joo ' The V O 
cence for that Purpofe. The Ifland, for the Security of 
the Factory, is palifaded quite round ; and there are four 
great Streets that go acrofs it, with large Magazines or 
W.arehbiifes on both Sides, and a fpacious Market-place over- 
againft the Bridge, where, at certain times, the Towns- 
people Save Leave to trade with them. The Dutch are 
not even Matters of their own Ships ; for, as foon as any 
one of them, enters the. Port, the Japonefe inftantly take 
Poffeffion of her, take out all the Arms and Ammunition, 
which they carry a Ih ore, and lay up fafely, in order to 
return, when the Ship is ready to fail ; they exact likewife 
a ftrict Account of the Number and Quality of all the 
Men on board of her, and even caufe them to be muttered 
by a Commifiary of their own, in order to be fatisfied, 
that the Account they had before taken was true. After 
taking thefe Precautions, we need not wonder at a Pro- 
verb they have common amongft them •, viz. The Dutch 
have more Cunning than all the Nations of the IVef, but the 
Japonefe are fill more Cunning than they. 
Japan , with the neighbouring Iflands under its Domi- 
nion, is faid be near as big as Great Britain ; it is in 
Length, from North-eaft to South-weft, near 300 Leagues, 
and the Mean of its Breadth about 160 Miles ; it is well 
peopled, and produces all Things necefiary for human 
Suftenance in great Plenty •, yet the Dutch , in their ifland, 
pay a round Price for every thing they have, and purchafe 
even the Wood they burn by Weight. Their Mountains 
are very rich in Gold, Silver, and Copper, which laft is 
the very beft in the known World •, their Porcelain, or 
Japan Earthen- ware, is finer than China Ware, but much 
thicker and heavier, and the Colours brighter, and it fells 
much dearer, either in India or Europe , than what is made 
in China ; but their Tea is not near fo good. Their lacked 
or japanned Ware, is, without any doubt, the beft in the 
World ; the beft Sort will hold boiling Water without 
Detriment to it. They abound in Silks, both Wrought 
and Raw, much ftronger than what China produces. Their 
Houfes are for the molt part built of Wood •, but the Em- 
peror’s Palaces are built of Marble, and are covered with 
gilded Copper. Their Gilding is very durable, and can 
withftand all Winds and Weather many Years. The City 
of Jeddo is their Metropolis, and its Magnitude may be 
gueffed by a Fire that happened in it about the Year. 1660. 
which confumed, in eight Days that it raged, about 
120,000 Houfes, befides above 500 Temples. 
Their Religion is purely Pagan , and Arnida is their 
favourite God ; but his Habitation is a great Way off ; 
for they report, that a Soul is three Years in continual 
Travel before it can reach Paradife, which is only the Sub- 
urbs of Heaven : However, when they once get thither, 
they are pretty fure of going to Heaven, and they live 
pretty quietly in Paradife, becaufe not one of their Fiends 
dares come thither to difturb any of them. They have 
feveral other Gods, and each of them has his Adorers and 
Devotees. One is reprefented as having three Faces, and 
he is believed to be the Father of the Sun, Moon, and 
Stars. Every God has his particular Paradife, but none is 
nearer than three Years Journey : Some of their Zealots 
cut their own Throats, to get an eafy Paffage to fome of 
them and others hang themfelves, for the fame Purpofe. 
They carry their Idols in ProceiTion on Horfeback, with 
inftrumental and vocal Mufic, to entertain them. They 
make many Feafts and Sacrifices to their Idols, but they 
are only fed with the Smoke •, the Votaries eat the Meat. 
The Japonefe are ftridt Obfervers of moral Rules, and par- 
ticularly in Commerce, infomuch that a Merchant of Re- 
putation, in his Payments, puts up 5, io, or any decimal 
Number of Cupangs (which is a broad oblong Piece of 
Gold of twenty Shillings Value there) into a filk Bag ; 
and, putting his Seal on the Bag, pafies current for what 
the Seal mentions, for feveral Generations, without fo much 
as looking what is in the Bag; and Gold is lo plentiful and 
cheap, that a Cupang of twenty Shillings, in Japan, 
pafies current in Batavia for thirty-two Shillings ; and, 
when the Lion is ftampt on it by the Company, it pafies 
for forty Shillings Sterling. 
They are likewife exadt Obfervers of Jtiftice, and ri- 
gorous in punifhing of Cri mes. To a Man of Piftinction, 
convicted of a capital Crime, the Emperor fends a Letter,, 
2 
AGES of Book I. 
that on fuch a Day, and fuch an Hour, he mtift be his own 
Executioner, on Penalty of exquifite Torments, if he fur- 
vives the appointed Time ; fo that the common Cuftom is, 
that the Delinquent fends for his neareft and beft Friends, 
to a fumptuous Feaft, on the Day fet him; and, after the 
Feaft is over, he thews them the Emperor’s Letter ; and, 
while they are reading it, he takes a Dagger, that he has 
about him for that Purpofe, and with it ftabs himfelf below 
the Navel, and rips himfelf up to the Breaft-bone. The 
inferior Sort are forced to fubmit to Hanging, Beheading, or 
Throwing over a high Precipice ; and, for finall Faults, 
Whipping and Stigmatizing are common Punifhments. T'his 
Seventy feems to ftiew, that the Statefmen and Lawgivers 
of this Country, who ought to be beft acquainted with the 
Genius of the People, are fatisfied, that nothing but 
penal Laws, ftriftly executed, can contain them within 
due Bounds. 
It is certain, that the Government of Japan would be 
well enough pleafed to encourage a free Trade with all the 
Nations, if it was not conftrained by two Confiderations ; 
The firft is, the Dread of having their Religion infulted, 
which, from a mifguided Zeal, was very frequent, while 
there were any Chnitians among the Japonefe . The other 
is, their Averfion to ftrange Cuftoms, or any Innovation 
in the Manners of their People, from which they appre- 
hend the word; Confequences. When the Dutch were firft 
eftablilhed here, the then prime Minifter of Japan gave 
their Embaffador this Account of the Matter : We do not 
condemn your Cuftoms, or cenfure your Way of Living; 
but we are determined to preferve our own : We know 
very well the Advantages that refult from the Syftem of 
Government eftablilhed amongft us, and we will not run 
the Hazard of a Change : We know too, that great Re- 
volutions are brought about by imperceptible Degrees, and* 
therefore, we are refolved to cure the Itch of Novelty by 
the Rod of Punilhment. Upon this Maxim that Law is 
founded, by which no Japonefe dares leave his Country ; 
and, if he does, he mull never return. They are fo 
wedded to their own Cuftoms and Opinions, and fo jealous 
of having new or foreign Cuftoms introduced, that they 
will not lend Embaffies to other Kings or States, or buffer 
their Merchants to have Commerce out of their own Do- 
minions ; only they fend fome fmall Jonks, or Veffels, in 
Summer-time, to the Land of Tedfo, about fifty Leagues 
from the North-end of Japan ; and it is reported, they 
bring much Gold from thence : But, whether that Coun- 
try is Part of their Dominions, or not, is not eafy to fay ; 
but it is alfo reported, that the Natives of the Country 
are robuft and uncivilized ; and that they fpeak the Japan 
Language. 
Our Author affirms, that the Dutch have atftually fur- 
rounded the Coaft of Japan , and are fatisfied, that it is an 
Ifiand ; and he farther affures us, that they have but one 
good Port, all the reft of their Coafts being fo guarded by 
Iteep Rocks, and S hole- water, that they have no Reafon 
to fear Invafions. He obferves likewife, that, in point of 
Military Difcipline, they very far exceed the Chinefe ; and 
that their People are, by no means, of fo bafe and effemi- 
nate a Temper, as moft of the Inhabitants of that great 
Empire. He adds, that the Government is perfectly uni- 
form, and well fettled ; for tho 5 feveral Countries have 
the Title of Kingdoms, yet all their Monarchs are under 
the ftribteft Subjection to the Emperor, and the Laws of 
the Country prevail every-where, fo that there cannot be 
faid to be any Diverfity of Interefts. 
There is likewife a very ftrict Regard had to private 
Property, the Father transmitting to the Son, not only his 
patrimonial Eftate, but what he has acquired by his own 
Induftry, which is certainly one of the beft Methods for 
preventing the Defire of Change. The Japonefe are not 
only a very fubtle and crafty People, but have alfo a fur- 
prifing Quicknefs of Parts. The Emperor, though he 
refides at Jeddo , which is thirty Days Journey from the 
Port, by the quicker! Conveyance in Ufe in that Country, 
has, notwithstanding. Intelligence, in the Space of three 
Days, of the Number and Force of all Ships that arrive. 
This is peiiormed by Flags and Beacons. As foon as a 
Ship arrives, they examine, as we before remarked, the 
Strength of the Yeflel ; of which Report being made 
