鐔津文集 7.35

7.35

章君表民以官來錢唐居未幾。出歐陽永叔蔡君謨尹師魯文示予學者且曰。今四方之士以古文進于京師。嶄然出頭角。爭與三君子相高下者不可勝數。視其文仁義之言炳如也。予前相與表民賀曰。本朝用文已來。孰有如今日之盛者也。此聖君之德而天下之幸也。退且思之原古文之作也。所以發仁義而辨政教也。堯舜文武其仁義至其政教正。孔子以其文奮而揚之。後世得其法焉。故為君臣者有禮。為國家者不亂。方周道衰諸侯強暴相欺上下失理。孔子無位於時不得行事。故以之用褒貶正賞罰。故後世雖有姦臣賊子懼而不敢輒作。及戰國時。合從連衡之說以傾天下。獨孟軻荀況以文持仁義而辨政教。當時雖不甚振。而學者仰而知有所趨。漢興賈誼董仲舒司馬遷楊雄輩以其文倡之。而天下和者響應。故漢德所以大而其世所以久也。隋世王通亦以其文繼孔子之作。唐興太宗取其徒發而試之。故唐有天下大治。而韓愈柳宗元復以其文從而廣之。故聖人之道益尊。今諸儒爭以其文奮。則我宋祖宗之盛德鴻業益揚。天子之仁義益著。朝廷之政教益辨。然而卿士大夫內觀其文知所以修仁義。而奉上正政教而涖百姓萬邦。百姓外觀其文知所以懷仁義。而附國家聽教令。而罔敢不從。四夷八蠻觀其文以信我祖宗之德業。知可大而可久也。使其望而畏之。曰宋多君子。用其文以行古道。中國之禮樂將大修理。不可不服也。易曰。文明以正人文也。又曰。觀乎人文以化成天下彼戎狄叛命兇慝之邊鄙。今朝廷當行征伐以誅其不廷。而文之興也。郁郁乎如此。是亦止亂不專在於威武明文德而懷之也。君子觀之謂其化成天下也。宜與堯舜文武較其道德也哉。夫社稷之靈長久曆數之無窮。雖漢唐之盛美而奚足以比並。

Lord Zhang Biaomin came as an official to Qiantang. Before he had resided there long, he brought out the writings of Ouyang Yongshu, Cai Junmo, and Yin Shilu to show them to my students and me, saying: “Nowadays, scholars from the four quarters enter the capital with ancient-style prose. Those who stand out with distinctive excellence, competing to match these three gentlemen, are beyond count. Viewing their prose, the words of benevolence and righteousness shine brightly.”

I stepped forward and together with Biaomin congratulated him, saying: “Since our dynasty began employing literature, when has there ever been a flourishing like today’s? This is the virtue of our sage monarch and the good fortune of all under Heaven.”

Withdrawing, I then reflected on it: the origin of the composition of ancient-style prose was that by which benevolence and righteousness were expressed and government and education were distinguished. The benevolence and righteousness of Yao, Shun, Wen, and Wu reached the highest degree, and their government and education were upright. Confucius vigorously promoted and raised them up through his literature, and subsequent generations obtained their standards. Thus, those who served as rulers and ministers maintained ritual propriety, and those who governed states were free of chaos. Just when the Way of Zhou declined, the feudal lords were overbearing and violent, deceiving one another, and superiors and inferiors lost Principle; Confucius held no office at the time and was unable to carry out affairs, so he used literature to dispense praise and blame and to rectify rewards and punishments. Consequently, even though there were treacherous ministers and patricidal sons in later generations, they were terrified and did not dare act rashly. When it came to the Warring States period, the doctrines of the Vertical and Horizontal alliances threw all under Heaven into turmoil; only Meng Ke and Xun Kuang maintained benevolence and righteousness and distinguished government and education through literature. Although at that time it did not flourish greatly, scholars looked up to them and knew which direction to take. When the Han arose, Jia Yi, Dong Zhongshu, Sima Qian, Yang Xiong, and their peers took the lead with their literature, and people throughout the realm responded in harmony; thus, the virtue of the Han became great and its lineage endured for long. In the Sui period, Wang Tong also continued the work of Confucius through his literature; when the Tang arose, Taizong recruited his disciples, brought them forward, and tested them, and so the Tang governed all under Heaven in great peace. Then Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan again broadened it through their literature, and so the Way of the sages was increasingly revered.

Now, as various scholars compete vigorously with their literature, the flourishing virtue and vast undertakings of our Song ancestors are further magnified, the Son of Heaven’s benevolence and righteousness become even more manifest, and the court’s government and education are ever more clearly distinguished. Furthermore, when ministers, officials, and grandees look inward at this literature, they know how to cultivate benevolence and righteousness, how to serve the sovereign, and how to rectify government and education to oversee the common people and the myriad states; when the common people look outward at this literature, they know how to cherish benevolence and righteousness, how to cleave to the state, and how to listen to teachings and orders, not daring to disobey. When the four barbarian tribes of the yi and the eight tribes of the man look at this literature, they place faith in the virtuous undertakings of our ancestors, knowing they can be great and enduring; it makes them look upon us in awe, saying: ‘The Song has many exemplary persons who use their literature to practice the ancient Way; the ritual and music of the Central Plains will be greatly cultivated and restored, and we cannot fail to submit.’ The *Book of Changes* says: ‘Through civilization one rectifies human culture.’ It also says: ‘Contemplate human culture to transform and complete all under Heaven.’ As for those Rong and Di who rebel against imperial commands and act wickedly at our borders, the court should presently dispatch expeditions to chastise their refusal to pay court. Yet the flourishing of literature is magnificent like this! This also shows that ending disorder does not rely exclusively on military might, but on brightening civil virtue to win people over. When an exemplary person observes this, he says it transforms and completes all under Heaven, and its moral virtue should rightly be compared with that of Yao, Shun, Wen, and Wu! How could even the flourishing splendor of the Han and Tang dynasties be sufficient to compare with the long endurance of our altars of soil and grain and the endless succession of our imperial mandate?