The Books of Chow

Book XVI: Prince Shih

Prince Shih announced his impending retirement from his office at Shaou due to his age; this book is the duke of Chow’s response to his announcement and his persuasion to keep Shih at his post. The duke addresses the favour of Heaven and the still greater accomplishments in Shih’s future.

The duke of Chow spake to the following effect, “Prince Shih, Heaven, unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin; Yin has lost its appointment, and the princes of our Chow have received it. I do not dare, however, to say, as if I knew it, ‘The foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity.’ Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew it ‘The final end will issue in our misfortunes.’ Oh! you have said, O prince, ‘It depends on ourselves.’ I also do not dare to rest in the favour of God, never forecasting at a distance the terrors of Heaven in the present time when there is not murmuring or disobedience among the people; the issue is with men. Should our present successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence Heaven and the people, and so bring to an end their glory, could we in our families be ignorant of it? The favour of Heaven is not easily preserved. Heaven is hard to be depended on. Men lose its favouring appointment because they cannot pursue and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers. Now I, Tan, being but as a little child, am not able to correct our king. I would simply conduct him to the glory of his forefathers, and make his youth partaker of that.”

He also said, “Heaven is not to be trusted. Our course is simply to seek the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, and Heaven will not find occasion to remove its favouring decree which king Wan received.”

The duke said, “Prince Shih, I have heard that of ancient time, when T’ang the Successful had received the favouring decree, he had with him E Yin, making his virtue like that of great Heaven. T’ae-kea, again, had Paou-hang. T’ae-mow had E Chih and Chin Hoo, through whom his virtue was made to affect God; he had also Woo Heen, who regulated the royal House. Tsoo-yih had Woo Heen. Woo-ting had Kan Pwan. These ministers carried out their principles, and effected their arrangements, preserving and regulating the empire of Yin, so that, while its ceremonies lasted, those sovereigns though deceased were assessors to Heaven, while it extended over many years. Heaven thus determinately maintained its favouring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various officers, and members of the royal House holding employments, all held fast their virtue, and displayed an anxious solicitude for the empire. The smaller officers, and the chiefs in the How and Teen domains, hurried about on their services. Thus did they all put forth their virtue, and aid their sovereign, so that whatever affairs he, the one man, had in hand, throughout the four quarters of the empire, an entire sincerity was conceded to them as to the indications of the tortoise or the milfoil.”

The duke said, “Prince Shih, Heaven gives long life to the just and the intelligent; it was thus that those ministers maintained and regulated the dynasty of Yin. He who at last came to the throne was extinguished by the majesty of Heaven. Think you of the distant future, and we shall have the decree in favour of Chow made sure, and its good government will be brilliantly displayed in or new-founded State.”

The duke said, “Prince Shih, aforetime when God was afflicting Yin, he encouraged anew the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, till at last the great favouring decree was concentrated in his person. But that king Wan was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great empire which we came to possess, was owing to his having such ministers as his brother of Kih, Hwang Yaou, San E-sang, T’ae Teen, and Nan-kung Kwo.”

He repeated this sentiment, “But for the ability of these men to go and come in his affairs, developing his constant lessons, there would have been no benefits descending from king Wan on the people. And it also was from the determinate favour of Heaven, that there were these men of firm virtue, and acting according to their knowledge of the dread majesty of Heaven, to give themselves to enlighten king Wan, and lead him forward to his high distinction and universal over-rule, till his fame reached the ears of God, and he received the decree of Yin. There were still four of these men who led on king Woo to the possession of that decree with all its emoluments. Afterwards, along with him, in great reverence of the four men made king Woo distinguished all over the empire, till the people universally and greatly proclaimed his virtue. Now, with me Tan, who am but a little child, it is as if I were floating on a great stream; let me from this time cross it along with you O Shih. Our young sovereign is powerless as if he had not just ascended the throne. You must by no means lay the whole burden on me; and if we draw ourselves up without an effort to supply his deficiencies, no good will flow to the people from our age and experience. We shall not hear the voices of the singing birds, and much less can it be thought that we shall make his virtue equal to Heaven.”

The duke said, “Oh! consider well, O prince, these things. We have received the favouring decree of Heaven, to which belongs an unlimited amount of what is desirable, but having great difficulties attached to it. What I announce to you are counsels of a generous largeness. I cannot allow the successor of our kings to go astray.”

The duke said, “The former king laid bare his heart, and gave full charge to you, constituting you one of the guides of the people, and saying, ‘Do you with intelligence and energy prove a helper to the king; do you with sincerity support and carry on this great decree. Think of the virtue of king Wan, and enter greatly into his boundless anxieties.’”

The duke said, “What I tell you, O prince, are my sincere thoughts. O Shih, the Grand-protector, if you can but reverently survey with me the decay and great disorders of Yin, and thence consider the dread majesty of Heaven which warns us!

“Am I not to be believed that I must thus speak? I simply say, ‘The establishment of our dynasty rests with us two.’ Do you agree with me? Then you also will say, ‘It rests with us two.’ And the favour of Heaven has come to us so largely: it should be ours to feel as if we could not sustain it. If you can but reverently cultivate your virtue, and bring to light our men eminence, then when you resign to some successor in a time of established security.

“Oh! it is by the earnest assistance of us two that we have come to the prosperity of the present day. But we must go on, abjuring all idleness, to complete the work of king Wan, till it has entirely overspread the empire, and from the corners of the sea and the sunrising there shall not be one who is disobedient to our rule.”

The duke said, “O prince, am I not speaking in accordance with reason in these many declarations? I am only influenced by anxiety about the decree of Heaven, and about the people.”

The duke said, “Oh! O prince, you know the ways of the people, how at the beginning they can be all we could desire, but it is the end which is to be thought of. Act in careful accordance with this fact. Go and reverently exercise your government.”