I think badly cultivated; the husbandry, the economy, and
the way of living miserable, though they boast so much of the industry of
the people: I say miserable, if compared with our own, but not so to
these poor wretches, who know no other. The pride of the poor people is
infinitely great, and exceeded by nothing but their poverty, in some
parts, which adds to that which I call their misery; and I must needs
think the savages of America live much more happy than the poorer sort of
these, because as they have nothing, so they desire nothing; whereas
these are proud and insolent and in the main are in many parts mere
beggars and drudges. Their ostentation is inexpressible; and, if they
can, they love to keep multitudes of servants or slaves, which is to the
last degree ridiculous, as well as their contempt of all the world but
themselves.

I must confess I travelled more pleasantly afterwards in the deserts and
vast wildernesses of Grand Tartary than here, and yet the roads here are
well paved and well kept, and very convenient for travellers; but nothing
was more awkward to me than to see such a haughty, imperious, insolent
people, in the midst of the grossest simplicity and ignorance; and my
friend Father Simon and I used to be very merry upon these occasions, to
see their beggarly pride. For example, coming by the house of a country
gentleman, as Father Simon called him, about ten leagues off the city of
Nankin, we had first of all the honour to ride with the master of the
house about two miles; the state he rode in was a perfect Don Quixotism,
being a mixture of pomp and poverty. His habit was very proper for a
merry-andrew, being a dirty calico, with hanging sleeves, tassels, and
cuts and slashes almost on every side: it covered a taffety vest, so
greasy as to testify that his honour must be a most exquisite sloven. His
horse was a poor, starved, hobbling creature, and two slaves followed him
on foot to drive the poor creature along; he had a whip in his hand, and
he belaboured the beast as fast about the head as his slaves did about
the tail; and thus he rode by us, with about ten or twelve servants,
going from the city to his country seat, about half a league before us.
We travelled on gently, but this figure of a gentleman rode away before
us; and as we stopped at a village about an hour to refresh us, when we
came by the country seat of this great man, we saw him in a little place
before his door, eating a r