brothers; those who walk hastily before their seniors, are undutiful brothers."

"If any one is twenty years older than yourself, treat him as you do your father; if one is ten years older, treat him as your elder brother; if only five years older, follow him close to his shoulder."

"Following your teacher, you must not pass by him. and speak to other people; meeting him on the road, quickly advance and stand erect with folded hands. Answer when he speaks to you; but if he does not speak, then quickly retire. When following a superior, if he ascend a hill or mound, you must turn your face to the place towards which he looks."

"If, while sitting with your teacher, he question you, wait until he has finished his interrogations, then reply. Rise when you wish to inquire respecting your studies, and also when you wish to ask for explanations."

"If while sitting with a good man, he vary the subject of conversation, then rise up and answer."

"If while sitting with a good man, any one come in, saying, 'I wish, when you have a little leisure, to speak to you,' all who are on the right and left must retire and wait."

"If wine is brought in when you are seated with a superior, you must rise, and bowing go up to receive it. If the superior bid you stop, then you may sit down and drink. But the juniors must not presume to drink until their superiors have emptied their cups."

"When presents are made by a superior, the inferior must not presume to refuse them."

"When feasting in company with a superior, though there be a superabundance of food, the junior must not

refuse it; nor may he decline to sit down on equality with his superior."

"When sitting with a superior, to answer without looking towards him is a breach of decorum.”

"Good men make literature the bond of their friendship; and by friendly union they strengthen their benevolence."

"Friends must sharply and frankly admonish each other; and brothers must be gentle towards one another." "It is the duty of friends to admonish each other to do good."

"So long as a host does not ask any questions, the guests must not commence the conversation."

In the Sacrificial Institutes it is prescribed, "The husband and wife must both go in person to oversee the sacrifices, that everything, alike in the male and female departments of the household, may be duly prepared."

"The good man, when the time for offering sacrifices arrives, will go himself and superintend them; and if prevented from so doing, he will send a suitable person to act in his stead."

"The good man, though poor, will never sell the implements of sacrifice; though cold, he will not put on his sacrificial robes; and if building a house, he will not cut down the trees which grow over the graves of his ancestors."

"Your body," exclaimed the philosopher Tsăng, "is the legacy of your father and mother; how then can you presume to demean yourself in an unbecoming manner! To behave unmannerly in the ordinary pursuits of life, is a breach of filial duty; want of faithfulness in serving the prince, is undutiful; unmagisterial conduct in an

officer of government, is undutiful; unfaithfulness towards friends, is undutiful; and a want of courage in 'battle is also an undutiful act. If, therefore, in any one of these five particulars there is a failure, calamity will surely overtake your parents; how then can you dare to demean yourself in an unbecoming manner?"

Confucius said, "Of the three thousand crimes included under the five kinds of punishment, there is none greater than disobedience to parents."

THE MIRROR OF THE MIND.

Ming Sum Paou Keën, is the full title of the book, (from which we here give a quotation) which means, A Precious Mirror to reflect Light on the Mind. When it was first published does not appear. The edition from which this was taken was published in the 58th year of Keenlung (1793). It consists wholly of quotations from the most approved Chinese writers, both ancient and modern. These quotations are from upwards of seventy different authors-moralists and philosophers, and writers of the three religious sects-who lived in all the intervening ages from Yau down to about the middle of the last century, embracing a period of little less than four thousand years.

The book is a small octavo of fifty-four pages, and is divided into twenty sections, on as many different subjects, but all designed to inculcate good morals, and good manners. The sentences given below are simply specimens from each of the twenty sections. The work is wholly of a didactic kind. It is a compound of poetic and prosaic compositions; consisting of anecdotes, aphorisms, and history. The style is often figurative, and par

takes of that variety which would be expected in a book made up, as it is, of quotations.

The translations given below were made by the late Dr. Wm. Milne, for the Chinese Repository.

See Vol. XVI, p. 406.

1. "Treasure up gold to hand down to posterity, and it is not certain that posterity will take due care of it. Collect books to hand down to posterity, and it is not certain that posterity will be able to read them. It is therefore better to lay up in darkness a store of secret virtues, as the sure plan of permanent advantage to posterity."

2. "The man, who, by committing bad actions, becomes famous, if men do not punish him, Heaven will certainly slay him."

3. "Death and life are here determined-riches and honor are from Heaven."

4. "He who acts filially towards his parents, his own children will also act filially towards him. If he is himself unfilial, how can he expect his children to be filial? The dutiful and obedient will have dutiful and obedient children—the rebellious and obstinate will have rebellious and obstinate children. If you do not believe, only look at the drop from the eaves, how it successively falls, and without error."

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5. He who does not value himself, will suffer disgrace. He who does not respect himself, invites misery. He who is not self-full, receives advantage. He who is not self-opinionated, will attain extensive learning."

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6. Contentment furnishes constant joy. Much covetousness, constant grief. To the contented, even poverty is joy. To the discontented, even wealth is a vexation.