CHAPTER I

1. When the prince, afterwards duke Wăn of T＇ăng,had to go to Ch＇û, he went by way of Sung, and visited Mencius.

2. Mencius discoursed to him how the nature of man is good, and when speaking, always made laudatory reference to Yâo and Shun.

3. When the prince was returning from Ch＇û, he again visited Mencius. Mencius said to him, ＇Prince,do you doubt my words? The path is one, and only one.

4. ＇Ch＇ăng Chi＇en said to duke King of Ch＇î, "They were men. I am a man. Why should I stand in awe of them?"

TITLE OF THIS BOOK.—滕文公, ＇The duke Wăn of T＇ăng＇.

The Book is so named from the duke Wăn, who is prominent in the first three chapters. Châo Ch＇îcompares this with the title of the Fifteenth Book of the Analects.

CHAPTER 1. HOW ALL MEN BY DEVELOPING THEIR NATURAL GOODNESS MAY BECOME EQUAL TO THE ANCIENT SAGES.

1. The duke Wăn of T＇ăng,—see Bk. I. Pt. II. xiii.Wăn is the posthumous title. The crown-prince＇s name appears to have been Hung (宏). Previous to the Han dynasty, the heirs-apparent of the sovereigns and the princes of States were called indifferently 世子 and 太子. Since then, 太子 has been confined to the imperial heir. The title of 世子 was given, it is said, 欲其世世不绝, ＇to indicate the wish that the succession should be unbroken from generation to generation＇.Ch＇û and T＇ăng bordering on each other, the prince must have gone out of his way to visit Mencius. In the ＇Topography of the Four Books, continued＇, it is said:—＇Since T＇ăng and Ch＇û adjoined, so that one had only to lift his feet and pass into Ch＇û, why must the crown-prince go round about, a distance of more than 350 lî, to pass by the capital of Sung? The reason was that Mencius was there, and the prince＇s putting himself to so much trouble, in going and returning,shows his worthiness.＇

2. 道=言, a verb, ＇to speak or discourse about＇. 比,not ＇necessarily＇, but ＇he made it a point＇. 称 is taken by ChûHsi and others in the sense of ＇to appeal to＇. This is supported by par. 3, but the word itself has only the meaning in the translation, with which, moreover,Châo Ch＇î agrees.

Yen Yüan said, "What kind of man was Shun? What kind of man am I? He who exerts himself will also become such as he was." Kung-Ming Î said, "King Wăn is my teacher. How should the duke of Châu deceive me by those words?"

5. ＇Now, T＇ăng, taking its length with its breadth,will amount, I suppose, to fifty lî. It is small, but still sufficient to make a good State. It is said in the Book of History, "If medicine do not raise a commotion in the patient, his disease will not be cured by it."＇