CON 
CON 
ffiin a!! that he had collected relating to the ancient laws, 
which are looked upon as the mod perfect rule of govern¬ 
ment. The number of thefe clafiical and canonical books 
i-s four. The firft is intitled, “ Ta Hio, the Grand Science, 
or School of the Adults.” It treats of the care we ought 
to t ike in governing ourfelves, that vve may be able to 
govern others; and of perfeverance in the chief good, 
which, according to him, is nothing but a conformity of 
our attions to right reafon. The author calls this book 
the Grand Science, becaufe it was chiefly defigned for 
princes and grandees, who ought to govern their people 
wifely. “ The whole fcience of princes (fays Confucius) 
confiits in cultivating and perfe&ing the reafonable nature 
they have received from Tien, or heaven, and in reltoring 
that light and primitive clearnefs of judgment, which has 
been weakened and obfcured by various pafflons, that it 
may be afterwards in a capacity to labour the perfections 
of others. To fucceed then, (fays he,) we (liould begin 
with ourfelves; and to this end it is neceflary to have an 
infight into the nature of things, and to gain the know¬ 
ledge of good and evil ; to determine the will towards a 
love of good, and an hatred of evil; to preferve integrity 
of heart, and to regulate our manners according to reafon. 
When a man has thus renewed himfelf, there will be lefs 
difficulty in renewing others ; and by this means concord 
and union reign in families, kingdoms are governed ac¬ 
cording to the laws, and the whole empire enjoys peace 
and tranquillity.” 
The fecond canonical book is called “ Tchong-Yong, 
or the Immutable Mean and treats of the mean which 
ought to be obferved in all things. Tchong fignifies means, 
and by Tong is underflood that which is conflant, eternal, 
immutable. He undertakes to prove, that every wife man, 
and chiefly thole who have the care of governing the 
world, fliould follow this mean, which is the eflence of 
virtue. He enters upon, his fubjeCt by defining human 
nature, and its pallions; then he brings feveral examples 
of virtue and piety, as fortitude, prudence, and filial duty, 
which are propofed as fo many patterns to be imitated in 
keeping this mean. In the next place he (hews, that this 
mean, and the practice of it, is the right and true path 
which a wile man fhould purfue, in order to attain the 
highefl pitch of virtue. The third book, “ Yun-Lu, or 
the Book of Maxims,” is a collection of fententious and 
moral difcourfes, divided into tw'enty articles, contain¬ 
ing queflions, anfwers, and fayings, of Confucius and 
his dilciples, on virtue, good works, and the'art of go¬ 
verning well; in the tenth article the difciples of Confu¬ 
cius particularly defcribe the outward deportment of their 
mailer. There are fome maxims and moral fentences in 
this collection, equal to thofe of the feven wile .men of 
Greece, which have always been fo much admired. The 
fourth book gives an idea of a perfect government; it is 
called “ Meng-Tfee, or the Book of Mentiusbecaufe, 
though numbered among the clafiical and canonical books, 
it is more properly the woik of his dilciple Mentius. To 
thefe four books they add two others, which have almofl 
an equal reputation; the firft is called “ Hiao-King,” 
that is, “ of Filial Reverence,” and contains the anfwers 
which Confucius made to his difciple Tfeng, concerning 
the refpedt which is due to parents. The fecond is called 
“ Sias-Hio,” that is, •“ the Science, or the School, of 
Childrenwhich is a collection of fentences and exam¬ 
ples taken from ancient and modern authors. They who 
wilh for a more perfeCl knowledge of thefe works, may 
find it in the Latin tranflation of father Noel, one of the 
molt ancient miflionaries of China, which was printed at 
Prague in 1711. 
To CONFU'SE, v. a. [cmifufus,'Lat.'\ Todiforder; to 
difperfe irregularly : 
Thus roving on 
In confus'd march forlorn, th’ advent’rous bands 
View’d fir It their lamentable lot. Milton. 
Vol.V. No. 254, 
To mix, not feparate : 
At length an univerfal hubbub wild, 
Of ftunning founds and voices all confus'd 
Borne through the hollow dark, aflaults his ear. Milton. 
To perplex, not to diftinguifh; to obfcure.—We .nay 
'have a clear and diftinCt idea of the exiftence ci many 
things, thougli our ideas of their intimate elfences and 
caules are very confus'd and obfcure. Watts. —To hurry the 
mind.— Confus'd andfadly flie at length replies. Pope. 
CONFU'SEDLY, adv. In a mixed mafs; without re¬ 
paration.—-Thefe four nations are every where mixed in 
the fcriptures, becaufe they dwelt conjufedly together. Ra¬ 
leigh. —IndiftinCtly; one mingled with another: 
Heroes and heroines fliouts confus'dly rife. 
And bafe and treble voices firike the ikies. Pope. 
Not clearly ; not plainly.—He confufedly and obfcurely de¬ 
livered his opinion. Clarendon. —Tumultuoufly ; haftily ; 
not deliberately; not exaCtly.—The propriety of thoughts 
and words, which are the hidden beauties of a play, are 
but cohfufedly judged in the vehemence of action. Dry den. 
CONF’U'SEDNESS,/. Want of diftinCtnefs; want of 
clearnefs.—The caufe of the confufednefs of our notions, 
next to natural inability, is want of attention. Norris. 
CONFU'SION, f Irregular mixture ; tumultuous 
medley: 
God, only wife, to pur.ifli pride of wit, 
Among men’s wits hath this confufion wrought; 
As the proud tow’r, whofe points the clouds did hit. 
By tongues confufion was to ruin brought. Davies. 
Tumult; diforder.—God is not God of fedition and con- 
Jifion, but of order and of peace. .Hooker. —IndiftinCt com¬ 
bination.—The confufion of two different ideas, which a 
cuftoniary connection of them in their minds hath made 
to them almofl one, fills their heads with falfe views, and 
their reafonings with falfe confequences. Locke. —Over¬ 
throw; deftruCtion: 
The ftrength of their illuffon, 
Shall draw him in to his confufion. Shakefpeare . 
Aftonifhment; diftraClion of mind; hurry of ideas: 
Confufion dwelt in ev’ry face, 
And fear in ev’ry heart, 
When waves on waves, and gulfs in gulfs, 
O’ercome the pilot’s art. Speftator. 
CONFU'SION, in law, is where goods of two perfons are 
fo intermixed, that the feveral portions can no longer be 
diftinguifhed : if the intermixture be byjconfent, it is 
fuppofed the proprietors have an intereft in common, 
in proportion to their refpeftive (hares : but, if one wil¬ 
fully intermixes his money, corn, or hay, with that of 
another man, without his approbation or knowledge, or 
call gold in like manner into another’s melting-pot or 
crucible, our law does not allow any remedy in fuch cafe; 
but gives the entire property, without any account, to 
him whofe original dominion, or property, is invaded, 
and endeavoured to be rendered uncertain, without flis 
own confent. 2 Comm. 405. 
CONFU'SION of TONGUES, f . Happened in the one 
hundred and firft year according to the Hebrew chrono¬ 
logy, and the four hundred and firft year by the Samaritan, 
after the flood, at the overthrow of Babel. See the article. 
Language. 
CONFUTABLE, adj. Poffible to be difproved ; pof- 
fible to be fhewn-falfe.—At the laft day, that inquifitor 
{hall not prelent to God a bundle of calumnies, or confu¬ 
table acculatians ; but will offer unto his omnifcience a 
true lift of our tranfgreflions. Bro wn. 
CONFUTATION, f. [confutedio, Lat.] The a£l of 
confuting; difproof.—A confutation of atheifin from the 
frame of the world. Bentley. 
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