with reverence of the subject of punishment, for the end of it is to promote virtue. Now Heaven, wishing to help the people, has made us its representatives here below. Be intelligent and pure in hearing each side of a case. The right ordering of the people depends on the impartial hearing of the pleas on both sides; do not seek for private advantage to yourselves by means of those pleas. Gain so got by the decision of cases is no precious acquisition; it is an accumulation of guilt, and will be recompensed with many judgments: you should ever stand in awe of the punishment of Heaven. It is not Heaven that does not deal impartially with men, but men ruin themselves. If the punishment of Heaven were not so extreme, nowhere under the sky would the people have good government." 7. The king said, "Oh! ye who shall hereafter inherit the dignities and offices of the present time, to whom are ye to look for your models? Must it not be to those who promoted the virtue belonging to the unbiased nature of the people? I pray you give attention to my words. The wise men of antiquity by their use of punishments obtained boundless fame. Everything relating to the five punishments exactly hit with them the due mean, and hence came their excellence. Receiving from your sovereigns the good multitudes, behold in the case of those men punishments made felicitous !' Book XXX. THE SPEECH OF THE MARQUIS OF CHIN 2 3 The duke said, "Ah! my officers, listen to me without noise. I solemnly announce to you the most important of 1 This is the closing document of the Shu, which thus ends abruptly. 2 The State of Chin, at the time to which this speech belongs, was one of the most powerful in the kingdom, and already giving promise of what it would grow to. Ultimately, one of its princes overthrew the dynasty of Chau, and brought feudal China to an end. Its earliest capital was in the present district of Chang-shui, Chin Chau, Kan-su. Chin was besieging the capital of Chang, and threatened to ex 3 The Prince of Chin was only a marquis; but the historiographers or recorders of a State always gave their ruler the higher title. This shows that this speech is taken from the chronicles of Chin. all sayings. It is this which the ancients have said, 'Thus it is with all people - they mostly love their ease. In reproving others there is no difficulty, but to receive reproof, and allow it to have free course this is difficult.' The sorrow of my heart is that the days and months have passed away, and it is not likely they will come again, so that I might pursue a different course. "There were my old counselors.- I said, 'They will not accommodate themselves to me,' and I hated them. There were my new counselors, and I would for the time give my confidence to them. So indeed it was with me; but hereafter I will take advice from the men of yellow hair, and then I shall be free from error. That good old officer! his strength is exhausted, but I would rather have him as my counselor. That dashing brave officer! - his shooting and charioteering are faultless, but I would rather not wish to have him. As to men of quibbles, skilful at cunning words, and able to make the good man change his purposes, what have I to do to make much use of them? "I have deeply thought and concluded. Let me have but tinguish that State. The Marquis of Chin, however, was suddenly induced to withdraw his troops, leaving three of his officers in friendly relations with the court of Chang, and under engagement to defend the State from aggression. These men played the part of spies in the interest of Chin, and in 629 B.C., one of them, called Chi-tze, sent word that he was in charge of one of the gates, and if an army were sent to surprise the capital, Chang might be added to the territories of Chin. The marquis-known in history as Duke Mu- laid the matter before his counselors. The most experienced of them were against taking advantage of the proposed treachery; but the marquis listened rather to the promptings of ambition; and the next year he sent a large force, under his three ablest commanders, hoping to find Chang unprepared for any resistance. The attempt, however, failed; and the army, on its way back to Chin, was attacked by another duke and sustained a terrible defeat. Mu went from his capital to meet the disgraced generals, and comforted them, saying that the blame of their defeat was due to himself, who had refused to listen to the advice of his wise counselThen also, it is said, he made the speech here preserved for the benefit of all his ministers, describing the good and bad minister, and the different issues of listening to them, and deploring how he had himself foolishly rejected the advice of his aged counselors, and followed that of new men—a thing which he would never do again. ors. 4 Chi-tze and others. one resolute minister, plain and sincere, without other ability, but having a straightforward mind, and possessed of generosity, regarding the talents of others as if he himself possessed them; and when he finds accomplished and sage men, loving them in his heart more than his mouth expresses, really showing himself able to bear them: such a minister would be able to preserve my descendants and people, and would indeed be a giver of benefits. "But if the minister, when he finds men of ability, be jealous and hates them; if, when he finds accomplished and sage men, he oppose them and does not allow their advancement, showing himself really not able to bear them: such a man will not be able to protect my descendants and people; and will he not be a dangerous man? "The decline and fall of a State may arise from one man. The glory and tranquillity of a State may also arise from the goodness of one man." END OF THE SHU KING |