the muse in twenty-three poetical compositions, which he called "Songs of Adversity," and achieved his commentary on Mencius.

On the fall of the T'ang faction, when a political amnesty was proclaimed, K'e emerged from his friendly confinement, and was employed in important offices, but only to fall a victim again to the intrigues of the time. The first year of the emperor Ling, A.D. 168, was the commencement of an imprisonment which lasted more than ten years; but nothing could crush his elasticity, or daunt his perseverance. In 185, when he had nearly reached fourscore, he was active as ever in the field of political strife, and wrought loyally to sustain the fortunes of the falling dynasty. He died at last in A.D. 201, in King-chow, whither he had gone on a mission in behalf of his imperial master. Before his death, he had a tomb prepared for himself, which was long shown, or pretended to be shown, in what is now the district city of Keang-ling in the department of King-chow in Hoopih.

3. From the above account of Chaou K'e it will be seen that his commentary on Mencius was prepared under great disadvantages. That he, a fugitive and in such close hiding, should have been able to produce a work such as it is shows the extent of his reading and acquirements in early days. I have said so much about him, because his name should be added to the long roll of illustrious men who have found comfort in sore adversity from the pursuits of literature and philosophy. As to his mode of dealing with his subject, it will be sufficient to give his own account :

"I wished to set my mind on some literary work, by which I might be assisted to the government of my thoughts, and forget the approach of old age. But the six classics had all been explained and carefully elucidated by previous scholars. Of all the orthodox school there was only Mencius, wide and deep, minute and exquisite, yet obscure at times and hard to see through, who seemed to me to deserve to be properly ordered and digested. Upon this I brought forth whatever I had learned, collected testimonies from the classics and other books, and divided my author into chapters and sentences. My annotations are given along with the original text, and of every chapter I have separately indicated the scope. The Books I have divided.

into two Parts, the first and second, making in all fourteen sections.

"On the whole, with regard to my labour, I do not venture to think that it speaks the man of mark, but, as a gift to the learner, it may dispel some doubts and resolve perplexities. It is not for me, however, to pronounce on its excellencies or defects. Let men of discernment who come after me observe its errors and omissions and correct them;that will be a good service."

SECTION III.

OTHER COMMENTATORS.

1. ALL the commentaries on Mencius made prior to the Sung dynasty (A.D. 975) having perished, excepting that of Chaou K'e, I will not therefore make an attempt to enumerate them particularly. Only three names deserve to be mentioned, as frequent reference is made to them in Critical Introductions to our philosopher. They were all of the T'ang dynasty, extending, if we embrace in it what is called "The after T'ang," from A.D. 624 to 936. The first is that of Luh Shen-king, who declined to adopt Chaou K'e's division of the text into fourteen sections, and many of whose interpretations, differing from those of the older authority, have been received into the now standard commentary of Choo He. The other two names are those of Chang Yih and Ting Kung-choh, whose principal object was to determine the sounds and tones of characters about which there could be dispute. All that we know of their views is from the works of Sun Shih and Choo He, who have many references to them in their notes.

2. During the Sung dynasty, the commentators on Mencius were a multitude, but it is only necessary that I speak of two.

The most distinguished scholar of the early reigns was Sun Shih, who is now generally alluded to by his posthumous or honorary epithet of "The Illustrious Duke." We find him high in favour and reputation in the time of T'ae-tsung (977-997), Chin-tsung (998-1022), and Jin-tsung (1023

1063). By imperial command, in association with several other officers, he prepared a work in two parts under the title of "The Sounds and Meaning of Mencius," and presented it to the court. Occasion was taken from this for a strange imposture. In the edition of "The Thirteen King," Mencius always appears with "The Commentary of Chaou K'e" and "The Correct Meaning of Sun Shih." Under the Sung dynasty, what were called "correct meanings" were made for most of the classics. They are commentaries and annotations on the principal commentator, who is considered as the expounder of the classic, the author not hesitating, however, to indicate any peculiar views of his own. The genuineness of Shih's "Correct Meaning of Mencius" has been questioned by few, but there seems to be no doubt of its being really a forgery, at the same time that it contains the substance of the true Work of " the Illustrious Duke," so far as that embraced the meaning of Mencius and of Chaou K'e. The account of it given in the preface to “An Examination of the Text in the Commentary and Annotations on Mencius," by Yuen Yuen of the present dynasty, is-" Sun Shih himself made no 'Correct Meaning;' but some one-I know not who-supposing that his Work was really of that character, and that there were many things in the commentary which were not explained, and passages also of an unsatisfactory nature, he transcribed the whole of Shih's Work on 'The Sounds and Meaning;' and having interpolated some words of his own, published it under the title of 'The Annotations of Sun Shih.' He was the same person who is styled by Choo He 'A scholar of Shaou-woo.'

66

ووو

In the 12th century Choo He appeared upon the stage, and entered into the labours' of all his predecessors. He published one Work separately upon Mencius, and two upon Mencius and the Confucian Analects. The second of these, -"Collected Comments on the Analects and Mencius," is now the standard authority on the subject, and has been the test of orthodoxy and scholarship in the literary examinations since A.D. 1315.

3. Under the present dynasty two important contributions have been made to the study of Mencius. They are both published in the "Explanations of the Classics under the Imperial dynasty of Tsing." The former, bearing the title

I See Vol. I., Proleg., p. 21.

of "An Examination of the Text in the Commentary and Annotations on Mencius," forms the sections from 1039 to 1054. It is by Yuen Yuen, the Governor-general under whose auspices that compilation was published. Its simple aim is to establish the true reading by a collation of the oldest and best manuscripts and editions, and of the remains of a series of stone tablets containing the text of Mencius, which were prepared in the reign of Kaou-tsung (A.D. 1128— 1162), and are now existing in the Examination Hall of Hang-chow. The second Work, which is still more important, is embraced in the sections 1117-1146. Its title is— "The Correct Meaning of Mencius, by Tseaou Seun, a Keujin of Keang-too." It is intended to be such a Work as Sun Shih would have produced, had he really made what has been so long current in the world under his name; and is really valuable.

SECTION IV.

INTEGRITY; AUTHORSHIP; AND RECEPTION AMONG THE CLASSICAL

BOOKS.

1. We have seen how the Works of Mencius were catalogued by Lew Hin as being in "eleven Books," while a century earlier Sze-ma Ts'ëen referred to them as consisting

66

only of seven.' The question has very much vexed

Chinese scholars whether there ever really were four additional Books of Mencius which have been lost.

2. Chaou K'e says in his preface:-"There likewise are four additional Books, entitled A Discussion of the Goodness of Man's Nature,' 'An Explanation of Terms,' The Classic of Filial Piety,' and 'The Practice of Government.' But neither breadth nor depth marks their composition. It is not like that of the seven acknowledged Books. It may be judged they are not really the production of Mencius, but have been palmed upon the world by some subsequent imitator of him." As the four Books in question are lost, and only a very few quotations from Mencius, that are not found in his Works which we have, can be fished up from

ancient authors, our best plan is to acquiesce in the conclusion of Chaou K'e. The specification of "Seven Books," by Sze-ma Ts'ëen is an important corroboration of it. In the two centuries preceding our era the four Books whose titles are given by him may have been made and published under the name of Mencius, and Hin would only do his duty in including them in his catalogue, unless their falsehood was generally acknowledged. K'e, devoting himself to the study of our author, and satisfied from internal evidence that they were not his, only did his duty in rejecting them. There is no evidence that his decision was called in question by any scholar of the Han or the dynasties immediately following, when we may suppose that the Books were still in existence.

The author of "Supplemental Observations on the Four Books," says upon this subject:-"It would be better to be without books than to give entire credit to them;' 2-this is the rule for reading ancient books laid down by Mencius himself, and the rule for us after men in reading about what purport to be lost books of his. The seven Books we have comprehend [the doctrine] of heaven and earth, examine and set forth ten thousand topics, discuss the subjects of benevolence and righteousness, reason and virtue, the nature [of man] and the decrees [of Heaven], misery and happiness.'3 Brilliantly are these things treated of, in a way far beyond what any disciple of Kung-sun Ch'ow or Wan Chang could have attained to. What is the use of disputing about other matters? Ho Sheh has his 'Expurgated Mencius,' but Mencius cannot be expurgated. Lin Kin-sze has his 'Continuation of Mencius,' but Mencius needs no continuation. I venture to say-Besides the Seven Books there were no other Works of Mencius."

3. On the authorship of the Works of Mencius, Sze-ma Ts'ëen and Chaou K'e are agreed. They say that Mencius composed the seven Books himself, and yet that he did so along with certain of his disciples. The words of the latter are:- "He withdrew from public life, collected and digested the conversations which he had had with his distinguished disciples, Kung-sun Ch'ow, Wan Chang, and others, on the difficulties and doubts which they had expressed, and also

See Vol. I., Proleg., larger Work, p. 132. 2 Mencius, VII. Pt II. iii. 3 This is the language of Chaou K‘e.