a Chinese philosopher, who lived about 500 years before our Saviour's birth, in the kingdom of Lu, now called the province of Shantung. His wit and judgment got him a reputation from his very youth; and being a mandarin, and employed in the government of the kingdom of Lu, his profound knowledge of morals and politics made him be greatly admired. Notwithstanding his care, his prince's court was much disordered; and Confucius finding the king would not listen to his advice, quitted the court, and taught moral philosophy with such applause that he soon had above 3000 scholars, whereof 72 surpassed the rest in learning and virtue, for whom the Chinese have still a particular veneration. He divided his doctrine into four parts, and his scholars into four classes: the first order was of those who studied to acquire virtue; the second, those who learned the art of reasoning well; the third studied the government of the state and the duty of magistrates; the fourth were wholly taken up in noble discourses of all that concerned morals. In spite of all his pains to establish pure morality and religion, he was nevertheless the innocent cause of their corruption. It is said, that when Confusion, he was complimented upon the excellency of his philosophy, he replied, that he fell greatly short of the perfect degree of virtue; but that in the well the most holy was to be found. This made a strong impression on the learned; and in the 66th year after Christ's birth, the emperor Mon-ti sent ambassadors toward the west to seek this holy man. They stopped at an island near the Red Sea, and found a famous idol named Fohi, representing a philosopher that lived 500 years before Confucius. They carried this idol back with them, with instructions concerning the worship rendered to it; and so introduced a superstition that abolished in several places the maxims of Confucius. His tomb is in the academy where he taught, near the town Xio-fu, upon the banks of the river Xu. This philosopher has been in great veneration in China above 2000 years; and is still so esteemed, that each town has a palace consecrated to his memory.

There was one of his descendants who was very considerable in the kingdom in 1646, whom Xanchi king of Tartary, who then conquered China, received with a great deal of honour. All those of his family are mandarins by birth; and have a privilege common with the princes of the blood, not to pay any tribute.