The Master said, "Even in my early days, a historiographer would leave a blank in his text, and he who had a horse would lend him to another to ride. Now, alas! there are no such things."

23. THE GREAT PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCITY IS THE RULE OF LIFE. Comp. V. 11. It is singular that Tsze-kung professes there to act on the principle here recommended to him.

24. CONFUCIUS SHOWED HIS RESPECT FOR MEN BY STRICT TRUTHFULNESS IN AWARDING PRAISE OR CENSURE. 1. I have not marked 'beyond what is proper' with italics, because there is really that force in the verbs—毁 and 誉. 'Ground for it in my examination of the individual';—i.e., from examination of him I believe he will yet verify my words. 2. 斯民也, resumes the人of the 1st par., which the 也 indicates. 所以 is to be taken as= 'the reason why', and 行as a neuter verb, of general application. 三代, 'the three dynasties', with special reference to their great founders, and the principles which they inaugurated. —The truthapproving nature of the people was a rule even to those sages. It was the same to Confucius.

25. INSTANCES OF THE DEGENERACY OF CONFUCIUS' TIMES. Most paraphrasts supply a 见 after 及;—'even in my time I have seen'. The appointment of the historiographer is referred to Hwang-te, or 'The Yellow emperor', the inventor of the cycle. The statutes of Chow mention no fewer than five classes of such officers. They were attached also to the feudal courts, and what Confucius says, is that, in his early days, a historiographer, on any point about which he was not sure, would leave a blank; so careful were they to record only truth. 吾犹及 extends on to 有马云云. This second sentence is explained in Ho An;—'If any one had a horse which he could no tame, he would lend it to another to ride and exercise it!'—The commentator Hoo(胡氏) says well, that the meaning of the chapter must be left in uncertainty.