duct." This advice appeared fo reafonable to Kwo-khê-tzu, that he ordered his chair and went immediately. That Mandarine had hitherto received him with the greatest kindness; and notwithstanding the most urgent. bufinefs, always had him admitted. But now he sent an excufe, and faid he had fo many petitions and other affairs to dispatch, that he could not fee him. Finding he could not gain admittance, Kwo-kké-tzu bowed and withdrew. The next morning he prefented himfelf again, but ftill was anfwered that the Grand Vifitor was prevented from seeing him by unavoidable business. He returned four or five days fucceffively, but conftantly recei ved the fame excufe. Surprized at this change, and enraged at the repeated mortifications he met with, "I will fend a letter, faid he, to my father at court, and acquaint him of the abuse and contempt I receive." He was very much provoked and mortified but what farther relates to him will be feen at large in Book the Third. The End of Book the Second. ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. PAGE AGE 10. lin. 3. note referring to the word [even *.] * This expreffion is familiar to the Chinese. In the Shi-king, one of their canonical books, it is fpoken in praise of an ancient Emperor, that "his way is straight." P. Du Halde, v. 1. p. 409. The fcriptures abound with this metaphor, [See Pf. 5.8. Ifai. 40. 3. and 59. 8. Lam. 3.9. Mat. 3. 3. Heb, 12. 13.] which is fo obvious, that we are not to wonder that it hath even been adopted by the Indians of North America. In a late conference their warriors told one of our governors, "that they had been fent to make the path ftraight, and to accommodate differences." See account of the conferences of O&. 19. 1759~ Dated Charles-Town, South-Carolina, Nov. I.Lond. Chron. Jan. 26. 1760. Page 23. lin. 2. note [blame *.] The Chinese have fome notion of an ori ginal ftate of innocence. that, before the time of Fo-hi, their first Emperor and Legiflator, the two fexes cloathed alike, and converfed together without reftraint. See P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 137. 411. Mart. Pag. Pag. 92. Addition to the note. N. B. In what light the Chinese confider foreign nations will appear from the following words of the late Emperor Yong-ching [who died Oct. 7. 1735.] in a speech he made to the Jefuites. "I am Sovereign Mafter of The king"dom of the middle: all other states great and "fmall fend me tribute: I take a pleasure in "giving them inftructions: if they profit by them, "well and good! if not, I am not concerned "at it." See Lettres edif. Rec. xviii. pref. xxxiv. σε And even in the last vol. of Jefuites Letters published fo lately as 1758, we find the fathers in order to pave the way for a new embassy from France, endeavouring to prevail with the Chinese miniftry, not to confider his most chriftian majesty, as tributary to the Emperor, but to treat him upon the footing of an equal: nei"ther to look upon his prefents, as tribute; cr "thofe of the Emperor, as the bounty of a fu"perior. Nor again to regard his letters, as fup"plicatory petitions, nor to give to the answers "which fhould be returned, the name of orders "intimated to him from the Emperor." But we don't find that these applications met with any fuccefs. See Lettres edif. &c. Rec. 28. pref. p. xxiii. Page 96. Note. The Reader is defired to cancel the last eight lines of this Note, viz. from [From this table, &c.] to the end; and in their flead to read, as follows. The The first of thefe, or Çu, begins as foon as the clock with us hath ftruck eleven; the fame is to be obferved of the reft. Each of these hours hath fmaller divifions and fubdivifions, anfwerable to our minutes, &c. It is remarkable that, whereas we reckon our Hours by numbers, but have particular names for our Months, the Chinese on the contrary compute their Months by numbers, but affign particular names and characters to their Hours. Thus we fay, January, February, &c. but the Chinefe fimply, The first or second moon: on the other hand we only diftinguish our Hours by one, two, or three o'clock, whereas the Chinese have a peculiar arbitrary name for each, as in the table. If the Chinese excel us in fome inventions, they fall vastly short of us in their manner of giving notice of the time of the day : their only method being as follows. In each of their cities is a tower, wherein their Hours are measured by a kind of Clepfydra or water clock: where the water running out of one vessel into another, lifts up a board marked with the names of the hours. As foon as a new hour is begun, one or more perfons, who are ftationed there for that purpofe, immediately give public notice of it, by itriking upon a prodigious large drum; and at the fame time fet up in public view a tablet or board, whereon the name of the current Hour is painted in characters of gold half a a yard long. Vid. Bayer, tom. 2. p 336.] To have done once for all with their computations of time, we may obferve briefly, that the Chinese compute their annals by Cycles of VOL. II. U fixty |