第15章

BOOK V. THE HOUNDS OF LEU.

BOOK V. THE HOUNDS OF LEU.

1. After the conquest of Shang, the way being open to the nine wild and the eight savage tribes, the people of the western tribe of Leu sent in as tribute some of their hounds, on which the Great-guardian made "Tthe Hounds of Leu," by way of instruction to the king.

TILE NAME OF THE BOOK.—旅獒, ＇The Hounds of Leu＇. The 37th note of the Preface, on the subject of this Book, says that the ＇western Leu＇ made an offering of some of their hounds (西旅獻獒). Leu, therefore, is to be looked for in the west. It was the name of one of the rude tribes, lying in that quarter, beyond the ＇nine provinces＇ of the empire. 獒 is the name of a kind of hound. It was, acc. to the 爾雅, ＇4 feet-ancient feet,that is-high.＇ The 說文 describes it as ＇knowing the mind of man, and capable of being employed＇ (知人心녦使者). From an instance of its use, quoted in the 集傳 from Kung-yang, it was evidently a blood-hound.The critics generally understand the term in the text in the singular;—I know not why. There is nothing in the Book, and no ancient references to it, which should make us do so. We more naturally take it in the plural,and it seems to me more likely that several hounds,and not one only, would be sent to king Woo.

This is one of the Books found only in Gan-kwŏ＇s text. K＇ang-shing and Ma Yung had not seen it, and they have strangely mistaken the meaning of the prefatory note. ＇獒＇, says K＇ang-shing, ＇is read like豪. The rude tribes of the west had no princes, but gave the title of 酋豪 to the strong among them, who governed them for the time. The people of the tribe sent at this time the principal man of their chiefs, to present himself at the court of Chow;＇—see the 後案,in loc. But this view carries its own refutation on the face of it. The words of the prefatory note are that ＇the western Leu prescuted—as an offering, expressive of their subjection—their 獒＇. To suppose that their chief was thus made an article of tribute is absurd.Ch＇ing＇s paraphrase of 獻獒 by 遣來獻見於周 is quite inadmissible. The signification of 獒 as = ＇hound＇ is not to be disturbed. The Book belongs to the division of ＇Instructions＇.

CONTENTS. The Leu people having sent some of their hounds to king Woo, and he having received them, or intimated that he would do so, the Greatguardian remonstrated with him, slowing that to receive such animals would be contrary to precedent,would be dangerous to the virtue of the sovereign,and was not the way to deal with outlying tribes and nations.

The reader will think that the Book is much ado about a very small matter, and in truth it is so.

2. He said, "Oh! The intelligent kings have paid careful attention to their virtue, and the wild tribes on every side have willingly acknowledged subjection to them. The nearer and the more remote have all made offerings of the productions of their countries;—clothes, food, and vessels for use.

It receives an interest, however, when we see in it a specimen of the feeling and procedure by which the rulers of China have all along sought to regulate their intercourse with foreign nations. ＇When the sovereign does not look on foreign things as precious, foreigners will come to him:＇—this language is a good exponent of the normal Chinese policy. A self-complacent assumption of superiority—superiority both in wisdom and in power—has always been displayed. I have read references to the steam-engine with its various applications, from men versed in all the learning of China, as if it were nothing more than a toy, to be thought of just as the duke of Shaou thought of the hounds of Leu. Statesmen and people are now, in this nineteenth century, having a rude awakening from their dream.

P. 1. The occasion on which the Book was made. This par. might have had a place in the Preface, and Ts＇ae calls it ＇the proper preface of the Hounds of Leu＇(此旅獒之本序). 惟克商,—＇on the conquest of Shang＇.The ＇Daily Explanation＇ expands the clause:—惟我the tribute of the houn周武王既克商而有天下ds. The ＇General History＇ refers to the 14th year of king Woo, B.C. 1120. 遂通道於九夷八蠻,—by the ＇nine E and eight Man＇, we are to understand the barbarous tribes generally,—expressed in the Can. of Shun, p. 16, by the phrase 蠻夷, and by 蠻貊 in the ＇Completion of the War＇, p. 6. See also on the ＇Tribute of Yu＇, Pt. ii., p. 22. The difft. rude tribes round about the nine provinces of the empire are variously enumerated. Here we have the ＇9 夷 and 8 蠻＇; in the Le Ke, Bk. XIV., 明堂位, p. 3, we have the ＇9 夷, 8 蠻, 6 戎, and 5 狄＇; in the Chow Le, Bk, XXXIII., 夏官, 司馬, 第四之六, 職뀘氏, p. 1,we have the 4 夷, 8 蠻, 7 閩, 9 貉, 5 戎, and 6 狄; in the 國語, 魯語, 下, we have ＇the 9 夷 and 100 蠻＇.

The numbers are not to be pressed, and we must be content with finding a statement in the text, that the wild tribes all around came or sent to the court of king Woo;—acknowledging his supremacy. Ts＇ae says that we are not to understand from 通道, that king Woo used any efforts to open roads to the barbarous regions beyond the limits of the empire proper;—it was his virtue and fame which drew them, and they came,＇climbing the hills as if they had been ladders, and in boats across the sea. It certainly would not have been discreditable to king Woo to have good roads made through out all his dominions and in the passage of the 國語, referred to above, evidently modelled on this part of the, Shoo, the opening of the thoroughfares is described as his work:—仲尼曰, 昔武王克商, 通道於九夷땡蠻, 使各以其뀘賄來貢, 使無忘職業. 厎貢,—thesame phrase occurs in the Tribute of Yu, Pt. i., p. 52. The force of 厎 passes on to the next character, and indicates that what it says took effect .太保,—it is not said anywhere in the Book who the Great-guardian was; but since the commentary of Gan-kwŏ, the prevailing opinion has been that he was Shih, the duke of Shaou. See on the name of Bk. XII. He was Great-guardian under Woo＇s successor; and it is supposed—with probability—that he held the office also under Woo.

Pp. 2-10. THE ADDRESS OF THE GREAT GUARDIAN TO KING WOO AGAINST RECEIVING THE HOUNDS. Pp. 2, 3. The precedent of former wise kings in receiving articles of tribute, and the use which they wade of them. 2. 明王慎德,—the language here is to be taken historically. Medhurst and Gaubil both miss this point, and render—＇When an intelligent prince is careful in the cultivation of his virtue,＇ &c. The guardian is giving mot merely the lesson of duty, but of duty illustrated by example. The＇Daily Explanation＇ has it:—自古明哲之王所以保邦安民者, 要在謹修其德, 云云. 慎德, ＇the careful cultivation of virtue,＇ is said to be the hinge on which the whole of the address moves.

3. The kings have then displayed the things thus produced by their virtue, and distributed them to the princes of the States of different surnames, toencourage them not to neglect their duties. The precious things and gems they have distributed among their uncles in charge of States, thereby increasing their attachment to the throne. The recipients have thus not despised the things, but have seen in them the power of virtue.

咸賓,—賓 is not merely=客, ＇strangers＇, ＇guests＇, but=賓服;—see in the dict. on the character. 畢獻뀘物, 惟服食器用,—뀘物=其뀘所눃之物, ＇the articles produced by their country,＇ and we may understand also articles manufactured there. The last clause gives a summary of those articles and the meaning is that the contributions were restricted to these:—不敢於此外有以奇玩異物進獻者. 3. 異姓之邦, 伯叔之國,—the empire being divided into many States or principalities, theemperors of each dynasty apportioned these among their relatives and adherents. ＇The States of their uncles＇ were 同姓之邦, ＇regions of the same surname,＇i.e., their rulers had the same surname as the emperors. The ＇regions of different surnames＇ were the States ruled by Chiefs, attached to the reigning dynasty, but of a different lineage.

To these the emperors 昭德之致, ＇displayed what their virtue thus produced,＇—the productions of remote territories, the tribute from distant tribes. The transitive meaning of 昭 is very much determined by its correlation with 分 in the next part of the par. The things were sent about as imperial gifts among the States; so they were ＇displayed,＇ and served to warn and encourage the chiefs to loyal service and duty. 無替厥服=無廢其服事之職. 時庸展親,—Gan-kwŏ explains this by 놆用誠信其親親之道, ＇thereby verifying the sincerity with which they held the principles of attachment to their relatives,＇ taking 展as=信. Lin Che-k＇e supports this interpretation, and quotes with approval the words of Wang Gan-shih,—＇Though they loved them, yet if they had not shared their precious things with them, who could have known the sincerity of their love (親之矣而不以所寶分之, 則人孰知親親之信也)?＇ But the clause is evidently related to the preceding 無替厥服, and must describe—not the feeling of the emperors from which the gifts proceeded, but the feeling which they wished to increase in the princes, their relatives. The explanation of展by信is therefore inadmissible. The meaning in the transl. is given by Ts＇ae and in the dictionary:—使之益厚其親.

[In the passage of the 國語 from which I quoted,on the 1st par., the words of onfucius, the sage goes on to say:—於놆肅慎氏貢楛矢石砮, 其長尺有咫, 先王欲昭其令德之致遠也, 以示後人, 使永監焉, 故銘其栝, 曰肅慎氏之貢矢, 以分太姬配虞胡公, 而封諸陳, 古者分同姓以珍玉, 展親也, 分異姓以遠뀘之職貢, 使無忘服也, 云云.]

人不易物, 惟德其物,—by 人 is intended the various princes, receiving the imperial gifts; 易=輕 ＇to slight＇.不易物,—＇have not slighted the things,＇ have not dared to think lightly of them, however little valuable they might be; 德其物,—＇they have virtue-ed the things;＇i.e., they have looked at the things in the light of the virtue which produced them, and as monitions to the virtue they themselves ought to cultivate.

4. "Complete virtue allows no contemptuous familiarity. When a prince treats superior men with such familiarity, he cannot get them to give him all their hearts; when he so treats inferior men, he cannot get them to put forth for him all their strength.

5. If he be not in bondage to his ears and eyes, all his conduct will be ruled by correctness.