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Nieuhof, Johannes, 1618-1672 / An embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham, emperor of China: delivered by their excellencies Peter de Goyer and Jacob de Keyzer, at his imperial city of Peking wherein the cities, towns, villages, ports, rivers, &c. in their passages from Canton to Peking are ingeniously described by John Nieuhoff; also an epistle of Father John Adams, their antagonist, concerning the whole negotiation; with an appendix of several remarks taken out of Father Athanasius Kircher; Englished and set forth with their several sculptures by John Ogilby
(1673)
Chap. VII. Of some superstitious customs, fashions, and other errors in use amongst the Chineses., pp. 183-186
Page 183
Js~ th'c great accommoda ion of the Inhabi *t ; and the wncf1avneo Traffick and Commerce through thd-whole Country. The Country Women' in Cbina wear Brelches, which, they tie about. their Knees: And fome, that they may.1oWe no Itime, go coimmonly Spinniing about the Streets, Fields, 'oz oher Places,, *hicb. ari(es to fuch Profit, that thereby onely a, great nUshber of Fam iies i*Oe4ke WCt' o, get acmptn Subfiftenct. C-H A-P. VIL Vf JQmCO~gT/L&L~M/l4J L4.JwmJ, I~iW(5J, 4LW UW~f L~rTQfF U~ anjon# tbe hincfes. TN1 this following Chapter we Ml a i c f Pl6onae upt'rftiids PaFioa - 4- 1. 9 4 - 4 - - _ 4 JLand Erroneous (.uitoms which are in ule amouig thuefe era! s oft~ he Ciiejes: 'And firi we (ball take notici., That they arc generally very muchq inclhi~d and addiaed to obfervye Timecs and'Seafns, and, have fo great al efterdfor Sooth-fayers, Fortunc-tellers, Aftro1ogers, StargaZers, and4 the likcs that they believe whatfoever they foretell; izfrnuh hat th~ey govern,~ all their Tianfaffions accoring to~ the Sayings of thofie.eple, whofe Adis vice is -taken and fialoW' in their Affairs fROM mcn~~t$ i ri~c teir Boks much like ourAlmnaks, being in~ gesacral rqueft; befi4cs whjih1, thr are other Books of their Writing, Which treat of( far deper and concel'd things. So prevalenit is this Sciei z aong-all forts of Jcople, that tere is a vaat multitude of Mailrs that tcRch it,,'4119 have rno otbsr lively1ho but what they get b~y dire6aing thoLf s-that' : pipq -hkint heDay an~d Hou'r ini which they may with great hopes of $itccf& go about ay 8oin:i M4 indeed they are lb Ihiity pQff* fwith *an 9tini0P of1the(Kowledge and Wifdom of there Menj tha thoy never u 4te a~journey,p outJJ to erc~t a Building, ot do any thing clfe of c£ fequenco,- but they fira conh fult with them about it,. and obfe;~rv to aTittle, wbatfbevYr.hey it.; La that neithe'r Rainy, Stormy, or Tempeftuous Weather, fuch as Nwoul4 tVVII
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