The 2\(aturatt and Moral! 



ihouldnot bee vnderftood. Such arc the letters and 

 bookes the Cbinois vfe , being fo famous in the world. 

 To make their impreffions^they grave a boord or plank 

 with the figures they will print , then do they ftampe 

 as many leaves of paper as they lift , of the ftme fort as 

 they have made their pkftures, the which are graven in 

 copper or wood. But a man of iudgement may aske, 

 how they could fignifie their conceptions by figures, 

 which approached neereor referable the thing they 

 would reprefent? As to fay,the Sunne heats,or, that he 

 hath beheld the Sunne, or, the day is of the Sunne. Fi 

 nally , how it werepoflible to denote by the fame fi 

 gures , the cafe , the coniun&ion 5 and the articles, 

 which are in many tongues and writings ? lanfwer 

 therevnto , that they diftinguifli and fignifie this vari- 

 ctic by certainc points, ftrikes, and difpofitions of the 

 figure. But it is difficult to vndcrftand how they can 

 write proper names in their tongue,e, r pecially offtran- 

 gers,being things they have never fecne, and notable 

 toinvent figures proper vnto them. I have made triall 

 thereof being in Mexico with the Chino'is, willing them 

 to write this propofition in their language, lofephAco- 

 fta i*comejromVcr\\:2r\& fuch like: \vherevpon the Chi' 

 nots was long penfive , but in the end hce did write it, 

 the which other Chinou did after reade, although they 

 did vary a little in the pronoun tiation of the- proper 

 name. For they vfe this devife to write a proper name: 

 they feeke out fomrthing in their tongue, that hath re- 

 femblance to that name , and fet downe the figure of 

 this thing. And as it is difficult among fo many proper 

 names , to finde things to refemble them in the prola- 

 tion,(bisit very difficult and troublcfome 5 to write 

 fuch names. Vpoa tfjis purpofe/ather A/lonfo Saxchel^ 



told 



