AXUM. 
The characters 18, 19, ^0, 21, are A-ga-zi-y, or the Lord. 
I can make nothing satisfactory of the four last letters, and pos- 
sibly there may be some error in them as in the former letters, for 
the whole inscription is very rudely cut. The sense of the latter 
part maybe conjectured from the beginning : " The Aboona David 
removed and broke to pieces here; he thought within himself the 
Lord was pleased that he so should do." If this explanation be just, it 
accounts satisfactorily for the destruction of the temple and obelisks ; 
but I feel too conscious of my ignorance of the original language, 
to give it to the public otherwise than as a conjecture. 
*' Those ruins which were in any degree worthy of notice, I 
sketched, assisted by Pearce. I also took a front view of the church. 
I was taken hence to an upright stone (vide R in ground plan) about 
half a mile from the church in a north-east direction, on which was 
said to be some ancient writing. As I approached it, my curiosity 
was so highly raised, that I could scarcely refrain from running with 
eagerness to the spot. The first side of it that I examined, disap- 
pointed me much, there being only some slight remains of unknown 
characters ; I was however soon repaid by a view of the opposite 
side, as I found it covered with Greek characters, fairly and deeply 
cut in the stone, each letter being nearly two inches in length. For 
the preservation of this inscription in so perfect a state, it is greatly 
indebted to a fortunate inclination to the northward, which the 
nature of the ground has given to the stone, by which that side 
of it is entirely sheltered from the rain. This monument is about 
eight feet high, three and an half broad, and one thick. As it was 
getting late I returned to breakfast, and was afterwards detained 
some time with the priests, who brought me a book of Ras Welleta 
