DS756 
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TRANSLATIONS 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 CHINESE AND ARMENIAN, 
 
 WITH 
 
 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES FRIED. NEUMANN. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND, 
 
 AND SOLD BY 
 
 J. MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET; 
 
 PARBURY, ALLEN, & CO., LEADENHALL STREET; 
 
 THACKER & CO., CALCUTTA; TREUTTEL & WORTZ, PARIS; 
 AND E. FLEISCHER, LEIPZIG. 
 
 1831 . 
 

 
 
 LONDON ： 
 
 Printed by J. L. Cox, Great Quecn’Streci. 
 Lincoln’s-Inn Fields. 
 
I. 
 
 History of the Pirates who infested the China Sea, 
 from 1807 to 1810. 
 
 II. 
 
 The Catechism of the Shamans ; or the Laws and 
 Regulations of the Priesthood of Buddha, in China. 
 
 III. 
 
 Vahram’s Chronicle of the Armenian Kingdom of 
 Cilicia during the time of the Crusades. 
 
 Ծ 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE PIRATES 
 
 WHO 
 
 INFESTED THE CHINA SEA, 
 
 From 1807 to 1810. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE ORIGINAL, 
 
 WITH 
 
 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES FRIED. NEUMANN. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND, 
 
 And Sold by 
 
 J. MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET; 
 
 PARBURY, ALLEN, & CO., LEADENHALL STREET ； 
 THACKER & CO., CALCUTTA; TREUTTEL & WURTZ, PARIS ； 
 AND E. FLEISCHER, LKIPSIG. 
 
 183 ] 
 
LONDON 
 
 Printed by J. L. Cox, Great Queen Street, 
 Lincoln’^- Inn Fields. 
 
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE. 
 
 Conquerors are deemed successful rob- 
 bers, while robbers are unsuccessful 
 conquerors. If the founder of the dy- 
 nasty of the Ming had failed in his 
 rebellion against the Moguls, history 
 would have called him a robber ； and if 
 any one of the various robber-chiefs, who 
 in the course of the two last centuries 
 made war against the reigning Manchow, 
 had overthrown the government of the 
 foreigners, the official historiographers of 
 the “ Middle empire ” would have called 
 him the far-famed , illustrious elder father 
 of the new dynasty. 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Robbers or pirates are usually ignorant 
 of the principles concerning human so- 
 ciety. They are not aware that power is 
 derived from the people for the general 
 advantage, and that when it is abused to 
 a certain extent, all means of redress re- 
 sorted to are legitimate. But they feel 
 most violently the abuse of power. The 
 fruit of labour is too often taken out of 
 their hands, justice sold for money, and 
 nothing is safe from their rapacious and 
 luxurious masters. People arise to oppose, 
 and act according to the philosophical 
 principles of human society, without hav- 
 ing any clear idea about them. Robbers 
 and pirates are, in fact, the opposition 
 party in the despotical empires of the 
 East ; and their history is far more inte- 
 resting than that of the reigning despot.* 
 
 * The Chinese have particular histories of the robbers and 
 pirates who existed in the middle empire from the most ancient 
 times ; these histories form a portion of every provincial history . 
 The three last books (the 58th, 59th, and 60th) of the Memoirs 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Vll 
 
 The sameness which is to be observed in 
 the history of all Asiatic governments, 
 presents a great difficulty to any historian 
 who wishes to write a history of any na- 
 tion in Asia for the general reader. 
 
 The history of the transactions between 
 Europeans and the Chinese is intimately 
 connected with that of the pirate chiefs 
 who appeared from time to time in the 
 Chinese Sea, or Southern Ocean. The 
 Europeans themselves, at their first ap- 
 pearance in the iniddle empire , only be- 
 came known as pirates. Simon de An- 
 drada, the first Portuguese who (1521) 
 tried to establish any regular trade with 
 
 concerning the South of the Meihling Mountains (see the Cate- 
 chism of the Shahmans, p. 44) are inscribed Tsing fun (10,987, 
 2,651), and contain the Robber history from the beginning- of Woo 
 wang, of the dynasty Chow. The Memoirs only give extracts of 
 former works ; the extracts to the three last books are taken from 
 the Great Historg of Yue, or Province of Kwang tang ( Yue ta 
 he), from the Old Transactions of the Five Realms ( JYoo kw 〇 koo 
 sse ), the Old Records of Yang ching, a name of the ancient city of 
 Kwang tung ( Yang ching koo chaou), the Official Robber History 
 ( Kw 〇 she y\h shin chuen), &c. 
 
Vlll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 China, committed violence against the 
 merchants, and bought young Chinese to 
 use them as slaves ； and it is known that 
 it was the policy of the civilized foreigners 
 from the “ Great Western Ocean ’* (which 
 is the Chinese name for Europe) to decry 
 their competitors in trade as pirates and 
 outlaws. 
 
 The footing which Europeans and Ame- 
 ricans now enjoy in China, originated from 
 the assistance given by the Portuguese to 
 the Manchow against the Patriots, other- 
 wise called pirates, who would not sub- 
 mit to the sway of foreigners. Macao, 
 the only residence (or large prison) in 
 which foreigners are shut up, is not con- 
 sidered by the Chinese Government as 
 belonging exclusively to the Portuguese. 
 The Dutch, on not being allowed to re- 
 main in Macao, complained to the Chi- 
 nese Government, and the authorities of 
 the middle empire commanded the Por- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 tuguese to grant houses to the newly 
 arrived Holan or Hollander, “since Ma- 
 cao was to be considered as the abode of 
 all foreigners trading with China.” The 
 edicts concerning this transaction are 
 stated to be now in the archives of the 
 Dutch factory at Macao. 
 
 It is one of the most interesting facts in 
 the history of the Chinese empire, that 
 the various barbarous tribes, who subdued 
 either the whole or a part of this singular 
 country, were themselves ultimately sub- 
 dued by the peculiar civilization of their 
 subjects. The Kitans, Moguls, and Man- 
 chow, became, in the course of time, 
 Chinese people; like the Ostro, and Visi- 
 goths, and Longobards — Romans. But 
 we may remark, that both the Chinese 
 and the Roman civilization under the 
 Emperors recommended itself to the con- 
 querors, as connected with a despotism 
 which particularly suited the views of the 
 
 B 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 conquerors. Though this large division 
 of the human race, which we are accus- 
 tomed to call Tatars, never felt a spark 
 of that liberty which everywhere animated 
 the various German nations and tribes, and 
 theKhakhans, in consequence of this, were 
 not in need of any foreign policy to en- 
 slave their compatriots; yet it may be 
 said, that neither Moguls nor Manchow 
 were able to establish a despotic form of 
 government which worked so well for a 
 large nation as that of the Chinese. 
 
 The extremes of both despotism and 
 democracy acknowledge no intermediary 
 power or rank. The sovereign is the 
 vice-regent of heaven, and all in all ； 
 he is the only rule of right and wrong, 
 and commands both what shall be done in 
 this world and thought of concerning the 
 next. It may be easily imagined, that the 
 Jesuits, on their first arrival in China, 
 were delighted with such a perfect spe- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XI 
 
 cirnen of government according to their 
 political sentiments. They tried all that 
 human power could command to succeed 
 in the conversion of this worldly paradise. 
 The fathers disguised themselves as astro- 
 nomers, watchmakers, painters, musicians, 
 and engineers.* They forged inscriptions [ 
 and invented miracles, and almost went to 
 the extent of canonizing Confucius. But 
 this cunning deference to Chinese cus- 
 toms involved the Jesuits in a dispute 
 with their more pious but less prudent 
 competitors ； and notwithstanding all the 
 
 * We are chiefly indebted to the Jesuits that the Russians had 
 not conquered part of China about the middle of the seventeenth 
 century.՜ See the passage of Muller in Burney’s Voyages of Dis- 
 covery to the North-East Passage, p. 55. The Manchow de- 
 stroyed the Chinese patriots by the cannon cast by the Rev. 
 Father Verbiest. — Le Comte, Nouvelles Observations sur la Chine. 
 
 f We have a learned dissertation, pleading for the authenticity 
 of the famous inscription of Se ngan foo , by a well-known Sino- 
 logue. May we not be favoured with another Oratio pro domo 
 concerning the many crosses which had been found in Full keen, 
 and on the “ Escrevices de Mer, qui estans encore en vie, lors 
 mesme qu’elles estoient cuites?” See Relation de la Chine par 
 Michel Boym, de la Compagnie de Jesus, inTlieveno, et Relations 
 de divers Voyage, vol. ii, pp. C and 14. 
 
Xll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 cleverness of the Jesuits, the Chinese 
 saw at last, that in becoming Roman Ca- 
 tholic Christians they must cease to be 
 Chinese, and obey a foreign sovereign in 
 the Great Western Ocean. Toland affirms, 
 that the Chinese and the Irish, in the time 
 of their heathen monarch Laogirius, were 
 the only nations in which religious perse- 
 cutions never existed ；* this praise now 
 refers exclusively to Ireland. Roman 
 Catholicism is at this moment nearly 
 
 * Toland, History of the Druids, p. 51. — “ This justice, there- 
 fore, I would do to Ireland, even if it had not been my country, 
 viz. to maintain that this tolerating principle, this impartial liberty 
 (of religion), ever since unexampled there as well as elsewhere, 
 China ecccepted, is far greater honour to it,” & c. Never was a man 
 more calumniated than Confucius by the Jesuit Couplet. Con- 
 fucius Sinarum Philosophus was printed in the year 1687, shortly 
 after Louis XIV. abolished the Edict of Nantes, and persecuted 
 the most industrious part of his subjects. The Jesuit is bold 
 enough to affirm, in his Epistola Dedicatoria ad Ludovicum mag- 
 num, that the Chinese philosopher would be exceedingly rejoiced 
 in seeing the piety of the great king. “ Quibtis te laudibus (fferret, 
 cum haeresin, hostem illam avitae fidei ac regni florentissimi teterri- 
 mam, proculcatam et attritam, edicta quibus vitam ducere videbatur, 
 abrogata ; disjecta templa, nomen ipsum sepultum, tot animarum 
 millia pristinis ab erroribus ad veritatem, ab cccitio ad salutem tarn 
 suaviter (!) tarn fortiter (/), tarn fclicitcr (!) traducta. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Xlll 
 
 extinguished in China. To become a 
 Christian is considered high- treason, and 
 the only Roman Catholic priest at Canton 
 at the present time, is compelled to hide 
 himself under the mask of shopkeeper. 
 In their successful times, during the seven- 
 teenth century, the Roman Catholic Mis- 
 sionaries published in Europe, that no 
 nation was more virtuous, nor any go- 
 vernment more enlightened than that of 
 the Chinese ; these false eulogies were 
 the source of that high opinion in which 
 the Chinese were formerly held in Eu- 
 rope. 
 
 The merchants and adventurers who 
 came to China “ to make money” found 
 both the government and people widely 
 different from descriptions given by the 
 Jesuits. They found that the Chinese of- 
 ficers of government, commonly called 
 Mandarins, would think themselves de- 
 filed by the least intercourse with fo- 
 
XIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 reigners, particularly merchants; and that 
 the laws are often interpreted quite dif- 
 ferently before and after receiving bribes. 
 The Europeans were proud of their ci- 
 vilization and cleverness in mercantile 
 transactions, and considered the inha- 
 bitants of all the other parts of the world 
 as barbarians ; but they found, to their 
 astonishment and disappointment, the 
 Chinese still more proud and cunning. 
 We may easily presume that these de- 
 luded merchants became very irritated, 
 and in their anger they reported to their 
 countrymen in Europe that the Chinese 
 were the most treacherous and abandon- 
 ed people in the world,* that “they were 
 only a peculiar race of savages,” and re- 
 quired to be chastised in one way or 
 another ； which would certainly be very 
 easy. Commodore Anson, with a single 
 weather-beaten sixty-gun ship, in fact, 
 
 * Toreen’s Voyage behind Osbeck, II. 239, English translation. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XV 
 
 set the whole power of the Chinese Go- 
 vernment at defiance. 
 
 The Translator of the History of the 
 Pirates ventures to affirm, that the Chi- 
 nese system of government is by far the 
 best that ever existed in Asia ； not ex- 
 cepting any of the different monarchies 
 founded by the followers of Alexander, 
 the government of the Roman Praetors 
 and of Byzantine Dukes, or that of 
 Christian Kings and Barons who reigned 
 in various parts of the East during the 
 middle ages. The principles of Chinese 
 government are those of virtue and jus- 
 tice ; but they are greatly corrupted by 
 the passions and vices of men. The 
 greater part of their laws are good and 
 just, though the practice is often bad ； but 
 unfortunately this is generally not known 
 to the “ Son of Heaven.” It is the interest 
 of the Emperor to deal out justice to the 
 lowest of his subjects ； but, supposing it 
 
XVI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 were possible that one man could manage 
 the government of such an immense em- 
 pire, who either could or would dare to 
 denounce every vicious or unjust act of 
 the officers employed by government ? 
 The Chinese themselves are a clever 
 shrewd sort of people ； deceit and false- 
 hood are, perhaps, more generally found 
 in the “flowery empire” than any where 
 else ； but take them all in all, they rank 
 high in the scale of nations, and the 
 generality of the people seem to be quite 
 satisfied with their government ; they 
 may wish for a change of masters, but 
 certainly not for an entire change of the 
 system of government. 
 
 There has existed for a long period, 
 and still exists, a powerful party in the 
 Chinese Empire, which is against the do- 
 minion of the Manchow; the different 
 mountainous tribes maintain, even now, 
 in the interior of China, a certain inde- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XVI 1 
 
 pendence of the Tay tsing dynasty. The 
 Meao tsze, who were in Canton some 
 years ago, stated, with a proud feeling, 
 that they were Ming jin, people of Ming; 
 the title of the native sovereigns of China 
 before the conquest of the Manchow. It 
 is said, that the whole disaffected party is 
 united in a society — generally called the 
 Triade-Union — and that they aimed at 
 the overthrow of the Tatars, particularly 
 under the weak government of the late 
 Emperor ； but the rebels totally failed in 
 their object both by sea and land. 
 
 It has been falsely reported in Europe, 
 that it is not allowed by the laws of 
 China to publish the transactions of the 
 reigning dynasty. It is true that the his- 
 tory written by the official or imperial 
 historians is not published ; but there 
 is no statute which prohibits other per- 
 sons from writing the occurrences of their 
 times. It may be easily imagined that 
 
 c 
 
XV111 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 such authors will take especial care not to 
 state any thing which may be offensive to 
 persons in power. There is, however, no 
 official court in China to regulate the 
 course of the human understanding, there 
 is nothing like that tribunal which in the 
 greater part of the Continent of Europe 
 is called the Censorship. Fear alone is 
 quite sufficient to check the rising spirits 
 of the liberals in the middle empire. The 
 reader, therefore, should not expect that 
 either the author of the “ History of the 
 Rebellions in the Interior of China,” or 
 the writer of the “ Pacification of the Pi- 
 rates,” would presume to state that per- 
 sons whom government is pleased to style 
 robbers and pirates, are in reality ene- 
 mies of the present dynasty ; neither 
 would they state that government, not 
 being able to quell these rebellions, are 
 compelled to give large recompenses to 
 the different chiefs who submit. These 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XIX 
 
 facts are scarcely hinted at in the Chinese 
 histories. The government officers are 
 usually delineated as the most excellent 
 men in the world. When they run away, 
 they know before-hand that fighting will 
 avail nothing; and when they pardon, 
 they are not said to be compelled by ne- 
 cessity, but it is described as an act of 
 heavenly virtue ! From what we learn by 
 the statements of a Chinese executioner, 
 we should be led to form a bad opinion of 
 the veracity of these historians, and the 
 heavenly virtue of their government ; for 
 it is said, that one Chinese executioner be- 
 headed a thousand pirates in one year.* 
 The author of the following work is 
 a certain Yung lan yam, called Jang 
 seen,\ a native of the city or market 
 town Shun tih, eighty le southerly from 
 
 * The Canton Register, 1829, No. 20. 
 
 + Jany seen is his Tsze, or title. The numbers which are to 
 he found on the margin of the translation, refer to the pages 
 of the Chinese printed text. 
 
XX 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Canton. The great number of proper 
 names, of persons and places, to be 
 found in the “ History of the Pacification 
 of the Pirates ,” together with the nick- 
 names and thieves’ slang employed by 
 the followers of Ching yih, presented pe- 
 culiar difficulties in the translation of 
 Yuen’s publication. The work was pub- 
 lished in November 1830 at Canton; and 
 it is to be regretted, for the fame of the 
 author in the great western ocean , that he 
 used provincial and abbreviated charac- 
 ters. I will not complain that by so 
 doing he caused many difficulties to his 
 translator, for a native of Shun tih would 
 not trouble himself on that point ;\but I 
 have reason to believe that the head 
 schoolmaster of Kwang tung will think 
 it an abomination that Yung lun yuen 
 should dare take such liberties in a his- 
 torical composition. Schoolmasters have 
 a greater sway in China than any where 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXI 
 
 else, and they like not to be trifled with. 
 These are particularly the men, who, 
 above all others, oppose any innovation 
 or reform ； scholars, who presume to 
 know every thing between heaven and 
 earth ： and they may certainly satisfy eve- 
 ry man, who will rest satisfied by mere 
 words. These learned gentlemen are too 
 much occupied with their own philosophi- 
 cal and literary disquisitions, to have any 
 time, or to think it worth their notice, to 
 pay attention to surrounding empires or 
 nations. If we consider the scanty and 
 foolish notices which are found in recent 
 Chinese publications regarding those na- 
 tions with which the Chinese should be 
 well acquainted, we cannot but form a 
 very low estimate of the present state of 
 Chinese literature. How far otherwise 
 are the accounts of foreign nations, which 
 are to be found in the great work of 
 Matuanlin ! It will, perhaps, be interest- 
 
XXII 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 ing to the European reader to learn, what 
 the Chinese know and report concerning 
 the nations of Ta se yang , or the great 
 western ocean. I therefore take an oppor- 
 tunity here to give some extracts from a 
 Chinese publication relative to European 
 nations, printed last year at Canton. 
 
 The fifty-seventh hook of the Memoh's 
 concerning the South of the Meiling Moun- 
 tains , contains a history of all the South- 
 ern barbarians (or foreigners) ； and here 
 are mentioned — with the Tanka people 
 and other barbarous tribes of Kwang 
 tung and Kwang se — the Siamese, the 
 Mahometans, the French, Dutch, English, 
 Portuguese, Austrians, Prussians, and 
 Americans. The work was published by 
 the command of Yuen, the ex- Governor- 
 General of Canton, who is considered 
 one of the principal living literary cha- 
 racters of China, and it consists chiefly of 
 extracts from the voluminous history of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XX111 
 
 the province Kwang tung, published by 
 his Excellency: — 
 
 The Religion of the Hwy hwy, or Mahometans. 
 
 “ This religion is professed by various sorts 
 “ of barbarians who live southerly beyond 
 “ Chen ching (Tseamba, or Zeampa), to the Se 
 “ yu. Their doctrines originated in the king- 
 “ dom of Me tih no (Medina). They say that 
 “ heaven is the origin of all things ; they do not 
 “ use any images. Their country is close to Teen 
 “ choo (India) ; their customs are quite difte- 
 “ rent from those of the Buddhists ; they kill 
 “ living creatures, but they do not eat indiscri- 
 “ minately all that is killed ; they eat not hog’s 
 “ flesh, and this is the essence of the doctrine 
 “ of Hwy hwy. They have now a foreign pa- 
 “ goda (_ fan to), near the temple of the com- 
 “ passionate saint (in Canton), which exists 
 “ since the time of the Tang. It is of a spiral 
 “ form, and 163 cubits high.* They go every 
 “ day therein to say prayers.” 
 
 * The cubit at Canton is 14 inches 625 dec. Morrison, under 
 the word Weights, in his Dictionary, English and Chinese. 
 
XXIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 By the kindness of Dr. Morrison, the 
 translator had the pleasure to converse 
 with a member of the Mahometan 
 clergy at Canton. He stated, that in the 
 Mosque at Canton is a tablet, whereon it 
 is written, that the religion of the Pro- 
 phet of Mecca was brought to China, Tang 
 ching yuen san neen, that is, in the third 
 year of the period called Ching yuen , 
 under the Tang dynasty, i. e. 787 of our 
 era.* The compilers of the Memoirs, & c. 
 have taken their extract from the histo- 
 rical work of Ho (4051, M.) ； they seem 
 not to have any knowledge of Matuanlin, 
 where the Arabs are spoken of under the 
 name of Ta she. See the notes to my 
 translation of the Chronicle of Vahram, 
 p. 76. During the time the translator 
 
 * We see by this statement that Couplet is wrong in saying 
 ( Confucius Sinarum philosophus. Proemialis declaratio, p. GO) r 
 “ Mahometani, cjui una cum suis erroribus ante annos fere septin- 
 gentos (Couplet wrote 1683) magno numero et licentia ingressi in 
 Chinam.” 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXV 
 
 was at Canton, there arrived a pilgrim 
 from Pekin on his way to Mecca. 
 
 The Fa lan se. Francs and Frenchmen. 
 
 “ The Fa lan se are also called Fo lang se, and 
 ‘ ‘ now Fo lang he. In the beginning they adopted 
 “ the religion of Buddha, but afterwards they 
 <։ received the religion of the Lord of Heaven. 
 “ They are assembled together and stay in Leu 
 “ song (Spain ?) ; they strive now very hard with 
 ‘ ‘ the Hung maou or red-haired people (the Dutch'), 
 “ and the Ying keih le ( English ) ; but the Fa lan 
 “ se have rather the worst of it. These fo- 
 reigners, or barbarians (e jin) wear white 
 “ caps and black woollen hats ; they salute one 
 “ another by taking off the hat. Regarding 
 “ their garments and eating and drinking, they 
 “ have the same customs as the people of 
 “ Great Leu song and Small Leu song ( Spain 
 “ and Manilla).՛” 
 
 This extract is taken from the Hwang 
 tsing chih hung too , or the Register of the 
 Tribute as recorded under the present dy- 
 
 D 
 
XXVI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 nasty (. Memoirs , 1. c. p. 10 v., p. 11 r.). I 
 am not sure if Ke tsew (10,869) keu 
 (6,063) Leu song, can really be translated 
 by the words — they are assembled together 
 and stay in Leu song. The use of tsew in 
 the place of tseu (10,826) is confirmed by 
 the authorities in Kang he ; but does Leu 
 song really mean Spain ? The Pliilippinas 
 are called Leu song (Luzon), from the 
 island whereon Manilla is, and in oppo- 
 sition to Spain ( Ta Leu song, the great 
 L. 5.), Seao Leu song, the small Leu 
 song. It may be doubted whether Leu 
 song without Ta, great, can be taken for 
 Spain. The Chinese have moreover learn- 
 ed from Matthaeus Ricci the proper name 
 of Spain, and write it She շաո ya. The 
 Dutch, the English, and the Germans, 
 are, from a reddish colour of their hair, 
 called Hung maou. This peculiar colour of 
 the hair found among people of German 
 origin, is often spoken of by the ancient 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXVll 
 
 Roman authors ; as for instance in Taci- 
 tus, Germania, c. 4. Juvenal says, Sat. 
 XIII. V. 104, 
 
 Caerula quis stupuit Germani lumina? jlavam 
 
 Cccsariem, et madido torquentem cornua cirro ? 
 
 It would carry us too far at present to 
 translate the statements of the Chinese 
 concerning the Portuguese and Dutch. 
 Under the head of Se yang , or Portugal, 
 may be read an extract of the account of 
 Europe (Gow lo pa) the Chinese received 
 by Paulus Matthseus Ricci ( Le ma paou ). 
 The Chinese know that the European Uni- 
 versities are divided into four faculties ； 
 and his Excellency Yuen is aware of the 
 great similarity between the ceremonies 
 of the Buddhists and those of the Roman 
 Catholic church (1. c. 17 v). The present 
 Translator of the “ History of the Pirates” 
 intends to translate the whole of the 57th 
 book of the often-quoted Memoirs, and 
 to subjoin copious extracts of other works, 
 
xxvm 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 particularly from the Hae kivo keen keen 
 luh , or “ Memoirs concerning the Empires 
 surrounded by the Ocean. ” This very 
 interesting small work is divided into two 
 books ; one containing the text, and the 
 other the maps. The text consists of 
 eight chapters, including a description of 
 the sea-coast of China, with a map, con- 
 structed on a large scale, of the nations 
 to the east, the south-east, and the south ； 
 then follows a topography of Portugal and 
 Europe generally. Concerning England 
 we find : — 
 
 The Kingdom of the Ying keih le, or English. 
 
 “ The kingdom of the Ying keih le is a de- 
 “ pendent or tributary state* to Ho lan (Hol- 
 
 * This statement is so extraordinary, that the Translator thought 
 it necessary to compare many passages where the character տհճհ 
 (8384 M.) occurs. Տհճհ originally means, according to the Shwu 
 wan, near, joining ; and Տհճհ kwo, are, according to Dr. Morrison, 
 “ small states attached to and dependent on a larger one : tributary 
 states.” The character shuh is often used in the same significa- 
 tion in the 57th book of our work. The description of the 
 Peninsula of Malacca begins (Mem. b. 57, p. 15 r.) with the 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXIX 
 
 “ land). Their garments and manners in eating 
 “ and drinking are the same. This kingdom 
 “ is rather rich. The males use much cloth 
 “ and like to drink wine. The females, before 
 “ marriage, bind the waist, being desirous to 
 “ look slender; their hair hangs in curls over 
 “ the neck ; they use a short garment and 
 “ petticoats, but dress in a larger cloth when 
 “ they go out. They take snuff out of boxes 
 “ made from gold and threads.” 
 
 This extract is taken from the “ Regis- 
 ter of the Tribute as recorded under the 
 present dynasty 
 
 “ Ying keih le is a kingdom composed of three 
 “ islands : it is in the middle of four kingdoms, 
 
 following words : “ Mioan la kea (Malacca) is in the southern 
 sea, and was originally a tributary state (shuh kwo) of Seen lo, or 
 Siam ; but the officer who there had the command revolted and 
 founded a distinct kingdom.” In the war which the Siamese some 
 years back carried on against the Sultan of Guedah, they always 
 affirmed that the King of Siam is, by his own right, the legiti- 
 mate sovereign of the whole peninsula of Malacca, and that the 
 Sultan must only be considered as a rebel against his liege. The 
 statement of the Chinese author, therefore, corroborates the asser- 
 tions of the Siamese. 
 
XXX 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 “ called Lin yin :* Hwang he, the yellow Jlag 
 “ (Denmark), Ho lan, and Fo lang se. The 
 “ Great Western Ocean (Europe) worships the 
 “ Lord of Heaven; and there are, firstly, 
 “ She pan ya (Spain), Poo keuh ya (Portugal) 
 “ the yellow Jlag , &c. ; but there are too many 
 “ kingdoms to nominate them one by one. Ying 
 “ keih le is a kingdom which produces silver, 
 “ woollen cloths, f camlets, peih he, or English 
 “ cloth, called long ells,J glass, and other 
 “ things of this kind.” 
 
 This extract is taken from the Hae kwo 
 keen keen luh, book i. p. 34 v. 35 r ; and 
 I am sorry to see that in the “ Memoirs” 
 it is abbreviated in such a manner that 
 the sense is materially changed. 
 
 • On the General Map of the Western Sea fSe hae tsung too) 
 Lin yin takes the place of Sweden. I cannot conceive what can 
 be the cause of that denomination. Lin yin, perhaps, may 
 mean the island Ruyen ? 
 
 t The common word for cloth, to lo ne, seems to be of Indian 
 origin; it is certainly not Chinese. The proper Chinese name is 
 jung. 
 
 t Peih he is written with various characters. See Morrison’s 
 Dictionary, under the word Peih, 8509. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXXI 
 
 “ Ying keih le” says the author of the Hae kwo 
 keen keen luh (1. c.), “ is a realm composed out 
 “ of three islands. To the west and the north 
 “ of the four kingdoms of Lin yin, the Yellow 
 “ jiag, Holan, and Fo lang se, is the ocean. From 
 “ Lin yin the ocean takes its direction to the 
 “ east, and surrounds Go lo sse (Russia) ; and 
 “ from Go lo sse, yet more to the east, Se me le 
 “ (Siberia?). Through the northern sea you can- 
 “ not sail; the sea is frozen, and does not 
 “ thaw, and for this reason it is called the 
 “ Frozen Ocean. From Lin yin, to the south, 
 “ are the various empires of the Woo and Kwei 
 “ ( Crows and Demons ), and they all belong 
 “ to the red-haired people of the Great Western 
 “ Ocean. On the west and on the north there 
 
 “ are different barbarians under various names; 
 
 ****** 
 
 “ but they are, in one word, similar to the 
 “ Go lo sse (Russians), who stay in the metro- 
 “ polis (Pekin). It is said that the Kaou chan 
 “ peih mow (?) are similar to the inhabitants of 
 “ the Middle Empire ; they are of a vigorous 
 “ body and an ingenious mind. All that they 
 
XXX11 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 “ produce is fine and strong ; their attention is 
 “ directed to making fire-arms. They make 
 “ researches in astronomy and geography, and 
 “ generally they do not marry. Every king- 
 “ dom has a particular language, and they greet 
 “ one another by taking off’ the hat. They 
 “ worship,” &c. (The same as p. xxx.) 
 
 My copy of the Hae kwo keen keen luh 
 was printed in the province Che keang, 
 in the year 1794. 
 
 •‘In the narrative regarding foreign countries, 
 “ and forming part of the history of the Ming, 
 “ the English are called Yen go le ; in the Hae 
 “ kwo been keen lull, Ying ke le (5272, 6950); 
 “ but in the maps the name is now always 
 “ written Ying keili k (5018, 6947). In express- 
 “ ing the sound of words we sometimes use 
 “ different characters. This kingdom lies to the 
 “ west of Gow lo pa (Europa), and was originally 
 “ a tributary state to Ho lan (Holland) ; but in 
 ‘* the course of time it became richer and more 
 “ powerful than Ho lan, and revolted. These 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXX111 
 
 “ kingdoms arc, therefore, enemies. It is not 
 “ known at what time the Ying keih le grasped 
 “ the country of North O mo le kea (America), 
 “ which is called Kea no (Canada). Great 
 “ Ying keih le is a kingdom of Gow lo pa 
 “ (Europe.)* In the twelfth year of Yung ching 
 “ (1735), they came the first time to Canton 
 “ for trade. Their country produces wheat, 
 “ with which they trade to all the neighbour- 
 “ ing countries. They are generally called 
 “ Keang lied (that is, English ships from India, 
 “ or country ships), and there arrive many 
 “ vessels.” 
 
 This extract is taken from the Tan chay 
 Keen keen liih, and it is all that we find 
 regarding England in the Memoirs con- 
 cerning the south of the Meiling Moun- 
 tains (p. 18 r. v.). In the latter extract, 
 the author appears to confound the coun- 
 try trade of India and China with that of 
 
 * The syllable lo is not in the Chinese text, as it is supposed, by 
 a mistake of the printer. 
 
 E 
 
XXXIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 the mother country. England is again 
 mentioned in the notice regarding Me le 
 keih (America), taken out of Yuen’s 
 History of Canton. It is there said, that 
 the Me le keih passed, in the 52d year of 
 Keen lung (1788), the Bocca Tigris, and 
 that they then separated from the Ying 
 keih le (p. 19 r.) At the end of the ex- 
 tract concerning the Americans (p. 190) 
 we read the following words : 
 
 “ The characters which are used in the writ- 
 “ ings of these realms are, according՛ to the 
 “ statements of Ma lo ko, twenty -six ; all sounds 
 “ can be sufficiently expressed by these cha- 
 “ racters. Every realm has large and small 
 “ characters; they are called La ting cha- 
 “ racters, and La te na (Latin) characters.” 
 
 It is pleasing to observe that his Ex- 
 cellency Yuen had some knowledge of 
 Dr. Morrison’s Dictionary. In the third 
 part of his Dictionary, Dr. Morrison has 
 given, in Chinese, a short and clear notice 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXXV 
 
 concerning the European alphabet. Yuen 
 seems to have taken his statements from 
 this notice, and to have written the name 
 of the author, by a mistake, Ma lo ko , 
 for Ma le so, as Dr. Morrison is gene- 
 rally called by the Chinese. 
 
 The Man ying , the ■ Double Eagle, or 
 Austrians. 
 
 “ The Man ying passed the Bocca Tigris the 
 “ first time in the45th year of Keen lung (1781), 
 “ and are called Ta che/i ( Teutchen ). They 
 
 “ have accepted the religion of the Lord of 
 “ Heaven, in customs and manners they are 
 “ similar to the Se yang, or Portuguese ; they 
 “ are the brethren of the Tan ying, or Single 
 “ eagle kingdom (Prussia); in difficulties and 
 “ distress they help one another. Their ships 
 “ which came to Canton had a white fla 〇 \ on 
 “ which an eagle was painted with two heads.” 
 
 This extract is taken from the History 
 of Yuen . I take the liberty to observe, 
 that the Chinese scholar must be careful 
 
XXX VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 not to take the Sui chen, or Chen kwo (the 
 Swedes), for the Ta chen (the Teulchen). 
 In the Memoirs, 1. c. p. 19 v., we read the 
 following notice on the Chen kwo (the 
 Swedes) ： 
 
 “ The Chen realm is also called Tan (Den- 
 “ mark) realm, and now the yellow Jlag. This 
 “ country is opposite to that of the Ho lan, and 
 “ a little farther off from the sea. There are 
 “ two realms called Sui chen, and they border 
 “ both on the Go lo sse, or Russia. They 
 “ passed the Bocca Tigris the first year of 
 “ Keen lung (1765).” 
 
 The Tan ying, the Single Eagle or Prussians. 
 
 “ The Tan ying passed the Bocca Tigris the 
 “ 52d year of Keen lung (1788.) They live 
 “ to the west and north of the Man ying (Aus- 
 “ trians). In customs and manners they are 
 “ similar to them. On their ships flies a white 
 “ flag, on which an eagle is painted.” 
 
 This last extract is also taken from 
 
PREFACE . 
 
 XXXV11 
 
 the History of Canton, published by his 
 Excellency Yuen. 
 
 If we consider how easily the Chinese 
 could procure information regarding fo- 
 reign countries during the course of the 
 two last centuries, and then see how 
 shamefully they let pass all such oppor- 
 tunities to inform and improve them- 
 selves, we can only look upon these 
 proud slaves of hereditary customs with 
 the utmost disgust and contempt. The 
 ancient Britons and Germans had no 
 books ; yet what perfect descriptions of 
 those barbarian nations have been handed 
 down to us by the immortal genius of 
 Tacitus ! Montesquieu says, that “ in 
 Ceesar and Tacitus we read the code of 
 barbarian laws ； and in the code we read 
 Csesar and Tacitus.” In the statement 
 of the modern Chinese regarding foreign 
 nations, we see, on the contrary, both 
 the want of enquiry, and the childish 
 
XXXV111 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 remarks of unenlightened and unculti- 
 vated minds.* 
 
 * It may be remarked, that Cosmas, about the middle of the sixth 
 century 7 , had a better idea concerning the Chinese empire, or the 
 country of Tain, than the Chinese have even now of Europe. Such an 
 advantage was it to be born a Greek and not a Chinese. Cosmas 
 seems very 7 well informed concerning the articles of trade which 
 the Chinese generally bring to Serendib, or Serendwfpa (Ceylon). 
 He remarks, that farther than China there exists no other country 7 ; 
 that on the east it is surrounded by the ocean; and that Ceylon is 
 nearly as far from the Persian gulf as from Tziniza or China. 
 See the description of Taprobane, taken from the Christian To- 
 pography, and printed in Thevenot “Relations de divers Vovages,” 
 vol. i. pp. 2, 3, and 5. The Chinese about Canton have a custom 
 of ending every phrase with a long a (a is pronounced like a in 
 Italian) which is merely euphonic, like yay (11980) in the Man- 
 darine dialect. If a Chinese should be asked about his country, 
 he would answer according to the different dynasties, Tsin-a, 
 Han-a, Tang-a, Ming-a, &c. Tsin-n is probably the origin of 
 Tziniza. It is a little strange that Rennel takes no notice of 
 the statements of Cosmas. (See the Geographical System of 
 Herodotus I. 223, Second Edition, London, 1830.) Is it not 
 very remarkable, that this merchant and monk seems to have also 
 had very correct information concerning the north-west frontier 
 of China, and of the conquest which the Huns (in Sanscrit Iluna) 
 have made in the north-west part of Hindustan? He reckons 
 from China, through Tartary and Bactria to Persia, 150 stations, 
 or days’ journies. About the time of Cosmas, an intercourse 
 commenced between China and Persia. 
 
Y1NG HING SOO’s PREFACE. 
 
 In the summer of the year Ke sze 
 (1809),* I returned from the capital, and 
 having passed the chain of mountains, f 
 I learned the extraordinary disturbances 
 caused by the Pirates. When I came home 
 I saw with mine own eyes all the calami- 
 ties; four villages were totally destroy- 
 ed; the inhabitants collected together 
 
 * In prefaces and rhetorical exercises, the Chinese commonly 
 call the years by the names employed in the well-known cycle of 
 sixty years. The first cycle is supposed to have begun with the 
 year 2697 before Christ. In the year 1804, the ninth year of Kea 
 king, was the beginning of the thirty-sixth cycle. — Histoire gene- 
 rale de la Chine, XII. p. 3 and 4. 
 
 t The Met ling mountains, which divide the province Kwang 
 tung from the province Keang se. See Note in the beginning of 
 the History of the Pirates. 
 
xl 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 and made preparations for resistance. 
 Fighting at last ceased on seas and 
 rivers : families and villages rejoiced, and 
 peace was every where restored. Hearing 
 of our naval transactions, every man de- 
 sired to have them written down in a his- 
 tory ; but people have, until this day, 
 looked in vain for such a work. 
 
 Meeting once, at a public inn in Wham- 
 po,* with one Yuen isze, we conversed 
 together, when he took a volume in his 
 hand, and asked me to read it. On open- 
 ing the work, I saw that it contained a 
 History of the Pirates; and reading it 
 to the end, I found that the occurrences 
 of those times were therein recorded 
 from day to day, and that our naval trans- 
 actions are there faithfully reported. 
 Yuen tsze supplied the defect I stated 
 
 * The place where European ships lie at anchor in the river of 
 Canton, and one of the few spots which foreigners are allowed to 
 visit. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 xl 
 
 before, and anticipated what had occu- 
 pied my mind for a long time. The affairs 
 concerning the robber Lin are described by 
 the non-official historian Lan e, in his Tsing 
 yih ke, viz. in the History of the Pacifi- 
 cation of the Robbers.* Respectfully look- 
 ing to the commands of heaven, Lan e 
 
 * I translate the Chinese words JFaeshe , by non- official historian, 
 in opposition to the Kiev she, or She kwan, the official historiogra- 
 phers of the empire. Both Yuen tsze, author of the following 
 History of the Pirates, and Lane , author of the work which is re- 
 ferred to in the preface, are such Public historians, who write — like 
 most of the historians of Europe — the history of their own times, 
 without being appointed to or paid for by government. 
 
 Lan e gives the history of the civil commotions under Kea king, 
 which continued from the year 1814 to 1817, in six books; the 
 work is printed in two small volumes, in the first year of Tao 
 kwang (1820), and the following contains the greater part of the 
 preface: 
 
 “ In the spring of the year Kea su (1814), I went with other 
 people to Peking ; reaching the left side of the (Mei ling) moun- 
 tains we met with fellow travellers, who joined the army, and with 
 many military preparations. In the capital I learned that the 
 robber Lin caused many disturbances ; I took great care to ascer- 
 tain what was said by the people of the court, and by the officers 
 of government, and I wrote down what I heard. But being ap- 
 prehensive that I might publish truth and falsehood mixed toge- 
 ther, I went in the year Ting clioiv (1817) again to the metropolis, 
 and read attentively the imperial account of the Pacification of the 
 Robber-bands, planned the occurrences according to the time in 
 which they happened, joined to it what I heard from other 
 
 F 
 
xlii 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 made known, for all future times, the 
 faithful and devoted servants of govern- 
 ment. Yuen tsze’s work is a supplement 
 to the History of the Pacification of the 
 Robbers, and you may rely on whatever 
 therein is reported, whether it be of great 
 or little consequence. Yuen tsze has 
 overlooked nothing ； and I dare to say, 
 that all people will rejoice at the publi- 
 cation. Having written these introduc- 
 tory lines to the said work, I returned it 
 to Yuen tsze.* 
 
 sources, and composed out of these various matters a work in six 
 books, on the truth of which you may rely.” 
 
 Lan e begins his work with the history of those rebels called 
 Teen le keaou ( the Doctrine of Nature). They were divided into 
 eight divisions, according to the eight Kwas, and placed under 
 three captains, or chiefs, of whom the first was called Lin tsing — 
 the same Lin who is mentioned in the preface of Soo. These fol- 
 lowers of the doctrine of Nature believed implicitly in an absurd 
 book written by a robber, in which it was stated, that the Buddha 
 who should come after Shakia (in Chinese called Me lih, in San- 
 scrit Maetreya) is in possession of three seas, the blue, the red, 
 and the white. These seas are the three Kalpas; we now live in 
 the white Kalpa. These robbers, therefore, carried white banners. 
 Tsing փհ ke, B. i.,p. i. 
 
 * The Translator thinks it his duty to observe, that this preface, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 xliii 
 
 Written at the time of the fifth summer 
 moon, the tenth year of Tao kwang, 
 called Kang yin (September 1830). 
 
 A respectful Preface of Ying king Soo, 
 from Peih keang. 
 
 being printed in characters written in the current hand, he tried in 
 vain to make out some abbreviations ; he is, therefore, not quite 
 certain if the last phrase beginning with the words : “ Yuen tsze 
 has overlooked nothing &c. be correctly translated. 
 
KING CHUNG HO’s* PREFACE. 
 
 My house being near the sea, we were, 
 during the year Ke sze of Kea king (1809), 
 disturbed by the Pirates. The whole coast 
 adjoining to our town was in confusion, 
 and the inhabitants dispersed ； this last- 
 ing for a long time, every man felt an- 
 noyed at it. In the year Kang yin (1830) 
 I met with Yuen tsze yang lun at a pub- 
 lic inn within the walls of the provincial 
 
 * The names of authors of Prefaces, as well as of works them- 
 selves, which are not authorized by government, are often ficti- 
 tious. Who would dare to publish or recommend anything under 
 his own name, which could displease any of the officers of the 
 Chinese government ? The author of the following Preface has a 
 high-sounding title : “ He, whose heart is directed towards the 
 people.” 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 xlv 
 
 metropolis (Canton). He showed me his 
 History of the Pacification of the Pirates , 
 and asked me to write a Preface to the 
 work ； having been a schoolfellow of his 
 in my tender age, I could not refuse his 
 request. Opening and reading the volume, 
 I was moved with recollections of occur- 
 rences in former days, and I was pleased 
 with the diligence and industry of Yuen 
 keun * The author was so careful to 
 combine what he had seen and heard, 
 that I venture to say it is an historical 
 work on which you may rely. 
 
 We have the collections of former his- 
 torians, who in a fine style described things 
 as they happened, that by such faithful 
 accounts the world might be governed, 
 and the minds of men enlightened. 
 
 * Keun, or Tsze, are only titles, like those of Master and 
 Doctor in the European languages. Keun is, in the Canton dialect, 
 pronounced Kwa, which, placed behind the family names of the 
 Hong, or Hi rig (3969) merchants, gives Hoiv qiva, or How kwa. 
 Mow kwa, &c., which literally means “ Mr. How, Mr. Mow.” 
 
xlvi 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 People may learn by these vast collec- 
 tions * what should be done, and what 
 not. It is, therefore, desirable that 
 facts may be arranged in such a man- 
 ner, that books should give a faithful 
 account of what happened. There are 
 magistrates who risk their life, excel- 
 lent females who maintain their virtue, 
 and celebrated individuals who pro- 
 tect their native places with a strong 
 hand ； they behave themselves valiantly, 
 and overlook private considerations, if 
 the subject concerns the welfare of the 
 people at large. Without darkness, there 
 is no light ； without virtue, there is no 
 splendour. In the course of time we have 
 
 • I presume that the author of the Preface alludes to the twenty- 
 three large historical collections, containing the official publica- 
 tions regarding history and general literature. I have brought 
 with me from Canton this vast collection of works, which are now 
 concluded by the History of the Ming. It must be acknowledged 
 thatfio other nation has, or had, such immense libraries devoted 
 to history and geography. The histories of ancient Greece and 
 Rome are pamphlets in comparison with the Ur l shih san she of 
 the Chinese. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 xlvii 
 
 heard of many persons of such qualities ； 
 but how few books exist by which the 
 authors benefit their age ! 
 
 This is the Preface respectfully written 
 by King chung ho , called Sin joo min ,* 
 at the time of the second decade, the 
 first month of the autumn, the year Kang 
 yin (September 1830) of Tao kwang.t 
 
 * See the first Note to this preface. 
 
 t In the original Chinese now follows a sort of Introduction, or 
 Contents ( Fan le), which I thought not worth translating. It is 
 written by the author of the History of the Pacification of the Pi- 
 rates, who signs by his title Jang seen. 
 

THE 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 BOOK FIRST. 
 
 There have been pirates from the oldest (1 r.) 
 times in the eastern sea of Canton ; they arose 
 and disappeared alternately, but never were they 
 so formidable as in the years of Keaking,* at 
 which time, being closely united together, it was 
 indeed very difficult to destroy them. Their 
 origin must be sought for in Annam.f In the 
 
 • This prince was declared Emperor on the 8th February 1796, 
 by his father the Emperor Keen lung, who then retired from the 
 management of public affairs. — V oyage of the Dutch Embassy to 
 China, in 1794-5 ; London edition, I. 223. Kea king died on the 
 2d of September 1820, being sixty-one years of age. His second 
 son ascended the Imperial throne six days after the death of his 
 father ; the years of his reign were first called Yuen hwuy, but 
 soon changed to Taou kivang — Illustrious Reason. Indo-Chinese 
 Gleaner, vol. iii. 41. 
 
 t Annam (Chinese, An nan) comprehends the country of Cochin- 
 China and Tungking. There have been many disturbances in 
 
 G 
 
2 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 year fifty-six of Keen lung (1792), a certain 
 Kwang ping yuen, joined by his two brothers, 
 Kwang e and Kwang kwo, took Annam by force, 
 (1 v -) and expelled its legitimate king Wei ke le.* * 
 Le retired into the province Kwang se, and was 
 made a general by our government. But his 
 younger brother Fuh ying came in the sixth year 
 of Kea king (1802) with an army from Siam and 
 Laos, | and killed Kwang ping in a great battle. 
 
 these countries within the last fifty years. The English reader 
 may compare the interesting historical sketch of modern Cochin- 
 China in Barrow’s Voyage to Cochin-China, p. 250. 
 
 * The origin of this family may be seen in a notice of Cochin- 
 china and Tung king by father Gaubil, in the “ Lettres Edifiantes,” 
 and in the last volume of the French translation of the Kangmuh. 
 Annam had been conquered by Chinese colonies, and its civili- 
 zation is therefore Chinese. This was already stated in Tavernier's 
 masterly description of Tunking, “ Recueil de plusieurs Rela- 
 tions,” Paris, 1679> p. 1G8. Leyden, not knowing Chinese, has 
 made some strange mistakes in his famous dissertation regarding 
 the languages and literature of Indo-Chinese nations. Asiatic 
 Researches, vol. x. 271, London edition, 1811. 
 
 t In Chinese Խոց lae (7402, G866 Mor.); this name is taken 
 from the metropolis of this kingdom, called by the European 
 travellers in the beginning of the seventeenth century, Laniam, 
 Laniangh, or Lanshang. Robt. Kerr, General History and Col- 
 lection of Voyages and Travels, Edinburgh, 1813, vol. viii. 446, 
 449. — The Burmas call this country Layn-sayn ; “ Buchanan on 
 the Religion and Literature of the Burmas.” Asiatic Researches, 
 vol. ii. 226, London edition, 1810, 4to. The kingdom of Laos 
 was conquered about the end of the year 1828, by the Siamese; the 
 
 > 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 3 
 
 The son of the usurper, called King shing, 
 went on board a ship with the minister Yew 
 kin meih, and Meih joined the pirates, Ching 
 tsih, Tung hae pa, and others, who rambled 
 about these seas at this time. The pirate Ching 
 tsih was appointed a king’s officer, under the 
 name of master of the stables. King shing, re- 
 lying on the force of his new allies, which con- 
 sisted of about two hundred vessels, manned (շ r . 
 with a resolute and warlike people, returned in 
 the twelfth moon of the same year (1803) into 
 that country with an armed force, and joined 
 by Ching tsih, at night time took possession of 
 the bay of Annam. The legitimate king Fuh 
 ying collected an army, but being beaten re- 
 peatedly, he tried in vain to retire to Laos. 
 
 king, his two principal wives, his sons, and grandsons, amount- 
 ing in all to fourteen persons, were cruelly killed at Bangkok. The 
 Protestant missionaries, Thomlin and Guzlaff, saw nine of the 
 relations of the king in a cage at Bangkok, the 30th of January՛ 
 1829. The First Report of the Singapore Christian Union, Singa- 
 pore, 1830, Appendix xv. Is Lang lae a mistake for Lvh lae, 
 which is mentioned in the Hae kw 〇 keen keen, p. 214? There 
 occurs no Lung lae in this work ; where the Indo-Chinese nations 
 are described under the title Nan yan she ; i. e. History of the 
 Southern ocean. 
 
4 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Ching tsih being a man who had lived all his 
 life on the water, behaved himself, as soon 
 as he got possession of the bay of Annam, in 
 a tyrannical way to the inhabitants ; he took 
 what he liked, and, to say it in one word, his 
 will alone was law. His followers conducted 
 themselves in the same manner ; trusting to 
 their power and strength, they were cruel and 
 violent against the people ; they divided the 
 whole population among themselves, and took 
 their wives and daughters by force. The in- 
 habitants felt very much annoyed at this be- 
 haviour, and attached themselves more strongly 
 to Fuh ying. They fixed a day on which some 
 of the king’s officers should make an attack on 
 the sea-side, while the king himself with his 
 general was to fight the van of the enemy, the 
 (2 v.) P eo pl e t 〇 rise en masse, and to run to arms, in 
 order that they should be overwhelming by 
 their numbers. Fuh ying was delighted at these 
 tidings, and on the appointed day a great battle 
 was fought, in which Ching tsih not being able 
 to superintend all from the rear-guard to the 
 van, and the people pressing besides very hard 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 5 
 
 towards the centre, he was totally vanquished 
 and his army destroyed. He himself died of a 
 wound which he received in the battle. His 
 younger brother Ching yih, the usurper, King 
 shing, and his nephew Pang shang, with many 
 others ran away. Ching yih, their chief, joined 
 the pirates with his followers, who in these times 
 robbed and plundered on the ocean indiscrimi- 
 nately. This was a very prosperous period for 
 the pirates. So long as Wang peaou remained 
 admiral in these seas, all was peace and quietness 
 both on the ocean and the sea-shore. The ad- 
 miral gained repeated victories over the ban- (3 r.) 
 dits; but as soon as Wang peaou died, the 
 pirates divided themselves into different squa- 
 drons, which sailed under various colours. 
 There existed six large squadrons, under dif- 
 ferent flags, the red, the yellow, the green, the 
 blue, the black, and the white. These wasps 
 of the ocean were called after their different 
 commanders, Ching y ih, Woo che tsing, Meih yew 
 kin, O po tai, Leang paou, and Le shang tsing. 
 
 To every one of these large squadrons belonged 
 smaller ones, commanded by a deputy. Woo 
 
6 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 che tsing, whose nick-name was Tung hue pa, 
 the Scourge of the Eastern Sea,* was comman- 
 der of the yellow flag, and Le tsung hoo his de- 
 puty. Meih yew kin and Neaou shih, who for 
 this reason was called Bird and stone, were the 
 commanders of the blue flag, and their deputies 
 Meih’s brethren, Yew kwei and Yew kee. A 
 certain Hae kangand another person Hwang ho, 
 were employed as spies. Opo tai, who afterwards 
 changed his name to Lustre of instruction,' f was 
 (3 v.) the commander of the black flag, and Ping yung 
 ta, Chang jih keaou, and O tsew he, were his 
 deputies. Leang paou, nicknamed Tsung ping 
 paou, The jewel of the whole crew, was the com- 
 
 • People living in the same state of society, have usually the 
 same customs and manners. It is said of the celebrated Bucca- 
 neers, that they laid aside their surnames, and assumed nicknames, 
 or martial names. Many, however, on their marrying, took care 
 to have their real surnames inserted in the marriage contract ; and 
 this practice gave occasion to a proverb still current in the French 
 Antilles, a man is not to be known till he takes a wife. See the 
 Voyages and Adventures of William Dampier, and History of 
 the Buccaneers, p. 87. Women cut the characters for common 
 Chinese books ; and, therefore, the Chinese say, so many mistakes 
 are found in ordinary publications. The character pa (8123) in 
 Tung hae pa is by such a mistake always written pih (8527). 
 
 t He called himself Heo heen (3728, 3676,) after having received 
 a recompense from government for his robberies. See p. 75. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 7 
 
 mander of the white flag. Le shang tsing, nick- 
 named The frog's meal, was the commander of 
 the green ; and Ching yih of the red flag. 
 Every flag was appointed to cruise in a parti- 
 cular channel. There was at this time a gang 
 of robbers in the province Fo keen, known by 
 the name of Kwei keen (6760, 5822) ; they 
 also joined the pirates, who became so nume- 
 rous that it was impossible to master them. We 
 must in particular mention a certain Chang paou, 
 a notorious character in after-times. Under 
 Chang paou were other smaller squadrons, com- 
 manded by Suh ke lan (nicknamed Both odour 
 and mountain ) Leang po paou, Suh puh gow, 
 and others. Chang paou himself belonged to 
 the squadron of Ching yih saou, or the wife of 
 Ching yih * so that the red flag alone was 
 stronger than all the others united together. 
 
 There are three water passages or channels (4 r .) 
 along the sea - shore, south of the Meiling 
 mountains one goes eastward to Hwy and 
 
 * Our author anticipates here a little; this will be clear by a 
 subsequent paragraph, p. 13. 
 
 t Shan is a mountain in Chinese; Lingis a chain of mountains 
 or sierra. The Chinese geographers say, the Meiling mountain 
 
8 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 
 Chaou* ; the other westward to Kao, Lien , Lay, 
 
 branches out like a tree ; and they describe in particulary two, 
 the south-east and the south-west branches from Canton. They 
 speak likewise of Woo Ling, or five sierras, in reference to five 
 different passes by which these mountains are divided; but there 
 are now more passes. See a compilation, already quoted, regard- 
 ing Canton, made by order of the former governor Yuen, and 
 printed at Canton last year, 1830, in eighty books, under the title 
 Ling nanyung shuh : i. e. Memoirs regarding the South of the 
 Sierra, book 5. vol. ii, p. 1. 
 
 * The Chinese possess itineraries and directories for the whole 
 empire, for every province, and for every large town or place ; I 
 shall therefore always extract the notices which are to be found in 
 the Itinerary of the Province Kwang tung ( Kwang tung tsuen too,) 
 referring to the places mentioned in our text. 
 
 Hwy is Hwy chow foo, from Pekin 6365 le, and easterly from 
 Canton 400 le; one town of the second, and ten towns of the 
 third rank are appended to this district-metropolis. The whole 
 district pays 14,321 leang, or tael. Here is the celebrated Lo 
 fow mountain. Lo fow consists really of two united mountains, of 
 which one is called Lo and the other Fow , said to be three thou- 
 sand six hundred chang in height, or 36,000 feet (P). The circum- 
 ference is about 500 le. Here are the sixteen caverns where the 
 dragon dwells, spoken of in the books of theTaosect. You meet 
 on these mountains with bamboo from seventy to eighty feet in 
 circumference. Kwang tung tsuen too, p. 5v. 
 
 Chaou is Chaou chow foo, from Pekin 8,540 and easterly from 
 Canton 1,740 le; eleven towns of the third rank belong to it. The 
 whole district pays 65,593 leang, or tael. A tael is equal to 
 5 ֊ 798 decimal, troy weight ; and in the East-India Company’s ac- 
 counts the tael of silver is reckoned at six shillings and eight- 
 pence sterling. Foo is the Chinese name for the first class of 
 towns ; Choiv for the second, Heen for the third. I sometimes 
 have translated Chow by district-town, and Heen by borough, or 
 market-town. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 9 
 
 Keung , Kin, Tan, Yae and Wan ;* and a third 
 between these two, to Kwang and Chow.f The 
 
 * Kaou is Kaou choiv foo, from Pekin 7,7 〇 7, north-west from Can- 
 ton 930 le ; the district, and five towns of the third class, paying 
 together 62,566 leang, are dependent on the district-metropolis. 
 
 Leen is Keen chow foo , from Pekin 9,065, from Canton 1,515 le ; 
 the district and two towns, paying together 1,681 leang, are de- 
 pendent on the district-metropolis. 
 
 Luy is Luy choiv foo , from Pekin 8,210, westerly from Canton 
 1 ,380 le ; the district and its towns, paying together 13, 7 〇 6 leang, 
 are dependent on the district-metropolis. 
 
 Keung is Keung chow foo , the capital of the island Hae nan 
 or Hainan, from Pekin 9,690, south-west from Canton 1,680 le ; 
 three district towns, and ten towns of the third class, paying to- 
 gether 89,447 leang) are dependent on this capital. There is a 
 town also called Keung shan h'een, and both town and capital take 
 their name from the mountain Keung. 
 
 Kin is Kin chow, dependent on Leen chow foo, and far from it 
 140 le. 
 
 Tan is Tan chow, a town of Hainan, south-west from the capital 
 37 〇 le; the area of the town is 31 le. 
 
 Yae is Yae choiv, a town of Hainan, southerly from the capital 
 of the island 1,114 le. About this town many pirates have their 
 lurking-place. This circumstance may have caused the mistake 
 of Captain Krusenstern, stating that in A.D. 1805, the pirates 
 who infest the coast of China had obtained possession of the 
 whole island of Hainan. 
 
 Wan is Wan chow, a town of Hainan, in a south-easterly di- 
 rection from the capital of the island 47 〇 le. 
 
 f Kwang is Kwang tung sang, or the metropolis of the province 
 Kwang՝ tung (Canton). Ten departments (foo), nine districts 
 (chow), and seventy-eight towns ofthe third class(heen), are depen- 
 dent on the provincial city, and pay together in land-tax 1,272,696 
 ^eang, excise 47,510 leang, and in other miscellaneous taxes 
 
 H 
 
10 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 ocean surrounds these passages, and here trad- 
 ing vessels from all the world meet together, 
 wherefore this track is called “ The great meet- 
 
 5,990 leang. The import duties from the sea-side with measure- 
 ment of foreign vessels is said in the Kwang tung tsuen too, 
 p. 3v, to amonnt to 43,750 leang. All duties together of the 
 province of Canton amount to 1,369,946 taels, about £ 450, 000. 
 The lists of population gave last October (1830) 23,000,000 (?) 
 for the « hole province, and « ֊ e now see that the Chinese pay 
 less duties (every inhabitant about fourpenee halfpenny) than 
 the population of any country of Europe. I received the popu- 
 lation lists from Ahong, an intelligent Chinese, «'ell known to the 
 English residents at Canton. Distance from Pekin about 6,835 le. 
 
 The subject concerning the population of China, and the 
 amount of the land-rent, the poll-tax, and other miscellaneous 
 taxes, is surrounded by so many difficulties, that the «’liter of this 
 dares not to affirm any thing about these matters until he has 
 perused the new edition of Tag tsing hwy teen. For the present 
 he will merely remark, that in book 141, p. 38, of the said work, 
 the population of China Proper for the year 1793 is reckoned 
 at 307,467,200. If we add to this number the population of 
 Chinese Tartary, it «-ill certainly amount to the round number 
 of 333,000,000, as reported by Lord Macartney. 
 
 Chow is chow king f oo, from Pekin about 4,720, north-«’est from 
 Canton 360 le. There is certainly some mistake in the Chinese 
 Itinerary; how could Canton be only 6,835, and Chon՛ king foo 
 7420 le? The imperial edition of the Tay tsing hwy teen (book 
 122, p. 6 v.) only gives 5,494 le as the distance from Canton 
 to Pekin; there seems to be a different sort of le. The district 
 and eleven towns of the third class, paying together 162,392 leang 
 depend on the district metropolis. 
 
 With the aid of the Chinese Itineraries and the ne«’ edition of 
 the Tay tsing fm՝y teen (printed 1797, in 360 large volumes) it u-ould 
 be an easy task to compile a “ Chinese Gazetteer.” 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 11 
 
 ing from the east and the south." The piratical 
 squadrons dividing between them the water 
 passages and the adjoining coasts, robbed and 
 carried away all that fell into their hands. Both 
 the eastern and the middle passage have been 
 retained by the three piratical squadrons, Ching 
 yih saou, O po tae, and Leang paou ; the western 
 passage was under the three others, nicknamed 
 Bird and stone, Frog' s meal, and the Scourge of the (4 v.) 
 eastern sea. Peace and quietness was not 
 known by the inhabitants of the sea-coast for 
 a period of ten years. On the side from Wei 
 chow and Neaou chow * farther on to the sea, the 
 passage was totally cut off; scarcely any man 
 came hither. In this direction is a small island, 
 surrounded on all sides by high mountains, 
 where in stormy weather a hundred vessels 
 find a safe anchorage ; here the pirates retired 
 when they could not commit any robberies. 
 
 This land contains fine paddy fields, and abounds 
 in all kinds of animals, flowers, and fruits. This 
 
 * I found no particulars concerning these two small islands 
 (Chow signifies island) in the Canton Itinerary ; and I looked in 
 vain on the great map of the Chinese sea-coast in the Haekwtf 
 heenkeen for their position. 
 
12 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 island was the lurking-place of the robbers, 
 where they stayed and prepared all the stores 
 for their shipping. 
 
 (5 r.) Chang paou was a native of Sin hwy, near the 
 mouth of the river, * and the son of a fisherman. 
 Being fifteen years of age, he went with his 
 father a fishing in the sea, and they were con- 
 sequently taken prisoners by Ching yih, who 
 roamed about the mouth of the river, ravaging 
 and plundering. Ching yih saw Paou, and 
 liked him so much, that he could not depart 
 from him. Paou was indeed a clever fellow — he 
 managed all business very well ; being also a 
 fine young man, he became a favourite of Ching 
 yih,'f՝ and was made a head-man or captain. It 
 happened, that on the seventeenth day of the 
 tenth moon, in the twentieth year of Kea king 
 
 1807. (about the end of 1807), Ching yih perished in 
 
 • The town Sin hwy is south-west from Canton 230 le ; its 
 area is 138 le (?) and the taxes amount to 28,6 〇 7 leang. This place 
 suffered much from the pirates. I find no proper name for the 
 river on which Sin hwy lies in the Chinese maps, it is merely 
 called K'eang, river. Near this place is the island where the 
 last emperor of the Sung cast himself into the sea (1280). 
 
 t The word pe (8335) cannot be translated in any European 
 language. It means a vice common in Asia. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 13 
 
 a heavy gale, and his legitimate wife Shih 180 
 placed the whole crew under the sway of Paou ; 
 but so that she herself should be considered 
 the Commander of all the squadrons together, — 
 for this reason the division Ching yih was then (5 
 called Ching yih saou, or the wife of Ching 
 yih* Being chief captain, Paou robbed and 
 plundered incessantly, and daily increased his 
 men and his vessels. He made the three follow- 
 ing regulations : — 
 
 First : 
 
 If any man goes privately on shore , or what 
 is called transgressing the bars, he shall be 
 taken and his ears be perforated in the presence of 
 the whole fleet ; repeating the same act, he shall 
 suffer death. 
 
 Second : 
 
 Not the least thing shall be taken privately from 
 the stolen and plundered goods. All shall be re- 
 gistered, and the pirate receive for himself, out of 
 
 • The pirates probably made use of the term saou (8833) and 
 not of tse (10575), because saou written with a different character 
 (8834), is the general term for boats and ships. Paou must be 
 considered as the lieutenant or first minister of Mistress China, 
 she being herself of the family Shih. 
 
14 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1807. ten parts, only two; eight parts belong to the store- 
 house, called the general fund ; taking any thing 
 out of this general fund, without permission, shall 
 be death. 
 
 Third : 
 
 No person shall debauch at his pleasure captive 
 women taken in the villages and ope?i places, and 
 (6 r.) brought on board a ship ; he must frst request the 
 ship s purser for permission, and then go aside in 
 the ship's hold. To use violence against any woman , 
 or to wed her without permission, shall be punished 
 with death * 
 
 That the pirates might never feel want of pro- 
 visions, Chang paou gained the country people 
 to their interest. It was ordered, that wine, rice, 
 and all other goods, should be paid for to the 
 villagers ; it was made capital punishment to 
 take any thing of this kind by force or without 
 paying for it. For this reason the pirates were 
 never in want of gunpowder, provisions, and all 
 
 * It will be very interesting- to compare the regulations of Paou 
 with those of the Buccaneers. When these pirates had got a con- 
 siderable booty, each person, holding up his hand, solemnly pro- 
 tested that he had secreted nothing of what he had taken. — Voy- 
 age, 1. c. p. 95. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 1ծ 
 
 other necessaries. By this strong discipline the 1807 
 whole crew of the fleet was kept in order. 
 
 The wife of Ching yih was very strict in every 
 transaction ; nothing could be done without a 
 written application. Anything which had been 
 taken, or plundered, was regularly entered on 
 the register of the storehouse. The pirates re- 
 ceived out of this common fund what they were 
 in need of, and nobody dared to have private (6 v.) 
 possessions. If on a piratical expedition any 
 man left the line of battle, whether by advanc- 
 ing or receding, every pirate might accuse him 
 at a general meeting, and on being found guilty, 
 he was beheaded. Knowing how watchful 
 Chang paou was on every side, the pirates took 
 great care to behave themselves well. 
 
 The pirates used to call the purser, or secre- 
 tary of the storehouse, Ink and writing master ; 
 and they called their piratical plunder only a 
 transh ipping of goods. 
 
 There was a temple in Hwy chow dedicated 
 to the spirits of the three mothers ,* near the sea- 
 
 t The Sa?i po (8788, 8608) are national spirits, and, as it seems, 
 not connected with Buddhism ; there is a great variety in the 
 
16 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1807. coast, and many came thither to worship. The 
 pirates visited this place whenever they passed it 
 with their vessels, pretending to worship ; but 
 this was not the case — they thought of mischief, 
 and had only their business to attend. Once 
 they came with the commander at their head, 
 as if to worship, but they laid hold on the image 
 or statue to take it away. They tried in vain 
 from morning to the evening, — they were all 
 
 (7 r.) together not able to move it. Chang paou 
 alone ՜ք՜ was able to raise the image, and being a 
 fair wind, he gave order to bring it on board a 
 ship. All who were concerned in this transac- 
 tion feared to find, from the wrath of the spirit, 
 their death in the piratical expeditions. They 
 all prayed to escape the vengeance of heaven. 
 
 1808. On the seventh moon of the thirteenth year. 
 
 number of these good old mothers, who by the different emperors 
 have been declared saints, or spirits, for the Emperor of China is 
 likewise the pope in his empire. Dr. Morrison has an interesting 
 article on these old women in his Canton Vocabulary. Kang he 
 mentions only two Po (s. v.), who may be considered as spirits. 
 This is a character of which the Buddhists are very fond ; per- 
 haps the translator may be wrong, and that San po is merely the 
 Sanscrit word Swayam-bhii. 
 
 J Our author shews every where his partiality for Chang paou. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 17 
 
 the naval officer of the garrison at the Bocca 1808. 
 Tigris,* Kwo lang lin, sailed into the sea to fight 
 the pirates. Chang paou was informed by his 
 spies of this officer’s arrival, and prepared an 
 ambush in a sequestered bay. He met Kwo lang 
 on a false attack, with a few vessels only ; but 
 twenty-five vessels came from behind, and the 
 pirates surrounded Kwo lang’s squadron in three (7 v.) 
 lines near Ma chow yang.J There followed a 
 fierce battle, which lasted from the morning to 
 the evening ； it was impossible for Kwo lang to 
 break through the enemy’s lines, and he deter- 
 mined to die fighting. Paou advanced ; but 
 Lang fought exceedingly hard against him. He 
 loaded a gun and fired it at Paou, who perceiv- 
 
 * The author said just before that the dominion of the pirates 
 in the Chinese sea lasted about ten years ; but he only describes 
 the transactions of the last three years, when their power and 
 strength was at the highest point. He begins to give particulars 
 from the 7th moon of the 13th year of Kea king, which corre- 
 sponds nearly to the beginning of September 1808. 
 
 t There are three wretched forts at the Hoo mun, the mouth of 
 the Canton river, which could scarcely hinder any European vessel 
 from passing through. 
 
 J One of the islands marked upon European maps is called 
 The Ladrones: these Ladrones, so called from the pirates, have 
 all particular names on Chinese maps. 
 
 I 
 
18 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1808. ing the gun directed against him, gave way. 
 Seeing this, the people thought he was wounded 
 and dying ; but as soon as the smoke vanished 
 Paou stood again firm and upright, so that all 
 thought he was a spirit. The pirates instantly 
 grappled Kwo lang’s ship ; Paou was the fore- 
 most, and Leang po paou the first to mount 
 the vessel; he killed the helmsman, and took 
 the ship. The pirates crowded about ; the 
 commander Kwo lang engaging with small 
 arms, much blood was shed. This murderous 
 (8 r.) battle lasted till night time ; the bodies of the 
 dead surrounded the vessels on all sides, and 
 there perished an immense number of the pirates. 
 Between three and five o’clock the pirates had 
 destroyed or sunk three of our vessels. The other 
 officers of Kwo being afraid that they also might 
 perish in the sea, displayed not all their strength; 
 so it happened that the pirates making a sudden 
 attack, captured the whole remaining fifteen 
 vessels. Paou wished very much that Kwo 
 lang would surrender, but Lang becoming- 
 desperate, suddenly seized the pirate by 
 the hair, and grinned at him. The pirate 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 9 ] 
 
 spoke kindly to him, and tried to soothe him. 1808. 
 Lang, seeing himself deceived in his expectation, 
 and that he could not attain death by such 
 means, committed suicide, — being then a man 
 of seventy years of age. Paou had really no in- 
 tention to put Kwo lang to death, and he was 
 exceedingly sorry at what happened. “ We (8 v.) 
 others,” said Paou, “ are like vapours dispersed 
 by the wind ; we are like the waves of the sea, 
 roused up by a whirlwind ; like broken bamboo- 
 sticks on the sea, we are floating and sinking 
 alternately, without enjoying any rest. Our 
 success in this fierce battle will, after a short 
 time, bring the united strength of government 
 on our neck. If they pursue us in the different 
 windings and bays of the sea — they have maps 
 of them* — should we not get plenty to do ? Who 
 will believe that it happened not by my com- 
 mand, and that I am innocent of the death of 
 this officer ? Every man will charge me with 
 the wanton murder of a commander, after he had 
 
 * In the first preface of the Hae kwtf been keen it is particu- 
 larly stated, that the map of the sea-coast of China became first 
 known to its editor by the expeditions against the pirates. 
 
20 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1808. been vanquished and his ships taken ?* And they 
 who have escaped will magnify my cruelty.* If 
 I am charged with the murder of this officer, 
 how could I venture, if I should wish in future 
 times, to submit myself? Would 1 not be treated 
 (9 r.) according to the supposed cruel death of Kwo 
 
 At the time that Kwb lang was fighting very 
 bravely, about ten fisher-boats asked of the major 
 Pang noo of the town Heang shan,j՜ to lend 
 them the large guns, to assist the commander ; 
 but the major being afraid these fishermen 
 might join the pirates, J refused their request. 
 
 * There are, as is stated in my preface, some vulgar or pro- 
 vincial characters in this history ; here (p. 1.) occurs a character not 
 to be found in Kanghe, composed out of the fifty-sixth radical and 
 the group Leaou or Lew (7 〇 Gl, 7^03). My whole library being 
 locked up in the Custom-house, I am not able to consult a dic- 
 tionary of the Canton dialect, therefore the meaning of these 
 characters can only be guessed at by etymology. The etymology 
 of the characters gives sometimes a better meaning than any dic- 
 tionary, and sometimes it may entirely mislead us ; there is no 
 reliance on etymology. Usage is the only master of the Chinese, 
 as of all other languages. 
 
 t Ileang shan is a considerable place between Macao and Can- 
 ton. I passed this town in the beginning of October 1830. Dis- 
 tance from Canton 150 le in an eastern direction. 
 
 t It was, as we have before stated, the policy of Chang paou to 
 befriend himself, when possible, with the lower sort of people. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 21 
 
 And thus it happened, that the commander himself 1808. 
 perished with many others. There were in the 
 battle three of my friends : the lieutenant Tao 
 tsae lin, Tseo tang hoo, and Ying tang hwang, 
 serving under the former. Lin and Hoo were 
 killed, but Hwang escaped when all was sur- 
 rounded with smoke, and he it was who told me 
 the whole affair. 
 
 On the eighth moon the general Lin fa went 
 out as commander to make war against the 
 pirates ; but on seeing that they were so nume- 
 rous, he became afraid, and all the other officers 
 felt apprehensions ; he therefore tried to retire, 
 but the pirates pursued after, and came up with 
 him near a place called Olang pae.* The vessels (9 v ) 
 in the front attacked the pirates, who were not able 
 to move, for there happened to be a calm. But 
 the pirates leaped into the water, and came 
 swimming towards our vessels. Our commander 
 
 * Here the author himself says Terming (9955, 771-1) “name of a 
 place.” To find out the names of places and persons, and distin- 
 guish the titles of the different officers employed by government, 
 is often a very difficult task. The last character in the name of this 
 place, pae, is very seldom found ; it is the fourth character of the 
 division of eight strokes, rad. 177- — See Kanghe. O is, in the Can- 
 ton dialect, commonly pronounced like A, in Italian. 
 
22 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1808. n〇 t being able to prevent this by force, six ves- 
 sels were taken ; and he himself, with ten other 
 men, were killed by the pirates. 
 
 A very large trading vessel called Teaou fa, 
 coming back laden with goods from Annam 
 and Tungking,* had a desperate skirmish with 
 the pirates. Chang paou, knowing very well 
 that he could not take her by force, captured 
 two ferry boats, and the pirates concealed them- 
 selves therein. Under the mask of ferrymen the 
 pirates pursued after, and called upon Teaou fa to 
 stop. Fa, confident in her strength, and that 
 victory would be on her side, let the ferrymen 
 come near, as if she had not been aware of the 
 (10 r.) deceit. But as soon as the pirates laid hold of 
 the ropes to board her, the trader’s crew made a 
 vigorous resistance, and the pirates could not 
 
 * These are large vessels with windows, from 200 to 500 tons ; 
 they are called by Europeans by the Chinese name, in the Canton 
 dialect, junks ; clmen is the Mandarin pronunciation. The foreign 
 trade of Cochin-China and Tung king is almost exclusively with 
 China, that to Siam, Singapur, and Malacca, being inconsiderable. 
 The Cochin-Chinese government tried some years ago to open a 
 regular trade with Calcutta ; but this undertaking partly failed on 
 account of the heavy duties on foreign sugar in the possessions of 
 the East-Tndia Company. Sugar is a great article of export in 
 Cochin-China and Siam. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 23 
 
 avail themselves of their knives and arrows — 1808. 
 guns they had not — the vessel being too large. 
 There were killed about ten hands in attacking 
 this vessel, and the pirates retired to their boat; 
 a circumstance which never happened before. 
 
 On the second moon of the fourteenth year, 1809. 
 the admiral Tsuen mow sun went on board his 
 flag vessel, called Mih teng, and proceeded with 
 about one hundred other vessels to attack the 
 pirates. They were acquainted with his design 
 by their spies, and gathered together round 
 Wan shan ;* the admiral following them in four 
 divisions. The pirates, confident in their num- 
 bers, did not withdraw, but on the contrary 
 spread out their line, and made a strong attack. 
 
 Our commander looked very lightly on them, (l 〇 v .) 
 yet a very fierce battle followed, in which many 
 were killed and wounded. The ropes and sails 
 having been set on fire by the guns,f the pirates 
 
 * On the large map of the coast of China from Corea to Cochin- 
 China, called Yuen (12542) hae tsuen ton, this place is called Lao 
 wan shan, “ the old ten thousand mountains,” and is exactly oppo 
 site to the Bocca Tigris in a direct southerly direction. 
 
 t The sails of Chinese vessels are often called Mats, for they are 
 really nothing else than matting, 
 
24 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. became exceeding afraid and took them away. 
 The commander directed his fire against the 
 steerage, that they might not be able to steer their 
 vessels. Being very close one to the other, the 
 pirates were exposed to the fire of all the four 
 lines at once. The pirates opened their eyes in 
 astonishment and fell down ; our commander 
 advanced courageously, laid hold of their vessels, 
 killed an immense number of men, and took 
 about two hundred prisoners. There was a 
 pirate’s wife in one of the boats, holding so fast 
 by the helm that she could scarcely be taken 
 away. Having two cutlasses, she desperately 
 defended herself, and wounded some soldiers ; 
 but on being wounded by a musket-ball, she 
 (11 r.) fell back into the vessel and was taken prisoner. 
 
 About this time, when the red squadron was 
 assembled in Kwang chow wan, or the Bay of 
 Kwang chow, Tsuen mow sun went to attack 
 them ; but he was not strong enough. The wife 
 of Ching yih remained quiet ; but she ordered 
 Chang paou to make an attack on the front of our 
 line with ten vessels, and Leang po paon to come 
 from behind. Our commander fought in the van 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 25 
 
 and in the rear, and made a dreadful slaughter; 1809 . 
 but there came suddenly two other pirates, Heang 
 shang url, and Suh puh king, who surrounded 
 and attacked our commander on all sides. Our 
 squadron was scattered, thrown into disorder, 
 and consequently cut to pieces; there was a(llv.) 
 noise which rent the sky ; every man fought in 
 his own defence, and scarcely a hundred re- 
 mained together. The squadron of Ching yih 
 overpowered us by numbers ; our commander 
 was not able to protect his lines, they were 
 broken, and we lost fourteen vessels. 
 
 Our men of war, escorting some merchant 
 vessels, in the fourth moon of the same year, 
 happened to meet the pirate nicknamed The 
 Jewel of the whole crew, cruizing at sea near a 
 place called Tang pae keo, outside of Tseaou 
 mun. The traders became exceedingly fright- 
 ened, but our commander said : “ This not 
 being the red flag, we are a match for them, 
 therefore we will attack and conquer them.” 
 
 Then ensued a battle ; they attacked each 
 other with guns and stones, and many people 
 were killed and wounded. The fighting ceased 
 
 K 
 
26 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. towards the evening, and began again next 
 (12 r.) morning. The pirates and the men of war 
 were very close to each other, and they boasted 
 mutually about their strength and valour. It 
 was a very hard fight; the sound of cannon 
 and the cries of the combatants were heard 
 some le* distant. The traders remained at some 
 distance ; they saw the pirates mixing gun- 
 powder in their beverage, — they looked instantly 
 red about the face and the eyes, and then 
 fought desperately.՜!՝ This fighting continued 
 three days and nights incessantly ; at last be- 
 coming tired on both sides, they separated. 
 
 Qn the eighth day of the fifth moon the pirates 
 left their lurking place, attacked Kan chuh han, 
 and burned and plundered the houses. On the 
 tenth they burned and plundered Kew keang, 
 (12v.) Sha kow, and the whole sea-coast ; they then 
 turned about to Kee chow, went on shore, and 
 carried away fifty-three women by force. They 
 
 * Le : this itinerary measure, as we have remarked, is different 
 in different parts of the empire ; it is generally considered that 250 
 le make a degree of latitude. 
 
 t This they did probably to look more ferocious. Plutarch ob- 
 serves of Sylla, that “the ferocity of his aspect was heightened 
 by his complexion, which was a strong red, interspersed with spots 
 of white.” 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 27 
 
 went to sea again the following day, burned and 1809. 
 plundered on theirway about one hundred houses 
 in Sin hwy and Shang sha, and took about a 
 hundred persons of both sexes prisoners. 
 
 On the sixth moon, the admiral Ting kwei 
 heu went to sea. Wishing to sail eastward, but 
 falling in with heavy rains for some days, he 
 stopped near Kwei kea mun,* and engaged in 
 settling concerning his ballast. On the eighth 
 day of this moon, Chang paou, availing himself 
 of the bad weather, explored the station in a 
 small boat and passed the place. Ting kwei was 
 right in thinking that the pirates would not un- 
 dertake any thing during these heavy rains ; but 
 he was careless regal'd ing what might happen 
 after it. Indeed, as the weather cleared up on 
 the morning of the ninth, Chang paou appeared 
 suddenly before the admiral, and formed a line (13 r.) 
 of two hundred vessels. Ting kwei having no 
 sails ready, and all the ships being at anchor, 
 could by no means escape the pirates. The 
 
 * Mun means an entrance or mouth] few of these places are to 
 be found, even in the particular maps of the province Kwang tung 
 in the Tmj tsing htvy teen. 
 
28 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. officers, being afraid of the large number of the 
 enemy, stood pale with apprehension near the 
 flagstaff, unwilling to fight. The admiral spoke 
 to them in a very firm manner, and said : “ By 
 your fathers and mothers, by your wives and 
 children, do your duty ; fight and destroy these 
 robbers. Every man must die : but should we 
 be so happy as to escape, our rewards from go- 
 vernment will be immense. Should we fall in the 
 defence of our country, think that the whole force 
 of the empire will be roused, and they will try by 
 all means to destroy these banditti.” They now 
 all united together in a furious attack, and sus- 
 (13 v.) tained it for a long time : Ting kwei fired his 
 great guns,* and wounding the ringleader, nick- 
 named The Jewel of the ivhole crew, he fell down 
 dead. 
 
 The pirates were now at a loss how to pro- 
 ceed; but they received succour, while the force 
 
 * Paou, the first character of 8233, is in our own history always 
 used in the signification of cannon. The word meant in former 
 times an engine for throwing stones, and so it is used in the history 
 of the Han dynasty. This gave rise to the opinion that the Chi- 
 nese had guns and gunpowder long before its discovery in Europe. 
 How could these extraordinary engines have escaped the discri- 
 minating genius of Marco Polo, had they existed in China? 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 20 
 
 of our commander diminished every moment. 1809- 
 About noon Paou drew nearer to the vessel of 
 Ting kwei, attacked her with small arms, and 
 sustained a great loss. But Leang po paou 
 suddenly boarded the vessel, and the crew was 
 thrown into disorder. Ting kwei seeing that 
 he was unable to withstand, committed suicide ; 
 while an immense number of his men perished 
 in the sea, and twenty-five vessels were lost. 
 
 Our former deputy-governor Pih ling was 
 about this time removed from his situation in 
 the three K'eang to become governor-general of 
 the two Kwang.* People said, now that Pih (14 r.) 
 comes we shall not be overpowered by the 
 pirates. Old men crowded about the gates of 
 the public offices to make enquiries ; the go- 
 vernment officers appeared frightened and held 
 consultations day and night, and the soldiers 
 were ordered by a public placard to hold them- 
 selves ready to march. “ Since the death of 
 Wang peaou,” it was said, “ all commanders 
 
 * The three provinces which have Keang (5500) in their name, 
 the same as the two Kwang, Kwang to the east (tung) and Kwang 
 to the west (se), are usually united under one governor and one 
 deputy governor. 
 
30 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. were unfortunate. Last year Kw6 lang lin was 
 killed in the battle at Ma chow ； Tsuen mow sun 
 was unlucky at Gaou how, Url lin ran away like 
 a coward at Lang pae, and now Ting kwei has 
 (14v.) again been routed at Kwei kea. If the valiant 
 men let their spirits droop, and the soldiers them- 
 selves become frightened at these repeated de- 
 feats, the pirates will certainly overpower us at 
 last; we can really not look for any assistance 
 to destroy them. We must try to cut off all 
 provisions, and starve them.” In consequence 
 of this, all vessels were ordered to remain, or 
 to return into harbour, that the pirates might not 
 have any opportunity to plunder, and thus be 
 destroyed by famine. The government officers 
 being very vigilant about this regulation, the 
 pirates were not able to get provisions for some 
 months ; they became at last tired of it, and 
 resolved to go into the river itself.* 
 
 The pirates came now into the river by three 
 different passages. f The wife of Ching yih 
 plundered about Sin hwy, Chang paou about 
 
 * Previously they robbed only in the open sea, outside the 
 Canton river. 
 
 փ The river discharges itself by many channels into the sea. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 31 
 
 Tung kwan,* and 0 po tae about Fan yu | and 1809- 
 Shun tih, and all other smaller places con- (15 r.) 
 nected with Shun tih ; they were together ex- 
 plored by the pirates, who guarded the passage 
 from Fan to Shun. 
 
 On the first day of the seventh moon, O po tae 
 came with about a hundred vessels and burnt 
 the custom-house of Tsze ne. On the second day 
 he divided his squadron into four divisions, ex- 
 tending to Peih keang, Wei yung, Lin yo, Shih 
 peih, and other villages. The Chang lung di- 
 vision J surrounded the whole country from Ta 
 wang yin to Shwy sse ying. The Ta chow, or 
 large-vessel division, blockaded Ke kung shih, 
 which is below the custom-house of Tsze ne. 
 
 * Tung /civ an keen is easterly from Canton 150 le, its area 
 amounts to 180 le, and pays 44,6 〇 7 leang land-rent, or taxes. 
 
 There are many small islands belonging to the district of Tung 
 kwan. 
 
 փ Fan yu hem, near Canton. The place where European ships 
 anchor belongs to this Heen ; its area amounts to 140 le, and pays 
 48,356 leang. I looked in vain for some notices regarding the 
 many small villages which are to be found in the sequel of the 
 page. Some of them are merely mentioned in the Itinerary of 
 the province Canton. The reader may compare the account of 
 Richard Glasspoole in the Appendix. 
 
 I These are names of different sorts of Chinese vessels or 
 junks. 
 
32 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809 - The pirates sent to the village Tsze ne, demand- 
 ing ten thousand pieces of money* as tribute ; 
 and of San shen, a small village near Tsze ne 
 on the right side, they demanded two thou- 
 ( 15 v.) sand. The villagers differed in opinion ; one 
 portion would have granted the tribute, another 
 would not. That part who wished to pay the 
 tribute said : “ The pirates are very strong; it 
 is better to submit ourselves now, and to give 
 the tribute that we may get rid of them for 
 awhile ; we may then with leisure think on 
 means of averting any misfortunes which may 
 befall us. Our villages are near the coast, we 
 shall be surrounded and compelled to do what 
 they like, for no passage is open by which 
 we can retire. How can we, under such 
 circumstances, be confident and rely on our own 
 strength ?” 
 
 The other part, who would not grant the tri- 
 bute, said : “ The pirates will never be satis- 
 
 * In the original Kin (6369). Kin cannot be the common cash 
 (Tung pao). for then the sum would be too trifling — 8 to 
 900 are to be got in Canton for a Spanish dollar. If Kin were 
 used for dollar, or tael, which is very probable, the sum is 
 enormous. Richard Glasspoole states that the pirates demanded 
 indeed ten thousand dollars! — See the Appendix. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 33 
 
 fied ; if we give them the tribute now, we shall 1809- 
 not be able to pay it on another day. If they 
 should make extortions a second time, where 
 should we get money to comply with their 
 demands? Why should we not rather spend 
 the two thousand pieces of money to encourage 
 government officers and the people ? If we (16 r.) 
 fight and happen to be victorious, our place 
 will be highly esteemed ; but if, what heaven 
 may prevent, we should be unlucky, we shall 
 be everywhere highly spoken of.” The day 
 drew to its end, and they could not agree in 
 what they should determine on, when one villager 
 arose and said : “ The banditti will repeatedly 
 visit us, and then it will be impossible to pay 
 the tribute ; we must Jigkt." 
 
 As soon as it was resolved to resist the de- 
 mands of the pirates, weapons were prepared, 
 and all able men, from sixteen years and up- 
 wards to sixty, were summoned to appear with 
 their arms near the palisades. They kept quiet 
 the whole of the second day, and proceeded not 
 to fighting ; but the people were much disturbed, 
 and did not sleep the whole night. On the fol- 
 
 ւ 
 
34 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. lowing day they armed and posted themselves 
 (16 v.) 〇 n the sea- coast. The pirates, seeing that the 
 villagers would not pay the tribute, became en- 
 raged, and made a severe attack during the 
 night; but they could not pass the ditch before 
 the village. On the morning of the fourth, O po 
 tae headed his men, forced the ditch, took the 
 provisions, and killed the cattle. The pirates 
 in great numbers went on shore ; but the vil- 
 lagers made such a vigorous resistance that they 
 began to withdraw. O po tae therefore sur- 
 rounded the village on both sides, and the pirates 
 took possession of the mountain in the rear ; 
 they then threw the frightened villagers into dis- 
 order, pursued them, and killed about eighty. 
 After this the pirates proceeded with their van 
 to the sea-shore, without encountering any re- 
 sistance from the front. The villagers were 
 from the beginning very much alarmed for their 
 (17 r.) wives and daughters ; they collected them in 
 the temple and shut it up. But the pirates 
 being victorious, opened the temple, and carried 
 the women by force all away on board ship. 
 One pirate set off with two very fine women ; 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 35 
 
 a villager, on seeing this, pursued after and 1809. 
 killed him in a hidden place. He then took the 
 women and carried them safe through the water, 
 
 — this was a servant. A great number of the 
 pirates were killed and wounded, and the vil- 
 lagers lost about two thousand persons. What 
 a cruel misfortune ! it is hard indeed only to 
 relate it. 
 
 On the third day of the moon the people of 
 Ta ma chow, hearing that the pirates were 
 coming near, ran away. The pirates plundered 
 all that was left behind, clothes, cattle, and pro- 
 visions. On the sixth day they came so far as (17v.) 
 Ping chow and San shan. On the eighth they 
 retired to Shaou wan, made an attack upon it 
 on the ninth, but could not take it. On the 
 tenth they ascended the river with the tide, 
 went on shore, and burned Wei shih tun. On 
 the eleventh day they came to our village, but 
 retired again at night on command. On the 
 twelfth they attacked Hwang yung, and left it 
 again on the thirteenth. They retired on the 
 fourteenth, and stopped at Nan pae. On the 
 fifteenth they sailed out of the Bocca Ti- 
 
36 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. gns,* and on the twenty-sixth attacked the 
 ships which bring the tribute from Siam,')՝ but 
 were not strong enough to capture them. On 
 the twenty-ninth they attacked the places Tung 
 (18 r.) hwan and Too shin, and killed nearly a thousand 
 men. 
 
 The pirates tried many stratagems and 
 frauds to get into the villages. One came as 
 a country gentleman to take charge of the go- 
 
 * Hoo mun. The following notice on the Chinese tiger is 
 taken from the geography of Mookden, and translated by Father 
 Amiot. Eloge de la ville de Moukden par Kien long, p. 249. 
 “ Au-dela de nos fronti^res (Mookden), il y a une esp^ce de tigre, 
 dont la peau est un fort beau blanc, sur lequel il y a, par intervalles, 
 des taches noires. Ces espfeces de tigres sont plus mediants et 
 plus feroces que les autres.” Father Amoit adds, that these tigers 
 are called Hoo by the Chinese, and Tasha by the Manchow. 
 
 t The Chinese geographers and historians are very well ac- 
 quaited with Siam ; there is an interesting description of this em- 
 pire in the Hae kwo heen keen, p. 21, and in the 57th book, p. 13, of 
 the memoirs concerning the south of the Mei ling mountains. That 
 Siam acknowledges the supremacy of China, was known to the 
 most early European travellers. Cluver says (in his Tntroductio 
 in omnem Geographiam Wolfenbuttel*, 1694, 4to., p. 473), that 
 “ Rex Siamensis irruptione crebriori Tartarica pressus, Chano 
 denique Chinensi sese beneficiarium aut vasallum submisit.” 
 Mendez Pinto, who was in that country in the year 1540, states 
 that the king of Siam acknowledged the supremacy of China ; 
 Bernhardi Vareni Descriptio regni Japonic et Siam; Cantabrigise 
 1673-8, p. 128. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 37 
 
 vernment guns ; another came in a government 1809. 
 vessel as if to assist the village ; after which 
 they on a sudden attacked and plundered all, 
 when people were not aware of them. One 
 pirate went round as a pedlar, to see and hear 
 all, and to explore every place. The country 
 people became therefore at last enraged, and 
 were in future always on their guard. If they 
 found any foreigner, they took him for a pirate 
 and killed him. So came once a government 
 officer on shore to buy rice ; but the inhabitants 
 thought he was a pirate and killed him. There 
 was every where a degree of confusion, which 
 it is impossible to explain. 
 
 On the sixteenth day of the seventh moon, 
 the pirates attacked a village near Tung kwan. (18v.) 
 The villagers knowing what would happen, 
 made fences and palisades, and obstructed the 
 passage with large guns. Armed with lances 
 and targets they hid themselves in a secret place, 
 and selected ten men only to oppose the pirates. 
 
 The pirates seeing that there were so few people, 
 went on shore to pursue them. As soon as 
 they came near the ambuscade the guns were 
 
38 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. fired ; the pirates became alarmed and dared 
 not advance farther. Not being hurt by the fire, 
 they again advanced; but three pirates presum- 
 ing that there was an ambush, thought of re- 
 treating, and being very hard pressed by the 
 enemy, they gave a sign to their comrades to 
 come on shore. The ten villagers then retired 
 near the ambush, and when the pirates pursued 
 them, about a hundred were killed by their guns, 
 and the whole force of the banditti was brought 
 into disorder. The villagers pursued them kill- 
 09 r.) ing many ; those also who had been taken alive 
 were afterwards beheaded. They captured one 
 small and two large vessels.* 
 
 On the eighteenth day of the eighth moon 
 the wife of Ching yih came with about five 
 hundred vessels from Tung kwan and Sin hwy, 
 and caused great commotion in the town Shun 
 
 * It is impossible to translate the names of vessels of different 
 descriptions. The large are the Chang lung, or great dragon vessels 
 which by the Chinese law are forbidden to be used by any private 
 person ; these are the Mandarin, or government vessels. J he 
 pirates nevertheless had such vessels, as likewise the daring smug- 
 glers, who bring the opium from Lintin, or Linting, to Canton. 
 The amount of the opium trade in the port of Canton was, in the 
 year 1829-30, equal to 12,057,157 Sp. dollars. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 39 
 
 tih, Heang shan, and the neighbouring places. 1809. 
 The squadron stopped at Tan chow, and on the 
 twentieth Chang pao was ordered to attack 
 Shaou ting with three hundred vessels. He 
 carried away about four hundred people, both 
 male and female ; he came also to the palisades 
 of our village, but could not penetrate inside. 
 
 The twenty-first he came to Lin tow, and the 
 twenty-second to Kan shin ; he made an at- 
 tack, but could not overpower the place ; he 
 then returned to Pwan peenjow, and lay before 
 its fence. The inhabitants of Chow po chin, (19 V .) 
 knowing that the pirates would make an attack, 
 assembled behind the wall to oppose them. 
 
 The pirates fired their guns and wounded some, 
 when the villagers ran away. The pirates 
 then went on shore, but the villagers crowded 
 together and fired on them ; the pirates cast 
 themselves on the ground, and the shots passed 
 over their heads without doing any harm. Be- 
 fore the gunners could again load, the pirates 
 sprang up and put them to death. Out of the 
 three thousand men who were in the battle, 
 five hundred were carried away by the pirates. 
 
40 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. 〇 n e 〇 f the most daring pirates, bearing the 
 flag, was killed by the musket of a villager; a 
 second pirate then took the flag, and he also 
 was killed. The pirates now pressed against 
 the wall and advanced. There was also a fo- 
 (20 r.) reign pirate* engaged in the battle with a 
 fowling-piece. The pirates assembled in great 
 numbers to cut the wall with their halberts, but 
 they were disappointed on seeing they could 
 not attain their object in such a manner. The 
 pirates lost their hold, fell down, and were killed. 
 The engagement now became general, and great 
 numbers were killed and wounded on both 
 sides. The villagers at last were driven from 
 their fortifications, and the pirates pursued them 
 to Mill ke, or the rocks about Mill, where they 
 were hindered from going farther by foggy 
 weather ; they retired and burned about twenty 
 houses, with all they contained. On the fol- 
 lowing day the pirates appeared again on the 
 
 * One of the English sailors, who had been taken prisoner. 
 
 “ The pirates frequently obliged my men to go on shore and fight 
 with the muskets, which did great execution ; the Chinese princi- 
 pally using bows and arrows. They have match-locks, but use 
 them very unskilfully.” — See Appendix. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 41 
 
 shore, but the inhabitants made a vigorous resis- 1809. 
 tance, and being driven back, they retired to 
 the citadel Chili liwa, where a thousand of them 
 fought so hard that the pirates withdrew. It (2 〇 v.) 
 was reported that ten of them were killed, and 
 that the villagers lost eight men. On the twenty- 
 third the wife of Ching yih ordered O po tae to 
 go up the river with about eighty vessels : he 
 stopped at Show ke and Kung shih. On the 
 twenty-fourth Chang paou and Po tae divided 
 this district between themselves, and robbed 
 and burned all. Pao had to plunder the north 
 part to Fo shin ; he carried away about ten 
 thousand stones of rice,* and burned down about 
 thirty houses ; on the twenty-fifth he went to Se 
 shin. O po tae came and burnt San heung keih ; 
 he then plundered Hwang yung, and came to 
 Keen ke, but did not make an attack against it. 
 
 He afterwards returned and laid waste Cha 
 yung. 
 
 • A shih, or stone, contains four keun : a keun thirty kin or 
 catty, the well known Chinese weight : a catty is equal to one 
 pound and a third English. 
 
 .A I 
 
42 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. On the twenty-sixth Chang paou went up the 
 (21 r.) river to Nan hae* and Lan shih. In the harbour 
 of the place were six rice vessels ; and as soon 
 as Paou was in Lan shih he made preparations 
 to capture these vessels. The military officer, 
 seeing that the pirates were numerous, remain- 
 ed however on his station, for the instant he 
 would have moved, Paou would have attacked 
 and captured him. Paou proceeded then against 
 the village itself ; but the officer Ho shaou yuen 
 headed the inhabitants, and made some resis- 
 tance. The pirates, nevertheless, mounted the 
 banks ; and the villagers seeing their strength, 
 did not stay to fight — they became frightened 
 and ran away : all the others ran away without 
 making any resistance : Ho shaou yuen alone 
 opposed the banditti with a handful of people ; 
 but he at last fell fighting, and the pirates burnt 
 (21 v.) four hundred shops and houses, and killed 
 
 * Nan hae keen. Its area amounts to 278 le, and it pays 63,731 
 leang. The European factories in Canton lie in this district, 
 and the monastery opposite to the factories is usually from the 
 name of the district called the Hae nan sze, the temple of Hae 
 nan. The district of every place is called by the name of the 
 the place, and we must therefore speak of the town and district 
 Nan hae. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 43 
 
 about ten persons. After the pirates had re- 1809. 
 tired, the inhabitants held in high esteem the 
 excellent behaviour of Ho shaou yuen ; they 
 erected him a temple, and the deputy-governor 
 Han fung performed sacrifices to his memory. 
 
 Shaou yuen was commanding officer in the 
 citadel of Lan shih ; he was of an active spirit, 
 and erected strong fences. Before the pirates 
 arrived, this was his daily discourse when he 
 spoke to the people : “I knoiu that I shall be 
 glorified this year by my death." Half the year 
 being already passed, it could not be seen how 
 this prophecy was to be fulfilled. When the 
 pirates came, he encouraged the citizens to op- 
 pose them vigorously ; he himself girded on 
 his sword and brandished his spear, and was 
 the most forward in the battle. He killed many 
 persons ; but his strength failed him at last, 
 and he was himself killed by the pirates. The 
 villagers were greatly moved by his excellent 
 behaviour ; they erected him a temple, and said 
 prayers before his effigy. It was then known 
 what he meant, that “ he would be glorified in 
 the course of the year.” Now that twenty 
 
44 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. years are passed, they even honour him by ex- 
 hibiting tire-works. I thought it proper to sub- 
 join this remark to my history.* 
 
 On the twenty-seventh, Lin sun mustered 
 about forty vessels, and went out to fight with 
 the pirates in order to protect the water pas- 
 sage. He remained at Kin kang (which is near 
 
 * This simple note of the Chinese author better illustrates the 
 religion of China than many learned dissertations. All the dei- 
 ties, those of Greece and Rome, of China and India, are derived 
 from two sources ; both the powers of nature and highly gifted 
 human beings were deified. These powers of nature, and the 
 virtues and vices of men being in every community nearly similar, 
 the same gods and goddesses are found every where ; only their 
 external form and shape is different. Every province, every 
 town, and every village of China has its particular tutulary saint, 
 or god, and on the day of his festival his effigy is carried in pub- 
 lic. There is no essential difference in this respect between 
 China and those countries where Roman Catholicism is yet in 
 its highest vigour. The effigies of the Chinese gods and god- 
 desses are all of the human shape ; they have no monsters like 
 India and Egypt, under which it was once the fashion to seek 
 for extraordinary wisdom and astonishing science. Lucian has 
 already taken the liberty of laughing at these deities, and at the 
 writers, the prophets, and sophists, who try to find some sense 
 in all this vulgar display of nonsense, by which the people are de- 
 luded. Lucian de Saereficiis s. f. where he laughs at the Jupiter 
 with a ram’s head, at the good fellow Mercurius with the coun- 
 tenance of a dog, etc. KgioTgirwrov ftiv rov Ala, xuvoTgotruorov St rov 
 fiiXrirov' EgfiZv xal rov Hava oXcv rgayov, etc. See the pleasant Story of 
 Jupiter with the ram's head in Herodotus, n. 42. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 45 
 
 Shaou wan hae), hid himself westerly of that 1809. 
 place the whole day, and removed then to Tsze (22 r.) 
 ne. Chang paou ordered his vessels to remove to 
 Shaou ting, and his men to go on shore in the 
 night-time. Sun, seeing with sorrow that the 
 pirates were so numerous, and that he could 
 not make any effectual resistance, ran away 
 eastwards and hid himself at Peih keang. At 
 daylight the following morning the pirates 
 sailed to Tsze ne to attack our commander, but 
 not finding him, they stopped at Shaou ting ; 
 for this being the time when the autumnal winds 
 begin to blow, they were afraid of them, and made 
 preparations to retire. But we shall soon find 
 the different flags returning to the high sea to 
 fight both with extraordinary courage and great 
 ferocity.* 
 
 On the twenty-ninth they returned to plunder (22v.) 
 Kan shin ; they went into the river with small 
 vessels, and the inhabitants opposing them, 
 wounded two pirates, which all the pirates re- 
 sented. They next came with large vessels, sur- 
 
 * The strong winds (Tay fung) in the Chinese sea begin about 
 the middie of September, or just before the equinox. 
 
46 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. rounded the village, and made preparations to 
 (22 v.) mount the narrow passes. The inhabitants re- 
 mained within the intrenchments, and dared 
 not come forward. The pirates then divided 
 their force according to the various passes, and 
 made an attack. The inhabitants prepared 
 themselves to make a strong resistance near the 
 entrance from the sea on the east side of the 
 fence ; but the pirates stormed the fence, planted 
 their flag on the shore, and then the whole 
 squadron followed. The inhabitants fought 
 bravely, and made a dreadful slaughter when 
 the pirates crossed the entrance at Lin tow. 
 The boxing-master, Wei tang chow, made a vi- 
 gorous resistance, and killed about ten pirates. 
 The pirates then began to withdraw, but Chang 
 paou himself headed the battle, which lasted 
 very long. The inhabitants were not strong- 
 enough. Wei tang was surrounded by the pirates; 
 (23 r.) nevertheless that his wife fought valiantly by 
 his side. On seeing that they were surrounded 
 and exhausted, the father of the lady* rushed 
 
 * It is not stated in the Chinese text, whose father rushed for- 
 ward, whether it was the father of the lady, or of Wei tang chow. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 47 
 
 forward and killed some pirates. The pirates 1809. 
 then retired in opposite directions, in order to 
 surround their opponents in such a manner that 
 they might not escape, and could be killed 
 without being able to make any resistance ; and 
 thus it happened, the wife of Wei tang being 
 slain with the others. 
 
 The pirates now pursued the inhabitants of 
 the place, who cut the bridge and retired to the 
 neighbouring hills. The pirates swam through 
 the water and attacked the inhabitants, who 
 were unable to escape. The whole force of the 
 pirates being now on shore, the inhabitants suf- 
 fered a severe loss, — it is supposed about a 
 hundred of them were killed ； the loss of the 
 pirates also was considerable. (23v.) 
 
 The pirates went in four divisions to plunder ; 
 they took here an immense quantity of clothes 
 and other goods, and carried away one thou- 
 sand one hundred and forty captives of both 
 sexes. They set on fire about ten houses ; the 
 flames could not be extinguished for some 
 days ; in the whole village you could not hear 
 
48 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. the cry of a dog or a hen. The other inha- 
 bitants retired far from the village, or hid 
 themselves in the fields. In the paddy fields 
 about a hundred women were hidden, but the 
 pirates on hearing a child crying, went to the 
 place and carried them away. Meiying, the 
 wife of Ke choo yang, was very beautiful, and a 
 (24 r.) pirate being about to seize her by the head, she 
 abused him exceedingly. The pirate bound her 
 to the yard-arm ; but on abusing him yet more, 
 the pirate dragged her down and broke two of 
 her teeth, which filled her mouth and jaws with 
 blood. The pirate sprang up again to bind her. 
 Ying allowed him to approach, but as soon as he 
 came near her, she laid hold of his garments with 
 her bleeding mouth, and threw both him and 
 herself into the river, where they were drowned. 
 The remaining captives of both sexes were after 
 some months liberated, on having paid a ransom 
 of fifteen thousand leang or ounces of silver. 
 
 Travelling once to Pwan peen jow I was 
 affected by the virtuous behaviour of Ale} ying, 
 and all generous men will, as I suppose, be 
 
CHINESE PIRATES, 
 
 49 
 
 moved by the same feelings. I therefore com- 1809. 
 posed a song, mourning her fate : 
 
 Chen ke kin seaou hee, 
 
 Chuy sze chung sou meen. 
 
 Tang she shwiiy fan lelh. 
 
 Yew neu tuh nang tsiiy ； 
 
 Tseen heue ying kwang nee,* 
 
 Yuen keii yuen shwuy wei. 
 
 Shwiiy hwan po shang hea, 
 
 Ying lee shang pei hwiiy. 
 
 Cease fighting now for awhile ! 
 
 Let us call back the flowing waves ! 
 
 Who opposed the enemy in time ? 
 
 A single wife could overpower him. 
 
 Streaming with blood, she grasped the mad offspring 
 of guilt. 
 
 She held fast the man and threw him into the mean- 
 dering stream. 
 
 The spirit of the water, wandering up and down on 
 the waves, 
 
 W as astonished at the virtue of Yinp. 
 
 〇 
 
 My song is at an end ! 
 
 Waves meet each other continually. 
 
 * I must again remark that there is a false character in our 
 text: it should be Nee, 7974 in the Tonical Dictionary of 
 Dr. M. 
 
 N 
 
 (24 v.) 
 
50 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809- I see the water green as mountain Peih, 
 
 But the brilliant fire returns no more !'* 
 
 How long- did we mourn and cry !փ 
 
 * I am compelled to give a free translation of this verse, and 
 confess myself not quite certain of the signification of the 
 poetical figures used by our author. Fung signifies a hollow 
 pyramid filled with combustibles; yin signifies the smoke caused 
 by combustion; tsedng signifies the spar or yard in a boat or ship, 
 to which the sail is attached, and ying is shadow. It seems that 
 the author alludes to the spar or yard-arm, at which Meiying was 
 fastened by the pirate; but what he means by shadow I do not 
 really know, perhaps ying is in the place of Mei ying. 
 
 փ The Chinese characters are printed like the other portion of 
 the work. I have divided them according to the verses. Only the 
 first eight lines have a regular metre of five feet, or words, and as 
 the author himself says, his song is then at an end ; but the lan- 
 guage still remains poetical, and for that reason it was thought 
 proper to divide also the remaining lines like verses. Every word 
 must be considered as consisting of one syllable or sound, even if 
 we write it with three or four vowels. Poetry is perhaps more 
 esteemed in China, than in any other country in the world. The 
 late governor-general of Kwang tung and Kwang se, his Excel- 
 lency Yuen, published the poems of his daughter, who died 
 when only nineteen years of age. Most of the emperors of 
 China wrote verses, and I have, if I remember rightly, an im- 
 perial collection printed at the command of Kea king of many 
 volumes, containing the poetry of the crowned heads of China. 
 The reader may easily imagine that the Chinese have many works 
 on poetry; I am also in possession of a Chinese Gradus ad Par- 
 nassum in ten large volumes, in which are to be found, divided under 
 different heads, all the fine expression and poetical images of the 
 classical poets. Mr. Davis has given some excellent specimens 
 of Chinese poetry in his elegant dissertation on that subject. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 51 
 
 BOOK SECOND. 
 
 On the thirteenth day of the ninth moon our 1809 . 
 Admiral Tsuen mow sun mustered about eighty ^ 1 ^ 
 vessels to go to Shaou wan, and obstruct the 
 passage. The pirates heard of these prepara- 
 tions, and on the night of the fourteenth every 
 vessel of the different flags was ordered to go 
 to Shaou wan. Their order was, that being 
 within ten le from the place, they should stop 
 and prepare themselves to begin the battle 
 when it was dark. From the first night watch 
 the cannon began to fire, and only ceased with (1 v.) 
 daylight. At the end of the day the cannon 
 were again roaring without any intermission, and 
 the country people mounted on the green Lo 
 sliang, to look at the progress of the fight. 
 
 They saw the wrecks of vessels floating on the 
 sea, the waves were rolling, the bullets flying, 
 
52 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. and the cries of dying people mounted to 
 the skies. The vallies re-echoed the noise ; 
 beasts and birds* started alarmed, and found 
 no place where they might repose themselves. 
 The vessels were thrown into disorder, and our 
 army was pressed down by the overpowering 
 force of the enemy. Our commander lost four 
 vessels, but the palisade before the village 
 could not be taken, by which means it was 
 protected against pillage. Our admiral said, 
 “ Since I cannot conquer these wicked pirates, 
 I will blow myself up.” In this manner the 
 (2r.) admiral and many other officers met their death. 
 
 On the twenty-fifth the pirates went to Heang 
 shan and to great Hwang po they took pos- 
 
 * Verbally “ monkeys and birds,” a sort of birds which accord- 
 ing՛ to Dr. Morrison are something similar to our crows. 
 
 փ In the memoirs concerning the south of the Meiling mountains» 
 three books (from 9 — 11 incl.) are filled up with a description of 
 the seas, rivers, and lakes, of the province of Canton. Book 
 ninth begins with a general description of the Chinese seas, and 
 of the different entrances from the sea-side ; then follows a par- 
 ticulaa՛ description of the sea near Canton and Hainan, and of 
 the different Tides at various places. The mariner would cer- 
 tainly be gratified by a translation of this part of the work. The 
 translator has often remarked the extraordinary phenomenon of 
 the fiery appearance of the sea, during his residence in China. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 53 
 
 session of the inside and the outside passage of 1809. 
 Hwang po, so that the boat-people,* who stay- 
 
 in the before-mentioned work, b. ix. p. 5 v, we read the follow- 
 ing notice concerning this phenomenon : 
 
 “ The fire in the sea : It happens sometimes that sea waves have 
 such a luminous appearance, as if the whole sea were full of fire. 
 If you cast any thing into the sea, it becomes luminous like a 
 star ; but you do not see this during moonlight. Wood having in 
 itself no fire, receives a fiery appearance, after having been passed 
 through the water.” 
 
 In b. x. p. 10 r. Whampo is said to be seventy le from the sea 
 custom-house of Canton. In this extract foreigners are in ge- 
 neral very unfavourably spoken of. Amongst other things we 
 are told, “ that foreigners or barbarians drink so much strong 
 liquor that they are not able to stand on their feet; they fall down 
 intoxicated, and before having had a sound sleep, they cannot rise 
 again.” It is also remarked in the same article that many people 
 assemble together at Whampo, to attend the trade with the fo- 
 reigners ; the reason probably why our author calls it “ the 
 Great.” The reader will remember what has been said on Heang 
 shan in a former note ; I will only here add the remark of Mar- 
 tini, “ that in his time the principal and most wealthy merchants 
 lived in that place.” (Thevenot Relations de divers voyages, iii. 
 
 167.) 
 
 * It is well known that a great part of the population of China 
 live on the water, and they are generally called Tan (9832) 
 people;— a word which in the Canton dialect is pronounced 
 Tanka. They are quite a separate race, and harshly dealt with 
 by the Chinese government. There exist particular works con- 
 cerning the history', the customs and laws of these boat-people. 
 They more than once opposed the despotic regulation of their 
 masters, and government was always afraid they might join the 
 pirates. The history of the southern barbarians in the often 
 
54 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. outside on the coast, retired and came up to 
 the town with their boats. The military officer 
 Ting gaou ho being made acquainted with the 
 arrival of the pirates, requested ten fishing- 
 boats from the town Heang shan to assist the 
 citizens and to help them in opposing the 
 enemy. He posted himself before the town to 
 protect it. Ting gaou behaved valiantly on the 
 river ; he headed his small fleet of fishing boats 
 and opposed the pirates. There was incessant 
 ( 2 v.) fighting day and night; but at last the nume- 
 rous vessels of the pirates surrounded him on 
 all sides, and Ting gaou ho received a severe 
 wound in the back. He then addressed his 
 comrades in the following words : “ Being on 
 
 quoted Memoirs, kc. begins with a description of the Tan jin, or 
 Tanka people, and it is there said that they are divided into three 
 different classes. The description of their customs and manners 
 is very interesting, and I hope soon to lay it before the English 
 reader. It has been supposed that the name Tanka people is de- 
 rived from the form of their boats, which is similar to an egg ; 
 hut ShtVo wan, as quoted in Kang he, explains the word only by 
 Nan fang c gag, Barbarians of the southern region. There exist 
 different forms of this character, hut I think we should not 
 presume to make an etymology of a Chinese character without 
 being authorized by the Shwo wan, the oldest and most genuine 
 source of Chinese lexicography. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 55 
 
 the military station before this town, it was my 1802 
 intention to destroy the pirates, and for this 
 reason I united with all the principal men to 
 oppose them, without considering my own 
 safety ; — joyful I went to oppose the enemy. 
 
 But not being able to destroy this immense num- 
 ber of banditti, I am now surrounded with all 
 my principal men ; and being deficient in 
 power, I will die. Death could not move me, 
 but I fear the cruel behaviour of the banditti ; 
 
 I fear that if the battle come to its highest 
 summit, our fathers and mothers, our wives and 
 sons, will be taken captives. United with the 
 principal men of the town, we cannot destroy 
 the pirates, neither protect the country, our (3r. 
 families, nor our own firesides, — but the cir- 
 cumstances being desperate, we must do our 
 utmost.* 
 
 They now again rushed against the pirates 
 and killed many of them ; but their strength 
 
 * In the Chinese text is King king (the character is composed 
 out of radical fire and ear), on which is to be found an interesting 
 critical observation in Kang he, s. v. b. viii. p. 1 19r. In no other 
 oriental language has there been so much done by the natives for 
 the foreign student as bv the Chinese. 
 
5G 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809- being exhausted, the ten fishing boats were 
 taken, and great Hwang po given up to be plun- 
 dered. The citizens retired to their intrench - 
 ments, and made such vigorous resistance that 
 the pirates could not make them captives. 
 Chang paou therefore ordered O po tae and Leang 
 po paou to make an attack on both sides, on the 
 front and the rear at once ; so the citizens sus- 
 tained a great defeat, and about a hundred of 
 them were killed. A placard was then posted 
 up in the town, admonishing the citizens that 
 they being unable to resist the enemy, must, 
 under these cruel circumstances, send mes- 
 sengers to make terms with the pirates. This 
 (3 v.) being done, the pirates withdrew. 
 
 The wife of Ching yih then ordered the pirates 
 to go up the river; she herself remaining with 
 the larger vessels in the sea to blockade the 
 different harbours or entrances from the sea- 
 side ; but the government officers made pre- 
 parations to oppose her. There were about this 
 time three foreign vessels returning to Portugal.* 
 
 * The most common denomination for Portugal is now Se 
 yang kwo, or more correctly Si no se yang kwo. “ The small 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 57 
 
 Yih’s wife attacked them, took one vessel, and 18 〇 9 
 killed about ten of the foreigners ; the two 
 other vessels escaped. The Major Pang noo of 
 Heang shan about this time fitted out a hundred 
 vessels to attack the pirates ; he had before 
 hired six foreign vessels, and the two Portuguese 
 ships, which had before run away, united also 
 with him. Yih’s wife, seeing that she had not 
 vessels enough, and that she might be surround- 
 ed, ordered a greater number to her assistance. (4 r .) 
 She appointed Chang paou to command them, 
 and sail up the river ; but to keep quiet with 
 his squadron till he saw the Chang lung, or 
 government vessels come on. On the third of 
 the tenth moon the government vessels went 
 higher up the river, and Chang paou following 
 and attacking them, the foreign vessels sus- 
 tained a great loss, and all the other vessels 
 
 realm in the western ocean ; Europe is called Ta se yang. (See 
 Preface.) I thought it here more proper to translate E by foreigner > 
 than by barbarian. In a Chinese history of Macao, we find various 
 particulars regarding the Portuguese. The description of the 
 Portuguese clergy and the Roman Catholic religion is the most in- 
 teresting partof this curious publication. It consists of two parts, 
 or volumes. 
 
 O 
 
58 
 
 HISTORY OF THF. 
 
 1809. then ran away. The foreigners showed them- 
 selves very courageous; they petitioned the 
 mayor of Heang shan to place himself at the 
 head of the foreign vessels, to go and fight the 
 pirates. Pang noo having for some time con- 
 sidered their request, inspected on the tenth of 
 the same month the six foreign vessels, their 
 arms and provisions, and went out into the sea 
 (4v.) to pursue the pirates. 
 
 About this time Chang paou had collected his 
 force at Ta yu shan near Chih leih keo, and the 
 foreign vessels went thither to attack him. 
 About the same time the admiral, Tsuen mow 
 sun, collected a hundred vessels, and joined the 
 foreigners to attack the pirates. On the thir- 
 teenth they spread out their lines, and fought 
 during two days and two nights, without either 
 party proving victorious. On the fifteenth one 
 of the officers went forward with some large 
 vessels to attack the pirates, but he was very 
 much hurt by the fire of the guns ; his vessel 
 was lost, and about ten men were killed and 
 many others wounded, — after this, the whole 
 fleet retired. They however again commenced 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 59 
 
 fighting on the sixteenth, but being unable to 1809. 
 withstand the pirates, one vessel more was 
 lost.* 
 
 The Admiral Tsuen mow sun was exceed- (5 r.) 
 ingly eager to destroy the pirates, but he was 
 confident that he was not strong enough to van- 
 quish them, and he spoke thus to his people : 
 
 “ The pirates are too powerful, we cannot master 
 them by our arms ; the pirates are many, we 
 only few ; the pirates have large vessels, we only 
 small ones ; the pirates are united under one 
 head, but we are divided, — and we alone are 
 unable to engage with this overpowering force. 
 
 We must therefore, now make an attack, when 
 
 % 
 
 they cannot avail themselves of their number, 
 and contrive something besides physical strength, 
 for by this alone it is impossible for us to be vic- 
 torious. The pirates are now all assembled in 
 Ta yu shan, a place which is surrounded by 
 water. Relying on their strength, and thinking (5 
 
 * It would be interesting to read the Portuguese version of 
 these skirmishes. A history of these skirmishes was printed at 
 Lisbon, but I could not procure this publication. The reader may 
 compare the statements of Richard Glasspoole in the Appendix. 
 
GO 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809- that they will be able to vanquish us, they will 
 certainly not leave this place of retirement. We 
 should therefore from the provincial city (Canton) 
 assemble arms and soldiers as many as we can, 
 surround the place, and send fire-vessels among 
 their fleet. It is probable that in such a manner 
 we may be able to measure our strength with 
 them.” 
 
 In consequence of this determination all 
 commanders and officers of the different vessels 
 were ordered to meet on the seventeenth at Chih 
 leih keo, to blockade the pirates in Ta yu shan, 
 and to cut off all supplies of provisions that 
 might be sent to them. To annoy them yet 
 more, the officers were ordered to prepare the 
 materials for the fire- vessels. These fire- vessels 
 were filled with gunpowder, nitre, and other 
 combustibles ; after being filled, they were set on 
 (6 r.) fire by a match from the stern, and were instantly 
 all in a blaze. The Major of Heang shan. Pang 
 noo, asked permission to bring soldiers with him, 
 in order that they might go on shore and make 
 an attack under the sound of martial music, 
 during the time the mariners made their pre- 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 61 
 
 paration. On the twentieth it began to blow very 1809 
 fresh from the north, and the commander ordered 
 twenty fire- vessels to be sent off, when they took, 
 driven by the wind, an easterly direction ; but 
 the pirate’s entrenchments being protected by a 
 mountain, the wind ceased, and they could not 
 move farther on in that direction ; they turned 
 about and set on fire two men of war. The 
 pirates knowing our design were well prepared 
 for it ; they had bars with very long pincers, by 
 which they took hold of the fire-vessels and kept 
 them off, so that they could not come near. 
 
 Our commander, however, would not leave the 
 place ; and being very eager to fight, he ordered (6v. 
 that an attack should be made, and it is pre- 
 sumed that about three hundred pirates were 
 killed. Pao now began to be afraid, and asked 
 the Spirit of the three Po, or old mothers, to give 
 a prognostic. The Puh, or lot for fighting, was 
 disastrous ; the Puh, or lot to remain in the 
 easterly entrenchment, was to be happy. The 
 Puh, or lot for knowing if he might force the 
 blockade or not on leaving his station to-mor- 
 
62 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. row, was also happy,* three times one after 
 another. 
 
 There arose with the day-light on the twenty- 
 second a light southerly breeze ; all the squa- 
 drons began to move, and the pirates prepared 
 themselves joyfully to leave their station. 
 About noon j՜ there was a strong southerly 
 wind, and a very rough sea on. As soon as it 
 became dark the pirates made sail, with a good 
 deal of noise, and broke through the blockade, 
 
 • The Chinese are very much accustomed to consult the Puh, 
 or sort. There exists various ways, according to the ideas of the 
 Chinese, of asking the divinity whether any undertaking shall 
 prove either fortunate or not. The translator has seen different 
 modes of casting lots in the temples of the suburbs of Canton. 
 The reader may find an interesting description of casting lots in 
 the “ Histoire du grand Royaume de la Chine;” a Rouen 1614-8, 
 p. 30. There is much useful information to be found in this 
 work ; but it would be curious to learn in what Armenian works 
 (“ escritures des Armeniens”) it is stated, that “ St. Thomas came 
 through China in his voyage to the East-Indies ” (1. c. p. 25) ! 
 
 + Woo (11753) how ; Woo is the time between eleven and one 
 o’clock of the day. The Chinese divide the day into twelve she 
 shin, or great hours; the European twenty- four hours of the day 
 are called seaou she shin, little hours. We learn by a passage of 
 Herodotus (Euterpe 109), that the Greeks in his time also divided 
 the day into twelve parts ; Herodotus also adds that the Greeks re- 
 ceived this division of time from the Babylonians. — See Visdelou 
 in the Supplement to the “ Biblioth^que Orientale,” by Herbelot, 
 under the word Fenek. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 G3 
 
 favoured by the southerly wind. About a hun- 1809- 
 dred vessels were upset, when the pirates left 
 Ta yu shan. But our commander being՝ un- 
 aware that the pirates would leave their en- 
 trenchments, was not prepared to withstand 
 them. The foreign vessels fired their guns and (7 r 0 
 surrounded about ten leaky vessels, but could 
 not hurt the pirates themselves ; the pirates left 
 the leaky vessels behind and ran away. After 
 this they assembled outside at Hung chow in 
 the ocean. 
 
 Notwithstanding that the pirates had broken 
 through the blockade, Tsuen mow sun desisted 
 not from pursuing them ; he followed the pirates 
 into the open sea in order to attack them. On 
 the fifth of the eleventh moon he met the pirates 
 near Nan gaou, and prepared his vessels* to 
 attack them. The pirates spread out all their 
 vessels one by one, so that the line of their fleet 
 reached the forces of our commander ; they then 
 tried to form a circle and surround our admiral. 
 
 Our commander, in order to prevent this, divided 
 his force, — he separated from him eighty vessels, (7 v.) 
 
 * Mu teny is a particular sort of junk. 
 
64 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. which had orders to join him afterwards. Be- 
 fore they united again, a great battle took place 
 between the two fleets ; the firing lasted from 
 three till five in the afternoon ; our crew fought 
 exceedingly hard and burnt three pirate-vessels. 
 The pirates retreated, and our navy declined 
 pursuing them, because it would carry them 
 too far out of the way. Our crew being still 
 elated at this transaction, the pirates on a 
 sudden returned, roused them out of their sleep 
 and constrained them to fight a second time. 
 The commander had no time to make prepa- 
 rations, so that two vessels were burnt by the 
 fire of the pirates, and three were captured. 
 r, ) At the time when Chang paou was blockaded 
 in Chih leih keo, and was afraid that he should 
 not be able to come out again, he sent to O po 
 tae, who was at Wei chow, to rescue him. His 
 message was in the following words : — “ I am 
 harassed by the Government’s officers outside in 
 the sea ; lips and teeth must help one another, 
 if the lips are cut away the teeth will feel cold. 
 How shall I alone be able to fight the government 
 forces ? You should therefore come at the head 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 65 
 
 of your crew, to attack the government squadron 1809- 
 in the rear, I will then come out of my station 
 and make an attack in front ; the enemy being 
 so taken in the front and rear, will, even sup- 
 posing we cannot master him, certainly be 
 thrown into disorder." 
 
 Ever since the time Paou was made chieftain 
 there had been altercations between him and O 
 po tae. Had it not have been out of respect for 
 the wife of Ching yih they would perhaps have (8v.) 
 made war against each other. Till now they 
 only showed their mutual dislike in their plun- 
 dering expeditions on the ocean, and in conse- 
 quence of this jealousy Po tae did not fulfil the 
 orders of Paou. Paou and his whole crew felt 
 very much annoyed at this conduct, and having- 
 been able to break through the blockade, he 
 resolved to measure his strength with Tae. He 
 met him at Neaou chow, and asked him : “ Why 
 did you not come to my assistance ?” 
 
 O po tae answered : “You must first consider 
 your strength and then act ; you must consider 
 the business and then go to work. How could 
 I and my crew have been sufficient against the 
 
 p 
 
GG 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. forces of the admiral. I learnt your request, 
 but men being dependent upon circumstances, 
 I could not fulfil it ; I learnt your request, but 
 I was dependent on circumstances, and men 
 (9 r.) cannot act otherwise.* And now concerning 
 this business — to give or not give assistance — 
 am I bound to come and join your forces V' 
 Paou became enraged and said : “ How is 
 this, will you then separate from us ?” 
 
 Tae answered : “ I will not separate myself.” 
 Paou : “ Why then do you not obey the 
 orders of the wife of Ching yih and my 
 own ? What is this else than separation, that 
 you do not come to assist me, when I am sur- 
 rounded by the enemy ? I have sworn it that I 
 will destroy thee, wicked man, that I may do 
 away with this soreness on my back.” 
 
 There passed many other angry words be- 
 tween them, till they at length prepared to fight 
 and destroy each other. Chang paou was the 
 first to begin the battle ; but having fired his 
 
 + These speeches seem to be rhetorical exercises of the Chinese 
 historian ; the antithesis is a figure very much used in Chinese 
 rhetoric and poetry, and a great part of their poetry consists 
 merely of such antitheses. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 G7 
 
 guns, and being deficient in strength, Tae went 1809. 
 against him with all his well prepared forces. 
 
 Paou was not able to make any effectual resis- 
 tance to his enemy ; he received a severe defeat, 
 he lost sixteen vessels, and three hundred men (9 v.) 
 were taken prisoners. The prisoners were all 
 killed from mutual hatred. 
 
 O po tae remained then at the head of his 
 forces without any opposition, since Paou with- 
 drew. There was now a meeting held under 
 these banditti ; when Chang jih kao arose and 
 said : 
 
 “ If Paou and we should again measure our 
 strength against each other, our force will not be 
 found sufficient; we are only one to ten. It is 
 to be feared that they will collect all their forces 
 together to exterminate us. They may on a 
 sudden come against us and make an attack, — 
 our small body must certainly be in fear of their 
 vast number. There is Leang po paou, an ex- 
 perienced pirate on the sea ; if he should on 
 a sudden turn his vessels against us, there is not 
 one among us who would be able to resist him. 
 
 He is a very zealous worshipper of the spirit of 
 
G8 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1£09. the three Po or Mothers, and protected by 
 them; nay, and protected by them in a super- 
 (10 r.) natural manner. But if we perform sacrifices, 
 they remain without shadow and echo.* And 
 then it may also be added that we are no more 
 able to withstand with our short arms their long 
 ones, than dogs are able to chase fierce tigers. 
 But do we not every where see government 
 placards inviting us to submit, why do we not 
 then send somebody to make the offer? The 
 government will pardon and not destroy us 
 sea-monsters, )՜ and we may then reform our 
 previous conduct. Why should we not therefore 
 come to a determination to that effect ?” 
 
 Fung yung fa said : “ How then if govern- 
 ment should not trust our word ?” 
 
 Chang jih kao answered : “ If government 
 should learn that we recently fought Chang 
 (lOv.) paou, and destroyed the banditti, — it would 
 
 * That is — they are of no effect at all. I, however, thought it 
 proper to retain the strong figure of the original. 
 
 t The author forgets in his rhetorical flourishes, that it is a 
 pirate himself who speaks to pirates. The Chinese characters for 
 “ sea monster" are to be found in M 2057 ; “ King c is used figu- 
 ratively tor a devouring conqueror of men,՛’ says Dr. Morrison. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 G9 
 
 be hard indeed if that were not enough to make 1809. 
 them trust us?" 
 
 Go tsew he said : “If government should not 
 act towards us, as it is stated in the placard, 
 after having made our submission, we may then 
 again use violence. But they will hear, that we 
 attacked the others, like fishes their food ; that 
 we alone made a beginning in destroying the 
 pirates, and then tendered our submission, — they 
 will feel that they can employ us to destroy 
 the other pirates. He who is not of the same 
 opinion as mine may let his hand hang down.” 
 
 O po tae was of the same opinion, and the 
 purser was ordered to frame the offer of submis- 
 sion to government. The petition concerning 
 the offer was couched in the following terms : 
 
 “ It is my humble opinion that all robbers of 
 an overpowering force, whether they had their 
 origin from this or any other cause, have felt the (1 1 r.) 
 humanity of government at different times. 
 
 Leang shan who three times plundered the city, 
 was nevertheless pardoned and at last made a 
 minister of state.* Wa kang often challenged 
 
 * The author has here the expression tung-leang (11399) pillar , 
 in its proper and figurative sense. He probably chose this ex- 
 
70 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. the arms of his country and was suffered to live, 
 and at last made a corner-stone of the empire. 
 Jooming pardoned seven times Mang hwo; and 
 Kwan kung three times set Tsaou tsaou at 
 liberty.* Ma yuen pursued not the exhausted 
 robbers ； and Yo fei killed not those who made 
 their submission. There are many other in- 
 stances of such transactions both in former and 
 recent times, by which the country was strength- 
 en v.) ened and government increased its power. We 
 now live in a very populous age ; some of us 
 could not agree with their relations, and were 
 driven out like noxious weeds. Some after having- 
 tried all they could, without being able to pro- 
 vide for themselves, at last joined bad society. 
 Some lost their property by shipwrecks ; some 
 
 pression to make, according to Chinese sentiments, a fine rhe- 
 torical phrase. Leung in the beginning of the phrase corre- 
 sponds to the sound and the form of the character to Leung at 
 the end : Leang shan san kee ching yjh, mung gan shay url king 
 tso tung-leang. There is also something like a quibble in the 
 second phrase ; Wa kang, Bricks and mountain ridge is transformed 
 intoChoo shih (1223) or a corner-stone, just as Leang-shan, moun- 
 tain bridge is into tung-leang, or a pillar. 
 
 * O po tae alludes to well known events in Chinese history'. 
 On Tsaou tsaou see Dr. Morrison, 10549 in the tonical part of the 
 Dictionary. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 71 
 
 withdrew into this watery empire to escape from 1800. 
 punishment. In such a way those, who in the 
 beginning were only three or five, were in the 
 course of time increased to a thousand or ten 
 thousand, and so it went on increasing every 
 year. Would it not have been wonderful if 
 such a multitude, being in want of their daily 
 bread, should not have resorted to plunder and 
 robbery to gain their subsistence, since they 
 could not in any other manner be saved from 
 famine ? It was from necessity that the laws 
 of the empire were violated, and the merchants 
 robbed of their goods. Being deprived of our 
 land and of our native places, having no house 
 or home to resort to, and relying only on the (12 l， ) 
 chances of wind and water, even could we for 
 a moment forget our griefs, we might fall in 
 with a man-of-war, who with stones, darts 
 and guns, would blow out our brains.” “Even 
 if we dared to sail up a stream and boldly go 
 on with anxiety of mind under wind, rain, and 
 stormy weather, we must every where prepare 
 for fighting. Whether we went to the east, or to 
 the west, and after having felt all the hardships 
 
72 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1809. of the sea, the night dew was our only dwell- 
 ing, and the rude wind our meal. But now we 
 will avoid these perils, leave our connexions, 
 and desert our comrades ; we will make our 
 submission. The power of government knows 
 no bounds ; it reaches to the islands in the sea, 
 and every man is afraid and sighs. Oh we 
 must be destroyed by our crimes, none can 
 escape who opposeth the laws of government. 
 
 (12v.) May you then feel compassion for those who 
 are deserving of death ; may you sustain us by 
 your humanity !” 
 
 The chief officers of government met joyfully 
 together at Canton. The governor-general of the 
 southern district ever loved the people like him- 
 self ; and to show his benevolence he often invited 
 them by public placards to make submission: — • 
 he really felt compassion for these lower sort of 
 men, who were polluted with crimes. The way 
 of compassion and benevolence is the way of 
 heaven, which is pleased with virtue ; it is the 
 right way to govern by righteousness. Can the 
 bird remain quiet with strong wings, or will the 
 fish not move in deep water ? Every person 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 73 
 
 acts from natural endowments, and our general 1809. 
 would have felt compassion even for the mean- 
 est creature on earth, if they would have asked 
 for pardon. He therefore redeemed these pirates 
 from destruction, and pardoned their former 
 crimes.* 
 
 After this period the country began to assume 
 a new appearance. People sold their arms and (13 r.) 
 bought oxen to plough their fields ; they burned 
 sacrifices, said prayers on the top of the hills, and 
 rejoiced themselves by singing behind screens 
 during day-time. There were some people who 
 endeavoured to act with duplicity, and wished 
 to murder the pirates, but the general on seeing 
 the petition said to his assistants : “ I will pull 
 down the vanguard of the enemy to use it for 
 the destruction of the remaining part. I may 
 then employ it against the over-spreading power 
 of the pirates ; with the pirates I will destroy the 
 pirates. Yo fu mow destroyed in this manner 
 
 * I confess that it was not an easy matter to translate these 
 rhetorical exercises and poetical phrases, by which the author is 
 evidently anxious to draw a veil over the weakness of the empire. 
 
 The Chinese scholar will certainly pardon any mistake which 
 might occur in this poetical or furious prose — to use the expression 
 of Blair in his Lectures on Rhetoric. 
 
 Q 
 
74 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 IgQQ Yangtay : let us not act with duplicity, that we 
 may the better disperse their comrades and 
 break their power ; let us therefore accept their 
 submission.” 
 
 In the agreement it was stipulated that the 
 ships should assemble together in the open sea 
 near Kwei shen hcen* to make their surrender. 
 The Governor-general was to come to that place 
 ( 13 v.) t° receive O po tae, his vessels, his men, and 
 all other things which were pointed out in the 
 petition. The Governor-general being exceed- 
 ingly pleased, ordered his adjutant Kung gaou 
 to examine the list. He found eight thousand 
 men, one hundred and twenty-six vessels, five 
 hundred large guns, and five thousand six hun- 
 dred various military weapons. The towns Yang 
 keang and Sin gan were appointed for this 
 people to live in. j՜— This happened in the 
 
 * Kwei shen is a Heen or town of the third rank, and dependent 
 on the district metropolis Hwy chow foo ; it is near to Hwy. Its 
 area amounts to thirty-seven le, and pays in taxes 26,058 leang. 
 It is stated in the Itinerary of Canton (Kwang tung tsuen too, 
 p. 5. v.) that the situation of this great town makes it a place of 
 danger; being close to the sea, Kwei shen is exposed to sudden 
 attacks from pirates. 
 
 t Yang keang is a town of the third rank, and dependent on 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 75 
 
 twelfth month of the fourteenth year of Kea Jan. 
 king — and so the black squadron was brought 
 into subjection. O po tae changed his name to 
 Heo been, “ The lustre of instruction,” and the 
 general made him a Pa tsung* to reward his 
 services in defeating Chang paou. 
 
 On the twelfth moon Chang paou went with (14 r.) 
 his different squadrons into the river and attack- 
 ed Ke chow. It was near the end of the year, 
 and the pirates assembled along the mountain 
 
 its district metropolis Chow king foo ; distant from Chow king 
 foo in a southerly direction 340 le. Its area amounts to twenty- 
 nine le, and it pays 12,499 leang in taxes. 
 
 Sin gan is a town of the third rank, and dependent upon 
 Kwang chow foo ; distance from Canton in a north-east direction 
 200 le. Its area amounts to fifty le, and pays in taxes 11,623 leang. 
 There are three towns in the district of Canton, whose names 
 begin with Sin, new; Sin hivy, The New Association ; Sinning, 
 The New Repose ; and Sin gan, The New Rest. Kwang tung tsuen 
 too p. 3 v. 4 v et r. 8 r, Ning (8026) is now always written without 
 sin or heart, being the ming or proper name of the reigning em- 
 peror. By a mistake it is stated in the Indo-Chinese Gleaner 
 (iii. 108.), that Ning was the proper name of Kea king. The 
 proper name of the reigning emperor is considered sacred, and 
 must be spelled differently during his life-time. 
 
 * A Pa tsung, a kind of inferior military officer, says Dr. 
 Morrison, under the word pa, (8103.) 
 
76 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. ridge Laou ya* to make a festival : they made 
 a great noise during the night with crackers, 
 and their gongs were heard at a great distance. f 
 At daybreak the flags were spread out, and the 
 drums sounded ; they were cheerful the whole 
 day ; they eat and drank and made a great 
 noise, which was heard many les off. 
 
 On the second day of the same month they 
 attacked the village, and on the third day about 
 ten men went on shore. The villagers made 
 their escape, so that the pirates could not take 
 them. Having some time before made prepara- 
 tions to fortify Ma king yun,;j; they now retired 
 to it. The pirates knowing that the villagers 
 were well provided for defence, waited until 
 (14 v.) they had every thing ready. On the fourth 
 the pirates landed ; it was in vain that the 
 villagers opposed them, they had two men 
 
 * Laou ya, Laou ya kang, the mountain ridge of Laou ya, is fif- 
 teen le from the town of the third rank called Shlh ching. Shih 
 ching heen belongs to the district Kaou chow foo. Kwang tung 
 tsuen too, 16v. 9r. 
 
 t Crackers made of gunpowder, and the gong, are used at every 
 Chinese festival. 
 
 $ The name of a temple which Europeans commonly call a 
 Pagoda. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 77 
 
 wounded, and were finally defeated. The Go- 1810. 
 vernor-general ordered Ching chuy loo to pro- 
 ceed at the head of a large body of soldiers to 
 the town Shun tih, and prepare for an attack. 
 Meeting the pirates at Ke chow, the Major 
 attacking them on a sudden, the pirates sus- 
 tained a great loss, and returned to their vessels. 
 
 The Major also was struck by a shot from a 
 musket. There were daily skirmishes at the 
 neighbouring places ; the inhabitants were ge- 
 nerally defeated and ran away. The Major 
 Loo came with his forces and placed them on 
 the sea-coast behind the intrenchments of Sin 
 lie, to protect them against the fire of the 
 enemy. The guns of the pirates were directed 
 against the place, the bullets fell in Sin ne, but 
 without hurting any one, which again calmed 
 and encouraged the inhabitants. The pirates (15 r.) 
 coming a second time before Ke chow and Ta 
 leang, and not being able to accomplish their 
 designs, thought fit to retire. 
 
 The wife of Ching yih, on seeing that O po tae 
 was made a government officer after his submis- 
 sion, and that he did well, thought also of making 
 
78 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. her submission. “ I am,” said she, ** ten times 
 stronger than O po tae, and government would 
 perhaps, if I submit, act towards me as they did 
 with O po tae.” But remembering their former 
 crimes, and the opposition they made to many 
 officers, these pirates were apprehensive and felt 
 undetermined in their resolutions. A rumour 
 (15 v.) went about, that the red squadron wished to 
 tender their submission, and, in consequence, the 
 vigilant magistrates hearing of this, invited them 
 to do so. The magistrate of Tsze ne, Yu che 
 chang, ordered a certain Fei heung chow to 
 make enquiries about the matter. Fei heung 
 chow was a physician of Macao, and being well 
 acquainted with the pirates, he was notin need 
 of any introduction to obtain access to them. 
 This was the ground on which Yu chi chang 
 particularly selected him, when he tried to bring 
 the pirates to submission. 
 
 When Fei heung chow came to Paou, he said: 
 “ Friend Paou, do you know why I come to you ?” 
 Paou. — “Thou hast committed some crime 
 and comest to me for protection ?” 
 
 Chow. — “ By no means.” 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 79 
 
 Paou. — “ You will then know, how it stands 1810 . 
 concerning the report about our submission, if it 
 is true or false ?” 
 
 Chow. — “ You are again wrong here, Sir.* 
 
 What are you in comparison with O po tae?” 
 
 Paou. — “ Who is bold enough to compare me r ) 
 with O po tae ?” 
 
 Chow.- — “ I know very well that O po tae 
 could not come up to you, Sir ; but I mean only, 
 that since O po tae has made his submission, 
 since he has got his pardon and been created a 
 government officer, — how would it be, if you 
 with your whole crew should also submit, and if 
 his Excellency should desire to treat you in the 
 same manner, and to give you the same rank as 
 O po tae ? Your submission would produce 
 more joy to government than the submission of 
 O po tae. You should not wait for wisdom to 
 act wisely ; you should make up your mind to 
 submit to the government with all your followers. 
 
 * Keun in Chinese, Kwa according- to the Canton pronunci- 
 ation. It is true it is somewhat awkward to speak of Madam 
 Cliing and Mr. Paou, but it maybe remarked that the Chinese use 
 their familiar expressions foo or keun in the same manner as we 
 use Mr. and Mrs. 
 
80 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810 . I will assist you in every respect, — it would be 
 the means of securing your own happiness and 
 the lives of all your adherents.” 
 
 Chang paou remained like a statue without 
 
 motion, and Fei heung chow went on to say : 
 ( 16 v.)« 
 
 You should think about this affair in time, 
 and not stay till the last moment. Is it not 
 clear that O po tae, since you could not agree 
 together, has joined government. He being 
 enraged against you, will fight, united with the 
 forces of the government, for your destruction ; 
 and who could help you, so that you might 
 overcome your enemies ? If O po tae could 
 before vanquish you quite alone, how much 
 more can he now when he is united with govern- 
 ment ? O po tae will then satisfy his hatred 
 against you, and you yourself will soon be taken 
 either at Wei chow or at Neaou chow. If the 
 merchant-vessels of Hwy chaou, the boats of 
 Kwang chow, and all the fishing-vessels unite 
 (IT r.) together to surround and attack you in the open 
 sea, you will certainly have enough to do. But 
 even supposing they should not attack you, you 
 will soon feel the want of provisions, to sustain 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 81 
 
 you and all your followers. It is always wisdom 1810. 
 to provide before things happen ; stupidity and 
 folly never think about future events. It is too 
 late to reflect upon events when things have 
 happene ; you should, therefore, consider this 
 matter in time !” 
 
 Paou held a deliberation with the wife of 
 Ching yih, and she said : “ The Doctor Chow 
 is certainly right in all that he says ; Paou may 
 agree with him.” Paou then asked the Doctor : 
 
 “ Have you any commission about this matter, 
 or not ?” The Doctor answered, “ How could 
 I trifle with the sentiments of government; this 
 would be declared an improper behaviour. (17 v.) 
 Neither can I see through the intentions of 
 the wife of Ching yih nor through those of the 
 officers of government ; you can clear up all 
 doubts, if you will collect your vessels about 
 Sliao keo, outside the Bocca Tigris, you may 
 yourself hear the orders.” 
 
 Paou consented to this proposal, and the Doctor 
 returned to Yu che chang. Yu che chang ac- 
 quainted the Governor-general with this matter. 
 
 The general was anxious to meet the pirates and 
 
 R 
 
82 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. to clear the western passage, as he had already 
 cleared the eastern passage ; he therefore was 
 very happy at hearing the offer of surrender. 
 The magistrate of Tsze ne, Yu che chang, took 
 the government proclamation and went to the 
 pirates to see how things stood. The wife of 
 Ching yih on seeing Yu che chang, ordered 
 Chang paou to prepare a banquet. Chang paou 
 explained his intentions. Yu che chang re- 
 mained the whole night on board ship, and 
 stated that government was willing to pardon 
 (18 r.) them, and that they had nothing to fear after 
 having made their submission. Paou was very 
 much rejoiced at this ; and on the next morning 
 he went with Yu che chang to inspect the ves- 
 sels, and ordered all the captains to pay their 
 respects to the government officer. The wife of 
 Ching yih stated to Yu che chang that it was 
 her earnest wish to submit to government ; and 
 Chang paou himself assured the officer of his firm 
 intention to surrender without the least deceit. 
 The governor then ordered Yu che chang to visit 
 the pirates a second time, accompanied by Pang 
 noo, in order to settle all with them regarding 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 83 
 
 their submission. Chang paou requested that 1810. 
 those pirates who had been condemned to death 
 should be placed in ten vessels, in order that he 
 might ransom them. Yu che chang reported 
 this, and the Governor said : “ It shall be so, 
 whether Chang paou submit himself or not. 
 
 But being exceedingly desirous that the pirates 
 may surrender, I will go myself and state my 
 intentions, to clear up all doubts.” 
 
 He ordered the Doctor Fei heung chow to ac- 
 quaint the pirates with his design. The Gover- (18 v.) 
 nor-general then embarked in a vessel with 
 Pangnoo and Yu che chang to meet the pirates, 
 where they were assembled ; — their vessels oc- 
 cupied a space of about ten le. On hearing 
 that the Governor-general was coming, they 
 hoisted their flags, played on their instruments, 
 and fired their guns, so that the smoke rose in 
 clouds, and then went to meet him. From the 
 other side the people all became alarmed, and 
 the Governor- general himself was very much 
 astonished, being yet uncertain what could be the 
 meaning of all this alarm. Chang paou, accom- 
 panied by the wife of Chingyih, by Pang chang 
 
84 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. ching, Leangpopaou, and Soopuh gaou, mounted 
 the governor's ship, and rushed through the smoke 
 to the place where the governor was stationed. 
 The Governor-general on seeing Paou and his 
 followers falling on their hands and knees, that 
 (19 r.) they shed tears on account of their former 
 crimes, and sued penitently for their lives, was 
 induced by his extreme kindness to declare 
 that he would again point out to the rebels the 
 . road to virtue. Paou and his followers were 
 extremely affected, knocked their heads on the 
 ground, and swore that they were ready to suffer 
 death. But the Governor replied : “ Since 
 
 you are ready to submit yourselves with a true 
 heart, I will lay aside all arms and disperse 
 the soldiery ; to say it in one word, I give you 
 three days to make up a list of your vessels and 
 all your other possessions. Are you satisfied 
 with this proposal or not ?” Paou and his fol- 
 lowers said “ yes, yes," and retired accordingly. 
 
 It happened that about the same time some 
 Portuguese vessels were about to enter the 
 Bocca Tigris, and that some large men-of-war 
 took their station at the same place. The pirates 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 86 
 
 became exceedingly alarmed at this fleet, and 1810. 
 apprehended that the Governor had made an 
 agreement with the foreign vessels to destroy 
 them. They immediately weighed their anchors 
 and steered away. On seeing the pirates run- (19 v.) 
 ning away, Pang noo, Yu che chang, and the 
 others, not knowing what could be the reason of 
 all this, became afraid that they might have 
 changed their mind, and that an attack on the 
 Governor was contemplated. All parties became 
 frightened that the meeting had failed, and made 
 preparations to go off. The inhabitants of the 
 neighbouring country hearing of this, ran away, 
 and the Governor-general himself went back to 
 Canton. 
 
 When the pirates ascertained that the foreign 
 vessels were traders going into the river, and 
 that the Governor-general had no communication 
 with them, they again became pacified. But 
 considering that the Governor- general went back 
 to Canton without the business of their sub- 
 mission being quite settled, they held a consul- 
 tation together and Paou said : “ His Excellency 
 is gone back, and probably in doubt about our 
 
86 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. intentions ; if we tender our submission again, 
 (20 r.) his Excellency will not trust us, and if we do 
 not submit we shall insult the good intentions of 
 government. What is to be done under these 
 circumstances ?” 
 
 The wife of Ching yih said : “ His Excellency 
 behaved himself towards us in a candid manner, 
 and in like manner we must behave towards 
 him. We being driven about on the ocean, 
 without having any fixed habitation ; — pray let 
 us go to Canton to inform government, to state 
 the reason of the recoiling waves, to clear up all 
 doubts, and to agree on what day or in what 
 place we shall make our submission. His Ex- 
 cellency may then explain to us whether he will 
 come a second time to accept our submission, 
 or whether he will decline it.” 
 
 The whole crew was of opinion, that “ the 
 designs of government were unfathomable, and 
 that it would not be prudent to go so hastily on.” 
 But the wife of Ching yih replied : “ If his 
 ^ 〇 q v ^ Excellency, a man of the highest rank, could 
 come quickly to us quite alone, why should I a 
 mean woman not go to the officers of govern- 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 87 
 
 ment? If there be any danger in it, I will take 1810. 
 it on myself, no person among you will be re- 
 quired to trouble himself about it.’ 
 
 Leang po paou said : “If the wife of Ching 
 yih goes, we must fix a time when she shall 
 return. If this time be past without our ob- 
 taining any certain information, we should col- 
 lect all our forces and go before Canton.* This 
 is my opinion ; if you think otherwise, let us re- 
 tire ; but let me hear your opinion ?” They all 
 answered : “ Friend Paou, we have heard thy 
 opinion, but we think it rather better to wait for 
 the news here on the water, than to send the 
 wife of Ching yih alone to be killed.” This was 
 the result of the consultation. 
 
 Yu che chang and Fei heung chow, on seeing (21 r. 
 that nothing was settled about the submission 
 to government, became alarmed, and sent Chao 
 kaou yuen to Chang paou to enquire what was 
 the reason of it. On learning that they ran 
 away from fear of the foreign vessels, Yu che 
 chang and Fei heung chow made another visit to 
 the pirates, in order to correct this mistake. 
 
 * In the text is only Chow (1355) ; but I think it must here be 
 taken for the city or town of Canton. 
 
88 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. “ If you let slip this opportunity,” said they, 
 “ you will not be accepted, perhaps, should 
 you even be willing to make your submission. 
 The kindness of his Excellency is immense like 
 the sea, without being mixed with any false- 
 hood ; we will pledge ourselves that the wife of 
 Ching yih, if she would go, would be received 
 with kindness.” 
 
 The wife of Ching yih said : “ You speak 
 well, gentlemen ; I will go myself to Canton 
 with some other ladies, accompanied by Yuche 
 chang.” 
 
 Chang paou said, laughingly : “ I am sorry his 
 (21 v.) Excellency should have any doubt regarding us, 
 for this reason, therefore, we will send our wives 
 to settle the affair for us.” 
 
 •When the wives and children appeared before 
 him, the Governor-general said to them : “You 
 did not change your mind, but ran away, being 
 deceived by a false impression ; for this reason 
 I will take no notice of it. I am commanded 
 by the humanity of his Majesty’s government 
 not to kill but to pardon you ; I therefore now 
 pardon Chang paou.” 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 89 
 
 In consequence of this, Chang paou came with 1810 . 
 his wives and children, and with the wife of Ching 
 yih, atFooyungshao near the town of Heangshan 
 to submit himself to government. Every vessel 
 was provided with pork and wine, and every 
 man received at the same time a bill for a cer- 
 tain quantity of money. Those who wished it, 
 could join the military force of government for 
 pursuing the remaining pirates ; and those who 
 objected, dispersed and withdrew into the coun- 
 try. This is the manner by which the red squa- 
 dron of the pirates was pacified. 
 
 After the submission of Chang paou, the Go- (շշ r .) 
 vernor- general said : “ Now that we have cleared, 
 both the eastern and the middle passage, we are 
 ready to reduce the pirates of the western pas- 
 sage. He held a consultation about this matter 
 with the deputy-governor Han fung, and then 
 ordered the principal officer of the public gra- 
 nary, Mwan ching che, and the military com- 
 mandant of Luy chow foo, Kang chow foo, and 
 Keung chow foo, called Chuh url kang gih,* to 
 
 * About the towns which are mentioned in our text, the 
 reader may compare the notes to the first book. It is quite impos- 
 
 S 
 
90 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810 . proceed at the head of the forces and drive the 
 pirates away. It was presumed that they would 
 retire more westerly to Annam ; a message was 
 therefore sent to the king of that country to 
 have ready an armed force to repulse the pirates, 
 whenever they should appear on the rivers or 
 on the mainland.* * Chang paou was ordered on 
 the vanguard. 
 
 sible to ascertain by the text alone if there was only one military 
 officer appointed for all these places or not. In the latter case it 
 would be necessary to read Chub url and Kang glh ; but we see by 
 p. 95 that Chuh url kang gih is the name of one commander. 
 
 * Tung king and Cochin-China now form one empire, under 
 the name of Annam or Annan. The king of this country ac- 
 knowledges the supremacy of the Chinese emperor, and sends 
 every year a tribute to Pekin. The time of the reign of every 
 king is known by an honorary title, like that of the emperors 
 of China. The honorary title of the period of the reign- 
 ing king, to whom the message was sent, was Kea lung 
 (good fortune), the younger brother of King ching, called by his 
 proper name Fuh ying (according to the Chinese Mandarin pro- 
 nunciation): he is often mentioned in the beginning of the first book 
 of our History of the Pirates. The king, commonly called Kea 
 lung, died Feb. 1820, in the 19th year of his reign. His son, 
 who still reigns, mounted the throne on the third day after his 
 father’s death, assuming the words Ming ming (Illustrious fortune), 
 as the designation of his reign. See the “ Indo-Chinese Gleaner,” 
 vol. i. p. 360. It was falsely reported that Ming ming was mur- 
 dered some days after his succession to the throne (Indo-Chinese 
 Gleaner, 1. c. p. 416), and this report is stated as a fact in the 
 generally very accurate work, Hamilton’s East-India Gazetteer, 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 91 
 
 By the tenth day of the fourth moon the 1810 . 
 vessels and the crew were quite ready, and fell 
 in on the twelfth of the same month with the 
 yellow flag quite alone at Tse sing yang. Our 
 commander valiantly attacked this squadron, 
 and defeated it entirely. The captain Le tsung (22v.) 
 chaou, with three hundred and ninety of his 
 people, were taken prisoners. Meeting a di- 
 vision of the green flag, consisting of ten pirate 
 vessels, our commander attacked them. The 
 pirates being afraid, ran away ; but our com- 
 mander pursued after and killed them. Those 
 who were taken alive were beheaded. 
 
 On the tenth day of the fifth moon the Go- 
 vernor-general went to Kaou chow to make pre- 
 parations for fighting. Our commander pursued 
 after the pirates with a great and strong body of 
 troops; he met Neaou shih url at Tan chow, 
 and they fought a great battle. Neaou shih url 
 saw that he was not strong enough to withstand 
 
 vol. i. p. 430. The reader mav find some interesting particulars 
 concerning the present state of Cochin-China, in the Canton Re- 
 gister 1829, No. 13. Chinese influence seems to be now predo- 
 minating in that country. 
 
92 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. them, and tried to escape ; but the Major, Fei 
 teaou hwang,* gave orders to surround the pi- 
 (23 r.) rates. They fought from seven o’clock in the 
 morning till one at noon, burnt ten vessels, and 
 killed an immense number of the pirates. Neaou 
 shih url was so weakened that he could scarce- 
 ly make any opposition. On perceiving this 
 through the smoke, Chang paou mounted on a 
 sudden the vessel of the pirate, and cried out : 
 “ I Chang paou am come,” and at the same mo- 
 ment he cut some pirates to pieces ; the remain- 
 der were then hardly dealt with. Paou address- 
 ed himself in an angry tone to Neaou shih url, 
 and said : “I advise you to submit, will you 
 not follow my advice, what have you to say ?” 
 Neaou shih url was struck with amazement, 
 and his courage left him. Leang po paou ad- 
 vanced and bound him, and the whole crew 
 were then taken captives. 
 
 Seeing that Neaou shih url was taken, his 
 elder brother Yew kwei would have run away 
 in all haste ; but the admirals Tung and Tsuen 
 (23 v.) mow sun pursued, attacked, and took him 
 
 * Teaou (10044) in our text is written with a vulgar character. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 93 
 
 prisoner. The government officers Kung gao 1810. 
 and Hoo tso chaou took the younger brother of 
 Neaou shih url, called Mihyew keih, and all the 
 others then made their submission. Not long- 
 after this the Scourge of the eastern ocean sur- 
 rendered voluntarily, on finding himself unable 
 to withstand ; the Frog's meal withdrew to 
 Luzon or Manilla. On the twentieth of the 
 same month, the Governor-general came to 
 Luy chow, and every officer was ordered to 
 bring his prizes into the harbour or bay of 
 Man ke. There were taken fighting five hun- 
 dred pirates, men and women ; three thousand 
 four hundred and sixty made their submission ; 
 there were eighty-six vessels, two hundred and 
 ninety-one guns, and one thousand three hundred 
 and seventy-two pieces of various military 
 weapons. The Governor-general ordered one 
 of his officers to kill* the pirate Neaou shih url 
 with eight others outside the northern entrance 
 of Hae kang heen,t and to behead Hwang ho (24 r.) 
 
 * Chih (Kang he under radical 112. B. vii. p. 19 r.) seems to 
 indicate that they have been put to death by cutting one member 
 after another. 
 
 f Hae kang is a town of the third rank and dependent on the 
 
94 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1810. with one hundred and nineteen of his followers. 
 The Scourge of the eastern sea submitting himself 
 voluntarily was not put to death. 
 
 There was much talk concerning a man at 
 Hae kang heen, whose crime was of such a na- 
 ture that it could not be overlooked. When 
 this man was carried away to suffer death, his 
 wife pressed him in her arms, and said with 
 great demonstration of sorrow, “ Because thou 
 didst not follow my words, it is even thus. I 
 said before what is now come to pass, that thou 
 fighting as a pirate against the officers of govern- 
 ment would be taken and put to death. This 
 fills my mind with sorrow. If thou hadst made 
 thy submission like O potae and Chang paou, thou 
 (24 v.) wouldst have been pardoned like them ; thou 
 art now given up to the law, not by any power 
 of man, but by the will of fate.” Having 
 finished these words, she cried exceedingly. 
 The Governor-general was moved by these 
 
 district metropolis Luy chow foo. Luy chow foo is westerly from 
 Canton 1380 le. Hae kang is near to its district metropolis 
 Kwang tung tsuen too , p. v. 9 v. See the Notes, p 9, of this work. 
 
CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 95 
 
 words, and commuted the punishment of that 1810. 
 pirate into imprisonment. 
 
 In this manner the western passage was 
 cleared from the green, yellow, and blue squa- 
 drons, and smaller divisions. The rest of the 
 pirates, who remained about Hae kang, at 
 Hae fung, at Suy ke and Ho poo, were gra- 
 dually destroyed.* The Governor-general or- 
 dered Chuh url kang gih and Mwan ching che 
 to go with an armed force and sweep away 
 those pirates, who hid themselves in the re- 
 cesses of Wei chow and Neaou chow. And 
 thus finished this meritorious act of the Pacifica- 
 tion of the pirates. 
 
 By an edict of the “ Son of Heaven, ! the(25 r .) 
 Governor-general of Kwang tung and Kwang se 
 
 * Hae fung is a town of the third rank, and dependent on the 
 district metropolis Hwy chow foo. It is in a north-east direction 
 from its district metropolis 300 le. Its area contains fort}’ le, and 
 pays 17,266 leang in taxes. 
 
 Suy ke is a town of the third rank, and dependent upon the dis- 
 trict metropolis Luy chow foo ; distance from Luy chow foo in a 
 northerly direction 180 le. 
 
 H 〇 poo is a town of the third rank, and dependant on the 
 district metropolis Leen chow foo. This town is near to the dis- 
 trict metropolis, has an area of thirty le, and pays 7,458 leang in 
 taxes. Kwang tung tsuen too , p. 6 r. p. 9 v. 
 
96 HISTORY OF THE CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 1810 . Pih, ling was recompensed for his merits. He 
 was created a secondary guardian of the Prince, 
 allowed to wear peacock’s-feathers with two 
 eyes, and favoured with an hereditary title. 
 The services of the different officers and com- 
 manders were taken into consideration, and 
 they received adequate recompenses. Chang 
 paou was appointed to the rank of Major; Tung 
 hae pa, or, the Scourge of the eastern sea, and 
 all others, were pardoned, with the permission 
 to retire wherever they wished. From that pe- 
 riod till now ships pass and repass in tranquillity. 
 All is quiet on the rivers, the four seas are tran- 
 quil, and people live in peace and plenty. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 The Translator supposing that the readers of the 
 History of the Chinese Pirates might perhaps find it in- 
 teresting to compare the account of the followers of The 
 wife ofChing yih , drawn up by an European, with the 
 statements of the non-official Chinese historian ; he has 
 therefore thought fit to subjoin a Narrative of the cap- 
 tivity and treatment amongst the Ladrones, written by 
 Mr. Richard Glasspoole, of the Hon. Company’s ship 
 Marquis of Ely, and published in Wilkinson's Travels to 
 China. The Translator in vain endeavoured to obtain 
 another Narrative, regarding the Chinese pirates, which 
 is said to be printed in an English periodical. 
 
 A brief Narrative of my captivity and treatment amongst 
 the Ladrones. 
 
 On the 17th of September 1809, the Honourable 
 Company’s ship Marquis of Ely anchored under the 
 Island of Sam Chow, in China, about twelve English 
 miles from Macao, where I was ordered to proceed in 
 
 T 
 
98 
 
 A P P E ND1X. 
 
 one of our cutters to procure a pilot, and also to land 
 the purser with the packet. I left the ship at 5 p.m. 
 with seven men under my command, well armed. It 
 blew a fresh gale from the N. E. We arrived at Macao 
 at 9 p.m , where I delivered the packet to Mr. Roberts, 
 and sent the men with the boat’s sails to sleep under 
 the Company's Factory, and left the boat in charge of 
 one of the Compradore’s men ; during the night the 
 gale increased. — At half-past three in the morning I 
 went to the beach, and found the boat on shore half- 
 filled with water, in consequence of the man having left 
 her. I called the people, and baled her out; found 
 she was considerably damaged, and very leaky. At 
 half-past 5 a.m., the ebb-tide making, we left Macao 
 with vegetables for the ship. 
 
 One of the Compradore’s men who spoke English 
 went with us for the purpose of piloting the ship to 
 Linlin , as the Mandarines, in consequence of a late 
 disturbance at Macao, would not grant chops for the 
 regular pilots. I had every reason to expect the ship 
 in the roads, as she was preparing to get under weigh 
 when we left her; but on our rounding Cabaretta- 
 Point, we saw her five or six miles to leeward, under 
 weigh, standing on the starboard-tack : it was then 
 blowing fresh at N. E. Bore up, and stood towards 
 her; when about a cable’s-length to windward of her, 
 she tacked ; we hauled our wind and stood after her. 
 
A PPLNDIX. 
 
 99 
 
 A hard squall then coming on, with a strong tide and 
 heavy swell against us, we drifted fast to leeward, and 
 the weather being hazy, we soon lost sight of the ship. 
 Struck our masts, and endeavoured to pull ; finding 
 our efforts useless, set a reefed foresail and mizen, and 
 stood towards a country-ship at. anchor under the land 
 to leeward of Cabaretta- Point. When within a quarter 
 of a mile of her she weighed and made sail, leaving 
 us in a very critical situation, having no anchor, and 
 drifting bodily on the rocks to leeward. Struck the 
 masts: after four or five hours hard pulling, succeeded 
 in clearing them. 
 
 At this time not a ship in sight; the weather clearing 
 up, we saw a ship to leeward, hull down, shipped our 
 masts, and made sail towards her ; she proved to be 
 the Honourable Company’s ship Glatton. We made 
 signals to her with our handkerchiefs at the mast-head, 
 she unfortunately took no notice of them, but tacked 
 and stood from us. Our situation was now truly dis- 
 tressing, night closing fast, with a threatening appear- 
 ance, blowing fresh, with hard rain and a heavy sea ; 
 our boat very leaky, without a compass, anchor or pro- 
 visions, and drifting fast on a lee-shore, surrounded 
 with dangerous rocks, and inhabited by the most bar- 
 barous pirates. I close-reefed my sails, and kept tack 
 and tack ’till day-light, when we were happy to find 
 we had drifted very little to leeward of our situation in 
 
100 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 the evening. The night was very dark, with constant 
 hard squalls and heavy rain. 
 
 Tuesday the 19th no ships in sight. About ten 
 o’clock in the morning it fell calm, with very hard rain 
 and a heavy swell; — struck our masts and pulled, not 
 being able to see the land, steered by the swell. When 
 the weather broke up, found we had drifted several 
 miles to leeward. During the calm a fresh breeze 
 springing up, made sail, and endeavoured to reach the 
 weather-shore, and anchor with six muskets we had 
 lashed together for that purpose. Finding the boat 
 made no way against the swell and tide, bore up for a 
 bay to leeward, and anchored about one a.m. close 
 under the land in five or six fathoms water, blowing 
 fresh, with hard rain. 
 
 Wednesday the 20th at day- light, supposing the 
 flood-tide making, weighed and stood over to the wea- 
 ther-land, but found we were drifting fast to leeward. 
 About ten o’clock perceived two Chinese boats steering 
 for us. Bore up, and stood towards them, and made 
 signals to induce them to come within hail ; on nearing 
 them, they bore up, and passed to leeward of the 
 islands. The Chinese we had in the boat advised me 
 to follow them, and he would take us to Macao by the 
 leeward passage. I expressed my fears of being taken 
 by the Ladrones. Our ammunition being wet, and the 
 muskets rendered useless, we had nothing to defend 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 101 
 
 ourselves with but cutlasses, and in too distressed a 
 situation to make much resistance with them, having 
 been constantly wet, and eat nothing but a few green 
 oranges for three days. 
 
 As our present situation was a hopeless one, and the 
 man assured me there was no fear of encountering any 
 Ladrones, I complied with his request, and stood in to 
 leeward of the islands, where we found the water much 
 smoother, and apparently a direct passage to Macao. 
 We continued pulling and sailing all day. At six 
 o’clock in the evening I discovered three large boats at 
 anchor in a bay to leeward. On seeing us they weighed 
 and made sail towards us. The Chinese said they were 
 Ladrones, and that if they captured us they would most 
 certainly put us all to death ! Finding they gained 
 fast on us, struck the masts, and pulled head to wind 
 for five or six hours. The tide turning against us, 
 anchored close under the land to avoid being seen. 
 Soon after we saw the boats pass us to leeward. 
 
 Thursday the 21st, at day-light, the flood making, 
 weighed and pulled along shore in great spirits, expect- 
 ing to be at Macao in two or three hours, as by the 
 Chinese account it was not above six or seven miles 
 distant. After pulling a mile or two perceived several 
 people on shore, standing close to the beach ; they were 
 armed with pikes and lances. I ordered the interpreter 
 to hail them, and ask the most direct passage to Macao. 
 
102 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 They said if we came on shore they would inform us; 
 not liking their hostile appearance I did not think 
 proper to comply with the request. Saw a large fleet 
 of boats at anchor close under the opposite shore- Our 
 interpreter said they were fishing-boats, and that by 
 going there we should not only get provisions, but a 
 pilot also to take us to Macao. 
 
 I bore up, and on nearing them perceived there 
 were some large vessels, very full of men, and mounted 
 with several guns. I hesitated to approach nearer ; 
 but the Chinese assuring me they were Mandarine 
 junks* and salt-boats, we stood close to one of them, 
 and asked the way to Macao ? They gave no answer, 
 but made some signs to us to go in shore. We passed 
 on, and a large row-boat pulled after us ; she soon came 
 along-side, when about twenty savage-looking villains, 
 who were stowed at the bottom of the boat, leaped on 
 board us. They were armed with a short sword in 
 each hand, one of which they laid on our necks, and 
 the other pointed to our breasts, keeping their eyes 
 fixed on their officer, waiting his signal to cut or desist. 
 Seeing we were incapable of making any resistance, he 
 sheathed his sword, and the others immediately followed 
 his example. They then dragged us into their boat, 
 and carried us on board one of their junks, with the 
 most savage demonstrations of joy, and as we supposed, 
 * Junk is the Canton pronunciation of chuen, ship. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 103 
 
 to torture and put us to a cruel death. When on board 
 the junk, they searched all our pockets, took the hand- 
 kerchiefs from our necks, and brought heavy chains to 
 chain us to the guns. 
 
 At this time a boat came, and look me, with one of 
 my men and the interpreter, on board the chief’s vessel. 
 I was then taken before the chief. He was seated on 
 deck, in a large chair, dressed in purple silk, with a 
 black turban on He appeared to be about thirty 
 years of age, a stout commanding-looking man. He 
 took me by the coat, and drew me close to him ; then 
 questioned the interpreter very strictly, asking who we 
 were, and what was our business in that part of the 
 country. I told him to say we were Englishmen in 
 distress, having been four days at sea without provi- 
 sions. This he would not credit, but said we were bad 
 men, and that he would put us all to death ; and then 
 ordered some men to put the interpreter to the torture 
 until he confessed the truth. 
 
 Upon this occasion, a Ladrone, who had been once 
 to England and spoke a few words of English, came to 
 the chief, and told him we were really Englishmen, and 
 that we had plenty of money, adding, that the buttons 
 on my coat were gold. The chief then ordered us some 
 coarse brown rice, of which we made a tolerable meal, 
 having eat nothing for nearly four days, except a few 
 green oranges. During our repast, a number of La- 
 
 
104 
 
 A PPF.ND1X. 
 
 drones crowded round us, examining our clothes and 
 hair, and giving us every possible annoyance. Several 
 of them brought swords, and laid them on our necks, 
 making signs that they would soon take us on shore, 
 and cut us in pieces, which I am sorry to say was the 
 fate of some hundreds during my captivity. 
 
 I was now summoned before the chief, who had been 
 conversing with the interpreter; he said I must write 
 to my captain, and tell him, if he did not send an hun- 
 dred thousand dollars for our ransom, in ten days he 
 would put us all to death. In vain did I assure him it 
 was useless writing unless he would agree to take a 
 much smaller sum ; saying we were all poor men, and 
 the most we could possibly raise would not exceed two 
 thousand dollars. Finding that he was much exaspe- 
 rated at my expostulations, I embraced the offer of 
 writing to inform my commander of our unfortunate 
 situation, though there appeared not the least proba- 
 bility of relieving us. They said the letter should be 
 conveyed to Macao in a fishing-boat, which would 
 bring an answer in the morning. A small boat accord- 
 ingly came alongside, and took the letter. 
 
 About six o’clock in the evening they gave us some 
 rice and a little salt fish, which we eat, and they made 
 signs for us to lay down on the deck to sleep ; but such 
 numbers of Ladrones were constantly coming from dif- 
 ferent vessels to see us, and examine our clothes and 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 105 
 
 hair, they would not allow us a moment’s quiet. They 
 were particularly anxious for the buttons of my coat, 
 which were new, and as they supposed gold. I took it 
 off, and laid it on the deck to avoid being disturbed by 
 them ; it was taken away in the night, and I saw it on 
 the next day stripped of its buttons. 
 
 About nine o’clock a boat came and hailed the chief’s 
 vessel ; he immediately hoisted his mainsail, and the 
 fleet weighed apparently in great confusion. They 
 worked to windward all night and part of the next 
 day, and anchored about one o’clock in a bay under 
 the island of Lantow, where the head admiral of La- 
 drones was lying at anchor, with about two hundred ves- 
 sels and a Portuguese brig they had captured a few days 
 before, and murdered the captain and part of the crew. 
 
 Saturday the 23d, early in the morning, a fishing- 
 boat came to the fleet to inquire if they had captured 
 an European boat; being answered in the affirmative, 
 they came to the vessel I was in. One of them spoke a 
 few words of English, and told me he had a Ladrone- 
 pass, and was sent by Captain Kay in search of us ; I 
 was rather surprised to find he had no letter. He ap- 
 peared to be well acquainted with the chief, and re 
 mained in his cabin smoking opium, and playing cards 
 all the day.* 
 
 * The pirates had many other intimate acquaintances on shore, 
 like Doctor Chow of Macao. 
 
 U 
 
106 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 In the evening I was summoned with the interpreter 
 before the chief. He questioned us in a much milder 
 tone, saying, he now believed we were Englishmen, a 
 people he wished to be friendly with ; and that if our 
 captain would lend him seventy thousand dollars ’till 
 he returned from his cruize up the river, he w ould repay 
 him, and send us all to Macao. I assured him it vvas 
 useless writing on those terms, and unless our ransom 
 was speedily settled, the English fleet would sail, and 
 render our enlargement altogether ineffectual. He re- 
 mained determined, and said if it were not sent, he 
 would keep us, and make us fight, or put us to death. 
 I accordingly wrote, and gave my letter to the man be- 
 longing to the boat before mentioned. He said he 
 could not return with an answer in less than five days. 
 
 The chief now gave me the letter 1 wrote when first 
 taken. I have never been able to ascertain his reasons 
 for detaining it, but suppose he dare not negotiate for 
 our ransom without orders from the head admiral, who 
 I understood was sorry at our being captured. He 
 said the English ships would join the mandarines and 
 attack them.* He told the chief that captured us, to 
 dispose of us as he pleased. 
 
 * The pirates were always afraid of this. We find the fol- 
 lowing՛ statement concerning the Chinese pirates, taken from 
 the records in the East-India House, and printed in Appen- 
 dix C. to the Report relative to the trade with the East- Indies 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 107 
 
 Monday the 24th, it blew a strong gale, with con- 
 stant hard rain ; we suffered much from the cold and 
 wet, being obliged to remain on deck with no covering 
 but an old mat, which was frequently taken from us in 
 the night, by the Ladrones who were on watch. Dur- 
 ing the night the Portuguese who were left in the brig 
 murdered the Ladrones that were on board of her, cut 
 the cables, and fortunately escaped through the dark- 
 ness of the night. I have since been informed they run 
 her on shore near Macao. 
 
 Tuesday the 25th, at day-light in the morning, the 
 fleet, amounting to about five hundred sail of different 
 sizes, weighed, to proceed on their intended cruize up 
 the rivers, to levy contributions on the towns and vil- 
 lages. It is impossible to describe what were my feelings 
 
 and China, in the sessions 1820 and 1821 (reprinted 1829), 
 p 387. 
 
 “ In the year 1808, 1809, and 1810, the Canton river was so in- 
 fested with pirates, who were also in such force, that the Chinese 
 government made ail attempt to subdue them, but failed. The 
 pirates totally destroyed the Chinese force ; ravaged the river in 
 every direction ; threatened to attack the city of Canton, and de- 
 stroyed many towns and villages on the banks of the river; and 
 killed or carried olf, to serve as Ladrones, several thousands of in- 
 habitants. 
 
 “ These events created an alarm extremely prejudicial to the 
 commerce of Canton, and compelled the Company’s supercargoes 
 to fit out a small country ship to cruize for a short time against the 
 pirates.” 
 
108 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 at this critical time, having received no answers to my 
 letters, and the fleet under-way to sail, — hundreds of 
 miles up a country never visited by Europeans, there 
 to remain probably for many months, which would 
 render all opportunities of negotiating for our enlarge- 
 ment totally ineffectual ; as the only method of com- 
 munication is by boats, that have a pass from the La- 
 drones, and they dare not venture above twenty miles 
 from Macao, being obliged to come and go in the night, 
 to avoid the Mandarines ; and if these boats should be 
 detected in having any intercourse with the Ladrones, 
 they are immediately put to death, and all their rela- 
 tions, though they had not joined in the crime,* share 
 in the punishment, in order that not a single person of 
 their families should be left to imitate their crimes or 
 revenge their death. This severity renders commu- 
 nication both dangerous and expensive ; no boat 
 would venture out for less than a hundred Spanish 
 dollars. 
 
 Wednesday the 26 th, at day-light, we passed in sight 
 of our ships at anchor under the island of Chun Po. 
 The chief then called me, pointed to the ships, and told 
 the interpreter to tell us to look at them, for we should 
 never see them again. About noon we entered a river 
 
 * That the whole family must suffer for- the crime of one indi- 
 vidual, seems to be the most cruel and foolish law of the whole 
 Chinese criminal code. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 109 
 
 to the westward of the Bogue,* three or four miles from 
 the entrance. We passed a large town situated on the 
 side of a beautiful hill, which is tributary to the La- 
 drones; the inhabitants saluted them with songs as they 
 passed. 
 
 The fleet now divided into two squadrons (the red 
 and the black)!' and sailed up different branches of the 
 river. At midnight the division we were in anchored 
 close to an immense hill, on the top of which a number 
 of fires were burning, which at day-light I perceived 
 proceeded from a Chinese camp At the back of the 
 hill was a most beautiful town, surrounded by water, 
 and embellished with "roves of orange- trees. The 
 
 Ծ ~ 
 
 chop-house (custom-house)+ and a few cottages w r ere 
 immediately plundered, and burnt down ; most of the 
 inhabitants, however, escaped to the camp. 
 
 The Ladrones now prepared to attack the town with 
 a formidable force, collected in row-boats from the dif- 
 
 * The Hoo mun, or Bocca Tigris. 
 
 t We know bv the “ History of the Chinese Pirates,” that these 
 “ wasps of the ocean,” to speak with Yuen tsze yung lun, were 
 originally divided into six squadrons. 
 
 + In the barbarous Chinese-English spoken at Canton, all things 
 are indiscriminately called chop. You hear of a chop-house, chop- 
 boat, tea-chop, Chaou-chaou-chop, etc. To give a bill or agree- 
 ment on making a bargain is in Chinese called cha tan ; cha in the 
 pronunciation of Canton is chop, which is then applied to any 
 writing whatever. See Dr. Morrison’s English and Chinese Dic- 
 tionary under the word chop. 
 
110 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ferent vessels. They sent a messenger to the town, 
 demanding a tribute of ten thousand dollars annually, 
 saying, if these terms were not complied with, they 
 would land, destroy the town, and murder all the inha- 
 bitants; which they would certainly have done, had 
 the town laid in a more advantageous situation for their 
 purpose; but being placed out of the reach of their 
 shot, they allowed them to come to terms. The inha- 
 bitants agreed to pay six thousand dollars, which they 
 w r ere to collect by the time of our return down the 
 river. This finesse had the desired effect, for dui'ing 
 our absence they mounted a few guns on a hill, which 
 commanded the passage, and gave us in lieu of the 
 dollars a warm salute on our return. 
 
 October the 1st, the fleet weighed in the night’ 
 dropped by the tide up the river, and anchored very 
 quietly before a town surrounded by a thick wood. 
 Early in the morning the Ladrones assembled in row- 
 boats, and landed ; then gave a shout, and rushed into 
 the town, sword in hand. The inhabitants fled to the 
 adjacent hills, in numbers apparently superior to the 
 Ladrones. We may easily imagine to ourselves the 
 horror with which these miserable people must be 
 seized, on being obliged to leave their homes, and every 
 thing dear to them. It was a most melancholy sight to 
 see women in tears, clasping their infants in their arms, 
 and imploring mercy for them from those brutal 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Ill 
 
 robbers ! The old and the sick, who were unable to 
 fly, or to make resistance, were either made prisoners 
 or most inhumanly butchered ! The boats continued 
 passing and repassing from the junks to the shore, in 
 quick succession, laden with booty, and the men be- 
 smeared with blood ! Two hundred and fifty women, 
 and several children, were made prisoners, and sent on 
 board different vessels. They were unable to escape 
 with the men, owing to that abominable practice of 
 cramping their feet : several of them were not able to 
 move without assistance, in fact, they might all be said 
 to totter, rather than walk. Twenty of these poor 
 women were sent on board the vessel I w r as in; they 
 were hauled on board by the hair, and treated in a most 
 savage manner. 
 
 When the chief came on board, he questioned them 
 respecting the circumstances of their friends, and de- 
 manded ransoms accordingly, from six thousand to six 
 hundred dollars each. He ordered them a berth on 
 deck, at the after part of the vessel, where they had no- 
 thing to shelter them from the weather, which at this 
 time was very variable, — the days excessively hot, and 
 the nights cold, with heavy rains. The town being 
 plundered of every thing valuable, it was set on fire, 
 and reduced to ashes by the morning. The fleet re- 
 mained here three days, negotiating for the ransom 
 of the prisoners, and plundering the fish-tanks and 
 
112 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 gardens. During all this time, the Chinese never ven- 
 tured from the hills, though there were frequently not 
 more than a hundred Ladrones on shore at a time, 
 and I am sure the people on the hills exceeded ten 
 times that number.* 
 
 October the 5th, the fleet proceeded up another 
 branch of the river, stopping at several small villages to 
 receive tribute, which was generally paid in dollars, 
 sugar and rice, with a few large pigs roasted whole, as 
 presents for their joss (the idol they worship).* Every 
 person on being ransomed, is obliged to present him 
 with a pig, or some fowls, which the priest offers him 
 with prayers ; it remains before him a few hours, and is 
 then divided amongst the crew. Nothing particular 
 occurred ’till the 10th, except frequent skirmishes on 
 shore between small parties of Ladrones and Chinese 
 soldiers. They frequently obliged my men to go on 
 shore, and fight with the muskets we had when taken, 
 which did great execution, the Chinese principally 
 using bows and arrows. They have match-locks, but 
 use them very unskilfully. 
 
 * The following is the Character of the Chinese of Canton, as 
 given in ancient Chinese books : “ People of Canton are silly, light, 
 weak in body, and weak in mind, without any ability to fight on 
 land.” The Indo-Chinese Gleaner, No. 19. 
 
 + Joss is a Chinese corruption of the Portuguese Dios, God. 
 The Joss, or idol, of which Mr. Glasspoole speaks in the San po 
 shin, which is spoken of in the work of Yuen tsze. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 113 
 
 On the 10th, we formed a junction with the Black- 
 squadron, and proceeded many miles up a wide and beau- 
 tiful river, passing several ruins of villages that had been 
 destroyed by the Black-squadron. On the 17th, the fleet 
 anchored abreast four mud batteries, which defended a 
 town, so entirely surrounded with wood that it was im- 
 possible to form any idea of its size. The weather was 
 very hazy, with hard squalls of rain. The Ladrones 
 remained perfectly quiet for two days. On the 
 third day the forts commenced a brisk fire for several 
 hours : the Ladrones did not return a single shot, 
 but weighed in the night and dropped down the 
 river. 
 
 The reasons they gave for not attacking the town, or 
 returning the fire, were, that Joss had not promised 
 them success. They are very superstitious, and 
 consult their idol on all occasions. If his omens 
 are good, they will undertake the most daring en- 
 terprizes. 
 
 The fleet now anchored opposite the ruins of the 
 town where the women had been made prisoners. 
 Here we remained five or six days, during which time 
 about an hundred of the women were ransomed ; the 
 remainder were offered for sale amongst the Ladrones, 
 for forty dollars each. The woman is considered the 
 lawful wife of the purchaser, who would be put to death 
 if he discarded her. Several of them leaped over-board 
 
 x 
 
114 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 and drowned themselves, rather than submit to such 
 infamous degradation.* 
 
 The fleet then weighed and made sail down the river, 
 to receive the ransom from the town before-mentioned. 
 As we passed the hill, they fired several shot at us, but 
 without effect. The Ladrones were much exasperated, 
 and determined to revenge themselves ; they dropped 
 out of reach of their shot, and anchored. Every junk 
 sent about a hundred men each on shore, to cut paddy, 
 and destroy their orange-groves, which was most effec- 
 tually performed for several miles down the river. 
 During our stay here, they received information of nine 
 boats lying up a creek, laden with paddy; boats were 
 immediately dispatched after them. 
 
 Next morning these boats were brought to the fleet; 
 ten or twelve men were taken in them. As these had 
 made no resistance, the chief said he would allow them 
 to become Ladrones, if they agreed to take the usual 
 oaths before Joss. Three or four of them refused to 
 comply, for which they were punished in the following 
 cruel manner : their hands were tied behind their back, 
 a rope from the mast-head rove through their arms, 
 and hoisted three or four feet from the deck, and five 
 or six men flogged them with three rattans twisted to- 
 gether ’till they were apparently dead ; then hoisted 
 
 * Yuentsze reported the memorable deed of the beautiful Mt i 
 ying at the end of the first book of his history. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 llo 
 
 them up to the mast-head, and left them hanging nearly 
 an hour, then lowered them down, and repeated the 
 punishment, ’till they died or complied with the oath. 
 
 October the 20th, in the night, an express-boat came 
 with the information that a lartje mandarine fleet was 
 proceeding up the river to attack us. The chief imme- 
 diately weighed, with fifty of the largest vessels, and 
 sailed down the river to meet them. About one in the 
 morning they commenced a heavy fire till day-light, 
 when an express was sent for the remainder of the fleet 
 to join them : about an hour after a counter-order to 
 anchor came, the mandarine-fleet having run. Two 
 or three hours afterwards the chief returned with three 
 captured vessels in tow, having sunk two, and eighty- 
 three sail made their escape. The admiral of the man- 
 darines blew his vessel up, by throwing a lighted match 
 into the magazine as the Ladrones were boarding her; 
 she ran on shore, and they succeeded in getting twenty 
 of her guns. 
 
 In this action very few prisoners were taken : the men 
 belonging to the captured vessels drowned themselves, 
 as they were sure of suffering a lingering and cruel 
 death if taken after making resistance. The admiral 
 left the fleet in charge of his brother, the second in 
 command, and proceeded with his own vessel towards 
 Lantow. The fleet remained in this river, cutting 
 paddy, and getting the necessary supplies. 
 
116 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 On the 28 th of October, I received a letter from 
 Captain Kay, brought by a fisherman, who had told 
 him he would get us all back for three thousand dollars. 
 He advised me to offer three thousand, and if not ac- 
 cepted, extend it to four; but not farther, as it was bad 
 policy to offer much at first : at the same time assuring 
 me we should be liberated, let the ransom be what it 
 would. I offered the chief the three thousand, which 
 he disdainfully refused, saying he w f as not to be played 
 with ; and unless they sent ten thousand dollars, and 
 two large guns, with several casks of gunpowder, he 
 would soon put us all to death. I wrote to Captain 
 Kay, and informed him of the chief’s determination, 
 requesting if an opportunity offered, to send us a shift 
 of clothes, for which it may be easily imagined we were 
 much distressed, having been seven weeks without a 
 shift; although constantly exposed to the weather, and 
 of course frequently wet. 
 
 On the first of November, the fleet sailed up a narrow 
 river, and anchored at night within two miles of a town 
 called Little Whampoa. In front of it was a small 
 fort, and several mandarine vessels lying in the harbour. 
 The chief sent the interpreter to me, saying, I must 
 order my men to make cartridges and clean their 
 muskets, ready to go on shore in the morning. I as- 
 sured the interpreter I should give the men no such 
 orders, that they must please themselves. Soon after 
 
A PPENDIX. 
 
 117 
 
 the chief came on board, threatening to put us all to a 
 cruel death if we refused to obey his orders. For my 
 own part I remained determined, and advised the men 
 not to comply, as I thought by making ourselves useful 
 we should be accounted too valuable. 
 
 A few hours afterwards he sent to me again, saying, 
 that if myself and the quarter-master would assist them 
 at the great guns, that if also the rest of the men went 
 on shore and succeeded in taking the place, he would 
 then take the money offered for our ransom, and give 
 them twenty dollars for every Chinaman’s head they 
 cut off. To these proposals we cheerfully acceded, in 
 hopes of facilitating our deliverance. 
 
 Early in the morning the forces intended for landing 
 were assembled in row-boats, amounting in the whole 
 to three or four thousand men. The largest vessels 
 weighed, and hauled in shore, to cover the landing of 
 the forces, and attack the fort and mandarine-vessels. 
 About nine o’clock the action commenced, and conti- 
 nued with great spirit for nearly an hour, when the 
 walls of the fort gave way, and the men retreated in the 
 greatest confusion. 
 
 The mandarine vessels still continued firing, having- 
 blocked up the entrance of the harbour to prevent the 
 Ladrone boats entering. At this the Ladrones were 
 much exasperated, and about three hundred of them 
 swam on shore, with a short sword lashed close under 
 
118 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 each arm ; they then ran along the banks of the river 
 ’till they came a- breast of the vessels, and then swam 
 off' again and boarded them. The Chinese thus at- 
 tacked, leaped over-board, and endeavoured to reach 
 the opposite shore; the Ladrones followed, and cut the 
 greater number of them to pieces in the water. They 
 next towed the vessels out of the harbour, and attacked 
 the town with increased fury. The inhabitants fought 
 about a quarter of an hour, and then retreated to an 
 adjacent hill, from which they were soon driven with 
 great slaughter. 
 
 After this the Ladrones returned, and plundered the 
 town, every boat leaving it when laden. The Chinese 
 on the hills perceiving most of the boats were off, ral- 
 lied, and retook the town, after killing near two hundred 
 Ladrones. One of my men was unfortunately lost in 
 this dreadful massacre ! The Ladrones landed a second 
 time, drove the Chinese out of the town, then reduced 
 it to ashes, and put all their prisoners to death, without 
 regarding either age or sex ! 
 
 Ծ Ծ O 
 
 I must not omit to mention a most horrid (though 
 ludicrous) circumstance which happened at this place. 
 The Ladrones were paid by their chief ten dollars for 
 every Chinaman’s head they produced. One of my 
 men turning the corner of a street was met by a La- 
 drone running furiously after a Chinese ; he had a 
 drawn sword in his hand, and two Chinaman’s heads 
 

 APPENDIX. 
 
 119 
 
 which he had cut off, tied by their tails, and slung 
 round his neck. I was witness myself to some of them 
 producing five or six to obtain payment ! ! ! 
 
 On the 4th of November an order arrived from the 
 admiral for the fleet to proceed immediately to Lantow, 
 where he was lying with only two vessels, and three 
 Portuguese ships and a brig constantly annoying him ; 
 several sail of mandarine vessels were daily expected. 
 The fleet weighed and proceeded towards Lantow. On 
 passing the island of Lintin, three ships and a brig gave 
 chase to us. The Ladrones prepared to board ; but 
 night closing we lost sight of them : I am convinced 
 they altered their course and stood from us. These 
 vessels were in the pay of the Chinese government, 
 and style themselves the Invincible Squadron, cruizing 
 in the river Tigris to annihilate the Ladrones ! 
 
 On the fifth, in the morning, the red squadron an- 
 chored in a bay under Lantow ; the black squadron 
 stood to the eastward. In this bay they hauled several 
 of their vessels on shore to bream their bottoms and 
 repair them. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 8th of November, four 
 ships, a brig and a schooner came off the mouth of the 
 bay. At first the pirates were much alarmed, suppos- 
 ing them to be English vessels come to rescue us. Some 
 of them threatened to hang us to the mast-head for 
 them to fire at; and with much difficulty we persuaded 
 
120 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 them that they were Portuguese. The Ladrones had 
 only seven junks in a fit state for action; these they 
 hauled outside, and moored them head and stern across 
 the bay ; and manned all the boats belonging to the 
 repairing vessels ready for boarding. 
 
 The Portuguese observing these manoeuvres hove to, 
 and communicated by boats. Soon afterwards they 
 made sail, each ship firing her broadside as she passed, 
 but without effect, the shot falling far short. The 
 Ladrones did not return a single shot, but waved their 
 colours, and threw up rockets, to induce them to come 
 further in, which they might easily have done, the 
 outside junks lying in four fathoms water which I 
 sounded myself : though the Portuguese in their letters 
 to Macao, lamented there was not sufficient water for 
 them to engage closer, but that they would certainly pre- 
 vent their escaping before the mandarine fleet arrived ! 
 
 On the 20th of November, early in the morning, 
 discovered an immense fleet of mandarine vessels stand- 
 ing for the bay. On nearing us, they formed a line, 
 and stood close in ; each vessel as she discharged her 
 guns tacked to join the rear and reload. They kept 
 up a constant fire for about two hours, when one of 
 their largest vessels was blown up by a firebrand thrown 
 from a Ladrone junk ; after which they kept at a more 
 respectful distance, but continued firing without inter- 
 mission ’till the 21st at night, when it fell calm. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 121 
 
 The Ladrones towed out seven large vessels, with 
 about two hundred row-boats to board them; but a 
 breeze springing up, they made sail and escaped. The 
 Ladrones returned into the bay, and anchored. The 
 Portuguese and mandarines followed, and continued a 
 heavy cannonading during that night and the next day. 
 The vessel I was in had her foremast shot away, which 
 they supplied very expeditiously by taking a mainmast 
 from a smaller vessel. 
 
 On the 23d, in the evening, it again fell calm ; the 
 Ladrones towed out fifteen junks in two divisions, with 
 the intention of surrounding them, which was nearly 
 effected, having come up with and boarded one, when 
 a breeze suddenly sprung up. The captured vessel 
 mounted twenty-two guns. Most of her crew leaped 
 overboard ; sixty or seventy were taken immediately, cut 
 to pieces and thrown into the river. Early in the morn- 
 ing the Ladrones returned into the bay, and anchored 
 in the same situation as before. The Portuguese and 
 mandarines followed, keeping up a constant fire. The 
 Ladrones never returned a single shot, but always kept 
 in readiness to board, and the Portuguese were careful 
 never to allow them an opportunity. 
 
 On the 28th, at night, they sent in eight fire-vessels, 
 which if properly constructed must have done great 
 execution, having every advantage they could wish for 
 to effect their purpose ; a strong breeze and tide di- 
 
 Y 
 
122 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 rectly into the bay, and the vessels lying so close toge- 
 ther that it was impossible to miss them. On their first 
 appearance the Ladrones gave a general shout, sup- 
 posing them to be mandarine vessels* on fire, but were 
 very soon convinced of their mistake. They came very 
 regularly into the centre of the fleet, two and two, 
 burning furiously ; one of them came alongside of the 
 vessel I was in, but they succeeded in booming her off. 
 She appeared to be a vessel of about* thirty tons; her 
 hold was filled with straw and wood, and there were a 
 few small boxes of combustibles ou her deck, which 
 exploded alongside of us without doing any damage. 
 The Ladrones, however, towed them all on shore, ex- 
 tinguished the fire, and broke them up for fire-wood. 
 The Portuguese claim the credit of constructing these 
 destructive machines, and actually sent a dispatch to 
 the Governor of Macao, saying they had destroyed at 
 least one-third of the Ladrones’ fleet, and hoped soon 
 to effect their purpose by totally annihilating them. 
 
 On the 29th of November, the Ladrones being all 
 ready for sea, they weighed and stood boldly out, 
 bidding defiance to the invincible squadron and impe- 
 rial fleet, consisting of ninety-three war-junks, six Por- 
 tuguese ships, a brig, and a schooner. Immediately the 
 Ladrones weighed, they made all sail. The Ladrones 
 chased them two or three hours, keeping up a constant 
 * The Chang lung vessels. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 123 
 
 fire; finding they did not come up with them, they 
 hauled their wind and stood to the eastward. 
 
 Thus terminated the boasted blockade, which lasted 
 nine days, during which time the Ladrones completed 
 all their repairs. In this action not a single Ladrone 
 vessel was destroyed, and their loss about thirty or forty 
 men. An American was also killed, one of three that 
 remained out of eight taken in a schooner. I had two 
 very narrow' escapes : the first, a twelve-pounder shot 
 fell within three or four feet of me; another took a 
 piece out of a small brass-swivel on which I w r as stand- 
 ing. The chief’s wife* frequently sprinkled me with 
 garlic-water, which they consider an effectual charm 
 against shot. The fleet continued under sail all night, 
 steering towards the eastward. In the morning they 
 anchored in a large bay surrounded by lofty and barren 
 mountains. 
 
 On the 2nd of December I received a letter from 
 Lieutenant Maughn, commander of the Honourable 
 Company’s cruizer Antelope, saying that he had the 
 ransom on board, and had been three days cruizing 
 after us, and wished me to settle with the chief on the 
 securest method of delivering it. The chief agreed to 
 send us in a small gun-boat, ’till we came within sight 
 
 * Probably the wife of Ching \ ih, whose family name was ShTh, 
 or stone. 
 
124 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the Antelope; then the Compratlore’s boat was to 
 bring the ransom and receive us. 
 
 I was so agitated at receiving this joyful news, that 
 it was with considerable difficulty I could scrawl about 
 two or three lines to inform Lieutenant Maughn of the 
 arrangements I had made. We were all so deeply 
 affected by the gratifying tidings, that we seldom closed 
 our eyes, but continued watching day and night for the 
 boat. On the 6th she returned with Lieutenant 
 Maughn’s answer, saying, he would respect any single 
 boat ; but would not allow the fleet to approach him. 
 The chief then, according to his first proposal, ordered 
 a gun-boat to take us, and with no small degree of plea- 
 sure we left the Ladrone fleet about four o’clock in the 
 morning. 
 
 At one p.m. saw the Antelope under all sail, standing 
 toward us. The Ladrone boat immediately anchored, 
 and dispatched the Compradore’s boat for the ransom, 
 saying, that if she approached nearer, they would re- 
 turn to the fleet; and they were just weighing when 
 she shortened sail, and anchored about two miles from 
 us. The boat did not reach her ’till late in the after- 
 noon, owing to the tide’s being strong against her. She 
 received the ransom and left the Antelope just before 
 dark. A mandarine boat that had been lying con- 
 cealed under the land, and watching their manoeuvres, 
 gave chace to her, and was within a few fathoms of 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 125 
 
 taking her, when she saw a light, which the Ladrones 
 answered, and the Mandarine hauled off. 
 
 Our situation was now a most critical one ; the ran- 
 som was in the hands of the Ladrones, and the Com- 
 pradore dare not return with us for fear of a second 
 attack from the mandarine boat. The Ladrones would 
 not remain ’till morning, so we were obliged to return 
 with them to the fleet. 
 
 In the morning the chief inspected the ransom, 
 which consisted of the following articles : two bales of 
 superfine scarlet cloth ; two chests of opium ; two casks 
 of gunpowder; and a telescope; the rest in dollars. 
 He objected to the telescope not being new; and said 
 he should detain one of us ’till another was sent, or a 
 hundred dollars in lieu of it. The Compradore how- 
 ever agreed with him for the hundred dollars. 
 
 Every thing being at length settled, the chief ordered 
 two gun-boats to convey us near the Antelope; we saw 
 her just before dusk, when the Ladrone boats left us. 
 We had the inexpressible pleasure of arriving on board 
 the Antelope at 7 p.m., where we were most cordially 
 received, and heartily congratulated on our safe and 
 happy deliverance from a miserable captivity, which we 
 had endured for eleven weeks and three days. 
 
 (Signed) RICHARD GLASSPOOLE. 
 
 China, December 8th, 1809. 
 
 
126 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A few Remarks on the Origin , Progress, Manners, 
 and Customs of the Ladrones. 
 
 The Ladrones are a disaffected race of Chinese, that 
 revolted against the oppressions of the mandarines. — 
 They first commenced their depredations on the 
 Western coast (Cochin-China), by attacking small trad- 
 ing vessels in row-boats, carrying from thirty to forty men 
 each. They continued this system of piracy several 
 years ; at length their successes, and the oppressive state 
 of the Chinese, had the effect of rapidly increasing their 
 numbers. Hundreds of fishermen and others flocked to 
 their standard ; and as their number increased they con- 
 sequently became more desperate. They blockaded all 
 the principal rivers, and attacked several large junks, 
 mounting from ten to fifteen guns each. 
 
 With these junks they formed a very formidable 
 fleet, and no small vessels could trade on the coast 
 with safety. They plundered several small villages, 
 and exercised such wanton barbarity as struck horror 
 into the breasts of the Chinese. To check these enor- 
 mities the government equipped a fleet of forty impe- 
 rial war-junks, mounting from eighteen to twenty guns 
 each. On the very first rencontre, twenty-eight of the 
 imperial junks struck to the pirates; the rest saved 
 themselves by a precipitate retreat. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 127 
 
 These junks, fully equipped for war, were a great 
 acquisition to them. Their numbers augmented so 
 rapidly, that at the period of my captivity they were 
 supposed to amount to near seventy thousand men, 
 eight hundred large vessels, and nearly a thousand 
 small ones, including row-boats. They were divided 
 into five squadrons, distinguished by different coloured 
 flags : each squadron commanded by an admiral, or 
 chief; but all under the orders of A-juo-chay (Ching 
 ylh saou), their premier chief, a most daring and enter- 
 prising man, who went so far as to declare his intention 
 of displacing the present Tartar family from the throne 
 of China, and to restore the ancient Chinese dynasty. 
 
 This extraordinary character would have certainly 
 shaken the foundation of the government, had he not 
 been thwarted by the jealousy of the second in com- 
 mand, who declared his independence, and soon after 
 surrendered to the mandarines with five hundred 
 vessels, on promise of a pardon. Most of the inferior 
 chiefs followed his example. A-juo-Chay (Ching ylh 
 saou) held out a few months longer, and at length surren- 
 dered with sixteen thousand men, on condition of a 
 general pardon, and himself to be made a mandarine 
 of distinction. 
 
 The Ladrones have no settled residence on shore, 
 but live constantly in their vessels. The after- part is 
 appropriated to the captain and his wives; he generally 
 
128 
 
 A P PEXDIX. 
 
 has five or six. With respect to conjugal rights they 
 are religiously strict ; no person is allowed to have a 
 woman on board, unless married to her according to 
 their laws. Every man is allowed a small berth, about 
 four feet square, where he stows with his wife and 
 family. 
 
 From the number of souls crowded in so small a 
 space, it must naturally be supposed they are horridly 
 dirty, which is evidently the case, and their vessels 
 swarm with all kinds of vermin. Rats in particular, 
 which they encourage to breed, and eat them as great 
 delicacies;* in fact, there are very few creatures they 
 will not eat. During our captivity we lived three weeks 
 on caterpillars boiled with rice. They are much ad- 
 dicted to gambling, and spend all their leisure hours 
 at cards and smoking opium. 
 
 * The Chinese in Canton only eat a particular sort of rat, 
 which is very large and of a whitish colour. 
 
 THE ENI). 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Printed by J. L. Cox, Great Queen Street, 
 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. 
 
thi: 
 
 CATECHISM 
 
 OF 
 
 THE SHAMANS 
 
, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
tiie 
 
 CATECHISM 
 
 OK 
 
 THE SHAMANS; 
 
 0Ո, THE 
 
 LAWS AND REGULATIONS 
 
 THE PRIESTHOOD OF BUDDHA, IN CHINA. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE ORIGINAL, 
 
 WITH 
 
 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 CHARLES FRIED. NEUMANN. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND, 
 
 And Sold by 
 
 J. MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET*, 
 
 PARBURY, ALLEN, & CO., LEADENHALL STREET; 
 THACKER & CO., CALCUTTA; TREUTTEL& WURTZ, PARIS; 
 AND E. FLEISCHER, LE1PSIC, 
 
 183 ] 
 
LONDON: 
 
 Printed bv .1 I. Pox, Preat yueen Street, 
 Linrolri’s-Inn fields. 
 
TO 
 
 SIR GEORGE STAUNTON, Baht. 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 IS, 
 
 WIT if PROFOUND RESPECT AND ESTEEM, 
 
 DEDICATED, BY 
 
 THE TRANSLATOR. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 , 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The Translator of the following Cate- 
 chism having lately visited Canton, was 
 fortunate enough to procure a large Bud- 
 dhist library; the greater part printed 
 at the monastery, opposite to the Euro- 
 pean factories. This library consists of 
 about three hundred large volumes, and 
 is divided into numerous books : includ- 
 ing all the sacred works translated from, 
 and bound up like Sanscrit manuscripts ： 
 also the most valuable original publica- 
 tions of the Buddhists in China, and all 
 their liturgical works. The Chinese phi- 
 losophers and literati are quite correct, 
 
VI 11 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 when they complain, that human life is 
 not long enough to study the works of 
 Shakiamuny and his followers. “ What an 
 easy task, is it not” (says one of them), 
 “ to read our classics and philosophers, 
 in comparison to the live or six thousand 
 volumes concerning the doctrine of Bud- 
 dha !”* 
 
 In Canton the Author had not time to 
 examine closely his valuable and interest- 
 ing collection of Buddhistic works ; he 
 looked slightly over them, with the view 
 1o meet with a treatise in a small size, 
 which would serve as an introduction, or 
 guide in this vast wilderness of Indian 
 physics, ethics, and metaphysics. Perus- 
 ing many volumes, he at last thought 
 that the following Catechism would be the 
 best adapted to give a tolerable idea of 
 the speculative and practical part of Bud- 
 dhism ； to show more particularly in what 
 
 * The Nepalese Buddhists assert, that the original body of 
 their sacred Scriptures amounted, when complete, to 84,^00 vo- 
 lumes ! ! (Hodgson in the Asiatic Researches, x՝ i., -121. ) 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 form the doctrine of Shakiamimy appears 
 in the middle empire ； what customs and 
 superstitions the Buddhists accepted from 
 the Chinese, and in what light they con- 
 sider the national literature and philo- 
 sophy of that country. For, it is known, 
 that the Buddhists, like the Jesuits, will 
 readily change their words and exterior 
 doctrine with the people and the country 
 among whom they reside. This accounts 
 for different superstitions with which 
 Buddhism is mingled in Nepaul, Bootan, 
 Thibet, Mongolia, Ceylon, China, Japan, 
 and in the Indo-Chinese nations, where 
 all was darkness and confusion, before the 
 introduction of Buddhism. History only 
 begins with the missionaries of this doc- 
 trine in Siam, Burma and Cambodja. The 
 first kings are said to have come into the 
 former country from Bahar, or Magadha, 
 543 years B. C. , and the chronological tables 
 begin nearly at the same time. So early 
 as the time of Abul Fazel, no traces of 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Buddhism were to be found inHindostan, 
 its original birth-place. By the persecution 
 of the Buddhists in their native country, 
 a great part of the literature of India has 
 been lost, and in particular, as Wilson 
 thinks, all the ancient literature of the 
 people speaking Tamul. 
 
 The following Commentary on the laws 
 and regulations of Buddha, was compiled 
 by the “ Shaman Choo-hung , of the monas- 
 tery Yun֊tse, a follower of the laws of the 
 Bodhisatwas ; — and the Shaman Hung - 
 tsan , of the monastery Ting-hoo-shan , a 
 Bhikshu, whose heart was dedicated to 
 knowledge, Bodhi, wrote the notes.” The 
 work was printed by subscription in the 
 Hainan monastery, opposite to the Euro- 
 pean factories in Canton, under Kien-lung 
 in the year 1 763 of our era.* The Trans- 
 
 • This Catechism, as it may be presumed, was often printed, 
 sometimes with and sometimes without prefaces and notes; the 
 translator thought it not necessary to translate any of these pre- 
 faces ; — ■ those written with the current hand, he would never have 
 been able to decipher. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XI 
 
 lator has selected from the profuse Chinese 
 notes what seemed necessary for under- 
 standing the text of the work, and added 
 some of his own. These explanations 
 would have been more copious had 
 they not been written on board ship, and 
 without the assistance of many valuable 
 publications regarding Buddhism. He is 
 particularly sorry that he could not con- 
 sult some dissertations of M. Remusat. 
 That celebrated professor of Paris was 
 kind enough to instruct the author in the 
 rudiments of the Chinese language, and 
 for any progress he may have made in 
 the study of so very difficult an idiom, he 
 feels indebted to the strictly grammatical 
 precepts of that learned gentleman. With- 
 out the invariable rules of the construc- 
 tion or syntax, a Chinese phrase would 
 signify everything and nothing * 
 
 * That this is not so, has already been remarked in the first 
 Chinese grammar which was printed. I mean the grammar 
 of Varo, printed in wood-cuts at Canton, in the year 17 〇 3. The 
 words, says this learned Dominican friar, “ Puestaya en laoracion, 
 
Xll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Surely, it is better to inquire in what 
 the various religions and sects of the 
 world, and the philosophers and their 
 schools dilFer, than to run after si- 
 milarities between the doctrines of the 
 different ages and climates ； — which after 
 all are often only superficial, and show, 
 what every body is aware of, that the 
 speculations of men follow the same laws 
 in every age and in every quarter of the 
 world. Yet there is an uniformity ob- 
 served in the history of the human race, 
 which puzzles both the most uncultivated 
 and the most acute understanding, — that 
 which exists between the Sanscrit, the 
 Greek, German, and Sclavonic languages ； 
 and that similarity which exists both in the 
 doctrine and the ceremonies of Buddhism, 
 and those of Roman Catholicism. 
 
 Concerning the uniformity of these 
 
 y hahlando on determinada materia, ծ junta eon otra viene a toner 
 doterminada signification.” Arte do la long;. Mandarin p. If*. 
 Only three copies are known of this great literary curiosity; one 
 is in Rome, one in Paris, and one is now in my possession. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XIII 
 
 languages, it is impossible that chance 
 can have produced it ; for there is no 
 law in nature by which the sound of 
 words (being themselves not imitative 
 of a sound), and the grammatical 
 development of speech should be the 
 same ; — if there were such a law, 
 m languages must be alike, which 
 certainly is not the case. But the uni- 
 formity which exists in the system, and 
 in the ceremonies of Buddhism and 
 Roman Catholicism, may be easier ac- 
 counted for by the laws of nature. If we 
 suppose an historical connection could exist 
 between these two religions, it becomes a 
 very important question— in what age or 
 century this could have happened ? Is 
 it possible that the followers of Buddha 
 — who was born at Kapilapur,* in the 
 tenth century before our era — could have 
 
 * Asiatic Researches, vol. xvi. 454. “ Having speedily sub- 
 
 dued desire, unbounded wisdom was acquired by him at the foot of 
 the aswnttha tree.” 1'his is the tree near Gaya; spoken of, p. xx 
 of our preface, fifty cubits high. 
 
XIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 adopted their doctrine and their cere- 
 monies from the Nestorians, or from 
 the two or three Catholic monks who 
 travelled over Tartary in the thirteenth or 
 fourteenth century ? It is certainly sur- 
 prising that such an opinion should have 
 been supported by some learned and inge- 
 nious men.* Is there any difference be- 
 
 • The Jesuits and the other Roman Catholic priests felt very un- 
 easy on seeing the extraordinary similarity between Buddhism and 
 Roman Catholicism, and they imagined two ways to get rid of 
 this uneasiness ; if Buddhism be not a corruption of Christianity, 
 it is the invention of the devil. These opinions occur already 
 in Trigautius. The following two passages seemed to me very 
 remarkable ; they are taken out of Bernhardi V areni Descriptio 
 regni Japoniae et Siam. Cantabrigiae 1673, p. 25S, 261, who copies 
 only Trigautius: “ Sacrificuli (the Buddhists) vestes induunt 
 
 nostris omnino simillimas, quas Ecclesiastico vocabulo pluvialin 
 vocamus. Inter recitandum saepe nomen quoddam repetunt, 
 quod etiam ipsi fatentur ignorare ; illud Tolome (Dharni) sonat, vi- 
 dentur fortasse sectam suam Apostoli auctoritate voluisse coho- 
 nestare.” — “ Praeter hoc cceli Nuinen, triplex aliud effingunt, 
 quorum unum ipsum Lauzu (Laotse) sectae caput faciunt : atque 
 ita hae duae sectae ternarium deorum suo quaeque modo sibi fin- 
 gunt, ut appareat ipsum falsitatis parentem, auctorem utriusque, 
 nondum ambitiosum de divina similitudinecupiditatem deposuisse.” 
 The disciples of the Jesuits, and those scholars who wished to 
 promote their interests by this powerful body, entertained the same 
 opinions, concerning the similarity which exists between Buddhism 
 and Roman Catholicism. Not only Buddhism, but the whole 
 Hindoo church was often considered a mere corruption of Chris- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XV 
 
 tween Buddhism before and after the 
 thirteenth century? Are the Bodhisat- 
 was, what the word implies, not all 
 Popes ； and are not the immediate follow- 
 ers of Buddha called Bodhisatwas ； — that 
 is, beings who act by the holy spirit of 
 Buddha and are his vicars on earth ? 
 Certain it is, that according to the sen- 
 timents of the greater part of the fol- 
 lowers of Buddha, every superior in 
 his own district, like every bishop in 
 his diocese, is a Vicar of the Divinity ； 
 and he requires, as it is clearly said 
 in our Catechism, implicit obedience like 
 Buddha himself. 
 
 The monarchical government of the 
 Dalai Lama is only respected by that 
 portion of the Buddhists, who re- 
 ceived their religion from Thibet, as 
 
 tianity. “ The Rajputs,’’ says the Portuguese historian De Faida, 
 “ acknowledge one God in three persons, and worship the blessed 
 Virgin, a doctrine which they have preserved ever since the time 
 of the apostles.” (Kerr, Collection of Voyages and Travels. 
 Edinburgh, 1812. Vol. vi. p. 228.) 
 
XVI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 the inhabitants of Bootan, the Mongo* 
 lians, and the Manchow ： the Chinese 
 followers of Buddha scarcely acknowledge 
 the superiority of the Thibetan Pope. 
 The Buddhistic system was neither 
 formed nor materially changed by the 
 high priest (Dalai Lama) created by 
 the descendents of Chingize. The Nfesto- 
 rians could not have brought this monar- 
 chical system of the church to Thibet, 
 because they have been its bitterest 
 enemies ; and to say that certain friars, 
 who were ignorant both of the customs 
 and of the language of the country, taught 
 the Roman Catholic system to the Bud- 
 dhists of Asia, would be quite the same 
 as to say, that many ceremonies of the 
 Roman Catholic church were brought to 
 Italy by certain Mahometan captives, 
 who happened to be in that country, in 
 the course of the thirteenth and four- 
 teenth century. 
 
 Alexandria has been, as is well known. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XVII 
 
 the great market-place of the world ； 
 where not only goods but also opinions 
 and doctrines were often changed and 
 mixed together during the course of the 
 third and fourth century of our era. 
 “ The population of Alexandria,” says 
 the celebrated author of the ‘ Epicu- 
 rean,’ “ consisted at that time of the 
 most motley miscellany of nations, re- 
 ligions and sects, that had ever been 
 brought together in one city. Beside the 
 school of the Grecian Platonist, was seen 
 the oratoiy of the cabbalistic Jew ； while 
 the church of the Christian stood undis- 
 turbed over the crypts of the Egyptian 
 Hierophant.” The influence of the neo- 
 platonic school on the dogmas of the 
 church is obvious, and the similarity be- 
 tween the metaphysics of the Buddhists 
 and Gnostics is equally striking. Mani, the 
 founder of the Manicheism, travelled, as 
 Mirkhond says, far into the east. Being 
 
XV111 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 an eclectic, he made his choice from the 
 different religions, and said he was the 
 promised Paraclete, that is, a Bodhisatwa. 
 His whole metaphysical doctrine, his sym- 
 bolical language, and in particular the 
 division of his followers into lay-men 
 (auditors), and priesthood (Electi), and 
 the different duties prescribed to each of 
 them, seem to be verbally copied from 
 Buddhism. It seems also, by an oath which 
 the followers of Mani must swear before 
 they could be received into the orthodox 
 church,— that they supposed Zoroaster, 
 Buddha, and Christ, one and the same 
 person. Buddhism also was known, as 
 we see by their works, to Clemens of 
 Alexandria and to St. Hieronymus, and a 
 knowledge of this doctrine could not 
 escape a man of the learning and genius 
 of Bardesanes. But in spite of all these 
 copious signs of a connexion between this 
 oriental philosophy and that of the west, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XIX 
 
 there is not the least reason to suppose 
 that the hierarchical system of the Roman 
 Church had been borrowed in the third or 
 fourth century from the Lamas ： — we know, 
 too well, the gradual encroachments on 
 the liberty of the church by the bishop 
 and the clergy of Rome. 
 
 But, are the ceremonies and the greater 
 part of the Roman Catholic doctrine new 
 institutions, — or are they not rather the 
 old Jewish and Heathenish customs and 
 opinions mingled and confounded toge- 
 ther ? The learned reader knows the works 
 where he may find what portion of the new 
 Roman doctrine is derived from Judaism, 
 and what part from Paganism. The ques- 
 tion regarding the intercourse which might 
 have existed between Rome and Magad- 
 ha,* is therefore the same as the old and 
 
 * Near Gaya, in Chinese, Kea ya, is a tree called Poo tc (Bodhi) 
 choo, or the tree of knowledge ; this is the celebrated place where 
 Shakia composed or finished his doctrine, and became Buddha. 
 Gaya is a city in the province and district of Bahar, or Magadha, 
 
XX 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 puzzling problem regarding the connexion 
 between ancient Egypt and Greece on one 
 part, andlndia and Persia onthe other. It 
 is strange that, in our times, learned and 
 ingenious men could, against the evi- 
 dence of the best informed Greeks 
 themselves, deny that Greece received 
 the seeds of its religion and civilization 
 
 Iat. 24° 40', long. 8£', and having here composed or compiled 
 his religious works, Shakia made use of the dialect of this country : 
 “ The Pali closely resembles the Magadhi, that is, the vernacular 
 language of Magadha, or South Bahar; but we now know that the 
 Buddhists used indiscriminately Pali, or Sanscrit.” (Hamilton, East- 
 India Gazetteer, s. v. Bahar.) — Shakia Sinha was not born at Gava, 
 as is often supposed, but “in the city Kapalvastu, or Kapilapura, 
 which is near Gangasagar,” (Hodgson, Sketch of Buddhism, p.20.) 
 In the true Tables of the Religion of Buddha (See the second note 
 to the text of the Catechism) is a map of India ; Magadha, Mo- 
 kce-tih, with Gaya, and the famous tree is laid down southerly of 
 the Ganges, but Buddha’s birth-place is on the north side of the 
 river, and called Kea-pe-lo-kwo, the realm of Kapila; it is exactly 
 opposite to the tree of Gaya, and to judge from the distance very 
 near Oud, or Ayodhya, lat. 26° 48', long. 82° 4'. It is stated in 
 the same work that Shakia went into the Nirvana at Paou-hoo-na, 
 or Benares, anciently called Varanashi. The maps and the de- 
 scriptions of the particular kingdoms in India, which are to be 
 found in the first book of Standard Tables of the Religion, are 
 certainly exceedingly interesting ; I could easily distinguish Ne- 
 po-lo, Nepaul, Naipala in Sanscrit, Keuh-noo, Kanoge, &c — Re- 
 musat has just now announced a large work on the geography of 
 India, as far as it is connected with Buddhism. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXI 
 
 from Egypt and Asia ! The mere fact, 
 told by Herodotus and others, that 
 they are indebted to the Phenicians for 
 their letters, is enough to show that 
 religion and civilization came from 
 foreign countries to Greece. And if 
 the Greeks themselves had not ac- 
 knowledged this fact, we would be 
 aware of it by comparing the remains of 
 the Phoenician, or rather Babylonian al- 
 phabet, with the letters of the most ancient 
 Greek inscriptions. A nation without 
 letters is a nation of barbarians, and a 
 people who bring the art of writing to a 
 foreign place, bring far more than the 
 mere alphabet. Hindoo religion, and the 
 Devanagari writing, travelled hand in hand 
 over the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, 
 and among the nations on the continent 
 between India and China ; the Malays 
 received at the same time the Koran and 
 the Arabic characters ; and even in our 
 
XXI 1 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 time, religion, civilization, and letters 
 were introduced at the same period on 
 the Sandwich and on other islands in the 
 Pacific. 
 
 It would be presumption to answer 
 such a very difficult question, as that con- 
 cerning the intercourse between the East 
 and West in those times, which by the 
 historians of ancient Greece are styled 
 the Unknown. It is not only possible, but 
 it seems very probable, that there existed 
 no actual intercourse whatever between 
 Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, — 
 that they are only similar, because both 
 are the result of the industry, the dispo- 
 sition, and the passions of nature, which, 
 as has been before remarked, are the same 
 in every age and in every country. The 
 anti-scriptural priest seeks every where to 
 usurp the placeof his God; he wishes every 
 where to raise the merit of belief the more 
 unreasonable it is. He holds in detesta- 
 
PREFACE. Xxiii 
 
 tion the liberty of human thought, and is 
 every moment prepared to denounce death 
 and damnation to all who wish not to be 
 governed by the will of another. “ The 
 human mind, whenever it is placed in the 
 same situation, will, in ages the most 
 distant, and in countries the most remote, 
 assume the same form, and be distin- 
 guished by the same manners.” 
 
 It has for some time past been the 
 fashion for learned men to praise greatly 
 the doctrine of Shakiamuny ; but it 
 seems that this praise is very much 
 overrated. It is true that Buddhism 
 blunted the edge of the barbarian ferocity 
 of the Mongolians ; but what positive 
 advantages have resulted from this doc- 
 trine in Tartary ? Is the state of society 
 much better than it was in the time of 
 Chingize ? There are thousands of idle 
 people whose business it is to do Nothing , 
 to think on Nothing, and to live as 
 
XXIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 much as possible upon Nothing. A wise 
 legislation works against the slothfulness 
 of human nature, and Buddha seemed to 
 have adored this indolent goddess. Abul 
 Fazel states that the Buddhists are di- 
 vided into four sects, according to the 
 different extent in which they understand 
 this term, Nothing. One party says it is a 
 negative, another, that it is a positive 
 Nothing. If both parties would become 
 enlightened and sincere enough, they 
 would confess they have no just idea of 
 a negative nor positive Nothing. They 
 moreover speak of some under Gods who 
 made and who govern the world, like 
 the demiourgos of Plato and the Gnostics. 
 For the Deity itself, — to say it with the 
 words of Lucretius, 
 
 “ Immortali sevo summa cum pace fruatur, 
 
 “ Semota ab nostris rebus, sejunctaque lonp ： e.” 
 
 The translators of these idle and fruitless 
 speculations will often be obliged to say 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXV 
 
 with the honest Cicero, “ Though I have 
 translated the Timseus of Plato, I did 
 not understand it.” Men of sound and 
 liberal minds cannot satisfy themselves 
 with the words of any ancient or mo- 
 dern school ； and they must, however 
 reluctantly, acknowledge that as soon 
 as we presume to reason upon infinite 
 substance, or infinite nothing, and as 
 often as we deduce any positive con- 
 clusions from a negative idea, we are in- 
 volved in darkness and inevitable contra- 
 diction. But this we know, man is born 
 to act and to suffer, and not to spend 
 his life in worthless speculations and 
 monkish idleness ； he is not born to thwart 
 all his affections, but to enjoy the world. 
 The low state of half the human kind, 
 the mean oppression of the weaker sex in 
 every country where Buddhism prevails, 
 would alone speak volumes against this 
 doctrine. The Oriental world in general 
 
 D 
 
XXVI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 wants a Socrates to turn the human mind 
 from metaphysics to speculations upon 
 life.* 
 
 Buddhism is a reform of the old Hindoo 
 orthodox church; it is a new building on 
 the same ground, and with the same 
 materials, but without that most cruel and 
 abominable invention of the human mind 
 — the infamous system of castes. All the 
 outworks of Hindooisin remain ； the whole 
 legion of gods and goddesses, of spirits 
 and demons, together with all the fabu- 
 lous mountains and seas, with their mon- 
 strous inhabitants. In a word, Budd- 
 hism is the Lutheranism of the Hindoo 
 church ; and the Brahmans were not 
 less cruel than the priesthood of the 
 
 * Passerat, a poet and critic of the sixteenth century in France, 
 has written a Latin poem on Nihil , in which, without knowing it 
 himself, he explains perfectly well the metaphysics of Buddhism: 
 
 Nihil interitus et originis expers, 
 
 Immortale Nihil, Nihil omni parte beatum. 
 
 Felix cui Nihil est, etc. 
 
 There are similar passages in Lord Rochester's poem upon Nothing 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXV11 
 
 Catholic church ； the reformers of the 
 East were extirpated by fire and sword, 
 like the reformers in the West. But 
 reason, once excited, cannot easily be 
 checked ; there are many good reasons to 
 suppose, that soon after Shakia, another 
 reformer, the head of the Jinas, spread 
 his doctrine over the £< holy country where 
 the antelope runs the Jinas cut down 
 more extensively the vast forest of fraud 
 and superstition. Jinism is, in fact, the 
 Calvinism of the Hindoo church. Both 
 Buddhism and Jinism alfect to be con- 
 sidered as new doctrines, produced by a 
 fresh incarnation of the eonservating prin- 
 ciple of the Hindoo-triad. It is known, 
 that even the Brahmans consider Buddha 
 as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu, and 
 he (Vishnu) is called Jina by the fol- 
 lowers of that doctrine. 
 
 At a much later period, Nanak, the 
 apostle of the Seiks, still farther cleared 
 
xxvm 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 the jungles and swamps of Hindoo super- 
 stition, and found his way to a mere Deism ： 
 — Nanak’s doctrine is the Socinianism 
 of the Hindoo church.* But a pure doc- 
 trine-such is the fate of mankind, — will 
 always be corrupted ； superstition and 
 despotism always walk hand in hand to 
 destroy the peace of the world. The Seiks 
 were formerly divided into many petty 
 independent states, and united only by 
 their common belief in the pure doctrine 
 of Nanak. Ranajit Sinh, the present 
 sovereign of the Seiks, raised himself to 
 
 * Besides these three heretical doctrines, Buddhism, Jinism, 
 and Seikism, the Brahmans reckon a fourth, the Nasticks, or un- 
 believers ; but the Nasticks are philosophers, and pay no regard at 
 all to religion. Six other philosophic schools, so masterly de- 
 scribed by Abul Fazel and Colebrooke, are considered orthodox 
 by the Hindoo clergy. Many are the orthodox sects who have a 
 particular worship or particular tenets and saints, something like 
 the sacra privata of the ancient Romans, and the local superstitions 
 in the modern Roman Catholic Church. The Hindoo clergy tole- 
 rated every sect and every worship which would not deprive them 
 of their worldly privileges. The learned and valuable dissertation 
 on the Vishnaivas by Wilson would alone be sufficient to prove 
 this remarkable and interesting fact. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXIX 
 
 the sovereignty over all the different 
 tribes. He is exceedingly kind to the Brah- 
 mans, and as eager to introduce again 
 all the old Hindoo superstitions. Ranajit 
 Sinh is the only independent sovereign of 
 India ; his territory is very large, and his 
 treasure and army are, as it is said, con- 
 siderable. French officers instruct the 
 soldiers in European tactics. Perhaps 
 the sovereign of the Seiks only assumes 
 a fondness for the superstitions of the old 
 Hindoo church, in order to be considered 
 the avenger of the religion, and the libe- 
 rator of his country. 
 
 I cannot conclude these prefatory obser- 
 vations, without acknowledging the kind- 
 ness of the British residents in China, 
 generally ; I consider it my duty to state 
 my particular obligations to Mr. Lane. 
 Dent, and Dr. Morrison. How delightful 
 is it to find, so far from home, in the 
 midst of the self- conceited and semi- 
 
XXX 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 barbarous Chinese, kindred feelings and 
 pursuits ! I say, semi-harbarous Chinese, 
 for a nation which enjoys a regular govern- 
 ment and a copious literature, should not be 
 called an assemblage of barbarians. But 
 on the other hand, it may be said, that a 
 nation which will never acknowledge the 
 rights of any other independent people, — 
 that a government who from principle, 
 will never admit any alterations in its 
 worn-out institutions, and precludes itself 
 from all the advantages which foreign 
 intercourse and foreign inventions offer — 
 cannot be called, in the modern sense of 
 the word, a civilized state. For what else 
 is civilization than the progressive cultiva- 
 tion and development of all our reasoning- 
 faculties ? The Romans, as Montesquieu 
 remarks, only became Romans through 
 adopting foreign customs and institutions 
 which were better than their own : — 
 the Chinese, however, act quite contrary 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XXXI 
 
 to this Roman policy ; they have all the 
 proud and disgusting ignorance of an over- 
 polished and cowardly people. It seems, 
 therefore, that we Europeans have a right 
 to call China a half barbarous, or half 
 civilized country. The time is perhaps not 
 far distant, when some philosophic histo- 
 rian, in explaining the downfall of this 
 ancient empire, may use the remarkable 
 words of a highly gifted British states- 
 man, — the words of the late Sir Thomas 
 Munro, regarding the conquest՜ of India 
 by Great Britain : “ A civilized and war- 
 like nation surrounded hy half-civilized 
 neighbours , must necessarily , in spile of 
 itself extend its empire over them.”* 
 
 Ch. Fried. Neumann. 
 
 * There exists a very singular account of “ the Gods, Clergy, 
 and Devotion of the Chinese,” written by a private merchant and 
 seaman, Capt. Alex. Hamilton. “ Fo ,” says the author, “ is a very 
 majestic God, and is always placed with a great number of little Gods 
 to attend him. Minfo in F okien, I take to be the God Miglect (?) at 
 Canton, being alike in shape and countenance. The great God 
 that made the heavens and earth (the Teen, 10095), they bestow 
 
XXX11 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 an human shape on him, like a young man in strength and vigour, 
 quite opposite to the church of Rome, who make his picture like 
 Salvadore Winter, old, cold and hoary. I have seen many more 
 whose names I have forgot, some with human bodies, and dragons, 
 lions, tigers, and dogs’ heads, and one I saw like Stour Yonker in 
 Finland, with a man’s body and clothes and with eagle’s feet and 
 talons in the stead of hands.” — A new account of the East-Indies, 
 being the Observations and Remarks of Capt. Alex. Hamilton, 
 Edinburgh 1727, vol. ii. p. 267. 
 
ERRATA 
 
 In the Catechism of the Shamans. 
 
 Page 4-0 line 8, read “ Pi'adjna-king.” 
 
 — 74 note 2, read “ 190th part.” 
 
 — 101 line 4<, read “ who. ” 
 
 — 113 — 2, read “ Saster ” 
 
 — 150 — 8, the Chinese character Fo should he 
 
 upright on the line, and top-point of 
 Chang (line 9) in the middle of the cha- 
 racter. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOOK FIRST. 
 
 THE LAWS. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LAWS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE SHAMANS 
 
 DEFINITION OT THE WORD SHAMAN. 
 
 Shama (‘) is a word of the Sanscrit language/ 2 ) 
 signifying compassionate feeling ; that is to say, 
 to feel compassion towards those who walk in 
 the wrong way — to look benevolently on the 
 world, to feel universal charity, and to renovate 
 all creatures. This word means, also, to ob- 
 serve one’s-self with the utmost diligence, or to 
 endeavour to attain the Nihility/ 3 ) We have 
 Ten laws, and several regulations. 
 
 various characters (Matuanlin, B. 226, p. 2, r. 1. 8. In 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Sha mun, a word written with 
 
3 G 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 our text we read Sha-wze 7571. In the notes the variant 
 of me is used, as noticed in Kanghe, Rad. 57, with five 
 strokes), is the Sanscrit and means in this language 
 and in Bengali (see Carey’s Dictionary) tranquillity , 
 calmness, indifference, Szc. ; but these words must be 
 taken in the religious sense of the Buddhistic doctrine. 
 Youth who are destined for the priesthood are, as early 
 as seven years of age, brought to the monastery ； from 
 
 the seventh to the thirteenth they are called 
 
 Kew woo Shamans ; — Shamans who expel the 
 crows from the rice or corn-fields, to indicate that these 
 children are up to that time quite at liberty, and only 
 appointed to watch the fruits of the field. From the 
 fourteenth to the nineteenth year they are called Fa 
 Shamans — Shamans of the law, because they are 
 employed by the managing priest of the monastery, and 
 are obliged to study. From the twentieth to the seven- 
 tieth year of their age they are regular Shamans, and 
 have to fulfil the ten laws included in the following 
 pages. 
 
 (2.) The Sanscrit language is in Chinese called the Fan 
 language, and in the comments upon our Catechism, 
 it is said, that “ this idiom is spoken by the inhabitants 
 of the Teen choo country, or India : — that it is the lan- 
 guage of Heaven, and is coeval with the world, and for 
 that reason called Fan .” This seems an accurate expla- 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 37 
 
 nation of the word Sanscrit. Indeed Fan itself seems 
 to be the first syllable San ; the Chinese say plainly 
 that Fan is not the name of a country. It is the Chi- 
 nese custom to use in general only the first syllable, 
 but sometimes the last, of foreign words, which makes 
 it very difficult to distinguish them from Chinese mo- 
 nosyllables. To the words of the Fan language the 
 worshippers of Buddha ascribe wonderful effects, and 
 the prayers are generally in this idiom, written with 
 Chinese characters. The books which have been trans- 
 lated from the Sanscrit into the Chinese, are bound up 
 like the Sanscrit manuscripts, and called Fan-books. 
 In a Buddhistic compilation, printed at the monastery 
 opposite to the European factories in Canton (at the 
 Iiai-chung-sze , “ the sea banner temple,'” as Dr. Mor- 
 rison translates the word) ; in the 
 
 Fa keae ngan li too, (“ The standard Tables 
 of the Religion,’'’) — B. i. p. 11. v., it is said that there 
 exist sixty different characters or modes of writing in the 
 world, but the Fan writing is the first, & c. Matuanlin 
 remarks, that the Hindoos have characters, that they 
 are very skilful in astronomy, and that their books are 
 called Fan-books. — (Seethe Description of India, B.338, 
 p. 17v). 
 
 (3.) All religions which do not profess a particular 
 Revelation, are pantheistic ： this is the case with Greece 
 
 
38 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 anil Rome, with the doctrine of Shakia and Confucius. 
 Pantheism is also the end and term of all philosophy, 
 which really merits the name, and is far both from phan- 
 tastical or sophistical speculations ： — in one word, the 
 human understanding goes no farther than Pantheism. 
 The founders neither of religious sects nor of philosophic 
 schools could rest satisfied with this mortifying result 
 of speculative enquiries. They went a step farther in 
 search of a thing which is self-existent without being 
 subjected to the changes of the universe. One sect 
 describes this supposed last thing in one way, and 
 another otherwise ; one school speaks of it in different 
 terms from another ; but there is only one essential 
 difference between all these schools and doctrines. This 
 same last thing is either Eternal matter or Eternal 
 spirit ; for nothing must be considered nothing, because 
 we cannot comprehend a nothing which is something, or 
 a something which is nothing. But, nevertheless, we 
 must often in the history of religion and philosophy, 
 satisfy ourselves with this dialectical play of words ; 
 and this is particularly the case with the doctrine of 
 Laotse, which bears many signs of an Indian origin. 
 Laotse, as many Indian philosophers, and in particular 
 the author of the Bhagavad-Gita, seems not to overstep 
 the boundary of human understanding. His doctrine, 
 as well as that of the Bhagavat is beautifully des- 
 cribed by Lucretius. (Ue Rer. Nat. I. 238, 1075.) 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 Quando aliud ex alio reficit natura, nee ullani 
 
 Rem gigni patitur, nisi morte adjuta alicna. 
 
 « • * • • 
 
 Corpora solventes, abeant per inane profundum, 
 
 Temporis utpuncto nihil exstet reliquiarum 
 
 Desertum praeter spatium et primordia cseca. 
 
 This “ desertum spatium” is that woo wei, url woo 
 puh wei (Tao te king, B. i. c. 37), that ivhich is not , and 
 is everywhere ; and the perfect men , — as the Tao priests 
 in their humility call themselves, — try in many ways 
 to explain this something-nothing, or nothing-some- 
 thing, and I dare affirm that the idealism of the Neo- 
 platonicians remains far behind the abstract abstractions 
 of the Taos. One of the most extraordinary works of 
 
 Chang tsing tsing king (Deserti aeterni spatii liber nor- 
 malis) which, as the chief works of this kind, is ascribed 
 to Laotse. 
 
 Concerning the last point, — the cause of all effects, the 
 worshippers of Buddha are divided into four sects, 
 (Ayeen Akbery, ii. 436, London ed. 1800-8), and every 
 sect describes the Nihility, or Nirvana, in its own particu- 
 lar way. The descriptions of the Nirvana (written in the 
 
 also with other characters of the same sound), as they are 
 found in Chinese Buddhistic works, have a strong tendency 
 to an eternal matter, to primordia cceca. The Chinese 
 
 this kind is a small book called 
 
 Chinese characters 
 
40 
 
 THE CATECHISM 01՛ 
 
 translate Nirvana by Yuen-tseih (12536, 10767) still- 
 ness or inaction on all sides. Matuanlin lias some 
 good critical remarks on this point. (B. 226, p. 12r.) He 
 shows the impossibility of something coming out of 
 nothing ; and it is the opinion of this learned critic, that 
 the doctrine of Laotse is in this respect not different from 
 the doctrine of Buddha. £C Examining this work (he 
 speaks of the Pradjaking, containing the esoteric doc- 
 trine of Buddhism), the sentence — Nihility, the ruler, 
 containing every-thing, and Entity, the ruler, imply the 
 same meaning. For this reason therefore it is falsely 
 said that in the beginning was Nihility. If Entity, that 
 will say things which have existence, would not exist, 
 you could in consequence of this dogma not speak of any 
 existence at all, and all that really exists, would only 
 appear like visions in a dream, bubbles, shadows and 
 cloudy vapours, and lastly revert into Nihility. Both 
 expressions. Nihility and Non-Existence imply the same 
 meaning, and that Non-Existence is the state of undis- 
 turbed repose (Tsing tsing, desertum spatium). The 
 followers of Lao explain Nihility by the words quiet or 
 stillness, which is in reality the explanation of the fol- 
 lowers of Buddha.” 
 
 These are the actual words of Matuanlin. That 
 which is frequently quoted under his name being ex- 
 tracts only of former works, to be met with in his Ency- 
 clopaedia. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 41 
 
 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 
 
 TO 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 This is the rule of BuddhaO for the priest- 
 hood. Till the fifth moon before the summer 
 solstice, let their minds be closely directed to 
 the Laws and Regulations ; from the fifth moon 
 upwards, let them attend the tutor’s instruc- 
 tions, and give themselves up to religious exer- 
 cises/ 2 ) 
 
 Before the head and beard are shorn, they 
 receive the following ten laws, and then they 
 mount the altar, where they receive all the 
 other laws/ 3 ) From this moment they are really 
 Shamans, for these laws are the foundation of 
 our doctrine. But when they first receive these 
 laws, neither the stupid man, from his want of 
 judgment, nor the lazy, from his carelessness, 
 can come to a proper understanding of them. 
 
 F 
 
42 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 If the regular course of study is once disturbed, 
 you cannot hope to arrive at the dignity of a 
 Bhaga or a Bodhisatwa/ 4 ) which indeed is a 
 great pity. I have therefore taken in hand 
 this summary of the ten laws, and written this 
 commentary, that it may serve for instruction to 
 the ignorant, and enlighten in every direction. 
 He who wishes to become a priest must give 
 implicit obedience to this summary,՛ ( 5 ) be sincere 
 and far from all wickedness, this will carry him 
 to the steps of a Bhaga,( 6 > and, at a distance even, 
 towards the foundation of a Bodhisatwa/ 7 ) Now 
 it is easily to be seen, that the way to perfection 
 is made clear if the instructions regarding the 
 laws are clear and distinct, and if the mind of 
 the priest is attentive. For those who are anxious 
 to be enlightened, 1 have taken the trouble to 
 arrange in a certain order the several precepts, 
 which are dispersed in many books. I will add, 
 that the following ten Laws are contained in the 
 sacred book of the Ten Laws of the Shamans, 
 as commanded by Buddha himself, to the 
 son of Sari r a or Sariraja, and published by 
 Lohla.W 
 
TJIE SHAMANS. 
 
 43 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1.) It is now generally known that Buddha (in Chi- 
 nese Fo or Fo tow , written with various characters) is only 
 the title of the Muni, Shakia — “ perfect knowledge or 
 wisdom.” The signification of this Sanscrit word is, 
 like that of many others, very well known to the Chi- 
 nese worshippers of Buddha. They translate it by 
 
 Tsing kio (Matuanlin, B. 226, lr), and 
 
 say that the proper name Shakia means anybody who 
 is able to exercise humanity (neng jin, Matuanlin, 1. c. 
 7 vers. Shamun jib yung, p. 29), which is, as far as I 
 know, also correct. Shakia is evidently derived from 
 the root which has among other significations also, 
 
 that of being able. There can be no doubt concerning the 
 period when Bhudda appeared ; the best Chinese authors 
 universally give the 24th year of Chao wang of the dynasty 
 Chow, as the date of his birth. There are indeed two diffe- 
 rent assertions, but these appear to be mistakes ; one of 
 the numerous Bodliisatwas is probably taken for Buddha 
 himself, and thus we may easily explain all the diffe- 
 rences in the accounts of the “ redeemer of this age.՜ 1 ' 
 In modern Chinese compilations there are sometimes 
 wonderful mistakes relating to Buddha and his doctrine. 
 In a large compilation of sixty books, made by com- 
 mand of the last Governor-general of Kwangtong and 
 
44 
 
 TIIE CATECHISM OF 
 
 Kwangsi, by the command of his Excellency Yuen , it is 
 said that the Folang (in former times the empire of the 
 Francs , now only Frenchmen ) are so called, because 
 they were the oldest worshippers of Buddha ; and that 
 after that they were converted to the religion of Teen - 
 
 Meiling Mountains,^ printed at Canton in 1830, in 18 vols. 
 Book 57, p. 106.) In all authentic histories, as in the 
 Kangmoo, in many passages of the twenty-three im- 
 mense historical collections in the original works of 
 the Chinese Buddhists, as well as their translations out of 
 the Sanscrit: — in all these works the account of the birth 
 and life of Buddha perfectly corresponds, and is given 
 nearly in the same words. Shakia was born at Kapila- 
 pur (Oude, see Preface) the 8th day of the 4th moon in 
 the 24th year of Chao wang ; whose reign began in the 
 year 1052 before Christ : 一 that is the month of April or 
 May of the year 1029- He died at seventy-nine years of 
 age, 950 before our era, and was a contemporary of 
 Solomon, Sesostris, and Theseus. It would carry us too 
 far to give here a detailed notice of Buddha’s life. 
 
 (2.) It is said in the comments on this passage, that 
 in the same manner as different bodies require different 
 medicines, so different minds need different studies. These 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 45 
 
 studies are then brought under twelve different divisions, 
 like the sciences of the followers of the Nyaya. (Abul 
 Fazel, ii. 403.) 
 
 (3) . The great rule of 250 laws, as it is said in the 
 notes on this passage, which every Bhaga has to ob- 
 serve. 
 
 (4) . The Chinese word Kao (high) in the text, sig- 
 nifies the title of a Bhaga ; the term Yuen ( remote ), 
 that of a Bodhisatwa. 
 
 (5) . The Bhagavad Gita is, in many respects, the best 
 commentary on the Buddhistic tenets. (Bliag. II. 50, p. 
 74, ed. Schlegel). “ Mente devotus in hoc oevo utra- 
 que dimittit bene et male facta.” This state of mind, 
 
 under the name of yoga, is very much spoken of by 
 
 the greater portion of the Indian philosophers; par- 
 ticularly by Patanjali, whose school is distinguished by 
 that name. In the Chinese-Buddhistic works this word 
 is written Show-koo (9353, 6480), and commonly taken 
 in the sense of a period. 
 
 (6) . զղ absence of passion, religious tranquillity, is 
 
 written in Chinese by the following characters 
 
 Pe kew, and means a higher class of the priesthood. 
 Perhaps this word is merely an abreviation of the second 
 order of the five classes of the priesthood, called Bhikshu. 
 (Hodgson, 1. c. p. 25.) The Chinese-Buddhists call a 
 
46 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 Nun, Pekewne, Jb (the two first characters are the 
 same as in Bhaga,) which is the Sanscrit word *rPr*TT 
 Bhagini, sister. I have already remarked, that the 
 Chinese very often take the first or the last syllable of a 
 foreign word for the whole ; so they say Ne for Bhagini, 
 kee (5674) for kalpa. &c. 
 
 (7). The Chinese write this word Poosa, and it is now 
 generally taken in the sense of “ spirit , a supernatural 
 
 being.'" A Poosa and a Seen, of whom the follow- 
 
 ers of Lao know so many stories, is nearly the same : — 
 they are intermediate beings between men and the su- 
 preme power. In the true meaning of the Buddhistic 
 doctrine, a Bodhisatwa is, what the word clearly implies, 
 a being who acts by the spirit of wisdom, and remains 
 only one step behind Buddha — behind Wisdom itself. 
 A Bodhisatwa is like the Pope, who acts by the holy spirit, 
 but is not the holy spirit himself. The Dalailama, who 
 is always a Bodhisatwa, and the Pope, are both con- 
 sidered the vicars of God. Since the death of Buddha 
 the world has been favoured with many Bodhisatwas, 
 and the legends of them are not less dull or extravagant 
 than the lives of the Saints of the Roman Catholic 
 church. 
 
 (8). We have here nearly a whole Sanscrit line in the 
 
 text, ^|J 
 
 she leih fe means Sariraja, the 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 47 
 
 offspring of Saririni ; a lady who, as we read in the 
 Chinese notes on this passage, w’as so called, because 
 she was exceedingly beautiful. Sarira (saririn adj.) 
 means body , matter , and also a certain water-bird 
 called Tsew. The father of Sariraja was a Po lo 
 mun, or Brahman, and called Te han lun sze. Lohla, 
 
 Lo-how-lo, is the son of 
 
 Buddha himself, bom from miraculous conception. Sa- 
 riraja and Lohla, like Mahakaya and Ananda, are two 
 of the first ten disciples of Shakia, who are so often 
 mentioned in all Buddhistic works. The Chinese say 
 that the name Lohla means to take hold, to desire , which 
 is the real signification of the Sanscrit word ; it is also 
 an epithet of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. Lohla 
 explained the doctrines of Buddha, and it is said that he 
 divided the priesthood into different classes. The name 
 of Lohla occurs as the last under the ten disciples of 
 Buddha. There are, if I remember rightly, some re- 
 markable passages regarding the composition of the 
 Buddhistic Scriptures in the notes to the translation of 
 the Mongolian historian Satzan, by Schmidt. 
 
48 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 FIRST LAW. 
 
 Tiiou shalt not kill any Living 
 Creature.^) 
 
 Commentary / 2 ) 
 
 No living creature shall be killed, whether it 
 be of the higher class of beings, as a Buddha, 
 a perfect man/ 8 ) a teacher/ 4 ) a priest/') or 
 father and mother; or of the lower class of 
 beings, as a grasshopper or the smallest insect : 
 — in one word, whatever hath life thou shalt not 
 kill. Whether now any man kill with his own 
 hand, or command any other to kill, or whether 
 he only see with pleasure the act of killing — all 
 is equally forbidden by this law, and many 
 other things which cannot be described one by 
 one. It is related in the Scriptures(') that 
 Buddha, in the winter season, hid a louse in the 
 hole of a tree, that he wrapped it up in silk and 
 fed it with the best things, lest hunger and cold 
 should destroy it ; he filtered the water over 
 and over again that he might not swallow an 
 insect ; so compassionate did he feel for every 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 49 
 
 being. If he took so much care concerning the 
 smallest creatures, you can presume how he 
 acted towards large ones ! If a man thus walks 
 in the ways of compassion, is it possible that he 
 could hurt any thing intentionally ? The Scrip- 
 ture says, therefore : “ Thou shalt be kind and 
 benevolent to every being, thou shalt spread 
 peace in the world, and renovate it by the law ; 
 if it happens that thou seest any thing to be 
 killed, thy soul shall be moved with pity and 
 compassion. Ah, how watchful should we be 
 on ourselves ! ” 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1). If we consider how lazy the ancient Greeks were 
 in acquiring foreign languages, we shall be astonished 
 at the general accuracy of their information, regarding 
 “barbarians.” Of the army of Alexander, only one 
 person of consideration, as Arrian says, (Movo; tujv aAAcuv 
 M axedovuv //.ETa@a\av t»iv hoc) (paw t«v TIc^aiHriV 
 
 exjAccSuv (rhwcErws). — De Exped. Al.vi. 30.) learned the 
 Persian language, and, perhaps, not one of the Greeks 
 understood a word of the Indian languages or dialects, 
 nevertheless they had very good information regard- 
 ing the laws and customs of India. This law of some 
 Indian priests or philosophers, as the Greeks call them, is 
 
 G 
 
50 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 mentioned by many of the ancients, and was also the law 
 of the Pythagorean school, which comes nearer than any 
 of the other Grecian schools of philosophy, to an oriental 
 priesthood. It is not to be wondered at that particular 
 customs have often been taken as a general law. If 
 Megasthenes says (Strabo xv. 1. p, 292, ed. Tauehnitz), 
 that the Brahmans in general do not marry and do not 
 eat of any living creature (a7r£%o/x£vot/s i^vx uv xal 
 ctfpodiiriuv), he is in the wrong ; — only particular sects, as 
 the Buddhists, follow these customs. That the Greeks 
 give us no information at all about the Chinese, was cer- 
 tainly not their own fault. The barbarous seclusion of 
 the Chinese from all foreigners, and their haughty man- 
 ners, from the very beginning of their history, towards 
 all surrounding nations, may easily account for it. We 
 know from Chinese and from Greek authorities that the 
 two empires once bordered on each other. Kal not) 
 /u£%fi Snfwv not) ( Pfvvuv e|£T£(v*v t>jv afx«v, Menander and 
 Demetrius. — (Strabo xi. 11. p. 429.) 
 
 The Phrynes may have been one of the western 
 tribes of the Heung noo, who in the flourishing 
 times of the Greek empire in Bactria, acknowledged the 
 supremacy of the Chinese. See an extract from the En- 
 cyclopaedia of Too she, which is the foundation of the 
 Wen been tung keaou. Tooshe lived under the Tang, 
 and gives no later information than the year 756 of our 
 era in this work ; B. 340. p. 2. v. Of these Heung noo 
 
THE SHAMAN'S 
 
 51 
 
 speaks Euthydemus, king of Bactria, to Antiochus and 
 says, that it is necessary to his own and to Antiochus’ pre- 
 servation to civilize these barbarians. IIx^jj yag ovx falya 
 TragtTvat, tuv N 〇 /aa3iuv, 3»' u v xiyfruveuc.v fX£V cc/Mp otc^ou;, ex^a^a- 
 fuStHreaSat 3e rriv %wpav o^oNoyov/xIvat/?. Polyb. Hist. iii. 
 p. 222, ed. Tauchn. 
 
 (2). In the original are always the words 
 
 keae yue, “ the explanation says.” 
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 . Shing jin, this is an expression borrowed 
 
 from theschool of Confucius. The ChineseBuddhists affect 
 sometimes to use such expressions ; there are even Bud- 
 dhistic editions of the Ta hio and the Chung yung, with 
 copious explanations in their own sense. I have myself 
 a copy of this great literary curiosity ; two works of the 
 sect of Confucius, with Buddhistic explanations. 
 
 (Գ w Guru. It is well known what respect every 
 Hindoo entertains for his tutor (Abul Fazel, ii. 292) ; 
 particular rules concerning behaviour to the tutor will 
 be found in the second part of this work. 
 
 0). jjpii 
 
 Sankea, generally only the first syl- 
 lable is written, San ； it is the Sanscrit word ^T-3; Sanga, 
 union. Another common Chinese denomination of a 
 
 Buddhistic priest is 
 
 ipjjp 
 
 Ho shang. The following 
 
 is the beginning of the Ming seang mun in the often 
 
52 
 
 THE CATECHISM OK 
 
 quoted Shaman’s Breviary : “ Fo to, Tama, Sangkea, 
 tliat is Buddha, the religion, (Dharma) and the priest- 
 hood, the three excellencies. The word Sang implies 
 all together, Sang tsze yun chung it is the accurate 
 Sanscrit explanation as given by Hodgson. This is 
 the Buddhistic triad, the “ three excellencies,” (which 
 really are only one,) ingeniously explained by Hodgson 
 in bis letter to Colebrooke, by Schmidt and Remusat. 
 In the notes to the Breviary of the Shamans, p. 43r, 
 the word Ho shang is merely translated “ a teacher of 
 our doctrine.” I cannot guess what Sanscrit word Ho 
 shang may be. 
 
 (6). To give the proper sense of the terms of the Bud- 
 dhistic doctrine, we are often compelled to make use of 
 the sacred expressions of our own religion. Both Hyde 
 and Prideaux did the same, regarding the religion of 
 Zoroaster, and it is very remarkable that Gibbon seems 
 to blame them for it ! — Decline and Fall of the Roman 
 Empire, ch. viii. n. 17. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 53 
 
 SECOND LAW. 
 
 Thou shalt not Steal. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 Thou shalt not take any thing, be it gold or 
 silver, a cloth, or an utensil, a needle or a 
 plant ; on all which is not given to you, you shall 
 not lay your hand upon. Whether it belong 
 to the monastery, or has only been given in trust ; 
 whether it belong to the priests, to the magis- 
 trates, the people, or to any person ；(') whether 
 it be taken by force, by stealth, or by fraud ; — 
 all this, even to giving less or taking more than 
 the exact public taxes, all this belongs to the 
 act of stealing. It is stated in the Scripture that 
 a Shaman took seven fruits belonging to the 
 monastery, another some pastry belonging to the 
 priests, and again another a little from a honey- 
 comb, which belonged to the priests, — and they 
 altogether fell into hell/ 2 ) The Scripture moveth 
 us therefore, rather to cut off the hand than to 
 
54 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 take any thing which doth not belong to us. 
 Ah, how watchful should we be over ourselves! 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . In the comments on this passage, it is said, 
 that the author means objects belonging to spirits and 
 demons. 
 
 (2) . y°h, or tih yoh, “ the prison within the 
 
 earth,” Hell. The Buddhists in China entertain in 
 the exterior doctrine the same views regarding hell, 
 as the vulgar people in Europe. The whole world 
 consists, according to them and the Brahmans, of 
 seven different continents or islands (dwipas), of which 
 one is the habitation of the human race, the other six 
 form the different degrees of hell. — Ayeen Akbery, ii. 
 311. This will be made clearer by many passages in 
 the second part of this work. It is known that the 
 Japanese received their civilisation from China, and 
 there can be no doubt, that the Buddhistic mis- 
 sionaries were also Chinese. The Buddhists in Japan 
 use either the Sanscrit words, as the Chinese cor- 
 rupted and abbreviated them, or else the Chinese 
 translations. For instance, they write hell with the two 
 before quoted syllables, and pronounce them TsikoJcs. 
 — Medhurst’s “ English and Japanese Vocabulary,” 
 Batavia 18Ց0, p. 49. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 THIRD LAW. 
 
 Thou shalt not be Lewd. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 In the five laws of the laity 0) it is commanded 
 not to nourish any illicit desire, and the ten laws 
 of the priesthood forbid desires at all, — the least 
 intercourse between one sex and the other is a 
 breach of these laws. In libro Ling yen kingi 2 ) 
 nominate traditur, virginem quandam vestalem, 
 Pao Veen h'eang (i. e. speciosum lilium odori- 
 ferumC 3 )) dictam, secreto corpus suum pollutu- 
 ram, in animo suo dixisse : “corpus meum pol- 
 “ luendo neque neco, neque furor ; itaque scelus 
 “ meum in populo non innotuerit quum vero 
 semetipsam commovere inciperet, ad ignem vitio- 
 sum extinguendum,viventem ad inferos decidisse. 
 If men of the world kill themselves and ruin their 
 families by such desires, how could those who 
 have left the world and belong to the church (*) 
 transgress this law ! This desire is the founda- 
 tion both of life and death ; wherefore the Scrip- 
 ture moveth us, saying, — though the connexion 
 between man and wife is the source of Life, 
 
5 G 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 Death is however the consequence if there be 
 any thing impure in it. Ah, how watchful 
 should we be over ourselves ! 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . These are the present five laws of our Catechism, 
 and spoken of by Couplet in his preface to Confucius , 
 Sinarum Philosophus, p. xxx. Quinque dari praecepta : 
 primum ne rei viventi dematur vita ; secundum, ut abs- 
 tineatur furto: tertium flagitio et turpitudine: quartum 
 mendacio : quintum vino. Sic nimirum sahitis nostrce 
 hostis honesti rectique specie fraudes et insidias suas 
 occultat . — Buchanan in the As. Res. vi. 271. 
 
 (2) . There exist different works under the same name, 
 I have myself three different books or kings, called 
 
 Ling yen ; they are all published under the 
 Tang dynasty, and were translated out of the Sanscrit. 
 
 implies a sign or an emblem, by means of which any 
 object is recognized, or made manifest. The Chinese Bud- 
 dhists speak of six senses, which they call the six roots, 
 seeing, hearing, smelling, speaking, feeling, thinking; 
 these senses stay in the mind of men like guests, and it 
 is wrong to make any use of these temporary companions, 
 Poo shen jung che. (The Shaman’s Breviary, p. 32 v.) 
 The Lingaking is spoken of as a book which opens the 
 door of the Nirvana, teaches to despise the senses and to 
 
THE SIIAMANS. 
 
 57 
 
 have its attention only directed to one object. (Matuanlin, 
 1. c. 14, v. 162.) 
 
 (3) . Thiswas the monastic name of theBhagini, or sister; 
 men and women change their name when they leave the 
 world and go into a monastery. The Roman Catholics 
 observe, as it is well known, the same custom. 
 
 (4) . The reader may remember that church, kirk, 
 kirche, eglise, & c. are only different corruptions of the 
 Greek word Ecclesia , which implies the same meaning 
 as Sanga, union or unity. A chronicler of the middle 
 ages would probably have translated the words of our 
 text, choo suh wei sang ; by the following words : Re- 
 linquit saeculum et monachus factus est. 
 
 H 
 
58 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 FOURTH LAW. 
 
 TlIOU SHALT NOT D 〇 Wr 〇 NG BY THY MoUTII. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 There are four ways of doing wrongby speak- 
 ing. The first way is, tolie, that means to state any 
 thing which is not true ; as if you say any thing 
 is, which is not, or when you say any thing is not, 
 which is ; if you say you have seen any thing 
 which you have not seen, or that you have not 
 seen what you have seen : — in one word, to say 
 any thing which really is not so. — The second way 
 is, by idle and vain speaking ; that is, to express 
 yourself by embellished and affected words, or 
 by luxurious passionate songs, producing impure 
 desires, leading to sins, and bewildering the 
 mind. The third ivay, by vulgar and coarse 
 language ; to speak ill of people in a direct or 
 indirect manner. The fourth way is by dupli- 
 city, to speak in one way to one and otherwise 
 to another ; to speak differently to relations and 
 friends, causing disorder by so doing ; to praise 
 people to their face, and to cavil against them 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 59 
 
 when they are gone ; to say what is true if they 
 are present, and the contrary behind their back ; 
 to accuse any man of a fault without being sure 
 of it, or to hide his good qualities, — these are 
 the ways to do wrong by the mouth/ 1 ) Every 
 body can, by governing his tongue, rise to the 
 four steps and become a perfect man ;( 2 ) a fault 
 of this nature is the greater because it spreads 
 over the world. 
 
 There are exceptions where craft or deceit is 
 permitted ; if it is to prevent an enormous crime, 
 if it is with an intention of pity and commisera- 
 tion to renovate the world, — in these cases it 
 is no crime/ 3 ) 
 
 If people in former times considered the pre- 
 cept not to do wrong by the mouth, as a sum- 
 mary of all good behaviour, how much more 
 should this be the rule of those who have been 
 instructed and have left the world /( 4 ) 
 
 It is related in the Scripture, that a young 
 Shaman once ridiculed a little an old Bhaga, 
 saying that in reading the Scripture, he barked 
 like a dog. The old Bhaga, who happened to 
 be an Arhan/ 5 ) caused this young Shaman to 
 
60 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 repent instantly, that he might not fall into hell 
 and be transformed into a dog. Such were the 
 enormous consequences of one wrong word ! It 
 is, therefore, said in the Scripture, that people 
 of the world have a hatchet in their mouth by 
 which they destroy their body. Ah, how watch- 
 ful should we be over ourselves ! 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . The Bauddha of Nepaul said, that papa evil, (in 
 Chinese po po, ) is of ten kinds ; first, murder ; second, 
 robbery ; third, adultery ； fourth, lying ; fifth, secret- 
 slander ; sixth, reviling ; seventh, reporting such words 
 between two persons, as excite them to quarrels, and 
 those last four papas are called Vachaka, i. e. derived 
 from speech. — Hodgson Sketch of Buddhism, p. 22. 
 
 (2) . According to the ethics of the Chinese Buddhists 
 there are four degrees or steps in ascending to become a 
 perfect man ; the names of these steps are Sanscrit, and 
 are significative as free from desire, self-observation, etc. 
 In our text only two are quoted, Shei to wan (Shrota- 
 panna) and Sse to han ; at this degree people have already 
 overcome six out of the nine classes of desires. The 
 Chinese transcriptions of the names of the four steps, 
 may be seen in Matuanlin, 1. c. 1 v. The Chinese style 
 which the followers of Buddha employ, differs very 
 
THE SHAMAN'S. 
 
 61 
 
 often, in words and in construction, from the style 
 of the best Chinese authors ; here, for instance, 
 they do not use the common Chinese word for steps 
 
 but 
 
 ko, which properly means fruit , and is 
 
 perhaps only the first syllable of the Sanscrit word 
 krama, a step, a degree, an order or succession. Ko 
 is a word to which they are very partial, and they use 
 it always in this signification. They divide all creatures 
 into six kos or orders ; and this division affords an 
 insight into the whole dogmatical system of their religion. 
 I subjoin a figurative delineation of these orders taken 
 out of a Buddhistic work : — 
 
 Spirit Matter 
 
 .1 .1 
 
 Virtue Sin 
 
 Consequence 
 
 Highest, Middle, Lowest. Lowest, Middle, Highest — Order. 
 
 I I I J J I 
 
 Spirits, Men, Asuras. Beasts, Hung՛, Hell. 
 
 Demons. 
 
 This table is taken out of the “ True Tables of the 
 Religion f a very useful work, which I have already quoted 
 above — (See IV. 28 v.) It must of course be understood 
 
G2 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 in the sense of Metempsychosis. The place of the hungry 
 demons corresponds to that of purgatory in the Roman 
 Catholic church. The Asuras3f^( 丁： weretheGigan- 
 tes of the Indian mythology ; they made war against the 
 gods, who were in need of Arjunas to conquer them. 
 See an episode of the Mahabharata concerning the battle 
 of Arjunas against these demons in the Diluvium cum 
 tribus aliis Maha-Bhavati prcEstantissimis episodiis^ 
 by F. Bopp, Berolini 1829, p. 85. A suras is written 
 
 in Chinese 
 
 羅修阿 
 
 Oh sew lo — so disfigured 
 
 is the word in the “ flowery language，’’ which has 
 no a and no r. The Japanese have the same word, and 
 pronounce it Yu-oore-i. — Medhurst ， p. 49. 
 
 (3) . In the comments on this passage an instance is 
 given to explain this Jesuitical maxim, how to withhold 
 a sportsman by crafty and fraudulent words from kill- 
 ing an animal. 
 
 (4) . The Chinese before and after the introduction of 
 
 the Buddhistic doctrine. A Christian missionary would 
 have said, 66 If your heathenish forefathers have done 
 this, how much more should you who are enlightened by 
 Christianity ? n 
 
 (5). Arhan means the first rank in the priesthood ; 
 the word is derived from the Sanscrit root 3{^ 
 
 arli, having worth. It is written in Chinese O-lo-han, 
 aud very often only lo-han. The Buddhists seem to have 
 
TIIF. SHAMANS. 
 
 G3 
 
 translated the whole Sanscrit literature into Chinese, and 
 I do not despair to find, sooner or later, the Mahabharata 
 or the Ramayana in the “ flowery language.” The 
 battle of Indra and the other Gods against the Asuras, 
 and a symbolical explanation of it, are to be found in 
 “ The true Tables of the Religion,” II. 16. It may be 
 regretted that the Buddhists do not acknowledge the 
 Vedas, and we cannot expect, therefore, that they should 
 have translated them into any other language ; they are 
 only mentioned in the Chinese-Buddhistic works, with 
 short bibliographical notices, as containing heretical doc- 
 trines. In the Shaman’s Breviary, p. 33 r., it is said, 
 that there exist ninetyslv different heretical sects ; “ but 
 it seems not advisable to speak of these false doctrines, 
 fei citing yin keae to." 
 
G4 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 THE FIFTH LAW. 
 
 Thou siialt not drink Strong Liquors. 
 
 Commentary. 
 
 This law commands us not to drink any in- 
 toxicating liquor. There are many sorts in the 
 western frontier countries/ 1 ) as liquors made of 
 sugar-cane, of grapes, and of many other plants ; 
 in this country (China), it is the general custom 
 to make a strong liquor from rice — of all these 
 thou shalt not drink ； with this exception, when 
 thou art sick and nothing else can restore thy 
 health, and then it must be known by all that 
 thou drink strong liquors. If there be no reason 
 for it, thou shalt not touch any liquor with thy 
 lips ; thou shalt not bring it to thy nose to 
 smell at, nor shall thou sit in a tavern, or together 
 with people who drink spirits. 
 
 Yu was very much grieved when E and Ho 
 invented wine, and Chow ruined the empire in 
 making pools of wine ：( 2 ) should then a priest not 
 abstain from wine drinking? 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 65 
 
 There was once a certain Yew-po-han (Yogi ?) 
 who, by breaking this law violated also all others, 
 and committed the thirty-six sins ; you can see 
 by this that it is no small sin to drink wine. 
 There is a particular department in helK 3 ) filled 
 with mire and dirt for the transgressors of this law, 
 and they will be bom again as stupid and mad 
 people, wanting wisdom and intelligence. There 
 are bewildering demons and maddening herbs, 
 but spirits disorder the mind more than any 
 poison. The Scripture moveth us, therefore, to 
 drink melted copper sooner than to violate this 
 law and drink spirits/ 4 ) — Ah, how watchful 
 should we be over ourselves ! 
 
 (1) •域西 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Se yu. The meaning of these words 
 
 is very extensive, and changes from one century to another. 
 All the countries within and without the north-west 
 
 frontiers of China, and the northern part of Hindostan, 
 are now comprehended under this denomination. In a 
 Chinese work in eight books (of which Father Hyacinth 
 translated some extracts) called Memoirs on the Western 
 Frontier Countries , printed in the year 1778 of our 
 era, twenty-nine different places and people are described, 
 under which are comprehended Hindostan , Kashemir , 
 
 I 
 
C 6 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 Russia, and the whole country, which in the Chinese 
 geography is called “ the new frontier,” i. e. Hand, and 
 little Bucharia. There is a place or a country called, 
 Siyu in the Tables of Abul Fazel, Ayeen Akbery, 
 ii. 345. 
 
 (2) . These are allusions to passages in the Shooking. 
 Yu is the emperor of the dynasty Hia, and Chow the last 
 dissipated prince of the dynasty Yin or Shang. — Gaubil 
 Chooking, p. 42, 141, 142. 
 
 (3) . The Buddhists divide hell — Naraka in Sanscrit — 
 into eight departments, to which they give particular Sans- 
 crit names. Their description of the various punishments 
 in these various departments of terror and desolation are 
 similar to those in the celebrated Inferno of Dante. A 
 figurative delineation of hell is given in the “ True Tables 
 of the Religion,” ii. 26 v. I have taken the word “ wine” 
 in the text for a beverage of every description. The old 
 Greeks already knew something about thislndian custom; 
 atppodialuv Kai civou, says Strabo of some Indian priests 
 or philosophers, (B.xv. vol. iii. 293, ed.Tauchnitz). The 
 followers of Laotse drink wine, and these monks have in 
 general a very easy Rule (Regula), in comparison with 
 those of Buddha. The followers of Confucius say, that 
 eating is good for the Yang and drinking is good for the 
 Yn-principle. These men are desperate philosophers, 
 that which is not Yang is Yn, and what is not Yn is 
 Yang ! 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 67 
 
 (4). Also the laity, men and women, shall observe these 
 
 first five laws. See 用 曰門沙 Sha mun 
 
 jih jung (The Breviary of the Shaman, p. 18 v.) This 
 is noticed in one of our former notes ; but it has already 
 been stated by Hodgson, that we must carefully separate 
 Buddhism as it is and Buddhism as it ought to bc^ ac- 
 cording to the Scriptures. Few Buddhists in China ob- 
 serve these five first laws. 
 
 THE SIXTH LAW. 
 
 Thou siialt not Perfume the Hair on 
 
 THE TOP OF THY HEAD, THOU SIIALT NOT 
 
 Paint thy Body. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 It is the custom in India to perfume the hair 
 on the top of the head with flowers ; they wind 
 up their hair with flowers to give grace and 
 dignity to the head. In this country they have 
 also different coverings of the head, embroidered 
 with gold and precious stones, with silk and 
 cotton. The principal men in India also paint 
 their bodies ; they use the root of a celebrated 
 
68 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 fragrant plant, they spread it over the inner 
 garment near the body ; these people also carry 
 with them other incense and different sorts of 
 cosmetics. How could a priest use such things ? 
 He, who according to the precepts of Buddha has 
 only three coarse hempen cloths/ 1 ) and out of 
 compassion would not destroy any thing, how 
 could he use the hairs of any animal, or the pro- 
 duce of any insect ? Only an old man of seventy 
 years of age with a bald head, who would feel 
 cold, may use a cap, all others shall not. 
 
 Yu, (the founder of the dynasty of) Hea, wore 
 a coarse cloth, and also Voote of the dynasty of 
 Han; does it then become ( 2 ) feudal Kings (Re- 
 guli) or ministers, or, I will say, men of under- 
 standing, to covet ornaments, to look for incense 
 and to adorn their bodily frame ? There was in 
 former times a Kaou sang (high priest)/ 3 ) who 
 used one shoe latchet thirty years, how much 
 more should common people do so ! — Ah, how 
 watchful should we be over ourselves K 4 ) 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1). All that concerns the vestments of the priests is 
 explained in the second book. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 G9 
 
 (2) . Han Voo (te), began to reign in the year 140 of 
 our era. 
 
 (3) . It is said in the notes, that this is a celebrated 
 priest who lived under the Tang dynasty; being only 
 sixteen years of age, he left his parents and went into a 
 monastery. 
 
 (4) . I have myself seen Buddhistic priests or monks 
 walking during the greatest heat in the streets of Canton, 
 without a covering on the head ; the nuns have a cloth 
 hound round the head. 
 
 THE SEVENTH LAW. 
 
 Thou shalt not hehold or hear Songs, 
 Pantomimes, and Plays, nor shalt thou 
 
 PERFORM THYSELF. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 The word ko, means every song sung 
 
 by the human voice ; the word woo, 
 
 means the postures and shows made with the 
 
 whole body ; m chang ke, means 
 plays accompanied by different sorts of instru- 
 
70 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 merits. You shall not do any thing like this, 
 neither shall you go to hear or see other people 
 performing. In former times there was one 
 Seen/ 1 ) whose spirit was corrupted by listening 
 to singing girls, by listening to sweet and melo- 
 dious voices ; if such beings can be spoiled by 
 seeing and hearing, how much should you take 
 care of yourself ! 
 
 There are stupid people in our times, who 
 sing lewd and profligate songs to the Peipa and 
 Naou/ 2 ) would they not withdraw themselves 
 from such music if the Chinese law (the doc- 
 trine of Confucius) could be universally rege- 
 nerated by all the Buddhas K 3 ) People who 
 are educated for a Buddhistic monastery, who 
 are taught to follow the law of Buddha and to 
 administer at the altar, how could they do such 
 things ! Death and life, this is the difference 
 between the laity and the priesthood ; how were 
 it possible that the clergy could forsake their 
 sublime office and run after dissipated music ! ! 
 Also the games of chess and dice, and other 
 similar sports ( 4 ) of this description, carry the 
 mind off from the right way, and plunge it into 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 71 
 
 faults and crimes. Ah, how watchful should we 
 be over ourselves ! 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1). The Seens are considered supernatural beings, like 
 angels and cherubims. The followers of Laotse use the 
 word Seen in the same signification as the Buddhists 
 Pousa or Bodhisatwa. It has sometimes the signifi- 
 cation of the Sanscrit Muni. Seen is written by a 
 character compounded out of man and mountain , and 
 answers, therefore, very well for Muni. This character is 
 sometimes written Seen (8939), immortal ； “ these are 
 spirits who walk about in the shape of men, but do no 
 die, — there are ten different classes of these spirits.” 
 “ The True or Standard Tables of the Religion,” B. i. 
 p. 15, v. 
 
 The Eclectics, that is to say, those who think that 
 the doctrine of Confucius, of Laotse and Shakia, is one 
 and the same, make no distinction between Seens and 
 Pousas ; they call Laotse a Pousa, and Buddha a Seen. 
 These Eclectics are very numerous in China, and it 
 appears that the government, which is far from any 
 fanaticism, considers it a matter of policy to incorporate 
 the said three doctrines together so that there should 
 not remain any difference of religion in the empire. 
 There exists indeed only a small body of Mahometans 
 
72 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 in China in comparison to the population at large, and 
 not more than about 150,000 Christians. The Maho- 
 metan worship is permitted by law, but to become a 
 Christian is now considered as high treason. 
 
 (2) . The Peipa is an instrument very much like the 
 guitar ; it has only three strings. The Chinese class the 
 different musical instruments after the number of their 
 strings, as a three-stringed, a six-stringed, etc. The 
 Naou (7909) is a kind of trumpet. They have peculiar 
 musical notes, and songs and notes printed together to 
 be sung in society. Their music sounds very bad to 
 the ear of an European, as it wants both harmony and 
 variety. 
 
 (3) . Every body who intends to go into a monastery 
 must have the permission of the civil authority, a regu- 
 lation which cannot please the priesthood, as it is their 
 desire to bring the whole empire under the Law of 
 Buddha. (See some regulations concerning the priest- 
 hood, in Staunton’s Penal Laws of China, p. 42, 83, 118.) 
 
 (4) . The game of chess must have been very old in 
 this part of the world, it is mentioned as early as in 
 Mencius. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 73 
 
 THE EIGHTH LAW. 
 
 Thou shalt not sit or lye on a high and 
 large Couch. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 The couch must be conformable to the rules 
 of Buddha ; the couch of him who reigns now 
 over the worlds 1 ) was not higher than eight che ：( 2 ) 
 surpassing this measure is a crime. Also, it is 
 not becoming to use boards, which are varnish- 
 ed, adorned with flowers or finely carved, nor 
 silken mats. In former times people used to 
 sit down on grass, and in the night-time they 
 lay under a tree ; now that we have beds and 
 chairs, they should not be made high and large 
 to gratify the sensual feeling of the body. 
 
 Hee-tsun the honourable perseverance, never 
 sat on a mat.( 3 ) 
 
 Kao fung sheao chen sse, The master of the 
 high, sublime, and abstract contemplation, 
 stayed three years, and never asked for a bed, 
 or chair. 
 
 K 
 
74 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 A priest in the monastery, Woo tathe sublime 
 Understanding/ 4 ) was destroyed by incense on 
 his seat (which was only two cubits too high). 
 If such a man was unfortunate, how were it 
 possible that we should not be watchful over 
 ourselves ! 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 〇 來如 
 
 jo lae, that is the Buddha for our 
 
 age for this world, or Kalpa ; these words, jo lae are 
 a verbal translation of the Sanscrit Tathagata . There 
 are different Buddhas for the different ages ; at the end 
 
 of our Kalpa there will come another in great glory. 
 
 (2). A Che, or Tan-che, is the 19th part of a cubit, 
 
 or Chiih. 
 
 (3). It is said in the comments, that Hee-tsun was a 
 native of India, that his proper name was Nan seng , i. e. 
 he who had been bom with difficulty, or the Hard- 
 born ; that he remained sixty years in the womb of his 
 mother, etc. There are reckoned twenty-eight Bud- 
 dhistic patriarchs in India, and two or three in China. 
 See the Shaman's Breviary under Fo tsoo , p. 31, v. The 
 title of these patriarchs is Tsun or Honourable ； Hee- 
 tsun was the ninth or the tenth patriarch. See the Notes 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 75 
 
 to this passage. The story of Nan seng is similar to 
 that of Laotse. 
 
 (4). The life of these priests is given at large in the 
 Chinese comments ; it possesses no interest at all for the 
 European reader. The Buddhists in China, in Thibet, 
 and in Mongolia, have large collections of Acta Sanc- 
 torum, and the translator has some Chinese publica- 
 tions of this nature. One is called Lelh chao kin kang 
 ehe neen ke. The reader may permit here a remark 
 or two about the Life of Apollonius of Tyana of 
 Philostratus. That \vork, though fictitious, is of that 
 kind which we call historical novels. Philostratus seems 
 in his work to have laid down all that he could leara 
 about India, and there are certainly many interesting 
 accounts. He says, for instance, “ that the Brahmans 
 sleep on the ground, which is first spread with grass, 
 wherein they delight," etc. ; but it is very difiicidt to sift 
 history from fables. (Vita Apollonii, 1. iii. 15.) 
 
70 
 
 THE C ATKCH ISM OF 
 
 THE NINTH LAW. 
 
 Thou shalt not eat after the Time. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 After the time means after noon ; a priest 
 shall not eat after this time. The heavenly 
 spirits eat in the morning ; the Buddhas at 
 noon ; the beasts after noon ; the demons at 
 night, — therefore it becomes the priesthood 
 (Sanggha) to imitate Buddha, and not to eat 
 after the noon.O) The hungry devils in hell 
 hear the rattling of the wooden roller (by which 
 the monks are called to dinner) open their 
 mouths, and fire is then shut into their throats ; 
 for this reason we should stop eating at noon, 
 but still more so after that time. 
 
 In former times there was a high priest who 
 secretly shed tears at seeing smoke go forth from 
 a furnace in the dwelling of a neighbouring priest 
 after noon ; — so strongly felt he the transgression 
 of the laws of Buddha. But our generation is 
 weak, and subject to many diseases ; they can- 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 77 
 
 not sustain the weight of this law, and require 
 to eat many times in the day. For this reason our 
 elders have permitted the priesthood to take a 
 certain quantity of herbs in the evening to pre- 
 vent sickness. Being thus subject to transgress 
 the laws of Buddha, you shall feel shame and 
 sorrow ; you shall pray to the hungry miserable 
 demons ; you shall be penetrated by pity and 
 compassion ; you shall not have either a large 
 or a good meal, nor shall your thoughts hang 
 after meat, etc. If you do not act so your crimes 
 will be greatly increased. — Ah, how watchful 
 should we be over ourselves ! 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 (1). The following table, out of the true Tables of the 
 Religion B. iv. p. 21 v. gives all the different classes of 
 beings, spoken of in Buddhism ; the}' are ten : Bud- 
 dhas; Bodhisatwas; followers of Buddha, who understand 
 the doctrine (Yuen-keo) ; followers of Buddha, who live 
 merely according to the doctrine, without understanding 
 it (Shing-heen) ; heavenly spirits (Teen-tao) ; men ; 
 asuras ; beasts ; hungry devils ; sinners being in hell. 
 I confess myself quite ignorant of the actual nature of 
 these heavenly beings, or of what rank they may hold in 
 the Buddhistic Theogony. 
 
78 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 THE TENTH LAW. 
 
 Thou shalt not have in thy private 
 Possession either a Metal Figure (an 
 Idol), or Gold, or Silver, or any va- 
 luable Thing. 
 
 Commentary . 
 
 T he word sang (881 3) in our text means metal, 
 and figure means a likeness, consequently a metal 
 likeness ; gold is a metal which has originally a 
 yellow colour, and silver can be used in ex- 
 change, like the yellow metal. A valuable 
 thing means one of the seven valuable objects. 0) 
 All avaricious and covetous men deviate from 
 the right way, wherefore in the lifetime of Bud- 
 dha all priests went a begging. They had no 
 need to provide clothing or dwelling or make a 
 fire. Buddha said that gold and silver are pro- 
 ductions of the earth, of which you shall not 
 make any use, and he who will hold fast on this 
 precept, will attain perfect knowledge. 
 
 If it be so, can the followers of Confucius call 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 79 
 
 the disciples of Shakiamuni beggars ; we who 
 procure food and goods enough, and do not care 
 for tools of husbandry nor for gold ? 
 
 In our time it is not always possible to get 
 food by begging, being abroad in the country, or 
 being in a town, or travelling in a foreign terri- 
 tory ； in all these cases it is permitted to be 
 provided with silver and gold. Being thus in 
 need to transgress knowingly the laws of Bud- 
 dha, you shall feel shame and sorrow, and 
 always have your mind directed to poverty. 
 
 If you are compelled towanderabout, you shall 
 not call at a public inn ; you shall not heap up 
 food ; you shall not transact mercantile business, 
 nor in general carry with you any precious cloth 
 or thing of value. If you do not act so, your fault 
 will be very much increased. — Ah, how watch- 
 ful should we be over ourselves ! 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The translator takes the liberty to recommend to the 
 reader, the perusal of the “ Remarks on the Religious 
 and Social Institutions of the Inhabitants of Bootan, by 
 the late Sam. Davis, communicated to the Royal Asiatic 
 Society by J- F. Davis,” London, 1830. Those Remarks 
 
80 
 
 THE CATECHISM, &C. 
 
 may, in many respects, serve as a commentary on our 
 present Catechism. 
 
 (1). The seven valuable objects are: gold, silver, 
 pearls, the yuh, &c. There are yet three other sorts of 
 precious stones, mentioned in the notes. 
 
BOOK SECOND. 
 
 THE REGULATIONS. 
 
 i. 
 

 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 According to the laws of the Buddhistic 
 priesthood, any Shaman having completed twen- 
 ty years of age, and being willing to receive all 
 the remaining laws/ 1 ) if he cannot answer all 
 the questions which are put him concerning the 
 duties of a Shaman, he will not receive the ad- 
 ditional laws. Supposing now any body could 
 be received without knowing the duties, the 
 manners and customs of the priesthood, it would 
 be difficult for the Shaman to find them out. It 
 is necessary to be in the first place fully ac- 
 quainted with these duties, in order that after 
 having received the remaining laws you may 
 easily walk in the way of Buddha, and easily 
 perform that which becomes a Shaman ; for this 
 reason the examination begins with the laws. 
 
 In the following pages are the regulations 
 regarding the manners and customs of the priest- 
 
84 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 hood ; I have collected both the old and the new 
 regulations, and brought them into this epi- 
 tome that the young priest may easily under- 
 stand them, and prepare himself to become a 
 Bhaga. I found this mode of instruction very 
 useful ; for people whose minds are not wholly 
 given up to the law, are lazy and wish to amuse 
 themselves ; — they will retreat from a large vo- 
 lume, but will feel no objections against an 
 epitome. Seeing that there exists nothing si- 
 milar, I prepared this Second book, to fill up 
 the deficiency, that every man, who will be per- 
 fectly enlightened, may find all ready prepared 
 for him. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 It was a very tedious task to translate these, for the 
 most part, insipid regulations ; but they show, more than 
 any other work could do, the very soul of this monastic 
 regimen. The learned reader may compare the valu- 
 able dissertation on the Religion and Literature of the 
 Burmas in the sixth volume of the As. Res. p. 280 follow. 
 In the eye of the philosopher, one husbandman is of 
 greater value than the whole order of such people. 
 What kind of virtue can that be which lives an idle and 
 useless life upon the toil and sweat of the brows of the 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 85 
 
 other classes of the community, yet speaks of them, in 
 spite of all this, with the greatest disrespect and con- 
 tempt ? 
 
 (1). The Rule (Regula) of a Bhaga, or Bhikshu, 
 spoken of in the Introductory Remarks to Book First 
 Note 3. See the ceremony of Ordination, translated 
 from the Burmese, in the As. Res. vi. 280. 
 
 Priest. Have you completed your twentieth year ? 
 
 Cand. My lord, I have completed it. 
 
 FIRST SECTION. 
 
 Respect to be paid to a Chief Shaman/ 1 ) 
 
 You shall not call a chief Shaman by his 
 name/ 2 ) 
 
 You shall not watch secretly his words. 
 
 You shall not discourse concerning the faults 
 of a chief Shaman. 
 
 You shall not remain sitting if you see a 
 chief Shaman, except under the following five 
 circumstances : when reading prayers, during 
 sickness, shaving yourself, eating, or being occu- 
 pied for the monastery. 
 
86 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 The novices are consecrated after the fifth 
 moon of the summer solstice, when they are 
 elevated to the dignity of an Achur ； after the 
 tenth moon of the summer solstice they are next 
 elevated to the dignity of a Ho shang. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1). A great or chief Shaman, who lias received all 
 the laws, Show kin keae jin. See the Notes to this 
 
 passage. 
 
 (2) . That is to say, by his little name, his Ming. 
 
 (3) . Shaman seems to he taken for Priest in general, 
 and then again for a particular rank in the priesthood. 
 The Chinese write the Sanscrit word Achar, or Acharya, 
 which has the signification of praying, etc., by the fol- 
 
 lowing characters, 
 
 I^IIW 
 
 oh shay le, and 
 
 say it means master of the doctrine, a person who is able 
 to instruct the younger Shamans. The Achars are 
 again subdivided into five classes. (See Notes.) The two 
 last syllables shay le are found written with different 
 characters, as chay le (465, 6947). There are so many 
 names of the different ranks of the priests, and the proper 
 names being generally significative, that it is not always 
 easy to say what is a title, and what the name of a 
 particular rank. “ The learned among the Persians and 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 87 
 
 Arabians,” says Abul Fazel, “ call the priests of the 
 religion of Buddha, Bukshee , and in Thibet they are 
 styled Lama.” — Ayeen Akbery, ii. 434. The Bauddha 
 of Nepaul says, that the first class of the priesthood is 
 denominated Bhikshu ; the second Vajra Acharya. But, 
 in the notes, Hodgson states, that the superior ministry 
 of religion is now solely in the hands of the Bandy as, 
 entitled, Vajra- Acharya in Sanscrit ; the inferior mi- 
 nistry, such Bhikshus are competent to discharge. 
 (Sketch of Buddhism, p. 36.) It is very probable 
 that the names and duties of the different ranks of the 
 priesthood underwent a change from one century to 
 another. Up to the present time, we know very little 
 concerning the historical development of the doctrine 
 and the institutions of Buddhism. 
 
 SECOND SECTION. 
 
 Duties towards a Teacher (Guru). 
 
 You must rise early/ 1 ) and knock or call 
 three times before you enter the room of your 
 master. If you are corrected by a Ho shang or 
 an Achar, you shall not contradict him ； you 
 must look upon a Ho shang and an Achar like as 
 on Buddha himself. 
 
88 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 Like as you will not spit in a clean vessel, 
 so you may not soil your heart by anger and 
 vexation. 
 
 Regarding՜ visits, it is to be observed, that, 
 if your teacher or master sits in a contemplative 
 meditation, you shall not pay him a visit. 
 
 If your master is about to go out, you shall 
 not pay him a visit. 
 
 If your master eats, if he reads the Scriptures, 
 washes his teeth, takes a bath, or is in any way 
 occupied in his mind, — on all these occasions 
 you shall not pay him a visit. 
 
 If the teacher shuts the door, you shall not stay 
 outside till he goes out, and then pay your 
 compliments, — but you shall knock three times, 
 and if the door be not opened, go away. 
 
 If the master eats or drinks, you shall present 
 him his food with both hands; having finished, 
 you shall take the vessels away and place them 
 in order. 
 
 Attending on your master, you shall not stay 
 opposite to him, you shall not remain on a 
 higher place, nor very far from him ; it becomes 
 you to speak with a low voice in the presence 
 
THF. SHAMANS. 
 
 89 
 
 of your master, yet so that it maybe heard, and 
 that his honour may not require any effort to 
 understand you. 
 
 If you request your master to explain to you 
 the origin and principles of the law of Bud- 
 dha/ 2 ) you shall visit him in your best apparel, 
 join the palms of your hands and kneel down ; 
 if the master begins to speak you shall be ab- 
 sorbed in hearing and thinking. 
 
 If you go to your master, asking any thing for 
 your household, it is not necessary to kneel 
 down, you shall stand sideways towards your 
 master, and explain to him clearly what is the 
 nature of your demand. 
 
 If the master be tired either in body or in 
 mind, and asks you to go out, you shall retire 
 without showing either joy or disappointment. 
 
 If you have committed any fault, you must 
 not hide it or fear an investigation ; on the con- 
 trary, you shall instantly go to your master, 
 confess it with shame and sorrow, and ask 
 forgiveness. If the master forgive you your 
 fault, your sorrow and shame shall fade away, 
 you may then appear clear and bright. 
 
 M 
 
90 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 • If the master says anything which really is 
 not so, you shall not contradict him. 
 
 You shall not seat yourself in the empty chair 
 of your master, nor lie on his bed, nor dress your- 
 self with his clothes. 
 
 If your master sends you to carry a letter, 
 you shall not open it privately nor give it to any 
 man to look into ; having carried the letter to its 
 destination, you shall ask if you have to stay 
 for an answer ? if not, take your leave in a civil 
 manner, and return without delay to your 
 master. 
 
 If your master remains with a visitor in what 
 place soever, you may stay either sideways or 
 behind him, you shall only use ear and eye to 
 seek for what your master may be in need of. 
 
 If the master be sick, you shall ardently en- 
 deavour to provide him with all that may be 
 necessary ; you shall take care of his house 
 and of his bedding, you shall provide medicine, 
 congee, etc. 
 
 If your master dresses himself, you shall hold 
 his shoes ; if he goes to a bath, you shall prepare 
 all that may be necessary for the bath, etc. etc. 
 
T1IE SHAMANS. 
 
 91 
 
 There are yet many things comprehended under 
 this rule, how a disciple should behave towards 
 his master, but they eannot be enumerated one 
 by one. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Being with your master you must not dare to 
 sit down without his permission ; you must not 
 dare to speak before he asks you, except if you 
 are in need of any thing, then you may explain 
 
 it. 
 
 Staying near him you shall not lean yourself 
 against the wall ; you shall stay at his side with 
 an upright body. 
 
 If your master wishes not to receive your visit, 
 you shall desist from it. 
 
 If the master is seated with a visitor, ex- 
 plaining the law, you shall watch attentively 
 every word. 
 
 If the master commands any thing, you shall 
 perform it instantly without unwillingness or 
 disrespect. 
 
 You shall, in a word, never appear afflicted 
 or sorrowful before your master. 
 
02 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 If any body calls upon your master to pay 
 him respects, you shall not give to your master 
 either a higher or an inferior title. 
 
 Every younger brother (of the monastery) 
 shall choose for himself an enlightened master, 
 follow him a long time and not leave him 
 early ； but if the master be really not an enlight- 
 ened man, it becomes you to separate from him 
 and to walk for yourself the road of virtue. 
 Having need to leave your master, you shall 
 consider his shame, you shall not give liberty to 
 any passionate feeling as laymen are accus- 
 tomed to do. 
 
 You shall not ramble about at a market or at 
 any place where people meet together. 
 
 You shall not stay in a temple of the followers 
 of Confucius and Laotsze.C) 
 
 You shall not go into people’s houses, nor 
 shall you stay near a monastery of N uns.< 4 ) 
 
 If you provide any thing for your master, you 
 shall not make a profit by it as men of the 
 world are accustomed to do, — all these are sin- 
 ful transactions. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 93 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . According to the monastic rule the night is 
 divided into three portions ; the midnight watch being 
 past, the young Shaman shall rise, etc. 
 
 (2) . In the Chinese text are used the two words Yin 
 yuen , which are the same as Yew yuen (Morrison, under 
 the word 12559), and refer to those principles of the 
 Metempsychosis, which form the fundamental feature of 
 the Buddhistic religion. These words denote that state 
 of existence hereafter, which is dependent on the conduct 
 of an individual in a former life. 
 
 (3) . How could a priest of Buddha see bloody sacri- 
 fices, or look to a worship performed with wine and 
 meat ! this is totally at variance with the true doctrine, 
 and a follower of Buddha dare not approach towards 
 such sacrifices. This reason is given in the Chinese 
 comments ; the words Shin meaou in the Chinese text 
 mean the temples of the followers of Confucius and 
 Laotsze, in opposition to the Fo sze , the temples or 
 monasteries of Buddha. 
 
 (4) . I do not know by what mistake these three regu- 
 lations were placed here ; they are again repeated under 
 their respective sections. 
 
04 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 THIRD SECTION. 
 
 On going out with the Master. 
 
 Without the master you shall not visit any 
 man’s house. You shall not walk or remain 
 behind in a public place, where people meet to 
 converse together. 
 
 You shall not look either to the right or to the 
 left ; you shall walk behind your master, with 
 the head bowed to the earth. 
 
 Going out with the master and coming into 
 a house, you shall stay near him till he asks you 
 to sit down ; and then you shall sit down. 
 
 Coming into the public hall of the monastery, 
 when the master, or any other man, repeats his 
 prayers to Buddha, — you shall not roam about 
 or make any noise. 
 
 If the master ascends a mountain, you must 
 carry with you something upon which he may 
 sit, and you shall never remain far behind him. 
 
 If the master travels on the water, you must 
 be near to support him ; you must be grave and 
 courageous whether it be deep or shallow water. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 95 
 
 If you accompany him to a bath, you must 
 have prepared the bathing-tub, the strings, and, 
 in a word, all the things which your master 
 may be in need of : all this is comprehended in 
 this law, and could not be explained by many 
 - words. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 If, when walking about, you happen to come 
 to a narrow passage, you shall lead the way. 
 
 If the master fasts, you shall be near him, 
 and prepare all that he may be in need of ; when 
 fasting is over, you shall be near to him, and 
 bring what is usual. (b 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The gurus, or tutors, are to be considered as spiritual 
 guides, or Confessors. If there could be the least doubt 
 that Buddhism is a reformed Hindoo doctrine, and that 
 the whole basis of Brahmanism remains unshaken, it 
 would immediately vanish by a close comparison of the 
 Buddhistic catechism with the laws of Menu, — the greater 
 part of the Laws and Regulations of the Shamans 
 seem to be taken out of Menu. Regarding the behaviour 
 to a tutor, see Institutes of Menu, ch. ii. 70, 71, et seq. 
 
9G 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 If there be no relations, the tutor is declared the lawful 
 heir. (Ayeen Akbery, ii. 481.) The learned reader will 
 be instructed and much amused by comparing the Re- 
 gulations of Menu with those of Buddha. 
 
 SECTION՜ FOURTH. 
 
 General Behaviour. 
 
 You shall not quarrel with any person about 
 a seat. 
 
 You shall not hold a loud conversation with 
 any body who sits far from you, or laugh with 
 him. 
 
 People in general fail in good behaviour by 
 overlooking their own faults, and promulgating 
 their virtues ; you shall not speak either about 
 your fortunate occurrences, nor about your own 
 merits. 
 
 Wherever you are, you shall not go to bed 
 before other people, nor rise later. 
 
 If you wash yourself, you may not use too 
 much water. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 97 
 
 If you spit on the ground, you shall hold down 
 your head, and take care not to spit on any man. 
 
 You shall not make a noise in clearing the 
 nose. You shall not spit either in the public 
 hall or in the turret, neither in a clean room 
 nor on the clean earth, or in clean water, but 
 you shall go to a particular place. 
 
 You shall not present tea with one hand only. 
 
 Opposite to the turret, of a Ho shang or an 
 Achar, you shall not clean your teeth. 
 
 As soon as you hear the sound of the wooden 
 bell/ 2) you shall join the palms of your hands in 
 prayer ; hearing the sound of the bell, you 
 shall remove all sorrow and trouble, your mind 
 shall be directed only to wisdom to attain the 
 knowledge of the law,< 3 ) to be liberated from 
 the earthly jail, and to leave the fiery pit. You 
 shall wish that Buddha’s doctrine may be spread 
 over the whole world, Gan, Kea-lo-te-yay, 
 So-ho.( 4 ) 
 
 You shall not laugh either too much or too 
 loud ; and if you happen to yawn, you shall 
 hold the sleeves of your garment on your mouth. 
 
 You shall not walk in haste, nor take the 
 
 N 
 
98 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 lanterns of Buddha for your private use ; you 
 shall manage the top of the lantern in such a 
 way, that no living creature, as insects or birds, 
 may be hurt. 
 
 Nobody shall smell at the flowers taken out 
 of the enclosure, and which are to be placed 
 before Buddha, except those people who are 
 appointed for it and arrange all new things ; 
 these men shall take care not to tread a leaf 
 into the earth ; they shall take every leaf from 
 the way and carry it to a particular place. 
 
 If you are called, you shall not answer what 
 you please, but your answer shall always have 
 some relation to the prayers of Buddha. ( 8 ) 
 
 If you find any thing, you shall instantly 
 communicate it to the managing priest. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall not make friendship with a young- 
 pupil for the priesthood. 
 
 You shall not have more or less than three 
 garments; if you happen to have more, you 
 must give them away. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 99 
 
 You shall not mend, clean or wash any thing 
 in public waters, in order that you may not be 
 laughed at by your acquaintance. 
 
 You shall not wear a garment whose colour is 
 gone, nor ornamented clothes in the manner of 
 the laity. 
 
 You shall not touch your clothes with dirty 
 hands. 
 
 Going into the public hall you must bind up 
 your habiliments or trowsers, and for your own 
 comfort not be slovenly. 
 
 You shall not speak either too low or too loud. 
 
 You shall not sit and look on, if every body 
 works ; you shall entertain an aversion at being 
 idle. 
 
 You shall not take any thing privately into 
 your cell/ 6 ) neither wood, flowers, vegetables, 
 or any thing to eat, nor any utensil, or any 
 
 thing else. 
 
 〇 
 
 You shall not speak a word, either good or 
 bad, regarding government, the magistrates or 
 public officers. It is the custom of the laity to 
 slander all parties, high and low/ 7 ) 
 
 If you are called, you shall answer with two 
 
loo 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 words taken out of your creed ; you shall not 
 answer, “ I,” or, “ The little priest.” 
 
 You shall not greatly strive to bring to an 
 end any thing which is of no consequence at 
 all ; if it is of consequence, you may do your 
 utmost, but always in good temper. If you 
 see that it is impossible to accomplish it, then 
 say so, and leave it. To feel angry is not at all 
 becoming a priest. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . Every temple has a turret, wherein the sacred 
 reliques of Buddha himself, or of a Bodhisatwa, are 
 inclosed. 
 
 (2) . This is a wooden bell with clapper or hammer, 
 by which the Monks are called to prayers ; the Chinese 
 word is Chung, 1718, M. The numbers, near a Chi- 
 nese word, always refer the reader to the tonical part of 
 Dr. Morrison's Dictionary. 
 
 (3) . Poote sang , to attain a clear insight into the reli- 
 gion. The Bodhi, or Gnosis distinguishes the higher class 
 of the followers of Buddha, who both live according to 
 the law, and have a clear understanding of its principles. 
 
 (4) . I must leave it to the scholar to search for the 
 meaning of these Sanscrit words ; I looked in vain to 
 the comments on our passage, and to the other Chinese 
 Buddhistic works, for a translation. The prayer which 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 101 
 
 is ordered to be said, when the Shaman hears the sound 
 of the wooden bell, was in the following manner: “I 
 wish that the sound of this bell may glorify the religion, 
 that all uho shall hear it, may lay aside earthly desires 、 
 and be absorbed into abstraction ; I wish that all living 
 creatures may become perfectly enlightened, Gan, Kea- 
 lo-te-yay-scbho ! ，❁> — (the Shaman’s Breviary ， p. 22.) In 
 the text of the Catechism is a stop after yay^ and so is 
 written with a different character (9488， tlie Shaman’s 
 Breviary gives the character 9489 5 with the radical 140 
 on the top). The Sanscrit words at the end of every 
 prayer begin always with Gan^ and finish with So ho ; 
 it may be that Gan is the Chinese transcript of the cele- 
 brated Aum. 
 
 (5) . Two instances are given in the comments ; it is 
 said that the Shaman shall answer Namo Fo^ or Amida 
 
 Adoration to Buddha, Amida Buddha, &c. 
 
 (6) . There are now many words in the Chinese lan- 
 guage taken out of the Sanscrit, which are not easily 
 recognized on first looking at them. I think it very pro- 
 
 (7). That the people shall neither know, speak or think 
 anything about government, is the wish of all despotic 
 monarchies ; ignorance is their best safeguard, and in- 
 deed only ignorance of their own rights causes men to 
 submit to the unbounded will of others 
 
 chao te, cell^ is a Sanscrit word 
 T chhad, to cover, etc. 
 
 derived from the root 
 
 chhad 
 
102 
 
 T1IE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 Concerning the general Dinner. 
 
 As soon as notice is given by the wooden 
 roller, you shall prepare yourself to come to 
 dinner/ 1 ) 
 
 You shall behave yourself decently at the 
 prayers before and after dinner/ 2 ) 
 
 Thedinnerof apriestconsists in seven measures 
 of rice mixed with flour, the tenth of a cubit of 
 pastry, and nearly the same weight of bread / 3 ) 
 to eat more is cupidity, to eat less is parsimony ; 
 to eat vegetables of any kind besides these 
 dishes is not permitted. 
 
 The priest shall take the food in his left hand, 
 pray, and say : “ O ye bad and good spirits, I 
 now offer you this, may this meat be spread out 
 for all bad and good spirits into all the ten 
 quarters of the world.” 
 
 Every priest shall repeat five prayers before 
 dinner. 
 
 1. For all good things which happened to 
 him up to that day. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 103 
 
 2. Thai he may go the way of virtue, and 
 be far from all wickedness. 
 
 3. That his heart may be far from all sin 
 of cupidity, or lust. 
 
 4. That he may use his meat only as 
 medicine, to give strength to the body. 
 
 5. That he may take his meat only to be 
 able to perfect himself in the doctrine. 
 
 You shall not speak about your dinner, be it 
 good or bad. 
 
 You shall not eat anything in private, or steal 
 it like a dog. 
 
 You shall not speak a word when coming 
 to or departing from dinner ; you shall only 
 salute with the hand. 
 
 You shall not scratch your head at dinner- 
 time, and in breathing you shall take care of 
 your neighbours. 
 
 You shall not speak having meat in your 
 mouth. 
 
 You shall not laugh, or joke, or speak too 
 loud. 
 
 You shall not smack in eating. 
 
104 
 
 TIIE CATECHISM OF 
 
 When cleaning your teeth, you shall hold 
 something before your mouth. 
 
 If you happen to find an insect in your meat 
 you shall hide it ; you shall not show it to your 
 neighbour and create doubt and uncertainty in 
 his mind.W 
 
 When you have once taken a place, you shall 
 not change it for another. 
 
 You shall not during dinner take any thing 
 from the table. 
 
 You shall not be too slow nor too hasty at 
 dinner. 
 
 If you come to dinner and it is not yet ready, 
 you shall not show any impatience. 
 
 If you are in need of any thing, you shall not 
 call for it with a loud voice, but silently point 
 thereat and take it. 
 
 You shall not make any noise at table. 
 
 You shall not singly rise from table if you 
 have finished your dinner. 
 
 Whosoever hears clearly the wooden roller, 
 and does not attend, breaks the regulations of 
 the priesthood, and forfeits his dinner. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 105 
 
 If you find a whole grain in your rice, take 
 off the skin and eat it. 
 
 You shall not try if the dishes taste well ; 
 this creates desires, and causes you to eat in an 
 indecent manner. 
 
 You shall not eat alone that which has been 
 served for all. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . The translator visited the Haechung monastery 
 at Canton, when another European wished to try the 
 effects of this wooden roller. The Chinese ciceroni how- 
 ever recommended the gentleman by all means to avoid 
 it, lest it might bring all the priests of the monastery 
 into the refectory. 
 
 (2) . In my collection of Buddhist books are different 
 breviaries, containing the prayers which a Shaman has 
 to recite every day ; there is not any occasion in which 
 he has not to repeat some prayer, — certainly such men 
 can do nothing else than pray ! 
 
 (3) . These matters connected with cookery are very 
 difficult to translate. Gibbon somewhere remarks, that a 
 Venetian pilot could correct Muratori, in reckoning the 
 distance from Brundusium to Durazzo, and so probably 
 a Chinese cook might easily correct me. It is likewise 
 not an easy matter to reduce the Chinese weights to our 
 standard. 
 
 〇 
 
106 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 (4). The belief in the doctrine of Metempsyehosis is 
 the reason of this, as of many other regulations. With 
 the Greeks, Pherecydes, the master of Pythagoras, is 
 looked upon as the first who had spoken of the transmi- 
 gration of souls, a doctrine much inculcated by the 
 Pythagoreans, his successors. The ingenious and learned 
 author of the “ Enquiry into the Life and Writings of 
 Homer,” thinks, p. 284, that Pherecydes received this 
 doctrine from the Phoenicians. 
 
 SECTION SIXTH. 
 
 On Praying and Saluting. 
 
 You shall not go into the middle of the 
 temple and pray ; you shall place yourself on 
 one of the seats. 
 
 If any person prays to Buddha, you shall not 
 pass or come near him. 
 
 You shall clench your hand with the fingers 
 down, one finger shall be like the other, so that 
 no void space remains in the palm of your hand ; 
 nor shall you put a finger in your nose. Hold- 
 ing the head upright, you shall look towards the 
 ground. 
 
THE SIIAMANS. 
 
 107 
 
 You shall not pray before the appointed time, 
 even should you desire it ; you shall stay until 
 the proper moment. 
 
 You shall not pray to Buddha, together with 
 your teacher ; you shall place yourself behind 
 him, at a little distance. 
 
 You shall not salute any person at the same 
 time as your teacher. 
 
 In the presence of your teacher you shall 
 not salute your equals nor receive their salu- 
 tations. 
 
 When addressing any person, you shall not 
 touch with your hand either the Scriptures or 
 the Images/ 1 ) 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 At all times you shall come to prayers with a 
 pure and clean heart, and with a mind ab- 
 sorbed in meditation. You shall observe at all 
 times the seven rules concerning salutations/ 2 ) 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 (1). The meaning attached in all European languages 
 to the word Image gives a very inadequate idea of the 
 dignity of the Chinese word Seang , a representative, or 
 an image of the Godhead. 
 
108 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 (2). Prayers to gods, and salutations to men, are ex- 
 
 The Chinese also call the Christian Sunday, and the 
 week of seven days, Le pae. This weekly division of 
 time, as is well known, never existed in China ; because, 
 as an ingenious divine observes, the Chinese left their 
 work at the tower of Babel, and came to the middle em- 
 pire before God taught Moses that a week consists of 
 seven days. The seven rules concerning salutations are 
 given at large in the Comments. 
 
 SECTION SEVENTH. 
 
 On going to Hear the Law. 
 
 As soon as the tablet is suspended in the 
 great hall you shall go therein, and not stay till 
 notice is given by the great mortar. 
 
 Holding your garments together in a decent 
 manner, your mind shall be absorbed in medita- 
 tion ; you shall advance and gravely sit down. 
 You shall neither speak nor yawn. 
 
 pressed with the same term, 
 
 le pae. 
 
THE SHAAIANS. 
 
 109 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 As soon as you hear the sound which calls to 
 hear the law, you shall cease all talk concerning 
 the matters of this world, and only think on 
 your moral perfection. 
 
 All that enters into your ear, shall not indis- 
 criminately pass out of your mouth ; you shall 
 not say what should not be stated before the 
 congregation. 
 
 The priests under age, who are not yet 
 thoroughly acquainted with the precepts, shall 
 not leave their studies and run before the proper 
 time to hear the law expounded. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 This whole section seems to indicate, that, in the 
 Buddhist monasteries, public worship is sometimes ac- 
 companied by a sermon, or exhortation, and explana- 
 tions of the laws or scriptures. 
 
THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 1 10 
 
 SECTION EIGHTH. 
 
 On Studying. 
 
 It is necessary to study first the Laws and 
 then the Shaster/ 1 ) you must not overstep the 
 regular way. 
 
 Every book should be thoroughly under- 
 stood and read to the end before you begin an- 
 other. 
 
 You shall not cough over the Scriptures. 
 
 You shall not, in reading, take a cup of tea 
 or any other refreshment. 
 
 Any man who reviews the Scriptures shall 
 not undertake the task before he is duly pre- 
 pared by moral conduct. 
 
 If a book be injured, it must speedily be re- 
 stored. 
 
 It is not permitted to study profane books, as 
 the philosophical or historical works, or the laws 
 and regulations of government, before you have 
 fulfilled the peculiar studies of the priest- 
 hood. ( 2 > 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 11! 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall not study when it is time to pray, 
 or to go to the altar/ 3 ) 
 
 You shall not study false and spurious 
 works/ 4 ) 
 
 You shall not study books on fortune-telling, 
 on physiognomy, or medical or military works ; 
 you shall not meddle with books on prognostics, 
 on astronomy, geography, or spells, as the 
 Furnace of Hwangpih, and similar works con- 
 cerning wonderful spirits and extraordinary 
 demons/ 5 ) 
 
 You shall not study the different explanations 
 of the Scriptures. 
 
 You shall not study the books of foreign 
 disciplines or religions, with any other view than 
 for the wisdom they may contain. He who will 
 gain a perfect knowledge of the deep and the 
 shallow of the esoteric and exoteric doctrine, 
 may again and again consider the ideas and 
 instructions of him who is in Nirvana/ 6 ) 
 
 You shall not read poetical works and novels. 
 
 You shall not apply your mind to learn to 
 
112 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 write characters, so as to become a writing- 
 master ; it is enough to know to write a book 
 correctly. 
 
 You shall not take up a book with dirty 
 hands/ 7 ) 
 
 When you are studying the Scriptures, it is 
 the same as if you would be in the presence of 
 Buddha himself ; you shall not then jest or 
 laugh. 
 
 You shall not leave the book in disorder on 
 the table. 
 
 You shall not read so loud as to disturb other 
 people. You shall return a book which has 
 been lent to you, and take every care not to 
 damage it.( 8 ) 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1). These monks are so tenacious with respect to 
 the original idiom of Buddha, that they try to write 
 words with Chinese characters, which can never be ex- 
 
 pressed, except very imperfectly in that language. 
 
 Shaster is written, in Chinese, 羅多修 sew to 
 
 】〇 , and in the Comments translated by King, which is 
 
 again explained by King, C367, a path^ a footpath^ 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 113 
 
 which means works that carry, or show the way to the 
 Nirvana. 
 
 (2) . It is said in the comments on this passage, that 
 the Shaman shall know all concerning his duties, before 
 he gives himself up to the study of foreign , or profane 
 books (Wae shoo). He shall know the ten laws and the 
 twenty-four regulations of the Catechism, and also those 
 Scriptures which contain the remaining laws — as the 
 works called the Forty-two Sentences (See the Note at 
 the end of our Translation), The Wei keaou, The 
 Instruction left behind, or the Testament ; The Fa hwa, 
 or The Splendour of the Law (perhaps the well-known 
 Hwa yen king is here called so) ; the Linga or Ling 
 yen king, etc. 
 
 (3) . In order thoroughly to understand every par- 
 ticular of these regulations, it would be necessary that 
 the reader should have seen the interior economy of a 
 Buddhist monastery. In the hall, where prayers are 
 said, is a circular bench a little elevated from the 
 ground, on which the priests kneel down and chant their 
 Liturgy ; this circular bench is called in Chinese chang, 
 324, and I translate the word by altar. 
 
 (4) . There is a long list of such spurious books in 
 the Chinese comments, as the Kin kang swan, the Kin 
 kang lun, Three Books of the Splendour of the Law, etc 
 The Buddhists have also their Apocrypha. 
 
 (5) . All these books belong to the Tao sect, the most 
 
 P 
 
] 14 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 superstitious in China. It was very difficult to get 
 copies of all their works, — they are only sold at the Tao 
 monastery in the city of Canton, and they ask enormous 
 pi’ices for them : They say, “ can a book be too expen- 
 sive, by which you may command and govern the spirits 
 in heaven and the devils in hell?” I have nevertheless 
 the chief part of the works of this sect in about fifty 
 volumes ; the most interesting is a collection of all 
 their books, belonging to both their esoteric and exoteric 
 doctrine. Tao yen nuy wae tsuen shoo, A collection of 
 all the exoteric atid esoteric works regarding Tao . 
 The first book in this collection is a small work, ascribed 
 to Hwang ching te, who is the same with Hwang 
 pih in our text ; these are surnames of the Seen or 
 Emperor Hwang te. — See the learned extracts from 
 the work of Lopi, by Premare. Chouking, Discours 
 Preliminaire, 74, 75, 130. The superstitions of the 
 followers of Lao refer generally to alchemy, to conjura- 
 tions of spirits and demons, etc. ; the followers of Con- 
 fucius prefer fortune-telling and astrology. The Yih- 
 king is the foundation of the greater part of these latter 
 superstitions ; you see every where announced, in the 
 streets of Canton, that in this or that place you may learn 
 your fortune by a true explanation of the Kwas. 
 
 (6). I take the words Woo sang in the text for a deno- 
 mination of Buddha, — he who will never he born again. 
 In the Chinese comments we read a passage taken from 
 
THE SIIAMANS. 
 
 115 
 
 the great Saster (Ta king), wherein Buddha says, that 
 after his being absorbed into the Nirvana, there will arise 
 stupid and wicked people who throw away the tivelve 
 sorts of Sasters, and run after various profane, or 
 heretical doctrines (Wae Tao). The twelve kinds of 
 Sasters, or Kings, are described in the Comments on the 
 first law of the first book of our Catechism, as follows : — 
 
 The first is called Kee (5720) King, and may be con- 
 sidered as containing the excellent precepts and good 
 explanations of all the other Kings. 
 
 The second, called Sung (9583), that is to say, works 
 in praise of Buddha. 
 
 The third class is composed of historical works, con- 
 taining the history of Buddha and his disciples. 
 
 Thej fourth is called Gatha, in Chinese Kea to (5358. 
 10253), containing praises and prayers to Buddha. 
 
 The fifth contains the doctrines of Buddha, which he 
 delivered without being requested by any person : know- 
 ing the springs, or moving principles of all beings, he 
 promulgated them voluntarily. 
 
 The sixth is composed out of such works as explain 
 the course of nature, both by deducing effects from their 
 natural causes, or by tracing causes to their ultimate con- 
 sequences ; this is the true meaning of Yin yuen, so 
 often found in Chinese Buddhistic works. In this same 
 class are also contained the explanations of Buddha con- 
 cerning the law. 
 
116 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 The seventh contains all which Buddha and the Bod- 
 hisatwas have either said or done in their former lives. 
 
 The eighth contains the narration of Buddha concern- 
 ing those deeds which those of his followers, who live 
 only according to the law, have done in their former 
 lives. 
 
 The ninth gives the esoteric doctrine, concerning the 
 Nirvana. 
 
 The tenth contains whatever Buddha has spoken re- 
 garding those who are truly virtuous and who walk in 
 the way of the law. 
 
 The eleventh contains parables ; Buddha seeing that 
 the greater part of mankind are stupid and cannot come 
 to a right understanding of the law, wrote these para- 
 bles, or false stories (Kea pe yu 5383, 8336), to illus- 
 trate his doctrine. 
 
 The twelfth class contains all such works as explain 
 Righteousness (Lun e), and is written in dialogue. 
 Buddha explains Righteousness by abstraction, or medi- 
 tation (Chen, 817). Hodgson in the As. Res. xvi. 426. 
 The division of the Buddhistic Scriptures in Nepaul is 
 the same as that in China ; but there seems to be some 
 variance regarding the contents of the different classes. 
 
 (7). This precept is generally to be found on the title 
 page of Buddhistic works : I observed it particularly 
 on the legends of the Kwan yin l'oosa. Among the 
 various names of this goddess (Kao wang Kwan she yin 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 117 
 
 king, p. 9 v.), is that of Aryavalokiteswara ： Namo yae 
 loo tan na ； Adoration to Vairochana ； Namo 0 le yay 
 pa lo ke te sho po loo yay , Poo te sa to po yay ； Adora- 
 tion to Aryavalokiteswara Bodhisatwa. 
 
 (8). These precepts regarding the studies of young 
 priests are very reasonable. The Buddhists read the four 
 books anti the Shooking, and they have printed, as I 
 have remarked, particular editions of these books with 
 explanations in their own sense ; it is the same case with 
 theTaote king of Laotsze. The Buddhists, as may be 
 imagined, are declared enemies of the Yih and She 
 king, and they do not acknowledge the authority of 
 the three great collections of old laws and customs, 
 which are known by the name of Le ke, Chow le, E le, 
 the San, or three Le, as they are generally called. The 
 Buddhists profess, on the contrary, to live after the 
 customs and manners of India (Fan hing). 
 
118 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION NINTH. 
 
 On entering the great Hall of the 
 Monastery. 
 
 Whoever goes in through the door of the 
 monastery shall not take the middle passage, 
 but shall enter through one of the corners, either 
 to the right or to the left, to whichever he hap- 
 pens to come first. 
 
 You shall not ascend the great lialK 1 ) and walk 
 therein, without a particular cause. 
 
 You shall not ascend the turret without ne- 
 cessity. 
 
 Going into the great hall or ascending the 
 turret, you shall turn yourself to the right ; you 
 shall not turn to the left. 
 
 You shall not shed tears noremit saliva, being 
 in the great hall or in the turret. 
 
 Ascending the turret you shall count three, 
 seven, ten, and a hundred steps of the winding 
 stairs ; you must know how many circuits you 
 have made/ 2 ) 
 
 You shall not strike with a stick, or any 
 thing else, the walls of the great and wonderful 
 hall. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 119 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . The hall in which the statutes of gods and spirits 
 are placed. In the Teen, or great hall at the Hae nan sze 
 at Canton, are the greater part of the gods and goddesses 
 of the Hindu Pantheon. Tang (9850), is the name of 
 the public hall where people meet together, Teen (10141) 
 the great hall of the gods. 
 
 (2) . It is probably meant that the Shaman shall stop 
 when he has made 3, 7, 10, and 100 steps; at three 
 steps, he shall remember the three excellencies, etc. etc. 
 
120 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION TENTH. 
 
 HoW TO BEHAVE YOURSELF ON GOING TO 
 
 the Altar, or, being in your Cell. 
 
 Being on the altar, you shall not make 
 any noise or wind with your garments ; but 
 when near the altar you shall begin to pray. 
 
 Going to bed you shall silently say your 
 prayers, and from the morning till the evening 
 be grave and serene, for lo ! all men doing so, and 
 governing themselves, will after the consumption 
 of their bodily frame be born again in the blessed 
 regions 〇 ) 
 
 You shall not cry nor speak with a loud 
 voice. 
 
 With one hand you shall lightly put away 
 the screen, and keep it off by the other hand. 
 
 You shall not let your shoes hang down, so as 
 to make any noise. 
 
 You shall not make a noise by laughing and 
 tittering. 
 
 Being near the altar you shall not whisper 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 121 
 
 any thing regarding worldly affairs in your 
 neighbour’s ear. 
 
 If you meet a companion or a friend with 
 whom you wish to converse, you shall not hold 
 with him a long conversation in the public hall, 
 but you shall walk together under the trees or 
 near the water, and there speak together. 
 
 During prayer time you shall be of a straight 
 body and a clean mind ; you shall be silent and 
 not make a noise. In the morning after the 
 second stroke of the wooden bell, it is proper 
 that you walk into the public hall. 
 
 Taking your seat you shall say your prayer 
 with an upright position of the body ; you shall 
 not let your ideas wander about ; you shall 
 desire that all living creatures may arrive at 
 the state of Bodhi, or knowledge, and that life 
 may finally terminate. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall not pass the principal entrance 
 and walk in the public hall through a side- 
 door. 
 
 Going to or coming from the altar you shall 
 Q 
 
122 
 
 TIIF. CATECHISM OF 
 
 walk slowly ; being at the altar you shall not 
 stop in praying. 
 
 You shall not write characters on the altar 
 except in the hours of general instruction. 
 
 You shall not assemble near the altar to drink 
 tea, to sit up together in the night or to hold 
 conversations. 
 
 You shall not mend your clothes on the altar ; 
 you shall not lie down near the altar either to 
 repose yourself or to converse together. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Tsing too, the clear blesssed coun- 
 
 try in the west ; these are the II esper ides' gardens, and 
 the Paradise of the Hindu mythology. The description of 
 these blessed countries is very phantastical. The following 
 is a passage out of the Remarks of Mr Davis : — “ The 
 Buddhistic system of the universe consists of, first, the 
 celestial regions, described as situated on the summit of 
 a square rock of immense magnitude and height, its 
 sides severally composed of crystal, ruby, sapphire and 
 emerald. Here dwells the Supreme Being (Sambhu), in a 
 habitation to which good men after death have admission, 
 and find clothes, provisions, and every thing they want 
 and wish prepared for their reception. About half way 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 123 
 
 down is the region of the sun and moon, placed on 
 opposite sides of the rock, and constantly revolving 
 round it, for the purpose of giving day and night to the 
 lower world. Beneath is the ocean, surrounding the 
 whole, with seven stripes of dry land encompassing the 
 foot of the rock, and some islands the residence of man- 
 kind. The infernal regions are under the earth,” etc. The 
 translator possesses a copious description of the Paradise 
 under the title, “ Five Books of the Pure Country.” The 
 various stories told by the Greeks of the gardens of the 
 Hesperides are generally known; in later times the Cana- 
 ries have been considered to be these Fortunate Islands. 
 It is rather remarkable that Plutarch, after having given 
 an interesting account of these blessed regions, adds, 
 “ that it is generally believed, even among the barba- 
 rians, that these are the Elysian Fields, and the seats of 
 the blessed.” — Plutarch in Sertorio. 
 
124 
 
 THE CATECHISM O F 
 
 SECTION ELEVENTH. 
 
 On Transacting Business. 
 
 You shall be economical in all that belongs 
 to the priesthood. 
 
 If any body wishes to learn any thing you 
 know, you shall teach him and not withdraw 
 yourself. 
 
 Before you boil the vegetables in the pot, you 
 shall clean them three times with water. 
 
 Before you draw water you shall clean your 
 hands, and before you drink you must look if 
 there be an insect in the water or not ; if you 
 see one, you shall first strain the water and then 
 drink it. In the winter season you shall not 
 strain the water early in the morning, but you 
 shall stay till the sun has made his appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Boiling any thing, you shall not use dry 
 wood/ 1 ) 
 
 You shall not take any meat with dirty nails. 
 
 You shall not pour out dirty water on a high- 
 way, nor with high uplifted hands, but you 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 125 
 
 shall go a little out of the way and pour it out 
 slowly. 
 
 You shall not sweep the ground against the 
 wind, nor shall you lay the sweepings before the 
 door. 
 
 Before washing your shirt you must pick out 
 the lice, and then wash it. 
 
 In the summer months you must look care- 
 fully into the basin before using the water, be- 
 cause at this time of the year many insects grow 
 in the water. 
 
 You shall not cook on the bare earth. 
 
 In general, whatever you may have, whether 
 rice, vegetables, or fruits, you shall not lightly 
 spend it or throw it away, but use it carefully 
 and with economy. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 (1). In dry wood, say the Chinese comments, there 
 may be some insects. It may truly be said of the fol- 
 lowers of Shakia, that they take less care of men than 
 of beasts and reptiles. 
 
126 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION TWELFTH. 
 
 On Bathing. 
 
 If you go into a bath, you shall wash your- 
 self orderly, beginning from the higher parts 
 of the body and descending to the lower. 
 
 You shall not play or splash in the water so 
 as to wet the people who come near you ; you 
 shall not make water in the bathing-room. 
 
 Being in the bath, you shall not speak or 
 laugh with any one. In The precious mirror of 
 Heaven and Alan, it is reported that a priest who 
 did wantonly laugh and joke in the bath, was 
 instantly punished by falling into hot water into 
 hell. 
 
 You shall not in bathing change your place. 
 
 If any person has an ulcer on his body he shall 
 bathe the last, for it is to be feared that he may 
 infect others ; if it be very disgusting he shall 
 bathe afar off. 
 
 You shall not remain too long in the water for 
 your own pleasure, and so hinder others from 
 washing themselves. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 127 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall mark carefully the clothes which 
 belong to you before you go into the water. 
 
 You shall walk a little before you go into the 
 bath, and not lay yourself in the bathing-tub 
 before all is prepared. 
 
 If the water is hot, you shall let it slowly 
 into the tub ; you shall not pour it in too 
 quickly. 
 
128 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION THIRTEENTH. 
 
 This article relates to personal necessities ; 
 but it is too disgusting, and incompatible with 
 our manners to translate it. The curious and 
 inquisitive reader may read the regulations on 
 this head in the Ayeen Akbery, ii. 483. The 
 Shaman has to behave himself in this respect as in 
 many others like the Brahmachary. The Brah- 
 machary goes and begs his food ; he never speaks 
 during meals; he abstains from flesh, honey, 
 beetle, and perfumes ; he shaves his head ; he 
 never goes where there is singing, dancing, or 
 gaming ; he never kills any animal, and he holds 
 no commerce with women ; he abstains from 
 lying, anger, avarice, and envy ; he is forbidden 
 to speak ill of any one, even although he may 
 deserve it. Ayeen Akbery, ii. 485. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 129 
 
 SECTION FOURTEENTH. 
 
 On Sleeping. 
 
 Lying on the right side gives a prosperous 
 sleep ; you shall not turn round in the night and 
 rest on the left. (9 
 
 You shall not lie in the same room or on the 
 same couch with your teacher; there may be 
 occasions when you should sleep in the same 
 room, but never on the same couch. 
 
 You shall not lie together on the general 
 couch, with the managing priest. 
 
 You shall not hang up your clothes in such a 
 manner that they can hurt any person’s head. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall not sleep with your under garments 
 on. 
 
 Being in bed, you shall not laugh nor speak 
 aloud. 
 
 You shall not void water opposite to any re- 
 presentations of the saints, or to the hall where 
 the law is explained. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 (1). The posture in which the priests in Bootan must 
 sleep is yet worse. (See the Remarks of Mr. Davis, 
 p. 7.) 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION FIFTEENTH. 
 
 On Sitting by the Fireside. 
 
 You shall not place your heads together, nor 
 speak in the ear of each other. 
 
 You shall not cast dirt or fat into the fire. 
 
 You shall not dry your shoes or stockings, 
 nor shall you sit too long at the fire, so as to be in 
 the way of others who come after you. With- 
 draw yourself a little, and then you may come 
 near again. 
 
THE SIIAMANS. 
 
 131 
 
 SECTION SIXTEENTH. 
 
 On Behaviour in the Sleeping Room. 
 
 If the watch, which makes the round in the 
 night asks you any thing, you shall give on all 
 things a satisfactory answer/ 1 ) 
 
 If you are in need of a lamp longer than 
 the fixed time, you shall make it known to the 
 people who are in the same room, and say, I 
 am in need of the light. If you will put out the 
 light, you shall enquire if any person be in need 
 of it, or not. 
 
 You shall not blow out the light, nor say your 
 prayers with a loud voice. 
 
 If any body is sick you shall attend him, 
 out of compassion. 
 
 If people sleep, you shall not make a noise 
 with hammering, nor speak nor laugh with a 
 loud voice. 
 
 You shall not leave your sleeping room in the 
 night without a particular reason. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 (1). “ A watch goes regularly round with a light and 
 a scourge to see that they are all in their places, and to 
 discipline such as are out of the proper posture.” (Davis, 
 Remarks on the Inhabitants of Bootan, p. 7.) 
 
132 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 On Visiting a Nunnery. 
 
 If there is a separate seat in the room, you 
 may sit down ; if there is none you cannot sit 
 down. 
 
 You shall not speak to a Nun at an unseason- 
 able time.W 
 
 If you return from a nunnery you shall not 
 say that this or that is good or bad, fine or ugly. 
 
 You shall not read books with a Nun, nor 
 borrow any thing from her. 
 
 You shall not shave the head of a Nun. 
 
 You shall not place yourself behind a screen 
 in a nunnery. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Two persons shall go together into a nunnery, 
 not one alone ; but they shall carry nothing as a 
 present. 
 
 You shall not go begging together with a 
 Nun, nor shall you go together in any house to 
 read the Scriptures or to say prayers. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 133 
 
 Making a visit to your parents, your sisters or 
 your friends, you shall not go with a Nun/ 2 ) 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . The Chinese Comments are very concise in these 
 last sections ; there is not found any explanation, what- 
 ever may be meant by the term “ unseasonable time.” 
 
 (2) . I hope soon to be able to lay before the reader 
 the particular regulations concerning Nunneries. 
 
ա 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 SECTION EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 On being in a House of the Laity. 
 
 If there is a separate seat in the house, you 
 may sit clown, but you shall not sit between 
 others. 
 
 If people ask you about the Scripture, you 
 must consider what is fit to be said or not to 
 be said( 2 ) in this or that place, this or that 
 time. 
 
 You must not laugh very frequently. 
 
 If the master of the house offers you meat you 
 shall take it, although he belongs not to the 
 Church ; you may not act against the manners 
 of good-breeding. 
 
 You shall not transgress the law by going out 
 in the night. 
 
 You shall not go into a room, in which no per- 
 son is present ; you shall not sit behind a screen ; 
 you shall neither sit with nor speak to a 
 woman. 
 
 You shall not read a book with a woman, or 
 
TIIE SHAMANS. 
 
 135 
 
 borrow any thing from her, &c. See the former 
 instructions regarding the behaviour to Nuns. 
 
 If you go into town to see any of your 
 acquaintance or your parents, you shall, on 
 entering the house, go to the hall and make 
 your adoration to Buddha or to the representa- 
 tives of Saints. You shall then place yourself 
 in a straight posture and inquire gravely after 
 the health of every person, beginning with your 
 father and mother/ 3 ) 
 
 You shall not speak to your father about your 
 teacher, about the law, or your monastic rule ;( 4 ) 
 a priest should always look grave and silent 
 when there is any reference made to these mat- 
 ters ; you may speak of the religion of Buddha, 
 and that those who believe in him will be 
 happy. 
 
 You shall not stay or sit a long time near a 
 child belonging to the laity ; you shall scarcely 
 jest or laugh with him ; neither shall you 
 ask one of the kindred, if the child be good 
 or bad. 
 
 If you happen to stay a night in a tavern, you 
 shall lie down alone on a couch ; you shall 
 
136 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 sit much, sleep little, and with your whole 
 heart think on Buddha, Your business done, 
 you shall not delay coming back to the mo- 
 nastery. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall not look upon depraved people either 
 on the right or on the left ; you shall not speak 
 in a soft strain, as is the custom in speaking 
 with women ; you shall not speak with a low 
 voice or in private ; you shall not speak much. 
 
 You shall take very great care not to play the 
 hypocrite by dissembling an air of gravity and 
 spirituality. 
 
 You shall take especial care not to speak 
 wrong- concerning the religion of Buddha, or to 
 answer confusedly, if any body asks you about 
 it. You shall not talk much to give yourself an 
 air of importance. 
 
 You shall not make use of the complimentary 
 drinking at table as laymen are accustomed to 
 do.( 5 ) 
 
 You shall not presume to enter or go into the 
 house of a magistrate. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 137 
 
 You shall not sit down between others in a 
 tavern. 
 
 You shall not visit at the same time other 
 laymen, when you go out to see father and 
 mother, brothers and sisters, and aunts. 
 
 You shall not speak about the faults of the 
 priesthood. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . The priesthood divides all the believers in Bud- 
 dha into five classes, for whom there are different places 
 and different rewards after their death. The lowest of 
 these classes is that of the laity, who hears only on “ the 
 law,” without knowing or understanding its principles. 
 See the former note, p. 77. 
 
 (2) . Some interesting prudential Regulations are to 
 be found in the Comments on this passage. If any man 
 puts a question merely to have a laugh, or to create 
 difficulties, the Shaman is ordered not to give any 
 answer. This is a portion of the pastoral Theology of 
 the Buddhistic clergy. 
 
 (3) . Varo says truly, that the Chinese always play 
 comedy one with another, “ anden siempre como en 
 comedias,” Arte etc. p. 91. Cause no disturbance and 
 be polite , is the law of every despotic government. 
 
 (-1). This is certainly the best name for these laws 
 
 s 
 
138 
 
 TIIF, CATECHISM OF 
 
 and regulations; they so much resemble the monastic 
 rules (Regula monastica) of the middle ages, that one 
 might be supposed to be copied from the other. 
 Change the name of Buddha into a Saint, and you have 
 friars. 
 
 (5). The Chinese drink to each other at table, in the 
 same manner as is the custom in England and Germany. 
 The Translator was at table where Chinese made the 
 “ nail proof,” like the most hearty drinkers at a German 
 university. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 139 
 
 SECTION NINETEENTH. 
 
 On going Begging. 
 
 You shall go about with an old priest, ex- 
 perienced in the law ; if nobody accompanies 
 you, you must say to what place you go. 
 
 If you come before the door of a house, you 
 shall be very careful not to transgress the rules 
 of good behaviour. 
 
 You shall go into no house in which there is 
 no male member of the family. 
 
 If you sit down, you shall closely look about, 
 if there be any knife or weapon, if there be any 
 thing of great value, or a woman’s apparel — 
 in all these cases you shall not sit down. 
 
 If you say prayers, look what may suit to time 
 and circumstances. 
 
 You shall not say people will be blessed be- 
 cause they give you food. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 You shall not beg in a piteous and lamentable 
 manner, nor shall you talk too much about the 
 
1 40 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 heavenly objects, for fear of making them pro- 
 fane. 
 
 You shall not show particular satisfaction if 
 you obtain much, nor shall you show vexation if 
 you get little. 
 
 You shall turn yourself respectfully to the 
 master of the house, and with thankful feelings 
 bring the food to the monastery. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 141 
 
 SECTION TWENTIETH. 
 
 On going out of the Monastery. 
 
 You shall never go out, unless it is quite ne- 
 cessary. 
 
 You shall not run if you take a walk. 
 
 You shall not thrust out your hands in walk- 
 ing. 
 
 You shall not lounge about, looking after other 
 people, after this and that object. 
 
 No Shaman shall in walking about speak or 
 laugh with a young child. 
 
 You shall not walk in a straight line with a 
 woman, whether she be before or behind you, 
 nor with a Nun. 
 
 You shall not go in a straight line with drunken 
 and foolish people. 
 
 You shall not see behind you, nor ogle with 
 the corner of your eye to look on a woman. 
 
 If you meet with a member of your family or 
 with a friend, you shall stay and ask to speak 
 with him. 
 
142 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 If you meet actors, who perform a play, a 
 pantomime, or other pastimes, you shall not look 
 at them, but go straight on your way with an 
 upright body. 
 
 If you meet a pool or any other water you 
 shall not walk through it, if there be another road 
 by which you can go ; if there is none, you may 
 walk through. 
 
 You shall never go on horseback if you are not 
 sick or in haste; and even then you shall not whip 
 the horse that it may run to give you pleasure. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 If you meet any public officer, you shall not 
 stay and speak with him, but turn on another 
 road. 
 
 If you meet people who quarrel together, you 
 shall withdraw yourself and not stay to look at 
 them . 
 
 Returning to the monastery, you shall not re- 
 late wonders of all the beautiful things you have 
 seen abroad. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 143 
 
 SECTION TWENTY- FIRST. 
 
 On Purchasing Any-tiiing. 
 
 You shall not bargain or cavil, but say at once 
 the price you will give for any article. 
 
 You shall not sit down in the shop of a woman. 
 
 If any man asks too much, you shall instantly 
 go your way, and not stay to endeavour to beat 
 him down. 
 
 If you have made a purchase, and you find 
 afterwards that the thing is not worth the price, 
 you shall nevertheless not relinquish it, but pay 
 your money and be angry with yourself/ 1 ) 
 
 You must be careful and not easily trust, or 
 lend any thing to bad debtors/ 2 ) 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1). Deception and fraud are in China considered as a 
 proof of genius and understanding ; even the heroes of 
 their Novefs and Comedies are often only a crafty, lying 
 sort of people. Montesquieu is in the right, when he says 
 (Esprit des Lois, xix. 31) : u A la Chine, il est permis 
 de tromper but not in the sense he would understand 
 
144 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 it. Fraud is not disgraceful in the public opinion, though 
 there are laws against it as in every other country ; in 
 particular against false weights measures and scales : 
 (Staunton, Penal Laws, p. 165), which Montesquieu 
 brings as an argument for his opinion out of the Journal 
 of Lange. China is a country where fixed laws and a regular 
 government are more ancient than in any other partof the 
 world ; consequently, where violence is forbidden, human 
 natui’e will incline to fraud and deception. This is one of 
 the most common vices connected with civilization. “ The 
 most prudent Chinese,” says Timkowsky, “ when they go 
 to make purchases, take their own scales with them.” 
 (T ravelsthrough Mongolia to China, ii. 193, Engl, transl.) 
 
 (2). It is often observed in the Chinese commentary, 
 that the author of the Catechism gives precepts regarding 
 the customs of Fan, or India, and this may particularly 
 be the case in this 21st section ; for by the laws of 
 the Brahmans, “ the buyer may return his purchase on 
 the day he bought it, without any consideration,” &c. 
 (Ayeen Akbery, ii. 4T4) ; such a law could never be 
 conceived among a mercantile people, like the Chinese. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 145 
 
 SECTION TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 Not to do any-thing without 
 Permission. 
 
 You shall not go out without asking your 
 master. 
 
 Before you provide a new monastic dress, you 
 shall ask your master’s permission ; and before 
 you put on your new dress, you shall mention 
 it to him. 
 
 Before you shave your head, you shall ask 
 your master. 
 
 Before you take any medicine, you shall ask 
 leave of your master. 
 
 Before you transact any business, regarding 
 the whole community (Chung sang), you shall 
 ask your master. 
 
 Before you take any thing for your own private 
 use, you shall ask leave of the master. 
 
 Before you read the Scriptures, you shall ask 
 the master. 
 
 Before you receive or give away any thing, 
 you shall ask the master. 
 
 Before you take or receive a loan, you shall 
 ask the master. 
 
 T 
 
146 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 In all these cases — if the master gives permis- 
 sion, you shall do it; if not, you shall leave it 
 without repining. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Every important matter you may see or hear 
 when walking about, whether it concern the 
 monastery or not, you shall state it to your master. 
 You shall not keep it to yourself. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The learned reader will often have remarked the 
 similarity between some of these regulations and the 
 Monita Secreta Soc. Jesu ； — implicit obedience is the 
 soul of every monastic order. 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 147 
 
 SECTION TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 On Travelling. 
 
 With regard to travelling for visiting a friend 
 who lives far distant, our forefathers formed diffe- 
 rent opinions ; — but this is certain, you should 
 not ask the master for a permission if your friends 
 or parents live farther off than a thousand le.d) 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 A young man, who is not yet thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the law, seldom receives permis- 
 sion from the master to walk afar off ; but if he 
 receive any, it is not without a friend, who ac- 
 companies him. 
 
 You shall ask your way from the master ; and 
 what you may expect to meet with on the road ; 
 then go your way, and do not gaze on mountains 
 and rivers for your pleasure/ 2 ) 
 
 When you are arrived at the place of your des- 
 tination, you shall walk to your room, and, before 
 you make any visit, place in some order your 
 
148 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 travelling commodities ; if any person comes to 
 see you, you may receive and speak with him, 
 and till he is gone desist from your private ar- 
 rangements. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (1) . A le usually contains 1,800 Chinese feet; about 
 3^ le make an English mile. But the Les have varied 
 under different dvnasties ; and even now there are diffe- 
 rent Les in different parts of the empire. 
 
 (2) . The rules for Monks and Saints are every where 
 the same. St. Bernard saw not the Lake of Lausanne 
 passing by; and Gibbon, relating this marvellous example 
 of pious apathy, says (ch. 59, n. 30), “ To admire or 
 despise St Bernard as he ought, the reader, like myself, 
 should have before the windows of his library, the 
 beauties of that incomparable landscape.'’ 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 149 
 
 SECTION TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 I thought it not proper to translate this last 
 Section of the Regulations, as it belongs chiefly 
 to lexicography. The Chinese author giv r es the 
 names of the various monastic vestments, and of 
 some other articles and proceedings connected 
 with the Buddhistic worship, both in the Sanscrit 
 and with a Chinese translation. He explains the 
 various plaits and seams peculiar to the various 
 ranks of the priesthood, and he directs what 
 particular dress is to be worn transacting this or 
 that ceremony. It is clearly impossible to 
 translate this article correctly, without the help 
 of a Chinese monastic tailor ; how could you 
 give in words an idea of the peculiar shape and 
 form of the dresses of the Buddhistic priest- 
 hood ? I can only add, that when performing the 
 ceremonies on a holy day, they are dressed 
 similar to the Roman Catholic priests. 
 
150 
 
 THE CATECHISM OF 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The foregoing Catechism, of which I have offered a 
 Translation to the indulgence of the English reader, 
 contains particularly the practical part of the doctrine 
 of Shakia, — the Ethics of Buddhism. There exists 
 another work, which may be considered as containing 
 the Dogmatics, or Metaphysics. The latter work has 
 been often printed, and is to be found in many Bud- 
 
 dhist Miscellanies ; 
 
 it is called, [JL] 
 
 Fo shwo se she url chang, Forty- 
 
 two Sutras, or brief Aphorisms of Buddha, and was 
 the first book translated from the Sanscrit into the 
 Chinese. These forty-two dicta are considered to contain 
 the whole doctrine of “ the Honourable of the world,” 
 — the spirit of the Scriptures and the Laws. Buddha, 
 I apprehend, spoke not one of these apophthegms; 
 it seems rather to be a pious fraud of one of his disciples. 
 Frauds of this kind have been practised by the followers 
 of every religion. To sift the authentic Scriptures from 
 the Apocrypha, is the most essential, and, in i՝eality, the 
 the most difficult task in a critical history of all re- 
 ligions. 
 
 Buddha, so begin the Sutras or Aphorisms of Shakia’s 
 Doctrine, having arrived at the height of his mission, 
 
THE SHAMANS. 
 
 151 
 
 having finished his doctrine, and vanquished all his 
 enemies, sat, in deep silence, and absorbed in meditation. 
 His disciples surrounded him, he resolved their doubts, 
 answered their questions, and instructed them in the law. 
 Shakia begins with an explanation of the duties, the 
 virtues, the different rank and the gifts of the priest- 
 hood ; he discusses the ten virtues and the ten vices of 
 the body and soul, the nature of good and wicked 
 people, together with the “ cause of causes , ” or the 
 “ cause of all effects .” The manner is something like 
 the Socratic Dialogues of Xenophon, and the Discourses 
 (Lun yu) of Confucius ; but the reader must here, as 
 it is often the casein metaphysical discussions, be satisfied 
 with a mere struggle, or play upon words. A portion of 
 one Sutra (the seventeenth of the work) will be sufficient 
 for a specimen of this more than Neo-platonical Idealism ; 
 the admirers of Plotinus will relish very much these 
 sayings of Shakia : — 
 
 “ Buddha says, my religion or law consists in thinking 
 the inconceivable thought ; my religion consists in going 
 the impassable way ; my religion consists in speaking 
 the ineffable word ; my religion consists in practising 
 the impracticable practice.” 
 
 The forty-two Sutras of Buddha were translated from 
 the Sanscrit into Chinese, by the Shamans Kea ye mo 
 tang and Choo fa lan. The celebrated Chuhe or 
 Chufootsze says, that in this work the doctrine of Buddha 
 
152 CATECHISM OF THE SHAMANS. 
 
 is explained in easy intelligible language ; but that, 
 generally speaking, it contains only the (idle and fruit- 
 less) speculations of Laotsze and Chwangtsze. (See the 
 Extract of Chuhe, in the Encyclopaedia of Matuanlin, 
 B. 226, 9 r.) 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON ： 
 
 Printed by J. L. Cox, Great Queen Street, 
 Lincoln s-Inn Fields. 
 
VAHRAM’S 
 
 CHRONICLE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ARMENIAN KINGDOM IN CILICIA. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 : 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VAHRAM’S 
 
 CHRONICLE 
 
 〇•/ 
 
 THE ARMENIAN KINGDOM IN CILICIA, 
 
 DfftliVG THE 
 
 TIME OF THE CRUSADES. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL ARMENIAN, 
 
 WITH 
 
 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 TiY 
 
 CHARLES FRIED. NEUMANN. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND, 
 
 And Sold by 
 
 J. MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET; 
 
 PARBURY, ALLEN, * CO., I.EADENHALL STREET; 
 THACKER & CO., CALCUTTA՜, TREUTTEI. & WURTZ, PARIS; 
 AND E. FLEISCHER, LEIPSIG. 
 
 183] 
 
LONDON : 
 
 Printed bv J. L Cox, Great Queen Street 
 Lincoln's- Inn Fields. 
 
TO 
 
 PROFESSOR WILKE N, 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 “ THE HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES,” 
 
 AND 
 
 LIBRARIAN TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF PRUSSIA, 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 IS DEDICATED, 
 
 WITH PROFOUND RESPECT AND ESTEEM, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE TRANSLATOR 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PREFAC E. 
 
 The greatest defect of the following 
 Chronicle is its brevity. Vahram, of 
 whose life little more is known than 
 that he was a native of Edessa, a priest, 
 and the secretary of king Leon 111., ex- 
 hibits almost all the faults of the com- 
 mon Chroniclers of the Middle Ages. He 
 relates many barren facts, without stating 
 the circumstances with which they were 
 connected, and he mistakes every where 
 the passions of men for the finger of 
 God. The compilers of chronicles were 
 in those ages ignorant of the true end, 
 and unacquainted with the proper objects 
 
Ylll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 of history. But with all its defects, the 
 chronicle of the Armenian kings of Cilicia, 
 written by a contemporary writer, is va- 
 luable. The friend of history may now 
 be enabled to form an estimate of the ori- 
 gin and the increase of an empire, which 
 for want of materials has been overlooked 
 by the most learned and acute historians. 
 Gibbon, of whom it is doubtful whether 
 we should most admire his genius or his 
 erudition, in his celebrated work simply 
 mentions the name of Cilicia, a kingdom, 
 which carried on successful wars against 
 the emperors of Constantinople; and 
 which, from the beginning of the Crusades 
 remained the friend and ally of the Franks, 
 and to whom belonged a part of the sea- 
 coast, that continued from the time of 
 Ezekiel the theatre of the commerce of 
 the world. The Venetians and Genoese 
 were so impressed with the importance 
 of Cilicia, that they made several com- 
 mercial treaties with the Armenian kings; 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 the Armenian original of one of these 
 agreements, together with a translation 
 and notes, has been printed by the learned 
 orientalist, Saint-Martin. 
 
 The Crusaders were astonished to find 
 within the frontiers of the Byzantine em- 
 pire a powerful prince and ally of whom 
 they had never before heard mention. 
 Nicetas betrays a want of historical know- 
 ledge and research, in saying that the 
 Armenians and Germans were united 
 together, because they both disliked holy 
 images.* The Germans and a great part of 
 the Armenians, on the contrary, felt no 
 aversion to the worship of images, but 
 the latter, ever since the first division of 
 the Arsacidian kingdom of Armenia be- 
 tween the Sassanides and the Greeks, in 
 the year three hundred and eighty-seven, 
 
 * Nicetas II. p. 148. I wonder that Montesquieu, in making 
 use of this passage of Nicetas (Grandeur et Decadence des R 〇 - 
 mains, ch. xxii.), has not been struck with its incorrectness ; 
 it did Dot escape the critical discernment of Gibbon : the Decline 
 and Fall, etc. ch. 49. n. 17. 
 
 B 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 had been in perpetual warfare with the 
 Byzantine empire ； and this warfare caused 
 a degree of animosity between the two 
 people (Greeks and Armenians), of which 
 traces may be seen even at the present 
 time. 
 
 By the unjust and cruel division of the 
 kingdom of Armenia, the largest and 
 most fertile part of the country fell (as 
 the contemporary historian Lazar of Barb 
 observes) to the empire of Persia. The 
 Byzantine emperors and the Sassanian 
 princes for a while permitted native kings 
 to hold a precarious sceptre ; but they 
 were speedily dismissed ； and the Byzantine 
 part of Armenia was governed by a Greek 
 magistrate, and the Persian by aMarsban 
 or Margrave. This state of the country, 
 somewhat similar to that of the Maronites 
 in our times, was on a sudden changed by 
 the conquests of the Arabs; but the Ar- 
 menians would not accept the Koran, 
 and their condition became worse under 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XI 
 
 the zealous and fanatical followers of the 
 prophet of Mecca than under the descen- 
 dants of Sapor the Great, while weak and 
 dismayed by civil wars. 
 
 Ashod the Bagratide, an Armenian 
 nobleman of a Jewish family, who had 
 fled to Armenia after the destruction of 
 Jerusalem by Nebuchadanozor, at last 
 gained the confidence of his Arabian 
 masters ； and in the year eight hundred 
 and fifty-nine was appointed Emir al 
 Omra, Ishkhan Islikhanaz (prince of 
 princes), — as the native historians translate 
 the Arabian title — over all Armenia : and 
 was soon after it (888) favoured with a 
 tributary crown. The Bagratides and the 
 rival kings of the family of the Arzerou- 
 nians, were the faithful friends (or slaves) 
 of the Arabs, and often suffered from the 
 inroads and devastations of the Greeks. 
 We learn from Vahram the means through 
 which the Bagratian kingdom in Armenia 
 Proper was extinguished ; and that a new 
 
Xll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Armenian kingdom arose on the craggy 
 rocks of Mount Taurus, and which gra- 
 dually extended its boundaries to the sea- 
 coast, including the whole province of Ci- 
 licia. Vahram carries his monotonous his- 
 torical rhymes no farther down than the 
 timeof thedeatli ofhis sovereign, Leon III. 
 (1289) ； but the Cilicio-Armenian kingdom, 
 which during the whole time of its exis- 
 tence perhaps never was entirely indepen- 
 dent, lasted nearly a hundred years longer. 
 Leon, the sixth of that name and the last 
 Armenian kingof Cilicia, was in 1375taken 
 a prisoner by theMamalukes of Egypt, and 
 after a long captivity (1382) released by 
 the generous interference of King John I. 
 of Castille. He was not however permitted 
 to return to his own country ； but wander- 
 ed through Europe from one country to 
 another till his death, which happened at 
 Paris, the 19th of November 1393. He 
 was buried in the monastery of the Celes- 
 tines. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Xlll 
 
 The Mamalukes did not long remain 
 masters both of Cilicia and of a part of 
 Armenia Proper ； but yielded to the for- 
 tune and the strength of the descendants 
 of Osman orOthman : when the Armenians 
 again felt, as in former times, all the dis- 
 asters to which the frontier provinces 
 between two rival empires are usually 
 exposed. The cruel policy of the Sophies 
 transplanted thousands of Christian fami- 
 lies to the distant provinces of Persia, and 
 transformed fertile provinces into artifi- 
 cial deserts. The Armenians therefore, 
 like the Jews, were obliged to disperse 
 themselves over the world, and resort to 
 commerce for the necessaries of life. Ar- 
 menian merchants are now to be found in 
 India, on the islands of the Eastern Archipe- 
 lago, in Singapore, in Afghanistan, Persia, 
 Egypt, in every part of Asia Minor and 
 Syria, Russia, Poland, Austria, Italy ； and 
 even the present patriarch of Abyssinia is 
 an Armenian. The valiant descendants 
 
XIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 of Haig are now, like the offspring of 
 Abraham, considered every where clever 
 and shrewd merchants : they were of 
 great service to the East-India Company 
 in carrying on their trade with the inland 
 provinces of Hindostan ； and it was once 
 thought that they were fitter for this part 
 of the mercantile business, than any agents 
 of the Company itself.* 
 
 It is not more than half a century since 
 the modern Armenian provinces began 
 to look on Russia for succour and relief, 
 when the Empress Catherine behaved in 
 many instances most generously to the 
 ruined house of Thorgoma. The fortunate 
 wars of Russia against the Shah and the 
 Sultan have within the last ten years 
 brought the greater part of the old Par- 
 thian kingdom of Armenia under the sway 
 of the mighty Czars. It seems probable, 
 
 * Bruce’s Annals of the East-India Company, iii. 88. The 
 mercantile companies trading- to different parts of Asia found 
 every where the Armenians in their way; the Armenians became 
 jealous on the new intruders of their commerce, and tried to re- 
 move them bv intrigues. See Han way, i. 303. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XV 
 
 that we may see yet in our times a new 
 kingdom of Armenia, created out of bar- 
 barian elements by the generosity and 
 magnanimity of the Emperor Nicholas. 
 
 The following Chronicle is translated 
 from an edition printed at Madras in the 
 year 1259 of the Armenian era, that is the 
 year 1810 Anno Domini. The volume is 
 printed by the command of that great pro - 
 moter of literature, Ephrem, archbishop 
 and primate of the Armenians in Russia, 
 and contains, besides the chronicle of 
 Vahram, the Elegy of Edessa by Nerses 
 Shnorhaly ； and the elegy on his death, 
 written by the most eminent of his disci- 
 ples, Nerses of Lampron. It is said in the 
 preface of the before-mentioned volume, 
 that the work of Vahram, the secretary 
 of Leon III., had been previously print- 
 ed, though in a very negligent and careless 
 manner. I have never however seen any 
 other than the Madras edition, where the 
 proper names of places and foreign nations 
 
XVI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 are often incorrectly spelt. I am sorry to 
 add, that I made the following translation 
 in a place where it was impossible for me 
 to refer to the well known works on the 
 geography of Armenia, of Cilicia, and of 
 Asia Minor generally ； neither could I 
 compare the narrative of Vahram with the 
 statements of the contemporary Byzantine 
 and Latin writers ： blit I trust the learned 
 reader will easily supply these defects. 
 
 Vahram is nearly the latest author who 
 is considered by the Armenian literati to 
 write classically. The classical Arme- 
 nian language had been preserved from 
 the beginning of Armenian literature in 
 the fifth century, amidst various political 
 and religious disturbances, for a period of 
 eight hundred years. During the course of 
 the thirteenth century the language became 
 corrupted ; and in the fourteenth authors 
 began to use in their writings the corrupt- 
 ed vernacular idiom. The ancient native 
 writers were neglected, their classical trans- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XVII 
 
 lations and imitations of the celebrated 
 Greek patterns became superseded by 
 the barbarous literature of the Latins, 
 and John of Erzinga, otherwise Bluz 
 (1326), the last who wrote the language of 
 Moses and Elisseus, translated a work on 
 the sacraments by St. Thomas Aquinas. 
 
 We thus find some orders of monks in 
 Armenia, educated in the Latin schools 
 and in latin manners, who corrupted the 
 native Haican language by the introduc- 
 tion of many foreign scholastic expres- 
 sions ； and a new race of sanguinary bar- 
 barians, the Dominicans, became the 
 authors of works worthy of their titulary 
 saint. The Armenian literature remained 
 in this abject condition, to which these 
 holy fathers had reduced it, for nearly four 
 hundred years ； but about the middle of 
 the eighteenth century the nation roused 
 itself from this lethargy, and Madras, Cal- 
 cutta, Djulfa, New Nakshivan, Etslnniad- 
 
XVlll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 sin, Tabris, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Am- 
 sterdam, Smyrna, and principally Venice, 
 bear witness to the literary energy of the 
 far dispersed descendants of Haig. With 
 the dawn of Armenian literature, history 
 has been enriched by the Chronicle of 
 Eusebius ; yet more and weightier literary 
 treasures may be expected from its meri- 
 dian splendour. There are hints in the 
 writers of the fifth century, of translations 
 of Polybius, Diodorus Siculus, and the 
 Chronicle of Julius Africanus. Besides 
 these versions of the classical writers of 
 Greece, there exist very valuable original 
 histories, which have never been printed 
 or translated, and many a chasm might 
 be filled up in the history of the middle 
 ages by these authors. We should, per- 
 haps, be introduced to nations now totally 
 lost, or so mingled with others, that it is 
 impossible to distinguish them. There is a 
 rumour of a manuscript history of the Al - 
 banians, — a nation well known to Strabo 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XIX 
 
 and to Moses of Chorene,* said to exist 
 at a monastery in Armenia Proper, — of 
 those Albanians, who lived between Iberia 
 or Georgia and the confines of the Cas- 
 pian Sea ； but of which people no traces 
 are to be found in our times. 
 
 A literary journey to Armenia, under- 
 taken by an active laborious scholar, who 
 unites the knowledge of the Armenian 
 language with classical studies, would 
 prove of the greatest importance to the 
 knowledge of ancient history and to the 
 advancement of general literature. 
 
 * Pompey the Great had vanquished the Albanians, who 
 brought into the field twelve thousand horse and sixty thousand 
 foot. Plutarch in Pompeio., t. ii. p. 1165. Gibbon, chap. xlvi. 
 n. 6. 
 

 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHRONICLE OF VAHRAM. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE CHRONICLE. 
 
 — <*■ — 
 
 The Patriarch Nerses, called the Gracious, 0) 
 has written a history of Armenia in verse, in- 
 forming us of the manners and customs of our 
 forefathers, from the highest antiquity down to 
 his own time ; and by so doing he admonished 
 the people to walk in the path of righteousness. 
 Seeing and reading this history, Leon, the 
 anointed king of Armenia/ 2 ) has been pleased to 
 command me, the poor in spirit, to subjoin to 
 the work of our holy father both what has been 
 reported by faithful witnesses, and what we 
 have seen with our own eyes. And he com- 
 manded me to write this supplement (also in 
 verse), that it may be read with more pleasure/ 3 ) 
 
 Now I, Raboun Vahram, am convinced of 
 my want of talents, but am well versed in the 
 
24 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 law of God, and have never deviated from the 
 path of righteousness. Receiving the commands 
 of the king, I have been ever since uneasy in 
 my mind, out of fear that in not obeying, I 
 may bring on me the two-fold punishment 
 spoken of by St. Paul/ 4 ) For, if to subjoin my 
 mean composition to those of the ancients be 
 audacious, to think that it could be compared 
 with their finished productions, would be folly. 
 This alarmed me, and I abstained from writing. 
 Considering this very seriously, I thought at 
 last that my humble and mean writing would 
 increase the beauty of others, to which it was 
 subjoined : the same as painters intentionally 
 surround a gold ground by a black colour, not 
 to adorn this black border, but to raise the 
 beauty of the gold/ 5 ) These considerations 
 made me regain confidence, and I felt resolution 
 enough to undertake this work. I confide in 
 Him, whose grace is unbounded, who knows 
 what nobody has seen, who under three ap- 
 pearances is only of one nature, Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost ; whose reign is for ever, who 
 alone should be worshipped, and who alone 
 creates and preserves all beings. With his 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 25 
 
 name I begin, and with his name I will finish. 
 
 Both the Son and the Holy Ghost proceeded 
 from the Father/ 6 ) Going back a little to former 
 times, I will give (till I come to our age), in a 
 cursory manner, what has been written down 
 by our forefathers. 
 
 The Christian nations have been favoured with 
 the inheritance of God ; they have been en- 
 lightened by the faith, and had excellent laws ; 
 but they strayed from those laws, and were 
 polluted by their bad works. The measure of 
 their sins being- filled, it excited the wrath of 
 the Lord, and a burning fire arose in the desert 
 of Arabia called Mahomed, the son of dark- 
 ness/ 7 ) This Father of heresy drew many 
 after him ; he arose and preached by the sabre 
 and the sword, and subdued many countries. 
 
 The wickedness remained after the death of the 
 wicked, the son followed the father, and the 
 usurpation was confirmed. 
 
 In the course of the following centuries, the 
 nations, whom we call Turks, came (divided 
 into twenty-four tribes) ( 8 ) from the north, con- 
 quered the realm of Persia and adhered to the Togrui 
 
 Ո Beg. 
 
 heresy of Mohamed ; they humbled the kings l 〇 37 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 and vanquished the emperor ;( 9 ) they filled the 
 world with their victories and destroyed its in- 
 habitants, endangering- both body and soul of 
 their captives/ 10 ) They came at last to Ba- 
 bylon/ 11 ) and there erecting the seat of their 
 empire, they marched to the westward, came 
 1042 to Armenia, dealt hardly with its inhabitants, 
 and laid a heavy yoke on them. ( 12 ) 
 
 Tired of this oppression, and unable to sus- 
 tain all the hardships which the barbarians 
 laid on them, the inhabitants preferred being 
 strangers in foreign countries to remaining slaves 
 in their own home ; they left the land of their 
 forefathers, and fled to the western and northern 
 regions. Cakig II, the anointed king of Ar- 
 menia, considering these disastrous circum- 
 stances, and the dire necessity of the case, gave 
 up his country to the Roman Emperor, in 
 exchange for the great and celebrated town 
 1045 of Caesarea, and other places in Cappadocia ; 
 and in consequence of this, the Armenians lived 
 as emigrants under the Greeks/ 13 ) 
 
 But the jealousy which had existed for so 
 many centuries between the two nations, was 
 rooted too deep in the heart of every individual. 
 
OF V AH RAM. 
 
 27 
 
 and caused many disorders. The metropolitan 
 of Caesarea, named Marcus, had a dog, whom 
 he called Armen/ 14 ) Cakig hearing of this, in- 
 vited Marcus to dinner, and asked of him the 1079 
 name of the dog : the frightened metropolitan 
 called the dog by another name, the animal 
 did not hear ; but as soon as he called him 
 by the proper name, Armen, the dog ran to 
 him. The king then gave orders that both the 
 metropolitan and his dog should be put into one 
 sack together, and tortured until they could 
 bear it no longer. As soon as the Greeks heard 
 this news, they rose against the Armenians ; 
 and the sons of one Mandal killed the King 
 Cakig/ 15 ) This discouraged the chieftains and 
 the leaders of the army, they ran away and 
 were scattered over various parts of the world. 
 
 A famous chief of the blood royal, Rouben by 
 name, baron of the fort Kosidar/ 16 ) hearing the 
 news of the king’s death, fled with his whole 
 family to Mount Taurus,( 17a ) descended then the 
 mountains on the other side of Phrygia, and 
 took possession of a place called Korhmoloss, i 〇 8 〇 
 and remained there. Many other Armenians 
 also took refuge in these mountains ; the great 
 
28 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 Rouben united them together, and so increased 
 his strength, that he could take possession of 
 the whole mountain district, expel the Greeks, 
 and secure the country for himself. He lived a 
 1095 holy life, and was at last raised to Christ. 
 
 Constantine (or Costantin, as the Armenians 
 write the name), the son of Rouben, succeeded 
 him in the principality, 〇 ；b ) and was a valiant 
 and magnanimous prince; his principal place 
 was Vahga, where he had his residence, and 
 from whence he governed his dominions. He 
 fought many battles, and conquered many forts ; 
 he destroyed the armies of the Greeks, and took 
 many captives. The dominions of Constantine 
 extended to the sea ;<֊ 18 ) he was highly honoured 
 by the Franks, and was their ally against the 
 Turks ; they raised his possessions to the dig- 
 nity of a comitatus, or county, and appointed 
 him the Count and Margrave. d y ) Valiant, kind 
 and benevolent, and a true believer, his fame 
 reached to the other side of the sea ; he culti- 
 vated the country and rebuilt the towns, and all 
 was blooming and cheerful during his lifetime. 
 There occurred a sign from heaven, announcing 
 the death of this extraordinary man ; the meat 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 29 
 
 brought to him on a silver plate started suddenly 
 away, and fled to the corner of the house and 
 hid itself among the poultry. Wise men look- 
 ed on this as a sign that the king would soon 
 be gathered to his forefathers, and so it hap- 
 pened. He reposeth in Christ with his father 
 Rouben, and was buried in the church called 
 Castalond 20 ) 
 
 Constantine had two sons, the elder, who 1100 
 succeeded his father, was called Thoros, and the 
 younger Leon. Thoros superabounded in wis- 
 dom, and his military valour is highly spoken 
 of. He sought to revenge the blood of Cakig 
 the Great, and made war against the sons of 
 Mandal ; he reduced their fort Centerhasg,( 21 ) 
 killed the inhabitants, and carried away great 
 booty. He found in this place a likeness of the 
 Holy Virgin, and treated it with great esteem : 
 by this he became more and more powerful, 
 and vanquished the Greeks many times. He 
 took Anazarbus, built therein a large church, 
 and adorned it with the names of his generals 
 and with the likeness of the Holy Virgin. He 
 governed valiantly, and so much was he esteem- 
 ed that Cilicia lost its proper name, and has been 
 
30 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 called The Country of Thoros. Thoros loved 
 God with all his heart, favoured his servants, 
 built churches, and held the convents in high 
 esteem, in particular those which are called 
 Trassarg and Mashgevar ; he bestowed on these 
 and on others many gifts. Living such a holy 
 life, he went at last in to the Lord, and was 
 1123 buried in the holy church called Trassarg. ( 22 > 
 
 After the death of Thoros, his only son and 
 heir was cast into prison by some wicked people, 
 who administered to him a poisonous drug/ 23 ) 
 thus the principality came to Leon, the bro- 
 ther of Thoros, and his equal in reputation. Leon 
 conquered Mamestia and Tarsus ; ( 24 ) he invited 
 many famous warriors to join him, and allured 
 them by great rewards. Forward in battle, he 
 prepared himself, and often fought against the 
 foreigners or infidels/ 25 ) took their forts and put 
 all the inhabitants to the sword. He was the 
 admiration of warriors, and the fear of foreigners 
 or infidels, so that they called him the new 
 AshtahagS 26 ) After his return with honours and 
 fame to his own country, four sons were born to 
 him, so incomparable among men ; the first was 
 called Thoros the Great, who was adorned by 
 
OF V A HR A Hr. 
 
 31 
 
 Stephanus (or the crown). Next to Stephanus 
 came Meleh, and then Rouben. 
 
 The Roman Emperor (Calo-Johanes), who 
 had the surname of Porphyrogenitus/ 27 ) hearing 
 all that Leon had done, became very angry. 
 He assembled a great army and brought them 
 down into Cilicia.. Leon, finding that he was 
 surrounded by a large army, lost all confidence 
 in his forts and fled to the mountains ; but he 
 was speedily taken and brought in fetters before 
 the emperor. There are some who even affirm 
 that the emperor broke his oath, and took Leon 
 by fraud. His two sons were also arrested, and 
 with their father carried into captivity ； they 
 were detained together in prison in Constan- 
 tinople. Meleh and Stephanus were fortunately 
 not in Cilicia at the time their father was taken 
 prisoner ; they were on a visit in Urha or 
 Edessa, with their uncle, the count of that 
 place/ 28 ) 
 
 The Armenian army was destroyed, and the 
 emperor took possession of Cilicia ; he left a 
 part of his soldiers in that country and then 
 returned to Constantinople. The eye which 
 looks down from heaven on the earth below had 
 
 1137 
 
32 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 pity upon Leon and his two unfortunate sons, 
 and the emperor’s heart turned to clemency. 
 He honoured Leon exceedingly, and gave per- 
 mission to his children to stay with their father ; 
 he invited him to dinner, and permitted him the 
 recreation of hunting ; he gave him handsome 
 clothes and many other fineries/ 29 ) On one 
 occasion the emperor, being in his bathing-room, 
 called Leon and his sons before him, treated 
 them most kindly, and was so pleased with the 
 prowess of Rouben, that he made him one of 
 his household, and promised to raise him yet 
 higher. 
 
 Rouben once took the bathing tub of the 
 emperor, which was full of water, and swung it 
 quickly round, which excited much surprise. 
 The news reached the emperor, and all who 
 saw the act called him a new Sampson ; but 
 this excited envy in the soldiers and filled them 
 with hatred. They gained the ear of the em- 
 peror, accused Rouben, and ultimately killed 
 him by their wicked devices/ 30 ) 
 
 Thoros was now left alone with his father in 
 prison, where he had a dream, which he in- 
 stantly imparted to his father. “ I saw in a 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 33 
 
 dream,” said he, “ a man of very superior 
 appearance offering me a loaf of bread, on which 
 was a fish ; I being very astonished, took from 
 the man what he offered to me ; when thou. Oh 
 father ! earnest, and I enquired the meaning of 
 that; but what further happened I know not.” 
 Leon, hearing these words from his son, was 
 enlightened by heaven, and turning to him 
 joyfully, embraced him ardently and said : 
 
 “ Be joyful, O my honourable son ! for thou 
 wilt be honoured as thy forefathers. After evil 
 cometh a twofold good fortune, — our country, 
 which was taken from us on account of our sins, 
 and other lands, will again be governed by thee. 
 
 The fish which thou hast seen, means, — that 
 thou wilt be master of the sea, but I shall not 
 enjoy these good tidings.” 
 
 Leon died and was elevated to Christ ; the 
 emperor then felt compassion for Thoros, took 1141 
 him out of prison, and received him into the 
 imperial guards. Being now in the imperial 
 palace, and a soldier among the soldiers, he very 
 soon distinguished himself, and even the emperor 
 looked upon him with benevolence. Before 
 the end of the year (1141) the emperor left 
 
 E 
 
34 
 
 THF. CHRONICLE 
 
 Constantinople with a large army, and went to 
 assist the Prince of Antioch, who was hard 
 pressed by the Turks/ 31 ) Being on a hunting 
 party in the valley of Anazarbus, one of his own 
 poisoned arrows wounded him, and he fell dead on 
 the spot ; he thus met with his deserved fate/ 32 ) 
 The army buried him on the place where he 
 lost his life, and erected a monument which is 
 even now to be seen, called Kachzertik, that is. 
 The corpse of the Calos, or Beautiful Z 33 ) 
 
 The Greek army returned, but Thoros re- 
 mained in the country ; though the traditions 
 concerning this fact are different. Some say, 
 Thoros withdrew himself quite alone, went 
 by sea from Antioch to Cilicia, and took pos- 
 session of his dominions, finding means to 
 gain at first the town of Amouda, and after- 
 wards all the other places. But the emperor’s 
 party say that Thoros, during the time the 
 Greeks stayed in the country, lived with a lady 
 who gave him a great sum of money ; with 
 these treasures he fled to the mountains, and 
 discovered himself to a priest as the Son of 
 Leon, the true king of the country. The priest 
 was exceedingly happy at these tidings, and 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 35 
 
 Thoms hid himself under a shepherd’s disguise. 
 There were many Armenians in this part of 1143 
 the country who, being barbarously treated 
 by the Greeks, sighed for their former masters ; 
 to these men, as it is said, the priest imparted 
 the joyful tidings ; they instantly assembled 
 and appointed Thoros their Baron ;( 34 ) he gained 
 possession of Vahga, and afterwards of many 
 other places. Let this be as it may, it was 
 certainly ordained by God that this man, who 
 was carried away as a prisoner, should become 
 the chief of the country of his forefathers, 
 that he should take the government out of 
 the hands of the Greeks, and destroy their 
 armies. 
 
 After the death of the Porphyrogenitus, his 
 son Manuel succeeded him, who is commonly 
 called Pareser, the Virtuous ,( 35 ) Immediately 
 
 after he had taken possession of the empire, 
 Manuel assembled an army to assist the Franks, 
 who came by sea to these countries, and were 
 hardly pressed by the Turks. Coming to Ci- 
 licia, and hearing what Thoros had done ; how 
 he wronged the Greeks, and behaved himself as 
 the master of the country, the emperor became 
 
36 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 very angry, and ordered that Thoros should be 
 brought to him a prisoner, which he thought 
 an easy matter. But Thoros shut himself up 
 in a steep and high fort, occupied all the nar- 
 row passes by his soldiers, and easily repulsed 
 from thence the Greeks, many of whom were 
 taken and brought in fetters before the victor. 
 Manuel being informed of what had happened, 
 1146 became still more enraged. ( 36 > 
 
 It happened that the emperor sent at that 
 time, under the guard of many great men, a large 
 sum of money, and that Thoros took the guard 
 and the treasure, and divided the latter among 
 his soldiers. These Greek nobles seeing this, 
 said to Thoros: “Having taken such great 
 riches, why dost thou squander them away to 
 the common people ?” Thoros answered no- 
 thing to this question, and only remarked : 
 “ These same men will bring you back to fetters, 
 although you are now allowed to return to your 
 friends.” ( 37 ) The emperor heard with astonish- 
 ment what these men, on their return, reported 
 to him, and wished to keep on good terms with 
 Thoros. The Prince of Antioch became the 
 umpire between them. The emperor came to 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 37 
 
 Antioch, where also Thoros was invited, and 
 gained the admiration of every body by his 
 prowess and valour. The emperor wanted Ana- 
 zarbus and many other places, which were in the 
 possession of Thoros ; he accordingly delivered 
 them up for a large sum of money. 
 
 Thoros returned to Cilicia, and the emperor 
 put a stop to the campaign in order to return to 
 his own country. As soon as the imperial army 
 started from Anazarbus, Thoros proceeded sud- 
 denly in the night time to Vahga. Now, whe- 
 ther the king presumed upon ( 38 ) any thing, or 
 whether some communication had been made to 
 him, he did not wish to hold to the treaty. 
 Thoros, as soon as the Emperor Manuel went 
 back, again began his inroads. He again took 
 Anazarbus and conquered Mamestia and the 
 surrounding towns. The Duke of Tarsus, who 
 was appointed governor of the country by the 
 emperor, hearing of these proceedings of Thoros, 
 assembled the great Greek army left him by the 
 emperor, and those Armenian barons who be- 
 longed to the emperor’s party, and enjoyed 
 many honours by his kindness, such as Oscin 
 the baron of Lampron, and the family of Na- 
 
38 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 thaniel, who were the chiefs of Asgourhas.( 39 ) 
 They now united together to besiege Mamestia ; 
 when Thoros behaved himself very valiantly. 
 With only a few men he made a sally out of the 
 town, gained a complete victory over a large 
 army, and took many prisoners ; some of the 
 Greeks he put to death, while others gained their 
 liberty for a ransom. His Armenian captives 
 he set instantly at liberty, and contrived to gain 
 their friendship. Oscin having been won by a 
 large sum of money, gave up his connexion with 
 the emperor, and made a treaty with Thoros ; 
 and Thoros gave his daughter in marriage to the 
 son of Oscin. ( 40 ) The Baron having thus settled 
 his affairs collected a fresh army, took the 
 famous Tarsus, and all the country from the 
 precipices of Isauria ( 41 ) to the sea ; he con- 
 quered Cilicia, beginning from Isauria, from 
 one end to the other. The Emperor Manuel 
 hearing these occurrences grew enraged on 
 feeling himself unable to chastise Thoros. He 
 sent a message to the Sultan of Iconium/ 42 ) 
 Chlish-Aslan, and promised him a great sum of 
 money if he would make war against Thoros. 
 The first time, the sultan objected to the treaty 
 
OF VAHRAJI. 
 
 39 
 
 which existed between him and Baron Thoros, 
 and so withstood the temptation ; but his reluc- 
 tance was overcome by a second message. 
 
 He collected a large army, carried them into 
 Cilicia, descended into the plain, and besieged H 54 
 Anazarbus. But God was against them and 
 punished them with plagues, like those of the 
 Egyptians ; he sent flies and wasps against the 
 infidels, and harassed them with many other 
 heavy calamities. Thoros made inroads into 
 the Sultan’s own country, won Iconium itself, 
 returned with a large booty, and sent Chlish- 
 Aslan a present out of the booty. By this, and 
 by the hardships they suffered, the Sultan and 
 his followers were disgusted, and returned to 
 their own country. They came back a second 1156 
 time, and returned again in confusion. The 
 Sultan then kept his oath, and remained the 
 friend of our hero. 
 
 Thoros was of a tall figure and of a strong- 
 mind: his compassion was universal; like the 
 light of the sun he shone by his good works, 
 and flourished by his faith ; he was the shield 
 of truth and the crown of righteousness ; he 
 was well versed in the Holy Scriptures and in 
 
40 
 
 T1IE CHRONICLE 
 
 the profane sciences. It is said that he was of 
 such profound understanding, as to be able to 
 explain the difficult expressions of the prophets 
 — his explanations even still exist/ 43 ) In a word, 
 he was so accomplished in every thing, that 
 God was pleased to call him to heaven. He 
 
 1167 was buried in Trassarg. 
 
 His brother Stephanus, of whom we have 
 spoken before, remained near the Black Moun- 
 tain , making himself illustrious by his prowess, 
 and gaining Carmania and the surrounding- 
 places ;( 44 ) but the Greeks came again against 
 him, and he was consumed by the “ seething 
 pot.’/ 45 ) He died in the field and was buried in 
 the church of Arkagal (or the Archangel). He 
 left two sons, Rouben and Leon, who became 
 afterwards king of Cilicia. 
 
 Thoros left a child under age, whom he 
 committed, together with the country, to the care 
 of a certain Baron and Baillie Thomas, his 
 father-in-law, with an injunction to deliver to 
 him the country as soon as the child should have 
 
 1168 attained his majority/ 46 ) Meleh, of whom we 
 have spoken above, was with the Sultan of 
 Aleppo, and hearing of the death of his brother, 
 
OF VAIILtAM. 
 
 4! 
 
 he came with an army into the country, and 
 dealt very cruelly with its inhabitants. Not 
 being able to conquer the possessions of his 
 brother he returned to Aleppo, and came back 
 with still greater forces. Receiving a message 
 from the Armenian Barons that they would 
 freely acknowledge him as their sovereign, he 
 sent back the Turks, and governed in peace for 
 some time. But he soon drove into exile the 
 Baillie Thomas, who went afterwards to Antioch. 
 
 The child of Tlioros was killed by the command 
 of Meleh by some wicked people. This cruel 1169 
 man was at last killed by his own soldiers, and 
 buried in the church called the great CarS 47 ) 
 
 The sons of Stephanus, Rouben and Leon, 
 were very much honoured by a certain 
 Baron Pakouran, by the whole Armenian 
 nobility, and the army ; they therefore ap- 
 pointed Rouben as their Baron. He was an H74 
 excellent prince, compassionate and kind ; he 
 ruled the country very well, and was praised 
 by every body. He was a friend of the Greeks, 
 and married a lady of that nation, by whom he 
 had two daughters blooming in chastity. He 
 besieged Lampron and pressed its inhabitants 
 
 F 
 
42 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 very hard ; they not being able to withstand 
 him, called the Prince to their assistance ; he 
 1182 invited Rouben to Antioch, and fraudulently 
 held him a prisoner, thinking to conquer Cili- 
 cia with ease during his captivity. But his 
 brother Leon and the army behaved themselves 
 very valiantly ; they pressed Lampron so closely 
 in the absence of the Bar’on, and defended 
 their own country so well, that they released 
 Rouben and acknowledged his supremacy. 
 The inhabitants of Lampron gave themselves 
 and their treasure up to the Baron of Cilicia. 
 On his return to his own country Rouben was 
 kind and humane to every one, and at his 
 death left the crown to Leon ; he gave him 
 many rules concerning the government of the 
 country, and committed to him his daughters, 
 with an injunction not to give them foreign 
 husbands, that the Armenians might not be 
 governed by foreigners and harassed by a 
 1185 tyrant. Rouben was buried in Trassarg. 
 
 Leon was a valiant and learned prince ; he 
 enlarged his principality and became the mas- 
 ter of many provinces. A few days only after 
 his taking possession of the country, the de- 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 43 
 
 scendants of Ismael, under the command of one 
 Roustam, advanced and came against Cilicia. ( 48 ) 1186 
 Leon was not frightened, but confiding in God, 
 who destroyed Sanacherib, he vanquished with 
 a few men the great army of the infidels. Rous- 
 tam himself being killed by St. George/ 49 ") the 
 whole Hagarenian army then fled and dis- 
 persed ; the Armenians pursued them and en- 
 riched themselves by the booty. The power of 
 Leon thus increased, and being confident in his 
 strength, he chased the Tadjiks^ 496 ) and pursued 
 the Turks ; he conquered Isauria and came as 
 far as Iconium ; he captured Heraclea/ 50 ) and 
 again gave it up for a large ransom ; he block- 
 aded Ceesarea/ 51 ) and had nearly taken it ; he 
 made a treaty with the Sultan of Iconium, and 
 received a large sum of money from him ; he 
 surrounded Cilicia on every side with forts and 
 castles; he built a new church called Agner, 
 and was exceedingly generous to all monasteries 
 erected by his ancestors ; his bounty extended 
 itself even to the leprous ; they being shunned 
 by every body and expelled from every place, 
 he assigned to them a particular house, and 
 provided them with necessaries. 
 
44 
 
 TIIE CHRONICLE 
 
 Jan. 6, 
 1198 
 
 1201 
 
 By such proceedings Leon attained a great 
 name and became known to the Emperor of the 
 Franks and the Greeks, and both, by Heavens’ 
 grace, favoured him with the diadem; and, 
 indeed, the mission by which Leon the Great 
 was crowned King/ 52 ) was very famous. The 
 Armenians assembled together in the city of 
 Tarsus, and in the cathedral of that town the 
 Catholicos( 53 ) anointed Leon, as it is the custom, 
 king of the house of Thorgoma/ 54 ) to sit on 
 the throne and flourish in kindness ; to glorify 
 the church, and to govern well the country ; 
 to collect together the dispersed people, and to 
 renovate its power; lastly, to fill the country 
 with peace and to make it as happy as paradise. 
 
 This great king brought the Prince of Antioch 
 over to him, by marrying to him his niece, 
 the daughter of his brother. He then made 
 an inroad into the province of Arasu and con* 
 quered the place called Balresay ; by his excel- 
 lent wisdom he also gained Lampron. 
 
 The great Sultan of Iconium Caicaiuss( 55 ) 
 marched from Camir against the king, and be- 
 sieged the fort Capan. The unruly Armenian 
 troops attacked the enemy without waiting for 
 
OF VAIIRAM. 
 
 45 
 
 an order of the king, and being partly killed 
 and partly taken prisoners, the Turks pressed 
 very hard the fort Capan. Leon did not let 
 his spirits droop by this defeat ; he collected 
 what troops remained with him, and went plun- 
 dering the territories of the Sultan as far as 
 Camir. He laid waste the Sultan’s country, 
 and returned with a large booty. Hearing this 
 the Sultan started from Cilicia to his own 
 principality, and made peace with Leon, on the 
 condition that the booty should be restored. 
 
 Leon, having governed the country twelve 
 years as Baron and twenty-two as King, felt his 
 end approaching, and appointed in an assembly 
 of the whole nobility of the kingdom, a certain 
 baron named Atan to be Regent ( 56 ) of the 
 country and guardian of his daughter. Leon 
 died soon after and was buried in the church of 
 Agner ; a part of his body was brought into the 
 town of Sis, and a church was built thereupon. 
 
 After the assassination of Atan, Constantine 
 was appointed regent, when he gave the daughter k-Rb 
 of the king and the heiress of the empire (the 
 good and chaste lady Isabella), in marriage to 
 one of the family of the king, the barons acknow- 
 
46 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 1220 ledged him as their lawful sovereign, and swore 
 the oath of allegiance/ 57 ) But there arose a dis- 
 turbance in the country ; one Rouben ( 58 ) came 
 from the Prince of Antioch, gained over many 
 of the nobility and aspired to the crown. He 
 soon took possession of Tarsus and was about to 
 march against Sis ; but Constantine met him 
 near Tarsus with a great army, and vanquished 
 this enemy. Rouben and the chief men of his 
 party died in prison. 
 
 By this victory Constantine became more 
 powerful, and governed the country with a firm 
 hand ; he built churches and honoured the 
 clergy. At this time the patriarch was called 
 John, the sixth since Nerses, from whom, as we 
 have said, we began our chronicle, and think 
 it therefore proper to mention these blessed 
 persons. 
 
 After the death of Nerses, that is to say, after 
 his migration from one life to another, Gregorius, 
 called Degha, or the child, was anointed. He 
 was a fine and strong man. After him Gregorius, 
 called Carawesh, or killed by the stone ; — then 
 Gregorius Abirad ; — and at last John, whom we 
 have before mentioned/ 59 ) Leon entered into a 
 
OF V A HR AM. 
 
 47 
 
 dispute with John, and appointed David in his 
 place. This man governed the church for two 
 years in an excellent manner : but after this, the 
 king being reconciled to John, elevated him again 
 on his seat. After this reconciliation king Leon 
 fell sick and died, very much lamented by the 
 Armenians. The Lord Constantine succeeded 
 him, who excelling in kindness, betrothed the 
 heiress of the empire, Isabella, before an as- 
 sembly of the whole nobility, to his son He- 
 thum. ( 60 ) 
 
 Hethum was then anointed king of Armenia ; 
 he was crowned with a golden crown, and held 
 a golden consecrated sceptre in his hand, with a 
 globe mounted in gold ; he was placed on a 
 high golden throne, and having these signs of 
 royalty in his right hand, he promised to deal 
 justice to the people at large and protect the 
 poor from injustice. Hethum was an excellent 
 and gTacious king ; fine and handsome in body 
 and soul ; religious, kind, compassionate, up- 
 right, bountiful, and generous. The lawful 
 heiress of the empire, Isabella, governed the 
 country together with her husband, and led a 
 pious, religious life. She was blessed for her 
 
48 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 good deeds and exemplary life by many chil- 
 dren, the numerous offsprings of a famous raceJ 61 ) 
 The first was the pious Leon, who is now the 
 anointed king, and after him Thoros, the blessed, 
 who died the death of a hero/ 62 ) Isabella 
 brought also into the world five daughters and 
 another son, Rouben, who died young. The 
 queen being near the end of her life, and staying 
 in a place called Kcd, she heard a voice from 
 heaven, crying aloud, “ come my dove, come 
 my love, thy end is near.” She felt joyful on 
 this happy vision, imparted it to the bystanders, 
 and died in the Lord ; her body was brought to 
 1252 the grave by a large assembly of the priesthood 
 and laid in consecrated earth. 
 
 After the death of the Queen, the King was 
 much occupied in the government of his country; 
 for there arose an insolent people from the north, 
 called Tatars, and also called, after their country, 
 Mugal or Mogul/ 63 ) who laid waste all the coun- 
 tries which fell into their hands. The words 
 of the prophet Jeremiah, that “ the seething pot 
 will run over from the north,” have been found 
 true a second time, this being the case we 
 must expect the same consequences. There 
 
01' YAII RAM. 
 
 49 
 
 were four kings, each of whom was accom- 
 panied ( 64 ) by ten chiefs, which is even now 
 the case. These four kings met together 
 with their ten followers ; one arose and spoke 
 with a loud voice in this high assembly, and he 
 being foremost in power, was declared “ The լշ54 
 son of God in heaven Z 65 ) To him went king 
 Hethum,^ 6 ) and there remained four years. 
 Hethum had considerable trouble, but he ob- 
 tained friendly words, and a written treaty after 
 the custom of the Tatars/ 67 ) He then came back 
 with great honours and conquered many pro- 
 vinces ; he routed the armies of the Persians or 
 T urks,( 68 ) and took their country ; he won by 
 force Carmania ; and Sebehesny was taken out 
 of the hands of the Turks, whose splendour 
 faded away/ 69 ) God’s will was changed, and 
 he looked again on us with a benevolent eye ; 
 the doors of heaven were opened to let through 
 his kindness on earth. The country was fruitful 
 and happy like paradise, and every man sat in 
 peace, as it is said in the scriptures, under his 
 own vine. But the Armenians in Cilicia caused 
 themselves, like in former times, Sodom and 
 Ghomora, by their intemperance and wickedness 
 
 〇 
 
50 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 to be very soon devoured by the wrathful fire('°) 
 of heaven. 
 
 1265 The proud slaves who governed Egypt took 
 by force Damascus, very hard pressed the Sultan 
 of Berea or Aleppo, and conquered all the 
 country called by the name of Shem/ 71 ) These 
 slaves united themselves with all the other 
 Hagarenians, and it was as if the sand of the 
 sea arose to grasp swords and daggers, and to 
 fight the battles of men ; they went against the 
 Christians, like avengers sent from God. The 
 sea-coast (from Gaza to Cilicia) suffered in par- 
 ticular ; all the forts were destroyed. Antioch, 
 the great Antioch, fell into their hands — they 
 burned the houses, and the inhabitants were 
 carried away into foreign countries/ 72 ) Having- 
 taken possession of the before-mentioned terri- 
 tories, they went against Cilicia, sent to Hethum 
 and demanded tribute of him/ 73 ) The king 
 collected his soldiery under the command of 
 his sons, and hurried himself away to the 
 Moguls for aid/ 74 ) He had not yet returned, 
 when the Hagarenians came into the country ; 
 the army fled, but the princes remained. Thoros 
 was killed in battle, and Leon was carried away 
 
OK VAHRAM. 
 
 51 
 
 prisoner from his country. This unfortunate 1266 
 country was destroyed by hre, and the inha- 
 bitants were put to the sword ; but the forts, 
 having received private encouragement from 
 Leon, could not be taken by the enemy, who 
 retreated from them with shame. The famous 
 church in Sis and the town itself was given up 
 to the flames, but the inhabitants had time to fly. 
 
 Having done whatever they chose, the enemy 
 returned to his own country in great triumph, 
 and with a large booty. After their departure 
 Hethum returned at the head of a Mogulian 
 army into his own kingdom, and saw all the 
 misfortunes which had befallen him during his 
 absence ; he wept bitterly, but he did not de- 
 spair, and placed reliance on the mercy of God. 
 
 His son, who had been carried away a prisoner, 
 being endowed with a courageous nature, did 
 not let his spirits droop or show any fear ; on 
 the contrary, he cheered the captives and con- 
 soled every man ; for some he provided food, 
 for others he paid their ransom and set them at 
 liberty. The army presented Leon to the Sultan, 
 who continued in his own country, and who, 
 looking on Leon and hearing his wise speech. 
 
52 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 received him graciously, and spoke very kindly 
 to him. With the permission of the Sultan, 
 Leon went to Jerusalem to adore the holy cross, 
 and to pray for the remission of his sins. He 
 then went back to Egypt, into that prison where 
 Joseph was in former times. The priests ad- 
 monished him to think only of God ; moreover, 
 he constantly read the Scriptures and was al- 
 ways absorbed in prayer. Therefore God look- 
 ed upon him with compassion, and turned the 
 heart of the Sultan to pity. 
 
 Leon, when taken prisoner, was thirty years 
 of age ; remaining one year and ten months in 
 Egypt, he made a treaty with the Sultan, which 
 was ratified by King Hethum his father. This 
 being done, Leon was set at liberty with great 
 demonstrations of honour. The whole country 
 rejoiced when Leon returned to his father : 
 crowds of people ran to meet and see him ; he 
 
 embraced them all, and received them with 
 
 \ 
 
 heavenly kindness. The king went, on foot, to 
 thank God that he had lived so long as to see 
 his son Leon again, and in the presence of the 
 1268 highly-gifted patriarch Jacobus/ 75 ) the follower 
 of Constantine, he earnestly entreated Leon to 
 
O F V A 1 1 U A M . 
 
 53 
 
 take on him the government of the country, and 
 to be anointed King of Cilicia ; but Leon could 
 not, by all his entreaties, be moved to accept this 
 offer ； and Hethum was compelled, therefore, 
 to see his son only Baron of the Armenians, 
 until he could enjoy the kingdom. The king 
 happened to fall sick at this time and never 
 recovered. There was consequently a great 
 consternation in the country, and the people 
 united together to give him the surname of 
 MakarS 76 ) Having finished this mortal, and 1269 
 gained an immortal life, he was buried in 
 Trassarg, and was celebrated in a poem. The 
 Baron Leon was so afflicted by the death of 
 his father, that he fell into a mortal sickness, 
 and although all men supplicated him to be 
 speedily crowned King of Cilicia, he would 
 not do it instantly, but mourned three months. 
 
 The neighbouring sovereigns, the Sultan of 
 Egypt, the Khan, and other princes, sent missions 
 of peace to him, entreating that he might be 
 crowned King of Cilicia. Moved and encouraged 
 by these messages, he called a great assembly 
 of Armenians to Tarsus with the patriarch to 
 anoint him, and to fulfil the duties of the church. 
 
54 
 
 THE CHRONICLE 
 
 Leon received the sceptre with the golden globe 
 in his right hand,֊ and the Holy Ghost descend- 
 ed on him, — to be king on the house of Thor- 
 goma ; to govern and to defend the flock after 
 the law of God. 
 
 Leon, sitting on the throne of his forefathers, 
 was gracious to every body ; he pardoned those 
 who had offended him, and was in general ex- 
 ceedingly humane ; he augmented the officers of 
 the royal household, and held the clergy in high 
 esteem. He provided for the poor ecclesiastics, 
 and generally for all poor people ; in what place 
 soever he stayed, the indigent were provided for 
 from the court. This being known, many people 
 came from foreign parts* soldiers and others, 
 and remained months although not invited ; 
 their expenses were payed by the court. Leon 
 benefited the clergy even more than his fore- 
 fathers, and gave to the Vartabeds their proper 
 rank/ 77 ) for he was a friend of learning ;( 78 ) every 
 person who was elevated to the dignity of a Var- 
 tabed received a present from the king, and it 
 was registered as an eternal remembrance. The 
 army received higher pay than before, and the 
 king was so kind to every body, so generous. 
 
OF VAHRAM. 
 
 55 
 
 so compassionate/ 79 ) that all were delighted ; 
 and the whole nation of Armenians became, 
 as it were, renovated. Satan, the author of all 
 mischief, saw this, and he contrived to fight 
 against the king ; he tempted him by misfor- 
 tunes like Job ; he tried him by many wounds, 
 but the king was found of more patience than 
 even Job himself, for Job spoke of his tempta- 
 tions with his friends, and uttered curses as the 
 misfortunes came one after the other. 
 
 Leon soon gained information of the plots of 1273 
 the chieftains of his own family, but confiding in 
 God, he took away only their castles, and grant- 
 ed them their lives ; he left it to the Lord to 
 reward them after their designs. Now the 1274 
 Sultan of Egypt, breaking the treaty he made 
 with King Hethum, came against this country ; 
 he did not so much as give any notice of his 
 design. United with the Arabs and the Tur- 
 comans, the Sultan, without any one being- 
 aware of it, made an inroad into Cilicia. These 
 Turcomans were a long time since in this country 
 as shepherds ; they here kept their winter 
 quarters, and knew therefore all the passes and 
 defiles. ( 80 ) United with these people the Egyp- l27f> 
 
50 
 
 TIIF. CHRONICLE 
 
 tians harassed the country more than had ever 
 been the case before ; they penetrated into the 
 mountains, discovered the recesses of men and 
 beasts, and destroyed numbers ; many were 
 also killed who had been found in the flat 
 country. Only those who were in forts and 
 castles escaped, all the rest were taken. The 
 country was surrounded on all sides and given 
 to the flames ; the enemy took Tarsus, burnt 
 the beautiful and celebrated church of St. 
 Joseph, and plundered the town ; having done 
 all this mischief, they retired. 
 
 King Leon, full of courage, wished to try the 
 chance of a battle, but the barons left him and 
 he had only a few soldiers ; seeing the desolation 
 of the country, he was very sorrowful, but 
 consoled every body and encouraged the people 
 by presents. Whilst he was sustaining these 
 trials without scarcely uttering a sigh, one of his 
 sons, of tender age, died, and he himself fell 
 into a sickness from which he could scarcely be 
 saved. Whilst yet depressed by his sufferings he 
 lost a daughter, but through all this he became 
 not impatient, and uttered not an angry word ; 
 he placed his confidence in God, and suffered 
 
OF V A HR AM. 
 
 57 
 
 his trials with calmness. But there remained 
 yet another trial for the country at large ; the 
 country was visited by a heavy plague, of which 
 many poor people died, so that the land could 
 not be cultivated, and there was in consequence 
 a want of the necessaries of life. The king did 
 not let his spirits droop, he animated everybody, 
 and said in the words of Job, “ The Lord gave, 
 and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the 
 name of the Lord! Naked came we into the 
 world, and naked do we leave it again.” In these 
 days the Lord began to look on us again with 
 kindness from above, and the words of the 
 prophet Hosea were fulfilled, “ The shadow of 
 death fled from us miserable men;” the Lord 
 became reconciled to the harassed and desolated 1276 
 nation of Armenia. For the beginning of better 
 days we were indebted to the people, who 
 made war against the king. Having plundered 
 our country, the Sultan withdrew his army, 
 but Leon then came forward, vanquished all 
 his opponents, took a great booty and returned 
 joyful into his own kingdom. ( 81 ) The Sultan of 
 Egypt hearing this, sent a message to Leon for 
 
 H 
 
58 
 
 THE CIIRONTCLE 
 
 peace and friendship. The news of these 
 victories spread very far, so that the Khan ( 8շ ) 
 heard of it, sent armour and weapons, and ad- 
 monished Leon to carry on the war. 
 
 The Turks, who reign in Camir (Iconium), 
 wished at this time to make a treaty with the 
 Moguls to hurt us ; they spoke in consequence 
 very badly of us, and induced the Khan by a 
 sum of money to make a treaty with them/ 83 ) 
 The Turks spoke then more freely, and ac- 
 cused us publicly, but they were soon unde- 
 ceived ; for as soon as the union was dissolved, 
 the Moguls came and destroyed them by the 
 sword, sent presents to our king, and behaved 
 in general very kindly to him. By this beha- 
 viour the king gained courage, made an incur- 
 sion into Turkestan/ 84 ) took a large booty and 
 returned into his own country with great joy. 
 The neighbouring kings hearing this were much 
 astonished, and longed to be at peace with us. 
 Leon forgot all the mischief they had done, 
 and accepted with a kind heart their offerings 
 of friendship ; for he was benevolent by nature, 
 and rejoiced in kind dealings ; misfortune could 
 not depress him, and good fortune could not 
 
OF YAH RAM. 
 
 59 
 
 elevate him ; he looked only on God and to go- 
 vern his country well. 
 
 Leon had three sons : Hethum, the first born, 
 learned in the Scripture and clever in every 
 branch of science ; the second is called Thoros, 
 and the third Sempad. The spouse of the 
 king, the Queen Ceran, is famous for her fide- 
 lity and benevolence. So is our king, who by 
 God’s decree is placed over the country ； may 
 the Lord yet grant him a long and a peaceful 
 reign. ( 85 ) 
 
 Now to the end of my work I will subjoin 
 some observations. It has been said before, 
 that when the Tadjiks came into our country, 
 they burned the house of God ; — that they took 
 the crosses, the Scriptures, and all other holy 
 materials, into their abominable hands and cast 
 them into the fire with infamous jokes ; and 
 that they put the priests to the sword, and tor- 
 tured all Christians. When all these misfortunes 
 befell the country, some of the inhabitants bore 
 them patiently, though reluctantly ; and others 
 became furious and uttered impious words, for 
 they were blind in spirit and weak in faith. 
 “ Can this be,” said they, “ can this be a true 
 
60 
 
 THE CHRONICLE. 
 
 judgment, by which we are condemned? Are 
 we the only sinners of all the inhabitants of 
 the world, that we alone should be ruined ? or 
 are the Tadjiks the men of righteousness, by 
 whose hands we are killed : those unbelievers, 
 soiled by every wicked deed ?” But from this 
 reasoning it would follow, that those who fell 
 under the hall by which Sampson buried him- 
 self, were not killed by reason of their own 
 sins ; that the Galileans, who were put to 
 death by Pilate, fell not by reason of their own 
 wickedness, but by the judgment of the Lord ! 
 All who are not penitent will sulfer the same 
 punishment, God chastens him whom he loves.( 86 ) 
 To rest his hopes on God, and to be patient in 
 misfortune, is the best way to live in this world 
 and in the next. May Leon, King of the Ar- 
 menians, the writer and the reader of this, be 
 judged worthy to enter into this eternal and 
 immortal world. To the praise and honour of 
 the three persons and one God, now and for 
 ever, world without end. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 Note (1), page 23. 
 
 This is the famous patriarch Nerses Clajensis in the 
 twelfth century, one of the best writers of the Arme- 
 nian nation. Galanus (I. 239) is full of praise of him. 
 “ Nerses Clajensis,’, says he, “ orthodoxus patriarcha, 
 quem Armenia universa, ut sanctum illius ecclesiae 
 patrem et doctorem agnoscit, ejusque commemorationem 
 in Liturgia et Menelogiis celehrat. Fuit poeta sacer, 
 et hac quidem facultate adeo insignis, ut celebrioribus, 
 meo judicio, vel Graecis vel Latinis poetis in suo cce- 
 quandus sit idiomate.” But both the praises and the 
 censures of Galanus are to be received with great cau- 
 tion; he is blinded by his orthodoxy, and praises and 
 blames the authors not according to their merit, but 
 according to their faith. Nerses has written much and 
 on very different subjects; his elegy on the capture of 
 Edessa (1144) by the Turks, and his correspondence with 
 the emperor Alexius and Manuel, are the most interest- 
 ing works for us and for history. The elegy of Edessa 
 
62 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 has been printed several times and in many places : most 
 recently (1826) in Paris, but without a French trans- 
 lation. The Archbishop Somal is not well-informed, 
 when he says, (Quadro della storia letteraria di Armenia. 
 Venezia 1829, p. 84), “ fu accompagnata da una ver- 
 sione francese.” The correspondence of Nerses has 
 only, as far as I know, been once printed, viz. at St. 
 Petersburgh, 1788, 1 vol. 4to. His short and unin- 
 teresting chronicle of the History of Armenia has been 
 often printed, and for the last time in 1824 in Con- 
 stantinople. The Ai'chbishop Somal says, that this 
 work was corrupted by the interpolations of the schisma- 
 tical editor (“ audacemente dall’ editore falsificata e con 
 riprovevole temerita sparsa di alcune aggiunte erronee 
 contro il Concilio ecumenico di Calcedonia.”) It is 
 strange that the Armenians, who entertain the tenets of 
 their national church, and are styled schismatical by the 
 proselytes of the Roman Catholic Church, accuse the 
 orthodox editors at Venice of the same falsifications ; 
 the Armenians in India wish therefore to print all their 
 works, particularly the religious ones, at the press of 
 the Bishop’s College in Calcutta. (See Bishop Heber’s 
 Journals, iii. 435. 3d edition.) 
 
 Note (2), page 23. 
 
 This is king Leon III, who reigned from 1269 to 
 1289, and of whom the chronicler speaks at the end of 
 his work. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 63 
 
 Note (3), page 23. 
 
 I imagine Vahram never read Lucretius : that au- 
 thor gives the same reason for writing De Rerum Na- 
 tura in verse. 
 
 Note (4), page 24 
 
 Epist. ad Rom., chap. xiii. in the beginning. 
 
 Note (5), page 24. 
 
 The reader may recollect the old Byzantine pictures, 
 painted on a gold ground ; there is a large collection 
 of these pictures at Schleisheim, near Munich. 
 
 Note (6), page 25. 
 
 I feel regret for poor Vahram, who here shows 
 himself a heretic ; for notwithstanding that it was 
 forbidden to add any article to the creed of Nice, or 
 rather Constantinople, the Latins added the celebrated 
 filioque , that is to say, that the Holy Ghost proceeded 
 from the Father and the Son , and condemned all others 
 as heretics who upheld the old church, and would not 
 acknowledge these innovations. Vahram, the Raboun, 
 or doctor, shows himself to be such a heretic. He even 
 wrote some dissertations on the trinity and the incar- 
 nation, at the command of his master king Leon III, 
 but they were never printed. The Roman Catholic 
 author of the “ Quadro della letteratura di Armenia” (p. 
 115), says, that even in these works Vahram “ si prova 
 
64 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 scrittore di poco sana dottrina intorno al dogma della 
 processione dello S pi ri to- San to.՜" 
 
 Note (7), page 25. 
 
 This is the language of all divines, and of those 
 philosophers who think whatever is, is right. If the 
 sins of mankind have produced Mahomed, why has 
 Spain alone out of the nations of Europe been de- 
 pressed ? Were these Visigoths greater sinners than their 
 brethren in the south of France or the Franks them- 
 selves? It is not a speculative opinion, but the truth 
 of history, that man is the architect of his own fortune, 
 and that the world belongs to the mighty. 
 
 Note (8), page 25. 
 
 The Turks were known in Europe as early as the 
 beginning of the sixth century of our era, but the 
 western writers tell us nothing satisfactory, either as to 
 the name or the origin of this large division of the 
 human race. The Chinese, who were earlier acquainted 
 with their Thoo kiouei, are also contradictory in their 
 statements. They say, the Thoo kiouei are a particular 
 tribe or class of the Hioung noo, called by different 
 names, and that they are called Thoo kiouei because 
 their town near the Altai, or gold mountain, had the 
 form of a helmet, and a helmet is called Thoo kiouei, 
 yn y wei haou. Matuanlin, in his great work, B. 343, 
 initio, says this is the cause why this people is so called 
 
NOTE S. 
 
 65 
 
 It is fortunate for historical literature, that this accom- 
 plished Chinese scholar had no system in view in com- 
 piling his work : he quotes on the same page other 
 accounts on the origin of the name Thoo kiouei and 
 different traditions of the original history of this na- 
 tion. It has been remarked by Klaproth (Asia Poly- 
 glotta, 212) that Thoo kiouei (or a very similar word) 
 means, indeed, in the Turkish language a helmet. If the 
 Hiong noo are Turks they cannot certainly be either 
 the Huns of Attila or Fins. Concerning the tribes of 
 the Turks nothing is known with any certainty ; tribes 
 rise and decay in Tartary like the sand-hills in the de- 
 sert : who can count them ? The reader may find a lively 
 and true picture of this rising and falling of the different 
 Turkoman tribes in a novel, by Frazer, called Memoirs 
 of a Kusilhash , printed 1828, in three volumes. The 
 different denomination of the same people, Turks and 
 Turkomans, is already used by William of Tyre, the 
 celebrated historian of the Crusades; it may be said 
 that they differ one from another, like, in former times, 
 the Highlanders and Lowlanders in Scotland. While 
 describing the difference between Turks and Turko- 
 mans, we may use the words of Dr. Robertson, mention- 
 ing the attempt of King James II, to civilize the High- 
 lands and Isles. That great historian has the following- 
 words : — “ The inhabitants of the low country began 
 gradually to forget the use of arms, and to become 
 
 i 
 
66 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 attentive to the arts of peace. But the Highlanders, or 
 the Turkomans, retaining their natural fierceness, averse 
 from labour and inured to rapine, infested their more 
 industrious neighbours by their continual incursions.” 
 ( History of Scotland , ad a. 1602.) Some modern authors 
 think it worth their while to take notice of a fault of a 
 copyist (tou^koi for Ivqxai), and find therefore the Turks 
 as early as in Herodotus, Pomponius Mela, and Pli- 
 nius ; but this is not so unfair as to make Laura, the 
 beautiful and chaste Laura, responsible for eleven 
 children, upon the faith of a misinterpreted abbrevia- 
 tion, and the decision of a librarian. (Lord Byron’s 
 Notes on Childe Harold, Canto iv. stanza 30, lines 8 
 and 9-) 
 
 Note (9), page 26. 
 
 The kings are the different Arabian chiefs who ruled 
 independently of the Caliph of Bagdad ; the emperor is 
 the Emperor of Constantinople, or the Roman emperor, 
 as Vahram says, with the other authors of these times. 
 (See Gibbon, ch. 57.) 
 
 • Note (10), page 26. 
 
 “ The captives of these T urks were compelled to pro- 
 mise a spiritual as well as temporal obedience ; and 
 instead of their collars and bracelets, an iron horse- 
 shoe, a badge of ignominy, was imposed on the infi- 
 dels, who still adhered to the worship of their fathers.” 
 (Gibbon, 1. c.) 
 
NOTE S. 
 
 67 
 
 Note (11), page 26. 
 
 This is not quite true ; the Caliph of Bagdad, — which 
 new town our author calls in his poetical style by the 
 ancient name of Babylon, — could not move from his 
 capital without the consent of the descendents of Seljuk, 
 but they never chose Babylon as the seat of their empire ; 
 they had no metropolis, but they preferred Nishapur. 
 Abul Fazel (Ayeen Akbery II. 337) places Bagdad 
 33, and Babylon 32° 15' latitude ; their longitude is the 
 same ; 80° 55 ' from the Canary Islands. 
 
 Note (12), page 26. 
 
 The myriads of T urkish horse overspread a frontier 
 of six hundred miles from Tauris to Arzearum, and 
 the blood of one hundred and thirty thousand Chris- 
 tians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet. 
 (Gibbon 1. c.) 
 
 Note (13), page 26. 
 
 This is certainly the truth ; the Armenians fled in 
 their despair from the new Mahometan to the old Chris- 
 tian enemy. It can be only national vanity or folly, to 
 assert or suppose that the Emperor Michael would give 
 the province of Cappadocia for a country trampled on by 
 the Seljuks, under whose irresistible power he felt him- 
 self. The Cappadocians remembering how they were 
 dealt with in former time by the Armenians, and in 
 particular by Tigranes, could not receive their new 
 
68 
 
 MOTE S. 
 
 guests with much pleasure ; and this is the principal 
 reason of the great disaster which soon followed. 
 
 Sf QauXu; ainov; Tiypavnj 〇 Afpevi 〇 ;, wlxa rbv 
 Ka, 7 r 7 ra% 〇 Hiav KaTsfya/xsv' 0L.7ra.VTa; yap ava;arou; b T 〇 ln<rsv si; Tr,v 
 MstroTroTa/xlav, &c. (Strabo xii. 2, vol, iii. 2ded. Tauchn.) 
 It is stated by the American missionaries, who have vi- 
 sited Cappadocia, that about 35,000 Armenians are still 
 living in this province. “ Cappadocia has 30,000 
 Greeks and 35,000 Armenians.” (Mr. Gridley, in the 
 Missionary Herald, vol. xxiv, printed at Boston, p. 111.) 
 Caesarea has, according to the same authority, from 60 
 to 80,000 inhabitants, and of these 2,000 are Greeks, 
 and 8,000 Armenians. (Herald, 260.) 
 
 Note (14), page 27. 
 
 The origin of this name of the people is not known. 
 The Armenians call themselves after their fabulous pro- 
 genitor Haig, and derive the name Armen from the son 
 of Haig, Armenag ; but I have not much confidence in 
 these ancient traditions of Moses of Chorene. The 
 Armenians are a strong instance that religion and civili- 
 zation only give a particular character and value to a 
 people, and preserve it from being lost in the course of 
 time. Where are now the thirty different nations, 
 which Herodotus found (Melpom. 38), between the bay 
 of Margandius and the Triopian promontory ? The 
 Armenians are certainly a tribe of the ancient Assy- 
 
NOTH S. 
 
 69 
 
 rians ; their language and history speak alike in favour 
 of it. Nearly all the words of Assyrian origin which 
 occur in the Scriptures and in Herodotus can be ex- 
 plained by the present Armenian language. Their tra- 
 ditions say, also, that Haig came from Babylon ; and 
 Strabo’s authority would at once settle the question, if 
 he did not affirm too much. The Arabian and the Syriac 
 language, and consequently the people, are radically 
 different from the Armenian. 
 
 These are the passages of the geoprapher alluded to : 
 T oyaf ruv WpyEvtm eSvoj xa) to rZv Siifwv xa) r w ’Agafi eov, 
 oroXXiiv byotpv^iav Eytpalvn xara te thv 'biatexrov .... xa) oi 
 ’A trcrvgtot, xa) oi ’Agiavo), xa) oi ’A ^/xeviqi WagaTrXwrlus օրաց 
 տՀօսօ՚ւ, xa) orpo; րօււրօս; xai irfic, օ-ՃՃհՃօնհ . . . tooj i/tp' rjyZv 
 £ւ/ջօս( xahoufAEVOus, vir’ auruv ruv Siifon/ ’A gyEviov; xa) 'Aqay- 
 yalous xateTirSat. (Strabo i. 2, vol. i. 65, ed. Tauchn.) But 
 the Aramasns or Syrians are quite a different people from 
 the Armenians, and Strabo is quite wrong when he 
 thinks that both names are commonly used to designate 
 one and the same nation. There is a fabulous story of 
 a certain Er, the son of a certain Armenios, a Pam- 
 phylian by birth (Plato de Rep. x), but such stories 
 are of no value in sober history. 
 
 Note (15), page 27. 
 
 This story is told with more details by some con- 
 temporary chroniclers. Cakig reigned or rather had the 
 
70 
 
 NOTE S. 
 
 name of a king from 1042- 1079, and he is the last of 
 the Bakratounian kings, a family which began its reign 
 under the supremacy of the Arabs in the year 859 of 
 our era. As regards the geography, the reader may com- 
 pare the Memoires sur l’Armenie, by Saint-Martin. 
 
 Note (16), page 27. 
 
 Armenia remained from the time of the Parthians a 
 feudal monarchy, and for this reason I use the expressions 
 of the feudal governments in the middle ages. 
 
 Note (17a), page 27. 
 
 Dionysius, in his description of the earth, says (v. 642) 
 that the mountain is called Taurus : ouvsna rav^o/pavcs 
 te xai 6%uKuqnvov odevti ougttnv IxTaoioKU 7ro\uax^U^a na) 
 £v9a ； perhaps more poetical than true. “ The road 
 lies over the highest ridges of the Taurus mountains, 
 where, amidst the forests of pines, are several beautiful 
 valleys and small plains ; there appears, however, no 
 trace of cultivation, though there is ample proof that 
 these mountains were anciently well inhabited, as we 
 meet with scarcely a rock remarkable for its form or 
 position that is not pierced with ancient catacombs.” 
 (Col. Leake’s Asia Minor in Walpole’s Travels, i. 235.) 
 
 Note (17b), page 28. 
 
 This is the proper name for the possessions of Rou- 
 ben ; the Armenians begin generally the line of the 
 kings of Cilicia with the flight of Rouben in 1080. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 71 
 
 Note (18), page 28. 
 
 That is to say, as far as the gulph of Issus or Scan- 
 derum. Cilicia and the sea-shore was also in former 
 times once in the possession of the kings of Armenia, — 
 “ the country on the other side of the Taurus, 1 ’ as the 
 ancients used to say. Strabo says, from the Armenians 
 (xiv. 5 ,vol. iii. 321. ed. Tauchn.) that they, t yiv ekto; toS 
 Tuu^ou 7r^ 〇 jE\a0ov x«'< Փօա#>յք. Plutarch says, that 
 Tigranes “ had colonized Mesopotamia with Greeks, 
 whom he drew in great numbers out of Cilicia and 
 Cappadocia.” — (Plutarch in Lucullo.) 
 
 Note (19), page 28. 
 
 Constantine sent many provisions to the Franks, when 
 they were besieging Antioch. The Armenians were 
 happy to get such powerful allies against their enemies, 
 the Greeks. Alexius could not be very well pleased 
 with the creation of an Armenian Margrave by the 
 Latins, of whom he extorted “ an oath of homage 
 and fidelity, and a solemn promise that they would 
 either restore, or hold the Asiatic conquests, as the 
 humble and loyal vassals of the Homan empire.” — 
 (Gibbon, iv., 131. London, 1826, published by Jones.) 
 The Armenians translate Margrave by Ashed, that is, 
 Chief of the cavalry. 
 
 Note (20), page 29- 
 
 It is not easy to see what connexion there is between 
 the resurrection of a hen, or a duck, with the death of 
 
72 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 a king. What were the principles of divination of these 
 wise men, of whom Vahram speaks ? 
 
 Note (21), page 29- 
 
 The name of this fort is written differently by different 
 authors ; I could not consult the great geographical 
 works of Indjidjean. 
 
 Note (22), page 30. 
 
 1 think that Trassarg and Trassag * is the same word ; 
 the names of places seem to be very corrupted in the 
 Madras edition of Vahram’ s Chronicle. Chamchean 
 says the king was buried in the monastery Trassarg, 
 which is very probable ; but how could he say Thoros 
 left no son ? In these monasteries the Armenian lite- 
 rature and sciences in general were very much studied in 
 the course of the eleventh and twelfth centuries ; some 
 of the greatest Armenian authors flourished in the time 
 of the Crusades. In their libraries were collections of 
 the old classics, with many translations of the Greek 
 authors ; “ e da quest’ opere,” says the Archbishop So- 
 mal, “ attinsero gli scrittori del corrente secolo (the 
 12th), quello precisione cfidee, quella nobilita di con- 
 cetti, quella purezza di stile, per cui si rendettero vera_ 
 mente gloriosi.” Quadro 80. Foreigners are at a loss 
 to find all these good qualities in the Armenian au- 
 thors of the twelfth century. 
 
N O T F. S. 
 
 73 
 
 Note (23), page 30. 
 
 With what caution the secretary of Leon III. relates 
 the treachery of Leon I. We see by this passage that 
 Chamchean is in the wrong in saying that Thoros left no 
 son. (Epitome of the great history of Armenia, printed 
 in Amenian, at Venice in the year 1811, p. 300.) 
 
 Note (24), page 30. 
 
 Is not Mamestia the ancient Hamaxia P “ E<9 *A /xa%ta 
 stt) @omol/ xaroixla ti;,” says Strabo, u<p 〇 f/j.ov £%ov։r«, onov 
 KZTaysTai i vavwyiai/xo; (vol. iii. 221 ed. Tauehn.) It 
 is certainly the Malmestra of the Latins and Byzan- 
 tines. This town is called Mesuestra, Masifa, and by 
 other names. (Wesseling Itner, p. 580. See a note 
 of Gibbon at the end of the 52d chapter.) Tarsus 
 is very well known as the principal town of Cilicia, 
 as the native place of many celebrated men, as the stoic 
 Chrysippus, and of the Apostle Paul. The following 
 passage of Xenophon’s Expedition of Cyrus illustrates 
 very well the province and the whole history of the 
 Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. “ Thence they pre- 
 pared to penetrate into Cilicia; the entrance v r as just 
 broad enough for a chariot to pass, very steep, and in- 
 accessible to an army, if there had been any opposition 
 
 From thence they descended into a large 
 
 and beautiful plain, well watered and full of all sorts 
 of trees and vines ; abounding in seasame, panic, millet, 
 
 K 
 
74 
 
 n o r k s. 
 
 wheat and barley ; and is surrounded with a strong and 
 high ridge of hills from sea to sea. After he had left 
 the mountains he advanced through the plain, and 
 having made twentv-five parasangas in four days’ march, 
 arrived at Tarsus, 11 etc. (See Spelman’s notes to his 
 translation of the Expedition of Cyrus.) Tarsus has now 
 only, as it is said, 3,000 inhabitants. 
 
 Note (25), page 30. 
 
 The Armenian phrase has this double signification, 
 and Leon indeed carried on a war against the Seldjuks 
 and the Count of Antioch, who sought to deprive him 
 by treachery of all his possessions. Baldwin was not 
 ashamed of doing any thing to enlarge his dominions. 
 I know not why Vahram speaks not a word about these 
 matters. (See Chamchean, 1. c. p. 301.) 
 
 Note (26), page 30. 
 
 The old fabulous hero of Armenia, spoken of by 
 Moses of Ivhorene. 
 
 Note(27), page 31. 
 
 Gibbon, iii. 341. 
 
 Note (28), page 31. 
 
 Joscelin I., Count of Edessa. (See the Digression on 
 the Family of Courtnay. — Gibbon, iv. 224.) Why does 
 
NOTE S. 
 
 75 
 
 not Vahram, where he speaks of the four sons of Leon, 
 name this Stephanus, who lived in Edessa with his uncle ? 
 It seems that there is a corruption in the text. Should 
 the name of Stephanus be hidden under Stephane, the 
 crown of Thoros, or which is more probable, is a line 
 fallen out of our text ? It would be necessary to compare 
 some manuscripts to restore the original text. Thoros 
 never received the kingly crown ; he was only Baron of 
 Cilicia : Stephane seems, therefore, nothing else than 
 Stephanus. 
 
 Note (29), page 32. 
 
 This agrees with all that we know about the cha- 
 racter of Calo-Johanes. “ Severe to himself, indulgent 
 to others, chaste, frugal, abstemious, the philosophic 
 Marcus would not have disdained the artless virtues of 
 his successoi՛, derived from his heart, and not borrowed 
 from the schools.” — (Gibbon.) 
 
 Note (30), page 32. 
 
 I am not able to look into the Byzantine version of 
 this fact. Calo-Johanes was not the man to be easily 
 deceived, and to persecute innocent persons ; we know, 
 on the contrary, that he pardoned many people impli- 
 cated in high treason. Calo-J ohanes, as Camchean says 
 (1. c. 304), suspected also Leon and his other son Thoros, 
 and they wei’e again sent to prison. 
 
7<i 
 
 N O T K S. 
 
 Note (31), page 34. 
 
 Our author has here the word Tadjik , a name by 
 which he and the other Armenian historians of the 
 middle ages promiscuously call the native Persians, the 
 Gasnevides and the other Turks. The origin and the 
 proper meaning of this word will perhaps never be ascer- 
 tained ; it has something of the vagueness of the ancient 
 denomination of Scythia and Scythians. It is certain that, 
 in the works which go under the name of Zoroaster, and 
 in the Desatir, the Arabs are called Taxi, and it is like- 
 wise certrin that the language of this people, which is 
 now called Tadjik, is pure Persian ; the Bochars are, 
 in their own country, called Tadjiks. How and why 
 the ancient Persian name of the Arabs should be given 
 to the Persians themselves it is impossible to conceive. 
 Elphinstone (Account of the Kingdom of Cabul, London 
 1819, vol. i. 492) thinks that the Arabs and Persians 
 were, in the course of time, blended together into one 
 nation, and became the ancestors of the Tadjiks; but 
 why should Armenians, Arabs, Turks and Afghauns, 
 call those mestizes with a name of the Pehlvi language, 
 which means originally an Arab Pit seems rather that 
 Taxi and Tadjik are two different words ; Taxi is the 
 Persian name for Arab, and Tadjik the name of a parti- 
 cular race of people, of whom the Persians are only a 
 tribe. I do not know on what authority Meninski (see 
 Klaproth’s Asia, Polygl. 243) relies, but it is certain 
 
NOTE S. 
 
 77 
 
 that the Chinese distinguish between the Ta she (Arabs) 
 and the Ta yue (the Tadjiks), of whom, as they say, the 
 Po she (Persians) are only a tribe. The Chinese had 
 no communication with the Arabs before Mahomed, but 
 they heard of them by their intercourse with the Sas- 
 sanides, and call them, therefore by the Persian name 
 Ta she (9685, 9247), but the Po se (8605, 9669) are only, 
 as they say, a tribe like some other tribes, who formed 
 particular kingdoms of the Ta yue (9685, 12490), or 
 Tadjiks. They have received the name Po sse from 
 their first king, Po sse na ； but the Chinese had no 
 direct communication with Persia before Kobad or 
 Cabades, Kiu ho to (6063, 3984, 10260), as they spell the 
 name, in their imperfect idiom, who became known to them 
 by his flight and misfortunes. (See Matuanlin, 1. c. Book 
 338, p. i, and following ; Book 339, p. 6 a., p. 8 a., and 
 the history of the Ta she or Arabs, p. 18, b. 1. c.) But 
 I am in doubt of Matuanlin, who makes the Masdeizans, 
 followers of Buddha; he calls the Ateshgahs Fo sse 
 (2539, 9659), Temples of Buddha, (1. c. p. 6, b. 1. 5.) The 
 popular pronunciation of Ta yue is, in many Chinese 
 dialects, Tai yuet. I myself have often heard these cha- 
 racters so pronounced in Canton, and it was then as 
 nearly as possible the ancient name of the Germans, 
 Teut, the brethren of the Persians : the Chinese know 
 also that the Ye ta (12001, 9700), Getae, Gothi, 
 belong to the race of the Tayuet (Matuanlin, Book 338, 
 
78 
 
 N C) T E S. 
 
 P-11), &c. But what sober historian would draw con- 
 clusions from a similarity of names P Perhaps a close 
 inquiry may carry us to some leading facts, by which 
 we may be able to connect the information of the east 
 and the west. It would certainly be strange to begin 
 the history of the Germans with the extracts taken out 
 of the Han and Tang shoo. When I say the history of 
 the Germans, I mean the history of those remains of the 
 Teuts who remained in Asia, for Gennany was cer- 
 tainly peopled long before the Chinese got any informa- 
 tion of the Ta yue. These races became only known in 
 China under the great dynasty of Han. A keen etymo- 
 logist may, perhaps, find the modem Tadjiks in the 
 ancient Daai or Daae ; he may suppose that the Persians, 
 like the Parthians, were only a branch of the Scythians 
 or Tatars, and with confidence adduce a passage of 
 Strabo, where it is said that the greater part of the 
 Scythians are known by the name of Daai, Oi /x.ev 3»։ 
 wxe/oi/f twv iSxvSwv A «a։ Tr^oaayo^tuovrui. (Strabo, Geogr. 
 xi. 8, vol. ii. 480, ed. Tauclm.) I will only add, that 
 the same Strabo thinks, that the Daci (Aaxoi) may in 
 former times have been called Dai (Aaoi), but he dis- 
 tinguishes them from the Daae (A««i). (Vol, ii. 36.) 
 
 Note (32), page 34. 
 
 Only the wounded pride of an Armenian could 
 say this. 
 
Is () T K S. 
 
 T9 
 
 Note (33), page 34. 
 
 Have any of our modern travellers seen this monu- 
 ment ? Claudian, the famous Latin poet, had composed 
 in Greek the Antiquity of Tarsus, Anazarbus, Berytus, 
 Nice, &e. Abul Fazel (Ayeen Akbery, ii. 348) places 
 Tarsus long. 68° 40', lat. 36° 5Ծ. (See Note 24.) 
 
 Note (34), page 35. 
 
 The Armenians did so in imitation of the neighbouring 
 Franks; they took many customs from the Crusaders, 
 and corrupted their language by tbe introduction of many 
 foreign words. 
 
 Note (35), page 35. 
 
 Is this surname of Manue! found in the Byzantine 
 writers P 
 
 Note (36), page 36. 
 
 Vahrani is in the wrong ; Andronicus, not Manuel 
 himself was at the head of the army. (Chamchean, 306 ; 
 Gibbon, iii. 344.) Thoros was on such rocks, as Xeno- 
 phon in the Anabasis, speaking of the rocks of Cilicia, 
 calls 7T6T faj wXi&rroj/y, “ rocks inaccessible to every thing 
 but to the rays of the sun." Homer makes often use of 
 this expression. 
 
 Note (37), page 36. 
 
 This is a very obscure passage in the original. Vahram 
 is no friend of details, and he is every moment in need 
 of a rhyme for eal ; who can wonder, therefore, that he is 
 
80 
 
 N O T E S. 
 
 sometimes obscure ? This passage is only clear, upon the 
 supposition that Thoros divided the ransom among his 
 soldiers. This is also stated by Chamchean. 
 
 See Note 28. 
 
 Note (38), page 37. 
 
 I do not know why Vahram calls Thoros all on a 
 sudden Arkay, “ king how the royal secretary exerts 
 himself to draw a veil over the treachery of Thoros ! 
 
 Note (39), page 38. 
 
 Oscin is the father of a celebrated author and priest, 
 Nerses Lampronensis, so called from the town or fort 
 Lampron ; he was born 1153, and died 1198. In the 
 concilium of Romcla 1179, Nerses spoke for the union 
 with the Latin church, and the speech he made on this 
 occasion is very much praised by the Armenians be- 
 longing to the Roman Catholic Church. This speech 
 has been planted at Venice with an Italian translation, 
 1812. (Quadro 94 ) Galanus, as the reader may easily 
 imagine, speaks in very high terms of Nerses (i. 325) : 
 “ Cujus egregia virtus,” says he, “ digna plane est, ut 
 acterna laude illustretur, nomenque ad ultimas terrarum 
 partes immortali fama pervehatur.՜” For us his most 
 interesting work is an elegy on the death of his parent, 
 master, and friend, Nerses Shnorhaly ; he gives a bio- 
 graphy of this celebrated Catholicus, with many par- 
 ticulars of the history of the time. Nerses Shnorhaly 
 
NOTES. 
 
 81 
 
 was not only an author and a saint, but also a great 
 statesman. 
 
 Note (40), page 38. 
 
 In the whole course of history the Armenian nobles 
 shew a great party feeling and much selfishness. They 
 were never united for the independence of their country ; 
 if one part was on the side of the Persians or Turks, 
 we shall certainly find another on the side of the 
 Greeks or Franks; and the native Armenian kings had 
 more to fear from their internal, than from their external 
 enemies. 
 
 Note (41), page 38. 
 
 The history of the foundation of the Armenian king- 
 dom in Cilicia is very like the history of the rebellious 
 Isaurians, “ who disdained to be the subjects of Ga- 
 lienus.” Thoros possessed a part of this savage coun- 
 try ; and we may say of him, what Gibbon said of the 
 Isaurians : “ The most successful princes respected the 
 strength of the mountains and the despair of the na- 
 tives.” (Gibbon, iii. 51.) 
 
 Note (42), page 38. 
 
 Iconium is mentioned as a station by Xenophon 
 and Strabo ; Cyrus staid three days in “ this last city of 
 Phrygia.” St. Paul found there many Jews and Gen- 
 tiles ; and it is said that even now, in its decayed state, 
 Conia or Iconium has 30,000 inhabitants. This town 
 is above 300 miles from Constantinople. (Gibbon, iv. 
 
 ւ 
 
NOTES. 
 
 82 
 
 152.) The chronology of the Seljuks of Iconium inay 
 be seen in the Histoire des Huns, par Deguignes. 
 Kuniyah Ljy is laid down by Abul Fazel (Ayeen 
 Akbery, ii. 359), long. 66. 30., and lat. 41. 40. A 
 description of the modern Konia may be seen in Col. 
 Leake’s Asia Minor, 1. c. 223. 
 
 Note (43), page 40. 
 
 I find him not mentioned as an author in the “ Quadro 
 della storia letteraria di Armenia.” It seems that his 
 explanations of the prophets are now lost. If the reader 
 will compare the elogy of Thoros with the facts in 
 Vahram’s own chronicle, he will easily find that adula- 
 tion, and not truth, dictated it. 
 
 Note (44), page 40. 
 
 Seav or Sev-learn, Black-mountain (Karadagh). 
 Here was a famous monastery. Carmania is the place 
 which formerly was called Laranda, and this name is still, 
 as Col. Leake remarks, in common use among the Chris- 
 tians, and is even retained in the firmans of the Porte. 
 Caraman derives its name from the first and greatest 
 of its princes, who made himself master of Iconium, 
 Cilicia, etc. (Col. Leake’s Asia Minor, 1. c. p. 232.) 
 
 Note (45), page 40. 
 
 An allusion to Ierem, i. 13. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 83 
 
 Note (46), page 40. 
 
 It is known that the feudal laws and institutions have 
 been introduced into the possessions of the Franks in 
 Asia. Baillis , or Baillie, written Bail in the Arme- 
 nian language, means a judge, and the word is com- 
 monly found in this signification in the chronicles and 
 histories of the middle ages. The Baillis possessed 
 powers somewhat similar to those of the ancient Co- 
 mites. We see here and in other instances, that the 
 Baillis are older than the end of the twelfth and the 
 beginning of the thirteenth century. At this time 
 they began in France. (Robertson, note 23, to his 
 View of the State of Europe before the History of the 
 reign of the Emperor Charles V.) 
 
 Note (47), page 41. 
 
 It is very probable that the murderer Andronicus and 
 Meleh were acquainted with each other ; their history 
 and their crimes are something similar. 
 
 Note (48), page 43. 
 
 Roustam was a Svdtan of Iconium. (See the Chro- 
 nology of these Sultans in Deguigne’s Histoire des 
 Huns.) 
 
 Note (49a), page 43. 
 
 In the times of the Crusades, wonders and witchcraft 
 or enchantment were daily occurrences ; the Christians 
 imputed all their defeats to diabolical opposition, and 
 
84 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 their success to the assistance of the military saints. 
 Tasso’s celebrated poem gives a true, picture of the 
 spirit of the times. 
 
 Note (49b), page 43. 
 
 Here the author uses again Tadjik as the name of a 
 particular people : but accuracy, I fear, is not the 
 virtue of Vahram ; he calls the Turks of Iconium, the 
 sons of Ismael or Hagar, i.e. Arabs. 
 
 Note (50), page 43. 
 
 Our author says not in what province these towns lav- 
 Chamchean, being able to consult other native historians, 
 informs us that Leon nearly took Caesarea in Palestine. 
 — Heraclea was perhaps also the town of this name in 
 Palestine ; it was a small town near Laodicaea in the 
 time of Strabo. TjT A adfrauta 7tMaiaZ,ti Troxlxvia, to , te 
 noast&ov uai 'Hfaxteiov . — Strabo iii. 361, ed. Tauchn. 
 
 Note (51), page 43. 
 
 The old Samaria, called Caesarea by Herodes, jjy 
 Hc^agrjv im m/j.a<rev, Strabo iii. 372. See the des- 
 cription of this famous place in Carl Ritler’s Erdkunde 
 ii. 393. Chamchean, 315.Abul Eazel (Ayeen Akbery, 
 ii. 337.) places it long. 66. 30. lat. 32. 50. 
 
 Note (52), page 44. 
 
 This memorable transaction is fully described in the 
 great History of Armenia by Chamchean, and in the 
 
NOT E S. 
 
 85 
 
 work of Galanus, vol. i. p. 346 and following. Many 
 letters of Leon and the Catholicos exist now only in the 
 Latin translations (Quadro 1. c. 99.), or better have not 
 been heard of by the Mechitarists at Venice. Frederic 
 I., to whom Leon was very useful in the time of the 
 second crusade, promised the Baron of Cilicia to restore 
 in his person the ancient kingdom of Armenia. After 
 the unfortunate death of the emperor, Leon sent ambas- 
 sadors to the Pope Celestinus III. and Henricus VI., 
 to gratify his wishes ; the ambassadors came back to 
 Cilicia in the society of the archbishop Conrad of Mentz, 
 bringing the crown from the emperor and the benediction 
 of the pope. The Emperor of Constantinople, Alexius, 
 sent also a crown to Leon “ the Great.” The king of 
 Cilicia is, as far as I know, the only, king who received 
 the crown by both the emperors of the west and the 
 east, and by the consent of the pope. The pope hoped 
 to bring the Armenians under his sway, and the Latins 
 and the Greeks thought Leon a very useful ally against 
 the overpowering Saladin. — See the Letters in the Ap- 
 pendix. 
 
 Note (53), page 44. 
 
 Catholicos of Armenia is the title of the Arme- 
 nian patriarch. Gregorius VI., called Abirad, was 
 Catholicos at this time ; he was elected in the year 1195, 
 and died 1203. The Latins had a very high opinion of 
 the power of an Armenian patriarch. Wilhelm of 
 
8G 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Tyrus, speaking (De Bello Sacro, xvi. 18.) of the synod 
 of Jerusalem in the year 1141, has the following words : 
 “ Cui synodo interfuit maximus Armeniorum pontifex, 
 immo omnium episcoporum Cappadociae, Mediae et Per- 
 sidis et utriusque Armeniae prineips et doctor eximius 
 qui Catholicus dicitur.” Wilhelm might add, “ et 
 Indiae,” for I think that the Armenians, like the Syrians, 
 formed as early as the sixth century of our era, settle- 
 ments in this part of the world. It is certain that Ar- 
 menians were in India as early as the year 800. ( De 
 
 Faria , in the Collection of Voyages and Travels, by 
 Kerr, Edinburgh 1812, vol. vi. p. 419) 
 
 Note (54), page 44. 
 
 The Armenians consider themselves the descendants 
 of Thorgoma (a name differently spelt in the different 
 manuscripts and translations of Genesis x. 3.) the son of 
 Japet. 
 
 Note (55), page 44. 
 
 Vahram is too concise ; he never gives the reasons of 
 occurrences. I see, in Chamchean, that Leon married, 
 after the death of his first wife, a daughter of Guido, 
 king of Cyprus, bv whom he had a daughter, called 
 Sabel or Elizabeth, his only child and heiress of the 
 kingdom. The Sultan of Ionium did not like these 
 intimate connexions of the Armenians with the Latins ; 
 he feared some coalition against himself, and he thought 
 it proper to be beforehand with the enemy. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 87 
 
 Note (56), page 45. 
 
 We have in the text again Bail or Bailly. I could 
 not translate the word otherwise than Regent : this is 
 certainly the sense in which Vahram uses this ex- 
 pression. 
 
 Note (57), page 46. 
 
 The name of this first husband of Isabella was Phi- 
 lippus, the son of the Prince of Antioch and the niece of 
 Leon. Philippus died very soon, and Isabella, as our 
 author says himself, married, 1223, the son of the 
 regent Constantine, Hethum or Haithon. 
 
 Note (58), page 46. 
 
 This Rouben was of the royal family. — Chamchean, 
 326. 
 
 Note (59), page 46. 
 
 It would carry us too far if we were to attempt to 
 elucidate the ecclesiastical history of these times, for 
 there were many synods and many negotiations between 
 the Armenian clergy and the Greek and Latin church, 
 concerning the union. Pope Innocent III. showed also 
 at this opportunity his well-known activity. There exist 
 many letters from the Catholici and the Armenian kings 
 to different popes and emperors, with their answers, 
 — ample matter for a diligent historian. The first 
 Gregorius after Nerses is Gregorius IV. from 1173 — 
 1193. Gregorius V. from 1193 — 1195. Gregorius VI. 
 from 1195—1202. John VII. from 1202—1203. 
 
88 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 David III. from 1203 — 1205, and then again John VII. 
 1205 — 1220. Constantine I. from 1220 — 1268. There 
 were yet two anti-Catholici, elected by a dissentient 
 party, who are not mentioned by Vahram. 
 
 Note (60), page 47. 
 
 The good Vahram seems to have forgotten what he 
 said a short time before. I do not know by what gene- 
 alogy Chamchean could be induced to say that Hethum 
 is an offspring of Haig and the Parthian kings. 
 
 Note (61), page 48. 
 
 The flattery of Vahram increases as he comes nearer 
 to his own time. I have sometimes taken the liberty to 
 contract a little these eulogies ; the reader will certainly 
 be thankful for it. 
 
 Note (62), page 48. 
 
 In the battle against the Mameluks of Egypt in the 
 year 1266. 
 
 Note (63), page 48. 
 
 The Moguls are a branch, a tribe, or a clan of the 
 Tatars ; so say all well-informed contemporary historians 
 and chroniclers; so say in particular the Chinese, who 
 are the only sources for the early history of the Turks, 
 the Moguls, and Tunguses ; nations which, in general, 
 from ignorance or levity, have been called Tatars — the 
 Moguls only are Tatars. The Armenians write the 
 name Muchal ； in our text of Vahram, Muchan has been 
 printed by mistake. That this people was called so 
 
NOTE S. 
 
 89 
 
 from their country is quite new ; and if this were the 
 case, it would be still a question why the territory Avas 
 called Mogul. There are sometimes such Avhimsical 
 reasons for the names of places and nations, as to defy 
 the strictest research and the greatest curiosity. The 
 name of Mogul seems not to be older than Tshinggis, 
 and Mr. Schmidt in St Petersburgh, derives the word 
 from a Mongolian word, Avhich means keen, daring , 
 valiant. The ancient name of the Moguls, as it is 
 given by the native historian Satzan, is, I am afraid, 
 only a mistake of this ignorant chieftain. His Avhole 
 history of the Moguls is only a very inaccurate compila- 
 tion from Chinese authors, and the unlettered Mogul 
 may have taken the appellative expression pih teili 
 8539, 10162, or pih too 10313, 8539, “ northern bar- 
 barians” or “ northern country,” for the proper name 
 of his forefathers. Long before the Moguls, the Chinese 
 became acquainted with some barbarous tribes called by 
 different names, and also Mo ho; but the Chinese 
 authors, Avho are so accurate in giving the different 
 names of one and the same people, never say that the 
 Mung koo, who are also written Avith quite different 
 characters, are called Mo ho, or vice versa. These Mo 
 ho are described as quite a distinct people, Avitli a 
 particular language, divided into different clans or king- 
 doms. There is an interesting description of this people 
 under the name of Wuh keih 14803, 5918, in the 
 
 M 
 
90 
 
 NOTE S. 
 
 Encyclopaedia of Matuanlin, Book 326, p. 146. The 
 same author says, in the sequel of his great work, that 
 the Ivitans have nearly the same customs (suh 9545) 
 as the Mo ho, but he does not say that they are of 
 the same race of people. — Matuanlin, Book 345, in the 
 beginning^. The different names of the Mo ho are also 
 collected in Kanghi’s Dictionary under ho, a character 
 not to be found in Morrison’s Tonical Dictionary ; it is 
 composed out of the rad. 177, and the sound giving 
 group ho, 4019, and there also exists no passage saying 
 Mo ho and Mung koo are one and the same people. 
 
 Note (64), page 49. 
 
 Vahram speaks of the four sons of Tshinggis. The 
 army of the Moguls and of Timur (see his Institutes, 
 p. 229 foil.) was divided into divisions of 10, 100, 1000, 
 &c. The ten followers were the ten first officers or 
 “ Comites,” as Tacitus calls the compeers of the Ger- 
 man princes. Similar customs are always found in a 
 similar state of society. 
 
 Note (65), page 49- 
 
 Vahram confounds probably the first election of the 
 Emperor Cublai, with the election of his follower Man- 
 gou, to whose residence at Caracorum the King of 
 Cilicia, Hethum, went as a petitioner. Vahram knows 
 that the title of the head of the Mogolian confederacy is 
 
NOTES. 
 
 91 
 
 Teen tze, 10095, 11233, “ the son of Heaven.” The 
 Mongolian emperors have only been called so, after the 
 conquest of China by Cublai. Teen tse is the common 
 title of the Emperor of the “ Flowery empire.” Accord- 
 ing to other accounts, Tshinggis called himself already 
 “ Son of Heaven.” 
 
 Note (66), page 49- 
 
 To Mangou khan ; we know this by other contem- 
 porary historians. There exist some Armenian histo- 
 rians in the 13th century, who contain a good deal of 
 information regarding the Moguls. One is printed in 
 the Memoires sur FArmenie, by Saint-Martin. See 
 Quardo della Storia, &c. p. 112, and following. 
 
 Note (67), page 49. 
 
 Is this treaty to be any where found ? It would cer- 
 tainly be very interesting. Vahram has the word kir, 
 by which it is certain that Hethum I. returned with a 
 written treaty, which very probably was written in the 
 Mogulian language, and with the Mogulian characters. 
 
 Note (68), page 49- 
 
 Vahram has again the unsettled and vague name of 
 Tadjik. 
 
 Note (69), page 49. 
 
 Vahram died before the beginning of the glory of 
 Othman, and of the increasing power of his descendants ; 
 he speaks of the fading state of the Seljuksof Iconium. 
 
92 
 
 NOTE S. 
 
 Note (70), page 50. 
 
 I have taken the liberty to shorten a little the pious 
 meditations of our author : he would have done better 
 to give us some details regarding the interesting transac- 
 tions with the Moguls. 
 
 Note (71), page 50. 
 
 Sem, the son of Noe, — our author means Palastine 
 and Syria. The Mamalukes of Egypt remained in pos- 
 session of Sham, or Syria, till the conquest of Timur, 
 1400 of our era. He mentions in his Institutes, p. 148, 
 the Defeat of the Badishah of Miser and Sham .(*,• 
 
 After the retreat of Timur, the Mamalukes again took 
 possession of the country, and held it till the conquest of 
 the Othomans. “ Egypt was lost,” says Gibbon, “ had 
 she been defended only by her feeble offspring ; but the 
 Mamalukes had breathed in their infancy the keenness 
 of the Scythian air; equal in valour, superior in disci- 
 pline, they met the Moguls in many a well-fought field, 
 and drove back the stream of hostility to the eastward of 
 the Euphrates.” — Gibbon iv. 270. See also p. 175, 261. 
 It is known that “ this government of the slaves” lasted 
 by treaty under the descendents of Selim, and was only 
 destroyed in our times by a signal act of treachery of 
 Mehmed, Pasha of Egypt. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 93 
 
 Note (72), page 50. 
 
 4 Antioch was finally occupied and ruined by Bon- 
 docdar, or Bibars, Sultan of Egypt and Syria.’ 1 — Gibbon 
 iv. 175. Antioch never rose again after this destruc- 
 tion ; it is now in a very decayed state, and has only 
 about 10,000 inhabitants. The Turks pronounce the 
 name Antakie. 
 
 Note (73), page 50. 
 
 Confiding in his Mogulian allies, or masters, Hethum 
 took many places, which formerly paid tribute to the 
 Mamaluke sovereigns ; they asked of him, therefore, 
 either to restore them their former possessions, or to pay 
 tribute. — Chamchean, 339- 
 
 Note (74), page 50. 
 
 This is certainly very remarkable. It had never 
 happened before in the history of the world, and will 
 perl laps, never happen in future times, that the kings of 
 Georgia and Armenia, the Sultans of Iconium, the Emirs 
 of Persia, the ambassadors of France, of Ilussia, of 
 Thibet, Pegu, and Tonquin, met together in a place 
 about nine thousand miles to the north-west of Pekin, 
 and that life and death of the most part of these nations 
 depended on the frown or smile of a great khan. M. 
 Item u sat has written a very learned and ingenious dis- 
 sertation on the situation of Caracorum. — Abul Fazel 
 (Ayeen Akbery ii. 336, London edition, 1800), lays 
 
91 
 
 NOTE S. 
 
 down րյյտ\յՅ, Caracurem, long. 111. 0. lat. 41. 45. All 
 
 the residences of the khan were distinguished by the 
 general name of Khanbaligh (town or residence of the 
 khan), and this has led astray many historians and 
 geographers. 
 
 Note (75), page 52 
 
 Jacobus I. died 1268, and is considered a very great 
 man by tbe Armenians ; they call him the Sage and the 
 Doctor. Jacobus has written some ecclesiastical tracts, 
 and a very fine song on the nativity of the Virgin Mary, 
 which is printed in the Psalm-book of the Armenian 
 church. 
 
 Note (76), page 53. 
 
 This seems to be the Greek word /xana^ioi, “ beatus,” 
 “ blessed, 11 &c. 
 
 Note (77), page 54. 
 
 Nobody receives the degree of a Vartabed without 
 having previously undergone a strict examination : it is 
 something like the doctor of philosophy of the German 
 universities; but a Vartabed, that is to say a teacher, is 
 rather more esteemed in Armenia than a doctor of phi- 
 losophy in Germany. The Vartabed receives at his in- 
 auguration a staff, denoting the power to teach, reprove, 
 and exhort in every place with all authority. (See the 
 Biography of Gregory Wartahed , as the word is spelt 
 there, in the Missionary Hei'ald, vol. xxiv. 140.) It is 
 
NOTES. 
 
 95 
 
 very probable that this institution came in the fifth cen- 
 tury of our era from the philosophic schools in Athens 
 to Armenia ; nearly all the classical writers of this age 
 went to Athens for their improvement. 
 
 Note (78), page 54. 
 
 Leon III. gave orders to make new copies of all the 
 works of the former classical writers of the nation; in 
 our eyes, his greatest praise. 
 
 Note (79), page 55. 
 
 The King’s secretary cannot find words enough to 
 praise his master ; in his zeal, he accumulates words 
 upon words which signify the same : I have passed 
 over some of these repetitions. Vahram, without being 
 aware of it, describes his master more as a pious monk 
 than as a prudent king. Why does the Secretary of 
 State not give any reason for the rebellious designs of 
 the Armenian chieftains ? 
 
 Note (80), page 55. 
 
 From the time of Herodotus and Zoroaster to this 
 day, the Turcomans carried on their nomadical life, and 
 as it seems, without much change in their manners and 
 customs. The text of Herodotus and Polybius may be 
 explained by the embassies of Muravie and Meyendorn 
 to Khiva and Buehara. Many of these Turcoman 
 shepherds were driven to Asia Minor by the destruction 
 
96 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 of the Charizmian empire by the Moguls ; the inroads 
 and devastations of the Charizmian shepherds have been 
 described by many contemporary authors, and the Cru- 
 saders experienced a great defeat from these savages. 
 
 Note (81), page 57. 
 
 The Egyptians having retired, Leon went against 
 their allies one by one. 
 
 Note (82), page 58. 
 
 The successor of Hulagou, khan of Persia. 
 
 Note (83), page 58. 
 
 Here Vahram calls even the Moguls Tadjiks, — is it 
 because they governed Persia ? 
 
 Note (84), page 58. 
 
 Vahram calls here the territory of the Seljuks of 
 Iconium Turkestan. As regards the etymology of the 
 word, he is quite in the right ; but what we are accus- 
 tomed to call Turkestan , is a country rather more to the 
 north-east. 
 
 Note (85), page 59. 
 
 Here ends the Chronicle ; but Vahram adds some re 
 flections which I thought proper to subjoin, and only to 
 pass over his so often repeated pious sentiments. 
 
 Note (86), page 60. 
 
 The monk Vahram is not tired of repeating the same 
 thought in twenty different ways, but I was tired of 
 
N Ո T E S. 
 
 <•>7 
 
 translating these repeated variations of the same theme, 
 and the reader would probably have been tired in reading 
 them. Why should we waste our time in translating 
 and reading sermons, from which nothing else could be 
 learned, than that the author said what had been said 
 long before him, in a better style. Why should we think 
 it worth our while to study the groundless reasoning of 
 a mind clouded by superstition ? 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 ‘ 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A P P E N D I X. 
 
 Letters between Pope Innocent III. and Leon the First 
 Armenian King of Cilicia. 
 
 During the middle ages, the clergy governed the 
 world, and the Pope, as the head of the clergy, was also 
 the head of what then was called the Christian Republic. 
 All transactions of any note are therefore contained, or 
 at least spoken of, in the vast collections of letters or 
 Regesta of the followers of St. Peter. To be united with 
 the Roman Catholic Church was, in fact, (particularly 
 during the Crusades,) the same as acknowledging the 
 Pope as the supreme umpire, not only in the spiritual 
 but also in the civil government of the country ; this is 
 clearly to be seen in the following letters. If the Popes 
 could not speak to every king as they did to the impo- 
 tent sovereign of Cilicia, it was certainly not their fault. 
 The following letters exist only, as far as I know, in the 
 Latin tongue, and are taken from the Regesta Innoc. 
 III., lib. ii ., pp. 208, 209, 247, 44. I give the text of 
 these letters according to Galanus, who accompanied 
 
100 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 them with a translation into the Armenian language. 
 (Conciliat. Eccles. Arm. cum Romana. Romae, 1650; 
 vol. i., p. 357). 
 
 Leo Armeniae Rex, Reverendissimo in Christo Patri 
 et Domino, Innocentio, Dei gratia Srtnnno Pont, et 
 universali l’apae, tanto, ac tali honore Dignissimo. 
 
 De suo erga reram Religionem, et Sedem Aposto- 
 licam amove ； et quod petat auocilium contra Sar- 
 racenos. 
 
 Leo per eandem, et Romani Imperii gratiam Rex 
 omnium Armeniorum, cum salutatione seipsum, et quic- 
 quid potest. Gloria, laus, et honor omnipotenti Deo, 
 qui Vos tantum, et talem pastorem Ecclesiae suae prae- 
 esse voluit, vestris bonis mentis exigentibus : et tam 
 fructuosam, et firmam fabricam super fundamentum 
 Apostolorum componere, et tantum lumen, super can- 
 delabrum positum, toti Orbi terrarum ad salutem totius 
 Christianitatis effundere dignatus est. In vestri vero 
 luminis gratia, salutaribus momtis Reverendiss. Patris 
 nostri Archiepiscopi Moguntini,* instructi et informati 
 omne Regnum nobis a Deo commissum, amplissimum, 
 et spatiosum, et omnes Armenios, hue illitc in remotis 
 partibus dijfusos, ad unitatem Sanctce Romance Ec- 
 clesice, divina inspirante dementia, revocare cupimus > 
 
 * See the Notes .i'.i and 54 to the text of Vahram’s Chronicle. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 101 
 
 et exoptamus. Ad haec calamitatess, miserias, pauper 
 tates, et imbecillitatem. Regni Syriae,* et nostrum, 
 per ipsum praedictum Moguntinum (quia difficilior labor 
 erat scripto retexere) Pietati vestrse patefacimus. Ipse 
 vero per singida rei veritatem vobis explicabit : in cujus 
 notitiam ista non praeteriere. Hanc utique contritionem, 
 et eollisionem in valle destituti lacrymarum jamdiu 
 sustinuimus; quod de caetero sine spe subsidii, et auxilii 
 vestri sustinere nequimus. Verum quia zelus domus 
 Dei tepescere non debet in cordibus tam vestro, quam 
 nostro, non ut personam instruentis geramus, ejusdem 
 omus decorem diligere, et pro eadem domo murum not 
 oportet opponere ; ut impetus, quern super earn faciuns 
 inimici Crucis, co-operante Dei gratia, collectis in unum 
 animi viribus, resistendo excludamus. Hinc est, quod 
 vestram flexis genibus imploramus pietatem, quatenus 
 lacrymabilibus Domini Moguntini precibus, et nostris 
 divino intuitu aures misericordiae porrigatis : et miseriis 
 Christianitatis compatientes, subsidium Christianissimum 
 nobis accurrendo mittatis, antequam irremeabile, quod 
 absit, incurramus diluvium ; immo cum Dei, et vestro 
 auxilio, evaginato ense, de Hur Chaldaeorum, et perse- 
 cutione Pharaonis liberari possimus. Datum Tarsi, 
 anno ab incamatione Domini, MCXCIX. mense Majo. 
 die xxiij. 
 
 * This part of Palestine and Syria, which belonged to the 
 Latins. 
 
102 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Innocentii III. ad prcecedentem Leonis epist. re- 
 sponsio ; qua laudat ilfius studium ergo Sedem 
 Apost. cujus primatum demonstrat ; hortatvr , ut 
 inobedientia ejusdem S. Sedis Jideliter perseveret ； 
 et subsidmm contra Sarracenos cito se missurum 
 pollicetur. 
 
 Is Ecclesiam suam, congregatam ex gentibus, non 
 habentem maculam, neque rugam super gentes et Regna 
 constituit ; is extendit palmites ejus usque ad mare, et 
 usque ad terminos terrae ipsius propagines dilatavit ; 
 cujus est terra, et plenitude ejus, Orbis terrarum, et 
 universi qui habitant in eo, ipse etiam Romanam Ecclesiam 
 non solum universis fidelibus prnetulit, sed supra caeteras 
 Ecclesias exaltavit : ut caeterae ab ea non tarn vivendi 
 normam, et morum sumerent disciplinam, sed et fidei 
 etiam catholica? documenta reciperent, et ejus servarent 
 humiliter instituta. In Petro enim Apostolorum Principe, 
 cui excellentius aliis Dominus ligandi et solvendi con- 
 tulit potestatem, dicens ad eum : quodcunque ligaveris 
 super terrain, erit ligatum et in coelis : et quodcunque 
 solveris super terrain, erit solutum et in cadis : Ecclesia 
 Romana, sedes ejus, et Sessores ipsius Romani Pontifices, 
 successores Petri, et vicarii Jesu Christi, sibi invicem 
 per successivas varietates temporum singulariter succe- 
 dentes, super Ecclesiis omnibus, et cunctis Ecelesiarum 
 Pi'elatis, immo etiam fidelibus universis a Domino pri- 
 matum et magisterium acceperunt : vocatis sic ca?teris 
 
ArPEXDIX. 
 
 103 
 
 in partem solicitudinis, ut apud eos plenitudo resideat 
 potestatis. Non enim in Petro, et cum Petro singulare 
 illud privilegium expiravit, quod successoribus ejus 
 futuris usque in finem Mundi Dominus in ipso concessit ; 
 sed praeter vitae sanctitatem, et miraeulorum virtutes, 
 par est in omnibus jurisdictio successorum ; quos etsi 
 diversis temporibus, eidem tarnen Sedi, et eadem aucto- 
 ritate Dominus voluit praesidere. Gaudemus autem, 
 quod tu, sicut Princeps catholicus, Apostolicae Sedis 
 privilegium recognoscens, venerabilem fratrem nostrum 
 Moguntinum Archiepiscopum, Episcopum Sabinensem, 
 unum ex septem Episcopis, qui nobis in Ecclesia Romana 
 collaterales existunt, benigne, ac hilariter recepisti ; et 
 non solum per eum institutis salutaribus es instructus, 
 quibus juxta continentiam litterarum tuarum totum 
 Regnum tuum licet amplissimum desideras informari, et 
 universos Armenos ad Ecclesia? Romana 3 gremium re- 
 vocare ; sed ad honorem, et gloriam Apostolicce Sedis, 
 quam eonstitutam esse novisti super gentes, et regna , 
 diadema regni recepisti de manibus ejus ； et eum curasti 
 devote, ac humiliter honorare : et nos per ipsum, et 
 litteras tuas ad orientalis terra subsidium invitasti. Ei 
 ergo, a quo est omne datum optimum, et omne donum 
 perfectum, qui habet corda Principum in manu sua, 
 quas possumus, gratias referentes, quod tibi tanta hu- 
 militatis animum inspiravit ; rogamus Serenitatem Re- 
 giam, et exhortamur in Domino, ac per Apostolica tibi 
 
<)J 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 scripta mandamus , quatenus in timore Domini, et Apos- 
 tolic»? Sedis devotione persistens, ad expugnandam bar- 
 bariem Paganorum, et vindicandam injuriam Crucifixi, 
 tanto potentius, et efficacius studeas imminere ; quanto 
 fraudes et versutias hostium vicinius positus meliu 
 cognovisti : non in exercitus multitudine, aut virtute, 
 sed de ipsius potius miseratione confidens, qui docet 
 man us ad praelium, et digitos movet ad bellum ; qu 
 arcus fortium superat, et robore accingit infirmos. Jam 
 enim per Dei gratiam ad commonitionem nostram multi 
 Crucis signaculum receperunt, et plures Domino dante 
 recipient, in defensionem orientalis Provinciae opportuno 
 tempore transituri. Jam etiam duo ex fratribus nostris 
 de manibus nostris vivifica? Crucis assumpsere vexillum, 
 exercitum Domini praecessuri. Confide igitur, et esto 
 robustus, quia citius forsitan, quam credatur, orientalis 
 Provincia subsidium sentiet expectatum. Dat. Later, viii. 
 kal. Decembris. 
 
 Idem Innocentius Papa ad illustriss. Regem Arme- 
 nice. Quod ipsi transmittat vexillum beati Petri , 
 quo contra Crucis inimicos utatur. 
 
 After some previous passages ： — Et tibi congaudemus, 
 et Nobis, immo etiam universo Populo Christiano ; quod 
 eum tibi Dominus inspiravit affectum, ut Apostolicae 
 Sedis instituta devote reciperes, et praecepta fideliter 
 observares, et contra inimicos Crucis propositum illud 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 105 
 
 assumeres, ut in eos vindicare cupias injuriam Crucifixi, 
 et haereditatem ejus de ipsorum manibus liberare. Nos 
 igitur detuae devotionis sinceritate confisi r ad petitionem 
 dilecti filii Roberti de Margat militis, nuncii tui, in 
 nostras dilectionis indicium, vexillum beati Petri tuas 
 Serenitati dirigimus; quo in hostes Crucis duntaxat 
 utaris, et eorum studeas contumaciam cum Dei auxilio, 
 sufFragantibus Apostolorum Principis meritis, refraenare. 
 Datum Later, xvi. kal. Januarii. 
 
 Leonis Armenice Regis ad Innoeentium III. epistola ； 
 qua ad prcecedentem respondet, et privilegiwn ab 
 eo petit. 
 
 After some other passages : — Paternitatis vestrae 
 litteras, quas per dilectum fidelem Nuncium nostrum 
 nobis direxistis, ea qua decuit reverentia, et devotione 
 suseepimus ; et per earum significata pleno collegimus 
 intellectu, Vos charitatis visceribus Regiam Majestatem 
 nostram amplexari. Continebant etiam quod in devo- 
 tione, et amore Apostolicas Sedis persisteremus ; et in 
 hoc semper perseverare cupimus ; et optamus : et testis 
 est rerum efFectus, dum de omnibus negotiis nostris ad 
 Sedem Apostolicum appellamus. Misistis autem nobis 
 per eundem Nuncium vexillum sancti Petri in memoriale 
 dilectionis Sedis Apostolicae, quod semper ante nos por- 
 tari contra inimicos Crucis ad honorem Sanctae Romanas 
 
 〇 
 
106 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Ecclesia? faciemus . . . Praeterea nos obedientiae vinculis 
 de caetero Apostolieae Sedi esse alligatos, non dubitetis ; 
 ea propter, si placet Sanctitati vestrae, cuilibet alteri 
 Ecclesiee Latinae nec volumus, nec debemus alligari. 
 Hinc est, quod Sanctitatem vestram humiliter flagitamus, 
 quatenus nobis litteras apertas mittere dignemini, ut non 
 teneamur videlicet cum Latinis de terra nostra de quali- 
 bet conditione, excepta sancta Romana Ecclesia, cuilibet 
 Ecclesiae Latinae : et quod non habeat potestatem, nos, 
 seu Latinos de terra nostra excommunicandi, vel senten- 
 tiam in Regno nostro proferendi super Latinos quaelibet 
 Ecclesia, excepta, ut dictum est, Sede Apostolica.* Prae- 
 sentium quoque latorem, dilectum, et fidelem nostrum 
 militem, nomine Garnere Teuto ad pedes Sanctitatis 
 v estrae dirigimus ; cui super his, quae ex parte nostra 
 vobis indixerit, tanquam Nobis ipsis credere, ne dubi- 
 tetis, & e. 
 
 Ex indulto Regis Armenice, a Domino I\tpa Innocentio 
 III. sibi facto. 
 
 Volentes igitur, quantum cum Deo possumus, tuae 
 Serenitati deferre, et cum honestate nostra petitineso 
 Regius exaudire ； tuis precibus inclinati, auctoritate 
 praesentium inhibemus, ne quis in te, vel Regnum tuum, 
 aut homines Regni tui, cujuscunque conditionis existant 
 
 * Leon was on bad terms with the clergy of Antioch, and the 
 Pit in princes were eager to unite Cilicia with their dominions. 
 
APl’KNDIX. 
 
 107 
 
 qui mcdiantibus tamcn ejusdem Regni Praelatis, Sedi 
 Apostolicse sunt subjecti, prseter Romanum Pontificcm, 
 et ejus Legarum, vel de ipsius speciali mandato, distric- 
 tionem Ecclesiasticam audeat exercere,* &c. 
 
 * There are some other matters, regarding՛ the history of the 
 Armenian kingdom in Cilicia, spoken of in the Reyesta Innocentii 
 III. ; but it is not our object to «'rite the history of that 
 kingdom. We only collect materials for a future historian, who 
 might certainly draw some other valuable accounts from Belou- 
 acensis Spec. Hist., from Snnutus and from Hayto or Hethum's 
 Hist. Orient. We may here observe, that V akram, who is eager to 
 tell all that is to the honour and glory of the Church, says nothing 
 about the baptism of the great Chan of the Moguls. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHRONOLOGY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ARMENIAN BARONS AND KINGS OF CILICIA 
 
 (ACCORDING TO CHAMCHEAN.) 
 
 Rouben 1 1080 
 
 Constantine 1 1095 
 
 Thoros 1 1100 
 
 Leon 1 1123 
 
 Interregnum 1138 
 
 Thoros II 1144 
 
 Thomas Bail, regent 1168 
 
 Meleh 1169 
 
 Rouben II 1174 
 
 Leon II * 1185 
 
 Sabel or Isabella, queen 1219 
 
 Philippus 1220 
 
 Interregnum 1222 
 
 Hethum or Haithon I 1224 
 
 Leon III 1269 
 
 * Leon was the first king, the former princes are ouly called 
 barons of Cilicia. 
 
1 10 CHRONOLOGY. 
 
 Hethum II., also called Johannes 1289 
 
 Thoros III 1293 
 
 Hethum II. (second time) 1295 
 
 Sembad 1296 
 
 Constantine II 1298 
 
 Hethum III 1300 
 
 Leon IV 1305 
 
 Odshin 1308 
 
 Leon V 1320 
 
 Constantine III 1342 
 
 Guido 1343 
 
 Constantine IV 1345 
 
 Interregnum 1363 
 
 Leon VI 1368 
 
 End of the Armenian kingdom in Cilicia ... 1375 
 
The Translator finds it necessary to remark for the information of 
 the reader of “ The History of Vartan ,” that, not being in this country 
 when the work went to press, there occurred some slight errors, parti- 
 cularly in the orthography of proper names. We shall at present only 
 notice the following ： — 
 
 Preface, p. vii, line 6, for Esrick read Esnik. 
 
 p. xxii, line 13, for of Moll, read before Moll, 
 p. 5, line 21, for Dadjyabdan read Dadjyasdan. 
 p. 75, line 21, for Bardesares read Bardesanes. 
 
LONDON: 
 
 Printed by J L. Cox, Great Queen Street, 
 Lincoln’s- Inn Fields. 
 

 I 
 
 
 
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