1 The king speaks to the following effect:—'Do you clearly make known my great commands in the country of Mei?

'When your reverent father, the king Wan, laid the foundations of our kingdom in the western region, he delivered announcements and cautions to (the princes of) the various regions, and to all his (high) officers, with their assistants, and the managers of affairs, saying, morning and evening, "Let no intoxicating drink be used." When God was sending down His favouring decree, and laying the foundations of (the eminence of) our people, (men abstained from drink). When God sends down His terrors, and our people are thereby greatly disorganized and lose their virtue, this may be traced invariably to their indulgence in drink; yea, the ruin of states, small and great, (by these terrors), has been caused invariably by their guilt in the use of drink.

'King Wan admonished and instructed the young nobles, who were charged with office or in any employment, that they should not use intoxicating drink; and throughout all the states, he required that virtue should preside, so that there might be no drunkenness.'

He said, 'Let my people teach their young men that they are to love only the productions of the soil, for so will their hearts be good. Let the young also hearken wisely to the constant instructions of their fathers; and let them look at all virtuous actions, whether great or small, in the same light (with watchful heed).

'(Ye people of) the land of Mei, if you can employ your limbs, largely cultivating your millets, and hastening about in the service of your fathers and elders; and if, with your carts and oxen, you traffic diligently to a distance, that you may thereby filially minister to your parents; then, when your parents are happy, you may set forth good food, clear and wholesome, and share it with them.

'Hearken constantly to my instructions, all ye my (high) officers and ye heads of departments, all ye, my noble chiefs;—when ye have largely done your duty in ministering to your aged, and serving your ruler, ye may eat and drink freely and to satiety. And to speak of greater things:—when you can maintain a constant, watchful examination of yourselves, and your conduct is in accordance with correct virtue, then may you present the offerings made for God's sake, and at the same time indulge yourselves in thankful festivity. In such case you will indeed be ministers doing right service to your king, and God likewise will approve your great virtue, so that you shall never be forgotten in the royal House.'

2 The king says, 'O Fang, in our western region, the princes of states, and the young (nobles), sons of the managers of affairs, who in former days assisted king Wan, were all able to obey his lessons, and abstain from excess; and so it is that I have now received the appointment which belonged to Yin.'

The king says, 'O Fang, I have heard it said, that formerly the first wise king of Yin manifested a reverential awe of the bright principles of God and of the lower people, acting accordingly, steadfast in his virtue, and holding fast his wisdom. From him, Thang the Successful, down to Ti-yi, all completed their royal virtue and revered their chief ministers, so that their managers of affairs respectfully discharged their helping duties, and dared not to allow themselves in idleness and pleasure;—how much less would they dare to indulge themselves in drinking! Moreover, in the exterior domains, (the princes of) the Hau, Tien, Nan, and Wei (states), with their presiding chiefs; and in the interior domain, all the various officers, the directors of the several departments, the inferior officers and employés, the heads of great houses, and the men of distinguished name living in retirement, all eschewed indulgence in drink. Not only did they not dare to indulge in it, but they had not leisure to do so, being occupied with helping to complete the sovereign's virtue and make it more illustrious, and helping the directors of affairs reverently to attend to his service.

'I have heard it said likewise, that the last successor of those kings was addicted to drink, so that no charges came from him brightly before the people, and he was (as if) reverently and unchangingly bent on doing and cherishing what provoked resentment. Greatly abandoned to extraordinary lewdness and dissipation, for pleasure's sake he sacrificed all his majesty. The people were all sorely grieved and wounded in heart; but he gave himself wildly up to drink, not thinking of restraining himself, but continuing his excess, till his mind was frenzied, and he had no fear of death. His crimes (accumulated) in the capital of Shang; and though the extinction of the dynasty (was imminent), this gave him no concern, and he wrought not that any offerings of fragrant virtue might ascend to God. The rank odour of the people's resentments, and the drunkenness of his herd of creatures, went loudly up on high, so that God sent down ruin on Yin, and showed no love for it,—because of such excesses. There is not any cruel oppression of God; people themselves accelerate their guilt, (and its punishment.)'

The king says, 'O Fang, I make you this long announcement, not (for the pleasure of doing so); but the ancients have said, "Let not men look into water; let them look into the glass of other people." Now that Yin has lost its appointment, ought we not to look much to it as our glass, (and learn) how to secure the repose of our time? I say to you,—Strenuously warn the worthy ministers of Yin, and (the princes) in the Hau, the Tien, the Nan, and the Wei domains; and still more your friends, the great Recorder and the Recorder of the Interior, and all your worthy ministers, the heads of great Houses; and still more those whom you serve, with whom you calmly discuss matters, and who carry out your measures; and still more those who are, as it were, your mates,—your Minister of War who deals with the rebellious, your Minister of Instruction who is like a protector to the people, and your Minister of Works who settles the boundaries; and above all, do you strictly keep yourself from drink.

'If you are informed that there are companies that drink together, do not fail to apprehend them all, and send them here to Kau, where I may have them judged. As to the ministers and officers of Yin who were led to it and became addicted to drink, it is not necessary to deal with them severely (at once);—let them be taught for a time. If they follow these (lessons of mine), I will give them bright distinction. If they disregard my lessons, then I, the One man, will show them no pity. As they cannot change their way, they shall be classed with those who are to be dealt with by the law.'

The king says, 'O Fang, give constant heed to my admonitions. If you do not rightly manage the officers, the people will continue lost in drunkenness.'