talents and virtue without regard to where they came from.

3. "King Wan looked on the people as he would on a man who was wounded, and he looked towards the right path as if he could not see it.

4. "King Woo did not slight the near, and did not forget the distant.

5. "The duke of Chow desired to unite in himself the virtues of those kings, those founders of the three dynasties, that he might display in his practice the four things which they did. If he saw any thing in them not suited to his time, he looked up and thought about it, from day-time into the night, and when he was fortunate enough to master the difficulty, he sat waiting for the morning."

XXI. 1. Mencius said, "The traces of imperial rule were extinguished, and the imperial odes ceased to be made. When those odes ceased to be made, then the Ch'un-Ts-ew was produced.

2. "The Shing of Tsin, the Taou-wuh of Ts'oo, and the Ch'un-Ts'ew of Loo, were books of the same character.

3. "The subject of the Ch'un-wuh was the affairs of Hwan of Tse and Wan of Tsin, and its style was the historical. Confucius said, 'Its righteous decisions I ventured to make.""

XXII. 1. Mencius said, "The influence of a sovereign sage terminates in the fifth generation. The influence of a mere sage does the same.

2. "Although I could not be a disciple of Confucius himself, I have endeavored to cultivate my virtue by means of others who were."

XXIII. Mencius said, "When it appears proper to take a thing, and afterwards not proper, to take it is contrary to moderation. When it appears proper to give a thing and afterwards not proper, to give it is

contrary to kindness. When it appears proper to sacrifice one's life, and afterwards not proper, to sacrifice it is contrary to bravery."

XXIV. 1. Pang Mung learned archery of E. When he had acquired completely all the science of E, he thought that in all the empire only E was superior to himself, and so he slew him. Mencius said, "In this case E also was to blame. Kung-ming E indeed, said 'It would appear as if he were not to be blamed,' but he thereby only meant that his blame was slight. How can he be held without any blame?”

2. "The people of Ching sent Tsze-cho Yu to make a stealthy attack on Wei, which sent Yu-kung Sze to pursue him. Tsze-cho Yu said, 'To-day I feel unwell, so that I cannot hold my bow. I am a dead man!' At the same time he asked his driver, 'Who is it that is pursuing me?' The driver said, 'It is Yu-kung Sze,' on which he exclaimed, 'I shall live.' The driver said, "Yu-kung Sze is the best archer of Wei, what do you mean by saying-I shall live?' Yu replied, Yu-kung Sze learned archery from Yin-kung To, who again learned it from me. Now, Yin-kung To is an upright man, and the friends of his selection must be upright also.' When Yu-kung Sze came up, he said, 'Master, why are you not holding your bow?' Yu answered him, 'To-day I am feeling unwell, and cannot hold my bow.' On this Sze said, 'I learned archery from Yinkung To, who again learned it from you. I cannot bear to injure you with your own science. The business of to-day, however, is the prince's business, which I dare not neglect. He then took his arrows, knocked off their steel-points against the carriage-wheel, discharged four of them, and returned."

XXV. 1. Mencius said, "If the lady Se had been covered with a filthy head-dress, all people would have stopped their noses in passing her.

2. "Though a man may be wicked, yet if he adjust his thoughts, fast, and bathe, he may sacrifice to God."

XXVI. 1. Mencius said, " All who speak about the natures of things, have in fact only their phenomena to reason from, and the value of a phenomenon is in its being natural.

2. "What I dislike in your wise men is their boring out their conclusions. If those wise men would only act as Yu did when he conveyed away the waters, there would be nothing to dislike in their wisdom. The manner in which Yu conveyed away the waters was by doing what gave him no trouble. If your wise men would also do that which gave them no trouble, their knowledge would also be great.

3. "There is heaven so high; there are the stars so distant. If we have investigated their phenomena, we may, while sitting in our places, go back to the solstice of a thousand years ago.'

XXVII. 1. The officer Kung-hang having on hand the funeral of one of his sons, the Master of the Right went to condole with him. When this noble entered the door, some called him to them and spoke with him, and some went to his place and spoke with him.

2. Mencius did not speak with him, so that he was displeased, and said, "All the gentlemen have spoken with me. There is only Mencius who does not speak to me, thereby slighting me."

3. Mencius, having heard of this remark, said, " According to the prescribed rules, in the court, individuals may not change their places to speak with one another, nor may they pass from their ranks to bow to one another. I was wishing to observe this rule, and Tszegaou understands it that I was slighting him:-is not this strange?"

XXVIII. 1. Mencius said, "That whereby the superior man is distinguished from other men is what he

preserves in his heart;-namely, benevolence and propriety.

2. "The benevolent man loves others. The man of propriety shows respect to others.

3. "He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them. 4. "Here is a man, who treats me in a perverse and unreasonable manner. The superior man in such a case will turn round upon himself- I must have been wanting in benevolence; I must have been wanting in propriety-how should this have happened to me?'

5. "He examines himself, and is specially benevolent. He turns round upon himself, and is specially observant of propriety. The perversity and unreasonableness of the other, however, are still the same. The superior man will again turn round on himself "I must have been failing to do my utmost.'

6. "He turns round upon himself, and proceeds to do his utmost, but still the perversity and unreasonableness of the other are repeated. On this the superior man says, 'This is a man utterly lost indeed! Since he conducts himself so, what is there to choose between him and a brute? Why should I go to contend with a brute?

7. "Thus it is that the superior man has a life-long anxiety and not one morning's calamity. As to what is matter of anxiety to him, that he has.-He says, 'Shun was a man, and I also am a man. But Shun became an example to the empire, and his conduct was worthy to be handed down to after ages, while I am nothing better than a villager.' This indeed is proper matter of anxiety to him. And in what way is he anxious about it? Just that he may be like Shun :then only will he stop. As to what the superior man would feel to be a calamity, there is no such thing. He does nothing which is not according to propriety. If

there should befal him one morning's calamity, the superior man does not account it a calamity."

XXIX. 1. Yu and Tseih, in an age of tranquillizing government, thrice passed their doors without entering them. Confucius praised them.

2. The disciple Yen, in an age of confusion, dwelt in a mean narrow lane, having his single bamboo-cup of rice, and his single gourd-dish of water; other men could not have endured the distress, but he did not allow his joy to be affected by it. Confucius praised him.

3. Mencius said, "Yu, Tseih, and Yen Hwuy agreed in the principle of their conduct.

4. "Yu thought that if any one in the empire were drowned, it was as if he drowned him. Tseih thought that if any one in the empire suffered hunger, it was as if he famished him. It was on this account that they were so earnest.

5. "If you and Tseih, and the philosopher Yen, had exchanged places, each would have done what the other did.

6. "Here now in the same apartment with you are people fighting:-you ought to part them. Though you part them with your cap simply tied over your unbound hair, your conduct will be allowable.

7. "If the fighting be only in the village or neighbourhood, if you go to put an end to it with your cap tied over your hair unbound, you will be in error. Although you should shut your door in such a case, your conduct would be allowable."

XXX. 1. The disciple Kung-too said, “Throughout the whole kingdom every body pronounces K'wang unfilial. But you, Master, keep company with him, and moreover treat him with politeness. I venture to ask why you do so?"

2. Mencius replied, "There are five things which are