PURCHAS HIS PILGRIMES
Tihio the Proposer. Sieucai a Bachelors degree, or as Master of Art with us. Ornaments. Their Priviledges. The second degree, Kiugin, as Licentiates or Bachelors in Divinitte, if we compare them with ours.
Schoole, by some learned man designed to that Office by the King, who is by that place called Tihio: the Degree is termed Sieucai. A threefold Examination is premised. First, at his comming to any City of his Province, all that stand for that degree in that City, and the confining limits thereof resort thither and are examined by those Masters which are set over the Bachelours till they have attayned further Degree, mayntayned by the Kings stipend. In this Examination every one is admitted, perhaps foure or 5000. assembled to that purpose. The second is by the foure Governours of the City (for none are admitted to Government but the Learned) which present out of all that number 200. of the better Writers to the Tihio, and he in a third Examination chuseth 20. or 30. of the best, which he entituleth Bachelors: their Ensignes are a long Gowne, a Cap, and Boots, which none else may weare, & in all places they are much respected as in a ranke above the vulgar Citizens, and enjoy also divers Priviledges, being in manner subject only to the Masters aforesaid and the Tihio, other Magistrates scarsly medling with them. This Tihio not only hath authority over these new created Bachelors, but over those which were made before to re-examine them: and these according to their writing hee divideth into five rankes ; the first he rewardeth with some publike Office in the City, the second with some inferiour honour, the third he neyther rewards nor punisheth, the fourth he causeth to be publikely whipped, the last he degradeth and maketh againe Plebeians. The second Degree is called Kiugin, and may be compared with our Licentiates, and is conferred but once in three yeares, and that in the Metropolitane City about the eight Moone with greater Majesty. And the degree is not conferred
to all, but to a certayne number of the worthiest, according to the dignity of each Province: Pequin and Nanquin have each 150. Cequian, Quamsi, and Fuquian 95. others fewer. Only Bachelors, but not all are admitted to this Examination, the Tihio sending out of each City or Schoole 30. or at most 40. of the best, which number yet426
