i: 482 3 
to have been guilty of, when they had none to con : 
front them 5 and how little may we prefume they know 
of the Ules to be made of (>/<^/WObfervations? 
We are told, with great Pomp and Aflurance (l). 
That there always was i wChina an Office of Mathe- 
matics , and another of Hiftory : That it is theBufi- 
nefs of the former to calculate Eclipfes ,* and of the 
latter to regifter them, and every other Occurrence 
that happens in the State. 
It would have been well, if the learned Fathers 
had told us with a little more Exa&nefs what we are 
to underhand by the Term always 5 and whether 
the Chine fe are acquainted enough with the Ufes for 
which EclipJ.es ferve, to make it probable, that they 
fhould have hadfuch an Office any conjiderable Num- 
ber of Tears , and much lefs always. May we not 
in the mean time fufpedt, upon hearing fuch Lan- 
guage ,as this, that the Fathers miftake Fekin for 
Faris 5 and, having their Heads full of the Academy 
of Sciences , cannot help figuring to themfelves the 
like in the remoteft Corners of Afia ? 
Be this as it will, they tell us. That the Mathema- 
ticians have often had the Credit to take out of the 
Regifters their falfe Calculations, and fubftitute in 
their room others, agreeing with Obfervations. _ . 
But where Things are kept with fo little Exaftnefs, 
what can be expe&ed but Confufion? What lefs in- 
deed can be expedted than what the Fathers aflure 
us themfelves hath frequently been the Cafe^), That, 
by 
H) Obfervat.Mtfup, Tom. 2. p. 15#. (m) Ut fup* 
P- I 59 * 
