Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-01-31
#tiseeltamtuas &eaaimg.
LINEAGE OF KING MENEL1K.
Traced Back to Solomon by Ably
ssinian Tradition.

LINEAGE OF KING MENELlh.
Traced Back to Solomon by Ably
ssinian Tradition.
King Menelik, Of Abyssinia-Menelik
H., Victorious Lion of the Tribe of
Judath, King Of the Kings of Ethiopia,
Lieutenant Of God-asserts that he is a
direct descendant of Solomon and the
Queen Of Sheba. That fact Is pretty
generally known, but the story Of how
the Abyssinians account for this doubly
royal lineage Of their sovereign Is not.
So far as can be ascertained 1t has
never been told In print.
DR.. Emo Littmann, head Of the de-
partment Of scientific and Indo-Iranian
languages at Princeton university,
has a complete account Of the tradi-
tion-the first, it is said, that ever got
beyond the vast desert and lofty noun
tain confines Of Menelik's kingdom.
He got the story only short time ago,
through a friend of his, a Swiss mis-
sionary in Abyssinia, who had it taken
down from the mouths Of the Ethio-
plans and who sent 1t to the professor
in manuscript form, written In Tigre,
the most archaic Of the present Ian
guages Of Abyssinia.
DR.. Littman has had practically to
construct a grammar of the language,
as there was none extant; yet he has
succeeded in translating all but one
word of the manuscript. The meaning
of that word, is however, so indispen-
sable to q scholarly comprehension OF
the story that he has sent letter to
Abyssinia to find out about 1t. It will
take him three months to get. an an
swer, and then he will make an accu-
rate German and English translation
Of the manuscript, which will be pub
lished by the Princeton Library in the
interest Of learning.
Allowing for the single word not yet
translated, DR.. Littmann has told the
story to a Sun reporter. 1t begins by
relating the circumstances which made
an Abyssinian princess Queen Of She
ba, tells Of her visit to Jerusalem dis
guised in mans attire, Of Solomon's
shrewdness in detecting the fraud, of
the queens clandestine marriage with
him, Of the birth Of a son, Menelik, and
finally Of the extraordinary manner In
which Solomon later received the boy
in court, acknowledged him to be his
son, and confirmed him in his right to
his mothers throne.
To this Menelik, son of Solomon and
the Queen Of Sheba, Abyssinia's pres
ent ruler traces his ancestry back 1000
years through his grandmother on his
fathers side.
The story told in the Princeton man
uscript, like most others of its kind OF
Oriental settings, contains numerous
NEUROLOGICAL elements; but is probably
true in many Of it's details. At any
rate, it is believed implicitly by the
Abyssinians. The source Of it's inspir-
alton may be found, no doubt, in the
same spirit which prompted Virgil, IN
his Aeneid, to try to establish Caesars
descent from the gods-the spirit IN
which royalty has from time out of
mind sought to found on divine BIRTH
right its title to the sceptre.
Aside from its value as matter of
record and a subject Of study, though,
the story is of popular interest In that
it throws some side light on the bibli-
cal narrative Of the Queen Of Sheba's
visit to Solomon's court.
She whom the Arabs call Bilkees
was, the story begins, an Abyssinian
princess Of surprising beauty. While
she was yet in the bloom Of youth, she
and her people met with great ca
lamity, for they were subdued by a
dragon or enemy and were burdened
with the exaction once a year Of cost
ly tribute Of wine and oil and the per-
son of fair young girl.
Each Of the royal families In turn
supplied from its number maiden FOR
this yearly tribute, and finally the lapse
Of time called for the sacrifice OF the
beautiful young princess. She re-
signed herself to her fate, but as she
wept softly in her prison the seven
angels came down to her and COM
manded her to speak out her grief.
She was, she said, about to be sacri-
feed to the enemy, and the angels
comforted her and took up her cause
and the cause Of her people and went
against the enemy and slew him. But
in so doing a drop Of blood from the
slain fell on the princess's foot, and 1t
was changed into the hoof Of an ass.
Bilkees, nevertheless, returned to her
country rejoicing and announced to her
people the glad tidings Of the death or
their oppressor. They doubted her story
and she led them out and showed them
the dead, and they hailed her savior
of the country and proclaimed her
Queen Of the South.
ues, the fame of Solomon, wise king Of
Jerusalem, was abroad in Ethiopia
Incredible reports were given of his
works and wisdom.
The Queen of sheba heard them.
She was embarrassed and discounted
on account Of her deformed foot. All
the efforts Of her priests and medicine
men to effect a cure had been unavail-
ing. AS a last resort she made up her
mind to try what Solomon could do for
her: but determined that first she
would test his wisdom and satisfy her.
self Of the truth Of the things she had
heard.
To this end she disguised herself as
completely as possible in a princes at
tire and taking with her one of her