I 
Chap. III. the Empire c/ China. 
** is placed upon a Table, with burning Candies and 
Perfumes about It : They falute and honour the Corps 
by Kneeling and ProHrations, according to the Cuf- 
tom of the Country. The fecond Seafon is obferved 
from fix to fix Months, in a particular Chamber of 
“ theHoufe called their Anceftors Apartment, in which 
every Spring and Autumn all the richefl Delicacies 
that could be prepared for a Prince, are ferved up 
in Remembrance of the Dead. The third folemn 
Time happens but once each Year, and is obferved 
“ at the Tombs ; all of which being without the City, 
.they vific them about May^ when they pluck up Grafs 
“ and green Herbs out of the Earth, exprels by feveral 
Tokens of Lamentations their Efteem for the Dead, 
and then having fet their Victuals and Wine on the 
Gtvtve, renew their Mourning Feaft.” 
The Chinefe obferve feveral Fdlivals, but none more 
ceremonioufly than that of the Nev/-Year. This Day 
or Days, for it lafls three Days, are by Perfons of all 
Ranks, pafs’d in very fplendid Mirth and Jollity •, they 
then drefs themfelves as fine as poffible, vifit, and make 
Prefents to each other : 'There is no End of Plays, En- 
tertainments, and other Diverfions, and all are then 
equally rich and happy. Bufinefs is at a Stand, the Pofts 
and Meflengers ceafe, all civil and criminal Courts are 
fhut up, and according to their common Phrafe, the 
Seal fhut, as indeed it is enclofed in a Chert : And this 
Seal is of fuch Force, and the Judge fo far obliged to 
regard it, that though his Prince fully, fatisfied of his 
Sufficiency fhould fign his Commiffion, yet he would 
not dare to abt till he had found the Seal, if once 
loll. 
13. The Lantern Feafl obferved on the following 
full Moon (for the new Moon begins with the Yearj is 
not lefs famous ; nor is there one Houfe in all China 
which is not illuminated at that Time the Lanterns 
(fome of which are fo very large as to admit of Thea- 
trical Reprefentations within them, afled by living Per- 
ibns inftead of Puppets) are fo filled with Lights, and 
fo numerous and clofe to each other, that the Cities and 
Towns feem to be in a perfedt Flame ; nor are Fire- 
works and Gunpowder fpared to add Flame to Flame : 
The Clangor and thundering Noife of fmall and great 
Shot, mixed with the loud Acclamations, Singing, 
Roaring and Hollowing of the raving Populace, look 
as if the whole World rejoiced at that Tim.e. 
There are alfo Feftivals obferved in Spring and Au- 
tumn, in Commemoration of the fo much celebrated 
Confucius: The Ceremonies of which confift in Kneel- 
ing before a Board eredled on a Table, with this Fhi- 
lofopher’s Name, encompaffed v.uth beautiful Leaf- work, 
written on it. Kneeling be'fore this infeription, they 
nine Times proftrate themfelves fo low till their Heads 
touch the Earth, and ferve up Wine, Vidluals, Fruit, 
Cfr'. much in the fame Manner as is above related, 
that the genteeler Sort and rich People commemorate 
their Parents and deceafed Friends with Mourning Feafts. 
Anciently this Philofopher’s Image was honoured in 
this Manner : But the Emperors finding the People fall 
off to Idolatry, and that they either adually did, or pro- 
bably would, pray to and adore him as a God, they 
ordered thefe Sort of Boards, with the bare Infeription of 
his Name, to be placed in all the Schools and Colleges, 
inftead of his Image : And the fhewing of this com- 
memorating Refpetfi; hath occafioned feveral warm Con- 
tefts betwixt the Jefuits and Dominicans ; the latter 
charging this Practice with downright Idolatry,, whilft 
the other urge in their Defence, that it is barely the 
Cuftom of the Country, and a civil Ceremony paid to 
the Memory of every dead Perfon ; and not only that, 
blit the fame is given to the living Mandaryns of the 
Empire in common Vifits and Ceremonies. 
' The Chinefe always obferve and pafs their Birth day 
in Diverfions ; and as all happy Wiffies of nurherous 
Years added to that, Panegyricks, or whatever elfe can 
contribute to Pleafure, are not fpared on the one Side, 
fo grateful Acknowledgements due to fuch Compliments 
On this happy Day are not wanting on the other. In 
ilibrt, this Day is wholly fequeftred to civil Enter tain- 
ffients,' Cff. and ends with good Wiffies, 
VoL.U N? 135. 
14. The Northern Provinces of China do not pro- 
duce the Fruits which grow in India^ but the Southern 
yield them in the greateft Abundance. The common ar^ 
boriferous or Orchard Fruits are. Apples, Pears, Peaches^ 
Plumbs of all Sorts, Grapes, Olives, and feveral Sorts 
of Figs, viz. the Chinefe., Indian., and European i the 
Chinefe are as large as Apples ; the Skin is foft and 
fmooth j they are varioufty ffiaped, fmall or large# 
round or oval, if they are dried in the Sun, they may 
be kept a long Time good, \ their Stem is rough and 
ftrong. The Fig being perfeblly ripe, when the 
Skin is taken off is longifti, foft, and of a fweet Taffe, 
though there are indeed various Species of them, and 
what they grow on cannot be properly called a Tree, 
but rather a Sort of overgrown Shrub or Plant, not un- 
like Box, the Sprouts of which are covered with a thin 
Film, not much different from the Skin of an 
Onion j the Leaves are extraordinary long and broad j 
the Trunk bears its Fruit, which hangs by a fingle Ten- 
dril j its Bloffom is a Liver-colour’d Flower, of which 
it is obfervable, that whenever it appears, like the In- 
fant from the Womb, it burfts and forces its Way 
from its proper Root \ whenever the Fruit is pluck’d, 
this Plant dies, but is fucceeded by freffi Sprouts which 
llioot from its Root ; It is found to grow in the South 
Parts of China only, but in all Parts of India it abounds. 
Thefe Southern Provinces alfo produce great Qimnrities 
of Oranges, fufficiently known in Europe., and diftin- 
guiffied by the Name of China-Oranges . 
“ The Portuguefe brought this delicious Fruit into 
“ Europe, And the very firft: Orange-Tree from whence 
“ all the reft Sprung, we are told, is yet in Being in 
“ the Earl of St. Laurence*% Garden at Lisbon, 
The Lida, a charming Fruit, alfo grows there ; it is 
red and contained in or fenced with a ffiarp or prickly 
Shell ; the Kernel is of a bright white Colour, very 
iweet, warm, and fo perfedlly agreeable, that it furpaf- 
fes all other Fruit, not only in Tafte, but Colour : The 
Tree on which it grows is alfo very fine, large, and full 
of Branches and Leaves, which render it very agreea- 
ble to the Sight : The Fruit, which grows in Bunches, 
though not crouded together, but on long Stalks, is 
about the Size of an ordinary Plumb or Nut, and there 
are alfo various Species of it. If eaten to Excefs it in- 
flames the Body, and raifes Ulcers ; for which Reafon 
it is generally dried in the Shells, and like preferved 
Fruit, is ferved up in a Diffi of Tea, and by Reafon of 
its agreeable Acidity preferred before Sugar ; the interior 
Part of the Kernel diffolving like Sugar in the Mouth ; 
for which and other Reafons it is ftiled the King of 
Iruits. 
The Fruit called Lungan or Onjeu, is almoft like the 
Lida, but not fo large, and of a very different Tafte-, 
their Kernel is of a ffiiiiing White, and their Shell of 
the fame Colour j their Tafte is agreeable and refreffi- 
ing, but not fo hot as the Lida, and not prejudicial 
to Health even if eaten to Excefs : They are alfo very 
good dried, though not to compare to the freffi. The 
Tree which bears them is like that on which iht Lida 
grows ; and a well tailed Wine is preffed out of this 
Fruit whilft freffi. 
The Jacca is a Fruit which grows to the Bulk of forty 
and fometimes fifty Founds •, but there are alfo fmall 
ones, of an oval Shape, with a ffiarp prickly Sort of a 
Shell : The Kernel or Pulp is not firm but fibrous, taftes 
very fweet, and is of a Gold Colour ; and the Shell 
Green : This Fruit, of the great Sort, grows to the 
Foot . of, the Stem or Roof, otherwife the Branches 
f though ftiff and ftrong, the Tree being very large) 
would be too feeble to bear their Weight. The Shell 
of this Fruit is fo very hard, that it can no otherwi'e 
be opened than by a. Hatchet : The In fide is full c f 
fmall Cavities, in which are contained a yellow Juice, 
and the Nut, which when ripe, eats, better- than a roafttd 
Cheftnut : The Leaves are rough and broad'j and atr 
the Branches grows alfo a Sort of Fruit, more agreeable 
to the Tafte, and more healthful than the Jacca: The 
Allies of the Shells burned are ufed by the Chinefe as \ 
Ley to cTearsfe Linnen or Woollen. 
IX R Anma*^ 
