The present state of the universe, or, An account of I. The rise, births, names, matches, children, and near allies of all the present chief princes of the world, II. Their coats of arms, motto's, devises, liveries, religions, and languages, III. The names of their chief towns, with some computation of the houses and inhabitants ... IV. Their revenues to which are added some other curious remarks, as also an account of common-wealths, relating to the foregoing heads.

Grand Tartary and China (Book China)

I. THE Chronicles of China tell us of three hundred and forty Kings, which for the space of 4000 years there Reign'd, and that the Country being without Rule or settled Government before, was first reduc'd into Or∣der by one Vitey, by whom the people were instructed in Physick, Astrology, Divination, the Arts of Tillage, Shipping, &c. Of this Kings Race there are said to have been two hundred and seventeen Kings, who held the State 2257 years. The last of them was Tzaintzon, who being ill Neighbour'd by the Scy∣thians (not yet call'd Tartars) is said to have built that vast Wall, extended four hundred Leagues in length, parting Tartary from China, having at the end of every League a strong Rampart, or Bulwark, continually Garrizon'd, and well furnish'd with all war∣like Necessaries. This Wall in reality is only a continuation made good of a Chain of Mountains, dividing the two Countries; there being a Work of the like Nature, tho not for the same use, in the Kingdom of Peru in America; of which I have given an account before. Now this King Tzaintzon being slain by some of his Subjects, who found themselves burthen'd and wasted with this Work, the Race of these Kings ended; and then several Princes of Chinese Families held the Government one after ano∣ther, and afterwards several Tartar Princes; China being Con∣quer'd by the Tartars, and made a Province by them, till about the year 1269; when a Chinese, nam'd Hugh, a mean Person, but of great Courage, rais'd to himself a strong Party, and drove the Tartars out of all, and was Crown'd Emperour of China; taking to himself the name of Hungus (by some Writers com∣monly call'd Hombu) that is a famous Warrior, and gave to his Children and their Posterity the name of the Taingian Family, from whom the last King of China, call'd Zunchius was descended, and under whom China was again Conquer'd by the Tartars, and continues under their subjection.

To give an account of the rise of the Tartars, it was as fol∣lows. East Tartary contains many Regions, Govern'd formerly by distinct Governours; and among those Regions, there were six of chiefest Note; whereof one was nam'd Tartar, giving name to the Tartars, which was divided among five Tribes, each Govern'd by its Chief, as its commonly among barbarous Na∣tions, tho all of them were subordinate to an higher Power, be∣ing opprest by a King of Tenduc, another of the six chief Regions, so call'd. But at length one Cingi, a Chief of one of the said five Tribes, first with the force of his own Tribe, subdued the other four Tribes, and afterward the King of Tenduc him∣self: and then took on him the Title of Cham, or Emperour, about the year 1162. And this was the first step by which this base and beggarly Nation, began their Empire and Sovereignty; whereas before they liv'd like Beasts, having neither Letters, Faith, nor dwelling but in Tents, nor any thing befitting Men. Some write that Cingis before he joyn'd Battle with the King of Tenduc consulted with his Diviners and Astrologers of the Success, who taking a green Reed, cleft it asunder, and on one piece writ the name of Cingis, and on the other the name of the King of Tenduc, and plac'd them not far asunder, and then fell to read∣ing their Charms and Conjurations; whereupon the Reeds fell a fighting, in the sight of the whole Army, the Reed of Cingis overcoming the other, whereby they foretold the joyful News of Victory to the Tartars; which accordinly hapned. But whe∣ther this seems not a Story contriv'd in imitation of the Rod of Moses, and those of Pharao's Magicians, I leave it to Considera∣tion. From the foresaid Cingis, the present Cham, or Emperour of Grand Tartary and China is descended. The most famous of all the Chams of Tartary was the Great Tamerlane, who Reign'd about the year 1370. he being thought to have subdued more Provinces in his life time than the Romans had done in eight hundred years. Dying he divided his Empire among his Chil∣dren, viz. Persia to Mizra Charock, his fourth Son, Zagathy to another, &c.

The account of the present Emperour of the Asiatick Tartars and of China stands thus. An. 1644. a Chinese call'd Lycungus re∣volted against the Emperour of China call'd Zunchius, defeated many of his Generals and surpriz'd the Town of Peking. The Emperour for fear of falling into the Hands of the Rebels, ran

into the Garden of his Palace, and seeing himself pursued, hung himself to a Tree. Some time before, he had sent a consider∣able Army against the Tartars, who had made some Incursions into China: Usungus, who commanded it, hearing all what had past, sent to desire the Tartars to joyn with him, and to march together against the Rebels. Zungteus the King of the Tartars accepted the proposition, and came to him with eighty thousand Horse, which were followed by above two hundred thousand Foot. As soon as the Tartars saw themselves the stronger, they made Usangus and his Troops to shave themselves like the Tar∣tars, and went straight to Peking, which Lycungus had forsaken, af∣ter having pillag'd it of all the Treasures of the Emperours of China. Zungteus the King of the Tartars died on the way, and left but one Son, six years of Age. The Tartars own'd him for their Emperour, and after having Crown'd him second Em∣perour of China by the name of Zunchius, they pursued their Enterprize under the Conduct of Amavangus, his Uncle and Tutor; and in seven years they perfected the Conquest of almost the whole Empire, and defeated many Princes of the Royal House; who had been Crown'd in different Provinces. This Em∣perour Zunchius died Feb. 6. 1661. and had for Successor his Son, only eight years of Age. He ordered dying that his Mother and Grandmother should have the care of his Education till he were Major; and that the State should be Govern'd by four Manda∣rins, or great Lords of the Tartars. He was call'd then Haei, but since he has ascended the Throne, he has caus'd himself to be call'd Yunchi. He Reigned peaceably till the beginning of the year 1674, that the foremention'd Usangus, seeing the Desola∣tion of his Country, and being in some power, as being Viceroy of Quansi, now let his Hair grow like the Chineses, and endea∣vour'd to shake off the Tartar Yoke, making himself Master in a little time of four great Provinces, on the western part of China, and drawing to his side the Viceroys of Foquien and Can∣ton, who commanded on the East and South. But these three could not long agree, so that the two last submitted themselves again to the Tartars; and Usangus now stands only on a defen∣sive War, being Master of the Provinces of Quansi and Hu∣quan, where the Chineses keep still some remainder of their first Grandeur.

II Pontier says that this Emperour bears, Or, an Owl Sable, for Tartary; and that, as King of China he bears, Argent, three Blackamoors Heads, plac'd in front, their bust vested Gules. Another says the Kings of China have for Blazon, two Dragons, and that the Ancient Kings of China had a kind of Crown. That now the Tartar Kings that command there, have for their Royal mark, a sort of Cap, compast about with a Circle of Ivory, and terminating in a point, with a kind of Tower, Or; on the top of which there are many Pearls, and among them one as big as a Pidgeons Egg: these Pearls being the sole mark of the Royalty, none of the Kings of China, how absolute soever they may be, daring to wear them on their Caps. The Ancient Motto of the Emperours of Tartary, engrav'd in their Seals was this. Deus in Caelo & Chiukuth Cham in Terra, Dei fortitudo, & omnium homi∣num Imperator. This Emperous Livery is of a _____ _____ colour. He professes the Mahometan Religion, and uses the Chinese and Tartarian Languages.

III. Manesson Mallet, in his late description of the Universe, says that the little knowledge Men have had of the Eastern part of Tartary, which is on the North of China, has occasion'd the Errour of many persons, who have taken Chambalu and Peking for two different Towns: the greatest part of Geographers having made Chambalu the Capital City of Cathai, which they believ'd to be one of the chief Countries of Tartary; but since we have seen the relation of the Voyage of the Dutch to China, and that of Father Kircher, it has no longer been doubted, but that Cathai was the northern part of China, and that the Town of Peking was that which the Saracens, and Moscovites call Cham∣balu, that is, the Court or City of the King, the name of Peking signifying the same in the Chinese Language. This City is said to be of a vast extent, but we have not any account thereof to rely on, but its generally agreed that the Houses, for the most part, are but of one Story; and the Sreets being not pav'd, so troublesom a dust is rais'd by the Wind in the Summer, that it forces those who have not Portative Chairs, to cover their Faces with a Linnen Cloth, reaching to their Girdles, thro which they may see without being seen; and the Dirt makes the Streets al∣together as offensive in the Winter. In this City, as they say, the King has a Pallace of great Magnificence and Curiosity.

Nanking is the next chief City of China, and not inferiour to the former, only in the number of Inhabitants, which, by rea∣son of the Kings Residence at Peking, is there greater. The Houses of the chief Merchants are very well built, and of ma∣ny Stories. They compute in it a Million of Inhabitants, with∣out comprising a Garrison of forty thousand Men, kept there by the Tartars, under the Command of the Lieutenant General, of the Southern Provinces, who resides there. There are several accounts of the vast numbers of Cities, Towns, Villages, Houses and Inhabitants of China, as also of their incredible numbers of Shipping, concerning all which we want more perfect ac∣counts to rely on.

IV. Its said that the Kings of China have ordinarily had an yearly Revenue of above one hundred and fifty Millions of Crowns. His Revenues, as Cham of Tartary may be what he lists himself, he being the absolute Lord of all the Subject has, without any thing he can call his own. But that which ordi∣narily accrues to him is the Tenth of the Wooll, Silk, Hemp, Corn and Cattle: and he draws into his own Hands all the Gold and Silver which is brought into the Country; and which he causes to be melted, and preserv'd in his Treasury; imposing on his people instead of mony, in some places, Cockleshells, others a black Coin, made of the Bark of Trees, with his stamp on it: and he keeps to himself the whole Trade of Pearl fishing, which no Man, upon pain of death, dares fish for, but by leave from him.