Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 27.djvu/133

 3. 4. When one asks about the years of the son of Heaven, the reply should be—"I have heard that he has begun to wear a robe so many feet long ." To a similar question about the ruler of a state, the reply should be—"He is able to attend to the services in the ancestral temple, and at the altars of the spirits of the land and grain," if he be grown up; and, if he be still young, "He is not yet able to attend to the services in the ancestral temple, and at the altars of the spirits of the land and grain." To a question about the son of a Great officer, the reply, if he be grown up, should be—"He is able to drive;" and, if he be still young, "He is not yet able to drive." To a question about the son of an (ordinary) officer, the reply, if he be grown up, should be—"He can manage the conveying of a salutation or a message;" and, if he be still young, "He cannot yet manage such a thing." To a question about the son of a common man, the reply, if he be grown up, should be—"He is able to carry (a bundle of) firewood;" and, if he be still young, "He is not yet able to carry (such a bundle)." 5. When one asks about the wealth of the ruler of a state, the reply should be given by telling the extent of his territory, and the productions of its hills and lakes. To a similar question about a Great officer, it should be said, *He has the lands allotted to him, and is supported by the labour (of his people). He needs not to borrow the vessels or dresses for his sacrificial occasions." To the