A Very Rapid Promotion

HE begged his way to Peking; and had the good fortune to be able to present a statement of his oppressive grievances to the Emperor himself. The venerable monarch perused the contents: the Viceroy of Nankin happened to be in attendance: he was charged with the crime; his confusion betrayed his guilt; and punishment became indispensable. The Emperor, after expatiating on the magnitude of the crime, commanded his head to be brought on the point of a sabre.

The poor merchant was struck dumb with fear and wonder; when the Emperor relieved him by the following address: “Contemplate this aweful example before your eyes; and as I appoint you Viceroy of the province of Nankin, let the fate of your predecessor teach you justice and moderation.”

by Aeneas Anderson 1797

From ‘Accurate account of Lord Macartney’s embassy to China; carefully abridged from the original work’ (1797) by Aeneas Anderson. Anderson was assisted in preparing the manuscript by ghost-writer William Combe (1742-1823).
Précis
The merchant made his way to Peking, and at the Emperor’s bidding accused the Viceroy to his face of his wrongdoing. The Emperor saw guilt in the Viceroy’s eyes, and had him summarily executed. Then the Emperor turned to the merchant and appointed him Viceroy in the dead man’s place, reminding him of the fatal consequences of any malpractice.
Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

What punishment did the Emperor decree for the Viceroy’s crime?

Suggestion

That his head should be cut off.

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

The merchant told the Emperor his money had been stolen. He said the Viceroy had taken it. The Viceroy was there.

See if you can include one or more of these words in your answer.

IAccuse. IIFace. IIIStand.

Tags

History of China 7 Aeneas Anderson 1 Modern History 343 Georgian Era 227 British History 494 China 8 History 957

Read Next

The Normandy Landings

‘D-Day’ on 6th June, 1944, kicked off the Allied invasion of Europe and raised hopes of an end to the Second World War.

‘Thy Necessity is Yet Greater than Mine’

Elizabethan courtier and soldier Sir Philip Sidney shows that a nobleman can also be a gentleman.

The Hundred Years’ War

King John had already lost most of the Crown’s lands in France, but when Aquitaine was threatened Edward III knew he must act fast.

Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

August 22 NS

August 9 OS

The Wars of the Roses : A struggle between rival Royal Houses begins in 1455, after questions are raised about King Henry VI’s capacity to rule.
The Battle of the Standard : Scottish King David I hoped to exploit the unpopularity of the Normans by trading on his own English heritage.
The Two Shakespeares : Arthur Clutton-Brock complained that idealising Shakespeare had made him dull.
Fairway : Use each noun below in two sentences, first as the subject, and then as the object of a verb.
England Expects : Lieutenant John Pasco not only flew the most famous signal in British history, he helped write it.
Running Late : Use these adverbial clauses in your own sentences.
Peggy’s Dog : Some lines from the comic verse of Thomas Hood, for reading aloud.
An Interruption : Report this conversation without using direct speech.
Tender Plants : Prince Albert regretted the destructive power of the Art Critic.
Lost for Words : Join these ideas together into a single sentence, using ‘although’ or ‘though’.
Loan Words : Match these words to the language they come from, whether Old Norse, Malay or Welsh.
Evidence : Join these ideas together to form a single sentence, using the relative pronoun ‘who’.
Fatal Vow : Robert Pierrepont called heaven to witness that he would never pick a side in the Civil War.
Lost and Found : What would you in these difficult situations?
Blog Latest

Clay Lane Home

Search

Blog

The Copybook

Think and Speak

Comfortable Words

Word Games

Featured Authors

Featured Subjects

Search The Copybook

About Clay Lane

Close Menu