第11章

BOOK I. THE GREAT DECLARATION. PART III.

BOOK I. THE GREAT DECLARATION. PART III.

1. The time was on the morrow, when the king went round his six hosts in state, and made a clear declaration to all his officers.

2. He said, "Oh! My valiant men of the west, Heaven has enjoined the illustrious courses of duty, of which the several characters are quite plain. And now Show,the king of Shang treats with contemptuous slight the five constant virtues, and abondon himself to wild idleness and irreverence.

CONTENTS OF THE THIRD PART. On the day after addressing the troops as in the last Part, Woo had a grand review of all the hosts, and declared his sentiments more particularly to the officers. He sets forth, as before, the crimes of Show against God and men, as sufficiently justifying their enterprise, and urges the officers to support him with all their energies that he might do his work thoroughly, and utterly destroy thee tyrant. Having set before them the prospect of rewards and punishments, he concludes with a humble but encouraging reference, to his father Wǎn.

P. 1. The time and occasion of the Declaration, with the parties addressed. The day was that immediately following that on which the last address was delivered,—the Ke-wei day of the calendar. It is supposed that the army was now about to march to meet or seek the enemy. 大巡六師,—大巡, ＇went greatly about＇. Lew Ying-ts＇ew (劉應秋) says that巡 differs from 循, the latter meaning to go round and cheer, while the former conveys the ideas of marshalling and warning. This is very doubtful. 六師is used, like王, throughout the Book, by anticipation. According to the subsequent statutes of the Chow dyn., the imperial forces consisted of six armies or brigades, while those of a great State were only three. In reality the hosts now collected on the banks of the Ho were an imperial force, and so they are denominated the ＇six hosts＇.

明誓眾士,—眾士, ＇all the officers＇;—Gan-kwŏ says they were all ＇from centurions upwards＇.

P. 2. That Show, violating the laws of Heaven, had set both Heaven and men against him.

西꺱君떚,—＇princely men of the western regions＇. 君떚 is appropriate as addressed to the officers, though Lin Che-k＇e shows that it might be employed also to designate the common soldiers 天有顯道, 厥類惟彰,—it seems most proper to explain these clauses by what is said below that Show had violated the ＇five virtues＇.

He has cut himself off from Heaven, and brought enmity between himself and the people.

3. "He cut through the leg-bones of those who were wading in the morning; he cut out the heart of the worthy man. By the use of his power killing and murdering, he has poisoned and sickened all within the four seas. His honour and confidence are given to the villainous and bad. He has driven from him his instrutors and guardians. He has thrown to the winds the statutes and penal laws. He has imprisoned and enslaved the upright officer. He neglects the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. He has discontinued the offerings in the ancestral temple. He makes contrivances of wonderful device and extraordinary cunning, to please his woman,—God will no longer indulge him, but with a curse is sending down on him this ruin.

The ＇illustrious ways of Heaven＇, therefore, are the various relationships of society, and ＇their characters＇,are the duties severally belonging to them. This view is advocated by Ying-tǎ, who is followed by Ts＇ae.Lin Che-k＇e, on the other hand, understood by the＇illustrious ways＇, Heaven＇s love of virtue and hatred of vice, and by ＇their characters＇, the good and evil which severally attend them;—making reference to the use of the phrase 天道 in the ＇Counsels of Yu＇, p. 21, and in the ＇Announcement of T＇ang＇, p. 3. This interpretation is ingenious and not without merit; but the other is preferable. 狎侮五常,—狎=易 or 輕, ＇easily＇, ＇lightly＇;狎侮= ＇slights and contemns＇. 五常,—see on 五典,＇Can. of Shun＇, p. 2.

P. 3. An enumeration of Show＇s wickednesses, and summons to the officers to support the king in punishing him .斮朝涉之脛,—Gan-kwŏ tells us that Chow, one winter＇s day, seeing some people wading through a stream, thought their legs had a wondrous power of enduring cold, and had them cut off through the shank-bone, that he might see their marrow.

剖賢人之心,—this refers to the case of Pe-kan. 毒痡四海,—痡=病, ＇to be sick＇; here, ＇to make sick＇.