第18节

not with these people,-with mankind,-with whomshall i associate? if right principles prevailed through the empire, there wouldbe no use for me to change its state."

tsze-lu, following the master, happened to fall behind, when he met an oldman, carrying across his shoulder on a staff a basket for weeds. tsze-lu said tohim, "have you seen my master, sir?" the old man replied, "your four limbs areunaccustomed to toil; you cannot distinguish the five kinds of grain:-who isyour master?" with this, he planted his staff in the ground, and proceeded toweed.

tsze-lu joined his hands across his breast, and stood before him.

the old man kept tsze-lu to pass the night in his house, killed a fowl,prepared millet, and feasted him. he also introduced to him his two sons.

next day, tsze-lu went on his way, and reported his adventure. the mastersaid, "he is a recluse," and sent tsze-lu back to see him again, but when he gotto the place, the old man was gone.

tsze-lu then said to the family, "not to take office is not righteous. ifthe relations between old and young may not be neglected, how is it that he setsaside the duties that should be observed between sovereign and minister? wishingto maintain his personal purity, he allows that great relation to come toconfusion. a superior man takes office, and performs the righteous dutiesbelonging to it. as to the failure of right principles to make progress, he isaware of that."

the men who have retired to privacy from the world have been po-i, shu-ch'i,yuchung, i-yi, chu-chang, hui of liu-hsia, and shao-lien.

the master said, "refusing to surrender their wills, or to submit to anytaint in their persons; such, i think, were po-i and shu-ch'i.

"it may be said of hui of liu-hsia! and of shaolien, that they surrenderedtheir wills, and submitted to taint in their persons, but their wordscorresponded with reason, and their actions were such as men are anxious to see.this is all that is to be remarked in them.

"it may be said of yu-chung and i-yi, that, while they hid themselves intheir seclusion, they gave a license to their words; but in their persons, theysucceeded in preserving their purity, and, in their retirement, they actedaccording to the exigency of the times.

"i am different from all these. i have no course for which i ampredetermined, and no course against which i am predetermined."

the grand music master, chih, went to ch'i.

kan, the master of the band at the second meal, went to ch'u. liao, the bandmaster at the third meal, went to ts'ai. chueh, the band master at the fourthmeal, went to ch'in.

fang-shu, the drum master, withdrew to the north of the river.

wu, the master of the hand drum, withdrew to the han.

yang, the assistant music master, and hsiang, master of the musical stone,withdrew to an island in the sea.

the duke of chau addressed his son, the duke of lu, saying, "the virtuousprince does not neglect his relations. he does not cause the great ministers torepine at his not employing them. without some great cause, he does not dismissfrom their offices the members of old families. he does not seek in one mantalents for every employment."

to chau belonged the eight officers, po-ta, po-kwo, chung-tu, chung-hwu,shu-ya, shuhsia, chi-sui, and chi-kwa.

tsze-chang said, "the scholar, trained for public duty, seeing threateningdanger, is prepared to sacrifice his life. when the opportunity of gain ispresented to him, he thinks of righteousness. in sacrificing, his thoughts arereverential. in mourning, his thoughts are about the grief which he should feel.such a man commands our approbation indeed