were induftrioufly kept from our fight. Under the generous
idea o f being the Emperor’s guefts, we were not allowed to
purchafe any thing. He alone was to fupply our wants, but
his officers took the liberty o f judging what thefe wants ffiould
confift in.
It is a Angular phenomenon in the hiftory o f nations, how
the government .of an empire, o f fuch vaft magnitude as that o f
China, ihould have preferved its (lability without any material
change, for more than two thoufand years; for, dropping their
pretenfions to an extravagant antiquity, for which however
they have fome grounds, there can be no doubt they were
pretty much in the fame ftate, regulated by the fame laws, and
under the fame form o f government as they now are, four hundred
years before the birth o f Chrift, about which time their
renowned philofopher fiouriffied, whofe works are ftill held on
the higheft reputation. T h e y contain indeed all the maxims in
which their government is ftill grounded, and all the rules by
which the different Rations o f life take their moral conduit; and
the monarchy is fuppofed to have been eftabliihed two thoufand
years before his time.
I f the teft o f a good government be made to depend on the
length o f its continuance, unihaken and unchanged by revolutions,
China may certainly be allowed to rank the firft among
civilized nations. But, whether good or bad, it has p.offeffed
the art o f moulding the multitude to its own ihape in a manner
unprecedented in the annals o f the world. Various accidents,
improved by policy, feem to have led to its durability. Among
thefe
thefe the natural barriers o f the country, excluding'any foreign
enemy, are not to be reckoned as the leaft favourable; whilft
the extreme caution o f the government in admitting ftrangers
kept the world in ignorance, for many ages, 'of the exifience even
o f the moil extenfive, powerful, and populous empire among
men. Secluded thus from all intercourfe with the reft o f the
world, it had time and leizure to mould it& own fubjeds into
the ffiape it wiihed them to retain ; and the event has fufficient-
ly proved its knowledge in this refpeit.
A number o f fortunate circumftances, feldom combined in
the fame country, have contributed to the prefervation o f internal
tranquillity in China. The language is o f a nature well calculated
to keep the mafs o f the people in si ftate o f ignorance.
T h e y are neither prohibited from embracing any religion o f
which they may make a choice, nor coerced to contribute towards
the fupport o f one they do not approve. The pains that
have been taken to inculcate fober habits, to deftroy mutual
confidence, and render every man referved and fufpicious o f his
neighbour, could not fail to put an end to focial intercourfe.
No meetings were held, even for convivial purpofes, beyond
the family circle, and thefe only at the feftival o f new year.
Thofe kind o f turbulent affemblies, where real or imagined
grievances are difcuffed with all the rancour and violence that
malicious infinuations againft government, added to the effedls
o f intoxicating draughts, too frequently infpire, never happen
among the Chinefe. Contented in having no voice in the government,
it has never occurred to them that they have any
3 E 2 rights.