to return to their homes. Having entered to take leave of Tsze-kung, they looked towards one another and wailed, till they all lost their voices. After this they returned to their homes, but Tsze-kung built another house for himself on the altar-ground, where he lived alone for [other] three years, after which he returned home. Subsequently, Tszehea, Tsze-chang, and Tsze-yëw, thinking that Yew Joh resembled the sage, wished to pay to him the same observances which they had paid to Confucius, and [tried to] force Tsăng-tsze [to join with them]. He said, [however], 'The thing must not be done. What has been washed in the waters of the Keang and Han, and bleached in the autumn sun-how glistening it is! Nothing can be added to it.'

14. "Now here is this shrike-tongued barbarian of the south, whose doctrines are not those of the ancient kings. You turn your back on your [former] master, and learn of him ;-different you are indeed from Tsăng-tsze.

15. "I have heard of [birds] leaving the dark valleys, and removing to lofty trees, but I have not heard of their descending from lofty trees, and entering the dark valleys. 16. "In the Praise-odes of Loo it is said,

'He smote the tribes of the west and the north;

He punished King and Shoo.'

Thus the duke of Chow then smote those [tribes], and you are become a disciple of [one of] them ;-the change which you have made is indeed not good."

17. [Ch'in Seang said], "If Heu's doctrines were followed, there would not be two prices in the market, nor any deceit in the State. Though a lad of five cubits were sent to the market, nobody would impose on him. Linens and silks of the same length would be of the same price.

ing the mourning dress. During all that time Tsze-kung acted as master of the ceremonies, and when the others left, he continued by the grave for another period of three years nominally, but in reality of two years and three months, On Yew Joh's resemblance to Confucius, see the Le Ke, II. i. III. 4. Par. 15. See the She, II. i. Ode V. 1.

Par. 16. See the She, IV. ii. Ode IV. 5. The lines contain an auspice of what the poet hoped would be accomplished by duke He of Loo; but Mencius seems to apply them to the achievements of his ancestor, the duke of Chow.

Parr. 17, 18. I suppose that Ch'in Sëang made this final attempt to defend the doctrines which he had adopted without well knowing what to say.

It

So would it be with [bundles of] hemp and silk, being of the same weight; with the different kinds of grain, being the same in quantity; and with shoes which were of the

same size."

18. [Mencius] replied, "It is in the nature of things to be of unequal quality. Some are twice, some five times, some ten times, some a hundred times, some a thousand times, some ten thousand times as valuable as others. If you reduce them all to the same standard, that would throw all under heaven into confusion. If large shoes and small shoes were of the same price, would people make them? If people were to follow the doctrines of Heu, they would [only] lead on one another to practise deceit ;-how can they avail for the government of a State?"

V. 1. The Mihist E Che sought, through Seu Peih, to see Mencius. Mencius said, "I indeed wished to see him; but at present I am still unwell. When I am better, I will myself go and see him; he need not come [to me]."

2. Next day, [E Che] again sought to see Mencius, who said, "Yes, to-day I can see him. But if I do not correct

is difficult to imagine the wildest dreamer really holding that the question of quality was not to enter at all into the price of things.

66

A boy of five cubits " would be a boy of about ten years old, who might easily be imposed upon. See on Ana. VIII. vi.

CH. V. HOW MENCIUS CONVINCED A MIHIST OF HIS ERROR THAT ALL MEN WERE TO BE LOVED EQUALLY, WITHOUT DIFFERENCE OF DEGREE, BY SETTING FORTH THE FEELING OUT OF WHICH GREW THE RITES OF BURIAL, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF ONE'S PARENTS.

Par. 1. Of Mih and his doctrines I have spoken in the Prolegomena. Mencius thought it was one of the principal missions of his life to expose and beat back his principles.

Of E Che we have no information beyond what we learn from this chapter. From the Tso Chuen we know that there were families of the surname E both in Ts'e and Choo.

་

Seu Peih was a disciple of Mencius, with whom E Che seems to have had some acquaintance. Our philosopher, probably, was well enough, but feigned sickness that he might test, by interposing delay, the sincerity of the Mihist's wish to see him. The same purpose was also served by his saying that he would go to see E Che, when he was better. He did not, indeed, mean to do so; but having been told that he would do it, E Che, if he had not been in earnest, might have given up his desire to have an interview.

Par. 2. E Che showed his sincerity in again seeking so soon after to have au interview with Mencius. Mencius knew that in one point his practice

[his errors], the [true] principles will not clearly appear; let me first correct him. I have heard that Mr E is a Mihist. Now Mih thinks that in the regulation of the rites of mourning a spare simplicity should be the rule. E thinks [with Mih's doctrines] to change [the customs of] all under heaven; but how does he [himself] regard them as if they were wrong, and not honour them? Thus when E buried his parents in a sumptuous manner, he was doing them service in a way which [his doctrines] discountenanced."

3. The disciple Seu informed Mr E of these remarks. E said, "[Even according to] the principles of the learned, the ancients, [though sages, dealt with the people] as if they were loving and cherishing their children. What does this expression mean? To me it sounds that we are to love all without difference of degree, the manifestation of it [simply] beginning with our parents." Seu reported this reply to Mencius, who said, "Does Mr E really think that a man's affection for the child of his elder brother is [merely] like his affection for the child of his neighbour? What is to be taken hold of in that [expression] is simply this:[that the people's offences are no more than] the guiltlessness of an infant, which, crawling, is about to fall into a well. Moreover, Heaven gives birth to creatures in such a way that they have [only] one root, while Mr E makes them to have two roots; this is the cause [of his error].

disagreed with the principles of Mih which he professed to follow, and resolved from that point to commence his communications with him. According to Chwang-tsze, Mih all his life-time did not sing, nor did he permit mourning for the dead. He would have no outer coffin, and the inner one which he allowed was to be only three inches in thickness.

Par. 3. Up to this time Mencius had not seen E Che, nor does it appear that he subsequently did so. The intercourse between them was conducted by Seu Peih. E Che does not try to vindicate his sumptuous interment of his parents, but proceeds to state and argue for the notable dogma of his master, that all men are to be loved equally. In support of this he refers to an expression in the Shoo, V. ix. 9, where the prince of K'ang is exhorted to deal with the people as he would do in protecting his own infant children. Mencius shows that that expression is merely metaphorical, and meant that the people were to be dealt with with a very kindly consideration of their weakness and liability to err. Nature itself, he says, teaches us to regard with peculiar feelings our parents and all related to us by blood. were to regard them and all others not related to us in the same way, that would be to make us sprung from two roots,-to be connected equally with our parents and with other men.

If we

4. "Indeed, in the most ancient times there were some who did not inter their parents, but [simply] took their dead bodies up and threw them into a ditch. Afterwards, when passing by them, [they saw] foxes and wild-cats devouring them, and flies and gnats gnawing at them. The perspiration started out upon their foreheads, and they looked away, because they could not bear the sight. It was not because of [what] other people [might say] that this perspiration flowed. The emotions of their hearts affected their faces and eyes, and so they went home, and returned with baskets and spades, and covered the [bodies]. If this covering them was indeed right, then filial sons and virtuous men must be guided by a certain principle in the burial of their parents."

5. Seu informed Mr E of what Mencius had said. Mr E seemed lost in thought, and after a little said, "He has instructed me."

Par. 4. Mencius tries to confirm his position by showing the origin of burial rites in the most ancient times, that is, before the sages had delivered their rules on the subject. Even then the natural feelings of men made them bury their parents, and where some neglected to do so, remorse speedily supervened. What affection thus prompted in the first place was prompted similarly in its more sumptuous exhibition in the progress of civilization. If any interment were called for by nature, a handsome one must have our approbation.

Par. 5. E Che was satisfied of the truth of what Mencius had said, and probably ceased to be a Mihist.

1

BOOK III.

TĂNG WĂN KUNG. PART II.

CHAPTER I. 1. Ch'in Tae said [to Mencius], "In not [going to] see any of the princes, you seem to me to be standing out on a small point. If now you were once to wait upon them, the result might be so great that you would make one of them king, or, if smaller, you might yet make one of them leader of the [other] princes. And moreover, the History says, 'By bending only to the extent of one cubit, you make eight cubits straight.' It appears to me like a thing which might be done."

2 Mencius said, "Formerly, duke King of Ts'e, [once] when he was hunting, called the forester to him by a flag. [The forester] would not come, and [the duke] was going to kill him. [With reference to this incident], Confucius said, 'The resolute officer does not forget [that his end may

CH. I. HOW MENCIUS DEFENDED THE DIGNITY OF RESERVE, BY WHICH HE REGULATED HIS INTERCOURSE WITH THE PRINCES OF HIS TIME. To understand this chapter, it must be borne in mind that there were many wandering scholars in the days of Mencius,-men who went from court to court, recommending themselves to the various princes, and trying to influence the course of events by their counsels. They would stoop for place and employment. Not so with our philosopher. He required that there should be shown to himself a portion of the respect which was due to the principles of which he was the expounder. Compare chapter vii. Par. 1. Ch' in Tae was one of Mencius' disciples; and this is all that we know of him. "The thing that might be done" was Mencius' going to wait upon the princes,-taking the initiative in seeking employment from

them.

Par. 2. The forester was an officer as old as the time of Shun, who in the Shoo, IL i. 22., appoints Yih, saying that "he could rightly superintend the birds and beasts of the fields and trees on his hills and in his forests." In the Official Book of Chow, XVII. vi., we have an account of the office and its duties. In those days the various officers had their several tokens, which the prince's or king's messenger bore when he was sent to summon any one of them. The forester's token was a fur cap, and the one in the text could not answer to a summons with a flag. We find the incident mentioned by Mencius given in the Tso Chuen under the 20th year of duke Ch'aou ;-but with variations :-"In the 12th month, the marquis of Ts'e was hunting in P'ei, and summoned the forester to him with a bow. The forester did not come forward, and the marquis caused him to be seized, when he explained his conduct, saying, 'At the huntings of our former