Mendoza, John Gonzales

, an Augustine friar of the province of Castille, was chosen by the king of Spain to be ambassador to the emperor of China, in 1584. He was made bishop of Lipari in Italy in 1593, bishop of Chiapi in New Spain in 1607, and bishop of Propajan in the West Indies in 1608. He wrote “A History of China,” in Spanish, which has been translated into several languages. A general idea of it may be taken from the mere title of the French translation, published at Paris, in 1589, | which runs thus “The history of the great kingdom of China, in the East Indies, in two parts the first containing the situation, antiquity, fertility, religion, ceremonies, sacrifices, kings, magistrates, manners, customs, laws, and other memorable things of the said kingdom; the second, three voyages to it in 1577, 1579, and 1581, with the most remarkable rarities either seen or heard of there; together with an itinerary of the new world, and the discovery of New Mexico in 1583.” ¹