A short account of the Grand Lama of
Thibet Tartary shall complete our view of the superstitions of the East.
Thibet Tartary shall complete our view of the superstitions of the East.
Camoes - Lusiades
The earth, they imagined, was a
great plain, of which their country was the midst; and so ignorant were
they of the cause of eclipses, that they believed the sun and moon were
assaulted, and in danger of being devoured by a huge dragon. The stars
were considered as the directors of human affairs, and thus their
boasted astronomy ends in that silly imposition, judicial astrology.
Though they had made some observations on the revolutions of the
planets, and though in the emperor's palace there was an observatory,
the first apparatus of proper instruments ever known in China was
introduced by Father Verbiest. After this it need scarcely be added,
that their astronomical observations which pretend an antiquity of 4000
years, are as false as a Welch genealogy, and that the Chinese
themselves, when instructed by the Jesuits, were obliged to own that
their calculations were erroneous and impossible. The great credit and
admiration which their astronomical and mathematical knowledge procured
to the Jesuits, afford an indubitable confirmation of these facts.
Ridiculous as their astronomical, are their historical antiquities.
After all Voltaire has said of it, the oldest date to which their
history pretends is not much above 4000 years. During this period 236
kings have reigned, of 22 different families. The first king reigned 100
years, then we have the names of some others, but without any detail of
actions, or that concatenation of events which distinguishes authentic
history. That mark of truth does not begin to appear for upwards of 2000
years of the Chinese legends. Little more than the names of kings, and
these often interrupted with wide chasms, compose all the annals of
China, till about the period of the Christian era. Something like a
history then commences, but that is again interrupted by a wide chasm,
which the Chinese know not how to fill up otherwise, than by asserting
that a century or two elapsed in the time, and that at such a period a
new family mounted the throne. Such is the history of China, full
brother in every family feature to those Monkish tales, which sent a
daughter of Pharoah to be queen of Scotland, which sent Brutus to
England, and a grandson of Noah to teach school among the mountains in
Wales.
[662] _Immense the northern wastes their horrors spread. _--Tartary,
Siberia, Samoyada, Kamtchatka, etc.
A short account of the Grand Lama of
Thibet Tartary shall complete our view of the superstitions of the East.
While the other pagans of Asia worship the most ugly monstrous idols,
the Tartars of Thibet adore a real living god. He sits cross-legged on
his throne, in the great temple, adorned with gold and diamonds. He
never speaks, but sometimes elevates his hand in token that he approves
of the prayers of his worshippers. He is a ruddy well-looking young man,
about 25 or 27, and is the most miserable wretch on earth, being the
mere puppet of his priests, who dispatch him whenever age or sickness
make any alteration in his features; and another, instructed to act his
part, is put in his place. Princes of very distant provinces send
tribute to this deity and implore his blessing, and, as Voltaire has
merrily told us, think themselves secure of benediction if favoured with
something from his godship, esteemed more sacred than the hallowed
cow-dung of the Brahmins.
[663] _How bright a silver mine. _--By this beautiful metaphor (omitted
by Castera) Camoens alludes to the great success, which in his time
attended the Jesuit missionaries in Japan. James I. sent an embassy to
the sovereign, and opened a trade with this country, but it was soon
suffered to decline. The Dutch are the only Europeans who now traffic
with the Japanese, which it is said they obtain by trampling on the
cross and by abjuring the Christian name. In religion the Japanese are
much the same as their neighbours of China. And in the frequency of
self-murder, says Voltaire, they vie with their brother islanders of
England.
[664] _The ground they touch not. _--These are commonly called the birds
of Paradise. It was the old erroneous opinion that they always soared in
the air, and that the female hatched her young on the back of the male.
great plain, of which their country was the midst; and so ignorant were
they of the cause of eclipses, that they believed the sun and moon were
assaulted, and in danger of being devoured by a huge dragon. The stars
were considered as the directors of human affairs, and thus their
boasted astronomy ends in that silly imposition, judicial astrology.
Though they had made some observations on the revolutions of the
planets, and though in the emperor's palace there was an observatory,
the first apparatus of proper instruments ever known in China was
introduced by Father Verbiest. After this it need scarcely be added,
that their astronomical observations which pretend an antiquity of 4000
years, are as false as a Welch genealogy, and that the Chinese
themselves, when instructed by the Jesuits, were obliged to own that
their calculations were erroneous and impossible. The great credit and
admiration which their astronomical and mathematical knowledge procured
to the Jesuits, afford an indubitable confirmation of these facts.
Ridiculous as their astronomical, are their historical antiquities.
After all Voltaire has said of it, the oldest date to which their
history pretends is not much above 4000 years. During this period 236
kings have reigned, of 22 different families. The first king reigned 100
years, then we have the names of some others, but without any detail of
actions, or that concatenation of events which distinguishes authentic
history. That mark of truth does not begin to appear for upwards of 2000
years of the Chinese legends. Little more than the names of kings, and
these often interrupted with wide chasms, compose all the annals of
China, till about the period of the Christian era. Something like a
history then commences, but that is again interrupted by a wide chasm,
which the Chinese know not how to fill up otherwise, than by asserting
that a century or two elapsed in the time, and that at such a period a
new family mounted the throne. Such is the history of China, full
brother in every family feature to those Monkish tales, which sent a
daughter of Pharoah to be queen of Scotland, which sent Brutus to
England, and a grandson of Noah to teach school among the mountains in
Wales.
[662] _Immense the northern wastes their horrors spread. _--Tartary,
Siberia, Samoyada, Kamtchatka, etc.
A short account of the Grand Lama of
Thibet Tartary shall complete our view of the superstitions of the East.
While the other pagans of Asia worship the most ugly monstrous idols,
the Tartars of Thibet adore a real living god. He sits cross-legged on
his throne, in the great temple, adorned with gold and diamonds. He
never speaks, but sometimes elevates his hand in token that he approves
of the prayers of his worshippers. He is a ruddy well-looking young man,
about 25 or 27, and is the most miserable wretch on earth, being the
mere puppet of his priests, who dispatch him whenever age or sickness
make any alteration in his features; and another, instructed to act his
part, is put in his place. Princes of very distant provinces send
tribute to this deity and implore his blessing, and, as Voltaire has
merrily told us, think themselves secure of benediction if favoured with
something from his godship, esteemed more sacred than the hallowed
cow-dung of the Brahmins.
[663] _How bright a silver mine. _--By this beautiful metaphor (omitted
by Castera) Camoens alludes to the great success, which in his time
attended the Jesuit missionaries in Japan. James I. sent an embassy to
the sovereign, and opened a trade with this country, but it was soon
suffered to decline. The Dutch are the only Europeans who now traffic
with the Japanese, which it is said they obtain by trampling on the
cross and by abjuring the Christian name. In religion the Japanese are
much the same as their neighbours of China. And in the frequency of
self-murder, says Voltaire, they vie with their brother islanders of
England.
[664] _The ground they touch not. _--These are commonly called the birds
of Paradise. It was the old erroneous opinion that they always soared in
the air, and that the female hatched her young on the back of the male.
