Morals of Confucius A Chinese Philosopher, Who Flourished above Five Hundred Years before the Coming of Christ. Being One of the Choicest Pieces of Learning Remaining of That Nation.

London: Printed for Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall, 1691. Full Description:

[CONFUCIUS]. The Morals of Confucius A Chinese Philosopher, Who Flourished above Five Hundred Years before the Coming of Christ. Being One of the Choicest Pieces of Learning Remaining of That Nation. London: Printed for Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall, 1691 [i.e. 1780].

Reprint of the first edition in English of any part of the works of Confucius. Twelvemo (6 5/8 x 3 3/4 inches; 168 x 95 mm). xx, 183, [1, blank] pp. With folding engraved frontispiece portrait of Confucius (often absent). Reproduction of the 1691 first edition by the British Library (truncated) in circa 1780. Although it is commonly noted to have been reprinted in 1780, there has been some debate as to the printing year being as early as 1760. To this, our present copy has an ownership inscription dated "1776".

Full contemporary calf, rebacked to style. Contemporary red morocco spine label, lettered in gilt. Top edge dyed brown. Rubbing and scuffing to boards and edges. Front outer hinge cracking along spine. A bit of offsetting to the title page. A few instances of foxing. Previous owner's old ink signatures to front endpapers, one of which dated 1776. Some very light browning. Hinges slightly cracked. Otherwise a very good copy.

Early printing of Confucius in English, containing selections from the works of the philosopher, translated from La Morale de Confucius, a compilation by J. de la Brune published in Amsterdam in 1688. De la Brune's translation in turn was adapted from the Latin translation of Confucius's Ta Hsueh, Chung Yung, and the Lun Yu by Intorcetta, Couplet, Herdtrich and Rougemont published in Paris in 1687.

"Confucius was one of the most noted philosophers in Chinese history, some have even compared his contributions to Eastern philosophy to those of Socrates in the West. This edition, printed in 1691 is interesting in several respects. It shows an awareness of Eastern ideas that one would not normally associate with 17th century England. Additionally, the author of this work attempts to put Confucius' ideas into a Western/Christian context. In the advertisement at the front, it is stressed that though Confucius was a pagan, his ideas are not inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and his desire for achieving virtue and morality is certainly consistent with the beliefs of 17th century Christian philosophers" (Remnant Trust Collection).

ESTC T213641. Lowndes, I, p. 510. Wing C5806.

HBS 68859.

$2,000. (Inventory #: 68859)