5. "This is what is intended in the words of the

Book of Poetry,

"The beacon of Yin was not remote,

It was in the time of the sovereign of Hea.'" III. 1. Mencius said, "It was by benevolence that the three dynasties gained the empire, and by not being benevolent that they lost it.

2. "It is by the same means that the decaying and flourishing, the preservation and perishing of States are determined.

3. "If the emperor be not benevolent, he cannot preserve the empire from passing from him. If the sovereign of a State be not benevolent, he cannot preserve his kingdom. If a high noble or great officer be not benevolent, he cannot preserve his ancestral temple. If a scholar or common man be not benevolent, he cannot preserve his four limbs.

4. "Now they hate death and ruin, and yet delight in being not benevolent;-this is like hating to be drunk, and yet being strong to drink wine."

IV. 1. Mencius said, "If a man love others, and no responsive attachment is shown to him, let him turn inwards and examine his own benevolence. If he is trying to rule others, and his government is unsuccessful, let him turn inwards and examine his wisdom. If he treats others politely, and they do not return his politeness, let him turn inwards and examine his own feeling of respect.

2. "When we do not, by what we do, realize what we desire, we must turn inwards, and examine ourselves in every point. When a man's person is correct, the whole empire will turn to him with recognition and submission.

3. "It is said in the Book of Poetry,

'Be always studious to be in harmony with the ordinances of God,

And you will obtain much happiness.""

V. Mencius said, "People have this common saying, --The empire, the State, the family. The root of the empire is in the State. The root of the State is in the family. The root of the family is in the person of its head."

VI. Mencius said, "The administration of government is not difficult; it lies in not offending the great families. He whom the great families affect, will be affected by the whole State, and he whom any one State affects, will be affected by the whole empire. When this is the case, such an one's virtue and teachings will spread over all within the four seas like the rush of water."

VII. 1. Mencius said, "When right government prevails in the empire, princes of little virtue are submissive to those of great, and those of little worth, to those of great. When bad government prevails in the empire, princes of small power are submissive to those of great, and the weak to the strong. Both these cases are the rule of Heaven. They who accord with Heaven are preserved, and they who rebel against Heaven perish.

2. "The duke King of Ts'e said, 'Not to be able to command others, and at the same time to refuse to receive their commands, is to cut one's-self off from all intercourse with others.' His tears flowed forth while he gave his daughter to be married to the prince of Woo.

3. "Now the small States imitate the large, and yet are ashamed to receive their commands. This is like a scholar's being ashamed to receive the commands of his master.

4. "For a prince who is ashamed of this, the best plan is to imitate king Wan. Let one imitate king Wan, and in five years, if his State be large, or in seven years, if it be small, he will be sure to give laws to the empire.

5. "It is said in the Book of Poetry,

"The descendants of the emperors of the Shang dy

nasty,

Are in number more than hundreds of thousands,
But, God having passed His decree,
They are all submissive to Chow.
They are submissive to Chow,

Because the decree of Heaven is not unchanging.
The officers of Yin, admirable and alert,

Pour out the libations, and assist in the capital of Chow!'

Confucius said,' As against so benevolent a sovereign, they could not be deemed a multitude.' Thus, if the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.

6. "Now they wish to have no opponent in all the empire, but they do not seek to attain this by being benevolent. This is like a man laying hold of a heated substance, and not having first wetted his hands. It is said in the Book of Poetry,

'Who can take up a heated substance,

Without wetting his hands?""

VIII. 1. Mencius said, "How is it possible to speak with those princes who are not benevolent? Their perils they count safety, their calamities they count profitable, and they have pleasure in the things by which they perish. If it were possible to talk with them who so violate benevolence, how could we have such destruction of kingdoms and ruin of families? 2. "There was a boy singing,

"When the water of the Tsang-lang is clear,
It does to wash the strings of my cap;

When the water of the Tsang-lang is muddy,

It does to wash my feet.'

3. "Confucius said, 'Hear what he sings, my chil dren. When clear, then he will wash his cap-strings,

and when muddy, he will wash his feet with it. This different application is brought by the water on itself."

4. "A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him. A family must first destroy itself, and then others will destroy it. A kingdom must first smite itself, and then others will smite it.

5. "This is illustrated in the passage of the T'ae Kea, 'When Heaven sends down calamities, it is still possible to escape them. When we occasion the calamities ourselves, it is not possible any longer to live."

IX. 1. Mencius said, "Kee and Chow's losing the empire, arose from their losing the people, and to lose the people means to lose their hearts. There is a way to get the empire:-get the people, and the empire is got. There is a way to get the people:-get their hearts, and the people are got. There is a way to get their hearts-it is simply to collect for them what they like, and not to lay on them what they dislike.

2. "The people turn to a benevolent rule as water flows downwards, and as wild beasts fly to the wilder

ness.

3. "Accordingly, as the otter aids the deep waters, driving the fish into them, and the hawk aids the thickets, driving the little birds to them, so Kee and Chow aided Tang and Woo, driving the people to them.

4. "If among the present sovereigns of the empire, there were one who loved benevolence, all the other princes would aid him, by driving the people to him. Although he wished not to become emperor, he could not avoid becoming so.

5. The case of one of the present princes wishing to become emperor, is like the having to seek mugwort for three years old, to cure a seven years' sickness. If it have not been kept in store, the patient may all his life not get it. If the princes do not set their wills on benevolence, all their days will be in sorrow and dis grace, and they will be involved in death and ruin.

6. "This is illustrated by what is said in the Book of Poetry,

'How otherwise can you improve the empire?

You will only with it go to ruin.''

X. 1. Mencius said, "With those who do violence to themselves it is impossible to speak. With those who throw themselves away, it is impossible to do any thing. To disown in his conversation propriety and righteousness, is what we mean by doing violence to one's-self. To say I am not able to dwell in benevolence or pursue the path of righteousness,' is what we mean by throwing one's-self away.

2. Benevolence is the tranquil habitation of man, and righteousness is his straight path.

3. "Alas for them, who leave the tranquil dwelling empty, and do not reside in it, and who abandon the right path and do not pursue it!"

XI. Mencius said, "The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote. The work of duty lies in what is easy, and men seek for it in what is difficult. If each man would love his parents and show the due respect to his elders, the whole empire would enjoy tranquillity."

XII. 1. Mencius said, "When those occupying inferior situations do not obtain the confidence of the sovereign, they cannot succeed in governing the people. There is a way to obtain the confidence of the sovereign:—if one is not trusted by his friends, he will not obtain the confidence of his sovereign. There is a way of being trusted by one's friends :-if one do not serve his parents so as to make them pleased, he will not be trusted by his friends. There is a way to make one's parents pleased;-if one, on turning his thoughts inwards finds a want of sincerity, he will not give pleasure to his parents. There is a way to the attainment of sincerity in one's-self:-if a man do not uu