《北史》是二十四史之一。是汇合并删节记载北朝历史的《魏书》、《北齐书》、《周书》、《隋书》而编成的纪传体史书。魏本纪五卷、齐本纪三卷、周本纪二卷、隋本纪二卷、列传八十八卷，共一百卷。记述从北魏登国元年(386（丙戌年）)到隋义宁二年(618)的历史。《南史》与《北史》为姊妹篇，是由李大师及其子李延寿两代人编撰完成的。
The Northern History is one of the Twenty Four Histories. It is a biographical historical book compiled by merging and editing the records of the Northern Dynasties’ history from the “Book of Wei”, “Book of Northern Qi”, “Book of Zhou”, and “Book of Sui”. Five volumes of the Wei Annals, three volumes of the Qi Annals, two volumes of the Zhou Annals, two volumes of the Sui Annals, and eighty-eight volumes of Biographies, totaling one hundred volumes. Describe the history from the first year of Dengguo in Northern Wei (386 AD) to the second year of Yining in Sui (618 AD). The “Southern History” and the “Northern History” are sister chapters, compiled by two generations of Master Li and his son Li Yanshou.
《北史·李惠传·盐屑见证》
（李惠为雍州刺史——引者）人有负盐负薪者，同释重担息树阴。二人将行，争一羊皮，各言藉背之物。惠遣争者出，顾州纪纲曰：“以此羊皮可拷知主乎?”群下咸无答者。惠令人置羊皮席上，以杖击之，见少盐屑，曰：“得其实矣。”使争者视之，负薪者乃伏而就罪。
《北史》
A Good Beating
[During the time when Li Hui was the Prefect of Yongzhou] two men, one bearing a load of salt and the other firewood, set down their burdens and took a rest together in the shade of a tree. When they rose to leave they began to quarrel over a piece of sheepskin, each contending that it was the shoulder pad he had been using. Li (as the judge in this case) sent the two men away and turned to the Registrar o f the Prefecture.
“Do you think this sheepskin will tell us the identity of its owner if we give it a beating?”
None of his subordinates ventured a reply. Li gave orders for the sheepskin to be put on a mat. When it was beaten with a pole, a trace of salt was found.
“Now we have the truth.”
The two men were summoned to look at the result. The bearer of firewood immediately knelt and admitted his guilt.
Beishi
（乔车洁玲 译）
