, an Augustine friar, and geographer to the French king, was born
, an Augustine friar, and geographer to the French king, was born at Paris, Jan. 29, 1624,
took the monk’s habit early, passed through all the offices
of his order, became provincial-general of the province of
France, and at last assistant- general of the Augustine
monks of France at Rome. He applied himself particularly to the subject of the benefices of France, and of the
abbies of Italy, and acquired that exact knowledge which
enabled him to compose, both in France and at Rome,
' The Geographical Mercury;“” Notes upon the Roman
Martyrology, describing the places marked in it;“”A
history of the French Abbeys;“” The present state of the
Abbeys of Italy;“” Orbis Augustinianus, or an account
of all the houses of his order;“with a great number of
maps and designs, engraved by himself, a very curious
work in oblong quarto. He also wrote notes upon
” Plutarch’s Lives -,“and we have geographical tables of his,
printed with the French translation of Plutarch by the
abbe* Tallemant. He also prepared for the press notes to
archbishop
” Usher’s Chronology;“”A Description of Lapland;“and several other works; especially
” A Geography of all the places mentioned in the Bible,“which is
prefixed to
” Usher’s Annalsi“He likewise wrote notes
upon.
” Stephanas de urbibus." He died in the convent of
the Augustine fathers in St. Germain, at Paris, March
17, 1695, aged seventy-one.
, an Augustine friar of the province of Castille, was chosen by the
, 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.
”