ttended to, and that the able-bodied, during their
days of leisure, shall cultivate their filial piety, fraternal duty,
faithfulness, and truth, serving thereby, at home, their fathers and
elder brothers, and, abroad, their elders and superiors, you will
then have a people who can be employed with sticks which they have
prepared to oppose the strong buff-coats and sharp weapons of the
troops of Ts[']in and Ts[']oo.

"The rulers of those States rob their people of their time, so that
they cannot plough and weed their fields in order to support their
parents. Parents suffer from cold and hunger; elder and younger
brothers, wives and children, are separated and scattered abroad.
Those rulers drive their people into pitfalls or into the water; and
your Majesty will go to punish them. In such a case, who will oppose
your Majesty? In accordance with this is the saying, 'The benevolent
has no enemy!' I beg your Majesty not to doubt what I said."

Mencius had an interview with King Seang[36] of Leang. When he came
out he said to some persons, "When I looked at him from a distance, he
did not appear like a ruler; when I drew near to him, I saw nothing
venerable about him. Abruptly he asked me, 'How can the kingdom, all
under the sky, be settled?' I replied, 'It will be settled by being
united under one sway.'

"'Who can so unite it?' he asked.

"I replied, 'He who has no pleasure in killing men can so unite it.'

"'Who can give it to him?' he asked.

"I replied, 'All under heaven will give it to him. Does your Majesty
know the way of the growing grain? During the seventh and eighth
months, when drought prevails, the plants become dry. Then the clouds
collect densely in the heavens, and send down torrents of rain, so
that the grain erects itself as if by a shoot. When it does so, who
can keep it back? Now among those who are shepherds of men throughout
the kingdom, there is not one who does not find pleasure in killing
men. If there were one who did not find pleasure in killing men, all
the people under the sky would be looking towards him with
outstretched necks. Such being indeed the case, the people would go to
him as water flows downwards with a rush, which no one can repress."

King Seuen of Ts[']e asked, saying, "May I be informed by you of the
transactions of Hwan of Ts[']e and Wan of Ts[']in?"

Mencius replied, "There were none of the disciples of Chung-ne who
spoke about the affairs of Hwan and Wan, and therefor