1 The duke of Kau spoke to the following effect:—'Prince Shih, God, unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin. Yin has lost its appointment (to the throne), which our House of Kau has received. I do not dare, however, to say, as if I knew it, "The foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity. If God aid sincerity,—." Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew it, "The end will issue in our misfortunes." Oh! you have said, O prince, "It depends on ourselves." I also do not dare to rest in the favour of God, not forecasting at a distance the terrors of God in the present time, when there is no murmuring or disobedience among the people;—(the issue) is with men. Should our present successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence (God) above and (the people) below, and so bring to an end the glory of his predecessors, could we in (the retirement of) our families be ignorant of it? The favour of God is not easily preserved; it is difficult to depend on. Men lose His favouring appointment, because they cannot pursue and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers. Now I, Tan, the little child, am not able to make (the king) correct. I would simply conduct him to the glory of his fathers, and make him, who is my young charge, partaker of that.' He also said, 'We are not to presume on God. Our course is only to seek the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, that God may not find occasion to remove His favouring decree which king Wan received.'

2 The duke said, 'Prince Shih, I have heard that aforetime, when Thang the Successful had received the appointment (to the throne), he had with him I Yin, making (his virtue) great as the heavens; that Thai Kia had (the same I Yin), the Pao-hang; that Thai-wu had I Chih and Kan Hu, through whom (his virtue) reached God, and Wu Hsien who regulated the royal House; that Tsu-yi had Wu Hsien's son; and that Wu-ting had Kan Phan. (These ministers) carried out (their principles), and displayed (their merit), preserving and regulating the dynasty of Yin, so that, while its ceremonies lasted, (those sovereigns), when deceased, were remembered with honour, and its duration extended over many years. God thus determinately maintained His favouring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various heads of great surnames and members of the royal House, holding employments, all held fast their virtue, and showed an anxious solicitude (for the kingdom). The smaller ministers, and the guardian princes in the Hau and Tien domains, hurried about on their services. Thus did they all exert their virtue and aid their sovereign, so that whatever affairs he, the One man, had in hand, throughout the land, an entire faith was reposed in their justice as in a sure sign.'

The duke said, 'Prince Shih, God gives length of days to the just and the intelligent; (it was thus that those ministers) maintained and regulated the dynasty of Yin. He who came last to the throne granted by God was extinguished by His terrors. Do you think of the distant future, and we shall have the decree (in favour of Kau) made sure, and its good government will be brilliantly exhibited in our newly-founded state.'

3 The duke said, 'Prince Shih, aforetime when God was inflicting calamity (on Yin), He encouraged anew the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, till at last the great favouring decree was concentrated in his person. (But) that king Wan was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great kingdom which we came to possess, was owing to his having (such ministers) as his brother of Kwo, Hung Yao, San I-shang, Thai Tien, and Nan-kung Kwo.'

He said further, 'But for the ability of those men to go and come in his affairs, developing his constant lessons, there would have been no benefits descending from king Wan on the people. And it also was from the determinate favour of God that there were these men of firm virtue, and acting according to their knowledge of the dread majesty of God, to give themselves to enlighten king Wan, and lead him forward to his high distinction and universal rule, till his fame reached the ears of God, and he received the appointment that had been Yin's. There were still four of those men who led on king Wu to the possession of the revenues of the kingdom, and afterwards, along with him, in great reverence of the majesty of God, slew all his enemies. These four men, moreover, made king Wu so illustrious that his glory overspread the kingdom, and (the people) universally and greatly proclaimed his virtue. Now with me Tan, the little child, it is as if I were floating on a great stream;—with you, O Shih, let me from this time endeavour to cross it. Our young sovereign is (powerless), as if he had not yet ascended the throne. You must by no means lay the whole burden on me; and if you draw yourself up without an effort to supply my deficiencies, no good will flow to the people from our age and experience. We shall not hear the voices of the phoenixes, and how much less can it be thought that we shall be able to make (the king's virtue) great!'

The duke said, 'Oh! consider well these things, O prince. We have received the appointment to which belongs an unlimited amount of blessing, but having great difficulties attached to it. What I announce to you are counsels of a generous largeness.—I cannot allow the successor of our kings to go astray.'

4 The duke said, 'The former king laid bare his heart, and gave full charge to you, constituting you one of the guides and patterns for the people, saying, "Do you with intelligence and energy second and help the king; do you with sincerity support and convey forward the great decree. Think of the virtue of king Wan, and enter greatly into his boundless anxieties."'

The duke said, 'What I tell you, O prince, are my sincere thoughts. O Shih, the Grand-Protector, if you can but reverently survey with me the decay and great disorders of Yin, and thence consider the dread majesty of God (which warns) us!—Am I not to be believed that I must reiterate my words? I simply say, "The establishment (of our dynasty) rests with us two." Do you agree with me? Then you (also) will say, "It rests with us two." And the favour of God has come to us so largely:—it should be ours to feel as if we could not sufficiently respond to it. If you can but reverently cultivate your virtue (now), and bring to light our men of eminent ability, then when you resign (your position) to some successor in a time of established security, (I will interpose no objection.)

'Oh! it is by the earnest service of us two that we have come to the prosperity of the present day. We must both go on, abjuring all idleness, to complete the work of king Wan, till it has grandly overspread the kingdom, and from the corners of the sea, and the sunrising, there shall not be one who is disobedient to the rule (of Kau).'

The duke said, 'O prince, have I not spoken in accordance with reason in these many declarations? I am only influenced by anxiety about (the appointment of) God, and about the people.'

The duke said, 'Oh! you know, O prince, the ways of the people, how at the beginning they can be (all we could desire); but it is the end (that is to be thought of). Act in careful accordance with this fact. Go and reverently exercise the duties of your office.'