21. 君陳

王若曰：「君陳，惟爾令德孝恭。惟孝，友于兄弟，克施有政。命汝尹茲東郊，敬哉！

昔周公師保萬民，民懷其德，往慎乃司，茲率厥常。懋昭周公之訓，惟民其乂。我聞曰：『至治馨香，感于神明，黍稷非馨，明德惟馨。』爾尚式時，周公之猷訓，惟日孜孜，無敢逸豫。凡人未見聖，若不克見，既見聖，亦不克由聖。爾其戒哉！爾惟風，下民惟草。圖厥政，莫或不艱，有廢有興，出入自爾師虞，庶言同則繹。爾有嘉謀嘉猷，則入告爾後于內，爾乃順之于外。曰：『斯謀斯猷，惟我後之德。』嗚呼！臣人咸若時，惟良顯哉！」

王曰：「君陳，爾惟弘周公丕訓，無依勢作威，無倚法以削。寬而有制從容以和：殷民在辟，予曰辟，爾惟勿辟；予曰宥，爾惟勿宥--惟厥中。有弗若于汝政，弗化于汝訓，辟以止辟，乃辟。狃于奸宄，敗常亂俗，三細不宥。爾無忿疾于頑，無求備于一夫，必有忍，其乃有濟；有容，德乃大。簡厥修，亦簡其或不修；進厥良，以率其或不良。惟民生厚，因物有遷。違上所命，從厥攸好。爾克敬典在德，時乃罔不變，允升于大猷。惟予一人，膺受多福。其爾之休，終有辭於永世。」

BOOK XXI. THE KÜN-KHAN.

¹

The king spake to the following effect:--'Kü-khan, it is you who are possessed of excellent virtue, filial and respectful. Being filial, and friendly with your brethren, you can display these qualities in the exercise of government. I appoint you to rule this eastern border. Be reverent.'

'Formerly, the duke of Kâu acted as teacher and guardian of the myriads of the people, who cherish (the remembrance of) his virtue. Go and with sedulous care enter upon his charge; act in accordance with his regular ways, and exert yourself to illustrate his lessons;--so shall the people be regulated. I have heard that he said, "Perfect government has a piercing fragrance, and influences the spiritual intelligences.* It is not the millet which has the piercing fragrance; it is bright virtue." Do you make this lesson of the duke of Kâu your rule, being diligent from day to day, and not presuming to indulge in luxurious ease. Ordinary men, while they have not yet seen a sage, (are full of desire) as if they should never get a sight of him; and after they have seen him, they are still unable to follow him. Be cautioned by this! You are the wind; the inferior people are the grass. In revolving the plans of your government, never hesitate to acknowledge the difficulty of the subject. Some things have to be abolished, and some new things to be enacted;--going out and coming in, seek the judgment of your people about them, and, when there is a general agreement, exert your own powers of reflection. When you have any good plans or counsels, enter and lay them before your sovereign in the palace. Thereafter, when you are acting abroad in accordance with them, say, "This plan or this view is all due to our sovereign." Oh! if all ministers were to act thus, how excellent would they be, and how distinguished!'

The king said, 'Kü-khan, do you give their full development to the great lessons of the duke of Kâu. Do not make use of your power to exercise oppression; do not make use of the laws to practise extortion. Be gentle, but with strictness of rule. Promote harmony by the display of an easy forbearance. 'When any of the people of Yin are amenable to punishment, if I say "Punish," do not you therefore punish; and if I say "Spare," do not you therefore spare. Seek the due middle course. Those who are disobedient to your government, and uninfluenced by your instructions, you will punish, remembering that the end of punishment is to make an end of punishing. Those who are inured to villainy and treachery, those who violate the regular duties of society, and those who introduce disorder into the public manners:--those three classes you will not spare, though their particular offences be but small. 'Do not cherish anger against the obstinate, and dislike them. Seek not every quality in one individual. You must have patience, and you will be successful; have forbearance, and your virtue will be great. Mark those who discharge their duties well, and also mark those who do not do so, (and distinguish them from one another.) Advance the good, to induce those who may not be so to follow (their example). 'The people are born good, and are changed by (external) things,* so that they resist what their superiors command, and follow what they (themselves) love. Do you but reverently observe the statutes, and they will be found in (the way of) virtue; they will thus all be changed, and truly advance to a great degree of excellence. Then shall I, the One man, receive much happiness, and your excellent services will be famous through long ages!'