i.e. his uncles and elderly ministers of the ducal family. The phrase is commonly applied by Chinese to the elders of their own surname, whatever be the degrees of their relationship. 吾宗国,—the ducal house of T＇?ng was descended from one of the sons of king W?n (Sh?-hsi?, 叔繍), but by an inferior wife,while Chau-kung, the ancestor of L?, was in the true sovereign line, the author of all the civil institutions of the dynasty, and hence all the other States ruled by descendants of king W?n were supposed to look up to L?. That Chau-kung and the first rulers of T＇?ng had not observed the three years＇ mourning is not to be supposed. The crown-prince＇s remonstrants are wrong in attributing to them the neglect of later dukes. 志,—what particular ＇history＇ they refer to is not known. 吾有所受之,—吾 is to be understood as spoken in the person of the ancestors, and I have therefore rendered it by ＇they＇. Chao Ch＇?, however, says that some made this a reply of the prince:—＇The prince said, I haveone (i.e. Mencius) from whom I received it.＇