Classic of Documents
周書 Zhōu shū
立政 第四十七 Book Forty-seven · Lì zhèng
周公若曰：「拜手稽首，告嗣天子王矣。用咸戒于王，曰王左右常伯、常任、準人、綴衣、虎賁。」周公曰：「嗚呼！休茲知恤，鮮哉！
The duke of Chow spoke to the following effect, “With our heads to our hands and then to the ground, we make our declarations to the new emperor, our king.” In such manner accordingly all the other ministers cautioned the king, saying, “In close attendance on your Majesty there are the regular presidents, the regular high officers, and the officers of the laws; the keepers of the robes also, and the guards.” —The duke of Chow said, “Oh! admirable are these officers. Few, however, know to be sufficiently anxious about them.”
「古之人迪惟有夏，乃有室大競籲，俊尊上帝，迪知忱恂于九德之行。乃敢告教厥后曰：『拜手稽首，后矣。』曰：『宅乃事，宅乃牧，宅乃準，茲惟后矣。謀面用丕訓德，則乃宅人，茲乃三宅無義民。』
“Among the ancients who exemplified this anxiety there was the founder of the Hea dynasty. When his House was at its strength, he sought for able men to honour God. His advisers, when they knew of men thoroughly proved and trustworthy in the practice of the nine virtues, would then presume to inform and instruct their sovereign, saying, ‘With our heads to our hands and then to the ground, O sovereign, we would say, Let such an one occupy one of your high offices: Let such an one be one of your pastors: Let such an one be one of your law-officers. By such appointments you will discharge your royal duty. If you judge by the face only, and therefrom deem men well schooled in virtue and appoint them, then those three appointments will all be occupied by unrighteous people.’
「桀德惟乃弗作往任，是惟暴德，罔後。
The way of Këĕ, however, was not to observe this precedent. Those whom he employed were cruel men;—and he had no successors.
「亦越成湯陟，丕釐上帝之耿命；乃用三有宅，克即宅；曰三有俊，克即俊。嚴惟丕式，克用三宅三俊。其在商邑，用協于厥邑；其在四方，用丕式見德。
“After him there was T‘ang the Successful, who, rising to the throne, greatly administered the bright ordinances of God. He employed to fill the three high positions those who were equal to those positions; and those who were called possessors of the three grades of ability could display that ability. He then studied them severely and greatly imitated them, making the utmost use of them in their three positions and with their three grades of ability. The people in the cities of Shang were hereby all brought to harmony, and those in the different quarters of the empire were brought greatly under the influence of the virtue thus displayed.
「嗚呼！其在受德暋，惟羞刑暴德之人，同于厥邦，乃惟庶習逸德之人，同于厥政。帝欽罰之，乃伻我有夏式商受命，奄甸萬姓。
Oh! when the throne of T‘ang came to Show, his character was all violence. He preferred men of severity, princes of States who deemed cruelty a virtue, to share with him in the government of the empire; and at the same time, the host of his associates, men who counted idleness a virtue, shared the offices of his court. God then sovereignly punished him, and caused us to possess the great empire, enjoy the favouring decree which Shang had afore received, and govern all the people in their myriad realms.
「亦越文王、武王，克知三有宅心，灼見三有俊心；以敬事上帝，立民長伯。
“Subsequently there were king Wăn and king Woo, who knew well the minds of those whom they put in the three positions, and clearly saw the minds of those who had the three grades of ability. Thus they could employ them reverently to serve God, and appointed them as presidents and chiefs of the people.
「立政：任人、準夫、牧，作三事；
To establish their government, they had the men of office, the officers of law, and the pastors, and these appointments were their three concerns.
「虎賁、綴衣、趣馬、小尹、左右攜僕，百司庶府；
They had also their guards; their officers of the robes; their equerries; their heads of petty officers; their personal attendants; their various overseers; and their treasurers.
「大都、小伯、藝人、表臣百司；太史、尹伯、庶常吉士。
They had their governors of larger assigned cities and of the smaller; their men of arts; the overseers whose offices were beyond the court; their grand historiographers; and their chiefs of direction:—all, good men of constant virtue.
「司徒、司馬、司空、亞旅；
“In the various States there were the minister of Instruction, the minister of War, and the minister of Works; with the many officers subordinate to them.
「夷微盧烝，三亳阪尹。
“Among the wild tribes of the Wei, the Loo, and the Ching; in the three Pŏ; and in dangerous places: they had wardens.
「文王惟克厥宅心，乃克立茲常事、司、牧人，以克俊有德。
“King Wăn was able to have in himself the minds of those in the three high positions, and so it was that he established those regular officers and superintending pastors, so that they were men of ability and virtue.
「文王罔攸兼于庶言、庶獄、庶慎，惟有司之牧夫，是訓用違；
He would not himself appear in the various notifications, in litigations, and in precautionary measures of government. There were the officers and pastors to attend to them, whom he simply required to be obedient and not disobedient.
「庶獄、庶慎，文王罔敢知于茲。
Yea, as to litigations and precautionary measures he would seem as if he did not presume to know about them.
「亦越武王，率惟敉功，不敢替厥義德，率惟謀從容德，以並受此丕丕基。
He was followed by king Woo, who carried out his work of settlement, and did not dare to supersede his righteous and virtuous men; who entered also into his plans, employing as before his forbearing and virtuous men. It was thus that they unitedly received this vast inheritance.
「嗚呼！孺子王矣。繼自今，我其立政：立事、準人、牧夫，我其克灼知厥若，丕乃俾亂相我受民，和我庶獄、庶慎，時則勿有間之。
“Oh! young son, the king, from this time forth be it ours to establish the government, appointing the high officers, the officers of the laws, and the pastors;—be it ours clearly to know what courses are natural to them, and then greatly to employ them in the government, that they may aid us in the management of the trust of the people, and harmoniously conduct all litigations and precautionary measures. And let us never allow others to come between us and them.
「自一話一言。我則末惟成德之彥，以乂我受民。
Yea, in our every word and speech, let us be thinking of officers of complete virtue, to regulate the people whom we have received.
「嗚呼！予旦已受人之徽言，咸告孺子王矣！繼自今，文子文孫，其勿誤于庶獄、庶慎，惟正是乂之。
“Oh! I, Tan, have received these excellent words from others, and tell them all to you, young son, the king. From this time forth, O accomplished son of Woo, accomplished grandson of Wăn, do not err in regard to the litigations and precautionary measures;—let the proper officers regulate them.
「自古商人，亦越我周文王，立政：立事、牧夫、準人，則克宅之，克由繹之。茲乃俾乂。
From of old to the founder of Shang, and downwards to king Wăn of our Chow, in establishing government, when they appointed high officers, pastors, and officers of the laws, they settled them in their positions and unfolded their talents. It was thus that they gave the government into their hands.
「國，則罔有立政用憸人。不訓于德，是罔顯在厥世。繼自今立政，其勿以憸人，其惟吉士，用勱相我國家。
In the empire never has there been the establishment of government in the employment of artful-tongued men;—with such men, unlessoned in virtue, never can a government be distinguished in the world. From this time forth, in establishing government, make no use of artful-tongued men, but seek for good officers, and get them to use all their powers in aiding the government of our empire.
「今文子文孫，孺子王矣。其勿誤于庶獄，惟有司之牧夫。
Now, O accomplished son of Woo, accomplished grandson of Wăn, young son, the king, do not err in the matter of litigations. There are the officers and pastors to attend to them.
「其克詰爾戎兵，以陟禹之迹，方行天下，至于海表，罔有不服。以覲文王之耿光，以揚武王之大烈。
“Have well arranged also your military accoutrements and weapons, so that you may go forth beyond the steps of Yu, and be able to travel over all beneath heaven, even to beyond the seas, everywhere meeting with submission:—so shall you display the bright glory of king Wăn, and render more illustrious the great achievements of king Woo.
「嗚呼！繼自今後王立政，其惟克用常人。」
“Oh! from this time forth, may you and your successors, in establishing the government, seek to employ men of constant virtue.”
周公若曰：「太史、司寇蘇公。式敬爾由獄，以長我王國。茲式有慎，以列用中罰。」
The duke of Chow spake to the following effect, “O grand historiographer, the minister of Crime, the duke of Soo, dealt reverently with all the criminal matters which came before him, thereby to perpetuate the fortunes of our empire. Here was an example of careful anxiety for other ministers, to rank with him in the ordering of the appropriate punishments.”