horfes, and covered only with goat's-fkins, or that are flying on foot.

One thing remarkable in this cavalcade, which Mr. Bruce obferved, was the head-drefs of the governors of provinces. A large broad fillet was bound upon their forehead, and tied behind their head. In the middle of this was a horn, or a conical piece of filver, gilt, about four inches long, much in the fhape of our common candle extinguishers. This is called kin, or horn, and is only worn in reviews or parades after victory. This Mr. Bruce apprehends, like all other of their ufages, is taken from the Hebrews, and the feveral allufions made in fcripture to it arife from this practice :-" I said unto fools, deal not foolishly; and to the wicked, lift not up the horn."-" Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck."-" But my horn fhalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn"-" And the horn of the righteous fhall be exalted with honour." And fo in many other places throughout the Pfalms.

Next to thefe came the king, with a fillet of white mulin about three inches broad, binding his forehead, tied with a large double knot behind, and hanging down about two feet on his back. About him were the great officers of ftate, fuch of the young nobility as were with. out command; and after thefe, the household troops. Then followed the Kanitz Kitzera, or executioner of the camp, and his attendants; and, laft of all, amidst the King's and the Ras's baggage, came a man bearing the ftuffed fkin of the unfortunate Woofheka upon a pole, which he hung upon a branch of the tree before the king's palace appropriated for public executions.

It was now the 13th of March, and Mr. Bruce had gone every day once to fee the children at Kofcam; at all which times he had been received with the greatest cordiality and marks of kindnefs by the Iteghé, and orders given for his free admittance upon all occafions like an officer of her household.

About the 14th, Mr. Bruce was informed, that all his recommendatory letters were to be read. He expected at the ordinary hour, about five in the afternoon, to be fent for, and had rode out to Kofcam with Ayto

K 4

Heikel,

Heikel, the queen's chamberlain, to fee the child, who was pretty well recovered of all its complaints, but very weak. In the interim, Mr. Bruce was fent for to the Ras, with orders to dispatch a man with the king's prefent, to wait for him at the palace, whither he was to go after leaving Michael. Five in the evening was fixed as the hour. Mr. Bruce came a little before the time, and met Ayto Aylo at the door. He fqueezed him by the hand, and faid, " Refufe nothing, it can be all altered afterwards; but it is very neceffary, on account of the priests and the populace, you fhould have a place of fome authority, otherwife you will be robbed and murdered the first time you go half a mile from home: fifty people have told me; you have chefts filled with gold, and that you can make gold, or bring what quan tity you pleafe from the Indies; and the reafon of all this is, because you refufed the queen and Ozoro Esther's offer of gold at Koscam, and which you must never do again."

Our travellers went in and faw the Ras, who was an old man, fitting upon a fofa; his white hair was dreffed in many fhort curls. He appeared to be thoughtful, but not displeased; his face was lean, his eyes quick and vivid, but feemed to be a little fore from expofute to the weather. He feemed to be about fix feet high, though his lamenefs made it difficult to guefs with accuracy. His air was perfectly free from conftraint, what the French call degagee. They must have been bad phyfiognomists that did not discern his capacity and understanding by his very countenance. Every look conveyed a fentiment with it: he feemed to have no occafion for other language, and indeed he spoke little. Mr. Bruce offered, as ufual, to kifs the ground before him; and of this he feemed to take little notice, ftretching out his hand, and fhaking Mr. Bruce's upon his rifing.

Mr. Bruce fat down with Aylo, three or four of the judges, Heikel the queen's chamberlain, and others, who whispered fomething in his ear, and went out; which interruption prevented Mr. Bruce from fpeaking as he was prepared to do, or give him his prefent, which a man held behind him. The Ras began gravely, "Yagoube, I think that is your name, hear what I fay to you,

and

and mark what I recommend to you. You are a man, I am told, who make it your bufinefs to wander in the fields in fearch after trees and grafs in folitary places, and to fit up all night alone looking at the ftars of the heavens. Other countries are not like this, though this was never fo bad as it is now. Thefe wretches here are enemies to ftrangers; if they faw you alone in your own parlour, their firft thought would be how to murder you; though they knew they were to get nothing by it, they would murder you for mere mifchief." "The devil is ftrong in them," fays a voice from a corner of the room, which appeared to be that of a priest. "Therefore, (fays the Ras,) after a long conversation with your friend Aylo, whofe advice I hear you happily take, as indeed we all do, I have thought that fituation best which leaves you at liberty to follow your own defigns, at the fame time that it puts your perfon in fafety; that you will not be troubled with monks about their religious matters, or in danger from these rafcals that may feek to murder you for money.

"What are the monks?" faid the fame voice from the corner; "the monks will never meddle with fuch a

man as this."- "Therefore the king, (continued the Ras, without taking any notice of the interruption) has appointed you Baalomaal, and to command the Kocob horfe,, which I thought to have given to Francis, an old foldier of mine; but he is poor, and we will provide for him better, for thefe appointments have honour, but little profit." Sir, (faid Francis, who was in presence, but behind,) it is in much more honourable hands than either mine or the Armenian's, or any other white man's, fince the days of Hatzé Menas, and fo I told the king to-day." Very well, Francis, (fays the Ras) it becomes a foldier to fpeak the truth, whether it makes for or against himself. Go then to the king, and kifs the ground upon your appointment. I fee you have already learned this ceremony of our's; Aylo and Heikel are very proper perfons to go with you. The king expreffed his furprife to me last night he had not feen you; and there too is Tecla Mariam, the king's fecretary, who came with your appointment from the palace to-day." The man in the corner whom Mr. Bruce took for a

prieft, was this Tecla Mariam, a fcribe. Mr. Bruce then gave him a present, after which he foon reired.

Mr. Bruce went afterwards to the king's palace, and met Aylo, and Heikel at the door of the prefence-chamber. Tecla Mariam walked before them to the foot of the throne; after which Mr. Bruce advanced and proftrated himself upon the ground. "I have brought you a fervant, (fays he to the king,) from so distant a country, that if you ever let him escape, we fhall never be able to follow him, or know where to feek him." To this the king made no reply, nor did he shew any alteration of countenance. Five people were standing on

each fide of the throne, all young men, three on his left, and two on his right. One of these, the son of Tecla Mariam, (afterwards Mr. Bruce's great friend) who ftood uppermoft on the left hand, came up, and taking hold of him by the hand, placed him immediately above him; when feeing Mr. Bruce had no knife in his girdle, he pulled out his own and gave it to him. Upon being placed, Mr. Bruce again kiffed the ground.

The king was in an alcove; the reft went out of fight from where the throne was, and fat down. The ufual questions were now put to Mr. Bruce about Jerufalem and the holy places-where his country was? which it was impoffible to defcribe, as they knew the fituation of no country but their own-why he came fo far?—whether the moon and the ftars, but especially the moon, was the fame in his country as in theirs? and a great many fuch idle and tiresome questions. He had feveral times offered to take his prefent from the man who held it, that he might offer it to his Majefty and go away; but the king always made a fign to put it off, till, being tired to death with ftanding, he leaned against the wall. Mr. Bruce was abfolutely in difpair, and fcarcely able to ípeak a word, inwardly mourning, the hardness of his lot in this his first preferment, and fincerely praying it might be his laft promotion in that court. However, he was at laft permitted to retire.

Mr. Bruce next proceeds to give the geographical divifion of Abyffinia into provinces. At Mafuah, that is, on the coaft of the Red Sea, begins an imaginary divifion