several thousands." The governor replied, "That is a state of things in which it does not belong to me Keu sin to act."

3. "Here," said Mencius, "is a man who receives charge of the cattle and sheep of another, and undertakes to feed them for him;-of course he must search for pasture-ground and grass for them. If, after search. ing for those, he cannot find them, will he return his charge to the owner? or will he stand by and see them die?" "Herein," said the officer, "I am guilty."

4. Another day, Mencius had an audience of the king, and said to him, "Of the governors of your Majesty's cities I am acquainted with five, but the only one of them who knows his faults is K'ung Keu-sin." He then repeated the conversation to the king, who said, "In this matter, I am the guilty one."

V. 1. Mencius said to Ch'e Wa, "There seemed to be reason in your declining the governorship of Lingk'ew, and requesting to be appointed chief criminal judge, because the latter office would afford you the opportunity of speaking your views. Now several months have elapsed, and have you yet found nothing of which you might speak?

2. On this, Ch'e Wa remonstrated on some matter with the king, and, his counsel not being taken, resigned his office, and went away.

3. The people of Ts'e said, "In the course which he marked out for Ch'e Wa, he did well, but we do not know as to the course which he pursues for himself."

4. His disciple Kung-too told him these remarks.

5. Mencius said, "I have heard that he who is in charge of an office, when he is prevented from fulfilling its duties, ought to take his departure, and that he on whom is the responsibility of giving his opinion, when he finds his words unattended to, ought to do the same. But I am in charge of no office; on me devolves no

duty of speaking out my opinion:-may not I therefore act freely and without any constraint, either in going forward or in retiring?"

VI. 1. Mencius, occupying the position of a high dignitary in Ts'e, went on a mission of condolence to Tang. The king also sent Wang Hwan, the governor of Ka, as assistant commissioner. Wang Hwan, morning and evening, waited upon Mencius, who, during all the way to Tang and back, never spoke to him about the business of their mission.

2. Kung-sun Ch'ow said to Mencius, "The position of a high dignitary of Ts'e is not a small one; the road from Ts'e to Tang is not short. How was it that during all the way there and back, you never spake to Hwan about the matters of your mission?" Mencius replied, "There were the proper officers who attended to them. What occasion had I to speak to him about them ?"

VII. 1. Mencius went from Ts'e to Loo to bury his mother. On his return to Ts'e, he stopped at Ying, where Ch'ung Yu begged to put a question to him, and said, "Formerly, in ignorance of my incompetency, you employed me to superintend the making of the coffin. As you were then pressed by the urgency of the business, I did not venture to put any question to you. Now, however, I wish to take the liberty to submit the matter. The wood of the coffin, it appeared to me, was too good."

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2. Mencius replied, " Anciently, there was no rule for the size of either the inner or the outer coffin. In middle antiquity, the inner coffin was made seven inches thick, and the outer one the same. This was done by all, from the emperor to the common people, and not simply for the beauty of the appearance, but because they thus satisfied the natural feelings of their hearts. 3. "If prevented by statutory regulations from mak

ing their coffins in this way, men cannot have 'the feeling of pleasure. If they have not the money to make them in this way, they cannot have the feeling of pleasure. When they were not prevented, and had the money, the ancients all used this style. Why should I alone not do so?

4. "And moreover, is there no satisfaction to the natural feelings of a man, in preventing the earth from getting near to the bodies of his dead?

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5. "I have heard that the superior man will not for all the world be niggardly to his parents."

VIII. 1. Shin Tung, on his own impulse, asked Mencius, saying, "May Yen be smitten?" Mencius replied, "It may. Tsze-k'wae had no right to give Yen to another man, and Tsze-che had no right to receive Yen from Tsze-k'wae. Suppose there were an officer here, with whom you, Sir, were pleased, and that, without informing the king, you were privately to give to him your salary and rank; and suppose that this officer, also without the king's orders, were privately to receive them from you:-would such a transaction be allowable? And where is the difference between the case of Yen and this?"

2. The people of Ts'e smote Yen. Some one asked Mencius, saying, "Is it really the case that you advised Ts'e to smite Yen?" He replied, "No. Shin Tung asked me whether Yen might be smitten, and I answered him, 'It may.' They accordingly went and smote it. If he had asked me- Who may smite it?' I would have answered him, ' He who is the minister of Heaven may smite it.' Suppose the case of a murderer, and that one asks me-May this man be put to death?' I will answer him—He may. If he ask me -Who may put him to death?' I will answer him, -The chief criminal judge may put him to death.' But now with one Yen to smite another Yen :-how should I have advised this?"

IX. 1. The people of Yen having rel elled, the king of Ts'e said, "I feel very much ashamed when I think of Mencius."

2. Ch'in Kea said to him, "Let not your Majesty be grieved. Whether does your Majesty consider yourself or Chow-kung the more benevolent and wise?" The king replied, "Oh! what words are those?" "The duke of Chow," said Kea, "appointed Kwan-shuh to oversee the heir of Yin, but Kwan-shuh with the power of the Yin State rebelled. If knowing that this would happen he appointed Kwan-shuh, he was deficient in benevolence. If he appointed him, not knowing that it would happen, he was deficient in knowledge. If the duke of Chow was not completely benevolent and wise, how much less can your Majesty be expected to be so! beg to go and see Mencius, and relieve your Majesty from that feeling."

3. Chin Kea accordingly saw Mencius, and asked him, saying, "What kind of a man was the duke of Chow?" "An ancient sage," was the reply. "Is it the fact, that he appointed Kwan-shuh to oversee the heir of Yin, and that Kwan-shuh with the State of Yin rebelled?" "It is." "Did the duke of Chow know that he would rebel, and purposely appoint him to that of fice?" Mencius said, "He did not know." Then, though a sage, he still fell into error?" "The duke of Chow," answered Mencius, "was the younger brother. Kwan-shuh was his elder brother. Was not the error of Chow-kung in accordance with what is right?

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4. "Moreover, when the superior men of old had errors, they reformed them. The superior men of the present time, when they have errors, persist in them. The errors of the superior men of old were like eclipses of the sun and moon. All the people witnessed them, and when they had reformed them, all the people looked up to them with their former admiration. Fut do the

superior men of the present day only persist in their errors? They go on to raise apologizing discussions about them likewise."

X. 1. Mencius gave up his office, and made arrangements for returning to his native State.

2. The king came to visit him, and said, "Formerly, I wished to see you, but in vain. Then, I got the op portunity of being by your side, and all my court joyed exceedingly along with me. Now again you abandon me, and are returning home. I do not know if hereafter I may expect to have another opportunity of seeing you. Mencius replied, "I dare not request permission to visit you at any particular time, but, indeed, it is what I desire."

3. Another day, the king said to the officer She, "I wish to give Mencius a house, somewhere in the middle of the kingdom, and to support his disciples with an allowance of 10,000 chung, that all the officers and the people may have such an example to reverence and imitate. Had you not better tell him this for me?"

4. She took advantage to convey this message by means of the disciple Ch'in, who reported his words to Mencius.

5. Mencius said, "Yes; but how should the officer She know that the thing may not be? Suppose that I wanted to be rich, having formerly declined 100,000 chung, would my now accepting 10,000 be the conduct of one desiring riches?

6. "Ke-sun said, 'A strange man was Tsze-shuh E. He pushed himself into the service of the government. His prince declining to employ him, he had to retire indeed, but he again schemed that his son or younger brother should be made a high officer. Who indeed is there of men but wishes for riches and honour? But he only, among the seekers of these, tried to monopolize the conspicuous mound.