340 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
already in the prefence of God, and in poffleffion of the 
greatett blefs poflible, wanting nothing to complete it. “ Re- 
member, (fays their liturgy) O Lord! the fouls of thy fervants, 
our father Abba Matthias, and the reft of our faints, Abba 
Salama, and Abba Jacob.” In another place, “Remember, 
O Lord! the kings of Ethiopia, Abreha, and Atzbeha, Caleb, 
and Guebra Mafcal.” And again, “ Releafe, O Lord! our fa- 
ther Antonius, and Abba Macarius.’ If this is not directly ac- 
knowledging a feparate ftate, itcan have no meaning atall.. 
I ave already faid, that the Agaazi, the predeceffors of 
thofe people that fettledin Tigre from the mountains of the 
Habab, were fhepherds adjoining to the Red Sea; that they 
fpeak the language Geez, and are the only people in Abyffi- 
nia in poffleffion of letters; that thefe are all circumcifed, 
both men and women. The former term, as applied to 
men, is commonly known to every one the leaft acquaint- 
ed with the Jewith hiftory. The latter is, as far as [know, . 
arite merely Gentile, although in Africa, at leaft that part ad- 
joining to Egypt and the Red Sea, it is much more known and 
more univerfally practifed than the other. This I fhall call 
excifion, that | may exprefs this uncommon operation by as 
decent a word as poflible. The Falafha likewife fubmit to: 
both. 
THESE nations, however they agree in their rite, differ im: 
their accounts of the time they received this ceremony, as. 
well as the manner of performing it. The Abyflinians of 
Tigré fay, that they received it from Ifhmael’s family and: . 
his defcendants, with whom they were early connected nm 
their trading voyages. They fay alfo, that the queen of Sa- 
ba, and all the women of that coaft, had fuffered excifion at. 
the ufual time of life, before puberty, and before her jour-. 
ney” 
