Sunonieal and Moral Books of the Chinese. [April f^ 



cular business or employment at court, 

 ought not to go thither, although tlio 

 king should invite him. A disciple ob- 

 jecting, that when the king orders any 

 of liis sniijects to go to war, they are 

 obliged to obey ; so, when a prince 

 requires the attendance of a wise man, 

 that he ought not to refuse com- 

 pliance ; 



' There is this differeuce,' replied Men- 

 cius, ' that a king, in sending for a wise 

 man, wishes to profit by his connsels, to 

 consult liiin in matieis of difficulty, &c. 

 I consider him, therefore, as the master, 

 and tlie king as his disciple. Do the laws 

 of civility admit of a disciple sending for 

 his master? A prince does not degrade 

 liiniself when he visits one who is his mas- 

 ter in point of wisdom, for the prescribed 

 ceremonies exact attentions of this kind on 

 the part of the scholar.' 



' Bdt,' says the disciple, ' I Iiave read 

 that Confucius, when sent for by the King 

 of Lou, repaired iaimediately to the pa- 

 lace, not waiting till his car was made 

 ready.' 



' At that time,' answered Mencins, 

 ' Confucius was first minister of the king- 

 dom ; the king had a right to call for his 

 minister, who was uniler an oblij;ation lo 

 obey. A sage who is not invested witli 

 any ofllce, is not subject to this law.' 



In this curious passage wc discover 

 pretensions lh:it philoso|)hers iu the 

 liast have, in all ages, upheld, as to put- 

 ting themselves iu some measure on a 

 par with kings. India, w ith its bramins, 

 aftords a similar spcclacle ; and, in the 

 ])rophe(s of Judea, we trace a sort of 

 resemblance. 



The *Hiao-King' is a work on filial 

 affection and piety; it is ascribed to 

 'i'seng-lsee, one of the most famous 

 disciples of Confucius. This sage is 

 introduced, discoursing with his pupil, 

 in a manner not unlike that of Socrates 

 and Cato, in tlie Treatises of the two 

 greatest jjhilosophers of Greece and 

 Kome. The Jesuits, in their Memoirs, 

 report their having given a faithful 

 translation of it, without any paraphrase 

 by way of illustration. 



Coiifucins being seated, and in a con- 

 versation with Tscng-lsee, thus begins. 



' Can you specify the pre-eminent and 

 essential virtue that was inculcated by our 

 ancient nionarchs throughout the empire, 

 to infuse a spirit of concord into the breasts 

 of their subjects, and to banish all discon- 

 tent between superiors and interiors?' 

 ' How should I kninv thi?,' replied Tseng- 

 Isee, rising respectfully from his seat, ' I, 

 who have no claims to superier informa- 

 tion?' ' Filial piety,' replied Confucius, 

 ' is the root of all the virtues, and the pri- 

 juary source of instruction. Resume youi; 



»ent, 



2i4 



eluded, it was too small for the number of 

 its visitors. In passing over your land?, 

 and learning the customs prevalent therein, 

 I found your park to be of forty stadia in 

 ciicuniference, but that none of your sub- 

 jects had leave tj enter it ; and that, if any 

 jihould venture in it, to kill or wound one 

 of your deer, he would be punished as 

 severely as if he had killed or wounded a 

 man. Can you wonder, if, after this, the 

 people think it too large ?' 



Another time, the prince, iiaving 

 nduiittcd Mencius into his country- 

 bouse and pleasure-grounds, put this 

 question to liim. 



' Is there any thing in this delectable 

 region incompatible with the wisdom 

 whereof a king ought to make profession f' 

 •No,' rc|)licd Mencius, 'provided that a 

 king also takes pleasure in what forms 

 the enjoyments of his peojtle, and sincerely 

 synip.ithises in their afRictions. His peo- 

 ■ pie, ihen, will have a fellow-feeling v^'ith 

 liini i:i his sorrows and his pleasures. 

 Tills would prove an indication of a king- 

 ■doui being well governed. 



'The ancient emperors,' continued Men- 

 cius, 'every twelve years had a custom of 

 visiting the provinces and tributary king- 

 doms, and this was called inspection. 

 Every six years, the dependent kings 

 repaired to the emperor's eouri, to render 

 an account of their proceedings, and the 

 manner in which their administration was 

 conducted. 



' So, also, the emperors, in their district, 

 and the kings, in their kingdoms, under- 

 took journeys of visitation, twice a-year, 

 in spring and autumn. Tlie former was to 

 examine the sowing and modes of culture 

 of the lands ; and, in case of a dearth of 

 grain, to order supplies out of the public 

 fltanaries. The latter was to see if the 

 liarvest was in sufficient abundance to 

 4)rovide for the subsistence of the people ; 

 and, in a time of scarcity, to open the 

 jpuhlic granaries. 



. I * At present, a very different line of con- 

 Uiiet \% pursued Princes do, indeed, 

 Vaake the tour of their kingdom, but how 

 is tliis porfoimed? They are escorted, in 

 their march, by three thousand soldiers, 

 who consume lire major part of the provi- 

 sions necessary for the subsistence of the 

 poor, that are lanuuishing and taint from 

 want. Can we wonder, if, with feelings 

 of hostility ranklinsr in their hearts, tiiey 

 tind some consolation in venting bitter 

 invectives against the prince, whose repu- 

 'tatiou is thereby tarnished ? Thus I set 

 ■befoie you the conduct of the ancient 

 kings, and that which is practised in our 

 times, for you to choose which you would 

 resemble.' 



In the fotrrlh Chapter of the Second 

 Part, IMencius lays it down as a princi- 

 ple, that a wise man, who has no parti- 



