6 BOTANICON SINICUM. 
The # 8% Shu king, or Book of History, termed also ff # 
Shang shu, was originally compiled by Conructus from tie 
historical remains of the Yu, Hia, Shang and Chou dynasties, 
Besides some scattered notices of Chinese plants, this Classi¢ : 
contains a chapter #, FH Yu kung, or Tribute of the Emperor : 
YW, which presents a peculiar interest for us. This is a geo" 
graphical description of ancient China, referring to about 
B.C. 2200, in which are enumerated the principal natural 
productions of the nine provinces into which China w 
then divided. [Leaan’s Classics, IIL ; 2 volumes, 1865.] 
The # #8 Shi king, or Book of Poetry, [Lraan’s Classic 
IV ; 2 volumes, 1871, 1872.] The Shi king is a collectio 
of odes, ballads and songs used by the people of the vario 
petty states of China in ancient times. Luar has prov 
that the Shi king, arranged very much as we now have 
was current in China long before Conrucrus. After t 
burning of the records of the past by order of the Emper 
Tsts Sur [B.C. 220], and the fall of the short-liv 
~ ‘Tstin dynasty, three different texts of the Shi king whi 
had escaped the catastrophe made their appearance in t 
Han dynasty when the edict suppressing literary works 
been repealed. Only one of these texts has come down to 
It is called & # Mao shi, the Shi king of Mao, which is t 
Book of Poetry in its present form. This text belonged 
% F Maouene, a native of Lu. He is also termed kE 
Mao, the Greater Mao, He was a disciple of #j F Siw vr: 
_ who lived in the third century B.C., and wrote a commenta 
on the Shi king, which was lost. But he had communicat 
his knowledge of the Shi to another Mao, 3 # Mao cna! 
also called sy 3 Stao Mao, the Lesser Mao, who was a gr 
scholar at the court of RE king Hien of af J Ho kien | 
the Province of Chili), a brother of the Emperor Wu v1 [B 
140-86]. King Hien was one of the most diligent labourer: 
