Book VIII 515
“The governor should personally inspect the activities of supervisors of
agriculture as well as the performance of magistrates to find out if they are
discharging their duties properly and diligently, and report the results of his
inspection to the king so that they can be used as references for their promo-
tion or dismissal.
“Thickly wooded forests make the land productive, reduce the damage of
drought, and enable the people to survive during famine by providing them
with acorns for food. However, since lawless people who are eager to hunt
set fires in the forest, it is really deplorable [to see the destruction of forests].
The magistrates should be required to personally check on the forests in their
districts and have the residents in the neighborhood take care of them also.
“If there is anyone who sets a fire in a forest, people should immediately
report his act of arson to the authorities so that he can be duly punished. The
one who fails to report an arson case should be punished just like the
one who committed the arson. The pastures of horse farms, however, should
be allowed to be burned before hibernating insects wake up.” The king
approved the proposal.
The districts between Kwangju and Ch’ŏnnyŏng^7 were struck by landslides
and floods. The king exonerated the residents of their land tax and provided
them with rice and millet.
8th Month
7th Day (Mujin)
Ten grain ships of Ch’ungch’ŏng Province and sixteen grain ships of
Kyŏngsang Province were destroyed by storm.
Having heard that Cho Pak, magistrate of Wŏnju, was suffering from an
illness, the king sent his royal physicians, Ŏ Sŭngjin and Kim Chisu, to
treat him.
8th Day (Kisa)
By orders of the king, the Military Training Agency gathered supreme gen-
erals and generals- in- chief of various guard units as well as all the generals
- It is modern Yŏju, Kyŏnggi Province.