a numerous fet o f followers, half Chriftians and half Pagans.
Unluckily for thé caufe o f Chriftianity, a different feft o f the
fame religion, but with principles more auftere and o f courfe
lefs tolerant o f others that deviated from their own, fpeedily
followed the Jefuits into the Eaft. The Dominicans, meeting
with fome o f the half-chriftianized converts, foon .gave them
to underftand that nothing lefs than eternal damnation would
be the lot o f alf " fuch as did not forfake their ancient fuperih-
tions and idolatrous praûiees ; and efpecially that o f facrificing
:£0 their deceafed relations in the Hall o f Anceftors. The Fran-
cifcans having joined the Dominicans they reprefented to the
Pope the abominable praflices o f the J e t t s , who had perfuaded
the Chinefe they were come among them for the fdlepurpofe o f
reftoring their ancient religion to- its original purity, as delivered
by their Great Philofepher Confucius. The Pope, upon
this, fent over a bull, interdicting all the miflionaries in China
from admitting any extraneous ceremonies o r idolatrous wor-
fhip, to be blended with thofe o f Holy Catholic Church.
The Jefuit-s, however, by their fuperior talents, having made
themfelves ufeful at court, and obtained the notice and protection
o f Caung-Shee the ruling monarch, and the greateft perhaps
that ever filled the throne o f China, treated this bull with
contempt, and continued to make converts lu their own way.
T h e y even obtained from the Emperor a fura o f money arid a
grant o f land, towards building a church in Pekin. And they
further managed their affairs fo well as to procure, from the fue-
ceeding Pope, a difpenfation in favour o f their mode o f proceeding
to convert the Chinefe to Chriftianity. T he Dominicans
cans and Francifcans,, piqued beyond meafure at the fuccefs o f
the Jefuits, reprefented them to-the Pope, in the ftrongeft terms,
as the greateft enemies to the Chriftian.faithi The Jefuits, in
their turn, tranftnitted to Rome a manifefto, figned by the Emperor
himfelf, attefting that the ceremonies o f homage to the
dead, retained by the Chinefe Chriftians, were not o f a religious
but a civil nature, agreeable to die long eftabliihed laws o f the
empire, which could not, on any confideration, be difpenfed
with. In ihort, their difputes and quarrels ran fo high,
and proceeded to fuch lengths; and Bulls and Embafiadors
were fent from Rome, with fuch imperious and threatening
commands for the Chinefe Chriftians to defift from all ceremonies
that were not warranted, by the catholic church, that the
Emperor began to think it was high time to iuterpofe his authority,
and to intersdidt the Chriftian. religion from being preached
at all in his dominions. And his fon and fucceffor Tung chin
commenced his reign with violent perfecutions againft.the mif-
fionaries. He ordered many o f them immediately out o f the
em p ir e o th e r s were thrown into prifon * , where they lingered
out
• In the year 1785, Kien Long liberated, by a public edift, twelve miflionaries
out r f prifon, who, being detected in ¡privatily ftducing the Chinefe from the religion
and cufloms of. the country,, ¡had been condemned to ¡perpetual imprifonment.
This edift, o f which I procured a copy in Pekin, does great honour to the humane
and benevolent mind nf the Emperor... After dating their crime, apprehenfion,
and trial, he obferves,-“ -Had they-made known their arrival to the officers of
“ .government, they -might have proceeded to the capital , and found protedion.
“ But as tranfgreffors o f the law, which forbids the entrance offtrangers, they have
M ftoien into the country, and fecretly endeavoured to multiply converts to their-
ft -way o f thinking, -it became my duty to oppofe a conduit fo deceitful, and tn«put
“ a flop to tile progrels of feduftion. Juftly as they were found to deferve -the
4. punifliment. to which they, have been, condemned, touched, nevcrthelefs, with-
* “ compaflfon