make choise of certaine of those which had done it best. Likewise they shoote two or three Ar∣rowes, to see if they bee skilfull in shooting. They haue no vse of great Ordnance. Albeit I saw in the Gates of some Cities, certaine small short Pieces, as broad at the mouth as at the nether end, which I know not whether they shot off sometimes or no: I saw about sixe or eight of them vpon the Walls. The defence of their Walls is their height, without any other Artillerie. The greatest force and number of Souldiers, resideth in the confines of the Tartars.
It is foure hundred yeeres since a King of the Tartars wonne all China, (whereof Paulus Ve∣netus writeth, which was in that Countrey) and they did also possesse it two hundred yeeres: at the end whereof, a Bonzo a very prudent and valiant man rebelled, and cast the Tartar out, and remayned King, whose issue continueth vntill this day. They alwayes keepe great Watch and ward vpon this frontier. Many youthes of these Tartars remayned in China, and namely in [ 10] these parts of Paquin, there are many which keepe and maintayne their Law of Mahomet, and haue Mezquitas or Turkish Temples, and are much different in shapes and countenances from the Chinois. Except the Souldiers, there is none that keepe Weapons in their houses: not because it is forbidden, but because there is no need of them: but rather the Learned and graue people, count it a dishonest thing to keepe Armour: there is no vse of them but in the time of warre. For you shall neuer see them fight with weapons one with another as wee doe. But their figh∣ting is to buffet one another, to pull them by the hayre of the head, and to draw them by the coller, and in two words to become friends againe. Our men make no great matter of giuing buffets and such like, for they kill one another.
The Chinois are greatly giuen to Learning and studie; for all their honour and riches depen∣deth [ 20] thereupon. They haue aboue fortie thousand sundry Letters: though many of them bee made one of another. They haue no A, B, C, nor any thing like thereunto, as among vs. But to signifie euerie thing they haue one Letter, and all diuerse. Their words are of one syllable, and no more, though their Letters bee so many. Those which are commonly vsed euery day, are eight or ten thousand. They begin to learne to write and reade commonly, when they be seuen yeeres old: they write with Pensils. They haue many little Bookes which encourage Children to stu∣die, exhorting them to take paines, with the reward that they shall grow to bee Mandarines. They know not, nor studie any Science, neither Mathematickes, nor Philosophie, nor any such thing, but onely Rhetoricke: for all the substance of their knowledge and fame of Learned men, consisteth in nothing else, but to know how to make a very elegant Discourse and Oration [ 30] vpon a theame, like as in our Europe the Oratours vsed anciently. And as the Chinois haue good wits, and by hope of reward are verie appliable hereunto, they doe it with great excellen∣cie, and occupie themselues with nothing else, and haue no other knowledge to distract them from it.
Euery Doctor (after hee hath obtained his degree) setteth vp in his Countrey before the doores of his House a Title of verie great letters, which saith: This is the House of a Doctor: which all men haue in regard. And before the doore, they set vp many high Poles like masts, which euerie Mandarin of that Citie where hee dwelleth sendeth him, with a Banner hanged vp, and alwaies they remaine there. They make a verie excellent Arch triumphall, to him that hath the first degree, at the gate of his House. The Chinois esteeme more then we doe, the skill [ 40] to bee able to write well, and Print euerie yeere a great number of Bookes, whereof there is no examination nor choise, and euerie man Printeth what hee list, good or bad, and so they make a booke of nothing. The best which come foorth are of no Science: for as I haue said, they know none: but they are onely of Morall sentences, to the aduancement of good Customes and Go∣uernment. Their manner of Printing is not like ours: for they joyne not their Letters, but for euerie leafe they make a table which hath letters on both sides, it would seeme to bee very hard, but with the custome which they haue gotten, they doe it with great ease, speed and cheape∣nesse. I will send you some Booke well printed, that your Worship may see it. They also print Letters in white, I say white letters, and the ground blacke. And though in the former they [ 50] come not neare vs, yet in this they goe far beyond vs. They vsually print these letters in Stones, and the letters stand not in the Stone vpward to touch the Paper directly, but in the paper and the stone they stand all one way: and this is the order whereby they doe this: They wet the Paper, and laying it vpon the toppe of the Stone, they gently beate it with some verie gentle thing, wherby the Paper which lyeth vpon the Stone sinketh into the hollownesse of the Letter, and resteth lower then the other, then with a kind of Inke which they haue for this purpose, they finely lay it ouer, whereby the Letters remaine white, because they bee deeper, and the rest re∣maineth blacke. I send you with this Letter certaine papers thereof, that your Worship may reioyce in beholding the excellencie wherewith it is done. One of our Bookes of equall volume with one of theirs, containeth much more: for our letter is lesser then theirs. Though in China it [ 60] be harder to learne to reade and write, then in our Country, yet there be few but know ordinarie Letters to deale betweene man and man.
Likewise they make great account of Poetrie, and also the grauer sort giue themselues much vnto it. It is verie ordinarie with them to send vs some Po••sie in praise of vs, when wee enter