There are the five _King_ and the four _Schu_, or “books.” The term “king” means literally a web, a thing woven, or fabricated. Its use in this connection recalls the ῥαπτός of the Greek rhapsodists, a term which, originally meaning a thing spun or a yarn, came also to stand for a literary production of a certain class, a “yarn” that could be recited. The five _King_ were the “webs” or productions of wise and holy writers, but the names of these writers have not been preserved, even as a tradition. The first in order is the _Y-king_, already mentioned, the _Book of the Developments_, which is much the oldest in the series. The second is the _Schu-king_ or _Book of Chronicles_, which begins its narrative with the time of Noah, and gives the record of the dynasties from 2400 to 721 B.C. In addition to the historical chronicles, the _Schu-king_ contains, in the form of dialogues between the emperors and the councillors, the instruction in the principles of state-craft, in philosophy, in the science of war, in music, in astronomy, and in general culture. The headings of some of the chapters recall the matters treated in _The Prince_ of Machiavelli. The following “royal maxims” do not, however, sound Machiavellian: “Virtue,” says the great councillor Yih, speaking to the emperor, “is the foundation of your realm”; “The ruler must lead his people in the paths of virtue”; “Guard yourself from false shame, and if you have committed an error, hasten to make frank acknowledgment of the same. Otherwise you will mislead your subjects.”[10] The third of the canonical books is the _Schi-king_ or _Book of Songs_, already referred to. This presents the selection made by Confucius of the hymns, ballads, and folk-songs collected from the earliest generations. The fourth is the _Tschun-tshien_, or _Spring and Autumn Year-Book_, which is ascribed to Confucius. It is a brief chronicle of events covering a space of 240 years. The fifth is the _Li-ki_, or _Book of Ritual_, or of _Conduct_. This gives detailed instructions concerning the proper ceremonials for all events of life, from the cradle to the grave. With these classics should be grouped certain books prepared by the followers of Confucius, the most important of which, the _Lün-yü_, or _Conversations_, is a record of the instruction given by Confucius to his pupils in the form of talks. In these conversations we find questions shaped in a method quite Socratic. With this should be grouped the _Mengtsze_, the record of the work of the philosopher Mencius. His instruction seems, like that of his great forerunner, to have been very practical in its character. Associated with the earlier teachings of Confucius, the instruction of Mencius was accepted as the basis of the moral and the educational system of the nation.