Among the more unusual Victorian manuscripts to surface on the market are those that bridge two worlds. This damaged but historically fascinating autograph manuscript by James Legge (1815-1897) does exactly that, bringing together classical Chinese philosophy, missionary scholarship, and the early history of Western sinology in a single sheet.

Dated at Walsall on 19 September 1846, the manuscript was written during a period when James Legge had temporarily returned to Britain from Hong Kong, where he had already established himself as a missionary and scholar of Chinese language and literature. During this visit he travelled with Chinese students and helped promote understanding of Chinese culture and education to British audiences.

At the head of the manuscript appears a celebrated passage from the Analects of Confucius:

人不知而不慍 不亦君子乎

Beneath it, Legge supplied his own English translation:

“He who is unknown by other men, and yet feels no indignation or resentment, is not he a superior man (lit. the son of a prince)?”

The text forms part of the opening chapter of the Analects and concerns the Confucian ideal of the junzi, usually rendered as the “superior man” or “gentleman”. Particularly interesting is Legge’s explanatory note, showing his concern not merely with translation but with conveying the deeper historical meaning of the Chinese term. This is precisely the scholarly approach that later made him the most influential English translator of the Chinese Classics.

The manuscript also incorporates Legge’s Chinese name, 理雅各 (Li Yage), together with a Chinese inscription indicating the text to be in his own hand. This is echoed by the English statement:

“Written with my hand – James Legge”

followed by the date and location.

What makes the piece especially appealing is that it predates the publications upon which Legge’s reputation principally rests. Although remembered today as the translator of the monumental Chinese Classics and as the first Professor of Chinese at Oxford University, this manuscript belongs to an earlier stage of his career, when he was acting as a cultural intermediary between Victorian Britain and China.

The document survives in poor condition, having been heavily folded for much of its existence. Pronounced vertical and horizontal fold lines dominate the sheet, accompanied by edge wear, foxing, staining and small losses around the margins. Nevertheless, the manuscript remains substantially intact and fully conveys its historical significance. The Chinese text, Legge’s translation, signature, location and date all remain clearly legible.

Far more than a simple autograph, the document represents an early example of Legge’s life’s work: interpreting, translating and explaining classical Chinese thought for Western readers. In that respect, this modest and well-worn manuscript encapsulates the achievement of one of the nineteenth century’s greatest scholars of China

James Legge (Dec 1815 – Nov 1897) was a Scottish linguist, missionary, sinologist, and translator who was best known as an early translator of Classical Chinese texts into English. Legge served as a representative of the London Missionary Society in Malacca and Hong Kong (1840–1873) and was the first Professor of Chinese at Oxford University (1876–1897). In association with Max Müller he prepared the monumental Sacred Books of the East series, published in 50 volumes between 1879 and 1891.

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