na hath hitherto bene destitute of
true religion, and now the first beginnings thereof are included in most
narrow bounds, that nation being otherwise a people most ingenious, and of
an extraordinory and high capacity, hath alwayes liued in great errours and
ignorance of the trueth, being distracted into sundry opinions, and
following manifolde sects. [Sidenote: Three principall sectes among the
Chinians.] And among these sects there are three more famous then the rest:
[Sidenote: Confucius authour of the first sect.] the first is of them that
professe the doctrine of one Confucius a notable philosopher. This man (as
it is reported in the history of his life) was one of most vpright and
incorrupt maners, whereof he wrote sundry treatises very pithily and
largely, which aboue all other books, are seriously read and perused by the
Chinians. The same doctrine do all Magistrates embrace, and others also
that giue their mindes to the study of letters, a great part whereof
Confucius is sayd to haue inuented: and he is had in so great honour, that
all his followers and clients, vpon the dayes of the new and full Moone,
doe assemble themselues at the common Schoole, which I haue aboue
mentioned, and before his image, which is worshipped with burning of
incense and with tapers, they doe thrise bend their knees, and bow their
heads downe to the ground; which not onely the common scholars, but the
chiefe Magistrates do performe. [The summe of Confucius his doctrine.] The
summe of the foresayd doctrine is, that men should follow the light of
nature as their guide, and that they should diligently endeuour to attaine
vnto the vertues by me before mentioned: and lastly, that they should
employ their labour about the orderly gouernment of their families and of
the Common-wealth. All these things are in very deed praise-worthy, if
Confucius had made any mention of almighty God and of the life to come, and
had not ascribed so much vnto the heauens, and vnto fatall necessity, nor
yet had so curiously intreated of worshipping the images of their
forefathers. In which regard he can very hardly or not at all be excused
from the crime of idolatry: notwithstanding it is to be granted, that none
other doctrine among the Chinians approacheth so neere vnto the trueth as
this doeth. [Sidenote: Xequiam author of the second sect, whose followers
are called Cen or Bonzi.] The second sect is of them which followethe the
instructions of Xaquam, or as the