CONFUCIUS

THE CHINESE

PHILOSOPHER,

OR

CHINESE KNOWLEDGE

SET FORTH IN ENGLISH. original: "LATINE EXPOSITA" (Set forth in Latin). This 1687 edition was the first major work to bring the teachings of Confucius to the West, using Latin as the shared language of European scholars.

Through the Study and Work of { PROSPER INTORCETTA, CHRISTIAN HERDTRICH, FRANÇOIS ROUGEMONT, PHILIPPE COUPLET, } Fathers of the Society of Jesus. The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, were Catholic missionaries who often adapted to local customs and studied the languages of the regions where they worked.

BY THE COMMAND OF

LOUIS THE GREAT King Louis XIV of France (reigned 1643–1715), known as the Sun King.

For the exceptional benefit of the Eastern Missions and the Republic of Letters The "Republic of Letters" refers to the international community of intellectuals and scholars who exchanged ideas across Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
BROUGHT FORTH INTO THE LIGHT FROM THE ROYAL LIBRARY.
TO WHICH IS ADDED A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE CHINESE MONARCHY FROM ITS BEGINNING TO THESE VERY TIMES. (by the author Philippe Couplet)

A circular emblem containing the French royal coat of arms: three fleurs-de-lis on a shield, topped by a royal crown. The shield is surrounded by a lush wreath of laurel and lily flowers, tied at the top and bottom with flowing ribbons.

P A R I S,

At the shop of DANIEL HORTHEMELS, on Rue Saint-Jacques,

at the sign of Maecenas. In the days before house numbers, printers identified their shops with signs; Maecenas was a famous Roman patron of the arts.

1687.

WITH THE PRIVILEGE OF THE KING. A "privilege" was a legal grant from the monarch giving the publisher the exclusive right to print the work, serving as an early form of copyright.