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Show N etherland Eaft-India-Company the Middle Garden. The realon why the Chinefes gave their Kingdom t efe Names may be {uppofed to be this; in regard that formerly they did v rily believe tha the Heaven was round, the Earth four-fquare, and in the middle point thereof la their Kingdom 'Wherefore when they firft faw the Maps of Europe, they too itveryill, that their Kingdom was not placed in the middle but in the furthe ledge this their great errour, and blufh, -convinc'd of fo muc though the Chinefes themfelves have thus called their Kingdo (according as the Family which Governed over them hapne their Neighbours that live upon the confines take no notice o Ignorance An by feveral Name to change) ye their alterations part of the Eaft And therefore when Mathias Riccins a Jeluite, had in Chin made a Map of allthe whole World; he fo ordered his adulation, that the Kin dom of China fell to be in the middle. Buarmoft of the Chinefes do now acknow T2 2nd Aa he [-C[S,modc Smpirfue, y (to which [hf art of Al m ch time gn ath ld and new, a alfo b U dertvario thereof, a d t whom ] th ll refcrm Rbk oth otl e Conftitutios n of th %, may fuffice to prove th 4ian 15 called Cing, in Hig Ulicrence 1n the pronuntia 15 not much ; but in re he C2, they therefore mak ata), and fometimes Man ves then the Countrey ; fo ed People, and with thi was |ikewife formerly calDilcoverer thereof in part d ar prefent by thole o called by fo many fevera 1 obferved amongft them th rhat f Chey, 2 igm 1 +y o cll < e i T o mmda the Great Char delhis ticular D mgdom a de ¢ OIhcr neither follow the Chinefes thercin; for thofe of Couchenchina and Siam, call thi Kingdom Cin ; the Iflanders of Fapan, Than ; the Tartars, Han, and the Turk , Saraceners ; and other Weftern People, Catainm Some conceive that this name is originally from Sioni, in relpe& Sina, intheir o H Language fignifies a moft Brave and Famous Country. Others oppofing, wil have this Kingdom to derive its name from the Inhabirants of the Cicy Chinchen becaufe thefe people drive only a conftant Trade by Sea to moft places of Afiazs {o that the Portugueffes and Indians by lcaving out of the fame letters of th word Chinchen, might eafily give it the name of China But thofe are in a very great errour, that will have the:word China to be de rived from a certain word Cineh, which by the Chinefes is very much ufed Th fallenefs of this aflertion will clearly appear from hence, in that the Chinefes, wh trade with the Indians, or PortugnefJes to thofe places, and go with their Ships r India, us'd on the {core of civility and kind refpe to grect each other in thei Mothers Tongue, not with the name of Cinch, but Sia Now that which appears to me to be a moft probable truth, amongft th various opinions of Writers, is that which the Jeluite Martinus Martinii (a Ma of great Learning and Skill inthe Antiquities of China) has aflerted in the Sixt Book of his Hiftory of China ; the words whereof are as follows I fhallnot (fays he) let this pafs unmentioned, which feems to me moft likely that not only by the Indians but alfo b Strangers the name China took rif and original from the Generation, Family, or Branch of Cina, who Governed i China, in the 246. year before the Birth of Chrift: So that we ought not to cal it China, but rather the Kingdom of Sinen or Cinen: Forinthe time of thol Kings which proceeded from this Branch, the name of Siners was firft made know by Strangers, and efpecially by the Indians By the Indians the name o China afterwards came into ufe, and was followed by the Fortugneffes after th Conqueft of India: Forthis Family of Cina Governed over the greateft part o the Siners, who lived toward the Weft, and continually had Wars with For reigners : When afterwards the Court or feat of the Kingdom was planted there received the name of the Kingdom of China. - This Family of Cina being rife to the higheft pitchof all Profperity, proved after a great Invader of others Ter- ritories; infomuch that it feems no wonder that Strangers an had the name of Cinaf frequent amon them remote Narion And though the Sinefes cal this farther part of A4fiz, or Cina by feveral names, according as the Governin Families that happen to change ; yet however Forreigners do referve the firft nam which they heard. ' And this is my opinion concerning the Original of the nam Sina 5 and according to this aflertion the firft letter of the word ought to b writ, not with an 8. but with a C Al |
