AOLE SURNAMED AROGANGAN

None of Abiodun's numerous children succeeded him on the throne. Aolè, a tall and handsome Prince, a cousin of the late King was elected in his stead. But unfortunately, his reign was a very unhappy one; it marked the commencement of the decline of the nation until it terminated in the tragic end of the fifth King after him. The cup of iniquity of the nation was full; cruelty, usurpation, and treachery were rife, especially in the capital; and the provinces were groaning under the yoke of oppression. Confiscation and slavery for the slightest offence became matters of daily occurrence, and the tyranny, exactions, and lawlessness of the Princes and other members of the royal family, were simply insupportable. Oaths were no more taken in the name of the gods, who were now considered too lenient and indifferent; but rather in the name of the King who was more dreaded. “Idà Oba ni yio je mi” (may the King's sword destroy me) was the new form of oath! Aolè was unfortunately saddled with the ill fate of the nation, as the following ditty commonly sung would show:—

(In Abiodun's reign money we weighed by bushels. [Lit. with calabashes.] In Aole's reign, we packed up to flee).