What Ricci has recorded (in Trigautius) of the dense ignorance of the
Chinese literati in astronomical matters is entirely consistent with
the preceding statements.
[7] I had entirely forgotten to look at Trigault till Mr. Wylie sent me
the extract. The copy I use (De Christiana Expeditione apud Sinas ...
Auct. Nicolao Trigautio) is of Lugdun. 1616. The first edition was
published at August. Vindelicorum (Augsburg) in 1615: the French, at
Lyons, in 1616.
[8] "Pinnulis."
[9] "Et stilus eo modo quo in horologiis ad perpendiculum collocatus."
[10] The Alidada is the traversing index bar which carries the
dioptra, pinnules, or sight-vanes. The word is found in some older
English Dictionaries, and in France and Italy is still applied to the
traversing index of a plane table or of a sextant. Littre derives it
from (Ar.) 'adad, enumeration; but it is really from a quite
different word, al-idadat [Arabic] "a door-post," which is found in
this sense in an Arabic treatise on the Astrolabe. (See Dozy and
Engelmann, p. 140.)
[11] This is an error of Ricci's, as Mr. Wylie observes, or of his
reporter.
The Chinese divide their year into 24 portions of 15 days each.
Of these 24 divisions twelve called Kung mark the twelve places in
which the sun and moon come into conjunction, and are thus in some
degree analogous to our 12 signs of the Zodiac. The names of these
Kung are entirely different from those of our sign, though since the
17th century the Western Zodiac, with paraphrased names, has been
introduced in some of their books. But besides that, they divide the
heavens into 28 stellar spaces. The correspondence of this division to
the Hindu system of the 28 Lunar Mansions, called Nakshatras, has
given rise to much discussion. The Chinese sieu or stellar spaces
are excessively unequal, varying from 24 deg. in equatorial extent down to
24'. (Williams, op. cit.) [See P. Hoang, supra p. 449.]
[12] Mr. Wylie is inclined to distrust the accuracy of this remark, as the
only city nearly on the 36th parallel is P'ing-yang fu.
But we have noted in regard to this (Polo's Pianfu, vol. ii. p. 17)
that a college for the education of Mongol youth was instituted here,
by the great minister Yeliu Chutsai, whose devotion to astronomy Mr.
Wylie has noticed above. In fact, two colleges were established by
him, one at Yenking, i.e. Peking, the other at P'ing-yang; and
astronomy is specified as one of the studies to be pursued at these.
(See D'Ohsson, II. 71-72, quoting De Mailla.) It seems highly
probable that the two sets of instruments were originally intended for
these two institutions, and that one set was carried to Nanking, when
the Ming set their capital there in 1368.
[13] The 28 sieu or stellar spaces, above spoken of, do not extend to
the Pole; they are indeed very unequal in extent on the meridian as
well as on the equator. And the area in the northern sky not embraced
in them is divided into three large spaces called Yuen or
enclosures, of which the field of circumpolar stars (or circle of
perpetual apparition) forms one which is called Tze-Wei.
(Williams.)
The southern circumpolar stars form a fourth space, beyond the 28
sieu. Ibid.
[14] "This was obviously made in France. There is nothing Chinese about
it, either in construction or ornament. It is very different from all
the others." (Note by Mr. Wylie.)
[15] "There follows a minute description of the brass clepsydra, and the
brass gnomon, which it is unnecessary to translate. I have seen both
these instruments, in two of the lower rooms." - Id.
[16] [Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J., was born at Pitthens, near Courtrai; he
arrived in China in 1659 and died at Peking on the 29th January,
1688. - H. C.]
[17] We have attached letters A, B, C, to indicate the correspondences of
the ancient instruments, and cyphers 1, 2, 3, to indicate the
correspondences of the modern instruments.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
[CONCERNING THE RELIGION OF THE CATHAYANS;[NOTE 1] THEIR VIEWS AS TO THE
SOUL; AND THEIR CUSTOMS.
As we have said before, these people are Idolaters, and as regards their
gods, each has a tablet fixed high up on the wall of his chamber, on which
is inscribed a name which represents the Most High and Heavenly God; and
before this they pay daily worship, offering incense from a thurible,
raising their hands aloft, and gnashing their teeth[NOTE 2] three times,
praying Him to grant them health of mind and body; but of Him they ask
nought else. And below on the ground there is a figure which they call
Natigai, which is the god of things terrestrial. To him they give a wife
and children, and they worship him in the same manner, with incense, and
gnashing of teeth,[NOTE 2] and lifting up of hands; and of him they ask
seasonable weather, and the fruits of the earth, children, and so
forth.[NOTE 3]
Their view of the immortality of the soul is after this fashion. They
believe that as soon as a man dies, his soul enters into another body,
going from a good to a better, or from a bad to a worse, according as he
hath conducted himself well or ill. That is to say, a poor man, if he have
passed through life good and sober, shall be born again of a gentlewoman,
and shall be a gentleman; and on a second occasion shall be born of a
princess and shall be a prince, and so on, always rising, till he be
absorbed into the Deity. But if he have borne himself ill, he who was the
son of a gentleman shall be reborn as the son of a boor, and from a boor
shall become a dog, always going down lower and lower.
