第27章

BOOK XVI. PRINCE SHIH.

BOOK XVI. PRINCE SHIH.

The duke of Chow spake to the following effect,"Prince Shih, Heaven, unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin;

2. Yin has lost its appointment, and the princes of our Chow have received it. I do not dare, however,to say, as if I knew it, ＇The foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity.

THE NAME OF THE BOOK.—君奭, ＇Prince Shih＇.With these words the Book begins, and they are taken to be its designation. Shih was the name of the duke of Shaou; see on the title of Book XII. It was to him that the address or announcement here preserved was delivered, so that his name is not an inappropriate designation for it. The Book is found in both the texts.

CONTENTS. Ts＇ae says that the duke of Shaou had announced his purpose to retire from office on account of his age, when the duke of Chow persuaded him to remain at his post; and the reasons which he set before him were recorded to form this Book. If this was the design of the duke of Chow, he was a master of the art of veiling his thoughts with a cloud of words.There are expressions which may be taken, indeed, as intimating a wish that the prince Shih should continue at court, but some violence has to be put upon them.

The prefatory notice is to the effect that, when the two dukes were acting as chief ministers to king Ching, the duke of Chow was ＇not pleased＇ (不悅; see p. 11), and the duke of Chow made the ＇Prince Shih＇.This expression—＇not pleased＇—has wonderfully vexed the ingenuity of the critics. It is of no use adducing their various explanations of it, for there is nothing in the Book to indicate the existence of such a feeling in Shih＇s mind. If he was really entertaining such a feeling from any cause, and had in consequence sought leave to withdraw from public life, the duke of Chow thought it his best plan to make no open reference to those delicate points.

The two principal ideas in the address are—that the favour of Heaven can only be permanently secured for a dynasty by the virtue of its sovereigns; and that that the virtue is secured mainly by the counsels and help of virtuous ministers. The ablest sovereigns of Shang are mentioned, and the ministers by whose aid it was, in a great measure, that they became what they were. The cases of Wăn and Woo of their own dynasty, similarly aided by able men are adduced in the same way: and the speaker adverts to the services which they—the two dukes—had already rendered to their House and their sovereign, and insists that they must go on to the end, and accomplish still greater things. It may be that he is all the while combating some suspicion of himself in the mind of prince Shih, and rebuking some purpose which Shih had formed to abandon his post at the helm of the State;but this is only matter of inference, and does not by any means clearly appear. It will be seen that I have,for convenience＇ sake, arranged the three and twenty paragraphs in four chapters.

Ch. I. Pp. 1—6. CHOW IS FOR THE PRESENT BAISED BY THE FAVOUR OF HEAVEN TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE EMPIRE.

[If Heaven aid sincerity,—]＇ Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew it. ＇The final end will issue in our misfortunes.＇

3. Oh! you have said, O prince, ＇It depends on ourselves.＇ I also do not dare to rest in the favour of God, never forecasting at a distance the terrors of Heaven in the present time when there is no murmuring or disobedience among the people;—theissue is with men.

BUT THAT FAVOUR MAY NOT BE PERMANENT.THE DUKE OF CHOW IS ANXIOUS, AND PRINCE SHIH SHOULD BE THE SAME, TO SECURE IT BY CULTIVATING THE VIRTUE OF THE KING.1. 君奭,—in the plainness of ancient manners, it is said, when people were talking together they called each other by their names. Shih, however, is honoured with the title of ＇prince＇, which might be given to him,as he had been invested with the principality of Yen.See on the name of Bk. XII. 2. Chow had supersededYin in the possession of the empire, but it should not be known beforehand how long it would continue. 弗弔, 云云,—see Bk. XIV., p. 2. The 既 in the next two clauses has no conjunctive force, but marks the perfect tense. 我不敢知至末,—compare Bk. XII., p. 17.That passage seems to have mislead many of the old interpreters, and still to mislead many of the present day, as to the meaning of the text. They make the speaker to have the fate of the past-away dynasty of Yin before him, and not that of their existing Chow.—＇I do not date to know and say, "The House of Yin at its beginning might have long accorded with prosperous ways,"＇ &c. It is plain to me that the speaker has before him the destiny of Chow, which they of the dynasty must fashion for themselves. Whether it would be long or short must depend on their conduct. 厥基永孚於休,—＇its foundation will for ever be sincerely established in prosperity.＇ I do not understand the next clause,—若꽭棐忱, ＇if Heaven assist the sincere＇.Whether we suppose the speaker to have reference to the past Yin or the present Chow, these word seem equally out of place. To say that either dynasty might be sincerely virtuous, and so be aided by Heaven, and yet not abide in security, is contrary to reason, and to the most strongly cherished principles of Chinese doctrine. Medhurst read the words with the next part of the par.—＇And should Heaven aid us in very deed, still I would not dare positively to affirm that our end would be entirely the result of misfortune.＇ But such a construction in inadmissible. I have put the clause in the translation as incomplete, and also within brackets to intimate that I think it out of place. 其終出於不祥,—Këang Shing reads 其崇出於不詳; but he explains 崇by 終, and 詳 by 善 (=祥). Another reading, evidently false, was—道出於不詳.

Pp. 3—5. The duty of the ministers of Chow was to do what they could in the present to secure the permanence of the dynasty. 3. 嗚呼, 君已曰, 時我,—the simplest way of explaining these words, is by taking 時我=是놇我而已, ＇it—the permanence of the dyn.—depends on us,＇ and supposing that the duke refer to a remark to that effect made at some former period by Shih. Lin Che-k＇e and others adduce his language in many parts of his Announcement, e.g. pp. 19, 20, which they think the duke has in view. This is very likely. Other methods to try to get a meaning from the passage are harsh and violent. Gan-kwŏ, for instance, took the meaning to be—＇Oh! prince, what shall I say? I will say, "You should approve of my remaining in the govt."＇ It is strange that Maou K＇e-ling should still approve of such a construction.

Should our present successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence Heaven and the people,and so bring to an end their glory, could we in our families be ignorant of it?

4. The favour of Heaven is not easily preserved.Heaven is hard to be depended on. Men lose its favouring appointment because they cannot pursue and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers.

Woo Ch＇ing takes 君已 in the same way, and then makes 曰時我= ＇But it is my duty to do my utmost to preserve the favour of Heaven.＇

我亦至惟人,—the 惟人 with which this part ends corresponds to the 時我 at the beginning, and=實惟놇人而已.

弗永遠念꽭威越我民罔尤違is all one clause, and to be read together,—another instance of Choo He＇s long sentences in the Announcement of the Shoo. Ts＇ae explains it by 不永遠念꽭껣威於我民無尤怨背違껣時. Këang Shing puts a stop at 威, understanding the duke as giving one reason for his remaining in the govt. that he could not rest in the present favour of Heaven, but must forecast a change in the aspects of Providence. For the same resolution he finds another reason in the words that follow—越我民罔尤違, 惟人놇 (so he points),= ＇That our people may be kept from murmurs and disaffection depends on the right men being there.＇ To make the language in any way bear this interpretation he is obliged to suppose that越 is a mistake for 曰. Gan-kwŏ paused at 命, and made 弗永遠念꽭威越我民罔尤違 an address to Shih,=＇Why do you not think of the terrors of Heaven, and set about affecting and transforming our people, that they may not commit errors and fall into opposition.＇Interpretation could hardly be more unlicensed. Nor does he succeed better in what remains of the par. K＇e-ling labours in vain to impart some likelihood to his views.

놇我後至末,—the 놇 is used as in the last Book,pp. 5 and 6. By 我後嗣子孫 we must understand king Ching. The same interpretation must be given of the reading—我嗣事子孫, adopted by Këang Shing from a passage in the ＇Books of the Early Han;＇—see the 王莽傳, 上. 恭上떘,—Ts＇ae understands ＇Heaven＇to be meant by上, and ＇the people＇ by떘, so that the expression=敬꽭敬民. Others understand ＇Heaven and Earth＇ to be intended. 遏佚前人光=遏絕佚墜文武光顯. 놇家不知 is to be taken interrogatively,=可得謂놇家不知乎. Ts＇ae, holding that the object of the address was to induce the duke of Shaou to abandons his purpose of retirement, takes the question as addressed to him,—＇Could you be ignorant of it?＇The old interpreters, holding that the speaker is much occupied with vindicating his own remaining in the government, take it in the first person,—＇Could I be ignorant.＇ The best plan seems to be to put it as in the translation. It may thus be applied to either of the dukes; and I believe that the duke of Chow intended it both for himself and his friend. 4, 5. 꽭命不易, 꽭難諶,—comp. the ＇Both possessed Pure Virtue＇, p.2; et al. Këang Shing, on the authority mentioned above, reads—命不易, 꽭應棐諶, which may safely be rejected on internal grounds. In interpreting the rest of the par. there is much difference of view. Acc. to that followed in the translation, 前人恭明德=前人껣恭德與明德, ＇the reverent virtue and the brilliant virtue of their forefathers; the former referring to the 恭上떘 of the last par., and the latter to the 前人光.

5. Now I, Tan, being but as a little child, am not able to correct our king. I would simply conduct him to the glory of his forefathers, and make his youth partaker of that."

6. He also said, Heaven is not to be trusted. Our course is simply to seek the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, and Heaven will not find occasion to remove its favouring decree which king Wan received."

7. The duke said, "Prince Shih, I have heard that of ancient time, when T＇ang the Successful had received the favouring decree, he had with him E Yin, making his virtue like that of great Heaven.

This 恭明德 is governed by the verbs 經歷 and 嗣. Gan-kwŏ, instead of construing the passage thus, put a stop at 歷, and read on the conclusion with h tar.—嗣前人恭明德놇今予小theiheff5rstarttpop子旦, ＇To continue the reverent and brilliant virtue of our forefathers rests now with me the little child Tan.＇ Këang Shing has nearly the same punctuation. After all this, no two agree in explaining the former portion—乃其 (K. S. omits this 其) 墜命弗克經歷. It will suffice to mention the view of K＇e-ling:—夫꽭껣墜命者, 以其不能놋經歷人, ＇now Heaven lets its favouring decree fall to the ground, because theycannot have men of experience!＇ For 非克놋正, 云云, the ＇Daily Explanation＇ gives:—我非真놋格心껣術, 可以匡正吾君也, 所孜孜啟迪者, 惟以前人光大껣德, 付與我沖子, 使其上而事꽭, 떘而治民, 知所經歷繼嗣, 不至於遏佚前人껣光耳.

P. 6. The favour of Heaven being so uncertain, the way to secure it is by perpetuation the virtue of king Woo. We are to understand king Woo by ＇The Tranquillizing king,＇—see on Bk. VII., p. 3. Ts＇ae expands the text very clearly:—꽭固不可信, 然놇我껣道, 惟以延長武王껣德, 使꽭不容捨文王所受껣命也.

Ch. II. Pp. 7—10. WHAT BENEFITS WERE DERIVED DURING THE TIME OF YIN FROM THE GREAT AND ABLE MINISTERS WHO LIVED IN DIFFERENT REIGNS. IT WAS FOR PRINCE SHIH IN HIS TIME TO SERVE IN THE SAME WAY THE DYNASTY OF CHOW. 7. The mostdistinguished ministers of Yin, and the emperors under whom they flourished. 我聞至皇꽭,—the 若 prefixed to all the names= ＇a man like＇, yet not implying any other besides the minister thus pointed out. 伊尹,—see thefirst introductory note on ＇The Instructions of E＇.

格於皇꽭,—see ＇The Charge to Yuě＇, Pt. iii., p. 10.놇太甲至保衡,—see on ＇The T＇ae-këă,＇ Pt. i. p. 1, and＇The Charge to Yuě,＇ Pt. iii., p. 10. The duke of Chow here calls E Yin by his name or title, with evident reference to the beginning of the ＇T＇ae-këă＇.

T＇ae-këă, again, had Paou-hăng. T＇ae-mow had E Chih and Chin Hoo, through whom his virtue was made to affect God; he had also Woo Heen, who regulated the royal House. Tsoo-yih had Woo Heen.

8. Woo-ting had Kan Pwan. These ministers carried out their principles, and effected their arrangements,preserving and regulating the empire of Yin, so that,while its ceremonies lasted, those sovereigns though deceased were assessors to Heaven, while it extended over many years.

太戊至王家—see the notices 22 and 23 in the Confucian preface. We may assume that in this passage the duke of Chow had before him the Books of Shang mentioned in those notices, which are now lost. If we had them, we should find the expression 格From 於上帝t, as we find he 13th notices格於皇꽭 in thei n ＇The Charge to Yuě＇.preface we learn that T＇ang had a minister called Chin Hoo. He would be an ancestor probably of the Chin Hoo mentioned here in connection with T＇ae-mow. 祖乙至巫賢,—if we had the lost Book Tsoo-yih (see Pref., n. 26), we should probably find this Woo Heen mentioned in it.

甘盤,—see ＇The Charge to Yuě,＇ Pt. iii, p. 1. We cannot but be surprised that the duke does not make any mention of Foo Yuě. Keang Shing throws out the hint that Kan Pwan and Foo Yuě may have been the same man,—which is absurd. Gan-shih says that as Pwan was the earliest instructor of Woo-ting, the wisdom which guided that emperor to get Yuě for his minister was owing to him; but this does not account for the omission of Yuě in the duke＇s list. Perhaps something like a reason for it is suggested by the next par. 8. The happy result of the services of those ministers. 率惟茲놋陳,—this must be spoken of the six great ministers just enumerated.—＇In accordance with this,＇—i.e., their course of action so described—＇they had an arrangement＇. The meaning is very obscure. The critics, however, all expand it much as Ts＇ae does:—뀖臣循惟此道, 놋陳列껣功, 殷禮陟配꽭,—Gan-kwŏ takes 殷禮, ＇the ceremonies of Yin,＇ as= ＇the govt. Of Yin＇ (安上治民껣禮), and the whole clause as meaning that the govt. of Yin was so good that its sovereigns were on earth the representatives of God above, and occupied the imperial seat (殷得此安上治民껣禮, 能升配上꽭, 꽭놇人上, 故謂껣升, 為꽭껣子是配也). This is ingenious, but it imposes too great violence on the language. 禮 cannot be taken as thenominative 陟 and 配. 殷禮 are most naturally taken adverbially,=(according to the ceremonial usages of Yin,＇ or as in the translation. Then 陟 and 配꽭 are predicates of the emperors of Yin, probably of those who are specially mentioned in the preceding par., the former char. describing then as deceased＇ (see ＇The Canon of Shun,＇ p. 28), and 配꽭 declaring the fact of their being associated with Heaven in the sacrifices to it. In the present dyn., all its departed emperors are so honoured at the great sacrificial services. Under the Chow dyn., only How-tseih and king Wăn enjoyed the distinction. The rule of the Yin dyn. seems to have been to associate the five emperors of whom the duke has been speaking. [We have perhaps in this custom a reason for the omission of Foo Yuě in the prec. par. From the Pwan-kang, Pt. i., 14, we learn that their ministers shared in the sacrifices to the sovereigns of Yin. Each emperor would have one minister as his assessor, and so Woo-ting could not have both Kan Pwan and Foo Yuě. Though the latter may have been the greater man of the two, the sacrificial honour was given to the other as having been the earlier instructor of the emperor.

9. Heaven thus determinately maintained its favouring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various officers, and members of the royal House holding employments, all held fast their virtue, and displayed an anxious solicitude forthe empire. The smaller officers, and the chiefs in the How and Teen domains, hurried about on their services. Thus did they all put forth their virtue, and aid their sovereign, so that whatever affairs he, the one man, had in hand, throughout the tour quarters of the empire, an entire sincerity was conceded to them as to the indications of the tortoise or the milfoil."

The duke, having the emperors as sacrificed to in his mind, had no occasion therefore to mention Yuě. This explanation was first suggested by Soo Shih.]

I acquiesce in this view of the text, in preference to that proposed by Gan-kwŏ. It has its difficulties,however, and one of the principal is that we are obliged to find another subject for the verb 歷 in the concluding clause. The use of 所, at the end is peculiar.The ＇Daily Explanation＇ says it is merely ＇an expletive＇(語辭), which is saying that no account of it can be given. A usage of it apparently analogous to that here is given in the Dict., with the definition—指物껣辭, ＇a demonstrative＇.

P. 9. The same subject. 꽭惟純佑命則商實,—such is the punctuation adopted by Ts＇ae, and also by Këang Shing. Gan-kwŏ read on to 百姓, but the meaning which he endeavours to make out for 商實百姓 is inadmissible. Ts＇ae supports the explanation of 實 which appears in the translation, by referring to Mencius, Book VII., Pt. II., xii., 1—不信仁賢, 則國空虛, ＇If men of virtue and ability be not trusted, a State will become empty and void.＇ The meaning seems to be that Heaven smiled upon the empire sustained by those great ministers, and there was no lack of smaller men to do their duty in their less important spheres with ability and virtue. 百姓王人,—it is not possible to say positively what officers are intended by these designations. Woo Ch＇ing takes 百姓 as ＇the people of the imperial domain＇ (王畿껣民; comp. the use of the phrase in ＇The Canon of Yaou,＇ p. 2); but it must be used of officers or ministers, and not of the people. I suppose it=百官. Perhaps Këang Shing is correct in taking 百姓 as the officers with different surnames from that of the imperial House (異姓껣臣), and 王人as cadets of that House in official employment (王껣族人, 同姓껣臣). 明恤=明致其恤, 놋憂國껣心. The phrase is correlative with 秉德, and is not to be joined with 小臣 below,—as Gan-kwŏ does. 屏侯甸=為屏藩於侯甸껣服者—＇those who acted as screens (=the princes) in the How and Tëen domains.＇

10. The duke said, "Prince Shih, Heaven gives long life to the just and the intelligent;—it was thus that those ministers maintained and regulated the dynasty of Yin. He who at last came to the throne was extinguished by the majesty of Heaven. Think you of the distant future, and we shall have the decree infavour of Chow made sure, and its good government will be brilliantly displayed in our new-founded State."