p. 216

An eclipse of the moon happening on the fourth of February gave occasion
to the Embassadors to enjoy a little rest at home, though they were
summoned to attend the palace at a very early hour in the morning. The
Emperor and his mandarins were engaged the whole day in devoutly praying
the gods that the moon might not be eaten up by the great dragon that
was hovering about her. Recovered from their apprehensions, an
entertainment was given the following day, at which the Embassadors were
required to be present. After a number of juggling tricks and infantine
sports, a pantomime, intended to be an exhibition of the battle of the
dragon and the moon, was represented before the full court. In this
engagement two or three hundred priests, bearing lanterns suspended at
the ends of long ticks, performed a variety of evolutions, dancing and
capering about, sometimes over the plain, and then over chairs and

p. 217

and tables, affording to his Imperial Majesty and to his courtiers the
greatest pleasure and satisfaction.

On the fifteenth of February the Dutch Embassadors left Pekin, having
remained there thirty-fix days, during which they were scarcely allowed
to have a single day's rest, but were obliged, at the most unseasonable
hours, in the depth of winter, when the thermometer was seldom higher
than 10 or 12 degrees below the freezing point, to dance attendance upon
the Emperor and the great officers of fate, whenever they might think
fit to call upon them; and to submit to the degrading ceremony of
knocking the head nine times against the ground, at least on thirty
different occasions, and without having the satisfaction of gaining by
this unconditional compliance any one earthly thing, beyond a compliment
from the Emperor, that they went through their prostrations to
admiration!

And they were finally obliged to leave the capital without being once
allowed to speak on any kind of business, or even asked a single
question as to the nature of their mission, which, indeed, the Chinese
were determined to take for granted was purely complimentary to their
great Emperor.

The manuscript I quote from describes minutely all the pantomimic
performances, the tricks of conjurors and jugglers, and the feats of
posture-masters, but as they seem to be pretty much of the fame kind as
were exhibited before the British Embassy in Tartary, as described by
Lord Macartney, I forbear to relate them. Enough has been said to shew
the taste of the court in this respect, and the state of the drama in
China.