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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1The cases of Wan and WA 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 sovereign, and insists that they must go on to the end, and accomplish still greater things. 1. The duke of Au spoke to the following effect :—‘ Prince Shih, Heaven, unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin. Yin has lost its appointment (to the throne), which our House of 4u has received. I do not dare, however, to say, as if I knew 206 THE SHO KING. PART V. it, “ The foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity. If Heaven aid sincerity,’—1.* Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew it, “ The end will issue in our misfortunes.” Oh! you have said, O prince, “ It depends on ourselves.” I also do not dare to rest in the favour of God, not forecasting at a distance the terrors of Heaven in the present time, when there is no murmuring or disobedience among the people;* —(the issue) is with men. Should our present successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence (Heaven) above and (the people) below, and so bring to an end the glory of his predecessors, could we in (the retirement of) our families be ignorant of it? The favour of Heaven is not easily preserved; Heaven is difficult to be depended on. Men lose its favouring appointment, because they cannot pursue and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers.* Now I, Tan, the little child, am not able to make (the king) correct. I would simply conduct him to the glory of his fathers, and make him, who is my young charge, partaker of that.’ He also said, ‘ Heaven is not to be trusted. Our course is only to seek the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, that Heaven may not find occasion to remove its favouring decree which king Wan received.’ * 2. The duke said, ‘Prince Shih, I have heard that aforetime, when Thang the Successful had received the appointment (to the throne), he had with him { Yin, making (his virtue) like that of great Heaven;* that Thai Aida had (the same * The text is here defective; or perhaps the speaker purposely left his meaning only half expressed. BOOK XVI. THE PRINCE SHIH. 207
2BOOK XVI. THE PRINCE SHIH. 207 f Yin), the P4o-hing?; that Th4i-wO? had f Kih* and A#in HO’, through whom (his virtue) was made to affect God,* and Wd Hsien*® who regulated the royal House; that 34-yi* had Wa Hsien’s son; and that Wa-ting had Kan Phan‘. (These ministers) carried out (their principles), and displayed (their merit), preserving and regulating the dynasty of Yin, so that, while its ceremonies lasted, (those sovereigns), when deceased, were assessors to Heaven 5,* and its duration extended over many years. Heaven thus determinately maintained its favouring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various heads of great surnames and members of the royal House, holding employments, all held fast their virtue, and showed an anxious solicitude (for the kingdom). The smaller ministers, and the guardian princes in the Hau and Tien domains, hurried about on their services. Thus did they all exert their virtue and aid their sovereign, so that whatever affairs he, the One man, had in hand, throughout the land, an entire faith was reposed in their justice as in the indications of the shell or the divining stalks.’ * The duke said, ‘ Prince Shih, Heaven gives length of days to the just and the intelligent; (it was thus 1 See Part IV, v, sect. 1, ch. 1, where f Yin is called A-hing, nearly = Pao-hing. 2 Thai-w is the Kung 3ung of last Book. f Xih would be a son or grandson of i Yin. Of K/%n HO we know only what is stated here. 3 30-yf was the eleventh Yin sovereign, reigning B. c. 1525-1507. We know of Wf Hsien only that he was 30-yf’s minister. * See Part IV, viii, sect. 3, ch. 1. * That is, they were associated with Heaven in the sacrifices to it. 208 THE SHO KING. PART ¥. that those ministers) maintained and regulated the dynasty of Yin.* He who came last to the throne granted by Heaven was extinguished by its terrors. Do you think of the distant future, and we shall have the decree (in favour of K4u) made sure, and its good government will be brilliantly exhibited in our newly-founded state.’ 3. The duke said, ‘ Prince Shih, aforetime when God was inflicting calamity (on Yin), he encouraged anew the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, till at last the great favouring decree was concentrated in his person. (But) that king Wan was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great kingdom which we came to possess, was owing to his having (such ministers) as his brother of Kwo, Hung Y4o, San }-shang, Thai Tien, and Nan-kung Kwo.’
3(But) that king Wan was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great kingdom which we came to possess, was owing to his having (such ministers) as his brother of Kwo, Hung Y4o, San }-shang, Thai Tien, and Nan-kung Kwo.’ He said further, ‘ But for the ability of those men to go and come in his affairs, developing his constant lessons, there would have been no benefits descending from king Wan on the people. And it also was from the determinate favour of Heaven that there were these men of firm virtue, and acting according to their knowledge of the dread majesty of Heaven, to give themselves to enlighten king Wan, and lead him forward to his high distinction and universal rule, till his fame reached the ears of God, and he received the appointment that had been Yin’s.* There were still four of those men who led on king W0 to the possession of the revenues of the kingdom, and afterwards, along with him, in great reverence of the majesty of Heaven, slew all his enemies.* These four men, moreover, made king W0 so illustrious that his glory overspread the kingdom, and (the people) universally and greatly proclaimed his BOOK XVI. THE PRINCE SHIH. 209 virtue. Now with me Tan, the little child, it is as if I were floating on a great stream ;—with you, O Shih, let me from this time endeavour to cross it. Our young sovereign is (powerless), as if he had not yet ascended the throne. You must by no means lay the whole burden on me; and if you draw yourself up without an effort to supply my deficiencies, no good will flow to the people from our age and experience. We shall not hear the voices of the phcenixes!, and how much less can it be thought that we shall be able to make (the king’s virtue) equal (to Heaven) !’ * The duke said, ‘Oh! consider well these things, O prince. We have received the appointment to which belongs an unlimited amount of blessing, but having great difficulties attached to it. What I announce to you are counsels of a generous largeness.—I cannot allow the successor of our kings to go astray.’ 4. The duke said, ‘ The former king laid bare his heart, and gave full charge to you, constituting you one of the guides and patterns for the people, saying, “Do you with intelligence and energy second and help the king; do you with sincerity support and convey forward the great decree. Think of the virtue of king Wan, and enter greatly into his boundless anxieties.” ’ The duke said, ‘What I tell you, O prince, are my sincere thoughts. O Shih, the Grand-Protector, if you can but reverently survey with me the decay and great disorders of Yin, and thence consider the 1 Asa token of the goodness of the government and the general prosperity. See Part II, iv, ch. 3. [1] P 210 THE SHO KING. PART V.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1The cases of Wan and WA 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 sovereign, and insists that they must go on to the end, and accomplish still greater things. 1. The duke of Au spoke to the following effect :—‘ Prince Shih, Heaven, unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin. Yin has lost its appointment (to the throne), which our House of 4u has received. I do not dare, however, to say, as if I knew 206 THE SHO KING. PART V. it, “ The foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity. If Heaven aid sincerity,’—1.* Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew it, “ The end will issue in our misfortunes.” Oh! you have said, O prince, “ It depends on ourselves.” I also do not dare to rest in the favour of God, not forecasting at a distance the terrors of Heaven in the present time, when there is no murmuring or disobedience among the people;* —(the issue) is with men. Should our present successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence (Heaven) above and (the people) below, and so bring to an end the glory of his predecessors, could we in (the retirement of) our families be ignorant of it? The favour of Heaven is not easily preserved; Heaven is difficult to be depended on. Men lose its favouring appointment, because they cannot pursue and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers.* Now I, Tan, the little child, am not able to make (the king) correct. I would simply conduct him to the glory of his fathers, and make him, who is my young charge, partaker of that.’ He also said, ‘ Heaven is not to be trusted. Our course is only to seek the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, that Heaven may not find occasion to remove its favouring decree which king Wan received.’ * 2. The duke said, ‘Prince Shih, I have heard that aforetime, when Thang the Successful had received the appointment (to the throne), he had with him { Yin, making (his virtue) like that of great Heaven;* that Thai Aida had (the same * The text is here defective; or perhaps the speaker purposely left his meaning only half expressed. BOOK XVI. THE PRINCE SHIH. 207
2BOOK XVI. THE PRINCE SHIH. 207 f Yin), the P4o-hing?; that Th4i-wO? had f Kih* and A#in HO’, through whom (his virtue) was made to affect God,* and Wd Hsien*® who regulated the royal House; that 34-yi* had Wa Hsien’s son; and that Wa-ting had Kan Phan‘. (These ministers) carried out (their principles), and displayed (their merit), preserving and regulating the dynasty of Yin, so that, while its ceremonies lasted, (those sovereigns), when deceased, were assessors to Heaven 5,* and its duration extended over many years. Heaven thus determinately maintained its favouring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various heads of great surnames and members of the royal House, holding employments, all held fast their virtue, and showed an anxious solicitude (for the kingdom). The smaller ministers, and the guardian princes in the Hau and Tien domains, hurried about on their services. Thus did they all exert their virtue and aid their sovereign, so that whatever affairs he, the One man, had in hand, throughout the land, an entire faith was reposed in their justice as in the indications of the shell or the divining stalks.’ * The duke said, ‘ Prince Shih, Heaven gives length of days to the just and the intelligent; (it was thus 1 See Part IV, v, sect. 1, ch. 1, where f Yin is called A-hing, nearly = Pao-hing. 2 Thai-w is the Kung 3ung of last Book. f Xih would be a son or grandson of i Yin. Of K/%n HO we know only what is stated here. 3 30-yf was the eleventh Yin sovereign, reigning B. c. 1525-1507. We know of Wf Hsien only that he was 30-yf’s minister. * See Part IV, viii, sect. 3, ch. 1. * That is, they were associated with Heaven in the sacrifices to it. 208 THE SHO KING. PART ¥. that those ministers) maintained and regulated the dynasty of Yin.* He who came last to the throne granted by Heaven was extinguished by its terrors. Do you think of the distant future, and we shall have the decree (in favour of K4u) made sure, and its good government will be brilliantly exhibited in our newly-founded state.’ 3. The duke said, ‘ Prince Shih, aforetime when God was inflicting calamity (on Yin), he encouraged anew the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, till at last the great favouring decree was concentrated in his person. (But) that king Wan was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great kingdom which we came to possess, was owing to his having (such ministers) as his brother of Kwo, Hung Y4o, San }-shang, Thai Tien, and Nan-kung Kwo.’
3(But) that king Wan was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great kingdom which we came to possess, was owing to his having (such ministers) as his brother of Kwo, Hung Y4o, San }-shang, Thai Tien, and Nan-kung Kwo.’ He said further, ‘ But for the ability of those men to go and come in his affairs, developing his constant lessons, there would have been no benefits descending from king Wan on the people. And it also was from the determinate favour of Heaven that there were these men of firm virtue, and acting according to their knowledge of the dread majesty of Heaven, to give themselves to enlighten king Wan, and lead him forward to his high distinction and universal rule, till his fame reached the ears of God, and he received the appointment that had been Yin’s.* There were still four of those men who led on king W0 to the possession of the revenues of the kingdom, and afterwards, along with him, in great reverence of the majesty of Heaven, slew all his enemies.* These four men, moreover, made king W0 so illustrious that his glory overspread the kingdom, and (the people) universally and greatly proclaimed his BOOK XVI. THE PRINCE SHIH. 209 virtue. Now with me Tan, the little child, it is as if I were floating on a great stream ;—with you, O Shih, let me from this time endeavour to cross it. Our young sovereign is (powerless), as if he had not yet ascended the throne. You must by no means lay the whole burden on me; and if you draw yourself up without an effort to supply my deficiencies, no good will flow to the people from our age and experience. We shall not hear the voices of the phcenixes!, and how much less can it be thought that we shall be able to make (the king’s virtue) equal (to Heaven) !’ * The duke said, ‘Oh! consider well these things, O prince. We have received the appointment to which belongs an unlimited amount of blessing, but having great difficulties attached to it. What I announce to you are counsels of a generous largeness.—I cannot allow the successor of our kings to go astray.’ 4. The duke said, ‘ The former king laid bare his heart, and gave full charge to you, constituting you one of the guides and patterns for the people, saying, “Do you with intelligence and energy second and help the king; do you with sincerity support and convey forward the great decree. Think of the virtue of king Wan, and enter greatly into his boundless anxieties.” ’ The duke said, ‘What I tell you, O prince, are my sincere thoughts. O Shih, the Grand-Protector, if you can but reverently survey with me the decay and great disorders of Yin, and thence consider the 1 Asa token of the goodness of the government and the general prosperity. See Part II, iv, ch. 3. [1] P 210 THE SHO KING. PART V.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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