Samuel Purchas

“ Bread, and Rice (which there supplyes our Bread) comes not in solemne Banquets. They have games also, in which the loser is fined to drinke, with others disport. None is compelled to drinke above his strength. Their drinke is tipsie, boyled like our Beere. Their solemne Banquets last all night, the remainders given to the Guests servants. Neere the end of the Feast they change Cups. In eating they are more moderate.
King observed.⁠The King is observed with more Rites then any other in the World. None speakes to him but his Eunuches, and those which live in his Palace, Sonnes and daughters. ”

“ They which live in that Royall Colledge, meddle not with Government, yet are of higher dignitie then the Governours. Their Office is to order the Kings Writing, to make Annals of the Kingdome, to write Lawes and Statutes. Of these are chosen the Masters of the Kings and Princes. They wholly addict themselves to their studies, and in the Colledge have their degrees of honours, which they attayne by writing. Thence they are preferred to great dignities but not out of the Court. Neither is any chosen to bee a Colao, but out of this Colledge. ”

“ Scales are of great use with them, not onely for Letters, but for their Poems also, Pictures, Bookes, and many other things. These contayne the name, sur-name, dignitie, and degree: neither content they themselves with one, but have many, inscribing sometimes the beginning and the end of their workes; not imprinting them in Waxe, or such like substance, but onely colour them red. The chiefe men have on the Table a Boxe full of Seales, which containe their divers names (for every Chinese hath many names) and those of Wood, Marble, Ivorie, Brasse, Crystall, Corall, and better stones. ”

“ They have variety and plenty of Musicall Instruments, yet want Organs and all that have Keyes. Their Strings are made of raw Silke, and know not that any can be made of Guts. The Symmetrie of their Instruments is answerable to ours. All their Musike is simple and single-toned, utterly ignorant of consort in discord-concord: yet much applaud they themselves in their owne Harmonie, howsoever dissonant to our eares. ”

“ In the Kingdome (of China) there are two Provinces Royall, Nanquin the Southerne Court, and Pequin the Northerne, and thirteene others. In these fifteene Provinces (you might call them Kingdomes) by another division are numbred one hundred fiftie eight Regions or lesse Provinces, called by them Fu; the most of which have twelve or fifteene Cities of reasonable quantitie, besides Villages, Hamlets, Castles and Townes. ”

“ For the name Cathay to bee given by the Tartars to China, Goez his Journey hath made it out of doubt ; also that Pequin is Cambalu, that is, the Citie of the King. I doe conceive that Polos Mangi was the nine Southerne Provinces of China ; the Northerly before conquered was knowne by the name of Cathay; a name by the Tartars given to divers Countreyes, as Cara Catay and Catay Calay and Great Catay. This Great Catay is China. ”

“ They have other Ornaments, Banners, Chaynes, Censors, Guards with Cryes to make way, that in most frequent streetes no man appeareth, more or lesse, according to the Magistrates Dignitie.
The Chinois having plentie of all things, care not for subduing the neighbour-Nations, better keeping their owne, lesse caring for others Countries, then our Europeans: their Chronicles of foure thousand yeeres not mentioning any care of enlarging their Empire. And if any China impressions or foot-prints bee, it is from men voluntarily going to other Countries, not from the Kings ambition sending them. ”

“ And if a Stranger steale into the Countrey, they punish him not with Death nor Slaverie, but permit him not to returne. They most severely punish those, which without the Kings leave have commerce with Strangers: and hardly can any bee perswaded to be sent abroad with Mandates; and such are rewarded with some Dignitie at their returne. None beare Weapon in Cities, not the Souldiers or Captaynes, but in their Traynings; nor have any men Weapons. ”

“ But to returne to their Horses, the Chinois know not how to manage and breake them but by gelding; so that their Horses. Horses for service are innumerable, but so unserviceable, that they will not indure the neighing of the Tartarian Horse without flight. They shooe them not with Iron, so that in rockie and hard wayes they faile. ”

“ Of Magistrates are two sorts, one of the Court which rule there, and thence rule the Kingdome ; and other Provinciall, which governe particular Cities or Provinces. Of both sorts are five or six Bookes to be sold every where, printed twice each moneth at Pequin, as by their course of printing (you have seene) is easie ; contayning nothing else but the name, Countrey, and degree of the Magis- trates ; and therefore printed so often because of the exaltings, shiftings, setting lower, death of Parents (which suspends three yeares to mourning in private) their owne deaths or deprivations. ”

“ China banqueting.
Feeding.
they use not the second person, nor the first person when they mention themselves, except to their inferiour, and have as many formes of depressing themselves, as of exalting others, the lowliest of which is to call a mans selfe by his proper name, in stead of I. When they speake any thing of another mans, they use a more honourable forme; Of their owne, or theirs, a more modest: which a man must learne both for manners sake, and to understand their meaning. ”

“ And the ancient Kings enacted that they which professe Learning, should take the foundations of their Learning from those Bookes, not only to learne the proper sense of the Text, but to bee able on the sudden to write fitly of any sentence, for which cause that Tetrabiblion is learned without Booke. Neyther is there any Universitie or publike Schoole (as some of ours have affirmed) the Masters or Professors whereof have undertaken to read and expound those Bookes; but every one gets a Master at home at his owne choice and cost (of which there is a huge multitude.) ”

“ Neyther doth any study Mathematickes or Physicke, which is in any hope of the Ethike glory, but such as want of wit or meanes hath deterred from studies more sublime. Contrariwise, that Ethike Science is the Ladder of China felicity. Confutius brought into order the Bookes of foure former Philosophers, and wrote a fift himselfe, which five Bookes hee called Doctrines: in which are contayned Morall and Politike Rules, Examples of the Ancients, Rites and Sacrifices, divers Poems also and the like. ”

“ For the Crowne there goeth by Inheritance: only two or three of the Ancient Kings have commended it to others, their owne Sonnes seeming unworthy; and the people have by Rebellion sometimes raysed a new Family, divers yet losing their lives rather then acknowledging that Faction, this being Proverbiall in their Philosophie, An honest Woman hath but one Husband, and a faithfull Servant but one Lord.
There are no ancient Lawes, but the first Founder of any Royall family makes new Lawes, which his Posteritie are not easily permitted to transgresse. ”

“ The degrees are not so perfectly accommodated to the Map, by reason that we must at once follow the Chinian Map which had no degrees (nor could their Art without degrees give every place his just longitude or latitude) and the Jesuits Rules: yet we have comne somewhat neere, as may be seene. Other things appeare in the History. ”

“ Before they sit downe, the Inviter salutes the principall Guest with a low courtesie, and holding a cup of Wine: then goeth to the doore or porch, and first making a low courtesie, turning his face to the South, powres out that cup on the ground, offering it to the Lord of Heaven, and bowing downe againe, returneth, and filling another cup goeth to that principall Guest, and bowing salutes him in the place in which the rites of salutation are used: and then they goe together to the Table where the chiefe Guest must sit. The midst of it is the chiefe place ”

“ When the Examiners sent by the King, and those of the Province are come thither, they are presently shut up in their stations before they can speake with other men, or with each other, during all the Examination time. Night and day, meane-whiles the Magistrates and Souldiers guard the Palace from Colloquies. Three dayes Dayes of Examination. (the same thorow the Kingdome) the ninth, twelfth and fifteenth of the eighth Moone, from morning to night are appointed for their writing, the doores being shut. A light refection provided the day before is given to the Writers at publike cost. ”

“ Their King is called Lord of the World, and they supposed accordingly that their Kingdome contayned the principall part thereof; not deeming the Neighbour Kingdomes worthy to bee called Kingdomes, which yet before their Commerce with Europeans were all they knew. And not unworthily is the name Great prefixed to their Kingdomes appellation, Largenesse of the Kingdome of China. beeing the greatest Kingdome in the World, which at this day carrieth One Name, or hath done in former times. ”

“ It is also remarkable that Philosophers beare all the sway, the Souldiers and Captaynes being subject to them, and sometimes beaten of them as Schoole-boyes by their Master: even in Militarie matters, the King more using the advise of Philosophers then Captaynes; whereupon every haughtie spirit rather affects meane places in the Literate Order, then great in the Martiall. Yea these Literate are more magnanimous, and more contemne their lives in zeale of the publike then the Souldierie. ”

“ After the first Cup the Dishes are brought in, of which the Inviter begin- ning, all with their stickes apply a bit or two to their mouthes, diligently observing, not to lay downe their stickes before the principall Guest hath layd downe his : and then the servants fill his, and after every mans Cup, with hot Wine : and the same rite is againe and againe repeated, but more sipping then eating. Mean-while some discourse, or Comedie, or Musike continue. The grace of their Feast is variety, a little of each. ”

“ The Sonnes also or Domestike servants of Magistrates, may not goe out of the house lest they should bee Factors for bribes: but all services without doores is done by Officers, designed to his place: and when hee goeth out of his House hee sealeth the doores, whether private or publike, that none of his Servants may goe out unwitting to him.
They permit no Stranger to live with them that mindes to returne to his Countrey, or is knowne to have Commerce with forraigne Nations: and no Stranger although of a friendly Nation and Tributarie, may have accesse to the inward parts of the Kingdome ”

“ Their Physicke Rules differ much from ours; they examine the Pulse alike. They succeed well in their Prescriptions, which usually are Simples, Herbs, Rootes, and the like. They have for it no publike Schoole, but each learnes it of his owne Master, yet in the two Royall Cities Degrees of this Art are given after Examination, but cursorily and without any respect acquired by his Degree, because all may practise which will. ”

“ They are much addicted to Comedies, and therein exceed ours; some practising the same in principall Townes, others travelling thorow the Kingdome (or roguing, if you will) being the dregs of the Kingdome, buying Boyes whom they frame to this faigning facultie. Comedies. Their Commedies are commonly antient, whether Histories or devices, and few new written. They are used in publike and in private Solemnities; as also in Feasts, whereto being called, they offer to the Inviter a Booke, in which to take his choise, the Guests looking, eating, drinking together ”

“ Another is yearely set forth contayning the Names, Countrey, Parents, Offices of all the Doctors; and where they governe, whereby a man may know how any hath risen or descended all his life, as is there usuall after their merits. It is remarkable also how the Licentiates and Doctors of the same yeare respect one the other as Brethren ever after, and love the Friends also of their Colleagues, and honour their Examiners as Fathers. ”

“ When they doe this reverence to a Superiour, hee stands at the head of the Hall, or sits, and at all those prostrations joyning his hands, bowes a little and sometime for greater modestie hee goeth to the side of the Hall, whose head is Northwards as the doore is Southwards.Side-reverence. ⁠ The same rites they performe to their Idols; and sometimes as the Servants to their Master, or the meanest of the people to honourable persons, which is presently to kneele and knock the ground thrice with their forehead: they stand at his side when their Master speakes, and kneele at every answer. ”

“ And although the number of things and Characters seeme the same, yet doe they so compound them together, that they exceed not 70000. Characters seventy or eighty thousand: and hee which knoweth ten thousand of them, hath the most necessary: to know all is in manner for any one man impossible. Of these Characters the sound is often the same, the figure and signification differing: so that no Language is so equivocall; nor can any Speech bee written from the Speakers mouth by the Hearer, nor can a Booke bee read to the Hearers understanding, except they have the Booke Equivocations. ”

“ There is another Art not unlike, of making Inke for all writing, made into little Cakes or Balls of the smoke of Oyle. For their estimation of exact writing makes the making of Inke also to be holden an Art not illiberall. ”