THE
CHINESE REPOSITORY.
VOL. X.-MAY, 1841.- No. 5.
ART. I. The historie of the great and mightie kingdome of China, and the situation thereof; togither with the great riches, huge citties, politike gouernement, and rare inuentions in the same. Translated out of Spanish by R. Parke. London. Printed by I. Wolfe for Edward White, and are to be sold at the little north doore of Paules, at the signe of the gun. 1588.
蓄
SOME months have now elapsed since any of the old writers on China have been served up for the entertainment of our readers. In the meantime several authors have fallen in our way, the oldest and the rarest of which is the one here introduced. The reasons assigned by Parke for translating the historie' out of Spanish and putting it into print, two centuries and a half ago, would be a sufficient apolo- gy, if any were needed, for our now taking the work in hande.' As the good courteous reader' may like to know these reasons, we introduce them here entire. They are addressed, "To the right worshipfull and famous gentleman, M. Thomas Candish esquire, increase of honore and happie attempts." And thereupon the trans- lator thus proceeds.
"It is now aboue fiue and thirty years passed, right worshipfull, since that young, sacred, and prudent prince, king Edward the sixt of happie memorie, went about the discouerie of Cathaia and China, partly of desire that the good young king had to enlarge the Chris- tian faith, and partlie to finde out some where in those regions ample vent of the cloth of England, for the mischiefs that grew about that time neerer home, aswel by contempt of our commodities, as by the
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