Chap. II. 
2 9, As the Inhabitants of Europe received the fird di~ 
ftant Accounts of the vaft Country of China from our indu- 
drious Venetians , fo from them likewife they had the 
cleared: and bed: Account of the Revolutions that had 
happened in that Empire by the Power of the Tartars ; a 
Thing of fuch Confequence to the right Underdanding 
what fubfequent Travellers have related, that I will be bold 
to fay all the Difficulties and Difcouragements that have 
been thrown in our Way, and have fo long hindered our 
making a right Ufe of the many Collections of Travels 
already publifhed, have arifen in part from a Humour 
that for fome Time prevailed, of treating Marco Polo's, 
Relation as a Romance, and partly through the Midakes 
made by thofe, who for Want of having fufficient Lights, 
and the Materials that were requifite, undertook to explain 
the Hidory of the Irruptions of the Tartars into China , 
and endeavoured to make the Dates and Fads mentioned in 
thefe Travels, fall in with their Accounts, accudng, at 
every turn, the Author of Errors and Faults, of which 
themfelves only were guilty. To remedy thefe Diforders, 
and to make the Way plainer for the future, we fhall, 
without running into a long Difcuffion of what other 
Writers have advanced, obferve, that there have been 
three didind Conqueds of China made by the Tartars , of 
each of which we fhall give a clear and didind Account 
in very few Words. The Hrd of thefe v/as by the Eadern 
Tartars , who, before the Time of Zingis-Khan , made 
themfelves Maders of the Northern Provinces of China , 
and fixed the Seat of their Empire at Khanbalick, Camha - 
lu , or Pekin ; and this, as I conceive, gave Rife to what 
is called the Empire of Cathay ; concerning which, all our 
ancient Writers in general deliver themfelves with fo much 
Confufion, fometimes reprefenting Cathay as aPart of Tar- 
tary ^ fometimes again comprehending under that Name 
the whole Empire of China ; and at others, didinguifhing 
it from both. But from this Didindion, it clearly appears, 
that though the ancient Empire of Cathay was fituated in 
China , yet it was an Empire raifed by the T artars ; and 
that from want of attending to this, fo many Midakes 
have been introduced. 
The Prince who governed Cathay in the Time of Zin- 
gis-Khan was Altan-Khan , againd whom that great Conque- 
ror made his fird Attempt, in the Year 1 206, and that with 
fuch Succefs as to oblige this Monarch, after various De- 
feats, to fliut himfelf up in the City of Cambalu , and to fue 
for a Peace, which, with much Difficulty, he obtained ; 
for the Confirmation of which he gave his Daughter in 
Marriage to Zingis-Khan . This Peace was but of very 
diort Continuance ; for Altan-Khan , having a Jealoufy that 
fome of his Nobility held Intelligence with his Enemy, he 
put many of them to death; and finding the northern 
Parts of his Dominions in a manner waded and depopu- 
lated by the late Invafion, he retired to the City of Nan- 
kin , which his Father had fortified with three Walls, the 
lad of which was forty Leagues in Circuit, and left his 
Son in Poffeffion of Khanbalick and of the adjacent Coun- 
tries. The red of the Nobility, enraged at the Indances 
of Severity before-mentioned, and at the fame time doubt- 
ing their own Safety, had immediate Recourfe to Zin- 
gis-Khan, and drew him a fecond Time into Cathay , 
where he made himfelf Mader of the Imperial City of 
Cambalu ; the News of which Accident affedted Altan- 
Khan to fuch a Degree, that he poifoned himfelf. This 
happened about the Year 1210; and thus the Tartars 
became Maders of the northern Parts of China. They 
continued their Conqueds under the Reign of the Succef- 
fors of Zingis-Khan , till the Emperor, who reigned when 
our Author was in thefe Parts, viz. Coplai-Khan , who in 
the Year 1278, compleated the Conqued of Mangi, or 
the fouthern Parts of China . 
The Bounds of Zingis-Khan ' s Conqueds on this Side, 
was the River Hoang ; but his SuccefTors annexed all the 
Country between that River and. the River of Kiang. All 
the reft were. fubdued by Coplai-Khan, and his General 
Pe Ten „ This was the fecond Conqued made by the T ar- 
tars, who not only dedroyed the Empire formerly eda- 
blilhed by their Countrymen in Cathay, but alfo that of 
the native Chinefe, which had fubfided for fo many Ages. 
This diort Recapitulation fets this Affair in its true Light, 
Numb. XLIIL 
625 
and not only explains what Marco Polo has told us, and 
reconciles his Accounts with thofe of later Authors, but 
alfo conne&s his Relation with that of Rubruquis , and even 
thofe of the Arabian Travellers ; fo that taking the whole 
together, we have a clear and fatisfadfory View of the 
Affairs of China , to that which I call the fecond Conqued 
by the Tartars ; but as the Affairs of this Country were 
entirely changed again before the Arrival of the Portu- 
guefe by the Way of the Cape of Good Hope , I think it 
will be for the Reader’s Eafe and Advantage to have this 
Hidory conduced to its Ciofe before we enter upon the 
Difcoveries and Conqueds of the Portuguefe ; becaufe 
otherwife, when we come to fpeak of the Chinefe as 
again in the Poffedion of their Country, and again driven 
out and .conquered by the Tartars , it mud neceffarily in- 
troduce infinite Confufion. It is from the Chinefe Writers 
that we have the Reigns of the Tartar Emprors who foe- 
ceeded Coplai-Khan , and of whom there is very little men- 
tion made in the T lidories of the T artars. 
T. he Chinefe , as I before obferved, called this new Im- 
perial Family Yuen, and bedowed the Name of Chi-Tfou 
upon Copli-Khan , of whom their Llidories fpeak with the 
utmod Reverence, and whom they celebrate", for his hav- 
ing opened the great Canal mentioned by our Author, 
and which has been ever fince judly confidered as one of 
the Wonders of China. It is three hundred Leagues in 
Length, and nine thoufand Imperial Barks are: condantly 
employed thereon, in tranfporting the Tributes cf the 
fouthern Provinces to Cambalu or Pekin , and in other Ser- 
vices. Thefe Writers place the Death of this Emperor 
fomewhat lower than the Tartar Hidorians ; for the for- 
mer fay, that he lived to the Age of fourfcore, and died 
A. D. 1295, whereas the latter place that Event in 1292. 
He was fucceeded in the Empire by his Grandfon, whom 
our Author calls Timur ; but in the Chinefe Chronicles 
he is diled Tching-Tfong ; and as his Grandfather excelled 
in Power, fo he didinguifhed himfelf by his Clemency and 
the Love of his Subjects. After him reigned feven other 
Princes of his Family, all of whom were no lefs illudri- 
ous on the fcore of their perfonal Virtues, than glorious 
from their poffeffing fo large an Empire : And it is very 
remarkable, that the Chinefe Hidory renders fo great ju- 
dice to this foreign Race of Princes, as to dile the Period 
in which they ruled over China, the wife Adminif ration . 
The lad of them was Chun-ti , a Prince of great natural 
Endowments, but who unfortunately gave himfelf up to 
Prieds and Women, leaving the Management of the Af- 
fairs of the Empire entirely to his Prime Minider. The 
Tartar Soldiers, through fo long a Peace, had lod their 
original Difciphne, and were become flothful and effemi- 
nate, which fo raifed the Courage of the Chinefe , that they 
began to fliew a Difpofition to revolt ; and one Tchou, an 
obfeure Perfon, who had been no better than a Footman, 
having put himfelf at the Head of a Body of Malcontents, 
reduced many of the great Cities in the Empire ; and be- 
came, by Degrees, fo powerful, that he twice defeated the 
Imperial Army, and at lad forced the Tartars to abandon 
China, after they had been poffeffed of it ninety-nine 
Years. This Revolution happened in 1370 ; and Tchou 
having by his Succefs in this War raifed himfelf to the 
Imperial Throne, affumed the Name of Tai Tfou , and 
fixed his Imperial Refidence in the City of Nankin . 
And thus it was that the Chinefe, having expelled their 
Conquerors, recovered the Dominion of their own Coun- 
try. I 
As for the Emperor Chun-ti, he retired with his Tar- 
tar Subjects northwards, and died of Grief and Vexation 
about two Years after this Revolution happened. The 
Tartars that were thus expelled, having a drong Tinfture 
of the Chinefe Cudoms, did not join with the red of the 
Moguls , but fettled themfelves in the Country of Leaoton , 
and were, from this Time forward, diled the Nieuchen 
Moguls , or Moguls cf the Eaft, to didinguifh them from 
the other Moguls, who were called Moguls of the Weft. 
This defart Country they cultivated with the utmod 
Care, built therein feveral confiderable Cities, and prac- 
tifed that Indudry which they had learned by converfing 
fo long with the Chinefe ; yet, in fome Refpefts, they did 
retained a Tinfture of their ancient Manners ; for, indead 
7 U ©f- 
of Marco Polo. 
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