t up. His
brother, Seang, said, 'Of this scheme to cover up the city-farming
gentleman the merit is all mine. Let my parents have his oxen and
sheep; let them have his granaries and store-houses. His shield and
spear shall be mine; his lute shall be mine; his carved bow shall be
mine; and I will make his two wives attend for me to my bed.' Seang
then went away and entered Shun's house, and there was Shun upon a
couch with his lute. Seang said, 'I am come simply because I was
thinking anxiously about you,' and at the same time he looked ashamed.
Shun said to him, 'There are all my officers; do you take the
management of them for me.' I do not know whether Shun was ignorant of
Seang's wishing to kill him." Mencius replied, "How could he be
ignorant of it? But when Seang was sorrowful, he was also sorrowful,
and when Seang was joyful, he was also joyful."

Wan Chang continued, "Then was Shun one who rejoiced hypocritically?"
"No," was the reply. "Formerly some one sent a present of a live fish
to Tsze-ch[']an of Ch[']ing. Tsze-ch[']an ordered his pond-keeper to
feed it in the pond; but the man cooked it and reported the execution
of his commission, saying, 'When I first let it go, it looked
embarrassed. In a little while it seemed to be somewhat at ease, and
then it swam away as if delighted.' 'It had got into its element!'
said Tsze-ch[']an. The pond-keeper went out and said, 'Who calls
Tsze-ch[']an wise? When I had cooked and eaten the fish, he said, "It
has got into its element! It has got into its element!"' "Thus a
superior man may be imposed on by what seems to be as it ought to be,
but it is difficult to entrap him by what is contrary to right
principle. Seang came in the way in which the love of his elder
brother would have made him come, and therefore Shun truly believed
him, and rejoiced at it. What hypocrisy was there?"

Wan Chang said, "Seang made it his daily business to kill Shun; why
was it that, when the latter was raised to be the son of Heaven, he
only banished him?" Mencius replied, "He invested him with a State,
and some have said that it was banishing him." When Chang said, "Shun
banished the Superintendent of Works to Yew-chow, sent away Hwan-tow
to Mount Ts[']ung, slew the Prince of San Meaou in San-wei, and
imprisoned K[']wan on Mount Yu. When those four criminals were thus
dealt with, all under heaven submitted to him; it was a cutting off of
men who were destitute of benevolence. But Seang was o