History of the Great and Mighty Kingdome of China and the Situation Thereof
Compiled by the Padre Juan González de Mendoza and now reprinted from the early translation of R. Parke

A sixteenth-century account of the history and geography of China, in a two-volume 1853 edition.

Juan González de Mendoza (Author), R. Parke (Translated by), George Staunton (Edited by), Richard Henry Major (Edited by)

9781108008198, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 31 August 2010

364 pages
21.6 x 2.1 x 14 cm, 0.46 kg

The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. The two-volume account by Juan González de Mendoza of the history and geography of China was translated into English in 1588. It was the first detailed description of China available in English, though the introduction to this 1853 edition reviews several earlier reports by western travellers. Mendoza did not himself visit China; his second volume concludes the account based on de Rada's writings and also describes the missionary travels of the Franciscan friar Pedro de Alfaro.

Part II: 1. The Spaniards depart from Mexico
2. A rover of this kingdome of China
3. The kinge of China doth arme a fleete of shippes
4. This rover Limahon goeth to the Ilands Philippinas
5. Limahon doth send 400 souldiers
6. The governour of Manilla
7. The generall of the fielde
8. Omoncon, captain of the king of China
9. Omoncon is well received
10. Omoncon departeth with certificate
11. The Spaniards do depart
12. The captaine Omoncon
13. Omoncon doth disembarke himselfe
14. The Spaniardes depart from Tansuso
15. The Spaniardes doo prosecute their journey to Chincheo
16. Our Spaniardes arived at the citie of Chincheo
17. The governour of Chincheo doth call the Spaniards before him
18. The Spaniards have a loving and favorable audience
19. The Spaniards are visited
20. The governour doth banquet the Spaniards
21. The Spaniards depart
22. The entry of the Spaniards into the cittie of Aucheo
23. The Spaniards have audience of the viceroy
24. The viceroy doth banket our people
25. The Spaniards do carie their present
26. The Spaniardes talke with the viceroy
27. There came news to Aucheo
28. The governours of the province do assemble together
29. The Spaniards depart from Aucheo
30. The Spaniards departe from the port of Tansuso
31. They have news
32. The captaines Chinos arived
Part III: 1. The fryers of Saint Francis came unto the Ilandes Philippinas
2. The fryers and their companions depart
3. The fryers and their companions came unto the cittie of Canton
4. The Spaniards go forth of their ship
5. The Spaniards are called before a iudge
6. The Spaniards go into the streets to ask almes
7. The Spaniardes take their iourney towardes Aucheo
8. The Spaniards are brought before the viceroy
9. The Spaniards remained certaine daies in Aucheo
10. The Timpintao dooth call the Spaniards before him
11. The Father Costodio sendeth a messenger unto Machao
12. A Portugall of the cittie of Macheo
13. The Spaniards remain certaine dayes in Canton
14. They that were determined to go unto Luzon, doo departe
15. The Spaniards depart from China and go to Luzon
Part III: 1. A commentarie of the New World
2. They do depart from the Ilands of Canaria
3. Of the Iland of Santo Domingo
4. Of the way and the ilands
5. Of the bignesse of the kingdome of Mexico
6. The kingdome of Mexico
7. Of the New Mexico
8. The discovering of the New Mexico
9. The New Mexico
10. Still the New Mexico
11. Departing from the cittie of Mexico
12. They depart from the ilands of the Ladrones
13. The Ilands Philippinas
14. The barefoote friars depart
15. Things which the saide Fathers did see
16. The Spaniardes are sent unto the citie of Hucheofu
17. The mightinesse, goodnesse, riches, and fortitude of the kingdome of China
18. Certaine rites and ceremonies
19. The Ilands of Japon
20. They have notice of certaine kingdomes
21. Such kingdomes as are adioyning unto that of Cochinchina
22. Of many other kingdomes
23. Of some kingdomes of the new worlde
24. Of the kingdome of Coromandel
25. Manie kingdomes of that newe worlde
26. Many kingdomes of the Newe World
27. The compassing of the world
Index.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH]