Hau Kiou choaan or, The pleasing history |
 | IV. |
 | THE
ARGUMENT or STORY
OF A
CHINESE PLAY
ACTED AT
CANTON,
In the Year
M. DCC. XIX. |
|
| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| I. |
 | Hau Kiou choaan |  |
THE
ARGUMENT or STORY
OF A
CHINESE PLAY
ACTED AT
CANTON,
In the Year
M. DCC. XIX.
ADVERTISEMENT.
THE following piece was found among the
papers of the gentleman, to whom we are
indebted for the foregoing Translation, and affords
the second specimen that hath yet appeared in any
European language of the talents of the Chinese
for dramatic composition: the Orphan of the
house of Chao, published by P. Du Halde being
the first.
Altho' the Chinese have no such distinction as
Tragedy and Comedy, yet as the following
specimen differs in many respects from that of P.
Du Halde, representing characters in lower life,
and being founded on incidents neither so tragical
nor important; the Editor at first was doubtful,
whether it might not be considered as a kind of
specimen of Chinese Comedy: but upon proposing
the question to a very ingenious and learned
Friend, he received the following sensible remarks,
which he here presents to the reader, as a Critique
on the piece.
"There is not much room to make observations
on the Chinese skeleton; as the fable is all
you have before you: which yet hath something
of unity in it, tho' it consists of too many members,
and tho' the action begins at a monstrous
distance from the catastrophe, and is
however be represented as a specimen of
Chinese Comedy: for though the characters
want greatness, and the events importance,
yet these enter not into the essential characteristics
of the two dramas. The essence of Comedy,
is to paint characters and manners: that
of Tragedy, to excite terror and pity thro' the
medium of action. But there is really (as I
observed) something of unity attempted in the
action here, tho' the conduct of it is very rude
and perplexed. The want of greatness in the
persons and events, indicates a defect in the
composition, but does not alter the nature of
the poem. George Barnwell remains
still a Tragedy, tho' its characters are of the
very lowest kind, and the distress only of a private
family. But the Chinese Author hath not
without some art contrived to interest us in
the distress of his principal personages. Our
compassion is equally excited, when we see
the Chinese matron and her son in poverty,
and with disdain and reluctance obliged to depend
upon alms, as when we see the favorite
of kings in a dungeon. Our terror is afterwards
attempted in the several dangers and
rough distresses they have to encounter: and at
the same time that we were engaged to admire
their steady and constant virtue in struggling
thro' them, we are interested in all their fortunes;
till in the conclusion we are taught this
way thro' those dangers, difficulties and distresses
to which it may be exposed."
After all it may be questioned whether the
Chinese Author had in view either to paint characters
and manners, or to excite terror or pity,
as his immediate end. The piece seems rather to
resemble those peculiar productions of the Spanish
stage, whose sole design is to puzzle and amuse
the spectators, by the surprizing turns and
revolutions of an intricate plot.
INTRODUCTION.
PLAYS generally accompany the entertainments
of ceremony given by the Chinese
Mandarines, and are acted while the guests are
regaling at table. When the guests are first
seated, four or five of the principal Comedians
enter the hall in rich dresses, and making low
bows all together, hit their foreheads against
the ground. Then one of them presents the
principal guest with a book, containing in letters
of gold, the names of fifty or fixty plays;
which they have learnt by heart, and are ready
to act upon the spot. After some complimentary
refusals and offers to others, the principal
guest pitches upon one: which the chief Comedian
carries round to all the company for their
approbation.—If any one of the guests should
chance to have a name similar to one of the Dramatis
Personæ or the like, that play is set aside
and another chosen.
The representation begins with Chinese music,
viz. basons of brass or steel, whose sound is harsh
and shrill; drums of buffalo skins; flutes; fifes and
trumpets. There are no decorations for the plays;
they only spread a carpet on the floor and the Comedians
make use of some adjoining rooms, from
which they enter to act their parts. One actor generally
performs two or three parts.—The ladies
are placed out of the hall over against the Comedians,
where through a lattice of Bam-boo and
a silken net they can see all, unseen themselves.
P. Du Halde, v. 1. p. 299. v. 2. p. 175. &c.
N. B. Plays are sometimes acted on stages in
the open streets, but we don't find that they have
any regular theatres or play-houses.
![Page [175]](https://iiif.lib.virginia.edu/iiif/uva-lib:150314/full/!200,200/0/default.jpg "Click to Enlarge")
THE
ARGUMENT or STORY
OF A
CHINESE PLAY.
AN aged matron and her son of
good descent, being in great poverty,
discourse about their condition,
and find no means of support but in
begging alms; to which they bring
themselves with great reluctance and
confusion.
They meet with a Mandarine's daughter,
who is wandering about in discontent
her and her father. She inquires
what reduced them to that way of life,
and finding by their discourse that they
are of good education and parentage,
gives the son money, and takes the
mother to attend on her.
The son departs for his own country,
and in his way goes into a Tea-shop[1]
,
kept by an old woman and her daughter:
who, understanding his condition,
a good mien, take him in, to serve
in the house[2] .
A young Mandarine, a great rake,
coming there to drink tea, conceives
an inclination for the woman's daughter;
and finding she is not to be had
upon easier terms, offers to take her into
his house to keep her.
The old woman consents; but the
young one rejecting his offers, He sends
some of his servants to take her away
by force: but she is rescued by their
new servant.
Upon this the young Mandarine
gives in an accusation against him, and
hath him carried before a Mandarine
of justice: by whom he is punished
with the bastinado[3]
; and hath the
Can-ghé[4]
or wooden ruff, fixed about
his neck to walk the streets with.
The young rakish Mandarine not
satisfied with this punishment, arms
himself and his servants with cudgels,
resolving to beat him to death.
They go in search of him about the
streets, and find him attended by his
young mistress aforesaid, who is feeding
him; he being unable to do it himself,
on account of his collar.
They attack him with their clubs:
but he being a resolute youth, and having
his hands at liberty, beats them; and
by whirling his four-cornered collar,
head, and kills him.
The governor of the street or ward,
comes and takes both him and the
woman into custody.—Being brought
before a Mandarine called Nan-hayan,
he relates how he was attacked, and
obtains his release.
But the Mandarine conceives a liking
for the young woman, and takes her
into his house: at which his wife is
much displeased, and, while her husband
is absent, lets her out of the place
in which she had been confined.
A superior Mandarine, being informed
of the death of the young rake
being accused as the cause of it, and of
all the rest of the disturbance, sends an
order or summons for her to appear
before him.
The order being carried to the Man-darine,
who had had her in custody:
he commands her to be brought forth
and delivered up.—They bring him
word she is released by his wife and
fled: upon which he is in the utmost
confusion, not knowing how to answer
it to his superior.
After he hath recovered himself a
little, he calls his servants and charges
them all to go in search of the young
woman. They object how impossible
gone some time, and none of them
know her face or person.
He is again at a loss: at last he
tells them the necessity of sending some
woman to the superior Mandarine, and
therefore bids them go and seize any
one, whom they think will do as well,
and carry her before him.
His servants go upon the search, and
coming to a Joss-house or temple[5]
on
daughter first-mentioned, with the matron
whom she had taken into her
service.
(For she had newly fled from her
father's house: He being accused by
another Mandarine, disgraced, and degraded,
and having all his goods and
family seized on: but not before he had
found opportunity to dispatch a servant
to acquaint his daughter: which servant
had brought her through the city-gate,
assist her farther.)
She is seized by the servants dispatched
by the Mandarine Nan-hayan
abovemenioned, and carried before the
superior Mandarine, by whom she is
sentenced to lose her head[6]
.
Being brought to the place of execution,
(which is performed at midnight)
the young man, whom she had
relieved, happens to be there; and
when the Chop or writing of the crime
comes to be taken off [from her forehead,]
in order to strike off her head,
he sees her face and knows her again:
Upon which he snatches a sword from
one of the officers, and attacks and
drives them off. Then he and the
young lady make their escape.
But they are presently after taken,
and carried before the Mandarine, who
ordered the execution: where the young
woman, whom the other Mandarine
had in custody. Which he finding to
be true, by examining into the proceedings
of the said Mandarine, sends
for his head.
He then releases the young man,
and takes him into his service for his
gallantry: but falls in love with the
young lady; and having no first wife,
orders his women servants to persuade
her to comply with his desires.
This she very peremptorily refuses
to his servants, and afterwards to his
face: upon which he orders them to
fall upon her, and to beat her severely.
This they do till she lies for dead.
taken into his service, to carry her
body and throw it into the river.
He bears her to the river side,
but instead of throwing her in, takes off
his coat and covers her body: and after
much lamentation over one from whom
he had received succour in his greatest
extremity, he goes to buy a coffin for
her[7]
.
In the interim a boat coming near
something more than common, and
finding it to be a woman, carry her off:
they being in search of women to serve
the Tartar Queen[8] .
(For the Tartar Queen being at war
with the Chinese, had sent to pickaroon
country: and had already carried away
the mother of the young man, who
was along with this young lady in the
Joss-house or temple, as also the young
woman in whose place she had like to
have been executed.)
The young man returns to the river
side, and finding the young lady carried
away, goes back to acquaint the Man-darine
his master, that he hath executed
his orders; but finds him very
much concerned, for by this time he
had heard whose daughter she was.
To prevent the truth from coming to
her father's knowledge, he orders the
young man to find out that Mandarine
and kill him. This he pretends to
undertake, and in his search lights on this
very person, (who is then wandering
about in disgrace) without knowing him.
The disgraced Mandarine, upon inquiry,
finding the young man hath no
intention of harm to him, reveals himself,
with him, to kill the Mandarine his
master, who had so highly injured both
him and his daughter. This they immediately
put in execution.
The young man then goes to the
wars against the Tartars: where he behaves
with great courage; and, it
being the custom there for the women
to fight, he encounters his own mother,
the Mandarine's daughter, and the
young woman that belonged to the
tea-shop.
They recollect each other's faces
with equal surprize on both sides: In
consequence of which the young man,
notwithstanding he had for that time
take the first opportunity to run among
them, and be taken prisoner.
On the other hand, the women petition
the Queen, that they may lay
down their arms, not being able to
fight against an enemy, where they
are in danger of killing, or being
killed by, one so dear to them, as a
son or friend, &c.
Afterwards the young man is taken
prisoner and brought before the Queen,
to whom he declares his reasons for
surrendering himself up.
The Queen, much affected with
his story, sends for the three women,
them to his care.
The Queen [induced by his reasons,
and moved by his virtuous discourses]
soon makes peace with the Chinese, and
retiring to a convent becomes a Bonzess
or nun[9]
.
The young man, and the three women
return to China, where they find
out the father of the young lady first
to his rank and honours.
He very much rejoices at the sight
of his daughter; and gives her in marriage
for a first or chief wife to the
young man. Who then takes the other
young woman for a second wife or
concubine[10]
.
Upon this follows the Emperor's
patent to create him a great Mandarine
for the services he performed.
He receives the habit of that order
of Mandarines to which he is advanced:
and agreeably to that quality cloaths
his mother and both his wives[11]
.
Then they receive the congratulations
of all their friends.
These are a kind of coffee-houses or places
of regale. They are called by the Chinese chaquan-tze.
All populous cities abound with them
(chiefly in their suburbs,) as also with a kind of
taverns for wine. In the great earth-quake
which happened at Pe-king in 1731, the Jesuites
tell us that there were no less than eighty
persons dug out of the ruins of one of those
Tea shops.
See Lettres edif. xx. Pref. p. 34.—xxvii. p. 27.
Although a great number of men and
maid servants bind themselves slaves in China;
yet there are some, to whom, they give wages as
in Europe. P. Du Halde, vol. p. 1. 278.
No sentence is executed in China, but
the bastinado precedes it of course. See an account
of this punishment in the foregoing Hist. vol. 2. pag. 188. note.
This punishment is more infamous than
the bastinado; the Can-ghé is composed of two
square boards, hollowed in the middle to fit the
neck of offenders, so that they form a kind of
moveable pillory. Some are three feet square
and five or six inches thick; so that the wearer
can neither see his feet, nor put his hands to his
mouth, and must be fed by others. The common
sort are fifty or sixty pounds weight:
but some weigh 200lb. When it is fixed on
the neck, they paste on each side, over the place
where it joins, two slips of paper about four
inches broad, on which they fix a seal that the
boards may not be opened. On this paper is
written the crime for which it is inflicted, and
how long it is to last.
P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 3. 311. &c. P. Semedo,
p. 141.
A Joss-house is an inferior kind of Pagoda
or Temple. See an account of the latter in the
foregoing Hist. vol. 1. p. 220. note.
The Portuguese, who first penetrated into the
Indies, called the idol temples Pagodas, from the
Persian word Pout-gheda; which signifies a tempie.
Some call the idol, as well as the temple by
the same word: but the former seems more properly
expressed by Pagod, as the latter by Pagoda
or Pagode. — See A [pirated] account of the
East Indies under the name of Captain Cope,
8vo. 1758.
N. B. The Chinese Josses or Demi-gods, are
some of human shape, some of monstrous figures:
But all these idols are generally made thick and
short, so that in the Indies, when they would describe
a short fat person, they call him a Joss-man.
Either the Author of this Play (like our own
modern writers of Tragedy) hath not piqued
himself upon adhering to the usages of his
country, or else he represents times more ancient
than the establishment of some of these usages.
For unless it be in extraordinary cases, no Man-darine
can pronounce desinitive sentence of
death. See before, vol. 2. pag. 275 note.
N. B. Beheading is in China esteemed a far
more infamous punishment than strangling, because
the Chinese passionately desire to have their
bodies preserved whole after their death. The
condemned is not exposed on a scaffold, but
being made to kneel in some public place with
his hands tied behind him, a person holds him so
fast that he cannot move, while the executioner
coming behind takes off the head at one stroke,
and at the same time lays him on his back with
such dexterity, that not one drop of blood falls
on his cloaths. P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 4. vol.
2. p. 299.
The Chinese seem less afraid of death, than
of wanting a coffin after it. It is astonishing to
see how careful they are in this respect, and how
costly they have them made, and that commonly
before their deaths. To provide these handsome
for their friends is a prime office of piety: and
this is carried to such excess, that a son will
sometimes sell or mortgage himself to procure
money to buy a coffin for his father. See P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 280. 306.
This passage and those that follow in pag.
191, 192, &c. relating to the Tartar Queen, &c. are
extremely curious, and worthy the attention of
the learned: who will perhaps be surprized to
find some notion of the Amazons, among a people
so remote from Greece, and so unacquainted with
its fables, as the Chinese. That the Scythians,
among whom the Amazons were supposed to be
seated, were no other than the ancient Tartars,
there is no doubt: and that there was some
foundation for their story is probable; from its
prevailing (tho' not with all the same circumstances)
in two nations who could not possibly
derive it from each other. This fable did
probably arise from the Scythian or Tartar women
having sometimes appeared in battle with a
masculine ferocity unknown in countries, where
the women lived so reserved as in Greece and
China. A passion for the marvellous supplied
all the rest.
That the women of some of the less civilized
nations bordering upon China, do sometimes
enter into the field, appears from several
authors. Martinius tells us—that when
China was invaded in 1621 by the Tartars,—
"Among other commanders, who came with
succours to the Chinese, there was one heroic
lady, whom we may call the Amazon or Penthesilea
of China. She brought along with
her three thousand [men] from the remote
province of Su-chuen, bearing not only a
masculine mind but habit, and even assuming
titles more becoming a man than a woman.
This heroine, who gave many rare proofs of
her courage, had come in the room of her
son, an infant; &c. For in the mountains of
of this province of Su-chuen, there is a kingdom
not subject to the Chinese, but under a
government of its own, &c." Vide bellum
Tartaricum ad fin. Atla. Sin. pag. 4. &c.
The above hypothesis relating to the Amazons
will derive strength from the narrative of Isbrandt
Ides, who tells us, that among the on
guzians, one of the people inhabiting Great
Tartary, "the men and women go cloathed
alike, are both very strong, and that both
sexes, not excusing the young girls, ride on
horseback, and are equally armed with bows
and arrows, in the use of which they are very
expert." See pag. 44, and 102.
It appears also that even the women of the
Manchew Tartars, who conquered China, did
not at first assume the reserved manners of the
Chinese women: for when the Dutch Ambassadors
were at Nan-king in 1656, they were accosted
by a Tartarian lady, who without any ceremony
examined their dress, and handled their
swords, with a freedom unknown in China. See
Nieuhoff, p. 133.
Before we quit this subject, we ought not
to omit what the Jesuites tells us in their account
of Korea, that the Eastern Tartars told a
Chinese General, among other romantic fables, of
"a kingdom peopled only by women, who
conceived of themselves, and carried the fœtus
in their stomach: they had no breasts, but
suckled the child by a tust of hair behind the
neck," &c. P. Du Halde, vol. 2. pag. 378. See also P. Magal. p. 61.
In like manner as there are Pagodas or convents
in China full of Bonzees or monks: so
there are also nunneries called Nien, and Bonzesses
or nuns, who live after the same manner.
They shave their heads, renounce marriage, and
abstain from all converse with men; but they
are not numerous, neither do they observe monastic
consinement.
See P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 518. Mod. Univ.
8. p. 175. Nieuhoff, p. 59.
The Chinese may have more wives than one,
but the first or primary wife hath all the power,
and is married with more ceremony than the rest,
whose children are also deemed to belong to
her: but their situation is not at all disreputable.
N. B. All the ceremony required in taking one
of these second wives, is to sign a writing with
their parents: whereby they engage to give a
certain sum agreed on, and to use their daughters
well. See P. Du Halde, vol. 1. p. 304.
| Hau Kiou choaan | |