王世貞《高拱傳》史實探析

Research on the Biography of Gao Gong by Wang Shizhen

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

明王世貞《首輔傳》卷六《高拱傳》，是高拱逝世後最早出現的一篇政治性傳記。該傳除傳主從政歷程、裕邸講讀大抵近實及其俺答封貢之功略有論及之外，其基本傾向是持否定態度。在徐階逐拱出閣、高拱復政原因、嘉靖遺詔紛爭、隆慶閣臣去政之真相以及所謂傳主報復徐階、貪污受賄等問題上，表現出甚爲明顯的歷史偏見。形成這種偏見的原因，既有王氏與傳主之間的是非恩怨，也有政治史觀上的對立，還有高傳主要取材于高拱之政敵徐階的訪談資料等因素。故此，明清史家將《首輔傳》判定爲不確、不真、不實，並非虛語。

The sixth volume of the Biography of the Prime Ministers by Wang Shizhen is Biography of Gao Gong, the earliest political biography ever since Gao’s death. Apart from Gao’s initiation into the political realm, his teaching in the Yu Palace and his pacification of the Anda, the general attitude towards Gao is negative. Wang’s biography is steeped in prejudice as far as the following issues is concerned, such as the exclusion of Xu Jie, the restoration of Gao Gong, the disputes on Jiajing Emperor’s posthumous ordinance, his vengeance against Xu Jie, the problem of bribery and so on. Such prejudice is brewed in both the ingrained mutual hatred between Wang and Gao and their opposing political standpoints. In addition to it, Wang’s materials are mainly based on the interviews with Xu Jie, which is why so many historians consider it to be unauthentic, imprecise and unbelievable.