Part I

Mencius went to see King Hwuy of Leang. [1] The king said, “Venerable Sir, since you have not counted it far to come here a distance of a thousand li, may I presume that you are likewise provided with counsels to profit my kingdom?” Mencius replied, “Why must your Majesty used that word ‘profit’?  What I am likewise provided with are counsels to benevolence and righteousness; and these are my only topics.

“If your Majesty say, ‘What is to be done to profit my kingdom?’ the great officers will say, ‘What is to be done to profit our families?’ and the inferior officers and the common people will say, ’What is to be done to profit our persons?’ Superiors and inferiors will try to take the profit the one from the other, and the kingdom will be endangered.  In the kingdom of ten thousand chariots, the murderer of his ruler will be the chief of a family of a thousand chariots.  In the State of a thousand chariots, the murderer of his ruler will be the chief of a family of a hundred chariots.  To have a thousand in ten thousand, and a hundred in a thousand, cannot be regarded as not a large allowance; but if righteousness be put last and profit first, they will not be satisfied without snatching all.

“There never was a man trained to benevolence who neglected his parents.  There never was a man trained to righteousness who made his ruler an after consideration.  Let your Majesty likewise make benevolence and righteousness your only themes—­Why must you speak of profit?”

When Mencius, another day, was seeing King Hwuy of Leang, the King went and stood with him by a pond, and, looking round on the wild geese and deer, large and small, said, “Do wise and good princes also take pleasure in these things?” Mencius replied, “Being wise and good, they then have pleasure in these things.  If they are not wise and good, though they have these things, they do not find pleasure.”  It is said in the ’Book of Poetry’:—­

  ’When he planned the commencement of the Marvellous tower,
  He planned it, and defined it,
  And the people in crowds undertook the work,
  And in no time completed it. 
  When he planned the commencement, he said, “Be not in a hurry.” 
  But the people came as if they were his children. 
  The king was in the Marvellous park,
  Where the does were lying down—­
  The does so sleek and fat;
  With the white birds glistening. 
  The king was by the Marvellous pond;—­
  How full was it of fishes leaping about!’

King Wan used the strength of the people to make his tower and pond, and the people rejoiced to do the work, calling the tower ’the Marvellous Tower,’ and the pond ‘the Marvellous Pond,’ and being glad that he had his deer, his fishes and turtles.  The ancients caused their people to have pleasure as well as themselves, and therefore they could enjoy it.

“In the Declaration of T’ang it is said, ’O Sun, when wilt thou expire?  We will die together with thee.’  The people wished for Keeh’s death, though they should die with him.  Although he had his tower, his pond, birds and animals, how could he have pleasure alone?”