予予人有日革先怨朕 罪惟求惟服夏夏人○不 時率爾聽在迪命有敢 惟肆于用百 ○册爾有 天矜天德僚 今有知後 命爾邑肆子王爾典惟無 非商予一庭又殷殷我 the decree of Heaven; do not resist me; I dare not have any further 19 change for you. Do not murmur against me. Ye know that your fathers of the Yin dynasty had their archives and narratives showing 20 how Yin superseded the appointment of Hea. Ye now indeed say further, "The officers of Hea were chosen and promoted to the imperial court, or had their places among the mass of officers.' I. the one man, listen only to the virtuous and employ them; and it was with this view that I presumed te seek you out in your heavenly city of Shang. I thereby follow the ancient example, and have pity on you. Your present non-employment is no fault of mine; it is by the decree of Heaven."" sion is here difficult. Keang Shing to understand the engraved tablets kept in the gives for the whole-非我所秉之德 depositories, and by 典, the same circulated 性不静安 e was not because my disposi- through the empire(藏府日册,頒行 tion is restless.' 時是無違 無違,日典) 20. 夏迪至百僚朕不敢有後 I have translated this 迪一進,‘to bring forward; 簡=拔,to after Ts'ae, and Gan-kwo took substantially the make choice of,' 'to promote.' By same meaning: 汝無違命我亦 不敢有後誅. The editors of Yung ching's Shoo say this interpretation is suitable enough; but they also mention with approbation another proposed by Lin Che-ke:--The thing was from the decree of Heaven. That was not to be resisted, and I did not dare to make any delay in obeying it. Do not murmur against me, as if the transference of you here proceeded from me. It is difficult to decide between the two. On the whole, I think the first is preferable. Pp. 19, 20. Yin's overthrow of Hea sufficiently justified Chow's overthrow of Yin; and if the officers of Yin were not now treated so well as those of Hea had been, they had only themselves to blame. 19. 殷先人=殷之先世, 'the prior-early-ages of Yin.' 有册有 典,一Koo Seill-chow says that by 册 we are | | we are evidently to understand 夏之士, the officers of the Hea dynasty. The officers of Yin urge that they were not treated as those of Hea had been. 天邑商−all agree that the capital of the Yin dynasty and country about it are here intended. But why is it called the heavenly city ?' Kang-shing says, · Because it had been originally established by Heaven.' Leu Tsoo-heen and others say, " Because there the emperors of Yin-the sons of Heaven-had dwelt.' Wang Suh says:-The king means to say, “ Shang, which is now my heavenly city.”’ I think it may be spoken ironically-your heavenly city.' Keang Shing takes the language from 予一人to商 to be spoken of the regard appointment of the viscount of Wei.-'I also had regard to and employed the virtuous, and I therefore ventured to seek out the descendant of your kings in the city,' &c. This is amusingly ingenious, but few will be found to adopt the 21 多事 O 致 命爾布 昔王 天 我四 日 逖 乃國 大家 多 王宗比移明民降自己 館 “The king says, Ye numerous officers, formerly, when I came from Yen, I greatly mitigated the penalty in favour of the lives of the people of your four countries. At the same time I made evident the punishment appointed by Heaven, and removed you to this distant abode, that you might be near the ministers who had served in our honoured capital, and learn their much obedience."" view. The king is evidently speaking of what | people." The meaning then is I made an he had done to those whom he was addressing. end of the rulers of your four kingdoms, 予惟率肆矜爾=予惟 循商故事矜恤爾而已. The meaning is that the king hoped their removal to Lo would lead them to virtue and loyalty, so that it was really an act of kindness to them. While they were vicious and disaffected, it would be contrary to the will of Heaven to confer dignities and offices on them. P. 21. The officers and people of Yin had really been dealt with very leniently. This par. refers to the time three or four years back, when the rebellion of Woo-kăng, supported by the king's uncles, had been disposed of. The wild tribe of the Yen-a district corresponding to the pres. thereby executing on them the punishment apPointed by Heaven' But this is very far-fetched, and unwarranted. Nor is the view given by Keang Shing more likely.-'I sent down lessons and commands for you, the people of the four kingdoms, and carried clearly out the punishment appointed by Heaven upon their rulers.' By the four kingdoms' we are to understand the 'imperial domain of Yin,' which had been portioned out to Woo-kăng, and three of the king's uncles; see the note on Bk. VI., p. 12. 移爾遐逖=移爾遠居于 洛. Both遐 and 逖 are defined by 'far,' dis. of Këuh-fow, dep. of Yen-chow, Shan-tung | ‘distant.’ 比事臣我宗多遜 -had joined with the insurgents. We hear of them again in Bk. XVIII., as in arms a second time against the new dynasty. The crushing of the Yen had been the last act in the suppres 宗 ' is here taken as = 宗周, the honoured Chow,' a name given to Haou, the old capital of 成周 at Lǒ. It was in the duke's mind, in prospect of the new capital, that the old trusted ministers of Chow should remove to it, when the influence of their character and principles would affect beneficially the adherents of the old dynasty brought there into contact with sion of the rebellion. When that was accomplished, the duke of Chow-for he was the agent, though the thing is here ascribed to the king, after the manner of 'The Great Announcement' -had time to deal with the people of Yin. Our natural conclusion from this par. is certainly that them. The translation is after the Daily Ex many of the people of Yin were then removed planation:一移爾遠居於洛,使 降爾四國民命一降 爾得密通王室親比臣事 to Lǔ. ‘to is here used in the sense of 減 (to diminish,’我宗周之臣子遠離頑梗 ‘to mitigate.' Their lives were all forfeited; but the king spared their lives, and only banish 之俗摩遜順之風. There is ed them. We have not met with this usage of little to choose between this and the following the character before; but it is now quite common as in legal language. Gan-kwǔ took 民命 consider their sovereign to be their life, and ingenious exposition by Choo He:-以親 我事我臣我宗法我周 香多遜之盛(that ye might be near us, serve us, and be ministers to us, honouring and imitating the rich and full obedience of our Chow.' 22 爾雅寜乃奔賓 不畀幹尙走亦洛 啻矜止有臣惟予 不爾 爾我爾惟朕 朕殺 有爾爾土多多四作 土克敬乃○攸罔邑 予敬天尙爾服 不爾殺予惟時命 吉爾殷多士今子 于命 "The king says, 'I declare to you, ye numerous officers of Yin, -now I have not put you to death, and therefore I repeat to you my charge again. I have built this great city here in Lo, considering that there was no other place in which to receive my guests from the four quarters, and also that you, ye numerous officers, might here with zealous activity, perform the part of ministers to us with 23 much obedience. You have still here I may say your grounds, and here you may still rest in your duties and dwellings. 24 If you can reverently obey, Heaven will favour and compassionate you. If you cannot reverently obey, you will not only not have Pp. 22, 23. The king again repeats his objects | become loyal subjects, then you will still have in building Lo, and impresses on the officers of Yin here your grounds,' &c. But it is better to take the kindness with which he was treating them. the language as historical, and showing how 22. 予惟不至有一一重, generously they had been treated. 尙=庶幾 'to repeat. They had received one charge on here=our ‘I may say.’幹一事, ‘business," their first removal; the present address might be considered a repetition of it. 今朕 作大邑于兹洛,一possibly the ‘great city'here may be the王城, or imperial city, in connection with the building of which we have seen that the duke of Shaou was specially ‘duties.’止=居,‘dwellings,' 'settlements. Ch. IV. Pp. 24-26. LET THE OFFICERS OF YIN ACQUIESCE IN THEIR LOT, AND THEY MAY HAVE A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS FUTURE IN LŎ. IF THEY REFUSE TO DO SO, THEY WILL BRING ON THEMSELVES UTTER RUIN. 24. We despatched. Though‘the lower capital,' where 爾克敬‘If you can reverence. the officers of Yin were located may have been previously built, at least in part, the design in- was likewise prepared. 四方罔 ing to court from all the States. are not to find in here all that is denoted by the virtue of reverence' in Bk. XII1., but a standing in awe and submission to what had happened to them. these verbe 畀 畀矜爾: each of these verbs and has a meaning of its We are not to think that they run into own. each other. As Lin Che-k'e has it, 天必 有畀子之矜憐之 啻 running.. 23. Gan-kwǒ took this par. as 但,only: 致天之罰于爾 a promise. If you learn obedience to us, and躬-compare 致天罰 in p. 21. The 言曰遷子于厥邑爾于亦 爾時○乃兹有繼惟爾致 饺子王興洛幹爾時躬。天 居乃曰從爾有居宅○之 或又爾小年爾爾今罰 your lands, but I will also carry to the utmost Heaven's inflictions 25 on your persons. Now you may here dwell in your villages, and perpetuate your families; you may pursue your occupations and enjoy your years in this Lo; your children also will -all from your being removed here."" 26 prosper: "The king says,-; and again he says, 'Whatsoever I have spoken, is all on account of my anxiety about your residence here."" punishment of Heaven there spoken of had about their descendants, and makes only deprived them of their grounds in Yin; this would deprive them of their lives. 今爾惟時(=是)宅爾邑 爾遷=起從汝化而遷善,will 25. arise, and following your transformation also the爾, prefixed to 邑, indicates, I think, that we are not to suppose that Lo is intended by ་ of the people who had been removed from their old settlements. will then signify the homes of the several families belonging to each village. 幹,一as become good' It is much better to take the clause as I have done,-a view first proposed by Soo Shih. P.26. After the王日 there must be something wanting. Compare the two last paragraphs of Book XVIII. There is probably something lost also after the. We cannot take 時 as meaning ‘now;' it must be=是 and would hardly commence a sentence. 爾 攸居 is also elliptical. Tsae brings out the meaning thus:- | Shing makes the clause hortatory:一个我 乃有言告汝汝其安所居 –Gan-kwǒ takes this, as an additional predicate 哉. This is not so likely. 1 2 BOOK. XV. AGAINST LUXURIOUS EASE. 則難穡先無子嗚 H 知乃之知逸所呼公 小逸艱稼○其君曰 I. The duke of Chow said, "Oh! the superior man rests in this, painful toil of sowing and reaping, how it conducts to ease, and thus side and of suspicion on the other. There are six pauses in the course of the address, which THE NAME OF THE BOOK.-, Avoiding Luxurious Ease.' These words are taken from the first paragraph. They are the keynote to the whole Book, and hence are rightly taken to designate it. Gaubil says the characters, The duke of Chow said, "Oh!" A 逸 and 佚 mean- Il ne faut pas se livrer au plaisir.' Med- ease.' CONTENTS. The prefatory note is simply to the effect that the duke of Chow made the Woo Yih;' without a word about the time or occasion of it. The general view, which there is no reason to dispute, is that the duke of Chow addressed it to king Ching, soon after he had resigned the government into his hands. That the minister thought it necessary thus to admonish the young sovereign confirms what I have several times urged, that there was between them a measure of dissatisfaction on the one is resumed always with a 周公日鳴 division into seven chapters is thus suggested. In parr. 1-3, the duke leads the king to find a rule for himself in the laborious toils which devolve on the husbandman. In parr. 4-7, he refers to the long reigns of three of the sovereigns of the Yin dynasty, and the short of Heaven rests on the diligent sovereign. In reigns of others, as illustrating how the blessing parr. 6-11, the example of their own kings, T'ae, Ke, and Wăn is adduced with the same object. In parr. 12, 13, the duke addresses the example of king Wan and flee from that of king personally, and urges him to follow the Show. In 14, 15, he stimulates him by reference to ancient precedents to adopt his counsels, and shows the evil effects that will follow if he refuse to do so. In parr. 16-18, he shows him by the examples of the good kings of Yin and of king Wăn how he ought to have regard to the opinions of the common people, and gird admonition that the king should lay what had himself to diligence. The last par. is a single been said to heart. Ch. I. Pp. 1-3. THE GREAT PRINCIPLE, THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO INDULGENT EASE. IT IS ENFORCED BY A REFERENCE TO THE TOILS |