When the world was in its original u undifferentiated state, the Nameless (wl/-ming, i . e . , the Tao) was what was valued, and a l l creatures found happiness in self-fulfilment. Now when the cinnamon-tree has its bark stripped or the varnish-tree is cut, it is not done at the wish of the tree; when the pheasant's feathers are plucked or the kingfisher's torn out, it is not d o n e by desire o f the bird . To be bitted and bridled is not in accordance with the nature of the horse; to be put under the yoke a n d bear burdens does not give pleasure to the ox. Cunning has its origin in the use of force that goes against the true nature of things, and the real reason for harming creatures is to provide useless ad ornaments. Thus catching the birds of the air in o rd e r to supply frivolous adornments, making h o l es in noses where no holes should be, tying beasts by the leg when nature meant them to b e free, is not in accord with the destiny of the myriad creatures, all born to live out their lives unharmed . And so the p e o p l e are compelled to labour so that those in office may be nourished; and while their superiors enjoy fat sa laries, they a re reduced to the direst poverty. It is all very well to enjoy the infinite bliss o f life after death, but it is preferable n o t t o have died i n the first place; and rather than acquire an empty reputation for intergrity by resigning office and foregoing one's salary, it is better that there should be no office to resign . Loyalty and righteousness only appear when rebellion breaks out in the e m pire, fi l i a l obedience and parental love a re only displayed when there is disc o rd a mong kindred.
In the earliest times, there was neither l o rd nor subjects. Wells were dug for drinking-water, the fields were plowed for food, work began at sunrise and ceased at <;1IJ1<;pt; everyone was free and at ease; neither competing with each other nor scheming again st each other, and no one was either glorified or humiliated. The waste l a n d s h a d no p aths or roads and the waterways no boats or b ridges, and because t h e r e were no means of communication by land or water, people did not appropriate e a c h other's property; no armies could be formed, and so people did not attack one a n o t h e r . Indeed since no one climbed u p to seek out n ests nor dived down to sift the waters o f the deep, the phoenix nested under the eaves of the h ouse and dragons disported in the garden poo l . The ravening tiger could be trod den on, the poisonous snake h a n d l e d . Men could wade through swamps without raising the waterfowl, and e n t e r t h e woodlands without sta rtling the fox or the hare . Since no one even began t o think o f gaining power or seeking profit, n o dire events o r rebellions occurred; and as s p e a rs and shields were not in lise, moats and ramparts did not have to b e built. All creat u re s lived together in mystic unity, a l l of them merged in the Way (Tao). Since they were not visited by plague or pestile nce, they coul d live out their lives a n d die a Early Texts On Servitude And Freedom / 3 natural death. Their hearts being pure, they were devoid of cunning. Enjoying plentiful supplies of food, they strolled about with full bellies. Their speech was not flowery, their behavior not ostentatious. How, then, could there have been accumulation of property such as to rob the people of their wealth, or severe punishments to trap and ensnare them? When this age entered on decadence, knowledge and cunning came into use. The Way and its Virtue (Tao tel having fallen into decay, a hierarchy was established. Customary regulations for promotion and degradation and for profit and loss proliferated, ceremonial garments such as the [gentry's] sash and sacrificial cap and the imperial blue and yellow [robes for worshiping Heaven and Earth] were elaborated. Buildings of earth and wood were raised high into the sky, with the beams and rafters painted red and green. The heights were overturned in quest of gems, the depths dived into in search of pearls; but however vast a collection of precious stones people might have assembled, it still would not have sufficed to satisfy their whims, and a whole mountain of gold would not have been enough to meet their expenditure, so sunk were they in depravity and vice, having transgressed against the fundamental principles of the Great Beginning. Daily they became further removed from the ways of their ancestors, and turned their back more and more upon man's original simplicity. Because they promoted the "worthy" to office, ordinary people strove for reputation, and because they prized material wealth, thieves and robbers appeared. The sight of desirable objects tempted true and honest hearts, and the display of arbitrary power and love of gain opened the road to robbery. So they made weapons with points and with sharp edges, and after that there was no end to usurpations and acts of aggression, and they were only afraid lest crossbows should not be strong enough, shields stout enough, lances sharp enough, and defences solid enough. Yet all this could have been dispensed with if there had been no oppression and violence from the start.
Therefore it has been said: "Who could make scepters without spoiling the unblemished jade? And how could altruism and righteousness (jen and i) be extolled unless the Way and its Virtue had perished?" Although tyrants such as Chieh and Chou were able to burn men to death, massacre their advisers, make mince-meat of the feudal lords, cut the barons into strips, tear out men's hearts and break their bones, and go to the furthest extremes of tyrannical crime down to the use of torture by roasting and grilling, however cruel they may by nature have been, how could they have done such things if they had had to remain among the ranks of the common people? If they gave way to their cruelty and lust and butchered the whole empire, it was because, as rulers, they could do as they pleased. As soon as the relationship between lord and subject is established, hearts become daily more filled with evil designs, until the manacled criminals sullenly doing forced labour in the mud and the dust are full of mutinous thoughts, the Sovereign trembles with anxious fear in his ancestral temple, and the people simmer with revolt in the midst of their poverty and distress; and to try to stop them revolting by means of rules and regulations, or control them by means of penalties and punishments, is like trying to dam a river in full flood with a handful of earth, or keeping the torrents of water back with one finger.
