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ihe Emprof C HINA. 
But this unnatural Crueltyis not'all- there is 'yet more in mtta T pa. 
ais'damongf them: for fome, out ofdelpair of GoodFortune, ,or bcjfe 
they have fuflain'd greac Loffes, will voluntarily lay violent  s 
themfelves ; others, if they cannot find ' arne   to revenge thek1cliun 
their Enemies, will kill themfelve; thinkinthereebyto dothema i 1i 
for (as 'tis faid) great numbers 6th of Men and Women de  r y y  tlg 
every year, either iki the Fields, or elfe befoi" the Do  - of their
Adf  i 
by flran in, drownilig, or poifoning                    .....fezlvs. 
Another fort of Brbarifm they are guilty o  in the Ndrthern  , 
towvards young Childken, which is by ieldig them; whereby, and ho*kei_ 
wife, thy are nmade'capable of Svie an  i      In the, Epers 
lace: And thefe they-alintheir Laaguae o 1&i    de-  hoIhe 
admitted to wait on the Prince ; and which is more, the whole Giri i 
of the-Empire is in their Hands and Management. There ate at leaftrten 
thoufand ofthefe Gien iih the Palace, who originally are all mean Perfons,
w4hout Learning, oc. brought ir in p peal 'Slavery ; by reafon whereof, 
and their'ignorance, they are of a dull and heavy Difoftion, and unfit fot
any Buflneof  ...                                 .. 
The Magiftrates have in effe& an Arbitrary Power over the Sitj  &
wom 
they oftentimes condemn unheard. The manner of punifhing Offenders, is 
to lay them flat upon their Faces on the Gioundi, With their Legs bareupi
which they give them feveral Blows with a Whip mside of twiftedReea, 
which fetches Blood at every Blow. And the "t Motive that induces to
this 
more than common Severity id puniffhing Offences, is for hi the Cdiw'fe are
infinitely addicted to Robbing and Stealin . 
There are two extravagant Humors that the Grandees in Cbin are iiuch 
guilty of: The one is the Tranfmutation of other Metals into Silr. ab6i 
which they often brelk'their Brtais, and confume their Eflates: thee0kthie
ii 
An Opinion they have of obtaining an Immortal Being in this World, Whli|
they are clad with Flefh and Blood ; that is to fay, they fancy fitch me
s ma 
be us'd, as will preferve them from falling into that coimoriBfo  of NA-
ture, the Grave. Of both thefe Myfteries there are an innoenirable cm6mlt
of Books both Printed And Written ; and few or none of the Grand' but, as
it were by Obligation, betake themfelves to the Study of thefe difRtafifig
deftrufive Sciences. To this purpofe there is a Story in the @rnefr Bdoks,
of 
one of their ancient Emperors, that Was fo intoxicated with this Prenfieh,
that 
with the danger and hazard of his Life he endeavor'd after an unattainable
Immortality ; the maner thus: This Emperor had cat.s'd a certaiin Dink 
to be prepar'd by fome deceitful Mafrers of this Art, of whofe Rarity  'and
Perfedtion he had fo great coafidence, that he believ'd when he had duni
 it, 
be flhould be immortal ; and from thiS coflncelted Imaginatin he COuld not
diffuaded, nor could the ftronged' Arguments of his neareft R.elatis dive
him from his Humor: At I af one of his Frienlds, feeing that noa r ument;
tive Ratiocinations would prevail with him, came one day to Cn ia 
the Emperor's Heath, whofe Back being turn'd, theVifit ai tookthe Bo 
and drank a good Dtaught; which the over-creduloa sEmperoperciin 
fell immediately into a grcat Paflion, atterded with no leslithin reiret
threats of Death, for depriving hiih  of his immortal, Liquor. But the bc
Attempter anfwver'd him with an undaunted courage intht~ terms: : 
fappefe rbat jyou  s deprive me of myLife, noIB b b- vtank of the Immortldtf
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