BOOK I. THE GREAT DECLARATION. PART III.
1. The time was on the morrow, when the king went round his six hosts in state, and made a clear declaration to all his officers.
2. He said, "Oh! My valiant men of the west, Heaven has enjoined the illustrious courses of duty, of which the several characters are quite plain. And now Show,the king of Shang treats with contemptuous slight the five constant virtues, and abondon himself to wild idleness and irreverence.
CONTENTS OF THE THIRD PART. On the day after addressing the troops as in the last Part, Woo had a grand review of all the hosts, and declared his sentiments more particularly to the officers. He sets forth, as before, the crimes of Show against God and men, as sufficiently justifying their enterprise, and urges the officers to support him with all their energies that he might do his work thoroughly, and utterly destroy thee tyrant. Having set before them the prospect of rewards and punishments, he concludes with a humble but encouraging reference, to his father Wǎn.
P. 1. The time and occasion of the Declaration, with the parties addressed. The day was that immediately following that on which the last address was delivered,—the Ke-wei day of the calendar. It is supposed that the army was now about to march to meet or seek the enemy. 大巡六師,—大巡, ＇went greatly about＇. Lew Ying-ts＇ew (劉應秋) says that巡 differs from 循, the latter meaning to go round and cheer, while the former conveys the ideas of marshalling and warning. This is very doubtful. 六師is used, like王, throughout the Book, by anticipation. According to the subsequent statutes of the Chow dyn., the imperial forces consisted of six armies or brigades, while those of a great State were only three. In reality the hosts now collected on the banks of the Ho were an imperial force, and so they are denominated the ＇six hosts＇.
明誓眾士,—眾士, ＇all the officers＇;—Gan-kwŏ says they were all ＇from centurions upwards＇.
P. 2. That Show, violating the laws of Heaven, had set both Heaven and men against him.
西土君子,—＇princely men of the western regions＇. 君子 is appropriate as addressed to the officers, though Lin Che-k＇e shows that it might be employed also to designate the common soldiers 天有顯道, 厥類惟彰,—it seems most proper to explain these clauses by what is said below that Show had violated the ＇five virtues＇.
He has cut himself off from Heaven, and brought enmity between himself and the people.
3. "He cut through the leg-bones of those who were wading in the morning; he cut out the heart of the worthy man. By the use of his power killing and murdering, he has poisoned and sickened all within the four seas. His honour and confidence are given to the villainous and bad. He has driven from him his instrutors and guardians. He has thrown to the winds the statutes and penal laws. He has imprisoned and enslaved the upright officer. He neglects the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. He has discontinued the offerings in the ancestral temple. He makes contrivances of wonderful device and extraordinary cunning, to please his woman,—God will no longer indulge him, but with a curse is sending down on him this ruin.
The ＇illustrious ways of Heaven＇, therefore, are the various relationships of society, and ＇their characters＇,are the duties severally belonging to them. This view is advocated by Ying-tǎ, who is followed by Ts＇ae.Lin Che-k＇e, on the other hand, understood by the＇illustrious ways＇, Heaven＇s love of virtue and hatred of vice, and by ＇their characters＇, the good and evil which severally attend them;—making reference to the use of the phrase 天道 in the ＇Counsels of Yu＇, p. 21, and in the ＇Announcement of T＇ang＇, p. 3. This interpretation is ingenious and not without merit; but the other is preferable. 狎侮五常,—狎=易 or 輕, ＇easily＇, ＇lightly＇;狎侮= ＇slights and contemns＇. 五常,—see on 五典,＇Can. of Shun＇, p. 2.
P. 3. An enumeration of Show＇s wickednesses, and summons to the officers to support the king in punishing him .斮朝涉之脛,—Gan-kwŏ tells us that Chow, one winter＇s day, seeing some people wading through a stream, thought their legs had a wondrous power of enduring cold, and had them cut off through the shank-bone, that he might see their marrow.
剖賢人之心,—this refers to the case of Pe-kan. 毒痡四海,—痡=病, ＇to be sick＇; here, ＇to make sick＇.
姦囘,—囘=邪 or 曲, ＇the crooked＇ = ＇the bad＇. 囚奴正士,—this was the case of the count of Ke. 郊社,—see on the ＇Doctrine of the Mean＇, xix. 6. 婦人,—this refers to Tǎ-ke. History has not preserved an account of the cunning contrivances referred to. Ts＇ae says that since Show contrived ＇the punishment of Roasting＇ to make her laugh, we can well understand that he tasked his ingenuity to the utmost in other things to please her. 祝降時 (=是) 喪,—Gan-kwŏ defines 祝 by 斷 (up.2d tone), ＇to cut off＇, ＇to make an end of＇.
Do ye support with untiring zeal me, the one man,reverently to execute the punishment appointed by Heaven.
4. The ancients have said, ＇He who soothes us is our sovereign; he who oppresses us is our enemy.＇ This solitary fellow Show, having exercised great tyranny,is your perpetual enemy. It is said again, ＇In planting aman＇s virtue, strive to make it great; in putting away aman＇s wickedness, strive to do it from the root.＇ Here I,who am a little child, by the powerful help of you, all my officers, will utterly exterminate your enemy. Do you, all my officers, march forwards with determined boldness, to sustain your prince. Where there is much merit, there shall be large reward. Where you advance not so, there shall be conspicuous disgrace.
Ts＇ae, misunderstanding 斷 for the same char. in the 3d tone, explains the clause by 斷然降是喪王, ＇is determinedly sending down this ruin＇. But 祝, like the Hebrew barak is a vax media, and may be used for＇to curse＇ as well as ＇to bless＇. 孜孜= ＇with unwearied efforts＇.
P. 4. Show had shown himself the enemy of the people, never to be forgiven; and Woo calls his troops to support him in making root and branch work with the tyrant. 獨夫受,—this was certainly very strong language, applied to Show who was still occupying the throne. See the reference to it by Mencius, I., Pt. II.,viii. It is much in his style. Seun-tsze has quoted it as from the ＇Great Declaration＇, in his 議兵篇. 世讐,—＇an hereditary enemy＇, one whose memory must be held in detestation in all the future. 樹德……務本,—these clauses are probably sayings of the day like the first two. The former of them appears, slightly varied, as＇an old saying＇, in the 左傳, 哀元年. 其尚迪果毅,—the union of 其 and 尚, to express earnest exhortation, has occurred more than once. 迪=進, ＇to advance＇. 果and毅 are both defined by 決 and 有決, ＇determined＇. It is said—致果為毅, ＇毅 is the intensest determination＇. 登乃辟,—登=成, ＇to complete＇. The ＇Daily Explanation＇brings the meaning out by saying:—以成爾君弔民伐罪之功, ＇to accomplish the work of your ruler in consoling the people and smiting the criminal＇.
5. "Oh! The virtue of my deceased father Wăn was like the shining and influence of the sun and moon.His brightness extended over the four quarters of theempire, and shone signally in the western region.Hence it is that our Chow has received the allegianceof many States.
6. If I subdue Show, it will not be my prowess, but the faultless virtue of my deceased father Wăn. If Show subdue me, it will not be from any fault of my deceased father Wăn, but because I, who am a little child, am not good."
Pp. 5, 6. The virtue of King Wǎn, and its effects. Success in the present enterprise would be owing to him; failure, if failure there should be, would all be Woo＇s own. 5. The greater part of this par. appears in Mih-tsze (兼愛, 下篇), thus:—太誓曰, 文王若日若月, 乍照光于四方于西土. 惟我有周, 誕受多方,—I have translated this in the indicative mood, ashistorical narrative. Such is the view of Gan-kwŏ who explains;—文王德大, 故受眾方之國, 三分天下, 而有其二, ＇The virtue of king Wǎn was so great, that he received the allegiance of the States of many quarters,and had two thirds of the empire.＇ Ts＇ae found in the language an auspice of Woo＇s success in the enterprise in hand. The ＇Daily Explanation＇, expanding his construction, says:—文考之德, 其所及如此, 是以人心戴之. 天命歸之, 惟我有周, 宜其大受多方而有天下,＇Thus far-reaching was the virtue of my father Wǎn:—the hearts of men cherished him, and the decree ofHeaven fell to him. Right it is that our House of Chow should receive the allegiance of the many regions, and possess the empire.＇ I must prefer to construe with the older scholar.
6. The whole of this par. is found with the verbal variation of 紂 for 受, in the Le Ke, Book 坊記, p. 16. In 無罪, 有罪, we must take 罪 lightly, as merely=過,＇fault＇, ＇error＇.
