reason of the Merits of their Ancestours The Tribunal call'd Co Tao or Co Li is that of the Inspecters or Overseers of which we have already spoken which are divided into six Classes like the six superiour Tribunals from whence they take their name and distinction For example the first is call'd Li Co or Inspecters of the superiour Tribunal of the Mandarins The second Hu Co or Inspecters of the superiour Tribunal of the Exchequer and so of the rest Every Classis is compos'd of several Mandarins all of the seventh Order and all equal so that there is not one no not so much as he that keeps the Seal of the Tribunal who has any superiority over the rest of his Brethren Their business is to reprehend the King himself for any miscarriages of his Government and there are some so resolute and undaunted that they will rather expose themselves to Death and Banishment than forbear when they have Truth on their side which they will tell him sometimes to his face and sometimes in writing without any mincing of the matter And of this freedom as we meet at present with several examples so is there a far greater number to be seen in the Chinese Histories Many times also it happens that the Kings will amend their defects and magnificently reward those that have been so liberal of their Reproofs They are also entrusted to inspect the Disorders of the six superiour Tribunals and to inform the King by private Memorials The King likewise makes choice of the Mandarins of this Tribunal for the execution of several Orders of Importance that require Secrecy And every year he culls out three to be Visitors The first of which is call'd Siun Cim who visits all the Merchants of the Court or in the City of Pe Kim and takes notice of all Merchandize that is either sophisticated or prohibited The second is call'd Sium Cam who visits the Burners of the King's Lime The third who is call'd Sium xi nim ym is present at all the General Musters The Mandarins of this Tribunal are only of the seventh Order however their Authority and Power is very large The Tribunal call'd Him gin su consists of several Mandarins all Doctours all equal and all of the seventh Order like those of the preceding Tribunal Their Employment is to be sent abroad either as Envoys or Embassadours either to distant parts of the Empire or to Foreign States As when the King sends them to carry Titles of Honour to the Mother or Wise of a Mandarin slain in the Wars or after he has done the King and Kingdom eminent Service in the discharge of his Employment Or when the Emperour is pleas'd to confer or confirm the Title of King to the Prince of Corea or any other neighbouring Sovereign These Embassies are very honourable and sometimes no less gainfull The Tribunal of Tai li su i. e. of Supream Reason and Justice is so call'd because they are entrusted to examine all doubtfull and intricate Causes and to confirm or annihilate the Sentences of other Tribunals especially in reference to Crimes that concern the Estates the Honour and Life of the King's Subjects The President of this Tribunal is of the third Order his two Lateral Judges or Assessors of the fourth and the other inferiour Mandarins of which there are a great number of the fifth and sixth When the Tribunal of Crimes condemns to death any person of Quality or other person of mean condition and that the King finds the reason of the Sentence dubious he refers it always to San fa su which is as it were his Council of Conscience Then three Tribunals assemble together the Tai li su the Tu li yuen or the superiour Tribunal of Visitors and the Tribunal of Crimes All these together re examine the Process in the presence of the Accusers and the Party accused and many times revoke the Sentence For that the Prosecutor not having gain'd the Tribunal of Crimes nor having Money nor cunning enough to corrupt the other two they judge according to Reason and Justice and generally the King confirms the Decision of those three Tribunals The Tribunal Tum chim su takes care to have the King's Orders and Commands proclaim'd at Court and diligently to inform themselves of the calamities oppressions and necessities of the People and exactly and privately to inform the Emperour They are likewise entrusted to send to the King or else to bury in silence as they shall deem most proper all the Memorials of the Miâ—…itary Mandarins and the Letters of the fourteen Provinces of the Veteran Mandarins who are dispens'd with from all manner of Employments of the People Souldiers and Strangers that come from Foreign Countries The Mandarins of the Province of Pekim present their Memorials immediately to the King himself never taking notice of this Tribunal the President of which is of the third Order of Mandarins his first Assessor of the fourth his second Assessor of the fifth and the rest of the inferiour Mandarins of the sixth and seventh Order The Tribunal Tai cham su is as it were an Associate and Assistant to the supream Tribunal of Ceremonies The President is of the third Order his Assessors of the fourth and the rest of the Mandarins of which there are a great number of the fifth and sixth Orders They take particular care of the King's Musick and Sacrifices and in regard these Sacrifices are perform'd in the Temples dedicated to the Heavens the Earth the Sun and Moon to Rivers and Mountains this Tribunal takes care of all those Piles which are very vast and magnificent They also take care of the married Bonzes who are generally Alchymists and Fortune-tellers Two of these Mandarins are appointed to give orders for the Reception and Lodging of Strangers that come to Court. Lastly they have the oversight of the publick Courtesans of the places of their Habitation and of those that govern and direct them in their infamous Trade The Chineses to shew their aversion to those miserable Creatures call them â—…am â—…a that is to say Men that have utterly bury'd in oblivion eight Vertues viz. Obedience to theâ—… Fathers and Mothers Affection for their Brethren and other Kindred Fidelity toward their Prince Sincerity Honesty Justice Modesty Chastity and all manner of laudable Sciences and Customâ—… This is the signification of those two words which the Chineses mark with only two letters by which it is easie to see the Force of their Language and the esteem which they have for Vertue though for the most part they follow their own deprav'd Inclinations that carry them headlong into vice The Tribunal Quan lo su or of the Royal Inns takes care for the provision of Wine Cattel and all other things necessary for the King's Sacrifices Banquets and for the entertainment of such as are treated at the King's charges whether Chineses or Foreigners This Tribunal is an Associate to that of the Ceremonies The President is of the
establish'd and confirm'd them shar'd their Employments and regulated their Functions with so much prudence that there is not one which is so absolute in the Affairs which are under their jurisdiction but they depend one upon another For Example the first President of the fourth Tribunal which is that of War had it an independent Authority had an easy opportunity to rebell because all the Forces of the Kingdom are at their disposal But they want money and therefore of necessity they must have the King's leave and order to require it from the Tribunal of the Exchequer The Pioneers Barques Boats Waggons Tents and other instruments of War belong to the sixth Tribunal to which the fourth must address themselves besides that the Horses are under the jurisdiction of a petty separate Tribunal of which we shall speak hereafter The Military Mandarins make five Tribunals which are call'd U Fu or five Casses Their Palaces are plac'd Westward on the right hand of the Palace Royal and are thus distinguish'd by their Names The first is call'd Heu Fu or the Rereguard The second Tso Su or the Left Wing The third Yeu Fu or the Right Wing The fourth Chum Fu or the Main Battel and the fifth Lien Fu or the Vanguard The five Tribunals are govern'd by fifteen great Lords as Marquisses Counts c. three in each Tribunal of which the one is President and the other two his Assessors They are all fifteen of the first Order of the Mandarins but the Presidents are of the first degree of that Order and the Assessors of the second all the Officers and Souldiers of the Court being under their care These five Tribunals have one superiour Tribunal above them which is call'd Ium chim fu that is to say the Supream Tribunal of War the President of which is always one of the greatest Lords in the Kingdom The Authority of this Tribunal extends it self over all these five Tribunals and over all the Officers and Souldiers of the Empire But to prevent their abusing so large a power they are curb'd by an Assessor set over them who is a Mandarin of learning with the Title of Supreme Regent of Armes and two Royal Controllers who are equally concern'd in the management of Affairs Under the Reign of the preceding Family these Tribunals had a very great Authority and were much more highly honour'd and esteem'd nevertheless they had much more reputation than real power in regard the Execution of Business belong'd to the superiour Tribunal of Arms call'd Pim pu It may be objected perhaps that these five Tribunals were superfluous because they depended upon the fourth of the six superiour Courts But in answer to this it is to be observ'd that there were at Court at that time a great number of Lords which the Chineses call Hium Chin or Vassals of great merit whose Ancestours had assisted the first King of the preceding Race to make himself Master of the Empire Besides it is most certain that there is no Passion so prevailing over the Chineses as the violent ambition of Rule and Command as being that wherein they place all their chiefest glory and happiness as may appear by the Answer which a Mandarin made to Father Matthew Ricci For that same Father discoursing of our Holy Law and of that Eternal Felicity which they who embrac'd it enjoy'd hereafter Come come said the Mandarin hold your tongue and lay aside these idle conceits your greatest glory and happiness as a Stranger it is to abide in this Kingdom and this Court. And for my own part all my glory and happiness consists in this same Girdle and Habit of a Mandarin all the rest is nothing but fables and words which the wind blows away meer stories of things invisible or rather never to be seen That which is visible is to command others Gold and Silver Wives and Concubines and multitudes of Servants of both sexes these are visible Noble Houses great Wealth Banquets Divertisements these are to be seen In a word Estate Honour and Glory are the consequences of being a Mandarin This is all the felicity which we desire and enjoy in this large Empire and not your vain felicity which is as unprofitable as it is invisible and impossible to obtain These are the carnal sentiments of men no less blind than proud and haughty which being so the Kings who understand the humour of that Nation especially of the Grandees for their satisfaction be thought themselves of these Tribunals which they erected and regulated in such a manner that they gave them an opportunity to satisfie their Ambition with the Honours and Profits belonging to their Offices and prevented them from doing mischief by the small authority which they had allow'd them Now as there are some Mandarins who are not of any of the Nine Orders which are call'd Vi jo Lieu or Men not settl'd there are others which are call'd Vu Pin or such for whom there is no degree high enough or such whose Merits are so great that they are above all Orders and Degrees These are the Petty Kings Dukes Marquisses c. which govern the two Tribunals of Arms. But though they are honour'd with Titles and some small authority which they enjoy by virtue of their Quality of Mandarins nevertheless the dignity of Dukes and Marquisses which their great Services have purchased is far more valu'd and esteem'd And thus much for the Eleven Superiour Courts or Tribunals we shall now briefly give you a Prospect of the other Tribunals of the Court and whole Empire CHAP. XIV Of several other Tribunals at Pekim THE Licentiates of all the Kingdom whom the Chineses call Kiu Gin or men famous for Learning meet together every three years at the Court at Pekim and are there examind for thirteen days together A month after the degree of Doctor is given to three hundred and sixty six who have display'd the most pregnant of Parts and Ingenuity in their Compositions Out of these young Doctors the King makes choice of the youngest and most ingenious and prefers them to a Tribunal call'd Han Len Iven that is to say a Garden or Wood flourishing in Learning and Knowledge This Tribunal contains a great number of Mandarins all very learned and the most sprightly Wits of the Empire which are divided into five Classes and compose five Tribunals with the Names and Employments of which I shall not trouble the Reader for fear of being tedious but onely give a general accompt of their Functions They are Tutors to the Prince who is Heir to the Empire whom they instruct in Vertue Civility and the Liberal Sciences By degrees also as he grows in years they teach him the true arts of Governing and the methods of good Conduct They set down all the remarkable accidents that happen either at Court or throughout the whole Empire and which most deserve to be deliver'd to Posterity They compile the general History of the Kingdom they are always at
the King a great Revenue and if the general Visitors greatly enrich themselves by their spoils and robberies of the Mandarins and people these latter commit much greater robberies upon the Farmers who distribute the Salt into the Provinces and who are the Richest men in China as being commonly worth four or five hundred thousand Crowns a man. The third Visitation is call'd Siao Chai or the Petty Visit this Visitation is made every three months by sending Visitors frequently unknown and in disguise sometimes to one Province or City sometimes to another that he may be able to give true information against some Mandarin famous for his Tyranny and Extortion Besides these Visitations this Tribunal sends into every Province every three years a certain Visitor call'd Hio Yuen and to every City another call'd Ti Trio to examine the Batchelours of Art and suppress the violences which confiding in their privileges they act upon the people These have power to apprehend to condemn all such Offenders to the Whip and when they prove incorrigible they degrade and punish them with an extraordinary severity Lastly this Tribunal sends forth whensoever it is thought requisite a Visitor call'd Siun Ho to survey the famous Canal of which we have already spoken and to take care of the Barks which are employ'd therein By means of which Visitation he reaps more honour and profit than all the other Visitors which this Visitation sends forth The Judges of this Tribunal are lodg'd in a vast Palace where they have under them five and twenty inferiour Tribunals divided into five classes of which every one has five Tribunals with five Presidents and many Assessors and inferiour Officers The five of the first Classis are call'd Uchin Chayuen or Visitors of the five Qurters of Pe Kim The first is the Visitor of the South Walls and that Quarter of the City next adjoyning The second visits the Walls on the North side the third the Walls on the East the fourth the Walls on the West side and the fifth the Walls in the middle The Authority of these Mandarins is very great for they have power to try and punish the misdemanours of the people and the Domestick Servants of the Mandarins and great Lords But if the Offender deserve Death Confiscation of Estate or Banishment then they send him to the Criminal Tribunal Those of the Second Classis are call'd U Chin Pim Ma Su or Grand Provosts of the Five Quarters Those of the third Classis are call'd Tam quen or inferior Provosts of the five Quarters The two latter Classes make it their business to apprehend Theives and Robbers Malefactors Gamesters Vagabonds and the like and to detain them in Prison till they resign them to the Superiour Robbers It is likewise their business to keep watch and ward in the day time to go the Rounds in the Night and to set Sentinels to give notice when any fire happens in any house The Captains of the Watch are also subordinate to these two Classes For to every ten houses there belongs a Captain call'd Pai and every Pai teu have another Captain call'd Stum Kia who is oblig'd to inform the Tribunal of what is done in his District contrary to the Laws and good Customs of the City when any Strangers come to Town or of any other Novelty He is also oblig'd to exhort the several private Families by singing with a loud voice at the beginning of every night a Song consisting of five verses containing the most necessary Precepts of Morality in these words Hiao xum fu mu Tsum Kim cham xam Ho mo Hian Li Kiao tzu Sun. Mon tzo vi That is to say Obey your Parents reverence old Men and your Superiours live together in Unity instruct your Children and do no acts of Injustice In petty Towns where there are no Mandarins the care of this duty is committed to four or five of the honestest old Men call'd Lao gen who have a Captain call'd Hiam yo or Ti fam This person also sings the same Song every Night and the first and fifth of every month assembles the Inhabitants and explains the meaning of those Instructions by Similes and Examples Of which I thought it not amiss to relate some few to let the Reader see the vertuous disposition wit and good government of this Nation Obey your Parents as Lambs obey their Ews as they teach us by their extraordinary humility in kneeling when they suck and submitting to them exactly in acknowledgment of the nourishment which they receive from them Reverence the Aged and your Superiours in imitation of wild Geese who by the Order which they observe in their flight shew plainly the respect which is to be given to Seniority Live together in peace in imitation of that Love and Unity which is observ'd among Deer for when any one of them has met with a good piece of Pasturage he will not feed by himself till he has call'd together the rest of the Herd to take their share Instruct your Children like that ancient Matron call'd Tuen Ki who being a Widow every day whipp'd the onely Son that she had till she dispossest him of all his evil inclinations so that at length being renown'd for his knowledge and his vertues he came to be Chuam Yuen or chief of the Doctours of the Empire and afterwards for his Vertue and Heroick Actions was advanc'd to be Co Lao or Chief Minister of State to the Emperour Commit no acts of Injustice like that same wicked and disobedient Heu ci who out of his extraordinary Ingratitude designing to kill his Father in Law that reprov'd him for his Misdemeanours kill'd his own Mother unexpectedly whose Indulgence had been the Perdition of her Son by supplying him with Money which he spent in all manner of debauchery and by concealing the early lewdness of his Life But Heaven to make him an Example to all as wicked as himself and to deter others crush'd him to the Earth and cleft him in sunder with a Thunderbolt The Tribunal call'd Iu Hio is a mixt Tribunal which takes care of Batchelours of Arts and Military Probationers Two Presidents belong to it of which the one has the oversight of the first the other of the latter These exercise themselves in making Discourses upon the means of preserving the Estate and governing the People The other discourse of Warlike Discipline when to give Battel how to attack and defend Fortified places and other matters of the same nature The Mandarins of this Tribunal who are dispers'd over all the Provinces and Cities give them frequent occasions to exercise their wits upon these Subjects and those Mandarins are respected by those Batchelours and Probationers rather as Professors than Magistrates The two Presidents which reside at Court are Doctours both the one of Civil Learning the other in Military Discipline The other Officers are such out of whose number the King makes Mandarins out of his meer Grace and Favour or by