o f courfe, before him who ordered the punilhment, thanking
him, in die moft humble manner, for the fatherly kindnefs he
has teftified towards his fon, in thus putting him in mind o f
his errors; a Tartar grumbles, and difputes the point as to the
right that a .Chinefe may have to flog him j or he turns away in
fullen lilence.
Ridiculous as it may appear to a foreigner, in obferving an
officer o f ftate ftretching himfelf along the ground for the pur-
pofe o f being flogged by order o f another who happens to rank
one degree above him; yet it is impoffible, at the fame time,
to fupprefs a glow o f indignation, in witneffing fo mean and
obfequious a degradation o f the human mind, which can bring
itlelf, under any circumftances, patiently to fubmit to a vile
corporal punilhment, admiriiftered’ by the hand o f a Have, of by
a common ioldierg and when this is done, to undergo the flill
more vile and humiliating act o f killing the rod that corrects
him. But the* policy o f the government has taken good care
to. remove any fcruples that might arife on this fcore. Where
paternal regard was the foie motive, fuch a chaftifement could
not poffibly be followed with diihonour or difgrace. It was a
wonderful point gained by the government, to fubjeCt every
individual, the Emperor only excepted, to the fame corporal
correction ; but it mull have required great addrefs, and men’s
minds mud have been completely fubdued, or completely convinced,
before fuch a fyllem o f univerfal obedience could have
been accomplished, the confequence o f which, it was obvious,
could be no other than univerfal fervility. It could not fail to
eftabliih a moft effectual check againft the complaints o f the
multitude,
multitude, by ffiewing them that the fame mail, who had the
power o f puniffiing them, was equally liable to be corréCted in
his turn, and in the fame manner, by another. The punifhment
o f the bamboo mull, I fufpeCt, be one o f the moll ancient
inftitutions o f China. Indeed we can fcarcely conceive it
ever to have been introduced into a fociety already civilized ;
but rather to have been coeval with the origin o f that fociety.
A fimilar kind o f perfonal chaftifement for light offences,
or mifconduCt, was inflicted in Ruffia on perfons o f all ranks,
but with this difference; that the correction was private and
by order o f the Sovereign alone. The Czar Peter, indeed1,
generally bellowed a drubbing on his' courtiers with his own
hand; who', inftead o f being dilhonoured or difgraced by fuch
a calligation, were fuppofed, from that very circufnftance, to
be his particular favourites, and to Hand high in his confidence.
The great Mentzikoff is fa'id' to have frequently left his clofet
with à black eye or a bloody nofe ; and feemed to derive en-
creafing importance from the unequivocal marks o f his mailer’s
friendlhip. Even at the prefent day, or till very lately, little
difgrace was attached to the punilhment o f the knout, which was
a private flagellation by order o f the court ; but this abominable
praCticé either is altogether difcontinued, or in its lad liage o f
exiftence. Such arbitrary proceedings could not long remain
in force among an enlightened people.
Thefe two great empires, the greateft indeed that exift in
the world, dividing between theni nearly a fifth part' o f the
whole habitable globe, each about a tefttK, exhibit a Angular difference