19. 立政

周公若曰：「拜手稽首，告嗣天子王矣。」用咸戒于王，曰王左右常伯、常任、準人、綴衣、虎賁。周公曰：「嗚呼！休茲，知恤鮮哉！

古之人迪惟有夏，乃有室大競，吁俊尊上帝，迪知忱恂于九德之行。乃敢告教厥後曰：『拜手稽首，後矣。』曰：『宅乃事，宅乃牧，宅乃準，茲惟後矣。謀面用丕訓德，則乃宅人，茲乃三宅無義民。』桀德惟乃弗作往任，是惟暴德，罔後。

亦越成湯陟，丕釐上帝之耿命；乃用三有宅，克即宅；曰三有俊，克即俊。嚴惟丕式，克用三宅三俊。其在商邑，用協于厥邑；其在四方，用丕式見德。「嗚呼！其在受德暋，為羞刑暴德之人，同于厥邦，乃惟庶習逸德之人，同于厥政。帝欽罰之，乃伻我有夏，式商受命，奄甸萬姓。

亦越文王、武王，克知三有宅心，灼見三有俊心；以敬事上帝，立民長伯。立政：任人、準夫、牧、作三事，虎賁、綴衣、趣馬、小尹、左右攜仆，百司庶府，大都、小伯、藝人、表臣、百司、太史、尹伯、庶常吉士，司徒、司馬、司空、亞旅、夷、微、盧、烝、三亳、阪、尹。文王惟克厥宅心，乃克立茲常事司牧人，以克俊有德。文王罔攸兼于庶言：庶獄、庶慎，惟有司之牧夫，是訓用違；庶獄、庶慎，文王罔敢知于茲。亦越武王，率惟敉功，不敢替厥義德；率惟謀從容德，以并受此丕丕基。

「嗚呼！孺子王矣！繼自今，我其立政、立事。準人、牧夫，我其克灼知厥若，丕乃俾亂；相我受民，和我庶獄、庶慎。時則勿有間之，自一話一言。我則末惟成德之彥，以乂我受民。嗚呼！予旦已受人之徽言咸告。孺子王矣！繼自今，文子文孫，其勿誤于庶獄、庶慎，惟正是乂之。自古商人，亦越我周文王，立政，立事：牧夫、準人，則克宅之，克由繹之，茲乃俾乂國。則罔有立政，用憸人，不訓于德，是罔顯在厥世。繼自今立政，其勿以憸人，其惟吉士，用勱相我國家。「今文子文孫，孺子王矣。其勿誤于庶獄，惟有司之牧夫。其克詰爾戎兵，以陟禹之跡；方行天下，至于海表，罔有不服。以覲文王之耿光，以揚武王之大烈。嗚呼！繼自今後王立政，其惟克用常人。」

周公若曰：「太史，司寇蘇公！式敬爾由獄，以長我王國。茲式有慎，以列用中罰。」

BOOK XIX. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GOVERNMENT.

¹

The duke of Kâu spoke to the following effect:--'With our hands to our heads and our heads to the ground, we make our declarations to the Son of Heaven, the king who has inherited the throne.' In such manner accordingly all (the other ministers) cautioned the king, saying, 'In close attendance on your majesty there are the regular presidents ², the regular ministers ³, and the officers of justice;--the keepers of the robes (also), and the guards.' The duke of Kâu said, 'Oh! admirable are these (officers). Few, however, know to be sufficiently anxious about them.'

'Among the ancients who exemplified (this anxiety) there was the founder of the Hsiâ dynasty. When his House was in its greatest strength, he sought for able men who should honour God (in the discharge of their duties).* (His advisers), when they knew of men thoroughly proved. and trustworthy in the practice of the nine virtues ⁴, would then presume to inform and instruct their sovereign, saying, "With our hands to our heads and our heads to the ground, O sovereign, we would say, Let (such an one) occupy one of your high offices: Let (such an one) be one of your pastors: Let (such an one) be one of your officers of justice. By such appointments you will fulfil your duty as sovereign. If you judge by the face only, and therefrom deem men well schooled in virtue, and appoint them, then those three positions will all be occupied by unrighteous individuals." The way of Kieh, however, was not to observe this precedent. Those whom he employed were cruel men;--and he left no successor.'

'After this there was Thang the Successful, who, rising to the throne, grandly administered the bright ordinances of God.* He employed, to fill the three (high) positions, those who were equal to them; and those who were called possessors of the three kinds of ability ⁵ would display that ability. He then studied them severely, and greatly imitated them, making the utmost of them in their three positions and with their three kinds of ability. The people in the cities of Shang ⁶ were thereby all brought to harmony, and those in the four quarters of the kingdom were brought greatly under the influence of the virtue thus displayed. Oh! when the throne came to Shâu, his character was all violence. He preferred men of severity, and who deemed cruelty a virtue, to share with him in the government of his states; and at the same time, the host of his associates, men who counted idleness a virtue, shared the offices of his court. God then sovereignly punished him, and caused us to possess the great land, enjoy the favouring decree which Shâu had (afore) received, and govern all the people in their myriad realms.'*

'Then subsequently there were king Wan and king Wû, who knew well the minds of those whom they put in the three positions, and saw clearly the minds of those who had the three grades of ability. Thus they could employ them to serve God with reverence, and appointed them as presidents and chiefs of the people. In establishing their government, the three things which principally concerned them were to find the men for (high) offices, the officers of justice, and the pastors. (They had also) the guards; the keepers of the robes; their equerries; their heads of small departments; their personal attendants; their various overseers; and their treasurers. They had their governors of the larger and smaller cities assigned in the royal domain to the nobles; their men of arts ⁷; their overseers whose offices were beyond the court; their grand historiographers; and their heads of departments;--all good men of constant virtue. '(In the external states) there were the Minister of Instruction, the Minister of War, and the Minister of Works, with the many officers subordinate to them. Among the wild tribes, such as the Wei, the Lû, and the Khang ⁸, in the three Po, and at the dangerous passes, they had wardens. 'King Wan was able to make the minds of those in the (three high) positions his own, and so it was that he established those regular officers and superintending pastors, so that they were men of ability and virtue. He would not appear himself in the various notifications, in litigations, and in precautionary measures. There were the officers and pastors (to attend to them), whom he (simply) taught to be obedient (to his wishes), and not to be disobedient. (Yea), as to litigations and precautionary measures, he (would seem as if he) did not presume to know about them. He was followed by king Wû, who carried out his work of settlement, and did not presume to supersede his righteous and virtuous men, but entered into his plans, and employed, as before, those men. Thus it was that they unitedly received this vast inheritance.'

'Oh! young son, the king, from this time forth be it ours to establish the government, appointing the (high) officers, the officers of the laws, and the pastors;--be it ours clearly to know what courses are natural to these men, and then fully to employ them in the government, that they may aid us in the management of the people whom we have received, and harmoniously conduct all litigations and precautionary measures. And let us never allow others to come between us and them. (Yea), in our every word and speech, let us be thinking of (these) officers of complete virtue, to regulate the people that we have received. 'Oh! I, Tan, have received these excellent words of others ⁹, and tell them all to you, young son, the king. From this time forth, O accomplished son (of Wû), accomplished grandson (of Wan), do not err in regard to the litigations and precautionary measures;--let the proper officers manage them. From of old to the founder of Shang, and downwards to king Wan of our Kâu, in establishing government, when they appointed (high) officers, pastors, and officers of the laws, they settled them in their positions, and allowed them to unfold their talents;--thus giving the regulation of affairs into their hands. In the kingdom, never has there been the establishment of government by the employment of artful-tongued men; (with such men), unlessoned in virtue, never can a government be distinguished in the world. From this time forth, in establishing government, make no use of artful-tongued men, but (seek for) good officers, and get them to use all their powers in aiding the government of our country. Now, O accomplished son (of Wû), accomplished grandson (of Wan), young son, the king, do not err in the matter of litigations;--there are the officers and pastors (to attend to them). 'Have well arranged (also) your military accoutrements and weapons, so that you may go forth beyond the steps of Yü, and traverse all under the sky, even to beyond the seas, everywhere meeting with submission:--so shall you display the bright glory of king Wan, and render more illustrious the great achievements of king Wû ¹⁰. 'Oh! from this time forth, may (our) future kings, in establishing the government, be able to employ men of constant virtue!'

The duke of Kâu spoke to the following effect:--'O grand historiographer, the duke of Sû, the Minister of Crime, dealt reverently with all the criminal matters that came before him, and thereby perpetuated the fortunes of our kingdom. Here was an example of anxious solicitude (for future ministers), whereby they may rank with him in the ordering of the appropriate punishments ¹¹.'