Of the five canonical books composing the King, three (I-King, Shi-King, and Shu-£ing) were com- piled, and one (Chun-Trien) was c<llnposed by 0)nfti- cius, while one (Li-Ki) was compiled ftom his teach- ings by his disciples, and brought to ite present fbrm some centuries after him. The first (I-King, Book of Changes), assigned by tradition to the myUiical em- peror Fuhi (B.C. 2800) as ite author, is " simply a num- ber of figures made up of straight lines, entire and broken, variously put together in parallel arrange- ment,** and whidi " are regarded as typifying the ele- mente and processes of nature, and the great truths of the moral and intellectual, world,** and "expressing the earliest cosmical philosophy of the Chinese. To the brief early interpretation of these emblematic fig-
ures Confucius added a Ailler one of fait own.** H second (Shi-King, Book of Songs) is s sdectiflB ofH pieces of lyric poetry, relating to moal aentim public and private affidrs, as harvestiDg, marriage, with praise of the good and censure of the irickcl The third and most iibportant (Sho-King, Book «f Ai nals) is a historical work, recording not only trtat^ but the maxims, oonversationa, decrees, and initit* tions of the sovereigns of ancient ClmiA, drawn oo» fessedly flrom authentic sources, and <'*wniiig <|o«tt n about 200 years before ConAtdns. The fbotth (Cte Tsien, Spring and Autumn), composed by Confbcii as a supplement to the thiid, records from mem of his native kingdom Lu the evento from Pingnsg to B.C. 6e0. This is the only work coming ^xed^ ttom the hand of Conftidus. The fifth (Li-Ki, Boiic of Bites) is a " compilation, brought into Ite presot form some centuries after Confucina, and made i^ ttom material of very di£fiBrent age and chazader.** It is a text-book especially of ceremonial and eti> quette, in which the personal teachinga of CoBtmcm occupy an important place. His doctrines are also xt forth in the Hiao-King (Filial Hety) by an ansmx- mous writer, which contains apothegms of Coofiida^ collected during his conversations with his disdiiki Tsang-Tsan, and in the four Chinese daaaica ternel Ss6-shu, viz. (1) Tahis (Great Learning, or doctrine for adults), consisting of seven verses of text from CoofB- cius, with ton chapters of commenfaiy by T^ang: (S) Chung-Tang (the Doctrine of the Mean), by Ts6-tse, the grandson of Confucius ; (8) Lnng-yn (oonvews- tions— replies), conversations of Confudns, written br two disciples after his death; (4) the Meng tse iba, the work of his great disciple Meng-t86 (HendusX who lived about B.C. 870, and ranks among the Chinese next to C^nfticius as moralist and philosopher. Dr. Legge is now publishing all the Chinese ^'l^ayL**^ giy- ing original texts, verdons, and literary appentos. Four volumes have appeared (Hong Kong) ; see also his Life and Teaekmgt ofCoirfiam (Lond. 1867, PhUa. 1867, 12mo) ; Hue, Trao, mi the CUneae Empire (N. T., Harpers, 2 vols. 12mo); Nev-Engicmder, Feb. 7, 1859^ p. 116-121 ; Edmb. Re9. April, 1855, p. 223-5 (Amer. ed.); Quart, Re9, xi, 882; Culbertson, C^mmi, iuRtMgiomaai SvpertHUom (K.T. 1857, 1 voL 12mo); BibL Sacra, May, 1846, art iii; 7^ Ckme$e Claetiegy pt i, Comfltei' m, Worcester, Mass. (a translation of the AnahcU, ike Great Learimg andthe Doetrime qfike Mean\ taken from Dr. Legge*8 larger work ; Mar^man, TFbdb ^CWb- ciui (Serampore, 1809, 4to) ; Plath, Com/udiu a. 9emer SckQler Leben u, Lehrem (Munich, 1867, voL i); Man- rice, Edigione of ike World (Lond. 1846); CSM<. Bt- atnmer, Sept 1858; Hardwick, Ckritt tmd other Mm- ten, bk. iii, ch. i; Loomis, Oomfitenu and ike Ckmem CZoMCs, 1867 ;Aif.aifar<.i20o. Jan. 1867. SeeCBZXA.
ConfriAion OF Tohoubs. See ToHausB ((^oxftt- BioN of).
Coilg6 d'61ire, a French term, signifying ham t$ choose. It is used in England to denote the king's writ or license to the dean and chapter of the diocese to choose a bishop in the time of vacancy of the aee. Prior to the reign of Edward I the kings of England used to invest bishops with the ring and staff, in vir- tue of their donative right Henry I so fiu* ceded this right as to give a congS d'iUre to deans and chapters for the election of bishops. Henry YIII added "let- ters missive,** nominating the person whom he required them to elect, under pain of pramunire ; and Edward VI (I Edw. VI, c. i, 2) abolished elections by writ of congi d'Hire, but they were revived by queen Elixa- beth. The congi di&re is now a mere form, as the nominee of the crown is invariably chosen by the dean and chapter.
Congo, a countryof Western Africa, extending tnm latitude 6^ to 8^ 20' S. It was discovered in 1484 by the Portuguese, who soon afterwarda made BetUementi
CONGREGATIO
478
CONGREGATION
and erected forts along its coast A few yean after, I>ozi]iniGaii monks were sent there as missionaries, and in 1491 the prince of Congo was baptized under the naone of Emaanel. The missionaries themselves, how- ever, admit tliattlie life of the prince after his baptism renudned very licentious. His son,Alphonsas I, who reigned fifty years, sent ambassadors to Rome, of whom several were ordained priests. The next king, Peter I, obtained for Congo a special bishop. The following kin^ remained, with the people, nominal adherents of the Chnrch of Bome, bat practically, in their opin- iona as well as their lives, they relapsed int6 the worst kind of fetichism. The effbrts of Boman Catholic mlsslonariee to introdnoe reforms have been fruitless. Congo is nominally still an Efnscopal see, but at pres- ent united with the Portuguese diocese of AngoU (q. v.). Some Boman Catholic writers (as P.Karl v. HeU. Aloys, Jahrbueh d, Kircke, Batisbon, 1812) daim for the diocese of Congo a Boman Catholic population of 80,000, and for that of Angola of 800,000.~Wetzer n. l^elte, Kirckm-Lex. ii, 784.