| OCR Text |
Show 28 e -------- - et ---- ed General Defcription ofw X A.‘\ -------- - A - ------ more rcijcqn}flcs the .Per,/EdH Tongue : Spm§ of thei Letters; both forkfvé-&i;;h Pronunciation, are like the Arabian, which in all ar above {1xty in number an not much difter in the Pronunciation and Spelling from thofe in E rope b'ut , ‘much in the form and make. In Reading and Writin t h \er the bottom, after the manner of the Ch nefes, and proceed not from the Jeft to [ right fide, as thofe of Europe 5 but from the right to t eleft, followin there; th A vrabians, Hebrews, and Chine es In this Kingdom of Ninche are found excellent Rubies and coftl Pearls fides other precious ftones : Alfo very large-Cattel efpecially Cows whic ceed thole in Eunrope for bi b CX nefs, but have no Horns The Weftern Part .of this Country is very full of Ro ksand Hills, and betwee thof lye moft fertile and pleafant Vallies, and fruitful Fields - The bi gef Mountain of all is.called Kin, which fignifies Gold There i.s alf.o the Mquntain Changpe, which reaches 1000 miles i dle.of w.hxcl? 15 a Sea-li e Mere at leaft 8o miles long, from whence t o River take their Rife, the one called Talo, and runs to the South, an the other Guent hung, and runs to the Nortbh And this fhall {uffice for the Defcription of Eaft Tartary, of the ingdom o Ninche, whole Inhabitants,in manner aforementioned, the Chinef Emperour kep inawe : But on thecontrary, tothe Weft Tartars, which poflefs the Ki gdom o Tanyn, the fame Emperours fent Prefents and Tribute yearly, that t ey fhould no make War upon them ; for they hold it no Scandal to prevent a War by tha means. . Nay, they holdit altogether unlawful to enter into War, fo long as th Country canbe kept from Invafions by any other means But yet although the Chinefes on the one hand kept under their Enemies b force of Arms, and on the other bought a Peace with Prefents and Tribute ; ye they lived in continual fears and miftruft, infomuch that they always kept th great Wall which divides China and Tartary, ftrongly guarded with at leaft amil lion or ten hundred thoufand Souldiers But to réturn from whence we have digre Th Th e ro:ne of China being fetle in theRace of Taiminga, was by the fame enjoyed in peace and quictnefs 250 years when Vanticus the 13" Emperour came to reign, which was in the year afterChrift Birth 1573, a juft, upright, and prudent Prince 5 but herein unfortunate, thath (as moft Princes {ecured by long Peace) trufted too much to his Governours an Mandorins,and {uffered the whole weight of his Affairsto lye upon their fhoulder During this time, the Tartars of Ninche, as is before mentioned, being forme from a Popular Government into a Monarchy, in the year 1500, thei firft King was fo brave a man, that all their Neighbours, and cfpécially th Chinefes, began to be afraid of him 5 for he managed the Affairs of his State afte fuch a Politick manner, that in afhort time his Subje&sbecame not only very nu merous,but formidable for firength to all its Borderers;and being fenfible of thei own greatnefs,and that theirFame began to grow terrible,they caftin theirmind the ancient Glory of their Conquefts, and to confider how fhamefully they ha. been hererofore driven out of the pofieflion of the henourable Conquefts of thei Anceftors;and oblerving likewife the great mifcarriages and neglelts of theChinefe ; S i 1l [ por 1n the Managemenotf the Government, they refolved upon fome fudden an great Undertaking againft them : Weighing therefore with themf{elves the yok of Servitude they lay under, as a fit occafion of Quarrel, they began firft of allt {hake off the fame, and to refufe to pay Tribute, and fhortly after to appear i their true Colours, by publickly oppoling the Authority that was over them The Chinefe Governours (whereof the moft in Leaotung, the Province bordering neareft to the Kingdom of Niuche, are Military Commanders) hearing Offhllf conciu |
