In the reign of Augustus, when the Roman forces were drawn out of Egypt, for the purpose of invading Arabia, Candace, queen of Aleroe, took advantage of their absence, to make an irruption into the province of Thehais. As she met with no force to oppose her, she proceeded, for some time, with great success ; but being at length apprised that Petronius, governor of Egypt, was hastening towards her with a powerful army, she retired with precipitation into her own dominions. Pc tronius overtook her at Pselcha, where, with not more than one-third of the number of men which composed the Ethiopian army, he gained an easy victory over those undisciplined savages, who were armed only with poles, hatchets, or bludgeons. Ile reduced the most 'important fortresses of the country ; but, notwithstand ing his success, was obliged, soon after, to withdraw his soldiers, who were unable to sustain the excessive heat of the climate. Candace afterwards sent ambassadors to Rome, who gratified Augustus with such magnificent presents, that he was induced to grant their queen a peace on terms of her own proposing. The Romans, from that time, accounted themselves masters of Ethi opia; and Augustus was congratulated on having com pleted the conquest of Africa, by reducing a country till that time unknown. The conquest, hoe ever, was mere ly nominal, for Merue continued under the government of its wonted sovereign. Queens, who were distinguish ed by the general title of Candace, as the Roman empe rors by that of Cxsar, had reigned in that country for many generations ; and we learn, from the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, that it still continued, in the reign of Tiberius, to be governed by a princess of the same name.
During the reign of Abreha and Atzbeha, (translated by Mr Bruce, .4braham the blessed) who ascended the throne about 327 years after the Christian era, Mero pius, a philosopher of Tyre, by nation and religion a Greek, set sail for India from a port on the Red Sea, tak ing along with him Frumentius and CEdesius, two young men on whom he had bestowed a very liberal education. Their vessel was cast away on the rocks of the Abyssi nian coast, and Meropius was slain by the barbarous na tives, while acting bravely in his own defence. The youths were conveyed to Alum, then the capital of the kingdom and the residence of the. court, where they soon displayed the superiority of a cultivated mind. The Abyssinians regarded them as prodigies : CEdesius was set over the king's household and wardrobe, an of fice which has always been held by a stranger; and Frumentius was intrusted by the Iteghe, or queen dow ager, with the charge of the young prince's «lucotion, to which lie devoted himself with the most faithful as siduity. Having imbued the mind of his pupil with all the learning of the times, he inspired hint with a love and veneration for the Christian religion.
After this he visited Athanasius, who had been recent ly elected Patriarch of Alexandria, related to him the progress he had made towards the conversion of the young monarch, and the sanguine hopes which he en tertained of seeing the Christian religion established in Ethiopia. Athanasius, delighted with the prospect of such an accession of proselytes, consecrated Frumentius bishop of Axurna ; who, returning immediately to enter on his new office, found his royal pupil completely dis posed to favour his pious design. Ile made an open
avowal of the Christian faith ; his example was followed by the greater part of his subjects ; and, amidst the nu merous heresies which then prevailed in the East, the church of Ethiopia remained uncontaminated, so long as it was superintended by its first bishop and apostle.
It was during this reign that the Abyssinians under took the expedition, celebrated in Arabian story under the name of the ll'ar of the Elephant. In the middle of the Arabian peninsula stood a temple, which, [or about fourteen centuries, had been held in the highest venera tion; for it was built, say the Arabs, on the spot where Adam had pitched his tent when driven from Paradise, and contained the black stone on which Jacob reposed his head, when he saw the vision of the angels descend ing and ascending on the ladder, that reached to heaven. The multitude of strangers, who resorted from the sur rounding nations to this sacred place, suggested the idea of rendering it the emporium of the. trade between India and Africa. Part of Arabia seems, at that time, to have been in possession of the Ethiopians, and Abreha, to divert the trade into a channel more convenient for his own dominions, built a large temple in the country of the Homerites, near the Indian ocean, on which he bestow• cc] all the privileges enjoyed by the temple of Mecca. Alarmed at the prospect of having their city deserted, the Arabians entered the temple of Abreha by night, and after burning as much of it as could be consumed, pollu ted the rest with every mark of indignity. To revsmgc this sacrilegious insult, Abreha, mounted upon a white elephant, marched against Mecca with a powerful army, resolving to level its temple with the ground. His fury was diverted by the stratagem of Abow Taleb, Mahe met's grandfather, who was then keeper of the Caaba, or round tower. He persuaded his countrymen to make no resistance to the Ethiopian army ; presented him self before Abreha early on his march ; and, by false in telligence, directed his vengeance from Mecca against the rival temple of Osiris at Taief, which Abreha razed to its foundations, and then prepared to return to his own kingdom. It was not long before he was convinced of his mistake, and Mecca would have soon fallen a victim to his indignation, had not Heaven interposed for the protection of that holy city. A flock of birds, called Alia bil, came from the sea, having faces like lions, and each holding in his claws a stone like a pea, which they let fall upon the Ethiopians in such numbers, that every one of them was destroyed. A less miraculous; account of their destruction is, that, during the siege of Mecca, the small-pox made its appearance ; and the investing army were the first of its victims, It is said, that after the death of Abreha, the court, and principal people of Abyssinia, relapsed into idolatry, which continued to prevail till the yea! 52 I, when they were again COIIVL rted by their king Adad, or Aulog, pro bably the same with Caleb, or Elisbaan. That monarch was engaged in war witn Homerites, or Sabxans, in Arabia Felix, and, having defeated their armies, and subverted their kingdom, he embraced the Christian re ligion, in token of gratitude to its author, to whom he ascribed his success.