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CATALOGUE AND CHARACTER

OF MOST

BOOKS OF VOYAGES AND TRAVELS.

Descriptio Africæ, 8°.

Descriptiones Asia.

De Lege Mahumetica, and

De Rebus Mahumeticis.

LATIN.

These four by John Leo, a Spaniard by birth, and a Mahometan by education, but afterwards converted, who before his conversion travelled through the greatest part of Afric, and has given the best light into it of any writer, as Johannes Bodinus affirms. He first writ them in the Arabic for his own nation, but afterwards translated them himself into Italian, and John Florianus into Latin. He gives an excellent account of the religion, laws, customs, and manners of the people of Afric, but is too brief in martial affairs and the lives of the African princes.

Epistola viginti sex de rebus Japonicis, or twenty-six letters concerning the affairs of Japan, to be seen in several collections of this sort of letters.

Historica relatio de legatione regis Sinensium ad regem Japonum or an account of the embassy sent by the emperor of China to Taicosoma, king of Japan, An. 1596, and of the strange prodigies that happened before the embassy, Rome, 1599. 8o.

VOL. X.

LL

Historica relatio de rebus per Japoniam, An. 1596, à patribus societatis durante persecutione gestis: or an account of the proceedings of the Jesuits in Japan, in the year 1596, during the persecution. These three by F. Lewis Froes, a Jesuit who lived forty-nine years in the East, and thirty-six of them in the island of Japan as a missioner. It is believed these relations were writ in Portuguese by the author, and afterwards translated into Latin.

De Abassinorum rebus, deque Ethiopia patriarchis, Lions, 1615. 8°. The author was F. Nicholas Godinho, a Portuguese Jesuit, who divides his work into three books, and in it refutes the fabulous history writ by F. Urreta.

Itinerarium ab oppido Complutensi Toletana provinciæ usque ad urbem Romanam. A journal of a journey from the university of Alcala in Spain to Rome, by Dr. James Lopez de Zuniga, a pious and learned man.

Literæ annua. The annual or yearly letters out of Ethiopia, China, India, and other parts, give much light into the affairs of those countries, and are to be found in several volumes, and scattered in collections of travels ; of all which it will be needless to give any account in this place.

Athanasii Kircheri è societate Jesu China, monumentis qua sacris qua profanis, illustrata, fol. This is a complete history of China, and held in great reputation for some years; but of late its reputation has declined, since so many books of that empire have appeared writ by missioners, who have resided there many years, and discovered great mistakes in Kircher.

Jobi Ludolfi historia Ethiopica, fol. This history of Ethiopia is written by a German, who having gathered most of it from the writings of the Jesuits, yet makes it his business to contradict them, from the information given him by an Ethiopian he was acquainted with in Germany, for he was never near Ethiopia himself; and his whole book has more of controversy, and of the Ethiopian language, than of history.

Relatio eorum que circa S. Cæs. Majest. ad magnum Moscorum Czarum ablegatos enno æra christiana 1675. gesta sunt, strictim recensita per Adolphum Lyseck, dicta legationis secretarium, 8°. Saltzburg, 1676. In this account of an embassy to the Czar of Muscovy, we have an account of his travels through Silesia, Pomerania, Prussia, Lithuania, and Muscovy, to the court of Moscow, and of all things of note the author saw or heard of, being an ingenious person, and having a greater privilege than common travellers, as secretary to the embassy. Giorn. de Letter.

Johannis Schefferi Argentoratensis Lapponia, id est regionis Laponum et gentis nova et verissima descriptio, 4°. Lipsia 1674. An account of Lapland, which, though it be not by way of travels, well deserves a place here, because we shall scarce find travellers that will go into that frozen region to bring us a just

relation of it. This however is authentic, as gathered from the Swedish writers, who are best acquainted with those parts.

Theodori et Johannis de Brye India orientalis et occidentalis, 6 vols. fol. Francfort, 1624. This collection being three volumes of the East and three of the West-Indies, begins with a particular account of the kingdom of Congo in Afric, as lying in the way to, and having accordingly been discovered before India; this account translated from the Italian writ by Philip Pigasetta. Next follows five voyages of Samuel Bruno of Basil, the three first to Congo, Ethiopia, and other parts round the coast of Afric; the fourth to several parts in the Straits, and the fifth to Portugal and Spain, &c. translated into Latin from the author's original in High Dutch. The next are Linschoten's Indian voyages, translated from the Dutch, and containing a very full account of all things remarkable in those parts. Then three Dutch voyages to the north-east passage, and after them a great number of cuts and maps, besides very many dispersed throughout the book, and a considerable number at the beginning. These are the contents of the first volume. The second begins with a large account of Bantam, Banda, Ternate, and other parts of India, being a voyage of eight Dutch ships into those parts in the year 1598, translated out of High Dutch. After that the description of Guinea, out of High Dutch. Spilberg's voyage, An. 1601. Gaspar Balbi's voyage, An. 1579. In the third volume Jacob Neck's voyage, An. 1603, Jo. Hermon de Bree, An. 1602. Corn. Nicolas, Cornelius Ven, and Stephen de Hagen, all to India. Verhuff's voyage to India, An. 1607. Dialogues in Latin and the Malayc language. Hudson's voyage to the northeast passage. An account of Terra Australis incognita, by Capt. Peter Ferdinand de Quir; and the description of Siberia, Samoieda, and Tingoesia. Two voyages of Americus Vesputius to the East-Indies. A very strange relation of an Englishman, who being shipwrecked on the coast of Cambaia, travelled through many of those eastern countries; and the description of the = northern country of Spitzbergen: the whole illustrated with a vast number of maps, and other cuts. Thus far the three volumes of the East-Indies. The three of the West are composed of these parts. Vol. I. an ample account of Virginia. The unfortunate expedition of the French to Florida, An. 1565. Laudonniere's voyage thither, An. 1574. Two voyages of John Stadius to Brazil and the river of Plate, where he lived among the - Indians. Leri's account of Brazil. Villagano's voyage to South America. Benzo's history of the discovery of America. Vol. II. The second and third parts of Benzo's history of the West Indies. Faber's description of several parts of America, where he travelled. Voyages of sir F. Drake, Cavendish, and Raleigh, Dutch expedition to the Canaries. General account of America.

Sebald de Weert's voyage through the straits of Magellan. Noort round the world. Vol. II. Two voyages of Americus Vesputius. Hamor's account of the state of Virginia. Captain Smith's description of New-England. Schouten and Le Maire's discovery of a new passage into the South-Sea, called Strait le Maire. Spilbergen's voyage through the straits of Magellan. Herrera's description of the West-Indies. These are the contents of the six volumes, the whole illustrated and adorned with such a vast number of maps and cuts, representing all such things as require it, that the like is not in any other collection, nor is it likely that any will be at so excessive an expense. To be short, this collection is a small library, including all the voyages and discoveries of any note till the time it was published, when most of the remote parts began to be well known, and therefore is of excellent use and great value.

ITALIAN.

Delle navigatione e viaggi, raccolse da M. Gio Battista Ramusio, Venice, 3 vols. fol. 1613. Ramusio's collection of voyages and travels, the most perfect work of that nature extant in any language whatsoever: containing all the discoveries to the east, west, north, and south; with full descriptions of all the countries discovered; judiciously compiled, and free from that great mass of useless matter, which swells our English Hackluyt and Purchas; much more complete and full than the Latin de Brye, and, in fine, the noblest work of this nature. The contents of it, as briefly as may be set down, are as follow. In the first volume, John Leo's description of Afric. Alvise de ca da Mosto's voyage, and that of Peter de Santra to the coast of Afric. Hanno the Carthaginian's navigation on the coast of Afric. Voyage from Lisbon to the island of St. Thomas. Gama's voyage to Calicut. Peter Alvarez to India. Two voyages of Americus Vesputius. Voyages to India by Tho. Lopez and Gio. da Empoli. Barthema's travels to, and account of India. Corsali to India. Alvarez to Ethiopia. Discourse of the overflowing of the Nile. Nearchus admiral to Alexander the Great, his navigation. Voyage down the Red Sea to Diu. Barbosa of the EastIndies. Voyages of Conti, and S. Stephano. First voyage round the world performed by the Spaniards. Gaeton of the discovery of the Molucco Islands. Account of Japan. Extracts of Barros's history of India. The second volume; Marcus Paulus Venetus's travels. Hayton the Armenian of the great chams or emperors of Tartary. Angiolello of the wars betwixt Ussuncassan, king of Persia, and Mahomet, emperor of the Turks; of Ismael Sophy and the sultan of Babylon, and of Selim the Turk's subduing the Mamalucks. Barbaro's travels to Tartary

and Persia. Contarino's embassy from the republic of Venice to Ussuncassan, king of Persia. Campense of Muscovy. Jovius of Muscovy. Arianus of the Euxine, or Black Sea. Geor. Interiano of the Circassians. Quini's shipwreck and adventures in 60 degrees of north latitude. The same by Christ. Fioravante and J. de Michele, who were with him. Baron Herberstain of Muscovy and Russia. Zeno's voyage to Persia. Nich. and Ant. Zeni's discovery of Frizeland, Iceland, and to the North Pole. Two voyages to Tartary by Dominicans sent by pope Innocent IV. Odoricus's two voyages into the East. Cabot's voyage into the north-west. Guagnino's description of Poland, Muscovy, and part of Tartary. The same by Micheorus. In the third volume; an abridgment of Peter Martyr of Angleria, his decads of the discovery of the West-Indies. An abridgment of Oviedo's history of the West-Indies. Cortes's account of his discovery and conquest of Mexico. Alvarado of his conquest and discovery of other provinces above Mexico. Godoy of several discoveries and conquests in New-Spain. Account of Mexico and New-Spain, by a gentleman belonging to Cortes. Alvar Nunez of the success of the fleet set out by Pamphilo de Narvaez, and his strange adventures for ten years. Nunno de Guzman of several cities and provinces of New-Spain. Francis de Ulloa's voyage to California. Vasquez Coronado and Marco de Nizza of the provinces north of New-Spain. Alarcon's voyage by sea to discover the seven cities north of Mexico. Discovery and conquest of Peru, writ by a Spanish captain. Xeres's conquest of Peru. The same by Pizarro's secretary. Oviedo's account of a voyage up the great river of Maranon. Verazzano's discovery of North America. Jaques Cortier's first and second voyages to Canada or New-France. Federici's voyage to India, with a large account of the spice, drugs, jewels, and pearls in those parts. Three voyages of the Dutch to discover the north-east passage to China and Japan, in which they found the straits of Weygats and Nova Zembla, and the coast of Greenland running to 80 degrees of north latitude. These, with many learned discourses and observations of the author, are the contents of the three volumes.

Prima speditione all' Indie orientali del P. F. Gioseppe di Santa Maria, 4°. Roma, 1668. This author was sent by pope Alexander VII. to the Malabar christians of St. Thomas, being himself a barefoot Carmelite, and has in this left a most excellent piece of curiosity. He gives a very particular account of the places and people he saw, of birds, beasts, and other animals, and of the philosophy of the Brachmans, their secrets, and of all the other Malabars, as also of the infinite number of their gods. Hence he proceeds further, to treat of the vast empire of the Mogul, of the pearl fishery, of the Sabeans about Bassora, who pretend they received their religion from St. John Baptist; and

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