so well calculated for the preservation of any ancient record, without communicating to other countries the knowledge that such a record existed. Æthiopia, cut off from communication to the northward, to the extent which we have first described, and bounded on the west and southward by countries alike impassable, from the desert nature of their territory and the barbarism of their inhabitants, has on its remaining sides the sea which forms at once a boundary and barrier, while the points at which its coasts approach the opposite shore of South Arabia, the ancient Sabæa, formed indeed a communication with that country, but with no other. Thus, whatever change of manners, of religious rites or knowledge might occur in Ethiopia, must probably be traced to Sabæa for its origin, and so far as position is concerned it would be probable that any writing preserved in Ethiopia, must also have been derived from thence.

But we know that the actual history of ancient Ethiopia is so far confirmatory of this hypothesis, that Nebuchadnezzar, after conquering the whole of the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula,

extended his conquests into Ethiopia itself, while it is declared that the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther, had also some dominion there; and thus, whatever the knowledge or religion of Sabæa might at that time be, it would be spread with the progress of the conquerors. But previous to this period we are able, in some degree, to trace in Southern Arabia, a knowledge of the true God.

I apprehend that it is now generally acknowledged that the Queen of Sheba, or Saba, who "came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon," came from this country. With regard to her, we may observe that our Saviour himself, speaking of this circumstance, says, "The Queen of the South shall rise up in "the judgment with this generation and condemn "it, for she came from the utmost parts of the "earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and be"hold, a greater than Solomon is here." He therefore declared that this Queen gave an example of greater faith than those, who unconvinced by the wisdom of him who spake as never man spake, said, Master, we would see a sign from thee."

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It was then, no mere gratification of curiosity unconnected with a religious motive, or compatible with a continuance in Idolatry, which induced this ancient Queen to perform so long and toilsome a journey. Her previous knowledge of the true God impelled her to seek instruction from one, whom she judged to be under his peculiar protection; and although the well-known custom among the ancients of propounding enigmas, as in the cases of Hiram and of Sampson, might at first incline us to suppose that the same allusion only is continued in the passage concerning this Queen as it stands in our translation, yet if we examine the context we may conclude otherwise.

It is true that the LXX have for the word here made use of, "Aiviyμaoi ;" and that it is the same word as occurs in the passage concerning Sampson's riddle in the book of Judges. But in that place and elsewhere it has joined with it the verb from whence it is derived, nn, which evidently restricts it to this single sense, while in the present passage, another verb is used, D, "tollere," and from thence, "tentare," the use of which, as Parkhurst justly remarks, implies a doubt concerning the matter put to trial.

The verse as it stands in our translation is, "And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the "fame of Solomon concerning the word of the "Lord, she came to prove him with hard ques

tions," that is to say, with questions which although difficult, had relation to the name or word of God, to the wisdom which was required to expound the mysterious allusions of the law of Moses, or to the lessons which might be deduced from the warnings of prophecy.

While, therefore, with regard to the position of the Sabæan kingdom, we place more reliance upon Our Saviour's accurate delineation of the geographical character of this part of Arabia, as "the south" and "the utmost parts of the earth," than on any other evidence which can be adduced on this subject; I think that we ought also thus to interpret the purpose of the Queen's mission, in agreement with the scope of our Lord's discourse when he mentioned her example.

But thus we find that the knowledge of the true God was to be found in Sabæa in the days of Solomon; since the purpose which I have endeavoured to trace out could only have existed

in the mind of one previously so far instructed, as to admit the truth of the superintendance of God over his favoured nation.

In the absence of any evidence as to the state of the Sabæans during the period immediately subsequent to this, we may conclude that many among them must at least have had the means of attaining nearly to the state of proselytes, under the Jewish law. Thus, there is not only some evidence as to the possibility of the preservation of any prophetic writing in Sabaa at the period already referred to, and for some time afterwards, but a presumption also that any books known, however imperfectly, to the Hebrews at that time, I would be made known to the Sabæans also.

On the captivity of the ten tribes by Psalmanassar, it appears probable that they were dispersed not only in the countries to the north-eastward of Judæa, but that they were scattered throughout the whole extent of country as far to the southward as the Persian Gulph; for we are told that the King of Assyria not only brought men from Babylon, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, but also from Cutha, or Cusha, and