992 
A Geographical Dejcription of 
Book III. 
the many Difadvantages he muft neceffarily labour 
under. 
The fame Excufes, though perhaps in a more exten- 
five Degree, muft be likewife offered for what flill re- 
mains of his Account, which it is very poffible may 
not be altogether fo exaft as the modern Accounts of 
the Jefuits, but at the fame time, they are very well 
worth preferving for many Reafons. He had a Mind 
to give the People of Europe, a very fhort Account of 
the two great Revolutions that had happened in China, 
fince they became acquainted with that Country, and 
alfo an impartial View of the State that Empire was in 
at the Time he left it •, this very Defign has fince em- 
ployed the Pen of a very celebrated French Jefuit, and 
yet upon comparing their Works we may fafely affirm, 
that though our Author is not a tenth Part fo long, it 
contains as much Matter, many Circumftances that are 
not to be met with in his, explains the Caufes and 
Confequences of thefe Revolutions as clearly to the full, 
and affords a better Pidlure of the reigning Emperor, 
than that drawn by the French Father. 
It was for thefe Reafons, that after mature Delibera- 
tion, we gave it a Place here, fo that the Reader has 
now the intire Work of Dionyjtus Kao, and in a better 
Drefs than it has hitherto appeared. Some of our 
Readers indeed might poffibly expedt a larger Hiftory 
of China, but bcfides that, this would have run us into 
much too great a Length, it would have been alfo fo - 
reign to, and quite befide our Defign ; for all we aim 
at, is to give our Readers a juft Idea of Countries as 
they ftand at prefent, and if we fometimes ftep back 
into more remote Times, it is only with a View that 
from the Accounts we give of thefe, the prefent may 
be the better underftood. 
Taking Things therefore upon this Footing, 
what our Author has delivered is precifely what we 
wanted it is a Sketch of the Chinefe Hiftory, within 
that Period of Time which falls immediately under 
our Notice, and accounts for the principal Events 
which have happened fince it was vifited by Marco Polo, 
the firft European that ever wrote about it, and whofe 
Travels are inferred intire in our former Volume. One 
Thing more is to be obferved upon this Subjedt, before 
we leave it, and it is this, that whatever Diflike our Au- 
thor might have for the Fartars, he found himfelf obli- 
ged to fpeak of the Emperor reigning at the Time he 
wrote, in as high Terms as it was in his Power to in- 
vent j from whence we difcover two Things of fome 
Importance, with an equal Degree of Certainty ; the 
firft, that the Monarch of whom he fpeaks, really 
deferved the high Charadler he gave him, for other- 
wife it is impoffible that fo many Writers of different 
Nations and Interefts, fhould agree in it. The fe- 
cond, that it plainly appears from hence, that our Au- 
thor had a juft Regard for his Proteftations, and did 
not fuffer either his Fondnefs for his own Country, or 
his Averfion to the Tartars, to mifguide him from the 
Paths of Truth. From this extraordinary Inftance 
therefore of his Veracity, of which we have the fulleft 
Proof, we learn what Credit is due to the reft of his 
Performance, and that it is not without Reafon we have 
commended his Writings fo much, to which it is now 
high Time to return. 
Tho’ the Chinefe Empire is by all the learned of that 
Nation, without the leaft Scruple, pofitively afferted to 
have continued for above the Space of four thoufand 
Years, under the Government of two and twenty Im- 
perial Families *, and others believe it poffible to trace 
its Origin five hundred Years higher •, yet to this Day, 
or rather to the Middle of the fixteenth Century, the 
Chinefe have not made any Alteration in their Humour, 
Morals, Learning, Habits, Manner ©f Government, or 
t.,anguage. It is indeed true, that Seditions, Civil Wars, 
Infurredtions and Revolutions have happeffd, which 
have made a temporary Alteration of the exterior Form, 
but they foon difappear’d, and all Things returned to 
their former State: For one while the Empire was di- 
vided into one hundred, nay three hundred Parts, then 
reduced to feven, afterwards to three j and at laft re- 
turned to the primitive State of an entire Empire, fub- 
jedl folely to one Sovereign. 
According to the Chinefe Chronology, the above^' 
mentioned two and twenty Royal Families have pro- 
duced two hundred and thirty fix Emperors, computed 
to extend to the prefent Monarch, and beginning with 
the firft Emperor Fohi : Which Prince, agreeably to this 
Chronology, and the unanimous Atteftation of all 
learned Men, is acknowledged for the undoubted Foun- 
der of the Chinefe Sovereignty. This is particularly con- 
firmed by thofe appointed to examine into it by the 
Emperor himfelf, and his chief or moft able Minifters. 
We are told that this Emperor was a Prince of an ex- 
alted Genius, great Courage and Experience ; that he 
projected their Laws, declared good Education and good 
Manners to be thebeft Foundation of the Publick Good, 
and beftowed his utmoft Praifes on thofe who by vir- 
tuous Means preffed forward to the higheft Degree of 
Wifdom ; whilft on the other Side, he baniffied all 
Sloth, and fet a very high Value on thofe, who by their 
Parts and Induftry diftinguifhed themfelves from the 
reft of Mankind. His illuftrious Reign, crown’d with 
venerable Age and Experience, tranfmitted to his De- 
fendants fuch a ftrong Impreffion of his real Excellen- 
cies, that his Maxims, Inftrudlions, and Laws, are re- 
garded as divine Precepts, and thofe who have ftudied 
them, have found them fo fuperlatively excellent, that 
they have juftly deferved as well as retained their exalted 
Fame amonglt the Ajiatick Nations. 
Fohi was lucceeded by Chumming, and he by Hoangti, 
who was lucceeded by Xao, and feveral others in order, 
which according to the fame Chronology were eledtive 
Kings ; and being as long liv’d as the Noachian Pa- 
triarchs, each of thefe is faid to have reigned above one 
hundred Years ; though like the Antidiluvians mention- 
ed in holy Writ, they declined in Proportion to the 
Time of their Flouriffiing. The fame Chronologies 
affign Tvus as the firft Monarch which followed thefe 
elcdtive Kings, and whofe Son and Race fucceeded to 
the Crown *, fince which Time it has remained heredi- 
tary to this Day. 
^ The prefent reigning Monarch of the Houfe of Fai- 
cin or Faicou, (as we have already hinted) is the third 
Tartarian Emperor, whofe Grandfather, after the Death 
of Zunchi, the fixteenth and laft Emperor of the Race 
of Faiminga, which had fwayed the Scepter for the 
Space of two hundred and feventy fix Years, feized 
or rather rufhed into the imperial Throne, after the 
Defeat and Expulfion of the traiterous Ufurper by 
Prince Oufangouei, affifted by the Tartarian Forces. 
The fame Writers inform us, that in the Reign of the 
Emperor Xunus, the Tartars made their firft Incurlions 
into China, but that Prince bravely repulfed them, and 
fettled the Empire in a quiet State : So that this Event, 
which happened long before Chrift’s Time, was rather 
an Incurfion, than a War of any Duration. But in the 
twelfth Century, the Tartars conquered this Empire in 
the Reign of the laft Emperor of the Houfe of Sungy 
which Family had then reigned four hundred Years : 
They then entered and feized the Empire, by the trai- 
terous Affiftance of Zinghay, one of the Nobility : For 
this Tray tor, watching his Opportunity, introduced the 
Tartars during the Emperor’s Minority ; and they qui- 
etly enjoyed the Empire about eighty Years : But in 
Procefs of Time, the Peace, Eafe, and Plenty in which 
they wallowed, debauched that warlike Nation to the 
luxurious, loft, and lazy Way of living of the Chinefe : 
Valour and Order were difplac’d, and Reputation va- 
nifhed : The Soldier became leud, and tranfgreffed his 
Orders with Impunity t And the great Remifsnefs of 
the Commanders occafioned the greater Mifchief, of 
Robberies on the Flighways, and in the Streets, and 
Murthers ; which Currrent of Crimes running high, Fear 
of Puniffiment produced Confpiracies, extending to 
whole Battalions, which at firft fculking and difperfing 
themfelves throughout the whole Empire, rendred all 
China very dangerous either to live or travel in ; Efpe- 
cially when they grew ftrong enough to appear in the 
Field in Troops, and at laft in fmaii Armies. 
The 
