THE LIFE, TIMES, AND DOCTRINES OF tradiction, and very old withal. The two

CONFUCIUS.

From the Asiatic Journal.

ONE of the most important events in the history of China occurred during the Chow, or third dynasty, namely, the birth of Confucius, whose doctrines have mainly tended to mould the character of the Chinese into its present form; the fundamental principles of the government, the institutions, the laws, the religion, the philosophy, as well as the manners and habits of the people, being modelled, more or less, according to the axioms of this remarkable personage.

elder daughters were mute; but the youngest, Yen-she, expressed her readiness to wed the old man. After their marriage, the lady obtained permission to make a journey to Ne-kew, where she prayed to the Shang-te, and in ten months crowned her husband's hopes with a son, born in the town of Tsow-yih, who was named Kew (from the mountain), and surnamed Chung-ne. This event happened in the 22nd year of the reign of Seang-kung, king of Loo, the 21st year of that of the emperor Ling-wang, the 13th day of the 11th moon, in the 47th year of the cycle, answering to the autumn of B. c. 551.

His birth, like that of all the demi-gods and saints of antiquity, is fabled to have been attended with allegorical prodigies, amongst which was the appearance of the ke-lin, a miraculous quadruped, prophetic, like the fung-whang, of happiness and virtue, which announced that the child would be "a king without throne or territory." Two dragons appeared, hovering over the couch of Yen-she; five celestial sages entered the house at the moment of the child's birth, whilst vocal and instrumental music filled the air. The body of the infant bore distinctive marks. His head rose on the top in the form of a hill Ne-kew, denoting the sublimity of his genius; his chest was marked with a resemblance to characters, which implied his future eminence; his skin with figures representing the sun and moon, &c.

The family of Kung-tsze, or Kung-footsze, better known as Confucius, into which his name has been Latinized by the Jesuit missionaries, is considered to be the most ancient in China, being traceable through kings and emperors up to Hwang-te. Se h, a descendant of that monarch, was minister of Shun, from whom he received the principality of Shang, in Ho-nam. Thirteen of his descendants governed this state before Ching-tang, the founder of the Shang dynasty. The last emperor but one of this house, Te Yih, had three sons, Wei-tszeke, Wei-chung-yen, and Chow-sin. The latter, being the only son of the lawful wife, ascended the throne, from which he was deservedly hurled by Woo-wang, who provided for the illustrious family of Shang, by assigning them principalities. Wei. chung-yen was made prince of Sung. He was the father of Sun-kung, who was the His father died before Confucius was father of Ting-kung-shen, who had two three years old, and left him unprovided sons, Ming-kung-kung and Seang-kung-he. for; but he was brought up with great The latter was father of Too-foo-ho, who care by his mother, to whom, and to the had a son named Sung-foo-chow. From aged in general, he manifested unbounded him came Sheng, and from Sheng, Chen- submission. At the earliest age, he is rekaou-foo, who was father of Kung-foo-kea, from whom the Confucian branch derives the family name of Kung. The last-named personage was the father of Tsze-muh-kea foo, who had E-ye and he Fang-shoo, who, during the troubles which disordered Sung, quitted this kingdom, and sought an asylum in that of Loo. Here he had a son named Pe-hea, to whom was born Shuh-leangho, the father of Confucius. Shuh-leangho (or hih), who was a magistrate of Tsowyih, had nine daughters by his first wife, and a son, who was deformed, by a concubine. On the death of this wife, he offered marriage to one of the three daughters of the chief of Yen, who, on communicating the proposal to his daughters, observed that the proposer was of low stature, a bad figure, a severe temper, impatient of con

ported to have practised the ceremonials of pious respect to elders, with his playfellows, and sometimes when alone, by pros. trating himself and "knocking head" before inanimate objects. Knowledge he appeared to acquire intuitively: his mother found it superfluous to teac hhim what "heaven had already graven upon his heart."

At the age of seven, he was sent to a public school, the superior of which, named Ping-chung, also a magistrate and a gov. ernor, was a person of eminent wisdom and probity. Hence it would appear that the post of schoolmaster was not beneath the

The modern Keu-foo-heen, in Shan-tung. † Some writers affirm that Confucius was born during the life of his father's first wife; that his

mother was a concubine; consequently, that he was illegitimate.

dignity and ambition of a high functionary |jected reforms, to introduce a more becom of government. The facility with which ing mode of disposing of the dead, which Confucius imbibed the lessons of his master, it was the custom carelessly to consign to the ascendency which he acquired amongst the first piece of waste ground at hand. He his fellow-pupils, and the superiority of his contended that it was degrading to man, genius and capacity, raised the admiration the lord of the earth, when the breath had of all. departed from his frame, to treat it like ! the carcass of a brute; and that the common practice was repugnant to that mutual regard and affection, which mankind ought to cherish towards one another. He went further, and argued that, by repeating, at stated times, acts of homage and respect to our ancestors, either at the spot where their remains were deposited, or before some representations of them in private dwellings, a remembrance of the immediate authors of our being would be kept alive in our minds, as well as a glow of filial piety and affection, whilst the same practice by our descendants perpetuated, as it were, our own existence.

At the age of seventeen, after having replenished his mind with knowledge from the words of the ancients and the lessons of his preceptor, especially with reference to the science of politics and government, he was made a subordinate magistrate, inspector of the sale and distribution of corn, upon which occasion he took the family name of Kung. In this office, contrary to the usual practice of executing its details by deputy, he rose early, and superintended in person the most minute parts of the duty; whereby he detected frauds, checked combinations, and introduced order and integrity: thus laying the foundation of his public character.

In his nineteenth year, by the advice of his mother, he married, Ke-kwan-she, of an ancient family in Sung. The year after, he had a son, named Pih-yu, otherwise Kung-le. The king of Loo sent to compliment the father, with a present of carp (le-yu), whence the appendages to the son's

names.

This was the first great reform in the manners of his countrymen effected by Confucius; funeral ceremonies, which had been almost disused, became general, as well as a greater outward respect for the dead; and the honor (which has degenerated into worship) paid to ancestors, hitherto confined to the great, was made, in the end, a national custom throughout the empire.

During the three years of mourning, he devoted himself zealously to study, and to the cultivation of the "six arts," which complete the education of a man, namely, music, ceremonies, arithmetic, writing, the use of arms, and the art of driving. The se exercises relieved the toils of severe study, and made the period of mourning less tedious.

The talents he displayed led to the employment of Confucius upon a larger scale, in checking the abuses in the provinces; and at the age of twenty-one, he was created inspector-general of pastures and flocks. He executed his invidious duties with such a judicious mixture of firmness and forbearance, gentleness and impartiality, that he disarmed the hostility of the bad, and conciliated the esteem of the good, whilst the poor poured benedictions On returning into society, he was urged upon him as their friend and benefactor. to present himself to the king or his minIn four years, the country under his super-isters, that he might obtain some public intendence wore a new face; the fields employment; but Confucius, who had no were well tilled, the flocks had multiplied, and the husbandmen and shepherds enjoyed plenty and content.

ambition but that of being extensively useful, declined to do so, declaring that he wished for longer time to make himself His public employment was suspended, thoroughly master of the wisdom of antiat the age of twenty-three, by the death of quity. His reputation now began to attract his mother, conformably to ancient rules, of visitors, who desired the solution of queswhich Confucius was a rigid observer. He tions in morals or polities. Amongst buried her with his father at Fang-shan, others, the king of Yen sent to inquire observing, we owe equal duty to both our what course of conduct he ought to pursue parents, and it is right that those who in in order to govern rightly. Confucius told life were united by the same bond, should the envoy that he neither knew the king be undivided in death." The removal of nor his subjects, and therefore could not the corpse was performed with a decorum give a practical answer to such a question. and magnificence which afforded the pub- If he wishes to learn from me," said he, lic an illustrious example of filial piety. It "what the ancient sovereigns would have was, moreover, a part of Confucius's pro- done in such or such an emergency, I shall

be glad to satisfy him, for then I should" descendant of Ching-tang" to visit his speak with reference to facts." This reply court: an invitation which Confucius acwas the occasion of a visit by Confucius to cepted. Yen (the first instance of his leaving his. native country), where he labored diligently and successfully in reforming its laws and manners, and where he introduced the ceremonies adopted in Loo. On quitting Yen, in spite of the urgent entreaties of the king, he observed to the latter, "I cannot leave you without impressing upon you an ancient sentiment: A sovereign who meditates changes and improvements in his state, should not begin them till he has acquired all the information on the subject he can gain from the practice of his neighbors. This sentiment, which is pregnant with instruction, has convinced me of a fact, to which I had hitherto paid too little attention." The reflection suggested to him, in short, the expediency of travelling, as the means of enlarging the sphere of his observation, and correcting errors and prejudices respecting national manners. Though only twenty-eight years of age, he enjoyed the reputation of a skilful politician, and a man of eminent learning; but he was sensible of his own deficiencies, and regarded his knowledge as superficial, compared with what it was in his power to attain.

He first visited the state of Kin, where he perfected himself in music, under a professor of great reputation, named Seang. He paid visits likewise to the states of Tsae and Wei, and nearly lost his life in one of their affrays. On his return, he again resisted the solicitations of his friends to enter into public life. "I devote myself," he would say, "to mankind in the aggregate; I dedicate my hours to the acquisition of knowledge, that I may be useful to them; I am but in my thirtieth year, a time of life when the mind is in all its vigor, the body in its full strength." In the Lun-yu, he says, "At fifteen I resolved to apply to philosophy; at thirty my resolution was fixed."

On leaving Loo, with a few disciples (B. c. 521), he was followed by a crowd of young people, who wished to profit as much as possible by his lectures; and for their benefit, he took occasion, from the incidents on the journey, to deduce practical lessons of conduct. Thus, on reaching the frontiers of Tse, they beheld a man about to hang himself. Confucius, descending from his chariot, inquired the cause. The man declared he was a philosopher; that he had neglected no means of accumulating knowledge; that, nevertheless, by omissions of duty, by the ingratitude of a son, by repeated disappointments, and by self-reproach, he was reduced to despair. Confucius comforted him with the assurance, that none of his ills were irreparable; that most of them had proceeded from errors on his own part, which might be remedied, and that no human being had real cause utterly to despair. He then turned to his followers, and desired them to reflect upon the lesson to be deduced from this man's narrative; observing that the misfortunes of our fellows afford us the means of escaping the ills of life; and that " we have made no inconsiderable progress in the path of wisdom, when we know how to extract this advantage from the faults of others."

On his arrival at Tse, he dismissed his young followers, that their filial duties might not be interrupted, and retained only thirteen disciples. He was received with much distinction by the king, whose questions were, however, conformably to his character, tinctured with levity. Confucius, nevertheless, replied with seriousness. He soon perceived how much this kingdom stood in need of reform; but he proceeded slowly, and with patience and caution At the end of the year, however, neither the people, the court, nor the king, had materially changed.

Confucius now (B. c. 522) made his house a kind of Lyceum, where instruction was On the accession of the emperor Kingfreely given to young and old, rich and wang (B. c. 518), our philosopher was enapoor; the only persons excluded were bled to gratify his wish of proceeding to those whose lives were vicious. History the imperial court. One of the ministers and historical traditions, the King or clas- of state, to whom he was introduced imsics, morals, and practical lessons of social mediately on his arrival, interrogated him conduct, were the topics of instruction, for as to the nature of his doctrine, and his which even magistrates and warriors were mode of teaching it. "My doctrine," reeager competitors. The fame of this illus-plied Confucius, "is that which it concerns trious reformer soon spurned the narrow all men to embrace; it is that of Yaou and limits of the kingdom of Loo, and spread Shun. As to my method of instruction, it throughout the empire. King-kung, king of is simple; I cite the conduct of the ancients, Tse, sent one of his grandees to invite the by way of example; I prescribe the study

of the King, and reflection upon the maxHe remained in Loo ten years, during ims they contain." "How am I to begin which time, besides his ordinary pursuits the acquisition of wisdom?" asked the and occupations, including music, of which minister; "tell me something which may he was passionately fond, he joined a parbe easily retained and readily practised."ty of professional huntsmen. The chase "With reference to your high post," re- was in early times inculcated as a duty and joined the philosopher, "I advise you to enforced by law. This is the view taken bear in mind this axiom: steel, be it ever so of it by Confucius, who, when his disciples hard, may be broken-so that what appears objected to this step, on the ground that most firm may often be most easily de- the pursuit of wild animals was an employ. stroyed." ment derogatory to a sage, observed that nothing is beneath the attention of a wise man; that hunting was one of the earliest occupations of mankind; that the most il lustrious monarchs of antiquity had prac tised it, and that thereby, not only was the country cleared of wild beasts, but the people were inured to the fatigues of war. The sanction of religion was superadded to the obligation of law; for, as the philoso pher remarked, the offerings to ancestors made by the emperors consisted of venison killed in the chase with their own hands. The object which Confucius had in view, according to Măng-tsze, in this as in other instances, was to recall the nation to a regard for ancient customs, by re-converting into a rite which was degenerating into a mere recreation.

On his visit to the Ming-tang, or Temple of Light, observing that the portraits of the emperors, good and bad indiscriminately, were placed together, he remarked to his disciples, that it might at first excite surprise to see the likenesses of such men as Kee and Chow-sin, who had insulted the Teen, and outraged humanity, arranged beside those of Yaou and Shun; but, in fact, the juxtaposition invited a contrast of their characters, and tended, by exciting salutary recollections, to inspire both a love of virtue and an abhorrence of vice.

After a residence of some months at the imperial court, during which time he had inspected its written records and all the relics of antiquity, visited Laou-tsze, at Seih-tae-with whose doctrines, which had already a good number of followers, he It was at this period (B. c. 510) that Conmade himself acquainted, and diffused fucius applied himself, more particularly, the principles of his own system, he left to a careful revision of the King: he work it (B. c. 516), with sentiments of sorrow at ed night and day, and it is said that he its degeneracy, and returned to the court wore out, by frequent use, no less than of Tse. He was mortified to find that his three sets of bamboo bundles of these efforts at amelioration here had produced works, which was then the form of Chinese so little effect. He was received, indeed, volumes. He reduced the She-king from with open arms by the king and people, and three thousand poems to three hundred and had his object been renown alone, it would eleven; he gave an edition of the Shoohave been amply gratified. His end, how-king, wherein he retrenched whatever be ever, was utility; and finding this disappointed, he returned to Loo.

thought useless for the reformation of gov ernment and manners, reducing the number of chapters from one hundred to fifty. He employed his disciples in comparing the characters, arranging the subjects under the proper heads or chapters, ascertaining the authenticity of the text, and writing the reasons for his changes and abridgements, which he dictated. These celebrated books now appear in the state in which he left them. But the chief object of his editorial labors was the Yih-king, consisting of the Kea of Fuh-he, with the commentaries of Wăng-wang and Chow-kung, which, though the most esteemed of the

The king, Chaou-kung, rejoiced at his return; but his ministers had good reason to dread the presence of one whose discernment would detect their malversations; who was too honest to conceal them, and who had too much influence over their sovereign to fear their intrigues. They adopted, however, a stratagem which would have succeeded with none but Confucius. They nominated him (B. c. 511) to a subordinate office, in expectancy, which kept him apart from the prince. His followers, indignant at this insult, advised him to reject the appointment. Confucius mildly replied, that his refusal of such an hum-assemblage of agreeable sounds, which gratified ble post would be attributed to pride; and "what good effect would my instructions have," he asked, "if I were supposed to be actuated by such a passion ?"

*He declared that music was not to him a mere

the ear, and left no trace upon the mind. On the contrary, it produced distinct images and ideas, the only instrument of Confucius was the rude kin,

which remained after the sounds had ceased. Yet

or lute.

classics, and considered as the first book | be constrained to pay him a visit of thanks, given to mankind, in which they might read which he was most anxious to avoid. He, at all that it behoved them to know and prac-length, decided to accept the present, and, tise here below, had been so strangely ne- with a species of artifice somewhat at variglected, as to be almost unintelligible. To ance with his customary candor, to pay his his comments on this work the philosopher visit of thanks when he knew the minister dedicated almost the whole of his life. was from home. Accident, however, deConversations with his disciples, music, feated the latter scheme; he met Yang-hoo walking, formed the relaxations of his se- without the city, and the latter, addressing vere toils: his official functions imposed a the philosopher graciously, invited him to small tax upon his time. his house, observing, in an insinuating tone, On the death of Chaou-kung (B. c. 509) that, if his own occupations permitted, he and the accession of Ting-kung to the would be the most zealous of his disciples. throne of Loo, a minister, named Ke-sha, "Ought a man like you," he continued, gained an entire ascendency over the new "who is in possession of the most invalusovereign, and, removing all the grandees able treasure, namely, wisdom, to bury it?” from court, secured free scope to his ambi- Confucius modestly replied, "the man who, tion. He was, however, supplanted by one indeed, possesses such a treasure, does of his own creatures, who pursued the same wrong to bury it: he ought to let all parpolicy. It was at this time (B. c. 508) that take of it who can.' "And he who holds Confucius threw up his petty magistrate- the torch of science," continued Yang-hoo, ship. His disciples, deeming his conduct" should he suffer it to expire in his hands? inconsistent, inquired the reason. "When Ought he not to employ it in illuminating I was offered," he replied, "an inferior those who are in the gloom of ignorance?" post, I was bound, for the sake of example," An enlightened man," Confucius gravely not to refuse it. Those who offered it, answered, "should try to enlighten others.' moreover, were the legitimate depositaries of the sovereign's authority, and it is the duty of a subject to serve his king in whatever post he is chosen to fill, provided he be not required to do what is manifestly wrong. But the case is now different; those who administer the sovereign's power, and dispense dignities and offices, are odious usurpers, and to exercise any function under them, is, in some measure, to sanction their usurpation. Thus, for the sake of example, as well as out of a regard to duty, I am now bound to reject with disdain what I once accepted with gratitude. Is there any contradiction in this ?" The conduct of Confucius being reported to Yang-hoo, the usurping minister, the latter devised a subtle scheme for Whilst the followers of the Confucian entrapping him and subjecting him to tenets increased in number, their author punishment. He prepared a sumptuous continued his studies with little intermissacrifice in honor of ancestors; and it sion, except to advise those who sought being the custom to distribute the offer- his instruction in the sciences and liberal ings, after the ceremony, amongst the arts, as well as in the "doctrines of the most devoted and most favored grandees, ancients." For this purpose, his house was who could not refuse a gift which was es- always open, and a gallery, or an anteteemed sacred, Confucius was included in chamber, was appropriated to visitors, who the list. The philosopher, desirous of hold-waited there till the "master," as he, like ing no intercourse with the man, yet equal- Pythagoras, was called, came forth. ly scrupulous in what concerned ceremonies and the rules of good manners, was a little embarrassed. If he declined the present, he offered an affront to the sender, and violated the ritual; if he accepted it, he not only allowed himself to be considered one of the usurper's partisans, but would

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"Nay, then," resumed the minister, "you are self-condemned. You are stored with wisdom, and able to instruct those who direct the helm of government, yet you deny them your aid. Is this the conduct of a man who has the good of the people at heart?" Every one who loves the public weal," rejoined Confucius, "ought to show it by his conduct." By these and other ambiguous answers, the philosopher, with calm dignity and perfect courtesy, parried the crafty questions of a bad man, who, he knew, was studying his ruin: it is by such ingenious policy that individuals in public stations in China endeavor to extricate themselves from similar embarrassment.

In B. c. 507, with a view of ascertaining the number of his followers in other states, and of confirming them in his doctrines, he resolved to travel once more. He proceeded first to Chen, a little state on the confines of Ho-nan, where he met with an indifferent reception: the great were devoted