In fhort, the remiffness of behaviour in almost all the worshippers, and fome even of the guardians, ftruck me with furprize; I had been taught to believe that none were ever promoted to offices in the temple, but men remarkable for their fuperior fanctity, learning, and rectitude; that there was no fuch thing heard of as perfons being introduced into the church merely to oblige a fenator, or provide for the younger branch of a noble family: I expected, as their minds were continually fet upon heavenly things, to fee their eyes directed there alfo, and hoped from their behaviour to perceive their inclinations correfponding with their duty. But I am fince informed, that fome are appointed to prefide over temples they never vifit; and, while they receive all the money, are contented with letting others do all the good. Adieu.

From Fum Hoam, to Lien Chi Altangi, the difcontented wanderer, by the way of Moscow.

MUST I ever continue to condemn thy perfeverance, and blame that curiofity, which deftroys thy happiness! What yet untafted banquet, what luxury yet unknown, has rewarded thy painful adven- ́ tures! Name a pleasure which thy native country could not amply procure; frame a wifh that might not have been fatisfied in China! Why then fuch toil, and fuch danger in purfuit of raptures within your reach at home?

The Europeans, you will fay, excel us in fciences and in arts; thofe fciences which bound the aspiring

3

with,

wish, and thofe arts which tend to gratify even unreftrained defire. They may perhaps outdo us in the arts of building fhips, cafting cannons, or meafuring mountains, but are they fuperior in the greatest of all arts, the art of governing kingdoms and ourselves?

When I compare the hiftory of China with that of Europe, how do I exult in being a native of that kingdom which derives its original from the fun. Upon opening the Chinese hiftory, I there behold an antient extended empire, established by laws which Nature and reafon feem to have dictated. The duty of children to their parents, a duty which Nature implants in every breaft, forms the ftrength of that government which has fubfifted for time immemorial. Filial obedience is the first and greatest requifite of a ftate; by this we become good tubjects to our emperors, capable of behaving with juft fubordination to our fuperiors, and grateful dependants on Heaven; by this we become fonder of marriage, in order to be capable of exacting obedience from others in our turn: by this we become good magiftrates; for early fubmiflion is the trueft leffon to those who would learn to rule. By this the whole ftate may be faid to refemble one family, of which the emperor is the protector, father, and friend.

In this happy region, fequeftered from the reft of mankind, I fee a fucceffion of princes who in general confidered themselves as the fathers of their people; a race of philofophers who bravely combated idolatry, prejudice, and tyranny, at the expence of their private happinefs and immediate reputation. Whenever an ufurper or a tyrant intruded into the adminiftration, how have all the good and great been united against him? Can European hiftory produce an inttance like that of the twelve mandarines, who all refolved to apprize the vicious

emperor

emperor Tifiang of the irregularity of his conduct? He who firft undertook the dangerous tafk was cut in two by the emperor's order; the fecond was ordered to be tormented, and then put to a cruel death; the third undertook the talk with intrepidity, and was inftantly ftabbed by the tyrant's hand: in this manner they all fuffered, except one. But not to be turned from his purpofe, the brave furvivor entering the palace with the inftruments of torture in his hand, Here, cried he, addreffing himfelf to the throne, here, O Tifiang, are the marks your faithful fubjects receive for their loyalty; I am wearied with ferving a tyrant, and now come for my reward. The emperor, ftruck with his intrepidity, inftantly forgave the boldnefs of his conduct, and reformed his own. What European annals can boast of a tyrant thus reclaimed to lenity!

When five brethren had fet upon the great emperor Ginfong alone; with his fabre he flew four of them; he was ftruggling with the fifth, when his guards coming up were going to cut the confpirator into a thoufand pieces. No, no, cried the emperor, with a calm and placid countenance, of all his brothers he is the only one remaining, at least let one of the family be fuffered to live, that his aged parents may have fomebody left to feed and comfort them.

When laitong,' the laft emperor of the house of Ming, faw himfelf befieged in his own city by the ufurper, he was refolved to iffue from his palace · with fix hundred of his guards, and give the enemy battle; but they forfook him. Being thus without hopes, and chuting death rather than to fall alive into the hands of a rebel, he retired to his garden, conducting his little daughter, an only child in his hand, there, in a private arbour, unfheathing his fword, he ftabbed the young innocent to the heart, and then difpatching himfelf, left the following words written with his blood on the border of his

I

veft.

veft. Forfaken by my fubjects, abandoned by my friends, ufe my body as you will, but spare, O spare my people.

An empire which has thus continued invariably the fame for fuch a long fucceffion of ages, which though at laft conquered by the Tartars, ftill preferves its antient laws and learning; and may more properly be faid to annex the dominions of Tartary to its empire, than to admit a foreign conqueror; an empire as large as Europe, governed by one law, acknowledging fubjection to one prince, and experiencing but one revolution of any continuance in the space of four thousand years; this is fomething fo peculiarly great, that I am naturally led to defpife all other nations on the comparifon. Here we fee no religious perfecutions, no enmity between mankind, for difference in opinion. The difciples of Lao Kium, the idolatrous fectaries of Fohi, and the philofophical children of Confucius, only ftrive to fhew by their actions the truth of their doctrines.

Now turn from this happy peaceful scene to Europe, the theatre of intrigue, avarice, and ambition. How many revolutions does it not experience in the compass even of one age; and to what do these revolutions tend but the deftruction of thoufands. Every great event is replete with fome new calamity. The feafons of ferenity are paffed over in filence, their hiftories feem to fpeak only of the ftorm.

There we fee the Romans extending their power over barbarous nations, and in turn becoming a prey to those whom they had conquered. We fee thofe barbarians, when become chriftians, engaged in continual war with the followers of Mahomet; or more dreadful ftill, deftroying each other. We fee councils in the earlier ages authorifing every iniquity; crufades fpreading defolation in the country

VOL. III.

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left,

left, as well as that to be conquered. Excommunications freeing fubjects from natural allegiance, and perfuading to fedition; blood flowing in the fields and on fcaffolds; tortures ufed as arguments to convince the recufant: to heighten the horror of the piece, behold it fhaded with wars, rebellions, treafons, plots, politics, and poison.

And what advantage has any country of Europe obtained from fuch calamities? Scarcely any. Their diffentions for more than a thoufand years have ferved to make each other unhappy, but have enriched none. All the great nations ftill nearly preferve their antient limits: none have been able to fubdue the other, and fo terminate the difpute. France, in fpite of the conquefts of Edward the third, and Henry the fifth, notwithstanding the efforts of Charles the fifth and Philip the fecond, ftill remains within its antient limits. Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, the ftates of the North, are nearly ftill the fame. What effect then has the blood of fo many thousands, the deftruction of fo many cities produced? Nothing either great or confiderable. The Chriftian princes have loft indeed much from the enemies of Chriftendom, but they have gained nothing from each other. Their princes, because they preferred ambition to juftice, deserve the character of enemies to mankind; and their priests, by-neglecting morality for opinion, have miftaken the interefts of fociety.

On whatever fide we regard the hiftory of Europe, we fhall perceive it to be a tiffue of crimes, follies, and misfortunes, of politicks without defign, and wars without confequence; in this long lift of human infirmity, a great character, or a fhining virtue may fometimes happen to arife, as we often meet a cottage or a cultivated fpot, in the moft hideous wilderness. But for an Alfred, an Alphonfo, a Frederic, or one Alexander III. we

meet