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The Skwok Wan, or Etymologicon,
APRIL,
after still farther instructing and examining them, selected the most intelligent and recommended them for the higher offices of state, while those who had not duly prepared themselves, or had not come properly recommended, were reported accordingly and dismissed from the pub- lic service. Though this code, the wei, still exists, yet that system of instruction and examination having now ceased for a considerable period, no one is able to state how they were conducted.
15. In the time of the Emperor Hiáu-siuen, his majesty issued a proclamation inviting all those who could read the character of Tsáng- kich to report themselves; of these Cháng Chwang was found to be the greatest proficient, and he was accordingly promoted. Three others,-Tú Nieh, governor of Liáng-chau, Yuen Lí, a resident of Pei, and Tsin Kin, high literary chancellor, were all found able to explain the same character.
16. In the time of the Emperor Hiáuping, his majesty commanded Yuen Lí, and more than a hundred others of the literati, to lecture on philology in the palace-hall called Weiyáng, and also appointed him to be the principal of the primary schools.
17. Yáng Hung, a courtier of the imperial palace, having brought together a variety of philological writings, arranged the same into a book, which he called the Instructor. All these, from those of Tsáng- kieh downwards, formed fourteen chapters, containing 5340 cha- racters. In this book was contained nearly all the characters found in the writings then extant.
18. Subsequently Sin, known as the Defunct, having usurped the Imperial authority, commanded his high minister Chin Fung, and others, to review and examine the lists of written characters-con- ceiving it to be his prerogative to change and modify it at pleasure. These men, in performing their task fixed upon the following siz classes of written characters.
(a.) The ancient form, †✯ kú wan, such as that employed
in the books found in the walls of the house where Confucins lived.
(b.) The antique characters, † †, ki tsz', or such as were
found to be different from the ancient or kú wan.
(c.) The seal character *, chuen shú, i. e. the lesser, pre- pared by Ching Miáu of Kiátú by order of Augustus the First, of the Tsin dynasty.
(d.) The left hand character, tso skú, i. e. the official writing employed under the Tsin dynasty.
(e.) The close seal,, miú chuen, i. e. such as was used upon seals and signets.
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