第38章

侍御僕從,—侍=給侍녨右, ＇those who were about them,on the right and left, ministering and waiting; 御=御車者, ＇charioteers;＇ 僕=太僕羣僕, ＇the chamberlains and all their subordinates;＇ 從=꼎從王者, ＇all in close attendance on the sovereign＇s person＇. Choo He remarks that anciently and in the Han dyn., ＇all who were even in mean offices about the sovereign were officers of some rank＇ (士, 大夫) .承=順, ＇to accord with＇, ＇to obey＇. 弼=匡正, ＇to support and correct＇. 出入至不欽,—this is to be understood of the sovereigns. 發號施늄,—Wang Gan-shih observes that ＇intimations of the imperial will to serve as warnings were called 號, while such as were to have the force of laws were 늄＇(發之以為警戒之謂號, 施之以為法守之謂늄).

3. The king declares how much more he must be dependent on the good services of those about him.

繩愆糾謬,—繩 is the ＇line＇ by which things are made straight. We naturally look for a correspondingfigure in 糾, but we do not have it. It is taken here by Gan-kwŏ, as=舉, ＇to raise up＇, ＇to exhibit＇. Lin Che-k＇e understands by 繩, the ＇thread which is used in mending rents;＇ and he takes 糾 in the sense of 察, ＇to examine＇. 先烈, ＇the former ardent and meritorious ones＇ are Wăn and Woo.

Pp. 4—8. The appointment of Pih-keung,—His duties, and rules for their discharge. 4. 大正=太僕正;—see the note on the name of the Book. 正於至之臣,—the 於 need not be translated. It merely carries on the action of 正 to 臣. 羣僕侍御 are all the officers of the High Chamberlain＇s department mentioned in the said note.

4. "Now I appoint you to be High Chamberlain,to see that all belonging to your department and my personal attendants are correct, that you may strive to promote the virtue of your sovereign, and together supply my deficiencies.

5. Be careful in choosing your officers. Do not employ men of artful speech and insinuating looks,men whose likes and dislikes are ruled by mine, onesided men and fiatterers; but employ good men.

6. When these household officers are correct, their sovereign will be correct; when they are flatterers,the sovereign will consider himself a sage. The sovereign＇s virtue and his want of it depend equally on those officers.

7. Cultivate no intimacy with fiatterers, nor get them to fill the offices of my ears and eyes;—they will lead their sovereign to disregard the statutes of the former kings.

Ts＇ae taking 大正 as=太僕, would yet include among them the various officers of the carriages who were under the 太馭, which, I said, we saw to be wrong. The 御 here can have nothing to do with the carriages. I have my doubts, indeed, whether it should be translated ＇charioteers＇ in p. 2. 交修,—＇cultivate together＇. 交 is used as in 上떘交征利, Mencius, I., Pt. I., i., 3. Wang Ts＇ëaou says on it:—言녨右前後非一人, 交以修君之所不逮為事也. 5. How Keung should be careful in selecting his officers. 慎簡乃僚,—僚=朋,＇friends＇, ＇companious＇, ＇brother officers＇. But we must take the term here as meaning the subordinate officersof the Chamberlain＇s dept. It would appear from this that, under the Chow dyn., it was the business of every head of a dept. to select all the members of it. There were, no doubt, general principles for his guidance, but it was his to choose the men. 巧言늄色,—see ＇The Counsels of Kaou-yaou,＇ p. 2. 便辟,—see Ana., XVI., iv. Ts＇ae defines them here:—便者, 順人之所欲, 辟者,避人之所惡. 吉士,—as in Bk. XIX., p. 9,=善士 or 君子. 其惟吉士=所뇾者惟吉士땤껥. 6. The importance of having correct men about the sovereign. 僕臣, wemay translate this here by ＇household officers＇. 后德惟臣, 不德惟臣,—Gan-kwŏ says for this:—君之有德, 惟臣成之, 君之無德, 惟臣誤之, 言君所行善惡, 專在녨右.自聖,—＇sages himself＇,=自以為聖.

7. The king warns Keung again against having anything to do with flatterers. 昵,—see Pt. IV., Bk. VIII., Pt. ii., 5. 憸人,—see Bk. XIX., p. 20. 充耳目之官,—＇to get them to fill the offices of the ears and eyes＇. The king must in a great measures hear with the ears and see with the eyes of those about him. See the phrase 耳目之官 in Men., VI., Pt. I., xv., 2. 8.

8. If you choose your men not for the goodness of their personal qualities, but for the sake of their bribes,the officers will thus be all made of no effect. Your great want of reverence for your sovereign will be apparent, and to you I will impute the blame."

9. The king said, "Oh! Be reverent! Ever help your sovereign to follow the regular laws of duty which heshould exemplify." 

Let Keung choose his officers on the ground of what they are, and not for what they have or can give him. 貨 is here=賂, ＇to bribe＇, ＇a bribe＇. 非人其吉, 惟貨其吉,—this is addressed directly to Pih-keung.—＇If it be not the man in whom is the excellence.＇ Gan-kwŏmissed the point and terseness of the language:—若非其人實吉良, 惟以貨財配其吉良, 以求入於僕侍之꿗.若時=如是, ＇thus＇. 瘝=曠, ＇to make void＇, ＇to leave as it were empty＇. This is difft. from its use in Bk. IX., pp. 6,17. Perhaps 瘝在, Bk. XII., p. 10, should be explained in accordance with this text.

P. 9. The conclusion. 彝憲=常法, ＇the regular or constant laws of conduct,＇ which the sovereign should observe.

CONCLUDING NOTE. The character of king Muh does not stand high with Chinese historians. Towards the end of his long reign, for 55 years are assigned to him, he took it into his head that he should travel, without any definite purpose of usefulness, all over the empire, wherever he could go. He did not prove the man that the critics say might have been expected from the language of his Charges to Keun-ya and Pih-keung. Lin Che-k＇e thinks his fallings off have been exaggerated. To my mind these two addresses betray a tendency to exaggeration, and betoken a feebleness of mind.