Captives sacrificed before the battle of 1618
Editorial contextSemedo translates a memorial sent to the Wanli emperor by the President of the Council of War in 1618. It reports that the Tartars had massed to 'take this world of China', broke through the walls, seized Chinese prisoners and sacrificed them the day before the battle, acclaiming their own king as king of Beijing. Semedo says he translated it at the time and later found it printed in Europe.
At this time, with great power and multitude, entering the walls, they seized some of our men in order to sacrifice them; and they sacrificed them the day before the battle, with great acclamations of their king, calling him already King of Peking.
Working translation
Original wording
En este tiempo con grã poder i multitud, entrando los muros, prendieron algunos de los nuestros para sacrificarlos; i sacrificaron el dia antes de la batalla con grãdes aclamaciones de su Rey, llamandole ya Rey de PeKim.
About Tartars (Manchus under Nurhaci)
Keep in mind
A Chinese official's war report, written to alarm the emperor; Semedo only translates it.
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Portuguese cannon against the Tartars, 1621
Editorial contextIn 1621 the city of Macau sent the emperor three large cannon with gunners. One burst at a demonstration in Beijing, killing three or four men, but the guns were still sent to the Tartar frontier. The Tartars, not knowing the new weapon, came too close, were hit by a shower of iron fragments, and fled; afterwards they were more careful.
Nevertheless they were sent to the frontier of the Tartars, who, not knowing of the new weapon and coming nearer than was good for them, tasted a shower of pieces of iron, from which many fell, and all fled. Afterwards they became cautious.
Working translation
Original wording
Todavia embiaronse a la frontera de los Tartaros, que no sabiendo de la nueva arma, i llegandose màs de lo que les convenia, provaron un rocîo de troços de hierro, de que cayeron muchos, i todos fueron huyendo. Despues se acautelaron.
About Tartars (Manchus) on the Chinese frontier
A note on this quote
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Christians backed the Tartars and lost
Editorial contextSemedo explains why Jesuits found no trace of the Christians Marco Polo described. When the Tartar ruled China there were many Christians with fine churches, favoured by him. When Hongwu fought to recover the kingdom, the Muslims sided with the Chinese and kept their liberties and mosques, while the Christians sided with the Tartar and went down with him: some died, some converted, some hid.
When the Tartar ruled China there were many Christians in it, with quite sumptuous churches, who found themselves favoured by him, as appears from the accounts of the Venetian [Marco Polo]. … The Christians, taking the side of the Tartar, and he being lost in that action, necessarily were also lost in their standing
Working translation
Original wording
Quando el Tartaro dominò la China, avia en ella muchos Christianos, con Iglesias bien suntuosas, que se hallavan favorecidos dèl, como parece de las Relaciones del Veneto. … Los Christianos tomando la voz del Tartaro, i quedando èl perdido en aquella accion, precisamente quedaron tambien perdidos en su estado
About Tartars (Mongol Yuan rulers); Christians and Muslims in China
Keep in mind
Semedo's own reconstruction, built on Marco Polo and Jesuit reasoning.
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How the Tartar borderlands split into three kingdoms
Editorial contextSemedo's origin story for the new enemy: after expelling the Tartars, Hongwu made the Tartar borderlands tributary and divided them into states with titles. These grew until they split into three kingdoms, East, West and North. The western and northern ones broke away at once; the eastern one stayed loyal until the Chinese, for no reason, decided to crush it, and it turned on them. The eastern kingdom is the Jurchen (Manchu) state.
When Hum Vu, the founder of the family that today holds the Chinese sceptre, shook off from his empire the Tartar [who had ruled it for ninety years], … leaving the borders of Tartary as vassals, he reduced them to tributaries, dividing them into states with different titles and dignities. These afterwards grew so much that they separated into three kingdoms: one to the East, another to the West, and another to the North.
Working translation
Original wording
Quando el Hum Vu, Trõco de la Familia q̃ oy tiene el cetro Chino, sacudiò de su Imperio al Tartaro, … dexando avassallados los cõfines de la Tartaria, los reduxo a tributarios, dividiẽdolos en Estados de titulos i dignidades diferẽtes. Crecierõ ellos despues tãto, q̃ se separarõ en tres Reynos: uno al Oriente, otro al Ocaso, i al Norte otro.
About Tartars north of China (Mongols and the eastern Jurchen, later Manchus)
Keep in mind
A simplified Chinese-court version of frontier history.
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Cathay is China: Goes reaches the Wall
Editorial contextSemedo retells how the Jesuit brother Bento de Goes, travelling from India to find Cathay, learned from a caravan that Cathay and China were the same land under different names. He then passed Turfan and Hami to 'Quiaicion' (Jiayuguan), where one sees the wall dividing the Chinese from the Tartars, and on to Suzhou. This settled that 'Cathay' was simply northern China.
and the other, that China was the same as Cathay, there being no difference in the lands, but only in the names. … he passed through these towns: Puchan, Turfan, Aramuth, Camul, Quiaicion (from where one sees that much-repeated wall that divides the Chinese from the Tartars), Suzhou
Working translation
Original wording
i otra que la China era lo mismo que el Catayo: no aviendo diferencia en las tierras, si no en los nombres. … passò por estas poblaciones, Puchan, Turfan, Aramuth, Camul, Quiaicion (de donde se vè aquella repetida muralla, que divide a los Chinos de los Tartaros) Sucheu
About Tartars beyond the Wall; Muslim merchants of the caravan road
Keep in mind
Semedo retells Goes's journey from Jesuit papers; he did not travel it.
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Ninety years of Tartar rule, 1206 to 1368
Editorial contextIn his outline of Chinese dynasties Semedo says that after two thousand years of regional lords, the Tartars began conquering China piece by piece in 1206 and ruled it for ninety years until 1368, when Hongwu ('Hum Vu') found them grown careless and hated, drove them out and even subjected their borderlands. The Tartars here are the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty.
The lords of particular states remained in China more than two thousand years, until in the year 1206 of our Redemption the Tartars (then with another power and government), beginning to conquer it piece by piece, came to rule it for the space of ninety years, which ended in 1368, when Hum Vu, catching them now slack in their care and inflamed with tyranny
Working translation
Original wording
Permanecieron en la China los señores de Estados particulares mas de dos mil años, hasta que el de 1206. de nuestra Redencion, los Tartaros (entonces con otro poder i govierno) empeçando a conquistarla por partes, la vinieron a dominar por espacio de noventa años, que fenecieron el de 1368. en que el Hum Vu cogiendolos ya floxos de cuidado, i de tirania encendidos
About Tartars (Mongols of the Yuan dynasty)
Keep in mind
1206 is the year Chinggis Khan was proclaimed, not the start of Mongol rule over all China (completed in 1279).
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Cannibal famine, mice and two suns: omens of the Tartar war
Editorial contextThe same 1618 memorial explains the defeat by heaven's anger and lists recent prodigies: no rain in the capital province, famine so bad in another province that people ate one another, a plague of mice in Nanjing, fires in the palace and two suns in the sky, one eclipsing the other. It shows how the Ming court read the Tartar war as a sign of cosmic disorder.
the Prodigies, which we have lately all seen, do demonstrate no lesse, In the Province of Pekim the last yeare it raigned not at all … in the Province of Xankim, there was so great a dearth and famine, that the people did eat one another: and into Nankim came an infinite multitude of Mice … we saw two Sunnes together, and the one did Ecclipse the other.
About Chinese court facing the Tartar (Manchu) invasion
Keep in mind
Reported omens, not observed events. 'Xankim' is a slip in the English; the Spanish has Xantum (Shandong).
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The wonder-working magicians of Tartar times
Editorial contextDiscussing Chinese divination, Semedo says some are said to keep familiar spirits, but he never saw any. In the time of the Tartar, he adds, there were many deeply sunk in such arts, and according to Marco Polo they worked marvels; today nothing of the kind is clearly known. He is sceptical and leans on Marco Polo for the Mongol period.
It is said that some have familiar spirits and consult them. Of these I saw none. Anciently, in the time of the Tartar, there were many, and very deeply sunk in this; and, according to Marco Polo, they worked marvels. Today I do not know that there is any such thing clearly.
Working translation
Original wording
Dizese, que algunos tienen Familiares, i q̃ los consultan. Destos no vi. Antiguamente en tiempo del Tartaro huvo muchos, i muy empantanados en esto: i, segun Marco Veneto, hazian maravillas. Oy no sè que aya cosa alguna destas con claridad.
About Mongol (Yuan) era magicians, as recalled by Semedo
Keep in mind
Second hand from Marco Polo; Semedo says he saw none.
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