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Show the Empire of Cuina " P'fi , ad .m":vnnmbc, m e ' M‘"dto'oh iEreh:an h"‘"l{etf rege T T Cities of Peking and Nanking, the Degree of Do&or of Phyfick isnot granted bu after Examination ;5 yet this Degree when obtained, does neither advance th Honour or relpect of the Perfon. - And for this caufe it is probable, thatfew o none ftudy Phyfick but the meaner fort of people, becaufe the very profeflio thereof (which 1s fo Honourable in other places) there isin no ‘efteem, nor adde reputation to him that gains it fl;l'\‘fgin tbC]l i Livey, o a Family teaches his Servant : And true it is, cthat although in both the Imperia &‘T_EfeS Ba there are no Schools inall China for the leacning of Phyfick, butevery Mafter o f the Queft But it is quite otherwile with fuch as ftudy Philofophy, for whofoever hat attained ;to the perfedtion thereof, isaccounted to have arrived at the highef pitch of Humane Happinefs in that Countrey to be attained. The above-mentioned Confutins, the Prince of the Chinefe Philofophers, ha colleCted into orderall the Writings of the Antientsin that kind, and contrafe them into Four great Books Volumnsare taught Rule ® thys (cd f Learn Pocsted and ( .m/'.: :;gel::z | Bevmg o tained s, the or ‘r‘:yxm'ui: 10 eref} any N 2y not [een r:‘""f'lf-‘flw "d camcly, the Celubden, why 'y wbe live withous Bot stuled, the Bench of the Chi { Prognoftications, the Su i/ Stwdaes tend 10 the fa 4 nf of t} 'tflmx Afim ¢ are compared together, a whyed Bath tb{fc Socsetie ry bagh Hill, where that the from the [ame. Severd] ol v s thir place; every nig Lar appear o the Firvament e bappen, be jimmediatel ¢ the (ame 1o the Emperon ¢ 10 cood or evil Andthi foel th gd ne feor art dhe Spi ': o the L an ,t ; Aod this 19 obler to which he added a Fifth of his own In whic Occonomical and Political,as well the way to Live wel and ‘Govern well; as alfo the Antient Examples, Manners, Offerings, an {everal Poems of Antient Authors But befide thefe Five, there is anothe great Volumn writ by fome of the Difciples of Confutins, and is divided into fou parts, and called the four Books Thelaft Volumn thus fub-divided, dothtrea of the {fame fubje&t with thofe other five ; and thefe nine Books are all that are t be found 1 China amongft the Book-Sellers, and out of which all others are compofedy; andcertainly thereinare contained moft excellent Rules and Direéiion for the well ordering of all civil Affairs,and fuch ashave proved to the very grea advantage of the Empire of China And for this caufe a Law was made by th Antient Kings, that whofoever would bea Learned Man, orfo reputed, muft extra& the principal ground-work of his Learning from thefe Books : nor is itenoug to underftand the true meaning and fenfe of the fame, but he muft get the by heart, and beable to repeat part thereof, if he will be thought to have arrive to the higheft degree of Learning There are no Publick Schools in all China (though fome Writers have erroneoufly{et forth the contrary) but every perfon chufes his own Mafter, by whom h And in regard of the great difficuley i is taught in his Houle, ac hisown charge teaching the Chinefe Charalters, in refpeGt of their vaft number and variety, i is impoflible for one to teach many f{everal perfons ; and therefore every Mafte of a Family takes an Inftructer into his Houfe for his Children, of whom if ther be two or three to lcarn, they are as many as one Tutor can well teach All fuch as are found upon Examination to have made good Progrefs in Phi lofophy, arife to Promotions by three Degrees of Learning ; the firft is calle Siencai, the fecond Kingin, the third Cinfu The firft Degree of Learning called Szeucai, is given in every City by a certai emidént'Learned Perfon, appointed by the Emperour for thac purpofe, and according to his Oflice bears the name of Tibio. 'This Tzhio goes a Circuit throug all th gree on al ned Towns of his Province, on purpofe to promote Learned Men to this Dewho affoon as he is come into a City, makes known hisarrival, and thereup{uch as ftand for this preferment, addrefs themfelves unto him to be Examiand if he find them qualified, he firaight prefers them to this firft ftep o Learning ; and that their worth may betaken notice of, for a particular badge o their dignity, they wear a Gown, Bonnet, and Boots, in which habit none are perThey enjoy like" mitted to go, biit {uchas are in this manner become Graduates wife feveral Honourable Priviledges, and Immunities, and are preferred to con t i fiderabl Th e - g |
