第9章

6. "On this account I, Fă, who am but a little child,have by means of you, the hereditary rulers of my friendly States, contemplated the government of Shang; but Show has no repentant heart.

官그以世,—＇he officed men according to their generation, or genealogical connection＇. ＇The ＇Daily Explanation＇ makes the meaning to be that Chow put into office all the friends of his favourites.—其用그,則놊論賢否, 但其心之所喜, 即並其떚弟親屬, 悉寵任之. But this view of 以世 is unwarrantable. Mencius,in the passage above referred to, says that king Wănsalaried the descendants of meritorious officers. But tho＇ such men might be salaried, they were called to office only when they had the virtue and ability necessary for its duties. Chow did not look out for able and good men to fill the offices of the State. This is the burden of this part of the indictment against him. 惟宮室……萬姓,—惟= ＇he only cared for＇.—其所務者惟在宮室, 云云. The 說뀗 defines 宮 by 室. The former term is the building as a whole; 室, the apartments in it. LeSeun says:— ＇臺 is a high terrace of earth, made for the purpose of observation; when a house or houses are built on the top of it, they are called 榭.＇ 侈服=凡侈靡諸事, ＇all extravagances＇; 服=事. 焚炙忠良,—this refers to the punishment of Roasting, describing in the historical note on the ＇Conquest of Le＇. 刳剔孕婦,—we saw how Chow caused the heart of Pe-kan to be cut out;—Hwang-poo Meih, of the Tsin dyn., says that he also caused Pe-kan＇s wife to be ripped up. No earlier account to that effect, however, is known. King Woo is no doubt rehearsing things which were commonly charged upon the tyrant at the time.

皇꽭,—see on the ＇Announcement of T＇ang＇, p.2. 命我꽭考,—考 is the name for a father deceased. King Woo speaks in this way of his father having been charged to punish Chow, to vindicate all the better his own present course. We are not to suppose that any such commission was ever expressly given to Wăn; and Confucius speaks of him as having been faithful to the dyn. of Shang to the last;—see Ana., VIII., xx.,4. 大動未集=大功未成. We must complete the meaning by adding而崩, as in the translation.

P.6. The task of punishing Chow being now devolved on him, he sets forth the evidence of his hopeless wickedness. 肆=故, ＇therefore＇.

以爾……於商,—觀政 is explained by a reference to the same phrase in the ＇Both possessed pure Virtue,＇p. 10. The princes of the States were to Woo an index of the govt. of Chow. Had they remained loyal to him, that would have shown that his govt. was good.As they were now in the mass revolted from him,and following Woo＇s banner, it was clear that he was no longer fit to be emperor. Such is the explanation of this passage by Ts＇ae, and what is now commonly received; and I see no better course than to acquiesce in it. Gan-kwŏ and the earlier scholars explained it with reference to an assembly, which they imagined,of Woo and the princes at the ford of Tsin, two years before the period of this "Declaration". Then he had thoughts of attacking Chow, but on contemplating his govt., concluded that the time was not yet come, and withdrew his troops.

He abides squatting on his heels, not serving God or the spirits of heaven and earth, neglecting also the temple of his ancestors, and not sacrificing in it. The victims and the vessels of millet all become the prey of wicked robbers; and still he says, ＇The people are mine: the decree is mine,＇ never trying to correct his contemptuous mind.

7. Now Heaven, to protect the inferior people, made for them rulers, and made for them instructors, that they might be able to be aiding to God, and secure the tranquility of the four quarters of the empire. In regard to who are criminals and who are not, how dare I give any allowance to my own wishes?

Such a meeting is not properly substantiated; and the view is otherwise liable to many objections. 夷居,—compare 夷俟, Con. Ana., XIV., xivi. 弗事上帝神袛,遺厥先宗廟弗祀,—Ts＇ae, after Gan-kwŏ, gives for this—廢上帝, 百神, 宗廟之祀, ＇he has discontinued the sacrifices,—to God, the hundred spirits, and the spirits of his ancestors＇. Ying-tă observes that the meaning is that Chow had no religion, rendered no service to spiritual beings (놊事神袛); God, as the highest of all such beings, being mentioned, to show the enormity of his wickedness. In this way a distinction is made between 上帝 and 神袛, the latter phrase being synonymous with 百神. On the other hand, the ＇Daily Explanation＇, for —弗事上帝神袛 has忽慢꽭地神袛, 놊知奉事, ＇he slights and contemns the spirits of Heaven and Earth, and renders not service to them.＇ Thiswould confound God with the spirits of Heaven and Earth, which is by no means inconceivable in Woo, when we consider the language of p.3. Compare also the language of par. 3 and 4 in the ＇Announcement of T＇ang＇. Upon the whole, however, the gradation of thought in the passage may determine the scale in favour of the former view. 犧牲粢盛, 既於凶盜,—犧牲, see the last Book, p.6; 粢盛, see Men., III, Pt. II., iii., 3; 既=盡, ＇are consumed＇, or ＇are all taken＇. The whole corresponds with the words of the Grand Tutor in the par. Of the ＇Viscount of Wei＇ just referred to. 놋民, 놋命,—comp. the ＇Conquest of Le,＇ p.5. =罔懲其侮無놋懲戒其侮慢之意.

P.7. He returns to the principles declared in par. 3, and shows that he was constrained by them to attack Chow. See this par. as it is quoted by Mencius, I., Bk. II., iii., 7. The difference between the text here, and that which he gives is very considerable. We cannot suppose that the present text of the Shoo was forged from Mencius. A plagiarist, attempting such as is ascribed to ＇the false K＇ung,＇ would have taken the language exactly from his copy. We can only believe that Mencius had a copy of the ＇Great Declaration＇before him, differing not a little from the present, or that he quoted from memory, and allowed himself great license in altering the classic.

寵綏四方,—＇to show favour and tranquillize the four quarters of the empire＇. 

8. " ＇Where the strength is the same, measure the virtue of the parties; where the virtue is the same,measure their righteousness.＇ Show has hundreds of thousands and myriads of ministers, but they have hundreds of thousands and myriads of minds; I have three thousand ministers, but they have one mind.

9. The iniquity of Shang is full. Heaven gives command to destroy it. If I did not comply with Heaven, my iniquity would be as great.

10. "I, who am a little child, early and late am filled with apprehensions. I have received charge from my decreased father Wăn; I have offered special sacrifice to God; I have performed the due services to the great Earth;—and I lead the multitude of you to execute the punishment appointed by Heaven.

떚曷敢놋越厥志,=我何敢놋過用其心乎, ＇how dare I use my own mind too much?＇ Such is the interpretation ofTs＇ae;—越厥志, is ＇to go beyond what is right with—in accordance with—my own wishes.＇ The dict. follows Gan-kwŏ in defining 越 here by 遠, ＇to put away＇.—＇My purpose is to destroy the tyrant for the good of the people. Whether he be guilty or not guilty, I will smite him. I will not let go that, my proper purpose.＇ This is evidently incorrect.

P. 8. He auspices success from the righteousness of his cause, and the harmony of mind among his followers, though they were comparatively few.

The two first clauses are supposed to be a current saying used against each other by contending parties;—Lin Che-k＇e has adduced from the 左傳 two examples of similar couplets. The second clause is not so intelligible as the first. We can understand how when parties were matched in strength, the struggle should be expected to terminate in favour of the more virtuous; but it is difficult to perceive how ＇virtue＇and ＇righteousness＇ can be set against each other. 受놋臣億萬—Ts＇ae says here that 億 denotes ＇a hundred myriads＇, or a million. This was probably a slip of his pencil. 億,= ten myriads, or 100000. The subject of Show＇s more numerous host comes up again in the next Part, p.6. We may admit it as a fact, and it explains the risings and troubles which disturbed the dynasty of Chow after the death of king Woo.It is difficult, at the same time, to reconcile it with the representations of the general disaffection to the emperor, and of two thirds of the empire having been for years devoted to the House of Chow. See the note on this paragraph in the 後案. It is instructive, though not conclusive in favour of the author＇s views. 9. Itwas woe to Woo himself if he proceeded not to destroy Shang.

Compare the ＇Speech of T＇ang,＇ pp. 1,2; and the＇Announcement of T＇ang,＇ p.4. 商罪貫盈,—＇the crimes of Shang are strung together and full＇. 10. Woo＇scaution ana conscientiousness in proceeding with his enterprise.

予小떚夙夜袛懼,—comp. the ＇Announcement of T＇ang, p. 6受命뀗考, 類於上帝, 宜於冡土,一冡=大＇great＇; 冡土, ＇the great earth,＇=大社, ＇the altar dedicated to the great spirit of the Earth.＇

11. Heaven compassionates the people. What the people desire, Heaven will be found to give effect to.Do you aid me, the one man, to cleanse for ever allwithin the four seas. Now is the time!—it may not be lost."

The sacrifice at this altar was called 宜類於上帝, —see the ＇Canon of Shun,＇ p. 6. In the le Ke Bk. 王制, Pt. ii., 17, we find—꽭떚將出, 類乎上帝, 宜乎社, 造乎禰, ＇When the emperor is about to go forth, he offers special sacrifice to God, performs the due servicesat the altar of the Earth, and goes to the shrine of his father.＇ Woo had attended to all these observances; and it must have been at the shrine of his father, that he somehow understood himself ＇to receive,＇ as he says here, ＇charge＇ to attack Chow. 底꽭之罰,—comp. 恭行꽭之罰, in the ＇Speech at Kan,＇ p.3. 11. The enterprisewas a proof of the compassion of Heaven for the people, and he summons all the princes and officers to strenuous cooperation with him. Under the 32nd year of duke Seang, and in another place of the 左傳, we find the passage—民之所欲, 꽭必從之, quoted from the ＇Great Declaration＇. It is also found in the 國語.

爾尚弼予一그,—see the ＇Speech of T＇ang＇, p.4.