Anecdota Oxoniensia. Semitic series.

a86 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT-'
metropolitan of the Abyssinians ordains priests and deacons for them.
The king of Al-Mukurrah 1, who is an Abyssinian, and is an orthodox
king, is the Great King among the kings of his country, because he has
an extensive kingdom, including distant regions in the north of the
country, and has many troops; and he is the fourth of the kings of the
earth, and no king on earth is strong enough to resist him; and at
a certain place in his country he possesses the Ark of Noah.
Fol.10nb All the kings of Abyssinia are priests, and celebrate the liturgy
within the sanctuary, as long as they reign without slaying any man
with their own hand; but after slaying a man they can no longer
celebrate the liturgy; and the conditions by which they are bound
after they have killed a man have already been spoken of in this
book3.
If any of the Abyssinians commits a sin, he takes a handful of
incense of the kind which is burnt within the sanctuary; it is composed
of frankincense, of sandarach, of styrax, of ladanrum, of mastic, of aloes,
and of cassia; then he confesses his sin over Lthis mixture], and throws
it into the censer 4, together with dried rose-leaves.
All the kings of Abyssinia are crowned with the royal crown in
announce the death of the metropolitan, and to request that Iis successor might
be appointed. This is related by 'Abd al-Lat.il, wlho says:
i-ce v~S) +9ja i-y Ce-? Al- ~~y Ad JJ elL J, v JjlL j Jag
'In the month of Shawwal an envoy arrived Lfom the king of the Abyssinians,
bearing a letter which contained the announcement of the death of their metropolitan, and requested the appointment of his successor' (ed. While, p. 196).
See above, fol. 94 b.
2 The common legend in the East is that the Ark of Noah still exists on lMount
Jfidl in lMesopotamia; see below, fol. 1 s b.
s This proves the confusion in the mind of our author of Nubia willi
Abyssinia; see above, fol. 99 a.
4Cf. above, fol. 8 a and 9 b, with notes.
Tlhe caliphs and sultans of Islam were never crowned like Christian
sovereigns, but the tradition is that a gold crown was worn by the ancient kings