ilifori ionali OiSj "• y// <: i\ iTizEX of the World. J AXJL. I ^ I^ O X J^ O N ^— ^ 1791. THE CITIZEN OF THE WORLD, OR LETTERS FROM A CHINESE PHILOSOPHER, RESIDING IN LONDON, TO H15 FRIENDS IN THE EAST. BY OLIVER GOLDSMITH: Vol. I. LONDON: Printed for J, Parsons, No. 21, Paternofler-Row, STACK ANNEX Nf. i MEMOIRS OF THS LIFE AND WRITINGS OP OLIVER GOLDSMITH^ M. B. OLIVER GOLDSMITH, fon of the Reve- rend Charles Goldfmith, was born at Elphin, in the county of Rofcommon, in Ireland, in the year 1729. His father had four fons, of whom Oliver was the third. After being well inftrufted in the claflics, at the fchool of Mr. Hughes, he was admitted a fizer in Trinity-college, Dublin, on the nth of June, 1744, While he refided there, he exhibited no fpecimens of that genius, which in maturer years, raifed his charader (o high. On the 27th of February, 1749* O. S. (two years after the regular time) he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Soon after he turned his tlioaghts to the profeffion of phyfic; and, after attending fome courfes of anatomy in Dublin, proceeded to Edinburgh, in the year 1751, where he itudied the feveral branches of medicine under the different profeffors in that univerfity. His beneficent difpo- a z fition IV MEMOIRS or i'.tion foon involved him in unexpefled difficulties; and he was obliged precipitately to leave Scotland, in confequcncc of having engaged himfelf to pay a confidcrable fam of money for a fellow ftudent. A few days after, about the beginning of the year 1754, he arrived at Sunderland, near New- caillc, where he was arrcTtcd at the fuit of one Bar- clay, a taylor in Edinburgh, to whom he had given fecurity for his friend. By the good offices of Laughlin Machine, Efq, and Dr. Sleigh, who were then in the college, he was foon delivered out of the hands of the bailiff, and took his palTage on board a Dutch fhip to Rotterdam, where, after a Ihort fl;.y, he proceeded to Bruffels. He then vifitcd great part of Fhmders; and, after paffing fome time at Stralhourg and Louvain, where he obtained a degree of Bachelor in Phyfic, he accompanied an Engliih gentleman to Geneva. It is undoubtedly a facH:, that this ingenious un- fortunate man made moft part of his tcur on foot. He had left England with veiy little money ; and .being of » philofophic turn, and at that time pof- Icf^ing a body capable of fuflaining every fatigue, and a heart not eafily terrified by danger, he be- came an enthufiafl to the defign he had formed of feeing the manners of different countries. Ele had fome knou ledge of the French language, and of inufic; he played tolerably well on the German llutei which from an amufement, became, at fome times, the means of fubfiflcnce. His learning pro- duced him an hofpitable reception at moil of the religious houfeshe vifited; and his mufic made hini welcome to thepeafints of Flanders and Germany. .*' Whenever 1 approached a peafant's houfe towards *' night- fall/' he ufed to fay, *' I played one of my ** moii OLIVER GOLDSMITH. V *' mod merry tunes, and that generally procured me ** not only a lodging, but fubfiftence for the next *' day: but, in truth' (his conftant expreffion) " I " muft own, whenever I attempted to entertain per- " fons of a higher rank, they always thought my *' performance odious, and never made me any re- *' turn for my endeavours to pleafe them.'* On his arrival at Geneva, he was recommended as a proper perfon for a travelling tutor to a young man, who had been unexpededly left a confiderable fum of money by his uncle Mr. S,******. This youth, who was articled to an attorney, on receipt of his fortune, determined to fee the world; and, on his engaging with his preceptor, made a provifo, that he fhould be permitted to govern himfelf ; and our traveller foon found his pupil underftood the art of direfting in money concerns extremely well, as avarice was his prevailing paffion. During Goldfmith's continuance in Switzerland, heafliduouQy cultivated his poeticaltalent, of which he had given fom.e llriking proofs at the college of Edinburgh. It was from hence he fent the firft fketch of his delightful epiflle, called the Traveller, to his brother Henry, a clerg)-man in Ireland, who giving up fame and fortune, had retired with an amiable wife to happinefs and obfcurity, on an in- come of only forty pounds a year. The great affec- tion Goldfmith bore for his brother, is exprefTed in the poem before mentioned, and gives a ftriking pifture of his fituation. From Geneva, Mr. Goldfmith and his pupil pro- ceeded to the fouth of France, where the young mrm, upon fome difagreement with his preceptor, paid him the fmall part of his falary which was due, and embarked at Marfeilles for England. Our wanderer a 3 wai Vl MEMOIRS OF was left once more upon the world at large, and paiTed through a number of dilnc allies in traverfmg the greatell part of France. At length his curiofity bcin^ gratified, he bent his courfe towards Enghmd, find arrived at Dover, the beginning of the winter, in the year 1758, His finances were {o low on his return to England, that he v/ith diBiculty got to the metropolis, his Whole flock of cafh amounting to no more than a fiw halfpence. An entire luranger in London, his mind was filled with the moft gloomy refleftions in confequence of his embarrafled fituation. He ap- plied to feveral apothecaries, in hopes of being le- ceived in the capacity of a journeyman, but his broad Irifh accent, and the uncouthnefs of his ap- pearance, occafioncd him to meet with infult from jiiofc of the medicinal tribe. The next day, hc.v- ever, a chemift near Fifh-ftreet, ftruck with his forlorn "condition, and the fimplicity of his manner, took him into his laboratory, where he continued till he difcovered that his old friend Dr. Sleigh was in London. That gentleman received him with the warmeiL affe*fhion, and liberally invited him to fhare his purfe till fome eftablifiim.ent could be procured for him. Goldfmith unwilling to be a burden to his friend, a (hort tim.e after eagerly embraced an offer which was made him to aflift the late Pvcv. Dr. Milner, in inHruding the young gentlemen at the academy at Peckham; and acquitted himfelf greatly to the Doftor's fatisfaflicn for a fiiort time; but, having obtained fome reputation by the criticifms he I'-id written in the Monthly Review, Mr. Grifnth, the principal proprietor, engaged him in the com- pilation of it; and refolving to purfue the profeflion of writing, he returned to London, as the mart ■ ^ ^here. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. Vii vvhere abilities of every kind were fure of meeting dilHn<5tion and reward. Here he determined to adopt apian of the rtritl:ell oeconomy, and, at the clofe of the year 1759, took lodgings in Green-Arbour- court, in the (5ld Bailey, where he wrote feveral ingenious pieces. The late Mr. Newbery, who, at that time gave great encouragement to men of literary abilities, became a kind of patron to our young author., and introduced him as one of the writers in the Public Ledger *, in which his Citi- zen of the World originally appeared, under the title of ** Chinefe Letters." Fortune now feem.ed to take Tome notice of a man fas had long negleded. The iim.piicity of his cha- ra£ter, the integrity of his heart, and the merit of his prcduclicns, made his company very acceptable to a number of refpedlable perfcns ; and about the middle of the year 1 762, he emerged from his mean apartments near the Ojd Bailey to the politer air of the Temple, v/here he took handfome chambers, and lived in a genteel ftyle. Among many other perfons of diilindion who were defirous to know him, was the Duke of Nor- * During this time, (according to another account) lie wrote for the Britlfh Magazine, of which Dr. Sir.ol- let was then editor, moft of thofe EU'nys and T^alesy which he afterwards coUcfled and publilhed in a ftparate volume. He alio wrote occafionaily for the Critical Review; and it was the merit which he difcovered in criticifing- a Jefpicable tranflation of Ovid's Fafli, by a pedantic ichool-mafter, and his Enquiry into the Prefent State of Learning in Europe-) which firlt introduced him to the acquaintance of Dr. Smollet, who recommended him to feveral literati, and to moft of the bookfellers by whom he was afterv/ards patronized. thumberland via MEMOIRS OF thumberland, and the circamftance that attended his introda6lion to that nobleman is worthy of being related, in order to (hew a ftriking trait of his cha- racler. " I was invited," faid the Dodor, ** by '' my friend Percy, to wait upon the Duke, in con- *' fequence of the fatisfaftion he had received from ** the perufal cf one of my produdions, I drefled *' rnyfelf in the be[t manner I could, and after ftu- *' dying fome compliments I thought neceffary on *' fuch an occafion, proceeded to Northumberlan.i- *' houfe, and acquainted the fervants that I had ** particular bufinefs with his Grace. They fhewcd " me into an anti-chamber, where after waiting " fome time, a gentleman very elegantly dreffed *' made his appearance: taking him for the Duke, *^ I delivered all the fine things I compofed, in or- ** der to compliment him on the honour he had ** done me; when, to my great aftonifhment, he *' told me I had millaken him for his m.after, who " would fee him immediately. At that inflant the *' Duke came into the apartment, and I was fo *' confounded on the occafion, that I wanted words ** barely fufhcient to exprefs the fenfe 1 entertained *< of the Duke's politenefs, and went away exceed- *^ ingly chagrined at the blunder I had commit- ** ted.'' The Doftor at the time of this vlfit was much embarralTed in his circumffanccs, but vain of the honour done him, was continually mentioning it. One of thofe ingenious executors of the law, a bai- liff, who had a writ againfl: him, determined to turn this circumftance to his ov.m advantage; he wrote him a letter, that he was fteward to a nobleman who was charmed with reading his laft production, and had ordered him to defire the Do(^or to appoint a place OLIVER GOLDSMITH. IX a place where he might have the honour of meeting him, to conduct him to his Lordfhip. The vanity of poor Goldfmith immediately Avallowed the bait; he appointed the Britiih CoiFee-houfe, to which he was accompanied by his friend Mr. Hamilton, the printer of the Critical Review, who in vain re- monftrated on the fmgularity of the application. On entering the coffee-room the bailiff paid his re- fpecls to the Do6lor, and defired that he might have the honour of immediately attending him. They had fcarce entered Pall-mall, in their way to his Lordjhipy when the bailiff produced his writ. Mr. Hamilton generoufly paid the money, and re- deemed the Do£lo^ from captivity. The publications of his Tra-veller, his Vica-^- of V/akefield, and his Hijtory ofEfigland, v/ere followed by his comedy cf The Good-nattired Man, at Co- vent-garden theatre, which placed him in the firll rank of modern writers. Our Doftor, as he was now univerfally called, had a conllant levee of his diftreffed countrymen, v.-hofe wants, as far as he was able, he always re- lieved ; and he has often been known to leave him- felf even without a guinea, in order to fupply tlie neceffides of others. Another feature in his chara^^er we cannot help laying before the reader. Previous to the publica- tion of his Defer ted Village, the bookfeller had given him a note for one hundred guineas for the copy, which the Doftor mentioned, a few hours after, to one of his friends, Vvho obferved it was a very great fum for fo fhort a performance, * In ' truth,' replied Goldfmith, « I think fo too ; it is * much more than the honeft man can afford, or * the piece is worth \ I have not been eafy fmce I * received % MEMOIRS OF * received it ; I will therefore go back and return * him his note :* which he adluall/ did, and kft it entirely to the bookfeller to pay him according to the profits produced by the fale of the poem, which turned out very confiderable. The author addreffes this poem to his friend Sir Jofhua Reynolds. He writes in the character of a native of a country village, to which he gives the name of Auburn, and which he pathetically ad- drefles. He then proceeds to contrail: the innocence and happinefs of a limple and natural Hate with the miferies and vices that have been introduced by polifhed life. The defcription of the parifli prieft (probably intended for a charafter of his brother Henry) would have done honour to any poet of any age. In this defcription, the fimile of the bird teaching her young to fly, and of the mountain that rifes above the ftorm, are not eafily to be paralleled. The reft of the poem coniills of the character of the vil- lage fchool- mailer, and a defcription of the village ale-houfe, both drawn with admirable propriety and force ; a defcant on the mifchiefs of luxury and v/ealth ; the variety of artificial pleafures ; the miferies of thofe who, for want of employment at home, are driven to fettle new colonies abroad, and concludes with a beautiful apoftrophe to poetry. The doctor did not reap a profit from his poeti- cal labours equal to thofe of his profe. The Earl of Lifburne, whofe claffical tafte is well known, one day at a dinner of the Royal Academicians, lamented to the Dodor his negleding the mufes, and enquired of him why he forfook poetry, in which he was fure of charming his readers, to compile hiftorics, and vvrite novels? The Dodor replied^ OLIVER GOLDSMITH. XI replied, ' My Lord, by courting the mufcs I Ihall * ftarve, but by my other labours, I eat, drink, * have good cloaths, and enjoy the luxuries of During the laft rehearfal of his comedy, in- titled, Sf:}e Stoops to Co7iquer, which i\lr. Colman thought would not fucceed, on the Doctor's cb- jefling to the repetition of one of Tony Lumpkin's fpeeches, being apprehenfive it might injure the play, the manager, with great keennefs replied, * Pfha, my dear Doctor, do not be fearful of * fquihsy when we have been fitting almofl thefe * two hours upon a barrel of g7iK'j)o^jjdcy.* The piece, however, contrary to Mr. Colman's expe within one degree of abfolute frigidity. Yet upon his firR appearance here, ma'nv were angry not to find him as ignorant as a Tripoline ambaffador, or an envoy from Mujac. They were furprifed to fnd a man born fo far from London, that fchool of prudence and wifdom, endued even with a moderate capacity. They exprefied the fame fjpriie at his knowledge that the Chiiiefe do at 11 PREFACE. at ours. '* How comes it (fald they), that the *' Europeans, fo remote from China, think with " fo much juftice and precifion ! they have never " read our books, they fcarcely know even our ** letters, and yet they talk and reafon juft as we ** do*." The truth is, the Chinefe and we are pretty much alike. Different degrees of refine- ment, and not of diftance, mark the diftinflions among mankind. Savages of the m.oft oppofite climates have all but one chara«5ler of improvidence and rapacity ; and tutored nations, however fepa- rate, make ufe of the very fame methods to pro- cure refined enjoyment. The diilinelvons of polite nations are few; but fuch as are peculiar to the Chinefe appear in every page of the following correfpondence. The me- taphors and allufions are all drav/n from the Eaft. Their formality our author carefully prefcrves. Many of their favou'ite tenets in morals are illu- ftrated. The Chinefe are always concife, fo is he; fimple, fo is he. The Chinefe are grave and fententious, fo is he. But in one particular, the refemblance is peculiarly ftriking : the Chinefe are often dull, and fo is he. Nor has my affift- ance been wanting. We are told in an old romance, of a certain knight-errant and his horfe who con- trafted an intimate friend (hip. The horfe moft ufually bore the knight, but in cafes of extraordi- nary difpatch, the knight returned the favour, and carried his horfe. Thus in the intimacy be- tween my author and me, he has ufually given me a lift of his eaftern fublimity, and I have fome- times given him a return of my colloquial eafe. * Ls Comtc, vol, I. p. 210. Yet PREFACE. in Yet It appears ftrange in this feafon of pane- gyric, when fcarce an author paffes unpraifed either by his friends or himfelf, that fuch merit as our philofcpher's Ihould be forgotten. While the epi- thets of ingenious, copious, elaborate, and refined, are laviflied among the mob, like medals at a co- ronation, the lucky prizes fall on every fide, bnC not one on him. I could on this occafion make myfelf melancholy, by confidering the capriciouf- nefs of public talle, or the mutability of fortune; but during this fit of morality, left my reader ihould Heep, I'll take a nap myfelf, and v/hcn I awake tell him my dream. I imagined the Thames was frozen over, and I Hcod by its fide. Several booths were erefted upon the ice, and I was told by one of the fpecta- tors, that Fafhion Fair was going to begin. He added, that every author who would carry his works there, might probably find a very good re-. ception. I v/as refolved however to obferve the humours of the place in fafety from the {here, fen^ fible that ice was at beil precarious, and having been always a little cowardly in my fleep. Several of my acquaintance feemed much more hardy than I, and went over the ice with intre- pidity. Some carried their works to the fair on fledges, fome on carts, and thofe which were more voluminous were conveyed in waggons. Tiieir temerity aftonifiied me. I knew their cargoes were heavy, and expeded every moment they would have gone to the bottom. They all entered the fair, however, in fafety, and each foon after returned to my great furprize, highly fatisfied with his entertainment^ and the bargains he had brought away. Tha IV PREFACE.. The fuccefs of fuch numbers at lad began to operate upon me. If thefe, cried I, meet with favour and fafety, fome luck may, perhaps, for once attend the unfortunate. I am refolved to make a new adventure. The furniture, frippery, and fire- works of China, have long been fafhion- ably bought up. J '11 try the fair with a fmall cargo of Lhinefe morality. If the Chinefe have contributed to vitiate our tafte, I'll try how far they can help to improve our underftanding. But as others have driven into the market in waggons, rU cautioufly begin by venturing with a wheel- barrow. Thus refolved, I baled up my goods, and fairly ventured; when, upon jufl: entering the fair, I fancied the ice that had fupported an hundred waggons before, cracked under me, and wheel-barrow, and all went to the bottom. Upon waking from my reverie, with the fright, I could not help wifhing that the pains taken in giving this correfpondence an Englifli drefs had been employed in contriving new political fyftems, or new plots for farces. I might then have taken my ftation in the world, either as a poet or philo- fopher ; and made one in thofe little focieties where men club to raife each others r-^putations. But at pref?nt I belong to no part cular clafs. I refemble one of thofe folitary animals, that has been forced from its forell to gratify human cu- riofity. My earlied wifh was to efcape unheeded through life : but 1 have been fet up for halfpence, to fret and fcampcr at the end of my chain. I'hough none are iniurcd by my rage, I am natu- rally too favage to court any friends by fawning ; too obftinate to be taught nevv tricks : and too improvident to mind what may happeri ; I am ap- peafedj PREFACE, V peafed, though not contented : too indolent for intrigue, and too timid to pufli for favour, I am— Eut what fignifies what I am. Fortune nnd Hope at! leu ! I fee my port, Too long your dupe : be others now your fport. CONTENTS, CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. LET. PAG5 I. TNTRODUCTION. A charaaer of the A Chinei'e philoibpher i II. riie arrival of the Chinefe in London. His motives for the journey. Some clefcription of the flreets and houfes z III. The defcription of London continued. The luxury of the Engiifli. Its benefits. The fine gentleman. The fine lady 5 IV. Engiifli pride. Liberty. An inftance of both. Newlpapers. Politenefs 9 V. Engiifli paffion for politics. A fpecimen of a newlpapcr, Charafteriftic of the manners of different countries iz VI. Happinefs ioft by leeking after refinement. The Chinefe philolbpher's difgraces i 5 VII. The tye of wifdom, only to make us happy. The benefits of travelling upon the morals of a philofopher jS VIII. The Chineie deceived by a proftitute in the flireets of London 20 IX' The licentiouihefs of the Engiifli, with regard to women, A chara6ler of a woman's man tz VOL. I, A X. Th§ C O xN T E N T S. X. The journey of the Chinefe from Pckln to Mof- covv. The cuftoms of the Daiircs 25 XI. The benefits of hixury, in making a people more wife and happy 28 XII. The funeial folemnities of the EngUHi. Their pa/Tion for flatti^ring epitaphs 30 Xin. An account of Weliniinlter abbey 33 XIV. The reception of the Chinefe from a lady of diftindion 38 XV. Againft cruelty to animals. A ftory from the Zendeveft of Zoroafter 41 XVI. Of faUl'hood propagated by books feemingly Hncere 44 XVII. Of the war now carried on between France and England, with its irivolous motives 47 XVIII. The ftory of the Chineie matron 50 XIX. The EngliOi method of treating women caught in adultery. The Ruffnn method 54 XX. Some account of letters in England 57 XXI. The Chinefe goes to fee a play 61 XXII. The Chinefe phiiofopher''s fon made a flave in Perfia 66 XXIII. The Englifli fubfcrlption in favour of the PVcnch prifoners commended 68 XXIV. The venders of quack medicines and nol'- trums ridiculed jz XXV. The natural life and decline of kingdoms, exemplified in the hiliory of the kingdom of Lao 74 XXVI. The chara6ler of the man in black ; with fome inftances of his inconfiftent conduct 78 XXVII. The hiifory of the man in black 82 XXVIII. On the great numb^-r of old maids and bachelors in London. Some of the caufes 88 XXIX. A defcrlption of a club of authors 92 XXX. The proceedings of the club of authors 94 XXXI. The perfection of the Chinefe in the art of gardening. The defcription of a Chinefe garden to& XXXII. Of CONTENTS. XXXII. Of the degeneracy of fome of the Eiigllfli nobility. A mufhroom feaft amoiig the Tartars i crj XXXIII. The manner of writing among the Chi- ; nefe. Tlic eafttrn tales of magazines, $cc, ridiculed 107 XXXIV. Of the p-efent ridiculous pafTion of the nobility for painting us XXXV. The philoibpher's fun defcribes a lady, his fellow captive 1 16 XXXVI. A conunuance of his correfpondence. The beautiful captive confents to marry her lord 118 XXXVII. Tiie corrcfpondenre ftill contlnuec?. He begins to be difgufted in the purfuit of his wifdom. An allegory to prove its fu- tility liii XXXVIII. The Chinefe philofopher praifes the juftice of a late ientence, and inftances the ■injuftice of the king of France, in the cafe of the prince of C'harohus 125 XXXIX. The defcription of true politenefs. Two letters of diiFercnt countries by ladies falfely thought polite at home 129 XL. The Englifli ftili have poets, though not ver- fifiers , 133 XLI. The behaviour of the congregation in St. Paul's church at prayers 136 XLII, The hiftcry of China more replete with great ai^lions than that of Europe 139 XLIII. An apodrophe on the fuppofed Death of Voltaire 143 XLIV. Wifdom and precept may leflen our mife- ries, but can never increafe our poiitive fatisfaftions 146 XLV. The ardour of tlie people of London in run- ning after fights and monfters i co XLVL A dream 154. XLVII. JVJiftry beft relieved by diflipatlon 159 XLVIII. The abfurdity of penbns in high ilaticn pur filing CONTENTS. purfuing employments beneath them, ex- emplified in a fairy tale i6r XLIX. The fairy tale continued 165 L. An attempt to define what is meant by Englifli liberty 1C9 LI. A booklcllcr's vifit to the Chinefe 17a LII. The impofiibility of diftinguifliing men In Enghnd by their drefs. Two inftances of this 176 LIII. The ahiurd tafte for obfcene and pert novels, fuch as Tnftram Shandy, ridiculed 1 80 LIV. The chara6ler of an important trifler 183 LV. Hib chara6ler continued, with that of his wife, his houle, and furniture 186 LVI. Some thoughts on the prefent fituation of af- fairs in the different countries of Europe 190 LVII. The dlmciilty of rifing in literary reputation without intrigue or riches 393 LVIII. A vificatioB dinner deicribed 196 LIX. The Chinefe philofopher's fon efcapes with the beauritul captive from flaveiy 200 LX. The hiftoiy of the beautiful captive zq3 LXI. Proper leffons to a youth entering the world ; with fables luitcd to the occafion 208 LXII. An 3.'.ithentic hiftory of Catharina Alex- owna, wife of Peter the Great zjz LETTERS LETTERS FROM A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD TO HIS JRIENDS IN THE EAST, Y LETTER I. 7o Mr. — , Merchant in London, ^^1'^^, r Amfterdam. OURS of the 13th inftant, covering two bills, ^ _ one on Meffrs. R. and D. value 478I. los. and tn^ ether on Mr. , value 285I. duly came to hand : the former of which met with honour, but the other has been trifled with, and I am afraid will be returned protefted. The bearer of this is my friend, therefore let him be yours. He is a native of Honan in China, and one who did me fignal iervices when he was a mandarine, and I a faclor at. Canton. By frequently converfing with the Enghlh there, he has learned the language, though en- tirely a ftranger to their manners and cuftoms. I am told he IS a philofopher: I am fure he is an honeft man j that to you will be his befl recommendation, next to the conhderation of his being the friend of, Sir, -J. _ Yours, ^c. VOL.1. 3 LETTER THE CITIZEN OF ^^ L E T T E R II. From Lien Cki AUangi to — , Merchant in Amflerdam, Friend of my Heart, London. MAY the wings of peace reft up^>n thy dwelling, and the fhield of conicience pieferve thee from vice and mil'ery: for all thy favours, aeeept my grati- tude and elleem, the only tributes a poor philolophic wanderer can return. Sure fortune is refolved to make me unhappy, when fhe gives others a power of t»ftifying their friendfliip by a6lions, and leaves me only words to exprels the fmcerity of mine. I am perfeClly fenfible of the delicacy by which you endeavour to lelTen your own merit and my obligations. By calling your late inftances of friendfhip only a return for former favours, you would induce me to impute to your jullice what I owe to your generofity. The fervices I did you at Canton, juftice, humanity, and my oi!ice, bade me perform j thofe you have done me fincc my arrival at Amfterdam, no laws obliged you to, no juftice required ; even half your favours would liave been greater than my moft fanguine expectations. The fum of money therefore which you privately coir- vcyed into my baggage, when I was leaving Holland, and which I was ignorant of till my arrival in London, I muft beg leave to return. You have been bred a mer- chant, and I a fcholar: you confcquently love money better than I. You can find pleaiure in liiperfluity, I am perfectly contented with what is fufficient: take therefore what is youis ; it may give you fome pleafure^^ even though you have no occalion to ufe it j my happi- jiefs it cannot improve, for I have already all that I want. My paflage by fea from Rotterdam to England wa& more painful to me than all the journeys I ever made on land. I h:ive traverfed the immeafurable wilds of Mo- ^ulTartary; felt all the rigours of Siberian Ikies. I fiave had my repofe an hundred times difturbed by in- vadiKg; THE WORLD. 3 rading favages, and have feen, without fhrlnking, the defert fands lile lik*; a troubled ocean all around me; agahift thele calamities I was armed with relblution ; but in my paiTage to England, though nothing occur- red that gave the mariners any uneahnefs, yet to one WHO was never at lea before, all was a fubjcft of afto- nifhinent and terror. To find the land diiappear, to lee our fliip mount the waves quick as an arrow from the Tartar bow, to hear the vk'ind howling through the cordage, to feel a ficknefs which deprefles even the Ipirits of the brave J thefe were unexpected diftrelTcb, and con- fequently afl:iulted me unprepared to receive them. You men of Europe think nothing of a voyage by fea. With us of China, a man who has been from fight of ]and is n^garded upon his return with admiration. I have known fome provinces where there is not even a name foi the ocean. What a Ihange people therefore a;n I got amongit, who have founded an empire on this unftablc clement, who build cities upon billows that rife higher than the mountains of Tipartala, and make the deep more formidable than the wildeft tempeft. Such accounts as thefe, I mutt confeis, were my firil motives fur feeing England. Thefe induced me to un- dertake a journey of feven hundred painful days, in order to examine into opulence, buildhigs, fcicnces, arts, and manufactures, on the fpot. Judge then how great is my dilappointment on entering London, to fee no figns of that opulence fo much talked of abroad: wherever I turn, I am prefented with a gloomy folemnity in the houfes, the llreets, and the inhabitants : none of that beautiful gilding which makes a principal ornament in the Chinefe architcclure. The ifreets of Nankin are fomeiimes flrewed with gold leaf; veiy different are tholc of Loniion } in the miilfl of their pavements, a •£;reat lazy puddle moves muddily along} heavy laden machines, with wheels of unwieldy thicknefs, crowd up every paifage ; fo that a ftranger, inffead of finding time for obfervation, is often happy if he has time to cfcape from being cruihed to pieces. B 3 The I THF CITIZEN OF The houfes borrow very few ornaments from archf- te6ture j their chief decoration feems to be a paltry piece of painting, hung out at their doors or windows, at once a proof of their indigence and vanity— their va- nity, in each having one of thofe piftures expofed to public view } and their indigence, in being unable to get them better painted. In this refpeft, the fancy ®f their painters is alio deplorable. Could you believe it? I have icen five black lions and three blue boars, in lefs than a circuit of half a mile j and yet you know that ani- mals of thefe colours are no where to be found, except in the wild imaginations of Europe. From thefe circumftances in their buildings, and from the difmal look of the inhabitants, 1 am induced to conclude that the nation is actually poor j and that, like the Perfians, they make a fplenclid figure eveiy where but at home. The proverb of Xixofou is, that a man's I'iches may be feen in his eyes ; if we judge of the Englifh by this rule, there is not a poorer nation under the fun. I have been here but two days, fo will not be hafty in my decifions j fuch letters as I fhall write to Fipfihi in Mofcow, I beg you'll endeavour to forward with all diligence j I fliall fend them open, in order that you may take copies or tranflations, as you are equally Verfed in the Dutch and Chinefe languages. Dear friend, think of my abfence with regret, as I fincerely regret yours ; even while 1 write, I lament our fepara- tion. Farewel. J.ETTER THE WORLD. 5 LETTER III. from Lien Chi Altangi, to the care of Fipfihi^ Refident in Mofco-v; to be fur-warded by the Ruffian Caranjan to Fum Hoaniy Firf Prefident in the Ceremonial Acade- my at Pekiny in China, THINK not, O thou guide of irjy youth ! that ab- fence can inipali- my refpe6tj oi* intcrpofing track- ]efs deierts, blot your reverend figure fron-i my memory. The farther I travel, I feel the pain of feparation with ftronger force ; thofe ties that bind me to ray native country, and you, are Itill unbroken. By every remove, I only drag a greater length of chain. Could I find aught worth tranimiLiingfrom fo remote a region as this to v/hich I have v/audered, I fliould glad- ly fend it J butinftead of this, you muft be contented with a renewal of my former profeffions, and an imper- fe£f account of a people with whom I am as yet but fu- perficially acquainted. The remarks of a man who has been but three days in the country, can only be thofe obvious circumftances which force themfelves upon the imagination : I confjuer myfelf here as a newly created being introduced into a new world j every object Itrikes with woiider and liirprize. The imagination lliil unfat- td, feems the only a6live principle of the mind. The molt triflmg occurrences give pieafure, till the glol's of novelty is worn away. When I have ceafed to wonder, I may pofiibly g.-ov/ wife ; I may then call the reafon- Ing principle to my aid, and compare thofe obje6ts with each other, which vv'cre before examined without re<- fieiSlion, Bohojd me then in London, gazing at the ftrangers, and they at me. It Items they tind ibmewhat abfurd in my figure ; and had I been never from heme, it is pof- fible I might find an infinite fund of ridicule in theirs j but by long travelling I am taught to laugh at folly alone, and to find nothing truly ridiculous but villamy and vice, B 3 When 6 The citizen of When I had juft quitted my native country, and crofT- ed the Chinefe wall, I fancied every deviation from the cuftoms and manners ol China was a departing from na- ture ; I fmiled at the blue lips and red foreheads of th6 Tonguefe ; and could hardly contain when I faw the Daures drefs their heads with horns j the Oftiacks pow- dered with red earth 5 and the Calmuck beauties, trick- ed out in all the finery of fheep fkin, appeared highly ridiculous ; but I foon perceived that the ridicule lay not in them but in me ; that I falfely condemned others of ab- furdity, btcaufe they happened to differ from a ftandard originally founded in prejudice or partiality. I find no pleafure therefore in taxing the Engllfli with departing from nature in their external appearance, which is all I yet know of their chara6^er ; it is pofiible they only endeavour to improve her fimple plan, fince every extra- vagance in drels proceeds from a defire of becoming more beautiiul than nature made us ; and this is fo hsrmlefs a vanity, that I not only pardon but approve it: a defire' to be more excellent than others is what actually makes us fo 5 and as thoufands find a livelihood in fociety by fuch appetites, none but the ignorant in- veigh agalnil them. You are not infenfibie, moft reverend Fum Hoam, what numberlefs trades, even among the Chinefe, fub- fift by the harmiefs pride of each other. Your nofe- borers, feet-fwathers, tooth ftainers, eye-brow pluck- ers, would all want bread, fhould their neighbours want vanity. Theie vanities, however, employ much fewer hands in China than in England •, and a fine gen- tleman, or a fine lady, here drelfed up to the faAiion, feems fcarcely to have a finglc limb that does not fuffer feme diliortions from my art. To make a fine gentleman, feveral trades are requir- ed, but chiefly a barber : you have undoubtedly heard of the Jewifii champion, whole ftrength lay in his hair : one would think that the Englilh were for placing all wiidom there. To appear wife, nothing more is requi- fite here, than for a man to borrow hair from the heads of all his neighbours, and clap it like a bufii on his own 3 THE WORLD. J «\vn ; the diftrlbutors of law and phyfic ftick on fuch quantities, that it is almoft impoiTible, even in idea, to diilinguifh between the head and hair. Thofe whom I have been now dei'cribing atfe6l the gravity of the lion : thofe I am going to del'cribe more refemblc the pert vivacity of Imaller animals. The barber, who is {till mafter of the ceremonies, cuts their hair clofe to the crown ; and then, with a compohtion of meal and hog's lard, plafters the whole in fuch a manner as to make it impoflible to diftinguifh wheiher the patient wears a cap or a plafter : but to nsake the pi6lure more perfectly ftriking, conceive the tail ot feme beall, a greyhound's tail, or a pig's tail, for initance appended to the back of the head, and reaching cown to that place where tails in other animals are generally feen to begin \ thus be-tailed and be-powdered, the man of tafte fancies he improves in beauty, drcfles up his hard-featured face in fmiles, and attempts to look hide- ouily tender. Thus equipped, he is qualified to make love, 5nd hopes for fuccels m.ore from the powder on the outfide of hiS head, than the fentiments within. Yet when I confider what fort of a creature the fine lady is, to whom he is iuppofed to pay his addrefles, it is not ftrange to find him thus equipped in order to pkaie. She is herfelf every whit as tond of powder, and tails, and hog's lard as he; to fpeak my fecret fen- timents, moft reverend Fum, the ladies here are horrid- ly ugly \ I can hardly endtu^e the fight of them ; they no way relemble the beauties of China : the Europeans have a quite different idea of beauty from us ; when I rcflt6t on the fmall footed perfe6tions of an eaftern beau- ty, how is it poffible I Ihould have eyes for a woman whofe feet are ten inches long ? I fnall never forget the beauties of my native city of Npngfev/. How very broad their faces ; how veiy (hoit their nofes ; how very little their eyes ; how very thin their lips j how very black their teeth ; the fnow on the tops of the Bao is not fairer than their cheeks 5 and their eye-brows are fmall as the line by the pencil of Quamfi. Here a lady with fuch perfections would be frightful j-Dtitch and Chinefe beauties 5 THE CITIZEN OF beauties Indeed have Tome relcmblance, but Engllfli wo- men are entirely diiTerent ; red cnecks, big eyes, and teeth of a moft odious whirene;s, arc not only fcen here, but wifhed tor j and then rhcy have luch maicuiinc feet, as actually fervc fomc for walking I Yet uncivil as nature has been, they feem refoived to outdo her in unkindnefs ; they ufe wliite powder, bkie powder, and black powder tor their hair, and a red povviler for the face on fome particular occafions. They like to have the tace of various colours, as among the Tartars of Coreki, frequently Iticknig on, with fpittle, little black patches on every part of it, except on the tip of the nol'e, which I have never {cen with a patch. YuuMl have a better idea of their man- Ker of placing thel'e ipots, when I have finiflied a map of an Englilh face patciied up to the ialhion, which fliall fliortly be fcnt to increafe your curious colle(^ion of paintings, medals, and monllers. But what furprifes more than all the reft Is, what I have juft now been credibly informed of by one of this country ; " Moft ladies here (fays he) have two faces ; one face to fleep in, and anotlur to Ihew in company ; the firft is geneially referred for the hufband and family at heme, the other put on to pltafc ftrangers abroad ; the family face is often indifferent enough, but the out- door one looks ibmcrhing better j this is always made at the toilet, where the looking-glafs, and toad-eater fit in council and fettle the complexion of the day.'' I cannot afcertain the truth of this r^ninrk j however, it is actually certain, that they wear more cloaths within doors than without ; and I have feen a lady v/ho feemed tp fliudder at a breeze in her own apartments, appear half naked in the Itrects. Farewcl. LETTER .Fakso:^ss Emtio-^n of SkileiTt EiRr.ru sjbi CLASSiirs. rf THE WORLD. ^ LETTER IV. To the Same, FT^HE Englifh fcem a? filent as the Japanefe, yet X vainer I ban the inhabitants of Siam. Upon my arrival, I attributed that referve to modefty, which I now find has its origin in pride. Condefcend to addrefs th-m firft, and you are lure of their acquaintance ; ftoop to flattery, and you concileate their fricndlhip and elleem. They bear hunger, cold, fatigue, and all the iruferies of life without fhrinking : danger only calls forth their fortitude j they even exult in calamity ; but contempt is what they cannot bear. An Englifliniari fears contempt more than death : he often flies to death as a refuge from its prefliire j and dies wlieu he fancies the world has ceafed to cfteem him. Pride feems the fcurce not only of their national vices, but of their national virtues. An Englifliman is taught to love his king as his friend, but to acknowledge no other mafter than the laws which himfelf has contri- buted to enacl. He delpUes thofe nations, who, tiiat one may be free, are all content to be flaves ; who firft lift a tyrant Into terror, and then flirink under his power, as if delegated from heaven. Liberty is echoed in all their afi'emblies, and thoufands might be found ready to offer up their lives for the found, though perhaps not one of all the number underftands its meaning. The loweft mecha- nic however looks upon it as his duty to be a watchful guardian of his countiy's freedom, and often ufts a lan- guage that might feem haughty, ev-^n in the mouth of the great emperor who traces his anceftry to the moon. A few days ago, paflTmg by one of iheir prilbns, I could not avoid flopping, in order to liflen to a dialogue which I thought migtit alTord me Ibme entertainment. The converfation was cai-ried on between a debtor through the grate of his prifon, a porter, who had ftopped to reft his burthen, and a foldier at the window. The lubjeil was upon a threatened invalion from France-, &r4 to THE CITIZEN OF and each feemed extremely anxious to refcue his countiy from the impending danger. << For my part, (cries ** the priloner) the grcatcft of my apprchenlions is for '* our freedom : if the French lliould conquer, what «* would become of Englifti liberty? My dear friends, ** liberty is the Englifhman's prerogative ; we muft '* preferve that at the expence of our lives ; of that the *' French /hall never deprive us : it is not to be ex- *< pe6le-i that m.n who are Haves themfelves, would *' jn-eferve our freedom (houkl they happen to conquer :"" Ay, flaves, cries the porter, they are all ilaves, fit only to carry burthens every one of them. Before I would ftoop to llavery, may this be my poifon (and he held the goblet in his hand) may tliis be my puiion-— — but I would fooner lift for a foldier. The foldier, taking the goblet from his friend, with much awe (fervently cried out). It is not io much our liberties as our religion that would fuftlr by fuch a change : ay, our religion, my lads. May the devii fink me into flames (fuch was the lolemnity of his adjura- tion) if the French /hould come over, but our leligion would be utterly undone. So faying, inftead of a liba- tion, he applied' the goblet to his lips, and confirmed his fentiments with a ceremony of the moft perlevering devotion. In {\vjvt, every man here pretends to be a politician; even the fair fex are fometimes found to mix the j'everity of national altercation with the biandifhments of love, and often become conquerors by more weapons of de- flruc^ion than their eyes. The univerfal pafllon for politic* is gratified by Daily Gazettes, as with us at China, But as in ours, the emperor endeavours to inftruit his people ; in theirs the people endeavour to inllrutl the adminiftraiion. You muft not, however, imagine, that they who compile thefe papers have any a6lual knowledge of the politics, or the government of a ftate ; they only colle6l their materials from the oracle of ibme coffee- houfe, which oracle has himfelf gathered them the night before fvqm a beau at the gaming table* who has pil- la^e4 THE WORLD. 11 laced Ills knowledge from a great man's porter, who has htid the information from the great man's gentle- man, who has invented the whole Itory tor his own amulcnicnt the night preceding. The Englifh in general feciii fonder of gaining tl>e eftcem than the iove of thofe they convvrle with: this gives a formality to their amufements j their gayejl con- verl'ations have fomething too wile for innocent relaxa- tion ; though in company you are ieidom dil'gufted with the abiurdity of a fool ; you are feldom littcd into rap- ture by thofe ftrok.es of vivacity which give inilant, though not permanent, pleafure. What they want, however, in gaiety they make up In politenefs. You fmile at hearing me praife the Englidi for their politeneis ; you who have heard very d liferent accounts from the miflionaries at Pekln, who have feen fuch a different behaviour in their mer- chants and feamen at home. But I muft Hill repeat it, the Englifh feem more polite than any of their neigh- bours : their great art in this refpecl lies in endeavour- ing, while they oblige, to lellcn the force of the favour. Otiier countries are fond of obliging a ftranger j but feem defiious that he fliould be fenhblc of th.e obligation. The Englifh confer their kindnefs v/ith an appearance of indifference, and give away benefits wirh an aii- as if they delpiied them. Walking a few days ago between an Englifh and a Frenchman in the fuburba of the city, we were over- taken by a heavy fliower of rain. I was unprepared ; but they had each large coats which defended them from what feemed to me a perfect inundation. The Englifh- nian feeing me Ihrink from the weather, aceolled nie thus : *' Pfna, man, what doft fnrink at ? Here take " this coat ; I don't want it ; I find it no way ufeful ** to me : I had as lief be without it." Ihe French- man heq:an to fnew his politenefs in turn. '* Mv dc:jr •* friend, (cries he) why won't you oblige m': by mak- •* ing uie of my coat ; you fee how well it defends md ** from the lain 5 I Ihould not chufe to part with it 10 *^ others 12 THT CITIZEN OF <' others, but to inch a friend as yo\i, I could even part « with my fkin to do him lervice." From fuch minute inftances as thefe, moft reverend Fum Hoam, I am lenfible your fagacity will colleft in- ftru6lion. The volume of nature is the book of know- ledge ; and he becomes moft wife who makes the molt judicious feleclion, Farewel. L E T T E R V. To the Same, I HAVE already informed you of tlie fingular paflion of this nation for politics. An Engii/liman, not iatlsfied with finding, by his own profperity, the con- tending powers of Europe properly b:^lanced, defires alfo to know the precife value of every weight in either Icale. To gratify this curiofity, a leaf of political in- ftru6lion is ierved up every morning with tea : when our politician has feafted upon this, he repairs to a cof- fee-houfe, in order to ruminate upon what he has read, and increalt- his colle6lion J from thence he proceeds to the ordinary, inquires what news, and trcafuring up every acquilition there, hunts about all the evening in queft of more, and carefully adds it to the reft. Thus at night he retires home, full of the important advices of the day : when lo ! awaking next morning, he finds the inftiuctiens of yefterday a collection of abfurdity or palpable falfehood. This, one would think, a mortify- ing repulfe in the purfuit of wifdom j yet our politican, no way difcouraged, hunts on in order to colleft frelli materials, and in order to be again difappointed. I have oiten admired the commercial Ipirit which prevails over Europe j have been ilirprifed to fee them carry on a traffic with produ6lions that an Afiatic ftranger would deem entirely ufelefs. It is a proverb in China, that an European fuffers not even his fpittle to be loft ; the maxim, however, is not fufficiently It r on 2 % THE WORLD. I3 ftrcnj^, fince they fell even their lies to great advantage. Every nation drives a confiJerable trade in this comino- diry with their neighbours. An Englifli dealer in this way, for inftance, has only to aicer.d to his work-houfe, and manuFa6tiue a turbu- lent Ipeech averred to be fpoken in the i'enate 5 or a re- port fuppofed to be dropt at court ; a piece of Icandal that iirikes at a popular Mandarine j or a ftcret treaty- bet ween tv.'o neighbouring powers. When finiftied, thele goods are baled up and configned to a faclor abroad, who lends in return two battles, tliree iieges, and a fnrewd letter filled with dallies blanks and ftars =**** of great importance. Thus you perceive that a fingle gazette is the joint jT!anufa6lure of Europe ; and he who would pcrufe it v.iLa a philofophical eye, might perceive, in every para- graph, foraething charaflerillic of the nation to which it belongs. A map does not exhibit a more diftincfc view of the boundaries and fituation of every country, than its news does a picture of the genius and the niorals of its inhabitants. The fuperltition and er- roneous delicacy of Italy, the formality of Spain, the cruelty of Portugal, the fears of Auftria, the confidence of Prufha, the levity of France, the avarice of Holland, the pride of England, the abiurdity of Ireland, and the national partiality of Scotland, arc all confpicuous in every page. But, perhaps, you may find mere fatIsfa6^1on in a real ncwipaper than in ray dcfcription of one j I there- fore fend a fpecimen, which may ferve to exhibit the manner of their being written, ai:d diflinguifh the cha- raclers of the various nations which are united in its compcfition. Naples. We have lately dug up here a curious Etrulcan monument, broke in two in the railing. The chara6lers are fcarce viiible ; but Nugofi, the learned an- tiquary, fuppofes it to have been creeled in honour of Picus, a Larin King, as one oi the lines may be plainly diiHngui/lied to begin vv'ith a P. It is hoped this diicovciy Vol, I, C will 3 4 THECITIZENOF will produce foniething valuable, as the literati of our twelve academies are deeply engaged in the difquifition. Piia. Since Father Fudgi, prior of St. Gilbert's, has gone to refide at Rome, no miracles have been per- formed at the fluMne of St. Gilbert ; the devout begin to grov/ uneafy, and fome begin actually to fear that St. Gilbert has forfaken them with tiie reverend father. Lucca. The adminiilrators of our ferene Republic have frequent conferences upon the part they fiiail take in the prefent commotions of Europe. Some aie for fending a body of their troops, confifting of one com- pany or foot, and fix horfemen, to make a diverhon in favour of tiie Emprefs queen ; others are as ftrenuons alTcrters of the PrufPian intereft: what turn thefe debates may take time only can difcover. However, certain it is, we (hall be able to bring into the field at th.e opening of the next campaign, feventy-five armed men, a com- mander in chief, and two drummers of great experience. Spain. Yeilerday the new king fhewed himfelf to his fubjetSls ; and after having ftaid half an hour in his balcony, retired to the royal apartment. The night concluded, on this extraordinary occafion, with illumi- nations and other demonftrations of joy. The queen Is more beautiful than the riling fun, and reckoned one ot the firft wits in Europe : (he had a glo- rious opportxmity of difplaying the readinefs of her in- vention, anH her (kill in repartee, lately at court. The Duke of Lerma, coming up to her v/ith a low bow and a fmlle, and prefcnting a nolegay fet with diamonds, *' Madam, (cries he) I am your moft obediejit humble <' fervant."" " Oh, Sir (replies the queen without any •' prompter, or the leaft hefitation), I'm very proud of *» the very great honour you do m.e."" Upon which (he made a low curtefy, and all the courtiers fell a laughing at the readinefs and the fmartnefs of her reply. Lilbon. Yefterday we had an '* auto de fe," at which were burned three young women, accufed of here- fy, one of them of exquIfiHe beauty ; two Jews, and an old woman convicled of being a witch : one of the friars, v/ho attended this isft, Reports, that he faw the devil THE WORLD, 15 (levii fly out of her at the (lake in the fliape oi a finme of iiiv.'. The populace behaved on this occafion with great good humour, joy, and fincere devotion. Our merciful fovereign has been for fome time part: recovered of his fright : though fo attrocious an attempt defervi.d to exterminate half the nation, yet he has been gracioufly pleafed to fpare the lives of his fuhjeatics, or the moft plcalmg diiquifition in meta- pliviics, if it does not ultimately tend to increafe fome fenfual fatisfacf ion, ivS delightful only to fools, or to men who have by long habit contra