Chap, II. of the fever a I Countries - of the I N D l E S. 8a r 
rebellious Subjects, the Chinefe again feized the Govern- 
ment, and held it twenty Years. They fet Governors over 
every Province, and laid heayy T ributes upon the People, 
fo that being weary of -the Oppreflion, they joined under a 
valiant Captain of the Moufe of Lee., aifoivahquiftied the 
Chinefe in three Battles, feated him on the Throne, arid m 
his Family the Government continued above eighty Years, 
the laft.of this Race having given ah Affront to a great 
Lord of the Houfe of Marr, which had formerly enjoyed 
the Scepter, he being affifted by a great Number of Male- 
contents, fought to regain the Kingdom; and in one bloody 
Battle became Matter of k. - , 
- But he enjoyed it not above two Years, . being clepofed 
by one of the Family of frfef who refilling to attend the 
Throne, reftored it to the Family of Lfe; yet fefetving to 
himfclf and' Family the' Whole Command of the Army, and 
Difpofal of all the Revenues of the State,' and all publick 
Affairs ; fo that the Ring, whom they hall Bens, has the 
Name, Title-, and State ; but the General, whom they call 
Choiia , has the Power. The Eing hclfs Caufes almoft 
.every Day, but make Yno publick Edttt; which is of any 
Effed, till it is figned by the Clooud : Fie lives fnut up in 
his Palace, and ftirs not out but upon certain Days ; he 
has -generally two thouland : Soldiers' for his Guard, and 
keeps Tome-times twenty thoufand quartered upon his Fron- 
tiers, efpecially towards - Cochin-China , and with them fifty 
Elephants upon the Rivers alfo of the Kingdom, where 
any Enemy can endanger him' ; he keeps trfilally one hundred 
great Gallies, with a vaft Company of ftriall Galliots. 
The eld eft Sons here do not always fucceed their 
Fathers in the Throne, but: by the Influence of the Chau a 
and Goun-fellbrs, his Creatures, he is obliged to name which 
of hR Sons he will have to reign after him, if he has many, 
Zand Mini they promife to eftablifh, Ihuttin-g up all the reft 
in the Palace, as in a Prilbn, and not ftiffering them to 
meddle with Affairs of State ; yet four times a Year they 
are allowed to go out under an Officer appointed by the 
■Choud’i and have Leave to ftay out fix Days; On the firft 
they are to vifit the Temples and Priefts, and give them 
large- Alms; the next two Days they hunt, and the three 
laft fife.- - 
The Kingdom of Lm^mn is divided into eight large Pro- 
vinces, every one of which has' its Governor and Magi- 
ft-rates : ; But there lies' an Appeal from their Sentence to the 
King, his thirty-two Counfliors, and one hundred Affi li- 
ar, ts. Their Nobility attain that Degree by Merit only, 
viz. by their Valour in the Wars, and Learning ; and as 
thefe latter go through a long Courfe of Studies, and ffrift 
Examinations, as is before fiiewn, fo the former are inftrufled 
in warlike Exercifes betimes, viz. to handle their Swords, 
to aim with their Bow's, to fire a Mufket, to ride the great 
. iTorfe, to fiioot running, to manage their Zagay's, which 
are long Staves cheeked with Iron like a Half-pike, and 
make all forts of artificial Fire- works, which they ufe 
againft Elephants in War ; for though fome Elephants may 
be -taught not to regard them, though they go off under 
their Notts or Bellies, yet one in ten cannot be brought to 
it ; fb that uniefs their Governors take great Care, inftead of 
running upon the Enemy, they will turn upon their Friends, 
and put a whole Army into a difmal Confufion, if not de- 
iiroy it, as they did AurengzebOe, at the Siege of Daman. 
21. The Kingdom of Dunqurn paid a Tribute to the 
Chinefe till the Year 1667, when th tLartars invaded their 
Country, and then they concluded a Peace, on condition that 
they ffiould fend every Year an Erribaffador to Pequin to 
do -Homage to the Emperor of China. They obttrve an 
exadt Order in adminiftering Juftice, and regulating Affairs 
all over the Kingdom ; they are very exadl in punifhing 
Murder, and none can efcape, but fuch as have killed one 
that has no Relations to revenge his Death ; for the King can 
pardon no Man for this Crime, and all the Favour he can 
fhew, is to leave him to the Kindred of the Slain. 
They take great Care for the publick Good, to repair 
Bridges and Highways, and every Quarter of a League 
there is Water and Fire provided for thofe Travellers who 
may want them. Though the King has not much Power 
in his Kingdom, yet he is highly honoured by his Subjects, 
and keeps a very fplendid Court the firft and fifteenth 
Day of every Month : All the Mandarins, except the Ge- 
- Numb. 55. 
neral, who is -allowed to fend his Deputy, come in their 
Chinefe Habits to kifs the King’s Hand, as the inferior 
Mandarins, who are Governors of Provinces, Juftices-, and 
military Officers, do the Choua s oh the firft Day of the 
Year. All that defire to fee the King, are obliged to put 
on violet Robes, both them Lives and their Servants, and 
if they - beg any Favour, mnft carry a Prefent. On the 
firft Day of every new Year the King diftribiftss feveral 
Largeffes and Gifts to his Courtiers, and the Children of 
fuch as have done him any important Services, which are 
Panes of Gold worth fix hundred Livres each, and Bars of 
Silver, which are worth forty-fix Livres each : He alfo 
reieafts all Prifoners, both Criminals and Debtors; provided 
their Crimes’ do not deferve Death, and the Debts do not 
exceed two Bars of Silver. 
The three laft Days of the Year the four Mandarins, 
who are the chief Counfellors of the State, take Oaths of 
all the Lords and Officers of the Court, and their Wives, 
to be faithful to the King, and dittover any Treafon againft 
His Perfon' and Government, and the Governors of Cities 
and Countries', ; do the fame to the Lords, Gentlemen, Citi- 
Zens-, HnTInh-abitants of their Jurifdidlions, and every one 
'that- dlttdvefs any Treafon, never fails of a Reward, accord- 
ing to his Quality ; and mean People are gratified with a 
Reward of fifty Panes of Gold, and five hundred Bars of 
Silver, which amounts to 53,000 Livres ; but they efteem 
Nobility above Money. They have a Mutter of the Youth 
every Year; add all fuch as are found not to be of the 
Nobility,- or not to have learnt a Trade, are immedi- 
ately enrolled for the King’s Service, to be of his Guards, 
or defend his Frontiers. Some will endeavour to get off’ 
by Money ; but if they are diftovered, both Officers and 
Soldiers are punifhed without Mercy ; for they hang a little 
Bell about their Necks, and fetter their Arms, and fend 
them to the General, who prefently orders their Heads to 
be ftrickeii off, or upon Interceffion of Friends, they are to 
be hanged, becaufe they are very averfe to Bloodfhed, and 
believe the Death moft honourable that is free from it. 
When the King goes at any time out of his Palace to take 
his Pleafure, he is feated upon a moft magnificent Pal Ian- 
•quin, carried by eight Men, where he is feen by all the 
People, the Lords and Officers of the Court attending on 
Foot, if he goes no farther than the City ; but if he goes in 
the Country, he rides on an Elephant, and the Lords attend 
him on Horttback. When the Queen-Mother, or his 
firft Wife goes abroad, they are likewife carried upon aclofe 
Pallanquin, with Lettice Windows, that they may fee, and 
not be feen, and the Maids of Honour follow it on Foot. 
The Mandarins, and great Princes, folemnize their 
Birth-days every Year with great Feafting, Paftimes, Co- 
medies, and Fire- works, and at the fame time give large 
Alms, efpecially to poor 'Widows and Prifoners. When 
the King dies, and leaves feveral Sons, he is fet up whom 
the King has appointed his Succeflfor ; and on the third Day 
of his Deceafe die General, with all the military Manda- 
rins, Lords of the Council, and Governors of Provinces, 
repair to the Prince’s Apartment, where they prefent him 
with a Ghi^fr Habit; • and mounting him on an Elephant, 
bring him into one of the great Courts of the Palace, which 
is covered with Cloth of Gold and Silver as a Tent, and 
place him upon a magnificent Throne, where being feated, 
all the Mandarins proftrate themttlves to him upon the 
. Earth with their Heads downward ; in which Pofture, 
having lain fome time, they rife, and clofing their Hands 
together, with their Arms and Eyes lifted up towards Hea- 
ven, they fwear to be faithful to him till Death. 
The new King, to requite this Loyalty, orders four 
Panes of Gold, and fix Bars of Silver, to be given to every- 
one ; but to the Conftable, or General, he gives two Panes 
of Gold, and forty Bars of Silver'; and to the Prefiderit of 
the Council half as many : After thefe Prefents are given, 
feveral Pieces of Artillery are tired about the Palace, with 
fome Vollies of fmall Shot, by the Soldiers then in Arms, 
which are 30,000 Florfe and Foot, the King fet upon a 
magnificent Pallanquin, carried by eight military Manda- 
rins, and eight of the Council, the Conftable and chief of 
the Council riding before upon very fine Horfes, is carried 
to the Apartments of the deceafed King, when the Lords are 
retired, the Princeffes, Ladies of the Court, and chief 
-9 Z Wives 
