it is regularly built, and the streets are exactly straight, and cross
one another in direct lines, which sets it out to the greatest
advantage. At our return, we found the priest was come from Macao, that
was to accompany Father Simon to Pekin. That Father earnestly solicited
me to accompany him, & I referred him to my partner. In short, we both
agreed, and prepared accordingly; and we were so lucky as to have
liberty to travel among the retinue of one of their Mandarines, who is a
principal magistrate, and much reverenced by the people.

We were five and twenty days travelling thro' this miserable country,
infinitely populous, but as indifferently cultivated; and yet their
pride is infinitely greater than their poverty, insomuch that they
priests themselves derided them. As we passed by the house of one of
their country gentlemen, two leagues off Nanquin, we had the honour,
forsooth, to ride with the Chinese squire about two miles. Never was Don
Quixote so exactly imitated! Never such a compound of pomp and poverty
seen before!

His habit, made of calico, was dirty, greasy, and very proper for a
Mersy Andrew or Scaramouch, with all its tawdry trappings, as hanging
sleeves, tassels, &c. though torn and rent in almost every part; his
vest underneath it was no less dirty, but more greatly; resembling the
most exquisite sloven or greasy butcher; his horse (worse than
Rosinante, or the famous steed of doughty Hudibras) was a poor starved
decrepid thing, that would not sell for thirty shillings in England;
and yet this piece of worshipful pomp was attended with ten or twelve
slaves who guarded their master to his country seat. We stopped at a
little village for refreshment; and when we came by the country seat of
this great man, we found him sitting under a tree before his door,
eating a mess of boiled rice, with a great piece of garlic in the
middle, and a bag filled with green pepper by him, and another plant
like ginger, together with a piece of lean mutton in it: this was his
worship's repast: but pray observe the state of the food! two women
slaves brought him his food, which being laid before him, two others
appeared to perform their respective offices; one fed him with a spoon,
while the other scraped off what fell upon his beard and taffety vest,
and gave it to a particular favourite to eat. And thus we left the
wretch pleased with the conceit of our admiring his magnificence, which
rather merited our scorn and d