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44 M A G A 2 I N 1
with red, and ornamented with ^old
Soliages, then follow a hundred soldiers
bearing halberds ; the steel as which
terminates in a crescent 1 a hundred
fpear-men, whose lances are painted
with vermillion mix'd with bowers,
and gilded at the ends t neat come four
hundred great lanthoms, very beautiful,
and wrought with great art; fonr hundred
great flambeaux, made as a wood
which bums a considerable time, and
Spreads round a great light , then are
Seen two hundred lances, enrich 'd part.
ly with tufts of lilk of different colours,
others with tals of panthers, foxes,
and other animals ; twenty-sour ban.
ners come next, on which are painted
the Signs os the zodiac; fifty fit orber
banners, in which are represented the
fifty fit constellations to which the
Chinese reduce all the other stars 1 then
two hondred Sans, Supported by long
gtlded staves, whereon are pointed difa
ferent figures, os dragons, birds and olher
animals ; twenty-Sour umbrellas
richly ornamented, and a buffet sop.
ported by the kitchen officers, and Surnash'd
with Several golden utenfiis, as
basani, ewers, &e.
After all this equipege and shew has
proceeded in good order, then comes
the emperor on horseback richly cloathed.
and with a grave majest re air. They
hold on each fide oshim a great umbrella,
which is lar^e enough to shade
both ham and his horse, he rs surrounded
by ten white Sumpter horses, whose
saddles and bridles are decorated wish
gold and precious stones. attended by
a hundred Spear-men and pages of the
bed-chamber. After this we see in
^he Same order all the princes os the
blood, the regulars, the first mandarin,
and fords at court, all in particular habits.
five hundred young gentlemen in
waiting at court, richly drefsed. a thousand
Seoormen in red c loathe, embeoider'd
with flowers and stars of gold and Silver
; immediately after thirty six men
carry an chaise, after which follows
a close one, which is much larger
Supported by one hundred and twenty
of M A G A 2 1 N E
porters ; lastly Sour great chariots, two
oS which are drawn by elephants, and
the other two by horses cover 'd with
golden trapplagt, each chair and each
chariot is follow 'd by a company of
fifty men for its guard.
This march m closed by two thousand
mandarins of letters, and two thousand
mandarianS as arms, or officers of war
richly dressed in habits suited to she
ceremony.
Such is the grandeur and power of
the Chinese Emperor.
An ArCennt of the ant ient Raaos's.
^^IHereas the Spectator of glorious
y 1 and immortal memory, has tired
and convicted the Rebus of a complication
of crimes, of ignorance, false
taste, and solly ; and condemned it for
a Spurious and unnatural excrescence
as wit ; in persuaorre of which condemnation
it ought immediately to have
been banished these kingdoms. and never
to have appeared here again.
And whereas, notwithstanding the
censure and condemnation it then te*
censed, it begins to make a fresh appearance
and io meet with a kind se-
Ception and visible encouragement ^
your Magazine : it is therefore high
time in order to curb and restrain ibis
growing evil. and to prevent the Satther
eolation of all such Spurious wit,
and elaborate trifles, to enter into an
enquiry after the origin and name, as
well as the nature of a Rebus ; and ly
being it once more forth, and to ex pete
it to open view. and to make a poblicia
example as it, that so they who ate
guilty oS Such a peophanataon of wat
may be ashamed any longer to perli^
therein. and they who are yet innocent
may by their example learn to bo*
ware.
The word Rebus is taken from the
ablative caSe plural of the noun Ret,
and in its literal Siense denotes the intimation,
or Signification, a man gives