[INTRODUCTION]
Bernardino de Escalante, perhaps moved by the desire to publish in Spain some exotic accounts which he had collected during a visit to Lisbon, published in 1577 with printers in Seville, a curious Discvrso de la navegacion qve los portugue∫es hazen á los Reinos y Pro-/uincias del Oriente, y de la noticia que ∫e tiene de las grandezas del Reino dela China. [...] (A Di∫course of the Navigation which the Portugueze do make to the Realms and Provinces of the East Parts of the World, and an Account of the Grandeurs of the Empire of China. [...]).
The work of this Spanish clergyman, specifically dedicated to Portuguese voyages, allowed considerable space to Chinese affairs, investigating the works previously published on the subject by Jõao de Barros, who he called"[...] the most erudite historian [...]" and by Friar Gaspar da Cruz. (See: Texts 9 —João de Barros and Text 11 — Gaspar da Cruz) Escalante seems to have still fallen back on Asian informers, because he maintains having conversed at length with Chinese people perhaps in Lisbon, one of whom drew some Chinese characters for him which appeared printed in his work. The pursuit of material on the Middle Kingdom which he carried out included furthermore an analysis of two Chinese books in print which were housed at the time in the "[...] Sereníssima Rainha de Portugal Dona Catarina [...]" ("[...] mo∫t excellent queen of Portugal and lady Katherine[...]") library. The influence of those Portuguese sources can equally be observed in the general attitude of admiration which surrounded the Chinese Empire.
Perhaps the publication of this work was not strange given the fact that the Spanish had firmly established themselves in the Philippines from 1562, after having finally discovered the route of the round trip to the New World. The existence of a secure base in that particular archipelago of the Far East contributed in maintaining, among some sectors of Spanish society with overseas connections, utopian dreams of conquering and catholicising China and Japan.
Frontespiece.
DISCVRSO / DE LA NAVEGACION QVE / los Portugue∫es hazen à los Reinos y Pro-/ uincias del Oriente, y de la noticia q- le tiene / de las grandezas del Reino dela China. / AVTOR BERNARDINO DE / E∫calante Clerigo, Comi∫∫ario del Santo oficio / en la Inqui∫icion del Reino de Galizia, y/ Beneficiado en la villa de Laredo. / DIRIGIDO AL ILVSTRISSIMO / ∫eñor Don Christoual de Rojas y Sandoual / Arçobi∫po de Sevilla. / Con Licencia. [1577].
* First edition: Seville, 1577.
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