, and the third they take upon their inauguration. 

 There is, likewife, another caufe of miflake, which is, 

 when two names occur, one of a king, the other the 

 quality of a king only, thefe are fet down as two brothers. 

 For example, Atzbeha is the bkffed, or the faint ; and I very 

 much fufpect, therefore,, that Atzbeha. and Abreha, faid 

 to be two brothers, only mean Abraham the blejfed, or the 

 faint; becaufe, in that prince's time, the country was con- 

 verted to Chriflianity ; Caleb* and, Elefbaas, were long 

 thought to be contemporary princes, till it was found out, by 

 infpecting the ancient authors of thofe times, that this was 

 only the name or quality of bkffed, or faint, given to Caleb, in* 

 confequence of his expedition into Arabia againit Phineas, 

 king of the Jews, and perfecutor of, the Chriilians... 



There are four very interefting events, in the courfe of 

 the reign of thefe princes. The firft and- greateft we have 

 already mentioned, the birth of Chrift in the 8th year of Ba- 

 zen. The fecond is the converfion of Abyflinia to Chrifli- 

 anity, in the reign of Abreha and Atzbeha,. in the year of 

 Ghrift 233^ according to our account. The third the war 

 with the Jews under Calebs The fourth, the mafTacre of the 

 princes on the mountain of Darno. The time and circumftan- 

 ccs of all thefe are well known, and I fhall relate them in, 

 their turn with the brevity becoming a hiflorian.. 



Some eeclefiailicalf writers, rather from attachment to par- 

 ticular fyftems, than from any conviction that the opinion. 



they 



* Caleb e! Atfbtha, which has been made Elefbaas throwing away the t. 



f-Surius Tom. 5. d. 24. 0&. Card. Baronius. Tom. 7, Anna!, A, C 522. N, 23, . 



