The title page

The title page of this book, the French edition of his An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, not only claims that Psalmanazar is a native of the island – the notion of being an eye witness gave authority to his account – but also promises an explanation of how he ended up in Europe.

The text in the title page emphasizes the role that the Jesuit Order played in Psalmanazar’s backstory – he claimed that his Jesuit teacher had abducted him to Europe and had tried to convert him to Catholicism there. This was an extra rhetorical strategy: Psalmanazar’s book was aimed at a Protestant readership that greatly distrusted Jesuits and by seemingly confirming their suspicions, Psalmanazar made his readers more inclined to believe the rest of his fabrications.