LVII

 

  1. And when KIEN OUEN was throned
  2. his uncle set to unthrone him, saying:
  3. As Tcheou-kong looked after Tching-ouang his nephew ...
  4. protect him from the guiles of his ministers.
  5. And when the palace cd/ no more hold out
  6. they remembered a box left by HONG VOU
  7. wherein was written:
  8. Go out by the gate of Kouémen
  9. Under night dark, follow the aqueduct till you come to the
  10. temple of Chin Lo-koan
  11. And in the red chest was habit of hochang
  12. and diploma of hochang
  13. Nine men went with KIEN OUEN TI
  14. and at Kouémen gate, messire Ouangchin, the taoist
  15. beat with his head on the ground, crying Ouan Soui
  16. may you live for 10,000 years
  17. HONG VOU came to me in a vision
  18. saying go to the gate at Kouémen
  19. and that I row you to Chin-lo-koan.
  20. Were nine mandarins, were Yang-long and Yé Hihien
  21. that went thus with KIEN TI, took monkhood,
  22. and he was wandering for 35 years until YNG-TSONG
  23. from one hiding place to another.
  24. YONG LO did 20 years heavy police work
  25. To whom came an envoi from Bengal
  26. And Malacca came into our Empire,
  27. And YANG LO commanded a ‘summa’
  28. that is that the gist of the books be corrected.
  29. And Mahamou sent in tribute of horses.
  30. GIN TSONG was ten months on the throne
  31. Under tartars had all gone feudal. And in 1430 was peace
  32. Came YNG-TSONG a child of eight years,
  33. eunuchs as wet-rot in the palace
  34. HONG VOU restored Imperial order
  35. yet now came again eunuchs, taozers and hochang
  36. Armourers worked day and night
  37. YUKIEN burnt the forage round Pekin

  38. against tartar horses
  39. this was in days of KING TI
  40. Fan-kuang took burning arrows
  41. and lances of the sort that one throws
  42. Yésien, Péyen, Tiémour came up under the walls at Pekin
  43. Che-heng and Yukien were defenders
  44. ‘no longer amused by their promises’
  45. In ‘52 was Emperor’s grain ration
  46. for famine in Honan, for famine in Shantung
  47. a million six hundred thousand measures of grain
  48. And for war they made 15 foot carrochs
  49. with a case slung below for provisions
  50. (vide Valturio)
  51. and a cannon to forrard, a turret bordered with lances
  52. we had a thousand such carrochs
  53. counting they wd/ fill a field of four li
  54. and these were never brought into action
  55. Died Yukien the restorer, that had so vile a reward
  56. by his own hand, in prison.
  57. Ché-heng turned to magicians
  58. a man full of himself.
  59. Now were the new maps published. There was a rebellion of eunuchs
  60. HIEN TSONG the idolater did posthumous honour to Yukien
  61. decreed Kungfutseu was an Emperor
  62. to be so held in all rites,
  63. Drove out the taozers and hochang
  64. yet for one eunuch, Hoai-ngan, one might forgive many eunuchs

  65. Tho’ they tried a star chamber

  66. and held it all of four years
  67. till HIEN TSONG removed them.
  68. another Lord seeking elixir
  69. seeking the transmutation of metals
  70. seeking a word to make change

    metamorphosis
  71. HOAI of SUNG was nearly ruined by taozers
  72. HIEN of TANG died seeking elixir
  73. and in ’97 they made a law code
  74. a bear walked into Pekin unnoticed
  75. though they strafed the watch for allowing it
  76. and there were 53 million folk in the Empire
  77. at tribute average of five measures
  78. of, say, 100 lbs each

  79. ‘OU TI of LÉANG, HOEÏ-TSONG of SUNG

  80. were more than all other Emperors
  81. Laoist and foéist, and came both to an evil end.
  82. To hell with the pyramid
  83. YAO and SHUN lived without any such monument
  84. TCHEOU KONG and Kungfutseu certainly wd/ not have ordered one
  85. nor will it lengthen YR MAJESTY’S days
  86. It will shorten the lives of YR subjects
  87. they will, many of ’em, die under new taxes.’
  88. Died HIAO TSONG aged 36, after peace and his 18 years on the throne
  89. And 8 bloody eunuchs conspired with Lieu,
  90. thunderbolt fell, naturally, on the palace
  91. From HONG VOU were an hundred and forty years
  92. till now OU TSONG, a minor,
  93. and 140 would be till the MANCHU, new mongol.
  94. And when Lieou-kin the castrat was arrested
  95. they found in his buildings:
  96. gold bars 240 thousand, of about 10 tael each
  97. 15 millions in money
  98. 5 million bars silver, of about 50 tael each
  99. 2 measures of unset jewels
  100. thus shaking the Emperor’s confidence
  101. In 1512 came ‘bachelors men’, that were horse thieves.
  102. Died OU TSONG the lazy
  103. And the Empress chose CHI-TSONG successor
  104. who was son (aîné) of the second son of the Emperor HIEN TSONG
  105. he was a writer of verses,
  106. in fact he said he wd/ like to resign
  107. and she (TCHANG CHI) told them to lay hold of Kiang-ping
  108. and they found in his cellarage
  109. 70 caskets of gold
  110. 2 thousand 200 caskets of silver
  111. 500 caskets of mixed
  112. 400 great plates, gold and silver
  113. not to count silk of the first grade, pearls,
  114. cut stones and jewels
  115. Came again Mansour the tartar
  116. and tartars said they wanted a market for horses
  117. Jap sailors drove chinks to embargo
  118. ‘no trade save with our regnicoles’
  119. And were five planets in the constellation of Yng-che
  120. CHI-TSONG did rites at the MING tombs
  121. on Mt Tien-cheou
  122. Japs burnt the salt works at Hai men
  123. Oua-chi led troops against them
  124. who called themselves ‘wolves of our Lady’
  125. And Japs feared only this lady Oua-chi
  126. Pirates almost took Fou-kien.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1403

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1409

a.d. 1415

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

a.d. 1459

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

a.d.1505

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

a.d. 1536