" Tsz-kung was consulting him, and asked, "What say you of a person who was liked by all in his village?"

" Nan-kung Kwoh, who was consulting Confucius, observed respecting I, the skilful archer, and Ngau, who could propel a boat on dry land, that neither of them died a natural death; while Yu and Tsih, who with their own hands had labored at husbandry, came to wield imperial sway.

" Respecting Mang Kung-ch'oh, he said that, while he was fitted for something better than the post of chief officer in the Cháu or Wei families, he was not competent to act as minister in small States like those of T'ang or Sieh.

He replied, "Let a man have the sagacity of Tsang Wu-chung, the freedom from covetousness of Kung-ch'oh, the boldness of Chwang of P'in, and the attainments in polite arts of Yen Yu; and gift him further with the graces taught by the 'Books of Rites' and 'Music'then he may be considered a perfect man.

" Tsz-kung then spoke up.

" "Sir," said Tsz-kung, "that is what you say of yourself.

" Whenever Tsz-kung drew comparisons from others, the Master would say, "Ah, how wise and great you must have become!

"Sir," said Tsz-kung, "how comes it to pass that no one knows you?"

" Addressing Tsz-kung, the Master said, "You regard me as one who studies and stores up in his mind a multiplicity of thingsdo you not?""I do," he replied; "is it not so?""Not at all.

" Tsz-kung asked how to become philanthropic.

" Tsz-kung put to him the question, "Is there one word upon which the whole life may proceed?" The Master replied, "Is not Reciprocity such a word?what you do not yourself desire, do not put before others.

" Once said he, "Would that I could dispense with speech!" "Sir," said Tsz-kung, "if you were never to speak, what should your pupils have to hand down from you?" "Does Heaven ever speak?" said the Master.

" Tsz-kung asked, "I suppose a gentleman will have his aversions as well as his likings?"

" Tsz-kung once observed, "We speak of 'the iniquity of Cháu'but 'twas not so great as this.

" Kung-sun Ch'an of Wei inquired of Tsz-kung how Confucius acquired his learning.

" Kung-sun Ch'an of Wei inquired of Tsz-kung how Confucius acquired his learning.

Tsz-kung replied, "The teachings of Wan and Wu have not yet fallen to the ground.

"No use doing that," said Tsz-kung; "he is irreproachable.

" Tsz-k'in, addressing Tsz-kung, said, "You depreciate yourself.

" Tsz-kung replied, "In the use of words one ought never to be incautious; because a gentleman for one single utterance of his is apt to be considered a wise man, and for a single utterance may be accounted unwise.

His surname, they tell us, was Kung, and he was a native of Wu-yang in P'ing-yang, which is still the name of a large department in Shan-hsî.

Fâ-hien, through the management of Foo Kung-sun, maître d'hotellerie, was able to remain with his company in the monastery where they were received for more than two months, and here they were rejoined by Pâo-yun and his friends.

Fâ-hien and the rest, however, through the liberality of Foo Kung-sun, managed to go straight forward in a southwest direction.

Early administration systems of this type in China have been studied in several articles in the journal Yü-kung (vol. 6 and 7).

Large parts of the Yung-lo ta-tien are now lost (Kuo Po-kung, Yüan T'ung-li studied this problem).