24 



CHINA. 



Hiwory. Yue, who followed the ccupition of a mason, was 

 ~1 found in the country of Foo-yecn in Shansec, who bore 

 an exact mnahhact to the portrait ; and, having been 

 brought to Voo-ting, was appointed his prime minister. 

 A long discourse took place between them, in which 

 many useful maxims and moral exhortations are express- 

 ed ; but which are only a repetition of what are record- 

 ed almost in eveiy i 



'.rr the reign of Tee ee, Kee-lee, a prince of the 

 family of Tcheoo, was appointed to the command of the 

 army, and successively defeated the barbarians of Yen- 

 kiog, of Yu-voo, and of Y-too. He received in reward of 

 bis services, a kuey or musical atone, a vessel full of 

 wine, and the title of Keoo-pe, or prince of the empire. 

 He was succeeded in his principality and honours by his 

 ion Tchang, or Ven-vang, who is one of the most dis- 

 tinguished personages among the Chinese worthies. His 

 mother, Tai-gin, expcriencid no inconvenience during 

 her pregnancy, and brought him into the world without 

 pain. At his birth, it was predicted that he would be 

 a givat man ; and his grandfather Tan foo said, at the 

 ight of him," this child shall perpetuate my race." 

 He imitated the virtues of his .'.ncestors, respected the 

 wise and the aged, collected learned men around his per- 

 son, appointed officers for levying the revenue, put the 

 lakes and bridges into a state of good repair, repressed 

 the power and boldness of the vicious, established or- 

 der every where, and provided for the support of wi- 

 dows, orphans, and old men. Ven-vang married a vir- 

 tuous princess, named Tay-su, by whom he had ten 

 children, the youngest of whom named Fa, the same 

 who was afterwards called Voo-vang, gave early indica- 

 tions of greatness, and was appointed by Ven-vang to be 

 his successor. By the command of Tee ee, Ven-vang 

 marched to the western frontiers, and subdued the bar- 

 barous people Kuon-ce ; and afterwards to the north, 

 where he was equally successful against the Tartars of 

 Kien yun. 



Sin, or Sheoo, the son and successor of Tee-ce, was a 

 worthless prince, crafty, vain, profuse, and much addict- 

 ed to wine and women. He was so strong and coura- 

 geous, that he was able to subdue the most ferocious 

 animals ; and is considered as the inventor of the little 

 ivory sticks, which the Chinese employ in eating their 

 food. He married a princess, named Tan kee, to whose 

 will he became entirely subservient, and employed him- 

 elf wholly in music, dancing, and amassing wealth. He 

 kept a multitude of dogs, horses, and wild beasts enclo- 

 sed in parks ; despised the gods, and thought of nothing 

 but his pleasures. He filled a pond with wine, collect- 

 ed delicacies of every description, and assembled around 

 New pu- htm the most licentious persons of both sexes. He 

 nUluneut. contrived a new mode of punishment, according to which 

 the sufferer was compelled to walk upon a large bar of 

 red hot iron, which was so placed, that upon falling 

 from it he was received into a fire of live coals, an exhi- 

 bition which occasioned much merriment to Tan-kee. 

 Ven-vang, Kieoo-hieoo, and Oo heoo, were at this time 

 the three principal men of the empire. The second had 

 a daughter whom he gave to Sin ; but upon her refusing 

 to take part in his debaucheries, he caused her to be cut 



in pieces, and presented as food to her father. Oo heoo 

 i c -''" , * 



having remonstrated with the emperor upon such bar- 

 barity, he was put to a similar death. Ven-vang la- 

 mented these events in silence, of which the king be- 

 ing informed, threw him into prison, lest he should 



cause an insurrection among the people, who began History, 

 to be extremely discontented. Vcn-vaug, during his \~~,->-J 

 confinement, applied himself to the study of Yling, B. C. I20t 

 a work ascribed to Fo-hce, and which shall afterwards 

 be described. The people of his principality, how- 

 evtr, who regarded him as their parent, continuing 

 to petition for nis liberty, and the neighbouring barba- 

 rians beginning to make incursions into the empire, Sin 

 at lengtB brought him out >vf pris.n, and put him at the 

 head of the army. Ven-vang prevailed upon the en:- 

 peror, by presenting him with the country called Lo, 

 to abolish the punishment of the iron pillar ; and was 

 declared, in return for his services, chief of all the west- 

 ern va-j-als. But Sin was surrounded by wicked mini- 

 sters, who attempted to calumniate the conduct of \\-ii- 

 vang, and to accomplish his destruction Their machi- 

 nations excited the great vassals of the empire to revolt 

 in support of Ven-vang ; but, instead of putting him- 

 self at their head, he persuaded them to return to thin 

 duty. The virtues of Ven vang rendered his name so 

 celebrated, that neighbouring princes applied to him ai 

 umpire in their contentions; and it is related, that, when 

 those of Yu and of Tooy, were on their way to his i .^i- 

 dence for this purpose, they were so impressed with 

 the flourishing and orderly state of his territories, that 

 they were ashamed of their own folly, voluntarily aban- 

 doned their disputes, and returned to imitate this excel- 

 lent prince. Forty kingdoms are said to have submitted 

 voluntarily to the sway of Ven-vang ; but, in the Chinese 

 annals, even long posterior to this era, a village was 

 called a kingdom. In proof of his good government, 

 and of the superior civilization of his subjects, it is re- 

 lated, that, in his dominions, the landi were carefully di- 

 vided, and each family provided with a sufficient quan- 

 tity of ground for their suppi.rt ; that the habitations 

 were surrounded with mulberry trees, and the women 

 employed in rearing silk worms ; that there were in every 

 house five hens and two swine, to supply proper food 

 for the old men ; that the people had been instructed 

 to plant trees, and rear domestic animals ; that the pea- 

 sants were seen -.-very where peaceably employed in their 

 labours, and the travellers pursuing their journey in 

 safety. But, if all these marks of improvement were 

 now seen for the first time in Si:ensee, which had been 

 first inhabited, and were peculiar to the principality of 

 Ven-vang ; what becomes of the great empire of China, 

 which, according to its historians, had already subsisted 

 1800 years in a state of grandeur and civilization ? But, 

 to return to Ven-vang, who, after all those great actions, 

 is called by one of the historians who celebrate his 

 praise, a barbarian of the West, he continued to sub- 

 due the savage people of Mee-sin, of Kec, of Yu, and of 

 Tsong, all dwelling within the limits of the province of 

 Shen-see, and died soon after in the 96th year of his age. 

 He was succeeded by his son Fa or Voo-vang, who im- 

 mediately reviewed his troops and set out to subjugate 

 the country of Lee towards the cast. Sin, in the mean 

 time, continued to despise all the advisers of his friends, 

 and to punish every one, who ventured to remonutrate 

 with him upon his conduct. To one of these unhappy 

 persons he said, upon sentencing him to death, that he 

 had heard, that wise men had seven holes in their heart, 

 and that he would take out his to ascertain the point. 

 This was his last act of cruelty. Voo-vang, at the head 

 of 800 vassal chiefs, marched against the monster, de- 

 prived him of the empire, and founded 

 3 



