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【Gongsun Chou, Part B】\n\nMencius said, "Opportunities of time vouchsafed by Heaven are not equal to advantages of situation afforded by the Earth, and advantages of situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from the accord of Men. There is a city, with an inner wall of three li in circumference, and an outer wall of seven. The enemy surround and attack it, but they are not able to take it. Now, to surround and attack it, there must have been vouchsafed to them by Heaven the opportunity of time, and in such case their not taking it is because opportunities of time vouchsafed by Heaven are not equal to advantages of situation afforded by the Earth. There is a city, whose walls are distinguished for their height, and whose moats are distinguished for their depth, where the arms of its defenders, offensive and defensive, are distinguished for their strength and sharpness, and the stores of rice and other grain are very large. Yet it is obliged to be given up and abandoned. This is because advantages of situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from the accord of Men. In accordance with these principles it is said, 'A people is bounded in, not by the limits of dykes and borders; a kingdom is secured, not by the strengths of mountains and rivers; the empire is overawed, not by the sharpness and strength of arms.' He who finds the proper course has many to assist him. He who loses the proper course has few to assist him. When this, the being assisted by few, reaches its extreme point, his own relations revolt from the prince. When the being assisted by many reaches its highest point, the whole empire becomes obedient to the prince. When one to whom the whole empire is prepared to be obedient, attacks those from whom their own relations revolt, what must be the result? Therefore, the true ruler will prefer not to fight; but if he do fight, he must overcome."\nMencius was about to go to court to see the king, when the king sent a person to him with this message, "I was wishing to come and see you. But I have got a cold, and may not expose myself to the wind. In the morning I will hold my court. I do not know whether you will give me the opportunity of seeing you then."\nMencius replied, "Unfortunately, I am unwell, and not able to go to the court."\nNext day, he went out to pay a visit of condolence to some one of the Dongguo family, when Gongsun Chou said to him, "Yesterday, you declined going to the court on the ground of being unwell, and today you are going to pay a visit of condolence. May this not be regarded as improper?"\n"Yesterday," said Mencius, "I was unwell; today, I am better. Why should I not pay this visit?"\nIn the meantime, the king sent a messenger to inquire about his sickness, and also a physician. Meng Zhongzi replied to them, "Yesterday, when the king's order came, he was feeling a little unwell, and could not go to the court. Today he was a little better, and hastened to go to court. I do not know whether he can have reached it by this time or not."\nHaving said this, he sent several men to look for Mencius on the way, and say to him, "I beg that, before you return home, you will go to the court."\nMencius felt himself compelled to go to Jing Chou's, and there stop the night. Mr. Jing said to him, "In the family, there is the relation of father and son; abroad, there is the relation of prince and minister. These are the two great relations among men. Between father and son the ruling principle is kindness. Between prince and minister the ruling principle is respect. I have seen the respect of the king to you, Sir, but I have not seen in what way you show respect to him."\nMencius replied, "Oh! what words are these? Among the people of Qi there is no one who speaks to the king about benevolence and righteousness. Are they thus silent because they do not think that benevolence and righteousness are admirable? No, but in their hearts they say, 'This man is not fit to be spoken with about benevolence and righteousness.' Thus they manifest a disrespect than which there can be none greater. I do not dare to set forth before the king any but the ways of Yao and Shun. There is therefore no man of Qi who respects the king so much as I do."\nMr. Jing said, "No. That was not what I meant. In the Book of Rites it is said, 'When a father calls, the answer must be without a moment's hesitation. When the prince's order calls, the carriage must not be waited for.' You were certainly going to the court. When you heard the king's order, then you did not carry your purpose out. This does seem as if it were not in accordance with that rule of propriety."\nMencius answered him, "How can you give that meaning to my conduct? The philosopher Zeng said, 'The wealth of Jin and Chu cannot be equalled. Let their rulers have their wealth; I have my benevolence. Let them have their nobility; I have my righteousness. Wherein should I be dissatisfied as inferior to them?' Now shall we say that these sentiments are not right? Seeing that the philosopher Zeng spoke them, there is in them, I apprehend, a real principle. In the empire there are three things universally acknowledged to be honorable. Nobility is one of them; age is one of them; virtue is one of them. In courts, nobility holds the first place of the three; in villages, age holds the first place; and for giving one's self the right to influence others, and governing the people, the two other things are not equal to virtue. How can the possession of only one of these be presumed on to despise one who possesses the other two? Therefore a prince who is to accomplish great deeds will certainly have ministers whom he does not call to go to him. When he wishes to consult with them, he goes to them. The prince who does not honor the virtuous, and delight in their ways of doing, to this extent, is not worth having to do with. Accordingly, there was the behavior of Tang to Yi Yin: he first learned of him, and then employed him as his minister; and so without difficulty he became sovereign. There was the behavior of Duke Huan to Guan Zhong: he first learned of him, and then employed him as his minister; and so without difficulty he became chief of all the princes. Now throughout the empire, the territories of the princes are of equal extent, and in their achievements they are on a level. Not one of them is able to exceed the others. This is from no other reason, but that they love to make ministers of those whom they teach, and do not love to make ministers of those by whom they might be taught. So did Tang behave to Yi Yin, and the duke Huan to Guan Zhong, that they would not venture to call them to go to them. If Guan Zhong might not be called to him by his prince, how much less may he be called, who would not play the part of Guan Zhong!"\nChen Zhen asked Mencius, saying, "Formerly, when you were in Qi, the king sent you a present of 2,000 taels of fine silver, and you refused to accept it. When you were in Song, they sent you 1,680 taels, which you accepted; and when you were in Xue, they sent you 1,200 taels, which you likewise accepted. If your declining to accept the gift in the first case was right, your accepting them in the latter cases was wrong. If your accepting them in the latter cases was right, your declining to do so in the first case was wrong. You must accept, Master, one of these alternatives."\nMencius said, "I did right in all the cases. When I was in Song, I was about to take a long journey. Travelers must be provided with what is necessary for their expenses. The prince's message was, 'A present against traveling expenses.' Why should I have declined the gift? When I was in Xue, I was apprehensive for my safety, and taking measures for my protection. The message was, 'I have heard that you are taking measures to protect yourself, and send this to help you in procuring arms.' Why should I have declined the gift? But when I was in Qi, I had no occasion for money. To send a man a gift when he has no occasion for it, is to bribe him. How is it possible that a superior man should be taken with a bribe?"\nMencius having gone to Pinglu, addressed the governor of it, saying, "If one of your spearmen should lose his place in the ranks three times in one day, would you, Sir, put him to death or not?" "I would not wait for three times to do so," was the reply.\n……