C H I X A. 



227 



, C. 230. 



Hi<torr. of Tcheoo is occupied almost entirely with an account 

 of the wars among^ the tributary princes ; and is called 

 by the Chinese, " the years of war," or " the warlike 

 ages." Several of these vassal chiefs became so power- 

 ful by the conquest of their neighbours, that they soon 

 began to disregard the authority of the emperors, who, 

 during a space of 400 years, had more the name than 

 the power cf a sovereign. During this turbulent pe- 

 riod, many kingdoms arose and disappeared, of which 

 the most powerful towards the conclusion of the dynasty 

 were Tsoo, governed by Kao-lie-vang ; Yen, by Hiao- 

 rang; Oey, by Ngang-lee-vang ; Tchao, by Hcao- 

 tching-vang ; Han, by Huon-hoey ; Tsee, by Vang- 

 kin ; and Tsin, by Tchao-siaug-vang. This last men- 

 tioned prince had assumed, in the year before Christ 288, 

 the title of Emperor of the West ; and, in 255, dethro- 

 ned, without a struggle, the Emperor Nan-vang, who 

 had never possessed either dominions or authority. This 

 introduced, 



The Fourth Imperial Dynasty. 



TSIN. 



Before Christ. Before Christ. 



Tourth iiy. Tchao siang-vang . . ?5j Shee-hoang tee . . . . 216 

 " is: !"' Hiao ven-vang .... 250 Eul-shee-hoang-tee . . i'09 



Tchoang-siang-vang . 2-19 



The most celebrated prince of this dynasty was Shee- 

 hoang-tce, named also Tching, who subdued the nume- 

 rous kingdoms which had rien upon the ruins of the 

 imperial dominions, and completely re-established the an- 

 cient power of the empire. He greatly extended its 

 boundaries by new conquests, especially in the province 

 of Quang-tong, and the adjoining districts, which had 

 never been subjugated j and transported 500,000 men to 

 occupy and preserve his new territories. He gained pos- 

 session also of ihe country of Ortoo, constructed 41 ci- 

 ties along the river Hoang-ho, united the different por- 

 tions of wall, which had been raised by the princes of 

 Tchao and Yen, against the invading Tartars ; and thus 

 completed at length the great wall, after having sent an 

 army of 100,000 men against the Hiong-noo, or Huns, 

 whom he drove to a great distance from his frontiers. In 

 the 31th year of his reign, '213 before Christ, he com- 

 Destruc- ma nded all the books and writings in the empire to be 



' '" burned, except those which treated of medicine, divina- 

 ncsc wn _i i I'll i 



tijip. tion, and agriculture ; a measure, which he conceived to 



be necessary, in order to abolish the multitude of synony- 

 mous characters which had been introduced into the lan- 

 guage, and to compel the literati to adopt a more uni- 

 form mode of writing (see p. 218.); or, according to 

 others, as a most effectual mean of obliterating the re- 

 nown of his predecessors, and of securing the first place 

 to his own name in the annals of the empire. In the 

 32d year of his reign, it is related, that a star fell to 

 the earth, which immediately became a stone ; and that 

 some persons caused these words to be engraved upon it : 

 " Shee-hoang-tee is drawing near his end, and his empire 

 shall be divided ;" but the emperor immediately com- 

 manded the stone to be broken in pieces, and all the in- 

 habitants in the neighbourhood of the place, where it was 

 found, to be put to death. Having, at length, after nu- 

 merous wars, settled his dominions in a profound peace, 

 his ministers advised him to erect new principalities for 

 the establishment of his younger sons ; but he reminded 

 them of the troubles, which had been excited under for- 

 mer dynasties, by the contentions and ambition of the 

 dependent princes ; and resolved rather to build palaces 

 in different cities, for the inferior branches of the impe- 



rial family, where they should be maintained at the. ex- 

 pence of the emperor, according to their rank, without 

 possessing any authority over the people ; a regulation 

 which has continued to be observed in China from that 

 period to the present time. Under the reign of his suc- 

 cessor, whose cruelty, liccntiousne??, and impolitic mea- 

 sures had excited a ger.eral insurrection throughout the 

 empire, appeared the famous Lieoo-pang, who was suc- 

 cessively a private soldier, a captain of a troop of robbers, 

 a genera!, a petty prince, and, at length, usurper of the 

 throne, and founder of 



The Fifth Imperial Dynasty. 

 HAN. 



Before Christ. After Christ. 



Licoo-pang, or Kao- 



tce 202 



Hoey-tee 194> 



Kao heco, wife of Kao- 



tee 187 



Ven-tee 179 



King-tee 156 



Voo-tce 140 



Tchao-tee 86 



Siuen-tee 73 



Yuen tee 48 



Tching-tee 32 



Ngay-tee 6 



After Christ. 



Ping-tee 1 



In-tse-ing-kiu-nie . . 6 



Vang-mmig .... 



Tee-yuen 



Kuang-voo-tee . . 



Ming-tee 58 



Tchang-tee 76 



Ho-tee 89 



Shang-tee 106 



Ngan-tee 107 



Pe-king-heoo l'J.'> 



Shun-tee 1'JG 



Tchong-tee 1 !."> 



Tche-tee 146 



Huon-tee 147 



Ling-tee 168 



Shao-tee 189 



Hien-tee 190 



Fifth dv- 



23 nasty. 

 2.5 



The most celebrated sovereigns of this dynasty were, 

 Ven-tee, a wise and virtuous prince, who greatly exalted 

 the imperial dignity, and increased the wealth of the em- 

 pire. He was remarkable at once for his frugality and 

 generosity. He forbade the employment of gold and sil- 

 ver in the utensils of his palace, and the use of silk in the 

 dress of his women ; and by his economical style of living, 

 he was able to remit one half of the ordinary taxes, and to 

 maintain all the aged poor in his dominions at his own 

 expence. He was careful to encourage agriculture by 

 his patronage and example. He was also a great lover 

 of learning ; and promoted the search after the remnants 

 of the ancient writings, which had been destroyed. He 

 enlarged the boundaries of the empire towards the south ; 

 and repulsed the Tartar tribes, who had taken advantage 

 of the troubles preceding his reign, to make incursions in- 

 to the Chinese territories. 



Voo-tee was a prince of excellent qualities, but natural- 

 ly inclined to war. He yielded, however, to the advice of 

 the wise men whom he consulted, and who all united in 

 preferring a state of peace to the most just and successful 

 military enterprises. He promoted the republication of 

 those books, which had escaped the general ruin, and cau- 

 sed the morals of Confucius to be taught in the schools. 

 His martial spirit having been roused by the inroads of 

 the Tartars, he drove them beyond the great wall with 

 signal success ; and is said to have pushed his conquests 

 over IP Siam and Bengal. But both these princes, with 

 all their wisdom and talents, were much addicted to the 

 tenets of the Tao-tse, or immortals, who pretended to pre- 

 pare a liquor, which rendered man exempt from death. 

 The grandees of Voo-tee were grieved with the infatua- 

 tion of the emperor on this subject, and presented fre- Practical 

 quent remonstrances without effect. One of them, hap- argument 

 pening one day to be in the Emperor's presence, when against the 

 the mysterious beverage was brought to him, suddenly [""'' 

 seized the cup and swallowed its contents. The mo- 



