THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 429 
days are equal to the nights, at leaft as to fenfe, even in the 
month of January. 
Tue baptifm, Alvarez fays, began at midnight, and the 
old tutor dipt every perfon under water, taking him by the 
head, faying, ‘ | baptife thee in the name of the Father, of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghoft.’ It was moft thronged at fun- 
rife, and ended about nine o’clock ; a long time for an old 
man to fland in frozen water. 
Tue number (as women were promifcuoufly admitted) 
could not be lefs than 40,000; fothat even the nine hours 
this baptift- general officiated, he muft have had exercife 
enough to keep him warm, if 40,000, (many of them naked 
beauties) paffed through his hands. | 
Tue women were ftark naked before the men, not even 
arag about them. Without fome fuch proper medium as 
frozen water, I fear it would not have contributed much to 
the interefts of religion to have trufted a prieft (even an old 
one) among fo many bold and naked beauties, efpecially 
as he had the firft fix hours of them in the dark. 
Tue Abuna, the king, and queen, were the three firft bap- 
tifed, all three being abfolutely naked, having only a cotton 
cloth round their middle. Iam fure there never could be 
a greater deviation from the manners of any kingdom, than 
this is from thofe of Abyfflinia. The king is always cover- 
ed; you feldom fee any part of him but his eyes. The 
queen and every woman in Abyflinia, in public and private, 
({ mean where nothing is intended but converfation) are 
covered tothe chin. Itis a difgrace to them to have even 
Vo . III. Tet | , their 
