Chinese and Arabian Literature - E. Wilson - The Search For Mecca

THE SAYINGS OF MENCIUS J13
of Heaven, he only banished him ? " Mencius replied, " He
invested him with a State, and some have said that it wzs banishing
him." When Chang said, " Shun banished the Superin-
tendent of Works to Yew-chow, sent away Hwan-tow to
Mount Ts'ung, slew the Prince of San Meaou in San-wei, and
imprisoned K'wan on Mount Yu, When those four criminals
were thus dealt with, all under heaven submitted to him; it
was a cutting ofif of men who were destitute of benevolence.
But Seang was of all men the most destitute of benevolence,
and Shun invested him with the State of Pe; of what crime
had the people of Pe been guilty? Does a benevolent man
really act thus? In the case of other men, he cut them off;
in the case of his brother, he invested him with a State." Mencius
replied, " A benevolent man does not lay up anger, nor
cherish resentment against his brother, but only regards him
with affection and love. Regarding him with affection, he
wishes him to enjoy honor ; loving him, he wishes him to be
rich. The investing him with Pe was to enrich and ennoble
him. If while Shun himself was emperor, his brother had
been a common man, could he have been said to regard him
with affection and love ? "
Wan Chang said, " I venture to ask what is meant by some
saying that it was a banishing of Seang." Mencius replied,
" Seang could do nothing of himself in his State. The em-
peror appointed an officer to manage its government, and to
pay over its revenues to him ; and therefore it was said that it
was a banishing of him ? How indeed could he be allowed the
means of oppressing the people there? Nevertheless, Shun
wished to be continually seeing him, and therefore he came
unceasingly to court, as is signified in that expression, ' He did
not wait for the rendering of tribute, or affairs of government,
to receive the prince of Pe.' "
Heen-k'ew Mung asked Mencius, saying, " There is the
officer of complete virtue cannot be employed
old saying, ' An
as a minister by his ruler, nor treated as a son by his father.'
Shun stood with his face to the south, and Yaou, at the head of
all the feudal princes, appeared in his court with his face to the
north. Koo-sow also appeared at Shun's court with his face
to the north ; and when Shun saw him, his countenance as-
sumed a look of distress. Confucius said, ' At this
How
time the
empire was in a perilous condition indeed !
Vol. IV.—
8
unsettled was