79 2 Sthe Vi oyages and Obfervations of J. A. de Mandelfloe, Book I. 
riage, is punifhed here with the utmoft Cruelty ; fo that 
if a Hufhand finds his Wife locked up in a Room with an- 
other Man, he may, without any farther Enquiry, kill them 
both. The better to allay the Heat of Youth, and the 
Danger arifing from thence in refpefl of Adultery, they 
have in the Cities, nay, even in moft of the Inns upon the 
Road, certain Proftitutes, who are moft of them Slaves, 
and expofe themfelves to Travellers for Money, and if a 
Man is to ftay for any Time in a Place, he may hire one 
of thefe Concubines from their Mafters at a certain eafy 
rate, and keep her for his own Ufe. 
As for their Devotion, it may be faid, that they have 
fcarce any at all, the moft dev out among them feldom 
praying in publick above once a Month before their Idols, 
which ftand in their Temples ; near them are their Sepul- 
chres covered with great Tomb-ftones two or three Foot 
high, and thofe of Perfons of Quality have a little Pillar 
erefted near them, containing their Names, and certain 
other Infcriptions, in the Nature of an Epitaph. The Ec- 
clefiafticks are divided into twelve different Sedls, eleven 
of which abftain from living Creatures, and from Women. 
If they break their Yow they are punifhed with Death. 
Thofe of the twelfth Se6t are allowed to marry, and eat all 
forts of Provifions ; the chief of this Sedt is the Head of all 
their Clergy, and their Temples are endowed with many 
Privileges, and fettled Revenues ; whereas thofe of the 
other Sadis are maintained only by Alms. Some among 
the Japanefe believe the Immortality of the Soul, and the 
Rewards and Punifhments of another Life for ever ; but 
the moft have fo little Senfe of Religion, that they meet in 
their Temples to drink, and commit other Debaucheries ; 
whence it is alfo, that never any fuch thing is heard of as 
Controverfy about Religion, though they are fuch irrecon- 
cilable Enemies to the Chrijiians , that finding Death not 
to be fufficient to fhake their Conftancy, they invented 
many cruel Methods to make them renounce their Faith, 
which, however, at Jaft they were not fatisfied with, unlefs 
they could difeover another Chrijlian to releafe them from 
their Torments, which are fo various, as would almoft fill 
a Volume. 
Their Houfes are fiightly built, and feldom above one 
Story high, becaufe the Country is much fubjedt to Earth- 
quakes ; they are raifed three or four Foot from the Ground, 
and convenient enough within, being divided into feveral 
Apartments, fome of which are for the Men, the reft only 
for the Ufe of the Women, where the belt Part of the Fur- 
niture is bellowed ; they are alfo very nice in their Gardens 
and Orchards ; they are very obliging in their Conven- 
tion, efpecially in t^eir Vifits, when they prefent their 
Guefts with Tobacco, Tiffue, or Tea, and with Wine, of 
the laft of which they will take a very plentiful Share ; but 
are fure never to quarrel over their Liquors. Except at the 
Inns, for the Conveniency of Travellers, no Drinking- 
houfes are allowed of in Japan ; nay, not fo much as a 
publick Cook’s Shop, it being their Cuftom to make their 
good Cheer in their Houfes, where, among other things, 
they entertain one another with their Mufick, the chief of 
which is a kind of Lute, with four filk Strings, which they 
ftrike with a Peg of Ivory. Their Wine, or rather Hidro- 
mell, is made of Rice, Sugar, and Honey, and is as ftrong 
as any Wine whatever. Their Marriages are contradted in 
confequence of the Agreement of the Relations. The 
Bride and Bridegroom being not permitted to fee one ano- 
ther till it is to be confummated, thofe of a common Rank 
may foon be divorced, and if they diflike the Wife, fend 
her back to her Relations *, but People of Quality, not- 
withftanding any Difagreement, maintain them in their 
Houfes. 
Their Children they educate with all imaginable Mild- 
Jiefs,^ without any beating, as well at home as at School, 
whither they are not fent till they be feven or eight Years 
of Age, and when they come to Man’s Eftate, the Father 
affigns to his Son a certain Part of the Houfe, and of his 
Employment, nay, perhaps the whole, referring only acer- 
'tain Allowance for his Subfiftence to himfelf; but their 
Daughters have neither Dowry, nor the leaft Share in their 
Fathers Eitates. ihey are fo nice in Point of Honour, 
that they will rather die than recede an Inch from it ; and 
KjapaneJe-mW rather run the Hazard of the Ruin of his 
Family, than break his Promife to his Friends, which is 
the Reafon moft of their Delinquents will rather endure the 
moft exquifite Tortures than difcover their Accomplices 
The Japanefe having fuch vaft Quantities of all things’ 
feldom deal in any Foreign Commodities, but leave that 
Commerce to Strangers, efpecially to the Chinefe , who bring 
thither the Produdt and Manufa&ures of their Country! 
though ever fince the ancient good Correfpondence be- 
tween thofe two Empires has been interrupted, the Chinefe 
are forbidden by their Kings to fend Goods into Japan 
and therefore are obliged to carry on this Commerce, under 
pretence of tranfporting their Commodities to fome other 
Parts of the Indies , unto which they are the more encou- 
raged by the vaft Hopes of Gain. All Commodities, either 
imported or exported out of Japan , palling free, without 
paying the leaft Duty or Cuftom. 
The whole Empire of Japan ufes but one and the fame 
Language, which is quite different from the Chinefe , as 
well as their Characters ; as they always ufe but few Words, 
they write every thing with Pencils in certain Short-hand 
Notes in a very little time ; their Accounts they keep by 
the means of certain fmall Beads, which they thread upon 
little SticKs like a fquare Board. They are not deftitute of 
Books nor Libraries, the Dairo (who formerly was the fo- 
vereign of the Country, and ftill retains the Supremacy over 
the Clergy) keeps the publick Accounts, and writes the 
Chronicles of the Country ; neither are any other Perfons, 
except the Gentlemen of his Houfe, and fuch Lords and 
Ladies as are ddcended from his Family, allowed to write 
Books, which makes them conftantly apply themfelves to 
Learning. They have but one kind of Meafure ; their 
Gold is of the belt kind, but their Silver none of the fineft : 
Of Gold Coin they have three forts, one whereof is valued 
at forty- eight Taals, each of which being worth five Crowns 
Sterling, amount to twelve Pounds Sterling. The fecond 
fort are worth each one Taal, and a fifth Part, and the third 
one Taal, and a fixth Part. Their Silver Coin goes by 
Weight, being in the Form of Ingots, fo divided, that each 
Piece commonly amounts to fifty Taals. They have alfo 
a leffer Silver Coin made in the Shape of a French Bean* 
which goes likewife by Weight. 
The Japonefe don’t geld any Creature, fo that they are 
well ftored with all forts of Cattle, as well as Fowl, and 
fmall Birds. They alfo abound in mineral and hot Wa- 
ters : There is a certain hot Spring here which fpouts forth 
its Waters duly twice every twenty-four Hours, with fuch 
Violence, that though the Water rifes amidft the Stones, 
which are laid on the Top of the Hole to the Height of 
twenty or twenty-four Foot, it is fo hot that it exceeds 
the Heat of boiling Water, and burns every thing it 
touches at its firft coming out ; but being conveyed by 
certain Pipes into the adjacent Houfes, it is reduced to 
fuch a Degree of Heat, that it is convenient for Bathing. 
Thefe Mineral-waters are fufficent Proofs that Japan is full 
of good Mines of all forts, and Experience confirms it j 
for they have Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Iron, and Lead 
of their own, as well as Cotton, Flax, Hemp, Silks, and 
all manner of Provifions in great Plenty. Their Phyfi- 
cians have Singular Reputation as to their Ability, but 
Chirurgery is uncommon among them as yet. They make 
frequent ufe of China Root and Rhubarb, which, as well 
as moft of their other Medicines, they make into Pills. 
The Portugueze and Spaniards found it no hard Matter to 
fettle themfelves in Japan , and their religious Ceremonies 
took fo well with the Inhabitants, that they were permit- 
ted to build divers Churches in the Kingdom ; but the 
Spaniards not being able to contain themfelves within the 
Bounds of Modefty, their domineering Temper created 
fuch a Jealoufy and Averfion in the Japonefe, that they 
fet upon them, burnt their Ships, and, in 1636, totally 
banifiied them the Eland, under Pain of Death. The Butch 
began to trade there in 161 1. Some of their Relations 
affirm the City of Meaco to be twenty-one Leagues in 
Compafs, and that the City of OJfack and Bungo are for 
their Wealth not inferior to any of the Indies. 
The Air of Japan is very moderate and healthy, but in- 
clinining rather to Cold than Heat. They fow in May , 
but do not reap till September. They have neither Oil 
nor Butter, and have an Averfion to Milk, which they 
4 confider 
