At that time, the Saracens, having conquered Egypt, persecuted the Christians in that country with great rigour, and particularly the masons and hewers of stone, whom they detested as the promoters of idolatry, by the ornaments with which they embellished their works. Lalibala opened an asylum for those Egyptians, of whom prodigious numbers resorted to his dominions ; and re solved to render them useful to the country from which they received protection. He had long adodred the ca verns of the ancient Troglodytes ; and the first work in which he employed the Egyptians, was to hew churches, after these specimens, out of the rocks of his native coun try Lasta. These churches still remain entire, having large columns formed out of the solid adamant, with every species of ornament that can be executed in build ings above ground. He next engaged in the more ar duous attempt to lessen the stream of the Nile, that it might no longer fertilize the land of Egypt, possessed, at that time, by the enemies of his religion. By an exact survey and calculation, he had di SCOVC red, that several of its tributary streams, which issued from the highest part of the country, could be directed into the low coun try to the south, instead of taking a northern course, and thus augmenting the Nile. It said, that he succeeded so far as to intersect two of its largest branches, which have ever since flowed into the Indian Ocean. Ile was next proceeding to carry a level towards the lake Za waia, the reservoir of many of the streams which flow into the Egyptian river ; which would certainly have been very sensibly diminished by the loss of so much water. Death interposed to prevent the execution of this stupendous design; though there is at Shoa a writ ten account, which states, that he was dissuaded from his undertaking by certain monks, who represented to him the danger of enriching, by so many fine rivers, the kingdoms of Hadea, Adel, and Mara, which would thus be rendered so populous and powerful as to rival the em pire of Abyssinia, or, at least, to become altogether in dependent of its authority. Alvarez informs us, that Roderigo de Lima, the Portuguese ambassador, saw the remains of these works in the year 1522, and travelled among them for several clays.
Ever since the usurpation of Judith, the descendants of Del Naad had continued to rule over the loyal pro vince of Shoa, without having made one attempt towards recovering their ancient sovereignty. But what they despaired of effecting by force of arms, they obtained from the magnanimous generosity of the grandson of Lalibala. Tecla Haimanout, who had been ordained Abuna, and who is celebrated as the founder of the monastery of Debra Libanos, had acquired, by the sanc tity of his character, and his love for his country, an un limited influence over the mind of Naacueto Laab, the reigning monarch, a prince remarkable for the integrity of his principles, and the benevolence of his disposition. Ile was easily persuaded by the Abuna, that his crown, though transmitted to him from his ancestors, whose virtues had rendered it illustrious, could never be puri fied from the stain of usurpation ; and he willingly re signed it to Icon Amlac, of the line of Solomon, then reigning in the province of Shoa. In consequence of
the mediation of Teela Haimanout, a treaty was con cluded between these two princes, in which it was sti pulated, that Icon Amlac should ascend the throne of Abyssinia ; but that a portion of territory in Lasta should be granted in absolute property to Naacueto Laab, and his heirs ; that, in token of their former grandeur, they should retain the emblems of sovereignty ; be free from all public burdens ; and be styled kings of Zague, or the Lasta kings. Nor did the Abuna forget his own interest in this mediation. By one of its articles he obtained a third of the kingdom for the maintenance of his own dignity, and for the support of the clergy, convents and churches throughout the empire ; and by another it was decreed, that, after him, no native Abyssinian should be chosen Abuna, even although he should be ordained al Cairo. " The part of the treaty most liable to be bro ken," as is well observed by Ali. Bruce," was that which erected a kingdom within a kingdom. However, it is one of the remarkable facts in the annals of this coun try, that the article between Icon Andac, and the house of Zague, was carefully observed for near years. It was made before the year 1,ioo, and was never vio lated till the treacherous murder of the Zagnean prince, in the unlortunate war of Begemder, in the reign ofJoas, 1768. Icon Amlac, though now sovereign of Abys sinia, continued to reside in the province which had been so faithful to his family. Ile reigned a considera ble time ; and was succeeded on the throne by five dif ferent princes in the same number of years.
The cause of this rapid succession of sovereigns, and the events which happened in their reigns, arc equally unknown to us ; nor have we any account of the trans actions of the empire till the clays of Amda Sion, who began to reign in the year 1312. Ile was the son of Wedeln Araad, who was the youngest brother of Icon Amlac. Amda Sion was his inauguration name, by which he is generally known ; his Christian name waA Guebra \lascal. The first actions of his reign were disgraceful to humanity, and velw different from tin character which he ever afterwards maintained. No content with living publicly with his father's concubine, he soon after committed incest with his two sisters. Honorius, a monk, who was afterwards canonized for his sanctity first exhorted hint to repentance, and then pub licly excommunicated him for these infamous crimes. The refractory monarch, instead of sinking under this sentence, ordered lionorius to be whipped through the streets of his capital. That very night the town was re duced to ashes by fire, arising, through the just ven geance of heaven, from the blood of the outraged saint. Such at least was the account which the clergy gave of this catastrophe ; but the king, convinced that they themselves were the incendiaries, banished them into those provinces, of which the inhabitants were chiefly Pagans or Jews, where they were extremely successful in propagating the Christian religion.