Page 310 - 《孟子》（三）中·英对照版

?孟
子

they were sinners against the three kings.
“Of the five chiefs the most powerful was the

duke Huan. At the assembly of the princes in Kuiqiu,
he bound the victim and placed the writing upon it,
but did not slay it to smear their mouths with the
blood. The first injunction in their agreement was,
‘Slay the unfilial; change not the son who has been
appointed heir; exalt not a concubine to be the wife.’
The second was, ‘Honour the worthy, and maintain
the talented, to give distinction to the virtuous.’
The third was, ‘Respect the old, and be kind to the
young. Be not forgetful of strangers and travellers.’
The fourth was, ‘Let not offices be hereditary, nor let
officers be pluralists. In the selection of officers let
the object be to get the proper men. Let not a ruler
take it on himself to put to death a great officer.’
The fifth was, ‘Follow no crooked policy in making
embankments. Impose no restrictions on the sale
of grain. Let there be no promotions without first

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