The Chinese Classics (Prolegomena) | Page 7

amounting to seventy men, appeared and wished him a long life [1]. One of the principal
ministers, Chau Ch'ing- ch'an [2], came forward and said, "Formerly, the State of Ch'in
was only 1000 li in extent, but Your Majesty, by your spirit-like efficacy and intelligent
wisdom, has tranquillized and settled the whole empire, and driven away all barbarous
tribes, so that, wherever the sun and moon shine, all rulers appear before you as guests
acknowledging subjection. You have formed the states of the various princes into
provinces and districts, where the people enjoy a happy tranquillity, suffering no more
from the calamities of war and contention. This condition of things will be transmitted for
10,000 generations. From the highest antiquity there has been no one in awful virtue like
Your Majesty."
'The emperor was pleased with this flattery, when Shun-yu Yueh [3], one of the Great
Scholars, a native of Ch'i, advanced and said, "The sovereigns of Yin and Chau, for more
than a thousand years, invested their sons and younger brothers, and meritorious
ministers, with domains and rule, and could thus depend upon them for support and aid;--
that I have heard. But now Your Majesty is in possession of all within the seas, and your
sons and younger brothers are nothing but private individuals. The issue will be that some
one will arise to play the part of T'ien Ch'ang [4], or of the six nobles of Tsin. Without the
support of your own family, where will you find the aid which you may require? That a
state of things not modelled from the lessons of antiquity can long continue;-- that is what
I have not heard. Ch'ing is now showing himself to be a flatterer, who increases the errors
of Your Majesty, and not a loyal minister."
'The emperor requested the opinions of others on this representation, and the premier, Li
Sze [5], said, "The five emperors were not one the double of the other, nor did the three
dynasties accept one another's ways. Each had a peculiar system of government, not for
the sake of the contrariety, but as being required by the changed times. Now, Your
Majesty has laid the foundations of
1 ³Õ¤h¤C¤Q¤H«e¬°¹Ø. The ³Õ¤h were not only 'great scholars,' but had an official rank.
There was what we may call a college of them, consisting of seventy members.
2 ¹²®g, ©P«C¦Ú.
3 ²E¤_¶V.
4 ¥Ð±`. -- ±` should probably be «í, as it is given in the T'ung Chien. See Analects XIV.
xxii. T'ien Hang was the same as Ch'an Ch'ang of that chapter.
5 ¥à¬Û§õ´µ

imperial sway, so that it will last for 10,000 generations. This is indeed beyond what a
stupid scholar can understand. And, moreover, Yueh only talks of things belonging to the
Three Dynasties, which are not fit to be models to you. At other times, when the princes
were all striving together, they endeavoured to gather the wandering scholars about them;
but now, the empire is in a stable condition, and laws and ordinances issue from one
supreme authority. Let those of the people who abide in their homes give their strength to
the toils of husbandry, while those who become scholars should study the various laws
and prohibitions. Instead of doing this, however, the scholars do not learn what belongs
to the present day, but study antiquity. They go on to condemn the present time, leading
the masses of the people astray, and to disorder.
'"At the risk of my life, I, the prime minister, say: Formerly, when the nation was
disunited and disturbed, there was no one who could give unity to it. The princes
therefore stood up together; constant references were made to antiquity to the injury of
the present state; baseless statements were dressed up to confound what was real, and
men made a boast of their own peculiar learning to condemn what their rulers appointed.
And now, when Your Majesty has consolidated the empire, and, distinguishing black
from white, has constituted it a stable unity, they still honour their peculiar learning, and
combine together; they teach men what is contrary to your laws. When they hear that an
ordinance has been issued, every one sets to discussing it with his learning. In the court,
they are dissatisfied in heart; out of it, they keep talking in the streets. While they make a
pretense of vaunting their Master, they consider it fine to have extraordinary views of
their own. And so they lead on the people to be guilty of murmuring and evil speaking. If
these things are not prohibited, Your Majesty's authority will decline, and parties will be
formed. The best way is to prohibit them, I pray that all the Records in charge of the
Historiographers be burned, excepting those of Ch'in; that,