them. "If you had come of yourself, proceeded he, you might have used your pleasure but as you are recomB 3 mended and fo little esteemed, that to keep up the fucceffion they are commonly obliged to buy poor children of seven or eight years old, whom they bring up they are fo much defpifed, except by the vulgar, upon whofe fuperftition they practife, drawing them to their Pagods on long pilgrimages &c. that they are very humble and fubfervient to the great. But altho' they are generally great hypocrites, and have little real virtue, they are however fo careful of their exterior, as to be feldom detected in fcandalous vices. P. Semedo tells, that during his refidence of two and twenty years, he only heard two ill ftories of them: and one of these was doubtful. He even says, that the greater part of them are very patient and meek, &c. This is mentioned because the modern Jefuits affect to speak of them as guilty of fuch profligate and bare-faced villainies as are no way credible in a country under any kind of government, and where they have no other afcendant than what they gain by their perfonal behaviour. For the worship of Fo, altho' the most popular of all others, is barely tolerated in China; whither it was not introduced out of India till fixty-five years after the birth of CHRIST. The to this place by the Che-bien, let me intreat you to stay and hear what he hath to fay perhaps he will make an entertain The account of Fo is briefly this: his mother, who conceived upon fight of a white elephant in her sleep, was delivered of him thro' her left fide. As foon as he was born he ftood up &c. and pronounced these words, No one except MYSELF, either in heaven or earth ought to be worshipped. At the age of seventeen, he married three wives. At nineteen he retired to study under four fages, At thirty he became Fo [or a deity] called by the Indians Pagod: and from thenceforth wrought miracles, &c. At feventy-nine he died, or paffed into an immortal state according to his difciples; of whom he left eighty thousand, and among them ten of more diftinguished rank. These publifhed five thousand volumes in his honour: relating that their master had been born eight thousand times, and that his foul had fucceffively paffed into different-animals. N. B. He left Five commandments behind him. I. Not to kill any living creature. take another's goods. III. Not to impurity. IV. Not to tell a lie. drink wine. P. Du Halde, vol. 1. II. Not to commit any V. Not to p. 650. 672. and P. Picart, vol. iv. 228. P. Le entertainment, and be glad to converse with you before you go." "I have P. Le Compte, tom 2. p. 117. See also As the Monks or Priests of the fect of Tao-tse are fometimes called Bonzees, it may not be improper to give a short account of them. They are a kind of Epicureans or Quietists, teaching that happiness confifts in a calm which fufpends all the operations of the foul: they are much addicted to alchymy, boafting to have difcovered an elixir that will render them immortal: they are also great pretenders to magic, and a familiar intercourfe with demons. They hold a plurality and fubordination of gods, which are all corporeal. They live together in communities: do not marry ufe chaplets: are cloathed in yellow: wear a kind of little crown and are always called to facrifices and funerals. : Their founder lived about the time of Confucius, and was called Lao-tfe, or the infant old man, from his coming into the world with white hairs: they pretend his mother went with child of him eighty years. His books are extant, and faid to contain many noble máxims. P. Semedo, p. 87. P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 648. 669. P. Couplet proemial declar. Picart ubi fupra. & Author. fupra citat. Nieuboff tells us (p. 59. that fome of the Taotse marry and P. Magalhan calls those of this fect by way of diftinction The married Bonzees. See his Hift. p. 207, 220, &c. no acquaintance or crrefpondence with that magiftrate, faid the youth: all I know of him is from the business of yesterday, which was too fcandalous to be the foundation of an acquaintance: he is no way obliged to invite me, or I to go to him. Why then may not I depart ?" "True, Sir, faid the other, no obligation in this case lies upon you; but there doth upon me, and I fhall incur his refentment if I do not firft advise him of it." He had scarcely spoke, when a perfon came from the Che-bien, with a red paper of invitation, requesting Tieb-chung-u to and dine with him. "Do you fee, go Sir, cryed the Superior of the Bonzees, suppose you had gone: where could I have found you? Am I now to blame? Well, pray fit down, while I go and order * order fomething for your breakfast." This was hardly finished, when a fervant came into the room; who being afked whence he came, anfwered that he belonged to Shuey-ping-fin, and was fent by her to inquire out the lodging of the young gentleman to whom she was yesterday fo much obliged; that she might know where to fend a prefent to him, and to thank him for the great trouble he had met with on her account. "Go home, answered Tieb-chung-u, and give my most respectful service to your lady: tell her what I did yesterday was only to make the * In the original Tieh-fiang-coon. See vol 1. p. 114. note. It may not be unneceffary to add, that Siang-coon or cung, is properly applied only to fuch as have taken the degree of Batchelor; but commonly given in compliment to others. See P. Couplet. Confuc. p. 123. ftreet |