doctrines in the church; to be ftrict obfervers of the laws, which cannot be juftly taken from you without your own confent. In fhort, to obey God and the king, and meddle not with those who are given to change.

Which that you may all do, &c.

A N

ACCOUNT

OF THE

COURT and EMPIRE of JAPAN.

R

WRITTEN IN MDCCXXVIII.

EGOGE was the thirty-fourth Emperor of Japan, and began his reign. in the year 341 of the Chriftian æra, fucceeding to Nena, a Princefs who governed with great felicity.

There had been a revolution in that empire about twenty-fix years before, which made fome breaches in the hereditary line; and Regoge, fucceffor to Nena, although of the royal family, was a diftant relation.

There were two violent parties in the empire, which began in the time of the revolution above-mentioned; and, at the death of the Emprefs Nena, were in the highest degree of animofity, cach charging the other with a defign of introducing new Gods, and changing the civil constitution. The names of thefe two parties were Hufiges and Yortes. The latter were those whom

whom Nena, the late Emprefs, moft favoured towards the end of her reign, and by whofe advice the governed.

The Hufige faction, enraged at their lofs of power, made private applications to Regoge during the life of the Emprefs; which prevailed fo far, that, upon her death, the new Emperor wholly difgraced the Yortes, and employed only the Hufiges in all his affairs. The Japanese Author highly blames his Imperial Majefty's proceeding in this affair; becaufe, it was allowed on all hands, that he had then a happy opportunity of reconciling parties for ever by a moderating scheme. But he, on the contrary, began his reign by openly difgracing the principal and most popular Yortes, fome of which had been chiefly inftrumental in raifing him to the throne. By this miftaken ftep he occafioned a rebellion; which, although it were foon quelled by fome very surprising turns of fortune, yet the fear, whether real or pretended, of new attempts, engaged him in fuch immenfe charges, that, instead of clearing any part of that prodigious debt left on his kingdom by the former war, which might have been done by any tolerable management, in twelve years of the most profound peace;

N 3

peace; he left his empire loaden with a vaft addition to the old incumbrance.

This Prince, before he fucceeded to the empire of Japan, was King of Tedfu, a dominion feated on the continent, to the weft-fide of Japan. Tedfu was the place of his birth, and more beloved by him than his new empire; for there he spent fome months almost every year, and thither was supposed to have conveyed great fums of money, faved out of his imperial re

venues.

There were two maritime towns of great importance bordering upon Tedfu: Of these he purchased a litigated title; and, to fupport it, was forced not only to entrench deeply on his Japanese revenues, but to engage in alliances very dangerous to the Japanese empire.

Japan was at that time a limited monarchy, which fome authors are of opinion was introduced there by a detachment from the numerous army of Brennus, who ravaged a great part of Afia; and, those of them who fixed in Japan, left behind them that kind of military inftitution, which the northern people, in enfuing ages, carried through most parts of Europe; the generals becoming kings, the great officers

officers a fenate of nobles, with a reprefentative from every centenary of private foldiers; and, in the affent of the majority in thefe two bodies, confirmed by the general, the legislature confifted.

I need not farther explain a matter fo univerfally known; but return to my subject.

The Hufige faction, by a grofs piece of negligence in the Yortes, had so far infinuated themselves and their opinions into the favour of Regoge before he came to the empire, that this Prince firmly believed them to be his only true friends, and the others his mortal enemies. By this opinion he governed all the actions of his reign.

The Emperor died fuddenly, in his journey to Tedfu; where, according to his ufual cuftom, he was going to pafs the fummer.

This Prince, during his whole reign, continued an absolute stranger to the language, the manners, the laws, and the religion of Japan; and, paffing his whole time among old miftreffes, or a few privados, left the whole management of the empire in the hands of a minifter, upon the condition of being made eafy