squares. By the sages, the human relations are perfectly exhibited.

They wish to have no opponent in all the empire, but they do not seek to attain this by being benevolent. This is like a man laying hold of a heated substance, and not having first wetted his hands. It is said in the Book of Poetry

"Who can take up a heated substance,

Without wetting his hands?"

Mencius said, "Of all the parts of a man's body there is none more excellent than the pupil of the eye. The pupil cannot be used to hide a man's wickedness. If within the breast all be correct, the pupil is bright. If within the breast all be not correct, the pupil is dull.

"Listen to a man's words and look at the pupil of his eye. How can a man conceal his character?

"Men's being ready with their tongues, arises simply from their not having been reproved.

"The evil of men is, that they like to be teachers of others.

"Men must be decided on what they will NOT do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.

"There is heaven so high; there are the stars so distant. If we have investigated their phenomena, we may, while sitting in our places, go back to the solstice of a thousand years ago.

"There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.

"One's position alters the air, just as the nurture af fects the body. Great is the influence of position !

"I have not heard of one's principles being dependent for their manifestation on other men.

"He who stops short where stopping is not allowable, will stop short in everything. He who behaves shabbily to those whom he ought to treat well, will behave shabbily to all.

"He who advances with precipitation will retire with speed.

"A bad year cannot prove the cause of death to him whose stores of grain are large; an age of corruption cannot confound him whose equipment of virtue is complete.

"A man who loves fame may be able to decline a kingdom of a thousand chariots, but if he be not really the man to do such a thing, it will appear in his countenance, in the matter of a dish of rice or a platter of soup. *

"The disease of men is this: that they neglect their own fields, and go to weed the fields of others, and that what they require from others is great, while what they lay upon themselves is light.

"Those who give counsel to the great should despise them, and not look at their pomp and display.†

"To nourish the heart there is nothing better than to make the desires few."

*A man's true disposition will often appear in small matters, though a love of fame may have carried him over great difficulties.

† Neither flatter nor fear; preach as plainly to the king as to his subject; to the rich as to the poor.

THE SOURCE FROM WHICH MENCIUS DERIVED THE DOCTRINES OF THIS BOOK.

Shun down to T’ang
As to Yu and Kaou-

Mencius said, "From Yaou and were five hundred years and more. yaou, they saw those earliest sages, doctrines, while T'ang heard their doctrines as transmitted, and so knew them.

and so knew their

“From T’ang to king Wăn were five hundred years and more. As to E Yin, and Lae Choo, they saw T'ang and knew his doctrine, while king Wan heard them as transmitted, and so knew them.

"From king Wăn to Confucius were five hundred years and more. As to T'ae-kung Wang, and San Esang, they saw Wăn, and so knew his doctrines; while Confucius heard them as transmitted, and so knew them.

"From Confucius downwards until now, there are only one hundred years and somewhat more. The distance in time from the sage is so far from being remote, and so very near at hand was the sage's residence. In these circumstances, is there no one to transmit his doctrines? Yea, is there no one to do so?”

SELECTIONS.

PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE UNDER DIFFICULTIES.*

Formerly Chungne had the young Heangto for his teacher ;

Even the sages of antiquity studied with diligence. Chaou, a minister of State, read the Confucian dialogues,

And he too, though high in office, studied assiduously. One copied lessons on reeds, another on slips of bam

boo;

These, though destitute of books, eagerly sought knowledge.

[To vanquish sleep] one suspended his head [by the

* From the San Tsz King-Tinnetrical Classic.—Chinese Repository, Vol. IV, 1835-6. The San Tsz King is the Chinese First Reader; and, like all text books in Chinese schools, it must be so thoroughly committed to memory that, from beginning to end, not a word may be missed in the recitation.