jority of the.comman people df a third, whidhiisdhat of Fo.
This last clasbi 'thofleastmapable, from ignorance,' of ex'-
plaining, the p h e n om e n a l natur.e-fand the mosjbexposed
It©- want« which it cannot supply by ordinary jmeans^i-s
willing!1 to recur to the supposition of'exMaordSnaaiy
poMiersj which may operate the.effects it^bsnnot'ex.-
plain;; and grant the requests which- it manned otherwise
obtain."
^(No people are, in fact, more1 superstitib’us thamthe^com-
mon Chinese.!/ Beside the habitual offi’Cesiofdevotibn? Ori
the part ofthe-priests and females,• thdtemples"ar0jpartfeu-
larly frequented b y the disciples of F»^ previously to any
undertaking' o f importance; whether to madry:, ;oprrgtj#;i
jouifeiey, or/ conclude a bargain^ior/change situation,’ or
for any other material event iiiiife, it ismsCBsSary first ito
consult the ^supeHntendant l^ t y id Thislttiftei^drhmdi^
various methods. Some place.a-parcel -of consecrated
sticks, differently- marked and numbered, -whiGhs; the
consultant, kneeling before .the; altar, shakes &i ia* hollow
bamboo, until one o f them falls bnjkeigrd^ud
is/examined»,’ and referred to a correspondent mark thf&
book which the priest holds opens and sometimes erven
it is written upon a sheet o f paper pasted • upon thesim
side of the temple. - Polygonal p ieces'of wood :aVe b y
others thrown into the -air. Each side has its particular
ma rk ; the side that is uppermost when Mleivnn the
floor, is in like manner referred to its correspondent
roask.ih e h e ^ Qb w ^ ^ « * t e . # I f the firifcdifiWbe tM M
favounabl^ thieapfe^o^ whV,madA*ipirbstrait^ÊiM4Mf'in ^ -° ° ’
gflatita&jfand und(iritafeds!sai^S«ard,s]. with^bbrtfidence!
th q è n s ^ fe s é ^w ^ c ^ n d j B'urftHe tIk ^ )s i4 iW ? ^ d ^ -
minesjlat.any iatM
the'ir/prie§,t>§‘ ^Th^f^si^fles^Be ,*
ednyuk* th e rd ^M ^ o fïk te à ^ i^ lïlllh ^
rdfeuRÎi -thanks why ni thèr:0{ça'êtel^,rl,s5ê® pRoIjitidra^te^feheir
w i^ ^ ^ lt/th o y c o f te r ie r east lots, to knowdhédSsWôf
à ^ 9j;g#Mî'ènterpri2’é.-. than sdpplkdte
.Vb;üiïâ|).le0and their worship .©'oMi^iabredn fetiaàkd»
®’Vdn.grithan.in;pmy;eiy/ $
- n feîfSè^hi hosora re *4a i d' fo:> è'feîÿ dii ëbhjédt% s tbvf§M!$-'
twined- b^thefrtdfevutiond beyond^tfefe^êifefi^èf’fflflMifhi
]|e t the
migration Qfoèuhlèand (p rom i^M p p in !e^plhfe*
adiGonditiop.s^ which wefe-, no doubtsiorigiflal^interSd^
04?to^n§ist.in the,performan08fof moda1tddfilss^btft in
lieuC' p fo w h i cha4e>ftoo- %tj-aontlsyÿ?snëâhu^É4hiS^#
contributions towards thè)-èfe®ti'ônur.^'è|j^if'b#lt:^ :ïi|)f^f
tbeïmaintenançd-M pæiests,!ahd*d yrùrf#a teritioffi
lÂîplar observance^«' The "nëlleet^aifethese^fei'^hnb^fe^^-'
as pymishabl§,.)-byy.the'soulsjjof th-ferdéf^nlter^piâfesirig'ï,nté
the bodies of the mfeanest>animafe| inltVdioms thël Suffétd
u?gS,airq to be propoj^dtec'éîÉnfâisH-to^^’êssib^^tïî*-
mitfqd in the human form. I