T h e miflionaries o f the Romlih church are fo accuftomed to
the myfteries with which their religion abounds, that every
thing they meet with, and do not underftand, among a ftrange
people, is alfo refolved into a myftery. Thus, the following
figure, which the Chinefe, in allufion to the regular lines de-
fcribed on the back-ihell o f fome o f the tortoifes, metaphorically
call the myftic tortoife, has been fuppofed by fome o f
thefe gentlemen to contain the mod fublime dodtrines o f Chi-
nefe philofophy ; that they embrace a lummary o f all that is
perfedt and imperfedt, reprefent the numbers o f heaven and
earth, and fuch like jargon, which, it obvioufly appears, is no
lefs unintelligible to themfelves than to their readers.
Thefe famous lines, fuppofed to be found on the back o f a
tortoife, are the following :
%
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Who does not perceive, at a fingle glance, in this figure the
common fchool-boy’ s trick o f the magic fquare, or placing the
nine digits fo that they lhall make the fum o f fifteen every
way, thus,
3 1 9 I 4
■ 7 I 5 I 3
16 1 1 I 8
and what are the perfedt and imperfedt numbers, but the odd
and even digits diftinguiihed by open and clofe points? In like
manner, I am inclined to believe, the feveral ways o f placing
thefe open and clofe points that occur in Chinefe books are literally
nothing more than the different combinations o f the
nine numerical figures, for which they are fubftituted.
Mod o f the other lin g have been tranllated, wholly or in
part, and publilhed in France. It may be obferved, however,
that all the Chinefe writings, tranllated by the miflkmaries,
have undergone fo great a change in their European drefs, that
they ought rather to be looked upon as originals than tranfiations.
It is true, a literal tranflation would be nonfqnfe, but there is
a great difference between giving the meaning o f an author,
and writing a commentary upon him. Sir William Jones ob-
ferves that the only method o f doing j uftice to the poetical
compofitions o f the Afiatics, is to give firft a verbal and then
a metrical verfion. The moil barren fubjedt, under his elegant
pen, becomes replete with beauties. The following ftanza,
from one o f the odes o f the Jhee-king, is an inftance o f this remark.
It is calculated to have been written about the age o f
Homer ; and it confifts o f fifteen charadters.
1 3 4 - 5 6
The.peach-tree, how fair, how graceful, its leaves, how bloom-
1 ing,