which more in due place present to the King upon all important affairs of the Empire whether they relate to Peace or War or whether to Causes Civil or Criminal When they have determin'd them they communicate their judgments to the King in a very short Extract who either ratisies or cancelâ—… them as he pleases and then overlooking the Memorials at large himself gives his own decision as he thinks the Cause deserves They that compose the second Classis are as it were Assistants and Assessors to the King's Counsellors and are very powerfull and much dreaded and respected They are usually of the second or third Order of Mandarins and are many times preferr'd to be Counsellors to the King Viceroys of Provinces and to the principal Offices of the six supream Tribunals Their usual Title is Ta hion su or the Learned in great knowledge This Title is also given to the King's Counsellors besides which the King also consers other very honourable Titles upon the Mandarins of these two Classe's according to their deserts as Tai cu Tai or chief Governour of the Prince Heir of the Crown Tai cu Tai su Grand Master to the same Prince Ho tien ta trion su Chief Letter'd of the Hall of Concord and the like The Mandarins of the third Classis of this Tribunal are call'd Chum xu co that is to say the Classis or School of the Mandarins Their business it is to write or cause to be written out the Affairs of this Tribunal and the King gives them Titles answerable to the Place and Halls where they exercise their Functions They are usually of the fourth fifth or sixth Order of tho Mandarins But they are much more dreaded than those of the two preceding Classe's for that upon them solely it is that the good or ill success of Affairs in a great measure depends for that by altering adding or leaving out a Letter they may cause either the gaining or losing of a Suit. Insomuch that many times through their wilfull mistakes the most innocent lose their Estates their Reputation and their Lives So great a power has Corruption and Avarice over that Nation and such an Energy of Expression and Nicety of Equivocal Interpretation lies in the Chinese Letters Moreover besides these three Classe's there belongs to this Tribunal an infinite number of Scriveners Procters Revâ—…sers and other Officers CHAP. XIII Of the eleven Supream Tribunals or of the six Tribunals of the Mandarins for Letters and the five Tribunals of the Mandarins for Military Affairs BEsides the Supream Tribunal of which we have spoken in the foregoing Chapter there are yet eleven Chief Tribunals more between which the King of China two thousand years before the coming of CHRIST shar'd all the affairs of the Empire and which remain to this present day That is to say six of Learned Mandarins which they call Lo pu and five of Military Mandarins that are call'd ù fu and of which we shall speak hereafter The first of the six Tribunals of the Learned is call'd Li pu whose business it is to take care of all the Manderins of the Empire and has power to confer or deprive them of their Employments The second Hu pu has the Superintendence over all the Impositions and Revenues of the King The third Li pu has the management and ordering of all the Rites and Ceremonies The fourth Pim pu takes care of all the Arms Captains and Souldiers throughout the whole Empire The fifth Him pu takes cognizance of all Crimes and the punishments of all Offenders in the Kingdom The sixth Cum pu has the overseeing of all the King's Works and Buildings These six Tribunals have a Jurisdiction over almost all those that belong to the Court but are absolute over all in the Provinces by whom they are dreaded and obey'd though at never so great a distance as if they were under their Eye But in regard their power is so large and of so great an Extent for fear lest any one among them should make use of his authority to raise Sedition and lay hold of any opportunity to revolt their Employments are regulated in such a manner that there is not one of these Tribunals that can determin the business with which they are intrusted without the interposition and approbation of the rest as we see every day and have found true by wofull experience in the time of our Persecution during which we were sent to all these Tribunals for the determination of several circumstances In the Palaces belonging to every one of these six Tribunals there is always a Hall and an Apartment for one Mandarin call'd Co li or Overseer who examins either publickly or privately all that is done in his Tribunal and if he finds any disorder or any injustice he presently gives notice thereof to the King. Which Mandarin is neither subject nor superiour to his Tribunal but only an Overseer or Controller as we have said before The Chief Presidents of these six Tribunals by reason of their Office are of the first degree of the second Order of Mandarins They are called Xam xu for example Li pu Xam xu that is Chief President of the Tribunal of Ceremonies Hâ—… pu Xam xu Chief President of the Tribunal of the King's Revenue Every one of these Presidents has two Assessors of which the first is called Tso xi lam or President of the Left Hand The other Yeu xi lam or President of the Right Hand Which Assessors are of the first degree of the second Order All these three Presidents have several other Titles beside for example the first is call'd Ta tam the great or first Hall the second the Hall on the Left Hand the third the Hall on the Right Hand These Six Tribunals are planted according to their rank close by the King's Palace on the east side in large magnificent square Structures the sides of which are every way a musquet shot and a half in length These Structures have every one three divisions of Doors Courts and Appartments The first President possesses that in the middle which begins at the Street with a Portal that has three doors and runs along through other doors portals and courts beautified with portico's and galleries supported by fair pillars till you come to a spacious hall where the first President sits with his Assessors and many other Mandarins who have their particular titles but are generally called Mandarins of the great Hall. Beyond this Hall there is another Court and beyond that another lesser Hall where the first President withdraws with his Assessors when he is to examine any private business or any affairs of extraordinary moment On both sides and beyond this Hall there are several Chambers and other Halls The Chambers are for the use of the President his Assessors and the rest of the Mandarins to take their repose and to eat their Meat which the King gives them to the end that having no occasion to go to their own
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
have they any Right of succession to the Crown though they should have several heirs males which custom is also observ'd among the people For in China to marry a Daughter is to exclude her for ever from her Fathers Family and graft her into the Family of her Husband whose Sir Name she assumes at the same time instead of her own Thence it comes to pass that the Chineses when they would say that a Maid is ally'd to the Family of her Husband never make use of the word Kin to goe but of the word Quei to return asmuch as to say she is not gon but is return'd to her Family Thus they explain themselves also when they speak of the dead for they do not say such a one is dead but such a one is returned to the earth By the same reason when a Grandfather speaks of the Children of his Son he calls them barely Sun Su my Grand Children but when he speaks of his Daughters Children he calls them Vai Sun Su my Grand Children without for they look upon them to be of the Son in Laws Family The second sort of the King's Kindred by the Female side are the Fathers Brothers Uncles and other Kindred of the Queen the King's Sons in Law their Fathers Brothers Uncles and other Kindred Out of these two sorts the King makes choice of some of the most considerable to compose this Tribunal and to act the same things as the Officers of the Tribunal of the Royal Bloud They differ onely in this that the latter are of none of the nine Orders the former are Mandarins of the first and second Order Though they esteem much more honourable the Titles of Hoam Cin and Fu Ma or the King's Kindred than that of Mandarin though of the first order But this second sort of Kindred was also extirpated by the Tartars with the preceding Family Thus far concerning the Tribunals of the Mandarins and of the Government of the Court. We are now to give a short accompt of the Tribunals of the Provinces Notes upon the fourteenth Chapter He causeth a choice to be made at Pe Kim of several young Gentlemen c. Here we are to observe that in this place the Author onely speaks of what was practis'd in the time of the Chinese Emperours for the Tartar Emperours have alter'd this Custome and never marry their Daughters but to Kings Princes or Great Lords as our Author himself acknowledges a little lower CHAP. XV. TO every one of the fifteen Provinces there belongs a supream Tribunal which has the oversight of all the rest The President bears the Titles of Tu Tam Kiun Muen Tu Yuen Siun Fu with several other names which all signifie no more than Governour of a Province or Viceroy with us These Presidents are of the first second or third order according as the King is pleas'd to regulate them when he sends them into the Provinces They are intrusted with the whole Government as well in times of Peace as in War and with the command of the People and Souldiers as well in civil as criminal matters They give notice to the King and the six superiour Tribunals of all matters of importance On the other side all the Kings orders and dispatches with those of the Superiour Tribunals are directed to this Tribunal and all the Mandarins of the Province are bound to repair to this Tribunal in all affairs of moment There are other Viceroys that govern two three or four Provinces and are call'd Tsum To as Leam Quam Tsum To or Viceroy of the Provinces of Quam Tum and Quam Si. Quam Tum signifies the Province extended toward the East and Quam si the Province extended toward the West There are other such like Viceroys in China as in the Provinces bordering upon Tartary and other places of importance And besides the Viceroy there is in every Province a Visiter call'd Ngan Tai or Ngan Yuen of which we have spoken formerly Lastly there is a third considerable Officer call'd Tsum pim who commands all the Forces of the Province and is of the first Order of Mandarins These three supream Presidents of the Tribunals of the Provinces have under them several inferiour Mandarins who assist them in the dispatch of business and though these three Tribunals general have their Palaces in the Capital City nevertheless they are not always resident there but keep their Circuits from place to place as business requires But for the particular Tribunals of the Capital Cities they are these that follow Every Capital City has two Tribunals in which properly consists the whole Government of the Province the one for Civil the other for criminal affairs The first is call'd Pu chim su the President of which is a Mandarin of the first degree of the second Order The Palace belonging to this Tribunal like those at the Court contains on both sides two other Tribunals which are not inferiour but Assistants to the first Tribunal That on the left hand is the most considerable and is call'd Tsan chim having two Presidents both of the second degree of the third Order The other on the right hand is call'd Tsan y the Presidents of which are both equal and of the second degree of the fourth Order To all these three Tribunals belong a great number of inferiour Mandarins call'd Xeu lien quen whose business it is to decide all Civil matters and to pay and receive all the Revenues of the Province The Criminal Tribunal is call'd Nghan cha su and the President who is of the third Order has no Assessors but two Classes of Mandarins under him Those of the first Classis who are call'd To su are of the fourth Order They of the second Classis who are call'd Cien su are of the fifth Order and the Mandarins of these two Classes are call'd Tao li or Tao tusâ—… These Tao li are the Visiters of all the Quarters of the Province in which they have their Tribunals Some of them take care of the Post Horses the Royal Inns and the King's Barks so far as their Jurisdiction reaches and are call'd Ye chuen tao Others that are call'd Pim pi tao are intrusted to inspect the several Troops and Companies of the Province others to drain the Lands and level the Highways who are call'd Tun tien tao This Tribunal has power to punish Criminals by banishment as also by confiscation of Goods and loâ—…s of Life And if there be no Visiter in the Province it has an eye over all the other Mandarins and gives notice to the King of what passes in the Province when business requires their information In a word these two Tribunals do the Office of the six supream Tribunals of the Court and are as it were their Substitutes Every Province is divided into Districts and to every District belongs a Mandarin call'd Tao â—…i who is as it were a Visiter or Inspeâ—…er into the manners and behaviour of the Officers within his
admitting the least thought of Revolt to slide into their hearts as rather to be the Bulwarks and Fortresses of his Kingdom These were the Nine Rules or Maxims of Cum fu sius What follows is the Exposition of a Commentatour If the King says he puts in practice these nine Rules he may immortallize his Reign and not onely acquire great Renown but attain the end for which Heaven has advanc'd him to so high a degree of Dignity For if a Prince govern himself well at the same time he shall also obtain that sovereign perfection and universal vertue of Golden Mediocrity He shall be a chrystal mirrour wherein his Subjects may behold themselves and a living Rule and enliven d Model for them to imirate If he esteem and honour men of Learning and Vertue with equal complacency they will discover to him the method and maxims of good Government He will every day become more and more enlighten'd and acquire Prudence Judgment Experience and Knowledge how to govern himself and his people and he will find himself from moment to moment less uncertain and less entangled in the conduct of affairs both of his House and Kingdom If he love his Uncles Brothers and the rest of his Kindred they will live together with him and serve him with concord and satisfaction If he favour and cherish his Grandees they will be faithfull and diligent they will serve him as Instruments to increase his power they will act sincerely and justly in all affairs of importance In a word they will be a help and assistance to him in all things nor shall he ever be expos'd while he makes use of their counsel to be without a Guide and hazard his Dominion by the rash errours of his Government If he consider his Subjects as his own members they will do their utmost to serve him with all the marks of entire sidelity in return of their Prince s esteem and favour If he love his people as his Children he will fill their hearts with joy and affection while they on the other side prostrate themselves at his feet ensâ—…am'd with love and veneration for their King their Parent and their Master If he invite to his Court Artificers and Artists of all sorts they will make it their business to settle or improve Commerce Agriculture and all such Trades and Arts to which they have been bred Thus the Kingdom will be enrich'd and by that means the people the whole Empire and the King himself will live in plenty and enjoy an abounding and durable peace If he be courteous and liberal to Embassadours and other Foreigners the fame of his Vertues will spread it self to all parts of the Earth and distant Nations will glory to be under his subjection If he cherish in his bosome the great Lords of his Kingdom he will excite them to all the heroick and illustrious actions of which their Quality and Nobility renders them capable and all with a respectfull awe and ardent affection for their Prince will embrace vertue and be Guards to the Emperour and Bulwarks to the Empire These are the Reflexions of the Commentator upon the Nine Rules of good Government I translated them out of Chinese into Portugueze to the end that by this Essay men might be able to judge of their Sentiments upon this Subject and the Reader more clearly understand the rest that follows The Mandarins of the whole Kingdome are distinguished into nine Orders and every Order is divided into two Degrees For example It is said such a one is a Mandarin of the second degree of the first second or third Order or else he is a Mandarin of the first degree of the first second or third Order This Division signifies no more than onely the particular Titles which the King gives them without any respect to their Employments For though usually the Mandarins are of an Order Superiour or Inferiour according to the Dignity of their Employments nevertheless that is no general Rule because sometimes is happens that to recompence the merits of a person whose Office has been usually enjoy'd by a Mandarin of the inferiour Order the King may give him the Title of a Mandarin of the first or second Order And on the other side to punish a person whose Office belongs to the superiour Mandarins he debases him to the title of Mandarin of the inferiour Orders And the knowledge distinction and subordination of these Orders is so perfect and exact the veneration and submission of the latter toward the former is so great and lastly the sovereign power of the Prince over the one and the other so absolute that I never met with any thing that could compare with it among all the searches I have made into any of our Governments whether Temporal or Ecclesiastical The Mandarins of the first Order are Counsellors of the King's Council of State which is the greatest Honour and the highest Dignity to which a Learned man can arrive in this Empire They have several Names and several Titles both ancient and modern annext to their Offices of which the most common are Nui Co Co Lao Cai Siam Siam Cum Siam Que yet all these with little difference signifie no more than Assistants Judges Lateral and supream Counsellors to the King. There are also several Halls in the King's Palace magnificent as well for their Architecture as for their Spaciousness and Furniture which are distinguisht into inferiour or superiour according to the business therein transacted For when the King would bestow any great favour upon some one of his Counsellors he gives him the name of one of those Halls as Chum chie tien that is to say Supream Royal Hall of the Middle and then he adds this new Title to his usual Name The King also gives them other Titles by which they acquire an extraordinary same and honour when they merit those Titles by any glorious Action as Que chu which signifies the Pillar that supports the Empire Of these Counsellors there is no determin'd number being sometimes more sometimes fewer as it pleases the Emperour who chooses them at his own pleasure out of the Mandarins of other Tribunals Nevertheless there is always one call'd Neu Siam who is their President and as it were the Emperour 's prime Minister and Favourite The Tribunal of these Counsellors as it is the highest of all that belongs to the Empire so it is also plac'd in the King's Palace on the left hand of the supream Royal Hall where the King gives Audience and receives the Homages of the Mandarins when he goes abroad And here we must observe by the way that among the Chineses the left hand is the place of Honour This Tribunal is call'd Nui Yuen or the Tribunal within the King's Palace It is composed of three Orders of Mandarins The first are the King's Counsellors of whom we have already spoken These are to view examin and judge of all the Memorials which the six chief Tribunals of
or the Palace of â—…en thousand Sports and Pleasures It stands by the Lake on the North side for so we have plac'd it according to our Authour's description There the King reposes when he goes a Fishing or to take his pleasure by water Q. The seventh Palace call'd Hu chim tien or the Palace of the Tiger Walls There the King breeds up wild Beasts of several sorts and goes to see them himself The situation of this place is not particularly set down by our Authour I have plac'd it in that part which I thought to be the most spacious and most proper between the two Walls R. The eighth Palace call'd the Mansion of Fortress of the Middle appointed for exercising the Eunuchs The situation is not mention'd by the Authour onely he places it between the two Enclosures as well as the other six S. The first Temple of the four most considerable in the Palace it is call'd Tai quam mim or the Palace of great Light and dedicated to the Bear-stars It stands within the inner Enclosure and I have plac'd it on the left side as the most honourable place as being upon the left hand of the Emperour T. The second Temple call'd Tai cao tien or the Temple of the most Illustrious and Sovereign Emperour This Temple is dedicated to that famous deify'd Captain mention'd in the sixteenth Chapter whose Name I could never find nor the precise time of his death I have plac'd the Temple at a venture upon the West side of the Lake because our Authour says no more but onely that it stands between the two Enclosures V. The third Temple call'd Macala tien or the Palace of the Oxe's Head But our Authour does not precisely mark down the situation of it X. The fourth Temple Lama tien the Palace or Temple belonging to the Lama It stands in the Plane as our Authour places it in the Middle of a Rocky Mountain made with hands like a Sugar-loaf with a Tower at the Top. Y. Twenty four Palaces for the Mandarins High Stewards of the Emperour's Houshold I have plac'd them on the East side between the two Enclosures where our Authour places them who makes no particular description of them no more than he does of the other Edifices as Houses of Pleasure Libraries Magazines Offices Stables c. Which makes the curious more desirous of compleater descriptions and more perfect draughts CHAP. XXI Of the Emperour's Temples seated in Pe kim and of the manner how the King goes abroad to perform publick Duties BEsides the Temples which stand in the Palace the Emperour has seven more in each of which he sacrifices once a year Five in the new City and two in the old one The first of these is call'd Tien tam or the Temple of Heaven seated two Chinese Furlongs from the principal Gate of the City a little to the East and encompass'd with a round Wall three furlongs in compass One part of this Area is taken up with very beautifull Buildings The rest with a green and very thick Grove whose Trees are of an extraordinary heighth and render the place no less melancholy and gloomy to us than it seems devout and venerable to the Insidels It has five doors on the South side three in the middle like the Palace which are never open'd but when the King comes to sacrifice and two of each side always open for admittance of all that go to the Temple On the South and North side there are seven separate Apartments Six of which are Halls and Portals as large and magnificent as those of the King's Palace The seventh is a vast and high round Hall which represents Heaven supported by fourscore and two Columns the whole painted within side with Azure and Gold and cover'd with Tiles varnshi'd with blew In this Temple it is that the King sacrifices to Heaven upon the day and at the very moment that the Sun comes to the Winter Solstice attended by all the great Lords and Mandarins of the Court and as for the Victims he offers they are Oxen Hogs Goats and Sheep Great preparations are made for the performance of this Ceremony which is very solemn and the Solemnity carry'd on with no less respect and humility For then the Emperour lays aside his Gold his precious Stones and yellow Robes appearing onely decently habited in a plain of Vestment of black or sky Colour Damask The second Temple is call'g Ti tam or the Temple of the Earth It stands toward the West at a distance answerable to that of the first from which it differs nothing but onely that it is cover'd with Tiles varnish'd with green When the King is Crown'd before he takes possession of the Empire he goes to this Temple where he sacrifices to the God of the Earth Afterwards he puts on the Habit of a Ploughman and with two Oxen with guilded Horns and a Plough varnish'd with Vermillion and Streaks of Gold he sets himself to plough a little piece of Ground that lies within the Enclosure of the Temple While he is busie at his Labour the Queen with her Ladies in another part dress him a poor and homely Dinner which she brings him and which they eat together The ancient Chineses instituted this Ceremony to the End their Kings might remember that their Revenues came from the Labour and Heat of the Peoples Brows and therefore ought to be employ'd in necessary Expences and for the good of the Kingdom not in useless Buildings exorbitant Sports and Pleasures or superfluous Riot To the North of these two Temples stand three more distant two Chinese Furlongs from the Gates and from the Walls on the North East and West sides and which are altogether like the two former That on the North side is call'd Pe tien tan or the North Temple of Heaven Here the King sacrifices at the time of the Summer Solstice and at the time of the Vernal Equinox he sacrifices in the Eastern Temple call'd Ge tam or the Temple of the Sun and to the Autumnal Equinox in the Western Temple which is call'd Yue tam or the Temple of the Moon But before the performance of these Sacrifices the King commands a Fast for three Days to be observ'd in Pe kim during which time they are forbid to eat either Flesh or Fish Nor are the Tribunals especially the Criminal to doe any business Which somewhat resembles our Fast of Ember-weeks I ask'd a learned Man one day what benefit they hop'd to obtain by these Fasts and Sacrifices and how they durst affirm that their King nor Queen ever sacrific'd publickly to Idols since the Heaven the Earth the Sun and Moon were all inanimate Bodies that no way merited Divine Honours and Sacrifices which belong'd onely to God by whom they were created To which he reply'd that the word Heaven had two significations By the first was meant the material Heaven call'd Yeu him chi tien which is that which we see and of which we feel the
Cambalu and many other Cities and Countries CHAP. II. Of the Extent and Division of China Of the Number of the Cities and other wall'd Towns And some other particulars observed by the Chinese Authors IT is now eighteen years since Father Francis Fierrado Vice-Provincial of China and afterwards Visitor of Iapan and China order'd me to write the History of this Empire and the Progress of the Gospel there first begun to be preach'd now fourscore and thirteen years ago But the Employments of the Mission and the Persecutions we have undergone have hindr'd me from going on with it The Fathers Nicholas Trigaut a Flemming Alvaro Semedo a Portuguese Martini Native of Trent Antony Govea and Ignatius de Costa in their yearly Relations have treated very largely upon this Subject But the Beauty the Grandeur and the Antiquity of this Empire are such copious Subjects that though there has been much already written concerning them yet there remains much more to be said Wherefore I thought it my duty to set down in this place the chiefest Observations which I have collected together China is seated almost at the utmost Extremities of Asia towards the East It lies under twenty three degrees from North to South from the Fortress of Cai Pim placed upon the Frontiers of the Province of Pekim in forty one degrees of Latitude to the Meridional point of the Island of Hai Nan in eighteen degrees of Elevation and A to the South of the Province of Quamtum So that the length of China from North to South according to the Chinese Books is five thousand seven hundred and fifty Li or Furlongs Which makes 402½ Spanish or Portugal Leagues at 17½ to a degree 575 French Leagues at 25. to a degree â—…45 German at 15. to a degree 1380 Italian Miles at 60. to a degree 5750 Li or Chinese Furlongs at 250. to a degree From the Point of Nîm Pô a Sea-port Town in the Province of Che-kiam where the Portugals were formerly wont to trade and which Ferdinand Mendez calls Leam Po to the extremity of the Province of Suchuen in a streight Line from East to West it is accounted 297 Spanish and Portugal Leagues 426 French Leagues 255 German Miles 1020 Italian Miles 4080 Chinese Furlongs at 240 to a degree But if you would have the length of China where it is longest you must take it from the last place to the North-west of the Province of Leaotum call'd Caiyven to the last City of the Province of Yunnan call'd Cin tien Kiun min Fu. Take it thus and then the longest length of this Empire will bâ—… 525 Spanish Leagues 750 French Leagues 1800 Italian Miles 8400 Chinese Furlongs at four and a half to a Mile of Italy The truest breadth of China to take it from Tam Chan the most Easterly place of the Country of Leao tum and which joins to the Kingdom of Corea to the Place call'd Tum tim to the West of the Province of Xensi is 350 Spanish Leagues 500 French Leagues 300 German Miles 1200 Italian Miles 5400 Chinese Furlongs There are fifteen Provinces in this Empire which for their largeness their Riches and Fertility may well be call'd Kingdoms Which the Chineses rank in this Order according to their Antiquity and Precedency Pe kim Nan kim now call'd KiaÌ„m Nân Xansi Xantum Hô nân Xénsi Che Kiam Kiam si Hù quam Su chuen Fo Kien Quám tuÌ„m Quam si Yunnan Quei cheum The Country of Leao tum might also well deserve the Name of a Province by reason of its extent but the Chineses include it within the Province of Xan tum The Provinces that lie upon the Sea are Pe kim Xan tum Nan kim Che Kiam Fo Kien and Quam tum Those that border upon Foreign Kingdoms are Pekim Xansi Xensi Su chuen Yunnan Quamsi The Midland Provinces are Honan Hu quam Kiamsi Quci cheu By which it appears that Cluverius trusted too unwarily to false Relations when he reckons up Eighteen Provinces in China and among the rest the Kingdom of Cochinchina For tho' that Kingdom and that of Tum Kim were formerly subject to China 't was but for a very few Years and it is a long time ago since they threw off that subjection There are several Islands also belonging to China as the Great and Little Lieu Kieu Tai Van which the Portugueses call Formosa where the Hollanders had a Fortress which was wrested out of their hands by a Chinese Pirate some Years since and where they lost a great number of Men and great Guns and a great quantity of Goods Hai Nan and Hiam Xan where stands the City of Amagao or Macao upon the Southern Promontory of that Island and a great number of others some Inhabited others quite Desart The Kingdom of Corea is not an Island adjoining to China as Cluverius believes but a great Promontory of the Firm Land extending it self from the North to the South Neither is Xam Haì an Island as Martini writes in his Atlas and marks it in his Map but a Fortress so vast and so well fortisi'd by Art and Nature that it may compare with the best in Europe It stands upon the firm Land near the Sea between the Province of Pe Kim and the Country of Leao tum The Places Wall'd in through the whole extent of this Empire amount to the number of Four Thousand Four Hundred and Two and are divided into Two Orders the Civil and Military The Civil Order comprehends Two Thousand Forty Five Wall'd Towns that is to say One Hundred Seventy Five Cities of the first Rank which the Chineses call Fu Two Hundred Seventy Four of the Second Order which they call CheuÌ„ One Thousand Two Hundred Eighty and Eight Cities which they call Hièn Two Hundred and Five Royal Hosteries or Places of Entertainment call'd Ye and an Hundred and Three Courts of Guard or Royal Hosteries of the Second Rank which they call Cham Chin. Among the Cities and Towns of this Empire I reckon several seated in the Provinces of Yun Nan Quei cheum Quam Si and Su chuen which however pay no Tribute to the Emperour nor yeild him any Obedience but are govern'd by particular and absolute Princes These Towns are for the most part so environ'd with high Mountains and steep Rocks as if Nature had taken a particular Care of their Fortification Within which Mountains lie Fields and Plains for several Days Journeys where are to be seen Cities both of the first and second Rank together with many Towns and Villages The Chineses call these Lords Tù Sù or Tù Quon that is to say Mandarins of the Country For that as they believe there is no Emperour of the World but the Emperour of China so they are conceited that there are no other Princes or Lords but such as they to whom the Emperour gives that Title Nor do they give the Title of Mandarins of the Land or Country to those but to distinguish
a hunder'd idle Stories of this Dragon and this Bridge which I omit as not becomeing this Relation This Palace takes up in length two Furlongs of China or half an Italian Mile The second is call'd Hien yam tien or the Palace of the Rising Sun. A Structure beautifull and magnificent for the Architecture and environd with nine very high Towers all of different Workmanship These nine Towers signifie the first nine Days of the Moon which are very great Holy-days especially the ninth among the Chineses They marry their Children during these Holy-days and among the several Dishes of the Feast they never fail of one which represents the Tower with nine Stories every one of which answers to one of the nine Days For say they the Number of Nine includes within it self those properties which make it more excellent than all the rest of the Numbers and render it fortunate by the Augmentation of Life Honour and Riches For this reason all the Chineses Rich and Poor get up that day upon Terrasses and Towers in the Cities and in the Countrey upon Mountains and Hills or at least upon Damms and other high rais'd places where they feast with their Relations and Friends But in regard the Kings of China seldom go out of their Palaces they caus'd these nine Towers to be built that upon the Top of them they might Celebrate this Festival so generally solemniz'd over the whole Empire The third Palace is call'd Van xeu tien or the Palace of ten thousand Lives Now you are to understand that about a hunder'd and forty years ago King Kia cim that is to say a King neat and precious began his Reign This Prince maintain'd Peace and Justice in the Empire but in regard he was flexible and superstitious one of the marry'd Bonzes beguil'd his Credulity and made him believe that he would so order it that he should live eternally or at least for several Ages by vertue of his Chymistry To bring this to pass he advis'd him to build this Palace near the Lake which we have already mention'd 'T is very true 't is less than the rest but what it wants in bigness it has in beauty It is environ'd with a high Wall with Battlements and perfectly round all the Halls and Chambers a so are round Hexagons or Octagons and the Architecture is most beautifull and magnificent Hither then the King retir'd to distill the Water of Immortality But his toil and pains were recompenc'd with a Success quite contrary to his Expectations for that instead of prolonging they shorten'd his Life For the Fire in the Furnaces having dry'd up his Bowels he fell sick in a Month or six Weeks after and dy'd within a few Days after he had reign'd five and forty years The Emperour Van lie his Grandchild reign'd eight and forty and both their Reigns are remarkable as well for the peace and prosperity which the People enjoy'd all that time as for that the Apostle of the Indians the Holy Francis Xavier arriv'd in China and dy'd upon the Frontiers during the Reign of Kia cim a little before the Portugueses built the City of Macao as also for that in the Eleventh year of the Emperour Van lie the famous Father Matthew Ricci so universally esteem'd to this day by the Chiueses for his Learning and his Vertue first set footing in the Empire The fourth is call'd Cim hiu tien or the Palace of perfect purity and was built upon this occasion The fifteenth Day of the eighth Moon is solemniz'd by the Chineses with great feasting and rejoycing For from the setting of the Sun and rising of the Moon till Midnight they are all abroad with their Friends and Kindred in the Streets in the Piazza's in their Gardens and upon the Terrasses feasting and watching to see the Hare which that Night appears in the Moon To this purpose the preceding Days they send to one another Presents of little Loaves and Sugar-Cakes which they call Yue Pim or Moon-Cakes They are round but the biggest which are about two hands breadth in diameter and represent the Full Moon have every one a Hare in the middle made of a Past of Walnuts Almonds Pine-Apple-Kernels and other Indgredients These they eat by the Light of the Moon the Richer sort having their Musick also playing about 'em which is very good But the poor in the midst of the ruder Noise of Drums Fifes and Basons loudly knockt upon with Sticks And for the solemnizing of this Feast it was that the Ancient Kings erected this Palace not very big but wonderfully delightfull more especially for its Situation upon a Mountain made by hands which is call'd Tulh Xan or the Mountain of the Hare Our Europeans perhaps will laugh at the Chineses for imagining the Spots in the Body of the Moon to be a Hare But beside that among us the People are no less fond of many idle Opinions no less ridiculous let me tell our Europeans that the Chineses laugh as much at us when they find in our Books that we paint the Sun and Moon with humane Faces The fifth Palace is call'd Ym Tai Tien or the Palace of the Flourishing Tower. It is built upon the brink of the Lake among a great number of Trees which afford both shade and coolness So that the Emperour makes it his chiefest residence during the excessive heat which the want of cooling Breezes renders almost insupportable the City of Pe Kim being equally subject to the inconveniencies of heat and cold The sixth is call'd Van Yeu Tien or the Palace of ten thousand sports and pleasures It is seated upon the Bank of the Lake on the north side and serves for the King to repose in when he goes a fishing or to delight himself by Water in his Pleasure Boats which are made either to sail or row all very lovely and very richly adorn'd There is one wich is made like one of our Brigandines by the directions of Father Iohn Adam which pleases the Emperour extreamly and wherein he always goes a fishing or to behold the Sea Fights which are many times represented upon the Lake The Seventh is a great Platform encompass'd with a square of high walls in the middle of which is a beautifull Palace call'd Hu Chim Tien or the Palace of the walls of the Tiger The Royal Hall belonging to it is round very high and Majestick Upon the top of it appear two Cupola's of of Brass guilded one above another at the distance of the length of a lance the one very large the other less in the form of a great Gourd which together with the roof cover'd over with Tiles varnish'd with Azure and embellish'd with Flowers Grotesco Borderings and other Ornaments yield a very pleasant prospect From this Hall and the Balconies belonging to it the King delights himself with the sight of the Beasts that are bread in the enclosure as Tigers Bears Leopards Wolves Monkeys of several sorts Musc-Cats and several other Kinds and with
upon his Crown mutters over him certain prayers according to the usual manner These things being thus premis'd The Third Palace or Temple is call'd Macala Tien For Tien in the Chinese Language signifies a Royal Palace and Macala in the language of the Lama signifies the head of an Ox with the horns on because the Idol which is worship'd in that Temple is the horned head of an Ox. Which shews the blindness of man whom the Chineses call Van Vo Chi Vam or King and Lord of all things and Van Vo Chi Tim or the most understanding of all Creatures which nevertheless adores the work of his own hands Beasts that are created for his service and which seems more incredible the Carcass of the head of an Ox. The Fourth Palace is call'd Lama Tien or the Palace or Temple of the Lama It is seated upon the East side of the Lake of which we have spoken upon a Mountain made with hands like a Sugarloaf environ'd with Rocks which were brought thither in former times from the Sea side though far remote with great labour and expence These Rocks are for the most part full of holes and hollownesses occasion'd by the continual dashing of the waves the Chinsees taking great delight to behold those unpolish'd works of nature And they are so dispos'd as to counterfeit the high out-juttings and steep and rugged Precipices of Rocks so that at a moderate distance the whole seems to represent some craggy wild Mountain the first work of Nature At the top appears a round Tower of twelve stories well proportion'd and of an Extraordinary height Round about the upper Story hang fifty Bells that jangle day and night with the motion of the wind The Temple which is large and magnificent is seated in the middle of the descent on the South side and the Cloisters and Cells of the Lama extend themselves to the East and West The Idol stands upon an Altar within the Temple all naked and in a filthy Posture like the Roman Priapus Neither is it ador'd but by the Lama and the Western Tartars for the Eastern and the Chineses abhor it as an infamous and obscene Monster The deceased King Father of the reigning Emperour erected these two Temples for reasons of State and to please his Mother Daughter of a petty King of the Western Tartars that Princess being greatly devoted to the Lama whom she maintains in Pe kim at vast Expences But there is great probability that so soon as she is dead those abominable Temples will be shut up Moreover between the two Enclosures there are four and twenty beautifull Palaces besides which serve instead of four and twenty Tribunals the Mandarins of which are as it were the Emperour's Stewards and are no way subject to the other Tribunals and Mandarins of the Empire They are the Overseers of the Palace of the Servants of the Cellars Offices Treasuries and the like they punish or reward according to the King's Order such as belong to the Houshold And in the time of the Chinese Emperours all these Tribunals were under the Government of Eunuchs but at present they are govern'd by seventy two Tartar Lords bred up in the Palace Three of these belong to every Tribunal who have under them a great Number of inferiour Officers all employ'd in their several Stations to expedite the business with which they are entrusted And thus we have given an Accompt of the principal Structures of the Emperour's Palace For we should never have done should we undertake a particular description of all those other Places and Buildings which are therein enclos'd as the Houses of Pleasure the Libraries the Magazines the Treasuries the Stables and such like meaner edisices But by what we have already describ'd a Man may readily conjecture what farther remains to be said All the Structures which we have already describ'd are cover'd with large thick Tiles varnish'd with yellow green and blew and fasten'd with Nails to withstand the fury of the Winds which are very high at Pe kim The Ridges which always run from East to West rise above the Roof about the height of a Lance. The Extremities are terminated with the Bodies and Heads of Dragons Tygers Lyons and other Beasts that wind about and extend themselves all the length of the ridges A vast variety of Flowers and Grotesco-work and other delightfull Ornaments issuing as it were out of their Mouths and Ears or else being fasten'd to their Horns And in regard that all that you see of these Palaces is varnish'd over with the Colours before mention'd you would think at a distance when the Sun rises as I have many times observ'd that they were all made or at least cover'd with pure Gold enamel'd with Azure and Green which yields a most delightfull magnificent and majestick Prospect Notes upon the twentieth Chapter Of some other Palaces and certain Temples seated between the two Enclosures K. The first Palace seated to the East between the two Enclosures and upon the South side as it is in the Plane and as F. Couplet places it speaking of the Emperour who caus'd it to be built This Prince was call'd Ym sum or Kim tum and his Brother Kim ti he began his Reign in the year 1436. he was taken by the Tartars in the year 1650. and set at Liberty some time after His Brother Kim ti dy'd in the year 1457. and this Emperour reassum'd the Government the same year and dy'd 1464. The Bridge which our Authour describes is a piece of Workmanship altogether extraordinary and is enough of it self to make us admire the Wit and Industry of the Chineses L. The second Palace seated between the two Enclosures as are the six that immediately follow It is call'd Hien yam tien or the Palace of the Rising Sun. Therein are solemniz'd the Festivals of the first Day of the Moon M. The third Palace call'd Van xeu tien or the Palace of ten thousand Lives It is mark'd near the Lake by our Authour That Emperour Kia cim was otherwise call'd Xi sum He began his Reign 1522. The Holy Francis Xavier arriv'd in China 1522. and dy'd in the Island of Su chuen in the Province of Quam tum the second of December of the same year The Emperour Kia cim or Xi sum reign'd till 1567. his Son Mo sum or Lum kim dy'd 1573 and his Grandchild Van lie or Xin cum dy'd in the year 1620. King Kia cim built this Palace to practice Chymistry and get the Balsom of Immortality N. The fourth Palace call'd Cim hieu tien or the Palace of great Purity I have plac'd it upon a Mountain conformable to our Authour's description Therein the Feast of the fifteenth Day of the Moon is solemniz'd O. The fifth Palace call'd Ym tai tien or the Palace of the flourishing Tower. It stands near the Lake among the Trees as our Authour describes it There the Emperour abides during the excessive Heats P. The sixth Palace Van yeu tien
effects as we do also of the Sun Moon and Stars but the second signification intended the immaterial Heaven call'd Yeu vu him chi tien which has no shape or figure and which is nothing but the Creatour and Principle of all things This is the Heaven added he to which the Ancient Chineses address'd their Sacrifices and their Fasts to appease his wrath and return him thanks for the Benefits which continually they receive from him all the four Seasons of the year But afterwards as men are naturally blockish and carnal minded they forgot the true Lord of all things and minded onely the material visible Heaven Nevertheless said he when the King sacrific'd in the Temples of Heav'n or Earth the Sun or Moon whose Names were onely us'd to distinguish the Sacrifices and the Seasons he did not sacrifice to those Creatures as the People imagin'd but to the spiritual Heaven The sixth Temple standing in the old City is call'd Ti vam miao or the Temple of all the past Kings This is a large and magnificent Palace with many Apartments Portals Courts and Halls of which the last is as fair as spacious and as well adorn'd as those of the King's Palace There you behold on rich Thrones the Statues of all the Kings of China good and bad for four thousand five hunder'd twenty five years together from the first King nam'd To hi to the last call'd Xum chi the Father of the present Prince This Temple stands in the middle of one of the fairest Streets of the City Which Street is fill'd up in two places by two Triumphal Arches with three Gates high rais'd majestick and worthy to be admir'd All People that pass thorough this Street of what quality so ever alight and walk a foot when they come to these Arches till they are past the Front of the Temple Here the King performs his Annual Ceremonies to his Predecessours once a year But the Ceremonies which are observ'd both in this and all other Solemnities are so numerous and of such various and different Sorts that we should never make an end should we go about to give a full accompt of them all But the Reader may make an easie judgment of their Splendour by what we have related The seventh is call'd Chim hoam miao or the Temple of the Spirit that guards the Walls It stands within the City near the Walls on the West side The King never sacrifices in this Temple but the Mandarins onely Nevertheless this Ceremony is accompted among the Royal Sacrifices as well for that the King is at the Charge as because that he is the Man who names the Persons that are to sacrifice in this place Moreover all the Cities of the Empire have such a Temple as this and seated as this is consecrated to the Spirit that guards the Walls as if we should say dedicated to the Tutelary Angel of every City Thus much for the Emperour's Temples We are now to give an accompt of the Pomp and Magnificence of his Retinue when he stirs out of his Palace There are two occasions that carry the Emperour abroad out of his Palace The first when he goes a hunting or to take the Air which is lookt upon onely as a private Action and then he is attended onely by his Guard the Princes of the Blood and other great Lords who ride before behind or on each side according to their Degrees and Pre-eminency This train does not consist of above two thousand Men all on Horse-back sumptuous in their Habits their Armes and the trappings of their Horses at what time you behold nothing but Silks and Embroideries of Gold and Silver glittering with precious Stones Certainly if a Man do but consider it well I question whether any Prince upon the Earth ever appear'd in his common Cavalcades with a Pomp parallel to what we see at this Court when the Emperour comes forth out of his Palace onely to divertise himself in his Parks and Gardens or onely to hunt for his pleasure in the Countrey The scond occasion is when the Emperour comes forth to perform any Sacrifice or any publick Duty and then his Procession is after this Manner First appear twenty four Men with large Drums in two rows or files of twelve a piece as do all the rest that follow Secondly twenty four Trumpets twelve in a row These Instruments are made of a certain Wood call'd V tum xu highly valu'd by the Chineses who say that when the Bird of the Sun is desirous of repose she pearches upon the Boughs of this Tree These Trumpets are about three foot in length and almost a hands breadth diameter at the Mouth They are shap'd like a Bell adorn'd with Circles of Gold and pleasingly accord with the noise and beat of the Drums Thirdly twenty four men with long staves twelve in a row which staves are seven or eight foot in length varnish'd with red and from one end to the other adorn'd with guilt Foliage Fourthly a hunder'd Halbardeers fifty in a row with the heads of their Halbards in the form of a Crescent Fifthly a hunder'd Men carrying Maces of guilt Wood fifty in a row with staves as long as a lance Sixthly two Royal Poles call'd Cassi varnish'd with red intermix'd with Flowers and gilt at both Ends. Seventhly four hunder'd large Lanthorns richly adorn'd and all curious pieces of Workmanship Eighthly four hunder'd Flambeaux delicately trimm'd and carv'd and made of a certain sort of Wood that gives a great light that lasts long Ninthly two hunder'd Lances adorn'd below the steel heads some with silk Fringes others with the tails of Panthers Wolves Foxes or other Beasts Tenthly twenty four Banners upon which are painted the twenty four Signs of the Zodiack which the Chineses divide into twenty four parts whereas we divide it into no more than twelve ' Leventhly fifty six Banners wherein are painted fifty six Constellations under which the Chineses comprehend the whole Number of the Stars Twelfthly two large Flabels supported by long Poles gilded and painted with various Figures of the Sun Dragons Birds and other Creatures Thirteenthly twenty four Umbrello's richly adorn'd and they that carry them two and two together as I said before Fourteenthly eight Sorts of Utensils for the King 's ordinary Use and Occasions as a Table Cloath a Bason of Gold and an Eure of the same Metal with several other things of the same Nature Fifteenthly ten Horses as white as Snow with their Saddles and Bridles adorn'd with Gold Pearls and precious Stones Sixteenthly a hunder'd Lanciers and on both sides within side of them the Pages of the Emperour's Chamber and in the middle between them the Emperour himself with an Air majestick and grave mounted upon a lovely Steed and cover'd with a Parasol or Umbrello beautifull and costly beyond the belief of those that never beheld it and so large that it shades both the Emperour and his Horse Seventeenthly the Princes of the Blood the petty