Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/324

 Which I should translate, "This is the sepulchral stone of Bazen:" "ebne" signifying a "stone;" gube, "grave;" and "Bazen" being the name of several of the Abyssinian kings, while the "za" prefixed to two of the words, in one case expresses the relative "this," and in the other acts as the sign of the genitive case. I offer these conjectures with considerable hesitation, from my possessing a very imperfect knowledge only of the language, and from my not being acquainted, unfortunately, with any person who could assist me in this undertaking, since the death of my friend Mr. Murray, whose extra-ordinary acquirements in Eastern literature, will not, I am afraid, be easily replaced. It is a singular circumstance, that the stone above described contains the only epitaph which I have ever met with in Abyssinia.

On our return from the church, I noticed in the pavement over which we were passing, a fragment of a flat stone, on the surface of which was carved the representation of two spear-heads, and some other ornaments. There were likewise two lions' heads, in stone-work, fixed in a modern wall outside of the church, which probably once served as spouts to a fountain, each having an open space cut through it, for the purpose of affording a passage to the water. During our excursion to examine these remains, we found the people extremely insolent and unruly, instigated, as I conceive, in a great measure by the priests, who, throughout, seemed to have entertained great jealousy respecting our visit to the country: and at last they became so troublesome, that it became necessary for Mr. Pearce to lay hold of one of them, and to tie him to an attendant whom we had brought with us, to answer for his conduct before the Ras.

Having before noticed the practice of tying the garments of offenders, I may here take occasion to mention, that this singular custom appears to me to elucidate very clearly a passage in the Old Testament, which always struck me before as attended with considerable