102 SUIKJEON-GENERAL SIR C. A. GORDON, M.D., K.C.B., ON 



of decay, culminating in the ignominious cessation of the 

 dynasty. Of the five monarchs whose downward course so 

 cuhninated, it is related that the debauches of one* rendered 

 him odious and contemptible to his people ; a secondf 

 abandoned himself to vice and dissij)ation, selected bad men 

 to be ministers and other officials ; a third+ made his palace 

 the seat of the most infamous pleasures, and shortened his 

 days by debauchery ; a fourth§ though perhaps not actively 

 wicked, has not assigned to him any particular virtue or 

 capacity for governing; the fifth and Iast|| "naturally vicious, 

 without one redeeming quality." The cruelty and infamy of 

 his acts continue even at the present day to render his name 

 odious in China, as that of Nero is in western nations. In 

 all these respects he was equalled by his empress. 



The brief summary so given of events connected with the 

 first Cliinese dynasty, or that of Hea, comprises the period 

 from B.C. 2208 to B.C. 1776,11 namely, 432 years, during which 

 important advances took place in various branches of 

 knowledge, including those to which in subsequent years the 

 term science came to be applied ; progress also took place in 

 respect to art and agriculture, the last-named industry being 

 that in which from time immemorial the Chinese have 

 excelled. Corresponding advances were meanwhile taking 

 place in other regions of the ancient world, some of which, 

 together Avith other circumstances, may be here enumerated 

 in their chronological order, namely : — 



During this period commerce of Egypt much extended ; 

 divine honours came to be paid to a host of divinities, 

 obelisks and columns were erected as memorials. In 

 consequence of a famine in Canaan, Abraham, accompanied 

 by Sarah his wife, proceeded to Egypt to buy corn,** the 

 latter country being even then known as "a land of plenty." 



A colony of Aryans, otherwise of the Indo-Germanic stock, 

 having started from tJieir primitive home, supposed to have 

 been on the borders of the Caspian Sea, proceeded eastward ; 

 they entered the north-western region of India, defeated the 



* Ti Kin, b.c. 1899-1879. 

 t Kung Kia, b.c. 1879-1847. 

 X TeKaou, B.C. 1847-1836. 

 f^ Te Fah, b.c. 1836-1818. 

 II Kya, or Kea Kwa, b.c. 1818 to b.c. 1766. 



IT Or, according to Medhurst, B.C. 2204 to b.c. 1765 = 439 years. 

 ** Gen, xii, 10 ; to sojourn there, A.V. Bora B.C. 1996 ; called B.C. 

 1921. 



