釋鑑稽古略續集 2.30

2.30

鐵券　其形如瓦。面刻誥文。背鐫免罪減死之數。字嵌之金。高廣有差第為七等。刻而為二。一頒功臣。一藏內府。有故則取合之為信。帝宴功臣罷有云。明者當燭於未形。昧者猶蔽於已著。事未形猶可圖也。患已著則無極矣　人處富貴。欲不可縱。欲縱則奢情不可佚。情佚則淫奢。淫之至憂危乘之。今與卿等恐久而忘。故戒勉之。

Iron tallies: their shape was like roof tiles; on the front were carved the patent inscriptions, and on the back were inscribed the amounts of crimes pardoned and death penalties remitted, with characters inlaid in gold. Their height and width varied, graded into seven ranks. They were cast in two halves: one was awarded to the meritorious official, and one was stored in the imperial palace; when an occasion arose, they were retrieved and fitted together as a token of trust. When the Emperor's banquet for the meritorious officials concluded, he said: "The perceptive must shine light on things before they take shape; the benighted are still blind even after things have become manifest. When an affair has not yet taken shape, it can still be planned for; once a calamity has become manifest, it is without remedy. When people reside in wealth and honor, their desires must not be indulged: if desires are indulged, there will be extravagance; their passions must not be let loose: if passions are let loose, there will be licentiousness. When extravagance and licentiousness reach their peak, sorrow and peril take advantage of them. Now I fear that as time goes by, you gentlemen will forget this, and therefore I admonish and urge you."