own to have occurred about that time was identical with the one
observed in China under Chung-k'ang.

_The Shang, or Yin, Dynasty._--This period, which preceded the classical
Chou dynasty, is made to extend from 1766 to 1122 B.C. We must now be
prepared to see an energetic or virtuous ruler at the head of a dynasty
and either a cruel tyrant or a contemptible weakling at the end of it.
It seems natural that this should be so; but Chinese historians, like
the writers of Roman history, have a tendency to exaggerate both good
and bad qualities. Ch'oeng-tang, its first sovereign, is represented as a
model of goodness and of humane feeling towards his subjects. Even the
animal world benefited by his kindness, inasmuch as he abolished all
useless torture in the chase. His great minister I Yin, who had greatly
assisted him in securing the throne, served two of his successors.
P'an-koeng (1401) and Wu-ting (1324) are described as good rulers among a
somewhat indifferent set of monarchs. The Shang dynasty, like the Hia,
came to an end through the reckless vice and cruelty of a tyrant
(Chou-sin with his consort Ta-ki). China had even in those days to
maintain her position as a civilized nation by keeping at bay the
barbarous nations by which she was surrounded. Chief among these were
the ancestors of the Hiung-nu tribes, or Huns, on the northern and
western boundaries. To fight them, to make pacts and compromises with
them, and to befriend them with gifts so as to keep them out of the
Imperial territories, had been the role of a palatinate on the western
frontier, the duchy of Chou, while the court of China with its vicious
emperor gave itself up to effeminate luxury. Chou-sin's evil practices
had aroused the indignation of the palatine, subsequently known as
Woen-wang, who in vain remonstrated with the emperor's criminal treatment
of his subjects. The strength and integrity of Woen-wang's character had
made him the corner-stone of that important epoch; and his name is one
of the best known both in history and in literature. The courage with
which he spoke his mind in rebuking his unworthy liege lord caused the
emperor to imprison him, his great popularity alone saving his life.
During his incarceration, extending over three years, he compiled the
_I-king_, or "Canon of Changes," supposed to be the oldest book of
Chinese literature, and certainly the one most extensively studied by
the nation. Woen-wang's son, known as Wu-wang, was