XIV.—Subjects and officers must not be jealous of each other. If one person is envious of another, the second is sure to be envious of the first. Thus the evils of jealousy never end. If men shall envy each other on account of their talent and wisdom, no single wise man would ever be obtained for government service through a thousand years. What a noble method of governing a state would that be which expelled from its service all wise men! XV.—To sacrifice private interests for the public good is the duty of the subject. When men are selfish there must be ill-will; when ill-will comes, then with it must come iniquity, which will disturb the public welfare. Ill-will is sure to bring about the breaking of wholesome rules and the violation of the laws of the state. It is for this reason that the harmony between superior and inferior spoken of in the first article is so important. XVI.—To select a convenient season in which to employ men for public work is the rule of good ancient law. Winter is a time of leisure; but during the season between spring and autumn, in which they are employed on their farms and in feeding silk-worms, it is not expedient to take men from their work, or interfere with them in their efforts to supply food and clothing. XVII.—Important matters should only be settled after due conference with many men. Trifling matters may be decided without conference, because they are not so material in their effects; but weighty matters, on account of their far-reaching consequences, must be discussed with many councillors. It is thus that the right way shall be found and pursued. FOOTNOTES _ 1 The Book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian_; translated by Colonel Henry Yule, C.B. Second edition, London, 1875, vol. ii., p. 235. 2 These islands belonged to Russia until 1875, when by a treaty they were ceded to Japan in exchange for the rights of possession which she held in the island of Saghalien. 3 E. M. Satow, _Transactions of the Asiatic Society_, vol. i., p. 30. 4 This word is not a _proper name_ but a descriptive designation, and must be understood in this way when used by Dr. Griffis in his _Mikado’s Empire_ and by Dr. Rein in his two works on Japan. In the successive issues of the _Résumé Statistique_, published by the Statistical Bureau, the term Nippon is used to designate the principal island. This name has the advantage of having been used extensively in foreign books, but its restricted use is contrary to the custom of Japan. After much consideration we have determined to designate the principal island by the term “Main island,” which is the translation of the word _Hondo_. 5 See Satow and Hawes’ _Handbook_, p. 108. 6 See Chamberlain’s _Things Japanese_, second edition, p. 122.