“Commendably Industrious” or “very good friends” of the Devil?: How Attitudes Towards the Jesuits Shaped Understandings of China in Early Modern England

The transmission of knowledge about China to early modern Europe was dominated by the Jesuits, whose mission to China and privileged position in the court of the Ming and Qing emperors enabled them to become Europe’s foremost early Sinologists. However, the Jesuits were deeply controversial in early modern Europe, especially in Protestant England. This article investigates how hostility towards the Jesuits manifested itself in the English reception of texts and information about China. By examining English translations of Jesuit texts, tracts by English intellectuals, and English literary works on China, this article reveals the variety of responses which English authors and printers used in order to deal with the problematical Jesuit origin of early modern knowledge about China. The consistency with which English authors engaged with the Jesuit origins of this knowledge demonstrates the critical importance of attitudes towards the Jesuits in shaping early modern English understandings of China.