⚠The text on this page is a mirrored ink offset (ghost image), likely transferred from the title page of an adjacent leaf. The following transcription is corrected to read the intended Latin text.

CONFUCIUS

THE CHINESE

PHILOSOPHER

CHINESE KNOWLEDGE

EXPLAINED IN ENGLISH. original: "LATINE EXPOSITA" (Set forth in Latin). While this translation is in English for the modern reader, the 1687 original was written in Latin to ensure it could be read by scholars across all of Europe.

THROUGH THE STUDY AND WORK OF

Fathers of the Society of Jesus. The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, were a Catholic religious order known for their educational and missionary work. From the Society of Jesus.

PROSPER INTORCETTA,
CHRISTIAN HERDTRICH,
FRANCIS ROUGEMONT,
PHILIPPE COUPLET,

By Order of

LOUIS THE GREAT

For the exceptional benefit of the Eastern Missions and the Republic of Letters The "Republic of Letters" (original: "Litterariæ Reipublicæ") was the self-proclaimed community of intellectuals and scholars who exchanged ideas across international borders 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.

The Royal Coat of Arms of France, featuring a central oval shield with three fleurs-de-lis, surmounted by a royal crown and encircled by the collars of the Order of Saint Michael and the Order of the Holy Spirit. The entire crest is framed within a decorative floral and ribboned wreath.

PARIS,

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

at the sign of Maecenas. original: "sub Mecænate." In the era before street numbers, businesses were identified by signs; Maecenas was a famous Roman patron of the arts, signaling this was a scholarly bookstore.

1687.

WITH THE PRIVILEGE OF THE KING. original: "CUM PRIVILEGIO REGIS." This was a legal protection, similar to a modern copyright, granted by the King to prevent others from reprinting the book without permission.