186 SURGEON-GENERAL C. A. GORDON. 
which come within the period of this dynasty, were the birth 
of Moses (B.C.1571) ; the exodus of the Israelites (B.C. 1491); 
their settlement in Palestine (B.C. 1451); the siege of Troy 
(B.C. 1184); the death of Samuel (B.C. 1122). 
A very serious political mistake is attributed by Chinese 
writers to the founder of the Chinese dynasty in question, 
namely, that he divided the empire into a number of petty 
states, thus destroying the “ancient pure monarchy,” and 
leaving himself only a small portion of territory and of power. 
In fact, he broke up the unity of the empire as up to his day 
it had existed. The result, as we shall presently see, was the 
conquest of China by a foreign Power. 
As an example of the rules of conduct laid down in those 
early times, the following may here be quoted : *—‘‘ Order 
your affairs by righteousness; order your heart by propriety, 
so shall you transmit a grand example to posterity. He who 
finds instructors for himself comes to the supreme dominion ; 
he who says that others are not equal to himself becomes 
small. He who likes to ask becomes enlarged ; he who uses 
only himself becomes small. To revere and honour the 
way of Heaven is the way to preserve the favouring regard of 
Heaven.” 
And yet, excellent as were the precepts laid down by the 
sages of that time, the rulers belonging to the SuHane dynasty 
ignored, or acted in disregard of them. In addition to 
famines, earthquakes, and other calamities due to natural 
causes, the six centuries durimg which the dynasty existed 
were characterised by successive wars, by impiety, cruelty, 
and licentiousness on the part of the rulers. ‘The stories of 
profligacy and cruelty of the period, as related in history, are 
in their details atrocious. -Alienation of the people was the 
natural consequence. As happened at the end of the previous 
dynasty, so now, a confederation of Barons, on this occasion 
(B.C. 1184) led by Wu Wana, defeated and threatened the 
dethronement of Cuau Sry, the last emperor of the dynasty. 
That monarch, ‘feeling the contempt he was held in, fled to 
his palace, where he voluntarily perished in the conflagration 
which at the same time destroyed his treasures,—like another 
Sardanapalus, though his immolation preceded that of the 
Assyrian by five centuries.” 
The third, or Chow dynasty, set up by Wu Wana, “the 
martial king,” the leader of the conspiracy alluded to, B.C. 
1122, had a duration of 873 years, the longest period related 
in history of any dynasty,—that is, down to B.C. 249,—and 
* From the Shoo King. 
