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Memoirs and Remarks 
 
 Geographical, 
 
 Historical, 
 
 Topographical, 
 
 Physical, 
 
 Natural, 
 
 Astronomical, 
 
 Mechanical, 
 Military, 
 Mercantile, 
 Political, 
 And 
 Ecclesiastical. 
 
 Made in above Ten Years Travels through 
 
 THE 
 
 Empire of CHINA: 
 
 Particularly, upon 
 
 TheirPottery and varnlfhing, Silk and other Manufactures, 
 * Pearl-fifhing, the Hiftory of Plants and Animals, with a 
 Defcription of their Cities and Publick Works, Number of 
 People, Manners, Language and Cuftoms, Coin and Com- 
 merce, their Habits, CEconomy, and Government, the Phi- 
 lofophy of the Famous Confucius. 
 
 "With many curious Particulars ; being, in general, the 
 mofl authentick Account of that Country. 
 
 Written by the Learned 
 
 LEWIS LE C O M r E, jzsviT i 
 
 ConfefTor to the Dutchefs of Burgundy^ and one of the French 
 King's Mathematicians. 
 
 A ^ew Tranflation from the beft Paris Edition, and adorn'd 
 with Copper-Plates. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by John Hughs ne^v Lincoln*s- Inn-Fields : 
 
 For OxiVE Payne at Horace^ s-Hesid, in Round-Court in 
 the Strand, oppofite to Tork-Buildings^ 
 
 MDCCXXXVIIL 
 
 [Price Bound Six Shillings.] 
 
The Au THORNS Preface. 
 
 I Know 720 f of the two which to blame inofi^ he 
 that publijheshajly indigejled relations of hii 
 travels^ or the reader that runs 'em over 
 flightly and heedlefy. The bufmefs of wri- 
 ting voyages is not altogether fo light a task as 
 mojl are apt to fancy ; // requires not 07tly wit 
 and judgment y to manage it fuccefsfiilly^ but like- 
 wife fine erity^ exaBnefSy and a fimple injinuating 
 (tile ; and learnifig bejides^ for as a painter^ to 
 be a m after in hisart^ ought to know the propriety 
 and force of all forts of colours^ fo whoever un- 
 dertakes a defcription of the people^ arts and 
 fciences, and religions of the new worlds miijl 
 have a large (lock of knowledge^ and in a inanner^ 
 an univerj'al genius. That's not all 7ieither \ he 
 mufi have been an eye-witnefs of mo(i of the actions 
 and things he reports^ he mujl be skilled in the 
 cu(loms and language of the inhabitants^ he niufl 
 have correfponded with thoje of the befifafljion 
 among them^ and been frequently in converfdtion 
 with their principal officers : In a word, to enable 
 htm tojpeak %mth certainty and a(furance of the 
 riches, beauty^ and flrength of an empire^ he 
 muft have taken an actual furvey of the multitude 
 of its fubjeBs^ the munber and fituatio7i of the 
 cities, the extent of its provinces, and all the re* 
 markable rarities in the cou7itry, I co7fefs in- 
 deed this is (omething jnore laborious and expenfve 
 than to frequent the company of the virtuofi at 
 ho7ne, or fupincly tumble over the hi(iory of the 
 world by the fire fide ; and yet ^ ^f^^' jo much fa^ 
 
 A 2 tiguey 
 
The Author's Preface. 
 
 tigue, travellers of all men are the leaji efteemed 
 upon the [core of their writings. 
 
 There's afetofidle people that amufe themfehes 
 with what pajjes daily before their eyes^ and are 
 little affecled with news from remote parts of the 
 globe, 'Tis grown a maxim with others to rejeB 
 (ill foreign fiories for fables \ the fe value them- 
 fehes upon their incredulity^ ayid are fuch ftriB 
 friends to truth^ that they never aclmowledge any. 
 Another fort ^ again, throw away a book of this 
 kind for a miracle , or fome extraordinary acci- 
 dent y any thing out of the way (beyond their com- 
 vion prejudices) that they find in ity as tho na- 
 ture, havi?ig exhaufted all her treafures upon our 
 portion oj the earth, could produce nothing uncom* 
 mon eljewhere \ or as thd God's power were more 
 limited in the new eafiern churches than among us. 
 
 And fome there are that run direElly counter 
 to thefe, who inquire after 7iothing hut wonders, 
 . fatisfied only with what raijes their adfniration \ 
 they think all that's natural flat and infipid, and 
 if they are not rouz'd up with afioni/hing adveji- 
 tureSy and continual prodigies^ drop ajleep over 
 the beft penn d relation : now to humour fuch 
 creatures^, one had ?ieed to call the world into a 
 new figure, and give mankind other Jl: apes, *Tis 
 certain, fo many different tajles are not at all to 
 be pleas d', hence travellers, when they come home, 
 are as hard put to it to gain a patient hearing 
 from their own countrymen, as they were at firfi 
 going abroad to make thenijelves be underflood by 
 fir angers. But indeed they are not always worth 
 hearing, the emptinefs or irregularity of their re- 
 lations, or elfe the vein of pajjion and prejudice 
 
 running 
 
The Author s Preface. 
 
 running through the whole, that turns a hiftory 
 intojlander ; but above all , theboldnefs wherewith 
 they pam the mojl ridiculous tales upon us for 
 credible truths, jujlly dijlafle men of J'enfe, and 
 render jiifpe6ied the fnore prudent and fmcere 
 authors : tho' ordinarily it falls out, that thofe 
 travellers, who impofe upon other people, werefirfi 
 deceived thetn [elves. How many are there, who do 
 but jujt touch at a ftrange country, and imagine 
 to be immediately infornid of all that belongs to 
 it \ theyjlep aJJjore, a?idfcour about likefajniflSd 
 men, greedily catching at all that comes in their 
 way, and jo era m their jou rnals wi th idle popular 
 chat : upon this occafwn a Spaniard f aid plea f ant ^ 
 ly of a certain author, that inflead of intituling 
 his book, A relation of all the confiderable rari- 
 ties in the new world, he fhould rather have 
 called it. An account of what the rabble of 
 both Indies, the moors, cafres, and flaves faith- 
 fully reported to me, in thofe conferences which 
 I duly held with them. Others, perhaps, are 
 more referved, and then 'tis ten to 07ie they are 
 naturally bent to mag7iify every thing -, and really 
 when a man has rambled five or fix thoujand 
 leagues, out of pure curiofiity, 'twould fret him, 
 after all, to meet with nothing but what he has 
 fcen fifty times over in Europe -, then, without a 
 fpecial caution, one is apt to fet too 7nighty a 
 character and efieem upon the climate, the cuf- 
 toms, and the wit of the people, and what at the 
 bottom is mofl barbarous becomes mofl ravifiing ; 
 now in writing to others what we admire before- 
 hand ourfelves, the ideas are heighteiid in the 
 defcription, and in the end grow monflrous \ and 
 
 A 3 all 
 
The Author's Preface. 
 
 all this to tickle the reader^ forjboth^ or our cw?i 
 vanity^ with being fir ft in a relation. I have 
 known fome very fcrupulous this way in appear^ 
 ance^ but in efi'eil no lefs wide of the mark than 
 their neighbours^ who fledfajlly believe t hem/elves 
 ho7ieft in their affertions^ but moji unluckily make 
 an ill choice of terms and modes of exprejfon. To 
 fpeak i?2telligibly^ we read every day one or other ^ 
 that tells us of certain kingdoms in the Indies ^ 
 much after the rate that we talk of thofe in Eu- 
 rope 5 the metropolitan cities^ the counties^ the 
 government of jrontier places^ the palace^ the 
 minifiers of fiat e^ the generals of armies^ and a 
 hundred other terms of that ftamp, prejently we 
 think our/elves at another Paris, Ferfailles, or 
 in our formidable armies ; and when all comes 
 to ally this fame Louvre of a palace is neither 
 better nor wor/e than a rambling^ ill contrivd^ 
 wooden building -^ the courtiers a crew of for ry 
 wretches half naked ; the viceroys^ it may be^ 
 have fijteen or twenty petty villages under their 
 government^ fcattered up and down in the woods^ 
 and Jo of the refi. Undoubtedly theje terms^ that 
 reprefentfuch grand ideas to us, are very impro- 
 perly ifed to fignify fuch pitiful kingdoms, that 
 have almoft nothing co7nmon with ours, but the 
 name ; 'tis my opinion we ought to manage them 
 ivarily and skilfully, left weJJ^ould lie in telling 
 the truth. But when the country we treat of has 
 in good earneft Jomething noble and fingular in 
 it, we are ftill apter to mifcan^y ; then we are 
 not content barely to draw ejlee7nfrom our reader s^ 
 we covet their admiration too ; /;/ this cafe a man 
 mufi fiand upon bis guard againfi his own evi- 
 
 dcnce^ 
 
The Author's Preface. 
 
 dence, and deal with it jujl as thofe modejl perjom 
 who in their judgment retrench half the merit 
 their own imagination fuggejls to 'em, lejl they 
 Jhould overvalue themfelves. Upon the whole^ 
 we ought not to be Jo violently prepojfejfed again fl 
 relations of voyages, as to put good and bad 
 under the fame condemnation ^ for as on one hand 
 it were indifcreet to take up with all that come 
 out without choice, examination^ or diflinStion ; 
 fo on the other hand 'tis as foolijh an affeBation, 
 to rejedl indifferently the accounts of travellers 
 whofe difinterejl, condition, and capacity recom- 
 mend their credit. For my part, notwithjianding 
 I have conjlantly cherifod a jleddy affeilion for 
 truth, I durfi not venture to put together aii in^ 
 tire ftory of all that came to my k?iowledge during 
 a long abode in the empire of China, apprehend- 
 ing lejl the want of other qualifications, Jieceffary 
 in fuch a work, fhould hardly be atond for by 
 that fmgle virtue-, neverthelejs, not knowing 
 well how to contain myfelf altogether at my re- 
 turn from fojar a country, and beiiig lefs able 
 to forbear publifinng the progrefs of religion 
 in the Eajl, I confefs I have been extremely de- 
 lighted in communicating myfelf on that fubjeSl 
 to fever al perfons of quality, well affeSed to our 
 holy faith', and being under an obligation tore?t- 
 der an account of my voyage to fome, or in obedi- 
 ence to the exprefs commands of others 5 or lajlly^ 
 to make a return for the civility and good offices 
 done me by the reft, I wrote the following letters 
 (being an abridgment of thofe particular convert 
 Jations they have honour d me with) which com- 
 ^frehend, in great part, the prefent ftate of China^ 
 
 m 
 
The Author's Preface. 
 
 and I co?icehed, i?i publi/l:i?ig this colle6iion^ ?iot 
 as a regular loiiverfal account of that vaji em- 
 pire, but as ??iemoirs and heads for a general 
 biJ}or)\ they might not be u?ifervic cable to thoje 
 ivho might one time or other take up fuch a de- 
 Jign-y meantifnCy I may "ui) ell fear ^ that the fame 
 things, 'ivhich feem'd tolerable in di/courfe, ' will 
 7iot pafs fo currently upon a nearer view; faults 
 are ever eafiejl dtfcovered in ivriting, and that 
 loofe irregularity, rchich makes up the pleafure of 
 converjation^ ivill hardly be forgiven here : but 
 to conclude, a 7nan that has endeavour d ten 
 years together to forget his mother tongue, and 
 to load his 7ne7nory with barbarous words and 
 uncouth ideas, whatever he may havehfl another 
 way, ought to be allowed the privilege of wri- 
 ting ill ', after we have cut the line four or five 
 times, methinks our flile f]:ould not be canvas' d 
 by the criticks, and, for ought I know, politenefs 
 in a mij/ionary would be lefs edifying than negli^ 
 gence. 
 
 THE 
 
( t) 
 
 THE 
 
 Prefent State 
 
 O F 
 
 CHIN A. 
 
 ji Letter to my Lord FontckartkaiNj 
 Secretary of State to his Moji Chrijiian 
 Majejiy. 
 
 The Voyage from Siam to Pekln. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 ^S^^-^ H O* travellers at their Veturn are very 
 fejx].^ fond of telling their ftory, and I am 
 ^^^^ pretty Vv^ell affured, that a relation from 
 ^S^^Sk China cannot fail of being at once both 
 iireful and entertaining-, yet I could never once 
 refolve upon writing a formal account of my voyage 
 thither. That fubjed, indeed, is worn fo thread- 
 bare, that people have little or no curiofity after 
 new relations -, and the world, moreover, is fuiH- 
 ciently taken up with the bufmefs of the times : 
 the wars, negotiations, and defigns now carrying 
 on in Europe, divert them from enquiring into 
 the affairs of remote countries. 
 
 B But 
 
2 The Voyage from Slam to Pekin. 
 
 But you, my lord (whofe underftanding is as 
 extenlive as your zeal, and who no lefs rejoice at 
 vidories obtained by Chrifl's doctrine over idolatry, 
 than at thofe by our arms) will, I dare hope, give 
 us his minifters a patient hearing. I have already 
 had the honour to be heard by you on this fub- 
 jedt at leifure hours •, and I may fay, that next to 
 thofe divine helps which fupport us in all our la- 
 bours, nothing could more animate our induftry, 
 than that goodnefs with which you are pleafed to 
 give it encouragement. 
 
 The projed offending milTionaries, fkill'd in the 
 mathematicks, into the utmxoft parts of the world, 
 was thought fo glorious to his majefty's reign, and 
 fo advantageous to religion, that his minifters have 
 ever ufcd tlieir beft endeavours to promote it, 
 
 Monfieur Colbert not oiily obtain'd his majefty's 
 approbatio!!, but alfo his orders for the preparing 
 neceffary inftruments, for a confiderable number 
 of mathematicians, bound for China j fome thro' 
 Mufcovy and Tartary , others thro* Syria and Per- 
 Ija, and the reft on board the ve^els belonging to 
 the Eafl-India company. 
 
 His death put fome ftop to this great defign, 
 but the marquis deLouvois no fooner fucceeded him, 
 as fuperintendent of arts and fciences, than by 
 order from his majefty be commanded our fape- 
 riors to look out men, whofe zeal and capacity 
 render'd them able for fuch an undertaking •, and 
 for them he procured all forts of inftrumicnts, 
 together with money, letters of commendation, 
 and, in a word, whatever might contribute to the 
 fuccefs of the def.frn. 
 
 Monfieur DeStigneiay, judging that thefe new 
 miflions needed the fjpport of the admiralty, de- 
 fired they might be intruded to his care j but tho* 
 monfieur De Louvois gave up to him the manage- 
 
 ment 
 
^he Voyage from Siarh to Pekin. 3 
 
 ment of them ; yet he did not v/holly abandon 
 them, but largely and bountifully contributed to tlie 
 (hortening their journey thro' Poland, Ruflia, Si- 
 beria, and the greater Tartary to the eaftern ocean. 
 
 Thus, my lord, has providence led three great 
 men to forward fo noble a work, the perfecting of 
 which it has left to you. The feveral reafons which 
 induced them to it will, doubtlefs, be as preva- 
 lent with your lordfliip, who are no lefs defirous 
 of the honour of religion, the glory of our king, 
 and the advantage of his fubjecls, and no lefs care- 
 ful in your employments, with refpc6b both to arts 
 and fciences^ and trade and navigation. 
 
 Your protecflion has, hitherto, been fo bene* 
 voknt to thofe zealous miflionaries, that they can- 
 not doubt of a happy fuccefs. 
 
 But befides this acknowledgment, they are 
 bound to give you an exadl account of their adlions, 
 their travels, and the ufe they have made of his 
 majefly's bounty. Thefe memoirs, my lord, I 
 offer to you on their behalf. 
 
 The king, about \.^\\ years fmce, commanded 
 fix of his fubjefts, jefuits, for China, with the 
 charadler of his majefty's mathematicians, that, by 
 teacliing thefe fcienccs, they might take occaficrt 
 to promote the gofpel. I was one of them, and 
 {^t fail v/ith the reft in the beginning of the year 
 1 6855 in the fame fliip, on board v/hich v/as mon- 
 fieur Chaumont, fent by his majefty on an extra- 
 ordinary ambafiy to the court of Siam. 
 
 Our voyage thither was very fortunate, but the 
 feafon forbad oUr going farther , and we were de- 
 tained there near a tv/elve-month, till the time of 
 year proper for our defign. 
 
 The king of Siam, a pretender to aftrology, de- 
 
 iired to be a fharer in our agronomical obfervati- 
 
 ons. He, above all, admired our exadtnefs in fore- 
 
 B 2 telling; 
 
scxjurt. But 
 
 piOT-j- return to France, 
 
 t - . - - ■--.•-:-,.- ^^ J 
 
 f 
 
 C ' '- 
 
 .able, it v; 
 
 h ibme r.:pcs cf 
 he w:nd :: keeD 
 
 vova. 
 
 r : - 
 
 Bug the c 
 was €Xtrc 
 
 r:.o 
 
 The 
 
The Voyage from Slam to Pekin. 5 
 
 The miffionaries more concerned at the lofs of 
 time, than the danger they had efcaped, refolved 
 upon return ill g to Siam byland,defigningtheretogo 
 onboard an Englifh veflcl bound for Canton, which 
 was to fail about the beginning of Auguft. They en- 
 tered the woods, in hopes of meeting with a town 
 and fome guides to conduct them \ but they fooa 
 loft their way, and encountered no lefs perils at 
 land than before at fea. The grtat rains had 
 caufed a land -flood, fo that, walkin^i: barefoot thro' 
 the fields which were overflowed, f.n innumerable 
 quantity of leeches, and muflvctoes fo troublefome . 
 to ftrangers, were their continual torment. Oa 
 the other hand a great number of f rpents, tigers, 
 buffles, and elephants, of which the fjrefts are full, 
 kept them under continual apprehenfions. 
 
 But their greateft mifery was want of food; for, 
 the little viduals they had brought out with them 
 being foon fpent, they muft have been ftarved, 
 had not providence direcfled them to a fmall village. 
 Not that the inhabitaiits could afford them much 
 relief, being them.felves unprovided of ail things; 
 but they conduc5led th.em back again to their fhip, 
 where they arrived after a fortnight's wandering, 
 half-dead wich wcarinefs and hunger. 
 
 As for me, I was almoft in as ill a condition: I 
 had prevailed upon monfieurConftance to place me in 
 a convent of Talaj^oins (fo their priefts are called) of 
 whom not one had yet embraced chriftianity, tho' 
 their convcrfion m-ight be an effectual means to 
 bring about that of the v/hole nation. I knew no 
 fteps more proper to he taken, to this purpofe, than 
 free converfation with them, and conforming m,y 
 felf to their drefies, and aufterity o-f life. This 
 method proved eifecflual at Madura •, from whence! 
 concluded, that there was no lefs reafon to expecfl 
 the like fuccefs atSiam. But the confpiracy of the 
 B 3 Malais 
 
6 Ihe Voyage from Slam to Pekin. 
 
 Malais andMacaflars, which happened at that time, 
 gave monlleur Conirance fo much trouble, that he 
 had no leilure to think of ir.e. The king who 
 countenanced the chriftian faith, and his mLniTier, 
 v/ho was its chief fuppoit, with all thofe who pro- 
 feiled it, were in danger of being murthered in one 
 night, had not our Redeemer fared us from that 
 peiil j but the plot was difcovered, a2:d the cnmi- 
 nals brought to a condign punifhment. 
 
 On account of thus accident, the fathers re- 
 turned by fea to Siam, before I was very far en- 
 gaged in the newhfe I refolved to lead ; and at their 
 eamell foliciration I confented to embark with them, 
 when the feafon fhould permit ; and the more wil- 
 lingly, becaufe it was about the time that father 
 Tachard was to return with a recruit of miiuona- 
 ries and mathematicians. 
 
 On the 1 7th of June, in the year 1 6S 7, we failed 
 forNimpo, a confiderable city and haven inCheki- 
 am,, a province of Macao ; for we thought it imi- 
 proper to go to Macao, as was dengned the year 
 before, liavingbeen informed, that theportugueze 
 would not afford us a welcome reception. 
 
 I hardly believe, my lord, that you are over cu- 
 rious of knowing how we lieered our courfe. Jour- 
 nals wholly made up of eaft, wtfi, north, and 
 fouth, and athoufand barbarous words, which fcem 
 only proper for hufling and hectoring the winds, 
 can fcarce be reliih'd by fo nice a palate as yours \ 
 w hich neverthelefs are very ufeful to feamien, and 
 thofe, who m.ake navigation their iludy, would 
 not find fuch a Itile unpleafant. But I fhall take 
 another opportunitv of giving you an account of 
 it, in oitering you fome geographical mem.oirs. Per- 
 mit me then to wave this for the prefent, and 
 to fpcak only of what coiKerned ourfelves. 
 
 Altho' 
 
7he Foyage from Siam to Pckin. 7 
 
 Altho' the king of Siam gave exprcfs orders for 
 our good treatment, God was pleafed in his wif- 
 dom to give us an occafion of exercifing our pati- 
 ence. We were on board a fmall Chincfe vcfTel, 
 called a SommebythePortuguezc, without any {bel- 
 ter againft the weather, and fo ftreightened for want 
 of room, that we could not lie at length -, placed 
 near an idol, black with the firioak of a lamp con- 
 tinually burning in its honour, and, v/hich did not 
 a little offend us, worfhipped every day with a dia- 
 bolical faperftition. The fun was direftly over our 
 heads, and we had fcarce any water to quench our 
 immoderate thirft, which the exceffive heat of the 
 climate brought upon us. Three meals of rice 
 were our daily allowance, tho' the captain, Iconfefs, 
 often invited us to eat fome m.eat v/ith him ; but 
 that being always fir ft offered as a facrifice to the 
 idol, we looked on it rather with horror than ap- 
 petite, m this manner we fpent above a month, 
 endeavouring, by our patience and prayers, to in- 
 fpire thofe idolatrous people with an efteem for our 
 holy religion, our fmall acquaintance with their 
 language not permitting us to do it by declaring 
 its moft facred truths. 
 
 'Tis true, we fometimes, with the help of an in- 
 terpreter, attempted to convince them of the abfur- 
 dity of that v/orihip they were unfortunately en- 
 gaged in, by means of their education. One day 
 efpecially they flocked about us ; the difputc grew 
 fharp, and, at length, {o hot, that we vv^ere con- 
 ftramed to drop it. All feamen are generally very 
 obftinate \ and ours took great offence at what we 
 had faid of their idol, and, foon after, advanced 
 towards us, with threatening afpefls, armed with 
 lances and half-pikes. 
 
 We impatiently expedled the event, but found, at 
 
 laft^ there was no reafon to fear. The mariners had 
 
 B 4 armed 
 
S T'he Voyage from Slam to Pekin. 
 
 armed themfelves only to prepare for a procediom 
 '- in honour of their idol *, perhaps to appeafe the 
 anger fhe might have conceived at the rude treats 
 ment which fhe received from us in the late difpute, 
 I fcarce believe there is a nation more fiiperftitious 
 than theChinefe^who worfhip the very compafs they 
 fleer by, contii;iually cenfing it with perfumes, and 
 often offering it meat as a facrifice. Tvvice a day 
 regularly they threw little pieces of gilt paper, like 
 money, into the fea, as it were to keep it at their 
 devotion. Sometimes they would prefent it with 
 little boats made of the fame (hiff, that, being em- 
 ployed in toffing and ruining them, fhe might have 
 no leifure to annoy us. But when the unruly ele* 
 ment flighted this kindnefs, and became trouble- 
 fom.e, being, as they believed, agitated in an ex- 
 traordinary manner by a Dscmon that governs it \ 
 they burned fome feathers, whofe noifome fmoak 
 and peftiferous fcent were, indeed, more than fuf- 
 jicient, to fend the fiend going, were he the caufe, 
 had he been endowed with fenfe. 
 
 Faffing once near a hill on which one of their 
 temples is built, their fuperftition then out -did it- 
 felf ; for, beiides the ufual ceremonies, confifting in 
 meat-oiferings, burning of candles and perfumes, 
 throwing little baubles of gilt paper into the fea, 
 and infinite other fopperies, all hands were at work, 
 for five or fix hours together, in making a little vef- 
 fel, in the likenefs of ours, of about four feet in 
 length. It was very artificially wrought, wanting 
 neither mafl:s, tackling, fails, nor flags •, it had its 
 compafs, rudder, and fhalop, its arms, kitchin- 
 flufF, victuals, cargo, and book of accompts. Be- 
 fides, they had daubed as many fmall pieces of 
 paper, as we were men in the fnip, and difpofed pf 
 them in our places. This machine, being placed 
 on two ftaves, wa3, with great ceremony, at th 
 
 noife 
 
The Voyage from Siam to Pckin. 9 
 
 nolfe of a tabor and a brazen bafon, raifed up in 
 view of all the crew. A feaman, in a Bonze's habit, 
 was the principal perfon among them, playing fe- 
 veral apilh tricks with a quarter- ftafF, and, now 
 and then, fhouting forth loud huzza's. At length 
 the myfterious toy was committed to the waves, 
 and ey'd as far as fight could reach, accompanied 
 with the Bonze's acclamations, who roared with all 
 his might. This ridiculous entertainment diverted 
 the failors, while we were ftruck with a fenfible 
 grief to behold their blind error, which it was out 
 of our power to remove. 
 
 An accident happened foon after, which, at firft, 
 gave them lefs pleafure, but, in the end, proved an 
 equal diverfion to us all. The mariners imagined 
 they faw a fhip in a part of the fea much in felled 
 with pyrates, They had excellent fpying-glafles, 
 thro' which they could perceive the maftsand fails j 
 nay, fome faw the very tackling, and, from the 
 manner of her failing, it was plain fhe defigncd us 
 a vifit. All were very diligent in putting their fhip 
 in a pofture of defence : the Chinefe, who, of all men, 
 love beft to fleep in a whole fkin, were in extreme 
 confternation y we faw fear painted in their faces, 
 while they made ready their fey meters, pikes, and 
 guns, for they had no cannon. This terrified us 
 n^ore than the fancied enemy, which yet caufed in 
 us no little apprehenfion ♦, for I muft ingenuoufly 
 own, we were then grown as fearful, if poffible, 
 as the Chinefe themfelves. Religion or martyrdom 
 was not then the thing in queftion ; we were in 
 danger of being ftrangled by villains, who give no 
 quarter, according to their cuftom, which they would 
 hardly have altered for our fakes. The only re- 
 medy would have been, to have leaped into the 
 fea, and, by drowning ourfclves, deferred our end 
 for a few minutes 3 but the medicine was fomewhat 
 
 violent^ 
 
lo 7^(? Voyage from Siam to Pckin. 
 
 violent, and ^t did not care to try the experiment. 
 Our profpedive-glafics v/ere often ufed, and, 
 to our great furprize, the mighty veflel, as it came 
 near us, leiTened, as did our ill-grounded terror, 
 for we now doubted whether it was a fhip. At 
 length it grew a floating ifland, then a fea-horfe, 
 and then I knew not what ; till at laft it came in 
 view, and proved to be a tree, which a violent 
 wind had torn from the coaft. The earth and 
 pebbles about its root occafioncd it to fwim upright, 
 fo that its trunk,, which was very high, refembled 
 a malt j and fome branches fprcad on each fide for 
 a yard, with lefTer boughs broken dov/n for ropes, 
 Ivad, with the help of the wind and the fea's beat- 
 ing about it, which formed a trafl not unlike that 
 of a fhip, thus caufelefly alarmed us ; moreover, 
 people who trembled, as they looked thro' their 
 glafles, might eafily be deceived. 
 
 The dreadful enemy was no fooner known, but 
 the preparations were given over, to their great 
 feeniing giief, who then defired nothing more than 
 a battle, and were heartily vexed at the difappoint- 
 ment. But vve maich fufpcdnig their courage was 
 counterfeit, fince it did not appear till all the dan- 
 iZer was vanifh.ed, thouglit not ourfelves fate u?i- 
 til we were landed. 
 
 This VvMS not the only peril we v/ere likely to 
 cn.counter; for vre were fcarce in light of Emouis, 
 an ifland of China, famous for the com-modioufnefs 
 of its harbour, and the abundance of fhips of all 
 nations referring thither, when the fudden veering 
 of the wind, followed by a calm, and black clouds, 
 which on every fide darkened our horizon, caufed 
 the pilots to fear the approachof fomeTyphon, than 
 which nothing is more terrible in the feas of China 
 and Japan i for, unlefs the captain be fkilful, the 
 crew numerous, and the vefTel ftout, their ruin is 
 
 IT) ofl 
 
\ I'he Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 1 1 
 
 moft certain. ThisTyphon is a furious wind, or 
 rather a blowing of all the winds at once ; fo that 
 the waves, confufedly rolling one upon another^ 
 befet a (hip on all fides, and tofs it with the utmoft 
 rage and fury. This wind is fo violent, that there 
 is no bearing any fail ; and fo obftinate, that the third 
 day fcarce fees the end of it. At firft the feamens 
 pains and induftry may a little withftand the ftorm, 
 but continual labour tires and difheartens them ; 
 they yield to the over-ruling winds, the mails break, 
 the rudder is carried off, and the fhip founders •, or, if 
 {he be fo well built as to fuffcain the fury of the wavCvS, 
 fhe fplits againft a rock, and not a manefcapes. 
 
 Four days had been fpent, in expedlation of the 
 like fate i and the dreadful omens increafed, when 
 it came into our minds to addrefs St. Francis Xa- 
 vier, v/hofe miracles had once rendered thofe feas 
 fo famous. Vv'e prayed him to divert the tempeft, 
 and inforced our prayers by a vow. Scarce were we 
 off our knees, but, whether by a miracle, or the 
 ordinary courfe of nature, there blew a favourable 
 gale of wind, which carried us thro' fome iilands 
 into our defired port. 
 
 I never faw any thing fo frightful, as that Infinite 
 number of rocks and defert ifiands thro' which we 
 were obliged to pafs. The channels are in fome 
 places fo narrow, as not to exceed ten paces in 
 breadth, to the great danger of thofe who fail thro* 
 them : v/e alfo fi:eer'd thro' a pretty v/ide bay^ 
 In which the Chinefe obferve a profound filence, 
 for fear, they tell us, of difturbing a neighbouring 
 dragon ; we v/ere conftrained to follow their 
 example. I know not how they call It ; as for 
 us, we named it the Dumb Man's Bay. 
 
 Having fpent fome time among thofe horrid 
 rocks, we at lafl: had fight of a little city called 
 Timrhai, that is^ Sea's Limitj fituated at the mouth 
 
 of 
 
12 The Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 
 
 of the river, up which we tided, and dropp'd 
 anchor three miles higher, near the city of Nimpo, 
 which we had earneftly longed to fee, during a 
 fix and thirty days yoyage, rendered extremely 
 tedious, on account of the dangers and hardfhips 
 to which we were daily expofed. 
 
 It was with tranfportingjoy we reached that land, 
 in which we had, during fo m^any years, ardently de- 
 fired to preach the gofpel. Thefightof itinfpiredus 
 with anunufual zeal, and thejoy of viewing that hap- 
 py foil, which fo many good men had confecrated by 
 their labours, we thought an ample amends for ours. 
 
 However, it was not foeafy to enter, tho'wewere 
 fo near the city. China is a very ceremonious coun- 
 try, wherein all Grangers, but especially the French, 
 have occafion for a good flock of patience. The cap- 
 tain of our vefilel thought fit to conceal us, and, on our 
 arrival, we were let down into the hold, where the 
 heat, which increafed the nearer we approached the 
 land, and feveral other inconveniencies, rendered 
 our condition almoft iniupportable. But, in fpite of 
 all precaution, we vrere diicovered \ an officer of the 
 cuftoms fpied us, and, having taken an account of 
 the fhip's cargo, fet a man in her, and withdrew to 
 inform his maRer, This Mandarine who holds his 
 commilTion immediately from court, and is there- 
 fore much refpeded, ordered us to be brought be- 
 fore him, whomv.'c found in a large halL atliRed by 
 hisaffeflbrs, and or her inferior officers •, v/e were wait-, 
 ed on thither by a multitude of people, who are 
 there more curious of feeing an European, than 
 we fhould be her-^ of viewing a Chinefe. 
 
 No fooner were we enter'd, but v/e were admo- 
 niihed to kneel, and bow our heads nine times to 
 the ground, that being the cuftom in thofe parts of 
 doingobeifancetotheprime Mandarine, who, in that 
 quality, reprefents the emperor's perfon. His coun- 
 tenance 
 
The Voyage from Siam to Pekin* 13 
 
 tenance was very fevere, bearing a gravity that 
 challenged veneration, and a dread, which increaf- 
 ed at the fight of his executioners, who, like Ro- 
 man liftors, attended with chains and great fticks, 
 in a readinefs to bind and cudgel whom his Man- 
 darinefhip pleafed. 
 
 Having paid him our duty, he afked us who we 
 were, and what was our errand. My Lord (an* 
 fwered V/^e, by the means of our interpreter) 12;^ have 
 heard in Europe, that fever al of our brethren^ and 
 particularly fatherYtr\m^^ laboured with fuccefs to 
 fpread the knowledge of our holy religion in thefe re- 
 mote parts ; the fo/me zeal has moved us^ and the no- 
 hie idea we have formed of this empire^ and of the 
 wit and folitenefs of its inhabitants^ has engaged us 
 to procure them the only thing that is wanting to com- 
 pleat the grandeur of fo flourifoing and renowned 
 a nation^ viz. the knowledge of THE ONLTTRUE 
 GOD^ without which it cannot be truly great. We 
 have bejides underfloodhow kind his imperial majefiy 
 has been to them^ and hope his Mandarines^ who are 
 no fir angers to his intentions^ will be fo favourable 
 as not to moleft us. 
 
 This declaration feemed fomewhat bold, in a pro- 
 vince where our religion v/as fcarce tolerated, and 
 in a city where there was not one chriltian. But 
 our ignorance hereof inclined us to think, that, fincc 
 the freedom of trade had been granted, ftrangers 
 might come and fettle there, which is diredllyoppo- 
 fite to the laws of the land. The Mandarine, 
 who, queftionlefs, was fur prized at our freedom of 
 fpeech, diflembled his thoughts, and, as if he ap- 
 proved of our zeal, told us it was true, the empe- 
 jor had a particular efteem for fatherVerbieft, whofe 
 merit was notorious in ail parts of the empire, and 
 that he himfelf was very defirous to ferve us -, but, 
 
 continued 
 
14 The Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 
 
 continued he, / muft firfi advife with the governor^ 
 and we Jh all confider of it together: in the meanwhile 
 return toymrfbip^ where you Jh all hear farther from us. 
 
 Some days after the general of the militia in and 
 about the city, confilfeg of about fifteen or twenty 
 thoufand men,\vas willing to fee us,and entertained us 
 in a moft obliging manner, infomuch that, when we 
 left him to wait upon the governor, he fent an of- 
 ficer to defire him that he would ufe us kindly, af- 
 furing him we v/ere very honeft people. The go- 
 vernor exprefTcd fome regard for us, but faid he 
 could determine nothing in our cafe, till he had firft 
 conferred with the chief officers of the city ; fo 
 that we were forced again on board our hated fhip, 
 which feemed to us an extremely fevere prifon. 
 
 Moft of us were lick, but our lord, who permit- 
 ted thefe delays, to try our patience, did at laft foft- 
 en the hardened hearts of thefe infidels, who took 
 compaflion upon us. Eight days being fpent in 
 confultations, the Mandarine of the cuftoms held 
 his court in a houfe not far from the port, where 
 his clerks ufually kept their office. Having there 
 fent for us and our goods, being feveral bales of 
 books, images, and mathematical inftruments, they 
 opened but three of our tmnks, without demand- 
 ing any cuftom; and hislordthip told us, w^c might 
 lodcre in the fjburbs till thev had heard from the 
 viceroy, to w^hom the governor had v/rcte concern- 
 ing us. We thankfully accepted of his civility, 
 and, in our new habitation, enjoyed a reft v/e 
 greatly wanted. 
 
 Permit me, my lord, before I proceed, to give 
 you a general defcription of that great empire, 
 framed according to the obfervations of antient 
 geographers, and redlified by thofe we have fince 
 made v/ith much care and exadnefs. 
 
 China, 
 
T'he Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 15 
 
 China, which the inhabitants call Tchoum- 
 coeve, the middle kingdom, becaufe they formerly- 
 thought themfelves feated inthemidft of the world, 
 is divided into fifteen very large provinces. Quan- 
 tum, Fokien, Chekiam, Nankim, Xantum and Pe- 
 kin lie along the eaftern ocean, from foiith to north; 
 and, from north to fouth on the weftern fide, are 
 extended Xanfi, Xenft, Sucheim, Yunmin and 
 Quamfi V and then Queycheu, Kian^i, Huquam 
 and Honan are cpcompalTed by the other eleven, 
 and from the midd of the empire, which a chan- 
 nel divides from Japan and the iilandFormofa, and 
 a very long wall from Tartary. 
 
 Here, my lord, I muft intreat your patience a 
 while, to give you an exa6l account of its Situation, 
 and remind you of two confiderable faults geogra- 
 phers are guilty of: the firft v/hereof is, that they 
 have mifplaced the whole province Leaotum with- 
 in the wall •, whereas it is undoubtedly without, 
 tho' it ever made part of the Chinefe dominions. 
 This is matter of fad, and w^hoever difputcs it 
 need only take a journey thither, as we did, to be 
 fully convinced. The fecond is, that they place 
 the whole empire five hundred leagues more eaft- 
 ward than it really is, this is not fo palpable a mif- 
 take as the former, but clearly demonflrable by 
 our obfervations •, fo that China is much nearer Eu- 
 rope than it has been hitherto imagined. 
 
 If fucceeding obfervators could but bring it each 
 journey fo many leagues nearer, our voyages would 
 foonbe{hortened,andthore,who are fofond of fee- 
 ing unknown countries, might with eafe fatisfy their 
 defires *, but the mifchief is, that it is out of their 
 power. And I dare fay, our obfervations, and thofe 
 of the royal academy of fciences, will fcarce be fur- 
 pafTed, unlefsMr. V — , v/hohas fom.uch inveighed 
 agalnft pur manner of proceeding herein, undertakes 
 
 that 
 
l6 'The Voyage from Siam to Pekin, 
 
 that difficult taik ; then indeed I ihould not defpair, 
 if he gives us a map of his travels, of feeing China 
 beyond Japan, or Japan near Mexico. 
 
 Befides thefe two fundamental errors, they have 
 failed in the Situation of each particular city ; but a 
 fuller account would be too tedious to infert here, 
 and may befides be expeded from father Gouye, a 
 mathematician of our king's college, with whom I 
 have left our geographical obfervations, which he 
 will fhortly produce to the world. However, my 
 lord, be pleafed that I give you the true extent of 
 the empire: From the city of Canton, which v/e 
 place a little above the 23d degree to Pekin, which 
 lies, in the 40th, there are from north to fouth 1 7 
 degrees ; but we may reckon 18, becaufe beyond Pe- 
 kin and Carlton to the utmofl bounds is 20 leagues 
 more : Thefe 1 8 degrees amount to 450 common 
 leagues, and are the in.tire length of that country. 
 Its extent from eaft to weft is little lefs ; fo that on 
 the whole China which is almoft of a circular figure, 
 is very near fourteen hundred leagues in circuit. 
 This account, my lord, I can warrant to be juft, 
 and grounded on very exadl obfervation. 
 . You fee, my lord, that I have taken no notice 
 of Formofa, Haynan, and other iflands of inferior 
 note, which of thcmfelves would make a very great 
 kingdom-, as alfo all the province of Leaotum,becaufe 
 it is without the wall. As for theCorea,Tumkim, 
 and Siam, they depend, Iconfefs, fo far on China 
 as that they pay tribute to that crown, and their 
 kings, at their admiffion, are confirmed by its em- 
 peror ; but they are feparate kingdoms, and exceed- 
 ingly diflTer from that of China, which is quite ano- 
 ther thing, whether we confider the produ6l and 
 fertility of its foil, the beauty and numbers of its 
 cities, or the wit, politenefs, religion, and manners 
 of its inhabitants. The Chinefe know it, and are fo 
 
 proud 
 
7he Voyage from Siam to Pekiri. ly 
 
 proud of it, that that they call all the reft barba- 
 rous nations, taking great care in their marriages 
 not to match with them, or any of the other In- 
 dians, fearing nothing more than that their mean 
 blood ihould run in a noble Chinefe's veins. 
 
 I alfo omitted a great part of Tartary, which 
 belongs to this ftate, to the great increafe of its 
 power, for the Tartars are valiant, and withal 
 men of fenfe •, and befides, tho' Tartary be full of 
 woods and Tandy defarts, yet it is not wholly un- 
 fruitful *, thofe fine furs of which they rob their 
 zibelines, foxes and tigers; a great diverfity 
 of fimples ufed in phyfick, and the fine horfes 
 which come from thence, are commodities China 
 could not be without. Yet tho' they reap fo great 
 a profit by. It Cannot be imagined what a vexation 
 it Is to them to be fo ftrldlly united and mixt with 
 that nation ; and one muft be well acquainted with 
 the excefs of their vanity, and of the conceit they 
 have of their grandeur, to know how grievoufly the 
 Tartarian conqueft has humbled them. I queftion 
 not, my lord, but you have heard of it, but 
 perhaps have not had the lelfure of inquiring into 
 particulars, and therefore a fhort account of that 
 great revolution may not be unwelcome. 
 
 One of the petty kings of the eaflern Tartary 
 (for there are not a few) whofe fubjedls, cali'd 
 Mouantcheou,had fettled a trade near the long wall, 
 having complained at Pekin of fome knaveries 
 committed by the Chinefe merchants, and having 
 received no fatlsfadion, refolved to right himfelf, 
 and entered the province of Leaotum with a nu- 
 merous army. The em.peror prefently fent fome 
 part of his forces to oppofe him, and the war 
 continued fome time, with equal advantage. But 
 one L. I. a Chinefe took that opportunity to hatch 
 a. rebellion in the provinces which were moft re- 
 
 C mote 
 
i8 T'he Voyage from Slam to Pekin. 
 
 mote from court. Great numbers of malecontents 
 flock'd about him, who having made themfelves 
 mafters of thegreateftcities,likea torrent,overflow'd 
 the whole country, driving all down before them. 
 The facrcd prefence of their emperor could not 
 fave Pekin from their fury •, the rebel, who knew 
 the beft forces were drawn out of it, marched di- 
 redly to attack it. There was indeed a garrifon 
 of feventy thoufand men, but moft gain'd upon by 
 the pradices of L. Ps emiffaries •, fo that while fome 
 with a pretended zeal perfuaded the prince to re- 
 main in his palace, others opened the city gates to 
 the tray tor, who folemnized his entry by a cruel 
 flaughter. The unfortunate monarch, finding him- 
 felf betrayed, would have marched out againft 
 him with fix hundred guards, who ftill remained 
 with him ; but at the mentioning of his heroick 
 propofal their hearts failed them, and they bafely 
 abandoned him. Then fearing no greater evil than 
 that of falling quick into the hands of his enemies, 
 he retired into a garden with an only daughter he 
 had, and having wrote with his blood thefe words 
 on the border of his veft. My fubjeBs have bafely 
 forfaken me^ fpend tlry rage on my hody^ but f pare my 
 people. Fie firft ftabbed the princefs, whofe tears 
 would have foftened a heart of flint, and then 
 hang'd himfelf on a tree ; more unjuft to his 
 daughter, and cruel to himfelf, than could have 
 been the moft barbarous foe. 
 
 The emperor being dead,all bowed to the ufur- 
 per, except Oufanguey f whom the late prince had 
 intrufted with the command of the forces he had 
 fent againft the Tartars) and he never would ac- 
 knowledge him, and chofe rather to pull down his 
 tyranny, than ignobly to accept of a ftiare in it. 
 The new monarch having in vain befieged him in 
 the province of Leaotum, to engage him to fur- 
 render 
 
The Voyage from Siarh to Pekin. 19 
 
 render himfelf^ fhewed him his father loaded with 
 irons, protefting he would put him to death in 
 his fight, if he did not immediately fabmit. But 
 that generous lord, more faithful to the memory 
 of his deceafed prince than tender of his father's 
 life, fuffered the duty of a fubjed to prevail over 
 that of a fon \ and feeing that blood fpilt, of 
 which his was once a part, refolved to die, or re- 
 venge at once his father's and his emperor's death. 
 He made his peace with the Tartar, who, having 
 joined him, no fooner enabled him to cope with 
 his enemy, but he marched againft him. But the 
 tyrant, whofe cdwardife was even greater than his 
 cruelty,durfl: not appear againft thofe two armies. 
 He fled to Pekin, where having burned the pa- 
 lace, and all that had not periflied at his firft en- 
 try, he retired into the province of Xenfi, loaded 
 with the fpoil of the empire and the curfe of all. 
 He was purfued but in vain, for he met with fo 
 private a retirement, that all the art of man could 
 never find him out. 
 
 In the mean while the Tartars entered Pekin, 
 and fo impofed upon the poor Chinefe, that of 
 themfelves they begged their new guefts to take 
 care of their diftrefled (late. The Tartars were 
 too cunning not to improve fo favourable an op- 
 portunity ; hereupon they^ either by force or po- 
 licy, are fince grown abfolute mailers of it. And 
 here it is hard to determine which is the moft to 
 be wondered at, the courage and condudl of that 
 nation, which gave them fuccefs in fo noble an 
 enterprize, or the fupinenefs or ill management of 
 the Chinefe, who thus bafely fubmitted to a peo- 
 ple fo inconfiderable for their number, that they 
 would have been afhamed not long before to own 
 them for their fubjedts. So true it is we ought not 
 to look on any thing as beneath us, fince all tem- 
 
 C 2 poral 
 
20 Tie Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 
 
 poral grandeur is fubjedl to change, and nothing 
 is conftant in this world but inconftancy. 
 
 The Tartarian king Tfoute had not the leifure 
 to enjoy his conqueft •, fcarce had he taken pofTef- 
 fion but he died, leaving the adminiftration of the 
 govemment, and care of his fon, who was then 
 but fix years old, to his brother. This brother of 
 his, named Amavan, conquered all the pro- 
 vinces which had not yet fubmitted \ a prince de- 
 fervedly admired, not only for his valour and 
 condud, ever attended with fuccefs, but alfo for 
 his fidelity and moderation. For the young prince 
 being come to age, he difcharged his truft, and 
 took as much care to fecure him in the empire, as 
 he had done to conquer it for him. 
 
 Thi? union of the two nations has made one 
 empire of a prodigious extent, for tho' all Tartary 
 does not belong to China, yet moft is tributary 
 to it ', infomuch,that the great and mighty Cham, 
 to whom the Chinefe themfelves fometime paid 
 tribute, is now fallen from all his grandeur. But 
 I do not wonder how we in Europe could be mif- 
 informed in this point, fince Monfieur Conftance 
 himfelf, who fo frequently converfed v/ith them^ 
 knew no better. I know not upon what grounds 
 he had credulouily taken up a report that Tar- 
 tary obeyed one fole emperor, from whom the 
 Chinefe defended themfelves only by prefents and 
 money. This will make me take more care for 
 the future,how I credit relations which are ground- 
 ed on common fame. 
 
 Since the peace betv/een Ruflia and China, it is 
 eafy to give the true length of the whole empire, 
 for on that occaiion the bounds were fixed by con- 
 fent to the 55th degree,the refl of the land ftretch- 
 Ing from north to eaft remaining flill undecided by 
 that treaty. So from the moft foutherly point of 
 
 Hay- 
 
TChe Voyage from Siam to Pckin. 2 1 
 
 Haynan to the utmoil limits of that part of Tar- 
 tary, which belongs to the emperor of China, may 
 be reckon'd above 900 leagues. Thofe lands are not 
 alike fruitful, but all may yield religion a plentiful 
 harveft, and, were all the mifiionaries in the world 
 employ'd in fo vaft a field, it would yet want for 
 reapers. 
 
 We were well informed at Nim.po of the good 
 we could do there, and were ready to take a fpi- 
 ritual poflefTion of the promifed land, when we 
 had intelligence that the viceroy of that province 
 was much offended that we were fuffered to land, 
 and was refolved to fend us back to the Indies. 
 He wrote indeed a fharp reprimand to the gover- 
 nor of Nimpo, and at the fame time an account 
 of what had pafled to the grand tribunal at Pekin, 
 which is entrufted with the care of foreign affairs, 
 and ever was averfe to the chriftian religion. He 
 was very partial, for tho' he was well acquainted 
 with our defign, he reprefented us as five Euro- 
 peans, who for fome private ends defigned to fet- 
 tle there, in oppofition to the fundamental laws of 
 the realm- •, fo that the court decreed we fhould be 
 banifhcd, and, according to cuilom, prefented an 
 order to that effedl:, defiring the emperor to fign it. 
 
 Had this order been confirmed, we had been 
 undone, and in all probability, the Mandarins at 
 Nimpo had been {q too, for treating us fo favour- 
 ably. The viceroy, who bore as great a love to 
 our money as he did hatred to our belief, would 
 have feized our bales, and, as a puniihment on the 
 captain of our fhip, confifcat^d his merchandizes, 
 and ordered him forthwith to be gone, and take 
 us along with him ; and if the captain had been 
 ruin'd on our account, we might reafonably look 
 to be thrown over board by him. 
 
 Our peril was certain, had we not prevented it 
 by our care in writing, as we were iii duty bound, 
 
 C 3 tQ 
 
22 7!6^ Voyage from Siatn to Pekin. 
 
 to father Intorcetta, an Italian miGlonary, and fa- 
 ther general of our order in thofc parts. Father 
 Fontaney had alfo given father Verbieft notice of 
 our arrival, defiring him that he would inflrud us 
 what we had to do. The father had all the rea- 
 fon in the world to leave us to ourfelves, for, by 
 taking us uivier his protection, he expofed himfelf 
 to the anger of the viceroy of Gca^ and the go- 
 vernor of Macao^ from Vv*hom he had received 
 letters which were neither conform.able to the king 
 of Portugal's intentions, nor to chritlian charity. 
 But who could have expeded that a man, ever 
 ready to facrince his life for the infidels falvation, 
 fhould have looked unconcernedly on, while his 
 brethren, who were come from the remoteft parts 
 of the earth to aiTift him in his tafk, miferably 
 perifhed } When he received our letters the em- 
 peror was m Tartary, fo that he was forced to 
 "Write to a friend at court, that he would inform 
 his majefty of our arrival, and caufed his letter, 
 by a wilful miftake, to be put into a pacquet which 
 he knew would be delivered into the emperor's 
 own hands. It happened as he de fired, the empe- 
 ror opened it and read it, fo that being well in- 
 formed of all the truth, when the tribunal's or- 
 <ier was delivered to him, he anfwered, that he 
 would confider it when he returned to Fekin \ 
 which he did after he had hunted a fortnight. 
 That court was furprifed at the delay, it being 
 cuftomary for the prinxe, in three days time, ei- 
 ther to fign or cancel thefe kind of writs. Father 
 Verbiefl: was no lefs im.patient to know the fate of 
 his letter and the emperor's refolutions ; and as 
 for us, we endeavoured by our prayers to obtain 
 his favour, who rules the hearts of kings. 
 
 Father Intorcetta, our fuperior, who beft knew 
 our ill circumftances, did, by publick prayers in his 
 
 church 
 
The Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 23 
 
 church at Hamcheu, beg God to deliver us out of 
 them ; aiid firmly believing, that the cry of inno- 
 cent babes is very prevalent with the divine Maje- 
 fty, gathered all the chrifiians children from fix to 
 ten, together into the church, where lying pro- 
 Itrate on the ground, they unanimoufly lifted up 
 their innocent hands to heaven, faying, * Pour out 
 thine indignation^ O Lord, upon the heathen that 
 have not known thee^ and upon the kingdo?ns that 
 have not called upon thy name ; but defend thofe 
 who worjhip thee^ and deliver not unto their enemies 
 thy fervants^ who come hither from the extre?nities 
 of the worlds to confefs thy holy no.me^ and to fljew 
 forth thy praife. Thefe prayers were accompanied 
 with the tears of the whole congregation, efpeci- 
 ally with thofe of father Intorcetta, who having 
 been fo happy as to fufFer chains, prifons and ba- 
 nifhment for his Saviour's fake, was moft fit to 
 obtain the blefling we begged for. 
 
 The emperor was no fooner returned to Pekin, 
 but father Verbiefl: informed him that we were his 
 brethren, who, by our {kill in the mathematicks, 
 might be ufefal to his majefiiy. To which he an- 
 fwered. If it was fo^ he faw no caufe why he fhould 
 expel us out of his dominions. He fummoned his 
 privy council, to which the princes of the blood 
 are admitted, and with their advice and confent 
 decreed we fhould all be honourably fent for to 
 court. An order to that efFed was fent to the 
 Lipou (the fame tribunal which had prefented 
 the writ againft us) and by them tranfmitted to 
 the viceroy of Hamcheu : fo that by an efpecial 
 providence, he, who had endeavoured to turn us 
 fhamefully out of China, was himfelf obliged to 
 introduce us, and that with more advantage, than, 
 
 C 4 had 
 
 ^ Effunde iram tuam in Gentes quae te non noveruntjPf.^y, 
 Ne tradas belliis animas confiientcs tibi, PiaJ. 73, 
 
24 ^be Voyage from Siam to Pckin. 
 
 had he been our friend, he could have procured 
 us. His vexation was the greater, becaufe, with- 
 out doing us any harm, he had run the rifque of 
 incurring the emperor's difpleafure by his falfe in-» 
 formations. It was indeed no little mortification 
 to him ; and it was a fortnight before he would 
 acquaint us with our good fortune. 
 
 In the mean while the ftay we made at Nimpo 
 gave us an opportunity of improving our acquain- 
 tance with the Mandarines. Some fent us prefents, 
 others invited us to their houfes, and all in general 
 were very kind to us. We endeavoured to make ufe 
 of this opportunity for their converfion from idola- 
 try, • but it is hard for fouls wholly buried in flefh 
 and blood, to favour the things which are of God. 
 However, the governor of the city made one ftep 
 towards it, which gave us great hopes *, it was this : 
 
 They had for five months time been afflid^ 
 ed with a continual drought, fo that their rivers, 
 and the channels they cut out into their land to 
 water it, were now quite dry, and a famine much 
 apprehended. The priefts had offered number- 
 lefs facrifices, and the Mandarines left nothing un- 
 done which they thought might appeafe the an- 
 ger of the gods. They had often aiked us what 
 methods we ufed in Europe in fuch cafes ; and 
 being anfwered, that by humiliation, penitence, 
 and the fervency of our prayers we moved Heaven 
 to companion, they hoped by the like means to 
 procure their idols pity ; but alas! they call*d upon 
 gods that have ears and cannot hear : at laft the 
 governor was tired with his frequent difappoint- 
 ments, and refolved to worfhip the only God, 
 whom all nature obeys. Having underftood that 
 in our houfe we had a pretty handfome chappel, 
 in which we every day celebrated the facred my- 
 fteries of our religion, he fent to us to know if we 
 
 woul4 
 
T'he Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 25 
 
 would permit him to come in ftate, and join his 
 prayers with ours. We anfwered, we delired no- 
 thing more than that he fhould worfhip as we did, 
 and that all the city would follow his example ♦, 
 and aflured him moreover, that, if he begged with 
 faith and fincerity, he fhould undoubtedly obtain. 
 We prefently went to work to put our chappel 
 in order, and make all things ready to folemnize 
 his coming, when to our great furprize his fecre- 
 tary came to tell us, that his lord would be with 
 us the next day very early, being neceffitated to 
 meet at eight the fame morning at a neighouring 
 hill, where with fome Mandarines he was to offer 
 a facrifice to a dragon. In anfwer to this unex- 
 pecfled meflage, we ordered our interpreter to wait 
 on him, and make him fenfible, that the chriflians 
 God was a jealous God, who would not allow of 
 his paying to any others the honours due to him- 
 felf alone % that his gods were flatues or creatures 
 that had no power to help themfelves nor him ♦, 
 and that we humbly craved him to defpife thofe 
 idle fancies, fit only to amufe the credulous fenfe- 
 lefs vulgar, but far beneath a man of his {tw{^ and 
 merit , and to trufl in the only God of heaven, 
 whom his reafon alone mufl convince him to be 
 the true one. I really believe he was almofl per- 
 fuaded,but he had engaged himfelf to the Manda- 
 rines, and for fome worldly refped durfl not break 
 his promife ; fo he worfhipped his idols, whom, 
 doubtlefs, he had no faith in, and withdrew from 
 the only true God, of whofe being he was in- 
 wardly convinced. 
 
 Then, my lord, moved with indignation at 
 their blindnefs atid the devil's tyranny, fome of us 
 thought of imitating what St. Francis Xavier had 
 done on fome like occafion, by ereding a crofs in 
 the city under thefe conditions :Firft,that we would 
 
 prev^l 
 
26 Tfje Voyage from Siam to Pckiii. 
 
 prevail with Heaven to grant the rain they flood in 
 Inch want of : and fecondly, that if we did-, they 
 fliould pull down their idols, and own that God 
 who fhould have been fo favourable, as to grant 
 them their requeft. Our minds were different, as 
 was our zeal : fome full of lively faith, which the 
 miraculous and continual fupport of providence, 
 thro' the feveral perils we had encounter'd, had 
 infpired them with, could not queftion the fuccefs 
 of fo bold, but holy an undertaking : others not 
 fo zealous, but perfuaded that prudence ought to 
 be our guide, where the infpiration is not evident, 
 v/ere of opinion nothing fhould be hazarded 
 which failing might expofe our religion. So we 
 were content to mourn within ourfelves, and beg 
 of God not only that he would give them rain, 
 but that celeflial fire aifo, which our Saviour hath 
 brought into the world, and defires all nations 
 may be inflamed with. 
 
 While we were thus bufied in promoting the 
 intereft of our religion, the viceroy was no lefs in 
 thinking how to execute the orders he had received 
 from court. He left our journey, as far as Ham- 
 cheu, to the governor's care, who provided boats 
 for us, and commanded an inferior Mandarine to 
 attend us, that we might lack for nothing. We 
 performed it in five days time, without meeting 
 with anv of thofe accidents which flrangers there 
 are fubjed to when they are thought to carry 
 things of value with them. The chriflians at 
 Haracheu v/ere laviili in the expreflions of their 
 afFeftion to us. I'hey came in crovv^ds to the river, 
 whence we were carried as m triumph to their 
 church, with more kindnefs perhaps than pru- 
 dence. For they had, unknown to father Intor- 
 cetta, provided for each of us an elbow-chair, 
 borne by foiir menj and attended by as many, 
 
 into 
 
The Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 27 
 
 into which we were forced to fuffer ourfelvds to 
 he fet, not knowing what they meant, for our 
 little fkill in their language did not permit us to 
 learn it from themfelves. Having locked us in, 
 we were forced to make our entry as they would 
 have it, which was in this manner : A mufick of 
 ten or twelve hands with fome trumpets led the 
 van; next came fome horfe and foot, the former 
 bearing feveral ftandards and flags, and the latter 
 armed with lances and pikes ; and next to thefe 
 four officers who fupported a large board varnifhed 
 with red, on which thefe words were written in 
 large golden chara<5ters, Doulors of the heavenly 
 law^ fen t for to court. We came in the rear, fur- 
 rounded by a throng of chriflians and Gentiles, 
 whom the novelty of the fhow had drawn thither. 
 In this uneafy pomp we went thro' the whole 
 city, being a long league in length, vexed that 
 we had not forefeen their indifcretion, and refol- 
 ved to reprimand them for it. Father Intorcetta 
 waited for us at the church-door, whence he car- 
 ried us to the altar. There having nine tinies 
 bowed ourfelves to the ground, and returned 
 thanks to the good God, who thro* fo many ha- 
 zards had, in fplte of our enemies, brought us 
 to the promifed land, we returned to the chief of 
 the chrlfhians. We defired the father to acquaint 
 them, that we were not unthankful for their love, 
 . nor ill fatisfied with their zeal for God's glory, 
 but that the fplendid manner, In which they had 
 received us, was no ways conformable to a chri- 
 ftlan's humility ; * That the heathen mighty indeed^ 
 celebrate their triumphs with fuch earthly pomps 
 and mundane vanities^ hut that a chriftian's glory- 
 ing was in the name of the Lord. They returned 
 no anfwer, but all on their knees implored our 
 
 bleffing, 
 f Hi in curris & in equis;, nos autem in nomine Dominiu 
 
28 The Voyage fro?n Siam to Pckin. 
 
 blefling. Their fervency accompanied with a 
 meek and devout look, in which the Chinefe do, 
 when they will, exceed all other nations, wholly 
 difarmed our wrath *, we wept for joy and com- 
 paffion ; and I proteft, my lord, that one mo- 
 ment made us a large amends for all the troubles 
 we had undergone. 
 
 But how great v.'as our blifs when we were at 
 liberty to receive t]\e careffes of father Intorcetta, 
 whom God had made ufe of to procure our admit- 
 tance into that empire. We already bore him a ve- 
 neration due to the glorious name of confefTor, 
 which his imprifonment and fuiferings at Pekin had 
 intituled him to ; but his goodnefs, meeknefs, and 
 charity entirely won our hearts and made us refpecfl 
 him, as the true pattern of a perfed miilionary. 
 The charader we bore of perfons fent for to court, 
 a charader no lefs than that of envoy, obliged us 
 to vifit and be vlfited by the chief Mandarines. 
 The viceroy our enemy was afhamed to fee us ; 
 he fent us word, that thro' the multitude of bufi- 
 nefs he had tlien on his hands, he could not find 
 leifure to wait upon us : but the general of the 
 Tartars received us with all civility, and, among 
 other demonftrations of his kindnefs, made us a 
 very confiderable prefent. 
 
 However, when we were going, the viceroy, 
 who was afraid left he fhould be informed againft, 
 fent fome chairs to carry us to the imperial barge 
 provided for us \ he ordered fome trumpets and 
 hautboys to attend us, prefented us with ten pi- 
 ftoles, and gave us an efpeclal order from court in- 
 tituled a Cam-ho, in purfuance to which all places 
 we pa (Ted thro' were to find us boats well manned, 
 while we went by water, or fixty two or more por- 
 ters in cafe the foreft obliged us to go by land, and 
 each city to gifve us about half a piftole, the fame 
 
 being 
 
The Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 29 
 
 being allowed to the chief Mandarines, who are re- 
 puted to have their charges borne by the emperor, 
 tho* this will not amount to the tenth part of their 
 expence. Befides, he ordered a Mandarine to ac- 
 company us, and fee all due refped paid us. We 
 would gladly have avoided it, but were forced to 
 go thro' what we undefignedly had engaged in. 
 
 The barge we were on board was a fecond rate, 
 containing in breadth (\yitttn feet, and in length 
 feventy, and proportionable in height. Befides 
 the cook-room, the mafter and his family's apart- 
 ment (for they have no other dwelling) that of his 
 crew, and another for our men, there was a pretty 
 large parlour where he dined, and three rooms in 
 which fix perfons might eafily lie, all which were 
 varnifhed, gilt, and painted. The way of our tra- 
 velling was this : As foon as anchor was weighed, 
 the trumpets and hautboys founded a march, then 
 they took their leave with a kind of cheft wherein 
 were three iron barrels, which made a greater re- 
 port than fo many mufkets; they were difcharged 
 one after another, and between each the mufick 
 founded, and fo continued playing for fome time. 
 "Whenever we met a Mandarine's barge, or fome 
 town in our way, this was repeated *, as alfo when 
 night or a contrary wind obliged us to come to 
 an anchor. This to a Mandarine had not only been 
 a great honour, but a very entertaining confort : as 
 for us, we thought it a very inharmonious one, 
 whofe tedbufnefs made us pay dear for our honour. 
 We had befides a watch every night to guard 
 us, the manner of which was this : About eight 
 at night, ten or twelve inhabitants of the town, 
 neareft to the place we anchored in, appeared in a 
 row on the fhore -, then the mafter came upon the 
 deck, and thence made them a fair fpeech, con- 
 cerning the obligations they lay under of preferving 
 
 all 
 
3© "The Voyage from Siam to Pekin. 
 
 all that belonged to the emperor, and watching for 
 the Mandarines fafety, who themfelves did fo for 
 that of the ftate. Then he defcended into particu- 
 lars of all the accidetits they were liable to, fire, 
 thieves, and ftorms, exhorting them to be vigilant, 
 and telling them they were refponfible for all the 
 mifchief which might happen. They anfwered 
 each paragraph with a fhout, and then retired to 
 their watch-houfe ; only one centry was left there, 
 who continually ftruck two flicks one againft an- 
 other, and was hourly relieved by others, who made 
 the fame noife, that we might know they did not 
 fall afleep, which we would gladly have permitted 
 them to do, on condition we might have done fo 
 ourfelves. But this is the cuftom when any Man- 
 darine travels by water. 
 
 How uneafy foever all thefe ceremonies might 
 be, I muft confefs that I never met with any way 
 of travelling lefs tirefome than this ; for after thir- 
 teen days voyage we arrived at Yamcheu, on Ja- 
 nuary the third, as frefh as if we had not ftirred out 
 of our houfe. There we found father Aleonifa, a 
 Francifcan, fubvicar to the bifhop of Bafilea, and 
 father Galiani, a jefuit, who were come thus far to 
 meet us •, the one from the bifhop to proffer us that 
 prelate's affiftance, and the other by his credit and 
 experience, to make the reft of our journey as eafy 
 as he could. Both knew we had letters of com- 
 mendation from the king, and were willing to fhew 
 us all the refpecfl due to thofe who are under his 
 majefty's protedtion. This was not the only ci- 
 vility we received from them, for they have fince 
 obliged us fo highly, that we never can enough 
 exprefs our gratitude. 
 
 Here the froft forced us to leave the great ca- 
 nal, and we had horfes found us for our men, and 
 porters for our goods. As for ourfelves, the great 
 
 cold 
 
The Voyage^frofu Siam to Pekin, 3 i 
 
 cold and fnow, which we were unaccuftomed to, 
 made us choofe to go in litters, fome of our horfe- 
 men riding about us that we might be the more 
 fecure. We fhifted our porters at each city or big 
 town ; and, which is very ftrange, we could get 
 above a hundred, with as much fpeed and eafe, as 
 in France we might five or fix. The cold increa- 
 fed hourly, and became at lafl: fo violent, that we 
 found the river Hoamho, one of the great eft in 
 China, almoft frozen over ; a whole day was fpent 
 in breaking the ice, and we pafTed with no fmall 
 trouble and danger. We left Nimpo on the 27th 
 of November, 1687, and arrived at Pekinthe 8th 
 of February following -, but we refted fo often by 
 the way, that indeed we had not fpent above a 
 month and an half in our journey. 
 
 Thefe honours paid us by fo potent a prince, 
 and the good fuccefs of fo long and perillous a 
 voyage, together with a profpeft of the benefit our 
 religion might reap by it, would have occafioned 
 in us a well-grounded joy, had not our thoughts 
 been cruelly diverted from it. Scarce were we in 
 light of Pekin, but we received the moft affliding 
 news of father Verbieft's death. \t ft ruck us with 
 an aftonifiiment which leftened but to make our 
 grief more fenfible. He it was who had procured 
 our admittance into China *, who befides, in deliver- 
 ing us from the viceroy of Hamcheu, had faved 
 our lives, and, which we looked on as a greater 
 kindnefs, wa^ ready to aftift us with his credit, in 
 the defigns we had to promote God's glory and the 
 intereft of our holy faith. 
 
 We v/ere not the only lofers by his death, for 
 I dare fay, every body milled him •, to his care, zeal 
 and prudence, was owing the reftauration of the 
 Chriftian religion, which had been almoft ruined by 
 the late perfecutions : he encouraged the old chrif- 
 
 tians 
 
3 2 The Mariner of our Reception 
 
 tians conftancy, and fupported the weaknefs of 
 the new, by taking them under his efpecial pro- 
 tedllon •, his recommendation gained our mifliona- 
 rles refpedl *, he had faved Macao, of which the 
 Tartars had entertained fome jealoufies ; and the 
 ftate itfelf, to which he had rendered confiderable 
 fervices, was not a little beholding to him ; fo that 
 the Europeans, the Chunefe, and the emperor him- 
 felf did equally look on him as their father. This 
 great man, fo much refpecfbed in the Eaft,deferved, 
 my lord, that you fhould take notice of him ; and 
 in purfuance to my defign, which was in this letter 
 to give you an account of our journey from Siam 
 to the chief town of China, I could not end with a 
 fubjeft that might better challenge your attention. 
 I am with all refped. 
 
 My Lord, 
 Tour Honour* s mcfi humble^ 
 and obedienl Servant, 
 
 L.J. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 To her Highnefs the But chefs of Nemours. 
 
 n:}e Manner of our Reception by the Emperor, and 
 '•johat zve obferved at PekLn. 
 
 Madam, 
 
 NOne but a lady of a comprehenfive genius, 
 and an unlimited zeal, could, as you do, 
 concern herfelf in what pafTes at fo great a diftance. 
 The curiofities of Europe were too few for your 
 vafl mind, which would be a ftranger to nothing 
 that might inform or edify it, and I may without 
 flattery fay, that the Eaft has no fecrets you have 
 not pried into, nor any rarities you are unacquaint- 
 ed with. 
 
 I have 
 
by the Emperor^ &c. 33 
 
 I have myfelf learned from your highnefs feveral 
 things unknown to moft travellers, and, having been 
 as far as the world reaches, muft confefs that your 
 knowledge has travelled farther yet than me. 
 
 What then, madam, can I tell you of China more 
 than you already have difcovered, unlefs it be fome 
 particulars of my voyage, which, being the latefl 
 any European has made thither, will at leail have the 
 charms of novelty ? It being my duty to give a great 
 ftatefman an account of it, I make bold to fend your 
 highnefs the letter I wrote to him fome days iince ; 
 nnd what I now add (hall at once be a continua- 
 tion of it, and a token of the refped: I bear you, 
 and the readinefs I fhall ever be in, to obey your 
 highnefs's commands. 
 
 On our arrival at Pekin, we found the court in 
 mourning for the emprefs dov/ager : the courts of 
 juftice were fliut up, and the emperor gave no au- 
 dience. But the 27 days being fpent, during 
 which the laws oblige him to clofe mourning, he 
 fent one of his officers to our houfe, to fee how we 
 did, and to ask us queftions. The melTage was 
 very obliging, and, befides a thoufand other civilities, 
 we were told the emperor would be as kind to us 
 as he h;^d been to the fathers at his court, fmce we 
 were all of the fame fociety. 
 
 The gentleman told us, his imperial m.?jefty 
 would gladly know what the French court thought 
 of his progrcfs into Tartary, and the defeat of Ou- 
 fanguay (who was a Chinefe rebel that had given 
 him no fmall trouble.) He asked U3 in what perfedli- 
 on learning was in Europe, whether any new inven- 
 tion had lately been made, or any confiderable dif- 
 covery. Then he fpoke much of the honours th^ 
 emperor defigned to pay to the memory of father 
 Verbieft,for whom his majefty had a particular aifec- 
 tbn. That name, madam, cannot be unknown to 
 
 D you 
 
34 ^he Manner of our Reception 
 
 you, and you are too much concerned in what relates 
 to the Eaftern church, to be ignorant of her lofs in 
 that illuftrious m^ionary's death. 
 
 We all replied that we gratefully acknowledged 
 the emperor's bounty, but that among the ceremo- 
 nies, with which the Chinefe ufed to exprefs their re- 
 fpe6l for their deceafed friends, there were fome 
 which feemed to difagree with the fandlity of our re- 
 ligion. Howl anfwered he. Do you oppofe the em- 
 peror* s \i'Jll ? To this a father returned. My lord^ our 
 lives are the emperoy^s^ he may take them away when 
 he pleafes^ but nothing in the world is able to make us 
 alter the leafi tittle of our belief. My orders^ faid he, 
 are not to difpute it with you^ but to ask you for the peti- 
 tion^ wh:chy according to cujlom^ you are to prefent to 
 him upon this occofion. The emperor^ by an unprece- 
 dented goodnefs^ would gladly periife and correal it him- 
 felf^ if it floould need any amendment : but he com- 
 mands you to keep this favour fecret. 
 
 All, that is prefentcd to the emperor, ought to be 
 indited in terms fo nicely conformable to the laws 
 and cuftoms of the country, in refped: of his quality 
 who fpeaks, and of the bufinefs he treats of, that 
 the penning of it is no little trouble, efpecially for a 
 ftranger. An improper exprefTion, a word, nay a 
 letter mifplaced, is fufficient to undo a Mandarine, 
 and feveral have loft their places for being guilty of 
 the like faults, either through inadvertency or igno- 
 rance. The emperor, well skilled in all thefe forma- 
 lities, queftioned our capacity in that refpecfl, and 
 would truft no body but himfelf •, fo that by an in- 
 credible goodnefs he took the pains to compofe it, 
 that it might ftand the moft critical examination. 
 
 Some d;iys after, the fame gentleman came v/ith 
 feveral new queries. He enquired particularly into 
 the motives of the late Dutch war, and into the fa- 
 mous paflage of the Rhine. For in truth^ faid he, 
 
 what 
 
by the Emperor^ &c, 35 
 
 ivhat has heen told the emperor is not to he believed^ 
 Perhaps the river is neither fo hroad^ fo decp^ nor fo 
 rapid as is reported •, and perhaps the Dutch hadfome 
 private reafons not to oppofe your kin^s conquefts with 
 more vigour. 
 
 Then, madam, did we wiih for a more perfe(5t 
 knowledge of his language^ that we might reprefent 
 to him the great foul, the good fortune, and the un- 
 fhaken valour of Lewis the Great, to whofe foldiers 
 nothing is impoffible while they fight in his view, 
 and are animated by his example. The father, who 
 was our interpreter, told him^ however, as much as 
 Would perfuade him, that none but fuch a hero could 
 frame and carry on the like enterprizes : He was 
 aftonilhed at our recital of them^ and rofe immediate-- 
 ly to go and report it to his prince. 
 
 As he was going out he turned to us, faying^ 
 Gentlemen J all I have heard is indeed wonderful., hut 
 what my eyes behold feems no lefs [urprifing : Who 
 could think that thefe fathers who have dwelt here fo 
 long^ who are of a different nation.^ and never faw yoti 
 before.^ fhould look on you as their brethren \ that pu. 
 fjjould treat them like yours ., ajtd that you fhould be as 
 kind to each other ^ as if you had heen acqua^inted all 
 your lives. I really am extremely taken with this cha- 
 rity., and can no longer doubt the truth of what yon 
 profefs. So open a confefTion might give us fome 
 hopes, that He was not far from the kingdom of God: 
 It is true he belie ved^ but alas, of what ufe is that 
 belief, when we have not the courage to ad: accord- 
 ingly, but to inhance our guilt ? 
 
 If we had come thither Incognito^ the Mandarines 
 would have had nothing to fay to us •, but it being 
 in purfuance of an order from the Lipou, which, as 
 I have already hinted, i^ one of the moft noted 
 courts of juftice in the empire, the viceroy of the 
 province, we came from, remitted us into their hands, 
 
 D 2 and 
 
36 T^he Manner of our Reception 
 
 and wc were, according to cuftom, to be delivered 
 up by them to their fovereign. Wherefore as foon 
 as the mourning ended, and they had leave to fit, we 
 -were fummoncd before them, with orders to carry 
 thither all our mathematical machines and inftru- 
 ments, of which they already had an Inventory. 
 
 The emperor, who would not have us do any 
 thing without his advice, was acquainted with it, 
 and fent us word it was not fitting we fhould fhew 
 our inltruments, and that we might, if we thought 
 ht, decline making a perfonal appearance. We went 
 thither however, being feveral times invited in a 
 moii obliging manner, and not judging it convenient 
 by a blunt refufal to offend fo confiderable a body, 
 which befides wm5 our judge, and already but too 
 great an enemy to our religion. 
 
 Some Mandarines, deputed by their prefident for 
 that purpofe, made us a very civil reception : They 
 defired us to fit down, and prefented us with fome 
 tea before they had drunk any themfelves *, a refped: 
 they do not pay even to ambaffadors, as father 
 Pereira, a Portuguefe, afTured us, who had been 
 prefent at aii audience they had lately given to thofe 
 of Portugal. 
 
 This vifit was indeed but for form's fake, to the 
 end they might inform the emperor of our being 
 fafely arrived to town, according to his majefly's 
 commands. So that, after fome compliments on 
 each fide, we were defired to attend the next day at 
 the palace, when they would difcharge us. 
 
 We went thither accordingly at the appointed 
 timt^, and having fhaid during fome hours in a large 
 court, where the Mandarines ufually wait, who 
 have any bufinefs there i their prefident or chief 
 juflice brought us the anfwer to an addrefs he had 
 according to cuftom prefented on our account. This 
 anfwer was written on a fmall varnifhed board, 
 
 wrapped 
 
by the Emperor^ &c/ ^7 
 
 wrapped up In a piece of yellow taffety : The con- 
 tents were, That we might ufe our inftruments^ and 
 fettle in what part of the empire we pleafed^ accord- 
 ing to the firjl orders from courts when we were fent 
 for thither. And that in the mean while .^ the LIpou 
 would deliver us up to the other fathers^ who were to 
 introduce us into the emperor^ s prefence^ when his fna- 
 jefiy fhould think fit. 
 
 Yet that prince's intentions were not that we (hould 
 leave Pekin, but on the contrary, he would have kept 
 us all there, and lodged us in his palace. He had ex- 
 prefled himfelf To clearly on that point, that we had 
 need of all the Intereft and dexterity of father Perei- 
 ra, to divert the ftorm. That father, who was then 
 fuperior of all the millionaries, moved with compaf- 
 fion that fo many vineyards were ruined for want of 
 hufbandmen, judged we might be more ufeful in the 
 country. He knew befides what an averfion we had 
 to a courtier's life, which he might eafily learn from 
 our continual complaints againft it. 
 
 Thefe and feveral other realbns induced him to 
 intreat the emperor that he would not oppofe it, and 
 his zeal infplred him with fuch effedual methods, 
 that the good prince at laft confented : But.^ faid he, 
 it fhall be on condition we divide the fpoil •, /*// take two 
 at your choice.^ and you Jhall difpofe of the other three ; 
 what can you fay againfi this^ I quit you the better half? 
 
 We had not yet had the honour to attend his im- 
 perial majeily, for the formalities I laft mentioned were 
 to precede our audience : But the Lipou had fcarce de- 
 livered up their charge, when two eunuchs came to 
 the college, to v/arn the fuperior, that he fhould at- 
 tend with his brethren in a court of the palace which 
 was appointed. We were Iriftru6led in the ceremo- 
 nies ufual on fuch occafions, which was done with 
 little trouble, being already half licked into a Chinefe 
 form. 
 
 D z Firft 
 
38 The Manner of our Reception 
 
 Firft then, we were carried in chairs to the iirft 
 gate, whence we went on foot through eight courts 
 of a prodigious length, built round with lodgings of 
 different architecture, but all very ordinary, except 
 thofe large fquare buildings over the arches through 
 which we pafTed from one court to another. Thofe 
 indeed were (lately, being of an extraordinary thick- 
 nefs, and proportionable in breadth and heighth, and 
 built with fair white marble, but which was worn 
 rough thro' age. Thro' one of thefe courts ran a 
 fmall rivulet, over which were laid feveral little 
 bridges of the fame marble, but of a whiter colour 
 and better workmanfhip. 
 
 It were hard, madam, to defcend into particulars, 
 and give you a pleafmg defcription of that palace, 
 becaufe its beauty does not conlift fo much in being 
 compofed of feveral curious pieces of architecture, as 
 in a prodigious quantity of buildings ^ and an infinite 
 numJoer of adjoining courts and gardens which are 
 all regularly difpofed, and in the whole make a pa- 
 lace really great, and worthy of the monarch who 
 inhabits it. 
 
 The only thing which furprifed me, and feemed 
 fingular in its kind, is the empeior's throne. The 
 befh defcription of it, which my memory will afford 
 me, is this : In the mid ft of one of thofe great courts 
 ftands a fquare bafis or folid building, of an extraor- 
 dinary bignefs, v/hofe top is adorned with a baluf- 
 trade, much after our fafhion •, this fupports another 
 like unto it, but framed taper- wife, over which are 
 placed three more, ftiil lofing in bulk as they gain 
 in heighth. Upon the uppermoft is built a large 
 hall,whofe roof, being covered with gilt tiles, is borne 
 by the four walls, and as many rows of varnifhed 
 pillars, between which is feated the throne. 
 
 Thefe vaft bafes, with their baluftrades m.ade of 
 white marble, and thus difpofed amphitheater- wife^ 
 
 when 
 
eo/ilAeyreate^^ t^/rt(7fAu fa/^^^^ 
 

by the Emperor^ CSc. 39 
 
 when the fun fhines, dazzle the eyes of the beholder, 
 with the luftreand fplendor of the gold and varnifh, 
 and afford a moft beautiful profpedl, efpecially fince 
 they are placed in the midft of a fpacious court, and 
 furrounded by four ftately rows of building : fo that 
 were its beauty inhanced by the ornaments of our 
 modern architedlure, and by that noble fimplicity 
 which is fo much valued in our buildings, it v/ould 
 doubtlefs be as magnificent a throne as ever v^as 
 raifed by art. 
 
 After a quarter of an hour's walk., we at length 
 came to the emperor's apartment. The erj trance 
 was not very fplendid, but the atiti-chamber was a- 
 dorned with fculptures, gildings, and marble, whofe 
 neatnefs and workmanfhip were more valuable than 
 the richnefs of the fluff. As for the prefence- cham- 
 ber, the fecond mourning not being over, it was ftill 
 difrobed of all its ornaments, and could boafl of 
 none but the fovereign's perfon, who fat after the 
 Tartar's cuflom, on a table or Sopha, raifed three 
 feet from the ground, and covered with a plain 
 white carpet, which took up the v/hole breadth of 
 the room. There lay by him fome books, ink, and 
 pencils -, he v/as cloathed with a black fattin veil, 
 furred with fable ; and a row of young eunuchs 
 plainly habited, and unarmed, flood on each hand 
 clofe legged, and with their arms extended down- 
 wards along their fides ; which is looked upon there 
 as the mofl refpedful poflure. 
 
 In that flate, the mofl modefl that even a private 
 man could have appeared in, did he chufe to be feen 
 by us, defiring we Ihould obfervc his dutifulnefs to 
 the emprefs his departed mother, and the grief he 
 conceived at her death, rather than the flate and 
 grandeur he is ufually attended with. 
 
 Being come to the door, we haflened with no little 
 fpeed (for fuch is the cuflom) till we came to the ^nd. 
 
 D 4 of 
 
40 The Manner of our Reception 
 
 of the chamber oppofite to the emperor. Then all 
 abreaft we {lood feme time^ in the fame pofture the 
 eunuchs v/ere in. 
 
 Next v/c lell on our knees, and having joined our 
 hands, arid lifted them up to our heads, fo that our 
 ahns and elbows were at the fame height, we bowed 
 thrice to the ground, and then flood again as before : 
 Tiie fame proftration was repeated a fccond timie, and 
 again a third, when we w^re ordered to come for- 
 ward, and kneel before his majefty. 
 
 The gracious prince, whofe condefcention I can- 
 not enough admire, having enquired of us of the 
 grandeur and prefent ftate of France, the length -and 
 dangers of our voyage, and the m.anner of our treat- 
 ment by the Mandarines : JVell^ faid he, fee if I can 
 add any new favour to thofe I have already conferred 
 upon you. Is there any thing you ^ivould dcjirc of me ? 
 you may freely ask it. We returned him humble 
 thanks, and begged he would permit us, as a token 
 of our fmcere gratitude, to lift up each day of our lives 
 our hands to heaven, to procure to his royal perfon, 
 and to his empire, the blefling of the true God, who 
 alone can make princes really happy. 
 
 He feemed well fatisfied with our anfwer, and per- 
 mitted us to withdraw, which is performed, without 
 any ceremony. The great refpe(5l and dread, which 
 the prefence of the moft potent monarch in Af^a in- 
 fpired us with, did not yet awe us fo far, but that we 
 took a full view of his perfon. Indeed, left our too 
 great freedom herein itiould prove a crime ffor in 
 what concerns the emperor of China, the leaft miilake 
 is fuch) we had firft obtained his leave. 
 
 He was fcmething above the middle ftature, more 
 corpulent that what in Europe we reckon handfome \ 
 yet fomewhat moreflender than a Chinefe would wifh 
 to be : full vifaged, disfigured with the fmall pox, 
 had a broad forehead, little eyes, and a fmail nofe 
 
 after 
 
by the Emperor^ &c. 4 1 
 
 after the Chmefe fafhion ; his mouth was Well made, 
 and the lower part of his face very agreeable. In 
 fine, tho' he bears no great majefty in his looks yet 
 they fhew abundance of good nature, yet his ways 
 and adtions have fomething of the prince in them, and 
 fhew him to be fuch. 
 
 From his apartment we went into another, where 
 a Mandarine treated us with tea, and prefented us, as 
 from the emperor, with about a hundred piftoles. 
 The gift feemed but mean, confidering whom it came 
 from, but was very confiderable in refpedl to the cuf- 
 tom of China, where it is the maxim of all great per- 
 fons to take as much, and give as little as they can. 
 On the other hand he loaded us with honours, and 
 ordered one of his officers to wait on us to our houfe. 
 
 I confefs, madam, that a man muft be wholly in- 
 feniible to all the concerns of this world, not to be 
 moved with a fecret complacency, at the having 
 fuch refpedb paid him by one of the mightieft princes 
 in the world. But one mufi: not judge of us on 
 that account, by what is ufual with the men of this 
 world, on the like occafions. 
 
 The trued caufe of the pleafure, we receive from 
 the favour of princes, is felf-intereft. It is well 
 known, that their carefles are ever beneficial •, and a 
 courtier would never be fo overjoyful at a kind 
 look or exprefTion from his king, if he did not expedl 
 fome more folid bounties would follow : But as for 
 us, whom our vows and miffions forbid to have fuch 
 hopes, we look unconcernedly on all this world , fo 
 that that part of it can never move or concern us. 
 
 It is true, God is fometimes well pleafed to fee 
 religion refpeded in the perfons of his minilters : He 
 often ufes thofe methods to ftrengthen the faith of 
 of new converts, who need fuch natural fupports to 
 fortify them againft trials and temptations ; nay, it 
 breeds even in the Gentiles a difpofitioji to embrace 
 
 chriftianityj 
 
42 T'he Manner of our Reception 
 
 chriftianity. Thefe thoughts made us take more 
 delight in thofe tokens of the emperor's favour ; or, 
 to fpeak more properly, made us find them lefs dif- 
 agreeable. 
 
 Your highnefs is, perhaps, aftonifhed to fee the 
 fovereign of an idolatrous nation fo openly counte- 
 nance our religion, and would gladly know what 
 motives had induced him to it. His kindnefs for 
 fuch ftrangers as we proceeds, doubtlefs, from the 
 great efteem he has long iince had for the mifTionaries 
 at Pekin. Befides the comnicjidation of their learn- 
 ing, he has always found them fincere, honeft, very 
 zealous and affedtionate to him, ever ready to obey 
 his will, where their faith did not forbid them, harm- 
 lefs to a degree, he never could give over admiring, 
 and ever deiirous to proclaim the true God. 
 
 He is above all fo well perfuaded, that this is the 
 fole end of all their enterprizes, that he takes a fecret 
 delight in contributing to the propagation of the faith, 
 thinking he can no other way better recompenfe thefe 
 fathers earneftnefs in his fervice. 
 
 And fo father Verbieft, on his death-bed, wrote a 
 letter to him, iti part of which he thus exprefled 
 himfelf : Dread Sir^ I die contented^ in that I have 
 fpent ahnoft all my life in your majefty's fervice \ hut I 
 beg your majefty ivill he plenfcd to rememher when I 
 am dead^ that my only aim, iyi what I did^ was^ to 
 gatn^ in the greatefl monarch of the Eajl^ a proteBor 
 to the mofi holy religion of the world. 
 
 Perhaps, madam, you may have {^tv\ certain li- 
 bels (for I know not what to call them elfe) which 
 rcprefent our fociety as a fort of men poiTefled with 
 avarice and ambition, v/ho undertake thefe long and 
 painful travels, only to enrich themfelves by a facri- 
 legious and fcandalous traffick. Your highnefs may 
 expe6^ that calumny (the infeparable companion of 
 a fpirit of fedition and herefy) not fatitied with 
 
 perfecuting 
 
by the Emperor ^ &c. 43 
 
 perfecuting our religion in Europe, fhould come even 
 to the utmoft parts of the world, to flander thofe 
 who endeavour to fettle it there, as pure as we re- 
 ceived it from our forefathers y and you will not 
 be forry to hear, how that very idolatry, whrch we 
 deftroy, cannot forbear witnefling our good inten- 
 tions, and that, if China faw what pidures are drawn 
 here of her miflionaries, fhe would hardly know 
 them. But it is not before your highnefs they need 
 an advocate. 
 
 Among the feveral things which happened then 
 at Pekin, nothing was more forrowful and at once 
 more honourable to us, than the funeral of father 
 Verbieft, which his imperial majefty had ordered to 
 be put off till the laft devoirs had been paid the em- 
 prefs dowager. Father Thomas, a jefuit, has de- 
 fcribed this ceremony at large. I dare hope an ex- 
 tradt of what he has wrote will not be unwelcome to 
 you, both becaufe it will give you fome infight into 
 their cuftoms on the like occafions, and that you will 
 thereby grow better acquainted with a man whom 
 his merit has made known to all the world. Be 
 pleafed then to accept of it as follows. 
 
 It feemed good to divine wifdom, to take to, 
 himfelf from this mortal life father Ferdinando Ver- 
 bieft, a Fleming, and to beftow on him the recom- 
 pence of faints. Our milTionaries afflidion cannot 
 eafily be expreffed, but much harder would it be to 
 reckon by how many exemplary virtues, and con- 
 fiderable fer vices, he has merited their efteem and 
 gratitude. 
 
 Befides feveral other good qualities, the greatnefs 
 of his foul is particularly to be admired, which has 
 never failed him in the moft cruel perfecutions, fo 
 that he was ever triumphant over the enemies of 
 the faith. The furvey of the mathematicks was at 
 
 firft 
 
44 T^f^^ Manner of our Reception 
 
 £rft profFercd him, which dignity he accepted of, 
 in hopes it would enable him to fet on foot our mif- 
 fions, which were then wholly laid afide. 
 
 He obtained a toleration for evangelical paftors, 
 who, after a long banifhment, had their churches re- 
 ftored them. He ftifled fome perfecutions in their 
 birth, and others he prevented, which threatened 
 the tender flocks. The Mandarines no fooner 
 knew him, but they had a refped for him ; and the 
 emperor entertained fo good an opinion of his capa- 
 city, that he kept him above a quarter of a year 
 near his perfon, and during that time fpent three or 
 four hours every day with him in private, difcour- 
 fingof feveral fciences, efpecially mathem.aticks. 
 
 In thefe converfations our zealous miifionary en- 
 deavoured to bring him into a liking of our religi- 
 on : he would explain to him its moft ftupendious 
 myfteries, and made him obferve ifs holinefs, its 
 truth and neceflity ; inlomuch, that the emperor, 
 ftruck with his powerful arguments, often owned, 
 that he believed a God : his majefty affurcd him of it, 
 by a writing under his own hand, wherein he faid, 
 among otner things, 77p^t all the religions of his em- 
 fire feemed to him vain and fuperftitious^ that the idols 
 were nothing^and that he fore f aw chrijiianityduould'cne 
 day he built on their ruins. A Chinefe doClor having 
 in one of his books taken the liberty to place the 
 chriftian religion among the feveral herefies China was 
 infeded with •, the emperor, upon the father's com- 
 plaint, ftruck out thofe lines himfelf, telling him the 
 whole empire fhould know what he had done. 
 
 Father Ferbiejl^s intereft was fuch, that at his 
 inftigation the old inftniments which flood on the 
 platform of the obfervatory were pulled down, to 
 make room for new ones of his contriving. He 
 gave diredions for the cafting of brafs guiis,which 
 faved the ftates from ruin. He applied himfelf to 
 
 feveral 
 
bj the Emperor^ &c. 45 
 
 feveral other works, to ferve the publick, orfatisiy 
 the emperor's curiolity *, and one may fay, that on 
 this laft account he has fearched into the moft rare 
 and ingenious inventions, that arts and fciences have 
 ever offered us. 
 
 The v/hole court looked upon him as the wifeli: 
 man of his age, but above all was charmed with his 
 modefty. It it true, no man ever was more mild 
 and tradable than he ; humbling himfelf before 
 every one, while every on€ ftrove to exalt him : 
 infenfible to all the things in this world, except where 
 religion was concerned ; for then he was no more 
 the fame man, and, as tho' he had been animated by 
 anewfpirit, his looks, his words, his adlions, all 
 were great, and becoming a chriftian hero. The 
 very emperor dreaded him at fuch times, and was 
 not easily perfuaded to admit him into his prefence: 
 He will fly out^ would he fay, into fome indecency^ 
 which 1 muft be forced^ tho* unwillingly^ to refent. 
 
 This holy boldnefs pi-oceeded from a lively faith, 
 and a great confidence in God. He defpaired of no- 
 thing, tho' humanly impoffible; and would often 
 fay, Wt mufl never forget two of the chief maxims of 
 chriftian morality : Firft^ that^ let our proje^s he ne- 
 "ver fo well laid^ they will certainly f^ll^ if God leavfs 
 us to our own wifdom. Secondly^ 'That it were in vain 
 the whole univerfe fhould arm it f elf to deftroy the work 
 of God ; nothing is powerful dgainft the Almighty^ and 
 every thing profpers that Heaven approves of. So he 
 never entered on any enterprize without imploring 
 its help, tho' however he left no means untried that 
 reafon and chriftian prudence offered him. 
 
 Thus did his zeal each day increafe in ftrength 
 and purity : the eftabliihment of our faith wholly 
 employed his thoughts, and whatever occupation 
 elfe, he was put upon, proved a torment to him. 
 He avoided all idle vifits and converfations, and 
 
 *- could 
 
46 T'he Manner of our Reception 
 
 could not endure to fee people ftudy only for curio- 
 fitles fake : he never To much as read the news that 
 came from Europe^ which at fuch a diftance we are 
 ufuajly fo greedy of ; only he would hear the chief 
 heads, provided you would fpeak them in a few 
 words. He would fpend whole days and nights in 
 writing letters of confolation, Inftrudlion or recom- 
 mendation for the miffionaries ; in compofing divers 
 works for the emperor or chief lords at his court; 
 and. in compiling the kalendar, calculating, with an 
 Indefatigable induftry, the motion of the ftars for 
 every year. 
 
 This, and the care of all the churches^ fo impaired 
 his ftrength, that, in fpite of the ftrength of his 
 conftitution, he fell at laft into a kind of confump- 
 tion, which yet did not hinder his framing great de- 
 figns for the advancement of his religion. He had 
 taken fuch exad meafures for the fettling of it in the 
 moft remote parts of China, in the eaftem Tartary, 
 and even in the kingdom of Kovia ; that nothing 
 but his death could have prevented the execution of 
 i(b well contriv'd a projedl. 
 
 Nor is his character, as a private perfon, lefs illu- 
 ftrious. For at his firft admittance into our order he 
 was a true monk, ftri6t in the performance of its 
 rules, very obfervant to his fuperiors, and loving 
 ftudy and retirement above all things \ which he per- 
 fifted in, even among the multitude of bufinefs, in 
 the midft of which he would be as fedate as a her- 
 mit in his cell. 
 
 His confcience was nice to extremity, fo that no 
 man could take more c^re than he did to be always 
 ready to make his appearance before him who can 
 efpy faults even in faints and angels. To preferve 
 his innocence^ he never went out without a fevefe 
 cilice or an iron chain, and ufed to fay, it was a 
 Ihame for a jefuit to be clothed in filks, and in the 
 
 livery 
 
^y the Emperor^ &c. 47 
 
 livery of the world, and not to wear the livery of 
 Chrlft. 
 
 His foul was naturally great, and, when others 
 neceflities wanted a fupply, his charity was bound- 
 lefs. But he was hard-hearted to himfelf, courting 
 poverty even in plenty, to that degree, that the em- 
 peror, who took great notice of him, often fent 
 him iluff with exprefs orders to wear it, and be 
 rrfore fumptuous in his apparel. His bed, table, and 
 furniture were indeed too mean for a Mandarine ; 
 but he ever preferred, his ftation in the church before 
 that in the ftate. He has often protefted, he would 
 never have accepted of that office, had he not hoped, 
 by feeming to the Gentiles the head of the chriilians, 
 to have thereby borne all their envy, and been the 
 moft expofed to their malice, and the firft facrificed 
 in cafe of perfecution. 
 
 This hope made him be fatisfied with his condi- 
 tion, and his writings cxpreffed fuch an ardent 
 defire of dying for Jefus Chrift, that nothing but 
 martyrdom was wanting to his being a martyr •, yet 
 he might in fome meafure be reckon'd fuch, fince 
 he begged it of God with that groaning of fpirit, 
 which is a continual fuffering to thofe that cannot 
 obtain it : Reckon 7ne, O Lord^ did he often cry out, 
 among thofe who have deftred^ hut never could /bed 
 their blood for thee, I have^ indeed^ neither their 
 innocenc\\ their virtue^ fior their courage^ hut thou 
 maffi apply their merits to me^ and (which will make 
 me much more agreeable in thy fight) thou canfi cloath 
 me with thine ovon. Under that veil of thine infinite 
 mercy ^ I dare offer iny life as a facrifice to thee. I 
 have been fo happy as to confefs thy holy 7iame among 
 the people^ at courts before the tribunals under the 
 weight of irons^ and in the darknefs of prifons^ hut 
 what will this confcjfion avail me^ unlefs Jigned with 
 my blood ^ 
 
 Full 
 
4? T'he Manner of our Reception 
 
 Full of thefe exalted thoughts, and already ripe 
 for heaven, by the pradlice of every chriftian vir- 
 tue, he was feiz'd with a ficknefs of which he died. 
 It began w4th a faintnefs and an univerfal decay of 
 nature, which grew into a confumption. The em- 
 peror's phyficians kept him up fome time with the 
 help of phyfick, efpecially cordials, in which the 
 Chinefe have a wonderful fuccefs •, but, his fever in- 
 creaiing, art at length was forced to yield to nature. 
 He received the facraments with a zeal that inflamed 
 all that were prefent \ and, when he yielded up the 
 ghoft, they were equally ftruck with devotion and 
 forrow. 
 
 The emperor, who, the day before had loft the 
 emprcfs his mother, felt a double grief when he 
 heard the news. He ordered the burial to be put 
 off till the court went out of deep mourning •, and 
 then he fent two lords of the higheft quality to pay 
 him on his behalf the fame devoirs which private 
 men ufually pay to their dead. They kneeled be- 
 fore the coffin, which was expofed in a hall, bowed 
 feveral times, remaining a long while with their faces 
 to the ground, and wept and groaned heavily, for 
 that is the cuftom. Then after thofe, and feveral 
 other expreffions of their forrow, they read aloud 
 his encomium, which the emperor himfelf had com- 
 pofed, and which was to be fet up near the corpfe. 
 It runs thus : 
 
 JVe ferioujly conftder within otirfehes^ that father 
 Ferdinando Verhiejl has^ of his oivn good iviily left 
 Europe to come into our dominions^ and has fpent the 
 greatefi part of his life in cur fervice \ ive tnufl fay 
 this for him^ That during all the time that he took care 
 of the mathematicks^ his prediElions never failed^ hut 
 always agreed with the motions of the heavens, Be- 
 JideSj far from negle^ling our orders^ he has ever ap- 
 proved himfelf exa^^ diligent^ faithful^ unalterable^ 
 
 and 
 
by the Empero7\ &c. 49 
 
 and co'nftant in his lahctir^ till he had finijhed his 
 'work. As foon as ''^s heard of his Jicknefs^ zve fent 
 him our phyjician^ and ijohen ive knew that a dead 
 fleep had taken him a'-joay from us^ our heart was 
 wounded with a lively grief. IVe gave two hundred 
 golden crowns^ and fome pieces of filk^ as a contribution 
 to the charges of his funeral : and it is our pleafure, 
 that this declaration bear witftefs of the fine ere affec- 
 tion we bore him. 
 
 The prime Mandarines and feveral lords at court 
 followed their fovereign's example. Som.e wrote 
 fpeeches in his praife on large pieces of fattin, which 
 were hung up in the hall where the body lay in 
 irate; others fent in prefents, and all mourned 
 for his lofs. At length the day for his funeral be- 
 ing agreed upon, which was the nth o^ March 
 1688, every body was v/illing to contribute fomc- 
 thing towards the ceremony. 
 
 The emperor in tlie morning {cnX. his father-'^i- 
 jaw, who is alfo his uncle, with one of the chief 
 lords of his court, attended by a gentleman of t']\<t 
 bed-chamber, and five officers of his houfhold, .'0 
 reprefent his perfon \ w^ho all began by falling down 
 before the corpfe, and wept a pretty while ; during 
 which, all things v/ere diipofcd for the proceflion. 
 
 The college is fituated near the fouth gate, 
 whence you go to the north gate, by a ftreet built 
 in a ftrait line, about a hundred foot broad, and a 
 league long, which toward the middle is croffed by 
 another exadly like it, one end^of which leads to 
 the weftern gate, being v/ithin fix hundred paces of 
 our burying-place, which the emiperor Vanli for- 
 merly beftowed on father Ricci, but was taken away 
 during the late perfxution, and not reftored till now 
 by a fpecial favour from the prefent emperor. Thro' 
 thefe two flreets the funeral paffed, in the follovving 
 order. 
 
 E Firft, 
 
50 ^he Manner of our Reception 
 
 Fir ft, came a trophy thirty foot high, varnlfhed 
 over with red, on which v/ere written, in large gol- 
 den charaders, the name and titles of father Ver- 
 bieft. This was, as it were, the fore-runner of the 
 en filing pomp, which began with a great crofs hung 
 with flags, and carried between two rows of chri- 
 ftians, all cloathed in white, holding in one hand a 
 lighted taper, and in the other a handkerchief to 
 wipe off their tears. The Gentiles are ufed on fuch 
 folemnities to fhed feigned tears •, but the chriftians 
 lofs made them fhed real ones. Next, fome diftance 
 off, followed in the fame order the pidure of the 
 Virgin Mary in a frame, round v/hich wxre pieces 
 of filk neatly plated in feveral manners, inftead of 
 carving •, and then Sr. Michael's reprefentation was 
 borne with the like ceremonies. And I may fay, 
 that the chrlfllans who walked on either fide, de- 
 voutly praying, infpired even the heathen with a 
 veneration for thofe precious tokens of our faith. 
 
 Immediately after came the father's encomium, 
 of the emperor's own compofing, written on a large 
 piece of yellow fattin ; a crov/d of chriftians fur- 
 rounded it, and two rows of thofe, who had been 
 invited, followed it in a refpedlful manner. At 
 length appeared the corpfe, in a coffin made of or- 
 dinary wood, but varnifhed and gilt after the man- 
 ner of the country, carried by fixtv bearers, and 
 attended by the miffionanes,the deputies from court, 
 and a throng of lords and Mandarines, who clofed 
 up the proceffion. It took up above a thoufand 
 paces, the ftreets all the way v/ere lined by an in- 
 finite number of fpe(5lators, who with amazement 
 beheld our chriftian rites triumphing, even in their 
 capital city, over pagan fuperftition. 
 
 When we were come to the burying-place, the 
 milTionarics in their furplices read the prayers of the 
 church before the Mandarines. The body was be- 
 
 fprinkled 
 
by the Emperor ^ &c» 5 1 
 
 fprinkled with holy water, and perfumed with in- 
 cenfe in the ufual manner j then it was let down 
 into a very deep fquare vault, enclofed with four 
 good brick wails. It was like a chamber under 
 ground, and in the fcripture phrafe became to him 
 an everlafting habitation. Having pray'd near it fome 
 time, we remained on our knees to hear what the 
 emperor's father-in-lav/ had to fay to us •, which was 
 this : Father Verhieft has been conjiderably ferviceable 
 to the empercr and the fiat e ; of which his imperial rna- 
 jeft)\ being fenfible^ has fent me with ihefe lords to make 
 a publick acknowledgment of it on his behalf that all 
 the world may know the fingular affeElion his majefty 
 did ever bear him while he livedo and the great grief 
 he has received by his death. 
 
 We were fo moved with the difmal ceremony, 
 the chriftians continual lamentations, our ov/n great 
 lofs, and the emperor's forprinng bounty, that we 
 were not able to reply. Every one melted into 
 tears ; but that prince, who expelled another an- 
 fwer from us, was obliged to prefs us for it, when 
 at length, father Pereiva thus fpoke en our behalf: 
 My lord^ our anguifh was not fo much the caufe of our 
 ftlence^ a f the emperofs wdparallel^d goodnefs \ for 
 what can we fay or think^ when we corfider that fo 
 great a monarch ufes us who are fir angers^ unknaur/i^ 
 ufelefs^ and perhaps trcublefome to him^ as if we had 
 the honour to be in his fervice ? Were we his children 
 he could not love us more •, he takes care of our healthy 
 cf our reputation^ of our life : he honours our very 
 death not only with his elogies^ his liberality^ the pre- 
 fence of the mofi noble lords of his courts but (which 
 never can enough be prized) by his grief . What re- 
 turn^ my lord^ can we then make^ not to fay to all his 
 favours^ but to that alone which your highnefs has 
 been pleafed to deliver ? We will only humbly beg your 
 grace -would acquaint his majefiy^that we weep that our 
 
 E 2 tmn 
 
52 Tte manner of our Reception^ &c. 
 
 tears may fljew the greatnefs of our forrow^ hut that 
 we remain fi lent ^ becaufe we can find no words fuffici- 
 ent to exprcfs our gratitude. 
 
 The- emperor was informed of what had pafled, 
 and fome days after the ^'^ chief court of rites pre- 
 fented a petition, that his m.ajefty v/ould fuffer them 
 to decree fome new honours to that illuftrious fa- 
 ther's memory. The emperor not only granted it, 
 but willed them to confider, that a ftranger of fo 
 extraordinary a merit was not to be look'd upon 
 as an ordinary man. In the very firft meeting 
 they ordered (tv^w hundred golden crowns fhould 
 be laid out on a tomb for him, and the encomium, 
 which the emperor had wrote, fhould be ingraved 
 on a marble ftcne, and that fome Mandarines fhould 
 be once more deputed to pay him their laft devoirs 
 in behalf of the empire. Then they dignified him, 
 that is, gave him a higher title than any he had en- 
 joyed during his life. 
 
 While the emperor was paying him honour on 
 earth, the holy father, no doubt, prayed for him in 
 heaven : for it is very obfervable, that that prince 
 never was more inquif^tive about religion, than at 
 that time. He fent one of his gentlemen every mi- 
 nute to the fathers, to enquire about the condition 
 of fouls in the other world, about heaven, hell, 
 purgatory, the exiftence of a God, his providence, 
 and the means neceflary to falvation : fo that God 
 fcemed to miOve his heart after an extraordinary 
 manner, and to affect it with that anxiety which 
 ufually precedes our converfion. But that happy 
 moment was not yet come. However, who knows 
 but father I'erhiijVs prayers, and the care of feveral 
 zealous miilionaries who have fuccecded him, may 
 haften the execution of thofe defigns which provi- 
 dence 
 
 . • Which anfwers to our coUegc of heralds. 
 
Of the Cities, RoufeSy &c. 53 
 
 dence feems to have on that great prince ? I am 
 moil refpedfully. Madam, 
 
 Tour Higbnefs^s mqft humbL% 
 
 niDji obedient fervant^ 
 
 L. J. 
 
 LET T E R III. 
 
 TJ? his Highnefs the Cardinal of I"u r s T e m e e R g . 
 Of the Cities^ Hotifes^ and Chief Buildings of China. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 AMONG the feveral empires into which the 
 world has hitherto been divided, that of China 
 has ever obtained fo confiderable a place,that a prince 
 cannot be wholly ignorant of v/hat concerns it, 
 without negleding a point of knowledge neceflary 
 for thofe in his place and condition . 
 
 This, my lord, was, no doubt, the motive that 
 induced your highnefs to inquire fo particularly into 
 the flate of that country, and to defire an exad ac- 
 count of the number and bignefs of its cities, the 
 multitude of its inhabitants, the beauty of its pub- 
 lick buildings, and figure of its palaces. 
 
 By this it plainly appears, that the vafi: genius, 
 you have for buiinefs, does in no wife lefien the 
 acutenefs of your judgrnent in the fublimeft arts, 
 and efpecially in archite6i:ure, of which, the mod: 
 excellent works raifed by your direftions at Modave, 
 Saverne, Berni, St. Germans, and above all in tlie 
 famous cathedral of Strasbourg, are (o many in- 
 ftances. 
 
 It having been my buiinefs to run over all China, 
 where in five years time I have travelled above two 
 
 E 3 thoufand 
 
54 Of the Cities^ Houfesy and 
 
 thoufand leagues, I can perhaps fatlsfy your high- 
 nefs with more eafe than any one befides. I fhail 
 therefore prefent you v/ith a defcription of v/hat 
 feemed to me moft remarkable. 
 
 Pekin, that is the north-court, is the chief city 
 of China, and the ufual feat of its emperors. It is 
 fo named to diflmguifh it from Nankim, the fouth- 
 court, another very ccnfiderable city, fo called from 
 the emperor's refiding there in former ages, it be- 
 ing the fineft, the mofi: commodious and bed: fituated 
 of the whole empire , but the continual incurfions 
 of the Tartars, a v/arlike and very troublefome 
 neighbour, obliged him. to fettle in the mofl norther- 
 ly provinces, that he might be always ready to op- 
 pofe them,with the numerous army he ufually keeps 
 near his court. 
 
 Pekin v/as the place fixed upon, being fituate in 
 the 40Lh degree of northern latitude, in a very fer- 
 tile plain, and not far from the long wall. Its 
 neighbourhood to t^a^ fea on the eaft, and the great 
 canal on the fouth, afford it a communication with 
 feveral fine provinces, from which it draws mod of 
 its li^bfiRence. 
 
 This city, which is of an exacft fquare form, was 
 formerly four long leagues round •, but the Tartars, 
 fettling there, forced the Chinefe to live without the 
 walls, v/here they in a very fhort while built a new 
 town, v/hich, taking a greater compafs in length 
 than breadth, doth with the old one compofe an ir- 
 regular figure. Thus Pekin is made up of two ci- 
 ties j one is called the Tartars, becaufe they permit 
 none elfe to inhabit it •, and the other the Chinefe, 
 as large, but much more inhabited than the other. 
 Both together are fix great leagues in circuit, al- 
 lowing 3600 paces to each league. This I can aver 
 to be true, it having been meafured by the emperor's 
 fpccial command, 
 
 This, 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 55 
 
 This, my loi'd, will feem ftrange to thofe \yho 
 are acquainted with Europe only, and think Paris 
 the largeft, as it is doubtlefs the fineft city in the 
 world •, yet the difference between them is great. 
 Paris, according to the draught Mr. Blondell has 
 made, by order from our magiftrates, on the ac- 
 count of a defign they have to furround it with r.ew 
 walls, contains in its greateft length but 2500 paces, 
 and t confequently,tho' we fhould fuppofe it fquare, 
 would be but loooo paces round •, fo we ftould find 
 it half as big as the Tartars town alorjre, and but a 
 quarter as large as ail Pekin. 
 
 But then if one refleds that their houfes are ge- 
 nerally but one ftory high, and ours, one with ano- 
 ther, are four, it will appear, that Pekin has not 
 more lodgings than Paris, but rather lefs, becaufe 
 its ftreets are much wider \ belides the emperor's pa- 
 lace, which is of a vail extent, is not half inhabited, 
 and there are magazines of rice for the faftenance of 
 above 200000 men -, again there are large courts 
 fdled with little houfes, in which thofe v/ho (land 
 for their do6lor's degree are examined \ which alone 
 would make a very big city. 
 
 Y^t we muil not conclude from hence, that there 
 are at Paris and Pekin the like number of inhabi- 
 tants •, for the Chinefe are very clofe together in their 
 dwellings, fo that twenty or more of them will lie 
 in as little room as ten with us *, and it muft needs 
 be fo, fince the multitude of people in the ftreets is 
 fo great^ that one is frightened at it •, it being fuch 
 that perfons of quality have always a horfeman go- 
 ing before them, to make way. Even the v/ideft 
 ftreets are not free from confufion \ and at the fight 
 of fo many horfes, mules, camels, waggons, chairs 
 ^nd rings of 100 or 200 perfons, who gather here 
 
 E 4 and 
 
 t In the draught the length does not bear a reciprocal propor- 
 tion 10 its circuit. 
 
^6 Of the CitieSy Hoiifes and 
 
 and there round the fortune-tellers, otie would judge 
 that fome unufual fhow had drav/n the whole coun- 
 try to Pekin. 
 
 Indeed, to outward appearance our moft populous 
 cities are wiiderneiTes in refpedl of this, efpecially 
 if we confider that there are more women than men \ 
 and yet in thefe great crouds, you fhall rarely fee a 
 woman. This, I fuppofe, has made fome people 
 think both cities might contain fix or {^\^^vi millions 
 of fouls, which was a great miilake. By \^^^ fol- 
 lowing refiedions it will, perhaps, appear that one 
 muft not always guefs at the number of inhabitants 
 in a place by the crowds that are feen in it. 
 
 Firft, from all the neighbouring towns a multi- 
 tude of peafants daily flock to Pekin, with feveral 
 ufeful and necefTary commodities \ now no river co- 
 ming up to the city, thefe muft be brought by land, 
 w^hich increafes the number of carters, waggons, 
 camels, and other beafts of burthen. So that morn- 
 ing and night, at the opening or fhutting of the 
 gates, there are fach throngs of people going in or 
 out, that you muft v/ait a long v/hile before you can 
 get by •, wherefore you muft not efteem all you m^eet 
 citizens. 
 
 Secondly, moft artificers in China work in their 
 cuftomers houfes ^ as for example, if I want a fuit, 
 my taylor comes m the m^orning to my lodging, 
 where he works all day, and at night returns home -, 
 ■ and fo the reft. Thefe are continually about, looking 
 out for bufinefs -, even the fmiths carry with them 
 their anv'n, their furnace, and other implements for 
 their ordinary ufe.This helps to increafe the multitude. 
 Thirdly, all perfons, efpecially thofe of any note, 
 never go abroad but on horfeback or in chairs, with 
 a numerous train. If at Paris all officers, gentlemen, 
 lawyers, phyficians, and wealthy citizens were al- 
 ways thus attended, the ftreets would not be fo open. 
 
 In 
 
chief Buildings of China. 57 
 
 In the fourth place, when a Mandarine goes any 
 where, all his inferior officers follow him in all their 
 formalities, fo that they form a kind of procelTion. 
 The lords at court, and princes of the blood, never 
 are without a great guard of horfe, and being necef- 
 fitated to go almoft every day to court, their very 
 equipage is fufficiently cumberfome to the city. 
 
 It is evident that thefe cuftoms,which are peculiar 
 to China, do very much increafe the throng, and it 
 muil not be wondered at, that the city fhould feem 
 jnuch more populous than it really is : and what 
 muft convince us is, that, as I have fhewn, there 
 is more room for inhabitants in Paris than in Pekin* 
 Wherefore though it be granted that twenty or five 
 and twenty perfons lodge there in as little compafs as 
 ten do at Pekin •, yet Pekin will be found to contain 
 near twice as many as Paris does, and I think I fhall 
 not be very wide of the truth, if I allow it two mil- 
 lions of inhabitants. 
 
 I have been fomething prolix upon this point, be^ 
 caufe I find it but flightly inquired into by m,oft hi- 
 ftorians. Nothing is more deceitful than number at 
 flrft fight. We think upon a view of the fky, that 
 the ftars are numberlefs, and, when told, are furpri- 
 fed to find they are fo few. To fee an army of a 
 hundred thoufand men in the field, you would ima- 
 gine all the world were there ; and even thofe, who 
 are ufed to fuch a fight, are apt to miftake if they 
 are not aware. 
 
 It is good to examine every thing ourfelves, efpe- 
 cially in China, where they never reckon but by 
 millions ; and though in thefe cafes one cannot be fa 
 very exad, it is not impofiible to come fo near the 
 truth as to fatisfy any curious inquirer. 
 
 Almofi: all the ftreets are built in a diredl line, the 
 greateft being about a hundred and twenty foot 
 broadj and a good league long, and the fliops where 
 
 they 
 
58 Of the Cities^ Houfes^ and 
 
 they fell filks and china-ware, which generally take 
 up the whole ftreet, make a very agreeable perfpec- 
 tive. The Chinefe have a cuftom which adds to 
 the beauty of their ftreets. Each fhop-keeper puts 
 out before his houf^:^, on a little kind of pedeflal, a 
 board twenty or two and twenty foot high, painted, 
 varnifhed, and often gilt, on which are written, in 
 large charadlers, the names of the feveral commodi- 
 ties he fells. Thefe kind of pilafters, thus placed on 
 each fide of the ftreet, and almoft at an equal dif- 
 tance from each other, make a pretty odd fhow. 
 This is ufual in almoit all the cities of China, and I 
 have in fonie places (^tn fo very neat ones, that one 
 would think they had defigned to make a ftage of 
 the ftreet. 
 
 Two things however detrad much from their 
 beaut)^ The firft, that the houfes are not propor- 
 tionable, being neither well built nor high enough. 
 The fecond, that they are always peftered with mud 
 or duft. That country, fo well regulated in every 
 thing elfe, is very deficient in this : both winter and 
 fummer are equally troublefome to thofe that walk 
 abroad, and therefore are horfes nnd chairs fo much 
 in requeft : for the dirt fpoils the filken boots which 
 they wear there ; and the duft fticks to their cloaths, 
 efpecially if they are made of fattin, which they have 
 a way of oiling, to give it the more luftre. There 
 is fo much duft raifed by the multitude or horfes, 
 that the city is alwas covered with a cloud of it, 
 which gets into the houfes, and makes its way into 
 the clofeft clofets, fo that, take what care you will, 
 your goods will ever be full of it. They ftrive to 
 allay it by a continual befprinkling the ftreets with 
 water, but there is ftill fo much left, as is very offen- 
 five, both as to cleanhnefs and health. 
 
 Of all the building this mighty city confifts in, 
 the only remarkable one is the imperial palace, which 
 
 I havQ 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 59 
 
 I have already defcrlbed to your highnefs. I fhall 
 only add, to give you a more exa(51: notion of It, that 
 it not only includes the emperor's houfe and gardens, 
 but alfo a little town inhabited by the officers at 
 court, and a great number of artificers who are em- 
 ployed and kept by the emperor ; for none but the 
 eunuchs lie in the inner palace. The outward 
 town is defended by a very good wall without, and 
 divided from the emperor's houfe by one of lefe 
 ftrength. All the houfes are very low and ill con- 
 trived, far worfe than thofe In the Tartars city *, fo 
 that the quality of its inhabitants, and the conve- 
 niency of being near the court, are the only things 
 that it is commendable for. 
 
 The inner palace is made up of nine vaft courts, 
 built in one line, in length, for I comprehend not 
 thofe on the wings, where are the kitchiii, ftables, 
 and other offices. The arches thro' which you go 
 from one to another are of marble,and over each there 
 ftands a large fquare Gothick building ; the roof looks 
 odd, but yet handfome ; for the ends of thejoicesare 
 continued beyond the wall in manner of a cornice, 
 which at a diflance looks very neat. The fides of 
 "each court are clofed by lefler apartments or galleries ; 
 but when you come to the emperor's lodgings, 
 there, indeed, the portico's fupported by ftateJy pil- 
 lars, the white marble-fteps by which you afcend to 
 the inward halls, the gilt roofs, the carved-work, 
 varnifh, gilding, and painting, they are adorned 
 with, the floors made of marble or porcelain, but 
 chiefly the great number of different pieces of archi- 
 tedure of v/hich they confift, dazzle the beholders 
 eye, and truly look great, becoming the majefly of 
 fo great a monarch. But ftill, the imperfedl notion, 
 the Chinefe have of all kinds of arts, is betrayed by 
 the unpardonable faults they are guilty of. The 
 apartments are ill contrived, the ornaments irregular, 
 
 there 
 
6o Of the Cities^ Houfes, and 
 
 there v/ants that uniformity in which confifts the 
 beauty and conveniency of cur palaces. In a word, 
 there is as it were, deformity in the whole, which 
 renders it very unpleafing to foreigners, and mufl 
 needs offend any one that has the leaft notion of true 
 architecture. 
 
 Some relations, however, cry it up as arts nxaii:er- 
 piece : the reafon is, becaufe the miffionaries, who 
 wrote them, had never {^^r\ any thing beyond 
 it, or elfe long ufe has accuftomed them to it j for 
 it is obfervable, that, let us diilike a thing never fo, 
 time will at length make it fupportable. Our fancy 
 habituates itfeif to any fight, and therefore an Euro- 
 peart, that has fpent twenty or thirty years in China, 
 can feldom give fo good a judgment of it, as he that 
 juft comes in and views it. As the true accent of a 
 ianguage is often loil among thofe who pronounce it 
 iM, fo the fharpnefs of a man's judgment is blunted 
 by converiing with thofe v/ho have none. 
 
 The guards placed in the gates and avenues of 
 the palace have no other arms but their fey miters, 
 and are not fo numerous as I at firft imagined , but 
 there is a multitude of lords and Mandarines, con- 
 ffcantly attending at the ufual time of audience. For- 
 merly the whole palace was inhabited by eunuchs, 
 whofe pov/erand infojence vv'as grown to fuch apitch, 
 that they became an infuppoitable grievance to the 
 princes of the empire ; but the latter emperors of 
 China, efpecially thofe defcended from Tartary, have 
 fo humbled them, that they are at prefent very in- 
 confiderable. The youngell ferve as pages, the other 
 are put to the vileft employments, their tafk being to 
 fweep the rooms and keep them clean •, they are fe- 
 verely punifhed by their overfeers, who never pals 
 by the leaft fault. 
 
 The number of the emperor's wives or concu- 
 bines is not eafily known. It being very great and 
 
 never 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 6i 
 
 never fixed. They never were feen by any one but 
 hiinfelf, and fcarce durft a man inquire about them- 
 They are all maidens of quality, which the Manda- 
 rines or governors of the provinces choofe, and as 
 foon as they are entered the palace, they have no far- 
 ther correfpondence with their friends, no not with 
 their very fathers. This forced and perpetual foli- 
 tilde (for moil of them are never taken notice of by 
 the emperor) together with the intrigues they fet on 
 work to get into his favour, and the jealoufy they 
 have of one another, v/hich wracks them with fufjM- 
 cions, envy, and hate, makes the moft part of them 
 very miferable. Among thofe who are fo happy as 
 to gain their princess approbation, three are chofen 
 which bear the title of queens. Thefe are in a far 
 higher degree of honour than the reft, having eacli 
 their lodgings, their court, their ladies of honour, 
 and other female attendants. 
 
 Nothing is v/antiiig that can contribute to thdr 
 diverfion. Their furniture, cloaths, attendance is 
 all rich and magnificent : it is true, all their happi- 
 nefs confifts in plealing their lord, for no buiinefs of 
 any confequence comes to their knowledge ; and as 
 they do not aiTiit the ftate with their counfels, fo 
 they do not difturb it with their ambition. 
 
 The Chinefe differ very much from us in that 
 point ', they fay Heaven has endowed women with 
 good nature, modefty, and innocence, that they 
 might look after their families, and take care of their 
 children's education •, but that men are born v/ith 
 ftrength of body and mind, with wit and generoiity 
 to govern and rule the world. They are aftonifhed 
 when we tell them, that with us the fcepter often 
 falls into a princefs's hands, and often fay by w^ay 
 of jeft^ That Europe is the ladfs kingdom. 
 
 Thus, my lord, I have given you a true but gene- 
 ral account of the emperor of China's palace, fo 
 
 much 
 
62 Of the Cities^ Houfes^ and 
 
 much boafted of by hiftorians, becaufe perhaps In all 
 Pekin they meet not with any worth their notice : 
 for indeed all befides are fo mean, that it v/ould be 
 an abufe to our language to give the title of palace 
 to their noblemens houfes. They are but one ftory 
 high, as are all the reft •, tho', I confefs, the great 
 number of lodgings,for themfelves and their fervants, 
 does make fome amends for their w^ant of beauty 
 and magnificence. Not but that the Chinefe are, as 
 much as any nation, in love with looking great and 
 fpending high, but the cuftom of the country, and 
 the danger of being taken notice of, is a curb to 
 their inclinations. 
 
 While I was at Pekin, one of the chief Mandarines 
 (I think he was a prince) had built him a houfe 
 fomething more lofty and ftately than the reft ; this 
 was imputed to him as a crime, and thofe, whofe 
 province it was, accufed him before the emperor, in- 
 fomuch that the Mandarine, fearful of the event, 
 pulled down his houfe while the bulinefs was under 
 examination, before fentence was given. This was 
 efteemed good policy in the eftabliftiment of the firft 
 monarchies •, and could the Romans but have ever 
 obferved it, they would have been perhaps ftill as 
 powerful in Europe, as the Chinefe are in Aiia. 
 
 Their courts of juftice are built no better than 
 common houfes. The courts indeed are large, the 
 gates lofty, and fometimes imbelliftied with orna- 
 ments of architedbare fomething tolerable ; but the 
 inward rooms and offices can boaft neither ftate nor 
 clean] inefs. 
 
 Religion indeed has found better entertainment ; 
 you frequently meet with their idols temples, which 
 the princes and people, equally fuperftitious, have 
 raifed at a vaft expence, and beautified with great 
 numbers of ftatues. The roofs efpecially are obfer- 
 vable, for the fplendor of their tiles, vamiftied with 
 
 yellow 
 
Chief Buildings of China.^ 63 
 
 yellow and green, for the many curious figures 
 which are placed on every fide, and the dragons 
 fhooting out at the corners, painted in the fame co- 
 lours. The emperors have founded feveral within 
 the outward bounds of the palace ; among which, 
 two more eminent than the reft were built by the 
 late monarch, at the requeft of the queen his mother 
 who was very much infatuated with the religion of 
 the Lama's, a fort of Tartarian priefts, the moft fu- 
 perftitious of all the Bonzes. 
 
 We were forbidden the entrance of thefe temples, 
 being told it would prove of ill confequence, and give 
 great offence to our fellow chriftians, fo that curio- 
 fity gave place to our defire of edifying them. But 
 we had the liberty of feeing the famous celebrated 
 imperial obfervatory. Be pleafed, my lord, to read 
 what one of our ableft mathematicians has upon the 
 report of travellers fpoken of it : Nothi7tg in Europe 
 is to be compared to it^ whether for the magnificence of 
 the place^or the bignefs ofthofe vaji brazen inflrumentSy 
 which ^ having been during thefe feven hundred years 
 expofed on the platforms of thofe large tower s^ are fiill 
 as fair and intire as if they were but new molten. 
 The divifions of thofe infimments are mofi exa^^ the 
 difpojition mojl proper for their defign^ and the whole 
 work performed with an inimitable neatnefs. In a 
 word^ it fee'med that China infulted herjifter nations^ 
 as if with all their learning and riches they could not 
 come up to her in that point. 
 
 Indeed, if China infults us by the fumptuoufnefs 
 of her obfervatory, fhe does well to do fo 6000 
 leagues off, for were fhe nearer, fiie durft not, 
 for fiiame, make any comparifon. 
 
 Thefe relations had mightily prejudiced us in fa- 
 vour of the obfervatory •, but when we viewed it, 
 we found it as follows : We came fir ft into a pretty 
 large court, where the lodgings of thofe who looked 
 after the obfervatory were toward the right hand ; 
 
 as 
 
64 Of the Cities^ HoufeSy and 
 
 as you come in, you meet with a very narrow ftair- 
 cafe, by v/hich you mount to the top of fuch a 
 fquare tower, as we formerly ufed to fortify our city 
 walls withal ; it is indeed contiguous on the iniide to 
 the wail of Pekin, and raifed but ten or twelve feet 
 above the bulwark. Upon this platform the Chmefe 
 ailron.omers had placed their inftruments, which tho' 
 but tew, ye^. took, up the whole room : but father 
 Verbieft, when he undertook the furvey and manage- 
 ment of the mathematicks, judged them very ufe- 
 lefs, and perfuaded the emperor to pull them down, 
 and put up new ones of his own contriving. Thefe 
 old inftruments were ftill in the hall near the tower, 
 buried in duft and oblivion. We faw them thro' a 
 window clofe fet with iron bars. They appeared to 
 us large, v/ell caft, and fhaped fomething like our 
 aftronomical rings. But they had laid in a by-court 
 a celeftial globe of about three foot diameter, that we 
 had a full view of ; its figure was almoft oval ; it 
 was divided with little exadlnefs, and the whole work 
 very coarfe. 
 
 They have in a lower room near that place con- 
 trived a Gnomon. The paflage, through which the 
 ray enters, is about eight feet from the ground, ho- 
 rizontally placed, and made by two copper-plates 
 which may be moved to and fro, to make the ori- 
 fice larger or fmaller. Under it lies a table covered 
 with brafs, in the midft of which, length- ways, they 
 have ftruck a meridian line 15 feet long, divided by 
 other crofs lines, which are neither exadl nor fine. 
 They have cut little holes out into the fides wherein 
 they put water to keep it exadlly horizontal ; and this 
 indeed, for a Chinefe contrivance, is the moft tolera- 
 ble of any I have feen, and might be ferviceable to a 
 careful aftronomer ; but I queftion whether their {kill 
 who invented it is fo great, as to ufe h rightly. 
 
 This 
 
TH£ (JB SEJi V^ 7-OJfy^ A T fj^ K lA 
 
 

Chief Buildings of China. 65 
 
 This obfervatory, of little worth, as to its arxdeiit 
 machines, and lefs as to its fituation and building, is 
 now enriched with feveral brazen inftruments which 
 father Verbieft has fef up. ^They at-e large, well caftj 
 imbellifhed with figures of dragons, and very well 
 difpofed to the ufe they are defigned for *, and was 
 but the nicenefs of their divifions anfv/erable to that 
 of the work, and telefcopes fallened to them inftead 
 of pins, according to the new method ufed by the 
 royal academy, nothing, that v/e have of that kind^ 
 might be brought in competition with them. But 
 tho' the father was, no doubt, very careful of the 
 divifion of his circles, the Ghinefe Artificer was either 
 very negligent, or very incapable of following his 
 directions : fo that I would rather trufl to a quadrant 
 made by one of our good workmen at Paris, whofe 
 radius ihould be but one foot and a halfj than to 
 that of fix (ttt^ which is at this tower. 
 
 PerhapSjyour highnefs may be willing at one view 
 to fee how they are difpofed. This draught is very 
 conformable to the original, and far from flattering 
 It, as pidlures and cuts generally do ; I may fay that 
 it does not exprefs half its beauty. But each feve- 
 ral piece fhewing but confufedly in this little fpace, I 
 have added, in as few words as I could, an explana- 
 tion of the frame and embellifhments of thofe noble 
 inilruments. 
 
 I. SpH^RA ArMILLARIS, ZoDlACALISj of flX 
 
 "^ feet 171 diameter. 
 
 This is fupported by four dragons heads, whofe 
 bodies after feveral windings are faftened to the ends 
 of two brazen beams laid a-crofs, that bear the whole 
 weight of the fphere. Thefe dragons which were 
 ufed rather than any other creature, becaufe the em- 
 peror bears them in his coat of arms, are, as the Chi- 
 nefe reprefent them^ wrap'd up in clouds, with long 
 
 F haij 
 
66 0/ the CitieSy Houfes, ani 
 
 hair on their -heads betv/een their honis, a fuzzy 
 beard under their lower jaw, flaming eyes, long 
 fharp teeth, their mouth open, and breathing a 
 whole ftream of flame. Four lions of the fame 
 metal lland under the end of the aforefaid beams, 
 whofe heads are raifed higher or lower by fkrews 
 faftened with them. The circles are divided both in 
 their exterior and interior furface by crofs lines 
 into 360 degrees each, and each degree into 60 mi- 
 nutes, and the latter into portions of 10 feconds 
 each by fmall pins. 
 
 II. S p K ^ R A E Qjj I N ox I A L I s , of fix feet diameter. 
 
 This fphere is fupported by a dragon, who bears 
 it on his back bowed, and whofe four claws feize 
 the four ends of its pedefl:al, which as the former is 
 formed of two brazen beams crofs- wife, whofe ends 
 are alio borne by four fmall lions,which ferve to fix it 
 right. The defign is noble and well performed. 
 
 III. HoRisoN Azimuth ALE, fix feet in diameter^ 
 
 This inftrument, ufeful for the taking of azimuths, 
 is compofed of a large circle horifontally placed. 
 The double index, which ferves it for a diameter, 
 runs over all the limb, and carries roimd along with 
 it a redlangle triangle, the upper angle of which is 
 faftened to a beam raifed perpendicular from the cen- 
 ter of the faid horifon. Four folded dragons bow 
 their heads under the inferior limb of the circle, 
 to make it faft ; and two other, wound round two 
 fmall columns, mount on either fide femicircular- 
 vrife, as high as the faid beam, to which they are 
 faftened, to keep the triangle fteady. 
 
 IV. A 
 
Chief Buildi?tgs of China. 67 
 
 • ly. A large Qv a d r a n t , whoje radius is fix feet. 
 
 The limb Is divided into portions of ten feccnds 
 each j the lead, vi^hich fhews its vertical fituation, 
 weighs a pound, and hangs from the center by a ve- 
 ry fine brafs wire. The index moves eafily round 
 the limb. A dragon folded in feveral rings, and 
 wrap'd up in clouds, feizes on all parts the feveral 
 plates of the inftrument to faflen them, left they 
 fhould ftart out of their due pofition. The whole 
 body of the quadrant hangs in the air, and a fixed 
 axis runs thro' its center, round which the quadrant 
 turns towards the parts of the heavens which the 
 mathematician choofes to obferve •, and left its 
 weight fhould caufe it to fhiver, and lofe its vertical 
 pofition, a beam is raifed on each fide, fecured at the 
 bottom by a dragon,and faftened to the middle beam 
 or axis by clouds which feerri to come out of the air. 
 The whole work is fubftantial and v/ell contrived. 
 
 V. y^SfixTAN^, whofe radius is about eight feet. 
 
 This reprefents the fixth part of a great circle 
 borne by a beam, the bafis of which is concave,made 
 faft with dragons, and crofTed in the middle by a 
 brazen pillar, on one end of which is an engine, the 
 help of whofe wheels ferves to facilitate the motion 
 of that inftrument. On this engine refts the middle 
 of a fmall brazen beam which reprefents a radius of 
 the fextant, and is faftnened to it. Its upper part is 
 terminated by a big cylinder, v/hich is the center, 
 round which the index turns -, -and the lower is ex- 
 tended above two feet beyond the limb, that it may 
 be grafped by the pulley which ferves to raife it, 
 Theie large and heavy machines are of greater orna '^ 
 ment than ufe. . 
 
 VI. ^Celestial Globe, of fix feet diameter. 
 ^ This in my opinion is the faireft and beft fafhion- 
 ed of all the inftruments. The globe itfelf is bra- 
 
 F 2 zen. 
 
68 Of the Cities^ HoiifeSy mid 
 
 zen, exa<5lly round and fmooth : the ftars well made^ 
 and in their true places, and all the circles of a pro- 
 portionable breadth and thicknefs. It is befides fo 
 well hung that the leaft touch moves it, and tho' it 
 is above two thoufand weight, the leaft child may 
 elevate it to any degree. On its large concave balis^ 
 are placed oppoiite four dragons, whofe hair, ftand- 
 ing up an end, fupport a noble horifon commend- 
 able for its breadth, its feveral ornaments, and the 
 delicacy and nicenefs of the work. The mendian, 
 m which the pole is fixed, refts upon clouds that if- 
 fue out of the ba{is, and Aides eafily between them, 
 its motion being facilitated by fome hidden wheels, 
 and m.oves with it the whole globe to give it the re- 
 quired elevation. Belides which the horifon, dra- 
 gons, and the tv^'o brazen beams, which lie crofs in 
 the center of the bafis*s concavity, are all moved at 
 pleafure, without flirring the bafis which ftill remains 
 fixed ; this facilitates the due placing of the horifon, 
 whether in refpedl: of the natural horifon, or in re- 
 fped: of the globe, I wondered how men, who live 
 fix thoufand leagues from us, could go through fuch 
 a piece of work ; and I muft own, that if all the 
 "circles, which are divided, had been corredled by 
 fome of our workmen, nothing could be more per- 
 fedl in their kind. Thefe machines, being moft of 
 them above ten feet from the ground, have, for the 
 aftronomers greater conveniency, marble fteps round 
 them, cut amphitheater- wife. 
 
 Altho' thefe inftrument sfeem fo extraordinary fine^' 
 the Chinefe could never have been perfuaded to make 
 life of them, and leave their old ones, without an 
 efpecial order from the emperor to that efFed. They 
 are more fond of the moft defective piece of anti- 
 quity, than of the moft perfedl of t\\t moderns, 
 differing much in that from us who are in love with 
 nothing but what is new. Indeed we are all to blame, 
 for time can add to^ or d^ti*ad nothing from the real 
 
 wortb 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 69 
 
 worth of things : wherefore we ought to take good 
 care left fancy, cuftom, and prejudice prevail over 
 our underftanding, which, only perceiving the diffe- 
 rence of things, is only able to judge of it. If this 
 failing of the Chinefe extended but to their temporal 
 concerns, the mifchief perhaps would not be great *, 
 but it unhappily reaches to the point of religion ; 
 and whereas in Europe it feems that a dodlrine, tho* 
 never fo abfurd, has a title to our belief when re- 
 commended by novelty, in China it is quite con- 
 trary y for they think it a fufficient reafon to rejecl: 
 the chriftian faith, becaufe in refped of their mo- 
 narchy it is not old enough : as tho' time and igno- 
 rance were to be preferred to truth, or that con ft ant 
 cuftom could render iuperftition lawful or reafonable. 
 
 The fondnefs for antiquity,and for the obfervance 
 of ancient cuftoms, is perhaps what keeps the Chi- 
 nefe fo clofe to their aftronomical obfervations, in the 
 praflice of which they have been very conftant •, but 
 it is a ftiame, that they have during fo long a time 
 made no greater improvements. One v/ould think, 
 that having watched the motion of the ftars above 
 4000 years, they ftiould be perfectly acquainted with 
 them ; yet when our miftionaries entered that coun- 
 try, they found them fo unfkilful herein, that with 
 all their care they were never able to compofe an cx- 
 ad calendar *, their tables of eclipfes were fo un cor- 
 real, that fcarce could they forctel about what time 
 that of the fun ftiould happen : they are now fatifr 
 iied in thofe two particulars •, for thofe fathers have 
 fettled the calendar ; and that, which is given out in 
 the beginning of each year, notes with the greateft 
 nicety all the motions of the heavens which are du- 
 ring the year to happen out of courfe. 
 
 However, they ftill continue their obfervations. 
 Five mathematicians fpend every night on the tower, 
 in watching what pafTes over head ; one is gazing 
 towards the zenith, another to the eaftj a third to 
 
 F 3 the 
 
yo Of the Cities^ Houfes^ and 
 
 the well, the fourth turns his eyes fouth wards, i.nS. 
 a fifth northwards, that nothing of what happens in 
 the four corners of the world mayefcape their diligent 
 ebfcrvation. They take notice of the winds, the 
 rain, the air, of unufual phenomena, fuch as eclip- 
 fcs, the conjunction or oppofition of planets, fires, 
 meteors, and whatever may be any ways ufeful. 
 This they keep a ftridl account of, which they 
 bring in every morning to the furveyor of the ma- 
 thematicks, to be regiftered in his office. If this 
 had always been pradlifed by able and careful mathe- 
 maticians, we fhould have a great number of curi- 
 ous remarks ; but befides that, thefe aftronomers 
 are very unikilfal, they take little care to improve 
 that fcience ♦, and provided their falary be paid as 
 ufual, and their income conftant, they are in no great 
 trouble about the alterations and changes which hap-* 
 pen in the iky. But if thefe phenomena are very ap- 
 parent, as when there happens an eclipfe, or a comet, 
 they dare not "Cix^ri be altogether fo negligent. 
 
 All nations have ever been aftonifhed at eclipfes, 
 becaufe they could not ^ifcover the caufe of them ; 
 there is nothing fo extravagant as the feveral reafons 
 fome have given for it ; but one would wonder that 
 the Chinefe, who as to aftronomy may juftly claim 
 i'eniority over all the world befides, have reafoned 
 as abfurdly on that point as the reft. They have 
 fancied that in heaven there is a prodigious great 
 dragon, who is a profefTed enemy to the fun and 
 moon, and ready at all times to eat them up. For 
 this reafon, as foon as they perceive an eclipfe, they 
 all make a terrible rattling with drums and brafs ket- 
 tles, till the monfter frightened at the noife lets go his 
 prey. Perfons of quality, who have read our books, 
 have for thefe feveral years been undeceived ; but 
 (efpeciaily if the fun lofeth its light) the old cuftoms 
 are ftill obferved at Pekin^ which:, as is ufual^ are both 
 
 yerjr 
 
chief Buildmgs of China. ^ i 
 
 very fuperftitlous and very ridiculous. While the 
 ailronomers are on the tower to make their obferva- 
 tlons, the chief Mandarines belonging to the Lipou 
 fall on their knees In a hall or court of the palace, 
 looking attentively that way, and frequently bowing 
 towards the fun to exprefs the pity they take of him, 
 or rather to the dragon, to beg him not to molefl the 
 world, by depriving it of fo rieceflary a planet. 
 
 The mathematicians mufl be fure to relate nothing 
 concerning the ecllpfes but what will certainly hap- 
 pen ; for fhould It happen fooner or later, be greater 
 or lefs, longer or fhorter, the furveyor and his bre- 
 thren would go near to lofe their places. But this is 
 taken care of, for the Mandarines, who are to take 
 the obfervations, never fail to regifter them according 
 to the predidlons j fo that, if they have their fees, 
 the heavens may take their courfe. 
 
 I am afraid, my lord, that I have been too tedious 
 in this digreflion •, your highnefs, having for thefe fe- 
 veral years been bufied In affairs of greater momxnt, 
 muft needs have little regard for fuch abftrufe notions, 
 unfit to excite you to thofe elevated fentiments fo na- 
 tural to fuch great fouls as yours, and I might have 
 fpent my time more to your fatisfadion In writing the 
 wars of the Tartars, and the conqueil of China. But 
 befides the Inclination every man has to fpeak of v/hat 
 belongs to his profeffion, I have, perhaps, been over- 
 mled by the habit we contrad in China to entertain 
 great perfons with thefe matters ; and have hoped, 
 that a prince curious, and endowed with a genius to 
 which nothing Is ImpofTible, would with patience hear 
 that, which makes the delight of the greateft aiid 
 moft learned emperor in the whole world. 
 
 I fhould do Pekin a very great injuftice if I pafled 
 
 over In filence Its noble gates and {lately walls, which 
 
 indeed become animperial city. The former are not 
 
 itnbelliihed with ilatues or other carving as arc moft 
 
 F 4 publick 
 
72 Of the Cities^ Houfes^ and 
 
 publick buildings in China *, but all their beauty con- 
 iifts in a prodigious height, which at a diftance makes 
 the finefl: fliow in the world. They eonfift in two large 
 Iquare buildings built feparately, but bound together 
 by two tall and very thick walls, fo that they form 
 a fquare which may contain above five hundred men 
 in battle. The iirfl building, which looks like a 
 fortrefs, faces the road. There is no way thro^ it, 
 but you go in at the fide- wall, where there is a gate 
 proportionable to all the reft ; then you turn to the 
 right, and meet with the fecond tower which com-^ 
 mands the city, and has a gate like the former, 
 but whofe gate- way is fo long, that it grows dark to^ 
 wards trie middle. There they conftantly keep a 
 Corps du Guard, and a fmall magazine to fupply it 
 readily v/ith ftores in cafe of neceffity. 
 
 If you refpecl; only the neatnefs of the workman-^ 
 ihip,and the ornaments of architedlure, I muft, indeed, 
 confefs, that the gates of Paris are incomparably finer. 
 But yet, when a man approaches Pekin, he muft 
 pwn that thefe immenfe buildings, and, if I may 
 fpeak it^ the rudenefs of thefe auguft buildings have 
 a beauty preferable to all our ornaments. The 
 crchcs are built with rri^rble, and the reft with very 
 large brick, bound with excellent mortar. 
 
 The walls are anfwerable to their gates, fo tall 
 that they hide the whole city, and fo thick, that 
 centrics on horfeback are placed upon them. From 
 place to place, at a bow's-ftiot diftance, they are 
 defended with fquare towers. The ditch is dry, 
 but very broad and deep. All is regular, and as. 
 well kept as if they were in continual apprehenfion 
 of a fiege. This, my lord, is a pretty exafl defcrip- 
 tion of the chief city of China, remarkable for its 
 extent, large gates, ftrong walls, fumptuous palace, 
 good garrifon (which confifts in the beft forces of the 
 whole empire) and the number of its inhabitants j 
 but comm^jidgbk fgr ^vthii^g ^Ifc, 
 
Chief Buildings of China* 75 
 
 What may be faid of all the reft in general is 
 this ; the Chinefe divide them into two kinds. Thofe 
 which are folely defigned for the defence of the 
 country they call Cities of war, and the reft Towns 
 of traffick. The fortified places which I have feen 
 are not much ftronger than the others, unlefs it be 
 b y their fituation, which makes fome almoft inac- 
 ceflible. The frontier towns, efpecially thofe near 
 Tartary, are fomewhat Angular ; and our miflionaries 
 have aflured me, that there were feveral narrow 
 paffages fo well fortified, that it was almoft impoffi- 
 ple to force them : I myfelf have feen fome which 
 a hundred men might eafily defend againft a whole 
 army. Their ufual fortifications are a good bulwark, 
 fome towers, brick- walls, and a large deep ditch, 
 filled with running water. The Chinefe are flcilied 
 in no other manner of fortification, which we ought 
 not to wonder at, fince ourfelves knew no better 
 before cannons were in ufe, which has put us upon in- 
 venting new ways of defending our cities, as there 
 were new ones contrived of attacking them. 
 
 I confefs, my lord, that in viewing all thofe 
 cities which their inhabitants efteem the ftrongeft m 
 the world, I have often, with no little pleafure, 
 thought with myfelf how eafily Lewis the Great 
 would fubdue thofe provinces, if nature had made 
 us a little nearer neighbours to China , he whom the 
 . ftouteft places in Europe can at beft withftand but 
 during a few days. God haa, by an equal and juft 
 diftribution, given the Chinefe but mean foldiers, 
 becaufe no extraordinary adlions could be performedi 
 there ; but to vanquifti fuch enemies as ours, fo great 
 ^n hero was wholly neceflary. 
 
 It muft however be granted, that in the way of 
 fortification the Chinefe have outdone all the ancients 
 in the prodigious work that At^tnds part of their 
 f:ountry. 'Tis that which we call the Great Wall, 
 ^d which themfcjves ftile Van li Cham^ Chim, the 
 
74 Of the Cities^ HoiifeSy and 
 
 vail looco ftadiums long, which reaches from the 
 ^ftern ocean to the province of Xanfi : not that its 
 length is fo great as they fpeak it ; but if you reckon 
 all its windings, it will really appear to be no lefs 
 than 500 leagues. You muft not conceive it as a 
 plain wall, for it is fortified with towers much like 
 the city walls I have mentioned ; and in the places 
 where the pafTes might.be more eafily forced, they 
 have raifed two or three bulwarks one behind ano- 
 ther, which may give themfelves a mutual defence, 
 whofe enormous thicknefs, and the forts which com- 
 mand all the avenues, being all guarded by great 
 numbers of forces, protedl the Chinefe from all at- 
 tempts on that fide. 
 
 China being divided from Tartary by a chain of 
 mountains, the wall has been carried on over the 
 higheft hills, and is now tall and then low, as the 
 ground allowed -, for you mufl not think, as fome 
 have imagined, that the top of it is level throughout, 
 and that from the bottom of the deepefl vales it 
 could have been raifed to be as high as the tallefl 
 mountains. So when they fay that it is of a won- 
 derful height, we mufl understand it of the fpot of 
 ground it is built on, for of itfelf it is rather lower 
 than thofe of their cities, and but four, or at moft, 
 five ktt in thicknefs. 
 
 It is almofl all built with brick, bound with fuch 
 ilrong mortar, that not only it has lafled thefe fe- 
 veral ages, but is fcarce the worfe. It is above 1800 
 years fince emperor Chihohamti raifed it, to prevent 
 the infurredlions of the nei o-hbourin cr Tartars. This 
 was at once one of the greateft and maddefl under- 
 takings that I ever heard of ; for though indeed it 
 v/as a prudent caution of the Chinefe thus to guard 
 tht eafief^ avenues, how ridiculous was it of them 
 to carry their wall to the top of fome precipices 
 which the birds can fcarce reach with their flight, 
 ^nd on which it is impoflibk the Tartarian horfe 
 
 fliould 
 
Chief Buildings cf China.' 75 
 
 ftiould afcend : and if they could fancy that an army 
 could have clambered up thither, how could they 
 believe that fo thin and low a wall, as they have 
 made it in fuch places, could be of any defence ? 
 
 As for my part, I admire how the materials have 
 been conveyed and made ufe of there ; and indeed, it 
 was not done without a vaft charge, and the lofs of 
 more men than would have perifhed by the greateft 
 fury of their enemies. It is faid, that during the 
 reigns of the Chinefe emperors, this wall was guard- 
 ed by a million of foldiers •, but now that part of 
 Tartary belongs to China, they are content with 
 manning well the worft fituated, but beft fortified 
 parts of it. 
 
 Among the other fortrefles of the kingdom, there 
 are above a thoufand of the firft rate ; the reft are 
 lefs remarkable, and indeed fcarce deferve that name; 
 yet all are very well garrifoned, and by that one 
 may judge what vaft armies are conftantly kept on 
 foot. Hov/ever, this is not the only part in which 
 China excels other nations, for to confider her only 
 in her military capacity will hardly raife our won- 
 der *, but who can enough admire the numbers, 
 greatnefs, beauty, and government of their trading 
 towns ? They are generally divided into three 
 clafles ; of the firft there are above 1 60, of the 
 fecond 270, and of the third near 1200, befides 
 near 300 walled cities more, which they leave out 
 as not worth obferving, tho' they come but little 
 fhort of either of them, either in the number of inha- 
 bitants or greatnefs of trade. The greater and 
 lefler villages are numberlefs, efpecially thofe of the 
 fouthern provinces. In the provinces of Xanfi and 
 Xenfi they are for the moft part furrounded with 
 walls and good ditches, with iron gates, which the 
 country people jfhut at night, and guard in the day 
 time, to protedl themfelves from thieves, and from 
 
 the 
 
^6 Of the Cities^ HoufeSy and 
 
 the iiifults of the foldiers, who are not always td 
 be kept in by their officers. 
 
 The largenefs of thefe cities is not lefs amazing 
 than their number. Pekin, which I have already had 
 the honour to mention to your highnefs, is not to 
 be compared to Nankim •, or, as it is now called, 
 Kiamnim, a town formerly inclofed within three 
 walls, the outermoft of which was 1 6 long leagues 
 round : fome works of it are ftill to be feen, which 
 one would rather think to be the bounds of a pro- 
 vince than a city. When the emperors kept their 
 court there, its inhabitants were, no doubt, number- 
 lefs. Its fituation, haven, plenty, the fertility of the 
 neighbouring lands, and the canals made near it, for 
 the improvement of trade, could not but make it a 
 fee city : it has fince loft much of its former fplendon 
 However, if you include thofe who live in its fu- 
 burbs, and on the canals, it is ftill more populous 
 than Pekin; and tho' theunarable hills, the ploughed 
 lands, gardens, and vaft empty places which are with- 
 in its walls, render it really lefs than it feems, yet 
 what is inhabited does ftill make a prodigious big city. 
 
 The ftreets are not very broad, but very well 
 paved, the houfes low, but cleanly, and the jfhops 
 very rich, being filled with ftufFs, ftlks, and other 
 coftly wares : in a word, it is as the center of the 
 empire, where you may find all the curlofities which 
 are any where found in the whole kingdom. There 
 the moft famous doctors and the Mandarines, who 
 are outofbufinefs, ufually fettle themfelves, having 
 the conveniency of feveral libraries filled with choice 
 of good books ; their printing Is fairer, their artifi- 
 cers are better workmen, the tongue more polite, 
 and the accent fmoother than any where elfe j and 
 truly no other city were fo proper for the emperor*s 
 teat, were it not for the ftates advantage that he 
 ibould refide near the frontiers. It is alfo famous 
 on other accounts, 
 
 Firfl:^ 
 
£htef Buildings tf China. yy 
 
 Firft, for the river Kiam on which It is fituated, 
 which is the largeft, deepeft, and moft navigable iii 
 the whole empife ; being, in that part of it which 
 bathes the city, near half a league broad. 
 
 Secondly, the royal obfervatory on the top of a 
 mountain, where ftood formerly a platform and 
 proper inftruments (which v/ere fince removed txsf 
 Pekin) but now only fome old buildings remain, and 
 a large fquare hall, newly built as an acknowledg- 
 ment of the emperor Camhy's kind vifit to that 
 city. This was a trick of the Mandarines, who, un- 
 der pretence of raifing a monument of that prince's 
 favour, got confiderable fums of money from the 
 inhabitants, not half of which was laid out. 
 
 In the third place for a large tower, vulgarly cal- 
 led the China-Tower. There is without the city 
 (and not within, as fome have wrote) a houfe named 
 by the Chinefe, the Temple of Gratitude (Pat^ 
 gren-Jfe) built 300 years ago by the emperor Yonio. 
 It is raifed on a maflive baiis, built with brick and 
 furrounded with a rail of unpolifhed marble ; there 
 are ten or twelve fleps all round it, by which yoa 
 afcend to the lowermoft hall> the floor of whicli 
 ftands one foot higher than the bafis, leaving a 
 nttle walk two feet wide all round it. 
 
 The front of this hall or temple is adorned witli 
 k gallery and fome pillars. The roofs (for in Chi- 
 na there are ufually two, one next to the top of the 
 wall, and a narrower over that) are covered with 
 green varnifhed fhining tiles •, and the ceiling within 
 is painted and made up of feveral little pieces dlfi^- 
 rently wrought one within the other, which with the 
 Chinefe is no fmall ornament. I confefs that medley 
 of beams, joifts, rafters, and pinions is a fingulaiity 
 which furprifes us, becaufe we muft needs judge that 
 fuch a walk was not done without great expence ; 
 but to fpeak truth it proceeds only from the igno- 
 rance of their workmen, who never could find out 
 
 that 
 
7^ Of the CitieSy HoufeSy and 
 
 that noble fimplicity, in v/hich conftfts both Ihd 
 ftrength and beauty of our buildings. 
 
 This hall has no light but what comes in at 
 the doors, of which there are three very large ones 
 that give admittance into the tower I fpeak of, which 
 is part of this temple. It is of an odangular fi-' 
 gure^ about 40 feet broad, fo that each fide is 
 15 feet wide. A wall in the like form is built 
 round it, at two fathoms and a half diftanccj 
 and, being moderately high, fupports the one fide 
 of the pent-houfe, which ifTues from the tower, 
 and thus makes a pretty kind of a gallery. This 
 tower is nine ftories high, each ftory being adorn- 
 ed with a cornifh three feet wide at the bottom 
 of the windows, and diftinguifiied by little pent- 
 houfes like the former, but narrower, and (like 
 the tower itfelf) decreafing in breadth as they 
 increafe in height. 
 
 The wall is, at the bottom, at 'leaft 12 feet 
 thick, and above eight and a half at the top, cafed 
 with China-ware laid flat- wife ; for tho' the weather 
 has fomething impaired its beauty, there is yet enough 
 remaining to fhew that it is real China, tho' of 
 the coarfer fort, fince 'tis impofilble that bricks 
 could have retained that luftre above 300 years. 
 
 The ftair-cafe within is narrow and troublefome, 
 the fteps being very high. Each ftory is made up 
 of thick pieces of timber laid crofs-wife, and on them 
 a floor, the ceiling of each room being beautified 
 v/ith paintings, if fuch painting as theirs can be 
 called a beauty. The walls of the upper rooms 
 bear feveral fmall niches full of carved idols, which 
 make a pretty kind of checquer. The whole work is 
 -gilt, and looks like carved ftone or marble •, but I 
 believe it to be only brick, for the Chinefe are 
 very flcilful in ftamping all kinds of ornaments on 
 it, which thro' the finenefs of their fifted mould be- 
 comes more eafy to them than to us. 
 
 Thq 
 
CmeJ Buildings of China. jg 
 
 The firft floor is the moft lofty, but the reil are 
 of an equal height. I have told the fteps, which are 
 190 in number, being almoft all 10 large inches high, 
 haying meafured them very nicely, which amounts 
 to 158 feet. If you add to this the height of the ba- 
 fis, that of the ninth ftory, which has no fteps to 
 mount thence to the top, and the cupola, the fum 
 will be at leaft 200 feet in height from the ground* 
 This cupola is none of the leaft ornaments of 
 that building, being, as it were, an extraordinny 
 thick maft, or may-pole, which, from the floor of 
 the eighth ftory, rifes above 30 feet higher than the 
 top of the tower. Round it a great piece of iron 
 runs in a fpiral line, feveral feet diftant from the pole, 
 fo that it looks like a hollow cave, on the top erf" 
 which is placed a very large golden ball. This it is 
 that the Chinefe call the Porcelain Tower, and which 
 forne Europeans would name the Brick-one. What- 
 ever it may be made of, it is undoubtedly the befl: 
 contrived and nobleft ftrudure of all the Eaft. From 
 its top you have a profpedt of the whole city, and 
 cfpecially of the mountain on which ftands the ob- 
 fervatory, which lies a good league north eaft and 
 by eaft from it. 
 
 Namkin was alfo famous for the bignefs of its bells, 
 but their weight having worn down the fteeple which 
 they were hung in, the whole building fell down, and 
 they ftill lie upon the ground. There is one in the 
 way between our college and the obfervatory, whofe 
 height is 1 1 feet, and that of its handle or ear by 
 which it hangs, 2, and its diameter is 7 •, the outward 
 circumference is 22 ^Qtt^ which indeed leflens towards 
 the top, but not in the fame proportion with our 
 bells here, for the figure is almoft a cylinder, if you 
 take away a confiderable fwelling towards the mid- 
 dle, where the circumference is equal to that of the 
 bottom. Its lower brim is flx inches and a half thick, 
 but grows thinner and thinner, to the bowing where 
 
 the 
 
So Of the Cities^ HoufeSy and 
 
 the cone begins, fo that under the ear it is not above 
 0. inches thick ; which may be meafured exadly e- 
 nough, becaufe they pierce their bells at the top to 
 increafe their fo|und as they fancy. The metal is 
 brittle, and very ill caft, being full of little knobs. 
 Thefe bells were caft during the ninth reign be- 
 fore this. Each have their particular name ; the one 
 being called Tchoui, the Hanger ; another, Che, the 
 Eater ; a third, Ghoui, or So, the Sleeper % and a 
 fourth, Si, the Flier •, for tho' therie are but 3 in the 
 city, the Chinefe geographers place a 4th beyond the 
 river Kiam. Now, fuppofing that a cubical foot 
 of brafs weigh 648 /. the bell which I meafured 
 fhould weigh about 90,000, fuppofing it to be of 
 an equal bignefs and thicknefs. As for the big- 
 tiefs, there is no great difference, but the thicknefs 
 Jeflens from the bottom to the top, where, as I 
 have faid, it is but two inches thick ; fo that al- 
 lowing it to be cMie with another four Inches 
 thick and better throughout, the bell will weigh 
 about 5O5OOO /. and be twice as heavy as that at Er- 
 fort, which father Kircher affirms to be the biggeft vx 
 the world. 
 
 But this is nothing to what there is at Pekin, which 
 can fhew feven caft under the reign of the em- 
 peror Yonlo, near 300 years ago, weighing 120,000/. 
 each. They are 1 1 \ttt wide, 40 round, and 1 2 
 high, befides the ear, which is at leaft 3 foot in 
 height. This, my lord, I own is furprifing, and 
 could fcarce be believed, had we not father Verbieft's 
 word for it, who himfelf has exadlly meafured them. 
 But as much as their bells exceed ours in bignefs^ 
 fo much do ours exceed them in found, whether our 
 metal or way of cafting be better. Be pleafed howe- 
 ver to read what father Magalhaens writes of that 
 which is in the palace at Pekin. Its founds fays he, is 
 fo clear ^fo pleafant.and harmonious^ that it feems to pro- 
 ceedfrom a tnufical infirumentmucbratherthanabdLAli 
 
 this 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 8t 
 
 this muft be underftood comparatively ; and per- 
 haps the author had never heard any thing of that 
 kind like it. As for my part, all the bells, I have 
 heard there, have feerned to me to make but a dull, 
 obfcure noife, as one may eafily imagine, for their 
 clappers are not made of iron but Vvood. However 
 that be (for it defer ves not a longer inquiry) it is 
 certain, that the Chlnefe have In all their cities very 
 big ones, with vrhlch they diillnguifh the five 
 watches of the night ; which they reckon from kytn 
 or eight of the clock in the evening : they begin 
 the firft with ftrlklng once, which they repeat a 
 moment after, and fo on till the fecond watch, then 
 they ftrike two ftrokes, and at the third watch three, 
 and fo on : fo that thefe bells are as fo many re- 
 peating clocks, which every other moment inform 
 you what time of night it is. They alfo ufe for the 
 fame purpofe a very great drum, which they beat 
 in the fame manner. 
 
 Thefe two Imperial cities, which I have now been 
 defcribing, might alone render China defervedly fa- 
 mous, but the metropolis's of moft provinces are fo 
 big, that each were fit to be the chief of an empire. 
 Slga'n, the capital city of Xenfi, Is three leagues 
 round. I have had the curlofity to meafure It my 
 felf, v/hlch was not difficult y the walls which Inclofe 
 It making an exad fquare. Its ditches, which are 
 partly dry and partly filled with water, are very fine ; 
 its walls thick and tall, as well as the fquare towers 
 tllat defend them \ its bulwarks very broad, and Its 
 gates, at leart fome, moil ftately, and like thofe at Pe- 
 kin. The city is divided into two parts by an earthen 
 wall, which funs almofl from one end to the other. 
 The one half Is Inhabited by the Tartars, who keep 
 the biggeft garrifon, tho' in the other, where the 
 Chlnefe dwell, there are alfo a good body . of troops. 
 There may lllll be {Q,tn an old palace, the refidence 
 fcf the ancient kings of that country, who were 
 
 G powerful. 
 
82 Of the Cities^ HoufeSy and 
 
 powerful, not only becaufe of the vaft extent of 
 their dominions, but alfo thro' the bravery and cou- 
 rage of their fubjeds •, for, among all the Chinefe, 
 therc are not any better proportioned, or more 
 ftrong, ftout, and laborious than thefe. As for the 
 houfes, they are, as every where elfe in China, low, 
 and not over- well built •, their furniture is not fo neat 
 as in the fouthern parts, their varnifh not fo fmooth, 
 their China not fo plentiful, nor their workmen fo 
 ingenious. 
 
 Hamcheu, the chief city of the province of Che- 
 kiam, is alfo one of the richeft and greateft in the 
 empire. The Chinefe fay it is four leagues round, 
 and, I believe, they tell no lye. The ftreets are as 
 full of people as at Paris, and the fuburbs beiides 
 being very large, and the canals crouded with an in- 
 finite number of boats, I believe it to be as populous 
 as the greateft cities in Europe. The garrifon confifts 
 in loooo men, 3000 of v/hich are Chinefe. The 
 water of their canals is not clear, nor their ftreets 
 broad, but the (hops are neat, and the merchants 
 there are reputed to be very rich. 
 
 Eaft wards from the city runs a river half a league 
 broad, being near the fea, but indeed not very con- 
 fiderable, for a little higher it is but an ufelefs tor- 
 rent, which nans thro' abundance of rocks. A lake 
 lies clofe to it to the weftwards, which is about two 
 leagues round. The water is clear, but very {hal- 
 low *, deep enough however for fome large flat-bot- 
 tom'd boats, w^hich the Chinefe keep there, like fo 
 many floating iilands, where their young people take 
 their pleafure. In the middle ftands an ifland where 
 they ufually land, having built there a temple and 
 fome houfes for their diver fion. Of this lake fome 
 relations have made an inchanted place. I have read 
 that it was built round with ftately houfes and noble 
 palaces. This might be •, but if true, a great care 
 was certainly taken that not fo much as the leaft 
 
 track 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 83 
 
 track or memory of it fhould remain. But perhaps 
 they gave that name to fome wooden thatched dwel- 
 I'ngs, In which China does every where abound ; then 
 indeed a fhort while might make great alterations, 
 for time needs not ufe Its utmoft efforts to pull them 
 dov/n. However, if this city Is not fo eminent for 
 buildings, it is com.mendable for being one of the 
 beft fituated in the empire, for the prodigious number 
 of Its Inhabitants, the convenlency of its canals, and 
 the great traffick which is made there in the fineft 
 filks in the world. 
 
 What is furprlfing In China is, that whereas, being 
 gone thro' one of thefe cities, you would fcarce ex- 
 ped to meet with the like, you are hardly out of 
 fight of it before you are in view of fuch another. 
 As for example ; going along the great canal from 
 Hamcheu you come to Sucheu^ which is not far from 
 it, and, if you believe the Inhabitants, contains four 
 leagues in circuit, being indeed of a vaft extent It 
 is alfo the ufual refidence of a viceroy, and has as 
 great a trade as any city in the empire. I do not 
 find it to be proportionally as populous as thofe I 
 have mentioned •, but the fuburbs and multitude of 
 boats amaze new comers. Thofe who have the pa- 
 tience to fpend a few minutes on the water-fide, and 
 view the throngs of people that come to cheapen 
 commodities, would Imagine it to be a fair, to which 
 the whole empire were crouding ; and the officers 
 there, tho' not over ftrI6t, are fo bufied in receiving 
 the cuffcoms, that they are obliged to put off to the 
 next day a great many traders, who come to make 
 their payments. This continual hurry, among the 
 moft cbvetous nation in the world, fhould, one 
 would imagine, occafion frequent quarrels ; but their 
 government is fo good, and the Mandarines orders 
 fo flrldtly obferved, that befides abufive language, 
 in which the Chinefe are very fluent, other injuries 
 are feldom offered. Not far from Sucheu, you 
 
 G 2 meet 
 
84 Of the Cities, Hoiifes, and 
 
 meet with other cities at fmall diftances from each 
 other, feme a league and a half, and fome two 
 leagues round. As foon as you are come to the 
 river Kiam, you meet with Chinkiam, a town built 
 on its banks, one of whofe very fuburbs, which lies 
 north- wsft, is a large German league in circuit; 
 this place is fo populous, that, when I pafTed thro' 
 it, it was no feall trouble to me to make my way 
 thro' the crowd, which is ufually as great in thofe 
 ftreets as here at a folemn proceflion. Overagainft 
 it, on the other fide of the river, ftands Qua-cheou 
 another great trading town •, a little beyond lies 
 Yamcheu, one of the moft remarkable cities in the 
 whole empire, which, according to the Chinefe, 
 contains two millions of inhabitants. 
 
 If I did not here recal myfelf, I fhould unawares 
 defcribe all the cities of China ; but defigning only to 
 give your highnefs a general account of their large- 
 nefs and number, I fhall, without a needlefs, tedious 
 defcending into particulars, alTure your eminency 
 that myfelf have (ttn (^v^n or eight of them as big 
 at lead as Paris, befides feveral others where I have 
 not been, which I am afTured are not lefs. There 
 are fourfcore of the iiril rank, equal to Lyons or 
 Bourdeaux. Among 260 of the fecond, above a 
 hundred are like Orleance ; and among 1200 of the 
 third, there are five or fix hundred as confiderable 
 as Rochel or Angoulefme ; befides an innumerable 
 quantity of villages greater and more populous than 
 Marenes and St. John de Luz. Thefe, my lord, 
 are no hyperboles, neither do I fpeak by hear-fay ; 
 but having travelled in perfon over the greateft part 
 of China, I hope your highnefs will favour me {q 
 far, as not to quellion the fincerity of my relation. 
 
 I fhall conclude with the feveral ports and havens I 
 of China, which do not a little contribute to the 
 increafe of its wealth. The Chinefe em^perors had 
 forbid the entrance of them to foreigners ; but the 
 
 Tartars, 
 
Chief BuUdhigi of China. 85* 
 
 Tartars, more fond of money than of ancient 
 cuftoms, have of late years granted a free accefs to 
 all nations. 
 
 The firft beginning fouthwards is Macao, famous 
 for the great traffick which the Portugueze formerly 
 made there, before the Dutch had expelled them 
 out of the greateft part of the Indies. They ftill 
 have a fortrefs in it, but their garrifon is fmall, as 
 indeed they are not able to keep a very great one. 
 Befides, their beft way to maintain themfelves in 
 this poft is, to ingratiate themfelves with the Chinefe, 
 by a blind obfequioufnefs to all their commands, 
 which they do very wifely. The town, if I may 
 fo call a few houfes not inclofed with any walls, is 
 built on a narrow uneven foil, on the point of a fmall 
 ifland which commands a good road, where fhips, 
 by the means of feveral other little iflands which lie 
 to the windwards, are fecure from any ftorm. The 
 haven is narrow, but fafe and commodious. All 
 the cuftoms belong to the emperor \ and tho' the 
 Portugueze do ftill preferve a form of government 
 amiong themfelves, yet they obey the Mandarines 
 in whatfoever bears the leaft relation to the Chinefe. 
 
 The fecond haven of this coaft is formed by a 
 pretty wide river, up the which great veffels can 
 go as far as Canton. This place is very convenient 
 for foreigners, becaufe the city fupplies them with 
 abundance of all kinds of merchandizes and refrefh- 
 ments : but the Mandarines are not fond of letting 
 them approach too near their walls, left they 
 fhould be furprized ; or rather, they are unwilling 
 that their merchants fhould deal with ours, iince 
 theMandarines fell them the European eifecSls under- 
 hand, by other perfons whom they employ. 
 
 The province of Fokien, adjoining to that of 
 Canton, has another celebrated haven, which they 
 call Emoui, from the ifland which forms it, for it 
 is, properly fpeaking, but a road lock 'd in on the 
 
 G 3 one 
 
86 Of the Cities^ Houfes, and 
 
 one hand by the continent, and on the other by 
 the laid iflana. The biggeft fhips ride here fecure, 
 and the banks are fo high, that they may come as 
 near the fhore as they will. The late great im- 
 provement of trade in that city invites to it a 
 confiderable number of people, and this poft has 
 been judged of mch a confequencc, that the em- 
 peror has for fome years paft kept there a garrifon 
 of fix or {tvtxi thoufand men under a Chinefe com- 
 mander. 
 
 The fourth, called Nimpo, lies in the moft eafler- 
 ly part of China ; there it was v/e landed. The 
 entrance is very difficult, and wholly impradicable 
 to' great vefTels, the bar at the higheft tides not 
 being above 1 5 foot under water. That place has 
 neverthelefs a very great trade •, for thence they 
 make a fpeedy voyage to Japan, being but two 
 days in their pafTage to Nangazaki. Thither they 
 carry filks, fugar, drugs and wine, which they ex- 
 change for gold, filver and brafs. 
 
 Nimpo is a city of the firft clafs, and was in 
 former times very remarkable, but has been much 
 damaged bv the late wars ; however, it daily regains 
 fomething of its former fplendor ; the walls are in a 
 good condition, the city and fuburbs well inhabited, 
 and the garrifon pretty numerous. The town is 
 ftill full of a kind of monuments, called by the 
 Chinefe Paifam, or Pailou, and by us triumphal 
 arches, which are very frequent in China. 
 
 They confiil in three great arches abreaft, built 
 with long marble ftones ; that in the middle is much 
 higher than the other two. The four columns which 
 fupport them are fometimes round, but oftener 
 fquare, made of one only ftone placed on an irre- 
 gular bails. In fome no bafis is to be feen, whether 
 they never had any, or that thro' age it was funk 
 into the ground. They have no capitals, but the 
 ;runk is faftened into the architrave, if we will 
 
 give 
 
Chief Buildings of China. ^ 87 
 
 give that name to fome figures over the pillars. 
 The frize is better diftinguifhed, but too high in 
 proportion to the reft •, they adorn it with infcrlp- 
 tions, beautiful figures, and embofled fculptures ; 
 with knots wrought loofe one within another, with 
 flowers curioufly carved, and birds flying as it 
 were from the ftone, which in my mind are mafter- 
 pieces. 
 
 Not that all thefe arches are of this make •, fome 
 are fo ordinary that they are not worth the feeing ; 
 but others there are which cannot enough be prized. 
 Inftead of a cornifh, they have before and behind 
 large flat marble ftones like pent-houfes. There 
 are fo many of thefe monuments at Nimpo, that 
 In fome places they are more a trouble than an orna- 
 ment, tho' at a diftance they make an agreeable 
 profped:. 
 
 I have omitted the haven of Nankim, which, in 
 reafon, becaufe of the breadth and depth of the 
 river Kiam, fhould have been firft in order j but no 
 fnips put in there at prefent. I do not know whe- 
 ther the mouth of the faid river is now choaked up 
 with fand \ but fure I am, that the whole fleet of 
 that famous pyrate, v/ho befieged N^kim during 
 the late troubles, pafled it without any difliculty ^ 
 and perhaps it is to prevent any fuch accident for 
 the f jture, that the Chlnefe will not make ufe of it, 
 that by degrees it may grow out of knowledge. 
 
 This, m.y lord, is In general what may be faid of 
 the ports, fortrefies and cities of China, the number 
 of which Is fo great, that fcarce can a traveller di- 
 fl:lngulfti them, they He fo thick together ; therefore 
 the Chinefe have ever thought that no nation in 
 the world was to be compared to them, much like 
 thofe people whom the prophet reprefents, faying, 
 * 'This is that great and glorious city which has fub- 
 ftfted for fo many years^ and faith^ I truly am a 
 
 G 4 city^ 
 
83 Of the Cities^ HoufeSy and 
 
 cit)\ and ther^ is none beftdes me. The Ghinele 
 indeed were fomething excufable in this point, fince 
 they knew of nothing beyond the feas of Japan and 
 for efts of Tartary,; but what we have told 'em, 
 that the weft had alfo its cities and kingdoms, which 
 in feyeral things exceeds theirs, has very much 
 humbled them, being not a little vexed, that their 
 title to univerfal monarchy ftiouldnow bequeftioned, 
 after having enjoy'd it above 4000 years. 
 
 Our comfort, my lord, is, that thefe proud cities, 
 which ftiled therp/elves Ladies of the Univerfe, 
 have been forced to open their gates to the gofpel, 
 und are partly fubdued by our religion. * Thofethat 
 dwelt in high places have bowed their heads^ and the 
 Lord has in a holy raan^ier brought low the lofty cities. 
 This, my lord, has often fupported me in the midfi 
 of my labours and travels. I have ktn but few 
 <?ities where chriftianity had made no progrefs ; and 
 amiong tl^ofe crowds of v/orftiippers of Belial, I 
 have obferved a chofen people which worshipped 
 the Lord in fpirit and truth. Our churches are now 
 t:he ornament of thofe very cities, which during fo 
 many ages had been defiled with idols ; and the 
 crofs,raifed above their houfes, confounds fuperftition, 
 and gains itfelf refped from the very Gentiles. 
 
 What then remains, my lord, but that we labour 
 with the utm.oft diligence to the perfedling of a work 
 worthy the zeal of the firft apoftles. Woe to thofe 
 who are kept there by the care of the head of the 
 church, and the liberality of chriftian princes, if 
 thro' negligence, or an ill-grounded cowardice, they 
 fail of rendering the inhabitants of thofe vaft cities a 
 holy nation. Hitherto, thro' God's good grace, the 
 minifters of the gofpel have not been afhamed of their 
 profeftion, not before the pagan magiftrates ; and 
 when forced by a long exile to quit their beloved 
 phurches^ they all might with St. Paul fey? '^ou 
 
 know 
 
 * J/aiah xxvi. 5, 
 
Chief Buildings of China. 89 
 
 know I have endeavoured to ferve the Lord in all 
 humility^ with many tears^ and notwithfi anding the 
 crojfes I have met with from the heathen ; that I have 
 hid nothing from you that might he to your advantage^ 
 no hindrance being Jlrong enough to prevent my 
 preaching it both in publick and private ; but ra- 
 ther admonifhing you all to be penitent towards God, 
 and faithful to our Lord Jefus Chrifl. 
 
 I know that thofe, who have compofed whole 
 volumes to cry down our catholick miflions, will 
 not agree to what I have faid. Men 5, who have 
 once profefled themfelves energies to the orthodox 
 dodrine, attack It every where, and make it their 
 bufinefs to flander fuch as preach it : but it may 
 be a comfort to us, that we have no other ad- 
 verfaries but thofe who are fuch to our 
 church, and that we are only blamed by thofe 
 whofe praife would be a reproach to ys. 
 
 However we ftand in daily need of the aflif- 
 tance of our kind protedlors ; for in what part of 
 this world can naked truth ,^nd diftrefTed innocence 
 withftand alone the force of inveterate malice ? In 
 you, my lord, we hope to find one full of zeal and 
 juftice. The approbation of fo great a prince, 
 whofe wit, judgment, and uprightnefs are well 
 known to all Europe, is able alone to filence 
 and confound our enemies. And when it is once 
 known that you are in fome concern for our af- 
 fairs, that you are fenfible of our labours, per- 
 fuaded that our defigns are good, and willing to 
 contribute to carry them on , none fure will then 
 be fo daring and hardened a calumniator as to 
 fpeak again ft our miilions to China, or refled: on 
 our condudl in that country. I am with pro- 
 found refpedl. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 Tour Eminence's mofi 
 humble and obedient Servant^ 
 
 L.J. 
 
90 Of the Clime^ Soil, Canals, Rivers 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 T'o the Count de C r e c y . 
 
 Of the Clime, Solly Canals^ Rivers, and Ffuits of 
 CHINA. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 THE French miflionaries to Qiina are fo high- 
 ly obliged to your whole family, that among 
 the moft important commands, they have honoured 
 me with for Europe, that of returning you their 
 hearty thanks was earneitly recommended to my care. 
 
 I knov/, my lord, that, how great foever your fa- 
 vours may have been, your feveral employments, and 
 the unbounded application with which you ferve his 
 majefty, have fomewhat curbed your zeal. 
 
 But w^hat is not owing from us to that other {t\f of 
 yours (pardon the expreffion) whom his blood, 
 name, wit, and a thoufand excellent qualifications 
 do fo confound with you, that we can fcarce diftin- 
 guifh the one from the other P In all our travels in 
 which fome of us have already reckoned above 40000 
 leagues, we have not made a ftep without his orders 
 and affiflance. His zeal has excited us to noble en- 
 terprizes, his prudence direcfled us how to carry them 
 on, his courage ftrengthened us againft all oppofition, 
 and I hope his unfhaken conftancy will at lafl: give 
 fuccefs to one of the moft noble atchievements that 
 this age has produced, to our church's good, to the 
 improvement of learning, and to his glory who fways 
 thit Gallick fcepter. 
 
 Thus, my lord, while you make known his name 
 in the feveral courts of Europe, he fpreads yours a- 
 broad thro' the new world, where he is equally re- 
 verenced by the preachers of the gofpel, whofe fup- 
 port he is, and dreaded by thofe of paganifm and 
 
 idolatry, 
 
and Fruits of China. 9 1 
 
 idolatry, whofe ruin he is the occafion of. I the more 
 willingly do juftice to his merit, becaufe I cannot 
 write on a fubje6t more agreeable to your lordfhip -, 
 and if I had not already fpoke of it in private con- 
 verfation, I were to blame to give over fo foon. 
 
 But after having indulged a father's tendernefs, is 
 it not time you fhould fatisfy a ftatefman's curiofity ? 
 I have often defcribed Europe to the Chinefe, v/ho 
 have admired its politenefs, beauty, and m.agnifi- 
 cence •, it is but juft that I make China known 
 to that European, who is beft able to judge of its 
 true grandeur. I have, my lord, pitched upon the fol- 
 lov/ing particulars, being fuch as will give you a true 
 idea of that country, and will, perhaps, give fome 
 pleafure in the reading. 
 
 China being of a large extent, the nature of the 
 foil is different, according to its particular fituatlon, 
 as it lies more or lefs fouth wards. I can however 
 afliire your lord (hip, that the lead of its fifteen pro- 
 vinces is fo populous and fertile, that in Europe 
 it would make alone a confiderable flate \ and a 
 prince, who fhould enjoy it, might have wealth 
 and fubjeds enough to content a moderate ambi- 
 tion. 
 
 This land, like all others, is divided into hills and 
 plains *, but the latter are fo even, that one would 
 think the Chinefe have ever fince the foundation 
 of their monarchy been employ 'd in nothing elfe 
 but levelling them, and making them into gar- 
 dens •, and their manner of meliorating the ground 
 being to let water thro' it, they could not devife 
 a better way to diflribute it equally ; elfe thofe 
 parts which lie highefl would have laboured un- 
 der a continual drought, and the refl lain alv/ays 
 under water. 
 
 This courfe they take in tilling and manuring 
 their hills, for they cut them out like a pair of 
 ftairs from the foot to the top, that the rain water 
 
 may 
 
92 Of the Clime^ Soil, Canals , Rivers 
 
 may fpread equally, and not walh dov/n the ground 
 with its feeds. 
 
 Thus they have, as it were, forced nature, by 
 making artificial plains, where fhe had raifed moun- 
 tains ; and a long feries of fuch hills furrounded and 
 crowned, as I may fay, with a hundred fuch ter- 
 raffes, lofing in breadth as they gain in height, and 
 whofe foil is as fruitful as that of the beft cultivated 
 vallies, muft needs make a very entertaining landskip. 
 
 It is true that their mountains are not for the 
 moil part fo ftony as ours, their mould is ra- 
 ther light, porous, and eafiiy cut -, and, what is 
 moft furprizing, fo deep, that in moft provinces 
 you miay dig three or four hundred feet in depth 
 before you come to the rock. This does not a little 
 contribute to its goodnefs, becaufe the continual 
 tranfpiration of fait fpirits is ever renewing it, and 
 this endues the foil with a perpetual fertility. 
 
 Nature has not however been equal in her diflri- 
 bution, flie was lefs lavifh to the provinces of 
 Xenfi, Honan, Qiiamtum, and Fokien. Yet even 
 their mountains are not v/holly ufelefs, bearing all 
 kinds of trees, which grov/ tall and flireight, and are 
 fit for all kinds of building, efpecially for iliipping. 
 The emperor referves fome for his private ufe, and 
 fometimes fends 300 leagues for trees of a prodi- 
 gious bignefs, of which he makes pillars to his tem- 
 ples or other publick buildings. 
 
 The inhabitants alfo trade much in them, for 
 having lopt ofir" all the branches, they tie 80 or 
 100 of them together, and taften fo many fuch 
 rows one behind another as reach almoft a mile, 
 which they drag in that manner along the rivers 
 and canals till they have fold all ; for they build 
 them little convenient houfes on thefe kinds of 
 iloats, where the timber-merchant, his family, and 
 fervants lie during the whole voyage, which is 
 fometimes three or four months long. 
 
 They 
 
and Fruits of China. 93 
 
 They have other mountains which are of a 
 greater and more publick advantage. Thofe pro- 
 duce iron, tin, brafs, mercury, gold and iilver. It 
 is true, the filver mines are not now made ufe of, 
 whether they think the empire is fufficiently ftock'd 
 with it, or that they are unwilling to facrifice the 
 lives of poor people, by putting them upon fo labo- 
 rious and dangerous a tafk. 
 
 As for their gold, the torrents wafh a great 
 quantity away into the plains, which proves the 
 occafion of a great many peoples livelihood, who 
 have no other occupation than to look for it among 
 the fand and mud, where they find it fo pure, that 
 it needs no refining as at Peru, 
 
 If you will believe the Chinefe, who themfelves 
 are credulous to an excefs, their mountains have 
 v/onderful properties. Some, they fay, are ever co- 
 vered with clouds, while others always continue 
 calm and ferene. Some produce none but ufeful^ 
 whoiefome herbs, while not a rank poifonous weed 
 can grow there. They affirm, that a hill in the 
 province of Xenfi is fliaped like a cock, and crows 
 fometimes fo loud, as to be heard three leagues off; 
 and that another, in that of Fokien, moves to and 
 fro when a flonn approaches, like a tree agitated 
 with the v/ind. The hoary heads of others are 
 covered with a continual froft •, and there is one in 
 the province of Kiamfi, called the Dragon-Tiger, 
 becaufe the Bonzes pretend that its upper-part is fhap- 
 ed like a dragon, and feems to afTault the lower that 
 is like a tiger. 
 
 That of Fokien efpecially is admired, the whole 
 extent of which is nothing elfe but a reprefentation 
 of the idol Foe, fo hugely big, that its eyes are 
 fever a 1 miles broad, and its nofe many leagues in 
 length, I cannot fuppofe it to be a piece of Chi- 
 nefe workmanfhip, for they would not certainly 
 have made its nofe fo big, who love theirs fhould 
 be littlcj which they look upon as a great beauty. 
 
94 ^f ihe Climey Soil, Canals^ Rivers 
 
 The mountain of Xenfi is no lefs wonderful, for 
 at the found of a drum, or any other inflrument^ 
 it breaths out fire and flames, raifes wind, rains, 
 iiorms, and what not : and, to conclude, one in 
 the province of Huquam has this ftrange proper- 
 ty, that it makes thieves fo giddy, that, fhould 
 they ileal any thing on it, it would be impoffible 
 for them to go off" with their booty j whereas an 
 eafy egrefs and regrefs is allowed to fuch as come 
 thither with an hofpitable mind. 
 
 China abounds in fuch like curiolities which 
 fome of our philofophers admire, and endeavour to 
 reduce to natural principles *, but I fhould rather 
 advife them to leave that difcuflion to the Chi- 
 nefe, who, being the authors, fhould befl know the 
 caufes of thefe fancied effeds. 
 
 The idlefl dream, and that to which they give 
 mofl faith, is. That there is a dragon of an extra- 
 ordinary ftrength and fovereign power. It is in 
 heaven, in the air, on the waters, and ufually a- 
 mong the mountains. They alfo believe, that in 
 thofe mountains live a fort of men which they call 
 the Immortal Race, believing really that they ne- 
 ver die ; and fome are fo infatuated with this ri- 
 diculous opinion, that they wander among thofe 
 rocks, and there lofe themfelves in quefl of im- 
 mortality. There are feveral famous grotto's where 
 fomt Bonzes lead a very auflere life j but for a 
 few that behave themfelves well, abundance, thro' 
 their execrable vices, are grown contemptible to 
 perfons of quality, and odious to the people, who 
 only tolerate them thro' a miflaken zeal. 
 
 The mofl famous temples are alfo built on 
 mountains. Pilgrims repair thither from 200 leagues 
 off, and their number is fometimes fo great, that 
 the roads are crov/ded with them. The women 
 efpecially are very exa6l m, the performance of 
 this piece of devotion, for having no other oppor- 
 tunity 
 
and Fruits of China. 95 
 
 tunity of going abroad, they are glad of that pre- 
 tence. But thefe holy travels being fomewhat pre- 
 judicial to their virtue, their hufbands are not over- 
 well pleafed at it \ therefore only your ordinary 
 fort of women undertake thefe pilgrimages ; but 
 as for perfons of quality, they force their wives 
 zeal into a narrower compafs. 
 
 If after having viewed their mountains, we take 
 a profped of their plains, it muil be confefTed, 
 that no art can equal their natural beauty. They 
 are all cultivated, and have neither hedge nor 
 ditch, nor fcarce a tree, fo much they are afraid 
 of lofing an inch of ground. In moil provinces 
 they make harveft twice a year, and between 
 thofe two feafons they fow herbs and pulfe. 
 
 All the northern and weftern provinces, as Pe- 
 kln, Xanfi, Xenfi, Suchven, bear wheat, barley^ 
 feveral kinds of millet, and tobacco, with black 
 and yellow peafe, with which they feed horfes 
 as we do with oats. Thofe of the fouth, efpeci- 
 ally Huquam, Nankim, and Chekiamj are fruitful 
 in rice, it being a low, watery country. The 
 hufbandmen at firft fow it diforderly, like other 
 corn, and when it is grown about two feet from 
 the ground, they pull it up by the roots, and 
 tranfplant it in a ftralt line, in fmall parcels like 
 little fheaves, checquerwife, that the ears may fup- 
 port each other, and the eafier refift the wind ; 
 fo that thefe plains look more like fpacious gar- 
 dens than a plain field. 
 
 The foil is proper for all manner of fruits ; it 
 bears pears, apples, apricots, peaches, figs, grapes of 
 all kinds, and efpeclally excellent mufcadines. There 
 are alfo pomegranates, walnuts, chefnuts, and ge- 
 nerally all that we have in Europe. Their olives 
 are different from ours ; they prefs no oil out 
 of them, becaufe, perhaps, they are not fit for that 
 purpofe, or that the Chinefe have not yet thought 
 
 of 
 
g6 Of the Clime, Soil, Cdnalsy Rivers 
 
 of it. Their fruit, generally fpeaking, is not near 
 fo good as ours, being wholly ftrangers to the 
 art of grafting. But they have three kinds of 
 melons^ which are all excellent : The firft are 
 fmall, yellow within, and of a fweet fugar tafte, 
 which they eat with the rind as we do an ap- 
 ple : I have not met with thofe any where but in 
 the province of Xenfi. The others are very big 
 and long, the infide of fome are white, and of o- 
 thers red ; though they are full of a cooling juice 
 which taftes like fugar -, they never prove ofFen- 
 five, and may be eaten during the greateft heats of 
 fummer, without fear of a furfeit ; thofe are called 
 water-melons. The third fort are like our or- 
 dinary melons. 
 
 Befides the fruits which they have in common 
 with us, others grow there which are not known 
 in Europe. The moft delicate they call Letchi, 
 and is found in the province of Quamtum. It is 
 as big as a nut, the ftone is long and big, and 
 the meat on it foft and waterifh, but of a moft 
 delicious taite. I know not any fruit in Europe 
 that comes near it. All this is inclos'd in a rough 
 thin rind, and the whole is fhaped like an egg. 
 It is unv/holfome to eat a quantity, and of fo 
 hot a nature, as to caufe a man's whole body to 
 break out into pimples. The Chinefe dry it with 
 the rind, and then it grows black and wrinkled 
 like our prunes, and fo it is preferved and eat all 
 the year round, being ufed efpecially in tea, to 
 which it gives a little fharp tafte, more agreeable 
 than that of fugar. 
 
 In the fame province, and in that of Fokien, 
 grows another fmall fruit which they call Louyen, 
 Dragon's Eye. The tree that bears it is large as 
 thofe which produce our walnuts. This fruit is 
 exadlly round, the outer rind being fmooth and 
 grey, but as it ripens it grows yellowifh. The 
 
 meat 
 
wtd Fruits of China; 97 
 
 r:ieat IS white, of a fliarp tafte, and very full of 
 jxilce, and is fitter for a dyfert to thofe who have 
 well dined, than to fatisfy the hungry ftomach : 
 it is very cool and inoffenfive. 
 
 The Seze, another kind of fruit peculiar to China, 
 grows almoft in all parts of it; of this, as of apples, 
 there are feveral kinds. Thofe in the (buthern pro- 
 vinces tafle much like fugar, and melt in one's 
 mouth. In the provinces of Xanfi and Xetifi it is 
 more firm, bigger^ and may eafier be preferved. 
 The rind of the former is clear, fmooth, tranfparent, 
 and of a fhining red colour^ efpecially when the fruit 
 is ripe. Some are in fhape like ah egg, but ufually 
 bigger ; t\\Q feeds are black and fiat, and the meat 
 very watery and almofl liquid, which they fuck out 
 at one of the ends. When they are dried like our 
 figs they become mealy, but in time there grows a 
 fort of a fugar'd cruft upon them, from which they 
 receive a moil delicious flavour. 
 
 Thofe in Xanfi are, as I have faid, much more 
 firm, their meat being like that of our apples, but 
 of a different colour. Thofe they either gather early 
 to ripen them on fbraw, or dip in fcalding water, to 
 free them of an ill foure tafle which they have at firft 
 gathering. The Chinefe are not over careful of this 
 fruit, it being a natural produd of the earth which 
 grows in any foil. But did they endeavour to bring 
 it to perfedlion by grafting, I queflion not but it 
 might be made an excellent one. 
 
 j I purpofely omit their Anana's, Goyaves, Coco's 
 and other fruits, for which they are indebted to the 
 Indies, and which have been abundantly defcribed ia 
 other relations ; but I cannot pafs by their oranges, 
 
 I commonly known with us by the name of China 
 Oranges, becaufe the firil we faw of that kind came 
 from thence. Th^^rft and only tree, out of whofe 
 ftock all ours ar^ faid to be produced, is flill pre- 
 ferved at Lisbon, in the garden of the count 
 
 H dc 
 
98 Of the ClimCy Soily Canals y Rhen 
 
 de St. Lam*ence, and we are indeed beholding to 
 the Portugueze for that delicious fruit •, but they 
 brought only of one kind over, tho' there be feveral 
 in China. 
 
 That which is moft valued, and fent as a rarity 
 to the Indies, is no bigger than a billiard ball ; the 
 rind is of a reddifh yellow, fine, clear, and very 
 fmooth j yet the bigger fort feem to me the beft 5 
 thofe of Quamtum efpeciaily are very agreeable both 
 to our palate and confti^ation : They are commonly 
 given to fick people, being firfl: foftened with the 
 £re, then filled with fugar, which, incorporating with 
 their juice, makes a very fweet v/holfome fyrup, 
 than which nothing can be better for the lungs. I 
 know not how to diftinguifh them from thofe we 
 have in Provence^ and that are brought from Por- 
 tugal, unlefs by their being more firm, that they 
 are not eafily parted from the rind, neither are they 
 divided into fegraents like ours, tho' elfe they do 
 not differ in fhape. 
 
 When I was at Siam, moft of my countrymert 
 were tranfported with the goodnefs of certain oranges 
 W^hofe rind is roughs thick, almoft all over green. 
 They may perhaps be willing to know if China can 
 fhew any as good. As to matter of tafle, a mati 
 does not always agree with himfelf, m.uch lefs cari 
 he do fo with others. All I can fay to it is, that 
 each is excellent in its kind, and that ufually the lafl 
 eaten feem beft tafted. 
 
 Lemons, citrons, and what the Indians call Pam^ 
 pelimoufes, are very common there, and therefore 
 not {q much regarded as in Europe ; but they culti- 
 vate with a great deal of care a particular fpecies of 
 iemon-treeSy whofe fruit being no bigger than a wal- 
 nut, perfedly round, green and fharp, are excellent 
 in all kinds of ragoufts, and thefe ihrubs they oftenr 
 plant in bo»es to adom their courts and hall^ 
 therewith. 
 
and Fruits of China; 99 
 
 But of all the trees that grow in China, that 
 which produces tallow is in my opinion the mofl pro- 
 digious. This very propofitionas no doubt furprifing, 
 and, there being no where elfe any thing like it, will 
 feeni a paradox ; yet there is nothing more true, and 
 perhaps, my lord, a particular account of the nature 
 and properties of fo extraordinary a tree will not 
 be unwelcome. 
 
 It is about the height of our cherry-trees, the 
 branches are crooked, the leaves fhaped like a heart, 
 of a lively brifk red, its bark fmooth, the trunk 
 fhort, and the head round and very thick. The 
 fruit is inclofed within a rind divided into three 
 fegments, which open when it is ripe, and difcover 
 three white kernels of the bignefs of a fmallnut. 
 All the branches are very thick of it, and this mix- 
 ture of white and red makes at a diftance the ^nt^ 
 profped: in the world ^ the fields v/here thefe trees 
 are planted^ which they ufually are in a direct line 
 and G.hecquerwife, fliewing a far offlike avail parterre 
 of flower-pots. 
 
 But the wonder is, that this kernel has all the qua- 
 lities of tallow *, its odour, colour, and confiftency ; 
 and they alfo make candles of it, mixing only a little 
 oil when they melt it to make the fcuiF more pliant. 
 If they knew how to purify it as we do our tallow 
 here, I doubt not but their candles might be as good 
 as ours ; but they make them very awkwardly, fo 
 that their fmell is much ftronger, their fmoak thicker, 
 and their light dimmer than ours. 
 
 It is true, the fault does not a little lie in the 
 wiek ; for inftead of cotton, tho' they are well 
 ftocked with that commodity, they ufe a fmall ftick 
 of a dry light wood, wrapp'd round with the inner 
 part of a rufh, which is very porous, and thereby 
 fitted for the filtration of the fmall particles of that 
 oleous matter by which the flame is prefer ved. This 
 wooden wiek, befides that it does not burn fo clear 
 
 H 2 7M 
 
I Co Of the Clime ^ Sotl^ Canals^ Rrccri 
 
 %_ 
 
 as cotton, increafes the fmoak, and caufes an offen* 
 five frnell. 
 
 Among the trees peculiar to the country I am 
 fpcaklng of, I mufl: not omit thofe which bear pep- 
 ptr, not like that which we m.ake ufe of in Europe, 
 but another fort of feed endued with the fame qua- 
 lities. They grow on a tree like thofe which bear 
 our walnuts, about as big as a pea, and of a greyifh 
 colour, with little red flreaks ; when they are ripe 
 they open of themfelves, and difcover a little ftone 
 as black as jet, cafting a ftrong fmxell very ofteniive 
 to the head, for which reafon they gather them by 
 intervals, not being able to remain on the tree any 
 confiderable time. Having expofed thefe grains to 
 the fan, they caft away the ft one, which is too hot 
 and ftrong, and only ufe the reft, which, tho' not 
 quite fo agreeable as our pepper, is hov/ever of good 
 ufe in fauces. 
 
 That you may better judge of the fertility of that 
 vaft empire, be pleafed, my lord, to take notice, 
 that there is no place in the world like it for the 
 abundance of roots and pulfe ; it is almoft the only 
 food of the inhabitants, who omJt nothing to have 
 them good. It would be too tedious to give you a 
 lift of all thofe different herbs ; for befides thofe we 
 liave here, their ground brings forth feveral others 
 unknown to us, on which they {^t a greater value. 
 Their care and dexterity herein is beyond all our 
 gardeners perform.ances -, and, if our v/alks excel 
 theirs, they exceed us in their kitchen garden. 
 
 l"io' this fubjeft, common in itfelf, and not worth 
 your notice, yields no great rarity, I cannot for- 
 bear {peaking of a kind of onions v/hich I have feen ; 
 they do not feed like ours, but towards the latter 
 end of the feafon their leaves bear fome fmall fila- 
 ments, in the midft of which is a white onion like 
 that ill the ground. This does in time produce its 
 Jcaves, and thofe a like head, and fo on, which 
 * grow 
 
and Fruifs of Chim. lor 
 
 grow lefs and fhorter as they are farther from the 
 ground ; the dimendons are fo juft, and the pro- 
 portions fo exad, that one would think them arti- 
 ficially done *, and it feems as if nature were minded 
 to fliew us that, even fporting, it can exceed the fkill 
 of the nieeft artift. 
 
 If what has been written of what they call Petii 
 were true, it would be a great wonder. It is a kind 
 of L^nufar, that grows under water, whofe root is 
 faftened to a white matter covered with a red fkin, 
 that divides itfelf into feveral heads, which, when frefh, 
 tafte like a fmall nut. I have been aHured that it 
 has this property, that it foftens brafs, and as it 
 were renders it eatable, if a piece of the metal be 
 put into the mouth with one of this plant. 
 
 This feemed the ftranger to me, becaufe the juice 
 which iffues from it is very mild and cooling, and 
 not endued with any of thofe corroiive qualities 
 which feem neceflary to work fuch an efFecr. 
 As foon as we were arrived at Flamcheu, where 
 this Petfi is much eaten, we had the curio fity to 
 inquire into the truth of it *, and to that purpofe 
 took a piece of their money, which was m^ade of 
 a very brittle fort of molten brafs, and wrapp'd it up 
 in a flice of this root s one of us, who had ftronger 
 teeth than the reft, broke it into feveral pieces, 
 which the others, loath to ftrain their jaws, had 
 not been able to do ; but thefe broken piecejs v/er^ 
 as hard as ever, which made us think that the root 
 had indeed no other virtue, than that by being 
 wrapp'd round the brafs it faved his teeth, which q. 
 piece of leather might have done a$ well. We 
 often repeated the experiment at Kiahim, but with 
 no better fuccefs ; fo true it is that thefe mighty 
 wonders fhould be heard twice, before they ar(? 
 once believed. 
 
 Tho' China ^ere not of itfelf fo fruitful a counv 
 
 PY as I have reprefented it, the canfJs^ which ai-p 
 
 H 3 cut 
 
IC2 Of the Clime^ Soil, Canals^ Riven 
 
 cut thro' it, were alone fufficient to make it fo t 
 but befides their great ufeflilnefs in watering the 
 country, and farthering trade, they add alfo much 
 beauty to it. They are generally of a clear, deep, 
 and running water, that glides fo foftly that it 
 can fcarce be perceived. There is onz ufually in 
 every province, which is to it inflead of a road, 
 and runs between two banks, built up with flat 
 coarfe marble flones, bound together by others 
 'vhich are let into them, in the fame manner as 
 we ufe to faften our ftrong wooden boxes at the 
 corners. 
 
 So little care v/as taken, during the wars, to pre- 
 ferve works of publick ufe, that this, tho' one of 
 the nobleft in the empire, was fpoiled in feveral 
 places, which is a great pity \ for they are of no little 
 ufe, both to keep in the waters of thefe canals, 
 and for thofe to walk on who drag the boats along. 
 Befides thefe caufeys they have the conveniency of 
 a great many bridges for the communication of the 
 cppp^ite fhores i fome are of three, fome five, and 
 fome feven arches, the middlemoil being always 
 extraordinary high, that the boats may go through 
 without putting down their mafts. Thefe arches 
 are built with large pieces of ftone or marble, and 
 very v/ell framed, the fupporters well fitted, and 
 the piles fo fm.all that one would think them at a 
 diftance to hang in the air. There are many of thofe 
 bridges, fo that where the canal runs in a ftrait 
 line, as they ufually do, it makes a profpedive at 
 once ftately and agreeable. 
 
 This great canal runs out into fmaller ones on 
 either fide, which are again fubdivided into fmall 
 rivulets, that end at fome great tov/n or village : 
 fometimes they difcharge themfelves into fome lake 
 or great pond, out of which all the adjacent country 
 is watered ; fo that thefe clear and plentiful ftreams, 
 embelliihed bv fo many fine bridges, bounded by 
 
 fuch 
 
and Fruits of China. 103 
 
 fuch neat and convenient banks, equally diflrlbuted 
 into fuch vaft plains, covered with a numberlefs 
 multitude of boats and barges, and crowned (if I 
 may ufe the expreflion) with a prodigious number 
 of towns and cities, whofe ditches it fills, and 
 "whofe ftreets it forms, does at once make that 
 country the moft fruitful and the moft beautiful in 
 the world. 
 
 Surprifed, and as It were aftonifhed at fo noble 
 a fight, I have fometimes bore a fecret envy to 
 China in Europe's behalf, which mufi: own that it 
 can boaft nothing in that kind to be compared to 
 her. What would it be then, if that art which In 
 the wlldefi; and moft unlikely places has ralfed m.ag- 
 nlficent palaces, gardens and groves, had been em- 
 ployed in that rich land, to which nature has been 
 iavlfh of her moft precious gifts ? 
 
 The Chlnefefay their country was formerly totally. 
 overflowed, and that by main labour they drained 
 the v/ater by cutting it a way thro' thefe ufeful 
 canals. If this be true, I cannot enough admire at 
 once the boldnefs and induftry of their workmen, 
 who have thus made great artificial rivers, and of a 
 kind of a fea, as it were, created the moft fertile 
 plains In the world. 
 
 It will fcarce be believed, that men fo ignorant In 
 the principles of phyficks, and the art of levelling, 
 could bring fuch a work as that to perfedlon •, yet it 
 is certain that thefe canals were dug by men •, for 
 they are ufually ftralt, the diftributlon Is equal and 
 orderly ; there are flood-gates made for the rivers tq 
 let in their water at, and others to let It out when 
 they are too full ; fo that It cannot be doubted but 
 that the Chinefe are only beholding to their ovv^t 
 induftry for that great convenlency. 
 
 Among all thofe canals In the fouthern provinces, 
 one above the reft Is called the Great Canal, becaiiib 
 jt goes thro' the whole country from Canton, which 
 
 H 4 lie^ 
 
104 Of the Clime ^ Soil, Canals ^ Rivers 
 
 lies fouthward to l^ekin, fttuaced m the mofl: 
 northerly parts of the empire. You muft only- 
 travel a Ihort day's journey by land to crofs the hill 
 MoiJin, that does on one fide bound the province of 
 Kiamfi. From this mountain ifTue two rivers \ one 
 runs fouthward s to the fea, and the other northwards 
 as far as the river of Nankim, whence by the yellow 
 river, and feveral canals, you may proceed by water 
 to the very mountains of Tartary. 
 
 But, by reafon in this huge extent of ground, of 
 above four hundred leagues in length, the earth is 
 not level, or, hath not a defcent proportionable to 
 the emanation of the v/aters, it was neceffary to fet 
 a great number of fluices a work. They call them 
 fo in the relations, notwithftanding they be much 
 diiierent from ours. They are water-falls, and as it 
 were certain torrents, that are precipitated from one 
 canal into another, more or lefs rapid, according to 
 the difference of their level : Now, to caufe the 
 barques to afcend, they make ufe of a great com,pany 
 pf men, who are maintained for that purpofe near 
 the fluice. After they have drawn cables to the right 
 and left to lay hold of the barque, in fuch a manner 
 that it cannot efcape from them, they have feveral 
 capftans, by the help of which they raife it by little 
 and little, by the main force of their arms, till 
 fuch time as it be in the upper canal, in a condition 
 to continue its voyage whither it is bound. This 
 fame labour is tedious, toilfome, and exceeding dan- 
 gerous. They would be wonderfully furprifed, 
 fhould they behold with what eafinefs one man alone, 
 who opens and fhuts the gates of our fluices, makes 
 the longeft and heavieft laden barques fe(;urely to 
 afcend and defcend. 
 
 I have obfervedin fome places of China, where the 
 waters of two canals or channels have no commu- 
 nication together, yet for all that, they rnake the 
 boats topafsfromthe on^tg the other^ notwithftand- 
 
and Fruits of China. 105 
 
 mg the level may be different above fifteen feet : 
 and this is the way they go to work. At the end of 
 the canal they have built a double Glacis, or Hoping 
 bank of free-ftone, which, uniting at the point, ex- 
 tends itfelf on both fides up to the furface of the 
 water. When the barque is in the lower channel, they 
 hoift it up by the help of feveral capftans to the 
 plane of the firft Glacis, fo far, till, being raifed to the 
 point, it falls back again by its own weight along the 
 fecond Glacis, into the water of the upper channel, 
 where it fkuds away during a pretty while, like an 
 arrow out of a bow ; and they make it defcend af- 
 ter the fame manner proportionably. I cannot ima- 
 gine how thefe barques, being commonly very long 
 and heavy laden, efcape being fplit in the middle, 
 when they are poifed in the air upon this acute an- 
 gle -, for, confidering that length, the lever muft 
 needs make a ftrange effed upon it ; yet do I not 
 hear of any ill accident happen thereupon. I have 
 pafs'd a pretty many times that way, and all the 
 caution they take, when they have no mind to 
 go afhore, is, to tie themfelves faft to fome ca- 
 ble for fear of being tofs'd from prow to poop. 
 
 We meet with no fuch fluices in the grand canal, 
 becaufe the emperor's barques, that are as large as our 
 frigots, could not be raifed by force of arm, nay, 
 and would infallibly be fplit in the fall ; all the 
 difficulty confifts in furmounting thefe torrents, of 
 which I have fpoken ; yet this is what they per- 
 form fuccefsfully, tho' not without fome trouble 
 and expence, 
 
 Thefe water- paflages, as they call them, are ne- 
 ceflary for the tranfportation of grain and fluffs, 
 which they fetch from the fouthern provinces to 
 Pekin. There are, if we may give credit to the 
 Chinefe, a .thoufand barques, from eighty to an 
 hundred tun, that make a voyage once a year, 
 fix qf them freighted for the emperor, without 
 
 counting 
 
io6 Of the Clime, Soil, Canals, Rivers 
 
 counting thofe of particular perfons, whofe num- 
 ber is infinite. When thefe prodigious fleets fet 
 out, one would think they carry the tribute of all 
 the kingdoms of the Eaft, and that one of thofe 
 voyages alone was capable of fupplying all Tar- 
 tary wherewithal to fubfift for feveral years : yet 
 for all that, Pekin alone hath the benefit of it ; 
 2nd it would be as good as nothing, did not the 
 province contribute beiides to the maintenance of 
 th^ inhabitants of that vafl city. 
 
 The Chinefe are not only content to make 
 channels for the convenience of travellers, but 
 they do alfb dig many others to catch the rain- 
 water, wherewith they water the fields in time of 
 drought, more efpecially in the northern provinces. 
 During the whole fummer, you may fee your coun- 
 try people bufied in railing this water into abun- 
 dance of fmall ditches, which they contrive acrofs 
 the field. In other places they contrive great re- 
 fervatories of turf, whofe bottom is raifed above 
 the level of the ground about it, to ferve them 
 Jn cafe of necefiity. Befides, they have every 
 where in Xenfi and Xanfi, for want of rain, cer- 
 tain pits from twenty to an hundred feet deep, 
 from which they draw water by an incredible toil. 
 Now, if by chance they meet with a fpring of 
 water, it is worth obferving how cunningly they 
 hufband it \ they fuftain it by banks in the high- 
 eft places ', they turn it here and there an hun- 
 dred different ways, that all the country may 
 reap the benefit of it ; they divide it, by draw- 
 it by degrees, according as every one hath occa- 
 fion for it, infomuch that a fmall rivulet, well 
 managed, does fometimes produce the fertility of 
 a whole province. 
 
 The rivers of China are no lefs confiderable than 
 its canals ; there are two efpecially, which the rela- 
 tions have made famous. The iirft is called Kiam 
 
 0* 
 
and Fruits of China, 107 
 
 or Yam^e, which they commonly tranflate the Son 
 of the Sea : But I am afraid they are miftaken ; 
 for the letter, with which the Chinefe write Yam, 
 is diiferent from that which fignifies the Sea, al- 
 tho' the found and pronunciation may have fome af- 
 finity : amongft feveral fignifications that this letter 
 may have, that which they gave it ' in former times 
 makes for our purpofe. Under the reign of the 
 emperor Yon, it fignified a province of China, li- 
 mited by this river on the north ; and it is fome- 
 what probable, that they gave this fame name to 
 the river, becaufe the prince drain'd all the water 
 that overflow'd the whole country into it. 
 
 This flood takes its rife in the province of Yun- 
 nan, crofles the provinces of Suchven, Huquam, 
 and Nankim ; and after it hath watered four 
 kingdoms, far and wide for 400 leagues together. 
 It difimbogues into the eaft fea, overagainft the ifle of 
 Cummim, which was made by the fand and mud 
 which this river bears along with it •, the Chi- 
 nefe have a proverb amongft them, that fays, 
 *' The Sea hath no bounds, and the Kiam no 
 *' bottom, i" " And, in truth, in fome places there 
 is none to be found ; in others, they pretend there 
 is two or three hundred fathom water. I am 
 neverthelefs perfuaded, that their pilots, that carry 
 not above fifty or fixty fathom cord at longeft, 
 never had the curiofity to found fo deep as three 
 hundred fathom ; and the impoffibility of finding 
 the bottom, with their ordinary plummet, is fuf- 
 ficient, in my opinion, to incline them to fuch like 
 hyperbole's. 
 
 I have many times failed upon this river -, I have 
 moreover diligently obferved its courfe and breadth 
 from Nankim, to the mouth of another river, into 
 which men enter to purfue their way to Canton. 
 It is off of Nankim thirty leagues from the fea, a 
 
 little 
 ^j- Hdi mu pirn : Kiam 'vou iL 
 
io8 Of the Clime ^ Soily Canals, Rhers 
 
 little half league broad ; the paflage along it 13 
 dangerous, and becomes more and more infamous 
 every day for its fhipwrecks. In its courfe, which is 
 exceeding rapid, it forms a great number of ifles, 
 all of them very beneficial to the province, by rea- 
 fon of that multitude of bulrufhes tzn or twelve 
 foot high, that it produceth, ferving for fuel to all 
 the cities thereabouts ; for they have fcarce wood 
 enough for buildings and fhips. They yield a 
 great revenue, and the emperor draws confiderable 
 duties from them. 
 
 The rivers, which the torrents of the mountains 
 do fometimes fwell extraordinarily, grow fo rapid, 
 that many times they bear av/ay the ifles with them, 
 or lefTen them by the half, and form other new 
 ones In fome other place -, and one cannot but ad- 
 mire to fee them change place in fuch a fhort time, 
 jufl as if by diving they had pafs'd under water 
 from one place to another. Thefe great alterations 
 Ao not always happen ; but there is obferved 
 fiich confiderable change every year, that the Man- 
 darines, left they fhould be miflaken, get them to 
 be meafured every three years, to augment or di- 
 minifh the impofls or duties, according to the con- 
 dition they ai-e found to be in. 
 
 The fecond river of China is called Hoambo, 
 as much as to fay, the Yellow River, becaufe the 
 earth it fvveeps away with It, efpecialiy in times of 
 great rains, gives it that polour. I have ittw a great 
 many others, whofe waters, at certain feafons of the 
 year, are fo over charged with flimej and fo grofs 
 and thick, that they rather refemble torrents of 
 mud than real rivers. The Hoambo takes its fource 
 at the extremity of the mountains that bound the 
 province of Suchven in the wefl ; from thence it 
 throws itfelf into Tartary, where it flows for fome 
 time all along the great wall, at which it re-enters 
 China, between the provinces of Xanfi and Xen/i, 
 
afiJ Fruits of China. log 
 
 After that it waters the province of Honan, and when 
 it hath run crofs one part of the province of Nankim, 
 and flowed above 600 leagues into the land, it dif- 
 imbogues at length into the eaft fea, not far from 
 the mouth of Kiam. I have crofs'd it, and coafled it 
 in divers places •, it is every where very broad and 
 rapid, yet neither deep nor navigable to fpeak ofl 
 
 This river hath in former times caufed great de- 
 folation in China, and they are ftill forced^ to this 
 very day, to keep up the waters in certain places by 
 long and flrong banks, which notwithilanding does 
 not exempt the cities thereabouts from apprehenfions 
 of inundation. So likewife have they been careful 
 m the province of Honan, the ground lying ve- 
 ry low thereabouts, to furround the greateft part 
 of the cities, about a mile from the walls, with a 
 terrafs, cafed with turf, to prevent being furpris'd 
 by accidents and cafualties in cafe the bank be 
 broken, as happened about fifty-two yeats ago. 
 For the emperor, endeavouring to force a rebel 
 (who, for a long time laid clofe fiege to the city 
 of Honan) to draw off, caufed one part of the 
 banks to be broken down, thereby to drown the 
 adverfe army. But the relief, he afforded the city, 
 proved more fatal than the fury of the befiegers 
 would have been ; the whole province almofl: was 
 laid under water, together with many cities and 
 abundance of villages, above three hundred thou- 
 fand perfons drov/ned in the metropolis, amongfl 
 whom were fome of our mjffionaries, who at that 
 time had a numerous flock of chriftians, and there- 
 by loft their church and their lives. 
 
 The low country ever fince is become a kind of a 
 marfli or lake ; not but that they have fome defign to 
 repair this lofs, but the undertaking is difficult and 
 very expenfive. The fovcreign court, that takes care 
 of publick works, importuned the emperor more 
 jthan once to fend father Vsrbieft thither, and perad- 
 
 venture 
 
110 Of the Clime^ Soil, Canals^ Rivers 
 
 venture, that prince would have confented thereto 
 at laft, but he difcovered that the Mandarines made 
 ufe of this pretence, to remove the father at a di- 
 ftance from court, and that their defign was to en- 
 gage him in a difficult enterprize, that was enough 
 to deftroy him ; or out of which he could never 
 have diiintangled himfelf with any honour. 
 
 There is to be feen in China abundance of other 
 rivers lefs famous, but yet more commodious for 
 commerce and trade. 
 
 Since they afford nothing uncommon, it v/ould be 
 to abufe your patience, fir, to defcend to the particu- 
 lars. As to what concerns fountains, it were to be 
 wifh'd there were more of them, and better. 'Tis cer- 
 tain that their ufual waters are not good, which, per- 
 haps, hath obliged the inhabitants, efpecially in the 
 fouthern provinces, to drink it always warm ; but 
 becaufe warm water is unpalatable and naufeous^ 
 they bethought themfelves of putting fome leaves of 
 a tree to it, to give it a guflo. Thofe of teafeemed to 
 be the befl, and fo they frequently make ufe of it. 
 
 It may be alfo, that God Almighty, whofe provi- 
 dence hath fo univerfally provided for the wants of 
 his people, and, if I may be bold to fay it, for their 
 delight and pleafure, would not deprive China of 
 that which is neceflary to life \ fo that for to fup- 
 ply the defec5t of wells and fountains, which the 
 nature of the ground hath made every where 
 fait and brackifh, he hath been pleafed to produce 
 that fpecies of a particular tree in abundance, whofc 
 leaves ferve not only to purge the waters from their 
 noxious qualities, but alfo to make them wholfomc 
 and pleafant. 
 
 We are aflured that there are to be found in China, 
 amongfl fountains, feveral that flow and ebb as re- 
 gularly as the fea doth ; whether it be that they 
 have fome communication with the ocean by 
 certain fubterraneous conveyances and conduits, or 
 
 whether 
 
and Fruits of China. 1 1 1 
 
 whether it be in pafTing throu^ certain earths, 
 they are impregnated with falts and fpirits apt to 
 caufe this fermentation, I leave others to deter- 
 mine. 
 
 Since I have begun to fpeak of the different waters 
 of China, I cannot pafs over in filence the lakes and 
 ponds that are every where almoft to be (ttn m all 
 the provinces. Thofe, that are produced in v/inter 
 by the torrents from the mountains, lay wafte the 
 fields, and render the whole country during fummer 
 barren, fandy, and full of flints. Thofe, that arife 
 from fprings, abound in fifh, and yield a confiderable 
 revenue to the emperor by the fait they afford. 
 There is one of them amongft the refl, if I be not 
 miflaken it is in Xanfi, in the middle whereof ap- 
 pears a fmall ifland, where people divert themfelves, 
 during the exceflive heat, cooling themfelves, by- 
 throwing water into the air and making artificial 
 rain. They find here a cruft of a certain fait very 
 white, and of a pleafant fcent, which they continue 
 all the fummer lohg, with that fuccefs, that the 
 fait would be fufHcient for the whole province, if it 
 were as fait as that of the fea ; they commonly make 
 life of it to feafon meat withal. 
 
 Altho* I have not ^c^tn all thofe famous lakes b 
 China, v/hereunto hiflorians afcribe fo many miracles, 
 yet fhall I relate fomething which I do not care to 
 warrant for gofpel *, v/hich,neverthelefs, will let yoa 
 underftand the genius of the country, where people 
 fo eafily give credit to what feems mofl incredible. 
 
 In the province of Fokien there is one whofe water 
 IS green, and changes iron into copper. They have 
 built a palace upon the banks of another not far 
 diflant from the former, in an apartment of which 
 one hears the ringing of bells every time Heavea 
 threatens a florm. There are waters in the province 
 of Quamtum that change colour every year. la 
 fummer and in winter they are very clear 5 in autumn 
 
 they 
 
'lis Of the Clime, Soily Canali, Rhers 
 
 they turn blue, but of fuch a fine blue, that peoplti 
 make ufe of It to dye fluffs. 
 
 In that place is to be {Qcn a mountain full of 
 caverns, whofe very afped is very terrible, in which 
 is found a lake of that nature, that, if one throw a 
 flone mto it, one may hear a noife like thunder j 
 fometime after there arlfeth a grofs mifl, which im- 
 mediately diflblves into water. 
 
 But the moil famous of them all is, that of the 
 province of Yunnan. The Chinefe would make 
 you believe that this lake came all on the fudden,- 
 during an earthquake that fwallowed up all the 
 country with its inhabitants. This was a juft judg- 
 ment upon them for their wickednefs, for they 
 were very difTolute livers. Of all that were there 
 at that time, there was but one child that was faved, 
 which they found in the middle of the lake borne up 
 upon a piece of wood. 
 
 In the ifle of Haynan, belonging to China, there 
 is a fort of water, whether it be lake or fountain, I 
 know not, that petrifies fifh. I myfelf have brought 
 over crawfifh, that, preferving their intire natural 
 figure, are fo far changed into flone, that the claws 
 and body of them are very hard, very folid, and 
 little differing from flone. Thefe wonders of nature 
 are not fo far particular to China, but the like may 
 be met with elfewhere •, and if one does not credit 
 all the Chinefe relate, it is not becaufe there is fome- 
 times no foundation for their flories •, but becaufe 
 they have fomewhat of the air of fable and hyper- 
 bolical in them, that would make a man even fufped: 
 the truth itfelf. 
 
 I wifh, with all my heart, fir, I were able to ex- 
 plain all the kinds of fifh that the rivers and lakes 
 Tumlfh them with, as well as thofe that are caught 
 upon their coafls (fo that I might fully fatisfy the 
 fubjed I have undertaken) but to tell you the 
 truth, I am not well enoush informed to engage 
 , " myfelf 
 
hnd Frm/s of Chinz. \ 113 
 
 myfelf upon a particular relation of them ; I have 
 feen, as far as I can guefs, all the fifli in China, that we 
 have in France : I have taken notice of a great many 
 others that I did not know, not fo much as their 
 names, that is all I can fay of it : befides that I fliall 
 confirm to you, what poffibly you may have read in 
 the relations touching the fifK they call the golden 
 jind filver fifh, that are found in divers provinces, 
 which are a great beauty and ornament to the courts 
 and gardens of great perfons. 
 
 They are commonly of a finger's length, and of 
 a proportionable thicknefs ; the male is of a moft 
 delicate red, from the head to the middle of the 
 body, and further ; the reft, together with the tail, 
 is gilded, but with fuch a glittering and buniKh'd 
 gold, that our real gildings cannot come near it. 
 The female is white, its tail, nay and one part of 
 its body, perfe6lly waih'd over with filver ; the tail 
 of both of them is not even and fiat as that of other 
 fifii, but fafliioned like a nofegay, thick and long, 
 which gives a particular grace to this pretty animal, 
 and fets it oiF, being befides perfeflly well propor- 
 tioned. 
 
 Thofe, who would breed them, ought to have 
 great care, for they are extraordinary tender, and 
 fenfible of the leafi injuries of the air. They put 
 them into a great bafon, fuch as are in gardens, very 
 deep and large, at the bottom of which they are 
 wont to place an earthen pot turned upfide down, 
 full of holes on the fides, that they may retire into 
 it when it is very hot weather, and by that means 
 fhelter themfelves from the fun. They likewife 
 throw upon the furface of the water fome particular 
 herbs that keep always green, and maintain the 
 coolnefs. This water Is to be changed two or three 
 times a v/eek, yet fo that frefii v/ater may be put 
 in, according as the bafon is emptied, which mud 
 never be left dry. If one be obUged to remove the 
 
 I fifh 
 
114 Of the Clime ^ Soil^ Canals y Rivers 
 
 filh from one vafe to another, great care mufl: bs 
 taken not to touch them with the hand ; all thofe 
 that are touched die quickly after, or fhrivel up ; 
 you muft for that purpofe make ufe of a little thread 
 purfe, faflened at the upper end of a hoop, into 
 which they are infenfibly engaged ; \^^hen they are 
 once got into it of themfelves, one muft take heed 
 of hurting them, and be fure to hold them ftill in 
 the firft, which empties but flowly, and gives time 
 to tranfport them to the other water. Any great 
 noife, as of a cannon, or of thunder, too ftrong a 
 fmell, too violent a motion, are all very hurtful to 
 them •, yea, and fometimes occafion their dying ; as 
 I have obferved at fea every time they difcharged. 
 the cannon, or melted pitch and tar : befides, they 
 live almoft upon nothing ; thofe infenfible worms 
 that are bred in the water, or thofe fmall earthly 
 particles that are mix'd with It, fuffice in a manner 
 to keep them alive. They do, notwithftanding, 
 throw in little balls of pafte now and then, but there 
 is nothing better than a wafer, which fteep'd makes 
 a kind of pap, of which they are extremely greedy, 
 which indeed is very fuitable to their natural delicacy 
 and tendernefs. In hot countries they multiply very 
 much, provided care be taken to remove their eggs, 
 which fwim upon the water, which the fifh moft 
 commonly eat : They place them in a particular 
 vafe expofed to the fun, and there they preferve 
 them till the heat hatcheth them ; the fiih come out 
 of a black colour, which fome of them keep ever 
 after, but it is changed by little and little in other 
 colours, into red, white, gold, and filver, according 
 to their different kind : the gold and iilver begins at 
 the extremity of the tail, and expand themfelves 
 fomewhat more or lefs, according to their particular 
 difpofition. 
 
 All this, fir, and other marvels of the univerfe, 
 makes us acknowledge the finger of God every 
 
 where. 
 
and Fruits of Chim.j 1 1^ 
 
 wliere, who for our fakes hath embellifhed the 
 world many thoufand ways. He Is not only con- 
 tent to enlighten the heavens, and enrich the earth, 
 but defcends into the abyjfTes, Into xh.^ very waters, 
 where he hath left fome footfleps of his profound 
 wlfdom \ and not to mention thofe prodigious mon- 
 fters, that feem to be made to aftonifn nature, he 
 hath likewife created thofe wonderful fifh I but now 
 defcribed, which, as llttie as they are, yet by their 
 (ingular beauty are the fubjedl of our admiration, 
 and furnifh us with fome faint ideas of the greatnefs 
 of the wife Creator. 
 
 Thus I have prefented you, f r. In a compendium, 
 the draught, and as It were the miap of that coun- 
 try, which I delign'd to give you fome knowledge 
 of j thefe are but the outfide, and, if I may fo fay, 
 but the body of that empire, whofe foul and fplrit 
 is difpers'd thro' its Inhabitants. Peradventure, 
 when you fhall have read what I have writ to you 
 about it, you will be apt to inquire what people they 
 be who are fo happy as to receive the greateft, falreil:, 
 and moil fertile portion of the earth for their Inheri- 
 tance; fuch a land, in a v/ord, that it wants nothing 
 to make It a real Land of Promife, but to be culti- 
 vated by God's people, and inhabited by true If- 
 raelites Indeed. If we had nothing, as the Hebrews 
 had, but the red-fea and wlldernefs to go through, 
 probably forty years might fuffice to bring it under 
 fubjedlon to the gofpel : but that vaft extent of 
 feas, thofe Infinite and unpradllcable land journles, 
 that were capable of putting a flop to Mofes arid the 
 prophets, are a great flop to the zeal of the mini- 
 fters of Jcfus Chrifl, and lefTen the number of his 
 new apoftles. 
 
 Oh ! that I could, as the Hebrews did, whoqi 
 
 .Mofes fent to difcover the Promifed Land, reprefent 
 
 the immenfe richnefs, and moft precious harveft that 
 
 ' China promifes to the labourers in the vineyards, we 
 
 I 2 hav^ 
 
1 16 Of the peculiar Chara5fer 
 
 have hopes that probably the profpecl of fuch an 
 abundant crop might in time prevail with all Europe 
 to come and reap it •, at leaft, I hope that my teili- 
 mony will not be Itifignificant, and that the miore 
 than ordinary zeal of the fmall company of mii!i- 
 onaries, that fhall fucceed me, will make amends for 
 the vaft number of thofe which fuch a vaft empire 
 might demand. I am, with all the refped imagi- 
 nable, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 T'cur moft htimhle, 
 
 and mcft affe^lonate Servant^ 
 
 L. J. 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 To the Alarquis de Toril, Secretary of State for 
 Foreign Affairs. 
 
 Of the peculiar CharaEler of the Chinefe Nation'^ 
 its Ayitiqiiity^ Nohility, Manners, and its good and 
 bad ^lalities. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 SEeing in the employment wherewith the king 
 hath honoured you, and which you do already 
 difcharge with fo much wifdom, nothing can contri- 
 bute more to promote you to that high pitch of 
 perfecflion, that all Europe expedls from you, than 
 the exad knowledge of the manners and genius of 
 foreigners, I could imagine no lefs than that, by 
 ordering mie to write to you concerning the empire 
 of China, you did particularly delire to learn what 
 was the charader of its inhabitants. 
 
 It 
 
of the Chinefe Nation, &c. 1 17 
 
 It IS true, if we judge of the future by preceding 
 reigns, fuch informations would perhaps ftand you 
 in np ftead. Hitherto France hath had nothing to 
 do with that people, and nature feems to have placed 
 them at fuch a diftance from us, on purpofe that 
 we might have no concern with them. But under 
 the reign of Lewis the Great, for whom nature her- 
 felf hath fo often changed her laws, is any thing 
 LmpolTible ? Nay, will not Heaven, which feems to 
 have employed all nations to make him renowned , 
 oblige China, as proud and haughty as it is, to con- 
 tribute fomething to his glory ? 
 
 It is in all human probability, under your mini- 
 flry, my lord, that we ilmll behold the moft flourifh- 
 ing and mighty empire of the Weft, unite itfelf with 
 the moft puiflant realm in all Europe. And perhaps, 
 if It had not been for this fatal war^ the dire confe- 
 quences of which have expanded themfelves as far as 
 the extremities of the univerfe, you would e're this 
 have given audience to the envoys of a prince, who 
 never acknowledged any other fovereign befides 
 himfelf in the world. This negotiation, fo glo- 
 rious for you, and fo much conducing to the efta- 
 blijfhment of religion, which the iniquity of the times 
 hath hitherto interrupted, may be hereafter fet afoot 
 again ; and it is on purpofe to difpofe and incline you 
 to the fam,e^ that I prefume to take the liberty, my 
 lordj to let you underftand the charadler of thofe 
 who are to be employed therein. 
 
 The Chinefe are fo ancient in the world, that it 
 fares with them as to their original, as with great 
 rivers whofe fource can fcarce be difcovered. It is 
 neceflary for that purpofe, to look back farther than 
 all our prophane hiftorles, for their chronology fur- 
 pafles even the common account of the creation of 
 the world. 
 
 It Is very true, the vulgar hiftory of that grand 
 
 monarchy is not only dubious, but ma:iifeftly falfe, 
 
 ^ ' i 3 fer 
 
1 1 8 Of the peculiar Cbaratier 
 
 for it computes forty thoufand years (vact the foun- 
 dation of the empire ; but the account, given by the 
 learned and judicious among them, comes fo well 
 coniirmed, fo evidently proved, and eftablifhed by 
 fo conftant a tradition, that one cannot call it ia 
 queflion am.ong them, without pafTing for ridiculous, 
 and as they themfelves exprefs it, for heretical. 
 
 According to this hiftory, which none of their 
 learned men ever queflioned, China hath had its 
 kings for above four thoufand years, that have con- 
 tinued to this prefent time without any interruption. 
 The fame family hath not been always feated upon 
 the throne j there have been twenty-two different fa- 
 milies, that have produced two hundred and thirty fix 
 emperors. Several docflors carry this monarchy l)ack 
 fix hundred years higher -, their opinion depends on 
 probable grounds, but we may relie upon the firft ; 
 which makes very much for the grandeur and nobi- 
 lity of China, fince five or fix hundred years, more 
 or lefs, does not produce any notable diminution in 
 its antiquity. 
 
 Certainly, after all the inquiries and examinations 
 that have been made into this chronology, it is no 
 longer left to our liberty to doubt of it, than of the 
 hiilories that are the mofl authentickly received a- 
 niongd us : and it ought fo much the rather to be 
 believed, forafmuch as it was incapable of admitting 
 any alteration from foreigners ; forafmuch as it was 
 always current amongfl: the knowing men of the 
 country, for true, fure, and unconteftable, becaufe 
 it is written in a natural, plain, unaffedled ilile, that 
 carries with it that air of verity that ever perfuades : 
 and befides, Confucius, efteemed for his great ca- 
 pacity, fincerity and uprightnefs, never doubted of 
 it ; nay, and did even eflablifh his whole dodlrme 
 thereupon, five hundred and fifty years before the 
 birth of our Saviour, becaufe his books are very 
 conform.able to the holy fcripturcj in reference to 
 
 the 
 
of the Chinele Nation^ ts>c. i ig 
 
 tte age of the firft men -, for they aflure us that 
 Tohi reigned an hundred and fifty years ; Chlnnum, 
 an hundred and forty j Hoamtl, an hundred and 
 eleven ; Yao, an hundred and eighteen ; and fo for 
 the reft, always decreafing, conformable to what 
 holy writ teaches us. In a word, the eclipfes, ob- 
 ferved at that time, muft needs happen in effedr, 
 which they could not know, but by obfervation, 
 and not by any calculations, fince they never had 
 exadt ones : All this perfuades us that there is 
 little certainty in the prophane hiftory of the 
 world, if we can reafonably doubt of that of 
 China. 
 
 In a word, this empire was involved in the com- 
 mon fate of all others, whofe origin is very in con- 
 fiderable. It feems probable that the children, or 
 grand-children, of Noah difpers'd themfelves into 
 Afia, and at length penetrated as far as this part 
 of China, that is moft wefterly, which is called at 
 this day Xanfi and Xenfi. They lived at the be- 
 ginning in families, and th^ kings v/ere fathers, to 
 whom a long continuance of years, abundance of 
 flocks, and other country paftoral riches added fome 
 authority. 
 
 Fohi was the firft that laid the foundation of the 
 monarchy ; his wifdom, difcretion, his good morals, 
 power, and reputation, which his great age had ac- 
 quired him, made them give ear to him, as to an 
 oracle ; he regulated all private, as well as politick 
 ^nd religious matters, infomuch that the ftate was in 
 a very flouriftiing condition in a ftiort time ; his fub- 
 jefts poffefled the province of Honan at firft, and 
 fome years after all the lands and territories that 
 are extended as far as the fouth fea. 
 
 It is probable that the Chinefe, from their very 
 
 original, did look upon themfelves as fomething 
 
 more than other men, like to thofe princes, who, as 
 
 &on as they are born, .difcover a certain natural 
 
 I 4 loftmefs 
 
120 Of the peculiar CharaSier 
 
 loftinefs that ever diftinguifhes them from the vulgar. 
 Whether it was that the neighbouring kingdoms were 
 barbarous, or inferior to them in point of wifdom, 
 I don't know ; but at that very time they laid down 
 a maxim of ftate amongft themfelves, To have no 
 commerce with foreigners and fir angers^ hut juft fo 
 much as Jhould be necejjary to receive their homage. 
 Neither did they court and feek after thefe badges of 
 fovereignty out of a fpirit of ambition, but that they 
 might have the better opportunity to prefcribe to 
 other people of the world laws and conftitutions of 
 perfedl government. 
 
 So that when any one amongfl their tributaries 
 failed to appear ut the tim.e appointed, they did not 
 oblige him by open force to fubmit,buton the contrary 
 had compafTion on him. What do we lofe by it^ fay 
 they, if he fi ill remain barbarous ? Since he is fo averfe 
 as wifdom, he needs to blame no body but himfelf as often 
 to he fh all fail in his duty thro" paffion or blindnefs. 
 . This grave policy acquired the Chinefe fo great 
 a reputation, that throughout all the Indies, all 
 Tartary and Perfia, look'd upon them as the oracles 
 of the v/orld ; yea, and the people of Japan had 
 fuch an high conceit of them, that when St. Xavier 
 brought the faith amongfl them (altho' China at 
 that time came fhort of her priftine probityj one 
 of the great reafons, they objedled againft the good 
 man, was, that a nation fo wife, fo intelligent, had, 
 not yet embraced it. 
 
 But this piece of policy that induced them to diftin- 
 guifh themfelves from others, which at firfl: might 
 probably be a profitable maxim, degenerated after- 
 wards into pride. They look'd upon themfelves as a 
 chofen eled people, that Heaven had produced in the 
 center of the univerfe to give them a law ; a peo- 
 ple only capable to inftrud, civilize, and govern 
 nations. They fancied other men but as dwarfs and 
 pitiful monilers, thrown by into tho extremities of 
 
of the Chmdc Nation^ tic. 121 
 
 the earth, as the drofs and ofF-fcouring of nature; 
 ^'hereas the Chinefe, placed in the middle of the 
 world, had alone received from God Ahnighty a 
 rational form and fhape, and a true fize. Their 
 ancient maps are filled with fuch like figures, and 
 with a great many emblems apt to infpire that dif- 
 dain they fhewed of all mankind. 
 
 But perceiving the Europeans inftruc^ed in all 
 forts of fciences, they were ftruck with aflonifli- 
 ment. How can it pcjfihly be^ faid they, that a 
 feople fo far remote front us fhould have any wit 
 or capacity ? 'They have never perufed cur booh 5 
 they were never modelled by our laws^ and yet they 
 fpeak^ difcourfe^ and argue aright as we do. 
 
 Our workmanihip , as fluffs, clocks , v/atches, 
 mathematical inftruments, and fuch like curiofities, 
 furprifed them ftill more ; for they imagined, that 
 dextrous and expert artificers were no v/here to 
 be met with but in China. Then they began 
 to underftand, that we were not fo barbarous as 
 they imagined ; and faid in a joking way. We 
 fuppofed all other people blind^ and that nature had 
 heft owed eyes upon none but the Chinefe. \ but vje find 
 now., that this is not univerfally true^ if the 'Euro- 
 peans do not fee fo clearly as we^ they have at 
 leaft one eye apiece. 
 
 I have taken notice of fome Frenchmen fo moved 
 at this ridiculous vanity, that they were not mafters 
 of their paflion \ they would pofTibly have done bet- 
 ter to have laugh'd at this vanity, or at leaft have 
 excus'd it, fince the Chinefe, till that time, had 
 feen none but Indians and Tartars, and they be- 
 held the Weft at a diftance, as we at prefent be- 
 hold the Terra Auftralis Incognita, and forefts of 
 Canada : Now, if at 300 leagues diftance from 
 Quebec we found Iroquian mathematicians, or learn« 
 ed Alkonkins, that could difcover to us a new phi- 
 lofophy, more clear, comprehenfi ve, and more ^^x- 
 
122 Of the peculiar CharaSfer 
 
 fed than ours, we iliould be no lefs blame-worthy 
 than the Chinefe, for preferring ourfelves to that peo- 
 ple, and for having hitherto termed them Barba- 
 rians. 
 
 Abating this pride, you muft confefs that the Chi- 
 nefe nation hath been endued with rare qualities ; 
 with a great deal of politenefs in managing the af- 
 fairs of the world, with great kn(t and regularity 
 in their bufinefs, with much zeal for the publick 
 good, true and jufl ideas of government, with a 
 genius, mean indeed as to fpeculative fciences, but 
 yet right and fure in morality, which they have 
 always prefer ved very conformable to reafon. 
 
 The people principally applied themfelves to the 
 education of children in their families ; they efteemed 
 agriculture above all other things ; they were labo* 
 rious to excefs, loving and underftanding commerce 
 and trading perfedly well. Judges and governors of 
 cities aifeded an outfide gravity, fobriety at their 
 tables, moderation in houfe-keeping, and equity in 
 all their judgments, which gained love and refpedfc 
 from all the people in general. The emperor placed 
 iiis happinefs in nothing more than to procure it 
 for his fubjeds ; and looked upon himfelf not fo 
 much a king of a mighty ftate, as a father of a 
 numerous family. 
 
 This chara(5ler of China, my lord, that I have 
 given you, is not flattering, but faithfully deduced 
 from its ov/n hiftory, that furnifhes us with an in- 
 finite number of examples of the confpicuous wif- 
 dom that hath been fo long the foul that aduates 
 its governrnxcnt. 'I'is true indeed, the civil wars, the 
 weak, or wicked kings, and the power of foreigners, 
 have from time to time difturbed this goodly or- 
 der : whether the fundamental laws of the flate 
 were excellent, or the people from their cradles 
 endued with happy difpofitions, is not material ; 
 but it is moil certain, thefe fatal jind troublefome 
 
 intervals 
 
of the Chinefe Nation^ &c. 123 
 
 intervals did not long continue; if fo be they were 
 but never fo little left to their own difpofalv^ 
 they flowed again in their former courfe ; and we 
 fee at this very day, in the midft of that corrup- 
 tion, which the domeftick troubles and commerce 
 with the Tartars have introduced, fome footileps of 
 their ancient probity remaining. 
 
 I do not pretend, my lord, to enlarge any fur- 
 ther upon this fubjedl. I know very well that it is 
 a letter that I have the honour to write to you, and 
 not a hiftory ; befides, they are about tranflating 
 into French that hiftory which the Chinefe them- 
 felves have given us •, and I am confident it will 
 pleafe, not only by its novelty, but by the extra- 
 ordinary matters it contains. 
 
 I thought it enough in this place to draw you out 
 the portraiture of the prefent ftate of China, in re- 
 lation to the manners and cuftoms of its people ; 
 I could decypher it in a few words, by telling 
 you that they live there as we do in Europe. 
 Avarice, ambition, and pleafure go a great v/ay 
 in all their tranfadions. They cozen and cheat in 
 traffick ; injuftice reigns in fovereign courts; in- 
 trigues bufy both princes and courtiers. In the 
 mean time, perfons of quality take fo many mea- 
 fures to conceal vice, and the out- works are fo well 
 guarded, that if a ftranger be not careful to be 
 inftruded concerning affairs, to the bottom, he 
 imagines that every thing is perfedly well regu- 
 lated. Herein the Chinefe refemble the Europeans, 
 in other refpeds they are wholly unlike. Their 
 countenance, air, language, difpofition, civilities, 
 manners, and behaviour are not only different 
 from ours, but alfo from all that we can find in 
 ^11 other nations of the world. 
 
 "Without doubt, my lord, you have taken no- 
 tice of the figures that are painted upon the por- 
 celain difhes and cabinets that come from China ; 
 
 our 
 
124 ^f the peculiar Chara5ier 
 
 our pidures in Europe do always flatter us, but 
 thofe of China make them maimed and ridiculous. 
 They are not To ill-favoured as they make them- 
 felves : they do not indeed entertain the fame ideas 
 of beauty which we do. They would have a man 
 big, tall, and grofs ; they would have him have 
 a broad forehead, eyes little and flat, a fliort 
 nofe, great ears, a mouth of a middle (ize, a long 
 beard, and black hair. That curious feature, that 
 lively afped, that fliately and noble gate and de- 
 portm.ent the French ib much efteem, does not 
 at all pleafe them. He is a handfome man that 
 fills an elbow chair, that by his fize and bulk 
 can .look big. As for their colour, they are na- 
 turally as fair as we, efpecially towards the North ; 
 but being the men take no care of themfelves, 
 travel much, wxar upon their head nothing but 
 a little bonnet, very improper to defend their 
 face from the fun-beams, they are commonly as 
 tawny as the Portuguefe in the Indies : the peo- 
 ple alfo of the provinces of Quamtum and Yun- 
 nan, by reafon of the exceffive heat, and working 
 half naked, are of a dun complexion. 
 
 As much as the men negledl themfelves in this 
 particular, fo much do the women take all the 
 care imaginable to preferve themfelves. I am not 
 fure if painting be ufual with them \ but I have 
 ht^n told that they rub their faces every morn- 
 ing with a fort of white meal, which rather fpoils 
 than mends their complexion. They have all of 
 them little eyes, and fliort nofes ; in other things 
 they come nothing fliort of the European ladies, 
 but their modefl:y, fo natural to them, doth in- 
 finitely izt off their handfomenefs \ a little collar 
 of white fattin, fafliened to a vefl:, keeps them 
 light, and covers their neck all over. Their hands 
 are always hid in long fleeves -, they tread {oit\y 
 and gingerly, with their eyes upon the grouncj, 
 
 their 
 
of the Chinefe Nation^ Gfr. 12^ 
 
 their head on one fide ; and a man would imagine, 
 to look on them, that they were a company of 
 nuns or devotees by profeffion, fet apart and fe- 
 quefter'd from the world, only taken up in the 
 iervlce of God. So that it is obfervable, that cuf- 
 tom hath many times more power to perplex and 
 trouble the fair fex, than the moil auftere and 
 rigid virtue : nay, and. it were a thing to be de~ 
 iired, that chriftianity were able to obtain from 
 chriftian ladies here, what the pradice of the world 
 hath for fo many ages inspired into the idola- 
 trous Chinefe. 
 
 This modefty, neverthelefs, does not hinder them 
 from that vanity incident to their fex ; the more 
 they are confined, the lefs they love folitude ; 
 they drefs themfelves gorgeoufiy, and fpend all 
 the morning in making themfelves fine, thinking 
 they may be {^^xv in the day-time, altho', per- 
 haps, they are not by any one, but their own 
 domefticks. Their head-drefs, which ufually con- 
 fifts of feveral locks buckled up, interlaced with 
 flowers of gold and filver, makes but an odd 
 kind of a figure. But I neither can, nor will, my 
 lord, give you a particular defcription of it, be- 
 caufe, I know you do not exped: it from me. 
 However, I am perfuaded, if people fhould fee 
 the model of them in France, they would go near 
 to be tempted to quit that extravagant burden of 
 head-cloaths which they wear, and drefs themfelves 
 after the neatnefs and fimplicity of the Chinefe. 
 
 The ladies wear, as men do, a long fattin or 
 cloth of gold vefi:, red, blue, or green, according 
 to their particular fancy •, the elder fort habit them- 
 felves in black or purnle \ they wear, befides that, 
 a kind of furtout, the fleeves whereof are extremely 
 wide, and trnil uprn the ground, when they have 
 no occafion t< hold them up. But that which 
 diftinguiiheth them from all the women in the 
 
 world. 
 
126 Of the peculiar CharaEier 
 
 world, and does in a manner make a partciular fpecies 
 of them, is, the littlenefs of their feet, and here 
 lies the more eflential point of their beauty. This is 
 one of the m.ofl wonderful and ftrange things in 
 the v/orld : They affed this to that degree, that 
 they would juftly be accufed of folly, did not an 
 extravagant and ancient cuftom (which, in the buiinefs 
 of the mode, evermore prevails over the greateft 
 convenience) oblige them to follow the ftream, and 
 comply with the cuflom of the country. 
 
 So foon as ever the girls are born, the nurfes 
 take care to tie their feet extremely hard, that they 
 may not grow : Nature, that feems to be difpofed 
 for this torment, does more eafily buckle to it 
 than one could imagine ; nay, one does not per- 
 ceive that their health is impaired thereby. Their 
 fhoes of fattin, embroidered with gold, iilver, and 
 filk, are extraordinary neat ; and the' they be very 
 little, yet they ftrive to fhew them as they walk ; 
 for walk they do (which one would not be apt to 
 believe) and would walk all day long by their good 
 will, if they had liberty to go abroad. Some have 
 htzvL perfuaded that it was an invention of the an- 
 cient Chinefe, who, to bring women under a necef- 
 iity of keeping within doors, brought little ittt in 
 faihion. I have more than once inquired about it 
 of the Chinefe themfelves, but they never heard 
 of any fuch reafon. Thefe are idle tales ^ fays one of 
 them, fmiling, our fore-fathers knew women too well^ 
 as we do^ to believe^ that^ in retrenching half of their 
 feet^ they could be deprived of the power of walkings 
 end of longing to fee the world. 
 
 If people would have given themfelves the trou- 
 ble to have confulted the relations concerning the af- 
 pe6l and mien of the Chinefe women, \ it would not 
 have been fo eafy a matter to impofe upon the 
 eaiinefs of the ladies of Paris, who entertained a 
 poor Frenchwoman the laft year, giving her all 
 
 manner 
 
of the Chmtic JMation, c^r. 127 
 
 manner of relief, becaufe fhe faid fhe was an out" 
 landiih woman, and of one of the befl: families in 
 China. This accident furprifed all curious perfons, 
 and the marquis de Croifi told me, he would take 
 it as a favour if I would examine the truth of the 
 ftory. 
 
 Charity, added he, is no lefs acceptable to God,' 
 aitho' it be mifplaced upon objedls that deferve it 
 not. If the bufinefs of giving the money were 
 the only thing in queftion, it would be fcarce 
 worth the while to deted the fraud where a 
 perfon pretends neceility : but in the cafe before 
 us, the maid faid fhe was a heathen, that fhe 
 was exhorted long fince to be converted ; that 
 flie underflood rightly, or at leafl: pretended to 
 underftand our myfleries ; in fine, ihe defired to 
 embrace our religion , and they were juft upon 
 the point to baptize her. If fhe be a Chinefe^ 
 'Well and good ; we have caufe to admire di- 
 vine providence for bringing this foul from fo 
 remote a place, to be admitted into the bofom 
 of the church ; but if fiie be a Frenchwoman, 
 who, probably hath been baptiz'd from her in- 
 fancy, this abufe of the facrament that fhe is go- 
 ing to receive a fecond time, is a facrilege de- 
 ferving the fevered punifhment ; of v/hich facri- 
 lege thofe that aflift lier become guilty them- 
 felves. 
 
 I was already much prepofTefled with an ill o- 
 pinion of this pretended Chinefe ; but, befides the 
 order of the marquis de Croi(i, I thought it would 
 be good to fift out the bufinefs to the bottom, 
 to undeceive thofe that were any ways concerned 
 therein. When flie underilood that I would come 
 and fee her, fhe was very much difliurbed. He 
 is not a Chinefe father^ fays fhe, hut one of the 
 Indian miffionaries^ whom the revolution of Siam 
 hath brought back. Nay, they had much ado to 
 
 find 
 
128 Of the peculiar CharaSier 
 
 find her, when I appeared ; they fought for her all 
 up and down a good while, and at length unken- 
 nell*d her^ and ceriuaded her to make her appearance. 
 
 So foon as I Gvvr her, I had no need of examina- 
 tion •, the features of her face, her gate, her feet, 
 her whole behaviour betray 'd her. She feign'd in 
 fpeaking French, that (he did not well underftand 
 the language ; but, befdes that the placing of 
 the words, which fne endeavoured to pronounce con- 
 fufedly, was altogether natural, which is fcarce ever 
 got by ftrangers, fhe did alfo pronounce, with a great 
 deal of firmnefs, feveral letters not in ufe with the 
 Chinefe, which it is impoffible for them to exprefs. 
 
 After the firfl: difcourfes, I demanded of what 
 province, and what family of China fhe was, and 
 by what ftrange adventure fhe was at fuch a great 
 diftance from her country ? / ara of Pekin itjelfy 
 fays fhe, the metrGpolis of the empire^ born in the 
 empero't^s palace^ brought up at courts and daughter 
 to pr'mce Corcn'ne : A prince who does difpofe fo- 
 vereignly every thing ; more mailer, and more 
 powerful than the emperor himfelf ; whofe pleafures 
 are never interrupted by the cares of publick affairs ; 
 who, being little concerned at the good or bad con- 
 dition of the empire, confines all his ambition to the 
 rendering himfelf happy, and to lead an eafy and 
 pleafant life. 
 
 / embarqued zvith my mother, who had a defign to 
 fafs into Japan^ there to treat of a marriage for me. 
 In the paffage^ our veffel vjas attacked by a Holland 
 pirate^ that took it, and blew it up \ and brought me 
 a'u:ay prijoner, Ho'ujever, the barbarous pirate took 
 fuch care of me, as did fomething fjceeten my captivity ^ 
 if the lofs of my mother had not reduced me to a difcon^ 
 folate condition, for fhe died before my eyes \ a'nd the 
 rcprefentation of fo fatal an accident, that lay night 
 and day heazy upon my fpirit, would fcarce permit 
 me to reflet upon the many kind offices he did me. 
 
 Never-* 
 
of the Chincfe Nation^ &c, 129 
 
 Never thelefs^ my condition was not fo deplorable as I 
 imagined ; the viilorious Hollander was at length over- 
 come by a French privateer : I was a fecond time a 
 captive^ and treated by the new captain with fo much 
 harjhnefs^ that I was at that very moment apprehenftve 
 that "my grief might increafe^ and that the excefs of 
 miferies^that one endures in this world^is never fo great 
 but one may become flill more miferahle. This voyage 
 was to me the longefl^ moft dangerous^ and accompanied 
 with much forrow and bitternefs. At length we came 
 afhore at a place which I knew not ; they brought me 
 out of the fhip^ and^ after they had dragged me through 
 fever al provinces^ they barbarov.fly fcrfook me^ and I 
 fou7id myfelf deftitute^ comfortlefs^ and without any 
 fupport^ in the middle of this great city^ which I hear 
 called Paris. 
 
 'Tis true., Heaven hath not quite forfaken me y the 
 word Pekin, the only word by which I could make 
 known my country .^ brought me out of mifery. Sofne 
 ladies^ at the hearing of this word., were inoved with 
 compaffion,, took me into their houfe., aitd have ever 
 fince treated me with fo much charity., that I do not 
 know if I ought to complain of fate that hath con^ 
 dueled me into fo good hands. 
 
 She had indeed 5fome caufe to be well pleafed with 
 her lot, much better in efFed, than fhe could rea- 
 fonably exped. They treated her as a maid of fome 
 noble family ; nay, it was an hundred pound to a 
 penny but they had given her the quality of princefs 
 Coronne, a name miuch better known in France than 
 China, where this is yet unknown. They told me 
 moreover that divers perfons were impatient to do 
 her a kindnefs, and that Monfieur N. one of our 
 moft famous writers, had already compofed three 
 extraordinary eloquent letters in her name ; one for 
 the emperor, another for prince Coronne, and the 
 third for fome other prince of her family. He hath, 
 without doubt, what he deferved from the perfons 
 
 K that 
 
130 Of the peculiar CharaBer 
 
 that ingaged him in it ; yet I do not believe thaf 
 China will ever thank him for it. 
 
 For my part, my lord, I do confefs that the bare 
 recital of this adventure appeared to me fomewhat 
 fabulous, and carries with it an air romantick enough 
 to undeceive thofe, v/hom an excefs of charity had 
 not quite blinded. Prince Coronne is a chimera, that 
 hath not the lead appearance of truth in it. The 
 birth of a maid in a palace, where there is none but 
 eunuchs, is ftill more hard to be believed. The 
 Hollanders are not at war v/ith the Chinefe, and it 
 is not their bed way to fall out with them, by af- 
 faulting their fhips. 
 
 The Chinefe dames, that fcarce ever ftir out of 
 their houfes,do not care for undertaking long voyages 
 at fea : and the match they were going to manage 
 is no more likely than that a princefs of France 
 fhould embark at Breft, to fail into the Indies to 
 efpoufe fome Mandarine of Siam. 
 
 Befides, w^e know all the veiTels that we have ta- 
 ken from the Hollanders, as well as thofe that are 
 arrived in France from the Indies : we know the cap- 
 tains of them, we know their prizes,their engagements, ' 
 their adventures, and yet we hear not one word of 
 what our Chinefe relates. Now, if fhe be fo unfor- 
 tunate as to be found in the ftreets of Paris mifer- 
 able, forlorn, and unknown, fhe ought not fo much 
 to lay the fault upon our French people, as upon 
 her ill fortune that took no care to place her better 
 m this world. 
 
 But to convince all thofe who were prefent at our 
 interview, I put divers queftions to her about the 
 principal cities in China ; I examined her concerning 
 the mone}', their writing, the charaders and lan- 
 guage of the country. She told me fhe had often 
 travelled from Pekin to Nankim in lefs than three 
 days, notwithilanding it is above three hundred 
 kagues from one to another ^ that they ufed gold 
 
 money. 
 
of the Chinefe Nation, &c. 131 
 
 money, altho' gold is no where current through all 
 the empire but as precious ftones are in Europe ; 
 that the filver coin was (lamp'd as ours is, round, 
 flat, bearing the emperor's arms, with divers figures 
 accordinor to the cuftom of caftern nations, notv/ith- 
 {landing the fiiver hath no regular figure, they caft 
 it into ingots,they reduce it to what form they pleafe 
 without anns, order, or ornament, they clip it into 
 great pieces, as occafion ferves •, and it is only by 
 weight, not by the emperor's mark, that they know 
 its value. 
 
 I writ dov/n fomc Chinefc charac^lers ; for fhe had 
 boafled that fne could read, a perfon of her quali- 
 ty durft not fay the contrary ; but the misfortune 
 was, fhe miilook herfelf, a!id took the paper at the 
 wrong end, boldly reading the letters, turned upfide 
 down, as if they had been right : upon the whole, 
 that which fne pronounced had no manner of rela- 
 tion to the genuine fenfe of the writing. At lait I 
 {poke Chinefe to her, and, for fear left fhe might 
 avoid the difficulty, I acquainted her that I fpake 
 the Mandarine language fo current throughout the 
 empire, which they conftantly ufe at the court. She 
 v/as fo impudent as to frame ex ie7npcre a v/ild ridi- 
 culous gibberifli, but fo little underdood, that it was 
 evident fhe had not time enou.^h to make it hang; 
 well together ; fo tiiat, not being able to underftand 
 what I faid to her^ I fnould have been fore put to it 
 to explain what fhe meant, if indeed fhe did mean 
 any thing. 
 
 After this trial and examination, flie might blufh 
 for fhame, and ingenucufiy confefs the impofcure ; 
 but fhe flill keeps up her converfation without being 
 concerned, and with fuch an air of confidence, that 
 would make any one judge that this China romance 
 ^as not the firfl ftory fhe had made. 
 
 I thought, my lord, that you would be very glad 
 to be acquainted with this ♦, bciides that it mav af- 
 
 K 2 ford 
 
5^2 OJ the peculiar CharaBer 
 
 ford you fome pleafure, It will alfo ferve to let yotr 
 underftand that the mind, countenance^ and behavi- 
 our of the Chinefe women have no affinity v/ith 
 thofe of the Europeans •, and that a French woman 
 muft needs be brazen- fac'd, when under the bor- 
 rowed name of a Chinefe fhe pretends to impofe up- 
 on perfons who have, as long as I have done, feen 
 both nations. 
 
 After this little dlgreffion you may be willing I 
 fhould take up my former difcourfe again. The 
 mens habits, as ever}'- where elfe, are there much 
 different from the w^omens •, they fhave their heads 
 all oyer, except behind, where they let as much 
 hair grow as is needful to make a long trefs. They 
 do not ufe a hat as we do, but wear continually a 
 bonnet or a cap, which civility forbids putting off. 
 
 This bonnet differs according to the different 
 feafons of the year : that which they ufe in fum- 
 mer is in form of a cone, that is to fay, round and 
 wide below, but fhort and flrait above, where it 
 terminates in a mere point. It is lined within with 
 a pretty fattin, and the top covered with a very fine 
 mat, very much efteemed in the country. Befides 
 that, they add thereto a great flake of red filk, that 
 falls round about, and reaches to the edges \ fo 
 that, when they walk, this filk flows irregularly 
 on all fides, and the continual motion of the head 
 gives it a particular pleafing grace. 
 
 Sometimes in lieu of filk they wear a fort of 
 long hair, of a vivid fhlning red, which rain does 
 not deface, and is more efpecially in ufe amongil 
 men w^hen they ride. This hair comes from the 
 province of Suchven, and grows upon the legs of 
 certain cows \ its natural colour is white, but they 
 give it a tin(5lure, that inakes it dearer than the fineft 
 fiik. In winter they wear a plufh cap, bordered 
 -with a fable fox-fkin •, the refl is of a curious fattin, 
 black or purple, covered with a great flake of red 
 
 filk. 
 
oftbeChmcfc Nation^ &c, 133 
 
 filk, like the fummer cap. There is nothing more 
 handfome than thefe caps, which are fold fome- 
 times for eight or ttn crowns -, but they are fo 
 fhallow, that they always difcover the ears, which 
 is mighty inconvenient in the fun, or upon a jour- 
 ney. When the Mandarines are in their formali- 
 ties, the upper part of the bonnet hath a diamond 
 in the creft, or fome other precious ftone ill cut, yet 
 inchafed in a button of very curious wrought gold : 
 the others have a huge tuft, or button of fluff, a- 
 gate, cryftal, or fome other matter. 
 " Their habit is long and convenient enough for 
 ftudents, but cumberfome for men on horfeback ; 
 it confifts of a veil that reaches to the ground, 
 the skirts or (ides of which are folded before, one 
 over the other, in fuch a manner that the uppermoft 
 is extended to the left fide, where they faften it all 
 along, with four or five gold or filver buttons. The 
 ileeves, that are wide towards the fhoulder, grow 
 ftraiter and ftraiter to the wrift, like the fleeves of a 
 prieft's albe, but they do in a manner cover the 
 whole hand, and leave nothing to be {ctn but the 
 fingers ends : they keep the veft clofe with a broad 
 filken fa{h,whofe two ends hang down to the knees. 
 The Tartars flick an handkerchief to it on both 
 fides, with a flieath for a knife and fork, and tooth- 
 pick, a purfe, and other pretty implements. In 
 fummer their neck is all bare, which looks very ill ; 
 in winter they cover it with a collar of fattin faften- 
 ed to the veft, or with a tippet of fable or fox-fkin, 
 about three or four fingers broad, which is faftened 
 before with a button, which is very decent, and be- 
 comes horfemen wonderfully. 
 
 Befides the veft they put on a kind of furtout 
 with fliort wide fleeves like thofe of your barrefters 
 gowns •, the ftudents wear them very long , the 
 gentlemen, and efpecially the Tartars, will have 
 them fliort j and thofe they ufe reach no farther 
 
 , K 3 thai^ 
 
134 Of the peculiar Character 
 
 than their pocket-holes ; as for their under garment they 
 ufe ill fanimer only a fingle pair of drawers of white 
 tafFaty, under a very broad and fnort fnirt of the 
 fame ftuff i but in w^inter the fhirt is of linnen, and 
 under it they have breeches of coarfe fattin quilted 
 Vvdth cotton, or raw (ilk, which is Vv^armer. 
 
 All this is natural enough ; but perhaps, my lord, 
 you will be furprifed to hear that the Chinefe are al- 
 ways booted ; and when any one renders them a vi- 
 fit, if they chance not to have their boots on, they 
 make them wait till they go fetch them. 
 
 We ftand in need of this example to authorize 
 our ancient cuftom, but we carried on the mode far- 
 ther than they , for in our memory the French were 
 not fatisiied with walking booted along the ftreets, 
 but armed them v/irh huge jingling fpurs, that no- 
 thing might be wanting to the ornaments of a gen- 
 tleman on horfeback •, but we are recovered as to this 
 point, and feveral others ; but the Chinefe in all 
 probability, that dote upon antiquity, will not be 
 cured of it in hafte*, it is indeed, in refped: of 
 them, an extravagant piece of fopper)^, not to dare 
 to go into the city Vvithout their boots, becaufe they 
 are always carried in a fedan. 
 
 This mode w^ould be flill the more pardonable in 
 winter ; for their boots being of filk, and their 
 boot-hofe of a pinked fluff, lined with cottons a 
 good inch thick, the leg is thereby well defended 
 ap^ainfl the cold -, but in fumm.er, where the heat is 
 exceflive, no body living befides the Chinefe, to 
 keep up an air of gravity, would endure to be at 
 that rate in a kind of a ftove from morning to 
 evening : and what is more ftrange. your people 
 that work fcarce ever ufe them, either by reafon of 
 the inconvenience, or to fave charges. 
 
 The form of thefe boots is fomewhat different 
 from ours, for they have neither heel nor top ; 
 when they ride any long journeyj they are made of 
 
 firm^ 
 
of the Chinefe Nation^ &c. 135 
 
 firm, old leather, of thick, black, pinked cotton ; 
 but in the city they ufually wear them of fattin, 
 with a coarfe border of plufh or velvet upon the 
 knee. The people in publick, and perfons of qua- 
 lity within doors, are, inftead of fhoes, fhod with 
 pattins of black linnen, or fome very pretty (ilk, 
 yery convenient , they ftick clofe to the foot of 
 themfelves, by a border that covers the heel, with- 
 out needing to tie them before. 
 
 They have not introduced the ufe of the muff 
 and gloves into China ; but, the fleeves of the ved 
 being very long, they drav/ up their hands into 
 them when it is cold to keep them warm. I knov/ 
 not if I may make bold, my lord, to add another 
 cuftom, which is very ancient among the Chinefe, 
 and by no means fuitable to the French politenefs ; 
 their dodlors, and other learned men, let their nails 
 grow exceffively, infomuch that in fome they are 
 littte fhorter than their fingers ; it obtains anion gft 
 them not only for an ornament, but a diftindlion, 
 by which It may be known, that by their condition 
 they are feparated from mechanick arts, and are 
 wholly addided to fciences. In fhort, fince they 
 affed a flarched gravity in all their ways, which 
 conciliates refpedl, they imagine with themfelves 
 that a long beard might contribute thereto, fo they 
 fuffer it to grow ; now if they have not much, it Is 
 not for want of cultivating : but nature In this point 
 has been very niggardly, there Is not a man of them 
 that does not envy the Europeans, whom they look 
 upon In this refpedl as the greateft men In the world. 
 
 Here you have, my lord, a particular defcription, 
 that may In fome meafure acquaint you with the 
 deportment and afped of the Chinefe ; / do not think ^ 
 fays a Spaniard to me one day, that they ought to he 
 offended at it in France ; in all likelihood thofe modes 
 formerly reigned among jl you ; for tell me^ is there any 
 one of them^ that hath efcaped the fertile invention of 
 
 K 4 ths 
 
136 Of the peculiar CharaEler 
 
 ike French \ m fcurteen hwndred years^ which is as 
 long as the monarchy hath continued^ there have been 
 above fourteen hundred modes. So that perhaps there 
 is not that habit in the worlds that JJjoiild feem ftrange 
 to you ; and all that we can fay^ when any mode that 
 is prefented to you difpleafes you^ is^ that it is out of 
 fafhion. 
 
 'Tis true, the Chinefe are not fo fickle as we, but 
 they have carried on things to another extremity ; 
 for, rather than forfake their ancient habit, they re- 
 viewed a cruel war againft the Tartars ; I, and the 
 greatefl: part of them chofe rather to lofe their heads 
 than their hair : but of all the excefles in point of 
 mode, none is m.ore phantaftical than this •, for how 
 ridiculous foever the Chinefe may fear to look, after 
 they have parted v/ith an head of hair, yet they 
 might be convinced that a manjwhofe head is lopp'd 
 oiF, is worfe disfigured. However, we muft grant 
 that the conflancy of this people is admirable, for, 
 when the Tartars attacked them, they j^ad kept 
 their habit for above two thoufand years, \yhich can 
 be afcribed to nothing but the good order obferved 
 in the empire,the government of which hath always 
 been uniform, where the laws have been exadly ob- 
 ferved in the lead pundilio's. 
 
 But as I am perfuaded thefe ways would not 
 pleafe all our French people \ fo the modes, of 
 which we are fo fond, do not appear fo handfome to 
 the Chinefe as we imagine ♦, but above all, the peri- 
 wig does flrangely run in their mind \ and they look 
 upon us as a fort of people, who for want of a beard, 
 would get an artificial one clapp'd to the chin, that 
 fhould reach to the knees. This phantaftical head- 
 drefs, fay they, and that prodigious heap of curled 
 hair, are proper upon the ftage for a man that would 
 reprefent the devil •, but has on the fhape of a rrian 
 when he is thus difguifed ? Thus the Chinefe po- 
 
 litenefs 
 
of the Chlnefe Nation, &c, 137 
 
 Iitenefs will go near upon this article alone to ar- 
 raign us of barbarity. 
 
 They have likewife much ado to be perfuaded^ 
 that long fhanks difcovered, with a ftockin drawn 
 ftrait, and narrow breeches, look handfome, becaufe 
 they are accuftomed to an air of gravity that gives 
 them other conceptions. They would fooner be re- 
 conciled with the figure of a magiftrate fhaven,with- 
 out a periwig, who fhould in his lawyers go^v^n go 
 booted, than with all that gaiety of attire that makes 
 our cavaliers have a fine fhape, an eafy and fine 
 gate, a quick and difingaged carriage -, which will by 
 no means go down with them. This ridiculoufnefs 
 pleafes, and one is oftentimes offended at real pret- 
 tinefs, according as prejudice or cuftom have differ- 
 ently changed the imagination ; there is notwith- 
 {landing in all thefe modes fome other intrinfick real 
 beauty, which naked fimplicity, which nature in her 
 innocence, and exempt from paffion, have infpired 
 into men, ^ for the neceffity and conveniency of life. 
 
 Altho' perfons of quality obferve exadly all the 
 formalities and decencies fuitable to their ftate, and 
 never appear uncovered in publick, how great foever 
 the heat be, yet in private, and among their friends, 
 they aflume a freedom even to a fault ; they ever 
 and anon quit their bonnet, furtout, veft and fhirt, 
 referving nothing but a fingle pair of drawers of 
 white taffaty, or tranfparent linnen , which is the 
 inore furprifing, becaufe they condemn all nakednefs 
 in pidures, and are even offended that our engra- 
 vers reprefent men with their arms, thighs, and 
 Ihoulders uncovered j they feem to be in the right, 
 for being difpleafed at the unchriftian licenfe of our 
 workmen -, but yet they are ridiculous to blame that 
 upon a piece of Imnen or paper, which they pradife 
 themfelves with fo much liberty and undecency in 
 their own proper perfons. 
 
 As for the vulgar, they tranfgrefs in that refped^ 
 
 all 
 
138 Of the peculiar Characler 
 
 alj the bounds of modefly, efpeclally in the fouthem 
 provinces, where watermen, and certain other han- 
 dicrafts-men, are Impudent to the higheft degree \ 
 and in truth the moft barbarous Indians, notwith- 
 ftandlng the cHmate feems to excufe them, appeared 
 to me in this refpefl lefs barbarous than the Chinefe ; 
 almofh all the artificers and inferior tradefmen go 
 along the ftreets with fingle drawers, without cap, 
 ftockins, or fhirt, which makes them much tanned 
 and fwarthy. In the northern provinces they are 
 a little more referved \ and the cold, in fpite of 
 their teeth, makes them modefl, and keep within 
 bounds. 
 
 After having defcribed to you the modes of Qiina, 
 perhaps you may be defirous, my lord, that I fhould 
 fpeak of their fluffs. What I have obferved of them 
 in general is this, their filk, without queflion, is the 
 finefl in the world ; they make of It in many pro- 
 vinces, but the befl and falrefl is to be found in that 
 of Chekiam, becaufe the foil is very proper for mul- 
 berry trees, and becaufe the air is endued with a 
 degree of heat and molflure, more conformable to 
 tie worm.s that make it. Every body deals in it, 
 and the trafiick of it is fo very great, that this pro- 
 vince alone is able to fupply all Chinaj and the 
 greatefl part of Europe. 
 
 Yet the finefl and falrefl filks are wrought In the 
 province of Nankim, the rendevouz of almofl all 
 the good workmen. It is there that the emperor 
 furnifheth himfelf with the filks fpent in the palace, 
 and with thofe he prefents the lords of the court ; 
 the filks of Quam.tum, notwithflanding, are valued 
 above all among flrangers -, and the filks of this 
 province are alfo more faleable, and go off better 
 than thofe of all the other provinces of China. 
 
 Altho' all thefe filks have fome refemblaticeto ours, 
 yet the workmanfhip hath fomething in it that makes 
 a difference. I have there feen plufhi velvet, tlfTue of 
 
 gold. 
 
of the Chinefe Nation^ &c. 139 
 
 gold, fattln, taffaty, crapes, and feveral others, of 
 which I do not fo much as know the name In France; 
 that which is the moft current amongft them is called 
 Tcuanze •, it is a fort of fattin, ftronger, but not 
 fo gloffy as ours, fometimes fmooth, and fometimes 
 diitinguiihed by flowers, birds, trees, houfes, and 
 fhady groves. 
 
 Thefe figures are not raifed upon the ground by 
 a mixture of raw filk, as our workmen are ufed to 
 do in Europe, which makes our v/ork not fo dura- 
 ble ; all the filk in thefe is twifted, and the flowers 
 are diftinguifhed only by the diiference of colours, 
 and fliadowing ; when they mix gold or filver with 
 it, it does much refemble our brocado, or flower'd 
 filk, but their gold and filver is wrought after a 
 manner particular to them alone ; for whereas In 
 Europe we draw the gold as fine as pofllbly it can 
 be twiiled with the thread, the Chinefe, to fave the 
 matter, or becaufe they did not bethink themfeives 
 of this trick, fatisfy themfeives to gild or filver over 
 a long leaf of paper, which they afterwards cut into 
 little fcrowls, wherein they wrap the filk. 
 
 There is a great deal of cunning therein, but this 
 gilding will not laft long, v/ater, or even moiftnefs 
 itfelf, will tarnifii the fplendor of it quickly , yet for 
 all that, when the pieces come out of the workman's 
 hands, they are very fine, and one would take them 
 for valuable pieces. Sometimes they are contented 
 only to put into the pieces thefe little fcrowls of gild- 
 ed paper, without rolling them upon the thread, and 
 then the figures, altho' pretty and vindj turned, do 
 not lafl: fo long by far : and the filk thus flower'd 
 is at a lower rate. 
 
 Amongft the different figures they reprefent, the 
 dragon is mofi: ordinary •, there be two forts of 
 them •, one, to which they make five claws, called 
 Lorn, is only ufed upon the fiiuffs defigned for the 
 exnperor J this is his arms^ which Tohi, founder of 
 . the 
 
140 Of the peculiar CharaBer 
 
 the empire, iirft took for himfelf and fucceflbrs 
 above four thoufand years ago. The fecond fort of 
 • dragons hath but four claws, and is named Mam. 
 The emperor Vouvam, who reigned two thoufand 
 eight hundred thirty two years ago, ordained that 
 every body might bear the fam.e ; and, fince that 
 time, the ufe of it is grown common. 
 
 They make ufe of another kind of fluff in fum- 
 mer, which the Chinefe call Cha ; it is not fo cloie, 
 nor hath fo good a glofs as our taffaty, but much 
 jljiore fubftantial *, altho' feveral people defire to have 
 it fmooth and even, yet moft wear it powdered 
 »3ivith great flowers pierced through, and cut like 
 your Englifh lace ; and many times thefe piercings 
 are fo numerous, that one can fcarce difcern the body 
 of the filk. The fummer garments are extraordinary 
 convenient, and wonderful neat, fo that ail perfons 
 of quality ufe them ; befides the taffaty is not dear, 
 a whole piece, enough to make a long veft and 
 furtout, will not amount to above two guineas. 
 
 The third is a particular fort of taffaty, that 
 ferves for drawers, fhirts, linings, they call It 
 Tcheouze \ it is clofe, and withal fo pliant, that 
 fold, double it, and fqueeze it with your hand, as 
 long as you pleafe, you can fcarce ever rumple it. 
 It is fold by weight, and is fo ferviceable, that they 
 -wafh It as they do linnen, without lofing much of 
 its former luftre. 
 
 Belides the ordinary filk of which I but now 
 fpoke, which we know In Europe, China hath of 
 another fort, which you meet with In the province of 
 Quamtum. The worms from which they take it 
 are wild, they go to feek for them in the woods ; 
 and I am not fure, whether or no they breed them 
 m houfes. This filk Is of a grey colour, void of 
 any glofs, fo that thofe, who are not well acquainted 
 with it, take the fluffs that are made of It for red 
 iinnen, or for one of the coarfefl druggets > yet 
 
 for 
 
of the Chmtk Nation, &c. 141 
 
 for all that they infinitely value it, and it cdfts 
 more than fattin, they call them Kien Tchebu j 
 they will endure a long time j tho' ftrong and clofe, 
 yet they do not fret ; they wafh them as they do 
 linnen -, and the Chinefe aflure us, that fpots cannot 
 fpoil them, and that they do not fo much as take 
 oil itfelf 
 
 Wool is very common, and withal very cheap, 
 efpecially in the provinces of Xenfi and Xanfi, and 
 Suchven, where they feed abundance of flocks, yet 
 do not the Chinefe make cloth. That of Europe, 
 wherewith the Englifli furnifh them, is highly 
 cfteemed •, but, by reafon they fell it much dearer ' 
 than the fineft filks, they buy but little of it. The 
 Mandarines make themfelves ftudying gowns for the 
 winter of a kind of coarfe ruffet, for want of better 
 cloth. As for druggets, ferges and tammies, we 
 fcarce meet with better than theirs*, the Bonzes 
 wives do commonly work them, becaufe the Bonzes 
 make ufe of them themfelves ; and there is a great 
 trade driven of them every where in the empire. 
 
 Befides cotton linnen, that is very common, they 
 ufe alfo for the fummer nettle linnen for long vefts ; 
 but the linnen which is the moft valued, and is to 
 be found no where elfe, is called Copou ; becaufe it 
 is made of a plant that the people of the country 
 call Co, found in the province of Fokien. 
 
 It is a kind of creeping fhrub, whofe leaves are 
 much bigger than ivy-leaves ; they are round, 
 fmooth, green within, whitifh, and cottony, or 
 downy, on the outfide ; they let them grov/ and 
 fpread along the fields. There be fome of them as 
 thick as your finger, which is pliable, and cottony as 
 its leaves are. When it begins to dry they make the- 
 fheaves of it to rot in water, as they do flax and hemp ; 
 they always peel off the firfl: ikin, which they 
 throw away j but of the fecond, which is much more 
 
 fine 
 
142 Of the peculiar Charadicr 
 
 fine and delicate, they divide it by the hand into 
 very flender and very fmall filaments, without beat- 
 ing or fpinning it, and make that Imnen of v/hich 
 I fpake i it is tranfparent, pretty fine, but fo cool 
 and light, that one would think he had nothing on 
 his back. 
 
 All perfons of quality make long vefls of it du- 
 ring the excefTiv^e heat, with a furtout of Cha. In 
 the fpring and autumn they put on Kien-tcheou, and 
 't ouanze in winter, that is to fay, coarfe faitin, or 
 flowered filk. Grave perfons defire to have it plain, 
 others wear it flowered ; but nobody, except the 
 Mandarines in the affemblies, or upon certain folemn 
 viiits, ufes filk fiower'd with gold or filver. The vul- 
 gar, that ufually habit themfelves in coarfe linnen 
 dyed blue, or black, quilt it with cotton, or line it 
 with flieepfkiii during the cold weather \, but great 
 perfons litie their vefts and furtouts with the noble 
 fkins of fable or ermine, fox or lamb : they ufe 
 alfo for the fame purpofe plufh and petit- gris. 
 
 Bccaufe ermine is very rare in China, they con- 
 tent themfelves only to border their vef^s and ex- 
 tremity of their fleeves with it -, that, * which I have 
 feen, did not appear to me to be of a fair white. 
 
 Sable is pretty well known in France, but much 
 lefs common there than in China, where all the 
 confiderable Mandarines wear it : one fkin only of 
 a foot long, and between 4 and 6 inches broad, 
 (for the -f anim.al is but fmall) will fometimes coft 
 10 crowns -, but when one choofeth fome of the 
 fined for a compleat habit, the whole lining of a 
 veil will coft between 5 and 6000 livres ; yet 
 one may have a pretty handfome one for 200 
 piftoles. 
 
 Fox-ikins are llkewife much ufed, thofe who 
 v/ould be magnificent take nothing but the belly 
 of this animal, where the hair is long, fine, and 
 
 foftefl i 
 
 * 7hey call it Iq Chu. f Tley call it Tiaochu, 
 
cf the Chinefe Nation^ &c. 143 
 
 fofteft ; and, of a great number of fmall pieces patch- 
 ed together, they compofe an entire lining, which 
 for the veil and furtout comes to a matter of 5 
 or 600 livres. 
 
 There arc alfo feveral other forts of furs that 
 Tartary perhaps fupplies them withaJ, which the 
 Mandarines make ufe of to fit upon the ground, 
 efpecially at the palace when they wait, and ex- 
 pe(fl the time of their audience. They put fome 
 of them alfo under the quilt, not only to heat 
 the bed, but alfo to take away its dampnefs. Be- 
 lides, there is another * fur of a particular fpecies, 
 that is perfedlly handfome and fine, the hair of 
 it is long, foft, and very thick fet ; it is of a pret- 
 ty whitidi grey mixed with black, ftriped with 
 black and yellow lifts, as thofe of tigers , they 
 make great winter gowns of them to wear in the 
 city, putting the fur on the outfide, fo that when 
 the Mandarines are thick and ihort (which is very 
 common with them) bejfides two furs underneath 
 for the veft and furtout *, v/hen, I fay, they have 
 put on their back one of thefe furred gowns with 
 long hair, they differ but a little from bears, or 
 from the animal of whom they borrowed the skin ; 
 altho' in this condition they think themfelves to be 
 Very genteel, and to make a graceful figure. 
 
 Of all the furrings, the moft common are lamb- 
 skins f. They are white, downy, and very warm, 
 but burthenfome, and, at firft, of a ftrcng fmell, 
 in a manner like thofe greafy gloves that fmell of 
 oil : I wonder they bring not up the mode in 
 France ; thofe, who delight in f.ender fine fnapes, 
 would not fubmit to it, yet otherwife there is nothing 
 more genteel, nor more convenient for winter. 
 
 Upon the whole, if great caution be not ufed, all 
 thefe furs are eafily fpoiled, efpecially in liot and moift 
 countries ^ worms breed in tliem, and the hair falls 
 
 off: 
 
144 ^f ^'^^ peculiar Characier 
 
 of : to prevent them, the Chinefe, fo foon as ever 
 the fiimmer approaches, expofe them to the air 
 for fer feme days, when it is fair and dry wea- 
 ther j then they beat them with fticks, or fhake 
 them often, to get out the dufl: ; and when they 
 have inclofed them in hiige earthen pots, into 
 which they throw corns of pepper, and other bit- 
 ter drugs, they flop it up very clofe, and there let 
 them lie till the beginning of winter. 
 
 Befides their ufual garments, there are yet two 
 forts that deferve to be known : They put on one 
 to defend them from the rain ; for the Chinefe^ 
 who delight in travelling, fpare for no coft to travel 
 commodioufly ; they are made of a coarfe tafFety; 
 crufted over with a condenfed oil, which is in lieu 
 of wax, which, being once well dried, makes the 
 ftufF green, tranfparent, and extraordinary genteel f 
 They make bonnets of it, vefts, and furtouts, that 
 refift the rain for fome time \ but it gets thro' all 
 at lafb, unlefs the garment be a choice one, and 
 carefally prepared. The boots are of leather, but fo 
 little that the ftockins are fpoiled at the knee, except 
 one be a horfeback, like the Tartars, with their legs 
 doubled up, and their ftirrups extremely fhort. 
 
 The mourning habit hath alfo fomething odd in 
 it. The bonnet, vefts, furtout, ftockins and boots 
 are made of white linen, and from the prince to the 
 moft inferior handicrafts- men, none dare wear any 
 of another colour. In clofe mourning the bonnet 
 feems phantaftick, and very difficult to be reprefent- 
 ed ; it is of a red ^nd very clear canvas cloth, not 
 much unlike the canvas we ufe for packing up goods. 
 The veft is kept clofe with a girdle of canvas ; the 
 Chinefe, in this pofture, do at the beginning afFedV 
 a carelefs behaviour, and grief and forrow feems 
 painted all over the outward man •, but, all being no- 
 thing but ceremony and affedlation with them, they 
 cafily put on their own face again 5 they can laugh 
 
 and 
 
t)f the Chinefe Nation^ CSc^ 145 
 
 and cry both in a breath ; for I have feen fome 
 laugh immediately after they had ihed abundance 
 of tears over the tomb of their fathers. 
 
 Perhaps, my lord, yoii may have the curiofity 
 to know, after what manner the miffionaries, who 
 labour about the converfion of the infidels, are ha- 
 bited ', the laws, that fufFer no foreign mode to 
 take place, determined the firft jefuits to take the 
 garb of the Bonzes at the beginning : but this 
 garb, tho' grave and modeft enough^ was fo cried 
 down by the ignorance and irregular life of thofe 
 wicked priefts, that that alone was fufficient to de- 
 prive us of the company and correfpondence of 
 honeft people. 
 
 In effed, nothing was fo diametrically oppofite 
 to religion : fo that, after a long deliberation, they 
 thought it more advifable to take the ftudent's 
 habit, which, together with the quality of Eu- 
 ropean dodtor^ did capacitate us to fpeak to the 
 people with fome authority, and to be heard by 
 ;he Mandarines with fome refped. From that ve- 
 •y time, we had free accefs every where, and God 
 iid fo far vouchfafe a bleffing to the labours of 
 )ur firft miffionaries, that the gofpel in a fhort time 
 vas propagated with confiderable fuccefs. 
 
 But in the late revolution of the empire, thefe 
 athers, as well as the Chinefe, were forced to 
 p habited in the Tartarian fafhlon, as I told 
 ou. When we vifit the Mandarines upon acc-dunt 
 f religion, we were forced to wear a veft and fur- 
 Dut of common filk •, but at home, w^e were cloth- 
 d in ferge or painted linnen. 
 
 So that, my lord, preferving as much as lies in 
 [S the fpirit of poverty fuitable to our condition, we 
 adeavour to become all things to .all men^ after the 
 boftles example, that we may the more eafily win 
 her fome to Jefus Chrift -, being perfuaded, that, as 
 l» a miflionary, the garment, diet, manner of livings 
 
 I.. and 
 
146 Of the economy and Magnificence 
 
 and exterior cuftoms ought all to be referred to the 
 great defign he propofes to himfelf, to convert the 
 whole earth. A man rauft be a Barbarian with Bar- 
 barians, polite with men of parts, auftere and rigid 
 to. excefs among the Indian penitents, handfomely 
 drefs'd in China, and half naked in the wildernefs 
 of Madure, to the end that the gofpel always 
 uniform, always unalterable in itfelf, may the more 
 eafily insinuate itfelf into the minds of men whom 
 an holy compliance and conformity to cuftoms, re- 
 gulated by chriftian prudence, have already pre- 
 poflefs*d in favour to us. I am, with the mofl: 
 profound refped. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 Tour moft humble^ 
 and moft obedient Servant^ 
 L.J. 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Ti the But chefs of Bouillon. 
 Of the Oeconomy and Magnificence of the Chinefe. 
 
 Madam^ 
 
 THE earneft defire I have obferved in your 
 grace, to be fully informed of the prefent 
 ftate of the millions in China, hath been an infinite 
 fatisfadtion to me : but I confefs, I was a little fur- 
 prifed, that, when this new world abounds with fo 
 many curiofities, you fhould chiefly defire an ac- 
 count of the Chinefe gallantry and magnificence. I 
 know very well that this is the ufual fubjedl of 
 difcourfe among the ladies, and I could have al- 
 mofl: expected no more from any other of your 
 fex. 
 
 But 
 
of the Chinefe. 147' 
 
 But for you, madam, when I had the honour to 
 fee you, I have prepared materials of a quite diffe- 
 rent nature : I made account you would difcourfe 
 with me concerning the ingenuity^ fciences, and po- 
 litenefs of this people : and whereas travellers do 
 ufually aifed: to prefer what they have feen a- 
 mongft foreigners, to that which is found in their 
 native foil, I pleafed myfelf, that I could fincere- 
 ly and fafely tell you, that the French ladies (I 
 mean thofe, who like you have raifed themfelves 
 above thofe toyifh cares, that do in a manner 
 totally pofTefs the fair fex) have more wit, capa- 
 city, and a more raifed genius, even in the folid 
 and fubftantial fciences, than all the great dodor^ 
 of that empire ; for, as for politenefs, I can fcarce 
 believe, madam, that you can doubt of it, fince 
 one need not be accomplifhed with half the po- 
 litenefs you are miftrefs of, to deface and eclipfe 
 the moft polite courts of the Eafl. 
 '"But (ince, either by chance, or by your own choice, 
 you have been pleafed to confine yourfelf to another 
 fubjed, and that you defire a methodical account of 
 what I have had the honour to relate to you of 
 it ; I jfhall obey you, madam, not only with that 
 profound refpe(5l I owe to your quality and merit, 
 but alfo with all the fentiments of grateful acknow- 
 1 ledgment which the many honours and favours,! have 
 I received from your grace, can infpire me with. 
 1 The Chinefe come far fhort of us in the magnifi- 
 cence of their houfes, befides that, the architedlure 
 ■is not beautiful, nor the apartments fpacious, they 
 :do not lludy to adorn them, and that chiefly for 
 two reafons : The firft is, Becaufe all the palaces of 
 ithe Mandarines belong, to the emperor, he lodges 
 them there \ and in feme places (I cannot fay in 
 all) the people furnifh thern. The people, to be fure, 
 are always at as little expence as they can, and the 
 Mandarines do not care to miiV themfelves by fur- 
 L 2 nifhing 
 
 i 
 
148 Of the Oeconomy and Magnificence 
 
 nifhing palaces, that they are every day in danger 
 of forfaklng, becaufe their places are properly nothing 
 but commiffions, which are many times taken away 
 upon the leaft fault. 
 
 The fecond reafon is fetch'd from the cuftom of 
 the country, which does not allow to receive vifits 
 in the inner part of the houfe, but only at the en- 
 trance in a Divan they have contrived for the cere- 
 monies. It is a ban.queting-houfe all open, that 
 hath no other ornament befides one fingle order of 
 columns of wood painted or varnifhed, which they 
 ufe only to uphold the beams and timber, that often 
 appears under the tiles, nobody taking care to cover It 
 with a cieling. So that it is no wonder if they retrench 
 all the fuperfluous ornaments of their apartments, 
 feeing foreigners and ftrangers fcarce ever fet foot 
 in them ; they have neither looking-glafles,tapeftry- 
 hangings, nor wrought chairs : gildings are not in 
 fafhion, faving only in fome of the emperor's or 
 prince of the blood's apartments. Their beds, which 
 amongft them are one of the principal ornaments, 
 never come in fight j and it would be a piece of grofs 
 incivility to carry a ftranger into a bed-chamber, e- 
 ven when you pretend to fhew him your houfe. 
 
 Infomuch that all their magnificence may be redu- 
 ced to cabinets, tables, varnifh'd skreens, fome pic- 
 tures, divers pieces of white fattin, upon which there 
 is writ in a large charader fome fentence of morality^ 
 which is hung here and there in the chamber, to- 
 gether with fome veffels of porcelain ; neither have 
 they occafion to ufe even them as we do, becauft 
 there Is no chimney to be feen in the chamber. 
 
 Neverthelefs, thefe ornaments, if skilfully mana- 
 ged, are very fine and beautiful : varnifh, which 
 is fo common in China, is difpers'd all over ; it takes 
 all colours, they mix flowers of gold and filver 
 with it, they paint men, mountains, palaces, huntings, 
 birds, combats, and feveral figures, that make a 
 
 bafs 
 
of the Chinefe. 149 
 
 bafs relief in the work, and renders It extremely 
 pleafing and delightful, fo that in this point the. 
 Chinefe make a great (how with a little charge. 
 
 Befides the brightnefs and luftre which is the pro- 
 perty of varnifh, it hath moreover a certain quality of 
 preferving the wood upon which it is applied, efpe- 
 cially if they do not mix any other matter with it. 
 Worms do not eafily breed in it, nay, and moi- 
 fture fcarce ev^er penetrates it, not fo much as any 
 fcent can faften to it \ if during meals there be any 
 greafe or pottage fpilt, if it be prefently wiped with 
 a wet clout, one not only finds no rennainders or 
 figns of it, but does not fo much as perceive the 
 leail fmell. 
 
 People were miftaken when they fancied that var- 
 nifh was a compofition, and a peculiar fecret ; it is a 
 gum that diftiis from a tree, much w^hat after the 
 fame manner as rofin doth. In the tuns v/herein 
 it is tranfported, it refembles melted pitch or tar, ex- 
 cepting only that it hath no fmell when it is ufed. 
 There muft be oil mix'd with it, to temper it more 
 or lefs, according to the quality of the work. 
 
 For tables and ordinary chairs, it is fufficient to 
 lay on two or three layers of varnifh, which makes 
 it fo tranfparent, that one may difcern every vein of 
 the wood thro' it. Now, If you would hide all the 
 matter on which you are at work, you muft do it 
 over and over again, till at length it be nothing 
 but ice, but fo fin.e at firft, that It may ferve for 
 a mirror. When the work Is dry, they paint upon 
 it feveral figures In gold, fllver, or any other colour ; 
 they go over that again, if they pleafe, with a flight 
 touch of varnifh, to give them a luftre, and the 
 better to prefer ve them. 
 
 But thofe, who would perform a finifhing flroke, 
 glew upon the wood a kind of pafleboard, compofed 
 of paper, packthread, lime, and fome-other fubftance 
 well beaten, with, which the varnifli incorporateth. 
 
 L 3 They 
 
1^0 Of the economy ajid Magnificence 
 
 They compofe a ground of it perfedlly even and 
 folid, upon which is applied the vamifh by little and 
 little, in little ftratums, which they dry one after 
 another. Every workman hath a peculiar fecret to 
 perfed his work, as in all other occupations. But 
 in my opinion, befides the dexterity and flight of 
 hand, and the due tempering the varnilh, that it 
 may be neither too thick nor too thin, patience is 
 what contributes the moil to the well fucceeding 
 in this operation. There are very pretty curious 
 cabinets at Tumkim ; but v/hat are brought to us 
 from Japan, are herein no way inferior to the China 
 work. 
 
 As for porcelain, it is fuch an ordinary moveable, 
 that it is the ornament of every houfe ; the tables, 
 the fide-boards, nay, the kitchen is cumber'd with 
 it, for they eat and drink out of it, it is their ordinary^, 
 yefTel : there are likewife made huge flower-pots of 
 It, The very architects cover roofs, and make ufe 
 of it fometimes to incruftate marble buildings. 
 
 Amongft thofe that are moft in requeft, there are 
 of three different colours •, fome are yellow, yet tho' 
 the earth be very fine, they appear more ccarfe than 
 the others ; and the reafon is, becaufe that colour 
 does not admit of fo fine poliihing ; it is ufed in the 
 emperor's palace. Yellow is his own proper colour, 
 which is not allowed to any perfon to bear ; fo that 
 one may fafely fay, that, as for the bufinefs of por- 
 celain, the emperor is the worft ferved. 
 
 The fecond fort is of a grey colour, with abundance 
 of fmall irregular Imes in it, that crofs one another, 
 as if the veiTel was all over ftripcd, or wrought with 
 inlaid or Mofaick work. I cannot imagine how they 
 form thefe figures •, for I have much ado to believe 
 that they are able to draw them with a pencil. Per- 
 haps, when the porcelain is baked, and yet hot, it is 
 expofed to the cold air, or they infufe it in warm 
 ^ater that opens it in that maimer, on all fides, 
 
 V • ' r ^*"^ 
 
of the Chinefe, 151 
 
 as It often happens to cryftals during winter ; after 
 that, they add a ftratum of varnlfh to It, which covers 
 thefe Inequalities, and, by means of a gentle fire into 
 which they put it again, it Is made as even and po- 
 Ilfhed as before. However It Is, thefe fort of vafes 
 partake of a particular beauty ; and fure I am, the 
 curious amongft us would much value them. 
 
 Laft of all, the third fort of porcelain Is white, 
 with divers figures of flowers, trees, and birds, which 
 they paint in blue, fuch as come hither into Europe : 
 this Is the commoneft of all, and every body ufes 
 it. But In refpedl of glaffes and cryftals, as all work 
 is not equally beatitlful, fo amongft porcelains fome 
 of them are but Indifferent, and not worth much 
 more than our earthen ware. 
 
 Thofe that have skill do not always agree In the 
 judgment they pafs upon them \ and I perceive, that 
 in China, as well as in Europe, fancy bears a main 
 ftroke in the matter ; yet it is granted by all hands, 
 that four or five different things concur to make them 
 compleat and perfecfl \ the finenefs of the matter, the 
 whitenefs, the polltenefs, the painting, thedefigning 
 of the figures, and the fafhion of the w'ork. 
 
 The finenefs is difcovered by Its tranfparency, in 
 which, refped is to be had to its thicknefs, the brims 
 are commonly thinner, and It Is In that place v/here 
 they ought to be confidered : When the veffel Is big, 
 it is a difficult matter to determine any thing thereup- 
 on, unlefs one have a niind to break off fome pieces 
 below ; for there the colour of the inner part a- 
 lone, or, as they terni it, the Grain, affords a fhrewd 
 guefs, which appears llkewife, when the two pieces 
 can be joined together again fo perfedtly, that no 
 rupture appears therein, for that is a fure token of 
 the hardnefs, and confequently of the finenefs of 
 the matter. 
 
 The whitenefs is not to be confounded with the 
 
 b^Jghtnefe of the varnifh which is laid over the per- 
 
 L 4 celaiiij 
 
152 Of the Oeconomy and Magnificence 
 
 celain, which jfhews like a mirrour ; fo that, behold- 
 ing it near to fome other objedls, their colours are 
 feen in it ; and this refledlon alone is capable of 
 making one pais a wrong judgment upon its native 
 whitenefs •, it muft be carried into the open air, 
 if you would underftand its beauty or faults perfe6tly. 
 Altho' this varnifh be perfectly incorporated with 
 the matter, and tho' it is mighty lailing, yet it 
 tarnifhes at long run, and lofeth that brisk fplen- 
 dor it had at the beginning, from whence it comes 
 to pafs, that the whitenefs appears more taking and 
 pretty in old porcelains ; not but the new ones for 
 all that are as good, and will in fome time aOume 
 the fame colour. 
 
 The fmoothnefs and finenefs of them confift in 
 two things, in the brightnefs of the varnilh, and 
 evennefs of the matter. The varnifh (hould not be 
 thick,, otherwife there will be a cruft introduced, 
 which will not be incorporated enough with the 
 porcelain •, beiides, its luftre will be too great and 
 fprightly. The matter is perfedlly equal and even, 
 when it has not the leaft bump, when there is to 
 be obferved in it neither grain, rifing, nor de- 
 preilion : There are few veffels but have fome one of 
 thefe defedts ; there muft not only be found no fpots 
 nor flaws, but notice muft be taken whether there 
 be fome places brighter than others, which happens 
 when the pencil is unequally poifed •, which fome- 
 times alfo happens when the varnifti is laid on, if 
 every part be not equally dry \ for the leaft moi- 
 fture caufeth a fenfible difference therein. 
 
 The painting is not one of the leaft beauties of the 
 porcelain ; for that purpofe one may make ufe of all 
 colours, but commonly they ufe red, and much more 
 bli^e. I never faw any vefl^l whofe red was lively 
 enough ; it is not becaufe theChinefe have not very 
 lovely red, but perhaps, becaufe the moft lively and 
 iiihtil part§ of this colour are imbibed by the rough- 
 Vr * nefs 
 
of the Chmtk. 153 
 
 nefs of the matter on which it is laid : for the diffe- 
 rent grounds contribute much to the heightening or 
 leffening the luftre of the colours. As for blue, they 
 liave it moft excellent ; however, it is very difficult 
 to hit upon that exadt temperature, where it is neither 
 too pale, deep, intenfe, nor too bright. But that 
 which workmen moft diligently feek after is, to per- 
 fe6l the extremities of the figures, fo that the co- 
 lour do not extend beyond the pencil, to the Qtid 
 that the whitenefs of the porcelain may not be fullied 
 by a certain bluifh water, which flows, if fpecial 
 care be not taken from the colour itfelf, when it is 
 not well pounded, or when the matter on which it is 
 laid, hath not attained a good degree of dry nefs ; 
 much after the fame manner as happens to paper that 
 blots when it is moift, or when you write with 
 naughty ink. 
 
 It were well if the Chinefe defigns in their paint- 
 ing were a little better. Their flowers are pretty 
 well, but their human figures are monflrous, which 
 difgrace them among ftrangers, who imagine, that 
 they are in effedl as monftrous in their fhape, as 
 they appear in the pidlures ; yet thofe are their ufual 
 ornaments. The more regular defigns and fkilful 
 draughts would be lefs pleafing to them than thefe 
 anticks. 
 
 To make amends, they are very ingenious and 
 expert in turning their vafes well, of what fize foever 
 they be. The figure of them is bold, well propor- 
 tioned, perfedlly round ; nay, and I do not believe 
 that our fkilfulleft workmen are able to fafhion the 
 great pieces better ; they, as well as we, put a great 
 value upon ancient vafes, but for a reafon quite dif- 
 ferent from ours ; we value them becaufe they are 
 fairer, they for their antiquity ; not but that the 
 artificers are as expert, and the matter as good now 
 as heretofore : there are very fine ones made at this 
 day •, and I have feen at fome Mandarines houfes 
 
 whole 
 
154 ^f ^f^^ Oec^mmy tmd Magnificence 
 whole fervices that were fuperflne. But the Euro- 
 pean merchants do no longer trade with the good 
 workmen, and, having no fkill in them themfelves, 
 they accept whatfoever the Chinefe expofe to fale \ 
 for they vend them in the Indies. Befides no body 
 takes care to furniili them with examples of draughts, 
 or to befpeak particular pieces of work beforehand. 
 If Mr. Conftance had lived, we fhould quickly have 
 known in France that China had not loft the fecret 
 of making porcelain : but this is not the greateft lofs 
 we have fuftained by his death *, what religion fufFers 
 by it, through all the Eaft, will fcarce give us leave 
 to take notice of the alterations it hath caufed in 
 arts and trading. 
 
 There is yet another reafon that makes the curious 
 porcelain fo rare ; the emperor has conftituted in the 
 province, where the manufacture chiefly is, a parti- 
 cular Mandarine, whofe care it is to make choice of 
 the faireft vafes for the court ; he buys them at a 
 very reafonable rate, fo that the workmen, being but 
 ill paid, do not their beft, and are not willing to take 
 any pains for that which will not enrich them. But 
 ihould a private man employ them, who would 
 not fpare for coft and charges, we fhould have at 
 this day as curious pieces of workmanihip, as thofe 
 of the ancient Chinefe. 
 
 The China ware that is brought to us from Fokien, 
 does not defen'-e the name of it ; it is black, coarfe, 
 and is not fo good as our Fayance. That which is 
 moft look'd upon is that which is made in the pro- 
 vince of Quamfi, the clay is found in one place and 
 the water in another, becaufe it is clearer and cleaner •, 
 perhaps alfo, this water they make ufe of before any 
 other, becaufe it is impregnated with fome peculiar 
 falts, proper to purify and refine the clay, or by the 
 more ftrielly uniting the parts, as it happens in lime, 
 which is good for nothing, if it be not flaked in 
 fome ^rtain waters, whereas others make it more 
 compaft, ftrong, and adhering. I« 
 
of the Chinefe. 155 
 
 In brief. It is a miftake to think that there is re- 
 quifite one or two hundred years to the preparing 
 the matter for the porcelain, and that its compofition 
 is fo very difficult •, if that were fo. It w^ould be 
 neither fo common nor fo cheap. It is a clay differ 
 than ordinary clays ; or rather a kind of a foft white 
 ftone, that is found in the quarries of that province. 
 After having wafh'd the pieces of it, and feparated 
 the heterogeneous earth that may chance to be mix'd 
 with it, they bray it fmall till it be reduc'd to a 
 fubtil powder. How^ fine foever It may appear, yet 
 they continue pounding it for a long time •, altho' 
 by the touch no difference Is to be perceived, yet 
 they are perfuaded that It is indeed made much 
 more fubtil, that the infenfible parts are lefs mix'd, 
 and that the work thereby comes to be whiter and 
 more tranfparent. Of this fubtil powder they make 
 a pafte, which they knead, and beat a long while 
 llkewife, that it may become fofter, and that the 
 water may be the more perfectly incorporated there- 
 with. When the earth is well moulded, they en- 
 deavour the figuring of it. It is not likely that 
 they ufe moulds, as they do in fome other forts of 
 potteries *, It Is more probable that they faflilon them 
 upon the wheel like us. So foon as their work 
 pleafes them they expofe It to the fun, morning and 
 evening, but take it away again when the fun 
 waxes too hot, for fear of warping It. So the 
 vafes dry by degrees, and they apply the painting 
 at their leifure, when they judge the ground proper 
 to receive it *, but becaufe neither the vafes nor the 
 colours have fufficient luftre, they make a very fine 
 broth or ly of the matter of the fame porcelain, 
 wherewith they pafs feveral fi:rokes upon the work, 
 that gives them a particular whitenefs and luftre ; 
 thj§ is what I call the varnlfh of the porcelain. They 
 afliired me in the kingdom of Siam, that they 
 ^ix*d with It fome common varniih, with the com- 
 pofition 
 
15 6 Of the Oeconomy and Magnificence 
 
 pofition made of the white of an egg, and fhlning , 
 bones of fifh ; but this is but a fancy, and the | 
 workmen of Fokien, who work juft as thofe of 
 Quamfi, don't do otherwife. After all thefe pre- 
 parations, they put the vafes in a furnace, wherein 
 they kindle a gentle and conftant uniform fire, that 
 bakes them without breaking \ and, for fear left the 
 exterior air fhould do them damage, they do not 
 draw them out till a long while after, when they 
 have acquired their due confiftence, and have been 
 gradually cooled. 
 
 This is all, madam, I have to fay to the myftery 
 of porcelain, that they have fo long fought after in 
 Europe. Providence, and the profperity of religion, 
 that obliged me to mn over the greateft part of 
 China, did not carry me into the province of Quamfi, 
 where the earth is found whereof they make it ; fo 
 that I do not fufficiently know it, as to my own 
 particular, fo far as to be able to defcribe the nature 
 and particular qualities thereof*, perhaps it is not 
 much different from fome foft ftones that are found 
 in feveral provinces of France. And if fo be the 
 ingenious would pleafe to make fome experiments, 
 and operate diligently, bv making ufe of feveral 
 forts of waters, after X^ above-mentioned manner, 
 it m.ight not be impoilible to fucceed. 
 
 Belides thefe varnifh'd cabinets and vefTels of 
 •porcelain, the Chinefe adorn like wife their apart- jl 
 ments with pidlures : they do not excel in this art, " 
 becaufe they are not curious in perfpedlive, notwith- 
 ftanding thev diligently apply themfelves to painting -, |j 
 they take delight in it ; and there are a great com- 
 pany of painters among them : fome paint the ceil- 
 ing, reprefenting, upon the chamber- walls, an order 
 of architecture without fymmetry, by bands or fillets 
 continued all along around at the top and bottom of 
 the wall, and above the capital of the column, which 
 contains only lingle columns, placed at an equal 
 
 diftanQCi 
 
of the Chinefe. 157 
 
 d'lftance, without any other ornament of architedure. 
 Others only whiten the chamber, or glew papef 
 upon it. They hang the pidlures of their anceftors 
 up and down, with fome m^aps and pieces of white 
 fattin, on which are painted flowers, fowls, mountains 
 and palaces -, upon fome others they write in capital 
 letters fentences of morality, that explain the max- 
 ims and rules of perfedt government. Some chairs, 
 varnifh'd tables, fome cabinets, flower-pots, and 
 lanthorns of filk, well ordered, and placed in due 
 proportion, make a pretty handfome apartment. 
 
 Altho' you do not enter the bed-chamber, yet 
 are their beds very fine •, in fummer they have taffaty 
 curtains powdered with flowers, trees, and birds, in 
 gold and filk embroidery. The fort of work that 
 comes from the province of Nankim is in requeft, 
 and this is the moit noble and fine of all the Chinefe 
 furniture. Others have curtains of the finefl gaze, 
 which is no fecurity againfl: the weather, but clofe 
 enough to defend them againfl flies and gnats, that 
 are intolerable in the night. In winter they make 
 ufe of coarfe fattin flitched with dragons and other 
 figures, according as their fancy guides them : the 
 counterpain is in a manner the fame. They do not 
 ufe feather-beds, but their cotton quilts are very 
 thick ; their bedflead ordiRariiy is of joiners work, 
 beautified with figures. I have (ttn fome very fine 
 and exquifite. 
 
 By all that I have faid, you may judge,, madam, 
 that thefe people have fhut themfelves up within 
 the bounds of neceffity and profit, without being 
 over follicitous about magnificence ; their houfes are 
 neat and decent, but not fine : they feem flill more 
 negligent as to their gardens ; they have in that 
 refpedl conceptions much different from ours ; for 
 except places defigned for the fepulchre of their an- 
 ceftors, which they leave untilled, they would think 
 themfelves out of their wits to put the ground to 
 
 no 
 
158 Of the economy and Magnificence 
 
 no other ufe than to make alleys and walks, to cul- 
 tivate flowers, and plant groves of unprofitable trees. 
 The benefit of the commonwealth commands that all 
 fhould be fowed •, and their own particular intereft, 
 that more nearly concerns them than the publick 
 good, doth not permit them to prefer pleafure to 
 profit. 
 
 'Tis true, the flowers of the country do not de- 
 ferve their looking after i they have none curious ; 
 and tho' many may be met with like thofe in Eu- 
 rope, yet they cultivate them fo ill, that one has 
 much ado to know them. Neverthelefs there are 
 trees in fome places that would aflx)rd great orna- 
 ment in their gardens, if they knew how to order 
 them. Inftead of fruit, they are almofi: all the year 
 long laden with flowers of a florid carnation *, the 
 leaves are fmall, like thofe of the elm, the trunk 
 irregular, the branches crooked, and bark fmooth. 
 If alleys were made of them, mixing therewith 
 (which might eafily be done^ fome orange trees, it 
 would be the moft pleafant thing in the world ; but, 
 feeing the Chinefe walk not much, alleys do not 
 agree with them. 
 
 Amongfl: other trees they might difpofe of in 
 gardens, there is one they call the Outom-chu, re- 
 fembling the fycomore ; the leaves are in a diam.eter 
 between eight or nine inches, faftened to a ftalk a 
 foot long, it is extremely tufted, and laden with 
 clufters of flov/ers, fo thick fet, that the fun cannot 
 pierce it with his rays : the fruit, which is extraor- 
 dinary fmall, notwithftanding the tree is very large, 
 is produced after this manner : Towards Augufl:, or 
 the end of July, there fpring, out of the very point 
 of the branches, little bunches of leaves different 
 from the other ; they are whiter, fofter, and as broad, 
 and are in lieu of flowers j upon the border of each 
 of thefe leaves grow three or four fmall grains or 
 kernels, as big as green peafe, that inclofe a white 
 
 fubftance. 
 
6^^m-{Aic ^yl fV/Y^ ^^ 6yu^/uz^ 
 
of the Chinefe. 159 
 
 fubftance, very pleafant to the tafte, like to that of 
 an hazle nut that is not yet ripe. This tree being 
 fruitful, and the manner of bearing its fruit being 
 fomething extraordinary, I was apt to believe, madam, 
 you might be defirous to fee the figure of it, which 
 I have caufed to be engraven. 
 
 The Chinefe, who fo little apply themfelves to 
 order their gardens, and give them real ornaments, 
 do yet delight in them, and are at fome coft about 
 them ; they make grotto's in them, raife little 
 pretty artificial eminences, tranfport thither by pieces 
 whole rocks, which they heap one upon another, 
 without any further defign than to imitate nature. 
 If they could, befides all this, have the convenience 
 of fo much water as is neceflary to water their cab- 
 bage and liguminous plants, they would defire no 
 more. The emperor hath fountains, after the Eu- 
 ropean manner ; but private perfons content them- 
 felves with their ponds and wells. 
 
 Butaltho' theChinefe negledt the ornaments of their 
 houfes, yet no people affedl more to appear magnifi- 
 cent in publick. The government, that condemns, 
 or rather does not allow, but regulates expences as 
 to other matters, does not only approve of this, but 
 contributes to it on thefe occalions, for reafons that I 
 fhall tell you in the fequel of the hiflory. 
 
 When perfons of quality receive vifits, or make 
 any, when they go along the flreets, or when upon 
 their journey, but efpecially at fuch time when they 
 appear before the emperor, or make their addrefs to 
 the viceroys, they are always accompanied with a 
 train and air of grandeur that fills one with aflonifh- 
 ment. 
 
 The Mandarines, richly habited, are carried In a 
 fedan gilded, and open, borne upon the fhoulders of 
 eight, or fixteen perfons, accompanied with all the 
 officers of their tribunal, who furround them with 
 umbrello's and other marks of their dignity. Some 
 
 walk 
 
i6o Of the economy ajid Magnificence 
 
 walk before them two and two, bearing chains, faf- 
 ces, efcutcheons of varnifh'd wood, upon which may 
 be read, in large gold charadlers, all the titles of ho- 
 nour annex'd to their places of truft, together with a 
 brazen bafon, upon which they beat a certain number 
 of rtrokes, according to the rank they bear in the pro- 
 vince \ they continually fpeak aloud, and threaten 
 the people to make way. Other officers follow in 
 the fame order, and fometimes four or five gentle- 
 men on horfeback bring up the rear. Some Manda- 
 rines never appear in publick without a train of three 
 or four fc ore domeflicks. 
 
 Thofe that belong to the army go commonly on 
 horfeback, and, if of any condderable rank, they 
 are- evermore at the head of twenty-five or thir- 
 ty cavaliers. The princes of the blood at Pekin 
 are preceded by four of their officers, and follow 
 themfelves in the midfi: of a fquadron that marches 
 without order. But then they wear no liveries in 
 China, but the domefticks are habited accord- 
 ing to the quality of their mailers in black fattin, 
 or painted llnnen. Altho the horfes be neither fine 
 nor well managed, yet are the trappings and har- 
 nefs very magnificent •, the bits, faddle, and ftir- 
 rups are gilded, or elfe of filver. Inftead of lea- 
 ther, they make bridles of two or three twiils of 
 coarfe pink'd fattin, two fingers broad. Under the 
 horfe's neck, at the beginning of the breaft-plate, 
 hang two great taflels of that curious red horfe-hair 
 wherewith they cover their bonnets, which are fatt- 
 ened to two huge buttons of brafs gilded or wafh'd 
 with filver, hung at rings of the fame metal ; this 
 fhews fine in a cavalcade, but upon a long journey, 
 efpecially upon a courfe, it is cumberfome. 
 
 Not only the princes and perfons of the higheft 
 rank appear in publick with a train, but even thofe 
 of a meaner quality go always on horfeback along the 
 ftreets, or in a clofe fedan, followed by feveral foot- 
 men 
 
6f the Chinefe. i6i 
 
 men -, the Tartarian ladies do often make ufe of 
 calafhes with two wheels, but they have not the 
 ufe of the coach. 
 
 The magnificence of the Chinefe Mandarines 
 principally difplays itfelf in the journeys they take by 
 water 5 the prodigious bignefs of their barges^ that 
 are little inferior to fhips^ the finery, carving, paint- 
 ing and gilding of the apartments, the great num- 
 ber of officers and feamen that ferve aboard^ the dif- 
 ferent badges of their dignity every where difplayed^ 
 their arms, flags^ ftreamers, and the like^ do abun- 
 dantly diftinguifh them from the Europeans, who 
 are never worfe accoutred, or more carelefs than 
 when they travel. 
 
 Befides^ the Chinefe have their folenin feafts, 
 which they celebrate with great pomp and charges 5 
 the firft three days in the year are fpent in i;pjoycing 
 throughout the whole empire ; they array them- 
 felves magnificently, they vifit one another, they 
 fend prefents to all their friends, and to all the per- 
 fons whom it any way concerns them to obferve„ 
 Gaming, feafting, and comedies take up every body's 
 time. Ten or twelve days before abundance of lit^ 
 tie robberies are committed^ becaufe thofe^ who ard 
 deftitute of money, feek how to come by it, and 
 are refolved to have fome whoever goes without, to 
 fupply them in thefe divertifements. 
 
 The 1 5th day of the firjR: month is ftill more fo° 
 lemn •, they call it the Day or Feafl of Lanthorns % 
 becaufe they hang them up in all the houfes, and in 
 all the ftreets, in fuch a great number^ that it is a 
 madnefs rather than a feftival : they light up, it may 
 be, that day two hundred millions. You will fee, 
 madam, by what I am going to relate, that they 
 have run into extremes in this ceremony, which 
 Dtherwife might have been tolerated^ as feveral other 
 cvrftoms are, to comply with that people's humour, 
 
 M but 
 
i62 Of the economy and Magnificence 
 
 but which now are become the moft ferious delight 
 of perfons of quality. 
 
 They expofe to view that day lanthorns of alf 
 prices *, fome of them coft two thoufand crowns ; 
 and fome of the nobility retrench every year fome- 
 thing from their table, apparel or equipage, to ap- 
 pear magnificent in lanthorns. It is not the materials 
 that are dear, the gilding, fculpture, the painting, 
 fllk and varnifh make all the fhow. As for the big- 
 nefs it is immenfe. There are fome of them to be 
 feen of upward of twenty feven feet diameter : thefe 
 are halls, or chambers, and three or four of thefe 
 machines would make pretty handfome apartments ; 
 info much that you will admire, madam, when I 
 tell you that in China we may eat, lie, receive vifits, 
 reprefent comedies, and dance balls in a lanthorn. 
 
 A publick bonfire is little enough to enlighten it ; 
 
 but becaufe it v/ould be inconvenient, they are fatif- 
 
 fied with an infinite number of wax-candles or lamps, 
 
 which at a diftance fhew very pretty. There are alfo 
 
 reprefented divers fhows to gratify the vulgar ; and 
 
 there are perfons concealed, who, by the help of 
 
 feveral little machines, make puppets to play of the 
 
 bignefs of men and women, the adions of which 
 
 are fo natural, that even thofe, who are acquainted 
 
 wdth the trick, are apt to be miftaken : for my part, 
 
 madam, I was not deceived, becaufe I was never 
 
 prefent at thefe fpedacles. What I relate is upon 
 
 the report of theChinefe,and upon the credit of fome 
 
 relations whofe authors are well known, and whom 
 
 I fhould be loth to condemn. 
 
 Befides thefe prodigious lanthorns, there are an 
 infinite number of a middle fize, of which I can 
 more fafely fpeak •, I have feen of them not only 
 neat, but magnificent \ they are commonly compo- 
 fed of fix faces, or pains, each of which makes a 
 frame four feet high, a foot and an half broad, 
 of varnilh'd wood, and adorned with fgme gild- 
 ings. 
 
 ii 
 
of the Chinefe. 163 
 
 ings. They hartg it on the infide with a web of fine 
 tranfparent filk, whereon are painted flowers, trees, 
 rocks, and fometimes human figures. The painting 
 is very curious, the colours lively, and when the 
 Wax-candles are lighted, the light difperfeth a fplen- 
 dor that renders the work altogether agreeable. 
 
 Thefe {\yi pannels join'd together compofe an hex- 
 agon, clofed at the top by fix carved figures, that 
 make the crown of it. There are hung round about 
 broad fl:rings of fattin of all colours, like ribbons^ 
 together with divers other filken ornaments that fall 
 upon the angles, without hiding any thing of the 
 light, or pictures. We fometimes ufe them for an 
 ornament to our churches. The Chinefe hang them 
 in windows, in their halls, and fometimes in publick 
 places. 
 
 The feaft of lanthorns is alfo celebrated by bon- 
 fires that are kindled at that time in all quarters of 
 the city, and by fireworks \ for there is no body 
 but lets off fquibs aud crackers. Some have fpoken 
 of thefe as the fijieft fireworks in the world. We are 
 told that there appear figures of whole trees covered 
 with leaves and fruit, you may there diftinguifh the 
 cherries, raifins, apples and oranges, not only by 
 their figures, but alfo by their particular colour; 
 every thing is painted to the life, infomuch that one 
 Would really imagine that they are naturally trees 
 that are enlightened in the night, and not an artifi- 
 cial fire, on which they have beftowed the figure 
 and appearance of trees. 
 
 Thefe defcriptions, in fome relations of China, 
 excite in thofc, who travel thither, a real pafiion to 
 behold all thefe miracles ; I fhould have been very 
 glad, as others are, to have upon my own perfo- 
 nal knowledge been able to have related them. I 
 have often fought for an occafion, but all in vain. 
 Thefe fires are not fo ordinary as people imagine, 
 and to retrieve them it will perhaps be neceflTary to 
 
 M 2 go 
 
164 Of the economy and Magnificence 
 
 go back to their time who writ of them. The fathef 
 miffionaries that fojourn at Pekin, who have been 
 cye-witneiTes of what was performed on this account 
 in the emperor's palace, have often told me, that it 
 was not at all as they imagined it to be, and at the 
 bottom, that there was nothing very extraordinary 
 in it. 
 
 Neverthelefs, madam, it is not juft wholly to 
 condemn thefe authors, as perfons of no credit \ 
 they are good honeft miilionaries, who Would not 
 imipofe upon us at pleafure, and what I have feen in 
 India, and efpecially upon the coaft of Coromondel, 
 may juftify them in fome refpeft •, they do there re* 
 ally reprefent all forts of figures, not by artificial 
 v/orks that bur ft in the air like our fquibs (for to me 
 it feems not pofTible to reduce flame to fuch deter- 
 mined figures as would be neceffary to diftinguifh 
 raifins and leaves, and much lefs to imitate every re- 
 fpedlive colour that is natural to fruits) but by 
 means of a combuftible matter compounded of 
 fulphur, camphire, and fome other ingredients, 
 wherewith they dawb pieces of wood in form of a 
 crofs, of trees, and flowers, or in any other form 
 they plcafe. 
 
 As foon as they have given fire to It, that ex- 
 panded gum Is fet on fire on all fides like coal, 
 and reprefents, till it be totally confumed, the fi- 
 gure of the wood on which it was applied •, fo that 
 it is no great wonder that they fliould make trees 
 and fruits of fire -, and I do Imagine thofe, they fo 
 much magnify in China, may be fome fuch thing. | 
 Not but that thefe forts of fires have their beauty j ! 
 for, befides their particular colour^ the prettiefl:, \ 
 moft fplendid, and withal the moft pleafant to the | 
 eye imaginable. It Is no mean ornament in a publlck \ 
 illumination, to be able to reprefent men and horfes : 
 of fire, palaces all on fire, with their order of ar- I 
 chit€d;ure, cartouches, and armories of light, and , 
 
 a 
 
of the Chinde. iSg 
 
 a great company of other reprefentations, that might 
 be made in Europe with a great deal more exadnefs 
 than in the Eafl •, where the artificers neither have 
 ingenuity to contrive great defigns, nor dexterity 
 enough perfedly to execute them. 
 
 Perhaps, madam, you will have the curio fity to 
 learn what might have given occafion to the Chinefe 
 to ordain fuch an extravagant feflival as this,whereof 
 I have the honour to fpeak to your grace. As it 
 is very ancient, fo the original feems very obfcure. 
 The vulgar afcribe it to an accident that happened 
 in the family of a famous Mandarine, whofe daugh- 
 ter, walking one evening upon the banks of a river, 
 fell in, and was drowned ; the affiided father, with 
 his family, run thither, and the better to find her, 
 he caufed a great company of lanthorns to be light- 
 ed. All the inhabitants of the place thronged after 
 him with torches, they fearched for her all night 
 to no purpofe, and the Mandarine's only comfort 
 was to fee the willingnefs and readinefs of the peo- 
 ple, every one of which feem'd, as if he had loft 
 his own fifter, becaufe they look'd upon him as their 
 father. 
 
 The year enfuing they made fires upon the fhore 
 on the fame day, they continued the ceremony every 
 year, every one lighted his lanthorn, and by de-. 
 grees it commenced into a cuftom. The Chinefe 
 are pretty fuperftitious in this refped ; but there is 
 no probability that fuch a fmall lofs fhould have fuch 
 a mighty influence upon a whole empire. 
 
 Some Chinefe dodors pretend that this feflival 
 deduceth its original from a ftory which they report 
 in the manner following : Three thoufand five hun- 
 dred and eighty three years ago, China was governed 
 by a prince named Ki,the laft emperor of thefirft race, 
 whom Heaven was pleafed to endue v/ith qualities 
 , capable of conflituting an hero, if love to women, 
 ; and the fpirjt of debauchery, that took poiTefTion of 
 
 M 3 bi^ 
 
1 66 Of the Oeeonomy and Magnificence 
 
 his heart, had not reduced him to a monfter In the 
 empire, and an objed of abhorrence in nature. 
 
 He had rare parts, a winning, pleafing way with 
 him, great courage, and was of fuch extraordinary 
 ftrength of body, that he broke iron with his hand. 
 But this Sampfon had his miftreffes, and grew weak ; 
 amongft other extravagancies, they relate^ that he 
 exhaufted all his treafures in building a tower of pre- 
 cious ftones to honour the memory of a concubine ; 
 and that he filled a pool with wine, for him and 
 three thoufand young men to bathe in, after a lafci- 
 vious manner. Thefe excciTes, and many other 
 abominations, prevailed with the wifeft of his court 
 to offer him fome advice, according to the cuftom, 
 but he put them to death ; yea, and he imprifoned 
 one of the kings of the empire, who endeavourect 
 to divert him from thefe diibrders : at length he 
 committed a fadt that confummated the deRrudllon 
 of himfelf and all his family. 
 
 One day, in the heat of his debaucheries ar*i jol-- 
 lity, complaining that life wns too fhort, I j-wufd. be- 
 content^ fays he to the queen whom he doa'ied on, 
 if I could make you eternally haf^y -, hui in a fevx 
 years ^ nay in a few days -per adventure death imll^ in 
 fpite of us^ put an end to our fleafures ; and all my 
 fower will net fnffice to give you a life longer than 
 that which the lowcft of my fibjcBs hopes io have ; 
 this thought continually troubles my fpirit^ ai:d difperfes 
 over my heart a hitternefs that hinders me from relifh^ 
 ing the fweetnefs of life : why cannot I make you reign 
 for ever ? and feeing there are fiars that never ceafe 
 fhining^ muft you needs he fubje5i to death ? you that 
 fijine more bright upon earthy than all the fiars do in 
 heaven. 
 
 ^Tis triie^ my lord., faith this foolifh princefs, that 
 
 you can-not make your life eternal^ but it depends on you 
 
 to forget the brevity of it., and to live as tho* youfhould 
 
 vever die : what need have we of the fun and moon to 
 
 "" ^ meafure 
 
of the Chinefe. 167 
 
 fneafure the duration of our life ? 'The morning ftar 
 that rifes every mornings and the night that comes 
 every evenings do continually put us in mind of the he- 
 ginning and end of our days \ as thofe begin and end^ 
 Jb do ours, that are begun, advance with precipitation 
 and will fpeedily be at an end. 
 
 Come, come, fir, let us no longer cafi our eyes upon 
 thefe globes that roll over our heads : have you a mind 
 once for all to cure your imagination ? build yourfelf a 
 new heaven, ever enlightened, always ferene, always 
 favourable to your defires -, where wefhall perceive 
 not the leaft footftep of the inft ability of human things, 
 Tou may eajily do it, by erecting a great and magnifi- 
 cent palace, fhut up on all fides from the light of the 
 fun ',you may hang up all around magnificent lanthorns, 
 whofe conftant fplendor will be preferable to that of the 
 fun, 
 
 Caufe to be tranfported thither whatfoever is capa-- 
 hie of contributing to your pleafure -, and, for fear of 
 being one moment diftra5led by them, break off all cor- 
 refpondence with other creatures. We will both of us 
 enter into this new world that you fl:) all create : I will 
 he to you in lieu of all things ; you alone will there 
 yield me more pleafure than all the old world can offer \ 
 yea, nature itfelf, that will be renewed for our fake?, 
 will render us more happy than the gods are in hea- 
 ven, ^Tis there that we will forget the viciffitude of 
 days and nights •, time fh all be no more in refpe5l of 
 us ', no more incumbrance, no more fhadow, no more 
 clouds nor change in life •, and provided, my lord, that 
 you on your part will he always conftant, always paf- 
 fionate, my felicity will feem to me unalterable, and 
 your happinefs will be eternal. 
 
 The emperor, whether it was that he thought 
 he could deceive himfelf, or whether he had a mind 
 to pleafe the queen, I cannot tell ; but he caufed 
 this inchanted caftle to be built, and there immured 
 her and himfelf. There he pafs'd feveral months 
 
 M 4 immerfdU^: 
 
68 Of the economy and Magnificence 
 
 immerfed in delights, and wholly taken up with his 
 new life ; but the people, not being able to endure 
 fuch excefs, obliged one of the wifeft kings of the 
 empire to declare againft him. 
 
 So foon as the emperor had notice of the confpi- 
 racy, he appeared prefently in the old world,which, 
 v/hether he would or no, ftuck more to his heart 
 than the new : he appears at the head of an army, 
 to punifh this rebel ; but feeing himfeif abandoned 
 by the people, whom he had fo foolifhly deferted, 
 he thought it his wifeft courfe to abdicate, and be- 
 take himfeif to flight. During the three remaining 
 years of his life, he wandered from province to pro- 
 vince incognito in a poor condition, always in dan- 
 ger of being difcovered, as if God, by this difquiet 
 and continual agitation, had a mind to punifh him 
 for that foft and effeminate repofe, wherein he 
 thought to have found conftant delights and eternal 
 felicity. In the mean time they deftroyed his pa- 
 laces, and to preferve the memory of fuch an un^ 
 worthy adion to pofterity, they hung up lanthorns 
 in ev^ry quarter of the city. This cuftom became an^ 
 niverfary, and fince that time a confiderable feftival 
 in the whole empire ; it is folemnized at Hamcheu, 
 with more magnificence than any where elfe : and 
 the report goes that the illuminations there are fo 
 fplendid, that an emperor once, not daring openly to 
 leave his court to go thither, committed himfeif, 
 with the queen, and feyeral princefles of his family, 
 into the hands of a magician, who promifed him to 
 trarifport thqm thither in a trice. He made them ii> 
 the night to afcend magnificent thrones that were 
 borne up by fwans, wjiich iu a moment arrived at 
 Hamcheu. 
 
 'J'he emperor faw at his leifure all the folemnlty, 
 tring carried upon a cloud, that hovered over the 
 city^ and defcended by degrees ^ and came back 
 agaii:i ^ith the. f^me fpeed and equip^ge.^ no bo.dy at 
 
 cour| 
 
of the Chinefe» 169 
 
 court perceiving his abfence. This is not the firft 
 fabie the Chinefe have told ; they have ftories upon 
 every thing, for they are fuperftitious to excefs. 
 And in point of magiek, be it feigned or true, there 
 is no people in the world that have come near them. 
 
 However that be, certain it is, that they take 
 huge delight in publick illuminations •, and one of 
 their kings, who for his good qualities wa3 become 
 the darling of the people, once thought he could 
 not better demonftrate to them his reciprocal affec- 
 tion, than by inventing for their fakes fuch like 
 feafts. So that once a year, for eight nights one 
 after another, he opened his palace, which they took 
 care to illuminate by abundance of lanthorns and 
 fireworks. He appeared in perfon without any 
 guards, and mixed in the middle of the croud, not 
 fuffering them to diftinguifh him from others, to 
 the end that every one might enjoy the liberty of 
 fpeaking, playing, and hearing divers concerts of 
 mufick there performed. 
 
 This adion hath rendered this prince renowned in 
 the Chinefe hiftory •, but what v/ould they have faid 
 if they had chanced to be in the apartment of Ver- 
 failles, where the bell and moil potent of kings fo 
 often affembles all the innocent pleafures that chrifda- 
 nity allows, to make his court, if pofTible, as happy 
 as himfelf ; if they did but behold thofe illumina- 
 tions, thofe concerts, thofe fports, thofe magnificent 
 banquets, and the prince himfelf ftrivlng to mix with 
 the multitude ; nay, and would be unknown, were 
 he not dillinguijfhed by an air of grandeur indepen- 
 dent on his dignity, whereof he cannot diveft himfelf. 
 
 Since I am fpeaking, madam, of the magnifi- 
 cence of the Chinefe, I cannot, without being want- 
 ing in a material point, pafs over in filence what re- 
 lates to their emperors, who never appear in pub- 
 lick, but as fo many deities, environed with all the 
 f|)lendor that may attrad the refpeft and veneration 
 
 of 
 
lyo Of the economy and Magnificence 
 
 of the people. Heretofore they rarely fhewed them- 
 felves j but the Tartars, who reign at prefent, are 
 much more popular, and the late king did not ftand 
 fo much upon nice pundlilio's. The prefent empe- 
 ror in that, as well as in all things elfe, obferves % 
 medium, which contents his own nation, without 
 totally difpleallng the Chinefe. Neverthelefs, as 
 moderate as he is, in comparifon of the ancients, 
 one may boldly fay, he never marches but at the 
 head, or in the midft of an army. 
 
 At fuch time he is accompanied with all the lords 
 of the court : there is nothing but filks, gildings, 
 and precious (lones, every thing there is fplendid 
 and pompous j the arms, the horfes hamefs, the 
 umbrello's, the ftreamers, and a thoufand other 
 badges of royal dignity, or of the particular quality 
 of every prince, every where fparkle at that time. 
 In a word, there is nothing more regular on theie 
 occurrences than this crowd ; every one knows his 
 refpedlive rank -, and the head of that man, or at 
 leail his fortune, lies at ftake, who fhall prefume 
 indifcreetly to difcompofe the order of the march. 
 
 When he takes a progrefs to vifit the provinces 
 of the empire, he goes commonly poft, followed 
 by a few guards and fome trufty officers ; but in 
 all the cities upon the road, and in all the difficult 
 paflages, there are fo many troops drawn up into 
 battalia, that he feems to ride poft crofs an army. 
 
 He goes fometimes into Tartary to take the di» 
 vertifem ent of hunting, but yet always accompanied 
 as if he went to the conqueft of fome new empire. 
 He carries along with him no lefs than forty thou- 
 fand men, who endure a great deal of hardfhip, 
 whether the weather be hot or cold, becaufe they 
 encamp in a very inconvenient manner •, nay, and 
 it fometimes happens, that, in one of thefe toilfome 
 huntings, there die more horfes than he would lofe 
 
 in 
 
 i 
 
of the Chinefe. 171 
 
 b a pitch'd battle ; but he counts the deftrudlon 
 of ten thoufand horfcs as nothing. 
 
 The fathers that accompany him thither fay, that 
 never does his magnificence more difplay itfelf than 
 upon this occafion -, there he fees fometimes thirty 
 or forty petty Tartar kings, that come to addrefs 
 him, or pay him tribute -, yea, there be fome of 
 them that bear the name of Ham or Cham, that 
 is to fay, emperor •, they are all of them juft as the 
 Mandarines of the firft order, his pen (loners •, he 
 gives them his daughters in mariiage ; and, to make 
 them the more fure to his intereft, he declares him- 
 felf their protedor againft all the weftern Tartars, 
 who often annoy them j nay, and have fometimes 
 forces enough to attack China itfelf with fome face 
 of good fuccefs. 
 
 Whilft the croud of thefe petty fovereigns appears 
 in the emperor's camp, the court is wonderful fump-^ 
 tuous, and to the end he may poflefs thefe Barba- 
 rians with fome idea of the power of China, the 
 train, habits, and tents of the Mandarines are rich 
 and glorious even to excefs. This is what the mif- 
 fionaries, who have been witnefles of the fame, do 
 report ; and I fuppofe we may give credit to their 
 relations not only becaufe they all unanimoufly 
 agree in this matter, but alfo becaufe what they fay 
 does altogether comport with the genius of the 
 Chinefe. 
 
 That, which the relation of father Magalhen's, 
 newly tranflated with learned and ufeful notes, fays, 
 concerning the pompous march of the emperor, when 
 he goes to the temple to offer facrifices to Heaven, 
 hath fomething odd in it, and deferves here to be 
 repeated ; and fo much the more, becaufe thefe 
 things are neither falfe nor magnified , for the or- 
 ders obferved in publick ceremonies are known to 
 every body to be fo regular, that the very emperor 
 dares not add or diminifti the leaft article* 
 
 This 
 
172 Of the Oeconomy and Magnificence 
 
 This pompous ceremony begins with twenty four 
 trumpets, adorned with golden coronets ; with 24 
 drums ranked, each of them in two files ; 24 men f 
 armed with truncheons varnifh'd and gilt, 6 or 8 ^ott 
 long, follow them in the fame order and rank -, after 
 that follow 100 foldiers bearing noble halbards, 
 armed with a femicircle of iron, in form of a cref- 
 cent, followed with 100 ferjeants at mace, and two 
 officers whofe pikes are painted with red varnifh in 
 different places, with flowers and golden figures. 
 
 Next after this firft file are borne 400 curioufly 
 wrought lanthorns, 400 flambeaux of a gilded wood 
 that flame like our torches, 200 lances charged with 
 huge tufts of filk, 24 banners, whereon are painted 
 the flgns of the zodiack, and c^6 others that repre- 
 fent the celeflial conftellations : there are to be {ttn 
 moreover 200 fans with figures of dragons, and 
 other animals *, 24 umbrello's ftill more magnificent, 
 and a livery cupboard borne by the officers of the pa- 
 lace, whofe utenfils are of gold. 
 
 All this does immediately precede the emperor, 
 who at laft appears on horfeback, glorioufly attired, 
 furrounded with (xx white led hoi-fes, whofe harnefs 
 is covered with gold and precious flones with 100 
 life-guards and pages of honour -, they bear up be- 
 fore him an umbrello that (hades him and the horfe, 
 and dazzles the fight with all the ornaments that 
 man could poflibly invent to enrich it. 
 
 The emperor is followed by all the princes of the 
 blood, by the Mandarines of the firft order, by the 
 viceroys and principal lords of the court, all in their 
 formalities : immediately after come 500 young 
 gentlemen of quality, which may be called the band 
 of gentlemen penfioners, attended by 1000 foot- 
 men, array'd in carnation filk, bordered with flow- 
 ers, fi:itched with little fiiars in gold and filver. This 
 ^ properly the king's houfnold. 
 
of the Chinefe. iy% 
 
 This retinue is ftill more extraordinary by what 
 follows, than by what went before i for Immediate- 
 ly 36 men bear an open fedan that refembles a tri- 
 umphal chair, 120 bearers fupport another clofe one, 
 fo big, that one would take it for an intire apart- 
 ment. Afterwards there appear four chariots, the 
 two firft of which are drawn by elephants, and the 
 other two by horfes. Each fedan and chariot hath 
 a company of 50 men for its guard : the charioteers 
 are richly apparelled, and the elephants, as well as 
 the horfes, are covered with embroidered houfings. 
 
 Then 2000 Mandarine officers, and 2000 officers 
 of the army, all moft richly cloathed, marching m. 
 order, and according to their cuftom, with a gravity 
 that commands refped, bring up the rear of this 
 ftately fhow. It is not needful that the court fhould 
 be at great charges for this pomp , and as foon as 
 ever the emperor Is pleafed to go offer facrlfice, they 
 always are in a readinefs to attend him in this order. 
 i do not know that,In our entertainments and folemn 
 feftlvals, we have any thing more fplendid and mag- 
 nificent. 
 
 But the emperor of China never appears greater 
 than when he gives audience to foreign ambafTadors ; 
 that prodigious number of troops who are at that 
 time m arms, that incredible number of Mandarines 
 in their formalities, diftlngulfhed according to theic 
 rank and quality, placed in order, without confu- 
 fion, without nolfe, without difturbanee, in fuch 
 order as they would appear in the temples of their 
 gods ; the minifters of ftate, the lord chief juftices 
 of all the fovereign courts, the petty kings, the 
 princes of the blood, the heirs of the crown, more 
 humble before this prince, than they are exalted 
 above the people : the emperor himfelf feated on a 
 throne, who beholds proftrate at his feet all this 
 crowd of adorers •, all this, I fay, bears an air of 
 foverelgnty and grandeur in it, that is to be found 
 
 no 
 
174 Of the Language^ CharaSiers, Boois, 
 no where but in China, which chriftian humility 
 does not fo much as permit kings to deiire in the 
 moft glorious courts of Europe. 
 
 I fhould never make an end,if I had a mind to de- 
 fcend to all the particulars of the publick ceremonies, 
 where the Chinefe difplay all their magnificence •, I 
 fuppofe, madam, I have fpoken enough to give you 
 a juft idea of it ; now if you pleafe to permit me, in 
 the clofe of this letter, to add what I think of it 
 myfelf, in reference to France, where the riches and 
 ambition of private perfons have carried ftatelinefs 
 to a higher pitchy than in any other realm in Eu- 
 rope ; it feems to me that the Chinefe do almofl: 
 ever furpafs us in common and publick adions, by 
 a more glorious and fpecious outfide ; but that in 
 domeftick things, our apartments are incomparably 
 richer, the retinue of perfons of quality more de- 
 cently cloathed, tho' not fo numerous, the equipages 
 more commodious, the tables better ferved, and 
 generally fpeaking, the expence more conftant, and 
 better regulated. I am with a moft profound refped, 
 Madaw^ 
 
 Tour moft humble^ 
 and fncft obedient Servant^ 
 L.J. 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 To the Archhijhop of Rheims, Jirft Peer of France. 
 
 Of the Language^ CharaElers^ Books^ and Morality 
 of the Chinefe. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 FTER having had the honour to entertain 
 your grace at your fpare hours, concerning 
 
 the 
 
 A 
 
end Morality of the Chinefe. 17^ 
 
 the difFerent cuftoms of the empire of China, I be- 
 lieved you Would not take it amifs to fee from me an 
 account of what relates to their language, charac- 
 ters, books, and morals. 
 
 There are certain points of hiftory that one can- 
 not enter upon without much caution, and efpecially 
 when one is to explain them to fuch a perfon as your- 
 felf, whofe particular charader it is, to know exadly 
 and mofl perfedly whatever you ftudy ; to fatisfy fuch 
 a mind, there is requifite an exadlnefs and method, 
 which the freedom and loofenefs of difcourfe will 
 not admit of. 
 
 I well know, my lord, that it is difficult to add, 
 upon this fubjedl, any new knowledge to that which 
 hath rendered you one of the moft knowing prelates 
 of the age •, how good and difFufive foever the mo- 
 rality of China may be, yet are they but the faint 
 glimpfes of narrow and imperfedt reafon, v/hich dif- 
 appear as foon as they are brought near thofe divine 
 lights that religion difcovers to us, and whereinto 
 you have fo long dived by the continual reading of 
 fathers, canons, and councils. 
 
 Neverthelefs, altho' all the philofophy of that 
 renowned nation be not able to inftrud us, yet is it 
 worth obr inquiry to know, to what pitch of per- 
 fedion it heretofore brought foiences, and that too 
 at a time when other people in the world were either 
 ignorant or barbarous. Their chief learning lies in 
 their writing and their language, wherefore I will 
 firft fpeak of that : what I have obferved moft re- 
 markable therein is this : 
 
 The Chinefe language hath no analogy with any 
 of thofe that are in vogue in the world, no affinity 
 neither in the found, in the pronunciation of the 
 words, nor yet in the difpofing and ranging of the 
 conceptions. Every thing is myfterious therein, and 
 you will, no queftion, ftand amazed, my lord, to 
 underftand that all the words of it giay be learnt in 
 
 two 
 
176 Of the Language y CharaSfers^ Books^ 
 two hours, altho' there is required feveral years 
 fludy to fpeak it : that one may be ready to read 
 dl the books, and to underftand them perfedlly, 
 without apprehending any thing, if another read it ; 
 that a dodior may compofe a book with all the ela- 
 boratenefs poflible, and this very fame dodor may 
 not know enough of it to explain himfelf in ordi- 
 nary conVerfation ; that a mute, inftruded in the |j| 
 characters, might with his fingers, without writing, ' 
 fpeak as faft as his auditors can conveniently hear 
 him V in a word, that the felf fame words do often 
 fignify quite different things, and of two perfons 
 that ihall pronounce them, it will be a compliment 
 in the mouth of the one, and foul language in the 
 mouth of the other. Thefe paradoxes, how fur- 
 prifing foever they may feem, are very true, not- 
 withstanding ; and your grace will grant it, if you 
 pleafe to give yourfelf never fo little trouble, to caft 
 your eyes upon what I fhall write to you about it. 
 
 This tongue contains no more than three hundred 
 and thirty words, or thereabouts^ all of one fyllable, 
 or at leaft they feem to be fo, becaufe they pro- 
 nounce them fo fuccindlly, that a man can fcarce dif- 
 tinguifii the fyllables : although it be a tedious thing 
 to read the whole feries of them, yet fhall I defcribe 
 them in this place, as well to let you underftand the 
 tone, as to give you the fatisfadion to fee, at one 
 view, comprifed in one fingle page, a language fo 
 ancient, fo famous, and I may fay, fo eloquent as 
 this is. 
 
 Thefe few words Would not be fufficient to exprefs 
 a man's {qH aptly upon all fubjedls, to fupply words 
 for arts and fciences, to maintain eloquence in dif- 
 courfe, or in writing, which is very different among 
 the Chinefe, if they had not an art to multiply the 
 fenfe, without multiplying the words. This art chief- 
 ly confifts in the accents they give them -, the fame 
 word pronounced with a ftroiiger or weaker inflexi- 
 on 
 
ALiJiof allt 
 
 ca 
 
 chin 
 
 cai 
 
 cam 
 
 cheou ! ch'i 
 
 fa 
 
 han 
 
 him 
 
 hoei 
 
 m 
 
 kie 
 
 Ian 
 
 lio 
 
 raau 
 
 moui 
 
 ngeou 
 
 noui 
 
 pe 
 
 quouei 
 
 fiam 
 
 fiu 
 
 tfam 
 
 ifio 
 
 tchai 
 
 H tchoua 
 j 
 
 von 
 
 fam 
 
 hao 
 
 bin 
 
 hoen 
 
 10 
 
 kien 
 
 lao 
 
 fan 
 
 he 
 
 hio 
 
 hou 
 
 lU 
 
 kieou 
 
 le 
 
 lo 
 
 me 
 
 mourn • mouon 
 
 rgo 
 
 ni 
 
 noum 
 
 nouon 
 
 pien 
 
 pirn 
 
 quouen 
 
 qouo 
 
 fiao 
 
 fie 
 
 foui 
 
 {^ 
 
 tiao 
 
 tie 
 
 tfan 
 
 tfao 
 
 tfiu 
 
 tfi;^ 
 
 tcham 
 
 tiican 
 
 tchouen 
 
 tchoLie 
 
 vou 
 
 voum 
 
 
 oum 
 
 can 
 
 chiao 
 
 chim 
 
 feou 
 
 li 
 
 hem 
 
 hen 
 
 hiu 
 
 hiue 
 
 houm 
 
 houon 
 
 'iue 
 
 luen 
 
 kim 
 
 kin 
 
 learn 
 
 leao 
 
 Ion 
 
 loui 
 
 men 
 
 meou 
 
 na 
 
 nai 
 
 niam 
 
 niau 
 
 nun 
 
 0, ou 
 
 pin 
 
 po 
 
 quouon 
 
 fa 
 
 fien 
 
 fieou 
 
 foam 
 
 fun 
 
 tien 
 
 tieou 
 
 tfe 
 
 tfem 
 
 tfiuen 
 
 tfioum 
 
 tchao 
 
 tche 
 
 tchoum 
 
 tchun 
 
 328. 
 
 
 
 
 c 
 
 J 
 h( 
 
 hie 
 
 1^ 
 
 le 
 
 loi 
 
 I 
 
 n; 
 n 
 I 
 
 I 
 { 
 
 i 
 
 fo 
 
 ti 
 tf< 
 tf 
 tc 
 
A Lift of all the Words that form the Chinefe Tongue, 
 
 ca 
 
 "' 1 
 
 cam 
 
 can 
 
 cao 
 
 CO 
 
 cou 
 
 coum 
 
 cha 
 
 chay 
 
 cham 
 
 Chan 
 
 chao 
 choun 
 
 Che 
 
 chin 
 
 cheou 
 
 chi 
 
 chiao 
 
 chim 
 
 chin 
 
 cho 
 
 choa 
 
 chou 
 
 chouaon 
 
 choue 
 
 choui 
 guei 
 
 choum 
 
 fa 
 
 fam 
 
 fan 
 
 feou 
 
 fi 
 
 fo 
 
 foe 
 
 foi 
 hia 
 
 fou 
 
 fouen 
 
 foum 
 
 haV 
 
 ham 
 
 j han 
 
 hao 
 
 he 
 
 hem 
 
 hen 
 
 heou 
 
 hi 
 
 hiai 
 
 hiam 
 
 hiao 
 
 hie 
 hoam 
 
 hen 
 
 hieou 
 
 him 
 
 hin 
 
 hio 
 
 hiu 
 
 hiue 
 
 hieuen 
 
 hioum 
 
 hiun 
 
 ho 
 
 hao 
 
 hoai 
 
 le 
 
 hoan 
 leou 
 
 lice 
 
 kiao 
 lam 
 
 hoei 
 
 hoen 
 
 hou 
 
 houm 
 
 houon 
 
 y 
 
 ya 
 
 yai 
 
 yam 
 
 ■uo 
 
 in 
 
 10 
 
 iu 
 
 lue 
 kirn 
 
 i'uen 
 
 lum 
 
 ■fun 
 
 ke 
 
 kem 
 
 ken 
 
 keou 
 
 . 
 
 kie 
 
 kien 
 
 k'icou 
 
 kin 
 
 kio 
 
 kiu 
 
 kiue 
 
 kieuen 
 
 kioum 
 
 kiun 
 
 lien 
 
 la 
 
 mam 
 mo 
 ngao 
 
 Ian 
 
 lao 
 
 le 
 
 learn 
 
 leao 
 
 lem 
 
 leou 
 
 Ih 
 
 li 
 
 He 
 
 Jim 
 
 lin 
 
 lio 
 
 liu 
 
 lo 
 
 lou 
 
 loui 
 
 loum 
 
 louan 
 
 louon 
 
 lun 
 
 ma 
 
 min 
 
 man 
 
 mao 
 mouen 
 
 mau 
 
 me 
 mourn 
 
 mem 
 mouon 
 
 men 
 
 meou 
 
 mi 
 
 miao 
 nan 
 
 mie 
 
 mien 
 
 mim 
 
 mou. 
 
 na 
 
 naV 
 
 nam 
 
 nao 
 
 nem 
 
 ngai 
 
 ngan 
 
 ngue 
 
 ni^ueii 
 
 ngcou 
 
 rgo 
 
 ni 
 
 niam 
 nun 
 
 niau 
 
 niao 
 
 ni 
 
 nien 
 
 nieou 
 
 nio 
 
 nim 
 pe 
 
 niu 
 
 no 
 
 piao 
 
 noui 
 
 noum 
 
 nouon 
 
 0, ou 
 
 pa 
 
 pai 
 
 pam 
 
 pan 
 
 pao 
 
 pcou 
 
 P' 
 
 p:e 
 
 pien 
 
 pirn 
 
 pin 
 
 po 
 
 poi 
 
 pou 
 
 pouen 
 
 poum 
 
 puuon 
 
 qua 
 
 quoue 
 
 quouai 
 
 quouam 
 
 quouc'i 
 
 quouen 
 
 qouo 
 
 quouen 
 
 fa 
 
 fai 
 
 fam 
 
 fan 
 
 fao 
 
 fe 
 
 lem 
 
 fen 
 
 feou 
 
 fi 
 
 flam 
 
 fiao 
 
 fie 
 
 fien 
 
 fieou 
 
 fim 
 
 fin 
 
 fio 
 
 fiou 
 
 fiue 
 
 fiuen 
 
 fiun 
 
 fo 
 
 tem 
 tla 
 
 fou 
 
 fiu 
 
 f ui 
 
 fu 
 
 ibum 
 
 fun 
 
 fouon 
 
 ta 
 
 tai 
 
 tam 
 
 tan 
 
 tao 
 
 te 
 
 tfai 
 tfin 
 
 >i 
 
 tiao 
 
 lie 
 
 ,.. 
 
 lieou 
 
 tim 
 
 to 
 
 tou 
 
 toui 
 
 toum 
 
 tun 
 
 toucn 
 
 tfam 
 
 tfan 
 
 tlao 
 
 "' 
 
 tfem 
 
 tfeou 
 
 tfi 
 tfo 
 
 ifiam 
 
 tfiao 
 
 tfie 
 
 tfien 
 
 theou 
 
 tfim 
 
 tfio 
 
 tfiu 
 
 ■«t 
 
 tfiuen 
 
 ifioum 
 
 tfiou 
 
 tfou 
 
 tfu 
 
 tfui 
 
 tloum 
 
 tfun 
 
 tfouon 
 tchouam 
 
 tcha 
 tchu 
 
 tchai' 
 
 tcham 
 
 ■hcan 
 
 j tchao 
 
 iche 
 tchun 
 
 tchen 
 
 tcheou 
 
 tchi 
 
 tchim 
 
 tchin 
 
 tcho 
 
 tchoua 
 ve 
 
 tchoua 
 
 tchouen 
 
 tchoui 
 
 I tchouni 
 
 ! 
 
 ill 
 
 va'i 
 
 
 vam 
 
 van 
 
 ve. 
 
 vi 
 
 vo 
 
 von 
 
 vou 
 
 oum 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Place this between 176 and 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 177 
 
 on of the voice hath divers fignlfications ; fo that the 
 Chinefe language, when it is fpoken exadlly, is a kind 
 of mufick, and contains a real harmony, which com» 
 pofeth the eflence and particular charader of it. 
 
 There are five tones that are applied to each word, 
 according to the fenfe one means to give it. The 
 firft is an uniform pronunciation without lightening or 
 falling the voice^ as if one fhould continue for fome 
 time the firft note of our mufick ; the feeond raifeth 
 the voice notably higher ; the third is very acute ; 
 in the fourth you defcend all on a fudden to a grave 
 tone ; in the fifth you pafs to a rriore deep note^ if 
 I may prefume fo to exprefs myfelf^ by hollowing 
 and framing a kind of bafe^ It Is very hard to ex- 
 plain my meaning herein any othfer way than by 
 the language itfelf 
 
 However^ you already fee, my lord, that, by this 
 diverfity of pronuncIation^333 words are made 1665 ; 
 befides, one rrtay pronounce fmoothly, or afperate 
 each word^ which is very ufual^ and does ftlll in- 
 creafe the language by half. Sometimes thefe mo- 
 nofyllables are joined together, as we put our let- 
 ters together, thereby to compofe different words i 
 Nay, they do more than all that, for fometimes a 
 whole phrafe, according as it follows or goes be- 
 fore another, hath a quite different fenfe 5 fo it plain- 
 ly appears, that this tongue, fo poor, fo feeming- 
 ly barren, yet for all that, is indeed very rich and 
 copious in furnlfhing us with variety of words. 
 
 But thefe riches coll: foreigners dear to come by 
 them, and I cannot tell whether fome miffionarles 
 had not better have laboured in the mines than to 
 have applied themfelves for feveral years to this la- 
 bour, one of the hardeft and moft difcouraging that 
 one can experience in matter of ftudy. I cannot ap- 
 prehend how any one can have other thoughts ; 
 and I muft confefs I admir'd to read the new rela- 
 i„ tion of father Magalhen, that the Chinefe language 
 !' N is 
 
178 Of the Language^ CharaBersy Books y 
 
 is eafier than the Greek, Latin, and all the langua- 
 ges in Europe. He adds, one cannot doubt of it, 
 if it be confidered, that the difficulty in tongues 
 proceeds from the memory i now, one hath no 
 trouble at all in this, that hath but very few words 
 in coniparifon of others, nay, and may be leam'd 
 in a day's time. 
 
 To argue as this father does, m.ufick muft coft us 
 but an hour's time, {^Ytn words and {^Y^n tones 
 do not much burthen the memory, and, if one have 
 but a voice never fo little flexible, one would think 
 it were no hard matter to learn them -, neverthelefs, 
 we fee by daily experience, whofo begins at thirty 
 or forty years, unlefs he have a more than ordina- 
 ry inclination for mufick, fcarce ever learns it to pur- 
 pofe \ nay, and after much application and long ex- 
 ercife, is ftill, to his dying day, but a pitiful mu- 
 fician. How will it fare with a perfon who hath 
 fix tones to combine with above 300 words, that 
 he does not know by the writing, which he muft call 
 to mind extempore, v/hen he would fpeak fluently, 
 or when he is to diftinguifh in another perfon that 
 precipitates his words, and v/ho fcarce obferves the 
 accent and particular tone of each word ? 
 
 It is not the memory that is put to a fl:refs upon 
 this occaflon, but the imagination and ear, which in 
 fome certain perfons never diftinguifh one tone from 
 another ; the turn of the tongue alfo conduces in- 
 finitely thereto ; and there are certain perfons that 
 have memory fufficient to learn a book in a few 
 days, who will tug at it for a month together to 
 pronounce only one word, and all to no purpofe: 
 How happens it, that, let him take what care he 
 will, a man has never a good accent in our language, 
 when he is born in certain provinces, if he lives in 
 them till he is grown up. 
 
 Neverthelefs, to make yourfelf underftood in 
 Chinefe, you muft give each word its peculiar ac- 
 cent ; 
 
 I 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 179 
 
 cent ', vary but never fo little, and you fall into an- 
 other tone that makes a ridiculous counter-fenfe ; 
 thus, if you have not a care, you may call a man 
 Beall, when you mean to call him Sir, becaufe the 
 word, that is common to them both, hath a diffe- 
 rent fenfe^ only by the different tone they give it i 
 fo that it is properly in this language, that one may 
 fay, the tone is all in all. 
 
 This is that alfo that makes the Chinefe tongue 
 more difficult than others. When a flranger that 
 hath but a fmattering intends to fpeak French, if he 
 pronounces fome words but neVer fo little well^ we 
 eafily gUefs at thofe he fpeaks ill, and we know his 
 meaning ; but in China, one fingle word, badly pro- " 
 nounced, is enough to render the whole phrafe un- 
 intelligible ; and one phrafe at the beginning, that 
 is not well heard and underftood, hinders the un- 
 derftanding of what follows. So when one chances to 
 come into a congregation, where they have already 
 begun to fpeak about fome bufinefs, one flares about 
 a good while without underflanding, till fuch time 
 as by degrees they put him in tihe way, and till he 
 gets hold of the thread of the difcourfe. 
 
 Befides what I have been faying, this tongue hath 
 particular characftcrs that diftinguilli it from all others. 
 Firll of all^ they do not fpeak as they write, and 
 the mofl quaint difcourfe is barbarous,^ harfh, and 
 unpleafant when printed. If you would write wefl, 
 you mud ufe more proper terms, more noble expref- 
 fions, more particular turns, than do occur in conimon 
 difcourfe, and which are proper only for writing, the 
 ftile of which is more different from the common 
 elocution, than our obfcureft Latin poets are from 
 the fmootheft and moft natural profe. 
 
 Secondly, eloquence does not confifl in a certain 
 difpofition of periods, fuch as orators affcd, who, to 
 impofe upon the auditors, ftuft it fometimes only 
 with words, becatife they have but few things to tell 
 
 N z . them. 
 
i8o Of the Language^ CbaraBers Books, 
 
 them. The Chinefe are eloquent by their lively ex- 
 preflions, noble metaphors, bold and fuccindt com- 
 parifons, and above all, by abundance of fentences 
 and paflages taken from the ancients, which amongft 
 them are of great moment : They deliver a great 
 many things in a few words, their ftile is clofe and 
 myfterious, obfcure and not continued, they feldom 
 make ufe of thofe particles that illuftrate and con- 
 ned: our difcourfe. They feem fometimes to fpeak 
 not to be underftood, oftentimes they expedt you 
 fhould underftand feveral things, altho' they do 
 not mention them •, fo much fenfe and thought do 
 they inclofe in few words ! 
 
 . It is true, this obfcurity almoft quite vanifhes in 
 refped of thofe v/ho have a perfed knowledge in the 
 characfters i and a learned man, that reads a work, 
 is feldom miflaken in it, but in fpeaking, one is 
 often at a ftand : and I have convers'd with fome 
 docfbors, who, to underftand one another in familiar 
 difcourfes, were obliged to defcribe with their fin- 
 ger in the air the particular letter that exprefs'd 
 their words, whofe fenfe could not be determined 
 by the pronunciation. 
 
 Thirdly, the found of words is pretty pleafing 
 to the ear, efpecially in the province of Nan- 
 kim, where the accent is more corredl than in any 
 other part -, for there, many pronounce the different 
 tones fo fine and delicately, that a ftranger hath 
 much ado to perceive it. Befides, they never ufe 
 K, which contributes not a little to mollify that 
 language ; yet muft it be allowed, that moft part 
 of the Chinefe that pretend to fpeak corredly, 
 fpeak very unmufically, they drawl out their words 
 intolerably -, and tho' they be all monofyllables, 
 yet by meer extending them, they make words in- 
 finite and like to intire phrafes. 
 
 They have moreover a termination which often 
 occurs, which we exprefs commonly by a double 11 ; 
 
 the 
 
and Morality of the QVw^ti^. i8i 
 
 the found comes from the bottom of the afpera ar- 
 teria^ fo uncouth and unnatural, that that alone is ca- 
 pable of fpoiling''a language : but as certain forced af- 
 peratlons in the Caftillan tongue do notwithftanding 
 pleafe the Spaniards, fotheChinefeare perfuaded that 
 thefe fame gutturals that difpleafe us are a real grace ; 
 and that thefe more mafcullne and ftronger tones 
 give a body to their language, without which it 
 would be apt to degenerate into an effeminate foft- 
 nefs, which would at beft have no grace but in the 
 mouths of women and children. 
 
 Fourthly, they want abundance of founds which 
 we exprefs by our letters ^ for example, they do not 
 pronounce A^ b^ d^ o^ r, :v, z, after the fame manner 
 as we do in France ; and when any one forces them 
 to pronounce them, they always make fome altera- 
 tion, and ufe founds that in their language come the 
 neareft to them, never being able almoft to exprefs 
 them exadly •, which proved formerly a great diffi- 
 culty for the Chinefe prlefts in confecrating the hoft, 
 who could not fay mafs in Latin without falling into 
 a ridiculous jargon. Yet there was fo much pains 
 taken to frame their tongue, that at length they have 
 fucceeded to admiration ; fo that the Latin in their 
 mouths is not much more different from that of the 
 Portuguefe, than that of the Portuguefe Is from ours. 
 
 All that I have been faying, my lord. Is to be un- 
 derftood of the Mandarine language, that is current 
 all over the empire, which is univerfally underftood 
 every where ; for the common people at Foklen, be- 
 fides that, fpeak a particular tongue, that hath no 
 affinity with the fame, who look upon it in China, 
 as we do upon the Bifcay language, or Bafbetron in 
 France. 
 
 What relates to the China chara6ler is no lefs fin- 
 gular than their tongue ; they have not any alphabet 
 as we hav€, that contains the elements, and, as it 
 were, the principles of the words j nay, they cannot 
 
 N 3 fa 
 
1 82 Of the Language^ Cbara^lers^ Books, 
 fo much as comprehend how we are able, with fo 
 fmall a number of figures, each of which fignifies 
 nothmg, to exprefs upon a piece of paper all our con- 
 ceptions, to compofe fuch an infinite number of 
 books, as to ftock whole libraries. This art of put- 
 ting letters together, to compofe words of them, to 
 combine them both into a prodigious number of 
 fenfes, is to them a hidden myftery -, and that, which 
 is fo common amongft other nations, never obtained 
 amongft them, either thro' the little converfe they 
 have had with other neighbouring nations, or thro' 
 the fmall account they made of foreign inventions. 
 
 In Read of charaders, at the beginning of their mo- 
 narchy, they us'd hiercglyphicks; they painted rather 
 than wrote •, and by the natural images of things, 
 which they drew upon paper, they endeavour'd to ex- 
 prefs and convey their ideas to others ; fo that to 
 write a bird, they painted its iigure, and to iignify a 
 toreft, they reprefented a great company of trees j a 
 circle fignified the fun, and a crefcent the moon. 
 
 This fort of writing was not only imperfe(5t, but 
 very inconvenient ; for belides that one exprefs'd 
 his thoughts but by halves, even thofe few, that were 
 exprefs'd, were never perfectly conceived, and it was, 
 belides, utterly impofTible to avoid miftakes : more- 
 over, there needed whole volumes to exprefs a few 
 things, becaufe the painting took up a great deal of 
 room ; infomuch, that the Chinefe by little and 
 little changed their writing, and compofed more fim- 
 ple figures, tho' lefs natural : They like wife invent- 
 ed many to exprefs fome things that painting could 
 not reprefent, as the voice, fmell, fenfes, concep- 
 tions, paffions, and a thoufand other objeds that 
 have neither body nor figure ', of feveral fimple 
 draughts they after made compound ones, and at 
 this rate they multiplied their charaders ad infinitum^ 
 becaufe they deftined one or more of them for each 
 particular word, 
 
 " ' This 
 
and Morality of the Chintk. 183 
 
 This abundance of letters is, in my opinion, the 
 iburce of the Chinefe ignorance, becaufe they im- 
 ploy all their days in this ftudy, and have no leifure 
 fo much as to think of other fciences, fancying 
 themfelves learned enough if they can but read. 
 However, they are far from underftanding all their 
 letters : it is very much, if, after feveral years in- 
 defatigable ftudy, they are able to underftand fif- 
 teen or twenty thoufand. The vulgar fort of the 
 learned content themfelves with lefs ; and I cannot 
 believe, that there was ever any do6lor that un- 
 derftood the third part, for they reckon upwards 
 of twenty-four thoufand. 
 
 As for ftrangers, it is fcarce credible how much 
 this ftudy difgufts them ; it is an heavy crofs to 
 be forced all a man's life long (for congimonly it is 
 not too long for it) to fluff his head with this hor- 
 rible multitude of figures, and to be always occupied 
 in decyphering imperfed hieroglyphicks, that have 
 in a manner no analogy with the things they fig- 
 nify •, there is not the leafl charm in this, as in the 
 fciences of Europe, which, in fatiguing, do not ceafe 
 to recompence the weary mind with delight. It is 
 neceflary in China, that a man may not be difcou- 
 raged, to feek out more fublime motives, to excite 
 this tired inclination ^ to make a virtue of ne- 
 celTity, and to pleafe one's felf to think, that this 
 fludy, how crabbed and ingrateful foever it feems, 
 is not flerile, becaufe it is a fure way to bring 
 men to the knowledge of Jefus Chrift. 
 
 It is that way whereby we make ourfelves under- 
 flood by the learned ; whereby we infinuate ourfelves 
 into their fpirits, and thereby prepare them for the 
 great truths of the chriftian religion \ there is not 
 that perfon, whom this hope of preaching the gofpel 
 •fuccefsfully does not incourage and infpirit. We can- 
 not alfo doubt, but that our blefTed Lord may ac- 
 =$9napany the efFefts of our good will, with a par- 
 
 N 4 ticular 
 
184 Of the Language^ Chambers y Books, 
 
 tlcular blefling •, and it is more than probable, that, 
 if it had not been for the afliftance from above, the 
 miiTionaries would never have been fo great profi- 
 cients, as to make fuch a progrefs that has afto- 
 nifhed the ableft dodtors of the empire. 
 
 Amongft thefe characters, there are fome of divers 
 forts. The firft are almoll: out of ufe, and they pre- 
 ferve them only out of veneration to antiquity. The 
 fecond, not fo ancient by far, take place only in 
 publick infcriptions •, when there is occafion for 
 them, they confult books, and, by the help of a 
 dictionary, it is eafy to decypher them. The third, 
 much more regular and fair, ferve for the impref- 
 flon, and alfo for the ordinary writing -, neverthe- 
 lefs, the ftrokes and draughts of them being very 
 exad: and curious, there needs a confiderable time 
 to write them. And for that reafon, they have con- 
 trived a fourth kind of writing, the ftrokes where- 
 of being more joined, and lefs diftinguifh'd one from 
 another, facilitate the writing fafter ; for that rea- 
 fon, they are called Voluble Letters : Thefe three 
 laft characters do much refemble one another, and do 
 anfwer to our capital letters, to the printed letters, 
 and ordinary writing. 
 
 Inftead of a pen, they ufe a pencil, held in the 
 hand, not obliquely, as our painters, but direCtly, as 
 if the paper were to be prick'd. The Chinefe always 
 write from top to bottom, and begin their firft let- 
 ter where ours end i fo that, to read their books, 
 the laft page muft firft be fought for, which with 
 them is the beginning : Their paper being very 
 thin andalmoft tranfparent, they are fain to double it, 
 for fear left the letters do run into one another when 
 they write on the backfide : but thefe doubled leaves 
 are fo even, that one can hardly perceive it. 
 
 To write a bad hand was never in China, as for- 
 inerly in France, a fign of nobility , every body is 
 ambitious to write fair j and. before one ftands can- 
 didate 
 
and Morality of theChSxi^^c, 185 
 
 didate to be admitted to the firft degree of learning, 
 he muft give a fpecimen of his fair hand. A letter 
 ill cut in a compofition, in a work, in a petition, is 
 'a confiderable fault ; and becaufe one ftroke often 
 alters the whole fenfe, there needs no more to make 
 one, upon examination, tolofe the degree of dod:or, 
 and confequently to ruin his fortune. So that all 
 the Mandarines write fair, and the emperor excels 
 in that, as in all other things. 
 
 Printing, which is but an art in its infancy in 
 Europe, hath beertj from all antiquity, in ufe in 
 China \ however it is fomething different from ours •, 
 as we have but few letters, from which we can com- 
 pofe huge volumes, by putting them together, few 
 charafters fuffice, becaufe thofe that have ferved for 
 the firft leaf are ftill employed for all the others. 
 The prodigious number of China characters hinder 
 you from ufing this way, except only in fome re~ 
 ftridlions that concern the palace, and title pages, 
 into which few letters can come in : on all other 
 occafions they find it more eafy to engrave their 
 letters upon wooden boards, and the charge is much 
 lefs. 
 
 This is the way they go to work. He, who in- 
 tends to print a book, gets it fair written over by a 
 mafter fcribe, the engraver glews each leaf upon an 
 even fmooth table, and then the draughts with the 
 graving tool are done fo exadtly, that the chara6lers 
 have a perfedb refemblance" with the original ; fo that 
 the impreffion is good or bad, according as a good 
 or bad fcribe hath been employed •, this fkill of the 
 gravers is fo great, that one cannot diftinguifh that 
 which is Imprinted from what was written by the 
 hand, when they have made ufe of the fame paper 
 and Ink. 
 
 It muft be confefs'd that this fort of printing is 
 fomewhat incommodious, inafmuch as the boards 
 ynufl be multiplied as much as the leaves, fo that 
 
 an, 
 
1 86 Of the La?2guage^ Characters ^ Books, 
 
 an IndifFerent big chamber will not fuffice to contain 
 all the little tables, that ferved for the imprefTion of 
 a large volume ; yet when the engraving is finifli'd, 
 one is not obliged at the fame time to draw oiF all 
 the copies, by running a ^''enture of not felling above 
 halfj and ruin his eftate by a needlefs charge. The 
 Chinefe print their leaves, according as they put them 
 off; and the wooden plates, which they eafily run 
 over again, after they have di'a wn off two or three 
 hundred copies, ferve for many other different 
 impreflions. Befides that, they have no occafion 
 for a correcflor of the prefs ; for, provided that the 
 leaf be exadly written, it is very rare that the en- 
 graver makes any faults, which is none of the leaft 
 advantages. 
 
 The paper of China fcems fo fine, that they Im.a- 
 glned in France that it was of filk, or cotton ; but 
 cotton Is not fo proper for that purpofe as people 
 imagine; and the artificers haveaitlired me, that the 
 little threads of filk cannot be beat fmall enough 
 to compofe an uniform pafte, fuch as is requlfite for 
 the leaves. All the China paper is made of the 
 bark, or inward rhind of Bambou ; It is a tree more 
 even, thicker, ftraiter, and ftronger than the elder ; 
 they threw away the firfl rhind, as too hard and 
 thick ; the underm.oft, as being whiter, fofter, 
 pounded with fair water, ferves for the matter 
 whereof they compofe paper, which they take up 
 with frames or moulds, as long and broad as they 
 think fit, as we do here : there are leaves of ttn and 
 twelve feet long ; and the paper of the leaves is as 
 white, and much more even and fmoother than ours. 
 Inftead of glew they pafs alom upon it, which 
 does not only hinder it from finking, but renders it 
 alfo fe finning, that it appears as wafh'd over with 
 filver, or impregnated with varnifh : it is extremely L 
 fmooth under the pen, but efpecially under the pen- 
 cils that requires an even ground 5 for if it be rugged 
 
 an4 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 187 
 
 and knotty, like our paper, the little threads feparate, 
 and the letters are never well termmated. 
 
 Yet for all that the China paper is not lading, it 
 is fubjeft to fret ; any moifture or duft flicks to it % 
 and, by reafon of its being made of the bark of a 
 tree, worms infallibly breed in it, if care be not taken 
 to beat the books now and then, and expofe them 
 to the fun •, fo that they cannot preferve in China, 
 as we do in Europe, ancient manufcripts *, and they 
 continually renew the libraries, which are therefore 
 only ancient, becaufe they confift of authentick 
 copies of ancient originals. 
 
 Since I have told your grace all things that con- 
 cern the books and printings of China, I hope you 
 will not take it amifs if I fpeak a word or two con- 
 cerning the particular quality of their ink : It is moft 
 excellent, and they have hitherto vainly tried in 
 France to imitate it ; that of Nankim is moft fet by j 
 and there be fticks made of it fo very curious, and 
 of fuch a fweet fcent, that one would be tempted to 
 keep fome of them tho* they fhould be of no ufe 
 at all. 
 
 I fay fticks of ink, for it is not a liquor like ours ; 
 it is folid, and refembles our mineral colours, tho* 
 lighter by far -, they make it into all figures ; the 
 more ufual are four-fquare, but not fo broad as 
 long, about half an inch thick. There are fome of 
 them gilded with figures of dragons, birds, and 
 flowers •, they contrive for that purpofe pretty moulds 
 of wood fo curioudy wrought, that one would have 
 much ado to make any thing more compleat upon 
 metal. 
 
 When one has a mind to write, they have a little 
 polifti'd marble upon the table, made hollow at the 
 end, proper to hold water ; they infufe one end of 
 the ftick therein, which they rub gently upon the 
 fmooth part of the marble ; and in a moment, ac- 
 cording as they rub, there is produced a liquor, more 
 
 or 
 
i88 Of the Language, CharaElers, Books, 
 
 or lefs black, wherein they dip the point of the" 
 pencil to write with. This ink is fhining, extremely 
 black, and altho' it finks when the paper is fo fine, 
 yet does it never extend further than the pencil •, fa 
 that the letters are exadly terminated, how grofs 
 foever the ftrokes be. 
 
 It hath moreover another quality, that makes it 
 admirable good for defigning, that is, it admits of 
 all the diminutions one can give it ; and there are 
 many things that cannot be reprefented to the life, 
 without ufing this colour. In a word, it is not fo 
 difficult to be made as people imiagine ; altho* the 
 Chinefe ufe lamp-black, drawn from divers matters, 
 y€t the bed is made of hogs greafe, burnt in a lamp ; 
 they mix a fort of oil with it, to make it fweeter, 
 and pleafant odours, to fupprefs the ill fmell of the 
 greafe and oil. After having reduced it to a con- 
 fiftence, they make of the pafte little lozenges, 
 which they call in a mould •, it is at firft very heavy, 
 but when it is very hard, it is not fo weighty by 
 half, and that, which they give for a pound, weighs 
 not above eight or ten ounces. 
 
 The binding of books in China is likewife very 
 pretty and curious, tho' it comes much fhort of ours > 
 they don't gild upon the edges, nor fo much as 
 colour them. The ordinary books are covered with 
 a grey paflieboard, handfome enough. They bind 
 others according as they pleafe •, in a fine fattin, or a 
 kind of flower'd taffaty, that is very cheap, and is 
 commonly made on purpofe for this ufe. I have 
 feen fome covered with rich filk, flower'd with gold 
 and filver •, the form is always the fame, but they 
 are at coft, according to the matter they are willing 
 to employ. I fiiould never have prefumed, my 
 lord, to take the liberty to fet down all thefe minute 
 circumftances, if I were not perfuaded, that a little 
 account is not always difagreeable to learned men, 
 who, like you, are acquainted beforehand with the 
 
 moft 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 189 
 
 mofl: eflential matters. But I now prefent you with 
 fomething more folid, which, without doubt, you 
 may have read •, but I add it in this place briefly, 
 only to refrefh your memory. 
 
 The firft hiftory, that was in the world, was, 
 without all controverfy, the book of Genefis ; but it 
 muft be granted, that, of all the books that have 
 reached our knowledge, thofe of China are the firft 
 that have been publifhed : they name them by way 
 of excellence. The Five Volumes •, and the Chinefe 
 hold nothing more facred than the dodrine therein 
 taught. It is about four thoufand three hundred 
 years fince the emperor Hoamti, after he had in- 
 vented the charaders, compofed treaties of aftrono- 
 my, arithmetick, and medicine. 
 
 Near upon three hundred years after, they made 
 a colledlion of all the ordinances, and writ the 
 hiftory of king Yao, a prince recommendable for his 
 piety, prudence, and the mighty care he took to 
 eftabllfh a model of government in the ftate. Chun 
 and Ifu, his fucceflbrs, were no lefs famous ; they re- 
 gulated the ceremonies of the facrlfices, that they 
 were bound to ofFer to the fupreme Mafter of hea- 
 ven, and to the inferior fpirlts that prefided over 
 rivers and mountains ; they divided the empire into 
 provinces ^ they fix'd their different fituatlon, with 
 refped: to the conftellatlons of heaven -, they regu- 
 lated the taxes that the people were to pay ; they 
 made feveral other conftitutions very wholefome and 
 proper for introducing good manners, and very ne- 
 cefTary for the publick quiet. All thefe things were 
 written ; and whatever, thefe three emperors have 
 left behind them to pofterity, hath been always con- 
 fldered by the Chinefe as oracles. 
 
 Neverthelefs, becaufe fome things ever efcape the 
 notice of the firft laws, the emperors who reigned a 
 thoufand feven hundred and feventy {\yi years before 
 our Saviour, upon mature deliberation, and by the 
 
 prudent 
 
190 Of the Language^ CharaSfers, Books y 
 
 prudent counfel and advice of their minifters, thought 
 themfelves obliged to make an addition of new ones. 
 They report that Caotfon, a prince, in whom piety 
 and zeal in religion did infinitely inhance the noble 
 qualities he had received from nature, faw in a dream 
 the figure of a man coming from heaven : after he 
 awoke, the image remained fo lively engraven upon 
 his mind, that he caufed him to be fought for, and 
 found him at length amongft the mafons. So foon 
 as this man appiy'd himfelf to the government, he 
 feemed to be infpired, and made feveral beneficial 
 regulations, that perfeded the ancient ordinances, 
 which were again augmented under fucceeding reigns ; 
 infomuch that, being all collected together, there was 
 a book compofed of them which the Chinefe call 
 * Chu-kim, which amongft them is of as great au- 
 thority, in reference to the politick flate, as Mofes 
 and the prophets are amongft the Jews, as to what 
 concerns the worfhip of God, and form of religion. 
 
 The fecond book, which the Chinefe reverence 
 for its antiquity, is a long continuation and feries of 
 odes and poems, compofed under the reigns of the 
 third race -f : where are defcribed the manners and 
 cuftoms of the petty kings of China, who govern'd 
 the provinces under the emperor's jurifdidlion. 
 Confucius mentions them with great marks of re- 
 fped: ; which makes us incline to judge, that in pro- 
 cefs of time they had been corrupted by a mixture 
 of feveral bad pieces, fince feveral things are found 
 in them very ridiculous, not to fay impious. Fohi, 
 founder of the monarchy, compofed before that time 
 poems of this nature •, but they were fo obfcure^ 
 that what care foever they took to put a good 
 conftrudlion on them, yet have they been forced to 
 confefs that they were not intelligible. This ob- 
 fcurity, fo unfathomable to the moft learned heads, 
 
 hatb 
 
 * The firfl book called Chu-kim. 
 t The fecond book Chi- kirn. 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 19 1 
 
 hath given occaiion to many fuperftitions. The 
 Bonzes wreft them to a wrong ufe, and make them 
 fay what they pleafe \ they are to them an inex- 
 hauftible fountain of fables and chimeras, which 
 they make ufe of, to caufe the people to pin their 
 faith upon their fleeve. However, they have com- 
 piled a * tome of them, v/hich holds the third rank 
 amongft claffick authors. 
 
 The -f fourth contains the hiilory of fevera! 
 princes, their virtues, vices, and maxims of the 
 government, that have been collecled by Confucius, 
 and commented upon by his difciples. 
 
 The jl fifth treats of cuftoms and ceremonies. 
 There is mention made of temples, facred veflels ; 
 of the duty of children to their parents, and wives 
 to their hufbands ; rules of real friendfhip, civilities 
 at feafts ; of hofpitality, mufick, war \ of funeral 
 honours, and of a thoufand other things that re- 
 gard fociety. 
 
 Thefe five books are very ancient, and all the 
 others, that have any authority in the empire, are no- 
 thing but copies, or interpretations of them. Amongft 
 abundance of authors who have taken pains about 
 thefe fo famous originals, none is fo confpicuous and 
 eminent as Confucius ; they have a great efteem, efpe- 
 cially for that which he compiled in four books, up- 
 on the ancient laws, which are look'd upon as the 
 rule of perfedt government. There he treats of 
 the great art of reigning, of mediocrity, virtues, 
 and vices, of the nature of things, and of com- 
 mon duties. This laft tome, notwithftanding, is not 
 fo much the work of Confucius, as of Mencius 
 his difciple, whofe life was lefs regular than that 
 of his mafter, but his llile more eloquent and 
 pleafant. v 
 
 Befides 
 
 * The third book V-lrm. + The fourth Tchttn-tjiou, 
 
 S The fifth Li^hi, 
 
192 Of the Language^ Charadiers, Books, 
 
 Befides thefe nine books, there be fome others 
 much m vogue, as the univerfal hiftory of the em- 
 pire, the truth of which is no lefs confirmed in 
 China, than it is in our moft noted hiftories in Eu- 
 rope. The books that treat of the education of 
 children, of obedience, of loyalty, are afcribed to 
 Confucius. You have fome which difcourfe of me- 
 dicine, agriculture, plants, of the military art, of 
 arts liberal and mechanick, of particular hiftorics, 
 aftronomy, philofophy, and a great many other 
 parts of mathematicks. In fhort, they have their 
 romances, comedies, and, what I place in the fame 
 rank, an abundance of treatifes compofed by the 
 Bonzes, concerning the worfhip of the deities of the 
 country, which they alter, diminifh, and increafe, 
 according as they find it neceflary to inveigle the 
 people, and fwell their revenues. 
 
 Of all thefe books they have compiled numerous 
 libraries, fome whereof were compofed of above 
 forty thoufand volumes ; but all thefe brave works 
 that antiquity took fo much pains to bring forthj 
 which private perfons had amafTed with fo vafl ex- 
 pences, were well-nigh all deftroyed by the tyran- 
 nical order of one emperor. Three hundred years, 
 or thereabouts, after the death of Confucius, that is 
 to fay, two hundred years before the birth of our Savi- 
 our, the emperor Chihcamti, illuflrious by his valour 
 and military fcience, of which he was mafler beyond 
 all his predeceflbrs, and fliJl more famous for the 
 prodigious wall he caufed to be built, to fecure 
 his territories from the interruptions of the Tartars, 
 refolved to extirpate all fciences •, and not fatisfied 
 with putting a great number of doctors to death, 
 he ordered his fubjeds, upon pain of death, to fet 
 fire on all the books in the empire, except thofe 
 that treated on agriculture, medicine, and forcery. 
 
 This conflagration, the mofl remarkable that ever 
 the republick of letters fufFered, had like to have ut- 
 terly 
 
md Morality of the Chinefe. i 93 
 
 terly ruined the empire, and would in time have 
 turned the mofl polite and accompliihed ftate, into 
 the moil barbarous and ignorant kingdom in the 
 world, if, after the tyrant's death, the love offci» 
 ences, that began to revive in , all mens breads, had 
 riot in fome meafure repaired this lofs. 
 , The old men, who according to cuftom had, du- 
 ring their youth, learned almoft all thefe books by 
 heart, received orders to write them faithfully over : 
 They found fome of them m the tombs^ that t\it 
 moft zealous had concealed, to which they gave a 
 refurredion^ by publifhing them in another edition. 
 Some of them they fetched from the graves, and 
 holes of walls, that indeed fufFered great damage 
 by moifture and worms ; however, very ferviceable 
 to thofe who laboured after their reftoration^ for 
 V/hat was defaced in fome was intire in others. . 
 
 All this, care did not keep the new edition from 
 defedls ; there remain in fome places feveral breaks ; 
 and there have been inferted into .others fome pieces 
 by the bye, that were not in the originals. The Ghinefe 
 themfelves take notice of thefe faults, and of fome 
 j others of lefs moment •, but they are (o fuperilitious 
 I in preferving what was handed dov/n to them, from 
 antiquity, that they pay reverence even to its faults. 
 I Ihould not, my lord, afford you a light diffulivc 
 ji enough into the Chinefe literature, fhould I not 
 fpeak more particularly of Confucius, who make^ 
 the principal ornament of it. He is the moft pure 
 : fource of their do6lrine ; hq. is their philofopher, 
 1 their law giver; their oracle ; and, albeit he was 
 ! never king, one may neverthelefs avouch, that, du- 
 ring his life, l-^e governed a great part of China^ 
 and that he hath had, fmce his death, a greater 
 ftiare than any one in the adminiftration of the 
 J affairs of flate, by the maxims that he had pro- 
 jinulgated, and the fair examples that he had ex-. 
 hibited 5 fo that he h flill the model of all honeft 
 
 O mejK : 
 
194 Of the Language^ CharaBers^ Booh^ 
 
 men : his life hath been writ by feveral perfons 1 
 I fhall report what they commonly fay of it. 
 
 Confucius, whom the Chinefe name Coum-tfe, 
 was born in the province of Quamtum, the thir- 
 ty-feventh year of the reign of the emperor Kim, 
 four hundred fourfcore and three years before the 
 Incarnation of our Saviour ; the death of his fa- 
 ther, that preceded his birth, made them call him 
 TcefTe, v/hich fignifies Child of Sorrow ; he de- 
 rived his pedigree from Tiny, twenty-feventh em- 
 peror of the fecond race : how illuftrious foever this 
 family might be by a long feries of kings, it be- 
 came much more fo by the life of this great 
 man : He eclipfed all his anceftors, but he gave 
 his pofterity a luftre that ftill continues, after miore 
 than two thoufand years. China acknowledges 
 no true nobility but in this family, mightily re- 
 fpe6ted by fovereigns, who have derived from 
 thence, as from the fource, the laws of perfedl 
 government, and no lefs beloved by the people, 
 to v/hofe happinefs he hath fo fuccefsfuUy con- 
 tributed. 
 
 Confucius did not proceed by the ordinary de- 
 grees of childhood, he feemed rational a great deal 
 looner than other men ; for he took delight In no- 
 thing that other children are fond of : Playing, 
 going abroad, amufements proper to his age, did 
 not at all concern him •, he had a grave, a fe- 
 rious deportment, that gained him refpedr, and waSj 
 at that very time, a prefage of what one day he 
 was like to be : but that, which diflingulllieth him 
 the moll, was his exemplary and unbiafTed piety. 
 He honoured his relations ; he endeavoured in all 
 things to imitate his grandfather, who lived then 
 in China, refpedled and admired by all for his 
 exemplary fandity •, and it was obfervable, that 
 he never eat any thing but he profirated him- 
 felf upon the ground, and offered it to th€ fupreme 
 Lord of heaven. When 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 195 
 
 when he was a child, hearing his grandfather 
 fetch a deep figh, he came up to him, and when 
 he had faluted him, bowing feveral times to the 
 very ground. May I be fo hold^ fays he^ with out 
 injuring the refpeif I owe yoii^ to ask yon the oc- 
 cafion of your grief P Perhaps^ you are afraid that 
 your pojlerity may negletl the care of virtue^ and 
 dijhonour ym by their vice. What put this thought 
 into your head ? fays Coum-tfe to him^ and where 
 
 .'have you learned to fpeak after this manner ? 
 
 ' From yourfelf reply 'd Confucius ; / attentively hear 
 'you every tifne you fpeah^ and I have often heard 
 you fay^ that a fon^ who by his manner of liv- 
 ing does not keep up to the reputation of his ancef 
 iorsi degenerates from them^ and does not deferve 
 to bear their name. When you fpoke after that man- 
 fe^r, did not you think of me ? and might not. that 
 be the thing that troubles you P This good old 
 !tnan was overjoy'd at this difcoiirfe, and after that 
 feemed not to be difquleted. 
 
 Confucius, after his grandfather's death, was a 
 conftant adherer to Tcem-fe^ a famous do6lor of 
 thofe times ; and, under the condu6l of fo great 
 k mailer, he became In a fhort time a mighty 
 proficient in the knowledge of antiquity, which 
 he look'd upon, even then, as the moft perfed; 
 model. This love for the ancients had like one 
 day to have coil him his life^ tho* he was then 
 but fixteen years of age : for, difcourling with a 
 }3erfon of the higheft: quality, v/ho fpdke of the 
 obfcurity and unprofitablenefs of the Chinefe books, 
 ; this child read him fomewh^.t too fevere a ledure 
 concerning the refped that Is due to them. 
 The books you fpeak of fays Confucius, contain 
 
 \ profound do^rinc^ the fenfe of which ought not t6 
 he underftood but by the learned : the people would 
 undervalue them^ could they comprehend them of them^ 
 
 fehes:, Tms dependence of judgment Sj by which the 
 O 2 Jiupid 
 
196 Of the Language, CharaBers, Booh, 
 
 Jiiipid are [uhjeEl to the learned^ is 'V try ■profitable^ 
 and liftfiil in human foe iety : ^juere all families equal- 
 ly rich^ and equally pauaerful^ there would remain 
 no form of government : hut there would happen yet 
 a more firayige difcorder^ if men were equally know- 
 ings every one would he for governing^ and nobody 
 would believe himfelf obliged to obey. 
 
 Some time ago^ added this witty child, one of 
 the Vulgar fpoke to 7ne as you do^ I did not won- 
 der at it ; but I admire at prefeyit^ that a do^or, 
 as you are^ fhculd fpeak to me like this man of 
 the dregs of the people. This difcourfe, one would 
 think, fhould gain the afFeflion and refped of the 
 Mandarine : but cohfufion, that pofiefs'd him to 
 be thus gravelled by a child, did fo nettle him, 
 that he fefblved to be revenged. He caufed his 
 houfe to be invefted by his menial fervants, and, 
 without doubt, he would have committed fome 
 violence, had not the king, who had notice of it, 
 given him orders to withdraw. 
 
 When Confucius was a little more advanced in 
 years, he made a collecfcion of the moil excellent 
 maxims of the ancients, which he intended to fol- 
 lov/, and infpire into the people. Each province 
 was at that time a diftindl kingdom, which a prince, 
 in fubje6lion to the emperor, governed by particu- 
 lar lav/s : he levied taxes, difpofed of all places 
 of truft, and made peace as he judged expedient. 
 Thefe petty kings had fometimes differences among 
 them ; the emperor himfelf ttood in fear of them *, 
 and had not always authority enough to make 
 himfelf be obey'd by them. 
 
 Confucius being perfuaded that the people would 
 never be happy, fo long as intereft, ambition, and 
 fp.lfe policy fhould reign in all thefe petty courts, re- 
 folved to preach up a fevere morality, to prevail 
 upon men to contemn riches and worldly pleafures, 
 a-nd efkem temperance, juftice, and other virtues ; 
 
 to 
 
 i 
 
and Morality cf the QKmti^, 197 
 
 to infpire them with grandeur and magnanimity, 
 proof againft all the temptations of this life, a fin- 
 cerity incapable of the leaft difguife, even in refpecft 
 of the greatcft princes ; in fine, to teach them a 
 kind of life that fhould oppofe the pafTions, and 
 fhould intlrely cultivate reafon and virtue. 
 
 That which Is moft to be admired is, That he 
 preached more by his example than by his words ; 
 fo that he every where reaped very confiderable 
 fruit from his labours. Kings were governed by his 
 counfels, the people reverenced him as a faint ; eve- 
 ry body commended him, and even thofe, v/ho 
 could not be brought to Imitate his actions, did 
 neverthelefs admire them : but fometlmes he took 
 upon him fuch a feverity, as his greatell friends 
 and admirers could never comply with. 
 
 Being chofen to fill a confiderable place of tmft in 
 the kingdom of Lou, inlefs than three months time, 
 after he exercifed the charge, he introduced fuch a 
 prodigious change, that the court and provinces were 
 quite another thing than they were before. The neigh- 
 bouring princes began to be jealous *, they perceived, 
 that a king, ruled by a man of this character, would 
 quickly render himfelf too pov/erful, fince nothing 
 is more conducive to make a flate flourlfh than 
 order, and an exadt obfervance of laws. The king of 
 Tci aflembled his minifters, and propounded to them 
 an expedient to put a flop to the carlere of this new 
 government : after a long deliberation, this was the 
 expedient they bethought themfelves of. 
 
 They chofc a great company of young maids, 
 handfome, well educated, and perfedy well in- 
 flrudled in whatfoever might pleafe. Then, un- 
 der pretence of an ambafTy, they prefented them 
 to the king of Lou, and to the principal offi- 
 cers of his court ; the prefent was joyfully accept- 
 ed, and obtained its defired effedt ; they thought 
 pf nothing but of diverting the fair ftrangers ; 
 
 P 3 ' f<^?' 
 
19.S Of the Language^ Characiers^ Booh, 
 
 ipr feveral months together there was nothing but 
 teafting, dancing, and comedies, and pleafure was 
 the only bufinefs of the court. 
 
 Confucius, perceiving that the publick affairs 
 would fufFer by it, endeavoured to bring men 
 to themfelves again ; but this new kind of life 
 had fo charmed them, that all his endeavours 
 proved ineffedlual : there was no remedy, the fe- 
 verity of the philofopher, whether he would or 
 no, muft give place to the gallantry and irregu- 
 larities of courtiers. So that he thought it did not 
 iland with his reputation to remain any longer in 
 a place where reafon was not liftened tOy and 
 he refigncd up his place to the prince, and fought 
 other kingdoms more inclinable to follow his 
 maxims. 
 
 But he met with great obftacles, and run from 
 province to province, almoft without reaping any 
 advantage •, becaufe the politicians dreaded hjm, 
 and the mJnifters of princes had no mind to have 
 a competitor, who v/as able to leilen their au- 
 thority, or deprive them of their credit. So 
 that, forfaken by all the world, he was often re- 
 duced to the utmofl: extrernity, in danger of being 
 ilarved, or to lofe his life by the confpiracy of mif- 
 chievous men. Neverthelefs, all thefe difgraces did 
 not m.ove him ; and he would often fay, That the 
 canfe he defended ijcas too good to apprehend any evil 
 confequences from it \ that there was not that man 
 fo powerful^ that could hurt him ; and that^ when 
 a man is elevated to heaven by afincere dejire of per- 
 feSlion^ he is fo far frc7n fearing a tempefl^ that he 
 does not fo jnuch as hear the noife in this lower world. 
 
 So that he was never weary of inftrudting thofe 
 wlio loved virtue. Amongft a great company of 
 difciples that put themfelves under his tuition, he 
 eniploy'd fome to write a fair hand \ others apply'd 
 themfelves to argue exadly^ and to deliver them- 
 
and Morality of the CKmtk. 199 
 
 felves eloquently in publick. He would have others 
 lludy to frame to themfelves a true idea of a good 
 government : but he counfelled thofe, for whom he 
 had a more particular kindnefs, to govern them- 
 felves well, to cultivate their minds by meditation, 
 and to purify their hearts by virtue. 
 
 Human nature^ would he often fay, ca^ne from 
 Heaven to us moft pure and perfect ^ in procefs of time^ 
 ignorance^ the paffions and evH examples have corrupt^ 
 ed it ; all conftfts in the re-inflating it^ and giving it 
 its primitive beauty : and^ that we may he perfect ^ 
 we muft re-afcend to that pointy from whence we have 
 defended. Obey Heaven^ and follow all the orders of 
 him who governs it. Love your neighbour as y our f elf ; 
 never fuffer your fenfes to be the rule of your condu^^ 
 but hearken to reafon in all things : it will infiru£f you 
 to think well^ to fpeak difcreetly., and to perform all 
 your anions holily. He fent fix hundred of his dif- 
 ciples into different places of the empire, to re- 
 form the manners of the people ; and not fatisfy'd 
 to benefit his own country, he often took a refo- 
 lution to pafs the feas, and extend his doctrine to 
 the extremity of the univerfe. There is fcarce any 
 thing can be added either to his zeal, or to the purity 
 of his morality, they were fo fuperlative. Methinks 
 he fometimes fpeaks like a dodlor of the new law, 
 rather than like a man that was brought up in the 
 corruption of the law of nature : and that, which 
 perfuades me, that hypocrify had no fhare in what 
 he faid, is. That his adlions never bely'd his max- 
 ims. In fine, his gravity and mildnefs in the ufe of 
 the world, his ngorous abilinence (for he pafs'd for 
 the foberefk man of the empire) his contempt of 
 the good things of the world, that continual at- 
 tention and watchfulnefs over his adions, and then 
 (which we find not among the fages of antiquity) 
 his humility and modefly would make a man apt to 
 judge that he was not a meer philofopher formed by 
 Q 4 ?eafon^ 
 
200 Of the Lajiguage^ CharaSfer^^ Booksy 
 
 5?eafon, but a man mfpired by God for the refer- 
 jnation of this new world. 
 
 The Chinefe report, that he had frequently thi$ 
 faying in his mouth, // is in the Weft where the true 
 faint is found : and this fentence was fo imprinted 
 upon the fpirit of the learned, that, fixty-five years 
 after the birth of our Saviour^ the emperor Mim- 
 ti, touched with thefe words, and determined by the 
 image of a man that appeared to him in a dream 
 coming from the Weft, fent ambafladors that 
 way, with ftridl: orders to continue their journey 
 till they Ihould meet the f^int whom Heaven had 
 acquainted him with. 
 
 . It was much about the fame time that St. Thomas 
 preached the chriftian faith in the Indies •, now^ {f 
 thefe Mandarines had followed his orders, perad- 
 vcnture China might have received benefit from the 
 preaching of this apoftle. But the danger of the 
 fea, that they feared, made them flop ^t the firft 
 Jfland, where they found the idol Fo, or Foe, who 
 had corrapted the Indies feveral years before with 
 his damnable dodrine : they learn'd the fuperftiti- 
 ons of the country, and, at their return, propa- 
 gated idolatry and atheifm in all the empire. 
 
 Confacius lived fecretly three years, but fpent 
 the latter end of his days in forrow, in feeing 
 the wickedncfs that reigned amongft the people. 
 He has been often heard to fay, 'J'he mountain 
 is fallen^ and an high edifice %vas deftrcyed -, to de= 
 note that the grand fyftem of perfe6lion, that he 
 had ereded with fo much care in all the realms, 
 was as good as overthrown. Kings ^ faid he, one 
 day, during his lad ficknefs^ do not follow my 
 maxims \ I do tj) good in ih{ worlds wherefare it 
 is time I jhould depart cut cf it. At that very 
 moment fee fell intx) a lethargy that continued 
 (even days, at the end of which, he gave up 
 the ghcfl ill ?ti;e embraces of his difciples. 
 
and Morality of the Ghinefe, 201 
 
 He was lamented by the whole empire, that from 
 that very time honoured him as a faint, and influ- 
 enced pofterity with a veneration of him, v/hich in 
 all probability will never have an end but with thz 
 world. Kings have built palaces for him after his 
 death in all the provinces, whither the learned at 
 certain times go to pay him honours. There are to 
 be (ttn in feveral places thefe titles of honour writ 
 in large characters, 51? the great Mafter, 'To the head, 
 -DoElor. To the Saint, To him "who taught Emferors 
 and Kings, However, which is very extraordlnaiy,- 
 the Chinefe did never deify him ; they, I fay, who 
 have given the quality of God, or, as they {peak, 
 the quality of pure fpirits to many Mandarines, much 
 inferior to him ; as if Heaven, that had given him 
 birth for the reformation of manners, was unwilling 
 that fuch a well-ordered life, fnould, after his death, 
 adrnlnifter occafion of fuperftltlon and idolatry. 
 
 They preferve to this day in China mImJcks that 
 reprefent him to the life, and pretty well agree with 
 what hiftory hath left us concerning him. He was 
 no handfome man ; he had moreover upon his fore- 
 head a fv/elling, or a kind of wen, that disfigured 
 him, which he made others often to take nQtice of 
 to humble him •, otherwife his ftature was fo comely 
 and proportionable, his behaviour fo grave, his 
 voice fo ftrong and Ihrill, that if he fpoke with never 
 fo little warmth, one could not chufebut be afFeded^ 
 and hear him with refped : but the maxims of mo- 
 rality he hath fcattered here and there in his works, 
 or which his difciples took care to cojled, draw a 
 much more lively and advantageous portraiture of 
 his foul. There would need an intire volume to re- 
 late them all. I have taken the few following out 
 of a book cornppfed by one of the principal Manda- 
 rines of the empire, who rules at prefent in Pekin. 
 
 Maxim 
 
202 Of the Language^ CharaSiers^ Books, 
 
 Maxim I. 
 Beauty is not to be deftred by a wife man, 
 
 Confucius, going to fee the king of a province, 
 found him with a lord his favourite who was mighty 
 beautiful. The king, fo foon as he faw him come in, 
 faid to him fmiling, Confucius^ if thy countenance 
 could be changed^ I would willingly give you all the 
 heauiy of this young courtier. Sir^ anfwered the phi- 
 lofopher, that is not the thing I wifh ; the exterior 
 form of a man is of little ufe to the publick good. What 
 do you defire then., faid the prince ? I defire^ my lordy 
 fays he, in all the members of the empire that jujt 
 fymmetry that makes up the beauty of the government^ 
 iind keeps the body of the flat e from, deformity, 
 
 Maxim II. 
 A man viuft keep within bounds^ if he means to he happy. 
 
 So foon as he underftood that his mother was dead, 
 he came into his country to pay his laft devoirs to 
 her ^ he wept for her bitterly, and fpent three days 
 without eating, which was perhaps too much, yet a 
 philofopher of that country thought it not enough, 
 who faid to Confucius : As for me., I have been f even 
 days without taking fuftenance^ upon the death of my 
 relations •, and you., who are grandfon to a faint ^ on 
 whom all the world cajis their eyes to fee how you will 
 imitate him., you have fat is fled your felf with three days 
 cihflijience. Confucius anfwered him. Ceremonies 
 have been enjoined by the ancients to refrain the indif. 
 creet., andflir up the backward. It is our duty to be 
 cbedie'dt to the laws., if we would not go ajiray ; it is 
 in this golden mean that wifdom conjifis. That you 
 Tnay never ft ray out of it., remember that virtue is not 
 an excefsy and that perfection hath its limits. 
 
 Maxim III. 
 
 A man ought to change often., if he would be confiant 
 
 in wifdom. 
 
 A perfon of quality faid one day to Confucius,^ 
 
 Tour grandfather was never wanting in any duty of 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. 203 
 
 civility -i in refpeB of great ^erfons ; neverthelefs his 
 doUrine^ tho' holy^ never obtained^ or got footing : How 
 do you imagine then that yours Jhould he followed^ feeing 
 you have a magifterial gravity which is very rough to 
 all men^ and proceeds foraetimes to haughtinefs ? This 
 is not the way to be welccme at princes courts. Every 
 age hath its ways^ anfwered Confucius, in my grand- 
 father's time princes and officers were polite -, they de- 
 lighted in order^ every one kept hisftation ; to injinuate 
 a marh felf in their affcElions^ it behoved a man to he 
 plite^ and regular^ like them. At this day men value 
 nothing hut courage and haughtinefs^ wherewith princes 
 endeavour to infpire their officers ; a man ought to 
 change with the worlds that he 7nay he in a capacity to 
 win it : A wife man would ceafe fo to be, fhould he 
 always adl as the wife men of former times aded. 
 
 Maxim IV. 
 
 The nobility are not always the greateft men in the 
 
 kingdom. 
 
 Confucius, coming to the court of one of the kings ' 
 of China, was very well received. This prince al- 
 lowed him an apartment in his palace, and came to ' 
 vifit him there himfelf ^ at the end of the viiit he * 
 faid to him, Tou come not for nothing into my flat e \ 
 probably you have a defign to do me fome good. My lor d^ 
 replied Confucius, / am but an unprofitable man.^ yet 
 I avow., if your majefiy will hut follow my counfely 
 you will not be the worfe for it : my intent is to prefen't 
 to you wife men^ to fill the principal places of your fiat e. 
 With all my heart., fays the prince, Who are they ? 
 My lord., Li-in^ the fon of a hufhandman., is a man on 
 whom you may rely. The kin,g burft out a laughing ; 
 How., fays he, an huflmndman ? I have not employ^ 
 j ment enough for the lords of my court., and would y out 
 have me take a labourer into my fervice. 
 
 The phiiofopher, without being moved, replied. 
 Virtue is of all trades and conditions.^ altho'' it is more 
 fmfnonly anne>:ed to, a mean condition : we have two 
 
 kingdoms 
 
2©4 Of the Language^ Chara6lert^ Books ^ 
 
 kingdoms in the empire that have been founded by two 
 labourers *. H^at inconvenience is there^ thd* a man 
 of that charaBer govern yours ? Believe me^ ftr^ the 
 court hath hitherto fupplfd you with a great company . 
 cf evil minifters ; fuffer a country village to prefent you, 
 ivith a wife man. Tou want employments^ you fay^ to 
 place all the lords that encompafs you. If virtue alone 
 were rewarded.^ you would fifid in your court more 
 places than officers ; nay^ and perhaps would be forced 
 to call for labourers to fupply them. When the body 
 of the nobility does not furnifh the ftate with great 
 men, the great men that may be found amongft the 
 people muft be chofen, and of them muft be com- 
 ppfed the body of the nobility. 
 
 Maxim V. 
 A fmall fault often denotes great qualities. 
 He one day advifed the king of Ouei to fet a cer- 
 tain great officer at the head of his army ; but the 
 king excufed himfelf for not doing it, becaufe that, 
 being formerly a Mandarine, he took a couple of 
 eggs from a country fellow. A man who hath abufed 
 his authority y fays he, deferves not any longer to com- 
 mand. "Thefe fantiments cf equity^ replied Confucius, 
 are very laudable in a king ; but perhaps the Manda- 
 rlne^s moderation^, that ftole but two eggs, is no lefs to 
 he admired. Such a fmall fault., in the whole life of a 
 man, denotes in him great qualities : In a word, a 
 prudent prince makes ufe of his fubj£5ls in the govern^. 
 Tnent, as a carpenter ujes timber in his works, he does 
 not rejeEl one good beam, becaufe there is a flaw in it, 
 provided it bejlrong enough, to fupport a whole edifice : 
 I would not advife your majefiy, for the lojs of a couple 
 cf eggs, to turn off a captain, who mcy covt^uer you^ 
 two realms, 
 
 Maxim VI. 
 A wife prince will be no great fpeaker^ nor deliver his 
 
 opinion firjl. 
 
 The 
 ^ Tcheou-coum and Cham-tclia^ 
 
crid Morality of the Chin^fe. io^ 
 
 The fame king one day held a council in prefence 
 bf Confucius, where he fpoke of fome affairs with 
 fuch a fhow of wit, that his minifters applauded 
 him, and forthwith allowed him to be in the right, 
 and comply'd with him, without more ado. At 
 the clofe this king faid to Confucius, Whafs your 
 judgment of the courfe we have taken in our laft delibe- 
 ' ration ? Sir^ fays the philofopher, 1 do not perceive 
 that they have yet deliberated : you fpoke with a great 
 deal of wit ; your minijiers^ very defirous to pleafe yoUy 
 have faithfully repeated the difcourfe ; they have told 
 your opinion^ and not their own •, and^ when you ad- 
 journed the affemUy^ I jlill expe^ed the beginning of 
 the council. 
 
 Some days after the fame king aflced. him his ad- 
 vice concerning the prefent government : He an-s 
 fwered him, No body fpeaks ill of it. 'That is my dejire^ 
 fays the king. And thaty fir^ is what you ought not 
 to dejire^ reply'd Confucius: When ajick perfon is 
 forced to be fed with flattering promifes of perfect 
 healthy he is not far from death ; a man is bound to 
 difcover to the prince the defe&s of the mind^ with the 
 fame liberty men difcover to the phyfician the maladies 
 cf the body. 
 
 Maxim VIL 
 ^e wife man goes forward apace^ beeaufe the right 
 way is always the fhorteji ; on the contrary^ the 
 crafty politician arrives later at his end^ becauje he 
 walks in by-ways and crooked paths. 
 The king of Ouei confefTed to Confucius, that 
 there was nothing fo fine as wifdom \ but the diffi- 
 culty of acquiring it difcouraged the moil refolute, 
 and diverted the befb difpofed minds. As for my 
 party added he, I have ufed endeavour Sy but all in 
 vain \ I am refolved to torment myfelf no longer about 
 ity and a fmall parcel of policy willfupply the defe5l of 
 that wifdom that is neceffary to good governing. Sir^ 
 anfwered Confacius, 'tis true y wifdom is feat ed on a 
 
 lofty 
 
io6 Of the Language^ Chara£iers, Books^ 
 
 lofty place ^ hit the road to it h not fo difficult as people 
 imagine^ it grows plainer and plainer^ according as 
 ^ou go on y and^ once got at it^ one cannot go hack with- 
 out running great danger to fall down the precipice ; 
 in fuch a fort ^ that a wife man cannot ceafe being foi^ 
 without doing violence to himfelf in fome refpe5f. 
 
 But do you think that a prince hath no trouble when 
 he marches in the indirect paths of an artificial and 
 knavifh policy ? All thefe refinements and fubtleties per- 
 plex the fpirit : and how Jh all one difengage one*s felf? 
 None enter into a maze without danger^ fince you often 
 lofe your way there ; and^ if you chance to get out^ it 
 is after a great many wanderings^ and errors^ and 
 dif quiets of mind, Take you which way you pleafe \ as 
 for me^ fir^ I am perfuadedi that in a popular govern- 
 ment^ folid and conji-ant virtue goes further than the 
 77Joft fubtle and refined policy, 
 
 Maxim VIII. 
 Thofe^ who deftre the rnofi perfect ft ate,, do not always 
 fearch the perfe^ion of the ft; ate,, but the Jweetnefs, 
 Would you be fix^d in the world ? Fix this in your 
 mind,, that to take up a new courfe of life is no- 
 thing elfe but to pafs fro?n one trouble to another, 
 A prince, being wrought upon by the life that 
 Confucius led^ perceived thofe firft defires of wlfdom 
 fpringing up in his heart, that a good education and 
 good examples are wont to infufe into young perfons^ 
 when they have not been yet corrupted by the com- 
 merce of the world. He went to find him out, and 
 told him. That he was refohed to abandon all things 
 to become one of his difciples ; for^ the truth isy there 
 ere a thoufand forrows to be undergone in that courfe 
 of life,, wherein nty birth engageth me^ whereas yours 
 teems to me full of fweetnefs and delight. 
 
 Since-' tis the fweetnefs you look for in myflate^ an- 
 fwered Confucius, I fhould not advife -you to enter 
 upon it : a man oftentimes meets with trouble y the mere 
 
 k4 
 
and Morality of the Chinefe. I07 
 
 ht avoids it. Heaven^ which hath infpired me with 
 the love of a private life^ hath been pleafed to fend 
 you into the world to rule. Be a king^ and do not feek 
 after peace too much^ but rather^ if you be not wil- 
 ling to lofe your dates, behave yourfelf gallantly 
 againft your enemies -, but fight more courageoufly 
 againft your paflions, and againft being in love with 
 a fweet and eafy life, if you have not a mind to de- 
 ftroy yourfelf. 
 
 Maxim IX. 
 nofe who are diligent^ and would da all^ put off many 
 things till the next day. 
 His own fon faid to him one day, I carefully apply 
 my f elf to all forts of fill dy,, I omit nothing whereby to 
 become a good fcholar^ and yet I make fmall progrefs. 
 His wife father faid to him, Omit fomething^ and yotc 
 will make a great progrefs. Amongfi all thofe that 
 take long journies a foot,, did you ever fee one that ran? 
 In all things you muft go orderly to work^ and not de- 
 fir e to embrace that which is not fuitable to your abili- 
 ties,, otherwife your labour will be ufelefs, The faints 
 firft of all apply themfelves to the moft eafy things ; 
 fuccefs gives them courage andftrcngth to grapple with 
 more difficult things^ by little and little they become 
 perfe^. Thofe, who like you would do all in one 
 day, do nothing all their life : On the other hand, 
 thofe, who never apply themfelves but to one thing, 
 find at the long run that they have done all. 
 
 Maxim X. 
 One ought not to wonder that the wife man walks fiower 
 in the way of virtue,, than the ill man does in that 
 of vice,, paffion hurries,, and wifdom guides. 
 One of his friends complained of the fmall pro- 
 grefs he made in virtue ; I have laboufd,, faid he, 
 thefe fever al years to imitate the primitive faints,, and 
 I am ft ill imperfeM -, had I but never fo little applied 
 my f elf to imitate the wicked*, and follow their example,, 
 
 J 
 
2dS Of the La?2guagey Characters^ Books, 
 I jhoiild have rid. a great deal cf ground in afljort 
 /pace ; why is it not fo eafy to attain to perfect ion in 
 'virtue as in vice ? 
 
 This is no 'xonder^ fays Confucius, virtue is on higby 
 and vice is in the lov^ejl place; It 7'f quires pains and 
 time to go uo-zvard-^ one minute fuficeth to falldo-vjn the 
 precipice, Hrjoever^ let ?ne intreat you not to let your- 
 f elf he abufed hy this j'eeming eajinefs. It is true; that 
 one is fooner determined to evil than to good \ but feeing 
 one repents cf it at lengthy it is a certain Jign that 
 there is lefs trouble to do zvell, than to perfevere in eviL 
 
 Maxim XI. 
 True 'nobility does riot conjij} in bloody hut in merit ; 
 
 we are truly high and great ^ when virtue prevents 
 
 our groveling with the reft of mankind. 
 
 Confucius, feeing a man carry a fifh, fighed, and 
 told them who dem.anded the reafoii of it : Tmsfifo^ 
 that might have eafily preferved its life^ hath lofi it 
 notwithfiandiJig^ hy complying with the enticing plea- 
 fur es of a deceitful bait ; yet this fifh has a good plea^ 
 hecaufe fhe has not reafon \ hut are men excufable^ to 
 lofe virtue that is much more precious than life^ in let- 
 ting themfelves he catched hy the baits that the good 
 things and vanity cf the world prefent them with ? 
 If we knew what we wanted^ we fhould purfue other 
 cGurfes to obtain it. Would you he rich \ contemn eveiy 
 things nay^ even the contempt and f corn men caft upon 
 you : That man is ralfed to a pitch far above othersj 
 when calumny and reproaches cannot reach him. 
 
 Maxim XII. 
 In the flat e wherein we are^ perfeve ranee in well-doing 
 
 coy^fifls notfo much in not fallings as in riji^ig again 
 ■ as often as we fall. 
 
 Tou are very happy., Confucius^ faid fome Man- 
 darines that he inftnudted, hecaufe arrived at the higheft 
 degree cf virtue \ it is a long time., PU warrant you^ 
 Jince you left Jin \ as for us, what everts foever we 
 
attd Morality of the^CKmdc* 209 
 
 fnake to become good men^ there pajjes not a day hut 
 we commit confideraUe faults. Altho^ every fault be 
 Mameable, fays Confucius^ you are not fo unhappy as 
 you think^ in committing many : your life^ as well as 
 mine^ is a long journey ; the way is difficulty and our 
 feafon^ half extinEi by paffions^ furnifhes but little light 
 to guide us : what ?neans is there to avoid ft umbling 
 fome times in the dark F when one gets up again ^ the 
 fall retards our journey^ but does not quite put it off 
 and interrupt it. It would be an unhappinefs for us^^ 
 to commit no more but one^ like the wicked that fall 
 but once^ becaufe the firft precipice flops them , but 
 honeft good men^ that continue their walkings fall often. 
 
 Maxim XIII. 
 No man knows half of his own faults ; he would blufh 
 
 to appear to the eyes of other s.^ what he appears to 
 
 himfelf 
 
 One complained one day, That nature., in heft ow- 
 ing two eyes upon men to behold the beauty cf bodies.^ 
 had beftowed none on them that are able to fee minds .^ 
 and difcover the fecrets of hearts : thus virtue and 
 vice^i fay they;^ are confounded in the world, 
 
 Confucius faid, Tou and I Jhould be in a woful 
 takings if we were not cut fhort as to that matter., 
 for we fhould not fecure our own failings and weak- 
 neffes^ we gain more by it than you are aware of-, for 
 t maintain that the philofopher would fluff er more to 
 appear weak^ than the wicked 7^n to appear vicious, 
 
 Maxim XIV. 
 Never flpedk of yourfelf to others^ neither good nor 
 bad \ not good^ becaufe they will not believe you i 
 not evils, becaufe they know more already than yon 
 would have them. 
 
 Thus he {poke one day to his dlfciples, Who took 
 a pride ever and anon to blame themfelves : to which 
 he added^ 
 
 P For 
 
2 1 o 7he particular CharaSfer of the 
 
 For a man to confefs his faults^ when he is repro^ 
 ved for them^ is modejiy. 
 
 To lay them open to his friend is ingenuity^ and 
 confidence. 
 
 To reprove himfelf for them is humility. 
 
 But to go preach them to every body is^ if one 
 have not a great care^ a piece of pride. 
 
 By this fcantling of Confucius's philofophy you 
 may judge, my lord, that reafon is of all times, and 
 of all places. Seneca hath fpoken nothing better •, 
 and had I the leifure, as I have a defign to make an 
 intire coUedlion of the maxims of our philofopher, 
 peradventure no requifite would be wanting to give 
 him a place amongft our fages of antiquity. I wifh, 
 at leafl, my lord, that the portraiture, I have offer- 
 ed, may not difpleafe you : were he ftill alive at 
 this day, as much a philofopher as he is, I am fure 
 he would be fenfible of the approbation you fhould 
 afford him. Such a teftimony as yours, always clear, 
 always fincere, muff needs do a kindnefs to the 
 greateft men. Perhaps hitherto in France they have 
 not juftly valued what is fo much honoured in the 
 Eaft : but, fo foon as you fhall pleafe to honour him 
 with your efteem, every body will be perfuaded 
 that antiquity hath not flattered him, and that Chi- 
 na, in choofing him for a mafter and a dodor, hath 
 done juftice to his merit. I am with a moft pro- 
 found refped. 
 
 My Lordy 
 
 Tour Grace^s moft humble^ 
 
 and moft obedient Servant^ 
 
 L. J. 
 
 < LET- 
 
Wit and Temper of the Chinefe. 2 1 1 
 
 LETTER VIIL 
 
 "To my Lord Phifipeaux, Secretary of State, 
 
 Of the particular Character of the Wit and 'Temper 
 of the Chinefe. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 IF in this letter, which I have the honour to write 
 to you, I confine myfelf only to treat of what 
 concerns the particular charadler and genius of the 
 Chinefe, it is not becaufe I forget the obligation I 
 lie under, to give you an exad account of all the 
 other things we are acquainted with in our voyages ; 
 yet I fuppofed that I could not more fitly begin to 
 difcharge this duty, than by entertaining you, at the 
 firil fight, with that which naturally ought to be 
 pleafant to you ; a captain would more willingly 
 hear a difcourfe of wars, and of the bravery of the 
 Tartars, and a courtier of the gentility of the Chi- 
 nefe ; but when a man has fuch extraordinary parts 
 as you have, and is heir to a family that has al- 
 ways fignalized itfelf by its infight into fciences, and 
 penetration in the management of the mofi: impor- 
 tant affairs, I was apt to believe that one could not 
 treat of a fubjedt that can be more proper, and more 
 delightful to you. 
 
 Of all the people of the habitable world, there 
 is not any one that does not fland upon his wit 
 and ingenuity, and oftentimes the moft barbarous 
 prefer themfelves before the moil: polite and ac- 
 complifh'd. The inhabitants of the Cape of 
 Good Hope, whom we cannot reprefcnt to our- 
 felves, but with a kind of horror, whom we can 
 fcarce give ourfelves leave to rank amongfl men, 
 do neverthelefs look upon the Europeans as flaves, 
 and upon the Hollanders as no other than a 
 
 P % com- 
 
^12 I'he particular CharaBer of the 
 company of ftupid fellows, not vers'd in the me- 
 thod of government. The people of Siam, whofe 
 phyfiognomy is well enough known in France, who 
 have in the Indies fouls adapted to their bodies, 
 do ufually fay, That Heaven, in diftributing its 
 benefits and natural qualities, hath granted to the 
 French the bravery and fcience of war ; to the 
 Englifh, the art of navigation ; to the Hollanders, 
 a particular knack in trading ; to the Chinefe, the 
 wifdom of well- governing •, but that it hath given 
 wit to the people of Siam. Had not they inti- 
 mated it to us, perhaps we fhould not have made 
 fuch a reflexion, for it is a difcovery that we owe 
 to them. After all, we muil not wonder if the 
 Chinefe, who term all -the people of the Eaft blind, 
 have refervcd to themfelves the preheminence, and 
 have believed themfelves to be, without all difpute, 
 the m.oft intelligent nation in the world. 
 
 There is no queftion to be made but they are an 
 ingenious people, but methinks no body yet hath 
 been truly acquainted with their charader. To 
 fee their libraries, univerfities, the prodigious num- 
 ber of their dodlors, their obfervatories, and the care 
 they take to be exadl in their obfervations, one would 
 be apt to conclude, that this nation is not only in* 
 genious, but perfec5lly well vers'd in all forts of fci- 
 ences ; that they have a vafi; reach, invention, and 
 a genius for every thing. Neverthelefs, albeit for 
 thefe four thoufand years, they have allowed recom- 
 pences to learned and expert men ; and tho' the for- 
 tune of an infinite number of men depends upon 
 their good parts, yet have they not had one fingle 
 man, of great atchievements in fpeculativc fcience : 
 they have difcovered all thefe precious mines, with- 
 out troubling themfelves to dig for them : enjoying 
 peaceably, for fo many ages, the reputation of the 
 mod knowing men in the world, becaufe they fee 
 no body but v/ho are more ignorant than themfelves. 
 
 So 
 
 I J 
 
Wit and temper of the Chinefe. 2 13 
 ^0 that I fuppofe I may fafely aver, without of- 
 fering them any injury, that amongft the qualities 
 wherewith Heaven hath refpedlively inriched the 
 people of the world, they have not fhewed that fpi- 
 rlt of penetration and exadnefs which is fo necefiary 
 to thofe who addidl themfelves to the fearch of na- 
 ture. Nor have they that logick which we have fo 
 much improved, that geometry that we in France 
 have brought to fuch a high degree of perfec5lion, 
 which may pafs for the mafter- piece of human un- 
 derftanding, which yet will never get admittance in- 
 to their academies ; and, maugre all the natural pride 
 that pofTefles them, they will not ftick to confefs, 
 That, as to thefe matters, the Europeans will in all 
 human probability be their mafters. 
 
 It is true, a philofophy they have ; it is likewife 
 true, that they lay down certain principles for the 
 explaining the compofition of bodies, their proprie- 
 ty, their efFedls. Neither are they altogether igno- 
 rant in anatomy •, nay, they grant a circulation of 
 the blood and humours ; but all their notions are fo 
 general, confufed, and moft an end fo falfe, that I 
 am afraid in this place to particularize them. 
 
 Their arithmetick is more perfedl, altho' they 
 do not make ufe of the cypher, as we do, which 
 is notwithftanding of great ufe. They do not prac- 
 tife the rules of arithmetick by calculation \ but 
 they ufe an inftrument compofed of a little board a 
 foot and an half long, crofs which they fcore tzn or 
 twelve little parallel lines or flicks, upon which are 
 jftrung feveral moveable buttons ; by putting them 
 together, or by feparating them one from another, 
 they reckon, almoft as we do, by counters \ but 
 with fuch great dexterity and eafinefs, that they 
 will keep pace with a man, let him read a book of 
 accounts never fo faft. At the end they find the 
 operation performed, which they have a certain 
 to prove, 
 
 P 3 Their 
 
2 14 The particular Character of the 
 
 Their geometry is very fuperncial, it is reftmin- 
 ed to a very few propofitions, and to fome problems 
 of algebra, which they refolve without elements or 
 principles, and that only by induftion. 
 
 They pretend to be the inventors of mufick, and 
 to have heretofore carried it to its acme of perfec- 
 tion : but either they are midaken, or they have 
 quite loft it -, for that they pradlife at this day is fo 
 imperfed, that it does not fo much as deferve the 
 name of mufick. 
 
 As for aftroncmy, it muft be confefs'd, that never 
 did people in the world addicl themfelves fo con- 
 ftantly to it. This fcience is beholding to them for 
 abundance of obfervations ; but the hiftory, that re- 
 ports them in general, hath not been careful to de- 
 scend to particulars, which would be neceflary for 
 the reaping all the benefit fuch mighty care feems 
 to promife. However, it hath not been unprofit- 
 able to pofterity. We have above 400 obfervations, 
 as well of the eclipfes and comets, as conjun6tions, 
 that make good their chronology, and may conduce 
 to the perfedling of ours. 
 
 Altho' their tables were imperfecfl, yet have they 
 been very ferviceable to regulate the time •, but, after 
 a certain continuance of years, their aftronom.ers 
 were obliged to make fome amendments therein, 
 becaufe they did not exadlly agree with the heavens 
 till, in the beginning of this century, they attained 
 fome ikill in our aftronomy. The Europeans fince 
 have every way reformed their kalendar, which bu- 
 finefs has made them fo famous, and fo neceflary in 
 that ftate, that nothing hath fo much contributed 
 to fettle religion in that country, and alfb to defend 
 it in the various circumftances of perfecution it hath 
 lain under. 
 
 If China hath been deficient in excellent mathe- 
 maticians, they have at leaft had perfed aftrologers ; 
 becaufe, for the well fucceeding in judicial aftrology? 
 
 it 
 
Wit and Temper of the Chinefe. 2 15 
 
 it fufficeth to be an able deceiver, and to have a 
 knack of lying handfomely, which no nation can 
 difpute with China. There have been for thefe ma- 
 ny ages cheating mountebanks by profeflion, who 
 promife, by the infight they have in the motion and 
 influence of the ftars, the philofophers ftone, and 
 immortality. They mark in the almanack, every 
 year, the good and bad days for building, mar- 
 riages, for undertaking journies and voyages, and 
 for fuch like adlions, the fuccefs whereof depends 
 more upon the wifdom and difcretion of men, than 
 upon the influence of the heavens. 
 
 The milTionaries fearing left they might afcribe 
 the fooleries and ridiculous fuperftitlons to them, 
 becaufe they make them the authors of the kalen-^ 
 dar, thought themfelves obliged to make a publick 
 declaration how little hand they have in the mat- 
 ter, they protefted that they abfolutely condemned 
 them : and the emperor, that is not fubjed to thefe 
 weaknefles, was willing they ihould explain them^ 
 felves, as to that buflnefs, for his particular fatif- 
 fadion. 
 
 Medicine hath not been quite negled:ed and laid 
 aflde •, but becaufe they wanted phyiicks, or natural 
 philofophy and anatomy, the foundation of it, they 
 never made any great progrefs therein •, yet muft it 
 be confefled that they have acquired a particular 
 Ikill in pulfes, that hath made them famous in the 
 world. The emperor Hoampti compofed a treatife 
 of the fame above four thoufand years ago *. Ever 
 flnce that time the phyflclans of China have look'd 
 upon that fcience as the foundation of all medicine. 
 
 They feel the pulfe after fuch a manner as would 
 make a man fmile that is not accuftomed to it. 
 After they have apply 'd their four Angers along the 
 artery, and have prefs'd ftrongly and uniformly the 
 
 P 4 patient's 
 
 f Jtisjuft 4392 yean. 
 
2 1 6 The particular CharaBer of the 
 
 patient's wrift, they relax their fingers by degrees, 
 till the blood, that was ftopp'd by the prefling, hath 
 retaken its ufual courfe ; then, a moment after, 
 they begin again to prefs the arm clofe, which they 
 continue a confiderable time \ after that, juft like 
 men that intended to touch the frets of a mufical 
 instrument, they rife and fall their fingers fucceflive- 
 ly- one after another, pinching foftly, or hard, 
 fometimes flower, fometimes fafler, till fuch time 
 as the artery anfwers to the touches which the phy- 
 llcian moves, and till the ftrength, weaknefs, difor- 
 der, and other fymptoms of the pulfe be manifefl. 
 
 They pretend that there never happens any ex- 
 traordinary accident in the conflitution, but does al- 
 ter the blood, and confequentiy caufes a different 
 impreffion upon the vefTels. \t is not fo much by 
 reafoning and arguing that they are inftrucfled in this 
 point, as by a long experience, which much better 
 difcovers to them all thefe wonderful changes than 
 theory and fpeculation. 
 
 When they have a long time been attentive to 
 the voice of nature, that explains itfelf by the beat- 
 ings of the pulfe, they perfedly and truly perceive 
 thofe differences, which to others feem impercepti- 
 ble. The pervigilium and lethargy, lofs of appe- 
 tite, or defire to eat, the head-ach, weaknefs of fto- 
 mach, fulnefs or emptinefs ; all thefe are the caufe 
 or the ^^^di of fome diftemper in the mafs of blood. 
 
 So that its motion will be at that time lefs fre- 
 quent or quicker, fuller or weaker, uniform or irre- 
 gular. Sometimes there will be an undulation or 
 trembling, caufed by the ebullition of the whole mafs 
 - of the humours ; which may be perceived like to a 
 bell that trembles after it hath been rung ^ fome- 
 times alfo the artery will not bear a ftroke, but will 
 iVell by little and little. By prefTmg it, one will 
 moreover be able to perceive feveral efFedls that do 
 net declare themfelves to the bare touch , for at 
 
 that 
 
Wit and Temper of the Chinefc, 2 17 
 that time the courfe of the circulation, which is fuf- 
 pended or leffened, which begins again immediately 
 after^ with more force, will give occafion to ^udge 
 "yarioufly and differently of the difpofition of the 
 heart, of the fermentation there performed^ of the 
 quality of the blood there prepared, of the obfta- 
 cles that impede its paffages, of grofs and crude 
 matter that overcharges it, of the nature of the 
 fpirits that too much rarity it, and precipitate tran- 
 ipiration. The Chinefe phyficians pretend to have, 
 by a long experience, diftinguifhed all thefe differ- 
 ences of pulfes, and to have been able to know all 
 the diftempers that are incident thereto ; fo that 
 they hold the patient's hand a quarter of an hour 
 at leaft ; fometimes the right, fometimes the left, 
 and fometimes both of them at the fame time. And 
 after all, as if they were infpired, they play the 
 prophet : Tou were never troubled with the head-achy 
 fay they, but with an heavinefs that hath made you 
 drowfy y or elfe, Tou have lofi your appetite^ you will 
 recover it again within three days precifely, 'This 
 evenings about funfet^ your head will be freer \ your 
 pulfe indicates pain in the belly ^ unlefs you have eaten 
 fuch or fuch meat ; this indifpofttion will laft five days^ 
 after which it will ceafe. And fo for other fymp- 
 toms of the malady, which they find out or prog- 
 nofticate pretty exadly, v/hen they are expert in the 
 fcience *, for, as for others, they are commonly falfe 
 prophets. 
 
 It is not to be queftioned after all thefe teftimo- 
 nies we have, but that in this refped they have 
 fomething extraordinary, nay, and even wonderful : 
 however, a man fhould always miftruft them, and 
 one cannot be tpp much upon his guard againft 
 them, becaufe they make ufe of all means imagina- 
 ble to get themfelvef, fecretly inftrudled concerning 
 the patient's condition before they vifit them. Nay, 
 they are fo cunning (to get themfelves reputation) 
 
2 1 8 The particular CharaEier of the 
 as to feign a kind of diilemper which fometimes 
 they themfelves procure afterwards. A perfon told 
 me, that, lending fjr a phyiician and a chirurgeon to 
 cure him of a wound, one of them toid him, That 
 the malady was occafioned by a fmall ivorra that was 
 infinuated into the flejh^ which would infallibly pro- 
 duce a gangrene^ if by Jome remedy or other it wers 
 not fetched out : that he was the only man in all the 
 country that had this arcanum^ and would pit it in 
 pra^ice for his fake^ provided he would not grudge 
 him a confiderable fum of money. The fick perfon 
 promifed him he would not \ and paid him part of 
 it beforehand. But this cheating fophifter, after 
 divers unprofitable medicines, entangled, at lail:, a 
 little worm in his plaiiler, which he pull'd out an 
 hour after in triumph, as if it came out of the very 
 wound. His companion, that gain'd nothing by 
 the management of this bufinefs, afterwards deteded 
 it, but it was too late \ and the chirurgeon com- 
 forted up himfelf more eafily for the lofs pf liis re- 
 putation, than the fick perfon for the lofs of his 
 money. 
 
 However the cafe may ftand as to the capacity 
 of the Chinefe phyficians, yet certain it is, that 
 they predid: the diftemper eaiier than they cure it ; 
 and men die in their hands as they do elfewhere. 
 They prenare their ov/n remedies, that ordinarily 
 confift of pills •, which, according as they are pre- 
 pared, are cither fudorifick, purge the blood and hu- 
 mours, fortify the ftomach, fupprefs vapours \ or are 
 reftringent, dilpofe to evacuation \ but feldom. work 
 ^by ftool. They do not let blood, nor know the 
 clyller, but fince they have had correfpondence 
 with the phyficians of Macao. They do not dif- 
 approve the remedy, but name it T^he Remedy of the 
 Barbarians. They apply cupping- glafles not only 
 upon the fcapuls, but alfo upon the belly, to af- 
 fwage the pain of the cholick. 
 
Wit and temper of the Chinefe. 219 
 They are in a manner alfo perfuaded, that the 
 majority of difeafes are caufed by malignant and cor- 
 rupted wind that hath flipp'd into the mufcles, and 
 doth ill affedl all the parts of the body : the moft fure 
 means to diffipate them is to apply, in different 
 places, red-hot needles, or buttons of fire : this is 
 their ordinary remedy. Once I feemed to be fur- 
 prized at this pradice, when a Chinefe faid, alluding 
 to phlebotomy, "They treat you in Europe with the 
 fword^ but here they martyr us by fire •, this mode will 
 probably never alter ^ becaufe phyficians feel not the 
 mif chief they do us^ and are not worfe paid for tor- 
 menting 1AS^ than for curing us. 
 
 I cannot tell whether or no they might have 
 learnt this violent remedy of the Indians •, or whe- 
 ther the Indians themfelves might not have received 
 it from the Chinefe phyficians •, but they pretend in 
 the Indies that fire cures all difeafes : this perfuafion, 
 which they perfift in, makes every day a great 
 many miferable perfons, whom they cauterize upon 
 the flighteft illnefs. 
 
 Yet there be fome maladies that are not curable, 
 but by this means. The people of the country, but 
 efpecially the (laves, are much troubled with a vio- 
 lent cholick, which the Portuguefe call Mordetchin, 
 occafioned by the indigeflion of the ilomach, and 
 accompanied, for the mofl part, with continual vo- 
 mitings ; the gripes it produceth are cruel, and the 
 grief and anguifh often deprives them of their wits. 
 This grief is infallibly mortal, if they do not reme- 
 dy it after the following manner : They lightly apply 
 an iron peal red-hot to the foles of the feet ; if the 
 patient fhews any figns of feeling, they pafs no fur- 
 ther, and he is cured : if he be infenfible of this firft 
 operation, they lay it on harder, and flill continue 
 to prefs the peal, burning unmercifully to the very 
 bone, without dcfifting, till the patient complain, 
 which puts an end to the maladv and remedy. But 
 
 ■ if 
 
220 The particular Charadler of the 
 if the fire, how violent foever, makes not itfelf be 
 felt, they defpair of healing, and in a ihort time 
 the patient dies. 
 
 Amongft all the China remedies, there are none 
 fo much efteemed as cordials ; they are provided 
 with all forts of them, and very natural ones ; for 
 they confifl for the moft part of herbs, leaves, and 
 roots. Their fimples are numerous ; and, if the 
 people of the country may be believed, they have 
 all of them fovereign and experienced virtues. I 
 brought along with me hither near four hundred, 
 defigned in their natural colours and figure, accord- 
 ing to thofe the emperor caufed to be painted for 
 "his clofet. Father Vifdelou, one of the fix jefuits 
 his majefty fent thither Anno 1685, is very intent 
 upon the tranflation of the Chinefe Herbal \ where- 
 in are all the virtues and qualities of all thofe plants 
 explained. This father, who hath accompdilhed 
 himfelf in the knowledge of books, will thereto 
 add particular reflexions of his own ; and I make 
 no queftion but what, he fupplies us with thereupon, 
 will enrich our botany, and fatisfy the ingenious and 
 curious. 
 
 Amongft thefe fimples there are two that I may 
 fpeak of beforehand : the firft is the leaf of * Thee, 
 as they call it in China \ they are much divided in 
 their opinions, touching the properties they afcribe 
 to it. Some do maintain that it hath admirable 
 ones ; others, that it is but a fancy and meer whun 
 of the Europeans, that are always in love with no- 
 velties, and put a value upon that which they do 
 not underftand : in that, as in all other things 
 where men do not agree, I think v/e ought to take 
 the middle path. 
 
 to 
 
 * Thee is a corrupt word of the province of Fokien, i^ m«ft: 
 be called 7i^ha ; i: is the term of the Mandarine language, 
 
Wtt and temper of the Chinefe. 22 1 
 
 In China they are fubjed: neither to gout, fciatica^i 
 nor ftone ^ and many imagine, that Thee preferves 
 them againft all thefe diftempers. The Tartars, that 
 feed upon raw fleih, fall lick, and fuffer continual 
 indigeftions fo foon as ever they give over drinking 
 of it j and, that they may have plenty of it, they 
 bargain to furnifh the emperor with almoft all the 
 horfes that ferve to remount his cavalry ; when any 
 one is troubled with a vertigo that overcharges the 
 brain, he finds himfelf extremely relieved fo foon as 
 he accuftoms himfelf to Thee. In France there are 
 abundance of people that find it good for the gravel, 
 crudities, head-aches ; nay, fome pretend to have 
 been cured of the gout by it, almoft miraculoufly ; 
 fo quick and fenfible has been its effedt. All this 
 proves that Thee is no chimera and conceit. Nay, 
 lome after drinking of it deep the better, which ar- 
 gues that it is not proper to fupprefs fumes : fome 
 there be who never take it after meals, without ex- 
 periencing mifchievous effeds ; their digeftion is in- 
 terrupted and difturbed ; and they find, a long time 
 after, crudities, and a troublefome repletion. Others 
 fii\di no benefit by it neither in gout nor fciatica. A 
 great many fay, that it dries, makes lean, and that 
 it obftru6ls j and that, if there be any good qualities 
 in it, the moft part of other leaves would in a man- 
 ner produce the fame effecfl. Thefe experiments 
 evince, that its virtue is not fo univerfal as people 
 imagine. 
 
 So that, in my opinion, one fhould fpeak mode- 
 rately of it, both as to its good and bad qualities. 
 Perhaps warm water alone is a good medicine againft 
 diftempers, the cure of which they attribute to Thee ; 
 and there are feveral people that are exempt from 
 many inconveniencies, becaufe they are ufed to drink 
 warm liquors. Neverthelefs, it is certain, that Thee 
 is of a cprrofive nature, for it attenuates hard vidlu- 
 ftfe s^herewith k. J9. toikd> and confequently is pro- 
 per 
 
222 Tloe particular CharaBer of the 
 per for digeftion, that is to fay, for diflblution ; 
 which alfo proves, that it refifts obftrudions, and 
 that liquors, impregnated with its particles and falts, 
 carry off, and more eafily feparate whatfoever ad- 
 heres to the tunicles of the veflels. This very qua- 
 lity is proper to confume fuperfluous humours, to 
 put into motion thofe that ftagnate and corrupt, and 
 to evacuate others, that caufe the gout and fciatica : 
 fo that Thee, with caution, is a very good remedy^ 
 altho' it be not fo effectual, nor univerfal, but that 
 the temperament of certain perfons, the heighth of 
 the diftemper, together with certain occult difpofi- 
 tions, may many times retard the ^^^^^ or even 
 fruftrate its virtue. 
 
 To ufe it with benefit, it is requifite to know it, 
 for there is more than one fort of it. That of the 
 province of Xenft is coarfe, harfh, and unpleafant. 
 The Tartars drink of it : there is neceflary to them 
 a ftronger menftruum than to the Chinefe, becaufe 
 they feed on raw flefh. It is exceeding cheap in the 
 country, a pound of it will coft three pence. In this 
 fame province there is found a particular fpecies of it, 
 more refembling mofs, than the leaves of a tree *, 
 and they pretend that the oldeft is of excellent ufe 
 in acute diftempers. They likewife adminifter to 
 fick people a third fort, whofe leaves are very long 
 and thick, and its goodnefs increafes in proportion 
 to its being kept \ but that is not the Thee in ufe. 
 
 That which they commonly drink in China hath 
 no particular name, becaufe it is gathered any where 
 in different territories and foils : it is good, the in- 
 fufion is reddifh, the tafle faint and fomewhat bit- 
 ter : the people ufe it indifferently at all hours of the 
 day, and it is their mofl ufual drink. 
 
 But perfons of quality ufe two other kinds that 
 are in requeft in China. The firfl is called Thee 
 Soumlo ; it is the name of the place where it is ga- 
 thered i the leaves are fomewhat longj the iiiflilion 
 
 clear 
 
Wit and Temper of the Chinefe. 223 
 clear and green when it is frefh, the tafte pleafant •, 
 it fmells, as they fay in France^ a little of violets, 
 but this tafte is not natural ; and the Chinefe have 
 often aflured me, that, to be good, it ought to have 
 no tafte at all. This is that they commonly pre- 
 fent at vifits j but it is exceeding corroiive ; perhaps 
 the fugar they mix with it here corrects its acrimxO- 
 ny *, but in China, where it is drunk pure, too great 
 a ufe of it would be apt to fpoil the ftomach. 
 
 The fecond kind is called Thee Voui , the leaves 
 that are little, and inclining to black, tinge the wa- 
 ter with a yellow colour. The tafte is delicious, 
 and even the weakeft ftomach always agrees with it. 
 In winter it is to be ufed temperately, but in fum- 
 mer one cannot drink too much. It is efpecially 
 good in fweating, after travelling, running, or any 
 other violent exercife. They give of it alfo to fick 
 people ; and thofe, who have any care of their health, 
 drink no other. When I was at Siam, I heard 
 them often talk of the flower of Thee, of imperial 
 Thee, and of feveral other ^jrts of Thee, the price 
 of which was yet more extracidinary, than the pro- 
 perties they afcribe to it : but in China I heard no 
 fuch thing. 
 
 Generally fpeaking, that the Thee may prove ex- 
 cellent, it ought to be gathered early, when the 
 leaves are yet fmall, tender, and juicy. They begin 
 commonly to gather it in the months of March and 
 April, according as the feafon is forward j they af- 
 terwards expofe them to the fteam of boiling v/ater 
 to foften them again ; fo foon as they are penetrated 
 by it, they draw them over copper-plates kept on 
 the fire, which dries them by degrees, till they grow 
 brown, and roll up of themfelves in that manner 
 we fee them. If the Chinefe were not fuch great 
 cheats, their Thee would be better j but they often- 
 times mix other herbs with it, to fwell the fize 
 at a fmall charge, and fo get more money by it : 
 
 fo 
 
124 ^^ particular Character of the 
 
 fo that it is a rare thing to meet with any purely 
 
 without mixture. 
 
 It commonly grows in vallies, and at the foot of 
 mountains \ the choiceft grows in ftony foils ; that 
 which is planted in light grounds holds the fecond rank. 
 The leaft valuable of all is found in yellow earth , but, 
 in what place foever it is cultivated,care muft be taken 
 to expofe it to the fouth ; it gets more ftrength by 
 that, and bears three years after being fown. Its root 
 refembles that of a peach tree, and its flowers refem- 
 ble white wild rofes. The trees grow of all fizes, 
 from two feet to an hundred, and fome are to be met 
 with that two men can fcarce grafp in their arms % this 
 is what the Chinefe Herbal relates. But from my own 
 obfervation I can give you the following account. 
 
 Entering upon the province ofFokien,theyfirft made 
 me obferveThee upon the declining of a little hill ; it 
 -was not above five or fix feet high % feveral fi^lks, 
 each of which was an inch thick, joined together, 
 and divided at the top into many fmall branches, 
 compofed a Jkind of clufter, much what like our 
 myrtle. The trunk, tho* feemingly dry^ yet bore 
 very green branches and leaves. Thcfe leaves were 
 drawn out in length at the point, pretty ftrait,an inch, 
 or an inch and an half long,and indented in their whole 
 circumference. The oldefi: feemed fomewhat white 
 without, they were hard, brittle, and bitter. The new 
 ones, on the contrary, were foft, pliable, reddifh^ 
 fmooth, tranfparent, and pretty fweet to the tafte, 
 eipecially after they had been a little chewed. 
 
 It being the month of September, I found three 
 forts of fruit. In the new branches there were little 
 flimy peafe, green without, and full of yellow grains 
 within. In others, the fruit is as big as beans, but 
 of different figures ; fome round, containing a pea ; 
 others drawn out in length, that contained two ; 
 fome others of a triangular figure bore three j very 
 like to thofe that be^r, the ;^w-^rain,, .fo.iajnous 
 
 in 
 
Wit and "Temper of the Chinefe. ^2^ 
 
 4h China. The firft membrane or skin, wherein thefe 
 grains are infolded, is green, very thick, and fome- 
 what even. The fecond is white, and thinner; 
 under which a third very fine pellicle covers a kind 
 of gland, or fmall nut perfectly round, that fticks 
 to the bark by a little fibre, from whence it derives 
 its nourifhment. When this fruit is young, it hath 
 bitternefs in it j but, a day or tv/o after it has been 
 gathered, it withers, grov/s long and yellow, and 
 wrinkles like an old hazel-nut ; at length it becomes 
 unduous and very bitter. Befides that^ I found a 
 third fort of hard, old fruits, the firil skin of which, 
 between open and fhut, fliewed within a hard bark, 
 brittle, and altogether refembling that of a chefnut. 
 After I had broken it, fcarce did I find any fign of 
 fruit, fo dry and flat was it grown. In fome others 
 the fame fruit was pulverized, in others was found 
 a little nut quite dried up^ and covered with its firft 
 pellicle. 
 
 Amongft thefe fruits, a great number of them 
 have no germ or bud, which they call females ; 
 thofe that have any may be fown, and produce trees ; 
 but the Chinefe do commonly make ufe of grafts to 
 plant. The better to underftand the nature of this 
 •tree, I had the curiofity to tafte the bark of the 
 trunk and branches. I chewed likewife fome of the 
 wood and fibres ; both of them feemed to me not 
 at all bitter, fo far from it, they left a relifh fweet 
 like that of liquorifli, which yet one does not tafte 
 till fome time after the chewing. Altho' this parti- 
 cular account may difpleafe thofe that are not con* 
 cerned in the knowledge of plants, yet I am fure 
 that the more curious could wifti a more nice and 
 exad account, as to the delicate mixture of colours 
 in the flower, the orderly difpofition of their fibres, 
 the conformation of the fmall branches and roots^ 
 and a thoufand other particulars relating to the ana- 
 tomy of them j but that is the bufinefs of time and 
 
 CL ' isiiure: 
 
2i26 T'he particular Chara5ier of the 
 
 lelfure : I had but a quarter of an hour to examine 
 the tree of which I have the honour to write to you. 
 
 There Is in China another fimple much more fcarce 
 than Thee, and upon that very account more valued, 
 which they call GIn-Sem : Gin fignifies a man, and 
 Sem a plant, or fimple, as much as to fay, The 
 human fimple, or the fimple that refembles a man, 
 Thofe who till this time have given another con- 
 ftrudion to thefe words are excufable, becaufe they 
 do not underftand the emphafis of the Chinefe cha- 
 ra6lers, which do alone contain the true fignification 
 of terms : the learned give it abundance of other 
 names in their writings, that fufEciently declare how 
 much they fet by it; as the fpiritous iimple, the pure 
 fpirits of the earth, the fat of the fea, the Panacea, 
 and the remedy that difpenfes immortality, and 
 feveral others of that nature. 
 
 It is a root as thick as half the little finger, and 
 as long again. It is divided Into two branches, which 
 makes a figure pretty like a man with his two legs ; 
 its colour inclines to yellow, and when it Is kept any 
 time it grows wrinkled, and dry'd like wood y the 
 leaves it fhcots forth are little, and terminate in a 
 point, the branches are black, the flower violet, and 
 the ftalk covered with hair ; they fay that it pro- 
 duces but one of them •, that this ftalk produces 
 three branches, and that each branch bears the leaves 
 by fours and fives ; it grows in the fhade, in a moift 
 foil, yet fo flowly, that it comes not to perfedion 
 till after a long term of years. It is commonly 
 found under a tree called Kla-chu, little diiFerIng 
 from the fycomore. Altho' they fetch It from feveral 
 places, yet the beft came heretofore from Petcij. 
 That which is at this day in ufe Is taken In Leaotum, 
 a province depending upon China, and fituated in the 
 oriental Tartary. 
 
 . Of all cordials, according to the Chinefe opinion, 
 '.there are non^ comparable to Gin-fcm j it is fweet 
 
 and 
 
Wit and Temper of the Cliinefe: 227 
 
 and delightful, altho* there be in it a little fmack of 
 bitternefs ; its effedls are marvellous ; it purifies the 
 blood, fortifies the ftomach, adds motion to a Ian* 
 guid pulfe, excites the natural heat, and withal aug^ 
 ments the radical moifture. Phyficians never know 
 how to make an end when they fpecify its virtues, 
 and have whole volumes of its different ufes. I have 
 a collection of their receipts that I fhould report 
 intire in this place, if I were not afraid to be tedious, 
 and trefpafs upon your patience, I may print them 
 hereafter, together with a great many treatifes re- 
 lating to the phyiick or medicine of the Chinefe. I 
 fhall only add, to what I have but nov/ fpoken, the 
 ufual courfe they take in diftempers attended with 
 faintnefs and fwooning^ whether it proceeds from 
 fome accident, or from old age. 
 
 Take a drachm o^ this root (you m.uft begin with 
 a little dofe, and may increafe it afterwards^ accord^ 
 j ing to the effedl the former dofes (hall produce) dry 
 ! it before the fire in a paper^ or infufe it in wine, till 
 it be fated by it ; then cut it in little pieces with 
 j your teeth (and not with a knife, iron diminifhing 
 I its virtue) and, when it is calcined, take the powder 
 I in form of a bolus, in warm water or wine, accord- 
 [ ing as your diftemper will permit. This will be 
 ■ an excellent cordial, and by continuing it you will 
 
 find yourfelf fenfibly fortified. 
 
 ' Take alfo the fame quantity of Gin-fern, or more 
 
 if you be extremely weak, and v/hen you have di- 
 
 i vided it into little pieces, infufe it in half a glafs full 
 
 I of boiling water, or elfe you may boil it with the 
 
 water itfelf ; the water, if you drink it, will have 
 
 I the fame effed. The root may ferve a fecond time, 
 
 j but it abates of its force. They likewife make broths 
 
 of it, eleduaries, lozenges, and fyrups, v/hich sire 
 
 excellent remedies for all forts of diftempers. 
 
 They have alfo another root which the Portuguefe 
 
 fa the Indies call Pao^Ghina, which is an excellent 
 
 0^2 fudorifick^ 
 
228 The particular CharaSier of the 
 
 fudorifick, very proper to purge the humours and 
 corrupted blood \ but the defcription of all thefe 
 •fimples would make me deviate too much, and is 
 •not proper for fuch a ihort letter as this. 
 
 The phyficians of China do not employ apothe- 
 caries for the compofition of their medicines, they 
 prefcribe and give them at the fame time themfelves. 
 :Sometim.es in the patient's chamber, when it may be 
 conveniently done*, and fometimes in their own 
 Jioufes. They think it ft range the Europeans fhould 
 ^€t otherwife, and that they commit the principal 
 point of the cure to men that are not concerned in 
 curing them ; and are not follicitous about the good- 
 nefs of the drugs, provided they get rid of them to 
 their advantage: but there is another diforder in 
 China a great deal more dangerous than that they 
 lay to our charge, and that is, that there every body 
 is admitted to pradife phyfick, like other mechanick 
 arts, without examination, or taking their degrees : 
 fo that a pitiful fellow, that knows not where to put 
 his head, ftudies perhaps a phyfick book two or 
 three months, and fetsup for a dodor, cum privilegio^ 
 at the expence of the patient's life, whom he chufeth 
 to kill, rather than be forced to ftarve himfelf for 
 lack of employment. The vulgar, tho' ill ferved 
 by them, take a ftrong fancy for thefe pickpockets, 
 and they would reckon themfelves covetous, when 
 they are indifpofed, if they did not die, or caufe 
 their relations to die fome other way, than by the 
 way of nature. 
 
 Yet fome of them you fhall have confefs their 
 fault v/hen it is too late ; and I remember that an 
 inhabitant of the city of Sucheu lofing his daughter 
 more through the ignorance of the phyfician, than 
 by the pov/er of the difeafe, was fo enraged, that 
 he caufed a paper to be printed, wherein the bad 
 conduct of the pretended dodor v/as laid open, with 
 •feveral refledlious tending to decry him ; he affix'd 
 
 copies 
 
Wit and T^emper of the Chinefc. 229 
 
 copies of it in all the publick places, and caufed them 
 to be diftributed to the principal houfes of the city. 
 This revenge, or, as he termed it, this zeal for the 
 publick good, had the efFedt he promifed himfelf. 
 The phyfician loft, together with his reputation, all 
 his pra6i:ice, and was reduc'd to fo great an extre- 
 mity, that he quickly found himfelf in no condition 
 to kill any body. 
 
 The Chinefe, that are mean proficients in fciences, 
 fucceed much better in arts ; and tho' they have 
 not brought them to that degree of perfedlion we 
 fee them in Europe, yet know they in this refpedl 
 not only what is neceflary for the common ufe of 
 life, but alfo whatever may contribute to convenience, 
 neatnefs, commerce, and even to well-regulated mag- 
 nificence ; they would have got a great deal farther, 
 had not the form of government, that hath pre- 
 fcribed bounds to the expences of private perfons, 
 put a ftop to them. The workmen are extraordi- 
 nary induftrious, and if they be not fo good at in- 
 vention as we, yet do they eafily comprehend our 
 inventions, and imitate them tolerably well. There 
 ^re made in feveral places of the empire glafs, watches, 
 piftols, bombs, and many other pieces of workman- 
 fhip that they may thank us for •, but they have had 
 time out of mind gun-powder, printing, and the 
 ufe of the compafs, which are novel arts in Europe, 
 for which perhaps we are obliged to them. 
 
 They divide the compafs in twenty-four parts 
 only, whereas we defcribe thirty-two ; they ever- 
 more imagined that the needle did every where 
 fhew the true place of the pole, but by divers ex- 
 periments, which we made before them, they have 
 obferved fome variation and declenfion : The loadftonc 
 is found almoft in every province ; it comes alfo to 
 them from Japan ; but the grand ufe they make of it 
 is in phyfick ; 'tis bought by weight, and the beft are 
 not fold for above eight-pence or ten-pence ^n ounce, 
 
 0.3 \ 
 
230 ^he particular CharaSier of the 
 
 I have brought one with me an inch and an half 
 thick, which, tho' indiiFerently guarded, takes up 
 nevertheless eleven pound weight ; it will raife four- 
 teen or fifteen when it is right fix'd. In fine, they 
 are very dexterous in cutting them ; for in France, 
 tho' they bring them into all figures, yet it is not 
 without great labour and coft. They cut mine in 
 Nankim in lefs than two hours ; the engine they make 
 ufe of to that purpofe is a plain one ; and, if our 
 workmen would ufe it, they would abridge their 
 labour. I fuppofed, fir, that you would not be 
 unwilling to hear an explanation of it. 
 
 It is compofed of two jaumbs three or four feet 
 high, arch-like, with two ftrings like a fetting-iron, 
 and parted by a board or fhingle, which goes crofs 
 to it, and clofed by a mortife in the lee-board. On 
 the head of the jaumbs is fet flat a little rolling-pin 
 or cylinder, of an inch and an half diameter, which 
 can turn circularly by means of a firing rolled in the 
 middle, whofe two ends hanging are tied to a flep, 
 on which the workman fets his foot. 
 
 At one of the extremities of the cylinder a flat 
 piece of iron is faftened with maftick by its center, 
 which piece of iron is very thin, very round, and 
 very fharp all about ; it is eight inches diameter, and 
 moves with a great fwiftnefs, according as the fteps 
 are (tt high or low. In the mean time the work- 
 man prefents the loadflone in one hand, and in the 
 other the mud made of a very fine fand, which cools 
 the iron, and ferves to cut the flone ; but becaufe the 
 iron, in going thro' the fand, throws it about with 
 violence, which might blind the workman, care is 
 taken to place jufl under it a little board, turned in 
 the manner of a half circle, \Yhich receiveth it and 
 defends the workman. 
 
 Navigation is another point that fhews the addrefs 
 of the Chinefe ; we have not always feen in Europe 
 ilich able and adventurous failors as we are at pre-^ 
 
 fenti 
 
Wit and temper of the Chinefe. 23 1 
 
 fent ; the ancients were not fo forward to venture 
 themfelves upon the feas, where one mufl lofe the 
 fight of land for a long time together. The danger 
 of being miftaken in their calculation (for they had 
 not then the ufe of the compafs) made all pilots cir- 
 cumfped and wary. 
 
 There are fome who pretend that the Chinefe, a 
 long time before the birth of our Saviour Chrift, 
 had failed all the feas of India, and difcovered the 
 Cape of Good Hope : however that be, it is mod 
 certain, that from all antiquity they had always flout 
 fhips ; and albeit they have not perfedled the art of 
 navigation, no more than they have done the fcl- 
 cnces, yet did they underftand much more of it than 
 the Greeks and Romans ; and at this day they lail 
 as fecurely as the Portuguefe. 
 
 Their veffels are like ours of all rates, but the 
 model is not fo fine ; they are all flat bottom'd *, the 
 fore-caftle is cut fhort without a ftem, the ftern open 
 in the middle to the end, that the rudder, which 
 they fiiut up as in a chamber, may be defended on 
 the fides from the waves : this rudder, much longer 
 than ours. Is ftrongly tied to the flern-poft by two 
 cables that pafs under the whole length of the vefTel 
 to the fore-part •, two other fuch like cables hold It 
 up, and facilitate the hoifting or lowering It, as oc- 
 cafion ferves ; the bar Is as long as Is neceflary for 
 the guiding It ; the feamen at the helm are alfo 
 affifted by ropes faftened to the larboard and (kr- 
 board, and rolled upon the extremity of the bar 
 they hold In their hand, which they faften or 
 flacken as they fee occafion, to thri;ft or Hop the 
 helm. 
 
 The mlfen-maft is quite towards the fore-part, the 
 main-maft is not far from the place where we place 
 our mifens. A cord that goes from ftarboard ta 
 larboard, according as the wind chops about, fervesi 
 them for a flay and fhrowds \ the boltfprk, which 
 
 0.4 ' \% 
 
232 I'he particular CharaSier of tb€ 
 
 is very weak, is at the larboard, at a confiderable 
 diftance from the middle, where we are wont to 
 place them. The round- tops they ufe are very fhort, 
 but the main-mail is of a prodigious height and 
 thicknefs ; it is ftrongly feized, as far as the upper 
 part of the deck, by two fide beams, that ftrengthen 
 it wonderfully ; yea, and deprive it of playing, 
 which we leave to ours, becaufe it ferves to give the 
 veflel air, and to quicken its motion. 
 
 The low fails are of very thick matt, trimm'd 
 up with laths and long poles to ftrengthen them, 
 from two feet to two kot^ faflened to the whole 
 length of the mads by feveral little loops ; they are 
 not fattened in the middle, but have three quarters 
 of their breadth loofe, that they may be accommo- 
 dated to the v/ind, and readily tack about as occafion 
 ferves. A great many fmall cords hanging at the 
 fides of the fail, where they are placed at feveral 
 diftances from the fail- yard, to the bottom are ga- 
 thered up, and keep tight the whole length of the 
 matt, and further the motion when the fhip's courfe 
 is to be changed . 
 
 As for the okam to caulk withal, they do not 
 ufe melted pitch and tar^ but a compoiition made of 
 lime and oil, or rather of a particular gum with flax 
 of rafped Bam.bou •, this matter is not fubjed to the 
 accidents of fire, ?:.^A the okam is fo good, that 
 the veffel feidom or never leaks ; neither do they ever 
 ufe the pump, a well or two ferves to keep the keel 
 dry. In your huge veflels the anchors are of iron ; 
 in the middle fort they are of an hard, heavy wood, 
 and they only ftrengthen the ends ; but I have ob- 
 ferved this is not fufHcient ; for a fpring-tide, or a 
 frefh gale of win_d, runs the fhip a-drift, when it is 
 not well anchored . and, to fpare the coft of an iron 
 anchor., they often run the risk of being caft away. 
 As for the cables they are of flax of Coco, Canvas, 
 or Rotin. The Rctin is a kind of long cane, which 
 
 they 
 
Wit and T^emper of the Chinefe. 233 
 
 they make into trefles like little cords, the twifts of 
 them are ufually flat, and are flronger than all the 
 other \ but becaufe they eafily fnap under water 
 when they come to touch upon any rock, they do 
 not much ufe them but only upon rivers to tow 
 againft the tide. 
 
 The Chinefe have in their veflels a captain as we 
 have, but his chief bufinefs is to keep the crew in 
 awe, and to vi6lual them \ the pilot marks out 
 the rhumb, and places the compafs. Whea they 
 can difcover no land, or when they do not ken it, 
 thofe upon duty at the helm fleer as they pleafe i 
 fo foon as they come within ken of the coaft, or 
 enter into the port, the mariners are fo vigilant, and 
 fo intent upon their duty, that they don't exped to 
 be commanded. 
 
 You fee, my lord, by what I have faid, that we 
 far furpafs the Chinefe at fea in the art of naviga- 
 tion; but it muft be confefled that upon rivers and. 
 channels they have a particular fkill that we are 
 not mailers of 5 they there manage with a few mari- 
 ners huge barques, as big as our fhips ; and there is 
 fuch a great number of them in all the fouthem pro- 
 vinces, that they always keep* nine thoufand nine hun- 
 dred ninety nine ready equipped amongft thofe that 
 are defigned for the fervice of the emperor. This is 
 the way the Chinefe ufually reckon ; for this way 
 of expreffing themfelves hath a greater emphafis in 
 their language, and feems to denote fomething more, 
 than if they ihould fay, in one word, that there are 
 ttn thoufand of them ; it is a hard matter to convidfc 
 them of an untruth ; for really there is fuch a pro- 
 digious number of them, that they cannot be reck- 
 oned \ they are all flat bottom 'd, their fails and mafts 
 are not much different from thofe I but juft now 
 defcribed, but the model is not the fame. The body 
 
 of 
 
 * Kiou-tchien, Kiou-pe, Kiou-Che, Kiou^ 
 
234 ^^^ particular CharaSler of the 
 
 of the veflel, that Is alike broad from prow to poop, 
 hath two wells ; upon the firft, or upon the deck, 
 they build, from one end to another, little cabins, 
 that are raifed above the fides feven or eight feet, 
 or thereabouts •, they are painted within and with- 
 out, varnifh'd, gilded, and all over fo neat and 
 handfome, that they are capable of making the 
 longefl: voyages feem fhort, tho' fome they take 
 that laft four or five months without Intermifiion ; 
 for they lodge, they diet, and are always a-board 
 thefe noble barques *, and when a good company 
 of Mandarines go together (which pretty often hap- 
 pens) there is no place where they pafs the time a- 
 way more delightfully. They vifit one another al- 
 moft every day without compliment ; they play, 
 they treat one another mutually, as If they were all 
 of a family. This foclety feems fo much the more 
 acceptable to them, becaufe It Is not forced and 
 conftralned, as In other places, by the incumbrances 
 of nice ceremonies, nor fubjed: to fufplcions that 
 fuch a fre^ correfpondence would not fail to foment, 
 if they behaved themfelves fo In the cities, 
 
 Notwithftanding thefe barques be extraordinary big, 
 and tho' they alv/ays be either under fall, or tugg'd 
 along by ropes, yet do they now and then make 
 ufe of oars, when they are upon great rivers, or 
 crofs lakes. As for ordinary barques, they do not 
 row them after the European manner, but they 
 faften a kind of a long oar to the poop, nearer 
 one fide of the barque than to the other, and 
 fometimes another like it to the prow, that 
 they make ufe of as the fifti does of its tail, 
 thrufting It out, and pulling it to them again, 
 without ever lifting it above water. This work pro- 
 duces a continual rolling in the barque •, but it 
 hath this advantage, that the motion "Is never In- 
 terrupted, whereas the time and effort that we em- 
 ploy to lift up our oars is loft, and fignifies nothing. 
 ■ - The 
 
Wit and temper of the Chinefe. 235 
 
 The knack, theChinefe have to fail upon torrents, 
 is foinewhat wonderful and incredible : They in a 
 manner force nature, and make a voyage without 
 any dread, which other people dare not fo much 
 as look upon without being feized with fome 
 apprehcnfion. I fpeak not of thofe catarafts they 
 afcend by meer ftrcngth of arm, to pafs from one 
 canal to another, which in fome relations are called 
 Sluices •, but of certain rivers that flow, or rather 
 run headlong quite crofs abundance of rocks, for 
 the fpace of three or fourfcore leagues. Had I 
 not been upon thefe perillous torrents myfelf, I 
 fhould have much ado to believe, upon another's 
 report, what I myfelf have feen. It is a rafhneis 
 for travellers to expofe themfelves, if they have 
 been but never fo little informed of it ; and a kind 
 of madnefs in failors to pafs their life in a trade 
 wherein they are every moment in danger of be- 
 ing deftroyed. 
 
 Thefe torrents whereof I fpeak, which the peo- 
 ple of the country call Chan, are met with in fe- 
 veral places of the empire ; many of them may 
 he feen when one travels from Nancham, the ca- 
 pital city of Kiamfi, to Canton, The firft time I 
 went that way with father Fontaney, we were hur- 
 ried away with that rapidity, that all the eneavours 
 of our manners could not withftand it ; our barque, 
 abandoned to the torrent, was turned round about 
 like a whirlegig for a long time, amongft the finu- 
 ofities and windings that the courfe of the water 
 formed ; and, at laft, dafh'd upon a rock even with 
 the v/ater, v/ith that violence, that the rudder, of 
 the thicknefs of a good beam, broke like a piece 
 of glafs, and the whole body of it was carried by 
 the force of the current upon the rock, where it 
 remained immoveable : If, inftead of touching at the 
 ftern, it had hit fide- ways, v/e had been infallibly 
 loft \ nor yet are thefe the moft dangerous places. 
 
 In 
 
236 The particular Chara£ler of the 
 
 In the province of Fokien, whether one comes 
 From Canton, or Hamcheu, one is, during eight or 
 ttn days, in continual danger of perifhmg. The 
 catara61:s are continual, always broken by a thou- 
 fand points of rocks, that fcarce leave breadth e- 
 nough for the pafTage of the barque -, there are no- 
 thing but turnings and windings, nothing but caf- 
 cades and contrary currents that dafh one againft 
 another, and hurry the boat along like an arrow out 
 of a bow ; you are always within two feet of fhelves 5 
 if you avoid one, you fall foul upon another, and 
 from that to a third, if the pilot, by a fkill not 
 fufficiently to be admired, does not efcape from 
 fhip"v^Teck that threatens him every moment. 
 
 There are none in all the world, befides the Chi- 
 nefe, capable of undertaking fuch like voyages, or 
 fo much engaged therein, as not to be difcouraged, 
 maugre all the accidents that befal them, for there 
 paffes not a day that is not memorable for fhip- 
 wrecks \ and, indeed, it is a wonder that all barques 
 do not perifh. Sometimes a man is fo fortunate 
 as to fplit in a place not far diftant from the fhore, 
 as I chanced twice to do ; then indeed one efcapes 
 by fwimming, provided one has ftrength enough 
 to ftruggle out of the torrent, which is ufually 
 very ftrait. Other times the barques runs a-drift, and 
 in a moment is upon the rocks, where it remains 
 a- ground with the paflengers ; but, fometimes it 
 happens, efpecially in feme more rapid vortices, that 
 the veflel is in pieces, and the crew buried before 
 one has time to know where they are. Sometimes 
 alfo, when one defcends the cafcades formed by 
 the river, that altogether runs head-long, the boats, 
 by falling all on a fudden, plunge into the water 
 at the prow, without being able to rife again, and 
 difappear in a trice. In a word, thefe voyages 
 are fo dangerous, that, in more than twelve thou- 
 fand leagues that I have failed upon the moft 
 
 tempeftuQus 
 
IVit and temper of the Chinefe. 237 
 
 tempeftuous feas in the world, I don't believe I 
 ever run through fo many dangers for ten years, as 
 I have done in t^n days upon thefe torrents. 
 
 The barques, they make ufe of, are built of a very 
 thin, light timber, which makes it more fit to fol- 
 low all the imprefTions one has a mind to give 
 them. They divide them into five or fix apart- 
 anents, feparated by good partitions •, fo that, when 
 they touch at any place, upon any point of a 
 rock, only one part of the boat is full, whilft the 
 t)ther remains dry, and affords time to flop the hole 
 the water has made. For to moderate the rapidity 
 of the motion, in places where the water Is not too 
 -deep, fix feamen, three on each fide, hold a long 
 fpret or pole thruft to the bottom, wherewith they 
 refifl the current ; yet, flackening by little and 
 little, by the help of a fmall rope made fafl at 
 one end to the boat, and twined at the other round 
 the pole, that flips but very hardly, and by a con- 
 tinual rubbing flackens the motion of the barque, 
 which, without this caution, would be driven with 
 too much rapidity ; infomuch, that when the tor- 
 ment is even and uniform, how rapid foever its 
 ,courfe be, you float with the fame flownefs, as one 
 does upon the calmefl: canal \ but, when it winds 
 in and out, this caution is to no purpofe \ then, 
 indeed, they have recourfe to a double rudder, 
 made in fafhion of an oar, of forty or fifty feet 
 long, one whereof is at the prow, and the other 
 at the poop. In the plying of thefe two great oars 
 confiflis all the fklll of the failors, and fafety of the 
 barque , the reciprocal jerks and cunning fhakes they 
 give It, to drive it on, or to turn it right as they 
 would have it, to fall juft into the flream of the 
 water, to fhun one rock, without dafhing on another, 
 to cut a current, to purfue the fall of water, with- 
 out running headlong with it, whirls it about a 
 thoufand different ways : It is not a navigation, it 
 
 is 
 
# 
 
 238 The particular Character of the 
 
 is a Manege ; for there is never a managed horft 
 that labours with more fury under the hands of a 
 mafter of an academy, than thefe boats do in the 
 hands of thefe Chinefe mariners •, fo, that when 
 they chance to be caft away, it is not fo much for 
 want of fkill as ftrength •, and, whereas they carry- 
 not above eight men, if they would take fifteen, 
 all the violence of the torrents would not be capable 
 to carry them away. But it is a thing common e- 
 nough in the world, and efpecially in China, ra- 
 ther to hazard a man's life, and run the rifk to lofe 
 all he has, than to be at fmall charges when there 
 is not an abfolute neceffity for them. 
 
 Seeing I am fpeaking of the art and fkill of the 
 Chinefe upon rivers, I cannot forbear^ my lord, 
 letting you obferve what they are maflers of in mat- 
 ter of fifhing *, befides the line, nets, and the ordi- 
 nary inflruments we make ufe of in Europe, which 
 they imploy as well as we, they have moreover two 
 ways of catching fifh, that feem to me very fingu- 
 lar and odd : The firfl is pradifed in the n:ghtj 
 when it is moon-fhine ; they have two very long, 
 Ilrait boats, upon the fides of which they nail, from 
 one end to the other, a board about two feet broad, 
 upon which they have rubb'd white varnifh, very 
 fmooth and fhining •, this plank is inclined out- 
 ward, and almoft toucheth the furface of the wa- 
 ter : That it m.ay ferv^e their turn, it is requifite 
 to turn it towards the moon-fhine, to the end 
 that the refledlion of the moon may increafe its 
 brightnefs •, the fifh playing and fporting, and mif^ 
 taking the colour of the plank, for that of the wa- 
 ter, jerk out that way, and tumble before they arc 
 aware, either upon the plank, or into the boat^ fo 
 that the fifherman, almoffc without taking any pains, 
 hath in a little time his fmall barque quite full. 
 
 The fecond manner of fifhing is yet more plea- 
 fant : They breed, in divers provinceSj cormorants, 
 
 which 
 
Wit and Temper of the Ghinefe 235^ 
 
 which they order and manage as we do dogs, or 
 even as we do hawks for the game ; one fifher- 
 xnan can very eafily look after an hundred ; he keeps 
 them perched upon the fides of his boat, quiet, 
 and waiting patiently for orders, till they are come 
 at the place defigned for filhing ; then, at the ve- 
 ry firft fignal that is given them, each takes its 
 flight, and flies towards the way that is afTigned it. 
 'Tis a very pieafant thing to behold how they 
 divide amongft them the whole breadth of the ri- 
 ver, or of the lake ; they feek up and down, they 
 dive, and come and go upon the water an hun- 
 dred times, till they have fpy'd their prey ; then 
 do they feize it with their beak, and immediate- 
 ly bring it to their mafter. When the fifh is too 
 big, they help one another interchangeably, one 
 takes it by the tail, another by the head, and go 
 after that manner in company to the boat; the 
 men hold out long oars to them, upon which they 
 perch themfelves with their fifh, and they fufl?er the 
 fifherman to take the prey from them, that they 
 may go feek for another. When they are weary, 
 they \tt them reft a while, but give them nothing 
 to eat rill the fifhing is over -, during which time, 
 their throat is tied with a fmall cord, for fear they 
 fhould fwallow the little fifii, and, when they have 
 filled their bellies, refufe to work longer. 
 
 I forbear fpeaking, my lord, of their dexterity 
 and neatnefs in the manufadures of filk, earthen 
 ware, varnifh and archite<5lure : thefe matters have 
 been exhaufted in publick relations. It is well 
 known, that the filks of China are not only hand- 
 fome, but good and ferviceable ; that their por- 
 celain is of a neatnefs and matter inimitable ; that 
 their varnifh, and the ufe they make of it upon 
 their cabinets, tables, and fkreens, have procured 
 . them the admiration of all Europe. As for their 
 archite(5ture, altho' they have therein a fancy far 
 
 different 
 
24.0 7%e particular CharaSter of the 
 
 diiFerent from ours, and coming fnort of that per-- 
 fedion that we fuppofe ourfelves arrived to : yet 
 mufl: it be confefs'd however, that there are fome 
 pieces of fculpture in China perfedly well wrought^ 
 and the publick edifices, as gates of great cities, 
 towers, and bridges, have fomething in them very 
 noble and beautiful. In fine, the Chinefe in point 
 of arts are dexterous, laborious, curious to find out 
 the inventions and contrivances of other nations, and 
 very apt to imitate them. But what is peculiar to 
 them is, that in all their works they perform, with 
 a very few inftruments and plain engines, what 
 our artificers in Europe perform with an infinite 
 number of tools. 
 
 The better to give you a charadler of their in- 
 genuity, I fhall add, That there is no nation under 
 the fun, that is more fit for commerce and traffick, 
 and underftand them better : One can hardly be- 
 lieve how far their tricks and craftinefs proceeds 
 when they are to infinuate into mens affedlions to 
 manage a fair opportunity to improve the over- 
 tures that are offered : the defire of getting tor- 
 ments them continually, and makes them difcover 
 a thoufand ways of gaining, that would not natu- 
 rally come into their head : every thing ferves 
 their turn, every thing is precious to the Chinefe, 
 becaufe there is nothing but they know how to 
 improve. They undertake the moft difficult voy- 
 ages, for the leaft hopes of gain, and that's the 
 reafon why all things are in motion ; in the fl:reets, 
 upon the roads, upon the rivers, and all along the 
 coafts of the maritime towns, you fliall fee a world 
 of travellers : the trade and commerce, that is 
 carried on every where, is the foul of the people, 
 and the p''mum mobile of all their adlions. 
 
 If they w^ould accompany labour and natural In-^ 
 duftry with a little more honefty, efpecially in re- 
 fped of Grangers, nothing could be wanting to 
 
 them- 
 
Wit and temper of the Chinefe. 24 r 
 
 them that might contribute to make them able, 
 complete merchants ; but their eflential quality is 
 to deceive and coufen when it lies in their power ; 
 fome of them do not conceal it, but boaft of it : 
 I have heard of fome fo brazen fac'd, that when 
 they have been taken in the fadl, to excufe them- 
 felves by their fimplicity, faid, 7'ou fee that I don*t 
 underftand trap \ yc-u know mere of it thav I \ hut 
 perhaps I Jhall he more lucky ^ or r/iore fuhtle ano- 
 ther time. They falfify almorh every thing they 
 vend, v/hen things are hi a condition to be fal- 
 iified. They fay particularly, that they counter- 
 feit gammons of bacon fo prtiticially, that many 
 times a man is miftaken in them ; and, when they 
 have boiled them a long time, they find nothing, 
 when they come to eat them, but a large piece 
 of wood under a hog's-ficin. It is certain , a 
 flranger will be always cheated, if he buy alone, 
 let him take what care he will ; he fliould em- 
 ploy a truily Chinefe, who is acquainted with the 
 country, who knows all the tricks ; and, indeed 
 you will be very happy, if he that buys, and 
 he that fells, do not collogue together to your 
 coil, and go fnips in the profit. 
 
 When one lends them any thing he mud have 
 fareties -, for, as for their word, thofe who know 
 them cannot rely upon it. Some of them have 
 been obfcrved to borrow a very finall fum, pro- 
 mifing to reflore the principal with vail intereil, 
 which they punftually performed upon the day 
 appointed, to gain themfelves the reputation of 
 down-right honcft men. After that, they de- 
 manded a greater fum, which they repaid alfo with- 
 out failing. At length, they continued this com- 
 merce whole years together, till fuch time as en- 
 gaging to credit them, and lend them conlider- 
 able fums, they carried their m.oney far enough 
 off, and difappeared for ever. 
 
 R When 
 
242 1%e particular Character of the 
 
 When they would obtain a favour^ they do not 
 difcover themfelves all on the fudden ; there are 
 fome who prepare for it whole years before-hand. 
 They make prefents to the mafter, and to all thofe 
 of the houfhold •, they feem fo much the more 
 dilintei-efled, and to have no defign, becaufe they 
 refufe all returns : but when one has accepted 
 their toys, which they thought they might do, 
 without fearing any bad confequence, then they 
 begin to fhew their defign ; when they have fa 
 well play'd their game, that they cannot in reafon 
 receive a repulfe for what they demand. 
 
 This fubtlety of deceiving is ftill more extra- 
 ordinary in thieves and robbers : They break thro' 
 the thickeft walls, burn gates, and make great 
 holes in them by the help of a certain engine, 
 which fires the wood without any flame. They 
 penetrate into the moft private recefles, without 
 ever being perceived ; and, when people awake 
 in the morning, they are amaz'd to find their bed 
 v/ithout curtains and coverlets, their chamber un-- 
 furniih'd, tables, cabinets, cofFers, and plate, all is 
 march'd off, without fo much fometimes as perceiv- 
 ing any foot-fteps of the thieves, but the hole in 
 the wall at which they went out with all the 
 moveables of the houfe. 
 
 When they are apprehended, if they be armed, 
 they fuffer death •, but if, when taken, they are 
 found in no condition to wound or kill any body, 
 they iniiidl fome other corporal punifhment, ac- 
 cording to the quality of the goods fo ftolen; but, 
 if they have taken nothing, the judges are fatif- 
 fy'd by punifliing them with thirty or forty blows 
 with a cudgel. They fay, thefe felons have a cer- 
 tain drug, the fume of which extremely ftupifies, 
 and cafts into a deep flccp, which affords them 
 time and opportunity to do their job 5 and they 
 
 are 
 
Wit and Temper of the Chinefe; 243 
 
 are fo perfuaded of that trtith, that travellers caufe 
 a bafon of cold water to be brought into their cham- 
 ber In the inn, which is a fure remedy to fruftrate 
 the power or charm of the fume. 
 
 Not biit after all one may meet with honefty 
 and fair-dealing amongft the Chinefe ; for Cnot to 
 fpeak of thriftians, in whom religion hath reform- 
 ed the evil inclinations of nature) 1 do remember, 
 that, at rhy firft arrival into China with my com- 
 panions, ftrangers, unknown, expofed to the ava- 
 Hce of the Mandarines, not one of them did us the 
 leaft wrong i and, what appeared yet more extra- 
 ordinary was, that offering a prefent to a com- 
 mifTioner of the cuftom-houfe^ people that are u- 
 fually greedyj afid attentive to the improverrient 
 of fuch fort of occafions, he protefted, notwith- 
 Handing all our earneft intreaties, that he Would 
 never take any thing of any body fo long as he 
 was in his office ; but, if one day he fhould chanc« 
 to be in another condition, he would with all 
 his heart receive from us fome European curio- 
 ofity. After all, thefe are rare examples, nor mufl 
 you from them take the charadler of the natives. 
 
 As the Chinefe have a genius for commerce^ (d 
 have they likewife for affairs of ftate ; their wit 
 has been a long time adapted to politicks, and ne- 
 gotiating affairs, not with foreigners, whom they 
 look upon as Barbarians, and their fubjeds, whorri 
 the ancient haughtinefs of the empire forbids to 
 correfpond with, but amongft themfelves, accord- 
 ing as they are bound by intereft, or as their for- 
 tune engages them therein. There is policy ^ a- 
 mongft princes, and other grandees of the realm, 
 as much as in any court of Europe ; they continu- 
 ally apply themfelves to know, the gufto, inclina- 
 tions, hum'ours, and defigns of one another i inA 
 they ftudy it fo much the mof e^ as they are. more 
 
244 ^^^ particular CharaSler of the 
 referved, and, difTemblhig themfelves, they keep a 
 fair correfpondence with every body, nay, and e- 
 ven obferve a decorum with their enemies. 
 
 As the way of challenging to duel is not al- 
 lowed in the ftate, all their revenge is cunning 
 and fecret ; one cannot imagine by how many 
 fhifts and contrivances they endeavour to deftroy 
 one another, without making any fhow of having 
 any fuch thing in their head. They are not on- 
 ly diffemblers, but patient, even to infenfiblenefs, 
 in expecfting a favourable moment to declare them- 
 felves, and to ftrike home. But as they obferve 
 all forts of meafures with their enemies, the better 
 to lull them afleep, fo they fometimes huff their 
 bed friends, for fear, left a too ftri6l bond of 
 friendfhip fhould engage them together in fome 
 unlucky adventure. So far are they from that bar- 
 barous friendfhip that enclines us in Europe to en- 
 gage thofe in our private quarrels that are moft 
 devoted to us, and to expofe, without any advan- 
 tage, a life that we ihould defend, even by the 
 lofs of our own. 
 
 The lords of the court, the viceroys of provinces, 
 and generals of armies, are in perpetual motion, to 
 preferve or acquire the principal places of ftate ; 
 they carry on their bufinefs by money, favour, 
 and' by intrigue : and fince the laws give nothing, 
 either to follicitation, riches, or ambition of private 
 perfons, but fclely to merit, the moft fubtle feem 
 always moft mioderate, whilft, in the mean time, 
 by an hundred hidden fprings, they endeavour to 
 obtain the choice and efteem of the emperor. 
 
 In ftiort, if fome neighbours more potent and 
 intelligent than the Tartars, had ever been able to 
 have accuftom.ed them to make treaties, as the dif- 
 ferent people of Europe do amongft themfelves, 
 I am perfuaded, that policy and negotiation would 
 
 have 
 
Wif and Temper of the Chinefe. 245 
 
 have proved more powerful to defend them from 
 their enemies, than that prodigious wall, of which 
 they endeavoured to make a bulwark, and all thofe 
 numerous armies wherewith they have hitherto, 
 but all in vain, oppofed them. 
 
 After all that^ I have faid, I leave you to judge, 
 my lord, of the charadler of thefe people, and of 
 the value that ought to be put upon them , when 
 a man hath a guft as good as yours, he does not 
 only think of things nicely, but alfo judges of them 
 folidly, and with the greateft exadnefs ; fo that I 
 fuppofe, nobody will take it ill that I fubmit the 
 Chinefe to your cenfure. They only would find 
 fome difficulty to fubfcribe to it, if they under- 
 ftood the defe6l of their wit and genius, as much as 
 we underftand the delicatenefs of yours •, but, as 
 they believe themfelves the moft fenfible nation in 
 the world, I am fure they will be glad to be left to 
 the judgment of a perfon, whom all France begins 
 to admire, and, what is more, whom Lewis the - 
 Great honours particularly v/ith his efteem. You 
 will obferve, my lord, in China, fome faults which 
 one cannot excufe •, all the favour I beg of you 
 for them is, to refledl, that formerly they have 
 been wifer, more fincere, and honeft, lefs corrupted 
 than they are at prefent. Virtue, which they culti- 
 vated with fo much care, which contributed in- 
 finitely to model their reafon, made them at 
 that time the wifeft people of the univerfe •, and, 
 being their manners were more regular, fo, I doubt 
 not, but they were then more intelligent, and more 
 rational. 
 
 However, in the very condition wherein they are 
 at prefent, you will, perhaps, efteem them not- 
 withftanding, and find withal, that tho' they have 
 not ingenuity enough to be compared with our 
 learned and knowing men in Europe, yet do they 
 
 K 3 not 
 
246 TToe particular Character of the^ &c, 
 
 not give place to us in arts ; that they equal us in 
 politenefs, and that, perhaps, they may furpafs us 
 in politicks and in government. I am, with th^ 
 pioft profour^ refped. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 Tour moji humhle^ 
 and mojl obedient Servant^ 
 
 h. J. 
 
 <f 
 
 the; 
 
247 
 
 THE 
 
 Prefent State 
 
 O F 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 PART 11. 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 To the Cardinal D'Eftrees. 
 Of the Policy and Government of the Chinefe. 
 
 HEN I had the honour to give your 
 eminence an account of the prefent ftate 
 of China, I did along time doubt whether 
 or no I Ihould venture to defcribe to you 
 their form of government : To handle fo nice a 
 fubjedl requires the abilities of the moft exad poli- 
 tician, and a knowledge of ftate-afFairs exquifite as 
 yours •, a fubjedb not to be managed by any without 
 pains and trouble, but which lies too deep for thofe 
 af my chara,6fcer whoje knowledge in the affairs of 
 |hj3 \^o.rld is flight and fuperficial. 
 
 R 4 jgut 
 
248 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 But yet it would be the greateft of injuries to the 
 Chinefe, to pafs that over in filence, which they look, 
 upon as the thing to which they owe all their good 
 qualities, and which they efteem as a mafter-piece 
 of the moft exadl policy -, thus therefore, my lord, 
 tho' I fhould own it a piece of imprudence in me to 
 meddle v/ith thefe myPcerious arcana of government, 
 and to fearch never fo little into the depths of world- 
 ly v/ifdom •, I could be content to be blamed fcr it 
 in Europe, if China, to whom I ov/n I bear a kind- 
 nefs and refpc6l, approve of it in me, and get any 
 credit thereby. 
 
 Amongft the feveral models and plans of goven;- 
 ment which the ancients framed, we fhall perhaps 
 meet with none fo perfed and exadt as is that of the 
 Chinefe monarchy. The ancient lawgivers of this 
 potent empire fcrmed it in their days very little dif- 
 ferent from what it is in ours. Other ftates, accord- 
 ing to the common fate of the things of this v/orld, 
 are fenfible of the weakncfs of infancy, are born 
 rnifhapen and imperfed -, and, like men, they owe 
 their perfe6lion and maturity to time. China feemjS 
 more exempted from the common laws of nature j 
 and, as though God himfelf had founded their em- 
 pire, the plan of their governmicnt was not a whit 
 lefs perfedl in its cradle, than it is now after the ex- 
 perience and trial of four thoufand years. 
 
 During all which time tht Chinefe had never (o 
 .much as heard of the namx of republick •, and when 
 lately, on the Hollanders arrival, they heard of it, 
 it feemed fo ftrange to them that they have fcarcely 
 yet done admiring at it. Nothing could make them 
 underftand how a ftate could regularly be governed 
 without a king •, they looked upon a republick to 
 be a monfler with many heads, formed by the am- 
 bition, headinefs, and cornipt inclination of men in 
 times of publick diforder and confufion. 
 
 As 
 
of the Chinefe. 249 
 
 As they bear an averfion to republican govern- 
 iTient, fo are they yet more fet againft tyranny and 
 opprefTion, which they fay proceeds not from the 
 abfolutenefs of the prince's power, for they caimot 
 be too much their fubjedls mafters ; but from the 
 prince's own wildnefs, which neither the voice of 
 nature, nor the laws of God can ever countenance. 
 The Chinefe are of opinion, that the obligation, which 
 IS laid on their kings not to abufe their power, is ra- 
 ther a means to confirm and eflablifh them, than to 
 occafion their ruin ; and that this ufeful conllraint, 
 which they themfelves lay on their pafTions, does no 
 more diminifh their power or authority here on 
 earth, than the like conftraint derogates from the 
 majefly and power of the Almighty, who is not the 
 lefs powerful becaufe he cannot do evil. 
 
 , An unbounded authority which the laws give the 
 em.peror, and a neceflity which the fame laws lay 
 upon him to ufe that authority with moderation and 
 difcretion, are the two props which have for fo 
 many ages fupported this great fabrick of the Chinefe 
 monarchy. The firft principle thereof, that is in- 
 ftiiled into the people, is to refpedt their prince with 
 fo high a veneration as almoft to adore him. They 
 ftile him the Son of Heaven, and the only Mafter of 
 the World. His commands are indifputable, his 
 words carry no lefs authority with them, than if they 
 were oracles ; in fhort, every thing that comes from 
 him is facred. He is feldom (ttn^ and never fpoken 
 to but on the knees. The grandees of the court, 
 the princes of the blood ; nay, his own brothers bow 
 to the ground, not only when he is prefent, but 
 even before his throne •, and there are fet days every 
 week or month, in which the nobility aflemble, 
 who meet in one of the courts of the palace, to 
 acknowledge the authority of their prince by their 
 moft fubmiffive adorations, tho' he perhaps be not 
 there in perforin 
 
 When 
 
2^0 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 When he is ill, efpecially if dangeroufly, the paJ 
 lace is full of Mandarines of every order, who fpend 
 night and day in a large court, in habits proper fop 
 the occafion, to exprefs their own grief, and to afk 
 pf Heaven their prince's cure. Rain, fnow, cold, or 
 any other inconveniences excufe them not from the 
 performance of this duty i and, as long as the emperor 
 is in pain or in danger, any one that faw the 
 people would think that they fear nothing but the 
 lofs of him. 
 
 Befides, intereft is no fmall occaiion of the great 
 refped which is fhewn him by his fubjeds ; for, as 
 foon as he is proclaimed emperor, the whole autho- 
 rity of the empire is in his hands, and the good op 
 ill fortune of his fubjedls is owing wholly to him. 
 
 Firfl, all places in the empire are in his difpofal, 
 he beftows them on whom he thinks fit ; and, befides, 
 he is to be looked upon as the difpofer of them the 
 more, becaufe none of them are ever fold. Merit, 
 that is, honefty, learning, long experience, and efpe- 
 cially a grave and fober behaviour, is the only 
 thing confidered in the candidates, and no other 
 confiderations can lay any claim to favour. Nei- 
 ther is this all, that he hath the choice of all ofiicers 
 of fiate i but, if he diilikes their management when 
 chofen, he dlfmifles or changes them without more 
 ado. A peccadillo has heretofore been thought e- 
 nough to render a Mandarine incapable of continuing 
 in his place ; and I am told that a governor of one 
 of their cities was turned out, becaufe on a day of 
 audience his cloaths were thought too gay to be- 
 come the gravity of his office ; the emperor 
 thinking a perfon of that humour not fit to fill 
 fuch a place, or to adl as a magiftrate who. reprefents 
 his prince. 
 
 I myfelf faw at Pekin an example of this fove- 
 reign power, at which I \yas. the more furprized be- 
 caufe it was brought about with fo little difturbance* 
 
 it 
 
of the Chinefe. 25 % 
 
 it was dlfcovered that three Colaos (who are Man- 
 darines as honourable for their places amongft the 
 phinefe, as our minifters of ftate are amongft us) 
 had taken money under-hand for fome fervices done 
 by them in the execution of their office. The em^ 
 peror, who was informed of it, took away their h~ 
 laries immediately, and ordered them without far- 
 ther trouble to retire. What became of the two 
 iirft, or how they were ufed, I cannot tell ; but the 
 pther, who had a great while been a magiftrate, and 
 was as much efteemed for his underftanding as he 
 was refpeded for his age, was condemned to look 
 ^fter one of the palace gates amongft other common 
 ibldiers, in whofe company he was lifted. 
 ' I faw him myfelf one day in this mean condi- 
 tion *, he was upon duty as a common centinel ; 
 when I pafled by him, I bowed to him, as indeed 
 every one elfe did , for the Chinefe ftill refpeded in 
 him the {lender remains of that honour which her 
 had juft before pofTefled. 
 
 I muft confefs, I foon left wondering at fo fevere 
 a punifhment inflided on fo great a man ; when 
 i faw after what manner even the princes of the 
 blood themfelves were ufed. Ojie of them was a 
 mighty lover of fports, efpecially of cock-fighting 
 (which is an ufual diverfion In the Eaft, and the 
 obftinacy of thofe creatures, which, armed with 
 gavelocks, fight till they die with an incredible 
 fkill and courage, is very furprifing.) The emperor 
 did not think it amifs that this prince fhould fpend 
 a few hours in fuch fort of diverfions. He knew 
 that great men have fpare time as well as others, and 
 that it does not derogate from any man's character 
 to throw away an hour or two fometimes in thofe 
 diverfions which are more fuitable to young 
 people, and that it is not at all improper for men of 
 underftanding ^ind gravity to condefcend to mean 
 
 and 
 
252 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 and ordinary fports, In order to give fome relax- 
 ation and eafe to their weary fpirits. Neveithe- 
 lefs, he could not bear to fee him fpend his whole 
 time in things fo much below his quality, and 
 fo unbecoming his years, he therefore told him of 
 it; but, finding that this admonition did not work 
 with him, the emperor refolved to make an example 
 of him, and did therefore declare, that he had for- 
 feited his title and honour of Prince •, he was, be- 
 fides, deprived of his retinue, his falary, and his 
 quality, until he fhould, by fome great and extra- 
 ordinary aftion, make it appear to the whole king- 
 dom, that he was not unworthy of the blood from 
 whence he fprang. 
 
 The emperor went yet a ftep farther, for per- 
 ceiving that the number of the princes of the 
 blood was very great, and that the ill condud of 
 many of them might in time bring their quality 
 into contempt ; he publifhed an order, that none 
 fhould hereafter bear that charader, without his 
 exprefs leave, which he gave to none, but to thofe, 
 who, by their virtue, underftanding, and diligence 
 in their offices, did very v/ell deferve it. 
 
 Such adminiftrations in Europe would caufe heart- 
 burnings and factions in the ftates ; but in China they 
 are brought about without any the lead difturbance, 
 thefe changes create no manner of trouble if they 
 are done for the publick good, and not from a 
 perfonal hatred or violent palTion ; hov/ever, if the 
 emperor fhould be fo far tranfported as to ad 
 thus to fatisfy his own paflion, yet, if his go- 
 vernment be generally equitable and jutt, fuch par- 
 ticular ill administrations raife no fadion in his fub- 
 jecfts againft him. 
 
 You will have a plain proof of the abfolutenefs 
 .of the emperor's pov»^er, from a paffage which hap- 
 pened in a late war with one of the kings of Tar- 
 tary. The emperor fent a mJghty army under his 
 
 brothef§ 
 
of the Chinefe. 253 
 
 brother's command, to punifh the vanity and raih- 
 nefs of that puny king, who had dared to make 
 inroads into the countries of feveral of the allies 
 of the empire. The Tartar, whofe warlike troops 
 fought only an opportunity of fignalizing them- 
 felves, advanced to engage the imperial army, and 
 fet upon them with fo much violence and vigour, 
 that at iaft, notwithllanding he was fo much in- 
 ferior to them In number, he beat them from their 
 ground, and forced them to retreat in diforder. 
 
 The emperor's father-in-law, an old Tartar, v/ell 
 vers'd in the trade of war, commanded the artillery, 
 and plaid his part fo well that he was killed at the 
 head of a few, yet brave foldiers, whom he encourag- 
 ed as well by his example as by his words ; but the 
 general was accufed of flying firft, and drawing by 
 his flight the reft of the army after him. The em- 
 peror, who is himfelf a man of courage, and an ad- 
 mirer of glory, v/as lefs troubled at the lofs of the 
 battle, than he was at that of his brother's honour. 
 He fent for him immediately to court, to be tried be- 
 fore a council of the blood, whom he aflembled in 
 his palace. 
 
 The prince, v/ho v;as on all other accounts a per- 
 fon of Angular merit, furrendered liimfelf with the 
 fame humility and fubmj'ffion, as he could have done, 
 had . he been the meaneft officer in the army, and, 
 without ftaying till fenteiice was pronounc'd, he con- 
 demned himfelf, and cv/ned that he deferved death. 
 Tou defei've it^ faid the emperor, hit you ought to re- 
 cover your loft honour^ to feek your death in the midft 
 of the eftemies troops^ and not here mnoyigji us in the 
 midft of Pekin^ where it can only increafe your difgrace. 
 At Iaft, the emperor was inclinable to pardon him \ 
 but the princes, who thought themfelves in fome 
 meafure difgracsd by this addon, earneftiy begged 
 of the emperor to ufe the utmoft of his power to 
 punifti him ; and his uncle, who aftifted at the coun- 
 
 cil. 
 
2^4 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 cil treated him with fo much fcorn and contempt,' 
 that amongd us fuch ufage would affli6t any gentle- 
 man fo fenfibi/ as to go near to break his heart. 
 
 The emperor, who has power over the lives of 
 the princes of the blood, can certainly difpofe of 
 his other fubjeds : The laws make him fo far maf- 
 ter of their lives, that neither viceroy, nor parliaments,' 
 nor any other fovereign court throughout the whole 
 empire, can execute any criminal without exprefs or- 
 der from court. They are arraigned and tried up and 
 down in the feveral provinces, but the fentence is 
 always prefented to the emperor, who either con- 
 firms it or rejedls it as he pleafes •, moft an end he 
 agrees to it, but he very often cuts off part of the 
 fentence, and makes it lefs rigorous. 
 -- Secondly, altho' every one be perfed mafter of 
 his eflate, and enjoys his lands free from difturbance 
 and moleftation : the emperor can neverthelefs lay 
 v/hat taxes he thinks fit upon his fubjedls to fupply 
 the prefTing wants, and relieve the neceffities of the 
 ftate. This power indeed he feldom makes ufe of; 
 whether it be, that the {landing revenue and ordinary 
 taxes are fufficient to maintain a war abroad ; or,' 
 whether it be, that In a civil war they are unwilling 
 to run the hazard of provoking their fubjedls too 
 much, by laying too great a load on them. They 
 have likewife a cuftom of exempting every year one 
 or two provinces from bearing their proportion in 
 the tax, efpecially if any of them have fuifereJ 
 thro' the ficknefs of the people, or, if the lands, 
 thro' unfeafonable weather, have not yielded fo good 
 an increafe as ufual. 
 
 It is true, that the fubfidies,which the laWs grant, 
 are fo confiderable, that, were the Chinefe lefs in- 
 duftrious, or their lands lefs fruitful, this empire,' 
 like the reft of the Indian kingdoms, would be on- 
 ly a fociety of poor and miferable wretches. It is 
 this prodigious income that makes' the prince fa 
 
 powerful 
 
I 
 
 of the Chiiiefe. ^55 
 
 powerful, and that enables him, at all hour's warn- 
 ing, to raife a potent and a numerous army to keep 
 his people in obedience. 
 
 It is very difficult to reckon what the revenue of 
 this empire amounts to ; becaufe, befides the money 
 that is raifed in fpecies vaft fums are paid in in goods. 
 After the beft examination which I could get both 
 from the officers and from their books, I believe the 
 treafury receives in money about 22,000,000 of Chi- 
 nefe crowns, which the Portuguefe call Taels, each 
 of which in our money comes to about fix fhillings. 
 But the rice, corn, fait, filks, cloaths, varnifh, and 
 a hundred other commodities which they pay in, to- 
 gether with the cuftoms and forfeited eflates, a- 
 meoint to more than 50,000,000 of the Chinefe 
 crowns. So that, after having allow'd for the goods 
 received into the treafury, their value in filver, and 
 having made the neareft and mofl exaft calculation 
 pofiible, I find the ordinary revenues of the emperor 
 to amount in our money to 21,600,000 /. at leafl:. 
 
 Thirdly, the right of making peace and war is 
 the emperor's, he may make treaties on what condi- 
 tions he pleafes, provided they be not fuch as are dif- 
 honourable to the kingdom. As for the judgments 
 which he himfelf pafl!es, they are irrevocable, and, to 
 have them put in execution, he need only fend them 
 to his fovereign courts or viceroys, who dare not in 
 the leaft delay regiftering and publifhing them. 
 When, on the other hand, the fentences, pronounced 
 by their parliaments or other magiftrates, are no 
 ways obligatory till approved and confirmed by the 
 emperor. 
 
 Fourthly, another inftance of his fupreme autho- 
 rity is this, that he has the liberty of making choice 
 of his fucceflbr, which he may not only chufe from 
 the royal family, but fromamongft his other fubjedls. 
 This ancient right hath been heretofore put in 
 pra(flice with fo much impartiality and wifdom, as 
 
 would 
 
^^6 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 would be admirable even in a prince who to his other 
 titles hath that of Moft Chriftian. For fome of thefe 
 emperors, finding none of their family, tho' nume- 
 rous, able to fupport the weight of a crown, chufe 
 for their fuccefibrs perfons mean as to their birth and 
 fortimes, but eminent for their virtue, and admira.blc 
 for their underftanding ; faying that they aded thus 
 not only from a defire of their kingdoms good, but 
 alfo out of refpedl to the honour and credit of their 
 own children, for whom it would be more glorious 
 to live privately, than to fit upon a throne expofed 
 to the cenfure, and oftentimes to the curfes of all 
 their people. If^ faid they, a lofty title could create 
 merit in thcfe ^usho had it not before^ we ficould indeed 
 injure our children in excluding them from the crown. 
 But Jince it jerves only to puhlifn and fpread their 
 defeats more abroad^ we think ourfelves obliged^ by 
 the kindnefs and tendernefs which we bear to them^ to 
 keep them from that Jhame and difgrace which a crown 
 would neceffarily expofe them to. 
 
 However, examples of this nature have been very 
 feldom known, for the emperors, for many ages, 
 have bounded their choice within the compafs of 
 their own families •, yet they do not always chufe the 
 eldeft. He, who now reigns with fo much wifdom, 
 was a younger brother -, and fees his elder brother as 
 dutifial, and free from ambition as the meaneft of 
 his fubjeds. The great number of princes of the 
 blood is with us in Europe as great an occafion of 
 fears and jealoufies, but in China it is quite other- 
 wife, for, at the death of the laft emperor of China, 
 there were above tQ.n thoufand princes up and down 
 the feveral provinces, yet was there no confufion or 
 diforder in the leafl: -, which could certainly proceed 
 from nothing but the exceflive authority of this em- 
 peror, who finds as little trouble in China in govern- 
 ing a multitude of princes, as other princes do in 
 governing the common people. 
 
 Further- 
 
of the Chinefe. 2^7 
 
 Furthermore, the emperor, after he has made 
 choice of, and publickly owned who fhall be his 
 fucceflbr, may afterwards exckide him, and renew 
 his choice ; but not unlefs he have very good reafon 
 for doing fo, nor unlefs the fovereign courts of Pe- 
 kin do in a manner give theit confent to it ; for if 
 he ad thus, without obferving thefe methods, it 
 would not only raife the people's tongues, but per- 
 haps their hands againft him. 
 
 Fifthly, the grave itfelf cannot put an end to his 
 power over his fubjecfls, which is exercifed even over 
 the dead, whom he either difgraces or honours (as 
 much as if they were alive) when he hath a mind 
 either to reward or punifh themfelves or their fami- 
 lies. Fie makes fome after their deceafe dukes^ 
 others counts, and confers upon them feveral 
 other titles, which our language knows no name for. 
 He may canonize them as faints, or, as they fpeak, 
 may make them naked fpirits. Sometimes he builds 
 them temples, and if their miniftry hath been very 
 beneficial, or their virtues very eminent, he com- 
 mands the people to honour them as gods. Paga- 
 nifm hath for many ages authorifed and countenan- 
 ced this abufe of religion ; yet this reparation religi- 
 on has from the empire of China for the foremen-^ 
 tioned injury, that, ever fince the foundation of this 
 empire, the emperor has been always looked upon 
 as the chief prieft and principal fervant of religion ; 
 for there are fome ceremonies, and publick facrifices, 
 which he alone is thought worthy to oiler up to the 
 great Creator of heaven. 
 
 ! Sixthly, there is another inftance, which ^ tho' of 
 ;'.efs importance than the preceding, yet may ferve as 
 ■veil as them to fliew how unlimited the authority 
 )f this emperor is. It is this, the emperor hath 
 )ower to change the figure and charadler of their 
 etters, to abolifh any characters ajready received^ 
 T to form any new one. He ma/ likewife change 
 
 S the 
 
258 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 the names of provinces, of cities, of families : he 
 may likewife forbid the ufmg of any expreflion or 
 manner of fpeaking, he may forbid the ufe of fome 
 expreiTions which are generally received, and may 
 bring into ufe and pradlice thofe ways of fpeaking 
 which have been looked upon as obfolete and un- 
 couth, and this either in common difcourfe or in 
 writing. So that cuftom which exercifes fo unalter- 
 able an authority over the fignification of words, 
 that the Greek and Roman powers v/ere too little to 
 fubdue it, and which for that reafon hath by fome 
 been called a fantaftical and an unjuft tyrant, equally- 
 commanding both princes and common people •, this 
 euftom, I fay, of which even in Europe we com- 
 plain fo much, is fubm,iflive and humble in China, 
 and is content to alter and give way when the em- 
 peror commands. ! 
 
 One would imagine that this unlimited power 
 fhould often occafion very unfortunate e\^nts in 
 the government, and indeed it fometimes hath, as 
 nothing in this world is without its alloy of incon- 
 venience. Yet fo miap.y are the proviiions, and fo 
 wife the precautions w hich the laws have prefcribed 
 to prevent them, that a prince mufl be wholly infen- 
 ilble of his own reputation, and even intereft, as 
 w^ell as of the publick good, who continues long in 
 the abufe of his authority. 
 
 For, if he hath any regard for his reputation, there 
 are three things which will prevail with him to go- 
 vern by juftice and not p allien . Firlt, the old law- 
 givers have from the firil foimdation of the govern- 
 ment made this a {landing maxim, that kings are 
 properly the fathers of their people, and not mafters 
 placed in the throne only to be ferved by flaves. 
 Wherefore it is that in all ages their emperor is called 
 Grand -father, and, of all his titles of honour, there, 
 is none which he likes to be called by fo well as this f .' 
 
 This 
 
of the Chinefe. 259 
 
 This idea of their prince is fo deeply imprinted in 
 the minds of his people, and of his Mandarines, 
 that, when they make any panegyrick in the praife of 
 their emperor, it is upon the topick of his afFedion 
 to his people. Their teachers and their philofophers 
 conftantly fet forth in their books, that the ftate is 
 but a large family, and that he, who knows how to 
 govern the one, is the bed capable of ruling the 
 other ; fo that, if the prince negleds never fo little 
 the practice of this m.axim, he may be a good war- 
 rior, an able politician, a learned prince, and yet 
 meet with little or no efteem from his people. They 
 do not form their characfler of their prince from thefe 
 or fuch like qualities, his reputation increafes or dimi- 
 nifhes v/ith them, in proportion, as he is or is not a 
 father to them. 
 
 Secondly, every Mandarine may tell the emperor 
 of his faults, provided it be in fuch a fubmiffive man - 
 ner, as is agreeable to that veneration and profound 
 refpedl which is due to him -5 the manner they ufually 
 take to bring it about is this : The Mandarine, who 
 perceives any thing in the emperor's management 
 difagreeable to their conftitution or laws, draws up a 
 requeft, in which, after having fet forth the refpecfl, 
 which he bears towards his imperial majefty, he moft 
 humbly prays his prince, that he will pleafe to refledb 
 upon the ancient laws and good example of thofe 
 holy princes his predeceffors : afterv/ards he takes 
 notice wherein he apprehends, that his prince hath 
 deviated from them. 
 
 This requefl lies upon a table, among many other 
 petitions which are daily prefented, and which the 
 emperor is obliged to read : if he does not hereupon 
 change his<:ondu6t, he is put in mind of it again, as 
 often as the Mandarine hath zeal and courage to do 
 it, for they had need of a great deal of both who 
 dare venture thus to expofe themfel ves to their prince's 
 indignation, 
 
 S' 2 A littk 
 
26o Of the Policy and Government 
 
 A little before I arrived at Pekin, one who had 
 an office in that court, which is appointed for the in- 
 fpedlion into the mathematicks, had the courage to 
 advife the emperor In the aforefaid manner, concern- 
 ing the education of the prince his fon, fetting forth, 
 that, inftead of breeding him up to learning and know^- 
 ledge, his tutors made it their whole care and endea- 
 vour to make him expert in the bufinefs of war, to 
 flioot with the bow, and to manage his arms. Ano- 
 ther let the emperor know, that he went too often 
 from his palace, and, that contrary to the cuftoms of 
 the ancient kings, he made too long ftays in Tar- 
 tary. This prince, who was one of the moil haughty, 
 as well as the moft politick governors that ever fat 
 in the throne, fcmed to pay fome deference and 
 refpe6l to their advice. Neverthelefs, fmce thefe his 
 ]ournies into Tartary contributed much to the pre- 
 ferving his health, the princes of his houfhold beg- 
 ged of nim to regard that more than the idle whim- 
 fies of particular men. 
 
 As for the mathematician v/ho had troubled him- 
 felf with what did not belong to him, the education 
 of the prince, he was turned out of his office, and 
 the reft of his fellovz-officers, tho' they had no hand 
 in the bufinefs, were deprived of a year's falary. 
 This method hath been pradifed for a long time in 
 China, and their hiilories take notice, that no means 
 has been found fo powerful as this to oblige their em- 
 perors, when they adl am^ifs, to return to their duty, 
 altho' this mxcans proves often dangerous to thofe 
 particular perfons ^vho make ufe o^ it. 
 
 Thirdly, if their princes have any regard for their 
 reputation, the manner, in which their hiftories are 
 wrote, is alone fiifficient to keep them within bounds. 
 A certain number of men, who for their learning 
 and impartiality are purpofely chofen for this affair, 
 remark, with all the exadnefs poffible, not only all 
 their prince's adions, but alfo his words j each of 
 
 thefe 
 
 id 
 
K 
 
 of the Chinefe. 261 
 
 thefe perfons by himfelf, and without communica- 
 tion with the others, as things fall out, fets them 
 down in a loofe paper, and puts thefe papers thro' a 
 chink into an office fet apart for this purpofe. In thefe 
 papers both the emperor's virtues and faults arc fet 
 down with the fame liberty and impartiality. Such a 
 day^ fay they, the princess behaviour was ufjfeafonahk 
 end intemperate^ he [poke after a manner which did not 
 become his dignity. 'The punijhment which he infli5fed on 
 fuch an officer was rather the effe5l of his paffion^ than 
 the refiilt of his jtiftice. In fuch an affair he flopped the 
 fword of juftice^ and partially abrogated the fentence 
 paffed by the magifirates. Orelfe, He entered courage- 
 oiifiy into a war for the defence of his people^ and for 
 the maintenance of the honour of his kingdom. At fuch 
 a time he made an honourable peace. He gave fuch and 
 fuch marks of his love to his people. Notwithftanding 
 the commendations given him by his flatterers^ he was 
 not puffed up., but behaved himfelf modeftly., his words 
 were tempered with all the fjoeetnefs and humility pof- 
 fible \ which made him more loved and admired by his 
 court than ever. And in this manner they fet down 
 every thing that occurs in his adminiftration. 
 
 But that neither fear on the one fide, nor hope 
 on the other, may byafs thefe men to a partiality in 
 the account they give of their prince, this office is 
 never opened during that prince's life, or while any 
 of his family fit in the throne. When the crown 
 goes in another line, which often happens, all thefe 
 Joofe memoirs are gathered together, and, after they 
 have compared them, to come to the more certain 
 knowledge of the truth, they from them compofe 
 the hiflory of that emperor, to propofe him as an 
 example to pofterity, if he have aCled wifely, or to 
 expofe him to the common cenfure and odium of 
 the people, if he have been negligent of his own 
 duty and his people's good. When a prince loves 
 Jionour and glory, and fees that it is not in the power 
 
 S3 of 
 
262 Of ike Policy and Govemment 
 
 of flattery and impofture to perfuade the people to 
 give it him, he v/ill then be circumfpeft and cautious 
 how he behaves himfelf during the whole reign. 
 
 Intereft, which has a far greater command over 
 fome tempers than the love of reputation, is as great 
 a motive to the emiperor to be guided by the ancient 
 cufloms, and to adhere to the lav/s. They are fo 
 wholly made for his advantage, that he cannot vio- 
 late them without doing fome prejudice to his own 
 authority ; nor can he make new and unufual laws, 
 without expofmg his kingdom to the danger of 
 change and confufion. Not that the grandees of his 
 court, or his parliaments, how zealoufly foeverthey 
 inay feem to afiert their ancient cuftoms, are eafily 
 provoked to a revolt, or to make ufe of their prince's 
 government, as an occafion to diminifh his authority. 
 Altho' there are fome examples of this in hiftory, 
 yet they feldom occur, and, whenever they do, it is 
 under fuch circumftances as feem to go a great way 
 towards their j unification. 
 
 But fach is the temper of the Chinefe, that when 
 their emperor is full of violence and pafiion, or very 
 negligent of his charge, the fame fpirit of perverfe- 
 nefs pofTefTes alfo his fubjedls. Every Mandarine 
 thinks himfelf the fovereign of his province or city, 
 when he does not perceive it taken care of by a fupe- 
 rior power. The chief minifters fell places to thofe 
 -who are unfit to fill them. The viceroys become fo 
 xnany little tyrants. The governors obferve no 
 more the rules of juflice. The people by thefe means 
 opprefTed and trampled under foot, and by confe- 
 quence miferable, are eafily flirred up to fedition. 
 Rogues multiply and commit infolences in compa- 
 nies 5 and in a country, w^here the people are almofl 
 innumerable, numerous armies do in an inflant get 
 together, who wait for nothing but an opportunity, 
 under fpecious pretences, to diflurb the publick peace 
 find quiet, 
 
 Such 
 
of the Chinefe. 263 
 
 Such beginnings as thefe have occafioned fatal con- 
 fequences, and have oftentimes put China under the 
 command of new mafters. So that the beft and 
 fureft way for an emperor, to eftablifn himfelf in his 
 throne, is to give an exad regard and an intire obe- 
 dience to thofe laws, whofe goodnefs hath been con- 
 firmed by the experience of more than four thoufand 
 years. 
 
 This is the ordinary form of government which 
 the laws prefcribe. The emperor hath tvv^o fove- 
 reign councils ; the one is called the extraordinary 
 council, and is compofed of princes of the blood 
 only *, the other, called the council in ordinary, has, 
 beiides the princes, feveral minifters of ftate, named 
 Colaos, admitted into it. Thefe are they who exa- 
 mine all the affairs of flate, and make their report to 
 the emperor, from whom they have their final deter- 
 mination. Befides thefe, there are at Pekin fix fove- 
 reign courts, whofe authority extends over all the 
 provinces of China ; each of thefe courts have their 
 different matters affigned to them, of w^hlch they are 
 to take cognifance : the names of them, and what is 
 committed to their judgment, are as follows. 
 
 The court, called Lipou, prefides over all the Man- 
 darines, and does give them, and take away from 
 them their offices. That called Houpou looks after 
 the treafury, and takes care of raifing the taxes. 
 That called Lipou is to look after the ancient cuf- 
 toms ; to this court is alfo committed the care of 
 religion, of fciences and arts, and of foreign affairs. 
 That called Pimpou has charge over the foidiery 
 and its officers. That called HImpou takes cogni- 
 fance of all criminals. That called Compou looks 
 after all publick buildings, and all the emperor's 
 houfes and palaces. Each of thefe courts is divided 
 in feveral offices, fome of them into fifteen ; the 
 principal of which offices is managed by the fjrefident 
 ^nd two affiftants, who have the fin^l infpedion Into 
 
 § 4 thofc 
 
264 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 thofe things which come under the notice of that 
 court ; the reft are under offices, and confift of a 
 prefident and fevcral counfellors, all of v/hich are 
 fubjecl to the prefident of the principal office, from 
 v/hom there is no appeal. 
 
 But becaufe it is the emperor's intereft to keep fuch 
 confiderable bodies as thefe fo far under, as that it 
 may not lie in their power to weaken the emperor's 
 authority, or to enterprife any thing againft the 
 ftate -, care is taken, that tho' each of thefe fix courts 
 have their particular charges of which they are con- 
 ftituted fole judges, yet no coniiderable thing can be 
 brought to perfedion and maturity without the joint 
 help and mutual concurrence of all thefe courts. I 
 explain myfelf by the inftance of war : the number 
 of the troops, the quality of their officers, the march 
 of their armies, are provided for by the fourth court, 
 but the money to pay them muft be had from the 
 fecond ; fo that fcarce any one thing of confequence 
 to the ftate can be promoted without the infpedion 
 of many, and oftentimes of all the Mandarines. 
 
 The fecond means ufed by the emperor, for this 
 purpofe, is to place an officer in each of thefe courts, 
 who has an eye to all their proceedings. He is not, 
 it's true, of the council, yet he is prefent at all their 
 alTem-blies, and informed of all their proceedings \ we 
 may call this officer an Infpe<5lor. He either privately 
 advertifes the court, or elfe openly accufes the Man- 
 darines of the faults which they commit in their pri- 
 vate capacities, as well as of thofe which they com- 
 mit in the execution of their office. He obferves 
 their adlions, their behaviour, and even their words, 
 fo that nothing efcapes his notice. I am told, that 
 he, who once undertakes this employ, can never quit 
 it for any other, that fo the hopes of a better prefer- 
 ment may never tempt him to be partial to any one, 
 nor the fear of lofing his place frighten him from 
 accufing thofe who misbehave themfelves. Of thefe 
 
 officer?^ 
 
rf the Chinefe. 265 
 
 officers, whom they call Colis, even the princes of the 
 blood ftand in awe; and I remember that one of the 
 greiteftof the nobility, having built a houfe fomewhat 
 higher than the cuftom of China fufrers, did of him- 
 felf pull it down in a few days, when he had heard 
 that one of thefe infpedors talked of accufing him. 
 
 As for the provinces, they are under the Immediate 
 Infpedllon of two forts of viceroys. One fort has 
 the government of one province only. Thus there 
 is one viceroy at Pekin, at Canton, or at Nankim, 
 or in any other town but a little diftant from the chief 
 city of the province. Befides this, thefe provinces 
 are under the governmnt of other viceroys, who are 
 called Tfounto, and have under their jurifdidion 
 two, or three, nay fometimes four provinces. There 
 is no prince in Europe whofe dominions are of fo 
 large extent as Is the jurifdidlion of thefe general offi- 
 cers •, yet, how great foever their authority may feem 
 to be, they do in no wife dimlnifh that of the parti- 
 cular viceroys ; and each of thefe two viceroys have 
 their particular right fo well fettled and adjufted, 
 that they never clafli or contend v/Ith each other in 
 their adminlflratlons. 
 
 Thefe have all of them in their feveral lordfhips 
 many courts.^ of the fame nature with thofe at PekIn 
 already defcribed, but are fubordinate to them, fo 
 that from thefe they appeal to them: there are befides 
 thefe feveral other Inferior offices for the preparing 
 bufmefs, or for finlfhlng it according to the extent of 
 their commiffions. There are three forts of towns, 
 each of which have their particular governor, and 
 a great number of Mandarines who admlnlfter juftice-, 
 amongft which cities there Is this difference, that 
 thofe of the third fort or rank are fubordinate to thofe 
 of the fecond, as thofe of the fecond are to them of 
 the firil ; thefe of the firft rank are fubjecfl to the ju- 
 rifdidion of the general officers of the capital cities, 
 Recording as the nature of things requires, and al! 
 
 the 
 
2^6 Of the Policy and Government 
 the judges, be their quality what it will in the civil 
 government, have their dependence on the viceroy, 
 in whom refides the imperial authority. He, from 
 time to time, convenes the principal Mandarines of 
 his province, to take cognifance of the good or bad 
 qualities of the governors, lieutenants, and even 
 inferior officers : he fends private difpatches to court 
 to inform the emperor who misbehave themfelves, 
 who are either therefore deprived of their offices, or 
 elfe cited to appear and offer what they have to fay 
 in their juftification. 
 
 On the other hand, the viceroy's power is counter- 
 poifed by that of the great Mandarines, who are 
 about him, and who may accufe him when they are 
 fatisfied that it is necefiary for the publick good. 
 But that which principally keeps him upon his guard 
 is, that the people, when evil intreated or oppreffed 
 by him, may petition the emperor in perfon for his 
 removal, and that another may be ordered them. 
 The leaft infurredion or difturbance is laid at his 
 door, which, if it continues three days, he muft an- 
 fwer for at his Deril. It is his fault, fay the laws, If 
 difturbances fpring up in his family, that is, in the 
 province over which he has the charge. He ought 
 to regulate the condudt of the Mandarines under him, 
 that fo the people may not fuffer by their ill manage- 
 ment. When people like their mafters, they do not 
 defire to change them ; and, when the yoke is eafy, 
 it is a pleafure to bear it. 
 
 But becaufe private perfons cannot eailly come at 
 the court, and becaufe the juft complaints of his 
 people cannot ahvays reach the ears of their prince, 
 (efpecially in China where the governors ealily cor- 
 rupt with bribes the general officers, and they the fu- 
 preme courts *,) the emperor difperfes up and down 
 fecret fpies, perfons of known wifdom and reputa- 
 tion ; thefe in every province, by their cunning ma- 
 nagement, inform themfelves from the countrymen, 
 
 tradefmen 
 
of the Chinefe. 267 
 
 tradefmen, or others, after what manner the Man- 
 darines behave themfelves in the execution of their 
 offices. "When from their private, but certain infor- 
 mations, or rather when by the publick voice, which 
 feldom impofes on us, they are acquainted with any 
 diforder, then they publickly own their commif- 
 fion from the emperor ; they take up thofe crimi- 
 nal Mandarines, and manage the caufe againft them. 
 This heretofore kept all the judges to their duty ; 
 but, fnice the Tartars have been mailers of China^ 
 thefe officers have been laid afide ; inafmuch as 
 fome of them abufed their commiiTion, enriching 
 themfelves by taking money of the guilty to con^ 
 ceal their faults, and of the innocent, whom they 
 threatened to accufe as criminal. Neverthelefs, that 
 fo ufeful a means of keeping the magiftrates to their 
 duty may not be wholly loft, the emperor himfelf, 
 who has a tender love for his fubjedts, hath thought 
 it his duty to vilit in perfon each province, and to 
 hear himfelf the complaints of his people ; which 
 he performs with fuch a diligence as makes him the 
 terror of his Mandarines, and the delight of his 
 people, Amongft the great variety of accidents 
 which have happened to him during thofe his pro- 
 grefles, they report, that, being once feparated from 
 his attendants, he faw an old man weeping bitterly.^ 
 of whom he inquired, what was the occafion of his 
 tears. Sir, faid the old man, who did not knov/ to 
 whom he fpoke, I had but one fon, who was the 
 comfort of my life, and on whom lay the whole care 
 of my family, a Mandarine of Tartary has deprived 
 me of him ; which hath made me helplefs at prefent, 
 and will make me fo as long as I live; for how can I, 
 who am fo poor and friendlefs, oblige fo great a man 
 as he, to make me reftitution ? That's not fo difficult 
 as you imagine, faid the emperor ; get up behind me, 
 and dired me to his houfe, who has done you this 
 wrong. The good man complied without any cere- 
 
 ipiony. 
 
268 Of the Policy and Govermnent 
 Tnony, and in two hours time they both got to the 
 Mandarine's houfe, who little expedled fo extraor- 
 dinary a vifit. In the interim the guards, and a great 
 company of lords, after a great deal of fearch made, 
 came thither \ fome of which attended without, 
 others entered with the emperor, not knowing what 
 the buiinefs was which brought him there. Where 
 the emperor, having convidled the Mandarine of the 
 violence of v/hich he was accufed, condemn'd him 
 on the fpot to death ; afterwards turning round to the 
 afflided father vvho had loft his fon : To make you 
 a good recompence for your lofs, fays he, after a 
 grave and ferious manner, I give you the office of 
 the criminal who is juft now dead ; but take care to 
 execute it with equity, and let his punilhment, as well 
 as his crime, prove for your advantage, for fear left 
 you in your turn are made an example to others. 
 
 They have ftill a farther means to oblige the vice^ 
 roys, and other governors, to a ftrid care of their 
 charge, which expedient I do not believe any go- 
 vernment or kingdom, tho' never fo fevere, did 
 ever yet make ufe of. It is this, every governor 
 is obliged from time to time, with all humility and 
 fincerity, to own and acknowledge the fecretor pub- 
 lick faults committed by himfelf in his adminiftra- 
 tion, and to fend the account in writing up to court. 
 This is a more troublefome bufinefs to comply Vv'ith, 
 than one readily imagines, for on one fide it is an un^ 
 eafy thing to accufe ourfelves of thofe things v/hich 
 we know will be punifhed by the emperor, tho' 
 mildly. On the other fide, it is more dangerous to 
 dilTemble them •, for, if by chance they are accufed of 
 them in the infpedtor's advertifement, the leaft fault, 
 which the Mandarine ftiall have concealed, will be big 
 enough to turn him out of his miniftry. So that the 
 beft way is to make a flncere confefTion of one's 
 faults, and to purchafe a pardon for them by money, 
 which in China has the vertue of blotting out ajl 
 
 crimesj 
 
of the Chinefe. 269 
 
 crimes, v/hich remedy not with (landing is no fmall 
 punifhment for a Chinefe ; the fear of fuch a punifh- 
 ment makes him oftentimes exceeding circumfped: 
 and careful, and fometimes even virtuous againft his 
 own inclinations. 
 
 After thefe provisions, which the lav/s make, as I 
 have faid, they give the following diredions how to 
 proceed in the bufinefs of punilhing criminals. There 
 is no need of having a warrant to carry them before 
 the magiftrate, nor that the magiftrate fhould fit in a 
 court of juftice to hear the accufation and plea of the 
 criminal. Such formalities as thefe are not infifted on 
 there. Wherever the magiftrate fees a fault, there 
 he has power to punifli it on the fpot, be it in the 
 ftreet, in the highway, or in a private houfe, it is all 
 one ; he may take up a gamefter, a rook, or a debau- 
 chee, and without more formalities he orders fome 
 of his attendants to give him twenty or thirty ftripes : 
 after which, as tho' nothing extraordinary had hap- 
 pened, he goes on his journey without any concern- 
 ment. Notwithflanding this punifhment, the perfoni 
 damaged may accufe the fame criminal again in a fu- 
 perior court, where he is tried, the refult of which is 
 ufually a farther punifhment. 
 
 Farther, the plaintiff may in common cafes bring 
 his adion in any higher magiftrate's court, even 
 before it has been pleaded in an inferior court. I mean, 
 an inhabitant of a town of the firfl: rank may forth- 
 with apply himfelf to the governor of the capital 
 city of the province, or even to the viceroy, with- 
 out having it examined before the governor of his 
 own town v and, when it once comes before a fupe- 
 rior judge, the inferior ones may not take cognifance 
 of it, unlefs it be deputed to them by thofe fuperior 
 judges, as it often is. When the caufe is of great 
 confequence, there lies an appeal from the viceroy to 
 one of the fupreme courts at Pekin, according to the 
 nature of the affair, where the caufe is examined in 
 
 one 
 
270 Of the Policy and Go'^c eminent 
 
 one of the under offices, who make their report to 
 the prefident of the fupreme office, who gives izn- 
 tence after he has advlfed with his afliftants, and 
 communicated his opinion to the Colaos, who carry 
 it to the emperor. Sometimes the emperor defires 
 better information, fometlmes gives fentence on the 
 fpot, and in his name the fupreme court makes a 
 brief of the fentence, and fends it to the viceroys 
 for them to put it in execution. A fentence pro- 
 nounced in this manner Is Irrevocable, they call it the 
 Holy Commandment *, that is to fay, the command- 
 ment, which is without defed or partiality. 
 
 You will think it doubtlefs an Inconceivable thing, 
 that a prince fhould have time to examine himfelf the 
 affairs of fo vaft an empire as is that of China. But 
 befides that wars and foreign negotiations never fpend 
 his time, which in Europe is almoft the fole bufinefs 
 of the councils-, befides this, I fay, their affairs are 
 fo well digefted and ordered, that he can with half 
 an eye fee to which party he ought to incline In his 
 fentence, and this becaufe their laws are fo plain, that, 
 they leave no room for intricacy or difpute. So 
 that two hours a day is time enough for that prince 
 to govern himfelf an empire of that extent, that 
 were there other laws, might find employment for 
 thirty kings •, fo true it is, that the laws of China, 
 are wife, plain, well under ftood, and exadly adequate 
 to the particular genius and temper of that nation. 
 
 To give your eminence a general notion of this, 
 I fiiall think It fufficient to remark to you three things, 
 which are exceeding conducive to the piibJick peace, 
 and are as It were the very foul of the government. 
 The firfi: Is the moral principles which are infl:illed 
 into the people. The fecond is the political rules 
 which are fet up In every thing. The third is the 
 maxims of good policy which are, or ought to be 
 every where obferved. 
 
 The 
 
of the Chinefe: 271 
 
 The firfl: moral principle refpeds private families, 
 and injoins children fuch a love, obedience, and 
 refped for their parents, that neither the feverity of 
 their treatment, the impertincncy of their old age, 
 nor the meannefs of their rank, when the children 
 have met with preferment, can ever efface. Qn^ 
 can't imagine to what a degree of perfedlion this firft 
 principle of nature is improved. There is no fub- 
 miffion, no point of obedience which the parents 
 can't command, or which the children can refufe. 
 Thefe children are obliged to comfort them when 
 alive, and continually to bewail them when dead. 
 They proftrate themfelves a thoufand times before 
 their dead bodies, offer them proviflons, as tho' 
 they were yet alive, to iignify that all their goods 
 belong to them, and that from the bottom of their 
 hearts they wifh them in a capacity to enjoy them. 
 They bury them with a pomp and expence which to 
 us would feem extravagant, they pay conftantly at 
 their tombs a tribute of tears, which ceremonies 
 they often perform even to their pidures, which they 
 keep in their houfes with all imaginable care, which 
 they honour with offerings, and with as due a re- 
 fpedl as they would their parents, were they yet alive. 
 Their kings themfelves are not excufed this piece. of 
 duty, and the prefent emperor has been obfervant 
 of it, not only to his predeceflbrs of his own fami- 
 ly,, but even to thofe who were not. For one day, 
 when in hunting he perceived afar off the magnifi- 
 cent monument which his father had eredted for 
 Tcoumtchin, the lafl Chinefe emperor, who loft his 
 life and crown in a rebellion, he ran to the place, 
 and fell on his knees before the tomb, and even 
 wept, and in a great concern for his misfortune : O 
 frince ! fays he, O emperm' worthy of a better fau I 
 you know, that your defir union is no ways owing to us y 
 your death lies not at our door y your fubje^s brought. it 
 upon you. It was them that betrayed you. It is upon 
 
 them^ 
 
272 Of the Policy and Government 
 thcm^ and not on 7,iy ancefiors^ that Heaven muft find 
 do^djn vengeance for this aEl. Afterwards he ordered 
 flambeaux to be lit, and incenfe to be offered. During 
 all which time he fixed his countenance on the ground, 
 and arofe not till all thefe ceremonies were over. 
 
 The ordinary term of mourning is three years, 
 during which time the mourner can exercife no pub- 
 lick office ; fo that a Mandarine is obliged to for- 
 fake his employ, and a minifter of ftate his office, 
 to fpend all that time in grief. If a father be ho- 
 noured after his death as a god, to be fure he is 
 obeyed in his family like a prince, over whom he ex- 
 ercifes a defpotick pov/er •, as abfolute matter not only 
 cf his eftate, which he diftributes to whom he pleafes, 
 but alfo of his concubines and children, of whom 
 he difpofcs with that liberty and power, that he m.ay 
 fell them to ftrangers when their behaviour difpleafes 
 him. If a father accufes his fon of any crime be- 
 fore a Mandarine, there needs no proof of it ; it*s fup- 
 pofed to be true, that the fon is in the fault if the 
 father be difpleafed. This paternal power Is of that 
 extent, that there is no father, but may take his fon's 
 life away, if he will ftick to his accufation. When 
 we feemed amazed at this procedure, we were an- 
 fwered : Who underflands the merit of the fon better 
 than the father, who has brought him up, educated 
 him, and fach a long time obferved all his adions ? 
 And again, can any perfon have a greater love, or 
 a more fin cere affecflion for him ? If therefore he 
 who knows the cafe exadlly, and loves him tenderly, 
 condemns him^ how can we pronounce him guiltlefs 
 and innocent ? And when we objeded, that fome per- 
 fons have an inbred diflike of others, and that fa- 
 thers who were men, as well as fathers, were capa- 
 ble of fuch antipathies againft fome of their chil- 
 dren ; they anfwered, that men were not more un- 
 natural than favage beafts, the cruelleft of which ne- 
 ver deftroyed their young ones for a frolick \ but 
 
 fup poling 
 
of the Chinefe. 273 
 
 fuppbfing there be fuch monfters among men, theif 
 children, by their modefty and fweetnefs of temper, 
 muft tame and foften them. But after all, fay they, 
 the love of their children is fo deeply imprinted in 
 the hearts of parents, that antipathy, or diflike^ 
 unlefs provoked and inflamed by the undutiful ftub- 
 bornnefs and diforderly behaviour of their children^ 
 can never erafe. 
 
 If it fhould happen that a fon (hould be fo infolent 
 as to mock his parents, or arrive to that height of fury 
 and madnefs as to lay violent hands on them % it is 
 the whole empire's concern, and the province where 
 this horrible violence is committed is alarmed. The 
 emperor himfelf judges the criminal. All the Man^ 
 darines near the place are turned out, efpecially thofe 
 of that town, who have been {0 negligent in their 
 inftrudions. The neighbours are all reprimanded 
 for negledling^ by former punifhments, to flop the 
 iniquity of this criminal before it came to this height % 
 for they fuppofe that fuch a diabolical temper as this 
 muft needs have jfhewed itfelf on other oecafionsj 
 fmce it is hardly polTible to attain to fuch a pitch of 
 iniquity at once. As for the criminal there is no^ 
 punifhment which they think too fevere : They cut 
 him into a thoufand pieces^ burn Jiim, deftroy his 
 houfe to the ground, and even thofe houfes which 
 ftand near it^ and fet up monuments and memorials 
 of this fo horrible an infolence^ 
 
 Even the em.perors themfelves can*t rejeft the au- 
 thority of their parents, without running the rifque of 
 fufFering for it \ and hiftory tells us a ftory which 
 will always make the aftedtion which the Chinefe 
 have to this duty appear admirable. One of the 
 emperors had a mother who managed a private in- 
 trigue with one of the lords of the court ; the notice^ 
 which was publickly taken of itj oblged the em- 
 peror to fliew his refentment of it, both for his own 
 honour and that of the empire -, fo that he banifned 
 her into a far diftant province , and beeaufe he knew 
 
 T that 
 
274 ^f ^^^ Policy and Government 
 that this adllon would not be very acceptable to hi^ 
 princes and Mandarines, he forbad them all, under 
 pain of death, giving him advice therein. They were 
 all filent for fome time, hoping that of himfelf he 
 would condemn his own condudl in that affair •, but, 
 feeing that he did not, they refolved to appear in it, 
 rather than fuffer fo pernicious a precedent. 
 
 The firft5who had the courage to put up a requeft 
 to the emperor in this matter, was put to death on the 
 fpot. His death put not a ftop to the Mandarines 
 proceedings •, for a day or two after another made 
 his appearance, and,to fhew all the world that he was 
 willing to facrifice his life for the publick, he ordered 
 his hearfe to ftand at the palace gate. The emperor 
 minded not this generous adion, but was the rather 
 more provoked at it. He not only fentenced him 
 to death, but, to terrify all others from following his 
 example, he ordered him to be put to the torture. 
 One would not think it prudence to hold out longer. 
 The Chinefe were of another mind, for they refolved 
 to fall one after another rather than bafely to pafs 
 over in filence fo bafe an adlion. 
 
 There was therefore a third who devoted himfelf, 
 he, like the fecond, ordered his coffin to be fet at 
 the palace gate, and protefted to the emperor that 
 he was not able any longer to fee him ftill guilty of 
 his crime. What Jh all we lofe hy our deaths fays he, 
 nothing but the fight of a prince^ ufon whom we canH 
 look without amazement and horror. Since you will 
 not hear uSy we will go and fe£k out yours and the 
 emprefs your mothefs ancefiors. 'They will hear our 
 complaints^ and perhaps in th^ dark and filence of the 
 7iight you will hear ours and their ghofts reproach you 
 with your injuftice. 
 
 The emperor being more enraged than ever at this 
 infolence, as he called it, of his fubjeds, inflided 
 on this laii: the fevereft torments he could devife. 
 Many others, encouraged by thefe examples, expofed 
 
 themfelves 
 
of the Chinefeo 275 
 
 themfelves to torment^ and did in efFecl die the 
 inartyrs of filial duty, which they ftood up for with 
 the laft drop of their blood. At laft this heroick 
 conftancy wearied out the emperor's cruelty *, and 
 whether he was afraid of mOre dangerous confe- 
 quences, or was himfelf convinced of his ov/n fault , 
 he repented, as he was the father of his people, that 
 he had fo unworthily put to death his children ; and 
 as a fon of the empfefs^he was troubled that he had {o 
 long mifufed his mother. He recalled her therefore^ 
 reftored her to her former dignity, and after that, the 
 more he honoured her, the more was he himfelf 
 honoured of his fubjeds. 
 
 The fecond moral principle, which obtains among 
 them^ is to honour their Mandarines as they would 
 the emperor himfelf, whofe perfon the Mandarines 
 reprefent. To retain this credit the Mandarines never 
 appear in publick without a retinue, and face of gran- 
 deur that commands refpedl. They are always car- 
 ried in a magnificent ch'air open ; before them go all 
 the officers of their courts^ and round them are car* 
 ried all the marks and badges of their dignity. The 
 people^ v/herever they come^ open to the right and 
 left to let them pafs thro'. When they adniinifter 
 juftice in their palaces^ no body fpeaks to them but 
 on their knees^ be they of what quality they will, 
 and fince they can at any time command any perfons 
 to be -syhippedj no one com.es near them without 
 tremblirig. 
 
 '^ Heretofore^ when any Mandarine took ajoufney^ 
 all the inhabitants of the towns thro^ which he 
 pafled ran in a crov/d to meet him^ and proffer their 
 fervices^ conducting him w^ith all folemnity thro^ 
 their territory t now when he leaves his office which 
 he has adminiiler'd to the farisfa6tion of all men, they 
 give kim fuch marks of honour^ as would engage 
 the moft ilupid X.0 the love of virtue and jufiice„ 
 When he is taking his leave in order to lay down 
 
 T % hi© 
 
276 Of the Policy and Government 
 his office, almoft all the inhabitants go in the high- 
 ways, and place themfelves fome here, fome there, 
 for almoft fourteen or fifteen miles together-, fo 
 that every where in the road one fees tables hand- 
 fomely painted, with fattin table-cloths, covered 
 with fweet-meats, tea, and other liquors. 
 
 Every one almoft conftrains him to ftay, to fit 
 down and eat or drink fomething. When he leaves 
 one, another ftops him, and thus he fpends the whole 
 day among the applaufes and acclamations of his 
 people : and, which is an odd thing, every one de- 
 lires to have fomething v/-hich comes from off him. 
 Some take his boots, others his cap, fome his great 
 coat *, but they, who take any thing, give him ano- 
 ther of the fame fort, and, before he is quit of this 
 multitude, it fometimes happens that he has had 
 thirty different pairs of boots on. 
 
 Then he hears himfelf called publick benefador, 
 the preferver and father of his people. They be- 
 wail the lofs of him with wet eyes ; and a Manda- 
 rine muft be very infenfible indeed, if he does not in 
 his turn fhed a tear or two, when he fees fuch ten- 
 der marks of aifedlion : for the inhabitants are not 
 obliged to fhew him this refpedl, and, when they 
 do not like the adminiftration of a governor, they 
 fhev/ themfelves as indifferent at his departure, as 
 they do afredionate and forry at the lofs of a good one. 
 
 The extraordinary refpecfl which children pay to 
 their parents, and people to their governors, is the 
 greateft means of preferving quietnefs in their fami- 
 lies, and peace in their towns j I am perfuaded that 
 all the good order, in which we fee fo mighty a 
 people, flows from thefe two fprings. 
 
 The third principle of morality eftablifhed among 
 them is this, that it is very neceflary that all people 
 fhould obferve towards each other the ftrifteft. rules 
 of modefty and civility ♦, that they fhould behave 
 themfelves fo obligingly and compkifantly, that all 
 
 their i 
 
of the Chincfe. 277 
 
 their actions may have a mixture of fweetnefs and 
 courtefy in them. This, fay they, is that which 
 makes the diftintflion between man and beaft, or be- 
 tween the Chinefe and other men *, they pretend alfo 
 that the difturbance of feveral kingdoms is owing to 
 the rough and unpolifhed temper of their fubjeds. 
 For thofe tempers, which fly out into rudenefs and 
 paflion, perpetually embroiled in quarrels, which ufe 
 neither refped nor complaifance towards any, are 
 fitted to be incendiaries and difturbers of the publick 
 peace. On the contrary, people who honour and 
 refpedl each other, who can fuffer an injury, and 
 diffemble or ftifle it ; who religioufly obferve that 
 difference which either age, quality, or merit have 
 made ; a people of this ftamp are naturally lovers of 
 order, and when they do amifs it is not without 
 violence to their own inclinations. 
 
 The Chinefe are fo far from negleding the pradice 
 of this maxim, that in feveral inflances they carry 
 it on too far. No fort of men are excufed from it ; 
 tradefmen, fervants, nay, even countrymen have 
 their ways of exprefTing kindnefs and civility to one 
 another ; I have often been amazed to fee footmen 
 take their leave of each other on their knees, and 
 farmers in their entertainments ufe more compli- 
 ments and ceremonies than we do at our publick 
 treats. Even the feamen, who from their m.anner 
 of living, and from the air they breathe, naturally 
 draw in roughnefs, do yet bear to each other a love 
 like that of brothers, and pay that deference to one 
 another, that one would think them united by the 
 ftrideft bands of friendfliip. 
 
 The ftate, which has always, in policy, accounted 
 this as moft conducive to the quiet of the empire, 
 has appointed forms of falutation, of vifiting, of 
 making entertainments, and of writing letters. The 
 ufual way of falutation is to lay your hand crofs your 
 breaft, and bow your head a little. Where you 
 
 T 3 would 
 
278 Oj the Policy and Governmeni 
 
 would ftill fliew a greater refpedl, you muft join 
 your hands together, and carry them almoft to the 
 ground^ bowing your whole body •, if you pafs by 
 a perfon of eminent quality, or receive fuch an one 
 into your houfe, you muft bend one knee, and re- 
 main in that pofture till he whom you thus falute 
 takes you up, which he always does immediately. 
 But when a Mandarine appears in publick, it would 
 be a criminal faucinefs to falute him in any fort of 
 fafhion, unlefs you have occafion to fpeak to him : 
 you muft ftep afide a little, and holding your eyes 
 on the ground 5 and your arms crofs your fides, ftay 
 till he be gone paft you. 
 
 " Altho- very familiar acquaintance make vifits with- 
 out any ceremony, yet for thofe friends, who are not 
 fo, cuftom has prefcribed a fet form of vifiting. The 
 vilitor fends his fervant before with a piece of red 
 paper, on which is wrote his own name, and a great 
 many marks of refpedl to the perfon he viiits, ac- 
 cording as his dignity or quality is. When this mef- 
 fkg-e is received, the vifitor comes in, and meets 
 with a reception anfwerable to his merit. The perfon 
 vifited fometimes ft ays for the vifitor in the hall, 
 v/ithout going out to meet him, or if he be of a 
 i]iuch fuperior quality, without rifing from his feat ; 
 fometimes he meets the vifitor at his door ; fome- 
 times he goes out into the court-yard, and 
 fometimes even into the ftreet to bring him m. 
 When they come into view, they both run and make 
 a low bow. They fay but little, their compliments 
 are in form, one knov/s what he muft fay, and the 
 other how he muft anfwer j they never beat their 
 brains, like us, to find out new compliments and fine 
 phrafes. At every gate they make a halt where the 
 ceremonies begin afrefti, and the bows are renewed tQ 
 make each go firft :, they ufe but two ways of fpeak- 
 ing on this occafion., which are Tfin ; that is. Pray 
 be pieafed'to enter, and Poucanj It muft not be. 
 
of the Chinefe, 279 
 
 Each of them repeats his word four or five times, 
 and then the ftranger fuffers himfelf to be perfuaded, 
 and goes on to the next door, where the fame thing 
 begins anew. 
 
 When they come to the room where they are to ftay, 
 they ftand near the door on a row, and every one bows 
 almoft to the ground ; then follow the ceremonies of 
 kneeling, and going on this or that fide to give the 
 right hand, then the chairs are faluted (for they have 
 their compliments paid them as well as the men, they 
 rub them to take all duft away, and bow in arefpedtive 
 manner to them) then follow the contentbns about the 
 firft place; yet all this makes no confufion. Ufe has 
 made it natural to theChinefe, they know before what 
 themfelves,and what others are to do -, every one ftays 
 till the others have done in their order what isexpedled, 
 fo that there happens no confufion or difturbance. 
 
 It mufl: be owned that this is a great piece of fatigue, 
 and after fo many motions and different pofl:ures, in 
 which they fpend a quarter of an hour before they are 
 to fit down, it mufl: be own'd they have need enough 
 of refl:. The chairs are fet fo that every body fits 
 oppofite to one another \ when you are fat, you mufl: 
 fit fl:raight, not lean back, your eyes mufl: look down- 
 ward, your hands mufl: be fl:retched on your knees, 
 your feet even, not acrofs, with a grave and compofed 
 behaviour, not be over-forward to fpeak. The 
 Chinefe think that a vifit confifl:s not in mutual con- 
 verfe fo much as in outward compliment and cere- 
 mony, and in China the vifitor may truly and pro- 
 perly fay he comes to pay his refpedts, for oftentimes 
 there are more honours paid than words fpoken. 
 
 A miflionary did aver to me, th^^t a Mandarine 
 made him a vifit, in which he fpoke never a word tq 
 him, This is always certain, that they never over- 
 heat themfelves with difcourfing, for one may gene- 
 rally fay of them, that they are fl:atues or figures 
 placed in a theatre for ornament, they have fo little 
 of difcQurfe and fQ muQh of gravity. Their 
 
aSo Of the Policy and Government 
 
 T heir fpeech is mightily Tub miflive and humble, you 
 will never hear them lay, for example, I am obliged to 
 you for the favour y OH have done me^ but thus, the fa^ 
 vour ivhich my lord^ which ray infiru5ior has granted to 
 nte^ who am little in his eyes^ or zvho am his difciple^ 
 has extremely obliged me. Again, they don't fay, / 
 make bold to prefent ycu with a few curiofities of my 
 country \ but thefervant takes the liberty to offer to his 
 lord a few curiofities which came from his mean and 
 vile country. Again, not Whatfoever comes from your 
 kingdom or province is well worked s but whatfoever 
 comes from the preciouskingdom^thenoble province of the 
 lord., is extraordinary finCy and exceeding well wrought. 
 In like manner in all other cafes, they never fay I or 
 you in the firft or fecond perfon ; but me your fervant, 
 me your difcipky me your fubje^. And inftead of fay- 
 ing jw/, they fay, the do5ior faid^ the lord did^ tke 
 emperor appointed. It would be a great piece of 
 clownifnnefs to fay otherwife, unlefs to our fervants, 
 During the vifit the tea goes round two or three 
 times, where you muft ufe a ceremony when you 
 take the difh, when you carry it to your mouth, or 
 when you return it to the fervant. When you de- 
 part it is with the fame ceremonies with which you 
 came in, and you conclude the comedy with the 
 fame expence you began it. Strangers are very un- 
 couth at playing their parts herein, and make great 
 blunders. The reafonable part of the Chinefe fmile 
 at them and excufe them j others take exceptions at 
 it, and defire them to learn and pradbife before they 
 venture in publick : for this reafon they allow am- 
 bafladors forty days to prepare for their audience qf 
 the emperor-, and, for fear they fhould mifs any cere- 
 mony, they fend them, during the time allowed, 
 mafters of the cerernonies, who teach them, and 
 inake them praftife. 
 
 Their feafts are ceremonious even beyond what 
 ypu can imaginej you would think they are not invited 
 • ' ■"" " ••■•■-■ . - ' - ^ 
 
of the Chinefe. 281 
 
 to eat, but to make grimaces. Not a mouthful of 
 meat is eat, or a drop of wine drank but it cofts an 
 hundred faces. They have, like our concerts of 
 mufick, an officer who beats time, that the guefts 
 may all together in concord take their meat on their 
 plates, and put it into their mouths, and lift up 
 their little inftruments of wood, which ferve inftead 
 of a fork, or put them again in their places in or- 
 der. Every gueft has a peculiar table, without table- 
 cloth, napkin, knife, or fpoon *, for every thing is 
 ready cut to their hands, and they never touch 
 any thing but with two little wooden inftruments 
 tipp'd with filver, which the Chinefe handle very 
 dexteroufly, and which ferve them for an univer^ 
 fal inftrument, 
 
 They begin their feafts with drinking wine, which 
 is given to every gueft at one and the fame time in 
 a fmall cup of China or iilver, which cup all the 
 guefts take hold of with both hands : every one 
 lifts his veflel as high as his head, prefenting their 
 fervlce thereby to. one another without fpeaking, 
 and inviting each other to drink firft. It is enough 
 if you hold the cup to your mouth only without 
 drinking during the time while the reft drink ; for, 
 if the outward ceremonies are obferved and kept^ 
 it is all one to them whether you drink or not. 
 
 After the iirft cup, they fet upon every table a 
 great veflel of hafti'd meat, or Ragoo. Then every 
 one obferves the motions of the mafter of the feaft, 
 who directs the adlions of his guefts. According as 
 he gives the fign, they take their two little inftru- 
 ments, brandiftithem in the air, and, as it were, 
 prefent them, and after exercifing them after twenty 
 faftiions, which I can't exprefs, they ftrike them in- 
 to the difti, from whence they cleaverly bring up a 
 piece of meat, which muft be eat neither too haftily 
 nor too flowly, fmce it would be a rudenefs either to 
 fat before otherSg or to majie them ftay for you. 
 
 Then 
 
2S2 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 Then again they exercife their little inftruments, 
 which at length they place on the table in that po» 
 flure wherein they were at firft. In all this, you muft 
 obferve time, that all may begin and end at once. 
 
 A little after, comes the wine again, which s 
 drank with all the ceremonies aforefaid. Then 
 comes a fecond mefs, which they dip into as into 
 the firft, and thus the feaft is continued until the 
 end, drinking between every mouthful, till there 
 have been twenty or four and twenty different plates 
 of meat at every table,, which makes them drink 
 off as many cups of wine •, but, we muft obferve, 
 that beftdes that, I have faid, that they drink as 
 much or as little as they will at a time, their 
 wine cups are very little, and their wine is fmall. 
 
 When all the difhes are ferved, which are done 
 with all imaginable order, no more wine is brought, 
 and the guefts may be a little more free with their 
 meat, taking indifferently out of any of thefe difhes 
 before them, which yet muft be done when the reft 
 of the guefts take out of fome of their difhes, for 
 uniformity and order is always facred. At this 
 time they bring rice and bread, for, as yet, nothing 
 but meat has been brought ; they bring like wife fine 
 broths, made of flefh or fifh, in which the guefts, 
 if they think fit, may mingle their rice. 
 
 They fit at table ferious, grave, and filent, for 
 three or four hours together. When the mafter 
 of the houfe fees they have all done eating, he gives 
 the fign to rife, and they go afide for a quarter of 
 of an hour into the hall or garden to entertain and 
 divert themfelves. Then they come again to the ta- 
 ble, which they find fet out with all forts of fweet- 
 meats, and dry'd fruits, which they keep to drink 
 with their tea. 
 
 Thefe cuftoms, fo ftridlly enjoined, and fo ex- 
 tremely troublefome, which muft be performed from 
 one end to the othei: of the feaft, keeps all the guefts 
 
 from 
 
 \ 
 
of the Chinefe, 283 
 
 from eating, who do not find themfelves hungry^ 
 till they arife from the table. Then they have a 
 great mind to go and dine at home ; but a com-^ 
 pany of ftrollers come and play over a comedy, 
 which is fo tedious, that it wearies one as much 
 as that before at the table did. Nor is tedioufneft 
 the only fault, for they are commonly very dull 
 and very noify ; no rules are obferved, fometimes 
 they fing, fometimes bawl, and fometimes howl, for 
 the Ghinefe have little fkill : in making declamations. 
 Yet, you muft not laugh at this folly, but all the while 
 admire at the politenefs of China, at its ceremonies, 
 inftituted, as they fay, by the difcretion of the an- 
 cients, and ftill kept up by the wifdom of the mo- 
 derns. 
 
 The letters, which are wrote from one to another, 
 are as remarkable for their civilities and ceremonies, 
 which are as many, and as myfterious as the o- 
 thers. They don't write in the fame manner as they 
 fpeak ', the bignefs of the chara6lers, the diftance 
 between the lines, the innumerable titles of honour 
 given to the feveral qualities of perfons, the fhape 
 pf the paper, the number of red, white, or blue 
 covers for the letter, according to the perfon's con- 
 dition, and a hundred other formalities, puzzle fome- 
 times the brain of the moft underllanding men a- 
 mongft them, for there is fcarce any one who is fe- 
 cretary enough to write and fend one of their let- 
 ters as it ought to be. 
 
 There are a thoufand other rules pradifed by the 
 better fort in ordinary converfation, which you muft 
 obferve, unlefs you would be accounted a clown ; 
 and tho' in a thoufand inftances thefe things favour 
 more of a ridiculous affedlation than of real polite- ,. 
 nefs, no one can deny neverthelefs, but that thefe 
 cuftoms^ which people obferve fo exadlly, do in- 
 fpire into them a fweetnefs of temper, and a love 
 qF order, Thefq three moral principlesj that is^ the 
 
 fefped 
 
284 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 refpedl which children pay their parents, the venera- 
 tion which all pay the emperor and his officers, and 
 the mutual humility and courtefy of all people, work 
 their efFed the better, becaufe, fupported by a wife 
 and well-underftood policy. The principal maxims 
 of which are, my lord, as follow. 
 
 The firft is. Never to give any one an office in 
 his own province, and that for two reafons : be- 
 caufe, firft, a Mandarine of ordinary parentage is u- 
 fually defpifed by thofe who know his family. 
 Secondly, becaufe being brought into favour and 
 repute, by the great number of his kindred and 
 friends, he might be enabled either to make, or to 
 fupport a rebellion, or at leaft it would be ve- 
 ry difficult for him to execute juftice with an uni- 
 verfal impartiality. 
 
 The fecond maxim is, To retain at court the 
 children of the Mandarines imploy'd in the moft: 
 considerable offices in the province, under pretence 
 indeed of educating them well, but, in reality, 
 keeping them as hoftages, left their fathers fhould 
 fall from that duty which they owe the emperor. 
 
 The third maxim is. That, when one goes to law, 
 fuch a commiffary is made ufe of as the emperor 
 pleafes to name, unlefs the office or quality of the 
 criminal gives him the liberty to refufe him. If the 
 emperor diilikes the firft fentence, he may commif- 
 fion new judges to re-examine it until the fentence 
 be agreeable to his mind ; for, otherwife, it would 
 be in the power of money or artifice, to fave a 
 man whofe life would be noxious to the good of the 
 ftate. On the other fide, fay they, we need not fear 
 the prince's paffion, who, if he have a mind to take 
 off a good man, may find ways enough to do it, 
 without going fo openly about it. But it is but fitting 
 that there fhould be a means efficacious enough to 
 rid the empire gf an ill man. 
 
 The 
 
€f the Chinck. 285 
 
 The fourth maxim of policy is Never to fell any 
 place, but to beftow it always upon merit ; that 
 IS, to thofe of good life, and who by a diligent 
 ftudy have acquainted themfelves with the laws and 
 cuftoms of their country. To this end, informa- 
 tions are exhibited of the life and manners of the 
 candidate, efpecially when a Mandarine is removed 
 from an inferior to a fuperior office ; as for their 
 understanding the laws, they undergo fo many ex- 
 aminations and trials of it, that it is impoffible for 
 an ignoramus to be thought underftanding, fo fe- 
 vere are the meafures which they take. 
 
 When they refolve to fet a child apart for learn- 
 ing, they put him to a mafter, for the towns of Chi- 
 na are full of fchools, where reading and writing are 
 taught, which, to learn well, will take up fome 
 years. When the youth has- made a pretty good 
 progrefs in this, he is prefented to a Mandarine of 
 the lower order to be examined. If he writes a 
 good hand, and makes their charadters hand- 
 fomely, he is admitted among thofe who apply 
 themfelves to the knowledge of books, and en- 
 deavour to obtain a degree y of which there are 
 three forts, which anfwer to our batchelor, mafter 
 of arts, and dodlor. As the fortunes of the Chi- 
 nefe do wholly depend upon their capacity and 
 underftanding, fo they fpend their whole life in 
 ftudy. They fay by heart all their ftaple books with 
 a wonderful alacrity, they make comments on their 
 laws : compofition, eloquence, imitation and know- 
 ledge of their ancient dodors, and the delicacy and 
 politenefs of the modern ones, from fix to ftxty, 
 are their conftant employ. In fome, the quick- 
 nefs and readinefs of wit faves them a great deal 
 of labour, for fome have been dodlors at an age 
 when others can write but indifferently ; but thefe 
 are heroes amongft the Chinefe, of which one in 
 an age is enough. 
 
 The 
 
i86 t>f the Policy and Government 
 
 The examinations are ftrid, matters of arts are 
 created by the principal Mandarines of the province % 
 batchelors^ by thofe Mandarmes aflifted by a com= 
 miflary from court 5 as for dodors, they commence 
 only at Pekin : but becaufe fome, who deferve 
 this degree, have not wherewith to defray fo 
 expenfive a journey, what is neceflary for it is 
 beftowed on them gratis^ that fo poverty may 
 not deprive the ftate of the fervice of thofe men 
 who may prove ufeful and beneficial to it. 
 
 Every one's chara6ler is taken from his ability to 
 invent or compofe. For this purpofe, the candi- 
 dates are fhut up in a clofe room, without books^ 
 without any other paper than what is neceflary for 
 them to write on. All the while they are for- 
 bidden all manner of correfpondents, at the doors 
 are placed by the Mandarines guards, whofe fideli- 
 ty no bribes can corrupt •, the fecond examinati- 
 on is yet more ftrid, for, left the commiflary fent 
 by the court ihould himfelf be byafled thro' favour 
 or the hopes of gain, he is not fuiFered to fee or 
 fpeak with any perfon till the examination is over. 
 
 In creating the doctors, the emperor often en- 
 gages himfelf ; the prefent emperor is more feared 
 by the candidates than any of the other pofers, not 
 only for his nice exadnefs and rigorous juftice, but 
 for his extraordinary abilities in judging of any thing 
 of this nature. When the dodlors are named, they 
 are prefented to him ; to three principal of which 
 he gives garlands of flowers, or any other mark of 
 honour, to diftinguilh them from the reft ", fome of 
 them like wife he chufes for members of his royal aca- 
 demy, from whence they never remove, unlefs 
 into pofls of the greateft conflderation and credit 
 in the kingdom. 
 
 The great number of prefent s, which they re- 
 ceive from their kindred and friends, keeps the doc- 
 tors from being poor, Every one hopes to make 
 
tf the Chinefe; 287 
 
 fome advantage from his friendfhip ; but, left high 
 promotion fhould make them negligent, and lit loofe 
 to their ftudles, they ftill undergo feveral examl- 
 nationSj where, if they appear to have been neg- 
 ligent, they certainly meet with feverity and re- 
 proof ; whereas, if they have ftlll continued to for- 
 ward and improve their ftudles, they meet with a 
 i fuitable encouragement and reward. 
 1 No fmall ftiare of the publick good is owing to 
 ;! this principle of policy. The youths, whom Idle- 
 nefs and. floth never fail to corrupt, are by this 
 conftant employment diverted from ill courfes, they 
 jl have fcarce time enough to follow their loofe incli- 
 nations. Secondly, ftudy forms and pollfti their wits. 
 People, who never engage in arts and fciences, are 
 1 always blocklfti and ftupid. Thirdly, all offices are 
 fill'd by able men, and, if they can't prevent that 
 , injuftice which proceeds from the covetoufnefs and 
 |i corrupt affedbions of officers, at leaft, they will take 
 care to hinder that which arifes from Ignorance 
 and immorality. Fourthly, fince the places are glven^ 
 the emperor may with greater juftlce turn out thofe 
 j officers whom he ftiall find undefervlng. We ought 
 ' indeed to punifh every offender ; yet, it would be 
 natural to bear with a Mandarine who is negligent 
 of his office for want of underftanding or appli- 
 cation, who is too mild or over fevere, if, if tak- 
 ing away his place would ruin his family, whofe 
 whole fortune, it may be, was laid out in the 
 purchafe of it, when as, if a place be difpos'd only 
 I by donation, the prince who gave it, may eafily, 
 without any difturbance, take it from one and gra- 
 tify another with it. 
 
 Laftly, no fees are paid for the admlnlftratioii 
 of juftlce. The judge, whofe office coft him no^ 
 thing, and who has his falary ftated, can require no- 
 thing of the parties at law ; which Impowers every 
 poor maa to profecute hi$ gwn rights, and frees him 
 
 from 
 
588 Of the Policy and G^jernmeni 
 
 from being opprefTed by 1:he opulence of his 2.i^ 
 verfary, who can't be brought to do juftly and 
 reafonably^ becaufe the other has not money. 
 
 The Chinefe have eftablifhed this as a fifth maxim 
 of policy Never to fuifer ftrangers to have any Ihare 
 in their adminiftration : the fmall eileem, they bear 
 them, makes the Chinefe ufe them fo coarfly. They 
 fancy, that a mixture of natives and foreigners would 
 bring them to contempt, and occafion nought but 
 corruption and diforder. From thence alfo would 
 fpring particular grudges, making parties, and, at 
 laft, rebellions. For difference of people neceflari- 
 iy fuppofes difference of cuftoms, languages, hu- 
 mour, and religion* This makes them no longer 
 children of the fame family, bred up to the fame 
 opinions, and tempered with the fame notions ; and^ 
 be there all imaginable care ufed in inftruding and 
 forming ftrangers, they are at moft but adopted 
 fons, who never have that implicit obedience and 
 tender affedion, which children by nature bear to 
 their own parents. So, that fhould foreigners be 
 better qualified than natives, which you can never 
 make the Chinefe believe, they would fancy it for the 
 good of their country to prefer natives to them ; and 
 it is little lefs than a miracle in favour of chrifti- 
 anity, that a few miifionaries have been fuffei?ed to 
 fettle there. 
 
 This laft piece of policy is extremely goodj 
 when thofe of a falfe religion are kept out, which 
 teaches rebellion and difturbance, itfelf being the 
 produdl of caballing and riot ; but the cafe is o- 
 therwife in chriftianity, whofe humility, fweetnefs, 
 and obedience to authority produces nought but 
 peace. Unity, and charity among all people. This 
 is what the Chinefe begin to be convinced of^ having 
 had trial of it for a whole age together. Happy 
 were it, if they would embrace it as a conftitu^ 
 tion equally neceifary for the falvation of their 
 
 fouls'/ 
 
of the Chlnefe. 289 
 
 fouls, as conducive to the peace and good of the 
 ilate. 
 
 Their fixth maxim is. That iiobility is never he- 
 reditary, neither is there any diftinftion between the 
 qualities of people ; faving what the offices, which 
 they execute, makes ; fo that,' excepting the fa- 
 m.ily of Confucius, the whole kingdom is divided 
 into magiftracy and commonalty. There are no lands _ 
 but v/hat are held by foccage tenure, not even thofe 
 lands which are deftined for the Bonzes, or which 
 belong to the temples of the idols i fo that their 
 gods, as v/ell as men, are fubjedled to the ftate, and 
 are obliged by taxes and contributions to acknow- 
 ledge the emperor's fapremacy. When a viceroy 
 or governor of a province is dead, his children, as 
 well as others, have their fortunes to make ; artd, if 
 they inherit not their father^s virtue and ingenuity, 
 his name v/hich they bear, be it never fo famous,' 
 gives them no quality at all. 
 
 The advantages which the ftate m.akes of this m.ax- 
 im are, firil, trading is in a more flourifhing con- 
 dition, which the lazineis of the nobility is the iike- 
 liefkmeans to ruin. Secondly, the emperor's reve- 
 nues are encreas'd by it ; becaufe no eftates are tax- 
 free. In towns which pay poll-money, no perfon is 
 exempt. Thirdly, by this means, families. are hinder- 
 ed from ingratiating themfelves with the populace, 
 and fo kept from eftablifhing them/elvcs fo far in 
 the people's favour, that it w^ould be a difficulty 
 to the prince himfelf. to keep them within bounds. 
 Laftly, it is a received opinion among the Chinefe, 
 that, if an emperor v/ould be cbey'd, he muft lay 
 his commands upon llibjeds, and not upon fo ma- 
 ny little kings. 
 
 Their feventh principle of policy is. To keep up 
 
 in peace as well as war great armies, as v/ell to' 
 
 maintain a credit and refped from the neighbours, 
 
 as' to ftifle, or rather prevent any difturbance or 
 
 U ' infurredibn" 
 
^go Of the Policy and Government 
 
 infurredion which may happen at home. Heretofore 
 a million of foldiers were fet to guard their great 
 wall. A lefs number than that alfo, to garrifon their 
 frontiers and great towns, would have been too lit- 
 tle. Now they think it enough to keep garrifons 
 in their moft important towns. 
 
 Befides thefe (landing forces, there are fifteen or 
 twenty thoufand men in each province, under the 
 command of private officers •, they have alfo foldi- 
 ers to keep their iflands, efpecially Haynan and 
 Formofa. The horfe- guards of Pekin are above 
 an hundred and fixty thoufand ; fo that, I be- 
 lieve, in the greateft and fecureft peace, the em- 
 peror has in pay and at mufter no lefs than fifty 
 hundred thoufand effe(5live men, all armed according 
 to the cuftom of the country with fcimeters and 
 darts. They have but a very fmall infantry, and 
 of thofe, which they have there, there are no pike- 
 men, and very few mufqueteers. 
 
 Their foldiers are very graceful, and pretty well 
 difciplin'd, for the Tartars have almoft degenerated 
 into Chinefe, and the Chinefe continue as they al- 
 ways were, foft, effeminate, enemies of labour, bet- 
 ter at making an handfome figure at mufter or in a 
 march, than at behaving themfelves gallantly in an 
 a<5lion. The Tartars begin with heat and brifknefs, 
 and, if they can make their enemies give ground 
 in the beginning, then they can make their advan- 
 tage of it •, otherwife they are unable to continue an 
 attack a good while, or to bear up long againft one, 
 efpecially, if made in order and with vigour. The 
 emperor, whom I have had the honour to fpeak 
 with, who fays nothing but what is proper, as he 
 does nothing but what is great, gave this fhort 
 charadler of them : They are good foldiers when op* 
 pofed to bad ones^ but bad when oppofed to good ones. 
 
 The eighth maxim is concerning their rewards 
 and punifhments. Great men, who have faithfully 
 
 ferved 
 
i 
 
 of the Chinefe. 291 
 
 ferved their country, never lofe their reward \ and 
 becaufe, be a prince never fo opulent, he can never 
 have enough to rev/ard all his fubjedls : this defe(5l 
 is made up by marks and titles of honour, which 
 are very acceptable to the fubjedls, and no charge 
 to the prince. 
 
 Thefe titles of honour are what they call the fe- 
 veral Orders of Mandarines. They fay, fuch an one 
 is a Mandarine of the firfl rank, or the emperor has 
 placed fuch an one \x\ thefirft clafs of theMandarines, 
 .of the fecond l^nk, and in like manner of others. 
 This dignity, which is meerly honorary, makes them 
 • take place in affemblles, vlfits, and councils, but Is 
 no profit to them. To make thefe rewards of greater 
 extent, which th^ people chufe much fooner than 
 penfions, they are fometimes beftov^'d even upon 
 the dead, v/ho are oftentIm.es made Mandarines after 
 their funerals, who therefore fill fometimes the 
 greatefl places of honour amongft the nobility when 
 the emperor can't bellow upon them the meaneft 
 place amongft the living. They have oftentimes, at 
 the publick or prince's chat-ge, lofty monuments raif- 
 ed for them, and that court, which looks after the 
 publick expences, judges what recompence fliall be 
 paid to their defert. Thefe rewards are oftentimes 
 Accompanied with elogles In their praife, made by the 
 emperor himfelf, which makes them and their fami- 
 ly famous to all pofterlty. But the highcfl honour Is 
 to make them faints, to build them temples, and 
 offer them facrlfices as to the gods of tlie coun- 
 try. By this means, paganifm has been mightily fup- 
 fiorted by the emperors, adoring themfelves the w^ork 
 of their own hands, and paying worfhip and ho- 
 nour to them, who, when alive, would have been 
 glad to be proilrate at their now worihippers feet. 
 
 They reward alfo in private men thole virtuous 
 
 aftlons which bring no publick advantage to the 
 
 ftate. We read in hlflory, that temples have been 
 
 U 2 raifed 
 
292 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 raifed to the memory of fome maids, who all thei'r 
 lives kept their chaftity inviolable. And I myfelf 
 have feen, in feveral of their towns, trophies with 
 honourable infcriptions, raifed up for inhabitants of 
 mean rank and degree, to publifh to all the world 
 their virtue and merit. 
 
 If the Chinefe are very liberal in their rewards, 
 they are as fevere in the punifhments even of the 
 flighted faults •, their punifhments' are adequ2Lte to 
 their demerits. The ufual punifhment is the bafti- 
 nado on the back. When they receive but forty 
 or fifty blows, they call this a Fatherly Corredi- 
 on *, to which as well Mandarines, as others, are 
 fubjedl. This punifhment is not accounted very 
 fcandalous, and, after it is executed, the criminal 
 muft fall on his knees before the judge, and, if able, 
 bow three times down to the ground, and give him 
 humble thanks for taking this care of his education. 
 
 Yet this punifhment is of that violence, that one 
 ftroke is enough to fell one that is of 'a tender 
 conftitution, and oftenrimes perfons die of it -, it is 
 true, there are ways of foftening this punifhment, 
 when the execution of it is in court. The eafiellis to 
 to bribe the executioners, for there are many of 
 them V becaufe, left the executioner's wearinefs fhould 
 leflen the punifliment, after five or fix ftrokes an- 
 other fucceeds, and fo till the whole be performed. 
 But, when the criminal has by money made them 
 his friends, they underftand their bufinefs fo well, 
 that, notwithftanding all' the care which the Manda- 
 rines prefent can ufe, the punifhment becomes light 
 and almoft nothing. 
 
 Befides this, in the courts there are perfons to be 
 hired, who keep a good underftanding with the offi- 
 cers ; who, upon a fignal given, take the place of 
 the criminal, who efcapes among the croud, and re- 
 ceives his punifhment. For money, there are every 
 where thefe forts of vicarious perfons to be met with i 
 ^ .^lij/ii^i . / for 
 
 ii 
 
of the Chinefe. 293 
 
 for it is a trade at China, where feveral perfons are 
 maintained by the blows of the cudgel. 
 
 By fuch a trick as this, Yam quam-fien, a famous 
 profecutor of chriftianity, efcaped the jufl: fentence 
 of thejudges. He engaged a paltry fellow for a large 
 fum of money, to take upon him his name, and 
 go to the court of juilice In his (lead. He told him, 
 that, let it come to the worft, it was but a good cud- 
 gelling, and, if after that he was imprifoned, there 
 fhould be found out a -way to redeem him thence. 
 The poor fellow went according to agreement, 
 and when the cryer call'd out aloud, Yam quam-fien, 
 the fellow anfwered as loud. Here ; his fentence 
 was pafs'd, and the Mandarine condemiied him to 
 death. The officers, who had been bribed, feized 
 on him immediately, and, according to cuftom, gag- 
 ged him ; for, after fentence, the criminal is not 
 fuffered to fpeak. Afterwards, he was brought to 
 to the place of execution, where the poor wretch 
 fuffered a miferable death. 
 
 The fecond fort of punifhment is the Carcan, which 
 dirfers from the former only in the place where the 
 baftinadoes are given ; in this, they are given the cri- 
 minal at one of the city gates, or in the high way : 
 the punifhment here is not fo fharp, but the infamy 
 is greater, and he, who has once undergone this pu- 
 nifhment, can never more recover his reputation. 
 , They have feveral different ways of infiidling death. 
 Mean and ignoble perfons have their heads cut ofF, 
 for, in China, the feparation of the head from the bo- 
 dy is difgraceful. On the contrary, perfons of qua- 
 lity are flrangled, which, among them, is a death of 
 more credit ; if the crime be very notorious, they are 
 punlfhed like mean perfons, and fometimes their heads 
 are cut off and hang'd on a tree in the high ways. 
 
 Rebels and traytors are punifK'd with the utmoft 
 feverity *, that is, to fpeak as they do, they cut them 
 into t^n thoufand pieces : for, after that the execu- 
 
 y 3 tioner 
 
294 ^f ^^^^ Policy and Government 
 tioner hath ty'd them to a poft, he cuts off the fkiti 
 all lound their forehead, which he tears by force till 
 it hangs over their eyes, that they may not fee the 
 torments they are to endure. Afterwards, he cuts 
 their bodies in what places he thinks fit, and, when 
 he is tir'd with this barbarous employment, he leaves 
 them to the tyranny of their enemies, and the infults 
 of the mob. 
 
 Often criminals are cruelly whipp'd till they ex- 
 pire. Laftly, the torture which is the cruelleft of all 
 deaths is here ufed ; and generally the hands and 
 fingers fuffer moft in it. 
 
 Ninthly, They think it good policy to forbid wo- 
 men from all trade and commerce, which they can 
 only benefit by letting it alone ; all their bufinefs lies 
 within doors, where they find continual employment 
 in the careful education of their children. They nei- 
 ther buy nor fell, and one fees women fo feldom in 
 the flreets, that one would imiagine them to be all 
 religioufes confined to a cloyfter. Princefles never 
 fdcceedto the crown, nor ever haye the regency du- 
 ring the young prince's minority ; and, tho' the em- 
 peror may in private confult them, it is reckoned 
 mean and ignoble to do it. In which thing the Chi- 
 nefe feem, in my opinion, lefs reafonable than in 
 Qthers. For wit and forefight is equally the portion 
 of the one as of the other fex •, and a prince is ne- 
 ver fo underftanding as when he knows how to find 
 out all his treafures wherefoever nature has placed 
 them, nor ever fo prudent as when he makes ufe of 
 them. 
 
 Laftly, their tenth maxim is. To encourage trade 
 as much as poflible thro' the whole empire. All the 
 other policy is conducive to the plenty or conveni- 
 ence of their country -, but this is concerned for the 
 very lives of the people, who would be foon reduced 
 to the lafi: extremity if trade fhould once fail. It i§ 
 not the people^s care only, but th^ Mandarines alfo, 
 ■ '' ' ' ■ "^ who 
 
of the Chinefe. 295 
 
 who put out their money to trufly traders to make 
 the beft advantage of it. By this private way, Ou- 
 fanguey, the little king of Xenfi, who brought the 
 Tartars Into China, made himfelf fo rich and pow- 
 erful, that he was able himfelf to fupport for a 
 long time the war againft the emperor. 
 
 To Increafe commerce, foreigners have been per- 
 mitted to come into the ports of China, a thing till 
 lately never known. On the other fide, the Chinefe 
 fpread themfelves all over the Indies, where they car- 
 ry filk, china, phyfical drugs, fugar, japanned works, 
 wine, and potters ware. They go to Batavia, Siam, to 
 Achim, Malacca, and efpecially to Jappon, and Ma- 
 nilla ; from which, they are diflant but a few days 
 fail. From all thefe places they bring filver, all of 
 which, that is brought from Mexico to the Philippine 
 iflands by the Pacifick ocean, is carried from thence to 
 Canton, whence it Is fpread thro' the whole empire. 
 
 But the greateft part of their trading lies within 
 themfelves, from one province to another, which 
 like fo many kingdoms communicate to each other 
 their riches. That of Huquam fends rice, that of 
 Canton fugar, from Chequlam comes good filk, from 
 Nankim neat and handfome pieces of workmanfhip ; 
 Xenfi and Xanfi are rich in Iron, horfes, mules, ca- 
 mels, and firs. Toklem yields tea, Leaotum drugs, 
 and fo the reft. This mutual commerce unites the 
 people, and fills their towns with plenty. Thefe, my 
 lord, are not all the Chinefe maxims, there are a 
 world of others, but I have wrote down thefe as the 
 moft known and moft efi^entlal ones for the publldc 
 good. 
 
 Good order In the Inferior governments Is as ufeful 
 a part of policy to the ftate as any whatever, by thefe 
 inferior governments, I mean thofe of the cities, and 
 of the feveral camps. All thefe are fettled in China *, 
 for, from the foundation of that empire, the ftate has 
 thought it worth while to Igpk rfter even the moft: 
 inconfiderable things. Among 
 
296 0/ the Policy and Government 
 
 Among perfons of quality, there never happens 
 any difpute about taking place, becaufe every one 
 knows exadly what is due to his own and others 
 quality ; and it was a great forprize to every body 
 to fee, about fix or kvzn years ago, a prince of the 
 blood and a Colao engaged in fjcha fort of dif- 
 pute. The occafion of it v/as this •, the laws ordain, 
 that, when a Colap is about to fpeak to a prince 
 of the blood, he muft bend the knee, but cuftom 
 has laid as ftrong an obligation on the prince, to 
 take him up immediately. 
 
 The prince thought, that an obliging cuflom, tho- 
 conftantly prac5lifed by the rcval family on feveral 
 cccafions, ought not to prejudice his right by law. 
 He did therefore g;ive audience to a Colao on his 
 knees, and never m>ade any motion to him to rife. 
 The minifter of ftate, in a great confufion to fee 
 himfelf kept fo long in fo humble a pofture, com- 
 plained of it to the emperor, who affembled his 
 council forthwith. They looked into the ceremiO- 
 nial to obferve what they could find that would 
 contribute to the deciding this novel cafe, but when 
 they could find nothing therein ferviceable to that 
 end they were more perplexed than ever. 
 
 "Finally, the council, who were again ft innovations, 
 judged that the pradix^ ought to be continued as 
 before -, and, not freeing the Colaos from their ob- 
 ligation of fpeaking to the princes of the blood on 
 their knees, they thought it requifite alio that the 
 princes fhould ufe that civility towards them as not 
 to keep them in that pofture long. Tou can^t^ faid they 
 to the Colao, hcnour the p'inces tco much^ and you 
 do not do ""juell to omit any occafion 'where you canjheijo the 
 rejpecf you hear them. Princes^ added the emperor to 
 .him who had occafion'd this difpute, are by their o^n 
 rankfet high enough ah eve the reft of mankind^ as not to 
 need -proudly to feck to dehafe them lo^juer. "They can 
 want nothing to make them honourable^ hut temper and 
 *•' ' - - • ' - modefty. 
 
of the Chinefe. 297 
 
 mo deft y. When you are denied the refpeB due to you^ 
 all the world knows you have not what you ought to 
 have ; hut^ when you infift upon every little mark of 
 refpefr^ it will make the world begin to inquire whether 
 you defe7-veit. Thus both of them were reprimanded, 
 ,'and that no new lav/s might be made they let cuftom 
 be their rule. 
 
 Every thing, that belongs to the princes or Man^ 
 darines, is pund;ually ftated ; their peniions, their 
 houfes, the number of their fervants, the fhape and 
 bignefs of their fedans, are the badges of honour 
 by which they are diftinguifhed ; fo that, when they 
 come into publick, their quality is prefently known, 
 and the refpedl which is due to them with as little 
 trouble paid. When the Chinefe governed the em- 
 pire, even private men wore their marks of diftinc- 
 tion ; and there was no learned man but his degree 
 and rank might be known by the fafhion or colour 
 of his garb. 
 
 The towns have their determinate figure ; they 
 ought all to be fquare as far as the ground they are 
 built upon will fuffer it •, in fuch fort that the gates 
 may be fo built as to anfwer the four principal quar- 
 ters of the world, that is, the North, South, Eaft, 
 and Weft. The houfes have thorough lights, and 
 are efteemed ill built if the doors do not lie exadlly 
 parallel to one of the fides of the town. 
 ' Towns of the feveral orders have different big- 
 nefs, the chief towns are nine or twelve miles round, 
 thofe of the firft rank are but fix ; thofe of the 
 fecond or thi^-d orders are lefs in proportion. This 
 rule neverthelefs is not fo univerfal as to admit of no 
 exception. The ftreets are flrait^ generally laid out 
 by the line, large, well paved, yet very inconvenient, 
 becaufe every perfon of any account goes up and 
 down them either on horfeback or in a chair. The 
 houfes are low, of an equal height *, the jealoufy of 
 the husbands would not fuffer that their neighbours 
 ^ houfes 
 
29 S Of the Policy and Government 
 houfes fhouid be higher than their own, left thereby 
 their windows fhouid overlook their court-yards and 
 gardens. 
 
 The whole town is divided into four parts, and 
 thofe r.gain into feveral finaller divifions, each of 
 which contains tzn houfes, over every one of v/hlch 
 fubdivifions an officer preddes, who takes notice of 
 every thing which pafles in his little ward, tells the 
 Mandarine what contentions happen, what extraor- 
 dinary things, what ftra:igers come thither or go 
 thence. The neighbourhood is obliged to give mu- 
 tual afliftance, and, in cafe of an alarm, to lend one 
 another an helping hand, for, if any theft or robbery 
 be committed in the night, the neighbourhood muft 
 contribute towards repairing the lofs. Laftly, in 
 every family the father is refponfible for the diforders 
 and irregularities committed either by his children or 
 fervants. 
 
 The gates of the city are well looked after, and 
 even in time of peace are fhut up at the approach of 
 night. In the day time there are guards to examine 
 all who come in, if he be a ftranger j if he comes 
 from another province, or from a neighbouring 
 town, they know him by his tone, by his mien, or 
 his habit, which in every place are fomewhat diffe- 
 rent. When they obferve any thing extraordinary 
 or fufpicious, they take the perfon up, or inform the 
 Mandarine of it ; (o that European mlfTionaries, 
 whofe afpecfl is infinitely different from that of the 
 Chinefe, are known as foon as feen, and thofe who 
 have not the emperor's approbation find it very diffi- 
 cult to make a long journey. 
 
 In certain places, as at Pekin^ as foon as night 
 comes on they tie chains crofs the ftreets, the guards 
 go the patrole up and down the chief ftreets, and 
 guards and centinels are placed here and there. The 
 horfe go the rounds upon the fortifications \ and 
 woe be to him who is found then from home. 
 
 Meetings, 
 
of the Chlnefe. 299 
 
 Meetings, mafquerades, balls, and fuch like night- 
 works are good, fay the Chinefe, for none but 
 thieves and the mob. Orderly people ought at that 
 time either to fit up providing for their family, or 
 elfe take their reft, that they may be refrefhed, and 
 better able the next day to manage the bufinefs of 
 the family. 
 
 Gaming is forbidden both to the commonalty and 
 gentry ; which neverthelefs hinders not the Chinefe 
 from playing, fometimes even fo long as till they 
 have loft all their eftate, their houfes, their children 
 and their wives, which they fometimes hazard upon 
 a card ', for there is no degree of extravagance to 
 which the defire of lucre and riches will not carry a 
 Chinefe. But befides that it is a diforder which the 
 Tartars, fince they became mafters of China, have 
 introduced amongft them, they take great heed to 
 conceal their gaming, and by confequence the law 
 which forbids it always flourifhes, and is able to fup- 
 prefs great diforders. 
 
 What I have faid concerning wives, that their 
 husbands may fell them, or lofe them at play, puts 
 me in mind to give fome account of the rules which 
 their civil conftitution, rather than their religion, hath 
 ordained concerning marriages ; thofe who have a 
 mind to marry do not, as among us, follow their 
 own fancies in their choice of a wife : they never 
 fee the woman they are about to have, but take her 
 parents word in the cafe, or elfe they have their in- 
 formation from feveral old women, who are as it 
 were infpedtors, but who are neverthelefs in fee 
 with the ^ woman's friends to fet her out more than 
 fhe deferves ♦, fo that it is very feldom that they 
 make a true defcription, or give a juft charadler of 
 her whom they go to view. 
 
 The woman's parents give money generally to 
 thefe emiffaries to oblige t:hem to give a favourable 
 ^harader ; for it is for the parents advantage that 
 
 their 
 
300 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 their daughter fhould be reputed handfome, witty, 
 and genteel ; becaufe the Chinefe buy their wives, 
 and, as in other merchandizes, they give more or 
 lefs according to the good or bad properties of them. 
 
 When the parties are agreed about the price the 
 contradb is made, and the money paid down ; then 
 preparation is made on both fides for the nuptial 
 folemnities : when the day of marriage is come, they 
 carry the bride in a fumptuous chair, before which 
 go hautboys, drums, and fifes, and after it follow 
 her parents, and other ;• ^rtOTlar friends of her fa- 
 mily. All the portion which fhe brings is her mar- 
 riage garments, fome cloaths, and houfhold goods, 
 which her father prefents her with. The bridegroom 
 ftands at his door richly attired, waiting for her ; 
 he himfelf opens the fedan, which was clofely fhut, 
 and, having conduced her into a chamber, delivers 
 her to feveral women invited thither for that purpofe, 
 who fpend there the day together in feafling and 
 fporting, while the husband in another room enter- 
 tains his friends and acquaintance. 
 
 This being the firft time that the bride and bride- 
 groom fee each other, and both, or one, very often 
 not liking their bargain, is very often a day of re- 
 joicing for their guefts, but of forrow for themfelves, 
 The women muft fubmit tho' they don't like, be- 
 caufe their parents have fold them ; but the husbands 
 fometimes are not fo complaifant, for there have been 
 fome, w^ho, when they firft opened the fedan to re- 
 ceive the bride, repulfed by her fliape and afpedl, 
 have fhut the chair again, and fent her and her pa- 
 rents and friends back again, willing rather to lofe 
 their money than enter upon fo bad a purchafe. 
 
 When the Tartars in the late war took Nankim, 
 there happened a paflage which made the Chinefe 
 merry notwithflanding all their misfortunes. Among 
 all the diforders which the vidors committed in that 
 province, they endeavoured to feize upon all the 
 
 women 
 
cf tbe Chintfh. 301 
 
 women they could to make money of them. When 
 they took the chief city of that province, they 
 carried all the women thither, and fhut them up 
 ^^gg^y P^Sg^y t:ogether in the magazines with other 
 goods. But becaufe there were fome of all ages, 
 and degrees of beauty, they refolved to put them 
 into facks and carry them to market, and fo fell 
 them to any one at a venture ugly or handfome. 
 There was the fame price fet upon every one, and 
 for fixteen or eighteen (hillings take which fack you 
 will without opening it. After this manner the 
 foldiers, who were ever inffelent in profperity, abufed 
 their vidory, and approved themf elves more barba- 
 rous in the moft polite and civil city in the world, 
 than they had been in the defarts of Tartary. 
 
 At the day of fale there cam.e buyers enough ; 
 
 fome came to recover, if haply they could, their 
 
 wives or children, who were among thofe women, 
 
 others were led thither thro' hopes that good fortune 
 
 and a lucky chance would put . a fortune into their 
 
 hands. In ihort, the novelty of the thing brought 
 
 a great concourfe from the adjacent places. An or- 
 
 ^" dinary fellow, who had but twelve fhillings in the 
 
 * world, gave it, and chofe a fack as did the reft, and 
 
 ' carried it off ^ when he was got out of the crowd, 
 
 ^' whether thro' ciiriofity, or a defire to relieve the 
 
 perfon in the fack, who complained, he could not 
 
 forbear opening it. In it he found an old woman, 
 
 '- whom age, grief, and ill treatment had m.ade de^ 
 
 ' formed to the higheft degree ; he was fo confounded- 
 
 "' ly mad at it, that, to gratify his pafTion and rage, 
 
 ^ he v/as going to throw the old woman and fack 
 
 ^ both together into the river, that the gratification of 
 
 ' his paflion might be fome comfcri: to him for the iofs 
 
 of his money. 
 
 Then the good old gentlewoman faid to him. 
 
 Son, your lot is not fo bad as you imagine ; be of 
 
 good chear, you have made your fortune : take 
 
 - care 
 
302 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 care only of my life, I will make yours happier than 
 ever it has been yet. Thefe words fomtwhat pa- 
 cified him : wherefore he carried her into a houfe 
 hard by, where fhe told him her quality and her 
 eftate. She belonged to a Mandarine of note in 
 the neighbourhood, to whom fhe wrote immediately. 
 He fent her an equipage agreeable to her quality, 
 gjid fhe carried her deliverer along with her, and 
 afterwards was fo good a friend to him, that he never 
 had reafon to complain that he had loft the two 
 crowns which he laid out in purchafing her. 
 
 But to return to the Chinefe marriages *, I muft 
 farther tell you, that a husband may not divorce his 
 wife, except for adultery, and a few other occafions, 
 which feldom or never fall out \ in thofe cafes they 
 fell them to whofoever will buy them, and buy 
 another. Perfons of quality never do thus, but 
 common people do frequently. If a man has the 
 boldnefs to fell his wife without juft reafon, both the 
 buyer and feller are feverely punifhed, yet the huf- 
 band is not obliged to take her again. 
 
 Altho' a man be allowed but one v/Ife, he may 
 have as many concubines as he will ; all the children 
 have an equal claim to the eftate, becaufe they are 
 reckoned as the v/ife's children tho' they be fome of 
 the concubines ; they all call the wife mother, who 
 is indeed fole miftrefs of the houfe \ the concubines 
 ferve and honour her, and have no manner of au- 
 thority or power but what they derive from her. 
 
 The Chinefe think it a ftrange thing that the 
 Europeans are not thus allowed the ufe of women,, 
 yet they confefs it as a commendable fign of mode- 
 ration in them. But when we obferved to them the 
 troubles, quarrels, contentions, and jealoulies which 
 many women muft needs raife in a family, they faid 
 nothing is without fome inconvenience and difordeh, 
 but that perhaps there are more crofles in having 
 
 but 
 
of the Chinele. 303 
 
 but one, than in having many women. The beft, 
 way they own, is to have none at all. 
 
 Altho' the Chinefe are extremely jealous to that 
 degree that they fuffer not their wives to fpeak in 
 private even to their own brethren, much lefs give 
 them liberty to enjoy all that freedom and publick 
 diverfion which in Europe is efteemed only gallantry 
 and curioiity *, neverthelefs there are husbands fo very 
 complaifant to their wives as to let them freely com- 
 mit, adultery, which permiilion fome women make 
 the condition of their marriage : thofe who accord- 
 ing to fuch agreement follow thefe courfes (as there 
 is a certain fort of people who do) have no manner 
 of power to hinder debauchees from frequenting 
 their houfes, and from making ill ufe of the eafinefs 
 or unruly paffions of fuch wom.en. But fuch fami- 
 lies as thefe are abhorred by the Chinefe, who think 
 fo ill of them, that their children, tho' never fode- 
 ferving or intelligent, can never obtain any degree, 
 or be employed in any honourable ofKce. 
 
 Of all their civil inflitutions there is no one which 
 cofts the Chinefe fo much trouble as does the order- 
 ing of their time, and their holy-days. There are 
 in the emperor's fervice above an hundred perfons, 
 on purpofe to regulate the kalendar, which they 
 make anew every year, and with a great deal of 
 ceremony fend it up and down to the viceroys of 
 each province. They regulate the number of months, 
 ; which is fometimcs twelve, fometimes thirteen, which 
 are lunar months, and ought to agree v/ith the fun's 
 courfe. In thefe almanacks the equinoxes, folflices, 
 and the fun's entry into each fign are fet down : the 
 eclipfes of the fun or moon are there, and the time 
 when vifible at Pekin or any of the principal cities. 
 The planets courfes, their places in the ecliptlck, 
 their oppofitions, conjun(5lions, and propinquity to 
 any ftars are defcribed, and indeed every thing elfe 
 is well calculated, which aftronomy has,that is cudous 
 
 or 
 
304 Of the 'Policy and Government 
 
 or excellent. They mix with this divers points of 
 jiidlcial aftrology, which ignorance or fuperftition 
 have invented, concerning happy or unhappy days, 
 times proper for marriage, building, or undertaking 
 jouniies. Thefe prejudices generally guide the 
 people •, but the emperor and all men of fenfe are 
 wlfer than to mind fuch trifles. 
 
 Altho* there be no publick clocks as in Europe, 
 the day is neverthelefs divided into four and twenty 
 parts, which have all their particular names, and be- 
 gin from midnight. They tell me that anciently they 
 divided their day into twelve parts, each of which 
 were fubdivided Into eight, which made the natural 
 day confift of fcurfcore and fixteen, which were ex- 
 adlly diftmguifhed in their calculations. But their 
 fun-dials (and they have very ancient ones) were 
 divided into four general divifions, each of which 
 contained four and twenty little fubdivlfions, which 
 added to the four great divifions divided the whole 
 circle into an hundred parts. 
 
 This fort of dialing feems very irregular, nor can 
 I fee for what ufe it was intended. Since they have 
 received the nevt' kalendar from the miffionaries, they 
 have regulated their dials by hours, and reckon 
 their time almoft as we do, only we mufi: take no- 
 tice that inftead of two hours they reckon but one ; 
 fo that their natural day confifts of but twelve hours, 
 the names of v/hich, diverfly combined with ten other 
 terms which they have invented, make a revolution' 
 of fixty, which ferves them inftead of a cycle to 
 mark their different years. I dare not trouble you, 
 my lord, with particular enumerations, which would 
 be too tedious, and are in foregoing relations fuffi- 
 ciently explained. 
 
 As for the people, they are not ver)^ nice herein ; 
 
 they content themfelves with knov/ing the time of 
 
 the fun's riling and fetting, and noon. In the night 
 
 they make ufe of bells and drums> which are very 
 
 , " often' 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 of the Chinefe; 365 
 
 bfteri founded, and ferve to diftinguifli the night 
 Into five watches. 
 
 The current coin is very odd. They have round 
 copper pieces with a hole in the middle, that they 
 may be ftrung, they are full of chara6lers ; the metal 
 is neither pure nor well hammered *, and, altho' they. 
 are thick, one may break them with one's fingers if 
 one ftrive ; tenof thefe make a penny, ten of v/hich 
 are the tenth part of the Chinefe crown, called by 
 the Portuguefe, in the Indies, Tael, and by them- 
 felves Leam, which crown amounts to fix fhilHngs 
 two-pence half-penny, and -^f of a farthing. 
 
 This crown piece is not coined with any flamp or 
 image on it, as our money In Europe is ; the Chinefe 
 filver money is not made in any determinate regular 
 form, they take for money any irregular pieces of 
 bits of filver by weight, which if they do not be- 
 lieve to be good filver they cut afiander. This they 
 pradlfe to prevent falfe and counterfeit money, and 
 they are fo expert in guefifing at the goodnefs and 
 value of any piece of filver by looking on it only, 
 that they are feldom mifi:aken^ efpecially if it be 
 melted after the manner pradlifed thcFe. 
 
 They know the goodnefs of it three ways ; by the 
 colour, by feveral little holes which are made in it 
 by the melting pot, and by divers fmall circles which 
 the air makes on the furface of the metal when it . 
 cools after melting. If the colour be white, the holes 
 Imall and deep, if the circles be miany, and thofe 
 clofe, and very {\x\t^ efpecially toward the center of 
 the piece, then the filver is pure : but the more it 
 differs from thefe three qualities fo much the more 
 alloy it has. 
 
 To explain myfelf better, I muft tell you, they 
 divide their filver, with refped to its purity, into a 
 hundred forts, as we do gold into four and twenty, 
 called carats ; the filver which is current in trade is 
 all the forts between the eightieth and the hundredth 
 
 X fort 
 
3o5 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 fort or degree of purity. If it be of a bafer alloy 
 they will not take it, but punifh thofe who offer it. 
 They take our money as filver of the fourfcore and 
 fifteenth fort, tho' thofe, who understand filver well, 
 judge it to be but of the fourfcore and third fort at 
 moft •, fo that in an hundred ounces of our filver 
 there are (tvQn of alloy, or, which is all one, an 
 hundred ounces of it is worth but ninety three of 
 line filver. 
 
 As for gold, it never pafles in China for money 
 no more than jewels do •, they buy it as they do 
 other goods or merchandife, and the Europeans 
 make a good market of it, becaufe in China a pound 
 of gold bears but the fame proportion to a pound of 
 filver as one does to ten, whereas among us it is as 
 one to fifteen, fo that the merchant gets by it gene- 
 rally a third part. 
 
 Since almoil every thing is there fold by weight, 
 amongft fcveral fort of fcales, they make ufe of a 
 fmall portable balance, kept in a fmall varnifhed 
 cafe, which is very light and ufeful ; they are fome- 
 thing like the Roman balance, confifling of a fmall 
 diih, an arm, and a weight that flides up and down 
 that arm, which is made of ivory or ebony, in big- 
 nefs, length, and fhape like a pen ; it is divided 
 into three fmall parts, on three different furfaces ; 
 it hangs by filken threads, at one of the ends, in 
 three different points, that it may the better weigh 
 weights of every fort. They weigh very nicely 
 and exadly ; for in thofe, whofe arm is of any con- 
 fiderable length, the thoufandth pait of a crown 
 will fcnfibly turn the fcale. 
 
 There are two forts of thofe fcales, one more 
 agreeable to the ancient balances, which are ufed in 
 courts of juftlce ^ the beam of this is fo divided as 
 exadly to agree with the weight of the French money, 
 fince it hath been increafed by a fixth part in weight, 
 fo that every divifion of the beam weighs the weight 
 
 of 
 
of the Chlnefe, 307 
 
 of a fou or penny ; fo that feventy-two Chinefe fous 
 or pennies weigh exadlly a French crown, or an. 
 ounce Englifh.. But the common balance, which Is 
 moft ufed in China, is fomewhat different from this, 
 for a French crown will weigh feventy-three divifions 
 of this beam ; this I thought myfelf obliged to 
 take notice of, that we may the better underftand 
 what the relations hitherto have fo much differed 
 about. 
 
 The Chinefe divide their pound weight, as we 
 do, into fixteen ounces, each ounce into ten parts 
 called Tfien •, each of thefe into ten penny weights, 
 and each of thefe again into ten grains. There are 
 a great many other divifions, v/hich decreafe in the 
 ii fame proportion that one has to ten, which divifions 
 i our language has no names for. Altho' thefe fmal- 
 ll ler divifions come almoft to nothing when fingle in 
 '1 the fcale, yet in great traffick they reckon them, 
 ' where the multiplication of them arifes to a confide- 
 rable fum. In fhort, if we fuppofe that our crown 
 fhould weigh three drachms, or one and twenty 
 penny weights and eight grains, then the Chinefe 
 pound will contain nineteen ounces, three drachms, 
 t^wo penny weights, thirteen grains ff . And on the 
 contrary, our pound will contain thirteen ounces 
 "Chinefe, one T^ien, and four penny v/eights, un- 
 .derftanding thefe tv/o laft weights as they are ex- 
 plained above. 
 
 As to the com^mon meafures in ufe in this empire, 
 .they have by divers perfons been reprefented in dif- 
 ferent manners-, becaufe, of thofe who have wrote 
 .upon this fubjedl, fome have had recourfe to the 
 .meafures of one province, others to thofe of another. 
 1 have examined all of them carefully, and do think 
 :hat father Verbieft's meafures, which they ufe in the 
 nathematical court, are the exad:eft. The Chinefe 
 'cot is very little different from ours ; not but that 
 jiurs is fomewhat longer, almoft ,og •, but this diffe- 
 I X 2 rence 
 
3o8 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 rence is nothing with the Chinefe, who do not ftand 
 fo nicely and ftridlly to their meafure as we do, 
 which the people have to meafure with, and not to 
 contend and quarrel by. 
 
 The civil government of the Chinefe does not 
 only prefide over the towns, but extends alfo over 
 the highways, which they make handfome and eafily 
 paffable. The pafiages for their water are in feveral 
 places fenced in with ftone walls for the convenience 
 of travelling, over which there are a great number of 
 bridges, which unite the tov/ns and the fields toge- 
 ther. Cana-s are alfo cut for the water to pafs thro* 
 all the towns of the fouthern provinces, to make 
 their ditches more fecure, and the towns more plea- 
 fant. In low and marfhy grounds, they throw up 
 prodigious long banks, which keep their roads in 
 thofe parts good •, to perform which they ftick at 
 no cod, cutting a paflage even thro' mountains when 
 they ftand in their way. 
 
 The road from Sigan to Hamchou is one of the 
 ftrangeft pieces of work in the world. They fay, 
 for I myfelf have never yet ^ttn it, that upon the 
 iide of fome mountains which are perpendicular, and 
 have no fhelving, they have fixed large beams into 
 them, upon which beams they have made a 
 fort of balcony without rails, which reaches thro* 
 ■feveral irioun tains in that fafhion •, thofe, who are 
 not ufed to this fort of galleries, travel over them 
 in .a great deal of pain, afraid of fome ill accident 
 or other : but the people of the place are very ha- 
 zardous ; they have mul::s ufed to this fort of ! 
 roads, which travel with as little fear or concern 
 over thefe fteep and hideous precipices, as they 
 could do in the beft or plaineft heath. I have in | 
 other places expofed myfelf very much by following | 
 too rafhly my guides. i 
 
 One can't imagine what care they take to make j 
 the common roads convenient for paflage. They 
 
 are 
 
of the Chinele. 309 
 
 are fourfcore ittt broad or very near it ; the foil of 
 them is light and foon dry when it has left off rain- 
 ing. In fome provinces there are on the right and 
 left hand caufeways for the foot paffengers, which 
 are on both fides fupported by long rows of trees, 
 and oftentimes terrarfed with a wall of eight or ten 
 ' feet high on each fide, to keep paffengers out of the 
 , fields. Neverthelefs thefe walls have breaks, where 
 roads crofs one the other, and they all terminate at 
 fome great town. 
 
 There are feveral wooden machines made like 
 triumphal arches fet up in the roads about a mile 
 and a half diftant from each other, about thirty feet 
 high, which have three doors, over which is wrote, 
 upon a large frize, in charadlers fo large as may be 
 read at almofl half a quarter of a mile diflance, how . 
 far it is from the tov/n you left, and how far to the 
 town you are going to ; fo that you have no need 
 of guides here, for you may by thefe directions fee 
 what place the road leads to, and from whence you 
 came, how far you are already gone, and how far 
 you have yet to go. 
 
 The great care, which they have taken to lay out 
 all thefe diflances by the line, makes the account 
 which thefe infcriptions give to be pretty fure ; yet 
 they are not equal, becaufe the miles in fome pro- 
 vinces are longer than in others. It has happened 
 likewife that fome of thefe arches, being ruined and 
 confumed by decay and time, have not been i^t up 
 exadtly in the fame place ; but generally fpeaking they 
 ferve for a good meafure of the highways, befides 
 that in feveral places they are no fmall ornament. 
 
 On one fide of thefe ways, about the fame diflance, 
 
 'are fix'd little towers made of earth cail up, on which 
 
 ' they fet up the emperor's flandard \ near it is a lodge 
 
 .for foldiers or country militia. Thefe are made ufe 
 
 of in time of rebellion, or indeed at any other time, 
 
 to carry any ex;prefs if pccaiion be, or to hand letters 
 
 X 3 from 
 
310 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 from one to another \ but efpecially they take care 
 to ftop highwaymen and robbers. 
 
 Every man v/ho goes by armed is obliged to give 
 an account whence he came, v/hither he is going, and 
 upon what bufmefs, and muft fhew his pafs. Befides 
 thefe guards, in cafe of an alarm, give a helping 
 hand to travellerSjand ftop all thofe who are fufpec^ed 
 or accufed of robbery. Amion.g the mighty number 
 of inhabitants which are in China, a great part of 
 which fcarce know hov/ to get a fubfu1:ence, a body 
 would imagine that abundance mufl needs turn 
 thieves •, yet one may travel there with as great 
 fafety as here. I have travelled there fix thoufand 
 iiiiles, up and down, thro' almoil all the provinces, 
 and was never but once in danger of being robbed. 
 Four ftrange horfemen followed me for a whole day 
 together, but the roads were fo full of travellers up 
 and down, that they could never get the coad clear 
 for a quarter of an hour together, and fo fell fhort 
 of their aim. 
 
 Their polls are as well regulated as ours in Europe 
 are, at the emjperor's folc charge, Vv^ho for that end 
 maintains a great num.bcr of horfe. The couriers go 
 from Pekin for the capital cities \ the viceroys of 
 which, as foon as they have received the difpatches 
 from court, fend them forthwith by other couriers 
 to the towns of the iirfl rank -, from whence they 
 are by thefe governors conveyed to thole of the fe- 
 cond rank under their jurifdi6tion *, and from thence 
 they are tranfmitted to the towns of the third rank. 
 It is true thefe pofts were not eftabliihed for the 
 conveyance of private letters, yet the poflmafters, 
 for a little money, undertake to carry letters for pri- 
 %^ate men, as they always do for the miffionaries, 
 who find it as fure a w^ay as that uled in Europe, 
 and much lefs chargeable. 
 
 As it is a matter of importance that the emperor's 
 orders fc>e quickly tranfmitted, fo it is a great part 
 
 of 
 
of the Chinefe. 311 
 
 of the Mandarines care to fee that the roads be 
 good ; and the emperor, to keep them the more 
 ftri6tly to this, fpreads a report, that he intends 
 fhortly to vifit this or that province. The go- 
 vernors of thofe provinces fpare no charge or pains 
 to repair thofe roads, becaufe it not only concerns 
 their fortunes, but fometimes their Hfe, if this care 
 be omitted. 
 
 As lonce pafTed jufl: by a village of the third 
 rank, in the province of Xenfi, they told me that 
 the governor had jufl: hanged himfelf thro' defpair, 
 left he (hould not have time enough to repair a 
 road thro' which the emperor was to pafs to the 
 capital town. The emperor neverthelefs never went 
 the journey, fo that the Mandarine might have faved 
 his life by a little patience. But yet, all the care, 
 which the Chinefe can ufe, will never prevent a 
 mighty inconvenience which happens to thofe who 
 travel in their roads. 
 
 The foil of China is mighty light, and very 
 much beaten by the vail multitudes who travel, 
 fome on foot, fome on camels, others in litters, 
 and again others in chariots, fo that the roads are 
 perfe(Sly ground into very fine powder ; when this is 
 raifed by travellers, and carried about by the winds. 
 It is enough to blind all pafTengers if they have 
 have not mafks or veils on them. Thro' thefe 
 clouds you muft continually make your way, and 
 fuck them in inftead of air, during whole jour- 
 nies together. When the weather is hot, and 
 the wind in one's face, fcarce any one, except a na- 
 tive, can withftand it : I have fometimes been forced 
 to defift from my journey and come back again. 
 
 But of all their wholfome inftitutions there is no- 
 thing which contributes fo much to the keeping up 
 peace and order, as does their method of levying 
 the emperor's revenue. They are not troubled in 
 Chuia with fuch fwarms of officers and commiffio- 
 
 X 4 nera 
 
312 Of the Policy and Government 
 
 ners as we are. All the eftates there are meafured, 
 and all the families regiftered •, and, whatfoever the 
 emperor is to have by excife on goods, or tax upon 
 perfons, is publickly known •, every body brings what 
 is due from him^, to the Mandarines or governors of 
 the towns of the third rank, for there is no parti- 
 cular receiver appointed. Thofe, who negled: to 
 bring in their dues, do not lofe by confifcation, 
 which would be to punifh the innocent of that fa- 
 mily with the guilty ; but the perfons fo offend- 
 ing fuifer imprifonment, and undergo the baftinado 
 till they have made fatisfa(flion. 
 
 Thefe Mandarines of the lower rank give in an 
 account of what they receive, to a genera] officer of 
 the province, who accounts with the court of Pe- 
 kin, w^hich looks after the publick exchequer. A 
 great part of the revenue is difburfed up and down 
 the provinces in penfions, falaries, foldiers pay, and 
 publick buildings : what is over is carried to Pekin, 
 to maintain the emperor's court, and other expences 
 in that town, where the emperor keeps in pay 
 above an hundred and fixty thoufand regular troops, 
 to whom, as well as to the Mandarines, is given 
 out every day meat, fifh, rice, peafe, and ftraw, 
 according to every one's rank, befides their conftant 
 pay, which they regularly receive. 
 
 That, which comes from the fouthern provinces, 
 as alone fufficient to anfwer this expence, this they 
 bring by water in the emperor's velTels ; yet, they 
 are fo jealous left the revenue fhould at any time 
 fall fhort of the difburfements, that in Pekin there 
 are magazines of rice before-hand, fufficient for three 
 years ; which will keep a great while if it be well 
 fanned and mixed, and altho' it looks not fo well, 
 nor taftes fo pleafantly as new rice, yet it is much 
 more wholfome and nourifhing. 
 
 This numerous army about the emperor, well 
 looked after, duly paid, and exadly difciplined, 
 
 one 
 
of the Chinefe. 313 
 
 one would think, fliould awe all Afia ; yet their 
 idlenefs, and the fmall ufe they ever have occa- 
 iion to make of their weapons, does contribute to 
 weaken them as much as their natural effemina- 
 cy. The weftern Tartars do not value their num- 
 bers a ftraw, and frequently fay in derifion of them» 
 that the neigliing of a Tartary horfe is enough 
 to rout all the Chinefe cavalry. 
 
 Yet, they take all poffible care to have good 
 foldiers, for they take no officers into the guards, till 
 they have made trial of their ftoutnefs, fkill, and 
 dexterity in military affairs. They are regularly ex- 
 amined, fo that as learned men have their dodlors to 
 examine them, fo thefe have alfo their profefTors. 
 
 Thefe officers do regularly exercife their com- 
 panies, they form them into fquadrons, march them, 
 teach them to divide their files, to march thro' nar- 
 row paflages, fhew them to give the onfet, to rally 
 at the found of the cornet or trumpet *, befides, 
 they are very dexterous in managing their bow, or 
 handling their fcymitar : yet foon broke, and by the 
 leaft thing in the world put into diforder. The 
 occafion of this I apprehend to be, becaufe in the 
 education of their youth they never inftil into them 
 principles of honour and bravery, as we do as foon 
 as ever they are big enough to know v/hat weapons 
 are. The Chinefe are always talking to their chil- 
 dren of gravity, policy, law, and government ; they 
 always fet books and letters in their view, but ne- 
 ver a fword into their hands : fo that having fpent 
 their youthful days behind the counter, or at the 
 bar, they know no other courage but that of de- 
 fending obftinately an ill caufe, and are lifted into 
 the foldiery on no other confederation, but that 
 they hope there will be no occafion for fighting. 
 The Chinefe policy hinders hereby a great many 
 domeftick feuds and diflurbances ^ but, at the fame 
 
 time 
 
♦14 Of the Policy and Go'-cernment 
 
 time It does expoie its fubjeds hereby to the In- 
 fill rs of foreigners, which is ten times worfe. 
 
 Thus, my lord, I have fet before you a general 
 fcheme of the government of China, of which 
 people have fpoke fuch wonders, and which is in- 
 deed admirable for its antiquity, for the vvifdom of 
 Its maxims, for the plainnefs and uniformit)'- of its 
 laws, for that exemplary virtue which it has pro- 
 duced in a long fuccefiion of emperors, for that re- 
 gularity and order which it has kept the people In, 
 in defpite of civil or foreign wars ; which, not- 
 \^ath{landlng, like the reft of the thiiigs of this 
 world, is fubjedl to a great many inconveniences ; 
 to rebellions, which have depopulated whole pro- 
 vinces, to the injuftice of fome princes who have 
 abufed their power, to the avarice of Mandarines, 
 who have often opprefTed the people, to invafions \ 
 from abroad, and treachery from home, to iuch a 
 number of changes, as would have unhinged the very 
 government and kws, if a more politick people, 
 than are the Tartars, were near enough the em.piro 
 to introduce their own method of government. 
 
 It would, my lord, be a piece of flattery to my- 
 felf, to imagine, that I have by this tedious account 
 added any thing to that immenfe ftore of knowledge 
 w^hich you have drawn from the beft fprings of 
 antiquity, from the converfation of the moft inge- 
 nious of the modems, and from the management 
 of the moft m.omentous aftairs, or (which Is a 
 greater fountain of underftanding) from your own 
 natural wir and ingenuity, which has made you (if 
 I may ufe the expreftion) a native of all countries, 
 and a philofopher of all ages. 
 
 But I am fure you will be glad to fee, that the 
 tnieft maxims of good policy are not altogether 
 ftrangers in the Eaft \ and that, if China do not 
 form fo great minifters as you are, It forms great 
 enough to underftand your worth, and to follow 
 
 your 
 
of the Chin^k, 315 
 
 your fteps, and improve themfelves from the copy 
 you let them, if they could but know you. I am, 
 in the moft profound manner. 
 
 My Lordy 
 
 Tour Eminence's moft obedient 
 and m(ft humble Servant^ 
 
 L.J. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 To my Lord Cardinal de BouVllon. 
 
 Concerning the Ancient and Modern Religion of 
 China. 
 
 My Lordy 
 
 I Do not at all wonder that your highnefs Is pleaf- 
 ed to hear relations of China. It belongs only 
 to great princes to be thoroughly acquainted with 
 all that concerns the feveral kingdoms of the 
 world, and to make a true judgment of the power 
 and grandeur of empires. God, who has fent fuch 
 men into the world to govern it, has given them 
 a more than ordinary ability and knowledge to per- 
 form it y fo that, my lord, if I take upon me the 
 liberty to acquaint your lordfhip with what re- 
 peated voyages for the fpace of feveral years have 
 given me to know in this affair, it is not fo much 
 to inftrudt you in it, as to beg your highnefs's 
 judgment of it. 
 
 I may fay this ftill with more truth when I 
 have the honour to write to you of religion. This 
 
 is 
 
3 1 6 Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 is more particularly your concern ♦, and I may fay, 
 that if your quality, your ingenuity, and your in- 
 comparable learning hnve made you above all men 
 our judge •, your eminent, dignity in the church ob- 
 liges us, in facred concerns, to hear and confult 
 your highnefs as our oracle. 
 
 'Tis on this profpedt, my lord, that I now pre- 
 fent to you thefe memoirs with fome reflexions, 
 which the cuftoms of the Chinefe and the reading 
 of their books have fuggefled to me concerning 
 their religion, being of this mind, that, after fo 
 many different opinions and long difputes which 
 have for a whole age divided the mod learned 
 mifTionaries, there is no better way of coming to 
 deciiion, than to obtain your highnefs's judgment 
 therein. 
 
 Religion has always had a great fhare in eftablifh- 
 ing the greateft kingdoms, which could never fup- 
 port themfelves, were not the people's minds and 
 hearts tied together by the outward worfhip of fome 
 deity ; for people are naturally fupcrftitious, and 
 rather follow the guidance of faith than reafon. It 
 was therefore for this reafon that the ancient law- 
 givers always made ufe of the knowledge of the 
 true God, or of the falfe maxims of idolatry, to 
 bring the barbarous nations under the yoke of their 
 government. 
 
 China, happier in its foundation than any other 
 nation under the fun, drew in the chief of the holy 
 maxims of their ancient religion from the fountain 
 head. The children of Noah, who were fcattered 
 all over the eaftern parts of Afia, and, in all pro- 
 bability, founded this empire, being themfelves in 
 the time of the deluge witneilcs of the omnipotence 
 of their Creator, tranfmitted the knowledge of him, 
 and inftilled the fear of him into all their defcen- 
 dants •, the foot-fteps, which we find in their hi- 
 flories, will not let us doubt the truth of this. 
 
 Fohia 
 
Religion of China.' 3 17 
 
 Fohi, the firft emperor of China, carefully bred 
 up feven forts of creattj.res, which he ufed to fa- 
 crifice to the fupreme Spirit of heaven and earth. 
 For this reafon fome called him Paohi, that is, Ob- 
 lation ; a name, v/hich the greatefl: faints of the old 
 and new teftament would have been proud to have, 
 and which was referved for him alone, who made 
 himfelf an oblation both for faints and finners. 
 
 Hoamti, the third emperor, built a temple to the 
 fovereign Lord of heaven ; and altho' Judea had 
 the honour of confecrating to him one more rich 
 and magnificent, hallowed even by the prefence of 
 our Creator, and the prayers of our Redeemer, it 
 is no fmall glory to China, to have facrificed to 
 their Creator in the moft ancient temple of the world. 
 
 T$:ouen hio, the fifth emperor, thought after- 
 wards, that one place was too narrow to contain 
 the fervices paid to the Lord of the univerfe. He 
 therefore inftituted priefts or ecclefiaflical Manda- 
 rines in feveral provinces, to prefide over the facri- 
 fices. He gave them ftrid: command to obferve 
 that divine fervice was performed with all humility 
 and refpe(51:, and that all the religious ceremonies 
 were ftridlly obferved. 
 
 Tiho, his fuccefTor, took as much care of reli- 
 gion as he had done. Hiftories relate, that the 
 emprefs his wife, being barren, begged children of 
 God during the facrifice with fuch fervour and 
 earneftnefs, that fhe conceived in a few days, and 
 fome time after was brought to bed of a fon, who 
 was famous for that forty emperors fucceffively 
 reigned of his family. 
 
 Yao and Chan, the two princes who f jcceeded him, 
 are fo famous for their piety and for the wifdom of 
 their governments, that it is very likely that religion, 
 was ftill more flourifbing during their reigns* 
 
 It 
 
3 1 8 Concernhig the Ancient and Modern 
 
 It is alfo very probable, that the three fucceeding 
 families did preferve the knowledge of God, for a- 
 bout 2000 years, during the reigns of 80 emperors ; 
 fince the learnedeft among the Chinefe maintain, that, 
 before the fuperftitions introduced with the god To 
 into China, thers were no idols or ftatues {^t\\. This 
 is certain, that, during all that fpace of time, the 
 obfervation of the emperor Yao's maxims was re- 
 commended to the princes, of which the moft ef- 
 fential and principal was concerning the v/orfhip of 
 the fovereign Lord of the world \ and altho' {ovat 
 emperors have been fo wicked as to rejedt them fo 
 far, as even to threaten Heaven itfelf, and foolifh- 
 ly challenge it to fight, they have been neverthe- 
 lefs looked upon as monfters •, and other emperors 
 about that time have difcovered by their adlions a 
 good fenfe of religion. 
 
 Vou vam, the firft of the third line, did himfelf, 
 according to ancient cuftom, offer facrifices, and his 
 brother who bore him a paffionate love, and thought ' 
 his life ftijl necefTary for the good of the king- 
 dom, feeing him one day in danger of dying, pro- 
 ftrated himfelf before the Divine Majefty to beg his 
 recovery. // is you ^ O Lord^ faid h^^ who have given 
 him to his people ; he is our father y he is our mafter. 
 If we fall into any diforder^ who can fet us to rights 
 again fo well as he ? And if we follow exa5ily what 
 thou haft infpired him to teach us^ why punifhefl thou 
 us by taking him ? As for me^ O Lord^ continued 
 the good prince, 1 can be but little fervtceahle to 
 this world ; if you defire the death of a prince ^ I of- 
 fer up my life with all my heart for a facrifice^ if 
 you will be pleafed to fpare my mafter ^ my king^ and 
 my brother. The hiftory fays, his prayer was 
 heard, for he died as foon as he had put up his 
 petition. An example which demonftrates, that not 
 only the tenour of religion was preferved among 
 thofe people, but farther, that they followed the 
 
 di(5lates 
 
Religion c/ China; 319 
 
 dicftates of the pureft charity, which is the very 
 quIntelTence and perfedion of religion. 
 
 But Tchlm-vam, his Ton and fucceflbr, gave fuch 
 bright marks of his piety, towards the end of his 
 life, that It leaves us no room to doubt of the truth 
 of what I have advanced. You (hall hear what 
 the ancient Chlnefe books fay of him: This prince, 
 fay they, who had always regulated his behaviour 
 according to the ordinances of the fupreme Gover- 
 nor of heaven, fell dangeroufly ill in the fiftieth 
 year of his age, and thirty-feventh of his reign. 
 When he knew the danger he was In, he called to- 
 gether the principal officers of his court, with a 
 defign to nominate his fuccefTor, and that he might 
 omit notliing which was ufually performed on fuch 
 occafions, he arofe from his throne where he had 
 ordered his fervants to fet him ; he made them 
 wafh his hands and face, cloath him with his im- 
 perial habits, and put his crown on his head ; and 
 then, leaning on a table of precious ft one, he fpake 
 to the company in this manner. 
 
 ' My ficknefs Is every day worfe and worfe, for 
 
 * thus has Heaven ordaln'd ; I fear death will feize 
 
 * upon me, and therefore thought myfelf obliged to 
 
 * acquaint you with my laft will. You know how 
 ' great the reputation of my father and grandfa<-her 
 
 * was, and how bright the examples of virtue, which 
 
 * they fet the empire, did appear. I was very un- 
 
 * worthy to fill the place in which thefe great men 
 ' fat j notwithftanding, I did fucceed them, I do 
 ^ neverthelefs acknowledge my ignorance and un- 
 ' fitnefs. 
 
 ' It is for this reafon perhaps, that Heaven has 
 
 * fhorten'd the days of my reign. I ought in this, 
 ' as well as in all other things, to acqulefce ; for 
 
 * you have all {tQn that I have hitherto received its 
 
 * orders with an humble fear, and a profound refpe<fl. 
 
 * I have endeavoured to follow them, without ever 
 
 ^ deviating 
 
320 Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 
 ' deviating from them the leaft in the world ; I have 
 ' alfo all my life time had in my heart my anceftors 
 ' inftrucflions touching my duty to Heaven, and toi 
 
 * my people. On thefe two heads I cannot accufe 
 ' myfelf of any fault, and, if my life has had any 
 ' reputation, it is all owing to that teachablenefs, 
 
 * which has brought down upon me the bleffings of 
 
 * the fovereign Mafter of the world. 
 
 * It is on your account that I fpeak this (addreffing 
 
 * himfelf to his eldeft fon) it is on your account, 
 
 * oh, my fon ; be you the inheritor of your anceftors 
 
 * virtue, rather than of my power and crown. I 
 ' make you a king, 'tis all that you can have of me ; 
 
 * be a wife, virtuous, and unblameable prince, this 
 ' I command you, and the whole empire expedls 
 ' from you." 
 
 Under the reigns of this prince and his fon * it 
 was, that peace, honefty, and juftice reigned in 
 China, fo that they oftentimes fent their prifoners 
 to dig or plough the grounds, or get in the corn, 
 without thinking that the fear of punifhment would 
 make them run away. After harveft they came 
 again to receive that punifhment of their faults 
 which the Mandarines had appointed. 
 
 Laftly, if we examine well the hiftory of China, 
 we ihall ftill find, that for three hundred years after, 
 that is to fay, down to the times of the emperor 
 Yeouvam, who reigned eight hundred years before 
 Chrift, idolatry had not corrupted this people ; fo 
 that they have preferved the knowledge of the true 
 God for near two thoufand years, and did honour 
 their Maker in fuch a manner as may ferve both for 
 an example and inftrudlion to chriflians themfelves. 
 
 They had all along a ftridl care to breed up beafts 
 for facrifices, and to maintain priefts to offer them 
 up ; befides, that the internal worfhip of the mind 
 was prefcribedj they did oblige themfelves to a nice 
 
 obfervation 
 
Religion of China.' 321 
 
 obfervation of even the fmalleft ceremonies v/hich 
 might in any ways be ferviceable to the people's edi- 
 fication j the emprefles did themfelves breed up filk- 
 worms, and with their own hands worked coverings 
 for the altars, and habits for the priefts. The empe- 
 rors have oftentimes tilled the ground, which produ- 
 ced the corn or wine deftined for facred ufes. Again, 
 the priefts never dared to offer facrifices before the 
 people, unlefs prepared for it by an abftinence of three 
 or feven days from conjugal enjoyments. They have 
 had their folemn faft-days, and days of prayer in 
 publick, efpecially when the empire laboured under 
 any publick calamity, either by barrennefs, by floods, 
 by earthquakes, or wars from abroad. 
 
 With this outward worjfhip it is, that the emperors 
 prepare themfelves for war ; for taking upon them- 
 felves the government, or viiiting the provinces ; 
 and that Heaven may favour their enterprifes with 
 fuccefs, they inquire of their fubjecfts of their own 
 faults, that they may amend them, believing that all 
 publick calamities are occafioned thro' their ill go- 
 vernment. We meet with a fignal inftance of this 
 in hiftory, which I cannot forbear reciting. 
 
 An univerfal barrennefs having continued over all 
 the provinces for feven years together (which time 
 feems not far diftant from the feven years of barren- 
 nefs of which the fcripture fpeaks, and perhaps this 
 thing a little looked into may ferve to amend or con- 
 firm our chronology * ) the people were reduced to 
 extreme want ; and when prayers, fafts, and other 
 ads of humiliation were ufed without fuccefs, the 
 emperor not knowing any means proper to be ufed 
 to gain relief from this publick misfortune, after hav- 
 ing offered to God feveral facrifices to appeafe his in- 
 
 • This emperor died 1753 years before the birth of Jefus Chrifl, 
 and the feven years of fcarcity, accordirig to the fcripture, hap- 
 pened 1 743 years before the fame birth. 
 
 I 
 
 dignatjon 
 
322 Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 
 dignation, he refolved at lad to ofFer up himfelf for 
 a facrifice. 
 
 For this purpofe he called together the chief per- 
 fons of his kingdom, in the prefence of them all 
 difmantjed himfelf of his royal apparel, and cloathed 
 himfelf meanly. In this habit, with his head and 
 face bare, in the fame fafliion that a criminal appears 
 before a judge, he marched attended by his whole 
 court, to a mountain a good diftance from the town. 
 When, proftrating himfelf before the divine Majefly, 
 to whom he paid his adorations nine times, he fpake 
 in thefe words : O Lord^ you know the miferies to 
 which we are reduced. It is my Jins which have 
 brought them upon my people ^ I come hither to own and 
 acknowledge it in the prefence of heaven and earth. 
 I'hat I may the better amend my faults^ give me leave^ 
 O Lord^ of all the worlds to ask what action of mine 
 has more particularly given you offence. Is it the fplen- 
 dor of my palace ? I will take care to retrench what is 
 fuperfluous: perhaps the profufenefs of my table^ or 
 the delicacy and voluptuoufnefs of it have brought this . 
 fear city : hereafter nothing fo all be feen there but thrif- 
 tinefs and temperance, The laws permit to me the ufe ~ 
 of concubines^ but perhaps you diflike that I have too ; 
 many, I am ready to leffen the number. And^ if all 
 this be not fufficient to app cafe your jufi indignation^ and 
 you mufi have an oblation \ behold one^ O Lord., I am 
 heartily willing to die,, if thou wilt fpare this good ■ 
 people : let rain come from heaven on their fields to 
 relieve their neceffities^ and thunder on my head to fa- 
 tisfy your juflice. 
 
 The prince's piety touch'd the clouds, for the air 
 was prefently overcaft, and an univerfal rain imme- 
 diately fell, which did in due feafon bring forth a 
 " fruitful harveft. When idolaters feem fcandalized at , 
 the death of Jefus Chrift, we ufe the example of this 
 prince to juftify our faith. You not only approve 
 of this adion, fay we to them, in which one of your 
 
 emperors 
 
Religio^i of Chmzi 32^ 
 
 emperors difrob'd himfelf of all that was magnificent^ 
 and offer'd himfelf a facrifice for his fubjeds ; but 
 : you admire it, and recommend it to pofterity as a fit 
 pattern for all the princes of the world : how then 
 can you diilike that exceffive love and kindnefs^ 
 ; which made Jefus Chrift offer himfelf an oblatiori 
 and facrifice for all men \ and defpoil himfelf of the 
 brightnefs of his Majefty^ to inveft us one day with 
 his glory and divinity ? 
 
 Thefe footfteps of the true religion, which we find 
 
 in China for fo many ages together, carry us naturally 
 
 ! to make a refledion, which will juftify the providence 
 
 of the Almighty in the government of the world. 
 
 People are fometimes amaz'd, that China and the In- 
 
 \ dies have been overfhadow'd by the clouds and dark- 
 
 |; tiefs of idolatry, almoft ever fince the birth of our 
 
 |l Saviour, while Greece, a great part of Africk, and 
 
 1; almofi: all Europe, have enjoy'd the clear light of 
 
 i faith j but they never confider, that China, for two 
 
 : -thoufand years, had the knowledge of the true God,^ 
 
 land have pradis'd the mod pure morality, while 
 
 jl Europe and almoft all the world wallow'd in error 
 
 ■ and corruption. 
 
 God, in the diftribution of his gifts, is notan uh- 
 ijuft refpeder of perfons •, yet he has laid out his times^ 
 I to let his grace (hine forth in due feafon, which, like 
 ^ the fun, rifes and fets in different parts of the world, 
 ' according as people make a good or bad ufe of it. 
 
 I do not know whether I may make bold to add, 
 that as the fun, which by its conftant motion hides 
 i itfelf to fome, to (hew it felf to others, hasnotwith* 
 I ftanding, at the year's end, diftributed to every coun- 
 '' try its equal portion of light and warmth ; fo God by 
 the fecret and hidden courfe of his grace and fpirit, 
 which have been communicated to the world, hath 
 equally divided them to all people in the world, tho* 
 in diffq-ent manners, and at different times. How- 
 ever it be, that Gpd has made his wife diftribution of 
 
 I 
 
 y 2 grace. 
 
324 Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 grace, I am fure of all nations China has lead reafon 
 to complain, fince no one has received a larger portion 
 than fhe. 
 
 The knowledge of the true God, which lafted 
 many ages after the reign of Cam-vam, and in all 
 probability, a long while after the time of Confucius, 
 was not always fupported in the fame purity. Their 
 minds were poiTefled by idolatry, and their manners 
 became fo corrupt, that the true faith, being but the 
 occafion of greater ill, was by little and little taken 
 away from them by the juft judgment of God. A- 
 mong all the fuperilitions which follow 'd hereupon, 
 there were two forts which were principally efta- 
 blifhed, and do, between them at this prefent, com- ; 
 prehend almoft all the empire. 
 
 Li Laokun gave rife to the firft of thefe. He was 
 a philofopher who lived before Confucius ; his birth 
 was prodigious, if you believe what his followers fay of 
 it: for his mother carried him more than fourfcore 
 years in her flanks, from whence, a little before her 
 death, he fprang out of her right fide, which opened 
 itfelf This moniler, to the forrow of his country, 
 furvived his mother, and by his pernicious dodrine 
 in a fliort time grew famous : neverthelefs he wrote 
 feveral ufeful books ; of virtue, of the good of avoid- 
 ing honour, of the contempt of riches, of that in- 
 comparable retirednefs of mind, which feparates us 
 from the world the better to know ourfelves. He 
 often repeated the following fentence, which he 
 faid was the foundation of true wifdom. Eternal 
 reafon produced one^ one produced two^ two produced 
 three ^ and three produced all things : which feems to I 
 fhew as if he had fome knowledge of the Trinity. ' 
 
 But he taught that God was corporeal, and th^t' 
 he governed other deities as a king governs his fub-I 
 jeds. He applied himfelf mightily to chymiftry, of 
 which fome pretend he was the inventer. He beat 
 his brains likewife about the philofopher*s ftone, and 
 
 did 
 
Religion of China. 325 
 
 did at length fancy, that, by a certain fort of drink, 
 
 one might be immortal. To obtain which his follow- 
 
 lowers prad;ife magick, which diabolical art, in a 
 
 fhort time, was the only thing ftudied by the gentry. 
 
 Every body ftudied it in hopes to avoid death \ and 
 
 the women thro' natural curioiity, as well as defire 
 
 I to prolong their life, applied themfelves to it, where- 
 
 , in they exercife all forts of extravagancies, and give 
 
 j themfelves up to all forts of impieties. 
 
 j Thofe, who have made this their profefled bufinefs, 
 
 \ are called Tien fe, that is Heavenly Dodlors-, they 
 
 ji have houfes given them to live together in fociety, 
 
 ;i they ered in divers parts temples to Laokun their 
 
 |i mafter ; king and people honour him with divine 
 
 ! worfhip •, and altho* they have examples enough to 
 
 ^1 have undeceived them from thefe errors, yet they 
 
 I' vehemently purfue immortality, by his precepts who 
 
 \ could never gain it himfelf. 
 
 Time, which ftrengthens and confirms what is ill, 
 
 . did at length gain thefe falfe dodors fuch a reputa- 
 
 j tion, as made them almoft innumerable. The co- 
 
 . venants which they make with the devil, the lots 
 
 , which they cafl:, their magical wonders, whether true 
 
 or only feeming, make them dreaded and admired 
 
 i of the common herd ; and, whencefoever it comes 
 
 to paft, there is no body who does not give fome 
 
 credit to their maxims, or does not hope to avoid 
 
 1 death by their means. 
 
 One of thefe dod;ors * got himfelf fo great a re- 
 putation, that the emperor gave him the name Cham- 
 i ti ; which is the name by which they call God him- 
 I felf \ and fignifies Supreme Emperor. This piece of 
 \ impiety gave the killing blow to the ancient religion ; 
 }t for till then the Chinefe, as much idolaters as they 
 1 were, did always make a diftlndlion between the 
 Cham-ti, and the other gods. But, by a juft judg- 
 ment from God, the family of that prince was ex- 
 
 ' Qhamy 
 
 Y 3 tindt. 
 
 I 
 
326 Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 
 tindt, and the empire, which had hitherto obferved 
 its own rules of government, was the fir ft time forced 
 to fubmit to thofe of the weftern Tartars. This a 
 famous Golao -f, who printed a book, could iiot but 
 acknowledge : In this time^ fays he, the emfercr 
 Hoei-tcoum did^ againfi all manner of reafon^ give the 
 attributes of the fupreme God to a man, nis mofi 
 powerful and adorable God^ above all thefprits in hea- 
 ven^ was fenjible of the wrong done him -, for he pu- 
 nifhed feverely the vjickednefs of this prince^ and ut- 
 terly rooted out his family. 
 
 The fecond i^d:^ which is prevalent in China, and 
 is more dangerous and more univerfally fpread than 
 the former, adore an idol which they call Fo or Foe, 
 as the only god of the world. This idol was brought 
 from the Indies two and thirty years after the death 
 of Jefus Chrift. This poifon began at court, but 
 fpread its infedion thro' all the provinces, and cor- 
 rupted every town : fo that this great body of men, 
 already fpoiled by magick and impiety, was imme^ 
 diately infefted with idolatry, and became a mon- 
 ftrous receptacle for all forts of errors. Fables, fuper- 
 ftitions, tranfmigration of fouls, idolatry and atheifm 
 divided them, and got fo ftrong a maftery over them, 
 that, even at thisprefent, there is not fo great an im- 
 pediment to the progrefs of chriftianity, as is this 
 ridiculous and impious dodlrine. 
 
 ^o body can well tell w}iere this idol Fo, of whom 
 I fpeak, was born*, (I call him an idol and not a 
 man, becaufe fome think it was an apparition from 
 hell) thofe, who with more likelihood fay he was a 
 man, mak^ him born aboye a thoufand years before 
 Jefus Chrift, in a kingdom of the Indies, near the 
 line, "perhaps a little above Bengala.' They fay he 
 was' a king's fon. He was at firft call-d Che-Kia ; 
 but at thirty years of age he took the name of Fo. 
 His mother,' who brought him into the world thro' 
 
 T- -■'■ hey 
 
Religion of China. 3^7 
 
 her right fide, died in childbirth : fhe had a fancy in 
 her dream, that fhe fwallow'd an elephant, and for 
 this reafon it is, that the Indian kings pay fuch ho- 
 nour to white elephants : for the lofs of which, or 
 gaining feme others, they often make bitter wars. 
 
 When this monfter was firft born he had ftrength 
 enough to ftand alone, and he made feven fteps, and 
 pointed with one hand to heaven, and the other to 
 the earth. He did alfo fpeak, but in fuch a manner 
 as fliew'd v/hat fpirit he was pofiefs'd withal. In 
 heaveriy or on earthy fays he, / am the only perfon 
 who deferve to be honoured. At feventeen he married, 
 and had a fon, which he forfook, as he did all the 
 reft of the world, to retire into a folitude with three 
 or four Indian philofophers, whom he took along 
 with him to teach. But at thirty he was on a fud- 
 den poflefs'd, and, as it were, fill'd with the di- 
 vinity, who gave him an univerfal knowledge of all 
 things. From that time he became a god, and be- 
 gan, by a vaft number of feeming miracles, to gain 
 the people's admiration. The number of his difci- 
 ples is very great, and it is by their means, that ail 
 the Indies have been poifoned with his pernicious 
 dodbrine. Thofe of Siam call them Talapoins, the 
 Tartars call them Lamas or Lama-fem, the Japoners 
 Bonzes, and the Chinefe Hocham. 
 
 But this chimerical god found at laft, that he was 
 a man as well others. He died at 79 years of age ; 
 and, to give the finifhing (Iroke to his impiety, he en- 
 deavoured to perfuade his followers to atheifm at his 
 death, as he had perfuaded them to idolatry in his 
 life- time. Then he declared to his followers, that all 
 which he had hitherto told them was enigmatical ; and 
 that they would be miftaken, if they thought there 
 was any other firft principle of things befides nothings 
 // was^ faid he, from this nothings that all things . 
 ffrang'y and it is into this nothings that all things mufi 
 
 Y 4 return. 
 
328 Conceniifig the Ancient and Modern 
 
 return, This is the abyfs where all our hopes nmjl 
 end. 
 
 Since this impoftor confefled, that he had abufed 
 the world in his life, it is but reafonable, that he 
 fhould not be believed at his death. Yet, as impiety- 
 has always more champions than virtue, there was 
 among the Bonzes a particular fe6t of atheifts, formed 
 from the laft words of their mafter. The reft, who 
 found it troublefome to part with their former pre- 
 judices, kept clofe to their firft errors. A third fort 
 endeavoured to reconcile thefe parties together, by 
 compiling a body of dodlrine, in which there is a 
 twofold law, an interior and an exterior. One ought 
 to prepai-e the mind for the reception of the other. 
 It is, fay they, the mould which fupports the mate- 
 rials till the arch be made, and then is taken away as 
 ufelefs. 
 
 Thus the devil, making ufe of mens folly and ma- 
 lice for their deftrudion, endeavours to erafe out of 
 the minds of fome thofe excellent ideas of God, 
 which are fo deeply ingraved there, and to imprint 
 in the minds of others the worfhip of falfe gods un- 
 der the fhapes of a multitude of different creatures, 
 for they did not ftop at the worfhip of this idol. 
 The ape, the elephant, the dragon, have been wor- 
 fhipped in feveral places, under pretence perhaps, 
 that the god Fo had fucceffively been tranfmigrated 
 into thefe creatures. China, the moft fuperftitious of 
 all nations, increafed the number of her idols, and 
 one may now fee all forts of them in the temples, 
 which ferve to abufe the folly of this people. 
 
 It is true, they fometimes do not pay to thefe gods 
 all that refped which feems due to their quality. For 
 it often happens, that, if the people after worfhipping 
 them a great while do not obtain what they defire, 
 they turn them off, and look upon them as impotent 
 gods, others ufe them in the moft reproachful man- 
 ner : fame load them with hard names, others with 
 
 hard 
 
Religio?2 of China. 329 
 
 hard blows. How now. Dog of a fpirii^ fay they 
 to them fometimes, we give you a lodging in a mag- 
 nificent temple, we gild you handfomely, feed you 
 well, and often offer incenfe to you, and after all 
 this care, which we take of you, you are fo ungrate- 
 ful as to refufe what we ask of you. 
 
 Then they tie him with cords, pluck him down, 
 and drag him along the ftreets thro' all the mud and 
 dunghills, to punifh him for the expence of perfume 
 which they have offered up to him for nothing. If 
 in the mean time it happens, that they obtain what 
 they did defire, then they take the idol, and with a 
 great deal of ceremony carry him back and place him 
 in his nich again, after they have wafhed and clean- 
 fed him : they fall down to him, and make excufes 
 for what they have done. In truth, fay they, we 
 were a little too hafty, as well as you was fomev/hat 
 too long in your grant ; why fhould you bring this 
 beating on yourfelf ? Were it not better to have 
 granted our petition of your own free will, rather 
 than be forced to do it ? But what is done can't be 
 'now undone, let us not therefore think of it any 
 more •, if you will forget what is paffed we will gild 
 you over again. 
 
 A few years ago there happened a paflage at Nan- 
 klm, which does very well difcover v/hat an opinion 
 the Chinefe have of their gods. A man, whofe only 
 daughter was very ill, tried all the phyficians, but 
 without effed ; he thought it therefore his beft way 
 to betake himfelf to the affiftance of his gods. Pray- 
 ers, offerings, alms, facrifices, and all other means, 
 were ufed to obtain relief. The Bonzes, who were 
 greafed in the fift, promifed that an idol, v/hofe 
 power they mightily boafted, fhould grant her reco- 
 very. For all this the woman died, the father out 
 of meafure grieved, refolved to revenge himfelf, and 
 to bring a formal accufation againft the idol. 
 
 He 
 
330 Concermng the Ancient and Modem 
 
 He put in his complaint therefore to the judge of 
 the place, in which after he had lively ihewed forth 
 the deceitfulnefs of this unjuft god, he faid, that he 
 defer ved an exemplary punifhment for having broke 
 his word. If this ipirit, faid he, could cure my 
 daughter, i 's palpable cheating to take my money, 
 and yet let her die. If he could not do it, what does 
 he fignify ? And how came he by his quality of god- 
 fhip ? Do we worihip him, and the Vv^hole province 
 offer him facriiice for nothing at all ? So that he con- 
 cluded it to be either ficm the malice and weaknefs 
 of the idol, that the cure was not performed *, where- 
 fore his temple he judged ought to be pulled down, 
 his priefts fhamefully difmifled, and the idol punifhed 
 in his own private perfon. 
 
 The bufmefs feemed of confequence to the judge, 
 wherefore he fent it to the governor, who, defiring to 
 have nothing to do with thofe of the other world, 
 de/ired the viceroy to examine into it. After he had 
 heard the Bonzes, who were extremely concerned at 
 it, he took their part, and advifed him not to perfift 
 in the caufe any longer : for, faid he to him, you are 
 not wife, to concern yourfelf with this fort of fpi- 
 rits. They are naturally ill tempered,, and I am 
 afraid will play fome ill trick. Believe me, you had 
 better come to an agreement. The Bonzes affure 
 me, that the idol fliall do what is reafonable on his 
 part, provided you on your part do not carry things 
 too high. 
 
 But the man, who was almoft mad for the death 
 of his daughter, did conflantly proteft, that he would 
 fooner pcrilh than relinquifh his juft rights. The {t\\- 
 tence is given for me, faid he, the idol fancied, that 
 he might commit any fort of injuftice without pu- 
 niihment, becaufe he thought no body would be 
 bold enough to take him to task ; but he is not {o 
 fefe as he thinks, and a little time will fhew which of 
 
 us 
 
Religion ^ China. 331 
 
 us IS the moft wicked, and the mofl: a devil of the 
 two. 
 
 The viceroy could not now go back, and was 
 fain therefore to grant a trial *, he fent the cafe to the 
 fovereign council at Pekin, who remitted the trial to 
 him again, he therefore fubpCena'd the parties. The 
 devil, who had but too many friends among all forts 
 of men, had alfo his fhare among the lawyers and 
 prodors 5 thofe of them, to whom the Bonzes gave 
 largely, found their caufe good, and fpoke with fo 
 much concern and vehemence, that the idol itfelf 
 could not have pleaded better its own caufe. Yet 
 they had to deal with a fubtle adverfary, who had 
 been beforehand with them, and had cleared the 
 judge's underftanding by a large bribe, being tho- 
 roughly perfuaded, that the devil muft be very cun- 
 ning indeed, to withftand fo clear an argument as 
 this laft was to the judges. 
 
 In fhort, after a great many hearings, the man 
 carried his point. The idol was condemned to a per- 
 petual banifhment, as ufelefs to the kingdom, and 
 his temple was to be plucked down; and the Bonzes 
 who reprefented him were feverely chaftlfed •, they 
 might notv/Ithftanding apply themfelves to the fer- 
 ylce of other fpirits, to make themfelves amends for 
 the damage they had received for loving this. 
 
 Can any one who has not loft his fenfes adore gods 
 of this charader, weak, fearful, and whom one 
 may affrpnt fafely ? But alas ! We may flatter our- 
 felves that we are never fo wife, yet how much is 
 pur wifdom diftant from reafon, when it is diftant 
 from the true faith. 
 
 Inftead of coming hereby to a knowledge of the 
 weaknefs of their gods, the people grow more and 
 more blind every day. The Bonzes are above all 
 obliged to keep up their credit and reputation, be- 
 caufe of the advantage they make thereby. To 
 bring this about the better, they make ufe of the fol- 
 lowing 
 
2^2 Concer7img the Ancient and Modern 
 maxims of morality, which they take great care to 
 propagate. 
 
 We muft not think, fay they, that good and evil 
 are as confufed in the other world as they are in this •, 
 there are there rewards for the good, and piinifh- 
 ments for the bad •, which has occafioned different 
 places to be fet apart for the fouls of men, according 
 to every one's merit. The god Fo was the faviour 
 of the world, he was born to teach the v/ay of fal- 
 vation, and to make expiation for all our fins. 
 
 He has left us ten commandments. The firft for- 
 bids the killing of any living creature of what fort 
 foever ; the fecond commands not to take another 
 man's goods ; the third not to give up one's felf to 
 impurity ; the fourth not to lye \ and the fifth to 
 drink no wine. 
 
 Befides thefe, they recommend to the people's prac- 
 tice feveral works of mercy. Entertain and nourifh 
 up, fay they, the Bonzes ; build them monafteries 
 and temples, that their prayers and voluntary pe- 
 nances may obtain for you exemption from that pu- 
 nifhment which your fins have defer ved. Burn paper 
 gilt and wafhed with filver, habits made of fluff and 
 filk. All thefe in the other world fhall be turned 
 into real gold and filver, and into true and fubftan- 
 tial garments, which fhall be given to your fathers 
 faithfully, who will make ufe of them as they have 
 occafion. If you do not regard thefe commands, 
 you fhall be after your death cruelly tormented, and 
 expofed to feveral Metempfycofes or tranfmigrations ; 
 that is to fay, you fhall be born in the fhape of rats, 
 horfes, mules, and all other creatures. This lafl 
 point makes a great impref!ion upon their minds. 
 
 I remember, that, being in the province of Xanfi, 
 I was fent for to chriilen a fick perfon. It was an 
 old man of threefcore and ten, who lived upon a 
 fmall penfion, which the emperor had given him. 
 When I came into his chamber, O my good father, fays 
 he, how much am I obliged to you^ who ^re going 
 
 tQ 
 
Religion of China. 333 
 
 to deliver me from a great deal of torment. Bap- 
 tifm, anfwered I, does not only deliver from the 
 torment of hell, but intitles us to the enjoyment of 
 a place in patadife : O how happy v/ill it be for you 
 to go to heaven, eternally to live in the prefence of 
 God ! I do not, faid the fick man, underftand what 
 you mean, nor perhaps have I explained my mean- 
 ing clearly to you -, you know, father, I have lived 
 a long time upon the emperor's bounty. The Bon- 
 zes, who are perfedly well acquainted with all the 
 tranfadlons of the other world, aflure me, that I 
 fhall be obliged after my death, by way of recom- 
 penfe for my penfion, to ferve him, and that my foul 
 will infallibly go into one of his poft horfes, to carry 
 difpatches from court thro' all the province. They 
 have therefore been advifing me to mind my duty in 
 that new ftate ; not to ftumble, nor kick, nor bite, 
 nor otherwife hurt any one ; run well, and eat little, 
 and, be patient, fay they, and you may move the 
 gods to compaflion, who often, of a good beaft, 
 make at length a perfon of quality, or a confiderable 
 Mandarine. I proteft, father, the very thoughts of 
 it makes me quake, it never comes into my mind, 
 but I tremble ; yet I dream of it every night, and 
 fometimes methinks in my fleep I am already in the 
 harnefs, ready to run at the firft jerk of the poftilion. 
 Then I wake in a great fweat, and half mad, fcarcely 
 knowing, whether I am a man or a horfe. But, 
 alas ! What will be my forrow when this will be no 
 more a dream but a reality. 
 
 This therefore, father, is the courfe I took. They 
 tell me, that thofe of your religion are not fubjedl to 
 thofe changes : that men are always men, and are, 
 in the other world, of the fame kind as they are here. 
 I beg of you therefore to receive me among you. I 
 know your religion is hard to obferve ; yet, if it had 
 ten times more difficulties, I am ready to embrace it 5, 
 and, whatfoever trouble it put me to, I had rather be 
 a chriftian than be turned Into a beaft. This dif- 
 
 courfe. 
 
334 Cmcermng the Ancient and Modern 
 courfe^ and the condition the man was in, wrought 
 me into compafTion ; and afterwards confidering with 
 myfelf, that God makes ufe of ignorance and folly 
 to bring men to the knowledge of the truth, I took 
 an occafion from thence to undeceive him of his mif- 
 takes, and to lead him into the way of falvation. I 
 inflrutfled him a great while, at laft he believed : and 
 I had the comfort to fee him die, not only with a 
 clearer and better underftanding of things, but far- 
 ther with all the marks of a good chriftian. 
 
 In procefs of time, the fuperftitions of the people 
 grew fo numberlefs, that I do not believe any nation 
 under the fun is fo full of whimfies as China. The 
 Mandarines are obliged to condemn all thefe fedls 
 as hereticks, as indeed they do in their books ^ but 
 yet fpringing themfelves moftly from idolatrous fa- 
 milies, and having been inftrudled by the Bonzes, 
 they in their pradlice follow the example of the com- 
 mon people. 
 
 Two of thefe Bonzes, feeing one day in a rich far- 
 mer's yard two or three large ducks, fell on their 
 faces before the door, and figh'd and wept grievoufly. 
 The good woman, feeing them out of her chamber 
 window, came down to fee what was the occafion 
 of their tears. We know, faid they, that the fouls 
 of our fathers are tranfmigrated into thofe creatures, 
 and the f?ar we are in, left you ftiould kill them, will 
 without doubt go near to kill us : It is true, faid the 
 woman, we did intend to fell them, but, fince they 
 are your fathers, I promife you we will keep them. 
 
 This anfwer was not for the Bonzes purpofe. But, 
 continued they, perhaps your hufband will not be fo 
 charitable, and then, if any accident ihould happen to 
 them, you may be fure it will kill us. At laft, after 
 a long difcourfe, the good woman was fo far moved 
 with their pretended grief, that fhe gave them the 
 ducks to look after for fome time to comfort them. 
 They took them vvdth a great deal of refpedl, pro- 
 ftrating themfelves twenty times to thems but that 
 
 very 
 
Religion of China. 335 
 
 very evening they made an entertainment of them 
 for fome of their company, and fattened themfelves 
 with them. 
 
 A prince of the blood loft a young man for whom 
 he had a particular love ; a few years after he fpoke 
 of it with a great deal of warmth and concern to the 
 Bonzes, who faid to him: My lord, do not trouble 
 yourfelf any more, your lofs may be repaired-, he 
 whom you grieve for is in Tartary, and his foul is 
 pafTed into a young man's body -, but there muft be a 
 great deal of money to find where he is, and you muft 
 give good prefents to the priefts of that country. 
 This news pleafed the prince mightily, fo that he gave 
 them what they defired *, and a few months after they 
 got a boy any where, and gav-e him to the prince in- 
 flead of the boy who was dead. Thus it is, that 
 the whole country^ from the peafant to the prince, 
 are bubbled by thefe minifters of iniquity. 
 
 If they can't thus tiick people out of their money, 
 they try to get it out of them by doing adls of pe- 
 nance publickly, which the people efteem them 
 mightily for, and fhew them a great deal of pity and 
 compaflion. I have feen them dragging after them a 
 long chain of iron as thick as one's arm, about thirty 
 feet long, faftened to the neck or legs. Thus it is, 
 fay they, at every door as they pafs, that we expiate 
 your faults, fure this deferves fome fmall alms. 
 Others in publick places knock their pates with all 
 their force with large bricks, till they are almoft co- 
 ver'd with blood. They have feveral other peniten- 
 tial adions •, but what I was moft furprifed at was this. 
 One day I met in the middle of a town a young 
 Bonze of a good mien, a genteel and modeft look, 
 fuch as might eafily move any one's compaflion and 
 charity. He ftood upright in a fort of a fedan very 
 clofe fhut, the infide of which was like an harrow 
 full of nails very thick, with their points flicking out 
 towards the man in the chair, fo that he could not 
 bend either gne way or t'other without wounding him- 
 
 felf. 
 
336 Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 
 felf. Two fellows were hir'd to carry him from 
 houfe to houfe, where he begg'd the people to have 
 compaflion on him. 
 
 He told them he was fhut up in that chair for the 
 good of their fouls, and was refolv'd never to go out 
 from thence till they had bought all the nails (of 
 which there were above two thoufand) at the rate of 
 fix-pence a-piece, of which nails, the very fmalleft he 
 had would derive incomparable bleflings on them and 
 their families. If you buy any of them, you will do 
 an action of heroick virtue, and your alms are not 
 beftow'd on the Bonzes, to whom you may take other 
 opportunities of beftowing your charity, but to the god 
 Fp, in whofe honour we are going to build a temple. 
 
 In the mean while I happen'd to pafs thro' the 
 ftreet *, the Bonze, feeing me, came and told me the 
 fame tale. I told him, that he was very unhappy to 
 torment himfelf thus in this world for no good, and 
 did counfel him therefore to come out of his prifon, 
 to go to the temple of the true God to be inftruded 
 in heavenly truths, and fubmit to penance lefs fevere, 
 but more wholfome. He was fo far from being in a 
 paflion with me, that he anfwer'd me calmly and 
 courteoufiy, that he was much obliged to me for my 
 good advice, and would be more obliged to me ftill, 
 if I would buy a dozen of his nails, which would 
 certainly make me have a good journey. 
 
 Here hold your hand, fays he, turning on one 
 fide, take thefe ; upon the faith of a Bonze they are 
 the very beft in all my fedan, for they prick me the 
 moft, yet you fhall have them at the fame rate at 
 which I fell the others. He fpoke thofe words in 
 fuch a manner, as would have made me on any other 
 occafion have laugh'd •, but at that time his blindnefs 
 raifed my compaflion, and I was ftrangely concerned 
 to fee that bondman of the devil fuffer more to work 
 out his own deftrudion, than a chriftian need do to 
 gain his falvation. 
 
 Yet 
 
Religion ^ China. 337 
 
 Yet all the Bonzes are not penitents : while fome 
 abufe the credulous by their hypocritical pretences^* 
 others get money out of them by magical arts, fe- 
 cret thefts, horrible murders, and a thoufand detefta- 
 ble abominations, which modefty won't let me men- 
 tion here. People, who are only outwardly religious, 
 fpare nothing to gratify their pafiions ; and if they 
 can but efcape the juftice of men, which in this place 
 fpares none who are caught wronging their neigh- 
 bour, they care not what they do in the eyes: of that 
 God whom they will fcarcely own. 
 
 Although the generality of the people are preju- 
 diced in favour of them, yet the wifer fort are al- 
 ways upon their guard againft thefe Wretches ; and 
 the magiftrates always take great notice of what they 
 do in their monafteries. It happened a few years 
 igo, that a governor of a town, palling with his train 
 n the highway, fav/ a great company of people got 
 ;ogether, and had the curiofity to (tndi to know what 
 vas the occafion of their meeting there. 
 
 The Bonzes were folemnizing an extraordinary {t{- 
 
 ival ; they had fet a machine upon a ft age, at the 
 
 op of which a young man put out his head over a; 
 
 ittle rail, which went all round the machine. The 
 
 ail hid his arms and all his body ; one could fee 
 
 othing at liberty but his eyes, v/hich he rolled 
 
 bout as if he was diftradled. Below this machine 
 
 ii old Bonze appeared upon the ftage, who told the 
 
 eople that the young man which they faw was go- 
 
 ig to facrifice himfelf, according to cuftom, in this 
 
 lanner. There ran by the road fide a deep river. 
 
 ,to which he would prefently throw himfelf head- 
 
 ng. He can't die, added the Bonze, ifhewould, 
 
 xaufe at the bottom of the river he will be receiv^ed 
 
 r charitable fpirits, who will give him as good a" 
 
 elcome as he can deiire ; and indeed it is the 
 
 |feateft happinefs that can poflibly befal him \ an 
 
 mdred perfons have defired to facriiice themfelves 
 
 Z jjnftead 
 
338 CoJicerning the Ancient a7id Modern 
 
 fnftead of him, but him we chofe before the reft, 
 becaufe of his zeal and other virtues. 
 
 When the Mandarine had heard this fpeech, he 
 faid, that the young man indeed had a great deal of 
 courage, but he wonder'd much that he did not 
 him i elf tell the people of this his refolution ; let him 
 come down a little, faid he, that we may talk with 
 him. The Bonze, who was confounded at this or- 
 der, did all he could to hinder it, and did proteft, 
 that the whole facrifice would be inefFedlual if he 
 fpake a word, nay, if he did but open his mouth, 
 and for his part he could not anfwer for the mifchief 
 fuch a thing would bring upon the province. For 
 the mifchief you talk of, rephed the Mandarine, I'll 
 be refponfible •, and then he commanded the young 
 man to come down •, he gave no other anfwer to 
 thefe commands but hideous and frightful looks, 
 and various diftortions of his eyes, which almoft 
 ftarted out of his head. 
 
 You may from herice, faid the Bonze, judge what 
 violence you offer him in commanding him down. 
 He is already almoft diftrarded, and if you continue 
 your command you will make him die with grief 
 This did not make the Mandarine change his refolu- 
 tion, but he order'd fome of his retinue to go up and 
 bring him down. They found him tied and bound 
 down on every ftde, with a gag in his mouth ; and 
 as foon as they had untied him, and taken away the 
 gag from the poor fellow*s mouth, he cried out, as 
 ioud as he couki bawl j Ah ! my lord, revenge me 
 againft thofe aftaftins, who were going to drown me. 
 I am a batchelof of arts, and was going to the court 
 at Pekin, to affift at the examinations there •, yefter- 
 day a company of Bonzes feiz'd upon me violenth/i 
 and this morning very early they bound me to thi^ 
 machine, taking from me all power of crying ou^ 
 or complaining, and intending to drown me thi^: 
 
 evening 
 
Religion of China* 339 
 
 evening, being refolv'd to accomplifli their accurs'd 
 ceremonies at the expence of my life. 
 
 When he began to fpeak the Bonzes were march- 
 
 j Ing off, but the officers of juilice, who always at-- 
 tend the governdrs, flopped feveral of them. The 
 chief of them, who had pretended juft before that 
 the young man could not be drownM, was himfelf 
 immediately thrown into the river and drown'd ; the 
 
 I others were carried to prifon, and did after receive 
 
 : that punifhment which they defer v*d. 
 
 Since the Tartars have been emperors of China^ 
 
 i the Lamas, another fort of Bonzes, have been eil:a« 
 
 ^ blifh'd there. Their habit is different from thofe of 
 China both in fhape and colour, but their religion is 
 
 j. the fame with the Chinefe, and they worfhip the god 
 
 ' Fo ; they differ from the Chinefe only in a fev/ parti- 
 cular fuperflitious pradlices. Thefe Lamas are chap* 
 
 I lains to the Tartar nobility who live at Pekin ; but 
 
 !i in Tartary they themfelves arc the gods whidh the 
 
 \ people worfhip. 
 
 There it is that the god Fo has his moft famous 
 feat, where he appears under a fenfible figure, and, as 
 
 ■ they fay, never dies. He is kept in a temple, and 
 I an infinite number of thefe Lamas ferve him with an 
 j ineffable veneration, which they llrive as much as 
 ^ they can to imprint upon the minds of all others 
 
 whatfoever. When he dies, for he is but a man 
 placed there, they put in his room a Lamas of the 
 I lame flature, and, as near as they can, of the fame 
 \ features, that the people may be the better deceived 
 I by it. Thus the people of this country, and efpecially 
 ! all flrangers, are eternally bubbl'd by thefe impoflors. ' 
 
 Among the different religions exercis'd in China, I 
 do not think it worth v/hileto mention to your high- 
 ■liefs a few Mahometans, who have iiv'd for thefe fix 
 [hundred years, in feveral provinces, and are never 
 'diflurb'd, becaufe they never diflurb any one t\(c 
 
 ■ upon the fcore of religion, being content to enjoy it 
 
 Z 2 , themfelves J 
 
 I 
 
3 4o Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 
 themfelves, or to propagate it there among their 
 kindred by marriages. However, it may be of ufe 
 to tell you of a third fed, which is the religion, or 
 philofophy, or policy of fome of the learned *, for 
 one cannot tell by what name to call this dodrine, 
 which is fo obfcure, that the very profeflbrs of it 
 fcarce underftand what they teach ; they call it in 
 their language lukiao, and is a fed of learned men. 
 
 That you may underftand v/hat I am going to tell 
 you. you muft know that civil wars, magick, and 
 idolatry having put the empire into confufion for 
 many ages, the love of learning was quite cafhier*d, 
 and there were found few dodlors, who could by 
 their writings awaken the minds of men out of that 
 lethargy into v/hich ignorance and corruption of 
 manners had luU'd them •, only, about 1070 *, fome 
 creditable expounders were found *, and, in 1200, one 
 do6tor did diftinguifh himfelf from all others, for his 
 extraordinary underftanding •, by his example they 
 began by degrees to take fome pleafure in reading 
 ancient books, which they had before thrown afide. 
 
 Laftly, in the year 1400, the emperor, being wil- 
 ling to ftir up in his fubjefts a love of learning, made 
 choice of fourfcore and two of the moft ingenious 
 dodors, whom he commanded to compile a fyftem 
 agreeable to the fentiments of the ancient writers, 
 which might ferve as a diredion for the learned here- 
 after. The Mandarines, who had the commiflion, 
 fet themfelves diligently to work -, but being preju- 
 diced with thofe opinions which idolatry had diffufed 
 all over China, inftead of following the true fenfe of 
 the ancients, they tried, by falfe glofles and inter- 
 pretations, to diftort the v/ords and fayings of the 
 ancients to their prejudicate opinions. 
 
 They fpake of God as nothing different from na- 
 ture itfelf ^, that is, from that power, energy, or na- 
 tural virtue which did produce, and put in order, all 
 
 the 
 
 * After our Saviour. , 
 

 Religio?2 ^ China. 341 
 
 the parts of the world, and which does ftill keep 
 them that in order. He is, fay they, a moft pure and 
 moft perfedl principle ; he is the fource of all things, 
 and the eflence of all beings, and that which confti- 
 tutes the formal difference of every thing. They 
 made ufe of thofe magnificent exprefTions of the an- 
 cients, that they might feem to keep to their doc- 
 trine ; but indeed they raifed new opinions, becaufe 
 ; they underftand hereby I can't tell what fort of in- 
 ' fenfible foul of the world, which they imagine 
 fpread thro' matter, upon which it produces the fe- 
 veral mutations we fee. This is not that fupreme 
 Emperor of heaven, all juft and all powerful, the 
 chief of all creatures : in their works nothing is found 
 J but a better fort of atheifm, and a licentious freedom 
 ' from the worfhip of God. 
 
 But, whether it was becaufe they were unwilling 
 to exprefs themfelves plainly, or did accidentally 
 make ufe of expreflions of a larger fignification than 
 their meaning, yet they talk of Heaven as did the 
 ancients, and afcribe to nature almoil all thofe per- 
 fedions which we attribute to God. They tolerate 
 willingly the Mahometans, becaufe like them they 
 adore the Mafter and King of Heaven. They per- 
 fecute all other feds with great violence, which at 
 court they took up a refolution utterly to abolifh 
 throughout the whole emxpire. 
 
 Yet many reafons perfuaded them from putting 
 this refolution in practice, the chief of which were 
 thefe ; even feveral among the learned were di/Ien- 
 I ters from this new eftablifh'd dodlrine, for they 
 . could not fhake off the prejudices they had fucked 
 ; in : befides all the people were wholly biafs'd in fa- 
 vour of idols, fo that their temples could never be 
 pull'ddown, but infurredions and diflurbances mufl 
 I necefTarily enfue. They were therefore contented 
 to adjudge at Pekin all the other feds hereticks 
 
 Z 3 (which 
 
34? Concerning the Ancient and Modern 
 (which they ilill do every year) without fetting them-? 
 felves effedlually to flop the pradice of them. 
 
 Thefe new books compofed by their moft learned 
 men, and honour'd by the emperor's own approba- 
 tion, were greedily received by every body. Some 
 lU^'d them, becaufe they deftroy'd all forts of religion, 
 and thefe make up the greateft number of this fed. 
 Others approved of them, becaufe the religion which 
 they contained was fp verylittle, that it coft them no 
 pains nor trouble to pradife it *, and thus was the fed 
 of the learned form'd, of whom one may juftly fay, 
 they honour God with their mouth and with their 
 lip^, for they often fay, that we muft adore and obey 
 ^Heaven *, but their hearts are diflant from him, fee- 
 ing they explain thofe words in fuchafort as deftroy^ 
 the very being of God, and ftifles all fenfe of religion. 
 
 Thus this people, fo wife heretofore, fo full of 
 knowledge, and (If I may ufe the expreffion) of the 
 fpirit of God, are now in thefe laft days miferably 
 fallen into fuperftltion, magick, paganifm ; and 
 laftly, into atheifm itfelf, falling by degrees, ftory 
 by ftory, till they come to the very bottom of the 
 building j becoming thereby enemies to that reafon 
 which they had fo conftantly followed, and abomi- 
 nable to that very nature to which they now give 
 fuch high encomiums. 
 
 This is, my lord, an account of the prefent (late of 
 China, with refped to the feveral religions there in ufe \ 
 for, as for the political honours which they pay to Con- 
 fucius, they are not divine v/orfhip, and the palaceSj 
 which are calPd by his name^ are not temples, but 
 houfes for learned men to aflemble in. I was unwil- 
 ling to particularize their ceremonies, their opinionSj 
 ^nd their morals ; beiides that it would be tedious and 
 endlefs, it is very difficult to give a certain account 
 of them ; becaufe the Bonzes do every day invent 
 new whimfies, and, if they can but live at othe^ 
 pther people's charge by ^bufmg them^ they ^o not 
 
 yalu| 
 
Religion ^ China. 34J 
 
 lvalue whether they exadly follow the dodrine of 
 Itheir predeceflbrs, which Is in efFed neither better 
 fnor freer from abfurdities than their own. 
 
 Nothing now remains, but that I give your emi- 
 inence an account to which of thefe feds, which di- 
 vide the kingdom, the emperor is moft inclinable. 
 This prince, who is naturally wife and politick, has 
 always kept in with the people. As he is upon a 
 throne which the leaft blaft may fliake, he endea- 
 vours, as mXTch as he can, to ftrengthen it by his 
 people's love; he is fo far from provoking them, that 
 he makes himfelf very popular, yet not to fuch a 
 degree as his father did, left he fhould bring upon 
 himfelf the Mandarines hatred-, yet much more than 
 did the ancient emperors, to the end, that he may 
 as much as pofTible fweeten that yoke, which a new 
 government has put on their fhoulders. 
 
 He does therefore permit, or rather tolerate fuper- 
 ftition ; he pays a great deal of refped to feveral 
 Bonzes of the firft rank, who have behaved them- 
 felves well in any of the provinces, or at court ; 
 nay, he does his own temper that violence as to let 
 fome of them live in his palace, thofe whom the 
 princefs his mother had before brought and eftablifh'd 
 there : but, tho* he thus favours their perfons, he Is 
 no flave to their opinions. He perfec5lly underftands 
 the folly of them, and does upon feveral occafions 
 laugh at thofe things which they enjoin for principles 
 of religion, as extravagancies and fables. He often 
 fends thofe who fpeak to him of them to the miflio- 
 naries : Hear^ fays he, thofe fathers who reafon fo 
 well^ I am fure they will not be of your mind. One 
 day he faid to father Verbieft, his mathematician, 
 fVby do not you fpeak of God as we do ? People would 
 he lefs fet againfi your religion, Tou call him Tien- 
 tchu *, and we call him Cham-ti, Is it not the fame 
 thing ? Will you leave the uje of a good word hecaufe 
 
 Z 4 people 
 
 fTi^tiitxhxJigmfes herd of Heaven ; Cham-ti Sovereign Emperor. 
 
3 4-4- Co7icerning the Ancienf and Modern 
 
 people give falfe interpretations of it ? My lord^ faid 
 the father, / know that your majejly does follow 
 the old dctfrine of China, which federal dolors 
 have for faken : and^ if we fhould ufe their words ^ they 
 would fancy we believe as they believe \ hut if your 
 majefly will by a proclamation publickly declare that 
 the word Cham-ti ftgnifies the fame in effeB^ that the 
 chriflians mean by Tien-tchu^ we are reaS.y to 'make ufe 
 of any one of them as foon as the other. He liked 
 the father's anfvver, but reafons of flate hinder'd 
 him from following his advice. 
 
 When the queen-mother was dead, thofe, who 
 had the care of the funeral committed to them, in- 
 formed the prince that it was neceflary, according 
 to ancient cuflom, to pull down part of the palace- 
 wall, that the body might be carried thro' the breach \ 
 becaufe that the royal family would be cxpofed to a 
 great many misfortunes, if the body v/as carried thro' 
 the ordinary pafTages. Ton di,o not talk rationally^ faid 
 the emperor to them, your heads are full of whimf.es, 
 J Vb at folly is it to think my good or bad fortune depends 
 upon the way by which my mother goes to her tomb y 
 It was my unhappincfs to lofc ber^ and to fear any m:f 
 fortune^ after fo great a lofs^ would be to difhoncur her 
 after her deaths by fuperflitious rites and ridiculous ce- 
 remonies. Some time after feveral maids of honour to 
 the emprefs came and fell at the emperor's feet, and 
 begg'd v/ith tears, that he would fuffer them, who 
 had ferv'd the emprefs here, to follow her into the 
 other world, where their fervices might be needful 
 to her. He faid to them : I have taken care of that 
 already,, you need not therefore put yourfelves to farther 
 trouble about it. And, for fear left a cruel zeal might 
 prompt them to lay violent hands on themfelves, he 
 commanded their hair to be immediately cut ojfF, and 
 that they fhould be confin'd. When they are fhav'd, 
 they fancy themfelves ufelefs, and unfit to ferve per- 
 fons of quality in the other world. 
 Thefe 
 
Religion of China. 345 
 
 Thefe examples are enough to let us fee, that the 
 emperor Is very far from giving himfelf up to all 
 thefe popular extravagancies. He honours Con- 
 fucius as the firft and wifeft philofopher in the 
 world *, in feveral things he follows cuilom, when 
 he judges it much for his interefi: ; at certain 
 times of the year he offers facrifices in the temples, 
 according to ancient pradice, yet he fays, it is 
 only in honour of the Cham-ti, and that he a- 
 dores no other but the fupreme Lord of the uni- 
 verfe. Thus far the inftru<5lions of the miffiona- 
 ries have work'd upon him. He believes in one 
 God, but diate reafons, and the gratification of his 
 pafTions, which are oppoiite to the fpirit of Jefus 
 Chrift, have never fuffered him to open his eyes 
 to the truth of the gofpel. The rigidnefs and 
 fevcrity of morals, which this requires, oftentimes 
 flops the moft refolute ; and we fee every day 
 perfons in the world, who have a greatnefs of 
 foul enough to deferve the name of Heroes, who 
 do yet want courage when they ought to behave 
 themfelves as thofe who bear that of Chriftians. 
 
 Neverthelefs, this prince would not have any 
 one think that he rejedls our religion for want of 
 courage. He told his mind to father Verbieft 
 one day in thefe words : Tour law is hard^ yet^ 
 whatever difficulty was to he undergone^ I jhould not 
 ftlck one minute to he of it^ were I convinced of the 
 truth of it. If I was oyice a chriftian^ ' I am pretty 
 well fatisfied that in three or four years the whole 
 empire would he fo too : For I am their majier. 
 We might have fome hopes from thefe fentiments 
 of the prince, if we were not on the other fide 
 perfuaded, that the love of pleafure, and the fear 
 of giving occafion to fome revolution in the em- 
 pire, were not almoft invincible hindrances to his 
 converfion. 
 
 But 
 
346 Of the EJiabliJhment and Progrefs, &c. 
 
 But who can find out the Almighty's defigns ? 
 And who has hitherto penetrated into the myfte- 
 ries of his eternal councils ? Are not the hearts of 
 the greatefl princes as well as of the meaneft 
 people in his keeping ? it is from that Almighty 
 hand that all our hopes are which has already- 
 confounded an infinite number of idols, and over- 
 thrown many of their temples ; it has made vice- 
 roys, minifters of ftate, princes, and one emprefs 
 fubmit to the yoke of chriftianity. The more 
 the converfion of the emperor requires miracles, 
 the more worthy it is of the great power and in- 
 finite goodnefs of God, who is called Great for 
 no other reafon than for the great and mighty 
 things which he hath done. 
 
 Thus, my lord, if Europe continues to fend 
 into China fervent and devout mifTionaries, we 
 may hope, that God will vouchfafe to make ufe 
 of their zeal for the accomplifhment of this great 
 work. I am, in the moil profound manner. 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 Tour Eminence's jnojt ohedient 
 
 and mojt humble Servant^ 
 
 L.J. 
 
 LET- 
 
347 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 ^0 Monjieur Rouillle, Counfellor of Stale in 
 Ordinary, 
 
 f)f the EJlabliJhment and Progrefs of the Chrijlian 
 Religion in China» 
 
 Sir^ 
 
 THE ardent zeal, which you have always (hew- 
 ed towards eftabliihing and promoting the 
 chriftian religion In China, makes me hope, that 
 you will be pleafed with the letter which I now 
 take the boldnefs to write to you. You will not 
 only read therein thofe things which I have al- 
 ready had the honour to dlfcourfe with you fo 
 often about, but alfo many other ufeful remarks, 
 which I hope may be worthy your curiofity ^nd 
 attention. 
 
 It will, without doubt, bring you a great deal 
 pf comfort, by fhewing you, that your care, your 
 prayers, and your bounty have been feconded by 
 Heaven ; and that, in contributing fo much as you 
 have done to the converfion of fo many fouls, you 
 will at the end of the world be accounted a father 
 pf many faithful. 
 
 But, in fplte of all that I can fay, you will 
 not be made fenfible of the great good you do 
 there, for it is with the greateft difficulty that 
 you are brought to believe you do good : you 
 will at leaft fee, that the fervent miflionarles, 
 who for more than an age have laboured In the 
 large field of the gofpel, are not altogether un- 
 worthy their eniployment ; and that the fruits, 
 which they gather there, fhould be an encourage- 
 inent to all Europe, to perfecft this great work, 
 which l?y them has been fo happily begun. 
 
 Among 
 
348 Of the Eftablifiment and Progrefs 
 
 Among other things which the emperor objeded 
 againft us, when difcourfing of the chriftian religi- 
 on, this was none of the weakeft. If the know- 
 ledge of Jefus Chrift, fays he fometimes, is ne- 
 ceflary for falvation, and if God defires the falva- 
 tion of all men, why has he fo long kept us in 
 Ignorance and error ? It is now above fixteen ages 
 iince your religion, the only way men have to ob- 
 tain falvation, has been eftablifhed in the world ; 
 we knew nothing of it here. Is China fo incon- 
 fiderable as not to deferve to be thought of, while 
 fb many barbarous nations have been enlightened ? 
 
 The miffionaries have very folidly anfwered this 
 objecflion, and that v/ith fo good a face of reafon, as 
 did give ample fatisfadlion to the emperor. I do not 
 here tell you, fir, their anfwer ; you do yourfelf 
 know all that could be pofiibly faid thereto. But 
 perhaps it will not be tedious to you to let you 
 know, that China has not been fo much negledled 
 as it thinks. We cannot inform ourfelves of all 
 that has pafTed in this new world f nee the death 
 of our Saviour ; for the Chinefe hiftories feldom 
 fpeak of any thing but what concerns political 
 government : yet the Divine Providence would 
 be fufficiently juftified in this point, if it had a6l- 
 ed for the falvation of China no more than has 
 come to our knowledge. 
 
 There is no doubt but St. Thomas preached the 
 rrue faith in the Indies, and it is as certain, that 
 the Indians had then great dealings with the Chinefe, 
 to whom almoft all India was tributary. It is 
 therefore very probable, that this apoflle, to whom 
 the care of this new world was committed, did not 
 negledt the befl; part of it, which was then as much 
 diftinguifhed above the reft of the eaftern part, as 
 Italy was above the weftern in the moft flou- 
 ing condition of the Roman empire ; fo that per- 
 haps he himfelf travelled therCj or at left fent fonie 
 of his fpUowers, T^^^ 
 
of the Chriftian Religion in China. 349 
 This conjedure which carries its own evidence 
 with it, does ftill receive confirmation, from what 
 the Chinefe hiftories relate concerning thofe times. 
 Their hiftory fays, that a man came into China and 
 preached heavenly dodrine. He was not an ordinary 
 man, adds the hiflory, his life, his miracles, and his 
 virtues made him admired by all the world. Fur- 
 thermore, one may read in an ancient breviary of 
 the church of Malabar, wrote in Chaldee, thefe 
 words, which are in the office for St. Thomas's day. 
 // was by St. Thomas's mcanSy that the Chinefe and 
 Mthiopians were converted and came to the know- 
 ledge of the truth. And in another place, // was by 
 St. Thofnas^ that is to fay, by the "preaching of St. Tho- 
 mas., that the kingdom of heaven went into the empire of 
 China. And in an anthem we read thefe words which 
 follow : The Indies., China., Ferfia^ 13 c. offer up.^ in 
 mejnory of St. Thomas., the worfrAp due to thy hdy 
 name. We cannot tell what converfioris he wrought 
 there, nor how long religion flourifhed \ but this 
 is certain, that, if religion hath not been kept up 
 in China till now, the Chinefe may thank them- 
 feives, who, by a criminal negled and voluntary 
 ftubbornnefs, did fo eafily part with the gift of God- 
 Neither is this the only time wherein our Lord 
 hath vifited them. A great while after, that is, in 
 the feventh century, a catholick patriarch of the 
 Indies fent miffionarles thither, who preached the 
 true religion with good fuccefs. Altho' their hlilo- 
 ry hath mentioned fomething of this, yet it is done 
 in fo fev/ words, and In fo carelefs and obfcure a 
 manner, that we fhould never have had the hap- 
 pinefs of being thoroughly acquainted with this 
 miffion, were It not for an accident which hap- 
 pened a few years ago, which it pleafed God 
 to bring about, for the ftronger eftablifhing the 
 faith in this great em.pire. 
 
 In 
 
35^ Of the EfiabliJJment and Progrefi 
 
 In the year 1625, fome mafons digging near Si- 
 gan, the capital of the province of Xenfi, found 
 a long table of marble which had been heretofore 
 eredled as a monument in the manner they build 
 them in China, and which time had buried in the 
 ruins of fome building, or had hid in the ground, 
 fo that no remains of it were vifible. This ftone, 
 which was ten feet long and fix feet broad, was 
 very nicely examined ; the more for this reafon^ be- 
 caufe on the top of it there was a large crofs 
 handfomely engraved, below which, was a long 
 difcourfe in Chinefe eharadlers, and other letters 
 which the Chinefe did not underftand ; they were 
 Syriac charaders. The emperor had notice of itj 
 and had a copy of it fent him, and did command, 
 that the monument fhould be carefully kept in 
 a Pagode *, where it now is, about a mile from 
 Sigan. The fubftance of the infcription on the 
 table is as follows : 
 
 'There is a firft principle of all things, of a 
 
 * fpiritual and intelligent nature, who created all 
 ' things out of nothing, and who fubiifts in three 
 ' perfons. At man's creation, he endued him with 
 *- original juftlce, made him king of the univerfe, 
 
 * and mafter of his own pafTions ; but the devil, 
 
 * dravving him into temptation, corrupted his mind, 
 
 * and difturbed the inward peace and innocence of 
 
 * his heart. Hence fprang all thofe misfortunes 
 ' which overwhelm human kind, and all thofe dif- 
 ' ferent fadions into which v/e are crumbled. 
 
 ' Mankind, who fince that fatal fall did always 
 
 * v/alk in darknefs, would never have found out 
 
 * the path of truth, if one of thefe three perfons 
 ' of the Divinity had not taken upon him the 
 ' nature of man, which man, we call the Meflia. 
 
 * An angel proclaimed his coming, and fome time 
 
 * after he was born of a virgin in Judea, This mi- 
 
 * raculous 
 ? An idol's tmik. 
 
of the Chrifiian Religion in Chin^: 351 
 
 raculous birth was fet forth by a new ftar in 
 the heavens. Some kings, who obferved the ftar, 
 came and offered prefents to the Divine Infant, 
 that fo the law and predictions of the twenty 
 four prophets might be accomplifhed. 
 
 ' He governed the world, by inftituting a very 
 plain, fpiritual, and heavenly law. He eftablifti'd 
 eight beatitudes. He endeavoured to diiTuade 
 men from fetting their hearts on the good things 
 of this world, in order to fix in them a love of 
 thofe good things which will never fail. He 
 kt forth the beautifulnefs of the three principal 
 virtues. He fet open the gates of heaven to the 
 juft, to which place he himfelf afcended at mid- 
 day, leaving on earth twenty-feven books of his 
 dodlrine, proper for the converfion of the world. 
 
 He inftituted baptifm for the wafhing away fin^ 
 
 * and laid down his life on the crofs for all men 
 ' without exception. His minifters cut not off 
 
 * their beards, but have their heads fhaved, ex- 
 ' cepting a circle of hair which they leave on. 
 ' They have no fervants, for they make them- 
 ^ felves fuperior to none, whether in the height 
 ' of profperity, or in the depth of afflidion. In- 
 ' ftead of heaping up riches, they willingly impart 
 ' their little all to thofe who are in want. They 
 ' faft, both for mortification of themfelves, and 
 ' in obfervance of the laws. They reverence their 
 ' fuperiors, and honour all good men. They pray 
 
 * feven times a day for the dead and the living. 
 
 * They offer facrifice every week to purge them 
 ' from their fins, and to purify their hearts. 
 
 ' Even kings, who follow not this law, what- 
 ' foever they do, can never make themfelves truly 
 
 * eftimable among men. In the reign of Tai-tfoum, 
 ' a moft wife and honoured prince, Olopouen 
 
 * coming from Judea, after a long courfe of 
 
 * dangers by fea and land, at laft arrived at China 
 
 ' in 
 
352 Of the EJlabliJhment and Progrefs 
 
 * in the year of our Lord 6^6. The emperor, 
 ' having notice of it, fent a Colao to meet him 
 ' in the fuburbs of the imperial city, with orders 
 
 * to condudl him to the palace. When he came 
 ' there, his law was examined, and the truth of 
 
 * it acknowledged; fo that the emperor, in favour of 
 ' him, made the following edid. 
 
 ' No particular name comprehends the true law, 
 
 * neither are the faints fixed to one place -, they 
 
 * are fcattered thro' the whole world, that thev 
 
 * may be univerfally ufeful. A man of Judea, of 
 ' exemplary virtue, is arrived at our court : we 
 
 * have examined his dodrine, and found it admi- 
 ' rable, with no mixture of pride, and built upon 
 
 * thbfe principles which fuppofe the world had a 
 
 * beginning. This law teaches the way of falva- 
 
 * tion, and cannot but be extremely ufeful to all 
 
 * our fubjecfls. I therefore judge it neceffary, that 
 
 * it be taught them. Afterwards, he commanded 
 
 * that a church fhould be built, and nominated 
 ' one and twenty perfons to ferve that cure. 
 
 ' Kao, the fon of Tai-foum, fucceeded him in 
 
 * the year 651, and endeavoured to make that re- 
 ' ligion flourifh which his father had received. He 
 ' highly honoured the bifhop of Olopoiien, and 
 ' built in all the provinces churches for the true 
 ' God ; fo that the Bonzes fome years after, be- 
 ' ing alarmed at the progrefs which chriftianlty 
 ' had made, ufed all means to flop the courfe of it. 
 
 ' The perfecution was great, and the number 
 ' of the faithful grew fmall, when our Lord ralfed 
 ' up two perfons of extraordinary zeal, who de- 
 ' fended the faith with fo much vigour, that in 
 
 * a little time it recovered its former luftre. The 
 
 * emperor oh his part ftrove to confirm it more 
 
 * and more \ even fo far, as to command iivt 
 ' kings to go to church, and proftrate themfelves 
 
 * before the altar, and to ered other churches in 
 
 * feveral 
 
of the Chrifiian Religion in China. 3 53 
 
 ^ feveral towns to the honour of the God of the chri- 
 ' ffiians. Thus the foundation, (hook by the ftrug- 
 ' gle which the Bonzes made, became more folid and 
 
 * better fixed than ever. 
 
 ' In the mean while the prince himfelf continued 
 ' to give great figns of his piety •, he made the pic- 
 ^ tures of his predecefTors be carried to church ; he 
 ' offered himfelf an hundred pieces of filk upon the 
 ' altars ; paid mighty refpedl to Ki-ho, a miflio- 
 ' nary newly arrived out of Judea, and all his life- 
 ' time omitted nothing that was neceflary for the pro- 
 ' pagating the gofpel in his dominions. Venmin, 
 *^ who fucceeded him in the year 757, inherited his' 
 ' virtue as well as crown. He built five churches.; 
 ' Fie was famous for his other greater qualities as well 
 ' as for his care of religion. 
 
 r ' The following emperors confirmed chriflianity 
 ' by their edidls and examples. We can pray fof 
 ^ them v/ithout fearing that our prayers will not be 
 ' heard, for they were humble and peaceable ; they 
 ' bore with the faults of their neighbours j- and did 
 '^ good to all forts of men. Which is the tme cha- 
 ' rac5ler of chriftianity, and is the true way to make 
 ' peace and plenty flow into the grea:tefl: kingdoms. 
 
 ' Others of them were exercifed in the works of 
 ^ the brighteft charity. The emperor So-t^oum of- 
 
 * fered at the altar,- and built churches ; befides he 
 ^ afTembled together the prieils of four churches,' 
 
 * and for forty days ferved them himfelf with great 
 ' refped ; he fed the poor, cloathed the naked, 
 "^ healed the fick, and buried the dead. It is to keep 
 ' up the memory of their great aftions, and to let 
 ' poflerity know the prefent ftate of the chrifiian re- 
 ' ligion here, that we have eredted this monument in 
 
 * the year' 782'. 
 
 This, fir, is a faithful epitome of what Is remark- 
 able in this famous remain of Chinefe antiquity. The 
 Bon-zes, who keep it in one of their temples near SI~ 
 
 A a gan. 
 
354 Of the Eflablijhment and Progrefs 
 gan, have eredted, over-againft it, a long table of 
 marble every way like it, with encomiums upon the 
 gods of the country, to diminifti as much as they can 
 the glory which the chriftian religion receives from 
 thence. The chronicle of China confirms, by the 
 order and fuccefiion of the emperors, what the mo- 
 nument fays of it -, but I am apt to think, that the 
 virtues of thofe emperors mentioned therein are ex- 
 alted too much, fome of whom, in hiftory, are faid to 
 have done as much for paganifm, as this fays they 
 did for chriilianity. However that be, it is a plain 
 teftimony, that the faith was preached there, and re- 
 ceived by a great many perfons. It flourifhed there 
 at lead an hundred fourfcore and fix years, and per- 
 haps much longer, for we have no account of its fai- 
 lure, for the very memory of it was lofl: -, and, v/hen 
 the new mifilonaries of our fociety came thither, 
 they found no fign or footfiiep of it. 
 
 It was in the year 1552, that faint Xavier went 
 thither in hopes to add this new conqueft to the king- 
 dom of Jefus Chrifi:. It feemed that great man 
 had made but an eflay in the Indies, and, if I may ufe 
 the exprefiTion, had but ferved an apprenticefliip to 
 that zeal, which he would be perfedl mafiier of in 
 China. And furely Mofes never had a more ardent 
 defire to enter into the Holy Land, to gather with 
 his people the temporal riches of that country, than 
 this apoftle longed to carry into this new world the 
 the treafures of the gofpel. Both one and t'other 
 died by the providence of God, in a tim^e when their- 
 long voyages and infinite labours feemed anfwered by 
 a great probability of fuccefs. 
 
 The fcripture tells us, Mofes's death was a punilh- 
 ment to him for his lack of faith j St. Xavier's feems 
 to be a reward for the abundance of his. God had a 
 mind to reward his zeal, his labours, and his cha- 
 rity •, and was willing to defer, for a time, that tor- 
 rent of niercy, which he defigned fbr the ^rnpire pf 
 
 China, 
 
of the Chnftian Religion in China. 355 
 
 China, that he might reward his fervant with that 
 glory, which he had procured for fo many nations. 
 He died in the ifle of Sanchea^ or as we fpeak it, 
 Sancian, under the jurifdidion of the province of 
 Canton ; it is well known, that he ky in the ground 
 feveral months, all which time God preferved hirri 
 from the ufual corruption -, from hence he was carried 
 to Goa, where, from that time, he aLirh been ho- 
 noured as the protestor of that place, and the apoftle 
 of the E.ail. 
 
 The touch of his body confecrated the place of 
 his burial. That Idand became not only a famous 
 place, but alfo an Holy Land. Even the heathen 
 honoured it, and fled thither, as to a city of refuge. 
 In the mean time pirates haunted thofe coafts, that 
 no veffels dared to go thereabouts -, fo that the place, 
 where this facred tomb lay, was quite unknown to 
 the Europeans -, and it is but a little while ago^ that 
 they difcovered it by a particular accident. 
 
 Lvthe year 168^, a Portuguefe veiTel whichj com- 
 ing from Goa, had on board the governor of Macao^ 
 was feized by a fudden guft of wit]d, and forced to 
 let the fliip drive towards thefe iflands, do what they 
 could. They caft anchor between the ifles of San- 
 ciam and Lampacao^ which were fo near one another, 
 as to make a kind of haven. Contrary winds, con- 
 tinuing eight days, gave father Caroccio a jefuir, who 
 was on board, an opportunity of fatisfyiag liis de- 
 vout refolutions. He went on fhore, and was re- 
 folved, in fpite of danger, to go in fearch of the 
 faint's tomb. The pilot and moft part of tlie fai- 
 lors followed him, and they fearched the whole iflandj 
 but to no purpofe. 
 
 At lad a Chinefe, an inhabitant of the placcy 
 imagining with himfelf, what it was which they fo 
 ardently fought after, undertook to guide them, and 
 led them to a place which all the inhabitants reve- 
 renced, and where he himfelf began to perform 
 
 A a 2 adions 
 
356 Of the Eftablijhment andProgreJs 
 
 adions and geftures of piety. The father, who 
 could not underftand him, began to fearch about for 
 fome fign or mark of the fepulchre, and found at laft 
 a ftone five cubits long, and three broad, upon which 
 were cut thefe words in Latin, Portuguefe, Chinefe, 
 and Japonnefe, Here Xavier, a man truly apojiolicaly 
 was buried. Then they all fell on their knees, and 
 did with devotion kifs that earth, which the tears 
 and the laft groans of that apoftle had fandified. 
 The inhabitants of the place came in and followed 
 the example of the Portuguefe : even the Englifh, 
 for one of their vefTels came to an anchor in the fame 
 place, came thither to honour the faint, and prayed 
 a great while at his tomb. Father Caroccio fome 
 time after faid mafs in his Pontificalibus, while the 
 two veflels, the Englifh and Portuguefe, did feveral 
 times difcharge their artillery, and gave marks of 
 their common joy. 
 
 a* M^^v of Sa^n^^am. AZa^n/^ 
 
 Laftly» i 
 
of the Chrijiian Religion in China. 3^7 
 Laflly, to preferve the memory of that holy 
 place, they refolved to build a good fquare wall all 
 round the tomb, and to dig a ditch to fecure it from 
 all inundations. In the midft, between thefe walls, 
 they raifed the flone which they found overturned, 
 and built an altar, as a memorial of the auguft facri- 
 fice of the eucharift, which had been offered up 
 thei'e, which might alfo ferve to celebrate it upon 
 again, if either accident or devotion fhould carry xkiz 
 miniflers of Jefus Chrift thither any m^ore. The 
 people of the place did themfelves affift towards the 
 carrying on this little work, and ihewed as much 
 zeal for the honour of the faint as the Chriftians did. 
 This place Is of itfelf very pleafant. You fee 
 there a fmall plain extended from the bottom of a 
 hill, on one fide of which is a :vvood, on the other 
 are gardens cultivated ; a rivulet, which turns and 
 twines about, renders the ifland very fertile. It Is 
 not uninhabited, as fome have wrote, there are feven- 
 tt^n villages in it. The land is manured, even the 
 very mountains \ and the Inhabitants are fo far from 
 wanting the neceffarles of life, that the growth of 
 their ifland Is enough to carry on fuch commerce as 
 yields them a moderate plenty. 
 
 You will eafily pardon me, fir, for this fliort di- 
 greflion concerning St. Francis Xavler. A mlfTio- 
 nary can't fpeak of him, without being naturally In- 
 clined to enlarge about every thing that concerns this 
 great man. It was he, who fettled upon a folid foun- 
 dation all the mlffions Into the Indies ; and who. In 
 the lafl years of his life, encouraged his brethren to 
 enterprize the great defign of the converfion of Chi- 
 na. His zeal pafTed into their minds and hearts ; 
 and, tho' every body but Xavler thought It ImpofTi- 
 ble that the deiign fhould take efFed, the fathers 
 Roger, Pafio, and Ricci, all three Italians, did re- 
 folve to fpend all their pains, and, if it were n^Q.^{-' 
 fary, all their blood In this great work. 
 
 Aa 3 The 
 
358 Of the Eliabli/kment and Progrefs 
 
 The difHculties, which the devil rahed, did not 
 difcourage them. They enter'd one after the other 
 into the ibuthern provinces. The novelty of their 
 dodlrine brought them auditors, and the fandtity of 
 their lives made thofe auditors liave a favourable 
 opinion of them. At firft they heard them v/Ith 
 plcafure, and afterwards with admiration. Father 
 Ricci, above all, diftingiiiihcd himfelf by his zeal and 
 underftanding ^ for he was thoroughly inflructed 
 in the cuftoms, the religion, laws, and ceremionies 
 of the country, all v/hich he had iludied a long time 
 before at Macao. He fpoke their language fluently, 
 and uuderftood their v.'ritlngs perfediy j this v/as 
 joined to a fweet, eafy, complaifant temper, and a 
 certain infmuating behaviour, which none but him- 
 felf had, which it was hard to reiiii ; but above all, 
 an ardour which the Holy Ghofl inftils into the 
 workmen of the Lord's harveil-, all this, I fay, got 
 him the repute of a great m.an and an apoftle. 
 
 Not but tliat he met with a great many rubs in 
 the work of God. The devil overthrew his defigns 
 more than once. He had the fuperftition of the 
 people, the jealoufy of the Bonzes, and the ill hu- 
 mour of the Mandarines to 'deal with ; all which vi- 
 olently oppofed what he was about to eftablifh. Yet 
 he never gave over-, and God gave him pcrfeverance, 
 a virtue very necefTary in the beginning fuch enter- 
 prifes as thefe, which always meet with oppofirion, 
 and which men of the beft intentions in the world 
 fcmetimes let fall, dHcouraged for want of prefent 
 fuccefs to fortify them in the profecution of their 
 defign. 
 
 Father Rieci, after many years fruitlefs labour, 
 had, at laft, the comifort of feeing the gofpel fiourifh. 
 He made many and mighty converfions in the pro- 
 yinpes. The Mandarines themfelves opened their 
 eyes to the light of our holy faith, which our mlfTi- 
 pu^ry carried even almoft as far as to the court. The 
 
 ^mperor 
 
of the Chriflian Religion in China, 359 
 
 emperor Vanli, then reigning, received him with great 
 marks of refpedt and kindnefs ; and, among divers 
 European curiofities, which the father prefented to 
 him, he was fo taken with fome pidlures of our Sa- 
 viour and the Virgin Mary, that he ordered them to 
 be fet up in an high place in his palace, as things to 
 which he would have a refpeft fhewn. 
 
 This kind welcome from the emperor gained him 
 the good will of all the lords at court ; and, in fpite 
 of the oppofition of fome magiftrates, who, accord- 
 ing to their cuftom, could never deal handfomely by 
 a flranger, he bought an houfe at Pekin, and gained 
 fuch a foundation and eftablifhment there, as hath 
 been fince the fupport of all the mifTions into this 
 Empire. 
 
 Religion was by this means known (and without it, 
 it would have been impoilible to have fupported it ; ) 
 thus it came into efteem, and was preached by the 
 new miflionaries, v/ho made great advantage of fa- 
 ther Ricci's firft labours. The court and all the pro- 
 vinces refounded every where with that adorable 
 name *, which the Jews heretofore, thro' the refpeft 
 they bore to it, never fo much as pronouHced to 
 their profeiites, and which the new-converted Chi- 
 nt{Q named to their countrymen v/ith a refpec5t yet 
 greater ; for the European workmen being but 
 {qw^ gave an opportunity to feveral Mandarines, to 
 preach the gofpel, and there were fome of them 
 who by their zeal and underftanding promoted the 
 affairs of religion as much as the moft fervent mifll- 
 onaries. 
 
 It is true, that thefe fuccefTes were fome time after 
 interrupted ; for it is the charader of truth, that it 
 makes itfelf enemies, and the lot of the chiriftian 
 religion always to be perfecuted. Providence being 
 defirous to try the fidelity of thefe new chriftians, 
 and to re-inflame the zeal of their mihifters, permit- 
 
 * JehiyuaK 
 
 A a 4 te4 
 
360 Of the Ejiablijlment and Progrejs 
 
 ted the idol priefts to oppofe the preaching of the 
 gofpel •, fo that it very near came to pafs, that a 
 cabal of fome Bonzes, fupported by feveral Manda- 
 rines, had, by the deftmdlion of father Ricci, over- 
 thrown in one minute the work of feveral years. 
 
 But the greateft danger to this holy man and his 
 miffion came from his own brethren, I mean the Eu- 
 ropean chriftians. Some Portuguefe of Macao, in- 
 cenfed againft the jefuits, refolved to deftroy them 
 in China, altho' with them they deftroyed the chrif- 
 tian religion there. They could not but know 
 what the holy intentions of thofe fathers were in 
 going thither ; yet they accufed them as fpies, who, 
 under pretence of preaching the gofpel, fecretly ma- 
 naged a confpiracy, and had a defign to feize upon 
 China by the force and affiftance of the Japonnefc, 
 Hollanders, and chriftians of that country. 
 
 It muft needs be a great amazement to any one, 
 who obferves the rage and bitternefs of thefe falfe 
 brethren, who, altho' engaged by their religion to 
 propagate the work of God even with the lofs of 
 their lives, were yet refolved to deftroy it by fuch 
 vile and falfe afperfions. 
 
 This ridiculous ftory, which was fet forth with 
 heat and violence, and built upon fome circumftances 
 which carried fome fhow of truth, eafily found credit 
 among the Chinefe, naturally exceflively fufpicious, 
 and very well fatisfied by a long experience, that the 
 leaft commotions or rebellion might bring the moft 
 powerful empires to ruin. 
 
 The perfecution was very fharp, the weak chri- 
 ftians were fcandalized, and did apoftatize from the 
 faith. Father Martinez was taken up, imprifoned, 
 and baftinado'd, till at length he died thro' his tor- 
 ments :" and, if this accufation of the chriftians had 
 ever came to the knowledge of the court, it is very 
 probable it would have been the utter overthrov/ of 
 chriftianity here. But our Lord ftopp'd the grow- 
 
 ^ ing 
 
 I 
 
ef the Chrijli an Religion in China. 361 
 
 ing evil in its bud, and, by the means of a Mandar 
 darine, a particular friend of father Ricci, gave peace 
 to the mifTion, and liberty to the evangelical work- 
 men. 
 
 After having furmounted a great many obftacles of 
 this nature, and preached the gofpel to an infinite > 
 number of people, this fervent miflionary died. 
 The heathens judged him the wifeft and moft under- 
 ftanding man of his age \ the chriftians loved him as 
 their father, and the preachers of the gofpel made 
 him a model whereby to form themfelves. He had 
 the fatisfadion of dying in the midfi of a plentiful 
 harveft, but was difturbed, that there were fo few 
 workmen to get it in ; fo that he recommended no- 
 thing more earneftly to his brethren, who aflifted 
 him in his laft ficknefs, than to receive with all ima- 
 ginable joy and comfort all thofe who fhould come 
 to partake of their labours : If they find^ fays he to 
 them, when they arrive here^ cr off es from the enemies 
 of chrijlianity^ do you fweeten the hitternefs of the'm^ 
 by demonfirations of the moji tender friendfhip^ and 
 moji inflamed charity. 
 
 The churches of China, of which he was the 
 main fupport, were fhaken by his fall ; for altho' the 
 emperor for fome years afterv/ards fnewed himfelf 
 fomewhat favourable to the chriilian religion, yet, in 
 161 5, there arofe againft it the cruelleft tempeft that 
 k had ever yet fuffered. It was occaiioned by one 
 of the principal Mandarines of Nankim *. They 
 chiefly fet upon the paftors, thereby the eafierto 
 difperfe the flock. Some were cruelly beaten, others 
 baniflied, almofl all imprifoned, and carried after- 
 wards to Macao, after having the honour of fuiFer- 
 ing a thoufand injuries and reproaches for the love of* 
 Jefus Chrift. 
 
 The tempeft lafted near fix years ; but at laft the 
 perfecutor, being himfelf accufed, was, by God's 
 
 * Chinkio. 
 
 judgment^ 
 
362 Of the Eflabliftjnieiit avtd Progrefs 
 
 judgment, deprived both of his oilices and alfo of his 
 life. His death gave the chriftians fome refpite, 
 who, after that, multiplied more than ever, thro' 
 the labours of a great many miffio^ aries. It was^ 
 about this time f , that the right reverend fathers of 
 the order of St. Dominick joined V/ith us ; many of 
 whom do at this time labour in China with a great 
 deal of zeal and fuccefs. 
 
 About this time father Adam Schaal, a German, 
 appeared at court, and added a new luftre to chriftia- 
 nity, which had but newly fprang up again. He 
 was perfectly {killed in mathematicks, and made ufe 
 of his knowledge therein to obtain the emperor's 
 kindnefs ; he was, in a little time, fo highly in the 
 emperor's favour, that he thought he fhould be able, 
 by his own intereft alone, to eftablifh the chrillian 
 religion folidly. He began to make ufe of his inte- 
 reft with good fuccefs, when an infurre6tion over- 
 turned the whole government, and with it all his 
 promifing hopes. 
 
 This great ftate, whofe power feenied to be 
 enough to fecure it from the moft violent fhock 
 whatever, was made feniible then, that there is no- 
 thing conftant in this world. Some robbers being 
 met together, by the accefs of multitudes of male- 
 contents, who joined thcni, formed vaft armies : 
 they burned towns, and plundered whole provinces. 
 China prefently changed its afpedl, and, from the 
 moft flourifhing empire, became the ftage for the 
 moft bloody war. Never were there feen fo many 
 murthers and barbarities. The emperor, being fur- 
 prifed at Pekin, ftrangled himfelf for fear of falling 
 into the hands of the vidlors. The ufurper was 
 foon drove out of the throne by the Tartars, who 
 feiz'd upon it. The princes of the blood, who in 
 different places Were proclaimed em.perors, were van- 
 quifhed or killed. Then all the Mandarines rofe. 
 
of the Chrijlian Religion in China. 363 
 
 fome declaring for Tartary, others for liberty : 
 others only carried on the fighting trade, in hopes 
 to make their private fortunes trom the publick min. 
 
 Some of thofe laft were rather monfters than men, 
 who giving themfelves to all that licentioufnefs, which 
 the moft inhuman cruelty and barbarity could prompt 
 them to, made whole provinces defolate, and fhed 
 more blood to fatisfy their brutality, than the moft 
 ambitious prince in the world would for the conqueft 
 of an empire. 
 
 Religion, which groaned amJdft thofe troubles, 
 had the comfort neverthelefs of feeing many great 
 perfons converted ; one emprefs with her fon were 
 baptifed •, fcarce either of them lived after their re- 
 ception of the faith, the fruits of which they could 
 not enjoy but in the other world, Laflly, the Tar- 
 tars by their valour, and by a condud equal to the 
 policy of ancient Rome, made themfelves mafters of 
 China, and, in a few years, obliged all the provinces 
 to fubmit to a foreign yoke. 
 
 Then we thought religion's cafe defperate ; but 
 God, who needs not the afiiftance of men, when he 
 hath a mind to fupport his own v/ork, infpired on a 
 fudden this new prince with a greater affecftion for the 
 chriftian religion, than we dared hope for from the 
 Chinefe emperors. He not only took away the 
 government of the miathematicks from the Maho- 
 metans, which they had pofiefTed for 300 years, and 
 gave it to father Adam ; but by a fpecial privilege 
 he fuffered that father to apply himfelf to him im- 
 mediately in all things, which concerned the miflio- 
 naries, without fir ft paffing thro' the formalities of 
 the courts of juftice, who are very fevere to ftran- 
 gers. This fignal favour, joined with many others, 
 raifed up the courage of the chriftians, and gave the 
 heathens greater liberty to clofe with the true reli- 
 gion. Many perfons of the beft quality at Pekin 
 defired baptifm j the provinces foUow'd the example 
 
 of 
 
364 Of the EJlablijhment and Progrefs 
 
 of the court, and the harveft became fo plentiful, 
 that the workmen were too few to gather it in. 
 
 Thofe, who were employed therein, laboured with 
 fuch an hearty zeal, that we do at this prefent feel 
 the effeds of it. There were found perfons of emi- 
 nent virtue, prudence, and underftanding, 'vhom God 
 had formed during the troubles and civil wars, and 
 which the Spirit of the Almighty drew out of the 
 chaos, like fo many ftars, to fhed forth the light of 
 the gofpel, unto the moft hidden parts of this vaft 
 empire, accompanying their preaching with figns 
 and wonders. 
 
 Among thofe extraordinary men, father Faber, a 
 Frenchman, diftinguifhed himfelf above the reft. 
 I had the happinefs to tarry fome time in that pro- 
 vince, which was allotted to his care ; and I have, 
 after fo many years, found the precious remains there, 
 which are the neceflary confequences of holinefs. 
 Thofe, who were witnefTes of his adions, tell to 
 their children the miracles which he wrought to con- 
 firm them in their faith \ and, altho' one need not be- 
 lieve all which they relate of him, we cannot never- 
 thelefs deny, that God did in many occaiions give 
 an extraordinarv^ concurrence in feveral great things 
 which he enterprifed for his glory. 
 
 It is worth knowing after what manner he founded 
 the miflion of Hanchum, a town of the firft rank in 
 Xenfi, two days journey diftant from the capital. He 
 was invited thither by a Mandarine, and a fmaJl num- 
 ber of chriftians, which he found there, made him tlte 
 m^re laborious to increafe their number. God put into 
 his hands a means of doing this which he never ex- 
 pend. One of the great boroughs, which in China 
 are as big as the towns, was then over-tun by a pro- 
 digious multitude of locufts, which eat up all the 
 leaves of the trees, and gnawed the grafs to the very 
 roots. 
 
 The 
 
of the Chrifti an Religion in China. 365 
 
 I'he Inhabitants, after having ufed all Imaginable 
 means, thought fit ta apply themfelves to father 
 Faber, whofe repute was every where talked of. The 
 father took from thence an occafion to explain the 
 principal myfteries of our faith ; and added, that, if 
 they would fubmit themfelves thereto, they fhould 
 not only be delivered from the prefent plague, but 
 that alfo they fhould obtain innumerable bleflings, 
 and eternal happinefs. They embraced it willingly, 
 and the father, to keep his word with them, marched 
 in ceremony into the highways, in his flole and his 
 furpllce ; and fprinkled up and down holy water, 
 accompanying his adion with the prayers of the 
 church, but efpecially with a lively faith. God heard 
 the voice of his fervant, and the next day all the 
 infeds difappeared. 
 
 But the people, whofe minds were wholly bent 
 upon the things of this world, as foon as they faw 
 themfelves delivered, negledled the counfel which 
 the miffionary had given them. They were there- 
 fore immediately punifhed, and the plague grew 
 worfe than it was before. Then they accufed one the 
 other of their want of faith ; they ran in crowds to 
 the father's houfe, and calling themfelves at his feet : 
 We will not rife up, father, faid they, till you have 
 pardoned us. We confefs our fault, and protefl, 
 that, if you will a fecond time deliver us from this 
 afflidlion with which Heaven threatens us, the whole 
 borough will immediately acknowledge your God, 
 who alone can work fuch great miracles. 
 
 The father, to increafe their faith, made them beg 
 .a great while. At lafl, infpired as before, he fent up 
 his prayer, and fprinkled his holy- water,, and by the 
 next day there was not an infed to be found in the 
 fields. Then the whole borough, being brought over 
 to the truth, followed the guidance of God*s holy 
 Spirit ♦, they were all inffcrudied and formed into a 
 churchj which 3 tho' it was abandoned for fome years, 
 
 is 
 
366 Of the EJiabliJhment and Progrefs, 
 
 is ftill reckoned one of the devouteft miffions in 
 China. 
 
 They fay alfo of this father, that he has been car- 
 ried over rivers thro' the air, that they have feen 
 him in an extafy, that he foretold his ov/n death, 
 and did feveral other fuch v/onders -, but the greateft ; 
 miracle of all was his life, which he fpent in the con- 
 tinual exercife of all the apoftolical virtues, in a pro- ' 
 found humility, in a fevere mortification, in a fettled 
 patience, proof againft all forts of injuries, in a flam- 
 ing charity, and a tender devotion to the Mother 
 of God, all which he pradifed to his death; to 
 the edification, and, I may fay, the admiration even 
 of the idolaters. 
 
 While chriftianity fpread its root deep through- 
 out the provinces, it flourifhed every day more and 
 more at Pekin •, the emperor did not feem far from 
 it. He came often to our church, and did there 
 adore the divine Majefty in fuch an humble man- 
 ner, as would -have been commendable in a chri- 
 ftian. There are ftill writings from his own hand, 
 wherein he acknowledges the beauty and the purity 
 of our holy law ; but a heart fet upon, fenfual pleafures 
 can never follow the dire6tion$ of the Spirit. When 
 father Adam has been preffing upon him : You an^ 
 faid he, in the right ; but how can you expe^ that any 
 one jhQuld he able to pra5iife all thefe laws ? Take away 
 two or three of the difficulteft^ and^ after that^ perhaps 
 we may agree to the reft. Thus this young prince, di- 
 vided between the voice of human nature and grace, 
 thought,, that we might favour nature at the expence 
 of religion ; but the father gave him to underftand, 
 that we were only the publifliers, not the authors of 
 the gofpel. Neverthelefs, my lord, fays the father 
 to him one day, tho' we propofe to the corrupt world 
 a body of morals, which furpafs their forces to com- 
 ply with, and myfteries which are above their reafon 
 to comprehend, we do not irom thence defpair to 
 
 have 
 
of the Chriftian Religion in China. 367 
 
 have our doftrine received ; becaufe we do it by his 
 order, who can enlighten the moil darkened under- 
 ftanding, and ftrengthen the moft weak nature. 
 
 Thefe difficulties, which the emperor look'd upon 
 as infuperable, did not take any thing from that kind- 
 nefs and refped: which he bore to father Adam. He 
 always called him his father, placed always his confi- 
 dence in him : he made him twenty viiits in tv/o 
 years j and gave him leave to build two churches in 
 Pekin ; and ordered thofe, which in the perfecution 
 had been demolilh'd in the provinces, to be rebuilt; 
 nay, granted him whatever could any ways contri- 
 bute towards the folidefiabiifhment of the faith, which 
 without doubt would have made an innnite prcgrefe, 
 l^^d not a violent paffion changed the temper of that 
 prince, and took him away from us at a time v/hen we 
 had the mofc need of a protedion : we may juftly fay, 
 that his death was owing to ai^ extraordinary grief for 
 the lofs of a concubine. This woman, whom he had 
 taken from her hufband, inclined him to thQ worfrdp 
 of falfe gods, to that excefs, that he was wholly al- 
 tered from what he was before, as to his opinions of 
 religion. And at that time It was, that he fell lick, 
 his mind being full of notions from the Bonzes, wha 
 fwarmed in his palace, and being vehemently tor- 
 mented by his .paffion, fo that he could not get a 
 moment's reft. In the mean while, as he loved the 
 father extremely, fo was he defirous to fee him once 
 more before he died. 
 
 At this laft meedng the good miffionary's bowels 
 yern'd upon him. He was kneeling at the prince's 
 bed's-feet, whom he had educated as his own fon, iri 
 hopes one day to make him head of the true religion. 
 He faw him, there upder the load of a viplent diftem- 
 per, diftyrbed with the impure defires of unlawful 
 love, given U;p to idols and their priefts, juft upon the 
 brink of death, a^di tha,t death an eternal one. The, 
 erppe'ror, v/ho faw him in this concern, would not let 
 
 him 
 
3 68 Of the EJlablifiment and Progrefs 
 
 him fpeak upon his knees; but raifed him up, and 
 heard his laft advice with fomewhat lefs prejudice 
 againft; it than ufual ; ordered him afterwards a pre- 
 fect of tea, and difmifled him with fuch marks of 
 tendernefs as touched him to the bottom of his foul, 
 of which he was the more fenfible, becaufe he never 
 could bring it about, to work in him a true converfion. 
 
 His death was equally fatal to the Bonzes, who 
 were thereupon driven from the palace, and to the 
 true religion, which was thereby brought within a 
 nail's breadth of deftrudion. Many churches built 
 upon the coafts of the maritime provinces were de- 
 ftroyedj by an edi(5l which commanded, that every 
 body on the coafts fhould retire ttn or eleven miles 
 within land, and deftroy all habitations within that 
 compafs all round the coafts, becaufe a famous pirate 
 made ufe of them in carrying on a war againft the 
 emperor. They were alfo juft going to ruin Macao, 
 and order was given to drive the Portugueie thence, 
 when father Adam ufed his utmoft effort to fave it. 
 At this time all his credit and intereft, which he had 
 employed fo much to the advantage of religion, end- 
 ed ; for, in a little time, he became the objedl of the 
 moft bloody perlecution that ever the church fuffered. 
 
 The four Mandarines, who had the regency during 
 the emperor's mi.iority, moved upon different topicks, 
 and efpecially animated againft the chriftians, to whom 
 this father was the main fupport, put him and three 
 of his companions into prifon. Other preachers of 
 the gofpel were fummoned to Pekin, who met with 
 the fame treatment, and were loaded each with nine 
 chains. They burned their books, their beads, and 
 medals, and whatever elfe carried the face of religion ; 
 neverthelefs they fpared the churches ; as for the 
 chriftian flock, they met with a more mild ufage; 
 
 Thofe famous confeflbrs had the honour to bef 
 dragged before all the feats of judgment. There it- 
 was^ 
 
of the Chrijiian Religion in China. 369 
 was that their enemies did admire their courage. 
 But they were above all moved by the miferable 
 condition of father Adam. That venerable old man, 
 who but a day or two before was the oracle of the 
 court, and the favourite of a great emperor, now 
 appeared in the form of a (lave, loaded with chains, 
 and opprefTed with infirmities, dejected by the weight 
 and burthen of age, but much more by that of ca- 
 lumny which labour'd to blemifh his innocence. He 
 had a fort of catarrh which hinder'd him from 
 making his defence ; but father Verbieft forfook him 
 not, and anfwered for him, to his enemies, in fo 
 fenfible a manner, that the judges could not enough 
 admire the conftancy of the perfon accufed, nor the 
 heroical charity of the perfon who defended him. 
 However, as innocent as he was, he was condemned 
 to be ftrangled, which is in China an honourable kind 
 of death \ but afterwards, as tho' they repented that 
 they had not been unjuft enough, they repealed the 
 fentence, and gave another, wherein the father was 
 condemned to be publickly expofed in the market- 
 place, and be hacked alive into ten thoufand pieces. 
 
 The fupreme court fent the fentence to the re- 
 gency, and to the princes of the blood, to have it 
 confirmed •, but God, who had till then feemed to 
 have relinqulfhed his fervant, began to fpeak in fa- 
 vour of his caufe by a terrible earthquake. The 
 whole land was confounded at this prodigy. Every 
 body exclaimed that Heaven itfelf would punifh the 
 injuftice of the magiftrates, who therefore, to apeafe 
 the people, opened all the prifons in the town, and 
 made an ad of oblivion for all criminals, excepting 
 the confefTors of Jefus Chrift, who were ftillkept 
 in chains, as tho' they had been the only vidims for 
 whom Heaven had no concern. 
 
 But becaufe there appeared divers prodigies, and in 
 particular fire confumed great part of the court of 
 juftice, at laft fear obtained that from thefe unrighteous 
 
 B b judgesj 
 
370 Of the EJlabliJhment and Trogrefs 
 
 judges, which innocence could not. They fet father 
 Adam at liberty, and permitted him to go home to 
 his houfe, till the emperor fhould otherwife difpofe of 
 him. This great man blemifh'd, indeed to outward 
 appearance, by an ignominious fentence which was 
 never repealed \ but in truth full of glory, for having 
 defended the honour of religion, by expofing his own 
 life, died a little while after, worn away by the toil 
 of an apoftolical life, but more by the hardfhips and 
 inconveniencies of a troublefome prifon. 
 
 His death was too precious in the eyes of God, to 
 be unaccompany'd with fome fignal blefTing upon the 
 forrowfal remains of perfecuted chriftianity. It is 
 true that the midionaries of the provinces were ba- 
 niihed to Canton, among which three were Domini- 
 cans, one F'rancifcan (and another of the fame order 
 died in prifon) and one and twenty jefuits ; yet four 
 were kept at the court, whom the providence of 
 God made ufe of afterwards to fettle chriftianity 
 again in its priftine fplendor. 
 
 God himfelf revenged the innocence of his fer- 
 vants. Sony, the firft Mandarine in the regency, 
 the molt dangerous enemy the fathers had, died a 
 month or two after. The fecond, named Soucama, 
 was afterwards indi(51:ed and condemned to a cruel 
 death, his goods confifcated ; his children, in number 
 feven, had their heads cut off, excepting the third, 
 who was cut to pieces alive, the punifhment v/hich 
 that wicked judge had defign'd for father Adam, and 
 with which God chaftifed his crimes in the pcrfons of 
 his children. Yam-quam-fien, who had been the 
 chief inftrument in the perfecution, fared no better 
 than them, for after the death of father Adam 
 he was made prefident of the mathematicks, and 
 had the charge of the kalendar of the empire com- 
 mitted to him. Father Verbieft accufed him, and 
 plainly made appear the ignorance of this pitiful 
 mathematician. 
 
 This 
 
of the Chrijlian Religion in China. 371 
 
 This was a bold ftroke, becaufe the prefident'^s 
 party was very ftrong, and the flames which had 
 caufed the perfecution were not yet quenched ; but 
 many things concurr'd to give fuccefs to this enter- 
 prize. The underftanding of the father, the kind- 
 nefs which the new emperor had for the European Sj 
 but efpecially the particular providence of God which 
 did fecretly manage this important affair \ for it is 
 certain that, in the feveral trials whereby they proved 
 ^: the goodnefs of our mathematicks, the heavens did 
 fo exadly agree with what our fathers had foretold, 
 , even above the certainty which our tables and calcu- 
 i. lations could promife us, that it feemed astho' God 
 ■ had guided the ftars in fuch a courfe as was necef^ 
 ' fary to juftify our midionaries account of them. 
 
 The prefident of the matliematicks ufed his beft 
 
 : endeavours to defend himfelf; and^ becaufe he could 
 
 . hot hide his ignorance in aftronomy, he endeavoured 
 
 ; to put upon the judges, and perluade them that the 
 
 ; chriftian religion contained much greater errors than 
 
 thofe he was guilty of. In the midft of fome meet- 
 
 : ings, where the emperor was prefent, he behaved 
 
 himfelf in fuch a m.anner as the emperor could 
 
 fcarcely bear with him. He laid his hands acrofs^ 
 
 and cried out as loud as he could : See here^ do but 
 
 \ ohferve what thefe fellows adore ^ and what they would 
 
 have lis worjhip too^ a man who zvas hanged^ a per f on 
 
 who was crucified \ let any one judge hereby of their 
 
 underftanding and good fenfe. 
 
 But all thefe excurfions fervcd only to diminifh his 
 
 ov/n credit. This v/icked perfon^ more blameabie 
 
 (for his crimes than for his ignorance, loft his charge, 
 
 and was condemned to death. Notwithftanding fhe 
 
 emperor fufpended the execution of the fentence by 
 
 i reafon of his extraordinary old age ; but God him/eif 
 
 executed his fentence of vengeance. He fmote him 
 
 With an horrible ulcer, and, by his forrowfui deaths 
 
 ' delivered religion from this monfter of iiiiquity. 
 
 B b 2 Then 
 
372 Of the EJiabliJhment and Progrefs 
 
 Then the care of the mathematicks was commit- 
 ted to Father Verbieft, the ancient miffionaries were 
 recalled to their old churches, but forbid to go about ■ 
 to build new ones, or to labour in the convcrfion of ' 
 the Chinefc. Laftly, to magnify our happinefs, the , 
 memory of father Adam was mightily refpedled even \ 
 at court : he was publickly juftified and cleared, his j 
 charges and titles of honour were remanded him, ' 
 and his anceftors made nobility. The emperor him- ; 
 felf appointed confiderable fums of money to build [ 
 him a ftately maufoleum, which at this prefent is to \ 
 be feen, in room of a fepulchre, adorned with ftatues | 
 and feveral marble figures, according to the cuftom | 
 of the country. 
 
 Thus it is that God, by a continual vicifTitude, ; 
 proves the conftancy of the faithful by perfecution, | 
 and encourages them again by punifhing their perfe- | 
 cutors. This happy peace, which the church gained ! 
 thro' father Verbiefl's m.eans, encouraged the miiTio- \ 
 naries to repair that damage which hell had done. I 
 Befides the jefuits, there were feveral fathers of the i 
 orders of St. Francis, and St. Auguftin, who entered 
 into the Lord's vineyard. New eftablifhments were [ 
 gained every where, and, not with (landing any prohi- 
 bition, a great number of heathens were converted 
 to the faith, being more afraid of eternal punifhment, 
 than of that with which the laws of man feemed to 
 threaten them. 
 
 So ardent and fo hafty a zeal will perhaps make 
 you amazed ; but befides that charity is always ha- ' 
 zardous, many things contributed to confirm thofe [ 
 who might elfe be afraid of fatal confequences. The j 
 firfl of thefe is the great authority which the miflio- ;. 
 naries have acquired at court in a fmall time. Efpe- ! 
 " cially the emperor is fatisfied that they defpife ho- ; 
 nours, and that at home they lead an auftere life.' 
 The prince is inform'd of this fuch ways that it is; 
 impofHble he fhould be deceived. He had informa- 
 
 \ tion; 
 
of the Chriftian Religion in China, 3 "-3 
 
 tion from fples, of all that pafled in their houfes, 
 even fo nicely as to know their mortifications and 
 corporeal penances. 
 
 He fends alfo to the fathers houfes a young Tartar, 
 of good parts, under pretence to learn philofophy, 
 but in reality to difcover the moft feeret things in 
 their families, and to be himfelf, I think, an occafion 
 of offence. He ftays there a year, without knowing 
 what the prince's intentions are, who, having fent for 
 him into his prefence, commands him to tell him all 
 the private diforders of thefe fathers, and efpecially 
 how they have behaved themfelves towards him. 
 And when thefe young men conftantly bear teftimony 
 of the fathers innocence ; I fee very well, fays the 
 emperor, they have ftopp'd your mouth with pre- 
 fents, but I know a way to open it again. Then he 
 makes him be feverely flafhed at feveral times, yet 
 is not the pain enough to make the young Tartar 
 fpeak againft his confcience •, which pleafes the prince 
 mightily, who would be diflurbed to find himfejf 
 deceived in the idea which he has form^ed to himfelf 
 of thefe fervent miffionaries. 
 
 This obliged him afterwards to take their part in an 
 aflembly of the Mandarines, forne of which do not 
 efteem the midionaries becaufe their outward carriage 
 feems fo good. As for that matter^ fays the empe- 
 ror to them, yuither you ?ior I can find fault with 
 them. After all that I can do to get information^ I 
 am perfuaded that thoje people teach us nothing but 
 what themfelves praEiife^ and they are indeed as modefl 
 as they appear outwardly to be. 
 
 The fecond reafon, which engaged the emperor to 
 favour the miffionaries, was the great underftanding 
 of father Verbieft, who in a fmall time was reckoned 
 the learnedefl man in the empire in all faculties. His 
 reputation is every where fpread abroad, and upon 
 many occafions his opinion has the repute of an 
 oracle. Some Mandarines one day fpeaking of the 
 
 B b 3 Trinity, 
 
374 ^f ^'^^ Ejiahli foment and Progrefs 
 Trinity, and ufing it as a fable, one of them faid, 
 / do not know v:hat the chriftiayis mean^ and am as 
 much puzzled as you •, hut father Verbieft is of that 
 opinion ; ijuhat fay you to that ? Can a man of his 
 fenfe and underftanding mifiake f They all held their 
 tongues, and feemed to yield to this reafon. So true 
 is it that the ufe of human learning is fo far from 
 being (as fome think) oppofite to the fpint of the 
 gofpel, that it fometimes ferves to eftablifh it, and 
 to render the moll: obfcure myfteries therein credible. 
 
 The third reafon is that hearty love which the 
 emperor believes the mifTionaries have for him. It 
 is true the mJlTionaries omit nothing which they think 
 will pleafe him ; and as they are the moft inflexible 
 and refolute againit doing any thing contrary to their 
 religion, fo are they the moft complaifant and ready 
 to comiply with all the rtafonable requefts of the 
 emperor. A rebellion v/hich happened at this time 
 put it into father Verbieft's power to do the crown a 
 confiderable piece of fervice. 
 
 Oufanguei, that famous Chinefe general, who had 
 brought the Tartars into the empire, thought he had 
 then a good opportunity to drive them out aga'm. He 
 Vv'TvS nat'jrally courageous, and in Xenfi commanded 
 the beft of the Chinefe foldiery, and had got toge- 
 ther a vaft deal of mon-y. This made him fet up 
 to be emperor, and made him believe he could eaf ly 
 compafs his def.gn. And indeed he fo order'd his 
 matters, chat he made himfelf prefently mafter of 
 the three great provinces Yunnan, Suchven, and 
 Queycheu -, afterwards a great part of the province 
 of Houquam acknowledged him ; fo that thefe pof- 
 fefiions and Xenii, which he had in pofleftion a good 
 while before, made him mailer of almoft a third of 
 China. 
 
 Thefe conquefts feemed to be the more fecure to 
 him, becaiife at the fam.e time the viceroys of Quam- 
 turn and Fokien followed his example, and gave the 
 
 emiperoi: 
 
of the Chrifttan Religion in China. 375 
 emperor on that fide a mighty diverfion *, and befides 
 a powerful pirate, with a great fleet, attacked, and, in 
 a few days, took the ifiand Formofa at the fame time, 
 
 Lefs than this would have ruined the Tartars, if 
 they had all concerted their bufinefs together ; but 
 jealoufy, which does often overthrow the firmed 
 leagues, ruined their projeds. The king of Fokieti 
 fell out with that of Formofa, and, to prefer ve him- 
 felf from being damaged by his fleet, made his peace 
 with the emperor, who gave him fuch afiiftance as 
 that he made his party good. The king of Quam- 
 tum, being unwilling to be any ways under the di- 
 redlion or command of Oufanguei, left him, and 
 put himfelf under the protection of the Tartars, v/ho 
 turned all their forces againft this lail rebel, more 
 formidable than all the reft together , for he was 
 mafter of the weftern provinces, and the faccefs,v/hich 
 his troops had hitherto met with, gave them heart 
 and courage enough to undertake any thing. 
 
 After the emperor had tried many feveral ways to 
 no purpofe, he plainly faw that it was impofiible to 
 force them from the places where they had intrenched 
 without ufing his great artillery ; but the cannon 
 which he had were iron, and fo heavy that they 
 dared not carry them over fuch fteep rocks, as they 
 muft do to come to him. He thought father Verbieft 
 might be afliftant to him in this matter \ he com- 
 manded the father therefore to give diredions for 
 cafting fome cannon after the European manner. 
 The father prefently excufed himfelf, faying, that he 
 had lived his whole life far from the noife of war, 
 that he was therefore little inftrudled in thofe affairs. 
 He added alfo, that being a religious, and wholly 
 employed in the concerns of another world, he would 
 pray for his majefty's good fuccefs \ but that he hum- 
 bly begged that his majefty would be pleafed to give 
 him leave not to concern himfelf with the warfare of 
 this world, 
 
 B b 4 ThQ 
 
376 Of the Eftablijhment and Progrefs 
 
 The father's enemies (for a miffionary is never 
 without fome) thought that now they had an oppor- 
 tunity to undermine him ; they perfuaded the em- 
 peror, that what he commanded the father to do 
 was no ways oppcfite to the will or intention of the 
 gofpel •, and that it was no more inconvenient to 
 him to call cannon than to cad machines and ma- 
 thematical inflruments, efpecially when the good 
 and fafety of the empire were concerned -, that 
 therefore without doubt the reafon of the father's 
 refiifal was becaufe he kept correfpondence with the 
 enemy, or at lead becaufe he had no refpecfu for 
 the emperor ; fo that at lad the emperor gave the 
 father to underftand, that he expcvSted obedience to 
 his laiL order, not only upon pain of lofing his 
 own life, but alfo of having his religion utterly 
 rooted out. 
 
 This was to touch him in the mod fendble part, 
 and he was indeed too wife to dand out for a 
 nicety or a fcrupli; at the hazard of lofing all that 
 was valuable : I have already afTured your majedy 
 that I have very little underftanding in cading 
 cannon, faid he to the emperor j but fince you com- 
 mand me, I will endeavour to make your work- 
 men underdand what our books direcft in this af- 
 fair. He took therefore upon himfelf the care of 
 this work, and the cannon was proved before the 
 emperor, and found to be extraordinary good. 
 The emperor was fo well pleafed with the work, 
 that he pulled off his mantle, and, in the prefence 
 of the whole court, gave it to father Verbied for a 
 token of his affecfcion. 
 
 All the pieces of cannon were made very light 
 and fmall, but drengthened with a dock of wood 
 from the mouth to the breech, and girt with feveral 
 bands of iron -, fo that the cannons were drong 
 enough to bear the force of powder, and light e- 
 nous^h to be carried thro* any, even the word roads. 
 
 This 
 
of the Chriftian Religion in China. 377 
 This new artillery did every way anfwer what they 
 propofed from it. The enemy were obliged to 
 leave their intrenchments in diforder, and foon 
 after to capitulate ; for they did not think it poiTi- 
 ble to hold out againft thofe any longer, who could 
 deftroy them without coming themfelves into reach. 
 
 Oufanguei was himfelf dead ; his fon Hom-hoa, 
 who carried on the war, ftrangled himfelf thro' 
 defpair •, and the reft of them were in a fmall time 
 utterly routed : fo that the emperor then began 
 to reign in peace, and continued more and more 
 to fhew marks of favour and aifedlion to the mlf- 
 onaries •, fo that father Verbieft has often fighing 
 faid, that the Lord's vineyard was now open, that 
 the heathens themfelves gave liberty to enter upon 
 the harveft, but that yet there were fcarce any work- 
 men to bring it in. 
 
 They fend to him for paftors from everyplace; 
 Tartary, the kingdom of Corea, the provinces of 
 China, which have been left deflitute by the death 
 of their ancient paftors, invite, or rather prefs him 
 to fuccour them. Neither does this fcarcity come 
 from the Europeans want of zeal, but from the 
 differences which have arofe between the facred con- 
 gregation, who fend vicars apoftolical into the Eaft, 
 and the king of Portugal, who pretends to a right 
 to nominate all the bifhops there, exclufively to 
 any fuperior ecclefiaftical power. 
 
 This difpute cools the ardour of thofe fervent 
 miflionaries, who dare not engage themfelves where 
 they muft incur either the indignation of their holy 
 father, or of a mighty prince, both which things 
 are very formidable. And thus the work of God 
 ftood ftill, and thofe precious minutes were loft, 
 which the favour of a great emperor, and the di- 
 ligence of a zealous miffionary, might have made 
 fo ufeful to the firm eftablifhing our holy faith. 
 But this is one of the arcana of providence, which, 
 
 after 
 
378 Of the EJlabltJhment and Progrefs 
 
 after it had confounded all the oppoiition of the 
 enemies of the gofpel, even at the expence of 
 working miracles, does fometimes fuffer that the 
 zeal of catholicks fhould do more harm to reli- 
 gion, than the hatred and jealoufy of idolaters. 
 
 Some time after, my lord bifhop of Heliopolis 
 was fent by the facred congregation with fome 
 French ecclefiafticks, full of ardour to reform and 
 increafe the new chriftianity. This courageous pre- 
 late had once already milted his voyage : for con- 
 trary winds having obliged him fometime before to 
 put in at Manilla, a coniiderable ifland under the 
 Spanilli government, he was taken up upon fuf- 
 picion there, and obliged to return back into Eu- 
 rope by the way of Mexico. This accident, which 
 had broke his firft meafures, ferved only to fill 
 his mind with new and thofe greater ones. He 
 came to Paris, where his good intentions were well 
 known. Rome heard him with pleafure, and fol- 
 lowed his projedls in all that refpecfled the eaftern 
 miflions ; fo that he came honoured with a power 
 from the holy fee, and laded with the alms of the 
 faithful, who expeded nothing lefs from his zeal 
 than the converfion of the nev7 world. 
 
 He therefore once more pafTed over the feas, 
 and happily arrived at China, where he began to 
 fcatter abroad that flame which would warm all 
 the mifTionaries. The jefuits, and other religious, 
 not only acknowledged his authority, but alfo took 
 the new oath which the facred congregation had 
 appointed, altho' the king of Portugal had abfo- 
 lutely forbid it. For they thought, that that prince, 
 in whom the love of religion had always prevailed 
 before his private intereft, would not take it 111 
 when he fhould know, that their refufal of it 
 might have occasioned the deftrudlion of chriill- 
 anlty in China, and perhaps of the miffions in all 
 the other parts of the Eafl:. 
 
 ■ This 
 
of the Chrijlian Religion in China. 379 
 
 This was matter of great joy to the biihop, who, 
 after his happy beginning, made ready, according 
 to his former notions, to new till this new vine- 
 yard of the Lord, whither he thought himfelf fent 
 like the prophet heretofore *. Ecce conftitui te fuper 
 gentes^ ut deftruas^ & difperdas^ & diffipes^ &c. 
 But God Almighty was fatisfy'd with his good in- 
 tentions, and took him to himfelf a few months af- 
 ter his arrival. His death greatly furprized all the 
 faithful, it did efpecially aSlidb the fervent ecclefi- 
 afticks, who were the companions of his voyage ; 
 the other miffionaries fubmitted with refignation to 
 the will of God, being perfuaded, that whatfoever 
 providence appoints is always for his glory, and 
 the good of the elect, if they make a right ufe of it. 
 
 This was fweetened by the arrival of tv/o other 
 biihops, who a little while after fupplied his place 
 under the title of Vicars Apoftolical. The firft was 
 monfieur d'Argolis, an Italian of the order of St. 
 Francis, noted among thofe of his order, for his ex- 
 cellent virtues and extraordinary knowledge. He had 
 been employed in the chiefeft bufinefs there, and our 
 holy father thought he could not make choice of 
 a wifer man than he to place at the helm of fo flou- 
 rifhing a miffion. As he went by Siam, monfieur 
 Conftance, underftanding his worth, prefented him 
 to the king, who would fain have kept him in his 
 kingdom ; but, becaufe the orders of the holy fee 
 obl:ged him to go farther, he refolved at leaft to 
 fliew him fome marks of his efteem and aifedlion 
 towards him, in ordering him, and two of his com- 
 panions of the fame order, a considerable peniion ; 
 fo that, had it not been for the revolutions which 
 a little while after happened in his kingdom, this 
 prince, worthy of a better fortune, would have 
 had his miffionaries in China, as well as the moft 
 :^ealous princes in Europe. 
 
 Since 
 f Jer, I. 10, 
 
380 Of the Eftablijkrnent and Progrefs 
 
 Since this wife prelate hath been in China, the 
 natural fweetnefs of his temper hath very much, 
 contiibuted to the comfort of the faithful, and con- 
 verfion of the heathen. He hath vifited all the 
 provinces which the holy fee committed to his 
 care, confecrating priefts, teaching and exhorting 
 them, adminiftring the facrament of confirmation, 
 uniting all their aiFedions as much as poffibly he 
 could, whofe different interefts feemed to have cooled 
 their mutual charity to one another in Jefus Chrift. 
 And tho' one would think that the Portuguefe could 
 never have a refped for him, becaufe their preten- 
 fions are wholly oppofite to this inftitution of vi- 
 cars apoftolical, yet he has behaved himfelf with 
 fo much prudence, that all nations here think them- 
 felves particularly obliged to him. 
 
 The fecond bifhop, whom the holy fee has dig- 
 nified with the title of Vicar Apoftolical, is mon- 
 lieur de Bafilee a Chinefe, educated by the fathers 
 of St. Francis's order, afterwards taking upon him- 
 felf the order of St. Dominick. When he was only 
 a miflionary, he had a flaming zeal for the conver- 
 sion of his dear country, and, during the perfecu- 
 tion of father Adam, he was the main fupport of 
 religion in all the provinces which he travelled thro*, 
 and ftrengthened in the faith. When he was con- 
 fecrated bifhop, he performed all his duties perfe6lly 
 well, and the holy fee did fo fer approve of his con- 
 dud, as to let him nominate his fucceflbr. He no- 
 minated his vicar-general the reverend father deLeo- 
 nifla, an Italian of St. Francis's order, who in his 
 private life might have been a pattern to the moft 
 ifcridt religious, and, in the important employment 
 of vicar apoftolical, has {hewn, that he has all that 
 2eal, all that prudence, and all that conftancy, 
 which the government of a great church requires. 
 
 My lord biftiop of Bafilee, after he had thus 
 chofen this worthv fucceffor of his apoftlefhip, fell 
 
of the Chrijiian Religion in China. 38 1 
 
 fick at Nankim, and died full of thofe happy vi- 
 {ions which God gives even in this world to his 
 faints. At his death, that faith {hone brightly which 
 had animated him in his life-time ; and. his laid mi- 
 nutes, wherein he appeared to be filled with the 
 moft fenfible touches of chriftian hope, feemed to 
 give him an antepaft of the joy of paradife. All 
 his trouble was for the miffionaries, by whom he 
 was affedionately beloved, and for the chriftians, 
 who loft in him the firft prieft, the firft religious, 
 and the firft biftiop that ever China had yet given 
 to chriftianity. And as his blefled memory was 
 every where fpread abroad, they have fet up his 
 pidlure in feveral places ; which the reverend fa- 
 ther de Leonifla fent to the facred congregation, 
 to preferve the memory of a prelate, whofe own 
 merit, as well as our particular obligations to him, 
 ought to make eternally refpedled. 
 
 Befides this, the pope honoured mr. Maigrot and 
 mr. Pin, with the title of Vicars Apoftolical, both of 
 them dodors of the Sorbon, diligent, zealous, and 
 fet upon following the intentions of the holy fee, 
 and in a word, companions of mr. Heliopolis, and 
 inheritors of a double portion of his fpirit. 
 
 If the number of miffionaries had been anfwer- 
 able to that of the paftors, the churches in China 
 had now been perfedly filled •, but, as I have faid, 
 the over care, which every one has taken to provide 
 for it exclufively of others, has rendered people lefs 
 defirous of going. Good men, nay, even thofe who 
 have occafioned thefe diforders, have mourned for 
 them in fecret. Some zealous perfons have endea- 
 voured to remedy this. My lord bifhop of Munfter 
 and Paderborn, whom the care of his own diocefe 
 did not hinder from extending his care even as far 
 as the Eaft, gave a fettlement for ixx miffionaries 
 for ever to China j but, dying a little while after, 
 his laft will was never executed. Others in France, 
 
 in 
 
382 Of the EJiabliflment aJtd Progrefs 
 
 in Spain, and in Italy, took a great deal of pains 
 to help this forfaken miflion, but they could never 
 compafs their defigns. 
 
 Lewis the Great, who is himfelf as zealous for 
 eftabliihing the gofpel as all the other princes put 
 together, among the great defigns which he has been 
 intent upon to make religion flourifh in Europe, 
 thought, that he ought not to negled that good 
 which he might do in Afia. He was very fenfi- 
 ble of the neceflities of China, which father Ver- 
 biefl: had reprefented to him in one of his letters, 
 in the moft fenfible manner in the world ; and, 
 altho' he very well knew, that he could not make 
 miiTionaries (a quality which nobody can give us but 
 the vicar of Jefus Chrift) he doubted not but that re- 
 ligioufes who were exadlly fkilled in mathematicks, 
 in attaining, according to his orders, an exadl know- 
 ledge in aftronomy, might at the fame time, with 
 good fuccefs, labour according to the defign of 
 their inftitution, in the converfion of infidels. He 
 was very well fatisfied, that, of all the means which 
 human prudence could advantageoufly make ufe of 
 in the mofl holy adlions, there were none which pro- 
 moted the concerns of religion in China more than 
 the mathematicks. 
 
 Being therefore willing at once to fatisfy his 
 zeal for the advancement of the gofpel, and the 
 defire which he had of bringing the fciences to per- 
 fection, he made choice of fix jefuits, whom he 
 thought capable of giving good fatisfaftion to the 
 learned, and inflrudtion to intelligent perfons. Thofe, 
 who were thus appointed, could have wifhed they 
 had all the abilities necefTary for this employment. 
 They did neverthelefs fet out with a good will, being 
 ready to facrifice their lives and all their fmall talents 
 to the greater glory of God, and by confequence to 
 the pious dellgns of the greatefl: prince in the world. 
 
 When 
 
of the Chrijlian Religion in China. 383 
 
 When we came into China, v/e found it in the 
 condition I have been relating, the harvefl was 
 plentiful every where, but it was almoft deftitute of 
 workmen ; or (to make ufe of father Intorcetta's 
 words, one of the moft noted miflionaries) drowned 
 in thofe tears, which the forrow of feeing herfelf 
 abandoned forced continually from her : Benedi^fus 
 Deus^ qui fecit nobifcum mifericordiam fuam^ liber avit 
 "vos a naufragio^ ut prope naufragam noftram mijfione'tn 
 ab aquis lacrimarum [ummique mceroris eriperet \ vos 
 cmnes in corde fervo^ ^ tanquam veros Societatis 
 filios virofque Apoftolicos intimis animi pr^ecordiis am- 
 pleSlor^ (ffc. Thus he fpake to us in his firft letter, 
 to encourage us to affift in the glorious labours of this 
 miffion. 
 
 Providence put it into our power in a little time 
 to employ ourfelves ufefully there •, and if we had 
 done no other good than was the drawing after us 
 by our example feveral other miifTionaries v*^ho fol- 
 lowed us, and who now are full of their holy la- 
 bours in the work of God, it would be a great com- 
 fort to us, and a very great advantage to China. 
 But that which is much more comfortable is, that 
 we have hereby contributed very much tovv^ards re- 
 moving thofe lets and hinderances to the propagat- 
 ing the gofpel of which I fpake before ; for, at 
 the remonitrance of father Tachard, fupported alio 
 by that of the reverend father general. Innocent XI. 
 fufpended the oath. And after, Clement VIII. 
 granted to the king of Portugal to nominate three 
 bifhops, one of Pekin, the other of Nankim, and 
 the third of Macao. And at this prefent, our ho- 
 ly father, who in his ownfelf hath all the zeal, all 
 the piety, and all -the wifdorn of his predecefibrs, 
 animated by the fame fpirit, and moved (if I might 
 do myfelf the honour of faying fo) with what I 
 have had the honour to reprefent unto him of the 
 prefent ftate pf thefe miflions, is about to regulate 
 
 all 
 
3 84 Of the EJiabliJhment and Progrefs, &c. 
 
 all the particulars therein by the prudent counfel and 
 advice of the facred congregation ; to the end, that 
 hereafter nothing may be fo much laid to heart 
 as the intereft of religion, and that all kingdoms 
 of Europe, being united in the love of Jefus Chrift, 
 may v/ith one confent labour to bring about and 
 perfecfl this great work. 
 
 Thus, fir, I have given you a general view of the 
 eftablifhment and progrefs of chriftianity in the em- 
 pire of China, from the preaching of the apoftles 
 till the laft times. This church, heretofore vejy 
 famous, but after that wholly overturned by fuper- 
 ftition, hath at laft been re-eftablifhed one age ago, 
 by one of the greateft men of our fociety, and 
 augmented by the labours of a great many mif- 
 fionaries, governed by wife prelates, honoured by 
 the protedion of many emperors, fupported by the 
 bounty of all the princes of Europe, and, which 
 is more for its glory, perfecuted by all the ene- 
 mies of truth, and made precious in the eyes of 
 God, by the chains, the banifhment, and blood of 
 the confeftbrs. I am, with all imaginable refped, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 2'our moft humble 
 
 and moft obedient Servanty 
 
 L.J. 
 
 LET- 
 
3% 
 LETTER Xli. 
 
 To the mofi Reverend Father De la Chaife, Coyifejjor 
 to the King. 
 
 Concerning the Manner how each Miffionary peaches 
 the Gofpel in China, and of the Fervency of the 
 New Chrifiians. 
 
 Mofi Reverend Father^ 
 
 ALtho' the important aft'aits of China, whicii 
 detain me at prefent at Rome, require all 
 my application, and feem to be my excufe if I ani 
 wanting in performing any parts of my duties {o 
 exadly as I could defire, I cannot neverthelefs in 
 the leaft forget both the obligations which I myfclf 
 have to you in particular, as well as the mifiions 
 in thfe Eaft in general. 
 
 It was you, mofl: reverend father, who formerly 
 drew out the platform of them, who juft then 
 made choice of their minifters^ whom your tefii- 
 monlals, together with the efteem of one of the 
 greateft princes upon earth, have rendered in pro- 
 cefs of time more renowned than all their particu- 
 lar qualifications. 
 
 This royal protedlon, under which we have un- 
 dauntedly affronted dangers ;, thofe letter^ written 
 on our behalf to fovereigns and their officers ; thofe 
 magnificent prefents, thofe regularly fettled penfions> 
 thofe extraordinary helps, (and what v/e valufe much 
 more) thofe fo grave counfels, favouring fo much of 
 the fpirit of God, wherewith you have In a manner 
 hallowed our firft voyages, and which we flill look 
 upon as the fafeft rule of our behaviour and condudi, 
 are benefits either received from yourfelf, or procured 
 by your means. 'Tis but juft, moft reverend father, 
 that, in v/hat part of the world foever we be, we 
 € c fhouli 
 
386 How the Go/pel is fropofed to 
 fhould teftify our acknowledgments. For my part, 
 I am perfuaded, that one cannot give you more fo- 
 lid demonftrations of them, than by maintaining, by 
 our great zeal, what you have performed to our ad- 
 vantage. I fuppofed you would be fatisfied, and that 
 at leaft I fhould perform my duty, by acquainting 
 you with the fuccefs wherewith it hath pleafed God 
 to crov/n our labour •, and, what benefits we may 
 hope to reap from the miflionaries which you your- 
 felf will form, or at leail, who fhall come to us 
 out of your hands. 
 
 In a word, the time I {hall employ, in writing to 
 you on this fubjed, is fo far from any ways diminiih- 
 ing that due care and con fl ant endeavour to pro- 
 mote the welfare of our millions, that, without all 
 doubt, it will much contribute to their future efta- 
 blilliment ; for I hope, that your protedion, becom- 
 ing thereby more elFedual and folid, will more ad- 
 vance our affairs, than all the pains and care which 
 I can poinbly take for their fuccefs. 
 
 Purfaant to the firft projedl that we laid, we were 
 all of us to ftay at Pekin, in the palace, and fervice of 
 the emperor -, but providence otherv/ife ordered it, 
 and they at laft gave way to our inclination, which 
 iTioved us to difperfe ourfelves all over the provinces, 
 for the propagating of religion. They were content 
 to detain father GerbilJon and father Bouvet at court, 
 w^here they imm.ediately applied themfelvesto the ftu- 
 dy of languages with fach fuccefs, that they were 
 quickly in a condition to ailift the chriftians, yea, 
 and to be employed by the emperor in feveral im- 
 portant affairs. The moft confiderable was the peace 
 bet>veel:^ the Mufcovites and Chinefe ; the treaty of 
 which was then a-foot 300 leagues from Pekin, whi- 
 ther father Gerbillon was fent with prince Sofan who 
 was nominated plenipotentiary for the empire. 
 
 Nipchou v/as the place where the minifters of the 
 two nations ailembled \ each of them having a body 
 
 of 
 
the New Chriftians in Chinal 387 
 
 of foldiers attending, to terminate, if occafion ferved, 
 what the negotiation could not decide : the haughti- 
 nefs of both did oftentimes make them fly out into 
 extremes ; which v/ould have proved fatal to both 
 parties, if father Gerbillon by his dilcretion had not 
 moderated animoHties. He continually pafTed from 
 camp to camp, made fpeeches, propofed expedients^ 
 pacified their minds, and he diifembled v/hatever 
 might be apt mutually to exafperate them in the con- 
 clufion : He fo dexteroufly managed the com.morl 
 interefts, that the peace v/as concluded to the fatif- 
 fadlion both of Chinefe and Mufcovites. Prince So- 
 fan was fo well pleafed with the zeal and wifdom of 
 this father, that he declared publickly^ that, if it had 
 not been for him^ all had been in a defperate condi- 
 tion ; he exprefs^dhimfelf about the matter to the em- 
 peror to the fame efted, infom.uch that this prince 
 had the curio iity to be acquainted with him. He 
 found him to be a very fenfible perfon, capable, fin- 
 cere^ forward to execute, and even to anticipate his 
 orders. This chara^ler wonderfully pleafed the em- 
 peror ; he had a mind to have him near his perfon^ 
 at the palace, in the campaign, and in his progrefs 
 into Tartary, where he beftowed upon him fo many 
 fignal marks of his efteem, that the grandees of his 
 court might have perhaps conceived fome jealoufy 
 from them, had not the father's modefty won him 
 the afte6lion of every body. 
 
 Thefe ftrfl: favours were followed by an extraordi- 
 nary one that was much better relifhed by this mlf- 
 fionary ; he pitched upon him for his tutor in mathe- 
 maticks and philofophy conjointly with father Bovet^ 
 v/hofe merit he likewife m^uch efteemed. The paf- 
 fion, this prince hath for fciences, makes him vcj-y 
 intent upon ftudies every day in a maimer tv/o or 
 three hours together, v/hich he fpares from his plea- 
 fure : it is more than probable, that^ by the inquiry 
 into naUiral truth, providence will condud him 
 
 C c 2 bv 
 
388 How the Gofpel is propofed to 
 by degrees to the eternal fountain of truth, without 
 which, all others ferve not fo much to perfedt the 
 mind, as to puiF it up with pride in the eyes of 
 men, and render it inexcufable before God. 
 
 Father Verbieft had already begun to explain thefe 
 fciences to him ; but, befides his making ufe of the 
 Chinefe tongue in his ledures, which is not proper, 
 by reafon of its often repeated equivocals, to illuf- 
 trate notions otherwife obfcure enough of themfelves : 
 befides that, I fay father Verbieft died. Thefe fa- 
 thers fuppofed the Tartarian tongue would be better 
 liked by this prince, and that it might ferve their 
 turn the better to make the notions intelligible. It 
 happened according to their expedation, and the 
 emperor became in a fiiort time fo capable, that he 
 compofwd a book of geometry. He afterwards gave 
 it to the princes his fons, and undertook to be their 
 mafter in it •, he called them together every day, 
 explained to them the moil difficult propofitions of 
 Euclid ; yea, and this prince, having upon his fhoul- 
 dcTs the government of one of the m.oft potent em- 
 pires of the v/orld, did not difdain, with his rule and 
 compafs in his hand, to fpend his time in the family 
 in fpeculations, v/hich intereft alone fcarce makes de- i 
 lightful to private perfons. 
 
 \Vhilft thefe two fathers by their credit made them- 
 felves fit to be in a fhort time the main fijpport of re- 
 ligion, father Fon.tancy, father Vifdelou, and myfelf, 
 did endeavour not to be unferviccable in the pro- 
 vinces. Father Fontaney went to Nankim, father |J 
 Vifdelou took care of the churches of Xanfi, where I '^" 
 alfo rem.ained fome time with himi ; from whence af- 
 terwards I removed to Xenfi, the ancient place of fa- 
 ther Fabcr's miffion, the chriitians of which place, 
 notwithilanding their having been deferted thefe ma- ' 
 ny years, do neverthelefs preferve their firfi: fer- 
 vency, and are ftill looked upon as 'the mould of 
 that great flock, and mgdel of other believers. We 
 
 underftood 
 
 J 
 
the New Chrijiians in China, 389 
 
 underftood at that time, by our own proper expe- 
 rience, what was often told us, that the harveft 
 truly was great ^ and that happy is that labourer 
 whom the Mafter of the harveft doth pleafe to make 
 ufe of to gather it in. Every thing is matter of 
 (:onfo]ation in this glorious employment ; the faith 
 of the new converts, the innocence of the ancient, 
 the aptnefs of the children., the devotion and mo- 
 defty of women ; but yet, one is more efpecially 
 afFedted by fome eminent and exemplary conver-. 
 fions, to perceive the work of grace now and then 
 wrought in the hearts of idolaters. 
 
 The truth is, thefe are in refped of us convincing 
 proofs of that truth which we preach and declare : 
 For indeed, by what fecret charm could we be 
 able to animate dead minds, and raife them (if I 
 may prefume fo to fay) to reafon, to God, to all 
 the maxims of the moft pure and refined morality ; 
 minds, that have been buried and immcrfed from 
 their very infancy in flefh and blood ? What force 
 and power, what blandifhment could be able in an, 
 inftant to bring into captivity rebellious minds under 
 the yoke of a religion fo fevere as ours is, if Jefus 
 Chrift himfelf did not work miracles, and 1^ the 
 holy Spirit, by the inward and invifible operation of 
 grace, did not fupply the defecIJl of his miniflcrs ? 
 
 This is that, moft reverend father, v/hich we ex-, 
 perience every day with afconifhing comfort, v/hich 
 doth eftablifh, ftrengthen, and fettle us unm.ovable in 
 the fame faith which God produceth in idolaters. I 
 would to God I were able to relate to you particular- 
 ly all that paffes in China on this fubje6l, where, in 
 fpite of all the ftratagems of devils, God is fo con- 
 ftantly and refolutely glorified. Yet, not being able 
 upon my departure to pick up the particular mem.o- 
 rial of each church, I fhall only content miyfelf to tell 
 you in part what I myfelf have obferved in my mif- 
 iion, and after what manner I have made it my bufi- 
 C 9 3^ ■ nds. 
 
390 How the Gofpel is propofed to 
 
 nefs to adorn it, according to the ideas and pradice of 
 
 the moft grave and ancient primitive miflionaries. 
 
 AIJ my bufinefs was reduced to three principal 
 points -, the firft v/as to cherifh and keep up the 
 piety of old believers by the preaching of the word 
 of God, and above all, by particular exhortations \ 
 v/hich is abundantly more profitable and edifying 
 than any thing that is fpoken in publick, where the 
 difcourfe is often not underftood, either becaufe of the 
 people's flupidity, or elfe by reafon of the preacher's 
 ill utterance and pronunciation. Thefe poor fguls, 
 whom fimpliclty and fervency make teachable, do 
 oftentimes hear that with tears in their eyes, which 
 they do not comprehend but by halves \ but yet, 
 they always improve and edify by what they under- 
 ftand perfectly. They are efpecially moH taken with 
 comparifons, parables, and hiftories ; and albeit they 
 are not acquainted nor accuftomed to that vehement 
 and fometimes pafTionate action of our preachers, 
 yet for all that, they are moved and wrought upon 
 when they fpeak to them with earneftnefs and con- 
 cern. 
 
 I no. fooner came to a private houfe to confefs ftck 
 perfons, or about other bufinefs, but prefently you 
 ihould have all the family, nay, and the chriftians 
 too of the neighbourhood flock together about me, 
 and intreat me to fpeak to them concerning God. I 
 had made but an indifferent progrefs In underftand- 
 ing and pronouncing their -tongue, efpecially when 
 I firft began to preach, which neverthelefs gave 
 them no manner of offence \ fo far from it, that, if 
 they could but never fo little apprehend what 
 I meant, they never were cloy'd v/Ith hearing 
 ine. 
 
 I have moreover taken notice, that they had 
 always rather I fnould preach myfelf, how bar- 
 barous foever my language might appear, than 
 that I iiiould get them inftrucledj as I fometimes 
 
 did 
 
the New Chriflians i7i China. 391 
 
 did by the help of a Chinefe catechift, that had been 
 formed fome<tIme before to exercifes of this iiiiture. 
 But, my vifits not being fo frequent as I could have 
 wifhed, I endeavoured to make them up by godly 
 books, with which, by God's bleiling, China is very 
 well ftored, there having been fome mifTionaries fuf- 
 ficiently zealous and able to compofe books, and 
 that very politely, upon all the points of religion. 
 They have very curious and compleat cate- 
 chifms, wherein the entire and compleat body of 
 the do(5lrine of chriftianity, the life, miracles, and 
 death of our bleiled Lord, the commandments of 
 God and the church are clearly explained. There 
 are likewife to be found pardcular expofitions upon 
 the gofpels, treatifes upon moral and chriftian du- 
 ties, fome folid controveriies adapted to every bo- 
 dy's capacity, pradlices of piety for the different 
 conditions of life, prayers and inftrudlions for the 
 ufe of the facraments, a body of divinity for the 
 learned, for they have tranflated fome part of Tho. 
 Aquinas, and latt of all, St. Ignatius's exercifes for 
 thofe that mind heavenly things. Infomuch, that 
 this fpiritual feed of the evangelical word is fcat- 
 tered all over, and multiplied an hundred fold. 
 
 I could have wifhed there might have been a 
 tranilation of the Miflal, upon the account of fay- 
 ing mafs in Chinefe, together with an exa6l veriion 
 of the holy fcriptures. Conformable to the per- 
 miflion obtained for that purpofe, the Miflal was fi- 
 nifhed, and father Couplet prefented it fome years ago 
 to the pope : however, after having duly examined 
 the matter, it was not thought convenient to make 
 ufe of it, but they continued to fay mafs in the 
 Latin tongue, as in other places. As for the. 
 compleat verfion of the Bible, there are fuch weighty 
 reafons why it ftiould not forthwith be published, 
 that it would feem a rafh piece of impudence to 
 do it \ and fo much the more, becaufe there is already 
 
 C c 4 expoundeds 
 
392 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 expounded, in divers books, what is contained in the 
 gofpel i yea, and even whatfoever is hioft inftrudtive 
 in the reft of the holy fcriptures. 
 
 The fecond method, to increafe the fervent zeal 
 of chriftians, was prayer : Befides the time appointed 
 for mafs, I aflembled them twice a day to make 
 publick prayers. They fung in two choirs with 
 •fuch marvellous devotion, that it made me wifh that 
 the European chriftians might have been witnefles 
 of their piety \ for their rude, and fometimes fcan- 
 idalous deportments before our altars, will certainly 
 be condemned at the great tribunal, by the modefty 
 of thofe later chriftians. 
 
 They do not underftand either fmging by notes 
 or m.ufick as we do, yet have they tunes of their 
 own compofurc no ways unpleafant, which feems to 
 me abundance morc tolerable than what are ufed In 
 feveral focieties in Europe : They had likewife feve- 
 ral forts of inftruments ; concerts they feem to ad- 
 mire, and our villages in France would ferve their 
 turn well enough in that point. 
 
 The Chinefe are of that temper, that they had 
 need of fomething fenftble to heighten their devo- 
 tion J fum.ptuous and magnificent ornaments, fing- 
 ing, pompous proceftions, the noife of bells and 
 inftruments, and the ceremonies of the church, are 
 very taking with them, and allure them to divine 
 fervice. I took extraordinary care in that matter, 
 to procure for them all that tlie church out of 
 her moft wife condu6l hath permitted to the fer- 
 vants of God-, yet, always diftinguiftiing that 
 which fuperftition, if one have not a care of it, 
 is V7ont, in procefs of time, to put into the com- 
 mon people's head. • 
 
 I apply'd myfelf more efpecially to infpire them 
 with refpedl to our myftencs, they made their con- 
 fefiion ufually \ every fortnight, Their confeftion 
 'fzs not only attended with tears (for the Chinefe 
 
the New Chrijliam In China. 393 
 
 are more fubjedt to weeping than we) but alfo with 
 Tevere penance in the evening in the veftry. 
 
 The lively faith, they had for the adorable facra- 
 ment, made them conftant attenders on the altar ; 
 and, when I permitted them to receive it, they com- 
 municated with afFedlions of veneration capable of 
 inflaming not only fuch who are but lukewarm, but 
 almoft chriftians : you might fee them proftrate at 
 feveral times, with their face on the ground lamenting^ 
 and commonly fliedding abundance of tears. Such 
 like poftures, more frequent and ordinary amongft 
 Afiaticks than Europeans, yet evermore edifying and 
 fubmiffive, do exceedingly contribute to excite devo- 
 tion in the foul, and to imprefs upon the mind that 
 profound veneration which the majefly of our my- 
 fteries deferves at our hands. 
 
 This refpecft extended itfelf alfo to the images, 
 reliques, to the medals, holy water, and in general, 
 to whatfoever bears the charadler of our religion. 
 
 They bore, more than that, a particular veneration 
 for the Virgin Mary, which perhaps had gone too 
 far, if care had not been ufed to regulate it. They 
 call her the Holy Mother (Chin-Mou) and do in- 
 voke her in all their ftraits and exigencies. The ex- 
 perience, they have had of her protedlion, hath 
 confirmed them in this warm devotion, and the be- 
 nefits, they receive daily from her, per fuade them fhe 
 is acceptable to God. 
 
 The women are yet more animated with thefe fenr 
 timents than the men. All their churches are dedi- 
 cated to her under the title of Chin-Mou tam, that 
 is to fay, the temple of the BleiTed Mother. There 
 they meet together, for they never enter into the 
 church of the men, as the men dare not prefume to 
 fet a foot into theirs. But the paffionate love, that 
 the chriftians have for Jefus Chrift, makes them 
 really devout, and walk worthy of the profeffion 
 they hays embraqed. They continually repeat thefe 
 ^'' following 
 
2 94 ^^'^ ^^^ Go/pel is propofed to 
 following words, Jefu^ the Mafter of heaven^ whojhed 
 his blood for us \ Jefus who died to fave us. Being 
 it is the my fiery wherein we mod carefully inftru6t 
 them, fo it is that they moft ftedfaftly believe. 
 Every one fhall have their crucifixes in their cham- 
 bers; and notv/ithftanding the nakednefs of our 
 images did at firil give fome offence, yet have they 
 in procefs of time accuftomed themfelves to them. 
 We diftribute them to the people with fome precau- 
 tion, for fear they may chance to fall into the hands 
 of idolaters, who might, either through ignorance 
 or malice, be apt to prophane them. 
 
 And this was the reafon why, after mafs was faid, 
 I commonly removed from the altar a large graven 
 crucifix, the pagans do oftentimes come out of cu- 
 riofity to fee our churches i now they might have 
 ftole it away, or fpoken of it irreverently and blaf- 
 phemoufly, which neverthelefs was not brought to 
 pafs by the paints of Chrift's pafiion which I left 
 with them. 
 
 Now as for chriflians, we are far from concealing 
 from them this facred myftery of our redemption, 
 or from diffembling in the leafl: circumftance of the 
 fame. What certain hereticks have writ, concern- 
 ing it, is a foul calumny, which all the Chinefe 
 books and cuts, therein engraven, have long ago 
 difproved and confuted. 
 
 The crofs is carried publickly in the ftreets in pro- 
 cefiion, planted on the tops of churches, and painted 
 over the doors of the chriftians houfes. I have no. 
 where obferved the ceremony of the adoring of the 
 crofs, performed every Good Friday publickly, 
 pradifed with miore adoration than in China ; nay, 
 I fincerely protefi, that I never affifiied thereat with- 
 out being forced to mingle my tears with thofe of 
 the believers, who outdo themfelves in devotion and 
 publick penance on that day efpecially. Thofe, who< 
 have accu&d their faith in this pointy would them- 
 felves 
 
the New Chrijlians in China. 395 
 
 felves be aftiamed at the infenfiblenefs of Europeans, 
 had they affifted at our ceremonies \ for our part, we 
 are overjoyed to fee the Opprobrium of the crofs to 
 triumph, as far as the utm.oft limits of the univerfe* 
 over the moft proud and haughty nation of the 
 world. 
 
 The particular inftrudion of the Chinefe women 
 is much more troublefome than that of men ; they 
 are never vifited but in the time of their ficknefs, 
 neither do they ever come to vilit the miflionaries ^ 
 but they may be fpoken with in their churches, or 
 elfe one may caufe them to meet every fortnight to 
 fay mafs, and adminifter the facrament to them ; 
 they dare not come oftener for fear of fcandal, the 
 laws of the country do not fo much as allow 
 them that, becaufe the diforders, that happen every 
 time the Pagan women vifit the temples of the 
 Bonzes, caufe our aflemblies to be fufpedted, and 
 afford a fpecious pretence to the Gentiles to cry 
 down religion. 
 
 Notwithftanding a man cannot imagine what 
 fruit may be reap'd by it, I came to this church 
 upon Friday evening to hear confeflions. 'Tis al- 
 ways in a place expos'd to every one's view •, for in 
 this cafe one cannot a6l with too much caution. On 
 Saturday morning I finifh'd the confeflions of thofe 
 that were not able to get a place the day foregoing. 
 Almoft every one of them confefs, and would be 
 glad fo to do every day if they had liberty granted. 
 Whether it be tendernefs of confcience, or efteem 
 for the facrament, or fome other reafon beft known 
 to themfelves, I know not ; but they think they can 
 never fet time enough apart to difcover their faults. 
 There is required abundance of patience to hear 
 them •, and, being naturally of a mild difpofition,they 
 would take it very ill to be handled roughly ; yet 
 have they one good quality, that they are feldom 
 tefty and fro ward. They receive the inftrudlions 
 
 from 
 
3 96 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 from their diredlor in all humility ^ they blindly pin 
 their faith upon his fleeve ; we never inflidl great 
 penance on them, nay tho' it be a difficult matter to 
 reduce them from their ordinary peccadilloes, yet do 
 not they find it fo hard to bewail and lament for 
 them. 
 
 As for notorious fms they very rarely commit 
 them, becaufe their condition exempts them from 
 the moft dangerous opportunities ; and, if they could 
 be brought to keep peace in their domeilick affairs, 
 their life would be otherwife wonderful innocent. 
 I have obferved in many of them a certain devotion 
 that wanted but little of holinefs. They always ap- 
 piy themfelves to bufinefs or to prayer, feeking all 
 opportunities for the education of their children, or 
 for their own improvement : very fcrupulous and 
 nice in the obfervation of the pra6lice of every chri- 
 ftian duty 5 charitable, frequent in mortification ; in 
 a particular manner zealous for the converiion of 
 idolaters •, attentive to all occafions that prefent them- 
 felves to do a6ls of charity ; infomuch that I have 
 •heard the ancienteil miffionaries fay, that, if China 
 "once turn'd chriftian, almoft all the v/omen would be 
 faved. This is not an affedled encomium of the 
 Chinefe v/omen •, I do faithfully and honeftly relate 
 what I have feen, and I judge of other churches by 
 this whereof I have the care and condudl. 
 
 The inftrudion of the youth of riper years gave 
 me as much trouble. I w^as perfuaded that this 
 age, above all other, requir'd cultivating, efpecially 
 in China, v/here many things concur to make them 
 have an averfion for the fervice of God \ their eafy 
 foft temper, the complaifance of all about them ; 
 their relations that doat upon them, and feldom 
 carry a firict hand over them, but let them have 
 their wills ; rhe company of heathen children al- 
 ways corrupted and vicious very foon •, their depen- 
 dance, their complaifance with fchool-mafters, who 
 
 many 
 
the New Cbriftiam in China. 397 
 
 many times have fuch Influence on them, as to In- 
 fpire them with an averfion for religion. All thefe 
 aris obftacles to their inftrudion, very hard to fur- 
 mount what care foever we take. 
 
 Yet was I willing to difcharge my duty by feveral 
 ways and means : that, which appeared to me the 
 moft eiFedlual, was to take a chriftian fchool-mafter 
 into my houfe, who was an able zealous man ; the 
 children came thither to le^rn, and I took the op- 
 portunity to inftill devotion into them, to expound 
 to them the principal articles of religion, to train 
 them up, and difcipline them againft the aflaults of 
 the Gentiles, to accuilom them to the ceremonies of 
 the church, where they affiflied at niafs every day. 
 This pradlice did alfo produce another good effefl: : 
 the children of idolaters who cam^e to ftudy under 
 the tuition of the fame mafter, whither by reafon 
 of cheapnefs, or becaufe of the nearnefs of the place, 
 heard, whether they would or no, what was taught 
 to their fchool-fellows *, thefe inftrudlions form'd and 
 feafon'd them by little and little to chrlftianity, and 
 replenifh'd their mind with abundance of good no- 
 tions and ideas, which, as fo many feeds, in procefs 
 of time, did produce evangelical fruit, that is to fay, 
 real converfions. 
 
 It were to be wiili'd there were a good number 
 of chriftian fchool-mafters that might teach gratis 
 in cities, that would be the beft means to propagate 
 religion, and to preferve good manners, and keep 
 up decorum in families ; but the miiTionaries are fo 
 far from being In a condition to maintain them, that 
 they are hard put to it to fubdft themfelves ; for 
 they do not lead fuch a life as fome ill-informed, or 
 mther ill-affe6led authors would have made the world 
 believe they did. Nay, and I fpeak even of thofe 
 who are at court, who feem by their outfide to live 
 in the affluence of all accommodations. .It Is true, 
 indeed, they go in their fi Iks (accgrding to the mode 
 
 of 
 
398 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 of the country) when they go to vifit perfons of 
 quality j yea, and they are fometimes carried in a 
 fedan, or elfe on horfeback, attended by fervants ; 
 all which is neceflary to keep up their credit, and 
 preferve the protecftion of the Mandarines, for want 
 of which the chriftians would be often opprefTed ; 
 but yet that makes the mifTionaries to lead an hard 
 life, for thefe expences confuming their w^hole reve- 
 nue, or penfion, which never amounts to an hundred 
 crowns per Annum, the fmail portion that remains 
 IS fcarce fufficient to live on. The miffionary is 
 very decently (not to fay very poorly) habited in his 
 houfe, his lodging is very inconvenient, he lies upon 
 the hard ground, or upon a very thin quilt without 
 fheets : As for his table, it is fo frugal, that there 
 IS never a monk in Europe to whom the canon 
 prefcribes fuch a rigorous abftinence -, fome of them 
 pafs whole years together v/ith only rice, leguminous 
 vegetables, and water •, for the Thee, that is ufually 
 drank, is neither pleafant to the palate of a Chinefe 
 nor a foreigner. 
 
 However, I fpeak only of the time that they are 
 in their houfe ; for as foon as ever they come abroad 
 to travel about the provinces, and to feek the loft 
 iheep in the villages, mountains, and the moil re- 
 mote places, one is not able to exprefs the continual 
 fatigues of their mifTion ; (I fpeak chiefly of thofe 
 that perform in the weftern provinces; for the 
 channels, that water almoft all the provinces of the 
 fouth, make thefe perambulations lefs tedious. ) Then 
 it is that they labour night and day, lie in barns, eat 
 with the poor countrymen^ and are expofed to the 
 fcorching fun, and the moft vehement cold, often- 
 times covered all over with fncw, and wet to the 
 fkin with rain ; and then we meet with nothing to 
 comfort us at our arrival but fervent chriftians, that 
 quite weary us out by the exercife of our miniftry 
 that they expedl from us. 
 
 The 
 
the New Chrijiians in China. 399 
 The province of Xenli, that fell to my care, i§ 
 one of the largeft in all China. I had fome chriftian 
 churches eftablifhed within an hundred leagues of 
 one another, whither I muft go by roads fo toilfome, 
 that even horfes are of no ufe. They have mules 
 bred in the mountains, and managed for this fort of 
 joumies, that is to fay, for the eafieft ways ; as for 
 the other ways you are forced to foot it, whether 
 you creep on all four up the rocks, or defcend into 
 the precipices. You crofs over the valley in v/ater 
 and dirt, expofed to tygers, but yet more to robbers, 
 whofe retreat the country does favour. 
 
 They are not like thofe fine ways and delightful 
 pleafant champagne provinces of the fouth, which 
 art and nature have feem'd rather to have made for 
 I the delight of the inhabitants, than for the conveni- 
 ence of travellers. The vallies of the Alps and 
 Pyrenees are much more paflable ; and one may 
 i properly fay of China, that, where it is fine, nothing 
 ' in the world is finer *, and, when it ceafes to be fo, no- 
 thing is more horrid and frightful. Neverthelefs, 
 I fince the death of father Fabor, one takes delight to 
 travel along thofe tedious roads that he watered for- 
 merly with the fweat of his brows, where he hath 
 fhed abroad that fweet favour of holinefs that ftill 
 upholds the faith of chriftians, and animates the 
 zeal of the mifiionaries. 
 
 The other churches of this province are more 
 eafily come at. I fpent a great part of the year in 
 travelling from village to village, catechizing, 
 preaching,and adminittring the facraments to believers 
 that afiembled upon my pafTage in all the places that 
 I appointed. I divided my time between them and 
 the idolaters, whofe converlion always proves more 
 frequent in thefe folitary remote places than in great 
 cities, or in the metropolis of a province. Some 
 of them there were, who being aJ ready convinced 
 of the truth by reading, or by their commerce with 
 
 chriftian^, 
 
400 How the Gofpel is propofed to 
 chriftians, came of their own accord to receive bap- 
 tifm : Others fhaken, and rouzed either by their re- 
 lations or friends, came to hear difputations, and at 
 laft furrendered themfelves to the grace of Jefus 
 Chrift : Many allured by novelty, or by the intrea- 
 ty of their neighbours, heard attentively, and always 
 difputed with a great deal of heat •, amongft whom, 
 fome there were that withdrew from the diTputation 
 more hardened than ever ; yet others, rhore faith- 
 ful to the drawings of the Spirit, gave glory to. God, 
 and humbly acknowledged th^ir errors. All my 
 trouble in this fort of controverfies was, that I 
 could not deliver myfelf as I would. The diffi- 
 culty of explaining myfelf in a foreign language de- 
 prived the truth of its weight and pov/er. I thought, 
 if I could but have fpoken my native tongue, there 
 fhould not have been one idolater in my auditory, 
 that fhould not have opened his eyes to truth firft,- 
 and then to faith. But befides that, men commonly 
 fpeak enough of it to make every man inexcufable,^ 
 as St. Paul faith ; yet I made moreover this reflec- 
 tion. That he that plants, and he that waters, what 
 pains foever he may take, and how expert foever 
 he may be in planting and watering well, yet does 
 but very little by that. A man ought to refer 
 this great work of converting fouls to God *, 'tis 
 he alone that caufes thefe plants to increafe, that 
 nourifhes them, and raifes them up to himfelf, ac- 
 cording to the order of his infinite mercy and 
 eternal purpofes. And at thefe itt times fixed and 
 ordained in the eternal counfels of divine predefti- 
 nation, how many times have I feen a few^words, 
 ill pronounced, fenfibly to triumph over error, 
 becaufe the Holy Spirit, that mafter within the eled, 
 doth unfold the fenfe of them ; whereas, prolix 
 difcourfes have had none other efFedb, but onh/ 
 to harden the heart •, when, by a juil judgment, 
 God was not pleafed to accompany them v/ith afi 
 
 extraordinary 
 
to the New Chnftiam //^ China. ^K>i 
 
 extraordinary evidence and demonftration of the 
 Spirit. 
 
 You will, without doubt, moft reverend father, 
 be exceeding glad to underftand the nature of the 
 main difficulties We meet withal in the converfion of 
 the Gentiles. I have obferved three forts of them that 
 feem peculiar to the Chinefe. Perfons of quality, and 
 thofe who would be thought wife, objeded chiefly 
 againft the myfteries : their hearts rofe chiefly againft 
 the Trinity and Incarnation ; a God that was pene- 
 trable, a God that could die, was no lefs in fefpedt of 
 them, than of the Jews, a ftumbling block and a 
 piece of folly. The exiftence of God, eternal, fu- 
 preme, infinitely jufl:, infinitely powerful, went eafily 
 down with them, and the convincing proofs of it, 
 that I urged to them, made them fometimes forbeaf 
 entering into the lifts with me thereupon. 
 
 To proceed in order, and to follow the roads 
 which prudence and holy fathers have chalked out 
 for us on thefe occafions, I divided our religion: 
 into two parts. In the firft, I propofed to them what- 
 foever reafon exempt from pafTion didates to us. That 
 there is a God ; that this God, being infinitely holy, 
 enjoins us to love virtue, and fhun vice,- to obey 
 princes, to refped our relations, to do no wrong to 
 one's neighbour ; that good men, that are oftentimes 
 miferable in this world, enjoy a certain rev/ard in the 
 next ; that, on the contrary, wicked men^ who fpend 
 their life in inordinate pleafures,' ate rigoroufly pu- 
 rdfhed after death ; that this fame hope and fear, 
 that are the beginning of wifdom, are likewife the 
 firft rule of our demeanour •, but yet, that the in- 
 flamed love, that every man ought to have for this 
 fupreme arbitrator of life and death, is capable alone 
 to render iis perfed. 
 
 After I had convinced them by thefe maxinjs, I 
 bid them pracf^ife, with this fpirit of love and fear^ 
 
 D d thefe 
 
402 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 thefe dlviiie leflbns ♦, proftrate yourfelves every day 
 before the infinite majefty of this God that you 
 acknowledge ; in this pofture, with tears In your 
 eyes, and an heart broken and contrite with grief, 
 for knowing him fo late, beg of him from the 
 bottom of your heart •, that he would pleafe to raife 
 you to thefe fublime truths, which reafon doth 
 not difcover to you, but which it hath pleafed 
 him to reveal to the world by his beloved Son, 
 which at prefent make up the particular charader 
 of the chriftian faith. 
 
 It was not always fuch an eafy matter to obtain 
 what I demanded •, the moil part of the Gentiles, 
 accuflomed blindly to purfue their paflions, found 
 more difficulty to embrace this novel kind of life, 
 than to believe the moil abftrufe myfteries. Yet I 
 can affure you, reverend . father, that, of all thofe 
 that fubmitted thereto in earneft, I faw not any 
 that was not a few days after difpofed to believe 
 the moft difficult things which the new teftament 
 teacheth us •, fo true it is, that faith Is the gift of 
 God, that cannot he acquired by all the force of 
 reafoning -, and thofe only obtain, who follow our 
 Saviour's coiififel : Seek and ye Jhall find^ knock and 
 it Jhall he opened to you, God indeed, to accom- 
 plifh this promife, did concur pretty often to the 
 converfion in a moft miraculous m^anner ; and I ob- 
 ferved in feveral new converts fo many enlighten- 
 Ings, jufl: upon their refolving to live wel], and be 
 conftant in prayer, that the Holy Spirit muft needs 
 have illuminated them. 
 
 A gentleman, whom reading and difputing had 
 made to waver in his opinion, could not yet refolve 
 to believe ; yet, he determined notwithftanding to 
 pracflife the morality of Jefus Chrift, fuppofing, 
 that a good life would much conduce to difpel thefe 
 mifts. At the firft, his doubts got ground of him 
 inftead of being vanquifhed ; the miore he looked 
 
 upon 
 
the New Cbriftiam in China. 403 
 
 upon the crofs, the more did his fpirit revolt. He 
 compared the fables of his own religion with the 
 ignominious death of a God-man that lays the foun- 
 dation of ours. They both feemed to him equally 
 ridiculous -, and, take what care he could to fearch, 
 nothing could he find that confirmed, him more in 
 chriftianity than in idolatry. His relations, and divers 
 of his friends and acquaintance, ufed their utmofi: 
 endeavours to v/in him over to Jefus Chrifl:, but 
 all to no purpofe ; and he was juft upon the point 
 of taking up his old courfe again, when our blef- 
 fcd Lord flopped him upon the very brink of 
 the precipice. 
 
 One night (as I had- it from his own mouth) he 
 faw in his dream heaven open % Jefus Chrift ap- 
 peared to him full of majefty, fitting at the right 
 hand of the Father, and furrounded with an infinite 
 company of blefied fpirits ; on one hand, he fhewed 
 him thofe eternal rewards that are promifed to chrif- 
 tlans •, on the other, he difcover*d to him profound 
 abyfies, which the torments and fhrieks of a great 
 many idolaters made gaftly and frightful. That is 
 thy portion^ faith he, with a threatening countenance, 
 if thou doft not follow me. Oh ! fon, continued he 
 with a more mild countenance, Mufi my crofs dif- 
 courage you ? And muji a death., vjhich is the fource 
 of my glofy^ make you, afbamed ? 
 
 This vifioh frightened him, and he awakened quite 
 another man -, he did not look upon it as a dream, he 
 did not bufy himfelf to find out what extraordinary 
 thing chance and an over- heated imagination were 
 capable oftentimes to produce 'during fieep : the poor 
 man being perfuaded, that God had fpoken to him, 
 demanded to l>e baptifed v/ith a great deal of impor- 
 tunity •, nay, and he was fo far from having any 
 trouble to fubm.it to the belief of our myfteries, 
 ihat he protefted he would willingly part with his 
 life to defend the truth of them. 
 
 D d 2 Another, 
 
404 How the Go/pel is fropofed to 
 
 Another, lefs knowing, but much more obfti- 
 nate, did not only not forfake his errors, but did even 
 fcofF at and deride our moil holy myfteries, and 
 was prefent at my inftru6lIons only to jeer them ; 
 yet had he permitted his wife to turn chriftian, 
 iDecaufe he was not willing, by crofling her defire, 
 to breed a diflurbance in his family : but faid, he 
 would have a great care of following her example, 
 for fear the world (liould be apt to believe that all 
 his family was run mad. 
 
 Being naturally of a more fprltely temper and 
 brifker than your Chinefe ufually are, I endeavoured 
 to win by fair means more than by difputation ; 
 at length, perceiving neither of them prove eiTec- 
 tual, I went one evening to his houfe to fee him, 
 and taking him afide : I depart to-morrow, fir, faid 
 I, and am come to take my leave of you. I muft 
 needs confefs, it is not without fome forrow, not 
 only becaufe I leave you, but more efpecially be- 
 caufe I leave you in your errors. At leaft, before my 
 departure, do me one fmall kindnefs -, your wife is 
 a chriftian, fhe hath an image of the God-man, whofe 
 religion I preach, do fo much as proftrate yourfelf 
 fometimes before this fame image, and befeech him 
 whom it reprefents, to illuminate your mind, if it 
 be true, that he hath power fo to do, and if he 
 be capable of hearing you. He promifed me he would 
 do it, and prefently after my back was turned he 
 performed his promife. 
 
 His wife, ignorant of what had pafled, feeing 
 him upon his knees, adoring Jefas Chrift by often 
 bowing his head before this image, fuppofed he 
 was converted, and fent one of her relations into 
 a houfe adjoining where I was, to acquaint me 
 with it : I ran thither, and found him ftill fo taken 
 up in this adlion, and in prayer, that I had not a 
 mind to interrupt him. 
 
 As 
 
 ta 
 
the New Chriftians in China. 405 
 
 As foon as he rofe from his knees, I told him, 
 I could not fufficiently fignify my joy to him, oc- 
 cafioned by the wonderful change God had lately 
 wrought in him. 
 
 How ! faith he, all amazed, did you fee at fuch 
 a diftance what pafled in my mind, or hath God 
 revealed it to you? Jefus Chrifl: himfelf, replied I, 
 lets me underftand fo much, for he acquaints us, 
 that thofe who afk any thing of his Father in his 
 name fhall be heard. Oh ! father, cried he, it is 
 true, I am no longer the fame man, I perceive my- 
 felf a chriftian without yet knowing what chriftia- 
 nitv means *, but pray inftrud me, I am ready to 
 fubmit, an.d to receive baptifm this very moment 
 if you pleafe. 
 
 I told him, I baptifed nobody before I had firft 
 inftrudled them *, that, being obliged to depart, I would 
 nominate a chriftian to whom he might have re- 
 courfe in my abfence. He confented to every thing, 
 and we proftrated ourfelves before this miraculous 
 image, to return thanks to the Divine Majefty, 
 who can, when he fees good, from the hardell 
 ftones raife up children unto Abraham. 
 
 Amongft feveral other effcds of that grace, where- 
 with it hath plcafed God to blefs my million, the 
 converfion of an old officer in the army feems 
 worth the relating to you. From a private centinal, 
 he was got up to be the king's lieutenant in one of 
 the cities of the third order, and, notwithftanding he 
 was very rich, yet had he never a concubine; his wife, 
 being a chriftian, obliged him to live in a more re- 
 gular manner than other Mandarines. But nothing 
 could determine him to turn chriftian •, not that he 
 was bigo'tted to paganifm, his defire of advancing 
 himfelf in the Vy'orld took up all his thoughts, 
 and he had till that time never owned any deity but 
 his fortune. This indifferency for all forts of re- 
 ligion is of all conditions the moft dangerous *, and 
 P d J I have 
 
4o6 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 I have found by experience, that a man is never 
 at a greater diflance from the true God, than when 
 he acknowledges none at all. 
 
 Yet had he a great value for chriftians, becaufe 
 he edified by tlieir innocent life. When I chanced to 
 go to his city, he always made me a vifit ; and, 
 becaufe he thought it pleafed m^e, he went fome- 
 tlmes into the church to lie proftrate before the altars. 
 I thereupon took occafion to lay the buiinefs of his 
 faivation home to him, but he heard the mcfl: krious 
 things that I fpoke to him thereupon with a fmile. 
 
 One day, fpeaking to him of hell in a more terri- 
 fying manner than ufual : You muft not be furprifed 
 at my undauntednefs, fays he, it would be a great 
 ihame for an old officer as I am, to be afraid. Ever 
 Unce I turned foldier I took up the refolution to fear 
 nothing ; but after all, faith he, what reafon can I 
 have to fear ? I do nobody wrong, I ferve my 
 friends, and am faithful to the emperor, and, if 
 heretofore I have been fubjedc to the ufual difor- 
 ders of youth, I am at prefent temperate enough 
 in m.y pleafures. That is as much as to fav, re- 
 ply 'd I, that you ftrive to gratify the world, but 
 you are no wife foUicitous to render to God what 
 you owe to him. -, could you imagine you fhould be 
 a good officer, in difcharging the particular duty of 
 your calling, if you refus'd at the fame time to 
 obey and acknowledge the emperor. 
 
 'Tis not enough to be regular in all the acftions of 
 a private life ; the principal duty of a fable cl is to 
 fubmit to his fovereign, and the whole duty of a 
 man is to own and fear God. You are in the right 
 faith he, I do ferioufiy think it. You think fo in 
 vain, reply'd I, if that God, v/hich I fpeak to you 
 of, does not give good thoughts. Beg of him this 
 evening to enlighten your under (landing, he will 
 hear your voice ^ but do you remember alfo to liften 
 to his, and follow it. 
 
 Altho' 
 
the New Chriftiam in China. 407 
 
 Altho' I could hope no more from this difcourfe, 
 than from feveral other preceding ones, yet I ob- 
 ferved he was wrought upon : I mentioned fome 
 fuch thing to his wife, who took an occafion there- 
 upon to fpeak home to him , and one of his officers, 
 being very zealous and well inftrucfled, defired him 
 at leaft to aflift at evening prayer to be performed 
 in his houfe. His prefence ftirred up the fervency of 
 his domefticks, and they all begged of Jcfus Ch.rid, 
 that he might be converted, with crie's and tears, 
 which the infinite goodnefs of the Almighty can 
 fcarce ever v/ithftand. 
 
 From this very moment he began to waver, and 
 the various thoughts he revolved in his mind a great 
 part of the night, concerning the danger wherein he 
 was, made him take up a refolution to go thro' with 
 religion. But our Lord intruded him concerning it 
 immediately \ for, he ferioufly protefted, that being 
 a little fleepy, he had fuch horrible reprefentations of 
 hell, that he was no longer in fufpence whether 
 or no he fhould refolve : Upon his awakening, he 
 found himfelf a chriftian, or, at leafl: he took up 
 a firm refolution fo to be as foon as poffible he could. 
 He forthwith repaired to the church where I faid 
 mafs ; when it was finiilied, I v/as furprifed to fee 
 him at my feet begging baptifm of me, v/ith his eyes 
 bathed in tears : v/eeping, I fay, for fcarce could he 
 utter his mind, fo much did his /ighs and tears in- 
 terrupt his difcourfe : He fpoke likev/ife with a much 
 more confident air, and there v/as obferved, in his ac- 
 tion, I know not what fort of fear that had feized 
 him, of which he was not mafler. Whether it 
 was that his imagination was {lill fmitten with the re- 
 prefentation of hell, or whether God by this change 
 was pleafed to make us, as well as him, appre- 
 henfive that all the bravery and haughtinefs, that war 
 is capable of infpiring, is not proof againft that fa v- 
 ing horror which he darts (when it pkafes him) into 
 th^ moft undaunted hearts. \ 
 
4© 8 Hew the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 I had a great mind, according to my cuftom, to 
 take fome time to examine and inftrudt him, but he 
 protefted that he would not go out of the church till 
 he was baptifed : Perhaps Ifloall die this very nighty 
 faid he to me, and you wmdd he grieved to kno-iv me e- 
 ternally damrted. His refolution not to forlake me, 
 the intreaty of chrifiians, that M-ent down to the 
 ground to me to obtain this favour, and I know not 
 what internal motion prevailed ypon me. I examined ' 
 him about every point of religion •, he underftood 
 one part of it, and learned the rell with fo much 
 eaflnefs, that two hours after I thought I could ini- 
 tiate him into our myfteries. His converfion m^ade 
 a great noife in the city, feveral idolaters followed 
 his example ; and, fince in heaven itfelf there Is re- 
 jo cing at the repentance of one ftnner, there is no 
 queftion but the faints and angels were joyful of the 
 converfion of this very man. 
 
 This fubmiffion of our fpirit to the obfcureft my- 
 fteries, how difficult foever it may feem, yet is it not 
 the thing that troubles the Gentiles moft ; feveral 
 other coniiderations are greater rubs In their way. 
 The nrll is the re{l:itution of Ill-gotten goods, which 
 in reference to the merchants and Mandarines is an 
 almoft unfurmountable obftacle. 
 
 Injuftice and cozenage are fo common in China, 
 in thefe two conditions, that few of them there are 
 who have enriched themfelves any other way. A 
 iTierchanr always puts off his wares at the dearefl 
 rate he can poflibly, and never utters his good mer- 
 chandize but when he cannot get rid of his bad. Cun- 
 ning and craft, fo peculiar to this nation, feem to 
 intitleit to the right of fophifticating all things. But 
 the fandlty of our religion doth not permit what 
 human laws tolerate : a man, when he is become 
 rich by unjuil dealing, muft com.e and make up his 
 accounts with God, when he does in earneft think he 
 J6 come to the knowledge of him. I muil confefs, 
 
 that 
 
the New Chrijlians hi China. 409 
 
 that I never infifted upon this point but it made me 
 tremble. This is for the moil part a rock of offencs 
 to a Chinefe. 
 
 They do not boggle at the myfteries, nor ever call 
 them in queftion -, and the reafon is, becaufe they feem 
 not cut out for fpeculative fciences. But as to the 
 bufinefs of morality, they have a certain penetrating 
 aptnefs, and think themfelves little inferior to us. 
 
 ' It is very true, fays a merchant to me one day, 
 ' man is not allowed to defraud or do wrong to his 
 ' neighbour •, but it is not I that cheat when I fell too 
 '■ dear, or when I put off my bad ftuffs, the" buyer 
 ' abufeth himfelf. As he for his part defires to have 
 ^ them for nothing, or as little as he can, if I agree 
 *• to it •, fo I likewife am in the right to exad large 
 
 * rates from him, and to receive them, if he be fo 
 ' fimple as to give them me. This is the fruit of our 
 
 * induftry, and this profit is no violence, but the 
 ' effedb of my calling, that teaches me to improve 
 ' my trade. 
 
 ' Moreover, adds he, altho' it fhould be true that 
 
 * I fhould poHefs another man's goods, and that I 
 
 * fhould have committed a fault by enriching myfelf 
 ^ at his coft, how can I have the confcience at prefent 
 ^ to ftrip my children naked and reduce them to beg- 
 ' gary ? Believe me, father, thofe, from whom I have 
 ' extorted what they had, have, I'll warrant you, 
 ^ done as much to others, who again have enriched 
 ' themfelves after the fame manner. Here it is the 
 ^ cultom to deal thus, and every one in particular, 
 ' (if they have any reafon) ought mutually to par- 
 ' don one another for thefe fmall faults, otherwife 
 ' we muft undo and overthrov/ whole families, arid 
 ^ introduce a diforder worfe than the mifchief that 
 ' one hath committed. As for my part, I freely 
 
 * pardon thofe who have chowfed me, provided no- 
 
 * body will molefl; me about the pretended wrong I 
 ' have done him." 
 
4 1 o How the Gofpel is propofed to 
 
 This is the language of the children of darknefs, 
 of whom Jefus Chrift faith, T'hat it is eafier for a 
 camel to go through the eye of a needle^ than for a rich 
 man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Let a man 
 reprefent to them what he pleafes, yet they always 
 h^ve their ov;n way, being more obdurate than blind ; 
 for they feldom fail of admiring juftice and an un- 
 biafs'd humour in others. See here an example of 
 what I fay, whereof I have been witnefs myfelf, 
 
 A young man travelling in the province of Xenii, 
 where I chanced to be, found a purfe upon the road, 
 of about ten or twelve crowns ; he had the honefty 
 to inquire after the perfon to v/hom it belonged, that 
 he might reftore it. This was look'd upon as an he- 
 roical adlion by the Chinefe ; now the Mandarine of 
 the place would not let him do it without a recom- 
 pence ; he made an encomium of it himfelf in a 
 difcourfe that was printed in a large charadier, and 
 affixed upon the palace gate. 
 
 But God Almighty, to whom even natural virtues 
 are acceptable, was infinitely more gracious to this 
 young man -, for, proceeding on his journey, a perfon 
 iinkiiown to him accoited him, and faid, how came 
 it to pafs that you rcftored the money fo generoufly ? 
 Do not you knov/ that it is none but the chriftians 
 duty to do fuch things as thefe ? And know, that, in 
 the ftate v/herein you are, all your moral actions will 
 not hinder you from being damned •, believe uie, ycoi 
 will do well to go to the father of the christians, and 
 embrace their religion, without which all your up- 
 rightnefs and natural equity will ftand you in no 
 ftead after death. 
 
 He immediately obeyed, and returned back to find 
 me out ; he related to me, with abundance of modeft 
 fimplicity, what had happen'd to him, and ever and 
 anon he would be faying. What is it to be a chriftian ? 
 And what would you have me do ? I inftrudted him 
 with fo much the more eafinefs, bec^ufe he took 
 
 ngthing 
 
fke New Chrijlians tn China. 4 1 1 
 
 nothing amifs : in a word, he was endued with fo 
 much innocence and candor, that I was much taken 
 with him -, fo that when I found him well difpofed, 
 I proceeded to the baptifing of him, and put him, in 
 a way to fandlify his good inclinations for the future. 
 
 The devil, who underftands the blind fide of the 
 Chinefc as to matter of intereft, hath infpired the 
 idolaters with a maxim that always retains them in 
 their errors. The people fancy that one is chriftian 
 enough if he be poor, and that chriftianity was ths 
 religion of beggarly fellows •, fo that if there happen 
 any misfortune in a family, if there chance to be a 
 chriftian in it, all others prefently lay the blame upon 
 him, and load him with their imprecations. One can- 
 not, without a flrong faith, refift this perfecution, and 
 when onepropofes to an idolater, prepolTcfs'd with this 
 falfe idea, to embrace the chriftian religion, inward 
 grace muft be exceeding flrong to oblig-e him to fa- 
 crifice his fortune, and to forfake, as he imagines, 
 all his temporal interefts. 
 
 This very reafon fways almoft with all the Man- 
 darines, who venture all as foon as they think of be- 
 coming chriftians. Father Adam's fall, that drew 
 along with it fo many illuftrious families in the late 
 perfecution, makes their hair ftill ftand an end. They ^ 
 ' knov/ that the religion of the Europeans is not ap- 
 proved of by the laws, and withal, that they may 
 deprive all fuch as embrace it of their lives and for- 
 tunes. What protedlion foever the emperor may- 
 grant to the miftionaries, he may hereafter revoke it, 
 he may die ^ and the parliament watch all opportuni- 
 ties imaginable to root out chriftianity ; fo that the 
 fear of loiing the deceitful riches of this world deprives 
 a multitude of people of eternal bleftings, which they 
 cannot fufficiently value, nor know the v/orth of. 
 
 But now if a Mandarine, who has any work of 
 grace upon his heart, wave all thefe conliderations, 
 yet upon his converfioii he meets with another 
 
 notabk 
 
 ■ 
 
4^2 How the Gojpel is propofed to 
 notable obflacle to his perfeverance, ftill more diffi- 
 cult to furmount than the former -, fmce thepenfions 
 of the officers are not capable to fupply the ufual ex- 
 pences of their family, they have no other fund for 
 to maintain it befides injuftice. 
 
 The minifcers of ftate, and chief prefidents of fo- 
 vereign courts of judicature of Pekin, do underhand 
 exadt confiderable fums from the viceroys ; and thefe 
 latter, to make it good, have recwurfe to the prin- 
 cipal Mandarines of the province, who again lay a 
 tax upon the fubaltern officers : none dare prefume 
 to difpenfe with it, without running into the danger 
 of being quite undone •, infomuch that every one of 
 them, that he may maintain his poft, gapes after 
 getting money by hook or by crook. 
 
 This miniftry of injuftice, which the ambition of 
 the grandees, and avarice of fome of inferior rank, 
 have introduced into the empire fince the laft revo- 
 lution, gives a mortal blow to the eftabliffiment of 
 our moft holy faith upon a folid foundation, becaufe 
 a chriftian Mandarine ceafes to be a good chriftian, 
 if he fleeces and robs, or elfe he ceafes to be a Man- 
 darine if he do not cheat. 
 
 However, we meet with a great many of them, 
 whom providence prefer ves, who have not bowed 
 the knee to Baal. We have feen in China, as in the 
 primiitive church, fome examples of this chriftian 
 generoftty, that count the goods of this world as 
 nothing, in hopes that the kingdom of heaven will 
 one day be their inheritance. During the time of 
 the perfecution there paft an hundred things of this 
 nature, that might affi^rd matter of edification ; but, 
 being I fet down nothing but what I have (ttn^ I 
 fhall content myfelf to relate a more recent example 
 which likewife much affeded me. 
 
 A fervent chriftian, of the province of Xenfi, after 
 he had enriched himfelf in divers honourable em- 
 ploys, did dX feft retire from the world, refolving to 
 
 lay 
 
the New Chrijliam in China. 413 
 
 lay out one part of his eftate in the fervlce of God, 
 and to difpofe of the other in leading a peaceable and 
 innocent life with his family. He had built a church 
 in the country, whither I fometimes went to admi- 
 nifter the facraments, and baptife the catechifts, 
 whom he took fpecial care to train up himfelf ; but, 
 his houfe {landing in a place that was a great thorough- 
 fare, the troops, that are continually going and 
 coming in China, laid all his grounds v/afte, not 
 daring to do the leaft damage to thofe of his neigh- 
 bour idolaters ; and this is the reafon that induced 
 them to deal with him at this rate. 
 
 The Chinefe are wont publickly to belch out curfes 
 againft thofe that do them wrong, efpecially, if they 
 cannot be revenged of them other ways. If a man 
 hath been robb'd in his houfe, and one cannot dif- 
 cover the robber, every morning and evening, for 
 feveral days together, the family's bufinefs is to curfe 
 him ; the father, mother, children, and the fervants 
 take it by turns, and relieve one another in this exer- 
 cife, and wifh him all mifchief imaginable ; they 
 have (if I may fo exprefs it) Formula's of foul lan- 
 guage, and dire expreflions, which they repeat an 
 hundred times, bawling as loud as poffibly they are 
 able, at the gate, or upon the houfe-top ; and they 
 imagine that the robber will come to fome harm by 
 them, wherever he be, 'till fuch time as he harth 
 made amends for the wrong. 
 
 Notwithftanding, there is not one of an hundred 
 of thefe robbers, that give any heed to this tedious 
 noife *, yet, fome there be that are frighted at it, 
 and this fear prevents abundance of violence. Chri- 
 ftians, who love their enemies, and wifh well to thofe 
 that do ill by them, are far from curfing them ; fo 
 that the foldiers that I told you of, fearing the curfes 
 of the Gentiles, fpared their goods •, and, fearing no- 
 thing from the wrath of this zealous chriftian, they 
 plundered his houfe, ftole his fruit, cut down his 
 
 corn. 
 
414 fJ^^ i^^ Go/pel is propofed to 
 com, and pluck'd up his trees *, fo you fee his extra- 
 ordinary patience drew upon him all the damage 
 which otherwife would have equally fallen upon 
 others. 
 
 His friends, more concern'd at his lofTes than 
 himfelf, often laugh'd at his infenfiblenefs, and re- 
 proach'd him pretty much in the fame manner as 
 Job's friends did him on a fach like occafion, telling 
 him, that all his blelTing of God would not fecure 
 him from lofing his eilate, and probably not from 
 ftarving ; Benedic Deo ^ mover e^ Blefs God and die. 
 They were always telling him, that it was a ftrange 
 thing, that, for the bare obfervance of his religion, he 
 would fee himfelf reduc'd to the utmoft extremity. 
 If fo be, fay they, you are afraid yourfelf to utter 
 curfes againft thole rogues, fend one of your fervants 
 to do it for you, or elfe let out your eftate to Gentiles, 
 who will not be troubled with thefe ridiculous 
 fcruples. 
 
 This g;ood man abounding in a lively faith, and 
 that goaly fimplicity fo conformable to the gofpel, 
 made anfwer. That all he had was at God's difpofal, 
 that he v/ould preferv^e it •, and that, upon the whole, 
 he had rather receive !:urt than do any. He told 
 -me one day, my children take it very ill, that I 
 leave my houfe and goods, at fixes and fevens, to be 
 plunder'd at this rate. You know I have my parti- 
 cular reafons to do thus, but they have none at all 
 complain, fince the goods do not belong to them ; 
 they have wherev/ithal to live, without being be- 
 holding to any body, upon what I have referved for 
 myfelf ; but altho' they fhould be in want, yet I had 
 rather, when I come to die, leave examples of vir- 
 tue for their portion, t^at contribute to the faving of 
 their fouls, than riches, that may make them lofe 
 them. 
 
 Thefe fentiments, moft reverend father, were fuch 
 matter of joy, that I am not able to exprefs it to 
 
 you. 
 
the New Chrijiians in China, 415 
 )rou. I faid fometlmes to myfelf, in the excefs of my 
 loy, Is there more faith than that in Ifrael ? No, O 
 Lord, I have loft nothing by leaving France, fince 
 [ find fome faints here ; thy Spirit hath indeed filled all 
 the earthy and that profound fclence of falvation, 
 that we in Europe have enjoy 'd for fo many ages, 
 oegins at length to be fpread abroad to the ext remi- 
 ses of the world, by the ftupendous efficacy of 
 thy holy word. 
 
 Neverthelefs, becaufe his children were very urgent 
 with me, to find out fome way or other to remedy 
 this diforder, and that indeed it was convenient to 
 prevent the Gentiles malice from prevailing over the 
 Chrlftians patience ; I permitted them, on fuch occa- 
 fions as thefe, to make ufe of threatenlngs inftead of 
 curfings ; and to tell them, I wIHi you no harm ; 
 yea, and I forgive that you have done me ; but 
 God, who pleads my caufe, knows how to punilh, 
 tho' I do not pretend to do it -, the time will come, 
 when you fnall be fmitten with all the anathema's 
 that your unjuft violence deferves, and that curfe, he 
 fends on you at prefent, will be to you the fource of 
 all the miferies v/hich his law forbids me to wifh to 
 you : this expedient took efFed, and the chriftians, 
 growing eloquent for their own interefl, did fo lively 
 reprefent the judgment of God, that the idolaters 
 durft no longer blame them. 
 
 The fecond obftacle in m.y way, in converting the 
 Chinefe, proceeded from the multitude of wives 
 which the laws of that country permit them -, tliat 
 is, in refpecl of the perfons of quality only, who, 
 befides their own wives, take as many concubines as 
 they are able to maintain ♦, for, as to the ordinary 
 I fort, they have not wealth enough to allow this ex- 
 pence. The Mandarines are by their condition de- 
 barr'd from all other divertifements, they are permit- 
 ted only to eat now and then with their friends, and 
 give them a play •, gaming, taking the air, hunting, 
 
 private 
 
 I 
 
4 1 6 How the Gc/pel is propofed to 
 
 private vifits, publick afTemblles would be look.*cI 
 upon in them as crimes of ftate -, fo'that they feek 
 no further than their houfe to find wherewithal to 
 fupply the want of thofe pleafures which the laws 
 abridge them of. 
 
 Here and there one of them applies himfelf to 
 ftudy, as the fureft means to advance him \ but the 
 greateft part of the Mandarines corppofe a kind of 
 feraglio, wherein they fpend all the time that they 
 can fteal from their affairs. One may judge by that, 
 how little they are Inclined to deprive themfelves 
 of delights, to be fatisfied with one wife, whofe age, 
 nay, and many times antipathy, have but already 
 too much difgufted them. 
 
 It is true, thofe, who are converted, are permitted 
 to take one of their concubines to wife, in cafe the 
 lawful fpoufe hath not a mind to turn chrlftian *, but 
 the laws prohibit them to do fo : and in China, one 
 cannot divorce his wife, except in fome very few 
 particular cafes authorized by cuftom : moreover, the 
 relations of her, whom her husband fhould have thus 
 repudiated, would certainly be revenged on him, 
 nay, and would force him by law to take her again ; 
 fo that, when we propofe to the Mandarines the 
 other difficulties of our religion, they difpute, they 
 confider how to conquer them -, they do notdefpair 
 to do violence upon their Inclinations ; but this laft 
 point difcourages them at firft dafh, and deprives them 
 of all thoughts of being converted. I will give you 
 a notable example of what I fay. 
 
 I was going one day from one village to another, 
 in pretty bad weather, and, making hafte to get there 
 in time, I heard an horfeman behind, who gallop'd 
 up to me ; he was a man of between fifty and three- 
 fcore, well mounted, and attended by fome fervantsr 
 as foon as he had overtaken me, he told me, that the 
 great efteem, he had for the chriftran religion, gave 
 him fome thoughts of getting himfelf fully inftruded 
 
 therei^i. 
 
to the New Chriftidm in China. 417 
 therein, and that nothing could ever be able to divert 
 him from this refolution, becaufe he perceived in his 
 mind a wonderful defire to embrace it. This ardencv, 
 'faith I, fir, v/ithout all doubt comes from God ^ 
 flefh and blood do not infpire fuch like fen tlm.ents 
 into you \ for my part, I am ready to aflift you ; \ 
 hope, on your part, you will be perfuaded to follow 
 the voice that calls you. We were afoot i 1 the mid- 
 dle of a great highway, and, taking him afide a little, 
 I began to inftrui^ him : every thing appeared ra- 
 tional to him ; and, after having run over all the 
 myfteries that are moft difficult, I advifed him to 
 follow me ill to the church, whither it was my duty 
 to go, when I call'd to mind that I had forgot the ma- 
 terial point ; I fuppofe, fir, added I, that you have no 
 concubines, or, at leaf!:, you are refolved to fend them 
 packing ; for, without doubt, you are not ignorant, 
 that it is not allowed chriftians to marry feveral wives. 
 The religion which I preach, and JefusChrift taught, 
 applies itfelf principally to wean our hearts from fenfual 
 pleafures, nay, and doth even fometlmes exhort us, 
 to deprive ourfelves of thofe which reafon permits. 
 
 How ! faith he, ftartled at this, am I oblig'd (if I 
 have any thoughts of being a chriftian) to turn off my 
 concubines ? Ah ! what hurt is there in keeping them ? 
 What will people fay of me in the v/orld ? What will 
 becom.e of my children ? And what will become of 
 myfelf ? But, is that really an article which cannot be 
 difpenfed with ? I endeavour'd to pacify him, and 
 make him apprehend that he labourd under a miftake, 
 if, to overcome the difficulties of his converfion, he re- 
 lied wholly upon his own natural ftrength,and prefent 
 inclination: God, faid I, who knows our corrupt na- 
 ture, ' hath fecret methods whereby 'tO'affift us, that 
 we do not at firft fo much as dream of; endeavour 
 only to keep alive that good will he hath granted 
 you, he will accomplifh the reft, you wiU'find your- 
 felf changed in refpedl of this, as of all other things. 
 
 E e He 
 
41 8 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 He liilened to me a good while without fpeaking 
 a word, but at length taking his leave of me on the 
 fudden, and making a low bow, he mounts brifkly 
 on horfe-back, puts fpurs to his horfe, and rides full 
 fpeed towards the place from v/hence he came ; I 
 quickly loft fight of him, but methought I ftiil faw 
 him, fo lively was his countenance for fome time 
 imprinted upon my fpirit •, and I am ftill quite dif- 
 ccnfolate for lofing a foul in an inftant, which the 
 grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift had been fo long 
 preparing for m<t. 
 
 ^ But now, in refpedt of womens converfion, it is 
 inuch more difficult. A concubine, for example, ac- 
 knowledged the verity of religion, and the mifera- 
 blenefs of her ftate and condition ; fhe had a great 
 defire to come out of it, and receive baptifm ; it was 
 told her, that the firft ftep that faith acquir'd of her, 
 was to live feparately from li^er pretended husband, 
 and to forfake her fins, fo far fhe confents •, nay, 
 llic defires it with all her heart i but to obfervc what 
 fhe reprefents to herfelf : I belong to a Mandarine 
 who bought me, if I go out of his doors he hath a 
 right to claim me, and take me again, and inflid 
 punifhrnent upon i7\e as his fiave. If by good fortune 
 I avoid his purfuit, whitlier can I retire to be in more 
 fecurity ?/ My kindred, who fold me, dare not har- 
 bour me, alid-.-I-fhall infallibly fall into the hands of 
 another perfon, who will engage me in the ftate that 
 I feek to avoid -, I muft therefore remain in the houfe 
 where I am ; but how fhall I be able to refift a bru- 
 tifh fellow, who only confults his pafTion, juftified 
 by the laws and example of the whole em.pire ? It is 
 to no purpofe to lay before him the holinefs of chri- 
 ftianity that I deiire to embrace •, my Intreaties,; tears, 
 yea, my refiflance, and all the efforts that I, poor I, 
 can make, are not able to hinder him ; neverthelefs, 
 I am refolved to run away whatever it cofts me ; 
 order me to do fomething, but pray do not refufe me 
 toptifm. It 
 
the ISfew Chrijlians inCWmz. 419 
 
 It fo falls out fometlmes, that an idolater, taking 
 dlftafte at fome extravagant caprichio of his chriftian 
 wife, docs v/rongfully accufe her, and obtains leave, 
 by the force of money, to fell her to another ; yea, 
 fometimes v/ithout any legal procefs of juftice, he 
 .fells her, and retires into another province ; this wo- 
 man gets into the hands of another man •, how can 
 fhe avoid fin, receive the facraments, and perlevere 
 in the faith ? In truth, the miflionaries are at their 
 wit's end, having at that time no other courfe to take, 
 but to go to prayer, that God, who lincerely defires 
 the falvation of all men, would pleafe to make ufe 
 of thofe fecrct means, that his almighty power is wont 
 to produce, v/hen his ordinary providence, and the 
 efforts of our good defires, prove inefFedlual. 
 , We have, moft reverend father, fo much the more 
 teafon to hope for thefe diftinguifhing favours from 
 God in fuch like occafions, becaufe he often grants 
 them, even then when we do not judge them abfo- 
 lutely neceflary. ■ It is true, miracles are not fo com- 
 jfion in China, as the ftate of that empire would feem 
 to require : The emperor, to whom we have re- 
 lated thofe which God hath been pleafed to work in 
 other nations, does fometimes reprove us for it. Are 
 we, faith he, In a worfe condition than the Barbari- 
 ans, that have fo frequently feen their fick healed, 
 and their dead raifed to life ? What have we done 
 to God, that he renders our converiion fo difficult ? 
 You come from the utmoil ends of the earth, to 
 preach up a new law to us, contrary to iiature, ele- 
 vated above reafon : Is it juih that we fhould take 
 your word for it ? Do fome m.iracles that may war- 
 rant the truth of your religion, and Til pafs my word 
 for the fincerity of our faith. 
 
 We have frequently told him, that God was the 
 mafter and giver of thefe gifts, and that he diftri- 
 buted them according to the decrees of his eternal 
 v\'ifdom ', that it is out of our fphere to fathom their 
 
 Ee 2 depth-. 
 
420 How the Gcfpel is propojed to 
 
 depth i that forr.etimes he did not work thefe pro- 
 digies in kings courts, becaufe he forefaw the ill ufe 
 they were likely to make of them ; fometimes be- 
 caufe giving them better parts and abilities, and more 
 penetration than to others, thefe ordinary graces 
 were fufHcient for them •, whereas the fimple vulgar, 
 and the rude, uncivilized nations, flood in need of 
 the fenfible marks of his almightinefs, for the more 
 eafy difcovering of the truth ; yea, and it is more 
 than probable alfo, that carnal prudence, v/hich is at 
 fuch enmity with the Spirit of the blefTed Jefus, the 
 foftnefs, ambition, and luxury of great perfons 
 draw upon them this terrible chaflifement, and that 
 God in his juft judgment refufeth miracles to perfons 
 who do themfelves refufe to fubmit to the moft plain 
 and ordinary laws of nature. 
 
 But, my lord '^have fome replied) the charity of 
 that great number of miffionaries, who joyfully 
 forfake Europe, where their quality, eftates, and their 
 fcience ought naturally to detain them ; who tra- 
 verfe athoufand dangers, to come hither to facrifice 
 themfelves to the happinefs of your people ; and 
 with fo unbiaHcd and conftant zeal, fir : Is not there 
 fomething of a prodigy in it ? And fhould it not be 
 as powerful to perfjade you as miracles ? If they be 
 fuch knowing, learned men as your majefty allows 
 them to be, how do they abufe themfelves ? And if 
 they be wife, as you feem to think them, why do 
 they abandon all the pleafures ot this world, to come 
 fo far to deceive others, and all to no purpofe ? 
 After all the reflec>ioi:s they have made this hundred 
 years upon the different religions of China, there is 
 not one of them, who hath not judg'd them all 
 wholly contrary to reafon •, but, during fo many ages 
 that we have examined the chriilian religion, we have 
 not obferved amongft us one wife man, and of good 
 morals, that hath fufpeded it of falfhood. Thefe 
 anfwers do ufually put him to a ft and, and force 
 
 him 
 
the New Chriftiam in China. 421 
 him to make certain reflexions that do riOt a Httle 
 difturb him. 
 
 In ftiort, mod reverend father, if miracles be 
 wanting at Pekin, the bufinefs is other wife in the 
 provinces, feveral are there wrought, and thofe of 
 father Faber are fo generally known, that it is fome- 
 what difficult not to believe them ; not that I go 
 about to juflify all that is related of thofe, nor of a 
 great many more prodigies, which they relate on 
 fmall grounds: but, you'll give me leave not to 
 doubt of thofe whereof I myfelf have been v/itnefs -, 
 and peradventure, moft reverend father, you rely fo 
 much upon my fmcerity, as to be inclined to believe 
 them like wife upon my teftimony. 
 
 In a village in the province of Xenfi, near the 
 city of San-uyen, there lived an idolater, devout in 
 his way, and extremely addicted to thefe fuperftitions : 
 at the time of full moon, he burnt commonly, in ho- 
 nour of his gods, gilded, or filver'd papers, wrapp'd 
 up in different figures, according to the cuftom of 
 the country. One day, preparing to offer this kind 
 of facrifice before his gate, there arofe a florm that 
 forc'd him to retire into his houfe^where he lighted 
 the faid papers in the middle of a nail, without tak- 
 ing any farther care -, but the wind, blowing open the 
 gate, drove them up and down everywhere, and 
 they had not time to prevent one part from flying 
 into a ftack of ftraw, which fet fire on the houfe. 
 
 People came running, but the conflagration became 
 fo furious, in a momiCnt, that it was impofiTibleto ex- 
 tinguilh it. The houfe, on one fide adjoining to the 
 idolater's, belong'd to a chriftlan, and bv this time 
 feem'd (half encompaffed with the flame driven furi- 
 oufly by the wind) to be in danger of being quickly 
 quite confumed. This poor man, attended with di- 
 vers others, got upon the houfe-top, and did his en- 
 deavour, but all in vain, to defend himfelf from the 
 ppnfiagration \ ^'hen his brother very confidently 
 
 E e :5 cam<^ 
 
42 2 Hoit) the Go/pel is profojcd, to 
 came as ner,r ihe fire as he durft poffibly, and fell ou 
 his knees upon the tiles, and lookiftg up to heaven, 
 faid, O hord^forjake not thofe that put their truft hi wee \ 
 all that thou haft bcftcwed upon us is here ; if v:e hfe it^ 
 the ivhcle family is reduced to the utmoft extremity : pre- 
 ferve it^ O my Gcd^ and I proraife before thee^ that I 
 will aftembk all the chriftians in the neighbourhood^ and 
 we will go to church together^ to demonftrate my acknow- 
 kdgraent of the fame. Thereupon, he loofedafmall re- 
 lique from his chaplet, and threw it into th^ middle of 
 the flames, that by this time cover'd part of the houfe. 
 
 This adlion, perform'd with fuch a fprightly a,ir, 
 did equally attrad: the attention of chriftians and 
 idolaters, who, mightily aftonifhed at their compa- 
 nion's confidence, expedced the event of the bufinefs •, 
 when Heaven, all on a fudden, declar'd itfelf in a 
 moft miraculous manner: thew^ind, blov/ing violently, 
 forthwith fiacken'd, and a contrary wind, ftronger 
 than that ariimg at the fame time, drove the violent 
 ftreams of the flames to the oppoflte fide, upon the 
 houfe of a wicked falfe-hearted chriftian, that had 
 lately abjured: it was confumed in a nioment, be- 
 coming an example of divine vengeance, as the 
 houfe, that Heav|| prefer ved, was an evident token 
 of his protection. 
 
 I v/as at that time fix miles from the village. 'Tis 
 ^rue, my urgent bufincfs hindered me from being 
 myfelf upon the fpot ; but I fent very credible per- 
 fons thither, to be informed about it. The pagans, 
 firfl; of all, bore witnefs to the trutli ; and, fome while 
 after, the chriftians thereabouts, conducted by him 
 v.ho was lately heard ni his prayer, appeared in my 
 church to fulfil his vow ; where, with one accord, 
 they eccho'd forth the praifes of the great God, who 
 alone is able to caufe his voice to be heard by the 
 moft infenfible creatures, to the confufion of falle 
 gods, that are not themfeh^es capable to hear the 
 voice of rational creatures. 
 
 Some 
 
the New Chriftians in China. 423 
 Some month'^ after, there happened a thing no lefs 
 furprifing, the confequences whereof were very be- 
 neficial to religion: an idolater, of an indifferent for- 
 tune, felt himfelf aflaulted v/ith an unknown dif- 
 temp^r ; It was fo catching, that his mother and 
 wife fliar'd in it likewife : two or three times a week 
 he fell into fainting fits, which, at the beginning, 
 look'dlike fwooning, and then turn'd again into cruel 
 head-achs, pains in the ftomach and bowels *, fome- 
 times they found themfelves extremely agitated, as 
 if they'd had a fever \ they loft the ufe of their 
 reafon, their eyes rolled in their heads, and men 
 judged by feveral other unufual poftures, that the 
 devil had a hand in the matter. 
 
 They were the more perfuaded to it, becaufe they 
 often found their houfe all put out of order, the 
 chairs, tables, and earthen veflels overthrown, not 
 knowing on v^^hom to lay the fault. The phvficians, 
 whofe intereft it was to pafs judgmcu'-, that nature 
 on the one hand,, and the malice of the people of the 
 family on the other, were the caufe of thefe feveral 
 adlions, made ufe of all their medicines to cure 
 them. The Bonzes, on the contrary, afllired them, 
 that the devil was the author of the mifchief, and 
 demanded unreafonable alms to ftop its courfe. So 
 that the good people, abufed on every hand, had 
 thrown away all their eftate, in four years time, up- 
 on the covetoufnefs of thefe impoftors, without 
 finding any benefit : however, feeing the diftemper 
 afforded them fome intervals, they fought up and 
 down in the cities thereabouts, for nev/ remedies for 
 their griefs. 
 
 One day, this idolater going for this purpofe to 
 the chief city, he found a chriilian upon the road, 
 to whom he told his condition, and. how miferably 
 he was handled. No queftion, faith the chriftian, 
 but it's the devil that torments you; but you well de- 
 ftrve it J why do you ferve fo bad a niafter ? We fear no 
 
 E e 4 fuch 
 
424 ticw the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 foch thing, becaufe we acknowledge one God, whom 
 the devils adore -, yea, they tremble before his image j 
 and the crofs only, that we wear about us, hinders 
 him from coming near us. If you will accept of a 
 pidlure of Jefus Chrift, and you and all your family 
 will honour it, it will not be long before you fee 
 the efte6ls of it : however it is foon tried, it fliall coil 
 you nothing, and you may judge by that, that I 
 have no other aim but your benefit. 
 
 The idolater confented to it, and, hanging the ho- 
 ly image in the moft honourable place of the houfe, 
 he proftrated himfelf before it with profound refped, 
 and begged every day, morning aiid evening, of our 
 Saviour, that he v/ould vouchfafe to heal his body, 
 and inlighten ||i,s mind. His mother and daughter 
 followed his example-, and, from that very moment, 
 the demons abandoned the place, of which Jefus 
 Chrift had taken poiTeffion. 
 
 Thefe good people growing ftronger and ftronger 
 in fairh, as the evil fpirit gave ground, began at laft 
 to think of being converted in good earncll:. They 
 came to i iquire for me at SIgan, the ufual place of 
 my residence, and demanded baptifm of me ; they 
 had already got themfelves inftru6ted , they had 
 moreover got ail the prayers by heart that we teach 
 the late catechumens : but, their diftemper making a 
 great noife in the country, I was willing every body 
 fhould be witncffes of this converfion, and fo went to 
 the village myfelf, hoping this miracle might fettle 
 chriftianity therein, upon afolid bafis. 
 
 Juil upon my appearing, all the inhabitants fol- 
 lowed me to the place where the imiage was ftill hang- 
 ing ', then I begun to tell them, that they were not to 
 quefticn the verity of our religion, God having him- 
 felf fpoken by a manifeft miracle ; but that I had cau- 
 fed them to affemble, to inftrudl and baptife them: 
 For, in a word, what do you defire more to be con- 
 yinced of the weaknefs of your gods, and the power 
 
 ■ 9f 
 
the New Chriftians in China. 425 
 
 pf our God ? the demon laughs at you, fo long as you 
 oppofe him with nothing but idols; but he is notable 
 to hold it out againft the image only of the chrif- 
 tians God. Do you imagine to efcape this God after 
 death, whofe power hell owns, and whofe juftice 
 it experiences every moment. 
 
 The multitude interrupted me by a thoufand 
 ridiculous objedlions, which I eafily anfwered ; at 
 laft, fomebody told me, that the devil had no hand 
 in the malady in queftion ; that, hov^i extraordinary 
 foever it appeared, it might proceed from feveral na- 
 tural caufes : That is, faid I, the moft rational thing 
 you can fay, but yet does no way extenuate the 
 greatnefs of the miracles. Let the malady come from 
 the devil, or from nature, I will not examine that ; 
 but it is certain at leaft, that the cure comes from 
 God, whofe image this man hath worfhipped 5 and 
 there is no lefs power requifite to cure natural dif- 
 tempers, than to drive out evil fpirits. This reafon 
 fhould have made an equal impreffion on all minds ; 
 but grace, that aded differently in the hearts, gave 
 place in fome to voluntary obduratenefs, whilft it 
 triumphed over the obftinacy of others. Twenty- 
 five perfons at laft gave glory to God, who alone 
 worketh great marvels -, ^i facit mirabilia magna 
 folus -, and were fhortly after baptifed. 
 
 Thefe hauntings and infeftations of demons are 
 very ordinary in China amongft the Idolaters ;and it 
 looks as if God permitted it fo to be, to oblige them 
 to have recourfe to him. Some time after this acci- 
 dent that I but juft now related, a maid, juft upon 
 hermiarriage, was attacked with a complication of 
 feveral difeafes, which the phyficians knew not what 
 to fay to, and which the Chinefe are wont to afcribe 
 to the demons. Her miother perfuaded her to turn 
 chriftian, and he, that was to marry her, promifed to 
 build a church to the God of the chriftians, in cafe 
 l^aptifm gave her any relief : as foon as ever this 
 
 maid 
 
426 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 maid had taken this courfe, fhe found herfelf not 
 only relieved, but perfedlly cured. 
 
 But her hufband was fo far from following her ex- 
 ample, that he mifufed her feveral times for having 
 obliged him to renounce his faith ; for the Bonzes 
 perfuaded him., that this ficknefs was but a piece of 
 artifice in his mother in-law , and this fancy alone 
 put him into fach a fit of melancholy, that he was 
 infupportable to the whole family, but efpecially to 
 his wife, who, from that very inftant, became an 
 objed of his aver/ion. It v/as in vain ta reprefent 
 to him his own miftake, and the malice of the Bon- 
 zes, for he always protefted, that, if fhe would not 
 take up her old religion again, he would lead her an 
 ill life all her days. 
 
 God, to undeceive him, fufFered the demon to tor- 
 ment his wife as before ; fo fhe relapfed into her for- 
 mer convulfions : fhe was more efpecially feared at 
 the fight of a great company of fpe6tres, that let her 
 not have an hour's refl. Thus tofTed up and down, 
 abandon'd to her hufband's inhumanity, that beat her 
 cruelly, fhe in all appearance led a very uncomfort- 
 able life ; yet, remaining immovable in her faith, 
 God always upheld her, and temxper'd and allay 'd, by 
 the inward fweetnefs of his grace, the bitternefs of 
 thefe afflidlions \ he comforted her likewife by {tn- 
 fible vifitations, by his v/ord, and by the unfpeak- 
 able cogitations that he from time to time infufed into 
 her foul : infomuch, that this condition, that gained 
 her the compafTion of all that knew her, was to her 
 a foretafte of paradife. She exprefs'd herfelf much- 
 what to this purpofe to her mother, who related it 
 to me with tears in her eyes ; for her hufband could 
 not endure that I ihould fee her. 
 
 At firir, I gave little credit to this difcourfe, yet 
 at length I was apt to believe there was^ fomething 
 fupernatural in it ; for one day, coming to a city 
 diftant from the chief city, v/here I fojourned, about 
 
 threefcore 
 
the New Chrijiians in ChiiTa. 427 
 threefcore miles, th-ere I found this good woman 
 with a great company of chriftians of the neighbour- 
 ino- towns, which fhe had taken care to get together, 
 ■being confident that I would come at the very mi- 
 nute that Ihe had fix'd in her mind, and it fell out 
 accordingly. It much furprifed mt to fee her there^ 
 for I had no defign to come thither ; and it was only 
 by chance that fomebody had, about five or iix hours 
 before, made me refolve to come thither, fo that 
 nobody could give her notice of this my refolution. 
 I took her in private, to learn of her how ihe came 
 to know this ; fhe told me, that her daughter, after 
 a violent afTault of a demon, had been vifited by our 
 blefled Lord ; that, when this extafy was over, ihe 
 advifed her to acquaint the chriftians, and bring them 
 to this village, for without all perad venture I would 
 come thither on fuch a day : In fine, added fhe, not 
 being able to come thither myfelf, an,d feeing my 
 iins render me unworthy to partake of thofe facred 
 myfteries, pray defire the father to offer up the holy 
 iacrifice of the mafs for me, and theconverfion of my 
 hufband. This poor mother, relating to me this ac- 
 accident, wept bitterly for the prefent ilate of her 
 daughter ; neverthelefs, the accomplifhment of this 
 prophecy comforted and built her up in her moil 
 holy faith. I cannot tell what happened fince that 
 time, for the necefTity of my affairs obliged me to 
 leave that province. 
 
 The extraordinary things that I have ktn^ the 
 zeal of the chriftians, and the inclination of idola- 
 ters to be converted, infpired me with an aifedionate 
 zeal for their falvation, and I heartily wifli to beitow 
 the remainder of my life upon the cultivating this 
 precious portion of our Lord's inheritance : but 
 fome fuperior reafons, which I am bound to obey, 
 fnatch me from it fore againil my will ; at this 
 feparation, I was more ftnfible than ever of my lofs. 
 
 
 Thefe 
 
428 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 Thele good people, fo affe6i:ionate to their paftors, 
 were almoft ready to offer violence to me •, but, un- 
 derftanding that they could not detain me without 
 oppofmg the will of Gcd, they abandon'd themfelves 
 to forrow, and gave fuch aDTindant marks of their 
 alFedion, that I myfelf never fhed more real and bit- 
 ter tears : they v/aited for me upon the highway in 
 crowds, where they had fpread tables from fpace to 
 fpace, covered v/ith all forts of fruits and confec- 
 tionaries. It was fometimes necefTary to make a ftop, 
 not to eat, but to hear their complaints, and to com- 
 fort them, for leaving thtm as Jheep without afioefherd. 
 They made me promife them to return as foon as 
 poilible, or to fend them fomicbody in my place. 
 Thus I took my leave of thefe fervent chriftians, 
 melted with their tears, but much more edified with 
 their faith and the innocence of their lives. 
 
 God, who knows the violence I committed upon 
 myfelf, comforted me by an eminent converfion he 
 vouchfafed to work at the fartheft limits and laft vil- 
 lage of this province. There is fomethingin it fo fig- 
 nal that I cannot forbear relating it. 
 
 I departed from. Sigan the metropolis of this pro- 
 vince upon the eve of a confiderable feftival of our 
 Lady, which I was naturally engaged to fpend in 
 that church, where the multitude, and devotion of 
 believers invited me to fay mafs that day, and to admi- 
 nitler the facraments to them, being the lalltime I was 
 likely to do it ; yea, and the publick edification did 
 even feem to require it of me, every one in general 
 defired I would ; and, I don't know how contrary to 
 reafon, I was very obftinate and refolute not to de- 
 lay my journey a minute \ but the truth is, I felt in* 
 wardly I know not what internal motion that would 
 not give me leave to ilay any longer ; nay, mpre 
 than that, in fpite of the fuperftition of the Chinefe, 
 who obferve lucky and unlucky days to begin jour- 
 nies, I made my idolater guides to depart on a day 
 
 mark'4 
 
the New Chrijlians in China. 429 
 
 mark'd in thekalendar for an unfortunate one. They 
 were furprifed at this precipitation •, yea, and I my- 
 felf, refieding afterwards upon it, could not choofe 
 but condemn it, not underftanding then by what fpi- 
 rit I was influenced and impulfed, but God let niepre- 
 fently underftand it. On the fourth day after my de- 
 parture, I continued my journey, and I was juft upon 
 my arrival in the very fartheft city of the province of 
 Xenfl, when a man that rid poll, palTing juft by me, 
 fell to the ground, and by his fall was like to have 
 turned me over on the other fide : this accident 
 ftopped me a little, and afforded time to the travel- 
 ler, who was got up again, to take a view of me. 
 
 Notwithftanding the multitude of paflengers was 
 great, yet, my long beard and European mien made 
 me prefently be known to be a miflionary : I am 
 very fortunate, fays the man immediately, to meet 
 with you •, that accident, that happened to me, fpares 
 me the labour of a long journey, and will engage 
 you to a good deed. My mafter, who lives not 
 above half a league from hence, ordered me to ride 
 poft to Sigan, to engage you to come to him ; he 
 hath been indifpofed thefe feveral months, and we 
 ajre apt to believe that he ferioufly thinks of being 
 converted. I quickly left the highway to follow 
 him, and we reached the houfe at one o' clock in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 He was a doc5lor of high renown by his extrac- 
 tion and underftanding, living formerly at Pekin, 
 but baniftied fome years before into Xenli, for I know- 
 not what bad bufmefs •, the time of his baniftim.ent 
 expired, and he v/as refolved to return to court, as 
 foon as his health ftiould permit him to take his jour- 
 ney, for he did not look upon his diftemper to be 
 dangerous : the fever had left him, and befides a 
 C(^gh that troubled him now and then, and made 
 him ftill keep his bed, he perceived no confiderable 
 inconvenience. 
 
 His 
 
43 o How the Gcfpel is propofed to 
 
 His fervant being juft departed, when he faw me 
 come into his houfe, he was feized with aftonifhment, 
 as if God had traniported me into his houfe in a mo- 
 ment : Is it poilible, cries he, all in tears, that Heaven 
 fhould work wonders for fuch a v/retch as I am P God 
 hath follicited me thefe many years to go to him, 
 without receiving any thing from my hardnefs of 
 heart ; 'tis but a moment fince I begged of him to 
 come to me in the perfon of one of his minifters, he 
 not only hears me, but does even anticipate my defires. 
 This is fomewhat beyond the power of nature, and 
 this favour does the bufinefs of my change. You 
 know by that, father, that this great God is con- 
 cerned in my falvation, and that it is his pleafure that 
 you fhould contribute fomething to further it. Then 
 proceeding. You fee, faith he, my wife, children, and 
 daughter, they have been all chriftlans a long time 
 ago -, and I can fay, that God hath made ufe of me 
 as an inftmment to undeceive them of their errors. I 
 have given them your books, I have explained the 
 maxims and morality of it to them, for the fandity, 
 which your religion infpires, perfuaded me I fhould 
 have a well ordered family, as loon as it fhould be a 
 chriitian family. I was not miftaken, and my confci- 
 ence would not have given me the lye, had I fol- 
 lowed their example •, but I have a long time la- 
 boured to procure their welfare, and could never find 
 in my heart to confuit my own : now it is high time 
 to follow that way I have fhewed to others. The 
 court, whither I am going, is not a proper place for 
 converfion , and I thought it was my duty, ivhil/t it 
 is called to da)\to feek God, for fear the hurry of the 
 world, wherein I am going to engage, fhould hinder 
 me from finding him hereafter. 
 
 All his family, which came about us upon this, 
 wept for joy •, but that, which affedled me moft, was 
 that fervency I faw expanded in the eyes, counte- 
 nance, and in all the motions of the fick perfon. I 
 
 had 
 
the New Chrijliajts in China. 43 1 
 
 had taken no refrefhment, and it v/as near two of the 
 clock, and I was defirous to defer his baptifm till 
 after dinner •, but I found it impoffible to ol3tain any 
 delay. I therefore began to examine him, and he was 
 ready to anfwer to all the articles of religion, that I 
 yielded at length to all his urgent intreaties. I bap- 
 tifed him, and he accompanied the whole adion 
 with fuch ardent and lively meditations of love, hu- 
 mility, faith, and hope, that nothing in all my life 
 did ever fo much demonftrate to me what the holy 
 Spirit is able to do in a heart, when it alone pleafes to 
 take it to tafk, without the afliftance of its mi- 
 nifters. Some while after I left him alone full of 
 confolation, and retired to a chamber to take a little 
 repofe, of which I had extreme need. 
 
 But fcarce had I been there half an hour, but I 
 heard great cries in all the family. They called for 
 me every where v and, running upon the noife to the 
 fick man's chamber, I found him expiring in the 
 embraces of his wife and children. I endeavoured to 
 put him in mind of the laft thoughts of baptifm ; he 
 ftill repeated with a languifhing note the names of 
 Jefus and Mary ; but yet he received the extreme 
 undtton in a manner infenfible, after which he calmly 
 gave up the gholl. All thofe that were prefent cried, 
 O it was a miracle ! and recolleding what had hap- 
 pened at my departure, upon the road, and in the 
 houfe, they did no longer queftion but that all that 
 had been managed by an over-ruling providence, 
 that had made ufe of all thefe fecret methods, for 
 to procure him a bleffed exit. 
 
 At that time the Spirit of the Lord feized upon all 
 hearts, nobody wept •, the fpiritual joy was fo uni- 
 verfal, that nothing was heard any where but bief- 
 fings, praifes, and thankfgivings, to that gracious 
 God, that had but now wrought fuch ttupendious 
 miracles in his fervant. What is to be moft ad- 
 mired is, that there was not obferved in him that 
 
 deformity 
 
432 How the Gofpel is propofed to 
 
 deformity that death commonly leaves behind it ; 
 but, on the contrary, I know not what air of fweet- 
 nefs and devotion feemed difplay'd over his counte- 
 nance, and did fufficiently intimate the blelTed ftate 
 of his foul. He was laid in ftate, according to the 
 cuftom of that country, where I found him the next 
 day twenty hours after juft as he was ; his hands and 
 arms befides were as flexible as if he had been but in 
 a dumber. 
 
 Thus God, by one of thofe many profound fecrets 
 of his predeftination, vouchfafes to enlighten a foul 
 fometimes in the midft of the darknefs of idolatry, 
 and fnatch it from the jaws of hell by a continual 
 feries of miracles \ whilft millions of others, educated 
 in the bofom of the church, are, by his juft judg- 
 ment, given over to a reprobate mind. 
 
 Thefe are, moft reverend father, the moft extra- 
 ordinary things that have happened to me, during 
 the fmall time that I have had the care of the mif- 
 fion of Xenfi: If I mention not what pafled in the 
 other provinces of China, it is not becaufe God doth 
 not work fuch like miracles therein, but by reafon I 
 have no exad; memorial of them, I was afraid, left, 
 relating upon hear-fay, I ftiould be deficient in fome 
 confiderable circumftances •, and I had rather let 
 them be fet down in writing hereafter, by thofe who 
 are better informed than myfelf. 
 
 This I can add over and above, to give you a 
 a more exa6l account of what good there hath been 
 done in the empire. There are above two hundred 
 churches or private chapels, dedicated to the true 
 God, and governed by certain ecclefiaftical fuperiors ; 
 Pekin, Nankim, and Macao have each its particu- 
 lar bifhop, by the nomination of the moft ferene 
 king of Portugal, who, by his zeal and liberalities, 
 continues to uphold chriftianity throughout all the 
 Eaft, which all his predeceflbrs have there eftabliftied 
 with fo much glory. 
 
 The 
 
the New Chrijiians in China. 43 j 
 
 The other provinces, when I departed, were undei* 
 the jurifdidion of three apoftolick vicars, * one 
 whereof is an Italian of the order of St. Francis, f 
 the tvVo others are ecclefiafticks, Frenchmen by na- 
 tion, dodlors of the Sotbonne^ of fingular worth ; 
 the miffionaries, that labour under their order, are 
 likewife of different nations. There are four ecclefi- 
 afticks of the feminary of foreign miffions of Paris^ 
 amongft whom the abbot of Lionne is very eminent 
 for his zeal and application to the ftudy of langua- 
 ges ; they reckon much about the fame number of 
 fathers of St. Dominic^ twelve or fifteen Francifcans, 
 and three or four of the order of St. Auguftin : all 
 thefe monkis are Spaniards, and come into China by 
 Manille. 
 
 The jefuits who founded this mifllon^ and who 
 by the extraordinary favours of his majefty the king 
 of Portugal, as well as of the emperor of China^ 
 have been in a capacity to make confiderable fettle- 
 ments, do maintain a great number of miffionaries 
 there •, there were about forty of them at the time of 
 my departure. Since that time the fathers Grimaldi 
 and Spinola || brought feveral others thither. But 
 what iignify forty or thre^fcore labourers in fuch a 
 vaft field ? May it pleafe the Mafter of the harveft 
 to hear the voice of thofe that labour therein, who, 
 groaning under the burthen and heat of the day, beg 
 relief: or, at leaft, may he pleafe to filed abroad 
 abundantly upon us that firfi: fpirit of the gofpel^ 
 which, in one apofi-le alone, was fufficient heretofore 
 to convert the greateft empires. 
 
 Not but that the prefent fl:ate of the church doth 
 afford matter of confolation, to thofe who are con- 
 cern*d for the glory of Jefus Chrifl:. They labour 
 with no fmall fuccefs , nay, there are but few miffio- 
 naries, that do not baptife every year three or four 
 
 * The reverend father de tionija. ■\ Monf. Maigrot 
 
 and monfieur Pin, [| Father Spinola died by the way. 
 
 F f hundred. 
 
434 -^^"^ ^^^ Gofpel is propofed to 
 
 hundred persons •, infomuch, that in five or fix years 
 they reckon above fifty thoufand idolaters converted. 
 Befides that, they baptife every year four or five 
 thoufand children in the flreets of Pekin, which 
 they go to look for every morning from door to 
 door, where we find them half perifh'd with cold 
 and hunger \ nay, fometimes half eaten up by dogs. 
 If they fhould do no more good but this, the mifTio- 
 naries would think themfelves well enough rewarded 
 for all the pains they take. 
 
 But that, which ought to animate us to cultivate 
 this miiTion better than all others, is the hope one 
 day to convert the emperor ; the change of whofe 
 religion would infallibly be followed by the intire con- 
 veriion of the whole nation ; fo that although we 
 fhould wait for this happy moment three or four 
 ages, without any other profit than what we hope 
 for, in time to* come, we fhould be too happy iii 
 preparing by our patience the v/ay of the Lord in 
 this new world, which perhaps will make better im- 
 provement of the faith, that our fucceflbrs fhall bring 
 to it, than Europe does at prefent of that our fore- 
 fathers intruflied it withal. 
 
 In fhort, altho' amongfl the chriflians that are in 
 China, we can reckon no more princes and minifters 
 of (late fmce the lafl perfecution of father Adam ; 
 yet, for ail that, w^e baptife every year Mandarines, 
 dodors, and other perfons of quality ; yet it is true,, 
 that the common people make up the greatefl num- 
 ber: Non muhi potent es^ nonmulti nohiles. And it is 
 no news to own, that the poor have always been the 
 eledt portion and precious inheritance of Jefus Chrift 
 in the church. 
 
 The main body of chriftians is in the province of 
 Nankim, and more efpecially in the territory of Chani- 
 hai ; but the faith is more lively in the provinces q£ 
 Quamtum, Pekin, Xenfi, and Xanfi. There are in 
 proportion as many Tartarians as Chinefe chriflians ; 
 
 thefe 
 
the New Chrijiians ih China: 435 
 
 thefe are more docile, and much eafier to be con- 
 verted j yet In the time of temptation they have not 
 half fo much courage. The Tartars, on the con- 
 trary, being naturally of a brisk temper, do not ea- 
 fily ftoop under the yoke of the gofpel ; but thofe. 
 Over whom grace hath once triumphed, are endued 
 with a virtue that is proof againft the forefl pcrfecu- 
 tlons. As for women, which we fee more rarely, 
 altho' they be lefs inftrudled than the men, yet their 
 innocence, their conflant attendance at prayer, their 
 blind fubmifiion to the precepts of faith, and the 
 moft harfh and fevere pradices of chriftian piety, 
 do in fome meafure fupply their defedl of know- 
 ledge, as to the particulars of our myfteries. 
 
 It were to be wi(h'd, that the beauty and orna- 
 jnent of our churches might anfwer the devout fer- 
 vour of chriftians : but, befides that the Chinefe 
 are no great archlteds, this novel chriftianity, fo fre- 
 quently fhaken by perfecutions, compofed for the 
 moft part of the poorer fort of people, only tolerated 
 by the bye, and always forced to obferve a great many 
 punctilio's, and keep within bounds, hath not yet 
 been in a condition to rear magnificent temples. Ne- 
 vertheiefs it is matter of aftonifhment, that the mif- 
 : fionaries, with fuch a pitiful fund as theirs is, ihould 
 be able on this fcore to do fo much. 
 
 The church of Pekin is very well built , the fron- 
 tifpiece, the ftones of which v/ere laid by the midio- 
 tjaries themfelves, is very proportionable and pleafing. 
 Thofe in Kiamcheu, Cham-hai, and Jocheu, that 
 which the fathers have at Canton, and divers others 
 are as fine as our ordinary churches of Europe ; but 
 the church of Hamcheu was fo very pretty and neat, 
 that one could not enough admire it : you could feie 
 nothing but gildings, paintings, and curious picflures, 
 it was all over adorn'd v/ith them i yea, and there was 
 a great deal of fymmetry and order in the whole« 
 That delicate red and bjack varnifh, which the Chi- 
 F f 2 nefes 
 
436 How the Go/pel is propofed to 
 
 nefe are (o expert at, to which they give a particu- 
 lar relief or embofTment, by the flowers of gold and 
 other figures wherewith they enrich it, did produce 
 the fineft effedi: in the world to compleat the whole. 
 
 But this goodly church, the produd of chriftians 
 devotion, and of father Intorcetta's zeal, is lately 
 reduc'd to afnes by a dreadful conflagration, that 
 confuni'd one quarter of the city ; and, in all proba- 
 bility, we fhall not be in a capacity a long time to 
 perform any thing like it. Neverthelefs it will be 
 our comfort to fupport us after this lofs, if it fliall 
 pleafe our blefled Lord to deftroy, at the fame time, 
 that pack of idols which have overflow'd the whole 
 empire-, and that he will vouchfafe to raife himfelf 
 living temples in the hearts of the new believers, 
 where he may be worfhipped in fpirit and truth •, 
 wherein, for want of ours, they may offer to him 
 the facrifice of praife and thankfgiving. 
 
 I fhall not entertain you, moft reverend father, 
 concerning the tranfadions of the Indies, where the 
 revolution of a huge kingdom, the jealouflesof fome 
 Europeans, together with the continual thwartings 
 of hereticks, have broken all the meafures that chrif- 
 tian prudence oblig'd us to take for the caufe of re- 
 ligion*, fo that the mofl: part of the French miflio- 
 naries have been hitherto more confpicuous by their 
 fufferings, than by their converflon of idolaters. 
 
 Some of them, after having lingered out feveral 
 years in the moft darkfome prifons, fcarce begin to 
 fee the light, and are not yet in a condition even to 
 exercife their fundions with any freedom. Others, 
 driven from their fettlements, wander up and down 
 upon the moil: tempefl:uous oceans, carrying along 
 with them the miferable remainders of their ruin'd 
 miflions •, and, that they may return to the remoteft 
 parts of the world, they commit themfelves a fourth 
 time to the mercy of the waves and their enemies. 
 
 Several 
 
the New Chrijiians in China: 437 
 
 Several buried in fhipwracks, or \^orn out with 
 toils, have glorioufly finifh'd their courfe •, and, the* 
 their companions live ilill, it is only to confume by 
 little and little the facrifice of their lives, by the ill ha- 
 bit of body they have contradedby their firft labours. 
 
 You fee, moft reverend father, what fort of per- 
 fons they be I fpeak of, you know their names, you 
 underftand their worth, and, fmce they were chofen 
 from amongft a great many other candidates for the 
 Eaft-Indies, you have been pleafed always to honour 
 them with a moft particular affedion ; and, may I 
 be bold to add, that you were not fatisfied with only 
 fending of them, you followed yourfelf in fome re- 
 fpedl, and became the fellow, or rather the head of 
 their apoftlefhip, fharing, like one of the moft zea- 
 lous miffionaries, in the fuccefs of their holy under- 
 takings, zealoufiy lending an helping-hand to their 
 labours, delivering them from their chains by a pow- 
 erful protection, or, at leaft, lightening the weight by 
 confolatory letters, full of that lively hope that 
 makes a man take delight in the moft rigid perfe- 
 cutions. 
 
 This courage, moft reverend father, which you 
 have infpir'd into us, does not only alleviate our fuf- 
 ferings, but alfoaflures us, that the ruins of this grand 
 edifice, that we have laid the firft ftone of to the 
 glory of God, will one day ferve for a bafis to ano- 
 ther work, yet more confiderable and folid than the 
 firft •, fo that neither the ftiip wrack of * three of our 
 brethren buried in the fea, nor the lofs of -f three 
 more, who facrificed their lives aboard the vefTel in 
 relieving the fick, nor yet the death of a great many 
 more whom the fatigues of the miftion have fnatch'd 
 from us in the Indies, nor the prifons of Pegu, Siam, 
 Moluccas, Batavia, Rotterdam nor Middleburg, 
 where pagans and hereticks have tried our patience 
 
 * Barnaby, fheoni^il, Ni<vart. f Rechette, U Blane 
 
 Ffj by 
 
438 How the Gojpel is propofed to 
 
 by turns ; all that, I fay, does not blunt the edge of 
 our courage, being fully perfuaded that Jefus ChriiV 
 hath made ufe of the crofs to propagate and eftablifh 
 religion : fo the mifiionaries crofs is always to be the 
 foundation of their churches, and, as it were, the 
 feed of new chriftians. 
 
 In the mean time, \h.z{z firft labours have not been 
 altogether in vain \ Vv^e baptifed at Boudychery above 
 four hundred idolatrous children : the people of Coro- 
 mandel have been relieved, as were thofe of Ceylon, 
 Pegu, and Bengala. They labour'd with no fmall fuc- 
 cefs in divers provinces of the empire of the great 
 Mogul, and, above all, in the miffions of Madura. 
 Such miHions, as in them we fee in our days the ages 
 of the primitive church reviv'd •, wherein believers, 
 wretchedly poor and depriv'd of all the comforts of 
 life, feem to live only by their faith, hope, and cha- 
 rity j v/herein the mifiionaries, to comply with the 
 cuftoms of the country, and obtain the people's fa- 
 vour, fpend their lives in forefts and defarts, half na- 
 ked, fcorched by the fun-beams, and walk, for the 
 moft part, upon fcalding hot fands •, where upon the 
 ways, full of briers and thorns, they take no other fujftc- 
 nance but a little rice, with fom^e iniipid plants, and 
 no other beverege, but yelbw muddy water from. 
 the ditches and marfhes. 
 
 There it is, where a great number of our brethren 
 have fuffer'd, and do ftill daily fuiter imprifonmients, 
 chains, fcourgings, and all the torments that hell is 
 wont to fuggeft, to the enemies of our moft holy 
 faith. There father Brito, illuftrious by his birth, 
 as alfo by the particular efteem wherewith his maje- 
 fty of Portugal honoured him, but yet more, much 
 more by his rare virtues, had the honour to part with 
 his life in the caufe of Jefus Chrift, where his bre- 
 thren, after his example, labour, by their fervency, 
 to obtain the fame favour from Heaven. 
 
 Perhaps, 
 
the New Chrijliam in China. 439 
 
 Perhaps, moft reverend father, this portraiture will 
 not pleafe the men of this world, not being ready to 
 beftow upon fuiferings the juft value they defcrv&, 
 and to favour the things that are of God -, yet I know, 
 that will not abate the zeal of our fathers living in 
 France, who have fo many years afpir'd to toilfome 
 and tedious employments. 
 
 The mifTions, in refpe6l of theni, have fo many 
 more allurements, as they appear to others more hi- 
 deous and frightful : if they expedled to find in the 
 Indies only common crofles, whereunto providence 
 makes every kingdom fubjedl, but wherewith Jefus 
 Chrift hath in a fpecial manner enrich'd chriftianity, 
 they would have been contented with their rcclufe 
 religious way of living •, and, with the eminent virtues 
 pradlifed therein, they would never perhaps have had 
 the leaft thought of leaving their friends, relations, 
 and country. But they feek, elfewhere, what we 
 here want of the paflion of Jefus Chrift, according 
 to the apoftle's counfel, and they are willing to fill up 
 the whole extent, the breadth and depth of this di- 
 vine law, which carries them out, with St. Paul, to 
 become vidims of the moft pure charity, even fo far 
 as to be anathemifed, that their brethren may be 
 faved. 
 
 Yet thefe are thofe apoftles, moft reverend father, 
 whom envy fometimes, in France, paints out to us in 
 fuch black colours, whom herefy, evermore oppofite 
 to true zeal, fo often accufeth of ambition, avarice, 
 impiety, and idolatry ; they are too happy in being 
 the butt, that all the ftiots of calumny level at, pro- 
 vided they have none for their enemies, but the ene- 
 mies of the church and truth •, and, without doubt, 
 the war, that fuch adverfaries declare againft them,, 
 with fo much heat and animofity here in Europe, 
 does no lefs juftify them, than that which they 
 themfelves declare againft paganifm in the Indies. 
 
 F f 4 Never- 
 
440 Of the publick Efiablijljment 
 
 Neverthelefs, what juftice foever wife men may da 
 them In this point, yet it is moft true, that that does 
 not fuffice to juftify them before God, before whom 
 the very angels are impure ; after all the efforts of our 
 zeal, we muft not only acknowledge in all humility, 
 that we are unprofitable fervants, but confefs like- 
 wife, with thoughts full of horror, that it is in vain 
 to win over all the nations upon the earth to Jefus 
 Chrlft, if in the mean time we be fo fluggifh as to 
 negledb our own falvation, and unfortunately lofe 
 ourfelves. I am, with a profound refped, 
 
 Mojl Reverend Father^ 
 
 Tour moji humble 
 
 ^nd moft obedient Servant y 
 
 L.J. 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 1^0 'my Lord Cardinal de Janfon. 
 
 S^he Ch'rijlian Religion fiewly approved of by a publick 
 Edi^y throughout the whole E',npire of China. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 IT feems as if Heaven, fenfible of the labours of 
 our mifTionaries, who, for thefe feveral years, have, 
 with the fweat of their brows, watered China, had a 
 mind, at length, to eftablifh this new church upon a 
 iolid foundation. Hitherto it hath been fubjec5l to 
 abundance of revolutions, fiouriihing under the reign 
 of fome emperors, perfecuted in the time of their 
 niinority, and, in a manner, totally ruin'd during 
 ' ' ■ ' ■ ' "' ^ the 
 
 
of Chrijlianity in China. 44 1 
 
 the inteftlne commotions ; but always in a tottering 
 condition, by reafon of the rigour of the laws, that 
 have permitted a right to deftroy it, even to thofe 
 that have the moft defended it. 
 
 For the fovereign courts of China, declar'd ene- 
 mies to all foreign worfhip, rather out of a fpirit of 
 policy, than any fincere affedlion to the religion of 
 the country, have frequently condemned the chrif- 
 tian do(5lrine, and punifh'd thofe who had the cou- 
 rage to embrace it. Several of them, for all that, 
 hearkened to the voice of God, rather than to the 
 voice of man \ but the greateft part, apprehending 
 danger as to their fortune, were fo far from purfuing 
 the known truth, that they durft not fo much as get 
 themfelves inftrudted therein. 
 
 It is a matter of an hundred years, that w^e have 
 labour'd to remove this almoft invincible obllacle to 
 the converfion of great perfons. The hour of the 
 Lord was not yet come •, he was pleafed to exercife 
 the patience of his chriftians, to try the conftancy of 
 the miffionaries, and thereby inhance the worth of 
 them both. But now at laft the happy day begins to 
 dawn, and the emperor hath granted an intire liberty 
 of confcience to his fubjeds, by allowing in a pub- 
 lick edi6l the chriftian faith throughout the whole 
 extent of his empire. * Thou hafi^ O Lord^ broken 
 the chains that held thy holy religion captive^ now can 
 we offer facrijices^ and call publickly upon thy name \ 
 we prefent to thee our vows^ not infecret as formerly^ 
 hut in prefence of all the people^ in the temples they fuf- 
 fer us to rear to th^ glory ^ who are about to change 
 the old Babylon into the new Jerufalem. Here I do 
 prefent you, my lord, with the occafion, and the 
 whole continued feries of this happy event. 
 
 Father Alcala a Spanifh Dominican, one of the 
 moft zealous miflionaries in China, had purchafed an 
 houfe at Lanki, a little village of the province of 
 * Pfal. cxixo 
 
 Chekiamj 
 
442 Of thepublick Ejlablifhment 
 
 Cheklam, iiotwithftanding this fettlement was ex- 
 prelsly againfr the edicfl of 1669 ; the Mandarine of 
 the place, who at ftrll: did not oppofe it, being after- 
 wards nettled at fome indifcreet words, that efcaped 
 unawares from fome of this father's menial fervants, 
 was refolv'd not to diilemble the matter any longer, 
 but to proceed according to the courfe of law againft 
 him. 
 
 He therefore asked the miirionary, how he durft 
 preiume to fettle in the city ? Why he preached up a 
 foreign dodrine ? And moreover, by what right he 
 pretended to remain in the empire ? This father fore- 
 fav/ the frorm gather, and had prepar'd himfelf be- 
 fore-hand : ' I wonder, my lord, fays he, in an- 
 ' fwer to the Mandarine, that you reckon that cri- 
 ' minal in me at prefent, that you did not difapprove 
 ' at the beginning. You know that for fome years 
 
 * the emperor hath kept and preferv'd in the empire 
 ' five of m.y European brethren (he meant us) that 
 ' he hath not only fent for them to court, but alfo 
 ' hath by a publick edict granted them power to fet- 
 ' tie in whatfoever place of the kingdom they fliall 
 ' think fit : it is for one of them that I have bought 
 ' this houfe, and I lodge in it till fuch times as he 
 ' CQine himfelf to take pofiellion of it. 
 
 '- Moreover, you cannot be ignorant that the mif- 
 4 fionaries had liberty granted them to come again 
 w into their churches, wlven the emperor did them 
 c the favour to recal them from their banifhm.ent. 
 t Confult, I pi*ay, confult your rcgifters upon the 
 bufinefs. and there you will find my name. 
 
 * Some months after anothef Mandarine, foliclted 
 by him of Lanki, or at Icaft urg'd to it by his ex- 
 ample, was refolv'd to put a ftop to the progrefs of 
 our holy dodlrine •, he prohibited the exercife thereof 
 through the whole extent of his government, by an 
 order, which he caufed to be affixed in divers places. 
 They treated religion in fuch a defpiteful manner, 
 
 that 
 
of Chrijiianity in China. 443 
 
 that father Intorcetta of our foclety, and mifTionary 
 ill the metropolis of this province, thought himfelf 
 oblig'd not to diflemble the affront without betray- 
 ing his minifterial fundion. 
 
 He fuppofed likewife, that he had a right on his 
 fide formally to accufe this fworn enemy of the gof- 
 pel, whofe behaviour was fo excentricaLfrom the em- 
 peror's intentions •, for this prince had blotted out 
 with his own hand a great many lines of a book that 
 ranked the chriftian dodrine in the number of dan- 
 gerous and popular herefies : this book was of mo- 
 ment, not only by reafon of its author, eminent for 
 his quality and defert, but much more, for that it was 
 compofed for the people's inftRidlion, by whom it 
 was to be read, according to the cuftom, feveral 
 times a year. 
 
 Father Intorcetta did therefore judge it a piece of 
 boldnefs, that made the Mandarine liable to the lalh, 
 to condemn, by his private authority, that which the 
 emperor feemed to allow of and approve, fo that 
 the father writ a very fmart pithy letter to the gover- 
 nor of the capital city, in which he defir'd him to 
 caufe this fubaltern officer to retradt his words, and fo 
 get this injurious writing to be torn in pieces : he like- 
 wife added, that, to repair this fault, he could wifh 
 that the Mandarine might affix other papers in the 
 place of thofe, more favourable to the religion, and 
 more conformable to the emperor's intentions. 
 
 The governor difpatched this letter to the Man- 
 darine, and, as ill luck would have it, it was deliver'd 
 to him upon a day that he heard caufes, in fight of 
 all the people, at the very time that he was bufy in 
 paffing judgment. He fo much refented this affront, 
 that contrary to the cuftom of the Chinefe, and 
 maugre his natural phlegm, he ftarted from the bench 
 tranfported with choler, complained of the impu- 
 dence of the miffionary, and protefted openly, that 
 he would be reveng'd. 
 
 That 
 
444 QA ^^^ publick EJ{abUJI:menf 
 
 That he might carry on the bufinefs more luccef- 
 fvilly, he aflbciated himfelf with the Mandarine of Lan- 
 ki^ and combin'd with him, if poflible, utterly to de- 
 ftroy the chriftian religion. Their firfl: attempt was 
 to affault the Dominican friar, on whom they thought 
 more eaiily to accomplilhi their defign ; for they could 
 not imagi.'ie, that he was of the number of the ancient 
 milTionaries. To be rightly inform'd of the matter, 
 they caufed to be produced certain authentick copies 
 of every procedure during the whole courfe of the 
 perfecution again ft father Fii (for fo was he called) 
 with a dedgn to confront him with himfelf. 
 
 It is a peculiar trick, pretty common in China, with 
 the Mandarines, to queftion the criminals not only 
 about matters of fa^t, but alfo concerning abundance 
 of infignificant circumftances, caufing all they an- 
 fwer carefully to be taken in writing. Then, when 
 they have talked a pretty while of a matter quite fo- 
 reign to the fubjedl in hand, to diftradl their mind, 
 all on a fudden they return to the thing in queftion ; 
 they begin over and over the declaration ; they 
 change the order of the interrogatives, and cunningly 
 interpofe anfwers contrar)^ to thofe the guilty perfon 
 made, on purpofe to make him contradid: himfelf, 
 the more eafily to fift out the truth. 
 
 Father Alcala, without all doubt, would have been 
 put to hrs trumps, if he had not, by a particular pro- 
 vidence, preferv'd a copy of thefe ancient proceed- 
 ings. Wherefore, knowing the intent and defign of 
 Iiis judges, he fo well inform'd himfelf of all that 
 had heretofore paft to this purpofe, and deliver'd 
 himfelf fo pertinently, and conformably to the iirft 
 interrogatory, that his enemies were never able to 
 prevail over him, as to his anfwers. 
 
 So that all the ftorm fell upon father Intorcetta 
 again, againft whom they were much more animated 
 and incenfed ; but, forafmuch as this father did not 
 ]ive within their jurifdidion, they fuborned many 
 . ■ ' confide 
 
Of ChriJtianUy in China. 445 
 
 confiderable Mandarines, and the viceroy in parti- 
 cular, who added to his abfolute power in the pro- 
 vince a greater averfion for the chriftian religion. 
 
 They all unanimoufly refoiv'd to beat down chrif- 
 tianity, and after having caufed all the proceedings, 
 formerly made again ft miflionaries, to be fought out 
 in the archives of the intendant of the city govern- 
 ment, they found at laft the decree of 1669, that 
 ftridly prohibited them to build any churches •, to 
 teach in piiblick or in private the European law, to 
 adminifter baptifm to the Chinefe, to diftribute me- 
 dals, chaplets, crucifixes, or other fuch like tokens 
 of religion, to chriftians. 
 
 The miifionaries were not ignorant of thefe pro- 
 hibitions •, but their particuW zeal, and the example 
 of Pekin, where the gofpel was preach'd under the 
 emperor's very nofe, no body pretending to fay any 
 thing againft it, put them upon waving the ufual 
 rules of human prudence. Thefe very confiderations 
 made moft part of the Mandarines to connive, and, 
 whenever any one of them took upon him to impede 
 the progrefs of the faith, they endeavour'd to pacify 
 him by prefents, and letters of recommendation 
 procur'd for us by the fathers of Pekin ; or elfe, if 
 need required, we made ufe of the emperor's autho- 
 rity againft him. 
 
 The chriftians of Hamcheu, under the cure of 
 father Intorcetta, were none of the leaft zealous. 
 Their courage had appear'd under the government of 
 divers Mandarines, great fticklers againft our moft 
 holy faith ; but their courage was never more ap- 
 parent than in the prefent occafion •, for the viceroy 
 fuppofing, that he was impower'd to undertike any 
 thing by vertue of the decree aforemention'd, cau- 
 fed to be affixed to the gate of bur ho ufe, in all 
 the publick places of the capital city, and afterwards 
 in above feventy cities of his government, a new 
 fentence, by which he forbad under grievous penal- 
 ties 
 
446 Of the publick Efiablijhment 
 
 ties, to exerclfe the chrlftian religion, charging all 
 
 thofe that embraced it to forfake it *. 
 
 Moreover, being informed, that father Intorcetta 
 was formerly in the province of Kiamfi, and that 
 he had not obtained leave from the court to fettle in 
 that of Chekiam, he fent to ask him by what autho- 
 rity he durft prefume to ftay there •, yea, and he 
 commanded him forthwith to avoid the country •, the 
 officer, that brought this order, added, I command 
 you withal, in the name of the viceroy, to burn all 
 the books of your religion, together with the tables 
 of printing, that you have in your houfe. They are 
 thin boards, upon which they have engraven all the 
 leaves, from which they may take copies, according 
 as occafion ferves. 
 
 The father, not at all furpriz'd, anfwer'd, That 
 he was in the city by the authority of him who grant- 
 ed the privilege to the viceroy himfelf, to remain 
 there : ' Have you forgot, added he, that the em- 
 
 * peror, paffing this way three years ago, fent two 
 
 * grandees of his court to my church, to offer pre- 
 ' fents, in his name, to the true God, with exprefs 
 ^ orders, to lie pro (Irate before the altars ? I went to 
 
 * render him my moil humble thanks for his gracious 
 
 * favour \ and, that I might give him further demon- 
 ' ftrations of my acknowledgment, I was willing to 
 ' accompany him upon the canal at his departure, 
 *• where he was with his whole court. 
 
 ^ This grand prince, who had formerly honoured 
 ' me with more than ordinary demonftrations of his 
 ' benevolence, taking notice of my barge amongft 
 
 * a great number of others, caufed it to approach his 
 
 * own, and fpoke to me fuch obliging things, that,- 
 
 * after all that, I could not fufpedt I fhould be expofed 
 ' to any ftraits, or infults from any one of his officers. 
 
 ' But, fince this example hath made no impreffion 
 ' upon the fpirit of the viceroy, go tell him, That 
 
 * This happened abeut the middk of u4!<r^«y?, Ann. 1691. 
 
 * the 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 447 
 
 ^ the emperor, not being willing I fhould accompa- 
 ^ ny him any farther, fent me back with thefe his laft 
 ^ words to me, which are too advantageous to me to 
 
 * prefume to alter, add, or diminifh any thing in 
 ' them : Your years, fays he to me, do not permit 
 ' you to attend me any longer, you are no way in 
 ' -a condition to endure the fatigues of a journey •, I 
 ' order you to return to your church, and there to 
 
 * fpend the remainder of your days. But, now, if 
 
 * the viceroy does not only diflurb this tranquillity by 
 
 * ordinances injurious to the God whom I adore, but 
 
 * forces me fhamefully to quit thi3 province, I leave 
 ' him to judge, whether of us two dots more openly 
 ' and peremptorily contradid: the emperor's will and 
 ' pleafure. 
 
 ' As to what relates to the table, on v/hich they 
 
 * have engraven the law and m.axims of Jefus Chrift, 
 
 * God forbid I fhould be fo wicked as to commit 
 
 * it to the flames. However, the viceroy is the 
 
 * mafter, iince I cannot relift his violence ; but tell 
 
 * him from me, that, before he refolve upon that, he 
 
 * muft begin with the burning of myfelf. 
 
 The viceroy, furpriz'd at the undauntednefs of 
 the miffionary, duril attempt nothing upon his per- 
 fon ; but he referr'd the bufmefs to certain fubaltern 
 Mandarines, who received orders, to fummon this, 
 father before their . tribunals, and to perplex and 
 trouble him upon all accounts, without allowing 
 him a moment's refpite. Father Intorcetta, whojuii 
 then fell fick, might have been difpens'd with from 
 appearing *, but he was afraid to lofe thefe precious 
 jundlures of time, that providence had put into his 
 hand, openly to confefs the name of Jefus Chrift ;, 
 and bring refolv'd not to recoil, or give ground 
 during the combate, he got himfelf carried before 
 judges i much opprefs'd, by reafon of the malady he 
 labour'd i*iader, and much more at the fight of his de- 
 -folatq church : but, befides, he was fo animated by the 
 
 holy 
 
44^ Of th^ publick Eftablijlment 
 
 holy Spirit, wherewith martyrs are corroborated, that, 
 of all the Mandarines that interrogated him, not one 
 of them but admir'd the greatnefs of his courage. 
 
 So that, in defpite of the vigorous orders of the 
 viceroys, every one of them almoft treated him 
 with abundance of deference •, even to that degree, 
 that one of them caufed an officer of juftice to be 
 found ly bailinado'd in open court, for having been 
 wanting in his refped: to the father. Adding with- 
 al, that indidments do not render a man guilty \ and 
 that he muft have been convided, to deferve to be 
 treated as a malefactor. 
 
 Father Intorcetta, prefently forefeeing that the per- 
 fecution would be violent, had written to the m.iffio- 
 Txaries at court, to the end that they might remedy 
 it. The emperor was then in Tartary, where he 
 divertifed himfelf in hunting. Father Gerbillon, a 
 Frenchman by nation, and one of thofe the king 
 fent to China, accompanied this prince thither, by 
 whom he was particularly beloved, retaining him 
 almoft always near his perfon •, fo that the letters were 
 diredled to him. 
 
 This father did not judge It convenient to fpeak 
 of it to the emperor, but contented himfelf to de- 
 fire a letter of recommendation from prince Sofan, 
 one oi the nioft powerful minifters of the empire, 
 and his particular friend, who immediately writ to 
 the viceroy iii a moft effedhial manner. He re- 
 prefented to him, that fuch a procedure, as his was, 
 fmelled fomewhat of violence, and was inconfiftent 
 with his wonted moderation and prudence. We live 
 in a time, faith he, that requires much gentlenefs and 
 difcretion. The emperor feeks all occafions to fa- 
 vour the dodlors of the chriftian law, how can 
 you pofTibly think to pleafe him in perfecuting that ? 
 Believe me, fir, the example of a prince ought to 
 make a greater impreflion upon our fpirits, than all 
 the decrees of courts of judicature, and the ancient 
 
 edids. 
 
bf Chrijlianity in China; 449i 
 
 edidls, that the court itfelf can no longer follow,, 
 ought not at prefent to be the rule of its condudl. If 
 you favour the miflionaries, reckon that the empe- 
 ror will take it kindly from you ; and, if I may be 
 permitted to fubjoin any thing to this kft motive, 
 be aflured alfo that I fhall refent all the good ojffices 
 you render them upon my recommendation. 
 
 Prince Sofan is fo confiderable thro^ the whole em- 
 pire (whether it be by the honoxir he hath to be a 
 near relation to the emperor, or whether by his place 
 of grand" mafter of the palace, or whether by his 
 credit or capacity) that upon any other occafion 
 the viceroy of Chekiam would have looked upon it 
 as a great favour to receive one of his letters, and 
 would not have balanced one moment to fatisfy him; 
 but paflion had blinded him^ and the vexation ,- to 
 perceive himfelf lefs powerful at court than a ftran- 
 ger, inclined him to let the miffionary underftand^ 
 that he was at leaft the mafter in his own pro- 
 vince. 
 
 Wherefore, he began to feize upon feveral churches 
 which he beftowed upon the priefts of the pagan 
 gods, after he had violently taken away the facred 
 monuments of our religion . 
 
 He ifllied out proclamations much more rigorous 
 than the former, he threatened the father with his 
 indignation if he did not abandon his flock, and he 
 caufed feveral chriftians, that had but too openly de- 
 clared themfelVes, to be apprehended -, fome of them 
 were haled to prifon^ they feverely punifhed others, 
 and then the perfecution became bloody by the tor- 
 ments, that thefe generous confefTors fuffered for the 
 name of jefus. 
 
 Amongfl thofe that fignalifed themfelves, a phy- 
 ficiari more eminently made his faith appear ; he 
 was much grieved to fee the altars of the true God 
 violated and defpoiled, croiTes broken in pieces, the 
 holy Images expofed to the fcorn, laughter, and im- 
 
 G g piety 
 
450 Of the Publick Eftablijhment 
 
 piety of idolaters : to repair this lofs, and that be- 
 lievers might not be left deftitute of the ordinary 
 marks of their religion, he diftributed to each of 
 them images and crucifixes. He went from door to 
 door with the precious pledges of our falvation ; ani- 
 mating the weak, and confirming the more courageous 
 in their faith : Do not fear^ faid he to them, him 
 who can only fxercife his weak power on the body *, hut 
 fear that great God^ who, as he has deprived you of 
 life, can alfo punifh your foul with an eternal death, 
 and rather fuffcr all forts of tormeyits, than for fake his 
 holy law. 
 
 The Mandarine, offended at the boldnefs of the 
 phyfician, commanded him to be loaden with chains \ 
 and, having caufed him to be dragged before his tri- 
 bunal, they prepared all things for his being cruelly 
 baflinado'd, when his godfon, who came running 
 thither with other chriftians, threw himfelf on his 
 kaees at the judge's feet, and begged of him with 
 tears in his eyes, that he would permit him to receive 
 the chaftifement of his godfather. 
 
 This zealous phyfician, who afpired to nothing 
 more than martyrdom, was fo far from giving his 
 place to another, that he conftantly and ftedfaftly 
 forbad it; and, at that time, there arofe fuch a fcufHe 
 between them, that the angels admired, and that 
 made the chrillian religion to be refpedled by the very 
 idolaters. The judge flood amazed It it, and turning 
 towards thofe eminent confefTors of Jefus Chrifl, Go 
 your ways, fays he to them, this forwardnefs to fuf- 
 fer the puniftrment of your faults deferves fome indul- 
 gence ; I pardon you, but, henceforward, think ofpleaf 
 ing the viceroy, and be more careful to obey the empe- 
 ror's orders. 
 
 When the Spirit of God hath once feized on the 
 heart, mens words are not capable to touch them. 
 This zealous phyfician, whom the fight of execution 
 had made more courageous, continued his ads of cha- 
 rity 
 
of Chrifdanity in China. 45 1 
 
 rity as before, and his zeal made fuch a nolfe up and 
 down, that the Mandarine durft no longer mince the 
 matter • he feemed much concerned at the contempt 
 he ufed of his threatenings^ infomuch that he gave 
 orders to his officers to bring him out, to make a fe- 
 vere example of him.. 
 
 In effe^l, he can fed him to be beat fo cruelly in 
 his prefence, that thofe,who were prefent, were equal- 
 ly furprifed at the feverity of the judge, and the pa- 
 tience of this good chriftian. This bloody execu- 
 tion once over, fome of his relations j v/ho came run- 
 ning at this doleful fpedracle, were thinking to carry 
 him to his houfe, but he pofitively defired to be 
 carried to church -, and what endeavours foever they 
 ufed to divert him from it, yet he had ftrength 
 enough left to crawl thither himfelf, borne up by the 
 arms of feveral chriftians. He came thither all 
 bathed in his gore ; and, kneeling down at the foot 
 of the altar, O hord^ faith he, thou feeft this day\ 
 that I prefer thy holy law to all the fweetnefs of life : 
 I come not to demand jufiice of thee for all the blood 
 thy enemies have fpilled^ I come to offer thee that 
 which remains of my own \ I do not defcrve to die 
 for fuch a good cajife ; but thoUy O my God, de- 
 fervefi the intire facrifice of my life. And then turn- 
 ing towards father Introcetta, who began to comfort 
 him. Ah I father^ anfwered he, / fJjall be now at 
 the height of my jo)\ if it were not my fins^ but 
 my zeal that had brcught this light chafiifement upon 
 me. 
 
 This example, and many others, that I forbear to 
 relate, made fuch impreflions upon the idolaters 
 hearts, that a great many of them refolved to em- 
 brace the chriftian faith, being perfuaded, that fen- 
 timents, fo oppolite co corrupt nature, could not pof- 
 fibly proceed either from paflion or error. 
 
 Among them,whom the holy Spirit did eiFedlually 
 touch, were three who appeared full of that very 
 
 G g 2 faith, 
 
452 Of the publick EJtabliJhmenf 
 
 faith, that made in former times almoft as many mar- 
 tyrs in the primitive church as believers •, they were 
 young, handfome, of quality, and what is more, en- 
 gaged by their condition blindly to comply with the 
 viceroy's inclinations. Neverthelefs, counting their 
 temporal eftate as nothing, they demanded publick 
 baptifm. 
 
 The father, to bring the faith of thefe neophites 
 to the teft, hid nothing from them that might any 
 wife ftagger them •, but it was all in vain to repre- 
 fent to them the rigour of the edids, the viceroy's 
 indignation, the defolation they were like to caft their 
 families into, the danger of lofing their eftates, ho- 
 nour, life, and all thefe confiderations ferved only 
 to animate them the more ; fo that, after a pretty long 
 trial, they were initiated into our facred myfteries, 
 and took part as others did, in the crofs of Chrift. 
 Their converfion fortified the feeble-minded, and 
 comforted father Intorcetta for all the evils that the 
 perfecution had made his church to fuffer. 
 
 But the viceroy was fo much the more provoked, 
 becaufe he had not the liberty at that time to fhew 
 his refentment •, for, juft then, they delivered him 
 two letters from prince Sofan ; one of them was 
 for father Intorcetta, the other, that was direded to 
 himfelf, was full fraught for reproaches, for that 
 he feemed to make no account of the prince's re- 
 -commendation : / could never have believed^ faith 
 he to him, that to pleafe a company of ill affected 
 people^ who have ex afp crated your fpirit at the chrij- 
 tians^ you would have deviated from the counfels I 
 gave yen. It is a friendfhip that I endeavoured to in- 
 fpire you with better fentiments : think upon it once 
 morCy and reflet ferioujly with yourjelf^ that it is I 
 that fpeak to you. I expeH: three things from your 
 friendfhip \ firft^ that you deliver the letter yourfelf 
 to father Intorcetta^ according to the fuperfcription, 
 "The fecondy that you do fo well fatisfy the father^ 
 
 that 
 
of Ckriftiantty in China. 453 
 
 that he may have occafion to hlefs himfelf for the 
 kind offices you render him^ and that he himjelf may 
 teftify the fame tome. And the third is ^ that hence- 
 forward you do not any longer difturh either the mif 
 fionaries or chrijiians. In fhort^ I am extremely 
 forry^ for being obliged to write to you fo often about 
 this fubje5f. If you for the future mend your man- 
 ner s^ Ifhall write to you a thir-d time to thank you ; 
 but^ if your paffion continues^ this is the laft letter you 
 fhall ever receive from me. 
 
 Then did the viceroy repent him of his former 
 proceedings , yet, was he fo far engaged, that he 
 thought he could not handfomely go back with any 
 honour. He found it efpecially very hard to fue to 
 a mifTionary for his friendihip, whom he but juft 
 now treated, and that publickly, with the utmoft 
 difdain *, but yet, dreading prince Sofan's refentment, 
 who was the moft powerful and in moft credit of 
 all the minifters of the empire : On one hand, he 
 refolved to ftand to what he had done already againft 
 the chriftians, without driving matters any farther i 
 and on the other hand, to difpatch one of his of- 
 ficers to Pekin, to purge and clear himfelf to the 
 prince. 
 
 In this Interim, father Intorcetta having a fecret 
 item of the letter that the viceroy had received, inti- 
 mated to the fathers at court the fmall efFed they 
 had produced \ infomuch that thofe fathers refolved 
 to fignlfy the fame to the emperor, In cafe prince So- 
 fan fhould think It advlfeable. Wherefore they related 
 to him what had pafled at Hamcheu, the obftinacy 
 of the viceroy, the afBicfllon of father Intorcetta, 
 the danger wherein his church was, the ruin where- 
 of would infallibly Involve In It the utter ruin of 
 all the mlfTions In the empire. Since all your en- 
 deavours^ my lord^ added they, feem ineffectual^ 
 there appears nothing that can put a flop to the vio- 
 lence of this obftinate Mandarine^ but the emperofs 
 G g 3 mthority y 
 
454 0/ the Fublick EJtabliJhmenf, 
 authority ; but we fhould be wanting to our true inte^ 
 refts (and what fways the more with us) to the ac- 
 hicwledgment we are bound to give for your favours^ 
 if we were ruled by any other confi derations than 
 yours. 
 
 The prince, already provoked by the viceroy's be- 
 haviour, was not fprry at this overture, and believed 
 he had now found a fair opportunity to revenge him- 
 felf ; fo that thefe fathers having recommended the 
 importance of their affairs to God Almighty, where- 
 in the folid eftablifhment, or utter ruin of religion 
 was concerned, came to the palace on the 21ft of 
 December 1691, and demanded audience. 
 
 The emperor {ent fome eunuchs, his confidents, 
 to . know what their bufinefs w^s : The fathers pre- 
 fently declared to them, the heinous excefs of the 
 viceroy of Hamcheu, as well in refpecft of the mif- 
 ilonaries, as in refped of the chriftians under his go- 
 vernm.ent \ they added moreover, that they had fuf- 
 fered a long time without complaining, in expecta- 
 tion that their patience would pacify his fpirit ; but 
 iince the mifchlef became every day greater and 
 greater, without all hopes of remedy, they came to 
 proflrate themfelves at the emperor's feet, as to the 
 ufual afylum of opprefTed innocence, moll humbly 
 to befeech him, to grant to their brethren in the 
 provinces that happy peace they themfelves enjoy'd 
 at Pekin, in the very fight, and under the protedHon 
 of his majefty. 
 
 The emperor, to whom they reported this dif- 
 courfe, had a mind to try the fathers conflancy, and 
 fo returned them no favourable anfwer -, but they, 
 never ceafing toreprefent the unhappinefs the indiffe- 
 rence of this prince was fhortly like to bring them un- 
 der, he fent new eunuchs to acquaint them^, that he 
 was amazed to fee them fo infatuated with the chrif- 
 tian religion : ' Is it pofTible, he bid them tell them, 
 S ^hat you are always bufied about a world whither 
 
 ' you 
 
of Chrijiianity in China. 455 
 
 * you are not yet come, and count that wherein you 
 
 * are at prefent, as nothing ? Believe me, firs, there 
 
 * is a time for all things ; make better improve- 
 
 * ment of what Heaven inftrucfls you with, and de- 
 
 * fer all thofe cares till you ceafe to live •, cares, 
 
 * that are profitable to none but the dead : For my 
 ' part, faid he, in a drolling way, I do not concern 
 ' myfelf in the bufinefs of the other world, and I do 
 ' not pretend to determine upon the caufe of thefe 
 
 * inviiible fpirits.' 
 
 Then the fathers, opprefled with grief, fhedding 
 a torrent of tears, proftrated themfelves to the very 
 ground *, they conjured the eunuchs to report to the 
 emperor the fad condition whereunto they were re- 
 duced : ^his would he the firfi time^ faid they, that 
 this great -prince abandoned innocent perfons^ and ap- 
 peared infenfible of our lamentation : Is it becaufe we 
 are unprofitable ft rangers that he deals thus with us ? 
 At leaft^ gentlemen^ pray tell him^ that tht great God 
 of heaven and earthy whofe caufe we maintain^ for 
 whom we fight ^ nay^ and to whom he himfelf is beholden 
 for all his grandeur^ well deferveSy that he fhould ex- 
 ert all his power to make him known^ and his juftice in 
 punifhing thofe who do him an injury in the perfon of 
 his minifters. 
 
 In fine, after all thefe trials, this gracious prince, 
 moved v/ith compaflion, could no longer diflemble 
 his real fentiments •, he therefore fent to the fathers 
 (that were ftiil proftrate before his palace gate) an of- 
 fi.cer of his bed-chamber to acquaint them, ' That he 
 
 * did not allow of the viceroy of Hamcheu's pro- 
 
 * ceedings, and that he was willing, for their fakes, to 
 ^ put an end to his unjuft perfecution *, and that, in 
 
 * a word, there were two ways to accomplifh it : 
 
 * The firft, to fend to the viceroy a fecret order im- 
 
 * mediately, to give fatisfadlion for mifchiefs paft ; 
 ^ that this way, tho' not fo exemplary, was the moft 
 ^ eafy and fure. The fecond, to prefent a petition, 
 
 G g 4 and 
 
45 6 ^f the publick EftabliJJment 
 
 * and obtain from the tribunes a favourable decree 
 ^ for all the miflionaries, which would decide all 
 
 * differences. That they fhould confult among them- 
 ' felves, what fhould be the moft convenient in the 
 
 * prefent conjundure ; and, when they had weigh- 
 
 * ed the reafons on both fides, that they fhould come 
 ^ back the next day to declare to him their pofitive 
 ^ refolution. ; - 
 
 The fathers fignified their mofl humble ackno'v^- 
 ledgments to the emperor by cuftomary proteflations, 
 and returned full with great hopes of happy fuccefs-, 
 yet very uncertain what courfe to fleer. 
 
 They confidered on one hand the danger that there 
 was to put their caufe into the hands of the Lipou, 
 who always declared againfl: the chrlftian religion \ 
 that in all probability there needed no more to re~ 
 yjve all the ancient accufations which time feemed 
 to have forgotten : That the miflionaries fettled in 
 the provinces, whom they had concealed from the 
 court till that time, would be obliged to quit China, 
 or elfe forfake all tlteir mifTions : That at leafl, the 
 proceedings of thofe who had built new churches, and 
 converted a great number of idolaters againfl the ex- 
 prefs prohibitions of parliaments, was fufficient to 
 warrant the viceroy of Flamcheu : That in fine, 
 things may be brought to pafs by the fubtle de- 
 vices of our enemies, and fecret undertakings of the 
 Bonzes, that they might be fo far from quenching 
 the flame of a particular perfecution, as we fup- 
 pofe, that we fhould kindle a general conflagration 
 in the empire, that would not terminate but in the 
 total defolation of chriftianity. 
 
 Thefe reafons, altho' very fubftantial and folid 
 in themfelves, were neverthelefs balanced by the fol- 
 lowing reflexions. What protedion foever the empe- 
 rors might have given till that time to the mifliona- 
 ries, yet they experienced, that it was not fufficient 
 to oblige all the Mandarines of provinces to counte- 
 nance 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 457 
 
 nance the chriftians, and that there was a great 
 number of them, who (prejudiced agalnft us either 
 by that univerfal contempt which the education of 
 China did ufually create in them for foreigners, 
 or by the calumnies of the Bonzes, or elfe by a falfe 
 zeal for the publiek good) thought it was a piece of 
 good fervice to deftroy us, and fpoil in a few days 
 that which had been the work of feveral years. 
 
 Thefe particular perfecutions were fo much the 
 more feared, as they adminifterd occafion to our fe- 
 cret enemie55 to declare themfelves openly againft us, 
 and to compofe a ilrong and great party, which was 
 commonly upheld by the courts appointed for the 
 ordering rites and ceremonies, who always waited 
 for occasions to ftop the courfe of new foreigners in- 
 to the ftate ; fo that if in thefe critical coiijundures 
 the emperors, by a particular providence, fhould not 
 have honoured us with their benevolence, chriftiani- 
 ty would have long fince been deftroy'd In China, 
 and, it may be, the memory of it would have been 
 totally obliterated. 
 
 We fhould therefore confider, that the court per- 
 haps would not be always fo favourable to us ; that 
 there needed no more but one moment alone to lofe 
 the emperor's gracious favour, or, what was ftill 
 more dangerous, to intail his Indignation upon us, 
 and thofe of our religion *, that, in this fickle ftate 
 wherein religion was, the leaft oppofition from the 
 Mandarines would fuffice to fet the people's hearts 
 agalnft it ; that the great ones themfelves durft never 
 declare, or be converted, for fear of being one day 
 refponftble to the parliaments for their converfton, 
 which probably in time might be made an heinous 
 crime. 
 
 On the contrary, if fo be the chriftian faith were 
 once approved by publiek edid, nothing afterward 
 could difturb its eftablifhment, fince it would be 
 Iffs odious to the idolatrous people, becaufe the 
 
 chriftians 
 
45 8 Of the Publick EftabliJIment 
 chrifllans would make a publick profeflion of it, 
 and, at laft, the new mliTionaries would enter 
 without interruption into the vaft field of the gof- 
 pel, and would there few, without any contradic- 
 tion, that facred word, which would then produce 
 an hundred fold. 
 
 The only hope of fuch a great benefit deter- 
 mined the fathers to try this laft means \ and fo 
 much the rather, becaufe they believed they could 
 not in future time meet with any occafion more 
 favourable to accomplifh it. The remembrance of 
 fignal fervices, father Verbieft had rendered to the 
 ftate, was ftill very recent j the emperor declared 
 how {enfible he was of the refolution that father 
 Grimaldi an Italian had taken to crofs the feas 
 again for his fake, and to undertake a moft te- 
 dious journey. Father Thomas, a Flemming, was 
 was wholly taken up in mathematicks, wherein 
 he acquired the reputation of a learned knowing 
 man, and moft pious miflionary. Father Pereira 
 a Portuguefe, for his part, took a great deal of 
 pains a long time in certain inftruments, and fe- 
 veral engines that the prince took great delight 
 in : but that which did our bufinefs, in getting 
 his heart, was the peace which father Gerbillon 
 had but juft then concluded, three hundred leagues 
 from Pekin, between the Chinefe and Mufcovites. 
 Prince Sofan, nearly related to the emperor, and 
 plenipotentiary, ftood amazed at his zeal, and 
 publickly declared, that, but for him, this nego- 
 tiation would never have terminated to the ad- 
 vantage of the empire. He fpoke of it to the 
 emperor to that purpofe •, and at that very time 
 he infpired him with fentiments of efteem and 
 afFedlion for this father, which have continued 
 ever fince beyond whatfoever we were able to ex- 
 pect or hope for. Befides, this fame father, to- 
 gether wkh father Bo vet, both French, and of the 
 
 number 
 
of Chriftianity /;z China. 4^9 
 
 number of thofe whom the king fent into China in 
 1685, applied themfelves for many years to teach 
 geometry and philofophy to the emperor, with fuch 
 fuccefs, that he could never be weary in difcourfing 
 with them upon thefe matters. 
 
 But becaufe thefe zealous miffionaries were fully 
 perfuaded, that, when religion is concerned, human 
 afliftances are very infignificant, if God Almighty do 
 not fecretly dired and order the whole work ; they 
 began to implore the affiftance of him whom nothing 
 is able to refift *, they fpread open their wants before 
 him, and difcovered their hearts in his prefence, and 
 told him with the fame confidence that once animated 
 Judith : Make hare^ make hare^O Lord^ thy arm on our 
 behalf^ as thou didft heretofore^ and bring to nought the 
 ohftade our enemies oppofe againjt us : Let thofe wha 
 have boafted that they could deftroy the temple^ who have 
 already prophaned thy altar ^ and trodden under foot 
 the tabernacle of thy holy name \ let them at prefent be 
 fenftble^ that before thee all their force is nothing but 
 vanity and weaknefs : Put into our mouths^ Lord^ 
 that holy word^ and replenijh our hearts with thofe 
 wife counfels that make truth always to triumph -, to 
 the end thy houfc^ that hath been fo many years in a 
 tottering condition^ may at this day be immoveably fet^ 
 tied and confirmed ; and that all nations may in the 
 end confefs^ that thou only art the true God^ and that^ 
 bejides thee^ we ought td feek for none other *. 
 
 After this fervent prayer they fecretly prefented 
 their petition to the emperor, that they were after- 
 wards to offer him in publick. He read it, but not 
 finding therein what was the moft capable to make 
 impreffion upon the fpirit of the Chinefe (for they 
 infifted upon what principally related to the fandity 
 and truth of the chriilian religion) he drew up another 
 himfelf in the Tartarian language, which he fent 
 back to the fathers, yet leaving them to their liberty 
 
 to 
 ^ Judith, chap. ix. 
 
460 Of the publick Eftablijhment 
 
 to retrench, or add thereto, as they ihall judge moft 
 convenient. 
 
 Indeed, if one do but never fo little refledt upon 
 the particular chara6ter of the emperors of China, 
 one cannot fufficiently admire, that this prefent em- 
 peror fhould vouchfafe to defceud from the ioftieft 
 degree of grandeur, which he obferves every where 
 elfc, nay even in refpedl of the greateft princes, to 
 make himfelf familiar with pitiful mifTionaries : for a 
 man to confider after what manner he takes a parti- 
 cular account of all their affairs ; how he fpeaks to 
 them, how he puts them in a way, would he not 
 conclude that it is a private man that manages the 
 concerns of his friend ? Yet neverthelefs, it is one of 
 the greateft kings in the world, that is pleafed thus 
 to ftickle to pleafe a company of ftrangers, even at 
 the peril of the fundamental laws of the nation. 
 
 But after all, it is no wonder that a God, who, to 
 eftablifh his religion, humbled himfelf fo far, as to 
 make himfelf like to men, does oblige fometimes the 
 greateft princes of the world to diveft themfelves of 
 their majefty and innate pride, to co-operate and 
 concur in this grand work. Fo^ certainly, what care 
 foever we may have taken to make this prince fa- 
 vourable to us, yet muft we needs herein principally 
 acknowledge the efficacy of divine grace. It is the 
 almighty voice of the Lord that alone can, to fpcak 
 in the fcripture expreifion, hniife the cedars^ and 
 Jhake the mctrniains of the zvildernefs *, that is to fay, 
 abafe the great ones of the world, and give to their 
 hearts what motion he pleafes. 
 
 Whilft all thefe things were tranfadled at Pekin, 
 the viceroy of Hamcheu, that had now leifure to 
 make fome refled;ions upon his behaviour, was not 
 peaceable in his province. The credit of prince Sofan 
 did grievoufly perplex him ; and above all, he 
 dreaded his juft refentment : for to pacify him, he 
 
 thought 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 46 1 
 
 thought it thewifeftcourfetofend one of his officers to 
 him, under pretence to juftify himfelf to him, but in 
 efFed, to exafperate the principal Mandarines of Lipou 
 againft the miflionaries, in cafe he fhould find any 
 opportunity to do it. 
 
 At that time this officer arrived at court, but 
 prince Sofan would not fo much as hear him \ and, 
 packing him away, brifkly told him, that he much 
 wonder'd that his mafter made fuch little account of 
 perfons whom the emperor honoured with his af- 
 fedion, and employed and trufted in his fervice. 
 
 As to what relates to their buftnefs^ I am no more 
 concerned in it than the emperor would himfelf, Tkefe 
 fathers have implored his prote^ion^ and he well under- 
 ftands how to do them juft ice without my intermeddling : 
 bejides^ when I wrote on their behalf it was not fa 
 much to do them a kindnefs^ as thereby to exhibit a 
 token of friendfhip to the 'viceroy^ in plucking him from 
 the precipice whither he had fo indifcreetly thrown 
 himfelf. 
 
 This anfwer did fo ftartle this officer,, that, without 
 ever dreaming of making any other .progrefs, he re- 
 turned to his mafter at Hamcheu to render an ac- 
 count of the ill fuccefs of his commiffion. The fa- 
 thers, who had notice of it, underftood by that, th^t 
 they were to lofe no time, and that they were fpee- 
 dily to improve the good difpofition of prince Sofan ; 
 fo that upon Candlemas-day they went to the palace, 
 and ofFer'd to the emperor, with the ufual ceremonies,, 
 the petition that he himfelf had compofed, of which 
 fee here the tranflation. 
 
 * May it pleafe your Majefly, 
 ^ TXT E expofe to you, with the moft perfed 
 ' Y Y fubmiffion, and m.oft profound refpe(5l that 
 ' we are capable of, the beginning, ^nd.^ inducements, 
 ' and motives of our moft humble requeft, being 
 ^ confident that you will vouchfafe to hear it with 
 
 ^ the 
 
462 Of the Publick Eftablijhment 
 
 * the fame prudence that attends all your adions, 
 
 * and with that benevolence wherewith you have 
 ' been gracioufly pleafed to honour us. 
 
 ' On the ninth month of the moon, father Intor- 
 
 * cetta, one of your majefty's fubjefts, whofe abode 
 
 * is in the city of Hamcheu, did acquaint us that 
 
 * the viceroy had ftrid^ly charged the Mandarines of 
 
 * his province to pull down all the temples of the 
 ^ chriftians, to bum the printing tables, upon which 
 
 * are engraven all the books of our religion. More- 
 *^ over, he hath publickly declared, that our dodtrine 
 ' is falfe and dangerous, and confequently not to be 
 
 * tolerated in the empire, and hath added feveral 
 ' other things moft difadvantageous to us. 
 
 * Upon this news, fir, feized with horror^ and 
 ' penetrated with grief, we thought ourfelves obliged 
 ' to have recourfe to your majefty, as the common 
 ^ father of the afflidled, to lay before you the de- 
 ^ plorable condition whereunto we are reduced ; 
 ^ for, except you grant us your protedlion, it is alto- 
 ^ gether impoffible to avoid the ftratagems of our 
 ' enemies, and to ward the blow wherewith they 
 '- threaten us. 
 
 ' That which adminifters comfort to us, fir, when 
 ^ we appear at your majefty's feet, is to fee with 
 ' what wifdom you influence and move all the parts 
 of your empire, as if it were the body, of which 
 you are the foul ; and with what unconcernment 
 and impartiality you regulate the intereft of each 
 private man, without acceptation of perfons ; in- 
 fomuch that you could not be at reft if you knew 
 but one fingle fubjed: opprefled by injuftice, or 
 but even deprived of that rank and recompence 
 he defer ves. 
 
 ' You furpafs, great fir, the mightieft kings 
 amongft your predeceflbrs, who have in their times 
 permitted falfe religions in China ; for you do in- 
 tirely love truth, and do not approve of falfhood ; 
 
 ' for 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 463 
 
 for this reafon it is, that. In taking your progrefs 
 to view your provinces, you have given a thoufand 
 teftimonies of your royal afFedlion to the European, 
 miffionarles that were In your road •, as if you 
 meant thereby to teftify, that you value their 
 dodlrine, and that you would be very glad that ^ 
 they would fettle In your ftates •, what we deliver 
 here, in publick, Is generally known to the whole 
 empire. 
 
 ' Therefore, when we behold the viceroy of Ham- 
 cheu to ftlle the chriftlan religion, the falfe and dan- 
 gerous religion •, when we are informed that he ufes 
 all his endeavours to deftroy it ; how are able to 
 ftifle our juft forrow, and forbear to declare to 
 your majefty what we fuffer ? 
 * This is not the firft time, fir, that they have 
 perfecuted us v/Ithout any reafon -, therefore father 
 Adam Schaal, your fubjed, on whom your pre- 
 i * deceflbrs heap'd many extraordinary favours, made 
 it known to all the court, that the rules of the 
 celeftial motions, eflablifhed by the ancient aftro- 
 nomers of China, were all falfe -, he propofed others, 
 that did perfedlly agree with the conftellatlons that 
 were approved, and made ufe of with no fmal! 
 fuccefs, fo that this change brought order again 
 ' into the empire. Your majefty Is not ignorant of 
 ' what paft at that time in PekIn ; we may, we hope, 
 ■ have leave to remember how matters ftood there, 
 ' fince they are fo many (ingular favours we there re- 
 ' ceived ; yet upon the account of exploding and 
 ' abolifhlng of thefe errors, how much did the father 
 ' afterwards fuffer by calumnies of his enemies ? 
 ^ Yam-quam flen, and thofe of his faftion, falfly 
 ' accufed him of feveral crimes, under pretence of 
 ' novelty, as If this new aflronomy had not agreed 
 ' with heaven \ he died, not being able at that time 
 ^ to juftify himfelf ; but your majefly put father 
 * Verbiefl in his place, and heaped on him fo many 
 
 * favoursj, 
 
464 Of the publick Eftablijhment 
 
 ' favours, that the life of this father was too fhort, 
 ' and his words too faint to demonftratc to all the 
 ' world the greatnefs of his acknowledgments : yet 
 
 * did he deeply refent all thefe benefits, and it was 
 
 * on purpofe not to be ungrateful, that he was 
 
 * bufied for above twenty years in compofing all 
 *• forts of books for the publick benefit, both in 
 
 * aftronorny, arithmetick, mufick, and philofophy, 
 ' that are ilill extant in the palace, together with 
 
 * divers others which he had not time to compleat 
 
 * and finifh. 
 
 ' But, fince your majefty is perfedly inftruded in 
 
 * all thefe particulars, we dare not prefume to tire 
 
 * out your patience by a longer difcourfe ; we do 
 
 * only humbly befeech your majefty to confider, 
 
 * that all this is not fufficient to in title us to the 
 ' people's afFedtion for us, and confidence in us. 
 ' If, as they accufe us, the law that we preach be 
 ' falfe and dangerous, how can we, fir, juftify the 
 
 * condud of princes, who have honour'd us with 
 
 * their efteem ? 
 
 * Neverthelefs, not to mention any thing of your 
 
 * predecefibrs, your majefty yourfelf hath made fo 
 
 * fure of our loyalty, that you order'd father Ver- 
 
 * bieft to found fo me cannon of a new model, to 
 
 * put an end to a dangerous war : you made father 
 
 * Grimaldi crofs the vaft ocean to go into Mufcovy, 
 ' with the letters and feals of the high court of the 
 
 * militia ; you fent the fathers Gerbillon and Pereira, 
 
 * upon very important affairs, to the very fartheft 
 ' parts of Tartary •, neverthelefs, your majefty well 
 
 * knows, that thofe, who are governed by the prin- 
 
 * ciples of a falfe religion, never ufe to ferve their 
 
 * prince faithfully \ they almoft ever abandon them- 
 
 * felves to their own pafTions, and never aim at any 
 
 * thing but their own particular intereft. 
 
 ' If therefore we do exadly difcharge our duty, 
 
 * and, if to this very day we have always fought the 
 
 « publick 
 
tf Chrijiianity in China. 465 
 
 piiblick good, it is moft manifeft this zeal proceeds 
 from an heart well afFefted, full of efteem and ve- 
 neration, and (if we may be bold to fay fo) of a Angu- 
 lar affedion for the perfon of your majefty. On the 
 contrary, if this heart once ceafe to fubmit to you, it 
 would be, from that very time, contrary to right rea- 
 fon, good fenfe, and all fentiments of humanity. 
 ' This being fuppofed, fir, we humbly befeech 
 you to confider, that, after the fatigues of a tedious 
 voyage, we are at length arrived in your empire, 
 exempt from that fpirit of ambition and covetouf- 
 nefs, that commonly bring other men thither, but 
 with an ardent defire to preach to your people the 
 only true religion. 
 
 ' And truly, when we appeared here the firil 
 time, we were enter tain'd with abundance of marks 
 of diftindion, as we have often faid already, and 
 which we cannot repeat too often. In the tenth 
 year of Chun-tchi they preferr'd us to the fole direc- 
 tion of the mathematicks. In the fourteenth year 
 of the fame reign, they gave us leave to build a 
 church at Pekin, and the emperor himfelf was 
 willing to grant us a particular place for the burial 
 ■ of our dead. In the twenty-feventh year of your 
 
 • majefty's glorious reign, your majefty honoured the 
 
 • memory of father Verbieft not only by new titles, 
 
 • but alfo by the care you took to caufe the laft otH- 
 ' ces to be perform'd to him, with an almoft royal 
 ' pomp and magnificence. Some while after, you 
 ^ appointed an apartment, and mafters to the new 
 ' French miffionaries, to facilitate their learning of 
 ' the Tartarian tongue. In a word, you feem'd 
 
 • fo well fat is Red with their deportment that you 
 ' caufed the fervices they had rendered to the ftate by 
 ' their voyages into Tartary, and negotiation with 
 ' the Mufcovit€s, to be inferted in the records of the 
 ' nation : What a happinefs, fir, and a glory is it for 
 ' us to be judged capable of ferving fo great a prince! 
 
 H h ' Since 
 
466 Of the pub lick EJiablifiment. 
 
 ' Since therefore your majefty, who does fo wifely 
 ' govern this grand monarchy, vouchfafeth to em- 
 ' ploy us, and put fuch confidence in us, how is it 
 
 * poflible there fhould be one ilngle Mandarine fo ir- 
 ' rational to refufc one of our brethren permiffion to 
 ' live in his province ? Verily, fir, one cannot fuffi- 
 ' ciently deplore the hard fate of that good old man, 
 ' who, in a little corner of the earth, humbly requires 
 ' fo much fpace, as is neceffary peaceably to fpend the 
 ^ remainder of his days, which yet he cannot obtain. 
 
 ' It is for this reafon, fir, that all of us, your ma- 
 ^ jefty's mofl humble fubjeds, who are here like for- 
 ' faken orphans, that would injure no body •, nay, 
 ' who endeavour to avoid law-fuits, quarrels, wrang- 
 ' lings, and the leaft conteflations *, it is for this rea- 
 '^ fon (we fay) that vv'e befeech you to take our caufe 
 
 * in hand, with thofe fentiments of equity that are 
 ' fo effential to you *, have fome comipaffion, fir, up- 
 
 * on perfons who have committed no fault ; and, if 
 ^ your majeity, after being fully informed of our 
 
 * carriage, does really find, that we are innocent, we 
 ' befeech you to let all the empire underfland, by a 
 
 * publick edidl, the judgment you entertain of our 
 
 * morals and do6lri:;e. It is for the obtaining this 
 ^ favour, that we aflume the liberty of prefenting to 
 *' you this requeft. In the meantime all and every 
 
 * your fubjeds the millionaries will expedt with fear, 
 
 * and intire fubmiflion, v/hat you fnall be pleafed to 
 ^ appoint, touching the premifes. In the thirtieth 
 
 * year of the reign of Chami-hi, the i6th day of the 
 
 * 1 2th month of the moon.' 
 
 The emperor gracioully received this petition, and 
 fent it the i8th of the fame m.onth to the court of 
 rites, with an order to examine it, and, with the 
 firfl opportunity, to make report of it to hiip •, but, 
 becaufe there is a vacation iii all the courts of judica- 
 ture in China, much about the fame time, until the 
 15 th of the firfb month of the year following, the 
 Lipou could not anfwer till tlie i8th of the faid 
 
 month : 
 
tf Chrijtianity in China* 467 
 
 month : upon the whole, their judgment was much 
 contrary to the ernperor's intentions, and intereft of 
 the miflionaries. For the Mandarines, having re- 
 ported at large the ancient edicts enabled againft the 
 chriftian religion, concluded, that this bufinefs re- 
 quired no farther difcujffion ; and that they were to 
 ftick clofe to the firfl: orders of parliaments, and of 
 the court, which prohibited, upon grievous penalties, 
 the natural born fubjeds, to entertain the new doc- 
 trine of the Europeans ; that, notwithftanding they 
 deem'd it convenient to preferve the church in the 
 city of Hamcheu, and to give orders to the Manda- 
 rines of that province, not to confound the chriftian 
 religion with the feditious feds of China. 
 
 The emperor was, in a manner, as much concerned 
 as the miffionaries at this new decree : when they 
 prefented it to him, he difcovered fome trouble at it, 
 and left it for feveral days in his clofet, without de- 
 claring him.felf, to the end that the Mandarines of 
 Lipou, having notice of it, might have time to come 
 back ; but, when he faw their obftinacy, he was not 
 willing to make turbulent fpirits to rebel ; and, refol- 
 ved at laft, tho' fore againft his will, to fign itc 
 
 This news threw the fathers into a great confler- 
 nation -, and one Chao a gentleman of the bed-cham- 
 ber, whom the emperor fent to comfort them, found 
 them in a condition worthy of compaffion. He was 
 troubled at it himfelf (for he loves us dearly, and 
 hath done us upon feveral occafions mofi: fignal fer-* 
 vices.) This officer endeavour'd, as he had orders, 
 to moderate their afflidion ; but, whether it was that 
 thefe fathers were not mafters of themfelves, or, that 
 they had quite given over all thoughts of keeping any 
 further correfpondence with a prince that had de- 
 ferted them, they utter'd upon this occafion whatfo- 
 ever the moft fenfible grief is able to infpire into af- 
 fli6led perfons. 
 
 What fignify, my lord, fay they, all the favours 
 it hath hitherto pleafed the emperor to do us, fince 
 
 H h 2 at 
 
468 Of the pub lick Eftablijhment 
 
 at this conjundure himfelf makes them unprofitable? 
 Was it to tumble us down in a more illuftrious man- 
 ner, that he apply 'd himfelf fo long time to exalt us? 
 What delight will he take hereafter to fee us, covered 
 with fhame and confufion, to ferve for a laughing- 
 flock to our enemies, and be a fpedacle to the whole 
 empire ? Will that prince, who loved us fo dearly, 
 will he be able hereafter, without being moved at it, 
 to hear that the rabble infult over us ? That his petty- 
 officers make us to be beaten in open courts ? That 
 viceroys banifh us from their provinces, that they 
 exile us fhamefully from his empire ? 
 
 We lay out ourfelves for him, our cares, ftudies, 
 and all our w^atchings are given to him. One part 
 of our brethren are already dead by their labours, 
 others have impair'd their health by the fame -, and 
 we who are ftill alive, enforced by the fame defire 
 of plealing him, willingly and freely facrifice all the 
 precious moments of our life to him. 
 
 We hoped to merit by this zeal, that he would at 
 length approve of the religion, which we preach to 
 his people (for why fhould we diffemble the matter 
 to you, to you v/ho have fo long known the real fen- 
 timents of our hearts) that was, you know, the only 
 motive of all our undertakings : how powerful, how 
 'magnificent foever this prince may be, we fhould ne- 
 ver have had the lead thoughts of coming fo far to 
 ferve him, if the interelt of our moft holy faith had 
 not engaged us therein. Neverthelefs he profcribes 
 it at this day, and figns v/ith his own hand the fhame- 
 ful decree of our condemnation. There you fee, 
 my lord, what all our hopes are come to -, there is 
 the fruit of all our labours : With how much greater 
 calm^nefs would we have received the fentence of 
 death, than an cdi6l of this nature ? For, do not 
 imagine, that we are able to furvive the lofs of chrif- 
 tianity. 
 
 This difcourfe, attended with a great deal of trou- 
 ble, and a torrent of tears, made a great impreflion 
 
 upon 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 469 
 
 upon the officer's fplrit •, he went Immediately to re- 
 port it to the emperor, and defcribed to him the fa- 
 ther's forrow in fuch lively colours, that this good 
 prince gave way to fome emotion. / have always^ 
 laid he, fought out all occafions^ to do them a kindnefs^ 
 but the Chinefe have traverfed all my good dejigns^ I 
 could at this time forbear following the ft ream \ but, 
 in fhort^ however the cafe ftands, they ?nay make ac- 
 count that I love them., and that Ifhallnot forfake them. 
 
 In efFed, he began more than ever to employ 
 them in his fervice •, but yet, he no longer found the 
 fame eagernefs in the execution of his orders, nor 
 the fame ferenenefs and alacrity upon their counte- 
 nances. They always appeared before him dejected, 
 mournful, and as if their heads had been out of or- 
 der by the fhrewd blow they lately receiv'd. How- 
 ever, he was fo far from being difheartened, that he 
 propofed to them, to fend for a do6lor of phyfick to 
 court, who was newly arrived at Macao, who, that 
 he might be the more ferviceable to the mifTions, had 
 turned priefl of our company. 
 
 The fathers made anfvver, that this docflor had 
 v/ifh'd, and that too with a great deal of paffion, 
 to employ his (kill, and all the arcana of his art, to 
 preferve fuch a precious health, as that of his ma- 
 jefty ^ but, being amazed at the deoi-ee that had 
 paftagainft the chrlflians, he was quite off from any 
 defign to come into China ; and that he was pre- 
 paring to return int^ Europe: that, neverthelefs, 
 fince his majefty ordered it fhould be {o, they would 
 write with all expedition to Mocao to have him come. 
 Whilft the mlffionaries v/ere over head and ears in their 
 melancholy, the viceroy of Hamcheu triumphed at 
 his firft fuccefs, and call about how to take new m,ea- 
 fures, to finifh his work. He fet all the commilHo- 
 ners of the officers at work, for feveral days, to 
 draw out copies of the new decree, to have them 
 difpers'd throughout all the provinces ; at laft, he 
 iflued out more fevere orders agai^tjlt the chriftians 
 H h 3 than 
 
47© Of thepubUck Eftahlifimenf 
 
 than the former. In fine, no longer doubting of 
 the vi6lory, he fent to the emperor an ample requeil 
 againil the miffionaries, to accompHrn their undoing -, 
 but this requeft came a little too late : and, when it 
 was prefented, the face of affairs was already alter'd. 
 
 For prince Sofan, not being able to withftand the 
 fojlicitations of the fathers, and efpecially of father 
 Gerbillon, whofe particular friend he was, refolved 
 to follicit afrefh on our behalf ; wherefore he went and 
 found the emperor, and reprefcnted to him whatfo- 
 ever the moil zealous chriftian could poflibly have 
 fpoken on the like occafion. 
 
 He fet before him, again, the zeal and devotion of 
 the fathers in whatfoever refped:ed his perfon, the 
 the fervices they had render'd the ftate during the 
 wars, their being intent to perfed the fciences, and 
 to redify the kalendar. In a word^ Jir^ faid he, 
 they are a fori of people^ that make no account of their 
 lives ^ when ferving or pie aft ng you is in quefiion. ^Tis 
 true^ all this could not deferve^ that your majeftyfJoould 
 approve of their faith ^ if it he otherwife dangerous \ 
 hut^ was there ever a more wholfome doctrine than 
 theirs^ or more beneficial to the government of a people ? 
 The emperor, who joyfully heard this difcourfe, 
 yet for all that perfifted in his former determination, 
 It is done ;;^u',«faid he to him, Ifloidd have done ray^ 
 felf a kindnefs^ to have favoured thefe honefl miffio- 
 nariess hut the outrageous carriage of the Manda- 
 rines againfi them did not permit me to follow my 
 own inclination. 
 
 How., fir^ replied the prince, are not you the ma- 
 fier? And when the hufinefs was to do jufiice to Juh- 
 je5ls^ fo eminent as thefe are., could not you interpofe 
 your authority ? I will go myfelf if your majefhy thinks 
 fit., to thefe gentlemen., and I am not without hopes of 
 bringing them to ter?ns. At laft the emperor, not 
 being any longer able to hold it out againfl: fo pref- 
 fing follicitations, caufes a letter immediately to be 
 difpatched to the Colacs, their afleflbrs, and to all 
 
 the 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 47 1 
 
 the Tartarian Mandarines of Lipou ; and this is the 
 purport of the letter. 
 
 'The thirty firft year of the reign of Cham-hi^ the 
 fecond day of the fecond month of the moon. Ti-fam- 
 ho^ minifter of fiate^ declares to you the will a?id plea- 
 fur e of the emperor in thefe terms. 
 
 'The Europeans in my court have for a long time been 
 directors of the mathcmaticks. During the civil wars 
 they have rendered me mofi effectual fervice^ by means 
 of fome cannon that they got cafl : their prudence and 
 Jingular addrefs^ accompanied with much zeal and in- 
 defatigable toil., obliges me once more to confidcr them, 
 And^ befides that^ their law is not feditious^ and does 
 not induce people to revolt ; fothat it feems good to us^ 
 to permit it., to the end that all thofe., who arc willing 
 to embrace it^ may freely go into the_ churches^ and make 
 publick profeffion of the worfhip there performed to the 
 fupreme Lord of Heaven, 
 
 Our will andpleafure therefore is^ that all^ and fe- 
 ver al the edi^s that hitherto have been publifhed againft 
 it., by., and with the advice and counfel of our tribu- 
 nals., be at prefent torn and burnt. Tou minifters of 
 ft ate., and you Tartarian Mandarines of the fovereign 
 court of rites., afjmble together^ examine the matter^ 
 and give me your advice upon the whole with all fpeed. 
 
 Prince Sofan himfelf was prefent at this aflembly, 
 according as he and the emperor had agreed i and al- 
 beit he was no chriftian, yet did he fpeak after fuch 
 a pathetical and taking manner in favour of us, that 
 he feemed rather to defend his own, or the flates 
 caufe, than the concerns of a foreign religion ; thefe 
 are his own words, without adding one fyllable, as 
 they are found in the original, which I faithfully 
 tranflate. 
 
 ' You know, gentlemen, with what application, 
 ^ what zeal, and loyalty thefe Europeans bufy them- 
 
 * felves in the fervice of his rnajefty. The greateft 
 
 * men amongft us, tho' concerned to preferve and 
 ^* mdntain our conquefts, have rather devoted them- 
 
 H h 4 felves 
 
472 Of the publick EJiablifiment 
 
 felves to glory, riches, and making their own for« 
 
 tunes, than to the fettling the ftate upon a found 
 
 bottom; very few of them do purely aim at the 
 
 ' publick good. Thefe ftrangers, on the other hand, 
 
 ' exempt from all pafTion, love the empire more than 
 
 ' we do ourfelves, and do frankly facrifice their own 
 
 ' repofe to the tranquillity of our provinces. 
 
 ' We have experienc'd the fame during the whole 
 
 * courfe of our civil wars, and in the late bicker- 
 
 * ings we had with the Mufcovite \ for, to whom 
 *' do you fuppofe us obliged for the happy fuccefs of 
 ' this negotiation } It would without all queftion be 
 ' confident with my intereft, to afcribe all the glory 
 ' of it to myfelf, who have been the plenipoten- 
 ' tiary for the peace ; but, if I were fo unjufl: as to 
 ' do myfelf that honour, to the prejudice of thefe 
 ' fathers, the chieftains of the enemies troops, all 
 ' my own officers, and my own army would fay I 
 ' told an untruth, 
 
 ^ It is, gentlemen, thefe fathers, who by their 
 ' prudence, and infight into affairs, and the juft tem- 
 
 * per and moderation that they brought, put an end 
 ' to that important affair. Without their counfel, 
 ' we fhould have been forced to exa(5l, at the expense 
 ' of our blood, the rights which the injuftice of our 
 
 * enemies did fo obftinately refufe to the emperor ; or, 
 
 * perhaps you v/ould have had the trouble to fee us 
 
 * wholly diverted of them -, or, at leaft I fhould 
 ' have been no longer in a condition to defend them. 
 
 * What have we done, gentlemicn, in return for 
 ^ fuch eminent fervice ? Nay, what can v/e do for a 
 ' company of men, who demand neither riches, nor 
 ' places of truff, nor honours ? Who efleem and 
 
 * refped us, w^ithout fo much as caring whether we 
 
 * do fo by them ! Certainly we ought to be concerned, 
 ' if it were not in our power fome way or other to 
 
 * oblige ftrangers, who do fo generoufly facrihce 
 
 * themfelves for us ; and I am inclin'd to believe, 
 
 * gentlemen, that, when you have made reflexions 
 
 * thereon 
 
of Cbriftianiiy in China. 473 
 
 thereon, you will give me thanks for having dif- 
 ' covered to you the only way whereby they can be- 
 come fenfible of our acknowledgment. 
 ' They have a law, which is to them inftead of 
 
 • all the riches in the world. They adore a Deity, 
 
 • who alone makes up all their comfort and happi- 
 
 • nefs. Suffer them only freely to enjoy the bene- 
 ^ fit they poflefs, and permit them to communicate 
 ' it to our people ; altho' in that very thing they ra- 
 ^ ther do us a kindnefs, than we do them_ ; yet they 
 ' will be grateful to us, and accept it from our hands, 
 ^ as the recompence of all their fervices. 
 
 ^ The Lamas of Tartary, and the Bonzes of Chi- 
 ' na, are not troubled in the exercife of their religion. 
 ' Nay, the very Mahometans have rear'd a mofque 
 ' at Hamcheu, that domineers over all our publick 
 ' edifices. They oppofe no banks to thefe torrents, 
 
 • that threaten inundation to all China: men connive, 
 ' they approve of in fomemeafure all thefe unprofi- 
 ' table and dangerous feds; and, nowwlien the Eu- 
 ^ ropeans fue to us for liberty to preach up a dodrine, 
 ^ that contains no other than maxims of the moft re- 
 ' fined virtue, we do not only repulfe them with dif- 
 
 • dain, but think v/e do good fervice to condemn 
 ' them: juil as if the laws, that oblige us to fhut up 
 ' the entrance into our empire againft fuperfiition, and 
 ' lying vanities, had like wife profcribed naked truth. 
 
 The prince, expatiating much upon this point, was 
 interrupted by the heads of theaffembly, who remon- 
 ftrated to him, that, fay what he could, there v^as 
 ftill fome danger left this new fed: might occafion 
 fome diforder in procefs of time. And, that it was 
 the part of good policy to ftifle thefe little monfters 
 of rebellion and difcord, in their very birth. That, 
 in fhort, they were foreigners, whofe fpirit and fecret 
 defigns were capable of adminiftring fome fufpicion. 
 
 ' What fufpicion, reply'd the prince ? I have been 
 ^ Colao this ttn years, and I never heard any com- 
 ^ plaint againft the chriftians; Believe me, gentle-^ 
 
 ' men. 
 
474 Q/' ik^ publick Efiablijhmenf 
 
 ^ men, it were to be wilh'd, that the whole empire 
 ' would embrace their religion. For, is it not that 
 ' religion that commands children to honour and 
 ' obey their parents ? Subjefls to be faithful to their 
 ' fuperiors, fervants exadlly to perform the will of 
 
 * their mafters: That forbids to kill, to fteal, and 
 
 * to cozen j not to covet any thin^ that is your 
 ' neighbours. That abhors perjury and calumny. 
 ' That diilikes lying and falfhood. That infpires 
 ' modefly, fimplicity, uprightnefs and temperance. 
 ' Examine, gentlemen, and found, if poflible, the 
 ' heart of man •, if there you find one fingle vice 
 ^ which the chriflian law does not forbid, or one vir- 
 ' tue that it does not enjoin, and counfel ; I leave you 
 ^ to your liberty to declare againft it. But now, if 
 ^ all things in it be holy and confonant to reafon, 
 ' why do you ftill boggle to approve of it ? 
 
 - After that, tlie prince, feeing their minds to be wa- 
 vering, propofed the ten commandments of our reli- 
 gion, and explained them with fo much eloquence, 
 that the Mandarines looking one upon another, find- 
 ing nothing to offer againft it, did ingenuoufly confefs 
 that one m.ight conform to this new dodrine v/ithout 
 any danger. The emperor, informed of what was 
 debated, was pleafed (for to render the ac5tion more 
 famous) to have alfo all the minifters of ftate to be 
 convoked together, with the Ma!idarines of Lipou, 
 who were Chinefe, to whom they made known be- 
 fore-hand the refolution of the Tartarian Mandarines. 
 In this general aflembly, they repeated all that was 
 fpoken in the private affembly \ and, after prince 
 Sofan had kft no ftone unturned to recover the Chi- 
 nefe from their old prejudice, they came at length to 
 this refult, that a law fhould be enaded favourable 
 to the chriftians, which was drawn up in form of a 
 petition, to be prefented to the emperor, to obtain his 
 confirmation of it ; it was to this effed. 
 
 HcQumtai^ fubje5l to your majefty\ preftdent of the 
 fovereign trikmal of rites, and chief of feveral other 
 
 orders^ 
 
of Chrijtianify in China. 475 
 
 brders^ prefents to you this mojl humble petition, with 
 all the fubmijfion and rejpeEt, which he and all his aj- 
 fejfors ought to have for all your commands, efpecially 
 when you do us the honour to require our advice about 
 the important affairs of ft ale. 
 
 We have ferioufly examined what any way relates to 
 the Europeans, who attra^ed from the extremities of 
 the world by the fame of your ftngular prudence, and 
 ether your eminent qualities, have paft that vaft extent 
 of feas, which feparates us from Europe. Since they 
 have lived amongfl us, they have merited our efteem and 
 acknowledgement, by thejignalfervices they have ren- 
 dered us in the civil and foreign wars \ by their conti- 
 nual application to compofing of books very curious and 
 profitable -, for their uprightnefs and fine ere affection 
 for the commonwealth. 
 
 Beftd.es which, thefe fame Europeans are very peace^ 
 able, they do not excite any commotions, or foment dif- 
 ferences in thefe our provinces ; they do wrong to no 
 man, they commit no notorious fa5fs ; moreover, their 
 doctrine hath no affinity with the falfe and dangerous 
 fe^fs that infeft the empire -, neither do their maxims in- 
 cline turbulent fpir its to fedition. 
 
 Since therefore we do neither hinder the Lamas of 
 ^artary, nor Bonzes of China from having temples^ 
 nor from offering incenfe therein to their pagods ; much 
 lefs can we, with any reafon, reftrain the Europeans, 
 {who neither a^ nor teach any thing contrary to the 
 wholfome laws) from having likewife their refpe5iive 
 churches, there to preach their religion in publick. Cer- 
 tainly thefe two things would be point blank contrary to 
 one another, and we fhould manifeftly feem to contradiU 
 curfelves. 
 
 We therefore judge it meet and expedient, that all the 
 temples dedicated to the Lord of heaven, in what place 
 foever they may be, ought to be preferved ; and that 
 we may fafely permit all thofe who would honour this 
 God, to enter into his temples, to offer incenfe to him 
 and to pay that mrjhip to him^ that hath hitherto 
 
 been 
 
47^ Of the publick Eftahlijhmenf 
 been pra^iifed by the chriftians^ according to their an- 
 cient cuftom ; fo that none may^ for the time to come^ 
 frefume to oppofe the fame. 
 
 In the meantime wefoall expert your majejly^s orders 
 thereupon^ to the end we may communicate them to the 
 governors and viceroys., as well at Pekin^ as at other 
 i'ities of the provinces. Done in the thirty-firjl year of 
 the reign of Chara-hi., the third day of the fecond 
 month of the moon. Signed., the pr eft dent of the five- 
 reign tribunal of rites., with his afj'ejjors ; and under- 
 neath the four minifters of ft ate., called Colaos., with 
 their general offcers and Mandarines of thefirft order. 
 
 The emperor received this decree with unexprefli- 
 ble joy ', he ratify'd it forthwith, and difpatch'd a 
 copy of it to the fathers, fealed with the feal of the 
 empire, to be, fays he, perpetually preferved in the 
 archives of their houfe. Some time after, he caufed 
 it to be publiflied throughout the whole em.pire *, and 
 the fupreme tribunal of rites, fending it to the princi- 
 pal officers, added thefe enfuing words. Wherefore., 
 you viceroys of provinces., be fure you receive this impe- 
 rial edi5i with a moftprofoundrefpecl\ and., as foon as 
 it comes to your hands., read it attentively \ value it \ 
 and fee you fail not to execute it punctually ^ conform- 
 able to the example that we have given you ourfelves. 
 Moreover., caufe copies of it to bt taken., to be difperfed 
 into all the places of our government., and acquaint us 
 of what you fh all do in this point. 
 
 So foon as father Intorcetta had notice of what 
 had pafl: at Pekin, he departed for court, and went 
 to throw himfelf at the emperor's feet, to render him 
 moft humble thanks in his ov/n, and in the name of 
 all the miffionaries of China. This good prince, 
 when he had beftowed on him many demonfirations 
 of afFedlion, caufed him to be conduced back again 
 into his province, by father Thomas, Mandarine of 
 the mathematicks. He made his entrance into this 
 city of Hamcheu in triumph, furrounded by chrif- 
 
 tians| 
 
of Chrijlianity in China. 477 
 
 tians, and, received by their acclamations, who looked 
 upon him as an angel of peace. 
 
 Neverthelefs, as God mixes always fome bitternefs 
 with our comforts, the joy, this good father had con- 
 ceived, was foon overcaft, and allay 'd by the utter 
 ruin of his church, involved fome time before in a 
 publick conflagration, wherewith the befl: part of the 
 city was confumed. \ 
 
 This accident gave occafion to father Thomas, to 
 defire the viceroy to build a new church for the fa- 
 ther j and he liimfelf gave him to underftand, that 
 the emperor expedled it from. him. This Mandarine 
 was Intolerably vexed at the ill fuccefs of his enter- 
 prize, which the late arrival of the father increafed ; 
 but he was quite befides himfelf, to think he mulT: be 
 forced to lodge a ftranger honourably in his capital 
 city, whom he would, with all his heart, have ba- 
 nifh'd fome days before from his province ; yet he 
 diflembled the matter like a wife man; and, to com- 
 ply with the time, he afforded the miflionary one of 
 the fineft houfes in the city, till fuch time as, at his 
 own charges, he fhould have rebuilt the ancient 
 college. 
 
 It was not at Kamcheu alone, that the chriftlan, 
 religion feem'd to triumph \ all the churches of the. 
 empire, which the new edict, in fome refpecfl, drew 
 out of captivity, by granting to the people liberty of 
 confcience, gave great demonftrations of joy ; but 
 the city of Macao, that ferved for a cradle to the in- 
 fant chriftianity, made its joy to appear by a folemn 
 holiday, which was accompanied with all the tokens 
 of publick mirth and chearfulnefs, which the people's 
 devotion rendered mxuch more folemn. 
 
 Thofe, who fhall coniider the conftitution of the 
 government of China, the almoU unfurmountable dif- 
 ficulties that ftrangers have met with in fcrewing 
 themfelves into it; the averfion of mens minds from 
 novelty in matters of religion ; and, on ths other 
 hand, the fmall company of mifiionaries Europe hath 
 
 fupply'd 
 
478 Of thepublick Eftablijlment 
 
 -fupply'd us with, the civil wars, and revolutions, 
 that have fo often difcompofed the ftate in this latter 
 age, will ferioufly confefs, that this occurrence, one 
 of the moft memorable, that probably hath hap- 
 pened (ince the infancy of the church, cannot be the 
 produdl of human wifdom. * Deus autem rex ncfter 
 ante f^cula operatus eft falutem in medio terr^ \ tu 
 
 confirmafti in virtute tua mare tu confregifti capita 
 
 draconis ; tuus eft dies i^ tua eft nox. It is our God, 
 'tis our everlafting king, who hath wrought falvadon 
 in this vaft kingdom, which they call the middle of 
 the earth. He it is, who hath for ever brought a 
 calm upon this fea, fo much agitated, and infamous 
 hitherto for fo many fhipwracks. Thou haft, O 
 Lord, bruifed the head of that proud -f dragon 
 whofe name was fo dreadful. It is now then that 
 the day and the night, that is to fay, the Eaft and 
 the Weft belong to thee ; forafmuch as both worlds 
 have at ]aft fubmitted to thy empire. 
 
 At fuch time as I had the honour to prefent to the 
 moft holy father, that idolatry in the Eaft, attacked 
 on all fides by the minifters of the gofpel, was juft 
 upon the point of falling ; and that, if once China 
 could be drawn in to declare itfelf in favour of us, 
 all the people adjacent, led by their example, would 
 quickly break their idols in pieces, and would not be 
 long before thev fubmitted to the yoke of the chrif- 
 tian faith ; this thought alone tranfported this holy 
 pontiff with joy, and revived that fincere piety, and 
 fervent zeal in his heart, that he fnews upon all occa- 
 fions for the falvation of fouls \ but he told me that 
 fuch a great change as that was no ordinary miracle. 
 
 What fentiments will he have, my lord, when he 
 underftands that what (as things then ftood) he 
 fcarce durft hope for are now at laft accomplifh'd for 
 the glory of his pontificate, and univerfal benefit of 
 Chriftendom. We know, moreover, that, fince this 
 
 ♦ r Ta!. 73. f The dragon is the emperor's arms, and 
 
 is adored in China. 
 
 famou? 
 
of Chriftianity in China. 479 
 
 famous edid, the Chinefe run in crowds to be bap- 
 tifed: That the Mandarines, ftill idolaters, build 
 churches to the only true God : That a pr'r^ce of the 
 blood hath abjured his errors, and embraced the faith 
 and crofs of Jefus Chrift : That the emperor him- 
 felf caufeth a church to be ereded in bis palace, and 
 lodges the minifters of the gofpel near his own perfon. 
 
 Thefe happy preparations will, without all quef- 
 tion, oblige the holy father to employ all his cares 
 to the intire compleating of fo great a work ; to 
 that effed we demand of him paftors formed by his 
 own hand, and replenifhed with his fpirit : mifTio- 
 naries altogether unbyafied, learned, felf-denying, 
 that join prudence with evangelical (implicity •, who 
 may feek the glory of Chrift, and that of the nation, 
 rather than their own. 
 
 Laft of all, we heartily wiih that all chriftian 
 kingdoms, out of emulation one of another, may 
 drive (under the pope's authority) who fhall ftill 
 fend moft minifters into thefe vaft countries, to fhare 
 with us h. our labours, and extend our conquefts. 
 Nay, the/ the moft populous univerfities and moft 
 famous feminaries ftiould be tranfplarned thither. It 
 would yet be but few. Yea, and with all thefe af- 
 iiftances, we fhould notwithftanding, to fpeak in 
 fcripture language, groan under the burthen and heat 
 of the day. What would become of us, if we leave 
 this new born world to a fmall number of labourers, 
 whom the piety of fome do there maintain .? 
 
 It is to beg this favour, that I afiume the boldnefs, 
 my lord, to intruft you, at this time, with the con- 
 cerns of the miffions. I am well afTured that you ne- 
 ver undertook any bufinefs of confequence for the 
 good of Chriftendom, but you accomplifti'd it. 
 Now, altho' this that I propofe to you v/ere ten 
 times more difficult than it is indeed, I am, in a man- 
 ner, fure of fuccefs, as foon as ever you fhall pleafe 
 to take it upon you. 
 
 Yet 
 
480 Of the pub lick EJiabliJhmenf 
 
 Yet notwithftanding, my lord, to fucceed happily 
 in this bufin efs, it is not neceflary to exert, and put 
 in pradice all thofe qualities of mind, that make you 
 almoft ever fuperior to great enterprizes. That con- 
 fummate wifdom, that condu6ls you thro' the mofl 
 fure roads. That continual intention of mind, 
 which the hardefl: labour cannot interrupt. That 
 dexterous infinuating condu6l, fo impenetrable to the 
 quickefl: eye. In a word, that art, fo peculiar to you 
 of perfuading, and obtaining what you pleafe. All 
 this is not requilite to the bullnefs in hand, you need 
 do no more here but abandon yourfelf to your own 
 zeal, and ufe that lively and natural eloquence, that 
 animates your difcourfes, every time you are pleafed, 
 in the facred college, to ftand up for the intereft of 
 religion, or when you reprefent to Chrifh's vicar the 
 urgent neceflities of the church. 
 
 Your care, your piety, my lord, will be feconded 
 with as many apoftles, as you fhall procure mifTio- 
 naries for us: then will the idolaters, newly converted, 
 and believers eilablifh'd and fettled in faith, be equally 
 fenfible of the great benefits that you fhall procure 
 them, and the people, enlightened by thefe divine, 
 lights, which the holy fee fhall difperfe as far as the 
 extremity of the earth, will, all their lives long, blefs 
 the paternal charity of the vicar of Chrifl, and ardent 
 zeal of his miniflers. I am, in the mofl profound 
 refped, 
 
 My Lord^ 
 
 Tour Eminence's mofi humhle^ 
 
 and mofi obedient Servant. 
 
 L.J. 
 
 A Let- 
 
48i 
 L E T T JE R XIV. 
 
 "To Monfteur the Abbot B'gnon. 
 
 A General Idea of the Obfervations we have made in 
 the Indies, and in China. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 ALtho* you fhould not be at the head of the 
 moil ingenious and learned men in Europe, by 
 the rank you hold in the Academy Royal \ yet the 
 paflion I have always had to give you fome marks 
 of my efteem, and to improve by your knowledge, 
 would engage me to communicate to you what we 
 have performed in the Indies, as to the perfedion 
 of fciences. 
 
 It Is, fir, for the credit of this illuftrious academy 
 (with which we have fuch a ftrid friendfhip and cor- 
 refpondence) that a perfon of your merit fhould 
 feem to have any efteem for the perfons it em- 
 ploys in its fundion ; and I fuppofe, the prote(5lion, 
 you are pleafed to afford us in the world, will be 
 taken kindly by them •, but it is yet more our parti- 
 cular intereft, that you would feverely and flridlly 
 examine our works, and that, when you have im- 
 plored the efteem of the publick on our behalf, you 
 would, by an impartial and learned criticizing, take 
 fome pains to perfed: us, and make us one day wor- 
 thy of Its approbation, and your own. 
 
 It is not, fir, that 1 have a mind, in this place, to 
 explain to you in particular all that v/e have per- 
 formed, to acquire a more exad knowledge for the 
 future, of the motion of the ftars, or to deliver me- 
 moirs to thofe who defign to penetrate farther into 
 the fecret myfteries of nature. This work, which is 
 of too large an extent, to be comprifed within the 
 compafs of a fingle letter, will ferve for the fubjecfl 
 
 I i of 
 
482 Obfervations Philofophical and 
 
 of an intire volume, which we hope fhortly to have 
 the honour to prefent to you. 
 
 My defign at prefent is only to give you a general 
 idea of it, to the end, that, underftanding before-hand 
 the road we have hitherto kept, you may the better 
 judge what is needful to be added, to make us exadt, 
 or to be altered, as to our method. 
 
 When we departed from Paris, with the inftruc- 
 tions of the king, of his minifters of ftate, and of 
 the academy royal, v/e propofed to ourfelves nothing 
 lefs than the perfe(5tion of natural fciences •, but, this 
 projecfl containing in it a great diverfity of matters, 
 we fuppofed it convenient for every one to take his 
 part, not only becaufe each of us had not leifure 
 enough to ply fo many different ftudies all at once, 
 but alfo, becaufe the fpirit of a man hath its limits, 
 and it is very rare. to find, in one and the fame perfon, 
 a genius equally proper for all things. 
 
 So that we agreed, that fome of us fhould addidl 
 ourfelves to aftronomical obfervations, geometry, 
 and to the examination of mechanical arts, whilfl 
 others fhould chiefly be taken up in the fludy of 
 what relates to anatomy, knowledge of fimples, hif- 
 tory of animals, and other parts of natural philofo- 
 phy, which every one fhould chufe, according as his 
 fancy led him ; yet fo, that even thofe, who fhould 
 keep themfelves within the compafs of any fubje(5t 
 matter, fhould, neverthelefs, not neglecfl the refl, 
 when time, place, or perfons fhould afford them 
 occafions to make any new difcovery therein ; we 
 agreed likewife, that we fhould mutually communi- 
 cate our notions one to another, to the end, that 
 each one might benefit by the common refledions, 
 and withal, that nothing, if poflible, fhould efcape 
 our attention. 
 
 But let us take what care we could to fucceed in 
 this undertaking, we eafily perceived, that fix per- 
 fons bufied befides in the fludy of languages, and In 
 
 preaching 
 
Mathematical made in China* 483 
 
 preaching the gofpel, could never be able to go 
 through with fuch a vaft deiign % it therefore carne 
 into our mind, firft of all, to engage the Europeans 
 that were at that time in the Indies, but above all, 
 the miflionaries ; to the end, that every one of us 
 might concur in carrying on a defign, equally be- 
 neficial and glorious to all nations. Secondly, to 
 eftablifh, in divers places, fome particular houfes, 
 where our mathematicians and philofophers fhould 
 labour after the example, and under the condu6t of 
 the academians of Paris •, who from thence, as from 
 the center of fciences, might communicate their 
 thoughts, their method, and their difcoveries, and 
 receive (if I may be fo bold as to fay fo) as by re- 
 fle<flion, our weak lights. 
 
 But thefe two expedients, fo proper in themfelves 
 for the promoting of our projedl, and withal capable 
 to render France famous to poilerity, have hitherto 
 proved inefFedtual i on the one hand, we have found 
 very little difpofition In other nations to fecond us \ 
 on the other hand, the revolutions of Siam have 
 overthrown our firft obfervatory, which the king's 
 liberality, and the zeal of the mi' ifters of ftate, had 
 in a manner quite finifhed. 
 
 I Thefe accidents, tho' fatal ones, did not yet dlf- 
 ' courage us ; we had thoughts q{ laying the founda- 
 tion of a fecond obfervatory in China, ftlll more 
 
 l|) magnificent than that of Siam. It would have been 
 
 ' no fuch difficult matter to have built feveral others 
 
 ! afterwards at Hifpahan in Perfia, at Agria in the 
 
 J' Mogul*s country, in the ifle of Corneo under the line, 
 
 1' Tartary, and In feveral other places, v/hofe fituation 
 
 might facilitate the execution of our defign ; when 
 
 that univerfal war, that has fet all Europe on fire fo 
 
 many years, made us fenfible of it in the Indies, and 
 
 _ in one moment broke all our meafures. 
 
 II Perhaps, fir, peace may put us into the fame road 
 again, that the tempeft hath forced us to forfake, 
 
 I i 2 and 
 
4S4 Obfervatiom Philofophlcal and 
 and that, all in good time, we fhall enjoy a calm e- 
 qually advantageous to religion, to the people's hap- 
 pinefs, and to the perfedion of fciences. In the 
 mean time, as contrary winds do not hinder Ikilful 
 pilots to go forward a little, notwithftanding they do 
 much retard their failing ; fo have we endeavoured, 
 maugre all thefe tempefts, to purfue our former de- 
 fign, and continue a work, the eifay of which, as 
 you may fnortly fee, will not perhaps be altogether 
 unprofitable. 
 
 The difficulty that men have found from all anti- 
 quity, to regulate the motions of the ftars, was never 
 to be overcome -, either by the lucubrations of ancient 
 aftronomers, or even by all the penetration of the 
 neoterics -, what endeavours foever our imagination 
 may have ufed to dive into thefe myfteries of the 
 omnipotent Creator, yet have we made but a forry 
 progrefs ; and we muft needs confefs, that heaven 
 is at a much greater diftance from our thoughts and 
 conceptions, than it is elevated above our heads. No- 
 thing can bring us nearer to it, than a continued 
 feries of obfervations, and an exaft inquiry into 
 every thing that occurs in the ftars, becaufe that 
 this continual attention to their motions (making us 
 perceive the grofs, and as it were palpable errors 
 of ancient fyflems) gives occafion to aftronomers 
 to reform them by little and little, and make them 
 more conformable to obfervation ; to this purpofe, 
 in thefe latter days, men have fo carefully applied 
 themfelves to the perfecfling of inftruments, pendu- 
 lums, telefcopes, and of whatfoever may any way 
 bring the heavens nearer to our eyes. 
 
 In France, England, and Denmark, and in divers 
 other places in the world, they have elevated huge 
 machines, built magnificent towers, as it were, to 
 ferve inftead of ftairs to thofe who would proceed 
 in this new road •, and the progrefs, that many ob- 
 fervators have already made, Is fo confiderable, that 
 
 one 
 
Mathematical made in China. 485 
 
 one may hope for great matters in future ages ; 
 provided princes do continue, by their liberality, to 
 uphold fuch a toilfome piece of work. This is, fir. 
 In general, what we have contributed towards It for 
 our part. 
 
 Firft of all, we have been moft converfant In ob- 
 fervlng the ecllpfes ; and becaufe thofe of the fun 
 have, more than all others, occafioned people's ad- 
 miration, we have been very diligent to Improve all 
 occafions that might feem favourable to us. Amongft 
 thofe that offered themfelves, there chanced to be 
 two fomewhat odd and particular, and will afford 
 fome delight to the curious. 
 
 The firft was the ecllpfe that happen'd about the 
 end of April 1688 ♦, we knew that It was to be total 
 in fome parts of China, altho' at Pckin, where we 
 fojourned fome time before. It was to be but indiffe- 
 rent great ; for you know, fir, there is a great dlffe-*- 
 rence between the ecllpfes of the fun and thofe of the ' 
 moon : the moon, that hath only a precarious light, 
 is cover'd with real darknefs, whenever the earth robs 
 her of the fun-beams, and doth not appear ecllpfed 
 to fome certain people, but that fhe at the fame time 
 glides her face from the eyes of others in like manner." 
 The fun, on the contrary, that Is a body, of Its own 
 nature, always fplendid, always luminous, or, rather, 
 is light Itfelf, can never be obfufcated or darkened ; 
 and when the nioon, by covering it, feems to de- 
 prive it of all Its luftre, it Is not the fun that Is e- 
 clipfed, it is the earth ; It is we Indeed that do find 
 ourfelves at that time all In darknefs ; fo that afl:ro- 
 nomers would fpeak more properly. If, infiead of 
 naming It an eclipfe of the fun, they would name it 
 an ecllpfe of the earth. 
 
 Thence It comes to pafs, that this ecllpfe Is at the 
 fame time very different, according to the different 
 regions where one is ; infomuch that if feveral ob- 
 fcrvatorSj at a diftance one from another, were placed 
 
 I i 3 upon 
 
486 Obfervations Philofophical and 
 
 upon the fame line drawn from eaft to weft, k 
 might fo happen, that the firil: would fee the whole 
 body of the fun, as it is commonly {cqu, whilft the 
 fecond would diicover but one part of it. There it 
 would appear half covered, here it would be no more 
 than an ark of light ; and ftill, farther oif, it might 
 perchance totally duappear. 
 
 It is likewife for the fame reafon, that an obfer- 
 vator, placed at the center of the earth, would not 
 behold the fun eclipfcd, as we do here *, now this 
 difference, which they term the Parallax, would in- 
 creafe, or decreafe, according as this luminary fhould 
 be more or lefs elevated above the horizon •, this is 
 what the Chinefe v/ere hitherto ignorant of, and of 
 which, to this day, they have but a very fuperficial 
 knowledge. As for the Indians, much lefs capable 
 of being polifh'd and refin'd than the Chinefe, they 
 are always admiring fuch wonderful effects ; info- 
 much that the king of Siam demxanded one day, 
 if the fun in Europe was the fame with theirs in 
 the Indies, iince it appeared at the fame time fo 
 different in thefe two places. 
 
 Wherefore we departed on purpofe fro mi Pekin, 
 to get to Hamcheu, a considerable city in the pro- 
 vince of Chanfi j where, according to our calculation, 
 the fun was to be totally eclipfed : yet, it was not fo, 
 becaufe the longitude of the country was not yet 
 perfecflly known to us. The heavens were that day 
 extremely ferene, the place very convenient, our in- 
 ftrum-cnt fitly placed, and, being three obfervators, 
 noching was w^anting that might render the obfer- 
 vation exadl. 
 
 . Amiongft the different methods that may be made 
 ufe of for thefe forts of operations, v/e miade choice 
 of two, that fecm^d to us the moil plain and eafy ; 
 the one was to look upon the fun, with a telefcope 
 of three feet long, in which they had placed, at the 
 Focus objedivus, a Reticuia or little net, compofed of 
 
 twelve 
 
Mathematical made in China. 487 
 
 twelve little threads of raw filk, very fmall, and e- 
 qually diftant one from another, yet fo, that they 
 might precifely take up all the fpace of the fun, 
 whofe diameter appeared after this manner to the eye, 
 divided into twelve equal parts. 
 
 The fecond confifting in receiving the reprefenta- 
 tion of the fun (by a telefcope of twelve feet) that 
 was painted upon a piece of pafteboard, oppofite to 
 the optick glafs, at a proportionable diftance •, we 
 had drawn upon the faid pafteboard twelve little 
 concentrical circles, the biggeft whereof was equal 
 to the apparent difcus of the fun ; fo that it was 
 eafy for us to determine, not only the beginning, 
 duration, and end of the eclipfe, which require no 
 more but a fmgle optick glafs, and a well regulated 
 pendulum •, but alfo its bignefs, or (as they com- 
 monly call it) its quantity, and the time that the 
 fhadow, or rather the moon, fpends in covering, or 
 uncovering each part of the fun : for notwithftand- 
 ing all thefe parts are equal amongft themfelves, yet 
 it doth not therefore follow, that there is requifite an 
 equal number of minutes to go over them, becaufe 
 the continual change of the Parallax retards or puts 
 forward the apparent motion of the moon. 
 
 There wanted but the twenty-fourth part to the 
 total covering of the fun, and we determined it to 
 be an eclipfe of eight digits and an half (for fo 
 aftronomers term it) for, to make their calculation 
 juft, they are wont to divide the apparent diameter 
 of the planets into twelve digits, and every digit 
 into fixty minutes. In the mean time we obferved 
 firft of all, that, when three quarters of the fun 
 were eclipfed, the day appeared in a manner not at 
 all changed by it •, nay, and we could hardly have 
 perceiv'd it, if we had not had otherwife notice of it ; 
 fo that an ordinary cloud was almoft capable of 
 producing the very fame eiFedl. 
 
 I i 4 Secondly^ 
 
488 Obfervatiom Philofophical and 
 
 Secondly, tho* we did not, at the height of the 
 eclipfe, fee more than a little ark of light, yet might 
 a man read very eaflly, in the court, the fmallefl cha« 
 rader -, I have feen fome ftormiS that obfcured the 
 heavens as much as they were at that time. 
 
 Thirdly, we could by no means difcover any ftar, 
 tho' we endeavour'd it all we could ^ v/e only per-» 
 ceived Venus, which doth not denote any great ob- 
 fcurity, fince this planet appears oftentimes, even at 
 fuch time as the fun is wholly rifen above the horizon. 
 TheChinefe,notwithftanding, were terribly alarm 'd, 
 imagining that the earth was going fuddenly to in- 
 velope in thick darknefs. They made an hideous 
 noife all abroad, to oblige the dragon to be gone. 
 It is to this animal that they attribute all the difap- 
 pearances of the ftars, which come to pafs, fay they, 
 becaufe the celeftial dragon, being hunger-bit, holds 
 at that time the fun or moon faft between his teeth, 
 with a defign to devour them. 
 
 At length the light returned by degrees, and eafed 
 the Chinefe of their trouble ; but we continued our 
 operation, comparing by different calculations the 
 greatnefs, continuance, and ending of this eclipfe, 
 with the different tables of ancient and modern aftro- 
 nomers. There were alfo made at Pekin, Ham- 
 cheu, and in feveral other cities of China, the very 
 fame obfervations, which might have ferved to de- 
 termine the longitude of dl thefe different places, 
 if we had not had more fure and eafier methods to 
 know it by. 
 
 Upon the v/hole, this obfervation afforded an oc- 
 casion to make fome refledlions upon feveral other 
 eclipfes, whereof authors fpeak diverfly. Herodotus 
 lib. I . relates, that, upon the very day that the king 
 of the Medes and the king of the Lyd'ans fought a 
 bloody battle, the fun appeared totally eclipfed. 
 The combate, faith he, lafted a long time with equal 
 advantage on both fides, till, all on a fudden, thick 
 
 dark-i 
 
Mathematical made in China. 489 
 
 darknefs covered the earth, and for a while fufpend- 
 ed the fury of the foldiers. Father Petaii hath 
 placed this eclipfe in the year 597, before the birth of 
 of our Saviour, on the 9th of July, altho' according 
 to his calculation, it ought to be but of 9 digits 22 
 minutes ; imagining, without doubt, that this por- 
 tion of the fun eclipfed was conliderable enough to 
 verify fuch thick darknefs which the hiftorians men- 
 tion : neverthelefs, that is fo far from fufficing, that 
 our laft obfervation ought to convince us, that fuch 
 an indifferent eclipfe, as that was, could not fo much 
 as be feen by the combatants ; fo that it is much more 
 probable, that this famous battle was fought in the 
 year 585 on the 28th day of May, a day whereon 
 there chanced to be a total eclipfe of the fun . 
 
 Father Petau cannot difagree with us about this 
 laft eclipfe, but, if we reckon it according to his ta-- 
 bles, we fhall find that it is but of 1 1 digits 20 mi- 
 nutes, that is to fay, not quite fo big as ours ; and, ' 
 for that reafon, we may fuppofe his tables to be 
 defedlive, becaufe the 24th part of the fun fufficeth 
 (as we have obferved) to make the day pretty clear-, 
 notwithftanding, the hiftory would make us believe 
 that it was obfcure, yea, and even refembling the 
 darkefl: night. 
 
 In the year 310, before the birth of our Saviour, 
 Agathocles king of Sicily, failing into Africa with 
 his fleet, bound for Carthage, the fun totally dif- 
 appeared, and the ftars were feen every where, as if it 
 had been mid-night ; whereupon, divers aftrono- 
 mers, and particularly Ricciolus, are of opinion, thiat 
 the tables that allow to this eclipfe a greatnefs, that 
 comes pretty near that of the total, do fufficiently 
 make out the hiftory : neverthelefs, it is manifeft by 
 what we have obferved, that the ftars v/ould never 
 have been perceived, efpecially in that brightnefs, 
 and after that manner that Diodorus 2x16. Juftin fay • 
 they did, if fo be there had been any ftnfible part of 
 
 the 
 
490 Obfervatiom Philofophical and 
 
 the fun difcovered, except this fame part, not being 
 eclipfed, had not been near the horizon, as it hap- 
 pened in the year 237, in the beginning of the reign 
 of Gordianus junior ; for at that time, the heavens 
 were fo darkened, that it was impoffible to know one 
 another without wax- tapers, at leaft if we give cre- 
 dit to Julius Capitolinus. 
 
 The fecond eclipfe we obferved, ftill more confide- 
 rable than the former, v/as {z^xv by father Tachard, 
 in his voyage into the Indies, he was at fea on board 
 anHolland vefTel ; and, if the place would have given 
 him leave to make ufe of inftruments, we fhould ne- 
 ver have iztx). any thing more ingenious on this 
 fubjedl. 
 
 The eclipfe appeared central, that is to fay, the 
 center of the moon, was quite oppofite to the center of 
 the fun •, but, becaufe the apparent difcus of the 
 fun, was at that time bigger than that of the 
 moon, there was {^^n in the heavens a bright ring, 
 or a great circle of light, and what is moft to be 
 wondered at on this occafion is, that father Tachard 
 aflures us, that this circle was at leaft a finger's 
 breadth, which would not agree, neither with the 
 tables of ancient aftronomers, nor of the moderns : but 
 it is no fuch eafy matter, to make a juft eftlmate of 
 the bignefs of luminous bodies, when one judges 
 only upon view \ becaufe the light that fparkles, and 
 refieds, caufeth them evermore to appear much big- 
 ger than they really are. 
 
 However, thefe forts of eclipfes, which are called 
 Annulary Eclipfes, are very rare -, yea, and fome 
 mathematicians are of opinion, that there cannot be 
 any at all, becaufe they fuppofe as a thing granted 
 by all hands, that the diameter of the moon, even 
 in its apogaeum, that is, at its greateft diftance from 
 the earth, was always either equal to that of the fun, 
 or even fenfibly greater. 
 
 So 
 
Mathematical made in China. 491 
 
 So like wife Kepler, writing to Clavius upon the 
 account of an annulary eclipfe that they had obferv- 
 ed at Rome on the 9th of April, in the year 1567, 
 pretends, that this luminary border was nothing ^](q, 
 but a little crown of condenfed air, enfiamed or en- 
 lightened by the fun-beams, broken or refraded in 
 the atmofphere of the moon. This lafl obfervation 
 may be capable of undeceiving thofe who may have 
 perflated obftinately to follow the like opinion, as 
 well as to difabufe Gaflendus's difciples, who ima- 
 gine that the fun cannot overflow the moon above 
 four minutes at moft, that is to fay, by its i8oth 
 part. 
 
 Befides thefe two eclipfes, we have alfo (^^n 
 fome others of lefTer confequence, which I Ihall for- 
 bear to mention, becaufe they contain nothing extra- 
 ordinary. Thofe of the moon have moft employed 
 our time, not only becaufe they are in a greater 
 number, but becaufe there is greater difficulty to 
 obferve them well. 
 
 The brighter the fun is, the more fenfible is its de- 
 fedl, and the body of the moon, very obfcure and 
 opake of itfelf, depriving us of the fight of it, doth 
 not permit us to doubt fo much as one moment of 
 the beginning or ending of its eclipfe ; but it is not 
 fo with the moon, that does not lofe its light but 
 by degrees, and by an almoft infenfible diminution. 
 As the experience we have of it makes us better 
 perceive all thefe difficulties, than the moft profound 
 fpeculations •, will you pleafe, fir, to let me acquaint 
 you, in few words, what perplexes us moft, as to 
 this point. 
 
 The earth, in its different afpec^ls it bears to the 
 fun, hath always one half of its globe enlightened •, 
 whilft its other hemifphere muft nct'ds be in darkr 
 nefs, like a bowl that is enlightened by a wax-candle 
 by night ; fo that on one fide there is a prcje(5l*on, as 
 it were a long tail of fhadow, in falhionofa cone, 
 
 the 
 
492 Obfervations Fhilofophical and 
 
 the point whereof is very far extended, and lofeth it- 
 felf at length in the vaft extent of air. 
 
 When therefore the moon, by its particular motion, 
 pafTes thro' this tenebrous fpace, fhe lofeth her light, 
 and becomes obfcure herfelf ; but now, if we could 
 mark the very moment wherein fne enters into it and 
 comes out again, we fhould know exadlly the be- 
 ginning and ending of the eclipfe, but feveral acci- 
 dents, that happen at that time, do not fuffer us to 
 obferveit with fo great nicenefs. 
 
 Firft of all, a long time before the moon touches 
 the fhadow I but juft now mentioned, its oriental 
 border is enlightened only by a fmall portion of the 
 fun, which the earth deprives her of by little and 
 little, and by piece-meal ; fo that, at that time, there 
 is to be fecn a kind of fmoke that fpreads abroad in- 
 fenfibly upon the body of the moon, which often 
 precedes the real fhadow a quarter of an hour •, and, 
 being this fmoke always increafes according as the 
 eclipfe approaches, it is fo confounded and mixed 
 with the beginning of the fhadow, that it is almoft 
 impoflible to diftinguifh it from it ; fo that neither 
 experience nor application, nor yet the bcft telefcopes, 
 can hinder an able obfervator from miftaking fome- 
 tlmes one minute, nay, and fometimes two. 
 
 Secondly, when I fay, that the eclipfe is caufed by 
 the interpofitlon of the terreftrlal globe, It Is not 
 that the moon Is then plunged into Its fhadow, which 
 never reaches farther than 50,000 leagues, fuppofing 
 the earth's diameter to be 1146 fea leagues, whereas 
 the moon, even in her perlg^um, Is above 57,000 
 leagues from the earth •, but the globe of the earth 
 being encompafTed with a thick and grofs air, which 
 we call its Atmofphere, which the rays cannot quite 
 penetrate, there is caufed by the interpofitlon of thofe 
 vapours a new fhadow, whofe diameter and length 
 do far furpafs the true fhadow of the earth. Now 
 thefe vapours are fo much the more tranfparent, as 
 
 they 
 
Mathematical made in China. 493 
 
 they are the more remote from us ; whence it comes 
 to pafs, that they alfo make a more faint fhadow 
 at the beginning and end of the ecHpfe, and con- 
 fequently, they do not afford that liberty to obferva- 
 tors, to determine them with any exadnefs. 
 
 You may underftand by that, fir, why we often 
 difcover the moon, yea, at the very height of the 
 ecllpfe, fo far as to diftinguifh her fmalleft fpots ; 
 why fhe paints herfelf at that time in fo various 
 colours, for fhe appears red, afh-coloured, iron-grey, 
 bluilh, or fomewhat Inclining to yellow, Infomuch 
 that fhe feems to be herfelf fenfible of her failings, 
 and fhews certain figns of her different paffions. 
 You fee on the contrary, why in fome certain e- 
 cllpfes fhe totally difappears, and fleals quite out of 
 our fight. All this does, no queflion, happen from the 
 nature of this atmofphere, which changes perpetu- 
 ally, and thereby produces thefe different effe6ls. 
 
 In the third place, when the moon begins to grow 
 dark near the horizon, it is yet more dlfhcult to ob- 
 serve well the beginning of it ; and a man mufl take 
 fpeclal notice, that the time of this apparent begin- 
 ning, compared with the time of its ending, doth not 
 give him the middle of the ecllpfe exadlly, becaufe 
 the vapours are much more grofs at the horizon, 
 than they are at 30 or 40 degrees of elevation. 
 
 Fourthly, altho' the direft rays of the fun do not 
 pafs thro' the atmofphere of the earth, yet are there 
 a great many of them, that turning afide, or, as they 
 fpeak, by being broken by refraction, may enlighten 
 the border of the moon, and confequently hinder the 
 fhadow from being exadlly terminated. 
 
 Fifthly, it fometimes comcth to pafs, that the fha- 
 dow begins to touch the oriental edge of the moon, 
 at the place where the fpots are more obfcure than 
 thofe of the occidental border, which makes, that a 
 man cannot judge equally of the end and the beghi- 
 ning ; we owe, fir, all this refining of aflronomy to 
 
 rhe 
 
494 Obfervatiom Phtlofophtcal and 
 the modern obfervators : the ancients went more 
 roundly to work In this matter, and Tycho Brahe 
 himfelf did not yet hit of it with all his fubtilty. 
 
 But the moderns have been more ingenious to 
 find out thefe difficulties, than to find out an expe- 
 dient to furmount them \ and we have more than 
 once experienced in our obfervations, that it is not 
 without extreme trouble, that one arrives at that ex- 
 adlnefs, which is required by the learned of our age; 
 yet, have we this advantage, that we are a great ma- 
 ny obfervators together, and that we are able, by 
 communicating our notions and doubts one to ano- 
 ther, to come nearer the truth. Befides, the heavens 
 have fupplied us with a great many eclipfes of the 
 moon. \ and, there have but few years pafled, but 
 we might have obferved one or two. 
 
 But, amongfi: this great number, that, which 
 happened on the eleventh of December 1685, was 
 the moft favourable to us \ we were at that time 
 at Siam : The king, to whom we had predided 
 it, and who defired to try the goodnefs of our 
 tables, was fo furprifed by conferring what he did 
 behold v/ith our prediction, that, from that time, he 
 had fome thoughts of detaining us near his perfon ; 
 or, at leaft to fend fomebody to find out fome 
 French aftronomer in Europe for him. He of- 
 fered of his own accord to build a magnificent ob- 
 fervatory for us at Louveau, to render aftronomv, 
 if poffible, as famous in India, as It was become in 
 Europe, fince the efiablifhment of the royal ob- 
 fervatory in Paris. And certainly, if ever the ftars 
 were the prefage of future events, all the hea- 
 vens feemed then to promife us a happy fuccefs In 
 this new undertaking ; but It is not the fenfible courfe 
 of the planets, that rules our deftinies here below ; 
 they proceed from an higher over-ruling power, 
 and all their confequences are written in that myf- 
 terious book of divine providence, which before all 
 
 ages 
 
Mathematical made in China. 495 
 
 ages hath determined the different events of this 
 world. 
 
 This proje6l of the king of Siam, fo favourable 
 to France, to natural fciences, and to religion, was 
 quickly put in execution ; but the death of that 
 good prince overthrew it almoft in an inftant, 
 and changed the face of all things. The troubles^ 
 that then arofe, forced our mathematician miflio- 
 naries to abfent themfelves, and thereby caufed, if 
 I may fo fay, a kind of an eclipfe, which hath 
 fo long deprived thofe people of the European fci- 
 ences, and light of the gofpel : yet, thefe clouds 
 begin to be difpelled. They are very earned to 
 have us come back again *, but we have learned 
 by wofiil experience, not to rely too much upon 
 the good will of man, but to place all our confi- 
 dence in him, who alone can, when it feems good 
 to him, bring light out of darknefs. 
 
 This laft eflay, for all that, hath been of fome 
 ufe to aftronomy j and we can affiire you, that the lu- 
 nar eclipfes obferved at Siam, Louveau, Pontichery, 
 Pekin, Nankim, Kiam-chau, and at Canton, with 
 feveral other places of the Eaft, will not only con- 
 tribute to the regulating the celeftial motions, but 
 likewife to the perfeding geography. 
 
 Altho* the fcience of comets be not of fo grand a 
 confequence, yet it is not lefs admirable j nay, me- 
 thinks the curiofity of the learned Ihould be fo much 
 the more fpurred on to attempt fomething in this 
 way, as it is more difficult to fatisfy it as to this 
 point, for it is more than probable, that the wit of 
 man will not be able in a long time to dive into the 
 bottom of thefe marvellous phcsnomena. 
 
 Comets are fo rare, of fo fhort continuance, and 
 fo different amongft themfelves, that, if they be new 
 bodies that are formed and deilroyed in the heavens, 
 it is very hard, and in a manner impofiible to 
 lay down general rules of their motions, or to prog- 
 
 nofticate 
 
496 Obfervations Philofophical and 
 
 nofticate their appearance and continuance, if they 
 be real planets. 
 
 We have had the opportunity to obferve two of 
 them, the firil was feen in a province in the king- 
 dom of Siam, on the confines of Camboje, towards 
 the fea-coaft. It was in the month of Auguft 1686. 
 It cut the equator, pafling from north to fouth, in 
 the 1 1 1 th degree of right afcenfion ; and its own 
 particular motion, that brought it ftill near the fun, 
 quite abforp'd it, at leaft, into the fun-beams. 
 
 The fecond appeared at Pontichery, Molucca, and 
 Pekin, in the month of December 1689. Its 
 motion was contrary to that of the former, it re- 
 moved from the fun, and came nearer to the fouthern 
 pole, running over the conftellations, Lupus and 
 Centaurus, where it difappeared in the beginning of 
 January to the enfuing year. 
 
 If we have but a fmattering in the fcience of 
 comets, yet in recompence we are fufficiently in- 
 ftruded in what relates to planets \ and what our 
 aftronomers have difcovered at Paris, iince the efta- 
 blifhment of the obfervatory, is already matter of 
 comfort to us, for the negligence or ignorance of the 
 ancients. 
 
 Amongfl the diiterent ways of going to work 
 how to determine their place in the heavens, the 
 mofl plain, and withal the mort exad, is, to take 
 notice of their conjundlion with the fix'd ftars. It is 
 near a thoufand years ago, that Saturn, the higheft 
 of all the planets, appear'd clofe by the equator, 
 and near a ftar of the third magnitude, (ituated in 
 the fouthern fhoulder of Virgo. Tycho, in his 
 time, obferved it in the fame fign •, and we alfo have 
 feen it near Spica Virginis, but with this advantage, 
 that the telefcopes, we made ufe of, make our ob- 
 fervations incomparably more exadt, than thofe of 
 the ancients \ who, for that purpofe, made only 
 
 ufe 
 
Mathematical fnade in China. 497 
 
 ufe of their naked eye, always defedlive, at fuch a 
 great diftance, efpecially in refped of the flars, 
 whofe apparent diameter is augmented by the lights 
 and by a kind of Coma of fparkling rays, according 
 to the language of aftronomers, that refledi from 
 their whole body, which makes it many times ap- 
 pear where indeed it is not. 
 
 Whereas a good telefcope makes them left 
 glittering, rounds them, gives them their true big- 
 nefs, and fo approaches them to the eyes, that 
 One does likewife diftinguifh them from one ano- 
 ther, even when they touch one another at the 
 edges, or borders^ and when they are juft upon 
 uniting together. 
 
 Thus w'e determined the place of Mars, by the 
 approaching of two ftars of the Scorpion's head, 
 that of the moon^ by her conjundlion with the An- 
 tares, or heart of the Scorpion^ and that of Venus „ 
 that parted near a flar of the third magnitude be- 
 longing to the fame fign. 
 
 This conjundtion of Jupiter and Mars, that hap- 
 pen'd about the end of February 1687, did alfo 
 take up feveral days % we were at that time at Lou- 
 veau, where the king of Siam, who took a pride 
 in aftronomy, did obferve it in perfon with an 
 earneflnefs and uncafinefs, that fhewed more of fu- 
 perftition than natural curiolity. 
 
 He had a fancy that this conjuritflion Would be 
 fatal to him^ and that it was an afluted prognojftica- 
 tion of his death. We endeavour'd, but all in 
 vain, to undeceive him, by M. Conftance, his prin- 
 cipal minifter of ftate^ whom we made apprehen- 
 five, that the events of this lower World have no 
 communication with the particular motion of the 
 planets ; and, that altho' our deftiny fhould depend 
 thereon j yet the king was no more concerned in it 
 than the moft abje.61 of his fubjedls, for whom the 
 
 K k fun 
 
498 Obfervatms Mathematical and 
 
 fun and the ftars do as well turn round, as for the 
 
 greateft potentate upon earth. 
 
 Neverthelefs thefe reafons, nor abundance of 
 others, could not fet him to rights : he flill maintain'd, 
 that his reign was not to laft long, and that he 
 fhould be a dead man within a few days : In effcd: 
 he died the next year *, but it was in vain for him to 
 feek for the caufe of his death in the heavens, which 
 he carried about him for feveral years ; an habitual 
 diftemper did extremely trouble him at that very 
 time ; and that, without doubt, was the true ground 
 of his fear and predidion. 
 
 I do not know, fir, whether or no thefe obferva- 
 tions will appear {ingular and odd to you ; yet me- 
 thinks, this, at leaft, which I am going to have the 
 honour of relating to you, does a little deferve your 
 attention. 
 
 You know that Mercury hitherto hath been the 
 leaft known, and (if I may fo fay) the leaft trada- 
 ble of all the planets -, always abforped in the rays of 
 the fun, or in the vapours of the horizon, he conti- 
 nually flies, it feems, all the courtings and carefles 
 of aftronomers, who are put to as much trouble to 
 fix him in the heavens, as chymifts are to fix their 
 mercury upon earth. 
 
 We read in the life of Charlemagne, that the 
 mathematicians of his times, defpairing of ever being 
 able to obferve him well, when he was the fartheft 
 remote from the fun, endeavoured to find him in the 
 fun itfelf, under which they fufpedted he might 
 fometimes pafs : they fuppofed they had there 
 found him in the month of April 807, or rather 
 808, except the hiftorian counted the beginning 
 of the year at that time from Eafter ; in effed, 
 a black fpot appeared in the fun eight days, tho' 
 his going in and coming out were hinder'd by a 
 cloud. 
 
 I wonder 
 
Phyfical made in China. 499 
 
 I wonder this obfervation could have been able to 
 make them judge that this was Mercury, who is fo 
 far from fpeiiding eight days in running over fuch a 
 little fpace, that he muft, according to his natural 
 courfe, finifh it in a very few hours ; befides that, it 
 is utterly impoifible for a man to perceive him in 
 the fun, without the help of a telefcope, and that 
 too a very good one. What therefore they then 
 faw, or fuppofed to fee, was, without doubt, a fpot, 
 not unlike thofe that have fo often appeared iince, 
 but bigger than ordinary, and confpicuous enough to 
 be difcover'd by the bare fight. 
 
 Gaflendus was more fortunate, Anno 163 1, on the 
 feventh of November. The obfervation he made of 
 it hath rendered him fo famous, that fome authors, 
 to do him honour, have dedicated their books to 
 him, as a perfon to whom aftronomy was infinitely 
 obliged j fome others alfo have fignaliz'd themfelves 
 by this curious difquifition -, we are the lail that have 
 had occafion to imitate them, but our obfervation 
 perad venture may not defer ve the mean eft efteem of 
 all thofe which have been made. 
 
 We were at Canton, a maritime town of China, 
 and pretty well known by the Europeans traffick ; 
 we applied ourfelves to the particular ftudying of the 
 motion of this planet, and that made us judge, that 
 it would not be altogether impoffible to difcover it in 
 the fun, on the tenth day of November 1 690 ; to 
 that end we prepared two excellent telefcop^s, the 
 one of five feet, that bore a Reticula equal to the 
 diameter, divided into twelve equal parts, and the 
 other of twelve feet, v/ith its Reticula compofed of 
 four threads, one whereof reprefen ted a parallel, the 
 other the meridian, and the tv/o others cut them at 
 the angle of forty-five degrees ; we alfo redlified our 
 pendulums : befides all this, the heavens were ex- 
 ceeding clear and ferene > and bating the ^ind, which 
 
 K k 2 v/as 
 
500 Ohfevcatiom Mathematical and 
 
 was a little violent, we could wilh for nothing to the 
 exadlnefs of our obfervation. 
 
 Mercury appeared to us like a black point or 
 fpeck, which, entering into the body of the fun, run 
 over it, in three hours and a half, or thereabouts ; 
 we exaflly obferved its time, entrance, departure, 
 its diflance from the ccliptick, its apparent fwiftnefs, 
 longitude and diameter. We underftood likev/ife by 
 that, with the greateft certainty in the world, that 
 this planet hath no proper light of its own ; that its 
 body is opake, and that it is, at leaft, fometimes lefs 
 diftant from us than the fun, 'the which could not 
 formerly be determined but only by conjecflure. 
 
 We ov/e, fir, thefe fine difcoveries to the inven- 
 tion of optick-glafTes and telefcopes, as we do a great 
 many other things, which in thefe latter ages are 
 the fubjedl of the new aflronomy -, {o that as, by 
 means of m.icrofcopes, we multiply the moil fimple 
 bodies, and m.agnify the mod minute and almoft 
 infenfible ones •, fo likewife,by helpof thefe telefcopes, 
 we approach to our eyes the mofl diflant objed:s, and 
 do abridge thofe infinite fpaces that feparate the fii-- 
 mament from the earth •, art having in a mianner 
 forced nature to fuffer men to have free commerce 
 with heaven for t'me to come, and let mathemati- 
 cians enter more eafily into a kind of fociety w-ith 
 the flars. 
 
 We find, at prefent, mountains and precipices in 
 the moon, v/e difcern its leaft fhadows, that increafe 
 or decreafe, according to the different poflure of the 
 fun -, we meafure the Macular of planets, we have ^ 
 (hrevy'd guefs of their colours, latitudes, and of their 
 circular motion about their center. It is by that, that 
 men have perceived that prodigious ring that ap- 
 peared in the air, fufpended about Saturn in form of 
 a vault, or like a bridge, that would encompafs the 
 whole earth without arches,, without piles, without 
 
 any 
 
Fhyjical made in China. 501 
 
 any other fupport, befides the viniform weight, and 
 perfed: continuity of its parts. 
 
 Gallileo, and many other aftronomers, have in 
 vain put their brains on the rack to explain this my- 
 ftery ; they look'd upon this planet as another Pro- 
 teus, always changing^ always differing from Itfelf ; 
 to day round, then oval, bye and bye armed with two 
 Anfa's or handles, that open or ihut, according to 
 the time of the revolution j or elfe accompanied with 
 two little liars, that vaulted up and down without 
 
 I ever forfaking it : laftly, cut in the middle with a 
 broad Fafcia or fwathing-band, whofc extremities 
 
 , were extended far beyond its fphere. 
 
 ' We have a long time examined this v/onderful 
 work of the omnipotence of our Creator j and, not- 
 withftanding we cannot but admire M. Hugens's 
 ingenuity, who hath reduced to fuch a plain and 
 facile fyftem all thefe feeming irregularities, yet for 
 all that, w^ muft confefs that we are ignorant of 
 much more of it than that learijed ailronomer was 
 able to difcover to us. 
 
 It is lefs difficult to explain the different figures 
 qf Mars, Mercury, and Venus, which appeared to 
 us fometimes round, fometimes gibbofe, fometimes 
 dicotomifed, and ever and anon in fafhion of a bow, 
 or fickle •, and the truth is, when Venus approaches 
 the fun, and when fhe is befides in her Perigson, fhe 
 appears in the telefcope fo little different from the 
 new moon, that it is very eafy for one to commit a 
 miilake. 
 
 I do remember, that caufing a Chinefe to obferve 
 it in this pofture, who had but little ikill in aflro- 
 nomical fecrets, he did no longer doubt, but pre- 
 
 (fently gave his aflent ; and making him at the 
 fame time take notice of the moon, at a place in the 
 heavens not far remote, he cried out for joy, and 
 told me then, that he now comprehended that 
 
 K k Q which 
 
502 Obfervafic?2s Mathematical and 
 
 which had always perplex'd him : / did not know, 
 fays he ferioudy, bozv the moon could change face r fo 
 oft en ^ and appear fometimes in the wax, and fome times 
 in the wane \ hut now I perceive it is a hod)' compojed 
 of fever al parts, which f.netiraes are taken in pieces, 
 and then joind together again after fome certain times, 
 for to day, at leaf, I fee one half of it on one fide, 
 and one half on the other. 
 
 The knowledge alfo that we have acquired by 
 telefcopes, concerning the number of the ftars, is 
 like wife more curious. That large Fafcia that em- 
 braces almoft the v/hole heavens, which they com- 
 monly call, for whitenefs, the Milky -way, is a Con- 
 geries of an infinite number of minute ftars, each 
 one of which, in particular, hath not ftrength enough 
 to affe<5t our eyes •, no more can the Nebulofae, whofe 
 dim and confufed light is like to a little cloud, or 
 head of a comet, yet it is compounded of feveral 
 ftars ; fo they reckon thirty-fix of them in that of 
 Pra^fepe Cancri, twenty-one in that of Orion, forty 
 in the Pleiades, twelve in the fingle ftar that makes 
 the middle of the fword of Orion, five hundred in 
 the extent of two degrees of the fame confi:ellation, 
 and two thoufand five hundred in the whole fign •, 
 which hath given occafion to fome to imagine, that 
 the number of them is infinite. 
 
 At leaft it is true, that the prodigious bignefs of 
 each ftar, which, according to fome, dilTcr but little 
 from the fun •, that is to fay, whofe globe is perhaps 
 a thoufand times bigger than that of the earth, which 
 neverthelefs appears but as a point in the heavens, 
 ought to convince us of the vaft extent of this uni- 
 verfe, and of the infinite power of its Author. 
 
 I cannot, fir, finifh this difcourfe, before I have 
 fpoken of fome obfervations we have made of the 
 Satellites : thefe are fo many little planets that be- 
 long to the train of bigger ones, which were deteded 
 
 in 
 
Thyficalmadein China. 503 
 
 11 our age ; they continually turn about Saturn, Ju- 
 piter, Mars, ^c\ fome nearer, and" fome farther ofF 
 from the center of their motion ; they fculk fome- 
 times behind their body, fometimes again they are 
 plunged Into their fhadow, from whence they come 
 out more fplendid ; nay. It even happens, that when 
 they are between the fun and their planet, they e- 
 clipfe one part of It. I have fometimes beheld, with 
 a great deal of delight, a black point, that run upon 
 the difcus of Jupiter, which one would have taken 
 for a blemifh, yet in efFed: was nothing elfe but the 
 fhadow of one of thefe Satellites, that caufed an 
 eclipfe upon Its globe, as the moon does upon the 
 earth, when by her interpofition fhe deprives It of 
 the fun's light. We do not know for what particu- « 
 lar ufe nature hath deiigned thefe Satellites In the 
 heavens, but that, which we aftronomers make ufe of 
 them, is very ufeful for the perfedion of geography ; 
 and fmce M. Caflinl hath communicated his tables to 
 the obfervators, one may eafily, and In a very fmall 
 time, determine the longitude of the principal cities 
 of the world *, Infomuch that. If the Irregular mo- 
 tion of fhlps would permit us to make ufe of the 
 telefcopes at fea, the fclence of navigation would be 
 pcrfed enough to make long voyages with a great 
 deal of fafety. 
 
 We have obferved the Immerfions and emerfions 
 of the Satellites Jovis at Siam, Louveau, Pontichery, 
 at the Cape of Good Hope, and in feveral cities of 
 China •, but the obfervatlons made at Nimpo and 
 Chamhay, that are the mofl eaftern cities, have re- 
 duced the great continent to Its true limits, by cut- 
 ting off above five hundred leagues from the country, 
 that never fubiifted but In the Imagination of the 
 ancient geographers. 
 
 Since, lir, I fpeak of what refpeds the perfedtlon 
 pf geography, I fhall tell you moreover, that we 
 
 K k 4 havQ 
 
504 Objefcationi Mathematical and 
 
 have taken ibme pains to determine the latitude of 
 coafis, ports, and the moft confiderable cities of the 
 Eaft, by two other methods. Firft, by a great 
 number of obfervations about meridian altitudes of 
 the fun and liars. Secondly, by divers maps and 
 fca charts, that our voyages have given us cccafion 
 to invent or perfed. I have a Ruttier, or directory^ 
 for finding out the courfe of a vefiei from Nimpo to 
 Pckin, and from Pekin to Hamcheu, where w'e 
 have omited nothing that may any way contribute 
 to the perfect knowing of the country, fo that the 
 particularities of it are in my opinion too large •, nay, 
 and even too troublefome to thofe, w^ho, in thefe 
 forts cf relations, do rather feek after delight than 
 profit. 
 
 I have alfo by me the courfe of the rivers that 
 lead from Nailkim to Canton, it is the work of two 
 or three months, and a tedious one too I'll afliire 
 vou, when one would do things to purpofe : the 
 map is eighteen feet long, and each minute takes up 
 above four lines, or the third part of an iiich ; {^ 
 that all the bye ways, the breadth of the river, the 
 fmalleft iflands, and leaft cities are there exadly and 
 accurately fet down. We had always the fea com- 
 pafs in our hand, and we always took care to ob- 
 ferve, ever and anon upon the road, the meridian 
 akitude of every particular ftar, to correal our efli- 
 mate, and determine more exactly the latitude of the 
 principal cities of the country. 
 
 Whereupon, fir, I cannot forbear making fome 
 refleclions in this place, vrhich may one day be ufeful 
 jMTrhaps for the refolving a m.aterial problem in 
 phyfick. Men are not yet fure, w'hether all feas in 
 the vrorld be upon the level one with another. The 
 generous principles of found philofophy v/ill have 
 It, that all liquors of the fame kind, that communi- 
 cate one -^rith another, d© fpread ui-iformlv whether 
 
Phyjical made in China. 505 
 
 by their own weight, or by the prefTion of the air •, 
 and at lafl: take the fame furface. Moft of the ex- 
 perlmejits are in this point pretty congruous to rea- 
 fon ; yet, fome later refledions have ftarted a doubt 
 whether or no the fea had not really fome incli- 
 nation, and were not more elevated in fome certain 
 places than in others. What I have remarked, touch- 
 ing this laft map I but now mentioned, feems to back 
 this laft opinion. 
 
 For, in the provinces of Canton and Kiamfi, is 
 to be feen a mountain, out of which ilTue two 
 rivers; the one flows towards the fouth, and, after 
 it has watered fifty leagues of the country, it dif- 
 imbogues into the fea near the city of Yamtcheu \ the 
 other flows contrary, viz. to the north, crofles fe- 
 veral provinces for the fpace of two hundred leagues, 
 and turns afide Infenfibly, and enters into the call 
 fea, or fea of Japan, infomuch that the emboucheurs 
 or mouths of the two rivers are not diftant from 
 one another (if you do but even follow the coafts 
 that feparate them) above three hundred leagues or 
 thereabouts. 
 
 Neverthelefs, the northern river feems more ra- 
 pid in its whole courfe, than that of the fouth, and 
 being beiides four times longer, it mufc needs be 
 that the feas, where both of them meet, have a dif- 
 ferent elevation, or, which Is the fame thing, are 
 not upon the felf fame level. 
 
 I fhall not fpeak, fir, of feveral other maps, wherein 
 we have reformed part of the coafts of Coromandel, 
 of Pefcherle, Molucca, Mergul, and of Camboje, 
 becaufe they have not yet attained to that per- 
 fection, that we hope we may be able to give them 
 hereafter. But yet I have two of them that at pre- 
 fent may venture to come abroad ; the one repre- 
 fents the entrance into the port of Nimpo, the mofl 
 dangerous in all the world, by reafon of the mul- 
 
 titude 
 
506 Obfervations Mathematical and 
 
 titude of ifles and rocks that cover It on all fides, 
 and put the fkilfuUeft pilots to a ftand. We have 
 fubjolned thereto the courfe from Siam to China, 
 with a profpedl of the chief coafts, or ifles that are 
 not met with by the way. 
 
 The other is ftill more curious, and indeed the on- 
 ly one in its kind \ the little occafic;! the Europeans 
 have hitherto had to fail into the great Tartan, 
 obliged geographers to make ufe, in their defcrip- 
 tions of it, of I know not what memorandums, fo 
 little confident with truth, thar, as far as I fee, they 
 have purpofely fet themfelves to deprive us of the 
 knovvdedge of it. But the war breaking out fome 
 years ago, between the emperor of China and the 
 duke of Mufcovy, they have on all fides diligently 
 examined the limits of realms, the bignefs of 
 provinces, the fertility of lands, rivers, mountains, 
 defarts, and whatfoever could any way be advanta- 
 tageous to thefe two provinces, and might conduce, 
 in time to come, to conclude a folid and lafting peace 
 between them. 
 
 Bi^^ides thefe memoires that fell Into father Ger- 
 billon^s hands, the father hathalfo taken feveral jour- 
 nies of three or four hundred leagues into the very 
 heart of the country •, going fometimes towards 
 the weft, fometimes to the fouth, obferving, as much 
 as poflibly could be, the longitude and latitude of 
 the moft remarkable places ; fo that the map, that 
 he hath drawn out, begins at prefent to fupply us 
 with a right Idea of the difpofttion and fituatlon of 
 this vaft country. 
 
 Amongft the things that are moft Angular In that 
 country, one may obferve a ridge of mountains, that 
 are extended fo far into the fea between the eaft 
 and north, that it hath been, to this day, almoft im- 
 poftible for mariners to know or to double its cape ; 
 which makes fome fufped, that this part of Afia may 
 
 peradventurQ 
 
Phyjical made in China. 507 
 
 peradventure be at this place contiguous to the firm 
 land of America. We have, befides all this, made 
 feveral obfervations concerning the variation of the 
 needle upon tides, upon the length of a fingle pen- 
 dulum, which may however contribute fomething to 
 the perfedion of arts and fciences. 
 
 Yet thefe general obfervations have not fo much 
 taken up our time but that we have fpared fome to 
 examine what there is in the Eaft moft curious, in 
 the v/ay of natural philofophy, anatomy, and bo- 
 tany. 
 
 Our fojourning at Siam afix>rded us an opportuni- 
 ty to view feveral particular animals, which we fel- 
 dom or never fee in Europe -, as for example, the 
 elephant, the nature of which we have defcribed, as 
 alfo its dociblenefs, ftrength, courage, dexterity, the 
 interior and exterior contexture of all its parts -, to- 
 gether v/ith divers other properties, that the very 
 people of that country, that are accuftomed to 
 them, cannot chufe but admire. 
 
 There have we {ttn tigers, much different fi-om 
 thofe that are fometimes to be (to^n in Franqe, and 
 other countries ; whether you look upon the colour, 
 which is reddifh fallow, interlaced with large blach 
 ftreaks, or whether you refped: the bignefs, which 
 fometimes is equal to the bignefs of horfes ; they 
 call them Royal Tigers : thofe they call Water Ti- 
 gers do exadly refemble a cat. They live upon fifh, 
 but do commonly live in woods, or upon the banks 
 of rivers. 
 
 There are likewife to be ^Q.^n your rhinoceros's, one 
 of the oddeft animals in the world, in my opinion ; 
 it hath fomerefemblance with a v/ild boar, only it is a 
 little bigger, the feet of it fomewhat thicker, and 
 the body more clouterly fhaped \ its hide is covered 
 all over with thick large fcales, of a blackifh co« 
 lour, of an extraordinary hardnefs : they are divided 
 
 intQ 
 
5o8 Obfervations Mathematical and 
 into little fquares or buttons, rifing about a quarter 
 of an inch above the fkin, in a manner like thofe 
 of the crocodile •, its legs feem to be engaged in 
 a kind of boot, and its head wrapped about be- 
 hind with a flat capuche, or monk's hood \ which 
 made the Portuguefe to call him the Indian Monk : 
 its head is thick and grofs, its mouth not wide, its 
 muzzle thrud out and armed v/ith a long thick horn 
 that makes him terrible to the very tigers, buffalo's, 
 and elephants. 
 
 But that, which feems the mod admirable in this 
 animal, is its tongue, which nature hath cover- 
 ed with fuch a rough membrane, that it differs 
 but little from a file, fo that it fleas ofi^ the flcin 
 of all that it licks. In a word, as we fee fome ani- 
 mals here that make a good ragouft of thifl:les, 
 whofe little pricks tickle the fibres or the extre- 
 mities of the nerves of the tongue \ fo likewife 
 3^our rhinoceros takes delight in eating branches of 
 trees, armed on all fides with ftiff thorns : I have 
 often given it fome of them, whofe prickles were 
 ver)^ hard and long, and I admired how cunning- 
 ly and greedily it bended them immediately, and 
 champed them in its mouth without doing itfelf 
 any harm. 'Tis true indeed, they fometimes drew 
 blood of him, but that very thing made them 
 more pieafant to the tafl:e ; and thefe little flight 
 wounds made probably no other impreflion upon 
 its tongue, than fait and pepper does upon ours. 
 
 What is to be feen, in the ifle of Borneo, is yet 
 more remarkable, and furpafleth all that ever the hif- 
 tory of animals hath hitherto related to be mofl: ad- 
 mirable. The people of the country afliire us, as 
 a thing notorioufly known to be true, that they 
 find in the woods a fort of beafl: called the Savage- 
 man, whofe fliape, fliature, countenance, arms, legs, 
 .and ether members of the body are fo like ours, 
 
 that 
 
Phyfical mads in China. 509 
 
 that, excepting the voice only, one fliould have 
 much ado not to reckon them equally men with 
 certain Barbarians in Africa, who do not much dif- 
 fer from beafts. 
 
 This wild, or Savage-man, of whom I fpeak, is 
 endued with extraordinary ftrength, and notwith- 
 ftanding he walks but upon two legs, yet is he {o 
 fwift of foot, that they have much ado to outrun 
 him. People of quality courfe him as we do ilags 
 here, and this fort of hunting is the king's ufual 
 divertifement. His fkin is all hairy, his eyes funk 
 in his head, his countenance jftern and tanned ; but 
 all his lineaments are pretty proportionable, altho' 
 harfh and thickened by the fun. I learned all thefe 
 particulars from one of our chief French merchants^ 
 v;ho hath remained fome time upon the ifland ; 
 neverthelefs, I do not believe a man ought to 
 give much credit to fuch forts of relations, neither 
 muft we altogether rejedl them as fabulous ; but wait, 
 till the unanimous teftimonies of feveral travellers 
 may more particularly acquaint us with the truth 
 of it. 
 
 Failing upon a time from China to the coafl of 
 Coramandel, I did myfelf fee, in the ftreights of Mo- 
 lucca, a kind of ape, that might make pretty cre- 
 dible that which I juft now related concerning the 
 Savage-man. 
 
 It marches naturally upon its two hind ktt^ 
 which it bends a little, lilce a dog's that hath 
 been taught to dance ; it makes ufe of its two 
 arms as we do ; its vifage is in a manner as well 
 favoured as theirs of the Cape of Good Hope -, 
 but the body is all over covered with a white, 
 black, or grey wool ; as to the reft, it cries exadl- 
 ly like a child ; the whole outward acflion is fo 
 human, and the paiTions fo lively and fignificant, 
 that dumb men can fcarce cxprefs better their con- 
 ception? 
 
5 lo Obfervatiom Mathematical and 
 
 ceptlons and appetites. They do efpecially appear 
 to be of a very kind nature; and, to fhew their af- 
 fe6lIons to perfons they know and love, they em- 
 brace them, and klfs them with tranfports that 
 fur prize a man. They have alfo a certain motion, 
 that we meet not with in any beaft, very proper 
 to children, that Is, to make a nolle with their 
 feet for joy or fplte, when one gives or refufes 
 them what they paflionately long for. 
 
 Altho' they be very big (for that I faw was 
 at lead four {^tt high) their nimblenefs and flight 
 Is incredible : It Is pleafure beyond exprefiion to fee 
 them run up the tackling of a fhip, where they 
 fometlmes play as if they had a particular knack 
 of vaulting to themfelves, or, as if they had been 
 paid, like our rope-dancers, to divert the com- 
 pany. 
 
 Sometimes, fufpended by one arm, they polfe 
 themfelves for fome time negligently to try them- 
 felves, and then turn, all on the fudden, round 
 about a rope with as much quicknefs as a wheel, or 
 a fling that is once put in motion -, fometlmes hold- 
 ing the rope fucceflively with their long fingers, and 
 letting their whole body fall into the air, they run 
 full fpeed from one to the other, and come back 
 again with the fam.e i wiftnefs. There is no pofturc 
 but they imitate, nor motion but they perform •, 
 bending themfelves like a bow, rolling like a bowl, 
 hanging by the hands, feet, and teeth, according 
 to the different fancies which their whimfical ima- 
 gination fupplles them, with, which they adi: in the 
 moft diverting manner imaginable ; but their agility 
 to fling themfelves from one rope to another, at 
 thirty and fifty feet diltance, is yet more furprlfing. 
 So llkewife, that we might the oftener have this 
 paftlme, we caufed five or fix of our powder- 
 monkies, or cabbin-boys trained up to this way of 
 
 climbing 
 
Phyfical made in China. 5 1 1 
 
 climbing up the cords to follow them ; then, our 
 apes cut fuch prodigious capers, and flid with fo 
 much cunningnefs along the mafts, fail-yards, and 
 tackling of the fhip, that they fcemed rather to fly 
 than run, fo much did their agility furpafs all that 
 ever we have obferved in other animals. 
 
 Crocodiles being little known in Europe, and fo 
 common in the Indies, it has been our care to ex- 
 amine their property and whole ftrudure. Perad- 
 venture, fir, our former dilTeclions v/ill be of fome 
 ufe hereafter, for the project they laid, and car- 
 ried on pretty far in the academy, for the per- 
 fedling of anatomy. We have added thereto fome 
 anatomical remarks accompanied with figures about 
 the Tockaies, fo named, becaufe they pronounce 
 very frequently and difl:in6tly this word. They 
 are huge lizards or fmall crocodiles, found all over 
 the woods in Siam, as alfo in the fields, and in 
 houfes. 
 
 The cameleon is likewife another fort of lizard 
 of between eight and ten Inches in lyngth, which 
 ferved for a fubjedl to our obfervatlons ♦, there are 
 
 of them to be {^tn upon the coaft of CoromandeL 
 i. ^ ^ ~ 
 
 and we breed of them at our houfe in Pontichery, 
 for they do not live upon air alone, as fome na- 
 turallfl:s have written, for they eat, and that ve- 
 ry greedily. 'Tis true indeed, that, being of a 
 very cold and moift temper, they can pafs feve- 
 ral days witlwut aliment -, but at the long-run, if 
 you give them none at all, you fiiall fee them 
 dwindle away by degrees, and at laft die for 
 hunger. 
 
 Upon the whole, every thing is very odd In the 
 cameleon, its eyes, head, and belly are exceeding big ; 
 and altho' it hath four parts, as a lizard, yet is it 
 fo very flow in all its motions, that It crawls rather 
 than goes ; and, if nature had not befl:owed upon it 
 
 a 
 
512 Objervafions Mathematical and 
 
 a tongue of a particular contexture, it could never 
 catch the animals, in which does confift its nou- 
 rifhment : this tongue is round, thick, and at lead 
 ia foot in length, it darts this tongue feven or eight 
 inches out of its mouth with a marvellous flight : 
 nov/ the fubftance of it is fo vifcous, that it detains 
 flies, grafhoppers, and other luch like infeds, if it 
 touch them but never fo lightly with its tip. 
 
 Its body is covered all over with a very fine fkin^ 
 but is of a changeable colour, according to the va- 
 rious paflions that agitate it : in joy it is of an eme- 
 rald green mix'd with orange^ etched with little grey 
 and black ftrokes ; choler makes it dufky and livid \ 
 fear pale^ and of a faded yellow : by times all thefe 
 colours^ and many more, are confounded together, 
 and at times there is compofed fuch a pretty medley 
 of iliade and light, that nature does not afford a 
 finer variety of fhadowing, nor our fineft picflures 
 more lively, fweet, and proportional drawing. 
 
 They let me fee likewife at Pontichery two other 
 kinds of animals little known in Europe •, the one 
 is called Chien marron, that takes after the dog, 
 wolf^ and fox almoft equally : it Is of an indifferent 
 bignefs, the hair is grey and reddifh, it hath fhort 
 taper*d ears, the fnout fharp^ the leg high, a long 
 tail, a body flender and well fliaped ; it does not 
 bark like dogs, but cries juft as infants do : in a 
 word. It is naturally voracious^ and 5 w^hen hungei* 
 pinches It, it enters into houfes In the night, and 
 falls upon people. 
 
 The fecond fort Is the Mangoure, which, as to 
 Its exterior fhape^ comes very near the v/cezel, ex- 
 cept only that Its body is longer and bigger, the legs 
 fnorter^ the fnout flenderer^ the eye quicker, and 
 fomewhat lefs wild. 
 
 This animal really Is very familiar, and there Is 
 DO dog that plays and fawns more prettily with a 
 
 man. 
 
Pkyficai ntade in China. 5 13 
 
 itian than this creature ; neverthelefs it is angry, and 
 not to be trufted when it cats, always fnarling at that 
 time, and falls furioufly upon thofe who will be 
 troubling it. 
 
 It loves hens eggs more than any thing ; but, be- 
 caufe its chaps are not wide enough to feize on them, 
 it ftrives to break them by throwing them alcftj or 
 by rolling them an hundred ways upon the ground i 
 but, if there chance to be a ftone in its way, it pre- 
 sently lies upon it with its face downward, and, 
 ftriding with its hinder legs^ it takes the egg in its 
 jFbre legs^ and thrufts it with all its might under its 
 belly, till it be broken againft the ftone. 
 
 It does not only hunt rats and mice^ but ferpents, 
 to whom it is a mortal enemy, which it takes by 
 the head fo cunningly, that it receives no hurt by it. 
 It is at no lefs enmity with cameleons, which at the 
 very fight of it are feized with fo mortal a fear, that 
 t;hey become immediately as flat as a flounder, and 
 fall down half dead ; whereas at the approach of a 
 tat, or dog, or fome other more terrible animal, 
 they fwell, are enraged, and betake themfelves either 
 to their own defence, or to afTault them. 
 
 India being a very hot country, and withal moift, 
 produces a great number of other animals ; there is 
 there efpeeially abundance of ferpents of all fizes, 
 and fo pretty in refpedl of the variety of colours, 
 that) if it were not for the natural antipathy that we 
 nave for this kind of beafi, 1 fcarce know any thing 
 that the eye could take greater delight in. The 
 people of Siam are not fo nice as we in this refped j 
 they catch a prodigious number of them in the 
 woods, and expofe them to faie- in the markets like 
 eels. 
 
 Yet there is a particular kind of them that they 
 do not cat, they are prefent poifon, and that with- 
 out relief i they call them Cobra capeia : fome othecs 
 
 Li arc 
 
^14 Obfervattom Mathematical a?id 
 are ihort, and of a triangular form, fo that thev al* 
 v/ays creep upon one of their three faces •, others 
 aho are ftili more odd, have no tail, their extremi- 
 ties are terminated by two heads exaftly alike in 
 appearance, but very different In eifedl, inafmuch 
 as the one hath not, as the other, the common ufe 
 of its* organs •, for in thefe latter the lips are join'd, 
 the ears ll:opp'd, the eye-lids quite cover the eyes, 
 whilft the other eats, fees, hears, and guides all the 
 reft of the body. 
 
 Yet an Englifhman at Madras, who kept one in 
 Ks houfe for curiofit)' fake, aflured me, that every 
 lix months the organs of this fccond head difclofed 
 by little and little, and that, on the contrary, thofe 
 of the oppofite head, by cloiing themfelves, ceafed 
 to perform their ordinary fundions *, that at the end 
 of the like number of months, they were both re- 
 ftored to their priftine ftate, and divided in that man- 
 ner between them, each in its turn, the care and 
 crovernmcnt of the machine. 
 
 But God being no lefs wonderRil in the lead things 
 than he is in the greateft, there are a prodigious 
 number of infefls that might deferve the moft ferious 
 refledtions. There you may fee certain flies that na- 
 ture hath painted of fuch a lively yellow, fo polifh'd 
 and fhining, that the moft curious gilding does not 
 comie near it. Some others are but points of light, 
 that always glow% and emit rays all night long ; all 
 the air appears as if fet on fire with it when they fly ; 
 and, v/hen they light upon leaves or branches, the 
 trees refemble, afar off, thofe fire-works they make 
 in the Indies for folemn illuminations. 
 
 Their white pifmires, every where to be found, 
 what care fcever men take to deftroy them, are very 
 famous by reafon of the great inconveniences they 
 produce, and for their natural properties *, they are 
 CA'ceeding fmall, of a foft fubftance, white, and 
 
 fometimes 
 
Phy/tcal made in Chim. 51^ 
 
 fometimes a little rufTety •, they are multiplied ad in- 
 finitum ; and , whenfoever they are once got into ah 
 houfe or apartment, nothing but the black pifmires 
 can drive them out ; they have fuch iharp teeth, 
 and To penetrating, that they not only pierce through^ 
 in one night, the greatefl bails^ cloth, v/ool, filler 
 and all other ftufFs, but even cabinets and cupboards, 
 the wood of which becomes in a few days all worm- 
 eaten •, they even fpoll wood, copper, and filver, 
 upon which you may fometimes difcern the figns and 
 marks of their little teeth : notwithftatiding all this, 
 there is great probability that this eftetfl proceeds 
 Ihore from the particular quality of the Saliva^ which 
 is a kind of difiblving Menftruum, and a(5ls at that 
 time much after the fam.e manner as Aqua fortis does 
 here upon our metals. 
 
 Even the grafhoppers are extraordinary ; there 
 are fome of them in Siami that breed upon the boughs 
 of trees, and are, if I may venture to fay fo, their 
 fruit in a manner j for the leaves, preferving their 
 natural figure and colour, grow {bmcwhat thicker, 
 their fides throw out on each hand a kind of green 
 filaments, in fafhion of long legs, one of the extre- 
 mities of the leaf extends like a tail, arid tne other 
 waxes round like a head, all which, at length, is 
 animated, and metamorphofed into a grafhopper : 
 this is what the people of the country report, who 
 pluck them from the branches themfelves ; we have 
 {qqu great ftore of them, and it is trae that the leaf 
 appears intire with its fibres, or at leaft nothing does 
 more refemble a leaf than the body of this animaK 
 If this be true, this tree is no lefs to be wonder*d at 
 than that whofe leaves dropping into the fea, in a 
 fhort time, turn to Solaiod geefe, as fome naturalifls 
 would m.ake us believe. 
 
 It would here be a fit place to fpeak to you concern- 
 ing the firange trees we have met with in- the Eafty 
 
 h 1 2 bm> 
 
s^ 
 
 ^aa^ 3t I^iL 13SC mrftikmn^ ISBnpcJb»i &iuMBjJ| rbt 
 
 1 : rjft] 
 
 -I JmLiu: JTTTTif^icil Ofnr : xjt 
 
 ': rr>t:ia7Rij anicrr*^.: .. _:.^ art 
 
 woc!^ zicL "PsruES anfi i& of ^ i- : - : f L-t 
 
 zsn nf mt "mfcry nf i^..s. 
 
 i miiTT iair zr r £r^icnr jr. rnf ir : . - : ■ . . - 
 ma: r vmni it rr in pirpae *: 
 
 Lit: Z rarmir fnrica: 3irv i: t: 
 
 
Phjical maii :k 'i:..'.t, gij 
 
 no ways 
 the eartr. 
 we have 
 
 c: zti.:'.. 
 
 head. Tnis 
 
 Me- V 
 c-eC:-:-:^ 
 
 Y:. r: 
 
 F.:nt:v :: -..t -.:.t ::i.: 
 
 three v.r.:.- :":-::.. ■•• -;.:-: . 
 the: it be that they ire .;. .: 
 s.bc e an handle:! in - : . r 
 lo :r.\:, before : r. z • er.rirr 
 the. :ez -- upon tml, froc: 
 
 Xc-, ::* :- 
 
 gm tr.i 
 eU:h: h- 
 fe^ec :^^ 
 the H: 
 £ce:. . 
 
 mi::::e: 
 each J- 
 
 LI3 
 
5i8 Obfirvatiom Mathematical and 
 
 ^iver is bound to pay fix crowns to the Hollanders, 
 which hath fometimes amounted to a million. Every 
 eight days, they fiAi one whole day for the pro- 
 fit of the ikipper of the barque \ the firfl: throw of 
 the nets is for him ^ they give the third part of 
 what remains to the affiftants, and the furplus be- 
 longs to the divers •> but yet, the Hollanders do 
 not always give them leave to difpofe of it as 
 th>ey pleafe. So that thefe poor wretches do often 
 complain of their hard fate, and bewail their lofs, 
 when they think of the time they lived under th^ 
 the dominion of the Portuguefe. 
 
 When fifhing-time is come, this is the manner 
 of the Paravas's- preparing ihemfelves for it : The 
 vv:hoie fleet puts out to fea as far as feven, eight, 
 or ten" fathom water, oflF of certain huge moun- 
 tains, which they difcover far up in the country; 
 they have learned by experience, that this is the 
 moli cortirnqdious latitude of the coaft, and the 
 place wherq there is the mo ft copious fifhing. 
 
 Soon after cafting anchor, every diver faftens un- 
 der his belly a good big ftone fix inches diameter, a 
 foot long, cut arehwife on that fide which is applied 
 ta his ficin •, they make ufe of it as ballaft, that they 
 may not be carried away by the motion of the wa- 
 ter, ajid to go more firmly through the waves ; 
 befides that^ they tie a fecond heavy one to one of 
 their feet,, that prefently finks them to the bottom 
 of the fea^ fron;i whence they quickly draw it into 
 the barque by help of a fmall cord : but becaufe the 
 oiilers are often, fixed to the rocks, they furround 
 their fingers withi copper plates for fear of hurting 
 them in pulling, the oifters with violence •, fome 
 others alfo ufe iron forks for the fame purpofe, 
 
 Laftly, ever)' diver carries a great nz\. in fafiiioa 
 of a fack, hung. about Hs neck by a long rope, the 
 end of which is faftened to the fide of the barques ; 
 the fick is defis^ned to receive the oifters they pick 
 
 up 
 
Phyjicalmadein China. 519 
 
 up during the fifnlng, and the rope to draw up 
 the fifners when they have filled their fack. 
 
 In this equipage they precipitate themfelves, and 
 go down into the fea above fixty feet deep. Since 
 they mufl lofe no time, lo foon as they touch the 
 bottom, they run to and fro upon the fand, upon 
 a flimy earth, and amongfl the craggy rocks, fnatch- 
 ing haftily the oifters they meet with in their way. 
 
 At what depth foever they be, the light is fo great 
 that they difcern what happens in the fea, as eafily 
 as tho' they were upon land. They fometlmes fee 
 monftrous iifh, from which the chriftians defend 
 themfelves by croflmg themfelves ; which hitherto 
 hath preferved from all accidents. For, as for thofe 
 who are Mahometans or Pagans,whatfoever fhift they 
 make by troubling the water, or flying away, to a- 
 void them, many have been devoured by them ; and, 
 of all the dangers in fifhing, this is, without all 
 doubt, the moft ordinary and greateft. 
 
 In iixsty the expert divers remain commonly un^ 
 der water half an hour, others are no lefs than a 
 a good quarter of an hour. They do no more but 
 hold their breath, without uling, for that purpofe, 
 cither oil, or any other liquor ; cuftom and nature 
 having endued them with that power, which all 
 the art of philofophers hath not been able tp this 
 day to communicate to us. 
 
 When they perceive they can hold no longer, thev 
 pull the rope to which their iack is faftened, and 
 tie themfelves very faft to it by their hands ^ then, 
 the two afTiftar^ts, that are in the barque, hoitl: them 
 aloft in the air, and unload them of v/hat they have 
 got, which is fometimes five hundred oifters, feme- 
 times fifty or an hundred only, according to their 
 good or bad luck. Amongft the divers, feme reft 
 a little to refrefh themfelves. in the air •,. others do not 
 require it, and incontinently plunge again into the 
 water^ continuing in that manner this violent exer-^ 
 
 LI 4 Cif^ 
 
520 Obfervations Mathematical and 
 
 cifev/ithout refplte, for they feed but twice a-day. 
 once in the morning, before they put to fea, and in the 
 evening when night forces them to make to fhore. 
 
 It is upon this fhore where they unload all the 
 barques, and the oifters are carried into a great many 
 little pits digged into the fand, about five or fix feet 
 fquare. The heaps they throw in rife fometimes to 
 the height of a man, and look like a company of 
 little huts, that one would take at a diftance for an 
 arm.y ranged in battalia. 
 
 They leave the oifters in this manner, till fuch 
 time as the rain, wind, or fun, forces them to open 
 of themfelves; which foon kills them, the meat cor- 
 i-upts and grows dry, and they pull out the pearls 
 very eafily ; fo that they all fall into the pit. Ac- 
 cording as they pull out the mother of peafl, fo they 
 call the fhells, on the outfide like thofe of your 
 common oifters; but within more like filver, and 
 more glittering: the largeft are near as big as your 
 hand -, the meat is very delicate, and, if the pearls 
 there found be, according to the opinion of iome phy- 
 ficians, certain ftones, that are bred by the ill confti- 
 tution of the oifter's body, as it happens in men, 
 and in the bezoar, this diftemper does not fenfibly 
 alter the humours thereof; at leaft the Paravas, that 
 eat of them, find not any difference between thofe 
 that have pearls, and thofe that have none. 
 
 When they have cleanfed the ditch of its moft 
 grofs filth, they fift the fa^e over and over again, 
 to feparate the pearls from it. Neverthelefs, what 
 care foever they take, abundance of them are loft •, 
 Mnd, altho' they return often thither, yet they ftill 
 find them, in a pretty confiderable number, fome years 
 after the fifhing. 
 
 And this is all, fir, that refpe<5ts the place, and 
 ordering of this ^ich fifhing. I fhall add fome other 
 
 ' particulars^ 
 
Pbyfcal made in China. 52 1 
 
 particulars, that will ferve more fully to inform you 
 of the nature and quality of pearls. 
 
 They are found fcattered here and there in the 
 whole fubftance of the oifter, in the vail that covers 
 it, in the circular mufcles that terminate there in the 
 ventricle, and, in general, in all the carnous and muf- 
 culous parts ; fo that it is not probable that they be 
 in the oifter, what the eggs are in the hen, and 
 fpawn in fifh : for befides, that nature hath not de- 
 termined them any particular place for to be formed 
 in, anatomifts, who have carefully examined this 
 matter, can difcover nothing that hath any analogy 
 with that which happens in refped of other animals. 
 
 One may, neverthelefs, fay, that whereas there 
 are in a pullet an infinite number of eggs in form of 
 feed, one of which grows and augments, whilfl: the 
 others remain in a manner in the fame ftate i fo like- 
 wife in each oifter may be commonly obferved one 
 pearl bigger, better formed, which fooner comes to 
 perfeftion than all the reft. But this pearl hath no 
 fixed place, and it is fometimes in one place, and 
 fometimes in another. Yea, and it fometimes fo 
 falls out, that this pearl becomes fo big, that it hin- 
 ders the mother of pearl to clofe, and then the oif- 
 ter dies and corrupts. 
 
 The number of the pearls is no lefe indefinite, of- 
 tentimes ail the meat of the oyfter is fet thick with 
 them ; but it is a rare thing to find more than two 
 of them of any tolerable bignefs. 
 
 They are naturally white, more or lefs according 
 to the quality of the mother. The yellow and the 
 black are extraordinary rare, and of fmall value ; yet 
 Tavernier reports, that he had fix of them given 
 him in the Indies that were perfe^y black, refern- 
 bling jet, and much efteemed in the country. If 
 this author dpth not intend to impofe upon us in this 
 point, as he doth in many others, perhaps he w^ 
 * deceived 
 
52a Obfer^atiom Mathematical and 
 
 deceived himfelf : however, it is moft certain, that, all 
 along the coaft of La Pefcherie, they make no ac- 
 count of them \ and the fifhermen themfelves throw 
 them away, as good for nothing. 
 
 This variety of colours is, without doubt, caufed 
 in the pearls, by the different parts of the oifter 
 where they are formed \ fo that when chance or na- 
 ture hath dire(5ted the feed into the mefentery and li- 
 ver, or, rather into the parts that are inftead of them : 
 (For there hath been obferved in an oifter a cavity 
 large enough, where are difcovered two overtures, 
 that terminate at two fmall membranes, where the 
 chyle is chiefly purified, and difcharges itfelf of all 
 its grofs particles ; the inteflines of this animal not 
 being accompanied with ladleal and mefariac veins.) 
 When, I fay^ the part is inclofed in thefe cavities, 
 and bile and impurities of the blood may very well 
 alter the natural whitenefs, and make them either 
 yellow or blacky fo likewife one may obferve, that 
 thefe pearls are not tranfparent, but fullied, and loa- 
 den with a grofs fubftance. 
 
 As to what relates to their exterior form, it la fuf- 
 ficiently known , feeing they are as common in Eu- 
 rope as in the Indies. Their different figure- -gives 
 them different names •, fo we fay, a pearl in point, 
 or in pear ; oval pearl, round pearl, barroque pearl, 
 that is, flat on one fide and round on the other ; one 
 may add irregular pearl ; for fome of them are found 
 with many little angles, gibbous, flat, and gene- 
 rally in all forts of figures. 
 
 Upon the whole, if it be a difficult thing to give 
 an account how pearls grow in oiilers, it is no lefe 
 difficult to underftand the manner how oifters are 
 generated in the fea. Some fay it fares with this fort 
 of fifh as with all others, that produce eggs, the ex- 
 terior fubfiumce whereof, foft at firfl:, and vifcous, 
 grows hard at laft by degrees, and turns to a flielh 
 
 What 
 
* Phyjtcal made in China. 523 
 
 What the Paravas have obferved, and which I will 
 inform you, defer ves to be carefully minded. 
 
 At the times when rain falls, the brooks of the 
 adjacent lands, that empty themfelves all along the 
 Weft, flow near two leagues upon the furface of the 
 fea, without mixing with it : This water does thus 
 fwim above fome time, keeping its natural colour, 
 but it clots afterwards by the heat of the fun, which 
 reduceth it into a kind of light tranfparent cream. 
 Soon after it is divided into an infinite number of 
 parts, every one of which feems animated, and 
 moves up and down like {o many little infects. 
 Tixe fifh fometimes catch fome of them as they 
 float, but as foon as they tafte of them they quickly 
 leave them. 
 
 Of what nature foever thefe rninute animals may 
 be, certain it is, that they engender upon the fur- 
 face of the water ; their fkin grows thick, hard, and 
 becomes laft of all fo ponderous, that they defcend 
 by their own proper weight to the bottom of the 
 fea. The Paravas do moreover afllire us, that they 
 aflume at laft the form of an oifter. 
 
 This is a fyftem whereof the vertuofo's did proba- 
 bly never dream, which experience hath difcovered 
 to the Barbarians -, and, in eifedt, it is in thefe places 
 only that pearl is found, and the rainieft years prove 
 Irkewife the beft for filbing. 
 
 I fliall add moreover, to undeceive thofe who are 
 wedded to that opinion of the ancients, that oif- 
 ters remain always at the bottom of the fea. For- 
 merly it was believed they rofe every morning up to 
 the furface of the water ^ and that they open'd their 
 nacre, or ftiell, to receive in the dew of heaven, 
 which, like a melted pearl, inftnuated itfelf into the 
 meat of the oifter ; was fix'd by means of its falts, 
 and there at laft' aftumed the colour, figure, and 
 Jiardnefs of pearls j not much unlike fome certain 
 
 lic^uors 
 
524 'Obfer'^aiiom Mathematical and 
 iiquors that are tranfmuted into cryftals in the earth, 
 or as fome flowers are transformed into honey and 
 wax in the bee-hives : all this is ingenious and pretty ; 
 but the worfl- of it is, 'tis all falfe j for thefe oifters 
 are ftrongly faflened to the rock, and never did 
 any fifher fee one to float upon the fuperficies of 
 the water. 
 
 Notwithftanding pearls are found in feveral 
 places^ yet thofe of La Pefcherie are the mofl: valued, 
 for they never lofe their luftre ; others turn yellow, 
 or of a pale decayed white. As to the true value 
 it is very hard to determine any thing for certain ; 
 the biggefl: of all, that was found in the laft fiftiing, 
 was fold but at fix hundred crowns. 
 
 I have fometimes afked the divers, if they did not 
 now and then find coral at the bottom of the fea ; 
 they anfwered, that they, being for the mofl: part 
 bufied in what concerns feeking for pearl, took no 
 great notice of any thing befldes ; that, neverthelefs, 
 they found, from time to time, branches of black 
 coral : there is fome of it, added they, which altho* 
 it be pretty hard at the bottom of the water, yet 
 becomes much more fo, when it hath been fome 
 time expofed to the air : but the greatefl: part of it 
 hath acquired, even in the fea, all its natural hard- 
 nefs. It flicks fafl: to the rocks, and when we cafl: 
 anchor in foggy weather, it often happens that our 
 anchor catches hold on fome branches of black 
 coral, and brings along with it whole trees ; but it 
 is very rare to find any red coral all along the coafl: 
 of La Pefcherie. 
 
 I flriall here make a refledion that not many have 
 made, viz. That the coral-tree hath no root : fome 
 of it was fliown in Rome, in father Kercher's Mu- 
 f^Eum, that fprung out of feveral ftones •, fome of 
 them have been after that pull*d away, and the coral 
 had not only no ro.ot, but was not fo much as tied 
 
 / by 
 
Phyfical made in China. ^2^ 
 
 by any fibre, or any the leaft filament whatfoever. 
 There alfo were feen feveral branches of coral ifTuing 
 jfrom a nacre of pearl ; and in cardinal Barbarin's 
 clofet, tjiere is ftill to be feen a (hrub of coral, whofe 
 foot is black, the trunk white, and the very top of ail 
 red. 
 
 Thus doth nature, fir, difport herfelf in the great 
 abyfs, as well as in the other parts of the univerfe, 
 by the production of prodigious numbers of things 
 equally profitable and precious, which fhe beftows 
 not to excite and irritate mens concupifcence, or to 
 foment their fottifh pride, but to ferve them for or- 
 naments, as reafon, and the decency of every flate 
 requires or permits. 
 
 Nay, perhaps, fir, thefe beauties of the univerfe 
 were created, not fo much to adorn the body, as to 
 exercife the mind : Reliquit mundum difputationi eorum. 
 For, of all natural pleafures, the mofi: innocent, and 
 fubftantial, without all doubt is the fi:udy of nature^ 
 and the confideration of the marvels it contains in 
 Its womb. When one hath once run over the ground 
 work of divine wifdom, and penetrated into the 
 myfteries of it *, this general view of fo many beau- 
 ties hath more powerful charms, and begets in our 
 fpirit a more taking and affeding image and repre- 
 fentation, than all that the fenfes and paflions are 
 ever able to prefent to us. 
 
 You know it, fir, better than any body ; you, I 
 (ay, who by your particular fi:udy, and your conti- 
 nual correfpondence with the learned, have acquir'd, 
 in fo fhort time, fo many notions in all the dif- 
 ferent kinds of erudition ; and certainly, that con- 
 ftant application that you every day afibrd, in re- 
 ference to the perfection of arts and fciences, fufii- 
 ciently declares, that nothing can more profitably 
 and pleafantly take up the time of a gentleman and 
 honeft man. 
 
 But 
 
5^6 Obfervatiom Mathematical^ &CC4 
 
 But what is ftill more fingular, you fandify all 
 this knowledge, by the good improvement you 
 make of it : you bring it, I may fo fay, to the 
 fanduary, you make ufe of it in the pulpit of 
 truth, to make our myfteries more intelligible, and, 
 not fatisfied with the ordinary philofophy and elo- 
 c^uence, you do thereby become a chriftian philo- 
 fopher, and an evangelical orator. I am with all 
 refped, 
 
 S I Ry 
 
 Tour mojl humhk 
 and mojl oiedmt Servant^ 
 
 L.J. 
 
 F J N 1 S. 
 
5^7 
 
 A Complete INDEX to the 
 whole Work, 
 
 A. 
 
 AUTHOR fets fail^ 3, Is Jhipwracked, 4. 
 Arrives at Nmpo^ 1 2 . Carried before the 
 . magiftrate^ but kindly received^ ibid. &c. 
 Was prefent at a miracle^ \ii . 
 Alphabet conjijis of 24000 letters^ 183. 
 Audience of amhnffadors very magnificent^ 1 73, 
 Arithmetick^ what nfed^ 213. 
 Aftrology, 214. 
 Aftronomy^ ibid. 
 Anatomy^ how pra5fifed^ 213. 
 Armies kept up in time of peace ^ why^ 289. 
 Adam Schaalmijfionary^ 362. Furioujlyperfecuted^'^6^. 
 Condemned to be cut in pieces^ 369. Prodigies hap- 
 pen which caufe his liberty^ ibid. T>ies^ 370. 
 Mightily honour* d after his deaths 372. 
 Apes with ft range properties^ 509. 
 
 B. 
 
 BEauty^ what features ftiledfo^ 124. 
 Blood-letting never ufed^ 218. 
 Bonnets worn inftead of hats^ 132. To pull them off 
 
 to any one an affront^ ibid. 
 Boots always worn^ defer ib^d^ 1 34. 
 Books ^ how bounds 188. What moft in vogue ^ 189. 
 What tranflated into Chine fe by the miffionaries^ 391. 
 Bells ^ their fafhion^ 79. Of a prodigious bignejs, 80. 
 Bribery fevtrely punift^d^ in a famous inftance^ 2c^i. 
 
 Bijhop 
 
528 INDEX. 
 
 Bijhop of HeliopoUs fent to China ^ 378. 
 
 Bonzes^ a ccmical pajfage between two of them and a, 
 farmer^ 334. A notable cheat put upon a prince of 
 the blood by them^ 335. Aflrange injiance of mor- 
 tification in one cf them, 336. A rejnarkable 
 cheat of theirs dif covered and punifhed^ 337. 
 
 C. 
 
 CHIN Ay its great antiquity^ 117. General de- 
 fer iption of it ^ 15. Its extent y 15,20. Submits 
 to the Tartars yoke^ and why ^ 19. Governed by 
 kings 4000 years ago^ 118. 
 
 Chine fe^ value themfehes but f corn other s^ 120. Their 
 char artery ibid. In what they refemble us^ and 
 wherein they differ frcni us^ 123. Mourn in whit e^ 
 144. One cf them raade a bifhop^ 380. Whence their 
 ignorance proceedSyi^T^. Very skilful in traffick ^2^0. 
 Extraordinary dextrous in handier afts^ ibid. Excel- 
 lent thieves andhoufebreakerSy 242. How converted 
 to chrijiianityy 401. By what chiefly hinder* dy ibid. 
 Many relations of their ccnverfiony 402, £5fr. 
 
 Confucius y when he livedy 118. In his writings con- 
 firms thefcripture account of the Ante-diluvianSyiio. 
 His charade" y 194. Early wifd^iHy ibid. Extreme 
 poverty y 198. Beathy 200. Defcription of his 
 perfony 201. Several of his max i7nsy 202, £s?r. 
 
 China warcy howmadCy 155. 
 
 Characters y what ufedy 181. Have none to exptefs 
 fever a I of our letters^ ibid. 
 
 Choltck ftra'ngely cu?'edy 219. 
 
 Compafs cf mariners wherein different from ours y 229. 
 
 Cormorants bred up to catch fijhy andhoWy 238. 
 
 Clocks not ufedy how that defied is fuppliedy 8 1 . 
 
 Canals much beyond ourSy 1 03 . 
 
 Councils of ft ate of two forts defcribed^ 263. 
 
 Civility ftri^ly obfervedy 276. 
 
 Concubines allowedy 302. 
 
 Coliy an iyifpe^for-y how emplofd by the emperor y 264. 
 
 Courts 
 
INDEX. 529 
 
 Courts of judicature^ their defer ipt ion andnames^ 263. 
 ColaoSy whaty 268. A quarrel between one and a 
 
 prince of the bloody how ended^ 296. 
 Coin, SOS- 
 Chan, emperor, 317. 
 Chrijiianity, how propofed to the heathen, 385, 391. 
 
 Eftablijhed by a publick edi£f, 44 1 . 
 Churches of the chrijiians defer ibed, 435, 
 Comets, obfervations on them, 496. 
 Crocodiles defer ibed, 511. 
 Cameleons, their defcription. Ibid. 
 Chien-marron, a beaji defer ibed, 512. 
 Coral, obfervations about it, 524. 
 Cheat put on the people at Paris by one who pretended 
 
 to be a Chinefe lady, 126. How difcovered, 131, 
 Courage, a remarkable inftance of it, 274. 
 
 D. 
 
 DEgrees of fcholars, 286. 
 Dragon, ft range conceit about it, ^4, Chinefe afraid 
 
 of difturbing one fail thro' a certain bay Jilent^ 1 1. 
 Duels not allowed, 244. 
 Dials, 304. 
 
 Divers who ft ay under water half an hour, 519. 
 Demons which affiiSled a family driven away, 424. 
 
 Frequent in China, 425. Another difpoffejfed, 426. 
 Doctors always wear long nails, 135. Remarkable 
 
 converfion of one of them, 430. 
 Dutch, their character in the Indies, 212. 
 
 E. 
 
 EMperor, his magnificence, 173. His pomp when he 
 goes to facrifice, 171. His character, 40. His pa-- 
 lace, 37. Throne, 38. His abjolutenefs floewn in an 
 oddftory, 250. His great juft ice fhewn, 264. To 
 what fe^ of religion moft inclinable, 343. Sometimes 
 worfhips in the chriftian churches, ^66. The great 
 humility and mortification of one of them, 322. One 
 Mm of 
 
530 INDEX. 
 
 of themhetrafd^ i8. Stabs his daughter^ and hangs 
 
 bimfelf ibid. 
 Emprefs^ and her f on the prince haptijed^ 363. 
 Eclipfes^ the extravagant notions the Cbinefe have of 
 
 them^ 70. An account of two of the fun^4.S^. The 
 
 obfervations of the mathematicians upon them^ 487. 
 
 Strange conceit about them^ 488. One of an unujual 
 
 nature 490. Thofe of the moon always ill calculated^ 
 
 and wh}\ 49 1 . 
 Edi^ by authority for the publick exercife of Chriftia- 
 
 nity, 474. 
 Emoui^ a famous haven defer ibed^ 85. 
 Englifhy the chara^er the Chine fe have of them^ 212. 
 
 F. 
 
 FEet^ fmaUnefs of them a great beauty^ 126. 
 Fountains^ none but what belong to the eynpe- 
 
 ror^ 159. Defer ibed^ no. Ebb and flow like the 
 
 fea^ ibid. 
 Feaji of the Lan thorns^ 161. 
 Fejiivals^ 161. Full of ceremonies^ 283. 
 Fire-works very confiderable^ defcribed^ 163. 
 French^ the opinion of the Chinefe concerning them, 
 
 111. 
 Fijhing^ ways not ufed by us, 238. 
 Fortifications., 7 3 . 
 Fruits^ 95. 
 FifJo^ III. Sometimes petrified^ 112. Gold andfilver 
 
 fifjjy the moft beautiful in the world., 113. Others of 
 
 flrange natures., 316. 
 Fohi., an emperor., 317. 
 Fo.f a fort of an impoftor., his flrange anions., 327. 
 
 Now worJJjipped in China^ 328. Reprefented by a 
 
 live priefl^ 339. 
 Faber^ a French miffionary.^ his cbara^er^ 364. IVorks 
 
 and miracles, ibid. 
 
 Gardens, 
 
INDEX. 531 
 
 G. 
 
 C'iArdens^ none in China^ 157. 
 J Geometry of the Chinefe^ 214. 
 Gin-Sem^ an herb highly valued ; an account of it^ 
 
 226. 
 Geographers^ two grofs miftakes of theirs re5lified<^ 15. 
 Gaming forbid^ but privately praBifed even to great 
 
 excefs, 299. 
 Gerbillon^ a French mathematician^ his character ^ 387. 
 Grajhoppers Jlrangely generated^ 515. 
 
 H. 
 
 HAbit of men^ 132. Of women ^ 124. Of the mif- 
 fionaries^ 145. "The Chinefe never alter the fa- 
 fhion of it^ engage in a war with the 'Tartars ra- 
 ther than do it^ 1^6, 
 
 Houfes defer ibed^ 147. Meanly fur nifJoed^ and why yihid, 
 
 Hieroglyphicks formerly ufed^ 1S2. 
 
 Hamcheu^ a city defer ibed^ 82, 
 
 Havens of China ^ 84. 
 
 Hills ^ how cultivated^ 91. 
 
 Harvefi twice a year^ 95. 
 
 Honours often conferred on the dead^ 257. 
 
 Hifiories very impartial ; a very remarkable way they 
 take to make them fo^ 260. 
 
 Hoamti^ an emperor^ 317. 
 
 I. 
 
 INtorcetta^ an eminent miffionary perfecuted^ 448, 
 Jukiao^ afeB of religious in China ^ 340. 
 Idolatry^ its firft rife in China ^ 324. Idols fometimes 
 uncanonized and abufed^ 329. A very notable fiory 
 to this purpofe^ 330. Idolatry and fuperflition of 
 the feamen^ 8. 
 M, 187. 
 
 K. 
 
 KAlendar^ 303. 
 M m 2 . Language 
 
532 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 LAnguage exceedifig difficulty 177. Magalhen's mif 
 take about the eaftnefs of fY, ibid. Confifts only 
 
 of 0^11 "--'^^^^'^ ibid. 
 Loadfi ones of great pors:e'i\ 2i(). The quick way of 
 
 cutting them^ 230. 
 Liy a famous rebel ^ 17. 
 Letters from one to another defer ihed^ 283. 
 La'-juyers maintained by the publick^ and therefore take 
 
 no fees^ 287. 
 Li-Laokun^ head of a feci of idolaters^ 324. His 
 
 fl range birth and life, ibid. 
 Lamas, priejls, 339. 
 
 M. 
 
 MIffionaries fent for to court, and the joy the chrif- 
 tians exprejfed when they f aw them, 16. How 
 
 received by the emperor, 32. Obtain leave to fettle 
 anywhere, ^j. Ceremonies at their audience, 39. 
 
 Magiftrates highly honoured, 275. 
 
 Mourning, the ceremonies of it, lyi. 
 
 Mora! principles, what chiefly taught children, iji. 
 
 Men, fome thought immortal, 94. 
 
 Macao defer ibed, 85. 
 
 Marriages, and their ceremonies, 30c. 
 
 Mangoure, a beafl defer ibed, 512. 
 
 Mathematicians fent into China fro/n France, by whcfe 
 advice, 2 . Mathematical inftrume/its ufed in China, 
 
 65. 
 
 Mandarines highly honoured when they travel by wa- 
 ter, 29. Perfnitted to remonftrate to the emperor 
 his faults, 259. 
 
 },lilky'Way in the iky, what, 502. 
 
 Mercury the planet, curious cbfervations about him,/^gS, 
 
 Mufcovites make a league with China, 387. 
 
 Monument of chriftia^iity dug out of the ground by a 
 great providence, 350. 
 
 Meafures^ 307. Medicine 
 
INDEX. 533 
 
 Medicine of Chin a ^ 215. 
 Muftck of China^ 214. 
 
 N. 
 
 ^'^ Ankim defcrib^d^ y6. 
 M Nimpo^ a conftderahle fort defer ibed^ 2>6, 
 Nobility not hereditary^ 289. 
 No5liluca^s^ 514. 
 Navigation of the Chine fe defer ibed^ 230. 
 
 O. 
 
 Oljlers^ the anatomy of thern^ 521. 
 Oufanguey^ a commander ^ his great loyalty^ 18. 
 proclaimed rebels 374. Routed 377. 
 Olopouen^ miffionary into China in the year 636, 351. 
 Onions^ of aftrange property^ 100. 
 Oranges of China^ 97. 
 Obfervatory at Pekin^ 6^. 
 Outom-Chu^ a ftrange tree^ 158. 
 
 P. 
 
 PErukes mighty ridiculous to the Chinefe^ 136. 
 Printings its antiquity in China, 185. Their way 
 
 of doing it^ ibid. 
 Paper ^ what fort ufed^ 186. 
 Pens never ufed, but inftead of them pencils ^ 184. 
 Philofophy^ an account of it, 213. 
 Pulfe, a Ji range accuracy in feeling it among the 
 
 Chinefe, 215. 
 PaO'China,' an herb, its defer ipt ion and virtues, 227. 
 Provinces of China, their number and names, i§. 
 Pekin defcribed, 54. Its vaji extent, ibid. Number 
 
 of inhabitants, c,j. Prodigious gates and thick 
 
 walls, 71. Taken by the rebels, 18. 
 Ports of China, 84. 
 Pepper tree, 100. 
 Policy, 243. 
 Parents highly honoured, 271. An injlance of this m 
 
 the behaviour of the prefent emperor, ibid . Breach 
 
 cf this duty fever ely pimifhed, 273. 
 
534 INDEX. 
 
 Punifloments^ what infliBed^ 292. 
 
 Pojls, 310. 
 
 Fortuguefe endeavour to overthrow the Jefuits mijjion 
 
 in China ^ 360. How prevented^ 361, 
 Perfecution againft- the chriftians^ 360. Another more 
 
 violent^ 361. 
 Persecutors^ fevcral of them overtaken by the divine 
 
 vengeance^ 370. 
 Petition of the miffionaries to the emperor to ejlablifh 
 
 chriftianit)\ 461. 
 Petavius^ a miflake in his chronology re^fified^ 489. 
 Planets^ ohfervations on them^ 496. 
 Plfmires^ white very troublefome^ 514. 
 Pearls^ their generation^ 521. The manner offfhing 
 
 for- them^ 517. 
 
 RHinoceros defer ibed^ 507. 
 Revolution in China ^ 0^62. 
 Ricci^ a miffionary^ his chara5fer and actions ^ 358. 
 Religion of China, 315. 
 Roads, 308. 
 Revenue, how much, 255. And yet how eafily gathered 
 
 in, 312. 
 Rebellion in China, 17. 
 Rewards, what beftowed, 290. 
 Rivers, 106. 
 
 S. 
 
 SHips of China defer ibed, 231. 
 Sigan, a City defer ibed, 81. 
 Silks of China, 138. IVhcre the befl is made, ibid. 
 Soil, its temper, 91. ^ 
 
 Scales, what fort are ufed, 306. 
 Soldiers, how difciplmed, 313. 
 Superflition towards the dead, a remarkable ftory of 
 
 ^h 344- 
 Sanciam, an ijland where Xavier was buried, de- 
 
 fcribed, 357, 
 
 Sofan, 
 
INDEX. 535 
 
 Sofan, a 'prince of the bloody a mighty friend, to the 
 
 chrijiiansy 471. Puhlickly in court pleads their 
 
 caufe^ 471. 
 Satellites of the planets^ ohfervations concerning thenty 
 
 502, 
 Savage-men^ heafts fo called in the fhape of men^ 
 
 defcrihed^ 508. 
 Serpents^ offtrange properties ^ 513. 
 Schaaly vid. Adam. 
 
 T. 
 
 TReeSy 158. 
 I'ea^ an account of its virtues : the way to 
 
 chufe the befi^ 221. 
 Thomas (St.) preached in the Indies^ and probably 
 
 in China y 348. 
 ^ranfmigration of fouls held^ 332. A pkafant relation 
 
 of a man ftrangely infatuated with this opinion^ ZoZ* 
 Tcbouen-hioy emperor^ 317. 
 Tioy emperor y ibid. 
 
 Tchim-Vam^ emperor ^ 319. His gallant and uncon- 
 cerned behaviour at the approach of deaths ibid. 
 Towns of China defer ibed^ 297. 
 Tartars cruelty^ 0,01, A pkafant relation of an odd 
 
 accident proceeding from thence ^ ibid. 
 TjountOy a particular fort of viceroy s^ 265. 
 Tallow tree^ 99. 
 Triumphal arches defcribed^ ^6. 
 Temples of idols ^ their defcription^ 62 . Of gratitude 
 
 dejcribed.^ 77. 
 Torrents^ the mofi rapid Jailed over by the Chinefe^ 
 
 and how y 237. 
 Typhon^ a tempefiuousjlormy wind, an account of it, 10. 
 
 V 
 
 V. 
 
 Erbiejly a mijfionary^ made the emperofs mathe- 
 matician , 372. His great fervice in quellijig a 
 rebellion, 376. Highly honoured by the emperor, 377. 
 His remarkable zeal for martyrdom, 47. His cha- 
 
 ra^er. 
 
536 INDEX. 
 
 raBtr^ 44. His letter to the emperor on bis death- 
 bed^ 42. His deaths 43. The emperor^ s encommn 
 of him^ 48. His funeral procejfion^ 49. Receives 
 ne-w titles of hcnour after his deaths 52. 
 
 Vifits^ paid'unth many ceremonies, ijj. 
 
 Vou-Vam, emperor, 318. A famous infiance of affec- 
 tion fie-jim him by his brother, ibid. 
 
 Vicars apcjiolical fent from Rome, 381. 
 
 Varnifhy 'xhere it grows ^ and how ufed^ 149. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wives of the emperor^ 60. 
 V/omen in China mighty religious^ 396. Never 
 exercife any trade, 294. 
 Wall of China, j^ 
 Weights ufed, 307. 
 
 X. 
 
 XAvier undertakes his miffion, 354. Miraculotifiy 
 preferred from corruption v:hen dead, ^^^, 
 His tomb, hozv difcovered, ibid. 
 
 Y. 
 
 YAO, an emperor, '^ij. 
 I'arfi-Sluani-Sien, a violent perfecut or, hov) he 
 ef: aped the hands of jujiice, 293. 
 2^Qiith, hozu educated, 2 85. 
 
 ZJ 412. 
 
 z. 
 
 a remarkable infiance of it in a Chinefe^ 
 
 Another very famous one in a phyfician, 449. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
iii^-1% 
 
7/ 
 
^^,^^;^^^ 
 
 ■r,*»--^*- 
 
■.if V . 
 
 
 
 iu*. ■:■:*:*: