a bell with its blood. The king said, Let it go. I cannot bear its frightened appearance, as if it were an innocent person going to the place of death. The man answered, Shall we then omit the consecration of the bell? The king said, How can that be omitted? Change it for a sheep.' I do not know whether this incident really occurred."

5. The king replied, "It did,,' and then Mencius said, "The heart seen in this is sufficient to carry you to the Imperial sway. The people all supposed that your Majesty grudged the animal, but your servant knows surely, that it was your Majesty's not being able to bear the sight, which made you do as you did."

6. The king said, "You are right. And yet there really was an appearance of what the people condemned. But though Ts'e be a small and narrow state, how should I grudge one ox. Indeed it was because I could not bear its frightened appearance, as if it were an innocent person going to the place of death, that therefore I changed it for a sheep."

7. Mencius pursued, Let not your Majesty deem it strange that the people should think you were grudging the animal. When you changed the large one for a small, how should they know the true reason. If you felt pained by its being led without guilt to the place of death, what was there to choose between an ox and a sheep?" The King laughed and said, "What really was my mind in the matter? I did not grudge the expense of it, and changed it for a sheep!-There was reason in the people's saying that I grudged it."

8. "There is no harm in their saying so," said Mencius. "Your conduct was an artifice of benevolence. You saw the ox, and had not seen the sheep. So is the superior man affected towards animals, that, having seen them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; having heard their dying cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. Therefore he keeps away from his cook-room.”

9. The king was pleased, and said, "It is said in the Book of Poetry, 'The minds of others, I am able by reflection to measure;'-this is verified, my Master, in your discovery of my motive. I indeed did the thing, but when I turned my thoughts inward, and examined into it, I could not discover my own mind. When When you, my Master, spoke those words, the movements of compassion began to work in my mind. How is it that this heart has in it what is equal to the Imperial sway?"

10. Mencius replied, "Suppose a man were to make this statement to your Majesty:- My strength is sufficient to lift three thousand catties, but it is not sufficient to lift one feather;-my eye-sight is sharp enough to examine the point of an autumn hair, but I do not see a waggon-load of faggots;'-would your Majesty allow what he said?" "No" was the answer, on which Mencius proceeded, "Now here is kindness sufficient to reach to animals, and no benefits are extended from it to the people. How is this? Is an exception to be made here? The truth is, the feather's not being lifted, is because the strength is not used; the waggon-load of firewood's not being seen, is because the vision is not used; and the people's not being loved and protected, is because the kindness is not employed. Therefore your Majesty's not exercising the Imperial sway, is because you do not do it, not because you are not able to do it."

11. The king asked, "How may the difference between the not doing a thing, and the not being able to do it, be represented?" Mencius replied, "In such a thing as taking the Tae mountain under your arm, and leaping over the north sea with it, if you say to people -I am not able to do it,' that is a real case of not being able. In such a matter as breaking off a branch from a tree at the order of a superior, if you say to people -I am not able to do it,' that is a case of not doing it, it is not a case of not being able to do it. Therefore

your Majesty's not exercising the Imperial sway, is not such a case as that of taking the T'ae mountain under your arm, and leaping over the north sea with it. Your Majesty's not exercising the Imperial sway is a case like that of breaking off a branch from a tree.

12. "Treat with the reverence due to age the elders in your own family, so that the elders in the families of others shall be similarly treated; treat with the kindness due to youth the young in your own family, so that the young in the families of others shall be similarly treated:-do this, and the empire may be made to go round in your palm. It is said in the Book of Poetry, 'His example affected his wife. It reached to his brothers, and his family of the State was governed by it.' The language shows how king Wan simply took this kindly heart, and exercised it towards those parties. Therefore the carrying out his kindly heart by a prince will suffice for the love and protection of all within the four seas, and if he do not carry it out, he will not be able to protect his wife and children. The way in which the ancients came greatly to surpass other men, was no other than this:-simply that they knew well how to carry out, so as to affect others, what they themselves did. Now your kindness is sufficient to reach to animals, and no benefits are extended from it to reach the people. How is this? Is an exception to be made here?

13. "By weighing, we know what things are light, and what heavy. By measuring, we know what things are long, and what short. The relations of all things may be thus determined, and it is of the greatest importance to estimate the motions of the mind. I beg your Majesty to measure it.

14. "You collect your equipments of war, endanger your soldiers and officers, and excite the resentment of the other princes;-do these things cause you pleasure in your mind?"

How should I derive

15. The king replied "No. pleasure from these things? My object in them is to seek for what I greatly desire.”

16. Mencius said, "May I hear from you what it is that you greatly desire? The king laughed and did not speak. Mencius resumed," Are you led to desire it, because you have not enough of rich and sweet food for your mouth? Or because you have not enough of light and warm clothing for your body? Or because you have not enow of beautifully coloured objects to delight your eyes? Or because you have not voices and tones enow to please your ears? Or because you have not enow of attendants and favourites to stand before you and receive your orders? Your Majesty's various officers are sufficient to supply you with those things. How can your Majesty be led to entertain such a desire on account of them?" "No," said the king; "my desire is not on account of them?" Mencius added, "Then, what your Majesty greatly desires may be known. You wish to enlarge your territories, to have Ts'in and Ts'oo wait at your court, to rule the Middle kingdom, and to attract to you the barbarous tribes that surround it. But to do what you do to seek for what you desire, is like climbing a tree to seek for fish."

17. The king said, "Is it so bad as that?" "It is even worse," was the reply. "If you climb a tree to seek for fish, although you do not get the fish, you will not suffer any subsequent calamity. But if you do what you do to seek for what you desire, doing it moreover with all your heart, you will assuredly afterwards meet with calamities." The king asked, " May I hear from you the proof of that?" Mencius said, "If the people of Tsow should fight with the people of Ts'oo, which of them does your Majesty think would conquer?" "The people of Ts'oo would conquer." "Yes; and so it is certain that a small country cannot contend with a great,

that few cannot contend with many, that the weak cannot contend with the strong. The territory within the four seas embraces nine divisions, each of a thousand le square. All Ts'e together is but one of them. If with one part you try to subdue the other eight, what is the difference between that and Tsow's contending with Tsoo? For, with the desire which you have, you must likewise turn back to the radical course for its at

tainment.

18. "Now if your Majesty will institute a government whose action shall all be benevolent, this will cause all the officers in the empire to wish to stand in your Majesty's court, and the farmers all to wish to plough in your Majesty's fields, and the merchants, both travelling and stationary, all to wish to store their goods in your Majesty's market places, and travelling strangers all to wish to make their tours on your Majesty's roads, and all throughout the empire who feel aggrieved by their rulers to wish to come and complain to your Majesty. And when they are so bent, who will be able to keep them back?"

19. The king said, "I am stupid, and not able to advance to this. I wish you, my Master, to assist my intentions. Teach me clearly; although I am deficient in intelligence and vigour, I will essay and try to carry your instructions into effect."

20. Mencius replied, "They are only men of education, who, without a certain livelihood, are able to maintain a fixed heart. As to the people, if they have not a certain livelihood, it follows that they will not have a fixed heart. And if they have not a fixed heart, there is nothing which they will not do, in the way of self-abandonment, of moral deflection, of depravity, and of wild license. When they thus have been involved in crime, to follow them up and punish them;-this is to entrap the people. How can such a thing as entrap