'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎377] (400/448)

Children and Eunuchs only have accefs to him: AmbaMdors enter not without Prefects
of value: They are curious in Novelties and love to fee llrange Arts-, which thev d-
lightfully pradife: few but has skill either in tillage, making China-dilhes, or can mint'
fing, play or do fbraethmg that is ufeful and modeft ^ the Mathematicks t hey affed : ufe'
not Lettei s but Characftersof which they have above 40600 : they write neither to the
right hand nor to the left but down-right; not with pens but with pencils of horfe hair
fuch as are in ufe with Painters: their language is molt part monofyilables •, few but have
a vein in Poetry and Mufick, and are ftudious in all the liberal Sciences: Scholars and
Merchants aremore honoured than men of War : no people in the World more honour
their King than they? for they luppole him too glorious to look upon .• they obey his
will in every thing, fill his Exchequer yearly with above a hundred miiiions of Crowns-
call him the undaunted Emperour, Lord of the whole World j Son of the Sun ^ and beau
ty of the whole Earth. Nor do any people in the World exprefs more filial reiped to
Parents than they *, for they obey them at all times, and in all placesmar ry not without
their confent ^ leave their Childrens names to them; honour them be they never fo mean ;
relieve them be they never fo poor v at their death exprefs all fymptoms poffible of duty;
and in white Linen, as did the Jews of old, ieldom mourn lels than two or three years,
the longer they mourn, they think the better they exprefs a filial obfervance and afFeftion.
An obedience that hath ablefling with if,-for as Homer well obferves, Farentes non horn-
rames hrevis avi fimt, diihonourers of Parents are of ftort life, as in the Decalogue is
inferred. They arrogate to themfelves the invention of all Arts and knowledge in the
liberal Sciences ^ and it cannot be denied but that fome of them they have, as Logick,
Rhetorick, Mufick, Arithmetick and Aftronomy: they are, fay they, the moft ancient
and immixt people in the Univerfe-, have all from their Minerva, and borrow nothing
from others: they boaft how that they firfl invented Charafters, Guns, Painting, Tillage,
and Navigation. Now give me leave to fay a word in our defence againft the Rodomon-
tado's of thefe Ghyneftansy who as I fuppofe, in none of thefe parallel Europe. For their
antiquity, I deny not but they have continued without much mixture (yet admirable if Jo,
fince both the Tartars and Siamites have over-run their Country) fince the firft femina-
ry, begun by Sem in thofe parts ^ but if granted, others in that may compare with them j
•namely, the Brittainsy Bifcayms and others: for I regard not their Legend of Kings or fuch
Conquefts as they obtained long before the birth of Time, a hundred thoufand years ago ^
unlefs we qualifie it by the Ephemeris of the Arcadians whofe year hadbut ninety daies 5
the Spaniards but four months; the Maffagets fifteen ^ or of the Egyptians who had twelve
years in one of ours ^ following the courfe of the Moon and not the revolution of the
Sun, nor regarding the Dies int ere alar es : an error, molt of the Oriental Ethnicks are
plunged in. Very likely they imitate the Chaldee, who as Dio. Skul lib. 3. affirm the ori
gin of their Charaders or Aftrologie, was three and forty thoufand years before the
overthrow of the laft Darius ^ which did not JLnnins of ffiterbo help in his Paraphrafe
upon Berofus would be laughed at: but Xentphon and others fay, That the years they ac-
counted by wereLunarie*, upon which redudion it will appear that 43000 of their Lunar
years make but 3634ofour Solar: their Hieroglyphicks, though more antient than Let
ters, comelhort of the Egyptians. Their Guns(the ufe of^hich Bacchus taught them) are
not above a fpanlong; fothat they rather refemble Piftols than Guns, their bore and
fquaring being lefs than ours : and for their painting it Cannot be denied but it is of good
colours; buttheir defigns are fhort of our invention : they draw the poftures filthy and
fliadow meanly *, which doubtlefs in painting makes the perfedion. Horologic knowledge
they want^ as may be fuppoled by that ftory of the King who upon firft view of a Watch
prefented by an European was fo furprized that he verily believed it a living creature, till
by winding it up he perceived the ipring the prmum mobile. Their Husbandrie is without
much Art: for albeit the grain be good, the loyle rich, and the Zone moderate, yet their
corn is neither fo various, nor fo good, nor fo certain as in our Harvefts. Their Navigati
on is lame: they build many fhips, yet without beauty or defence; nor have they much skill
in failing, having no good Logarithms nor Mathematick inftruments to take the height of
the Sun by: their Compafs alfo is defedive ; for it hath but eight or twelve points to di-
ftinguifh by, nor is the Magnet (till of late) known amongft them ^ having the Cynofure
and Vrfa minor for their bell: diredors: notwithftanding they fay they fee with twoeyes>
thofe oLEurope but with one, and all other people are blindjor atl^aft purblind likethem-
felves in their cenfures.
They delight exxeffively in all forts of game v and when they have loll, care not
though they'flake Wives and Children, whom they willingly part with till they can redeem
them. They are hofpitable one to another, and believe a Refurredion: for fomefimes
Gee ; . they