510 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



*C5» 



fejM%?frT3fc g" mi. -a. 



CHAP. VIII. 



War of the Elephant — Firft Appearance of the Small-Pox Jews perfe* 



cute the Chri/lians in Arabia — Defeated by the Abyffinians<—- Mahomet 

 pretends a divine MiJJion — Opinion concerni?ig the Koran — Revalua- 

 tion under Judith — Rejloration of the Line of Solomon from Shoa. 



IN the reigns of the princes Abreha and Atzbeha, the A* 

 byflinian annals mention an expedition to have happen* 

 ed into the farthefl: part of Arabia Felix, which the Arabian 

 authors, and indeed Mahomet himfelf in the Koran calls by 

 the name of the War of the Elephant, and the caufe of it 

 was this. There was a temple nearly in the middle of the 

 peninfula of Arabia, that had been held in the greateft ve- 

 neration for about 1400 years. The Arabs fay, that Adam» 

 when fliut out of paradife, pitched his tent on this fpot ; 

 while Eve, from fome accident or other I am not acquaint- 

 ed with, died and was buried on the more of the Red Sea, 

 at Jidda. Two days journey eaft from this place, her grave, 

 of green fods about fifty yards in length, is fhewn to this 

 day. In this temple alfo was a black ftone, upon which 

 Jacob faw the vifion mentioned in fcripture, of the angels 

 defcending, and afcending into Heaven. It is likewife faid, 

 with more appearance of probability, that this temple was 



3 buik 



