鐔津文集 5.16

5.16

公道者導眾也。私道者自蹈也。公私者殊出而共趨也。所謂共趨者趨乎義也。公不以義裁（裁或作材）則無以同天下。私不以義處則無以保厥躬。義也者二道之闤闠也。公私之所以翕張也。是故君子言乎公則專乎公道也。言乎私則全乎私道也。不叛公而資私。不效私而亂公。故率人而人從。守己而己得。詩曰。豈不懷歸。王事靡監。我心傷悲。蓋言其得公道也。王事靡監不能蓻稷黍。蓋言其失私道也。彼君子兮不素飡兮。蓋言其不以私而冐公也。雨我公田遂及我私。蓋言其不以公而忘私也。方周衰而私道強也。其諸侯也專征。其大夫也專政。厥禮樂祭祀也顛倒不倫。二百餘年厖戎大亂而不沮。春秋作故正之公道。逮乎秦氏振試商君之法而公道復強也。天下困其賦。百姓斃其刑。秦不改世尋亦亡矣。然公道不必強也。私道不必弱也。正而已矣。王制十一之賦。井田則八家九百畝。澤梁不禁關譏不征罪人不孥。老吾老以及人之老。幼吾幼以及人之幼。此乃公私之鈞也。夫公私也者。存乎大也。則國家朝廷之謂公也。百姓編戶之謂私也。存乎小也。眾人之謂公也。一身之謂私也。苟得義焉。雖其小者亦可尊也。苟不義焉雖其大者亦可卑也。漢之孝文以千金而罷露臺。可謂䘏私也。以一弄臣而沮法。可謂妨公也。唐之太宗方議太子投力而曰。拜之爾舅與爾。可謂蔽公而耀私也。藺相如之不校廉頗。可謂尊公而卑私也。管夷吾之三歸反坫。可謂尊私而卑公也。舅犯可謂始公也。荀息可謂終公也。王莾可謂蔑公也。蔑私也。眺錯請削。可謂苟公也。平津示儉。可謂苟私也。霍光以其寶不討賊。可謂不純公也。公儀休祛其葵織。可謂純公也。曾子寇去而反武城。可謂不苟公也。子路結纓而死。可謂不苟私也。顏真卿以害其死。可謂不用私而屈公也。東夏綺角四生者。可謂以公而屈私也。黔婁嚴君平。可謂安其私也。魯連段干木。可謂不以公而渝其私也。嗚呼公乎私乎。大也小也。其在物也。豈不昭昭乎。豈自昧而欺其中乎。

The public way guides the multitude; the private way directs oneself. The public and the private have different origins but converge on a common destination. That common destination is righteousness. If the public is not regulated by righteousness, there is no way to unite the empire; if the private is not situated in righteousness, there is no way to preserve one's own person. Righteousness is the marketplace between the two ways, the pivot by which the public and private open and close. For this reason, when the gentleman speaks of the public, he is devoted solely to the public way; when he speaks of the private, he preserves the private way intact. He does not betray the public to benefit the private, nor does he imitate the private to disrupt the public. Therefore, when he leads others, others follow; when he guards himself, he attains his own integrity. The Book of Odes says: 'How could I not yearn to return? But the king's business allows no leisure, and my heart is sorrowful.' This speaks of having attained the public way. 'The king's business allows no leisure, and we cannot plant our millet and sorghum.' This speaks of having lost the private way. 'That gentleman does not eat the bread of idleness.' This speaks of not using the private to usurp the public. 'May it rain upon our public fields, and then reach our private fields.' This speaks of not using the public to forget the private. When the Zhou dynasty declined, the private way grew dominant. The feudal lords launched military campaigns on their own authority, and the grandees usurped political power. Ritual, music, and sacrificial rites were inverted and disorderly; for more than two hundred years, great chaos raged among barbarian and Chinese alike without being curbed. The Spring and Autumn Annals was composed, and it rectified this through the public way. Down to the Qin dynasty, when the laws of Lord Shang were vigorously applied, the public way became dominant again. The empire was exhausted by its taxes, and the common people perished under its punishments; before Qin could pass to another generation, it soon collapsed. Thus, the public way need not be forcefully dominant, nor need the private way be weak; they must simply be correct. Under the royal regulations, the tax was one-tenth; under the well-field system, eight families farmed nine hundred mou. Fish-traps and weirs were not prohibited, border inspections collected no tolls, and penalties did not extend to wives and children. One treated one's own elders as elders and extended this to the elders of others; one treated one's own young as young and extended this to the young of others. This is the balance between public and private. As for the public and the private: on a large scale, the state and the imperial court are called the public, while the registered households of commoners are called the private; on a small scale, the multitude is called the public, while one's individual person is called the private. If it accords with righteousness, even what is small can be honored; if it does not accord with righteousness, even what is large can be despised. Emperor Wen of the Han abandoned the construction of the Dew Terrace on account of a thousand pieces of gold; this may be called showing compassion for the private. Yet in shielding a single court jester he obstructed the law; this may be called impeding the public. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang was discussing the crown prince and playfully threw his strength into it, saying: 'Bow to him, for he is your uncle and yours'; this may be called obscuring the public to flaunt the private. Lin Xiangru's refusal to dispute with Lian Po may be called honoring the public and subordinating the private. Guan Yiwu's having three family estates and a cup-stand may be called honoring the private and subordinating the public. Uncle Fan may be called one who was public-spirited at first; Xun Xi may be called one who was public-spirited to the end. Wang Mang may be called one who extinguished both the public and the private. Chao Cuo's requesting the reduction of fiefs may be called seeking expedient public interest. The Marquis of Pingjin's display of frugality may be called seeking expedient private interest. Huo Guang's failing to punish the treasonous because of his own treasure may be called not being purely public-spirited. Gongyi Xiu's removing the mallow and burning his loom may be called being purely public-spirited. Zengzi's returning to Wucheng once the invaders had departed may be called not acting opportunistically with the public. Zilu's tying his cap strings as he died may be called not acting opportunistically with the private. Yan Zhenqing's going to his death because of his nemesis may be called not using the private but compromising the public. The Four Elders of the Eastern Xia may be called those who bent the private for the sake of the public. Qianlou and Yan Junping may be called those who were content in their privacy. Lu Lian and Duan Ganmu may be called those who did not alter their private integrity for the sake of the public. Alas! Public or private, large or small, in their relation to affairs, are they not clearly manifest? How could one blind oneself and deceive one's inner heart?