deal with them. How dare any under heaven give indulgence to their refractory wills?' There was one man pursuing a violent and disorderly course in the empire, and king Woo was ashamed of it. This was the valour of king Woo. He also, by one display of his anger, gave repose to all the people of the empire.

8. "Let now your Majesty also, in one burst of anger, give repose to all the people of the empire. The people are only afraid that your Majesty does not love valour."

IV. 1. The king Seuen of Ts'e had an interview with Mencius in the Snow palace, and said to him, "Do men of talents and worth likewise find pleasure in these things?" Mencius replied, "They do, and if people generally are not able to enjoy themselves, they condemn their superiors.

2. "For them, when they cannot enjoy themselves, to condemn their superiors is wrong, but when the superiors of the people do not make enjoyment a thing common to the people and themselves, they also do wrong.

3. "When a ruler rejoices in the joy of his people, they also rejoice in his joy; when he grieves at the sorrow of his people, they also grieve at his sorrow. A sympathy of joy will pervade the empire; a sympathy of sorrow will do the same:-in such a state of things, it cannot be but that the ruler attain to the Imperial dignity.

4. Formerly, the duke, King, of Tse, asked the minister Ngan, saying, 'I wish to pay a visit of inspection to Chuen-foo, and Ch'aou-woo, and then to bend my course southward along the shore, till I come to Langyay. What shall I do that my tour may be fit to be compared with the visits of inspection made by the ancient emperors ?'

5. "The minister Ngan replied, 'An excellent inqui

ry! When the emperor visited the princes, it was called a tour of inspection, that is, he surveyed the States under their care. When the princes attended at the court of the emperor, it was called a report of of fice, that is, they reported their administration of their offices. Thus, neither of the proceedings was without a purpose. And moreover, in the spring they examined the ploughing, and supplied any deficiency of seed; in the autumn they examined the reaping, and supplied any deficiency of yield. There is the saying of the Hea dynasty,-If our king do not take his ramble, what will become of our happiness? If our king do not make his excursion, what will become of our help? That ramble, and that excursion, were a pattern to the princes.

6. "Now the state of things is different.-A host marches in attendance on the ruler, and stores of provisions are consumed. The hungry are deprived of their food, and there is no rest for those who are called to toil. Maledictions are uttered by one to another with eyes askance, and the people proceed to the commission of wickedness. Thus the Imperial ordinances are violated, and the people are oppressed, and the supplies of food and drink flow away like water. The rulers yield themselves to the current, or they urge their way against it; they are wild; they are utterly lost-these things proceed to the grief of their subordinate governors.

7. "Descending along with the current, and forgetting to return, is what I call yielding to it. Pressing up against it, and forgetting to return, is what I call urging their way against it. Pursuing the chase without satiety is what I call being wild. Delighting in wine without satiety is what I call being lost.

8. "The ancient emperors had no pleasures to which they gave themselves as on the flowing stream; no

doings which might be so characterized as wild and lost. 9. "It is for you, my prince, to pursue your course.'” 10. "The duke King was pleased. He issued a proclamation throughout his state, and went out and occupied a shed in the borders. From that time he began to open his granaries to supply the wants of the people, and calling the Grand music-master, he said to him'Make for me music to suit a prince and his minister pleased with each other.' And it was then that the Che-shaou and Keo-shaou were made, in the poetry to which it was said, 'What fault is it to restrain one's prince?' He who restrains his prince loves his prince."

V. 1. The king Seuen of T'se said, "People all tell me to pull down and remove the Brilliant palace. Shall I pull it down, or stop the movement for that object?"

2. Mencius replied, "The Brilliant Palace is a palace appropriate to the emperors. If your Majesty wishes to practice the true Royal government, then do not pull it down."

3. The king said, "May I hear from you what the true Royal government is ?" "Formerly," was the reply, "king Wan's government of K'e was as follows:The husbandmen cultivated for the government oneninth of the land; the descendants of officers were salaried; at the passes and in the markets, strangers were inspected, but goods were not taxed; there were no prohibitions respecting the ponds and weirs; the wives and children of criminals were not involved in their guilt. There were the old and wifeless, or widowers; the old and husbandless, or widows; the old and childless, or solitaries; the young and fatherless, or orphans: these four classes are the most destitute of the people, and have none to whom they can tell their wants, and king Wan, in the institution of his government with its benevolent action, made them the first objects of his regard, as it is said in the Book of Poetry,

The rich may get through.

But alas! for the miserable and solitary!"" 4. The king said, "O excellent words!' Mencius said, "Since your Majesty deems them excellent, why do you not practice them?" "I have an infirmity," said the king; "I am fond of wealth." The reply was, "Formerly, Kung-lew was fond of wealth. It is said in the Book of Poetry,

'He reared his ricks, and filled his granaries,
He tied up dried provisions and grain,
In bottomless bags, and sacks,

That he might gather his people together, and
glorify his State.

With bows and arrows all-displayed,

With shields, and spears, and battle-axes, large and small,

He commenced his march.'

In this way those who remained in their old seat had their ricks and granaries, and those who marched had their bags of provisions. It was not till after this that he thought he could commence his march. If your Majesty loves wealth, let the people be able to gratify the same feeling, and what difficulty will there be in your attaining the Imperial sway?"

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5. The king said, "I have an infirmity; I am fond of beauty." The reply was, "Formerly, king Tae was fond of beauty, and loved his wife. It is said in the Book of Poetry,

'Koo-kung T'an-foo

Came in the morning, galloping his horse,

By the banks of the western waters,

As far as the foot of K'e hill,

Along with the lady of Keang;

They came and together chose the site of settlement.'

At that time, in the seclusion of the house, there were

no dissatisfied women, and abroad, there were no unmarried men. If your Majesty loves beauty, let the people be able to gratify the same feeling, and what difficulty will there be in your attaining the Imperial sway?"

VI. 1. Mencius said to the king Seuen of Tse, "Suppose that one of your Majesty's ministers were to entrust his wife and children to the care of his friend, while he himself went into Tsoo to travel, and that, on his return, he should find that the friend had caused his wife and children to suffer from cold and hunger;-how ought he to deal with him?" The king said, "He should cast him off."

2. Mencius proceeded, "Suppose that the chief criminal judge could not regulate the officers under him, how would you deal with him?" The king said, "Dismiss him."

3. Mencius again said, "If within the four borders of your kingdom there is not good government, what is to be done?" The king looked to the right and left, and spoke of other matters.

VII. 1. Mencius, having an interview with the king Seuen of Ts'e, said to him, "When men speak of 'an ancient kingdom,' it is not meant thereby that it has lofty trees in it, but that it has ministers sprung from families which have been noted in it for generations. Your Majesty has no intimate ministers even. Those whom you advanced yesterday are gone to day, and you do not know it."

2. The king said, "How shall I know that they have not ability, and so avoid employing them at all?"

3. The reply was, "The ruler of a State advances to office men of talents and virtue, only as a matter of necessity. Since he will thereby cause the low to overstep the honourable, and strangers to overstep his relatives, may he do so but with caution?