Book of Charges

The Book of Charges (命, m.ringh) is a collection of 180 documents of purported "charges" by various rulers to their subordinates, granting them lands, slaves, and goods, with or without expected returns. The book's editor is unknown but believed to have lived in the early 1st century BCE, based on the language of the preface added to the collection and contemporary events cited. The documents are all very short, never exceeding five sentences, and reveal little about the history of the period.

While the book is considered a canonical document dating from before the Treaty of Five Kings in 256, it has long been considered difficult to understand and unprofitable to study by Themiclesian scholars due to archaic language, severely wanting context, and limited historical information. However, combined with excavated bronzes found in the 19th century onwards, the book has seen renewed attention as primary records of an era prior to true historical writing. In the early 20th century, the Shinasthanologist Erwin G. Shutter called it "the most valuable document of the nation's antiquity", but subsequent investigations have casted doubt on some of the documents' authenticity or interpretation.

Contents

The book is divided into a preface and ten parts, corresponding to ten states that existed prior to the Hexarchy.

Preface

The preface opens with a lament about how modern princes have betrayed cadet lines and "old families" that have defended and supported the princes for their private greed for money and power. The editor says that he has gone into each state's temples to retrieve the "old tablets granted" that will guide a wise ruler to the "old path" that have created a harmonious society before the current epoch of war and atrocity.

Book of Tsjinh

The Book of Tsjinh is by far the longest of the entire collection, holding 91 or just over half of all documents.

#	Title	#	Title	#	Title	#	Title	#	Title
1	Charge of He Manor	20	Charge of Kam Barony	39	Charge of Taw Mission	58	Charge of Midh Manor	77	Charge of Roi Manor
2	Charge of Ra Manor	21	Charge of	40	Charge of	59	Charge of	78	Charge of
3	Charge of Piw Manor	22	Charge of	41	Charge of	60	Charge of	79	Charge of
4	Charge of Kugh Manor	23	Charge of	42	Charge of	61	Charge of	80	Charge of
5	Charge of Bragh Barony	24	Charge of	43	Charge of	62	Charge of	81	Charge of
6	Charge of R'agh Barony	25	Charge of	44	Charge of	63	Charge of	82	Charge of
7	Charge of Tjeng Manor	26	Charge of	45	Charge of	64	Charge of	83	Charge of
8	Charge of Prince Ri	27	Charge of	46	Charge of	65	Charge of	84	Charge of
9	Charge of Elder Nep	28	Charge of	47	Charge of	66	Charge of	85	Charge of
10	Charge of	29	Charge of	48	Charge of	67	Charge of	86	Charge of
11	Charge of	30	Charge of	49	Charge of	68	Charge of	87	Charge of
12	Charge of	31	Charge of	50	Charge of	69	Charge of	88	Charge of
13	Charge of	32	Charge of	51	Charge of	70	Charge of	89	Charge of
14	Charge of	33	Charge of	52	Charge of	71	Charge of	90	Charge of
15	Charge of	34	Charge of	53	Charge of	72	Charge of	91	Charge of
16	Charge of	35	Charge of	54	Charge of	73	Charge of
17	Charge of	36	Charge of	55	Charge of	74	Charge of
18	Charge of	37	Charge of	56	Charge of	75	Charge of
19	Charge of	38	Charge of	57	Charge of	76	Charge of

See also

• Themiclesia