Chap. III. the Empire of China. 995 
«« to build two Churches in Peking^ and confented to 
every Thing that might contribute either to the Efta- 
blilliment or Propagation of the Faith ; infomuch 
that prodigious Advances would have been made, if 
a too violent Paffion had not made an Alterationj by 
depriving us of this Prince, at a Jundture when we 
moft wanted his Proteftion. He died, faith he, of 
Grief for the Death of one of his Concubines, who 
fo ftrongly enclined him to the Service of the falfe 
Gods, that he would not hear of any other ; upon 
which followed a fevere Perfecution, the Ground of 
“ which was laid by this Miftrefs. Nor did flie ftrike 
at the Chrijiians alone, but her Refentment was alfo 
fatal to the Bonzi'Sy who narrowly efcaped utter De- 
ftrudlion by her Means. 
His Son Camhi^ or Canchi, which fignifies Peaceable^ 
fucceeded him, being but eight Years of Age when his 
Father died. This is the prefent Emperor, whofe 
Reign is crowned with fuch univerfal Elogies. He 
is a Lover of Arts and Sciences, and hath indulged to 
the Chriftians fuch great Immunities all over China, 
that it is to be hoped this mighty Empire, may in Time, 
through the divine Grace, be wrought upon entirely to 
guit their erroneous Pagan Dodtrine, and embrace the 
laving Faith of Jefus Chrift ^ which the good God 
grant. 
His Father faw in his Infancy his excellent Endow- 
ments, and therefore palling by all his elder Brothers, 
declared him his SuccelTor in the Imperial Throne. 
During his Minority, the Chriftian Church was in a 
fuffering Condition, the four Regents being bitterly in- 
cenfed and prejudic’d againft that holy Religion ; and 
then the Chrilfians were obliged to try their Patience. 
Father Adam Schaal was thrown into Chains, and con- 
demned to Death ; but mercifully delivered by the won- 
derful Hand of God i and he died not long after, full 
of Years and Honour ; whilll his Enemies fell into 
Difgrace, and Ibme of them being caught in their own 
Traps, died lhameful Deaths. After his Deceafe Fa- 
ther Verhieft came into the Favour of this prefent Em- 
peror, and held the fame Place in his Grace to his 
laft Hour, as well as that of Prefident in the Mathe- 
maticks. And after his Death Father Grimaldi fucceed- 
ed in his Stead, and to the Favour of this Prince, whofe 
Praifes are below his real Merit. 
For if thofe Perfons may be believed, which Ipeak 
their own Experience, and nothing but what they are 
Eye and Ear-witnelfes of he is a Monarch of whom it is 
much better to be filent, than to fay but little. His 
Virtues are too great to be comprehended in a narrow 
Compafs, and my Pen too mean to do him or them 
Juftice. Wherefore I fhal! by my Silence excufe my- 
lelf from this too difficult Task, and only repeat and 
fum up the Lives of the Princes of his Race, that have 
ruled the Empire. His Grandfather Pfonte fcarce enjoy- 
ed his new Acquifition fo long as was requifite for him 
to travel through it, and died in 1644., leaving to fuc- 
ceed him Chunchi^ a Prince of fix Years of Age, but 
great Endowments, who died in 1662, after that he 
had declared the prefent Emperor his Heir, the greateft 
Action that he ever did, or could do. He was eight 
Years of Age at the time of his Father’s Deceafe. 
Canchiy or Peaceable^ is his Name, who now quietly en- 
joys and rules his Empire, and is equally honoured, 
feared, and loved by his Subjecfls. In the Beginning of 
his Reign he ftruggled with feveral dangerous and rough 
Seas, which moft young Princes are obliged to break 
through before they reach a fafe Harbour. Shortly af- 
ter, and when he had fcarce reached the Age of 
twenty. Prince Oufangouei rofe up in Arms and carried 
on a vigorous War againft him j and Canchi being by 
Defcent a Tartar, and on the other Side Oufangousi a 
Chinefe, and confequently more agreeable to the Popu- 
lace, they the more blindly followed him, and fuch 
Numbers crouded to join him, that it was not a little 
furprizing, that having already one half of the Empire, 
he did not carry the Remainder. But the young Em- 
peror, by his extraordinary Qualifications, fo engaged the 
Hearts of his Subjefls, that he at laft concluded an ho- 
nourable Peace with this Prince^ which held feveral 
V o L, II, N® 137. 
Years j and after his Death the Emperor was wife 
enough to allure his Sons to Court, and make a pro* 
per Ufe of their Weaknefs to his own Advantage j and 
thus by one Means or other he again fubjebfed aii 
Parts of this Empire under one Head, and is now their 
foie Emperor. The Kings of Canton and Fokien alfo 
took Advantage of OiifangoueC^ Infurresftion, and begari 
to make War againft him \ but he knew how to draw 
off their Forces, and to raife Difeord amongft thefe 
three Princes, ^(to which Coxinga may be added as a 
fourth) to divide them, and make them help to pull 
down each other ; whereas poffibly if they had all 
drawn one Way, how brave a Soldier, and how ac- 
complifhed a Statefman foever he is, he had been de-* 
feated, dethroned and expelled^ Thus by his wife 
Condu( 5 t, and great good Fortune, gaining of Time, 
and outliving his Enemies, he hath pofTeffed himfelf of 
their Kingdoms. After the Death of their Fathers, al- 
luring the young Princes to him, or fubduing them as 
ill Neighbours, he clear’d his Field of all the Seed chat 
might infeft it, and thereby reaped a full Harveft of 
Obedience. 
Having reduced his Empire to a peaceable State, he 
applied himfelf to the perfect Regulation of it ; to which 
End he chofe the beft Men for his Minifters and Of- 
ficers,, honouring thofe that did well, and punifhing 
thofe who misbehaved. He fliewed them, by his own 
Example, how great his Averfion was to Idlenefsj and 
how well-difpofed he was to Induftry and Aftion. Af- 
ter the difpatching of State-affiiirs, he employs himfelf 
either in Hunting, Fiftiing, or the Study of the Sci- 
ences i for being a learned Prince, he proteils and fa- 
vours thofe who excel in the learned Arts, whether his 
Subjects or Strangers, preferring them to the higheft 
Dignities, and not difdaining to make ufe of the Euro-> 
feans in the moft important Services, and to beftow on 
them the greateft Pofts ; nor is he afhamed to learn 
from them Aftronomy, and other Mathematical Arts, 
Anatomy, Medicine, and Natural Philofophy *, in all 
which the Jefuits are his Inftruftors, from whom he 
daily condefeends to receive Leflbns ; Grimaldi, GerhiU 
Ion, and Pereira, are three of that Society whom he 
has made ufe of in Embaffies. The firft of them was 
was fent alone to Mufeovy in i686, and the two latter 
were added to the great Embaffy which proved fo fuccefs- 
ful by their Negociations in 1689, for the adjuftintr all 
Differences betwixt the Great Czar and this Emperm- at 
Nogovium or Nipchou. ' The Fathers Schaal, Verbieji, 
and fome of the above-mentioned, he hath diftinguifhed 
by the honourable Charge of Prefidents of Tribunals 
and the Dignity of Mandaryns, and himfelf as well as 
the Prince his Son, always heard them difcourfing of 
Arts and Sciences with the utmoft Pieafure. 
This mighty Emperor is not content perfonally to ex- 
cel in Arts and Sciences, but endeavours to implant 
them in his Children, efpecially Hoangtaife the Prince 
his Heir apparent, whom he himfelf particularly in- 
ftruffs. And the Education of Children, and reveren- 
cing their Parents, being one of the fundamental poli- 
tical Maxims of the (^inefe, this great Prince plea- 
feth himfelf with it; and the Son difeovers fuch 
pregnant Signs of a good Genius, that far from dege- 
nerating from his illuftrious Father, he gives juft Reafon 
to hope that he will make as great Advances in Wif. 
dom as his fo great Predeceffor. 
Whence it is, that if it fhould pleafe God, that the 
Chrijiian Religion fhould ever take Root in the Hearts 
of this great Father and Son, it might reafonably be 
hoped that China would foon fubmit to the Obedience of 
the Crofs. The Learning of the Jefuits furnifhes them 
with an Opportunity to endear themfelves not only to 
thefe two Princes, but likewife feveral others, who by the 
Refped paid to thefe Learned Men, grow into a fa- 
vourable Opinion not only of their Perfons, but of their 
Doftrines, which is heightened by their Abilities manL 
fefted in both the former Mufeovite Embaffies, whicli 
was the Foundation of the favourable Ed id promulga- 
ted in 1691, (about three Years before the writing of 
this) relating to the Chrijiian Religion -, by which a 
Door is opened without Diftindion to aU Perfons of all 
■ .Degrees, 
