第24章

Ch. IV. Pp. 14—21. THE KING, WITH MANY COMPLIMENTS, RESPONDS TO THE COUNSELS OF THE DUKE, AND PROMISES TO ACT ACCORDINGLY. AT THE SAME TIME HE INTREATS HIM NOT TO CARRY OUT HIS PURPOSE OF RETIRING AND CHARGES HIM TO REMAIN AT Lŏ. Ch＇in Leih observes that after the 13th par. there ought to be some mention of the king＇s having gone with the duke from Haou to Lŏ, and he supposes that a portion of the Book is here lost. The natural inference from parr. 18-21 certainly is that the king, when he spoke them, was in Lŏ; but we need not suppose that any tablets were lost. The Book may never have been longer or less confused than it now is.

Pp. 14, 15. The king, with mention of his obligations to the duke for his counsels, promises to take his advice about the sacrifices to be offered and the record of merits to be made. 14. 公明保予沖子,—it is much more natural to construe this historically, in the indicative mood, than to take it with Gan-kwŏ in the imperative. He says the meaning is:—＇You ought, O duke, to enlighten and sustain me. You must not leave me.＇ (言公當明安我童子, 不可去之). 稱=舉 or 揚, ＇tospeak of＇, ＇to display＇. The ＇great and illustrious virtues＇which the duke had celebrated are those implied in the counsels which he had just given. If the king could 揚文武烈, he would display the virtue required in p. 11. If he could 奉答天命, he would escape the evil menaced in the 乃時惟不永 of p. 13. If he could 놌恆四方民居師, he would realize the 彼裕我民, 無遠用戾, also of p. 13. Choo He says that 居師=營洛邑, 定民 (=眾民之)居, ＇to build the city of Lŏ, and settle the dwelling of the people there＇. 15. This par. must be construed inclose connection with the preceding. It has reference to the counsel given in p. 7. 惇宗將禮,—將=大, ＇great;宗 is evidently employed from the 記功之宗; 惇= ＇to deem important＇, ＇to give the due importance to＇. 稱秩꽮祀,—this also must be interpreted from p. 7. Of the last clause it is not necessary to treat again.

P. 16. The great services of the duke in the business of the govt., which left the king nothing to do but to attend to the sacrifices. We must understand all this as said by the king to prepare the way for pressing the request that the duke would not carry out his purpose of withdrawing from public life. 旁作穆穆迓衡,—旁=＇on every side＇ as in the ＇T＇ae-këǎ＇, Pt. i., p. 5,—旁求俊彥. 衡, ＇a steelyard＇, here= ＇to balance＇, ＇to make even＇.

On every hand appears your deep reverence to secure the establishment of order, so that you fail in nothing of the earnest lessons of Wăn and Woo. It is for me the youth only to attend reverently early and late to the sacrifice."

17. The king said, "Great, O duke, has been your merit in helping and guiding me—let it ever continue so."

18. The king said, "O duke, it is for me, the little child, to return to my throne in Chow, and I charge you, O duke, to remain behind.

When it is said 迓衡, we see the duke calmly and reverently ＇meeting＇ all difficulties and emergencies, and adjusting them with the balance of his wisdom and measures. Gan-kwŏ is evidently wrong, when he takes this clause not as descriptive of the character of the duke＇s government but of its results, and interprets:—四方旁來, 為敬敬之道, 以迎太平之政. 不迷文武勤教,—Këang Shing ingeniously takes this as= ＇you make no error; with civil capacity and with military you teach the empire＇. I prefer, however, to construe as in the translation. 予沖子, 云云,= ＇What have I to do? I should not do so well as you in the administration of affairs. I have only to perform the sacrifices which devolve upon me.＇

P. 17. The king briefly recapitulates the duke＇s services, and asks him to continue them, and not withdraw from public life. =＇迪啟, to teach＇, ＇to direct＇. Ts＇ae says:—公之所以輔我啟我者厚矣, 當常如놆, 未可以言去껩. Gan-kwŏ＇s explanation of 罔不若時, though wrong, is yet amusingly ingenious:—天下無不順, 而놆公之功, ＇the whole empire accords, and affirms by its approval the merit of your services!＇

Pp. 18—20. The king declares his own purpose to return to Haou, and charges the duke to continue in public life, remaining at Lŏ, and completing the measures of government which he had initiated.

18. On the interpretation of this par., there is as much diversity of opinion as on par.

1. The view in the translation is that of Ts＇ae, adopted from Lin Che-k＇e and other early scholars of ths Sung dyn. The old interpreters, followed by many in the present dynasty, understand that the king is here acceding to the duke＇s request that he would proceed to Lŏ, and promises that he would there appoint the duke＇s son, Pih-k＇in (伯禽), to the principality of Loo.

Where were the king and the duke when the par.was spoken? The old interpreters say—＇in Haou＇;and Gan-kwŏ supposes that the king is on his throne,at a solemn audience where the duke has resigned the regency, so that 予其退, 即辟於周= ＇I will when I have retired from this audience, go and be king in Lŏ.＇ I have retired from this audience, go and be king in Lŏ.＇ I cannot read the Book without getting the impression that the speakers were now in Lŏ. And without referring to any passages, which might require a lengthy and minute discussion of them, the fact that king Ching did not take up his residence at Lŏ, and that this city did not till after many reigns become the real capital of Chow, is sufficient to show that the king is not here promising to go to Lŏ, but saying that he will retire from it. On this view 即辟於周 has its natural meaning. Chow is Haou, as in the first par.of last Book. I should say that this clause ought to be decisive on the point of the dialogue＇s taking place in Lŏ, were it not for the 從王於周 of par. 6. And allowing all the weight we can to the interpretation of於周 necessarily adopted there, I must still think that即辟於周 is strongly confirmatory of the view of the Book taken by the Sung scholars.

With regard to 命公後, ＇it indicates＇, says Këang Shing, ＇the appointment of Pih-k＇in. The king＇s idea was that if he conferred the investiture on his son, he might retain the duke at court as the prime minister of the govt.＇

19. Order has been initiated throughout the four quarters of the empire; but the ceremonies to be honoured by general observance have not yet been settled, and I cannot look on your merit as completed.

20. Commence on a great scale what is to be done by your remaining here, being an example to my officers, and greatly preserving the people whom Wăn and Woo received:—by your good government you will prove the help of the whole empire."

Nothing can be argued conclusively on either side of the question from the words of the text. 命公後may be taken as in the translation; and whom I look at them without reference to the controversy agitated about them, I must understand them thus. They may, however, likewise be taken as Gan-kwŏ and the other early interpreters did.

Referring to Sze-ma Ts＇een, he tells us that king Woo, immediately after the overthrow of Show, invested his brother Tan with the principlality of Loo, and that Tan did not proceed to take the charge of it, but remained at court to assist the king, (封周公旦於꿁昊之虛, 曲阜, 놆為魯公, 周公不就封, 留佐武王; See the 魯周公, 世家第三). He tells us also, that after thedeath of Woo, when the duke of Chow had resolved, notwithstanding the injurious suspicions afloat about him, to remain as regent of the empire during the minority of Ching, he invested his son Pih-k＇in with Loo, and gave him this charge:—＇A son of king Wǎn, brother of king Woo, and uncle of king Ching, I am not of mean position in the empire. But I have sometimes trice left my bath unfinished, and thrice left a meal, to receive officers, fearing lest I might fail to secure a man of virtue and ability for the service of the govt. When you go to Loo, be careful lest your being a prince make you arrogant to others.＇ According to this account, Pih-k＇in had been invested with Loo several years before the building of Lŏ. Ts＇ae argues the same thing from passages of Bk. XXIX; but I do not insist on them, because Maou K＇e-ling has shown that they need not be taken as decisive on the question. Still Ts＇een＇s statements carry in themselves evidence of their correctness. Of all his brothers and adherents, the duke of Chow was the one whom king Woo was bound to reward. No doubt he did confer on him the country of Loo; and as the duke was detained from it all his reign and during-so many years of his son＇s reign,there must have been some one to supply his place.I believe that Pih-k＇in went to Loo at once, and that subsequently, in the 3d or 4th year of Ching, his father resigned the dukedom entirely to him. This being the case, there is no room left for the understanding the text—命公後—as the old interpreters did.

19, 20. The king could not look on the duke＇s work as done, and he calls his attention to various points which were yet to be settled. 19. 四方迪亂=四方開治,taking it 迪=啟 or 開. Këang Shing takes it=進, and says:—四方雖進於治. The meaning is substantially the same. 未定宗禮,—Ts＇ae takes 宗禮 as referring to the 功宗 of p. 8, and 惇宗將禮 of p. 15. It may be so,but I rather understand the king to be speaking here of the ceremonies in general, by which their dyn. was to be distinguished from those which preceded it. Këang Shing says they are called 宗禮, ＇being honoured by all the empire＇ (宗禮者言禮為天下所宗). 亦未克敉公功,—敉 has occurred twice before, in Bk. VII., pp. 5 and 11,joined with 寧, and in the sense of 撫 or 安, ＇to soothe＇,＇to settle＇. ＇It means＇, says Woo Ch＇ing, ＇to honour and reward＇. I do not see how to translate the termfaithfully, and bring out a meaning appropriate to the contents. 20. 迪將其後 means, acc. to Ts＇ae, 啟大其後, as in the translation. Woo Ch＇ing takes 迪將 as ＇an introductory phrase,＇ but says he does not understand the meaning of it.

21. The king said, "Remain, O duke. I will certainly go. Your meritorious deeds are devoutly acknowledged and reverently rejoiced in. Do not, O duke, occasion me this difficulty. I on my part will not be idle or tired in seeking the tranquillity of the people; and let not the example which you have afforded be intermitted.So shall the whole empire enjoy for generations thebenefits of your virtue." 

22. The duke of Chow bowed his face to his hands and his head to the ground, saying, "You have charged me, O king, to come here.

The 其後 would certainly seem to have reference to the 命公後 of p. 18. I do not see how Gan-kwŏ makes out of 迪將 his 公留教道, 將助我. 監我士師工,—士師工 is equivalent to 百官. Among the officers there were those called 士, and others called 師. 監 may be taken,with Ts＇ae, ＇to afford an example to＇, or, with Gan-kwŏ,＇to inspect＇, ＇to oversee＇. 亂為四輔,—I do not think that this means more than—＇effecting good government, and being a help to me on every side＇. Compare with 四輔 the 四鄰 in the ＇Yih and Tseih＇, p. 5. Ts＇ae takes the phrase as a name of the new city, or the two new cities of 늅周 and 王城, taken in connection with Haou and Fung as the ,points d appui of the empire,—which is far-fetched, and intended to strengthen his view of 後 as meaning to remain at Lŏ, sufficiently strong without such support. In a passage in the Le Ke, Bk. VIII., (文王世子), p. 17, mention is made of the appointment of 四輔 and 三公, from which it would appear that ＇four＇ men were denoted by the former phrase. If so, and we are to interpret the text in acc. with that passage, we must suppose that the king wishes the duke alone to be to him all that those four highest and trusted ministers could be.

P. 21. The king finally announces his determination not to remain himself at Lŏ, and requires the duke to do so. Of course the old interpreters make 予往已mean, ＇I will go to Lŏ＇. Këang Shing puts no comma at 已, but reads on from 予往 to 祗歡, making 往=往日, ＇formerly＇. All agree in taking 定=止, only with the old interpreters and their modern adherents it means, ＇remain to assist me as my premier,＇ while with Ts＇ae it= ＇remain here＇ at Lŏ. The ＇Daily Explanation＇paraphrases from 公功 to 困哉 (哉 perhaps should be我) thus:—我公迓衡迪亂之功, 그皆肅靜而奉行之, 無敢違逆於外, 且祗畏而歡悅之, 無有拂戾於中. This is acc.to the views of Ts＇ae, and I must think that the otherinterpretations of this par. are non-natural. =＇斁厭, to dislike＇, ＇to turn away from＇. 公勿替刑=公勿替所以監我士師工者, taking 刑=儀刑. Këang Shing takes 釋=解,but the meaning comes to the same. He would point the whole differently, however.—我惟無釋, 其康事公勿替, 刑四方其世享.

I undertake the charge, and will protect the people whom your grandfather Wăn received by decree,and whom your glorious and meritorious father Woo also so received. I will enlarge the reverence which I cherish for you.

23. But, my son, come frequently and inspect this settlement. Pay great honour to old statutes, and to the good and wise men of Yin. Good government here will make you indeed the new chief of the empire, and an example of royal respectfulness to all your successors of Chow."

Ch. V. Pp. 22—24. THE DUKE ACCEPTS THE CHARGE LAID UPON HIM; SETS FORTH HOW HE WILL FULFIL ITS DUTIES; AND TELLS THE CO-OPERATION WHICH HE EXCEPTS FROM HIM.

22 .王命予來,—this has reference evidently to the命公後 of par. 18. Naturally and legitimately we understand 來 of coming to a place; and that place can be no other than Lŏ. The old interpreters holding that the duke only agrees to remain in public life, without any reference to his undertaking the govt. of the new city, say that his returning might have been called a 去or ＇going away＇, so his continuing may be called a 來or ＇coming＇ (see the gloss of Ying-tǎ in loc.). This is very forced. —承保至武王,this responds to the king＇s誕保文武受民 in p. 20. Woo Ch＇ing correctly observes that we are to understand 受命民 after 武王, being omitted in the text for the sake of brevity (省文). 越=꼐. Gan-kwŏ and Këang Shing take it as=於, with which I cannot make sense. They also take 承 and all the other verbs as in the infinitive mood under the govt. of 命. But it is much better to suppose that in 承the duke speaks in his own person. To me the 朕 in the last clause necessitates this constructions. 弘朕恭,—＇I will enlarge my reverence.＇ 恭 is to be taken according to the account of it by Mencius, IV., Bk. I, i., 13, 責難於君謂之恭. The duke would do his duty, he will not allow the king to be remiss in performing his. Wang Ts＇ëaou says ingeniously:—王於文王武王, 皆欲令周公奉其道, 安其民, 周公늁言之, 辭繁而不殺者, 見其所承之重껩, 弘朕恭, 欲展其事上之敬, 意在下文, 下兩節, 一,以治洛之效望之늅王, 即所謂弘朕恭껩一, , 以治洛之事自效, 即所謂承保껩.

23. 孺子來相宅,—I must translate this in the imperative, according to the view which has been taken of the last. The paraphrase in the ＇Complete Digest＇ is:—王雖歸周, 而此洛邑, 王當來省視以治之, ＇although your majesty is returning, you ought to come and examine and see this city of Lŏ, to governit.＇ Though the duke gives up the hope which he had cherished, that the king would take up his residence in the new city, he endeavours to make the best of his disappointment, and hopes that the advantages to be derived from Lŏ will in part at least be secured by frequent and regular visits to it from the king. 典=典章, ＇statutes＇, i.e., we may suppose, the rules and principles of govt. approved or established by Wǎn and Woo. 殷獻 (=賢民), ＇the good able people (=men) of Yin,＇ are, we may again suppose, men belonging to old official families of Yin, who had kept themselves from the degrading vices which had occasioned the downfall of the dynasty. Both 典 and 民 are governed by 惇, and a conjunction is understood between its two objects. This is forcing a meaning out of the text, but the meaning thus obtained is more likely than any other which has been put upon it.

"From this time," said the duke, "by the government administered in this central spot, all parts of the empire will be conducted to repose, and this will be the completion of your merit, O king.

24. "I, Tan, with the numerous officers and managers of affairs, will consolidate the achievements of our predecessors, in response to the hopes of the people. I will afford an example of sincerity to future ministers of Chow, seeking to render complete the pattern intended for the enlightenment of you, my son, and thus to carry fully out the virtue of your grandfather Wăn."

Comp. the view of Gan-kwŏ:=大其厚行典常於殷賢그, and that of Këang Shing:—其大厚取典於殷之賢民. 亂(=治) 為四方新辟,—comp. the 作民明辟 of par. 2. 作周恭先,—Ts＇ae expands this by 그君恭以接下, 以恭而倡後王, ＇as the sovereign shows respectfulness towards your ministers, and by such respectfulness leads theway for future kings.＇ Gan-kwŏ＇s view is the same:—為周家見恭敬之王, 後世所推先. Këang Shing brings out nearly the same meaning by another constructionof the characters:—作立周邦, 以恭敬為先務. The 曰 is perplexing. The simplest way is to suppose 公 as the nominative to it. I understand 自時 as in the ＇Complete Digest＇=今而後. With 中乂 compare the 自服꺱中, and 自時中乂 in the last Book, p. 14. 24. The duke here speaks fully and bravely of what he himself will do. We have had instances before of his superiority to the mock humility with which Chinese statesmen generally veil appreciation of themselves and their services. 多子越御事,—see on the Con. Ana., I., i., for the meaning of 子. 多子 is ＇the many gentlemen＇; and from the 御事 which follows, we conclude that the gentlemen intended the officers of the superior classes—as the critics say ,卿大夫. 答其師 (=眾)—＇in answer to the multitudes＇. The meaning must be as in the translation .作周孚先孚,—=信, ＇faithfulness＇,＇loyalty＇. The expression is correlate to the 作周恭君of the last par.; and they throw light on each other. As the king would show to future kings an example of respectfulness in dealing with his ministers, so the duke would show to future ministers an example of loyal devotedness in serving his sovereign. 考朕昭子刑,—考=늅, ＇to complete＇. Ts＇ae takes 昭子 as=the 明辟 of par. 1, so that the meaning of the clause is—＇I will render complete the pattern afforded by you, my illustrious son.＇ The editors of Yung-ching＇s Show observe that everywhere else he takes 昭 or=明, ＇to enlighten＇, and that there is no reason to depart from that signification here; so that the meaning of the whole is as in the translation.

單=盡, ＇to complete＇, ＇to carry fully out＇. Everything necessary to consolidate the dynasty might be considered as carrying out—completing—the virtue of king Wǎn, its proper founder.

25. Afterwards, the due of Chow took occasion to say, "The king has sent messengers to admonish thepeople of Yin, and with a soothing charge to me, along with two flagons of the black millet herb-flavoured spirit, saying, ＇Here is a pure sacrificial gift, which with my hands to my face and my head to the ground I offer for you to enjoy its excellence.＇

26. I dare not keep this, and offer it in sacrifice to king Wăn and king Woo."

CH. VI. Pp. 25—28. THE CONDUCT OF THE DUKE IN DECLINING SOME EXTRAORDINARY GIFTS FROM THE KING, AND TAKING OCCASION FROM THEM TO OFFER A PRAYER TO WAN AND WOO, EXPRESSIVE OF HIS LOYALTY.

I cannot say that I am satisfied with the meaning of these parr. as it appears in the translation but no interpretation of them has been proposed which can be fully acquiesced in by a cautious student. I have mainly followed the view of them given by Ts＇ae, who himself followed Soo Shih. The action of them is referred to some time subsequent to that in which the previous parr. were spoken. The king is supposed to have returned to Haou, and thence he sends messages and gifts, doing honour to the duke

as if he had been a departed spirit, and were continuing in heaven the guardianship of the dynasty which he had so efficiently discharged during his life. This was improper, and may be deemed improbable; but if we remember how the boy had given ear to the rumours that the duke had designs upon the throne, and consider that even now he was not really following his advice, and fixing his residence at Lŏ, we may believe that the young emperor had more awe of the powerful minister than love for him, and that he wished to propitiate him by such an extraordinary offering.

伻來毖殷, 乃命寧予=王遣使誥誡殷民, 因念周公之功,而來慰寧之, 錫以殊典, ＇The king sent messengers with admonitory lessons for the people of Yin, and beingimpressed with the merits of the duke, at the same time to soothe his mind, by the gift of an extraordinary mark of his regard.＇ 秬鬯二卣,—秬 is a species of black millet, used in the distillation of spirits. 鬯 is a species of fragrant grass employed to flavor the spirits. The two characters are used here as a name of the spirit which was made from them. 卣 is the name of a cup or bowl of medium size, in which such spirit was usually kept. A larger vessel used for that purpose was called彝, and a smaller, 罍; the size of the 卣 was between the others. 曰明至末,—this is supposed to be the message of the king which accomplished the offering.明=潔, ＇pure＇; 禋=敬, ＇to revere＇, ＇reverent＇. The ＇Daily Explanation＇ gives for this clause:—此秬鬯之酒, 所以明潔禋敬, 以奉神而格帝者껩, 我敢拜手稽首, 以此美物, 而致享於公焉. 26. 予不敢宿,—Ts＇ae says that 宿here has the same meaning as the phrase 三宿 in Bk.XXII., p. 26, where the character is explained by 進爵,＇to advance the cup;＇ making the meaning to be—＇I do not dare to drink this spirit.＇ But it will be seen on that passage, that if we must so define 宿 there, we cannot admit the signification in this text. And why should there be any difficulty in understanding here as I have done. There is an instance of the same usage, quite in point, in the Ana., X., viii. 8. The duke was so far front using for himself the king＇s gift, that he could not even allow it to remain by him, but presented it at once in a sacrifice to Wǎn and Woo. 27. This par. is to be taken as a prayer for the king, offered when the duke sacrificed to Wǎn and Woo with the spirit which had been sent to himself.

27. In doing so, he prayed, "Let him be obedient to and observant of your course. Let him meet with no evil or sickness. Let him satisfy his descendants for myriads of years with your virtue. Let the people of Yin enjoy protracted prosperity." He also said to themessengers, 

28. "The king has sent you to Yin, which has received his charges well ordered for myriads of years;but let the people ever have to observe the virtue cherished by my son."

惠篤敘,—惠=順, ＇to accord with＇, ＇accordantly＇; for 篤敘 comp. the 篤敘乃正父 of p. 13. The clause=願使王順承先業, 篤之而不遺, 敘之而不紊, 憲章놆守, 無有愆忘, 而後可焉, (see the 日講). 無 (=毋) 有遘自疾,—＇let him not bring on (遘=遇, ＇to meet with＇; but with moreof an active signification) himself any sickness.＇

萬뎃厭於乃德,—厭 is in the 3d tone, ＇to be full＇,＇satiated＇. We must suppose that the king is prayed for in his descendants for ten thousand years:—as Ts＇ae has it, 子孫萬뎃厭飽乃德. 殷乃引考,—Ts＇aetakes 引考=長壽, ＇protracted longevity;＇ and the ＇Daily Explanation＇ gives for the passage,—願使殷餘之亡民, 長享有幹有뎃之樂, ＇make the poor remnant of Yin long enjoy the happiness of prosperity and plenty＇. 28. We are to suppose that the duke now addresses the messengers who had come from the king, and sends the counsel here contained to Haou, to the effect that though he would do his duty to carry out the admonitions which had been sent to the people of Yin, yet the government of them could only be effected by the personal virtue of the king.

I am well aware, in thus interpreting these four paragraphs, that serious objections may be taken to the way in which the whole supplemented, and many of the clauses explained. All that can be said is that the interpretation seems to me more likely than any other that has been proposed. It will suffice if I subjoin here that proposed by Gan-kwŏ. He first reads 伻來毖殷乃命寧 (putting a stop at 寧) along with 考朕昭子刑,乃單文祖德, interpreting—＇"The method by which I will complete the enlightenment of you, my son, is to complete the virtue of your grandfather Wǎn." This he says with reference to the ceremonies which he would establish. "The reason why you must dwell here in the middle of the land, is that Wǎn and Woo have sent you to come and carefully teach the people of Yin, recognising their charge, and giving them repose."＇ (我所늅明子法, 乃盡文祖之德, 謂典禮껩, 所以居꺱中, 놆文武使已來慎教殷民, 乃見命而安之). He then begins a new par. with 予, and on 予以至休享 says:—＇Theduke of Chow had been regent for seven years; and having produced a happy tranquillity throughout the empire, he took two bowls of black millet wine, and with purity and the utmost reverence had presented it to Wǎn and Woo that they might enjoy it, and announced to them the happy state of the empire. Having done this, he had resigned the government, but king Ching had induced him to remain as his chief minister. He therefore recounts those things here (周公攝政七뎃致太平, 以黑黍酒二器, 明潔致敬, 告文武以美享, 既告而致政, 늅王留之, 本 (？故) 說之). On from 予不至武王 he says:—＇The duke says, "Seeingthis happy tranquility of the empire, I made a pure announcement to Wǎn and Woo not delaying over it"＇(言我見天下太平, 則潔告文武, 不經宿). Par. 27 is then taken as addressed to the king, and expounded:—"Doyou, in administering the govt., observe the regular constitutions, and carry them fully into execution, with an orderly discrimination. Allow none to follow courses which would be productive of calamity and distress. So will the empire for myriads of years be satiated with your virtue, and the dynasty of Yin will for ever become that of Chow" (汝為政當順典常厚行之, 使有次序, 無有遇用患疾之道者, 則天下萬뎃厭於汝德, 殷乃長늅為周).

29. On the day Mow-shin, the king in the new city performed the annual winter sacrifice, offering a red bull to king Wăn, and the same to king Woo. He then commanded a declaration to be prepared, which was done by Yih in the form of a prayer, and it simply announced the remaining behind of the duke of Chow.

On the 28th par. he says:—＇"When the king causes the people of Yin, high and low, to have such orderly relations with one another, then will be seen the courseof govt. for myriads of years and the people will for ever look to our decendants and turn to their virtue." Thus he stimulates the king to complete the work begun by Wǎn and Woo.＇ (王使殷民, 上下相承有次序,則萬뎃之道, 民其長觀我子孫而歸其德矣, 勉使終之.)

It would be easy to fill pages with smaller variations of view that have been proposed on this difficult passage; but the student will probably think that it has been dwelt upon at sufficient length. I will, however, here subjoin the version of Gaubil, and a note which he gives on the character 禋. His version is:—＇Vous avez envoyé un exprès pour faire instruire les peuples de Yin, et vous lui avez ordonné de me demander en quel état étoit ma santé; outre cela vous m＇avez envoyéen present deux vases remplis du vin Ku-tchiang, et vous avez ainsi parlé: il faut avoir le coeur pur et respectueux. Je me prosterne à terre, et je me sers de ces deux heureux vases pour marquer mon respect. ＇Je n＇oserois boire de ce vin; mais je m＇en suis déja servi pour honorer avec respect Ven-vang. et Vou-vang.

＇Je souhaite que le Roi soit exact à imiter ses ancêtres, qu＇il vive long tems sans fâcheux accident, que jusqu＇à dix mille ans il ait des innitateurs de sa vertu, que les nouveaux sujets de la dynastie Yin jouissent d＇uno longue et heureuse suite d＇annces.

＇Je souhaite que jusqu＇à dix mille ans vous gouvernicz hereusement les peuples de Yin. Dans tout ce qui les regarde, faites ensorte qu＇ils se plaisent àsuivre vos exemples.＇

I need not speak of the character of this version. His note is to the following effect:—＇The character 秬鬯 express a wine made from black millet or 秬, and an odoriferous herb called 鬯. Acc. to the thought of king Ching, this required in him who used it a hear pure and full of respect. It was set apart therefore for the ceremonies performed to Heaven, or spirits,or to ancestors. It was employed perhaps in all the three ceremonies. Now the character which expresses the respect to be shown in the use of this wine is 禋,which is composed of three other characters:—示,meaning to show to; 西, the west; and 꺱, country.Could the ancient Chinese have had in view, in the use of this character, the country of the west from which they had come forth? Do we have in it, applied to these ceremonies, the vestiges of some ancient ceremony, in which they regarded the west, when they honoured Heaven, the Spirits, or their first ancestors? The Chinese characters are composed of several other characters, and the whole has regard to the thing expressed by the composite character; the several characters are the simple ideas which make the composite one. The analysis which I make here of the character 禋 is but a conjecture. I only give it as such,and I do not care to engage to find proofs of it in the ancient monuments and traditions of China. I know that several Europeans have abused the analysis of Chinese characters; but the Chinese themselves make sometimes such analyses.＇

Gaubil was at home when he brought his knowledge of mathematical and astronomical science to bear on the illustration of Chinese chronology; but this conjecture about the meaning of the term 禋 cannot be called happy. 示 suggests the idea of some religious meaning, as belonging to the whole character; but the other half of it—垔—is entirely phonetic, and suggests merely its name or sound. It enters in the same way into more than 30 other characters. The character is used in the ＇Canon of Shun＇, p. 6, where I do not know that the idea of the objects sacrificed to being the fathers of the nation who had their seats in the west ever occurred to any one.

Ch. VII. Pp. 29—31. HISTORICAL NOTICES OF THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DUKE＇S APPOINTMENT TO REMAIN AT Lŏ; AND OF HIS SUBSEQUENT GOVERNMENT.

The king＇s guests, on occasion of the killing the victims and offering the sacrifice, all made their appearance. The king entered the grand apartment, and poured out the libation.

30. The king charged the duke of Chow to remain,and Yih, the preparer of the document, made the declaration:—all in the 12th month.

31. Then the duke of Chow greatly sustained the decree which Wăn and Woo had received, through the space of seven years.

29. 戊辰—we may conclude from the next par. that this was in the 12th month. The king was then in Lŏ. We may believe that he had come to it expressly for the service which is here described. Gan-kwŏsupposed that he had arrived on the day Mow-shin; but in that case we should have read 王누新邑, and not 王在新邑. 烝 is the name given to the winter sacrifice in the temple of ancestors. Ts＇ae read the three characters烝祭歲 together, with the meaning which I have given in the translation;—whether correctly or not I cannot undertake to say. The 歲, occurring where it does, is a great difficulty. Këang Shing puts a comma at 烝, and then takes 祭歲 as another sacrifice, offered on the first day of the first month of the next year. This was the view of K＇ang Shing, who also supposed that after the usual service of the dya, there was still the special sacrifice to Wǎn and Woo, which follows Lin Che-k＇e says the best plan is to allow that the 歲 is inexplicable, and so pass over it. I believe he is right.騂,—see Ana., VI., iv. 王命作冊,—comp. on Bk. VI., p.5. 逸祝冊,—逸 was the name of the 史, or ＇Recorder＇, who officiated on the occasion;—see again Bk. VI., p. 5, and also Bk. X., p. 13. Over 惟告周公其後, there is fought again the battle as to the meaning of 後, which has been gone into on par. 18.

王賓殺禋咸格,—＇the king＇s guests＇ denotes all the princes present and assisting at the ceremonies, and specially those representing the previous dynasties.殺=殺牲, ＇killing the victims＇. 禋 is descriptive of the whole service as ＇a pure sacrifice presented in the temple of ancestors＇. 王入太室裸=王乃入太室, 裸눓以降神, ＇the king entered into the great apartment (i.e.,the middle hall of the temple), and poured the fragrantspirits on the ground to invite the descent of the spirits. 30. I understand this par. as a resume of the preceding,with an additional note of time. 31. According to the translation which I have given, the ＇seven years＇mentioned are to be calculated from the 7th year of king Ching. As Ch＇in Sze-k＇ae says:—＇The duke of acted as regent for seven years, and then wished to retire from public life; but king Ching detained him in the govt. of Lŏ, where he spent other seven years,making in all fourteen years from the death of king Woo＇ (see the 集說). This view of course is contrary to the old interpreters and those adhere to their views.They think that the ＇seven years＇ here are simply the seven years of the duke＇s regency.