Letter Page XCV. The father consoles him upon this occasion... XCVI. The condolence and congratulation upon the death of the late king ridiculed. English mourning described 380 XCVII. Almost every subject of literature has been already ex- CI. That people must be contented to be guided by those CII. The passion for gaming among ladies ridiculed........ 401 CIII. The Chinese philosopher begins to think of quitting Eng- CXVII. A city night-piece...... THE EDITOR'S PREFACE. THE schoolmen had formerly a very exact way of computing the abilities of their saints or authors. Escobar, for instance, was said to have learning as five, genius as four, and gravity as seven. Caramuel was greater than he. His learning was as eight, his genius as six, and his gravity as thirteen. Were I to estimate the merits of our Chinese Philosopher by the same scale, I would not hesitate to state his genius still higher; but as to his learning and gravity, these, I think, might safely be marked as nine hundred and ninety-nine, within one degree of absolute frigidity. Yet, upon his first appearance here, many were angry not to find him as ignorant as a Tripoline ambassador, or an envoy from Mujac. They were surprised to find a man born so far from London, that school of prudence and wisdom, endued even with a moderate capacity. They expressed the same surprise at his knowledge that the Chinese do at ours. How comes it, said they, that the Europeans so remote from China, think with so much justice and precision? They have never read our books, they scarcely know even our letters, and yet they talk and reason just as we do. The truth is, the Chinese and we are pretty much |