Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/65

53 TRANSLATION OF THE INSCRIPTION. 53 " 6. According to the geographical monuments of the Western countries, and the historiographers of the dynasties Han and Wei, the kingdom of Ta-Thsin embraces on the south the Sea of Coral 16 ; on the north it is bounded by mountains of precious stones ; to the west it looks to the country of the Immortals, and the Forest of Flowers ; towards the east it receives the perpetual winds, and sweet waters. Its soil produces the linen that is washed with fire (Asbestos), vivifying perfumes, carbuncles, and the precious stones that shine in the night. Its people practise neither theft nor assas- sinations ; they enjoy a happy peace. If a law is not luminous (Christian), it is not observed. No one is ever called to power who is not virtuous. The country is of vast extent, and articles of luxury are seen in every part of it. " 7. The great Emperor Kao-Tsoung f followed respectfully in the footsteps of his ancestors. He fertilised the Truth, conferred splendour on it, and raised luminous temples in all the provinces. He heaped new titles on Olopen, and appointed him Guardian of the Empire, and Lord of the Great Law. The law was thus propagated along the Ten Roads. The empire thus received fruitful germs of felicity ; the temples filled a hundred cities, and the Families were enriched with admirable happiness. " 8. In the years Chen-Li §, the children of Che (the Buddhists) resorted to violence, and spread their calumnies, even as far as- the Eastern Tcheou. Towards the end of the year Sien-Tien (713), some men of letters, of a low class, dared to spread their jests and sarcasms (against religion) in Western Hao. " At this time Jo-han (John), the chief of the devout men, Ki-Li, f He succeeded his father, Tai-Tsoung, in 650. History has re- proached him with feebleness of character, and with having allowed his wife, the famous Ou-Heou, to govern him. % In 627, Tai-Tsoung divided the empire into ten provinces, which he named Tao, or Way. § Those of the reign of the famous Empress Ou-Heou, who filled the imperial throne for forty years. The life of this monstrous woman, though she was remarkable for ability and genius, was stained by the most unheard-of cruelty and debauchery. It is not, therefore, surprising that in her reign the Christians were perse- cuted. e 3
 * Probably the Red Sea.