rope-dancing,; and a fort o f pantomimic performance, the principal
characters o f which were men dreffed in Ikins, and going
On all-fours, intended to reprefent wild beafts; • and a parcel o f
boys habited in the dreffes o f mandarins, who were to hunt
them. This extraordinary chace,-. and the mufic, and the rope-
dancing, put the Emperor into fuch good humour, that he rewarded
the performers; very liberally. And the Emprefs and
the, ladies, who Were in an upper part o f the houfe concealed
behind a fort o f Venetian blinds, appeared from their tittering
noife to be highly entertained. The whole concluded* though
in the middle o f the day, with a variety o f fire-works; and the
Chinefe part o f the, company departed feemingly well fapsiied
with thefe diverfions.
An eclipfe o f the moon happening on the fourth o f February
gave occafion to the Embalfadors to enjoy a little reft at
home, though they were fummoned to attend the palace at a
very early hour in the morning. The Emperor and his mandarins
were engaged the whole d a y , in devoutly praying the
gods that the moon might not be eaten up by the great dragon
that was hovering about her. Recovered from their apprehen-
fions, an entertainment was giyen the following day, at which
the Embafladors were required to be prefent. After a number
o f juggling tricks and infantine fports, a pantomime, intended
to be an exhibition o f the battle o f the dragon and the moon,
was reprefented before the full court. In this engagement two
or three hundred priefts, bearing lanterns fufpended at the ends
o f long fticks, performed a variety o f evolutions, dancing and
vcapering about, fometimes over the plain, and then over chairs
3 and
and tables, affording to his Imperial Majefty and to his courtiers
the greateft pleafure and fatisfaclion.
On the fifteenth o f February the Dutch Embafladors left
Pekin, having remained there thirty-fix days, during which
they were fcarcely allowed to have a fingle day’s reft, but
were obliged, at the moft unfeafonable hours, in the depth o f
winter, when the thermometer was feldom higher than 10 or
12 degrees below the freezing point, to dance attendance upon
the Emperor and the great officers o f ftate, whenever they
might think fit to call upon them ; and to fubmit to the degrading
ceremony o f knocking the head nine times againft the
ground, at leaft on thirty different occafions, and without having
the fatisfadion o f gaining by this unconditional compliance
any one earthly thing, beyond a compliment from thé Emperor,
that they went through their projlrations to admiration !
And they were finally obliged to leave the capital without being
once allowed to fpeak on any kind o f bufinefs, or even
aiked' a fingle queftion as to the nature o f their million, which,
indeed, the Chinefe were determined to take for granted was
purely complimentary to their great Emperor.
The maiiufcript I quote from defcribes minutely all the pantomimic
performances, the tricks o f conjurors and jugglers, and
the feats o f pofture-mafters, but as they feem to be pretty much
of the fame kind as were exhibited before the Britifh Embafly
in Tartary, as defcribed by Lord Macartney, I forbear to relate
them. Enough has been faid to fhew the tafte o f the court
in this refped, and the ftate o f the drama in China.
f f I fufped,