Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 523

1850.

Medhurst's Inquiry.

p. 55.

495

with many talents and many capabili fitted for the service of the Kwei Shins ties, neither can he serve the demons|| and gods (shin), p. 212.

22. Reverential and respectful_to- wards both gods (shin) and men, p. 223. 23. Our kings of Chau alone could worthily receive the host, and ad- quately sustain virtue; only they could || superintend the worship of the divine Heavens, p. 279.

24. The chief baron superintends the public ceremonies, regulates (the respect to be paid to) both gods (shin) and men, and arranges (the ranks of) superiors and inferiors, p. 290.

25. I have heard (Chowking) say, that perfect government is fragrant and influences the immortal gods (shin ming), p 293.

||

Reverential towards both skins and men. p. 56.

But our kings of the Chow dynasty have well succeeded in obtaining the hosts of the people, and are equal to the burden of sustaining virtue, so that they can preside at the sacrifices offer. ed to the Shins and to Heaven. p. 56.

The chief baron regulated the cere- monies of the country, and managed (the sacrifices offered), both to the Shins and to the manes of men, thus harmonizing those above and those below, p 57.

I have heard it said, that the extreme excellence of good government is so fragrant that it influences intelligent and invisible beings (shin ming). p. 58. Here is evidence,-evidence which will stand until every copy of said Shú King, published in 1846, is obliterated or called home by the translator aud burnt. Let us look at the facts as they were pre- sented to view in 1846; in twenty-five examples of the use of the word, shin is translated :-Gods, fifteen times; Divine, five times; Divinely, once; Divinityships, once; Spirits, three times.

"

Not in "three-eighths," but in twenty-two out of twenty-five in- stances, we thus have the word Shin translated Divinity, or some- thing nearly allied thereto." Turn now to the other column; there the same word Shin is translated in 1847-Intelligent,

-Intelligent, twice; Inscru- tably intelligent, once; Mysterious, once; Shinships, once. Thus in four-fifths of the examples the word shin is left untranslated; while in the others we have not spirit, spiritual, or anything very nearly allied thereto. It was fair to leave the word untranslated while its true mean- ing was the point of discussion; and there was of course no necessity for rendering it "intelligent, mysterious," &c. But if it could be, and was translated divine, &c., in 1846, why not also in 1847? In one case, and in only one, that we recollect, does the translator acknow- ledge that he mistook the meaning of Shin, namely in what we have marked, 21 (see Theology page 56,) where the two words Shin Tien, occurring together, the first was taken adjectively, whereas it should have been regarded as a concrete noun. Coming down now to the late "Inquiry," just published, the word comes up to view exhibit- ing phrases altogether different from those of 1846, and this having been done without cause, we are constrained to look upon said "In- quiry" as very unsatisfactory.

* In these three, the translator is careful to tell his readers, in explanatory notes that the word Shin means “god.”