A DISCOURSE OF CHINA
the memory, so it hath this commodity, the commerce with divers Nations of different Languages by community of writing; Japon, Corai, Cauchinchina, the Leuhiees, understanding and reading the Characters, each into his owne Language, which the other understand nothing at all. Each Province also hath its owne, and all have one common Tongue besides, which they call Quonhoa, or the Court Language (the Magistrates being all forrainers, and none bearing Office in his Countrey Province) used in their Courts, and by the Learned: this onely did ours learne, nor is the other used by the civiller or learneder in conference, except privatly by Countrey-men: yea, children and women learne this Court-speech. I heare that the Japonians have an Alphabet also of Letters after our fashion, besides these Characters; but in China they have none, so that from their Cradle to the extremest age they are learning their Characters, as many as professe Learning: which howsoever it takes up time from better Sciences, it doth it also from idle youthfull vanities. Hence also riseth a kinde of writing with them, in few Characters expressing that which would cost us long discourses. Their course of writing is from the right hand, the line downward, ours contrary from the left and sidewayes.
Of all the noblest Sciences they are best skilled in morall Philosophie (naturall, they have rather obscured) and being ignorant of Logicke, they deliver those Ethicke precepts in confused sentences and discourses without order by meere naturall wit. Their greatest Philosopher is called Confutius, whom I finde to have beene borne 551. yeeres before the comming of Christ, and to have lived above 70. yeeres, by example as well as precept exciting to vertue, accounted a very holy man. And if wee marke his sayings and doings, wee must confesse few of our Ethnike Philosophers before him, and many behinde. But with the Chinois, his word is authoritie, and no speech of his is called in question; the Learned, yea the Kings also, ever since worshipping him, not as a God, but as a
Many nations and Languages have the same Characters.
Court Language.
Their writing.
Morall Philosophie.
Confutius. His heroike honours.423
