Annotations to Canon I:—
High authority is the pool of the lord of men. Ministers
are the fish swimming in high authority. Just as the fish
once lost outside the pool cannot be recovered, so can the
high authority of the lord of men once lost to the ministers
not be recovered. The ancient[15]
found it difficult to say
explicitly, and therefore used the metaphor of the fish
swimming in the pool. Now, reward and punishment are
sharp weapons. By handling them the ruler controls ministers.
By appropriating them ministers delude the sovereign.
Therefore, if the ruler let ministers see any reward before he
bestows it upon anybody, ministers would sell it as a personal
favour; if the ruler let ministers see any punishment before
he inflicts it upon anybody, ministers would use it as a personal
threat. Hence the saying: "The weapons of the state should
not be shown to anybody."
The Lord of Ching-kuo, Premier of Ch`i, once talked
with an old acquaintance in an evening,[16]
whereupon the old
acquaintance became wealthy. Another time he gave[17]
one
of his attendants a hairbrush, wherefore the attendant gained
prestige. Indeed, having an evening's talk and making a
present[18]
of a hairbrush constitute very little resources.
Nevertheless, they are sufficient to enrich men. How much
more can authority and position left in the hands of officials
do?
At the time of Duke Li of Chin, the Six Nobles were very
powerful. Therefore, Hsü T`ong and Ch`ang Yü-ch`iao
remonstrated with him, saying: "When chief vassals are
powerful and influential, they rival the sovereign, cause
disputes in state affairs, and, by accepting bribes from foreign
powers, forming cliques at home, and violating the law of the
state, intimidate the sovereign, wherefore the state is always
endangered." "Right," said the Duke, and accordingly,
wiped out three Nobles. Again, Hsü T`ong and Ch`ang
Yü-chiao remonstrated with him, saying: "Indeed, to
punish certain and not all of the men guilty of the same crime
is to make the survivors resent and watch for a chance." In
response the Duke said: "In one morning I exterminated
three of the Six Nobles. I cannot bear exterminating all of
them." "Your Highness cannot bear exterminating them,
but they will bear causing Your Highness harm,"' said Ch`ang
Yü-ch`iao. To this the Duke would not listen. In the course
of three months, the remaining Nobles started a rebellion, and
finally killed Duke Li and partitioned his territory.
Chou Hou, Premier of Ching, was influential and dictated
to all state affairs. Suspecting him, the King of Ching asked
the attendants about his rampancy. In reply all of them said
"Nothing!" as though the reply came out from one mouth.
A man of Yen was easily bewildered and therefore would
bathe in dogs' dung. The wife of the man of Yen was intimate
with a bachelor. Once, when her husband came home early
from outside, the fellow happened to be going out from the
home. "Who is the visitor"? asked the husband. "No
visitor at all," replied the wife, Then he asked the servants,
who all said "None!" as though the reply came from one
mouth. "You certainly became insane." So saying, his wife
bathed him in dogs' dung.
According to a different source: A man of Yen, named
Li Chi, would go far away. His wife was intimate with a
bachelor. One day he suddenly came home while the fellow
was in. Over this his wife worried, so her woman servant
said to her: "Let the young gentleman go naked and with
his hairs dispersed rush straight out through the door. Then
all of us will pretend to have been nothing." Thereupon the
young fellow followed the plan and ran out fast through the
door. "Who is that man?" asked Chi. "Nobody," replied
everyone in the house. "Have I seen a ghost?" "Certainly."
"What shall I do then?" "Get the dung of the five
animals
[19]
and bathe in it." "All right," said Chi. So he bathed
in the dung. According to another different source he
bathed in hot orchid water.
