|
Virtue is the root ; wealth is the branches. If he
make the
root his secondary object, and the branches
his primary object, he will only
quarrel with the
people, and teach them rapine. Hence the accu-
mulation
of wealth is the way to scatter the people,
and the distribution of his
wealth is the way to
collect the people. Hence (also), when his words
go
forth contrary to right, they will come back to
BK. XXXIX. TA
HSIO. 42 1
him in the same way, and wealth got by improper
ways will take its departure by the same.
27. It is said in the
Announcement to the Prince of
Khang (Shu, V, ix, 2, 3), 'The decree (of
Heaven)
is not necessarily perpetual.' That is, goodness
obtains the
decree, and the want of goodness
loses it.
28. In a Book of Kim it
is said 1 , 'The state of
Kith, does not consider (such a toy) to be
precious.
Its good men are what it considers to be precious.'
29.
Fan, the maternal uncle (of duke Wan of 3in),
said, ' A fugitive (like you)
should not account (that)
to be precious. What he should consider precious
is the affection due (even) to his (deceased) parent 2 .'
30. It is
said in the Speech of (duke Mu of) AVzin
(Shu, V, xxx, 6, 7), 'Let me have
but one minister,
plain and sincere, not possessed of other abilities,
but with a simple, upright, and at the same time
a generous, mind,
regarding the talents of others
as if they were his own ; and when he finds
accom-
plished and perspicacious men, loving them in his
heart more than
his mouth expresses, and really
showing himself able to bear them (and
employ
them), — such a minister will be able to preserve my
sons and
grandsons, and other benefits (to the state)
may well be expected from him.
But if (it be his
character), when he finds men of ability, to be
1 The narratives about Khu, Section II, Article 5, in the ' Nar-
ratives of the States.' The exact characters of the text are not
found
in the article, but they might easily arise from what we do
find. An officer
of ￡in is asking Wang-sun Wei, an envoy from
Khu, about a famous girdle of
that state. The envoy calls it a
toy, and gives this answer.
2 See
vol. xxvii, page 165, paragraph 19.
422 THE L? Kl.
BK. XXXIX.
jealous of them and hate them ; and,
when he
finds accomplished and perspicacious men, to oppose
them, and
not allow their advancement, showing
himself really not able to bear them, —
such a man
will not be able to protect my sons and grandsons,
and
black-haired people ; and may he not also be
pronounced dangerous (to the
state) ? '
31. It is only the truly virtuous man that can
send away
such a man and banish him, driving him
out among the barbarous tribes
around, determined
not to dwell with him in the Middle states. This is
in accordance with the saying, ' It is only the truly
virtuous man who
can love others or can hate
others.'
32. To see men of worth, and
not be able to
raise them to office ; to raise them to office, but not
to do so quickly : — this is treating them with dis-
respect. To see bad
men, and not to be able to
remove them ; to remove them, but not to do so to
a distance : — this is weakness.
33. To love those whom men hate,
and to hate
those whom men love : — this is to outrage the
natural
feeling of men. Calamities are sure to come
on him who does so.
34.
Thus we see that the ruler has a great course
to pursue. He must show entire
self-devotion and
sincerity to succeed, and by pride and extravagance
he
will fail.
35. There is a great course (also) for the produc-
tion
of wealth. Let the producers be many, and the
consumers few. Let there be
activity in the pro-
duction, and economy in the expenditure. Then
the
wealth will always be sufficient.
36. The virtuous (ruler) uses his
wealth so as to
BK. xxxix. TA HSIO. 42?
3
make himself more distinguished. The vicious
ruler will
accumulate wealth, even though it cost
him his life.
37. Never has
there been a case of the superior
loving benevolence, and his inferiors not
loving
righteousness. Never has there been a case where
(his inferiors)
loved righteousness, and the business
(of the superior) has not reached a
happy issue.
Never has there been a case where the wealth
accumulated in
the treasuries and arsenals (of such
a ruler and people) did not continue to
be his.
38. Mang Hsien-jze * said, ' He who keeps his
team of horses
2 does not look after fowls and pigs.
The family which has its stores of ice
3 does not
keep cattle or sheep. The house which possesses
a hundred
chariots 4 should not keep a grasping
minister to gather up all the taxes
for it. Than
have such a minister, it would be better to have one
who
would rob it of its revenues.' This is in
accordance with the saying, 'In a
state gain should
not be considered prosperity ; its prosperity lies in
righteousness/
39. When he who presides over a state or a
family
makes his revenues his chief business, he
must be under the influence of
some small man.
He may consider him to be good ; but when such a
person
is employed in the administration of a state
1 The worthy minister of
Lu, mentioned in vol. xxvii, p. 154, et al.
His name was A'ung-sun Mieh.
Hsien was his posthumous title.
2 An officer who has just attained to be
a Great officer, and
received from the ruler the carriage of distinction.
3 To be used in sacrificing; but, we may suppose, for other
uses as
well.
4 A dignitary, possessing an appanage.
424 THE L{
Kt.
BK. XXXIX.
or family, calamities and
injuries will befal it to-
gether; and though a good man (may take his
place), he will not be able to remedy the evil. This
illustrates (again)
the saying, ' In a state gain should
not be considered prosperity ; its
prosperity should
be sought in righteousness.'
BOOK XL. KWAN
t
OR
THE MEANING OF THE CEREMONY OF CAPPING 1 .
I. Generally
speaking, that which makes man
man is the meaning of his ceremonial usages.
The
first indications of that meaning appear in the correct
arrangement
of the bodily carriage, the harmonious
adjustment of the countenance, and in
the natural
ordering of the speech. When the bodily carriage is
well
arranged, the countenance harmoniously ad-
justed, and speech naturally
ordered, the meaning of
the ceremonial usages becomes complete, and serves
to render correct the relation between ruler and
subject, to give
expression to the affection between
father and son, and to establish harmony
between
seniors and juniors. When the relation between
ruler and subject
is made correct, affection secured
between father and son, and harmony shown
between
seniors and juniors, then the meaning of those usages
is
established. Hence after the capping has taken
place, provision is made for
every other article of
dress. With the complete provision of the dress,
the bodily carriage becomes (fully) correct, the
harmonious expression
of the countenance is made
perfect, and the speech is all conformed to its
purposes. Hence it is said that in capping we have
the first indications
of (the meaning of the) cere-
monial usages. It was on this account that the
sage
1 See the introductory notice, vol. xxvii, pp. 54, 55.
426 THE Li Kl. BK. XL.
kings of antiquity made so much
as they did of the
capping.
2. Anciently, when about to proceed to
the
ceremony of capping, they divined for the day by
the stalks, and
also for the guests (who should be
present). In this way did they manifest
the value
which they attached to capping. Attaching such a
value to it,
they made the ceremony very important.
They made the ceremony so important,
showing
how they considered it to lie at the foundation of
the state's
(prosperity).
3. Hence (also) the capping took place at the top
of
the eastern steps, (appropriate to the use of the
Master) ; — to show that
the son would (in due time)
take his place. (The father) handed him a
(special)
cup in the guests' place. Three caps were used in
the
ceremony, each successive one more honourable,
and giving the more
importance to his coming of
age. When the capping was over, he received the
name of his maturity. So was it shown that he was
now a full-grown man 1
.
4. He presented himself before his mother, and
his mother bowed to
him ; he did the same before
his brothers and cousins, and they bowed to him
: —
he was a man grown, and so they exchanged
courtesies with him. In
the dark-coloured cap,
and the dark-coloured square-cut robes, he put
down his gift of introduction before the ruler, and
then proceeded with
the proper gifts to present him-
self to the high ministers and Great
officers, and to
the old gentlemen of the country : — appearing before
them as a man grown.
1 Compare paragraph 2 on pages 437, 438, vol.
xxvii.
BK. XL. KWAN 1. 427
5. Treating him (now)
as a grown-up man, they
would require from him all the observances of a
full-grown man. Doing so, they would require from
him the performance of
all the duties of a son, a
younger brother, a subject, and a junior. But
when
these four duties or services were required from him,
was it not
right that the ceremony by which he
was placed in such a position should be
considered
important ?
6. Thus when the discharge of filial and
fraternal
duties, of loyal service, and of deferential submission
was
established, he could indeed be regarded as a
(full-grown) man. When he
could be regarded as
such, he could be employed to govern other men.
It
was on this account that the sage kings attached
such an importance to the
ceremony, and therefore
it was said, that in capping we have the
introduction
to all the ceremonial usages, and that it is the most
important of the festive services.
Therefore the ancients considered
the capping as
so important. Considering it so important, they
performed
it in the ancestral temple. They did so,
to do honour to so important a
service. Feeling
that it was to be honoured so, they did not dare to
take the responsibility of its performance on them-
selves. Not daring
themselves to take the respon-
sibility of it, they therefore humbled
themselves, and
gave honour in doing so to their forefathers.
BOOK XLI. HWAN !
OR
THE MEANING OF THE MARRIAGE
CEREMONY 1 .
I. The ceremony of marriage was intended to be
a bond
of love between two (families of different)
surnames, with a view, in its
retrospective character,
to secure the services in the ancestral temple, and
in
its prospective character, to secure the continuance
of the family
line. Therefore the superior men,
(the ancient rulers), set a great value
upon it.
Hence, in regard to the various (introductory) cere-
monies, —
the proposal with its accompanying gift 2 ;
the inquiries about the (lady's)
name ; the intimation
of the approving divination 3 ; the receiving the
special offerings 4 ; and the request to fix the day 5 : —
these all
were received by the principal party (on the
lady's side), as he rested on
his mat or leaning-stool
in the ancestral temple. (When they arrived), he
met the messenger, and greeted him outside the
gate, giving place to him
as he entered, after which
they ascended to the hall. Thus were the instruc-
1 See the introductory notice, vol. xxvii, page 55.
2 This gift
was always a goose ; into the reasons for which it is
not necessary to
enter.
3 The gentleman's family had divined on the proposal.
4
These were various.
6 The lady's family fixed this. The first proposal
was made,
and perhaps those which followed also, by that important
functionary
in Chinese life, 'the go-between,' or a friend acting in that
capacity.
BK. XLI. HWAN I. 429
tions received in the
ancestral temple 1 , and in this
way was the ceremony respected, and watched
over,
while its importance was exhibited and care taken
that all its
details should be correct.
2. The father gave himself the special cup 2
to his
son, and ordered him to go and meet the bride ; it
being proper
that the male should take the first step
(in all the arrangements). The son,
having received
the order, proceeded to meet his bride. Her father,
who
had been resting on his mat and leaning-stool
in the temple, met him outside
the gate and received
him with a bow, and then the son-in-law entered,
carrying a wild goose. After the (customary) bows
and yieldings of
precedence, they went up to the hall,
when the bridegroom bowed twice and
put down the
wild goose. Then and in this way he received the
bride from
her parents.
After this they went down, and he went out and
took the
reins of the horses of her carriage, which
he drove for three revolutions of
the wheels, having
handed the strap to assist her in mounting. He
then
went before, and waited outside his gate. When
she arrived, he bowed to her
as she entered. They
ate together of the same animal, and joined in
sipping from the cups made of the same melon 3 ;
1 Thus a
religious sanction entered into the idea of marriage.
2 The same cup
that is mentioned in the last chapter, paragraph
3 ; the son received it and
gave no cup to the father in return.
This was its speciality. In the capping
ceremonies it was given
' in the guests' place ; ' in those of marriage, in
the son's chamber.
3 Once when I was permitted to witness this part of a
marriage
ceremony, the bridegroom raised his half of the melon, with the
spirit in it, to the bride's lips, and she raised her half to his. Each
sipped a little of the spirit.
43° TH E LI Kl. BK. XLI.
thus showing that they now formed one body, were
of equal rank, and
pledged to mutual affection.
3. The respect, the caution, the
importance, the
attention to secure correctness in all the details, and
then (the pledge of) mutual affection, — these were
the great points in
the ceremony, and served to
establish the distinction to be observed between
man
and woman, and the righteousness to be maintained
between husband
and wife. From the distinction
between man and woman came the righteousness
between husband and wife. From that righteous-
ness came the affection
between father and son ;
and from that affection, the rectitude between
ruler
and minister. Whence it is said, ' The ceremony
of marriage is the
root of the other ceremonial
observances.'
4. Ceremonies (might be
said to) commence with
the capping; to have their root in marriage ; to be
most
important in the rites of mourning and sacrifice ; to
confer the
greatest honour in audiences at the royal
court and in the interchange of
visits at the feudal
courts ; and to be most promotive of harmony in
the
country festivals and celebrations of archery.
These were the greatest
occasions of ceremony, and
the principal points in them.
5. Rising
early (the morning after marriage), the
young wife washed her head and
bathed her per-
son, and waited to be presented (to her husband's
parents), which was done by the directrix, as soon
as it was bright day.
She appeared before them,
bearing a basket with dates, chestnuts, and slices
of
dried spiced meat. The directrix set before her a
cup of sweet
liquor, and she offered in sacrifice some
of the dried meat and also of the
liquor, thus
BK. XLT.
HWAN I. 431
performing the ceremony which declared her their
son's wife
1 ,
6. The father and mother-in-law then entered
their apartment,
where she set before them a single
dressed pig, — thus showing the obedient
duty of
(their son's) wife \
7. Next day, the parents united in
entertaining
the young wife, and when the ceremonies of their
severally
pledging her in a single cup, and her
pledging them in return, had been
performed, they
descended by the steps on the west, and she by
those on
the east, — thus showing that she would
take the mother's place in the
family 1 .
8. Thus the ceremony establishing the young wife
in her
position; (followed by) that showing her
obedient service (of her husband's
parents) ; and
both succeeded by that showing how she now
occupied the
position of continuing the family line: —
all served to impress her with a
sense of the defer-
ential duty proper to her. When she was thus
deferential, she was obedient to her parents-in-law,
and harmonious with
all the occupants of the
women's apartments; she was the fitting partner
of her husband, and could carry on all the work in
silk and linen,
making cloth and silken fabrics, and
maintaining a watchful care over the
various stores
and depositories (of the household).
9. In this way
when the deferential obedience of
the wife was complete, the internal
harmony was
1 The details of the various usages briefly described in
these
paragraphs are to be found in the 4th Book of the 1 Li, the 2nd
of
those on the scholar's marriage ceremonies: paragraphs 1-10;
1 1-17 ; 18-20.
There were differences in the ceremonies according
to the rank of the
parties ; but all agreed in their general character.
432 THE LI
k1.
BK. XLI.
J
secured ; and
when the internal harmony was
secured, the long continuance of the family
could be
calculated on. Therefore the ancient kings attached
such
importance (to the marriage ceremonies).
10. Therefore, anciently, for
three months before
the marriage of a young lady, if the temple of the
high ancestor (of her surname) were still standing
(and she had
admission to it), she was taught in it,
as the public hall (of the members
of her surname); if
it were no longer standing (for her), she was taught
in the public hall of the Head of that branch of the
surname to which
she belonged ; — she was taught
there the virtue, the speech, the carriage,
and the
work of a wife. When the teaching was accom-
plished, she
offered a sacrifice (to the ancestor), using
fish for the victim, and soups
made of duckweed and
pondweed. So was she trained to the obedience of
a
wife 1 .
ii. Anciently, the queen of the son of Heaven
divided the
harem into six palace-halls, (occupied)
by the 3 ladies called fu-^an, the 9
pin, the 27 shih-
fu, and the 81 yu-k/ii. These were instructed in
the
domestic and private rule which should prevail
throughout the kingdom, and
how the deferential
obedience of the wife should be illustrated ; and
thus internal harmony was everywhere secured, and
families were
regulated. (In the same way) the son
of Heaven established six official
departments, in
1 There is supposed to be an allusion to this
custom in the Shih,
I, ii, 4, beginning,
' She gathers fast the
large duckweed,
From valley stream that southward flows;
And for the
pondweed to the pools
Left on the plains by floods she goes.'
BK. XLI.
hwan i. 433
which were
distributed the 3 kung, the 9 k/nng,
the 27 ta fu, and the 81 sze of the
highest grade.
These were instructed in all that concerned the
public
and external government of the kingdom, and
how the lessons for the man
should be illustrated ;
and thus harmony was secured in all external
affairs,
and the states were properly governed.
It is therefore
said, ' From the son of Heaven
there were learned the lessons for men ; and
from
the queen, the obedience proper to women.' The
son of Heaven
directed the course to be pursued by
the masculine energies, and the queen
regulated the
virtues to be cultivated by the feminine receptivities.
The son of Heaven guided in all that affected the
external
administration (of affairs) ; and the queen,
in all that concerned the
internal regulation (of the
family). The teachings (of the one) and the obe-
dience (inculcated by the other) perfected the
manners and ways (of the
people) ; abroad and at
home harmony and natural order prevailed ; the
states and the families were ruled according to
their requirements : —
this was what is called ' the
condition of complete virtue.'
12.
Therefore when the lessons for men are not
cultivated, the masculine
phenomena in nature do
not proceed regularly ; — as seen in the heavens, we
have the sun eclipsed. When the obedience proper
to women is not
cultivated, the feminine phenomena
in nature do not proceed regularly; — as
seen in the
heavens, we have the moon eclipsed. Hence on an
eclipse of
the sun, the son of Heaven put on plain
white robes, and proceeded to repair
what was
wrong in the duties of the six official departments,
purifying
everything that belonged to the masculine
[28] F f
434
THE L$ kL bk. xli.
sphere throughout the kingdom
; and on an eclipse
of the moon, the queen dressed herself in plain
white robes, and proceeded to repair what was
wrong in the duties of the
six palace-halls, purifying
everything that belonged to the feminine sphere
throughout the kingdom. The son of Heaven is to
the queen what the sun
is to the moon, or the
masculine energy of nature to the feminine. They
are necessary to each other, and by their interde-
pendence they fulfil
their functions.
13. The son of Heaven attends to the lessons for
men ; — that is the function of the father. The queen
attends to the
obedience proper to women ; — that is
the function of the mother. Therefore
it is said,
1 The son of Heaven and the queen are (to the
people) what
father and mother are.' Hence for
him who is the Heaven(-appointed) king
they wear
the sackcloth with the jagged edges, — as for a father;
and
for the queen they wear the sackcloth with the
even edges, — as for a
mother.
BOOK XLII. HSIANG YIN ATl) t
OR
THE MEANING OF THE DRINKING FESTIVITY IN
THE DISTRICTS 1 .
i. The meaning of the drinking in the country
districts may be thus
described : — The president on
the occasion bows to the (coming) guest as he
receives him outside the college gate. They enter
and thrice salute each
other till they come to the
steps. There each thrice yields the precedence
to
the other, and then they ascend. In this way they
carry to the utmost
their mutual demonstrations of
honour and humility. (The host) washes his
hands,
rinses the cup, and raises it, — to give the highest
idea of
purity. They bow on the guest's arrival ;
they bow as (the cup) is washed;
they bow when
the cup is received, and when it is presented (in
return)
; they bow when the drinking it is over : —
in this way carrying to the
utmost their mutual
respect.
2. Such giving of honour, such
humility, such
purity, and such respect belonged to the intercourse
of
superior men with others. When they gave
honour and showed humility, no
contentions arose.
When they maintained purity and respect, no in-
difference or rudeness arose. When there was no
rudeness or contention,
quarrels and disputations
were kept at a distance. When men did not quarrel
1 See the introductory notice, vol. xxvii, page 56.
F f 2
436 THE LI JCI. BK. XLII.
nor dispute, there came no
evils of violence or
disorder. It was thus that superior men escaped
suffering calamity from other men ; and therefore
the sages instituted
the observances in this ceremony
to secure such a result.
3. The
chief of the district with the accomplished
and virtuous men belonging to it
had the vessel of
liquor placed between the room (on the east), and
the
door (leading to the apartments on the west),
host and guests sharing it
between them. The
vessel contained the dark-coloured liquor (of pure
water) ; — showing the value they attached to its sim-
plicity. The
viands came forth from the room on
the east ; — being supplied by the host.
All washing
took place (in the courtyard) opposite the eastern
wing ; —
showing how the host purified himself and
made himself ready to serve the
guests.
4. The (principal) guest and the host represented
heaven and
earth ; the attendants of the guest and
host respectively represented the
forces inherent in
nature in their contracting and expanding operations;
the three (heads of the) guests (in their threefold
division)
represented the three (great) luminaries ;
the precedence thrice yielded (to
the guest) repre-
sented the three days when the moon is invisible till
it begins to reappear ; the seating of the parties
present (all round
or) on the four sides represented
the four seasons \
1 P. Gallery
says: — 'There were at this ceremony, 1. the chief
and his assistant; 2. the
principal guest who was supposed to
represent all the other guests, and who
also had his assistant ;
3. three guests who formed a second category ; 4.
finally, the
crowd of guests, a number not fixed, to whom no honour was paid
directly, since they were held to receive all the honours rendered to
BK. XLII. HSIANG YIN Kit f. 437
5. The snell and icy
wind (that blows between)
heaven and earth begins in the south-west and
is strongest in the north-west. This is the wind
that represents the
most commanding severity of
heaven and earth ; — the wind of their righteous
justice. The warm and genial wind (that blows
between) heaven and earth
begins in the north-east
and is strongest in the south-east. This is the
wind
that represents the abundant virtue of heaven and
earth ; — the
wind of their benevolence. The host,
wishing to do honour to his guest,
assigns him his
seat on the north-west, and that of his attendant on
the
south-west, that he may there (most conveniently)
assist him. The guest
(represents) the treatment of
others according to justice, and therefore his
seat is
the principal guest.' A7jan Hao quotes an opinion that the prin-
cipal guest was made to represent heaven, to do him the greater
honour ;
and the host to represent the earth, because he was the
entertainer and
nourisher; and that their assistants represented
the yin and yang, because
they assisted their principals as these
energies in nature assist heaven and
earth.
On ' the three Luminaries,' Callery says : — ' Ordinarily the
name
of " the three Luminaries " belongs to the sun, the moon, and the
stars, but par. 16 below does not allow us to take it so here.
The
commentators say that we are to understand the three most
brilliant
constellations in the firmament, which they call Hsin,
Fa, and ~Po-A/ia.n,
corresponding, I believe, in part to Orion,
Scorpio, and Argo or the Ship.'
So also A7?an Hao's authority.
Hsin is generally understood to be Scorpio
(Antares, c. 3584 and 3587); Fa to be v Orion; and Vo-k/ian
to be the
north polar star.
On the ' thrice-yielded precedence to
the guest,' Callery says : —
' The comparison is far-fetched ; it is
intended to say that as the
moon would not receive light if the sun did not
accord it, so the
guest would not receive such honours if the host did not
render
them.' So the commentators certainly try to explain it.
438 THE Li Kl.
BK. XLII.
on the
north-west ; the host (represents) the treat-
ment of others according to
benevolence and a genial
kindness, and therefore his seat is on the south-
east, and his attendant is seated on the north-east,
that he may there
(most conveniently) assist him *.
6. That intercourse according to
benevolence and
righteousness being: established, so as to show the
respective duties of host and guest, and the number
of stands and dishes
being properly fixed ; — all this
must be the result of sage intelligence.
That
intelligence established the arrangements, and each
one being
carried through with respect, it became
a ceremonial usage. That usage
proceeding to mark
and embody the distinction between old and young,
it
became a virtue. Virtue is that which is the
characteristic of the person.
Therefore we have
the saying, ' In the learning of antiquity, the
methods by which they pursued the course adopted
were intended to put
men in possession of their
proper virtue.' On this account the sages
employed
their powers (on its lessons) 2 .
1 P. Callery
observes on this paragraph : — ' The meteorological
observations on which
these statements rest must have been made
very long ago in the interior of
the country, there where the winds
come under the influence of the icy
plains of Tartary and the high
mountains which separate China from Thibet ;
for on the sea-
coasts of China, exactly the contrary has place. During the
winter
the north-east monsoon prevails, varying sometimes to the north
and sometimes to the east, rarely to the north-west ; while during
the
heats of summer the wind blows from the south-west, bending
a little towards
the south or towards the east, according as the
monsoon is in the period of
its increase or decline. It is generally
in the course of this monsoon that
there takes place the terrible
storms known by the name of typhoons.'
2 The K/iien-\\mg editors do their best to elucidate this
BK. XLIT. HSIANG YIN Kit f. 439
7. When (the
guest) offers in sacrifice some of the
things that have been set before him,
and some
of the liquor, he showed how he respected (the host)
for his
courtesy ; when he proceeded to take some
of the lungs in his teeth, he
thereby tasted (the
host's) courtesy ; when he then sipped some of the
liquor, that was his last step in acknowledgment
thereof. This last act
was done at the end of his
mat, showing that the mat was spread straight
before him, not only for the purpose of eating and
drinking, but also
for the performance of the
(proper) rites. In this was shown how it was the
ceremony that was valued, while the wealth was
made little account of.
Finally, when the host filled
their cups from the horn, they drained them at
the
top of the western steps ; — showing how the mat
was set not
(merely) for the purpose of eating and
drinking, and how the idea was that
of giving to the
ceremony the first place, and to wealth the last.
But
when the ceremony has the first place, and
wealth the last, the people
become respectful and
yielding, and are not contentious with one another.
8. At the ceremony of drinking in the country
districts, those who
were sixty years old sat, and
those who were (only fifty) stood, and were in
waiting to receive any orders and perform any
services ; — thus
illustrating the honour which should
be paid to elders.
Before those
who were sixty, three dishes were
placed ; before those of seventy, four ;
before those
of eighty, five; before those of ninety, six: —
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