Chap. II. of M A r c 
probably flicceeded, if he had not been thus out-witted by 
the far tar Zungh-hi, who forefeeing how different a thing 
it might prove for him to maintain himfelf in Poffeffion 
of fo great an Empire, with fuch a handful of Forces, 
was no fooner feated on the Imperial Ihrone, than he in- 
ftantly dipatched Advice of his gooo F 01 tune to the 
Khans of Eaft fartary , who were Princes of his own Fa- 
mily, inviting them to come, and fhare with him in fo rich 
a Conqueft. This was certainly a good Expedient for fecu- 
ring himfelf againft the Ficklenefs, or Infidelity of the Chi- 
nefe ; but at the fame Time, it vifibly expofed the new Em- 
peror to the Danger of being undone by his Auxiliaries ; for 
the Khans of the Tartars, who on the firft Summons haften- 
ed to his Affiftance, had certainly in View, the dividing 
the Chinefe Empire amongft them •, but Zungi-hi was a 
Prince of fuch Wifdom and Penetration, that he immedi- 
ately difcovered the Danger to which he flood expofed, 
and provided againft it, with a Sagacity equal to his Pe- 
netration. He divided thefe Corps of Tartars as foon as 
they entred his Dominions, lent for feveral of their Princes 
to Pekin , and in a fhort Time fo feparated them from 
each other, that they became abfolutely his Subjefts, and 
were unable to aft otherwife than was conducive to his 
Service. In the Conqueft and Settlement of China , this 
Tartar Prince fhewed all the Courage and Capacity of 
Julius, all the Policy and Conduft of Auguftus Cafar, by 
which he throughly accomplifhed the third Conqueft of 
China by the T attars , which happened in one thoufand fix 
hundred forty and four, after the Chinefe had preferred their 
Freedom for two hundred fixty-fix Years k . 
This new Race of Tartar Princes, which ftill continue 
to reign in China , for the twenty-fecond Dynafty of their 
Monarchs, which is diftinguifhed by the Name of Tfmg ; 
It is however very remarkable, that Zungt-hi is not ac- 
counted the firft of thofe Emperors, becaufe he died al- 
moft as foon as he was feated on his Throne, and before 
he was entirely poffefTed of China, leaving the Empire to 
his Son Chun-Tchi, who was then no more than fix Years 
Years old, and to whom his dying Father affigned his 
Brother Ama-Van for his Guardian. So early a Minority, 
one would have imagined, muff have been fatal to the 
new raifed Empire*, but Ama-Van, during the Non-Age 
of his Nephew, conducted all things with fo much Wif- 
dom and Fidelity, that when the young Emperor came to 
take the Reins of Goverment into his own Hands, he 
found himfelf in as full Poffeffion of his Dominions, as if 
they had defcended to him from a long Line of Ances- 
tors. The Emperor Chun-T chi was himfelf a Perfon of 
extraordinary Abilities, eafy and affable amongft his Sol- 
diers, wife and prudent in his Councils, and fo refined a 
Politician, that under Colour of executing the Laws -with 
Exaftnefs, he took off ail the great Men in China that 
were capable of giving him either Jealoufy or Difturbance ; 
fo that after a Reign of feventeen Years, he left the Em- 
pire perfeftly fettled to his Son, who was but eight Years 
old. 
The Name of this Prince was Cang-hi , he was raifed 
to the Throne in the Year 1662, and, during his Mino- 
rity, the Empire was governed by four great Minifters, 
who executed their Offices with the greateft Wifdom 
and Integrity, fo that this fecond Minority proved not in 
the leaft dangerous to the Empire. It is true, that the fa- 
mous Chinefe General Oufanguei, took the Advantage of 
it, and endeavoured to fhake off the Yoke of the Tartars , 
of whom with equal Wit and Wifdom, he faid, that he 
had called in Lions to affift him in hunting Dogs. He 
had fome Succefs at the Beginning, and might probably 
have fecured at leaft fome Part of the Empire for himfelf 
and his Pofterity, if he had not been very old at the Time 
of his Revolt, and died not long after, which gave the 
Emperor’s Minifters an Opportunity of taking fuch Mea- 
O P O L O. <§27 
lures, as put it out of the Power of the Chinefe to rebel 
for the future. Cang-hi fell nothing fhort, either of 
his Father or his Grandfather, fo that it may be reckoned 
an extraordinary Felicity, in this Family, that for three 
Generations, there were as great Princes of it as perhaps 
of any other in the World. This Emperor was extream- 
ly careful with regard to two Points, the encouraging and 
diftinguifhing his Tartar Subjefts, and behaving, with the 
utmoft Juftice and Moderation towards the Chinefe. 
In the Beginning of his Reign indeed, he committed 
fome neceffary Afts of Severity, but when lie found that 
he had by this Means abfolutely broken the mutinous Spirit 
of the People of China, he changed his Conduft entire- 
ly, and applied himfelf wholly to the putting every thing 
in the beft Order poffible, for the Benefit of ail his Subjefts. 
It was with this View, that he obliged the Viceroys and 
other Governors of Provinces, to-adminifter j uitice with 
Impartiality and Mildnefs, taking from them the Power 
of punifhing Capitally, and obliging them to fend all (uch 
Sentences to the fupreme Tribunal of the Empire. In 
order to take away all Diftinftions, and to render his Tar- 
tar and Chinefe Subjefts but one People, he eftabliffied 
this Regulation *, he obliged the Tartars to we ar the Chi- 
nefe Habit, and obliged the Chinefe to cut their Hair, af- 
ter the Mode of the Tartars, and this upon Pain of 
Death. It may feem Arrange, but it is neverthelefs true, that 
many refufed to comply with this Order, and chofe rather 
to part with their Lives than their Hair, and that many 
more abandoned their native Country, to fly into Places 
where they might wear their Hair as long as they were 
wont. But the Emperor’s Edift had notwithftanding the 
defired Effeft, that is to fay, freed him from fuch muti- 
nous Spirits as might have difturbed the Tranquillity of 
his Reign. 
The mod important Employments, and the mold ho- 
nourable Offices in the Government, he gave only to the 
T artars ; but then he made a Law, by which the Children 
of Tartars by Chinefe Women, or of Chinefe by Tartarian 
Women, who were bred up in the Cuftoms, and were 
taught to fpeak the Language of the Tartars , were decla- 
red capable of the higheft Offices in the Empire. He was 
not more careful of the Domeftick than of the Foreign 
Affairs of his Empire, which almoft all his Predeceffors had 
neglefted to a great Degree ; for he not only reduced all 
the Eaftern Tartars intirely under his Obedience, but made 
two Journeys into that Country, where he admitted all 
Ranks of People freely to his Prefence, and thereby gained 
the Love of the Moguls in the higheft Degree. As lor the 
Tartars of the Weft, he forced them to have refource to 
his Protection, and not only drove the Calmucks from his 
Frontiers, but entering their Country alfo in his Turn, took 
from them the Provinces of ' Chamill and Tarfan , which 
ferve as an excellent Barrier on that Side for the Chinefe 
Empire h 
In his Perfon, and in his Manners, he had nothing of 
the Tartar, and was fo perfeftly acquainted with every Go- 
vernment in Europe , that he difcourfed of them in a man- 
ner that furprifed even the Europeans themfelves. The late 
Czar Peter the Firft , fent M. dhlfmailoff with the Charac- 
ter of his Embaffador to the Chinefe Court, whom the 
Emperor not only received with all imaginable Politenefs, 
but at the firft Audience prefented his Exccellency, a No- 
bleman who accompanied him, and his Secretary, each 
with a Gold Cup full of Mead, by which they plainly per- 
ceived that he was informed of the Czar’s Cuftom, who 
when he had a mind to diftinguifh any Foreigner, was wont 
to prefent him with a Glafs of Wine with his own Hand. 
This Emperor Cang-hi reigned with great Glory fixty-one 
Years, and died on the 20th of Dec . 1722. He left be- 
hind him feventeen Sons, the fourth of which he declared 
his Succeffor, who at his Acceffion to the Imperial Dignity, 
k The Chinefe Hiftorians themfelves agree, that this Race of Emperors were far inferior to the Tartars , as giving themfelves up too much to a 
fort of Studies that were by no Means fuitable to their Dignities. Some of them were carried away by a vain Delire of finding the Water of Life j 
that is a Kind of Liquor, by drinking of which a Man might become immortal ; but with fo little Succefs, that the Emperor Cbi-Tfong died im- 
mediately after he had drank of this pretended Water of Life, at the Age of Fifty-eight. Others were pofieffed with a violent Defire of finding the 
Philofopher’s Stone, which induc’d them to fpend too much of their Time in ch'imical Experiments. The Fate of thefe Monarchs fufficiently Ihew, 
that the Art of Government is the only Science worthy of the Attention of Princes.’ 
1 This Prince took care to fecure the Moguls of the Eaft from the ambitious Defigns of the Ruffians, and for that Purpofe made & very wife and 
honourable Treaty with the Czar Peter the 'Firft, for fettling the Limits of their refpeffive Empires, in Conference of which the Town and Fortrefs 
©f Albaffinjkoy was demolilhed. 
; ' affumed 
i 
