days are equal to the nights, at least as to sense, even in the month of January.
The baptism, Alvarez says, began at midnight, and the old tutor dipt every person under water, taking him by the head, saying, 'I baptise thee in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' It was most thronged at sunrise, and ended about nine o'clock; a long time for an old man to stand in frozen water.
The number (as women were promiscuously admitted) could not be less than 40,000; so that even the nine hours' this baptist-general officiated, he must have had exercise enough to keep him warm, if 40,000, (many of them naked beauties) passed through his hands.
The women were stark naked before the men, not even a rag about them. Without some such proper medium as frozen water, I fear it would not have contributed much to the interests of religion to have trusted a priest (even an old one) among so many bold and naked beauties, especially as he had the first six hours of them in the dark.
The Abuna, the king, and queen, were the three first baptised, all three being absolutely naked, having only a cotton cloth round their middle. I am sure there never could be a greater deviation from the manners of any kingdom, than this is from those of Abyssinia. The king is always covered; you seldom see any part of him but his eyes. The queen and every woman in Abyssinia, in public and private, (I mean where nothing is intended but conversation) are covered to the chin. It is a disgrace to them to have eventheir
