On Literature and History論文史第二十八
貞觀初，太宗謂監修國史房玄齡曰：「比見前、後《漢史》載錄揚雄《甘泉》、《羽獵》，司馬相如《子虛》、《上林》，班固《兩都》等賦，此既文體浮華，無益勸誡，何假書之史策？其有上書論事、詞理切直、可裨於政理者，朕從與不從皆須備載。」
At the beginning of Zhenguan Taizong said to Fang Xuanling, who supervised the compiling of the dynastic history:
"Of late I have seen that the Former and Later Han histories set down such rhapsodies as Yang Xiong's Ganquan and Yulie, Sima Xiangru's Zixu and Shanglin, and Ban Gu's Liangdu. The body of such writing is already floating and showy, and it gives no help in urging men on or warning them. Why borrow the pages of history to write it down? But where a man has sent up a letter discussing affairs, and the words and the reasoning are urgent and straight and can help the ordering of government, then whether I followed him or did not follow him, all of it must be set down in full."
貞觀十一年，著作佐郎鄧隆表請編次太宗文章為集。太宗謂曰：「朕若制事出令，有益於人者，史則書之，足為不朽。若事不師古，亂政害物，雖有詞藻，終貽後代笑，非所須也。只如梁武帝父子及陳後主、隋煬帝，亦大有文集，而所為多不法，宗社皆須臾傾覆。凡人主惟在德行，何必要事文章耶？」竟不許。
In the eleventh year of Zhenguan Deng Long, the assistant editorial director, sent up a memorial asking that Taizong's writings be put in order and made into a collection. Taizong said:
"If I order affairs and send down commands that profit men, the historians will write them down, and that is enough to be undying. If my affairs do not take the ancients for their teacher, if they throw government into disorder and harm things, then though there be ornament of words, in the end it will leave laughter to later ages. It is not what is needed.
"Take Emperor Wu of Liang and his sons, and the Last Ruler of Chen, and Emperor Yang of Sui. They too had large collections of writings, but much of what they did was not lawful, and ancestral temple and altars of state all toppled in a moment. For a ruler everything lies in virtue and conduct. Why must he make writing his business?"
In the end he did not allow it.
貞觀十三年，褚遂良為諫議大夫，兼知起居註。太宗問曰：「卿比知起居，書何等事？大抵於人君得觀見否？朕欲見此註記者，將卻觀所為得失以自警戒耳。」遂良曰：「今之起居，古之左、右史，以記人君言行，善惡畢書，庶幾人主不為非法，不聞帝王躬自觀史。」太宗曰：「朕有不善，卿必記耶？」遂良曰：「臣聞守道不如守官，臣職當載筆，何不書之？」黃門侍郎劉洎進曰：「人君有過失，如日月之蝕，人皆見之。設令遂良不記，天下之人皆記之矣。」
In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan Chu Suiliang became grand counselor of remonstrance and also took charge of the record of activity and repose. Taizong asked:
"You have lately had charge of the activity and repose. What sort of affairs do you write? On the whole, may the ruler of men see them or not? What I wish in seeing these notes is to look back on the gains and losses of what I have done and warn myself, that is all."
Suiliang said:
"The activity and repose of today is the recorder of the left and the recorder of the right of old. They write the words and the deeds of the ruler of men, and set down the good and the bad in full, hoping that the ruler will not do what is against the law. I have not heard that an emperor ever looked at the history himself."
Taizong said:
"If there is something not good in me, will you be sure to write it?"
Suiliang said:
"I have heard that keeping the Way is not so good as keeping one's office. My duty is to carry the brush. How should I not write it?"
Liu Ji, the vice director of the chancellery, came forward and said:
"When the ruler of men has a fault or a failing, it is like an eclipse of the sun or the moon, and all men see it. Even if Suiliang were made not to write it, the men of all under heaven would all write it."
貞觀十四年，太宗謂房玄齡曰：「朕每觀前代史書，彰善癉惡，足為將來規誡。不知自古當代國史，何因不令帝王親見之？」對曰：「國史既善惡必書，庶幾人主不為非法。止應畏有忤旨，故不得見也。」太宗曰：「朕意殊不同古人。今欲自看國史者，蓋有善事，固不須論；若有不善，亦欲以為鑒誡，使得自修改耳。卿可撰錄進來。」玄齡等遂刪略國史為編年體，撰高祖、太宗實錄各二十卷，表上之。太宗見六月四日事，語多微文，乃謂玄齡曰：「昔周公誅管、蔡而周室安，季友鴆叔牙而魯國寧。朕之所為，義同此類，蓋所以安社稷，利萬民耳。史官執筆，何煩有隱？宜即改削浮詞，直書其事。」侍中魏徵奏曰：「臣聞人主位居尊極，無所忌憚。惟有國史，用為懲惡勸善，書不以實，後嗣何觀？陛下今遣史官正其辭，雅合至公之道。」
In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan Taizong said to Fang Xuanling:
"Whenever I look at the histories of former ages, they make the good shine out and hate the bad, and that is enough to be a rule and a warning for what is to come. I do not know for what cause, from of old, the emperor was not let see the dynastic history of his own age."
He answered:
"Since the dynastic history writes the good and the bad without fail, it hopes that the ruler will not do what is against the law. It was only that they feared something in it might go against your will, and so it could not be seen."
Taizong said:
"My mind is quite unlike the men of old. That I now wish to look at the dynastic history myself is this: if there are good deeds, there is truly nothing to discuss; if there is something not good, I wish to make it a mirror and a warning, so that I may mend and change myself, that is all. You may compile it and copy it and bring it in."
Xuanling and the rest then cut the dynastic history down into an annalistic form, and compiled the veritable records of Gaozu and of Taizong in twenty scrolls each, and sent them up with a memorial. Taizong saw the affair of the fourth day of the sixth month, and the words held much veiled writing. So he said to Xuanling:
"Long ago the Duke of Zhou put Guan and Cai to death and the house of Zhou was at peace. Jiyou gave Shuya the poison of the zhen bird and the state of Lu was quiet. What I did is the same in its rightness as these. It was the means of settling the altars of state and profiting the ten thousand people, that is all. When the historian takes up the brush, why should he trouble to hide anything? Let him at once cut away the floating words and write the affair straight."
Wei Zheng, the director of the chancellery, reported:
"I have heard that the ruler of men sits in the most honored place and has nothing he need shrink from, and that only the dynastic history is used to chastise the bad and urge on the good. If it is not written according to the fact, what will those who come after look at? That Your Majesty now sends the historians to set its words right accords well with the way of utmost fairness."