988 A Geographical Dejcription of Book ILL 
that the firft Miffionaries, even of this Orders ftudied 
the Chinefe Literature very innocently, and only with a 
View to enable themfelves to preach the Faith of Chrift 
more effedually. But by Degrees, it feems, they have 
taken fuch a Liking to the Chinefe Philofophy, and the 
Chinefe Manners, that they indulged their Difciples in 
Praftices, which they ftile idle Ceremonies, but which 
the Dominicans., who feem to have no farther View than 
barely doing their Duty, confider as rank Idolatry. 
This has occafioned a long and warm Controverly at 
Home, which has been at laft decided againft the Je- 
fuits, who notwithftanding proceed ftill in their own 
Way, without paying that Refpefl: to the Roman See, 
of which they boaft fo much in Europe. 
In a Word, the Jefuits finding that the Study of the 
Chinefe Learning was the high Road to Preferment in 
that Country, and that thefe Ceremonies were neceflary 
to the acquiring it, could not find in their Hearts to 
block up either their own or their Difciples Way to 
Power, to Credit, and Court Intereft. Their Poli- 
ticks, to be fure, were right ; but the Quefton is. 
Whether they were confiftent with their Religious Inte- 
refts •, or whether it would not have been lull as well 
for Chriftianity, if they had been more folicitous about 
teaching the People the Path to Heaven, and lefs careful 
about their Succefs at Court ? Certain it is, that the great 
Influence this Order always have over the temporal 
Concerns of thofe to whom they become fpiritual Guides, 
is fufiicient to awake Attention, and even to alarm 
any Government, and more efpecially a Government fo 
watchful and fufpicious as that of the Chinefe. Their 
particular Applications to Women alfo, and that Itch 
which they too frequently difcover of gaining Wealth 
to the Church, cannot but be prejudicial to them in the 
Opinion of all fenfible People, more efpecially when 
they find it fo apparently repugnant to the Principles of 
that Doflrine they pretend to teach. 
We may be allow’d alfo to obferve, that the Pro- ' 
penfity of thefe Fathers to a Relaxation in Morals in 
Favour of thofe who are intireiy at their Difpofal, is 
another unlucky Circumftance in Regard to the Pro- 
pagation of the Gofpel, which has always prevailed 
luoft, where Men’s Lives have been ftridlly agreeable to 
its Precepts, and where the Converts to the Faith have 
fhewn themfelves rather folicitous of obtaining the 
Bleflings of another Life, than the Conveniencies of 
this. At lead; two Things are very certain ; one, that, by 
purfuing their particular Plan of promoting a temporal 
as well as fpiritual Intereft, that Perfecution was brought 
on in Japan, which extinguifhed Chriftianity, and there- 
fore a like Confequence may be juftly feared in China. 
The other is, that in Paraguay the Jefuits have adlually 
eftabliflaed, under Colour of promoting the fpiritual 
Intereft of the Natives, a temporal Dominion fo abfo- 
lutely independent of the Crown of Spain, that it is very 
doubtful whether the People have the leaft Notion of 
their being his Catholick Majefty’s Subjedls. Now 
whatever Motives that Monarch may have to wink at 
this Behaviour of the Jefuits, and to fuffer them to 
maintain fuch a diftinft Kind of Government in Ame- 
rica, it cannot be conceived, that the Chinefe Emperors 
will ever enter into any fuch Notions of falfe Policy, 
or permit the Obedience of their Subjefls to be with- 
drawn in this World, under Colour of confulting their 
Happinefs in the next. 
Thefe Hints will very probably lead the Reader to the 
Knowledge of the true Caules of the fudden Change 
that has happened in the Condition of the Chinefe 
Chriftians, and will account for a Perfecution, by a 
Monarch, who even thofe whom he thus perfecutes, ac- 
knowledge to be a Prince of great Equity and Mode- 
ration, and neither an Enthufiaft nor a Bigot. 
To fpeak impartially, the Jefuits themfelves do not 
much diftemble thefe Things in their Memoirs. We fee 
throughout, that they are charmed with their Court Life 
at Peking, the Refpedl fhewn them by, and their Influ- 
ence over the Emperor, the Titles with which they are 
honoured, the great Employments to which they are 
advanced, their living within the Walls of the Palace, 
and being admitted to the Imperial Prefence, at the 
Scafons, when fo great a Monarch is moft difengacred, 
the Preceptors of his Studies, the Companions oLhis 
literary Amufements, the Perfons fwho as Foreigners) 
are chiefly called upon to fill up the Vacanciesln his 
ieifure Converfations. All thefe Particulars they relate 
at large, with a long Train of Circumftances, and in 
Terms which moft evidently fhew their Senfibility with 
Regard to the Things which they relate. So that on 
the whole, we cannot help feeing that all the loud Boafts 
of the Popifli Writers, as to this Miffion of the Jefuits, 
are built upon a very fandy Foundation, and that the 
Converfions they make are very precarious Things, re- 
fembling rather the Gaining Men over to a Fadtion, 
than reconciling them to a new Religion, and confe- 
quently tending to awaken the Sufpicions and Jealou- 
fies of the moft dark, fubtle, and defigning People 
on the whole Earth, except it may be — the Jefuits 
themfelves. 
As it is impofiible the Gofpel Doflrines flaould be 
effedlually fpread by thefe Mifllonaries, who are fo much 
taken with the Kingdom of this World, fo it is not 
at all likely, that the Chinefe Trade will ever become 
beneficial to this Part of the World, till it falls under 
fome new Regulation. In Reality, Nobody trades there 
upon a free or equal Footing, but in a fubmiffive flavifh 
Manner, by the Grace and Favour, as it were, of the 
Emperor, and upon luch Terms precifely as he is plea- 
fed to preferibe ; by which fuch Advantages are fecured 
to his Subje< 5 ls, that the Profits of a China Voyage re- 
fult entirely from the Sale of the Goods returned, and 
confequently are gained, by Europeans from Europeans 5 
a very confiderable Balance on each Cargo being in the 
firft Place left behind in China. Thefe are plain and 
unqueftionable Fads, and therefore deferve to be ma- 
turely weighed, and thoroughly confidered, by fuch as 
look upon Commerce as a Thing of the utmoft Im- 
portance. If the Dutch had remained Matters of Fbr- 
mofa, or if we had continued our Fadory at Chufan, 
Things might have changed their Face, and the Trade 
to thefe Countries been carried on in a more advanta- 
geous Manner. 
As it Hands at prefent, I will venture to hazard a 
Thought of my own, which I defire m.ay not be defpifed, 
till the Arguments I offer in Support of it are clearly refu- 
ted. It is this, I am apprehenfive that while we are con- 
tending about the Balance of Power, and facrificing each 
others Trade to a Spirit of mutual Jealoufy, Trade it- 
felf will remove to the North ; and when it is too 
late we fhall perceive, that not only the French and Spa- 
niards, but the Englijh and Dutch, have been doing the 
Bufmefs of the Nations bordering upon the Baltick, and 
putting it in their Power to become rich and potent at 
our Expence. For to me, it is a Thing paft all Doubt, 
that if the Swedes had not an adual and immediate Be- 
nefit accruing to them annually from the Trade with 
China, they would not carry it on, fince Sweden is a 
Country that cannot afford to export great Quantities of 
Bullion, as all the other Nations engaged in this Trade 
adtually do ; and if by the bare vending their own Manu- 
factures, they can make this IVade turn to Account, it 
mutt; be vifible to all who have a true Infight into Com- 
merce, that fooner or later they will become entire 
Matters of this Branch of Traffick, or at leaft, whatever 
Share we have in it, mutt: be a dead Weight upon us, 
as furnilhing the Inftruments of Luxury only in Ex- 
change for our Coin ; and when once this comes to be 
the Cafe, we may pleafe ourfelves with the Thoughts of 
the China Trade, but confidered in a national Light, it 
would be better for us that we had none. 
There is nothing more common, than for fuch as are 
aftually concerned in Commerce, to fmile at and defpife 
Speculations upon that Subject: 5 but I believe it would on 
due Search be found, that though Companies of Mer- 
chants and private Traders may be enriched by purfuing 
their own Schemes, and contriving to make the Manage- 
ment of them an impenetrable Myftery ; yet with Re- 
fpeft to National Advantage, the Notions of fpeculativc 
Men have been, generally fpeaking, right. It is agreed 
on all Hands, that Trade is a Thing of a pice and de- 
licate Nature, that from lecret and imperceptible Caufes 
it 
