C H 
to time movements which expreffed repentance, throws 
himfelf at the feet of Aouana when (he has done fpeak- 
ing. He prodrates himfelf with his face againft the earth. 
He invokes her pardon ; he (wears that he ha9 no other 
mother, and promifes her, w'ith a thoufand fobs, to have 
the obedience and refpeft for her which that title com¬ 
mands. Aouana is overcome, (lie raifes him, promifes to 
forget what is pad, and, in mild language, exhorts him 
to lubdue his paflions, and thus to render himfelf, by his 
moderation, worthy to bear the name of his father. [They 
both retire afterwards into the interior of the hou(e, and 
the aft finiflies.] 
Act IV.—At the moment in which the curtain rifes, 
we fee the mandarin Thaye in a veflel which is coming 
down the river; and he is returning to his dwelling co¬ 
vered with marks of honour and dignities by the empe¬ 
ror, who has railed him to one of the firft ranks-. He de¬ 
tails all that has taken place in his expedition, and ter¬ 
minates by the pifture of all the enjoyments which await 
him on his return to the bofom of his family, after hav¬ 
ing been feparated from it for fo great a number of years. 
He paints to himfelf the joy which his prefence will give 
rife to, efpecially at the inltant when nothing has an¬ 
nounced him. Full of thefe delicious thoughts, he per¬ 
ceives, on one of the banks of the river, a woman walking 
linen, furrounded with all that can denote mifery. This 
woman railes her head, looks at the'mandarin, thinks (lie 
lees a fpedtre, imagines he is going to purfue her, lets up 
a cry, abandons her linen, and runs away. While the 
mandarin is himfelf moved at this fcene, and his ideas 
are thrown into confufion by this Angular rencounter, 
lie is feeking for the explication of it 5 there comes a fe- 
cond woman that appears as miferable as the former one, 
and who, bearing a yoke, at which were fufpended two 
buckets, comes to draw water at the river. This woman 
fees the mandarin, cries out, throws down her buckets, 
and runs to a diftance off. The mandarin now experi¬ 
ences a greater trouble. He reafons on thefe two circum- 
itances, inexplicable for him, and arrives, full of thought 
and penfive, at the place which he inhabited. 
Act V.—The curtain rifes.—Old Atay appears in a 
movement and in a difpofition of mind very extraordi¬ 
nary, from having learned that his mailer, become a man¬ 
darin of an elevated rank, was approaching. He is oc¬ 
cupied, with two young perfons, in making ready the 
hall of reception of the houfe. At a diftance is heard a 
trumpet, the noife of the gomgom, and fucceftively the 
found of other inftruments, which announce the arrival 
of the mandarin, now feen to enter with a part of his 
fuite. He places himfelf in a great chair at the upper 
end of the faloon. Old Atay proltrates himfelf before his 
mailer to felicitate him on his return, and (heds tears of 
joy. His mailer orders him to rife, and makes his fuite 
retire. Alone with his faithful fervant, he enquires into 
the (late of his houfe; the wives, the child, every thing 
is the objeft of his queftions. Atay gives him a faithful 
account; and, in his recital, informs him, that the two 
wives, after having quitted the fpoufal houfe, and having 
fpent fome years in a kind of life oftenfive to good man¬ 
ners, had only reaped (hame and mifery as the fruit of then- 
deviations; and they had been feen reduced to the occu¬ 
pation of fervants to fubfift. Thefe details explain to the 
mandarin the furprife and fear which his prefence caufed 
to the two women whom he found.-by the river fide, and 
who fled at his approach. Atay fpeaks afterwards, but 
with brevity, of his zeal and his application. He excnles 
himfelf for having done fo little, at an age which dilen- 
abled him from undertaking more, He extols to the high- 
eft degree the cares and the fidelity of Aouana. He re¬ 
lates all her exprefiions of tendernefs for the infancy of 
her mailer’s fon, and the addrefs which (lie had difplayed 
to excite his emulation, and encourage him in his ftudies. 
He praifes her aftivity, her induftrious difpofition, which 
nothing could weary night and day, while (he was la¬ 
bouring for them. “ The gods,” added he, “ have loaded 
I N A, 495 
us with favour by granting to Aouana an unalterable 
health.” At length the old man comes to wliat con¬ 
cerns the fon of his mafter. He cannot enough praile his 
ardour for (ludy, and cites as a proof, that the day be¬ 
fore he has been nominated licentiate. The mandarin, 
after having liftened with the greateft attention, and a 
lively fenfibility, but without interrupting (a very wife 
cuftom of the Chinefe), the recital of his old fervant, gives 
him, in his turn, the eulogiums which his attachment 
merited, and promifes to give notice of his conduft to 
the emperor. He declares that his wives are, for the fu¬ 
ture, unworthy of his remembrance, and that he is re- 
l’olved to elevate Aouana to the dignity of fpoufe, and 
to inveft her with all the marks of honour which the em¬ 
peror had given him for his wife. He confequently or¬ 
ders Atay to go and feek for Aouana. Aouana appears 
foon after, and, with an embarrafiinent which (lie cannot 
conceal, lalutes her mafter, and willies him all the hap- 
pinefs that his fortunate return promifes, and the honours 
which he had received. The mandarin rifes from his 
chair, advances towards her, thanks her for the incom¬ 
parable cares which (he has taken of his fon, and of his 
houfe. He gives her a thoufand applaufes for the fidelity 
which covers her with glory. Aouana defends herfelf 
with a rare modelty, and only fees in her own conduft 
the fimple accomplifhment of the duty which her mafter 
had impofed on her. The mandarin, touched dill more 
at this procedure, aflures her that the obligation which 
he feels from it is fo great, that he thinks he has no other 
method of acknowledging it, than to take her for his 
wife. He proclaims her then by this title, and taking 
her by the hand, he condufts her towards a feat where 
he places hewbefide him, that (lie may thus enjoy a right 
which only belongs-to the lawful fpoufe. Aouana, con- 
fufed in amazement, obeys, makes a reverence, without 
uttering a word, (which is, moreover, a linking trait of 
the fubmiflion in which the Chinefe manners hold women,) 
and goes to take the place which is prefented to her. A 
little after arrives Siou-ye, who has juft finilhed the cere¬ 
mony of his licentiatefhip, the habit of which he has now 
on. He throws himfelf at his father’s feet, and remains in 
that fituation until he is ordered to rife. His father tefti- 
fies for him all the fatisfaftion which his conduft and his 
progrefs had given him, and particularly the refpeftful 
regard which he had (hewn to Aouana, in whom he had 
found a true mother. He enjoins him to retain it for 
her, as (he is now really become fo, being the legitimate 
fpoufe of his father. At thefe words Siou-ye, full of joy, 
proftrates himfelf before Aouana, and pays her homage. 
The mandarin afterwards orders fome domeftics to bring 
the habits of ceremony which the emperor had prefented 
to him for his wife; and he himfelf decorates Aouana 
with them, who afterwards repairs with her fpoul’e to 
make the falute of honour to the emperor, and thank him 
for his benefits ; when Aouana is folemnly proclaimed as 
lpoufe of the mandarin, in recompence for her perfevering 
fidelity.' In the fetpael, the emperor raifes old Atay to 
the rank of mandarin. But this fuccefs, perhaps exag¬ 
gerated, raifes this eftimable man, as it were, out of Him¬ 
felf; and he commits faults which prove that education 
ought to concur with the fined qualities; and that the 
virtues which render a domeftic worthy of general efteem, 
do not always fuffice to make a mandarin. The emperor 
ordains, moreover, the ereftion of a triumphal arch of 
marble, which, even during the life of Aouana, (hall be 
deftined to celebrate her fidelity’-, and to tranfmit the fame 
to pollerity as an example for them. Feafts, which lad 
many days, terminate the drama. 
_Tlie original Chinefe are deferibed as being rather low 
than tall in dature, with brown or muddy complexions, 
and thick lips; though, in the northern provinces, ladies 
were feen as fair as any Europeans. Beauty, with the 
native Chinefe, confids of a large forehead, broad ears, 
fmall eyes, arched eye-brows, a (liort blunt nofe, fome- 
what turned up, and a chin broad and bulky; the hair 
