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I. ANCIENT HISTORY. 7
government for the people's welfare. When he had been
on the throne thirty-three years, being over ninety years
of age, he appointed his minister, the afore-mentioned Yii
as his successor, sharing the Imperial power with him till
his death. Shun died in 22o8, and Y/i after the usual
three years ofmoulning took over the reins of govern-
merit.
THE HSI:A _ DYNASTY. With YU _]_, 22o 5-
2j98, begins the first great Chinese dynasty, which ended
439 years afterwards with the infamous Emperor Chieh
_. Yii, as already noted, had distinguished himself in
the days of Yao, by his suceessfi,1 labours in draining the
country of the devastating waters which covered its surface.
Setting out four days after his marriage, for nine years he
took no rest, heedless of food or clothing, cold or heat ;
heedless also of his wife and child, whose door he thrice
passed without entering, though the cry of the child
whom he had never seen reached his ears. In his address
to Shun we have a picture of the herculean labours that
fell to the lot of this early Chinese pioneer, and the faithfulness
with which he devoted himself to his country's
welfare. "The floods," says he, "assailed the very
heavens, vast in their extent they encircled the mountains
and overtopped the hills, and the people were perplezed
and hemmed in. By four different modes did I travel
(cart for road, boat for water, sledge for mud and spikes
for hiJls), clearing the timber along the mountains, and
shewing the people how to obtain fresh food to eat. A
way did I open for the nine rivers to flow to the four seas,
and .,. sowed grain, thus shewing the people how to o1_-