Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

49 6

obliging terms for his intruding into his chamber without leave, led by the ftrong chainsof curiofity, and the opportunity that offered to give him fatisfaftion, by the door beingaccidentally left open, that the chungnae could take nothing ill that was done.

The Emperor aiked him of what country he was, and what had brought him toPeking, and the chungnae fatisfied him that he was a native of Fokien , and recountedthe hiftory of his affairs in Quamoy. The Emperor was much taken with his ftory,and the modeft way he exprefled himfelf in it, and told him that he found his actions toquadrate with his doctrine. Then he aiked, the chungnae if he had an employment, orif he had a mind to accept of one. He anfwered, that he had been in Peking above ayear, and could obferve, that merit was but a weak recommendation to preferment, andhe did not defign to buy it.

The Emperor told him, that he was nearly related to a great mandereen at court,and that if he would accept of a poft, he would ufe his endeavours to procure him one,for he found him recommended by two good qualifications, ingenuity and honefty.The chungnae thanked him in very obliging terms, and told the Emperor , that he was•willing to accept of a poft, providing it was not too high, becaufe his fortune was toolow to fupport the neceflary expence, nor too low, left it fhould make him contemptible.The Emperor allured him, that his kinfman had feveral ports to difpofe of, and that hemight depend on one fuitable to his mind, and giving the chungnae his fan, orderedhim to call at a gate of the palace, called the Elephant-gate, and deliver that fan to thecaptain of the guard, and tell him that you want to fpeak to a mandereen of fuch a name(as the Emperor borrowed for that time), and the captain would conduct him to hisapartment; but withal he begged the ufe of his book for a few days, and, as he was aman of honour, he would return it.

The chungnae complimented him with the ufe of the book, making a modeft apologyfor its incorrectnefs, and fo they parted for a (hort time.

The Emperor fent for fome coleas, mandereens of the firft order, and gave them apleafant account of his morning’s adventure, and Ihewed them the book, which theywere highly pleafed with, and the Emperor told them, that he had promifed the authoran handfome poft, and defired to know if any were vacant. One mandereen told HisMajefty, that he had received private advices that morning, that the chungtock of Fokien was dead, and that there would be certain information next day at court, if it was fo ornot, and that if it was true, His Majefty might beftow that port on him, he being a na-tive of that country, and confequently knew the manners and cuftoms of his owncountry better than a ftranger could. His Majefty approved of his advice.

And next morning, according to appointment, the chungnae went to the Elephant-gate, and enquired for the Emperor by the borrowed name ; and, on fight of the fan,was conduced by the captain of the guard to an apartment in the grand palace, and wasordered to ftay till the captain came back to him. When the Emperor knew of hisbeing in the palace, he ordered a council of mandereens to be fummoned forthwith, andwhen they were convened, and himfelf feated on the throne, the chungnae was fent for,and he paying the ufual compliment of falling on his knees, and bowing his head threetimes to the ground, the third time to continue in that pofture till he was ordered to rife,the Emperor ordered him immediately to ftand up. The chungnae foon knew whohad been his gueft the day before, and would have begged pardon for the freedom offpeech he had ufed to the Emperor in difguife; but the Emperor prevented him by be-ginning an allegorical difcourfe, recounting the chungnae’s adventure at Ouamoy, as ifit had happened in a foreign country, and when he had made an end, he aiked the opi-nion of the affernbly, what both the chungcoun and chungnae deferved. They unaw-

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