AMONG the various Productions of the Press none seem ( in your Clear Judgments ) more delightful and instructive , then the Relations of Voyages and Travels ; I mean those written by Men of Capacity and Sincerity , which lye in a small Compass ; for most Books are either Romances , Novels , or Hypotheses ; Panegyricks , Satyrs , or Burlesques ( the one too commonly taken for Truths , as the others for Heroicks ) which come forth either to ease an Hypocondriack Spleen ; or else to flatter Ambitious Powers , to raise Private Fortunes , or favour Particular Factions : Those venemous Sorts of Vermine that infest Humane Societies , and spread such Poysons , as fe● A●tidotes can reach , unless fetch'd from abroad , which sometimes raise the Pul●e , and give the Blood a more generous Tincture ; the World ( like a Machine ) being best understood , and manag'd , by taking it to pieces , viewing and comparing the several Parts together ; from whence just : Impressions may be taken with the greatest and most perfect Idea's ; so the Greek Master painted his Vlysses .

The Knowledge of Forreign Countries seems to be the Noblest School for the enlarging and cultivating the Mind of Youth , who being generally confin'd by Education and Customs at Home ( which few ever live to Surmount and Conquer ) to a narrow Sphere of Thought , are for the most part puff'd up , and choak'd for want of a free Air and a large Prospect ; hence it is that so many become unfit for Publick Business and Action , or even common Conversation , falling into Disorders upon little Contradictions , and Starting at every Thing that lyes out of their way . Imperitum est Animal Homo , si circumscribatur Natalis Soli sui Fine , says Seneca. Such a One the Great Homer drew his Telemachus .

The Globe is compar'd to a true Glass , in which may be seen the different Faces of Nature with the several Arts and Mysteries of Governments . Every Climate affords new Scenes , wherein a Man may learn that the Harmony of the Universe consists in a wonderful Variety , which ( as the Emperor of Siam once repartee'd upon the Jesuits ) seems to have been set out by the most glorious Creator and Governour of all Things for his own immortal Praise . Therefore t is in vain for the Collegium de propagandâ Fide , and the Roman Catholick Courts , to labour on Earth , or expect from Heaven a general Uniformity in the Religion and Manners of Mankind , no more then in other Customs , Diets , Habits , and Commodities ; However , their Missionaries ought not to be discourag'd in their Undertakings , for the Improvements of Geography , Natural and Civil History , Commerce , &c. bring Honour and Profit sufficient to reward their Pains , in case their Adventures upon Religion turn to no Account . The same Immense Power always has , and ever will be worship'd in different Forms , under various Figures , and Idea's . It seems to be a General Error amongst us , that many wise Nations adore meer Stocks and Stones , without any respect to the Supream Divinity .

Of all the Kingdoms of the Earth China is the most celebrated for Politeness and Civility , for Grandeur and Magnificence , for Arts and Inventions ; which the Romish Priests are so sensible of , that they pass there under the Characters of Physicians , Painters , Merchants , Astrologers , Mechanicians , &c. and are receiv'd as such in the Courts of Asia , which are too sine to suffer openly the propagation of a strange Religion ; as some of the most pious Missionaries ( over-heated with the Naked Truth ) often find to their own Destruction ; especially when the Brachmans , the Talapoins , and the Bonzes begin to grow Zealous of their Masquerades , and to see thro' their Disguises .

But , you may perhaps demand ( because you do not use to take Things upon meer Recommendations without further Enquiry , and Examination ) why the Booksellers should venture to print in English these Memoirs of China , seeing we have already so many Relations of that Country ? To which they give this Answer , viz. That most of our Accounts of China are either fabulous , or Copies , and not comparable to this Original of theirs : Besides , that vast Empire is so Fertile and Wonderful in all respects , that it will always furnish fresh Materials for Discoveries , let the Travellers be never so sagacious and industrious ; few of whom will be found to deserve such a Character , unless Those lately sent at the French King's Expence , with a Stock of excellent Instruments , and with a sufficient Fund for making useful Observations ; amongst these our Author was one of the Chief , and therefore the Reader may expect more from him , then what is already Extant in the printed Works of his Predecessors .

I Know not of the two which to blame most , him that publishes hasty indigested Relations of his Travels , or the Reader that runs 'em over slightly and heedlesly . The Business of writing Voyages is not altogether so light a Task as most are apt to Fancy , it requires not only Wit and Iudgment , to manage it successfully , but likewise Sincerity , Exactness , and a simple Insinuating Stile , and Learning besides ; for as a Painter , to be a Master in his Art , ought to know the propriety and force of all sorts of Colours , so whoever undertakes a Description of the People , Arts and Sciences , and the Religions of the New World , must have a large Stock of Knowledge , and in a manner an Universal Genius . That 's not all neither , he must have been an Eye-witness of most of the Actions and Things he reports , he must be skill'd in the Customs and Language of the Inhabitants , he must have corresponded with those of the best fashion among them , and been frequently in the Conversation of their principal Officers : In a word , to speak with certainty and assurance of the Riches , Beauty , and Strenght of an Empire , he ought to take an actual Survey of the Multitude of its Subjects , the Number and Scituation of the Cities , and the Extent of its Provinces , and be curious in searching after all the remarkable Rarities in the Country . I confess indeed this is something more ●●borious and expen●●ve than to frequent the Company of the Virtuosi 〈◊〉 home , or supinely tumble over the History of the World by the fire-side , and yet after all their fatigue , Travellers of all Men are the least esteemed upon the score of their Writings .

There 's a set of jolly People that amuse themselves with what passes daily before their Eyes , and are little affected with News from remote Parts of the Globe . 'T is grown a Maxim with others to reject all Forreign Stories for Fables ; these value themselves upon their Incredulity , and are such strict Friends to Truth , that they never acknowledge any . Another sort again throw away a Book of this kind for a Miracle , or some extraordinary Accident , any thing out of the way ( beyond their common prejudices ) that they find it , as tho' Nature having exhausted all her Treasures upon our portion of Earth , could produce nothing uncommon elsewhere , or as tho' God's Power were more limited in the new Eastern Churches than among us .

Some there are 100 that run directly counter to these , who enquire after nothing but Wonders , satisfied only with what raises their Admiration , they think all that 's Natural flat and insipid , and if they are not rouz'd up with astonishing Adventures , and continual Prodigies , drop a●leep over the best penn'd Relation ; now to humor such Creatures , one had need to cast the World into a new Figure , and give Mankind other shapes . 'T is certain , so many different Tastes are not all to be pleas'd ; hence Travellers when they come home are as hard put to it to gain a patient hearing from their own Country-men , as they were at first going abroad to make themselves be understood by Strangers . But indeed they are not always worth hearing , the emptiness or irregularity of their Relations , or else the Vein of Passion and Prejudice running through the whole , that turns a History into Slander ; but above all , the boldness wherewith they sham the most ridiculous Tales upon us for credible Truths , justly distaste Men of Sence , and render suspected the more prudent and sincere Authors . Tho' ordinarily it falls out that those Travellers who impose upon other People were first deceived themselves , how many are there , who do but just touch at a strange Country , and imagine to be immediately inform'd of all that belongs to it , they step ashore , and scour about like famish'd Men , greedily catching at all that comes in their way , and so cram their Iournals with idle popular Chat : upon this occasion a Spaniard said pleasantly of a certain Author , tha● instead of inti●uling his Book , A Relation of all the Considerable Rarities in the New World , should rather have called it , An Account of what the Rabble of both Indies , the Moors , Cafres , and Slaves faithfully reported to me , in those Conferences which I duly held with them . Others perhaps are more reserv'd , and then 't is Ten to One they are naturally bent to magnifie every thing ; and really when a Man has rambled five or six thousand Leagues , out of pure Curiosity , 't would fret him after all to meet with nothing but what he has seen fifty times over in Europe , then without a special Caution one is apt to set too mighty a Character and Esteem upon the Climate , the Customs and the Wit of the People , and what at the bottom is most barbarous becomes most ravishing , now in writing to others what we admire before hand our selves , the Idea's are heightned in the Description , and in the end grow monstrous , and all this to tickle the Reader forsooth , or our own Vanity , with being first in a Relation . I have known some very scrupulous this way in appearance , but in effect no less wide of the Mark than their Neighbours , who stedfastly believe themselves honest in their Assertions , but most unlukily make an ill choice of Terms and Modes of Expression : To speak intelligibly , we read every day one or other that tell us of certain Kingdoms in the Indies , much after the rate that we talk of those in Europe , The Metropolitan Cities , the Counties , the Government of Frontier Places , the Palace , the Ministers of State , the Generals of Armies , and a hundred other Terms of that stamp , presently we think our selves at another Paris , Versailles , or in our formidable Armies ; and when all comes to all , this same Louvre of a Palace is neither better nor worse than a rambling ill contriv'd wooden Building ; the Courtiers a Crew of sorry Wretches half naked ; the Vice-Roys it may be have fifteen or twenty petty Villages under their Government , scattered up and down in the Woods , and so of the rest . Undoubtedly these Terms that represent such grand Idea's to us , are very improperly used to signifie such pitiful Kingdoms , that have have almost nothing common with ours , but the Name , 't is my opinion we ought to manage them warily and skilfully , lest we should lie in telling the Truth . But when the Country we treat of has in good earnest something noble and singular in it , we are still apter to miscarry , then we are not content barely to draw Esteem from our Readers , we covet their Admiration too ; in this Case a Man must stand upon his guard against his own Evidence , and deal with it just as those modest Persons , who in their Iudgment retrench half the Merit their own Imagination suggests to 'em , lest they should over-value themselves . Vpon the whole , we ought not to be so violently prepossess'd against Relations of Voyages , as to put good and bad under the same Condemnation ; for as on one hand it were indiscreet to take up with all that come out without Choice , Examination , or Distinction ; so on the other hand , 't is as foolish an Affectation to reject indifferently the Accounts of Travellers whose Disinterest , Condition , and Capacity recommend their Credit . For my part , notwithstanding I have constantly cherished a steddy affection for Truth , I durst not venture to put together an entire Story of all that came to my knowledge during a long abode in the Empire of China , apprehending lest the want of other Qualifications , necessary in such a Work , should hardly be atton'd for by that single Vertue ; nevertheless , not knowing well how to contain my self altogether at my return from so far a Country , and being less able to forbear publishing the Progress of Religion in the East , I confess I have been extreamly delighted in communicating my self on that Subject to several Persons of Quality , well affected to our Holy Faith , and being under an Obligation to render an Account of my Voyage to some , or in Obedience to the express Commands of others ; or lastly to make a Return for the Civility and good Offices done me by the rest , I wrote the following Letters , being an Abridgment of those particular Conversations they have honoured me with , which comprehend in great part the present State of China , and I conceived in publishing this Collection , not as a regular Vniversal Account of that vast Empire , but as Memoirs and Heads for a General History , they might not be unserviceable to those who might one time or other take up such a design ; mean time I may well fear that the same things which seem'd tolerable in Discourse , will not pass so currantly upon a nearer vi●● ; Faults are ever easiest discovered in writing , and that loose Irregularity which makes up the pleasure of Conversation , will hardly be forgiven here : But to conclude , a Man that has endeavoured Ten years together to forget his Mother Tongue , and to load his Memory with barbarous Words and uncouth Ideas , whatever he may have lost another way , ought to be allowed the priviledge of writing ill , after we have cut the Line four or five times , methinks our Stile should not be canvast by the Criticks , and for ought I know Politeness in a Missionary would be less edifying than Negligence .

ca cai cam can cao co cou coué coum cha chay cham chan chao ché chin chéou chï chiao chim chin cho choa chou chouaon chouê choui choun choum fa fam fan féou fi fo foe foi fou fouen foum guei haï ham han hao he hem hen heou hi hia hiai hiam hiao hie hien hieou him hin hio hiu hiué hiuen hioum hiun ho hao hoai hoam hoan hoé hoei hoen hou houm houon y ya yai yam ïao ie ien ieou im in ïo ïu ïué ïuen ïum ïun ke kem ken keou ki kia kiao kié kien kieou kim kin kio kiu kiué kieuen kioum kiun la laï lam lan lao le leam leao lem leou lh li lié lien lieou lim lin lio liu lo lou louï loum louan louon lun ma maï mam man mao mau me mem men meou mi miao mié mien mim min mo mou mouen moui moum mouon na naï nam nan nao nem ngaï ngan ngao ngué nguén ngeou ngo ni niam niau niao ni● nien nieou nio nim niu no nou noui noum nouon nun o , ou pa paï pam pan pao pe peou pi piao pié pien pim pin po poi pou pouen poum pouon qua quoué quouai quouam quoueï quouen qouo qouon sa saï sam san sao sé sem sen seou si siam siao sié sien siéou sim sin sio siou siuè suien siun so sou siu soui su soum sun souon ta taï tam tan tao te tem teou ti tiao tie tien tieou tim to tou touï toum tun touon tsa tsaï tsam tsan tlao tle tlem tléou tsi tsiam tsiao tsié tsien tsieou tsim tsin tho thu thué ●●uen thoum thou tso tsou tsu tsui tsoum tsin tsouon tcha tchaï tcham thcan tchao tché tchen tcheou tchi tchim tchin tcho tchoua tchouam tchu tchou● tchouen tchouè tchoum tchun üa va vaï vam van ven ve vi vo von vou voum oum 328.

Place this between Fol. 180 and 181.