felt in all the members of the body. But the man who has attained perfection feels beforehand the calamity or the felicity which is to happen; he foresees good and evil, therein resembling a shin (genius or spirit).

Chap. XXV.-This perfection is its own achievement, and this rule, the rule of itself. Perfection is the end and the beginning of all things (i. e. heaven, earth, and man); without perfection, they could not exist: therefore it is that the wise man attaches so much importance to it. The truly-perfect man does not confine himself to his own perfection; he seeks also that of the universe. To carry oneself to perfection, is the effect of goodness; to carry other things, is the effect of wisdom. These are the natural virtues, the rule of our interior and exterior relations: conformably to this we direct our actions, according to circumstances.

Chap. XXVI. Thus, he who has attained the height of perfection never relaxes; not relaxing, his virtue is durable; being durable, it is manifest being manifest, it extends afar off; extended afar, it is great and profound ; being profound and great, it is sublime and brilliant. Being great and profound, it sustains the universe; being sublime and brilliant, it protects it; being extended and durable, it conducts it to perfection. Being great and profound, it may be compared to earth; being sublime and sparkling, it may be com pared to heaven; being extended and durable, it is without limits. Being such, it manifests itself without being seen; it changes hearts without moving itself; it arrives at perfection without acting. The law of heaven and earth may be expressed in one word: its agency in the production of things is not double; but its manner of giving being to things is incomprehensible. The way of heaven and earth is vast, profound, sublime, brilliant, extended, durable. At present, the heaven we see is a spark of shining light. If we regard its immense extent, the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets suspended there; the universe is enveloped with it. This globe is but a handful of earth; but if we regard its breadth and depth, it sustains the mountain Hwa-yo,* without being oppressed thereby; it contains rivers and seas, without being overflowed therewith; it supports all things that form the world. This mountain, which is but a fragment of rock, if we regard its breadth and height, gives birth to plants and trees, lodges birds and quadrupeds, produces in its entrails mines and precious stones. This mass is, as it were, to be held in the palm of the hand; but if we regard its immense abysses, enormous tortoises (yuen), crocodiles (to), hydras (keaou), dragons (lung),† fish, and turtle live there; and rich treasures thence derive their birth. The Book of Poetry (She-king) says:

The power of the supreme heaven is constant and without limit;

that is, thence it is worthy of the name of heaven :

How should not have been manifest

The virtue of Wan-wang, which was spotless!

*

that is, what made Wan-wang be truly himself was, that the purity of his virtue was not interrupted, like that of heaven.

Chap. XXVIII.-How great is the way (taou) of the holy man! It is like the ocean; it produces and preserves all things; its sublimity touches the heavens. How great and how rich (or redundant) it is! It comprehends the three hundred ceremonies of the first order (Le-e, mourning, sacrifices, &c.), and *In Shan-se, one of the five mountains on which the ancients offered sacrifices to the Shang-te.

Chinese authors describe the dragon as an animal with the horns of a stag, the ears of an ox, the head of a camel, the neck of a serpent, the feet of a tiger, the claws of a vulture, and the scales of a fish. The conspicuous place which the dragon holds in Chinese mythology, is probably referable to the ancient worship of serpents traccable in every part of the world.

the three thousand inferior rites (Wei-e, politeness, the proper manner of saluting, &c.). We want (or expect) a man who shall be such that he can follow this way. For it is said that, if we be not endowed with supreme virtue, we cannot attain the summit of the way (taou). This is why the wise man esteems the law, or natural virtue, which leads him to science, or acquired virtue. Having attained that which is broad and vast, he suffers not that to escape which is subtle and concealed; having attained that which is all-sublime and all-brilliant, he pursues the way of the invariable mean: he studies ancient precepts and understands modern; he attaches importance to that which is grave, and prizes ceremonies greatly. Thus, placed in a superior rank, he is, not arrogant; in an inferior station, he is not rebellious. If the kingdom be well-governed (has laws), his words suffice to advance him; if the kingdom be ill-governed (without laws), his silence will suffice to ensure him safety. The Book of Poetry (She-king) says:

enlightened and prudent,

He (Chung-shan-foo) owes his safety to his qualities. This refers to what has been already said.

Chap. XXVIII.-Kung-tze said: "The ignorant man, who loves to use his own judgment; the low man, who arrogates to himself what does not belong to him; the modern, who wishes (indiscreetly) to re-establish ancient customs, and the like to these, prepare great misfortunes for themselves. Unless emperor, it is the province of none to imagine ceremonies, to fix new measures (or costumes, carriages, &c.), or correct characters.* The imperial chariots still follow the same tracks; books are written with the same characters, and manners are the same. Those who possess the dignity of the ancient emperors, without their virtues, ought in no respect to innovate upon ceremonies and music; and those who possess their virtues, and not their rank, ought as little to innovate upon music and ceremonies." Kung-tsze said: I think with pleasure of (or extol) the usages of the dynasty of the Heas; but the little kingdom of Khe † is but an insufficient relic (or pledge). I have studied the usages of the dynasty of Yen, and there remains no traces of it but in the principality of Sung ‡ I have studied the usages of the dynasty of the Chows, and as they are now in vigour, these are the usages I have to follow."

66

Chap. XXIX.-There are three things of great importance in the govern ment of the empire, and those (who observe them) will commit few faults.§ Many excellent laws which the ancients had established, or superior men had proposed, want authenticity; they cannot, therefore, obtain confidence, and the people follow them not. Excellent laws, proposed by a wise man of in* In order to understand the importance of this remark of Confucius, it is necessary to call to mind the state of China in his time. The imperial dynasty of the Chows was then reduced, and possessed but a very limited territory; the rest of the empire was divided amongst a vast number of provincial chiefs or princes, who, though formerly vassals of the Chows, had begun to throw off the yoke, and were almost continually at war, in order to destroy each other and to obtain the empire. In this state of things, Confucius, who was born a subject of one of these princes, beheld with sorrow that each of them altered the imperial ceremonies, under the pretext of correcting or restoring ancient customs, and composed characters at his pleasure: he considered justly that all these measures might prove an additional obstacle to the union of the empire under one prince, which could alone arrest the anarchy and confusion which desolated China.

† A little kingdom in the modern province of Ho-nan, given to a prince of the family of the great Yu, by Woo-wang, when the latter obtained the empire. This was the sole relic of the family of the Heas.

Another kingdom in the same province, given by the Emperor Ching-wang to a brother of Cheonsin, the last emperor of the Shang dynasty.

§ These three things, which are not mentioned in the text, according to the commentators, are the establishment of ceremonies, the invention of instruments for their use and purpose, and the correction of the characters. These three things require three others, namely, the possession of virtue, the enjoyment of dignity (that is, being emperor), and having regard to times and circumstances.

ferior rank, want authority; they do not obtain confidence, and the people follow them not. Hence a good prince lays the foundation of his conduct in himself; he establishes it amongst the people by the force of his own example; he regulates himself, but without obstinacy, after (the example of) the kings who founded the first three dynasties; he governs his actions, without hesitation, by the heavens and the earth; he regulates himself according to the spirits, and he finds no subject of doubt, nor experiences any inquietude, in the expectation of the holy man who is to come at the end of ages (pe-she, a hundred generations).* Regulating himself according to the spirits, without any ground of doubt, he knows heaven; waiting without impatience the holy man who is to come at the end of ages, he knows mankind. Thus, the movements of a great prince ought to be the law of the empire; his actions ought to be its rule, his words ought to be its model, from generation to generation; then those who are at a distance from him will sigh for him, and those who are near him will not be injured by him. The Book of Poetry (She-king) says:— Should he (the emperor) be afar off, no one hates him; Should he be near, there is none whom he injures.

Yes, incessantly, day and night,

He is the object of eternal praises.

There is no great prince who will not thus acquire a rapid glory in the empire.

Chap. XXX.-The philosopher (Confucius) recalled the remote times of Yaou and Shan; but he praised the nearer times of Wan and Woo; he imitated the eternal heaven, on the one hand, and on the other, he accommodated himself to the variations of earth and water. Thus therefore it is, that there is nothing which the earth does not contain and support; that heaven does not cover and envelope; it is thus that the four seasons succeed each other in turn, and that the sun and moon alternately shine. All things, produced together, do not injure one another; the simultaneous course of the seasons and stars do not counteract each other. A limited or confined virtue is like the current of a river; a great virtue is like the immense march of the universe. It is by these virtues that the heaven and earth are great.

Chap. XXXI.-There is but one holy man in the universe, who could comprehend, enlighten, penetrate, know, and suffice for governing; whose magnanimity, liberality, affability, goodness, could conciliate all men ; whose energy, courage, strength, and courtesy could suffice for command; whose purity, gravity, sagacity, rectitude, could suffice for attracting respect; whose eloquence, regularity, attention, exactitude, could suffice to discern all things. His vast and comprehensive mind is a deep source of things, which appear each in its proper season. Vast and extensive as the heavens, profound as the deep itself, the people, when he shews himself, cannot fail to respect him;, if he speaks, none will distrust what he says; if he acts, none will refuse to applaud him. Thus, his name and his renown will soon overrun the empire, and diffuse themselves even amongst the barbarians of the south (man) and of the north (me), wherever ships and chariots can reach, or the power of man penetrate, in all parts covered by the heavens and supported by the * This is one of many expressions made by or imputed to Confucius, which seem to refer to the advent of our Saviour.-See Notices des MSS. du Roi, t. x. p. 414, and As. Journ. for May 1834. The commentators explain the four things, which must concur to form the sage, thus: khao, rule of conduct taken from the ancients; keen, conformity with heaven and earth; che, or the testimony' derived from spirits; and sze, the expectation of the coming of the holy man, of whom the gloss says, "a clear idea can with difficulty be formed:" or as, in our phraseology, we should say, the requisites are, the example of the ancients, the love of order, the testimony of superhuman beings, and revelation.

earth, illuminated by the sun and moon and fertilized by the dew and mists. All beings, that have blood and breath, will love and honour him, and he may be compared to the heaven itself.*

Chap. XXXII.-There is, in the universe, only he, who has attained the summit of perfection, who can discover and explain entirely the great web (or texture) of the universe,† establish its grand principle, and understand the productions (or creation) and preservation (or conservation) of the heaven and the earth in him there is sufficient for all this. His benevolence is perfect, his depth is like the abyss, his vast extent like the heaven. But unless he be truly intelligent, enlightened, holy, wise, and carry the celestial virtues to the highest point, who could ever know them?

Chap. XXXIII-The Book of Poetry (She-king) says:

She (a queen of Wei) covered her embroidered robe with a coarse outer habit,
Detesting the luxury and splendour of her ornaments.

Thus the virtue of the wise man loves to conceal itself, but it shines forth daily; the specious qualities of the vulgar man are ostentatious, and they daily diminish. The virtue of the wise man is simple and not fastidious ; measured but agreeable; grave and regular. He who knows how to approach that which is remote, who knows the origin of the laws, who can grasp subtle things, could enter the way of virtue. The Book of Poetry (She-king) says:Although hidden in a deep place, (the fish) can perceive itself.

In like manner, if the wise man, scrupulously examining his heart, discovers no stain there, there is nothing in his heart which he ought to be ashamed of; what the wise man himself cannot perceive, is there a single man who can perceive? The Book of Poetry says:—

Be attentive even to your own house;

Let there be nothing, even under your own roof, for which you can blush. Thus the wise man is respected when he does not act, and sincere even when he is silent. The Book of Poetry says:

He who presides at a ceremony without having occasion to speak,

Conducts himself so that, during the time of sacrifice, there is no dispute.

In like manner, the wise man, without giving rewards, animates the people by his example; without shewing anger, he is feared by the people more than axes and youci (a kind of axe). The Book of Poetry says:—

A single hidden virtue is the model of a hundred vassals.

Thus, a good king, who firmly cultivates virtue, by that alone gives peace to the empire. The Book of Poetry says:—

I love that bright virtue,

Which does not manifest itself in grand words.

Kung-tsze said : "Words and a (mere) semblance of virtue, have the smallest effect in the conversion of the people." The Book of Poetry says:— Virtue is something as fine as a hair;

But a hair might still be compared to something:

Virtue is a celestial thing;

It has neither sound, nor odour.

And this is its sublimity.

*The whole of this eloquent and curious passage will bear application to the expected saint, as well as to the holy man par excellence.

Understood, by commentators, in a moral sense, for the five duties of man, i.e. morals.
The celestial virtues are piety, justice, urbanity, and prudence.

HINTS ON INDIA REFORM.

No. III.

Courts of Conciliation.—The lawyers threaten to overrun India, in the course of time, as they have every country where they once got footing. This will be of all pests the most dreadful, and all possible measures should be adopted to prevent their increase. Men want houses, though they do not want them eaten up by rats; so must there be law, though men do not therefore require to be devoured by lawyers. I know no means better adapted for insuring a reasonable portion of justice to litigants, and for preventing the unbounded power of lawyers, than the establishment of courts of conciliation, after the Spanish fashion-a fashion which has, most happily for the people, been imitated in Mexico. By an article of the Mexican constitution, “ no one shall be deprived of the right to terminate a suit by arbitration in any stage of the proceedings, nor shall be allowed to commence an action without having had recourse, previously, to the judgment of conciliation." Now, this judgment of conciliation prohibited any two parties from commencing a law-suit unless they were provided with a certificate from a constitutional alcade (an officer who is not a lawyer) stating that a judgment by conciliation had been tried before him in vain. No institution can, I conceive, be more adapted than this to the simplicity of Hindu manners, none more economical to the English Government, none more utterly subversive of the intrigues and chicanery of lawyers. Thinking that it needs no further argument or recommendation, I leave it, as a hint, from which to work out a great good.

Weights and Measures.—In these, as in monies and language, utter confusion and absence of generalization: each province has its own. The seer in one district implies so much, in another a very different quantity,-still going by the same name. The mun, or maund, is in one place double what it is in another. This of necessity entails great trouble and hardship on the trader, and leads to imposition without end. In these matters, France is to be copied, and a uniform system, based on decimals, to be established for the whole of India. The mother-country possesses nothing sufficiently good in this way to deserve introduction there; therefore, the names of the principal weights and measures might still be preserved, though with an altered value. A committee from the different presidencies might be appointed to effect this, and bring it into operation, after a reasonable time allowed for the natives to become familiar with it. Collectors of districts, or judges of zillah courts, to be furnished with the standards, and all makers of weights and measures to be licensed by one or the other authority, and to be accountable for their work produced. This would, in an effectual way, put an end to the abominable frauds now practised.

R. PATERNOSTER.