_How manie kinges hath beene in this kingdome, and their names._
[Sidenote: Vitey, the first king of China.]
In the fourth chapter of the first booke, I did promise particularly to
declare howe many kinges haue beene in this kingdome, and their names.
Nowe to accomplish the same, I will beginne and declare the succession
of them from Vitey (who was the first that did reduce the kingdome to
one empire gouernment) vnto him that dooth reigne at this daye,
remitting that which shall lacke vnto the chapter aforesaide: whereas
shall be found the number of the kinges, and how many yeares since the
first beginning of this kingdome, and the manner of the succession.[76]
[Sidenote: Which is foure yeardes quarter and halfe.]
[Sidenote: The first inuention of garments and dying of colours.]
This Vitey was the first king of China (as it appeareth by their
histories, where as they doo make particular mention). But amongest
other thinges that they do declare of the kinges person, they do say
that he was in height so much as seuen measures, which is accustomed in
China; and euerie measure is two thirdes of a Spanish vare, which is by
good account foure vares[77] and two terses[78] in length: he was sixe
palmes broade in the shoulders, and was as valiant in his deedes as in
bignesse of his bodie: he had a captaine called Lincheon, who was not
onely valiant, but politike and of great wisedome, by reason whereof
with his valour and strength he did subiect vnto Vitey all the whole
countrie that he doth now possesse, and caused all people to feare him.
They do attribute that this Vitey did first inuent the vse of garmentes
for to weare, and by the dying of all manner of colours, of making of
shippes: hee likewise inuented the sawe to sawe tymber; but aboue all
thinges he was a great architector, and an inuenter of buildinges,
whereof hee made verie manie and verie sumptuous, which doo indure vnto
this day in the remembraunce of his name: he did also inuent the wheele
to turne silke, the which is vsed to this day in all the kingdome: hee
was the first that did use to weare golde, pearles, and precious stones
for iewelles, and to weare cloth of golde, siluer, and silke in
apparell: he did repart all the people of the countrie into cities,
townes, and villages, and did ordaine occupations, and commaunded that
no man should vse any other but that which his father did vse, without
his particular licence, or the gouerners of his kingdome. And that
should not be granted without great occasion for the same.
[Sidenote: No woman to be idle.]
All of one occupation were put in streetes by themselues, the which
order is vsed vnto this day throughout al the kingdome; so that if you
doo desire to know what occupation is in anye street, it is sufficient
to see the first house thereof, although it be very long: for it is
verie certaine that they be all of one occupation and not mingled with
any other. Amongst all other things he ordeyned one thing of great
consideration, that was, no woman to be idle, but to worke, either in
her husbands occupation, or in sowing or spinning. This was a law so
generall amongst them, that the queene her selfe did obserue and keepe
it.
[Sidenote: A strange kind of hearb.]
They saye that he was a great astrologician, and had growing in the
court of his pallace a certaine hearbe, the which did make a manner of
demonstration when that any did passe by it, whereby it did shewe if any
were euill intentioned against the king. Many other things they do
declare which I let passe, because I would not be tedious vnto the
reader, referring the dreames and fondnesse of these idolaters vnto the
iudgement of your discretion: for vnto the discreete is sufficient to
touch of euerie thing a little. He had foure wiues, and by them fiue and
twentie sonnes; he reyned a hundreth yeares: there was betwixt this king
and he which did build the great wall (that was spoken of in the ninth
chapter of the first booke) one hundred and sixteene kinges, all of the
lynage of this Vitey. All the which did raigne, as appeareth by their
histories, two thousand two hundreth and fiftie seuen yeares. I do not
here declare their names, because I would not be tedious, although they
be particularly named in their histories; but here I will set downe them
that I finde necessarie to be spoken of for the succession vnto him that
now reygneth.
The last king of the lynage of this woorthie Vitey, was called Tzintzon:
this did make the mightie and great wall aforesaide. Finding himselfe to
be greatly troubled with the king of Tartarie, who did make warre vppon
him in many places of his kingdom, he did ordaine the making thereof,
and for the furnishing of the same, he did take the third man of the
countrie to the worke; and for that manie people did die in this tedious
worke, by reason they went so farre from their owne houses, and in
diuers climes cleane contrarie vnto that where as they were bred and
borne: it grew that the king was hated and abhorred of all people, in
such sort that they did conspire his death, which in effect they did
accomplish and slew him, after he had reigned fortie yeares: and also
his sonne and heyre, who was called Aguizi. After the death of this
Tzintzon and his sonne, they did ordaine for their king one that was
called Anchosan, a man of great valour and wisedome; hee reigned twelue
yeeres: a sonne of his did succeede him in the kingdom, called Futey,
and he reigned seuen yeares. After the death of this king, who died very
young, his wife did reigne and gouerne, and was of his owne lineage: she
did maruellously gouerne that kingdome for the space of 18 yeares, and
for that shee had no issue naturall of her bodie, a sonne of her
husbands yt he had by an other wife did succeede in the kingdome, and
reigned three and twentie yeares: a son of his did succeede him, called
Cuntey, and reigned 16 yeares and eight monthes: a son of his called
Guntey, did reigne 54 yeares: a sonne of his did succeede him called
Guntey, and reigned thirteene yeares: his sonne, called Ochantey, did
succeede him, and reigned 25 yeares and three monthes: his son, called
Coanty, succeeded him, and reigned 13 yeares and two monthes. After him
reigned his sonne Tzentzey 26 yeares and 4 monthes: then succeeded his
son called Anthrey, and reigned no more but 6 yeares; his sonne,
Pintatey, did inherite and reigned 5 yeares. This Pintatey when he died
was not married, and therefore a brother of his did succeede him, called
Tzintzuny, and reigned but 3 yeares and 7 monethes: after him succeeded
a younger brother called Huy Hannon, and reigned sixe yeares: his sonne,
called Cubun, did succeed him, and reigned 32 yeares: his sonne,
Bemthey, did inherite and reigned 18 yeares: after him his son, Vnthey,
and reigned 13 yeares: Othey succeeds him, and reigned 17 yeares; his
sonne, called Yanthey, reigned but 8 monethes, and left a sonne, called
Anthey, who reigned 19 yeares, whose eldest sonne, called Tantey, died
incontinent after his father, and reigned only 3 monthes, and his
brother, called Chyley, reigned one yeare; his son, called Linthey,
reigned 22 yeares; his sonne, called Yanthey, did succeede him, and
reigned 31 years. This Yanthey (the historie saieth) was a man of small
wisedome, which was the occasion that he was abhorred and hated of those
of his kingdome. A nephew of his, called Laupy, did rebell against him;
he had two sociates for to helpe him, gentlemen of the court; they were
two brethren and verie valiant, the one was called Quathy, the other
Tzunthey; these two did procure to make Laupy king. His vncle the king
vnderstoode thereof, and was of so litle valor and discretion, that he
could not, neither durst he put remedie in the same, which caused
commotions and common rumors amongst the people. But in especiall there
was foure tyrantes ioyned in one, and all at one time, they wer called,
Cincoan, Sosoc, Guansian, and Guanser. Against these Laupy did make
warre vnder colour to helpe his vncle, but after a while, that the warre
indured, he concluded and made peace with Cincoan, and he married with
one of his daughters, who straight wayes made warre against the other
three tyrants with the helpe of his father in lawe.
At this time this mightie kingdome was diuided in three partes, and
beganne the tyrannie as you shall vnderstande: the one and principall
part fell vpon Laupy by the death of his vncle, the other to Sosoc, and
the other vnto Cincoan his father in law. In this sort remained the
kingdome in diuision a while, til such time as Cuthey, sonne vnto Laupy,
did reigne in his fathers steede. Then did there a tyrant rise vp
against him, called Chimbutey, and slew him: he by his great valour did
bring the kingdome all in one as before, after that it had bin in
diuision 41 yeares, and reigned after that alone 25 yeares: his sonne,
named Fontey, did succeede him, and reigned 17 yeares. And to make short
of this linage, there was 15 kinges, and reigned 176 yeares; against the
last of them, who was called Quioutey, there did arise against him
tyrannously Tzobu. Of this linage there was eyght kinges, who reigned 62
yeares: against the last of them, called Sutey, there arose one called
Cotey, of whose lynage there was fine kings, and reigned twentie foure
yeres; the last of them, called Otey, was slaine by Dian. There was of
this lynage foure kings that reigned 56 yeres: against the last of them
rose vp Tym, and there was of this race fiue kinges, and reigned one and
thirty yeares: against the last of this house rose vp Tzuyn. And there
was of this linage three kings, and reigned seuen and thirtie yeares,
against the last of these rose vp Tonco. This and all the rest of his
lynage did gouerne maruelous well; which was the occasion that they
endured the longer time. There was of them one and twentie kinges, and
reigned 294 yeares; the last of them, called Troncon, did marrie with
one that had beene his fathers wife, called Bausa, a verie faire woman:
hee tooke her out of a monasterie, where she was a nunne, onely to
marrie with her: she vsed such policie that he was slaine, and did
gouerne the kingdome after, alone, one and fortie yeares. The historie
sayth that she was dishonest, and that with extremitie, and vsed the
companie of the best and principallest of the realme; and not content
with that, she married with one of base lynage, one fit for her purpose,
because she was so vicious. They say that before she did marrie, she
caused to be slaine the sonnes she had by her first husbande, for that
she had a desire that a nephew of hers should succeede her in the
kingdome. Then those of the kingdome perceiuing her intent, and wearie
of her by reason of her ill liuing, sent out to seeke a bastard sonne of
her husbandes, who was fledde away, and with a common consent they
raysed him for king. He was called Tautzon: he caused cruell and
rigorous iustice to be done vpon his stepmother, as was reason for her
euilles, and an example to all those of the kingdome, who by a president
of her ill liuing beganne to straggle: there was of his lynage seuen
kinges, that reigned 130 yeares: against the last, called Concham, arose
Dian; of this linage there were but two kinges, and reigned eighteene
yeares. Against the second and last arose Outon, and was of his linage
three kinges, and reigned but fifteene yeares: against the last there
arose Outzim; of this there was but two kinges, and reigned nine yeares
and three monethes; there arose against the last Tozo: he and his sonne
reigned foure yeares: with the sonne of this one Auchin did fight and
slewe him in the combat, and succeeded him in the kingdome: hee with
other two of his lynage reigned tenne yeares; against the last of these
arose vp one of the lynage of Vitey, the first king, and slewe him; hee
was called Zaytzon; there was of this lynage seuenteene kinges, and
reigned with all peace and quietnesse three hundred and twentie yeares:
the last of this lynage was called Tepyna, with whom did fight the gran
Tartaro called Vzon, who entred into China with a mightie armie, and got
all the kingdome; and it was possessed with nine Tartare kings, the
which reigned 93 yeares, and intreated the inhabitantes with great
tyrannie and seruitude: the last of these was called Tzintzoum; this was
more cruel vnto the Chinos then any of the rest, which was the occasion
that all the kingdome did ioyne together in one, and did elect a king,
called Gombu, a man of great valour and of the lynage of ancient kinges
past, who by his great woorthinesse and ioyning much people together,
did so much that hee did driue all the Tartaros out of the kingdome,
with the death of many thousands of them, who obstinately and without
iustice did with all tyrannie keepe that kingdome in possession: there
was of this lynage twelue kinges with this that now reigneth: the eleuen
kinges past reigned two hundreth yeares: he that now possesseth the
kingdome is called Boneg, who by the death of his elder brother that
died by a fall hee had from his horse, did inherite the kingdome: he is
of 21 yeares of age (as they saye) and hath his mother aliue, of whom,
as yet, there is nothing written: so that I can write nothing in
particular, but that they say he is a gallant gentleman, and welbeloued
of his subiects, and a great friende vnto iustice. He is married with a
cosen of his, and hath one sonne.
Those of his linage hath got of the Tartares many countries since they
were driven out of China, the which are on the other side of the mightie
wall. God for His mercie's sake bring them to the knowledge of His holy
lawe, and accomplish a prophesie that they have amongst them, by the
which they are given to vnderstand that they shall be ruled and brought
in subiection by men with great eyes and long beards--a nation that
shall come from countries farre off, by whom they shalbe commanded,
which signifieth to be Christians. The king of this countrie is had in
so great reputation amongest his subiects, that in all the prouinces
where he is not resident, in the chiefe cities whereas are the vizroyes
or gouernors, they haue a table of gold, in the which is portred the
king that nowe reigneth, and couered with a curtin of cloth of gold,
verie riche, and thether goeth euery day the loytias, which are the
gentlemen, men of lawe, and ministers of justice, and do by dutie
reuerence vnto it, as though the kinge were personally present. This
table and picture is discouered the first day of their feasts which they
doo celebrate, and is at the newe moone of euery month, on the which day
all people do repaire and do reuerence vnto the picture with the same
respect as they would doo if he were present: they do call the king Lord
of the Worlde, and Sonne of Heaven.