Page:China historical and descriptive.djvu/49

Rh throne, and when, in the year 2207 B.C., Shun died, Yu succeeded to the supreme authority. With him commences the Hea dynasty, extending from the above date to 1767 B.C., and numbering seventeen sovereigns.

Yu will always be regarded as one of the greatest amongst the Chinese emperors. A good deal of the miraculous is mixed up with his history, which says — "Yu was nine cubits two-tenths high. Wine was made by E-teih. Yu drank of it, and delighted in it; but, apprehensive of its consequences in succeeding ages, procured its prohibition. At that time heaven rained down gold three days." He caused many marshes to be drained; divided the empire into nine provinces, maps of which were engraved upon large brass vessels; and introduced order and regularity into all branches of the administration. His successors, however, failed to imitate the many virtues of the founder of their dynasty, for, with few exceptions, they left the reins of government in the hands of their ministers, and abandoned themselves to pleasure. With a terseness highly characteristic of the Chinese historians, who seem to know no medium between perfection and the deepest iniquity, these monarchs are merely mentioned as having "done nothing worth recording."

The last reigning prince of this dynasty was Këe, who ascended the throne in 1818 B.C., and bears the character of being one of the worst princes who ever ruled in China. His cruelty, exactions, and prodigality rendered him so odious to the great vassals of the crown that they combined and overthrew him. Këe escaped with his life, but,