DOGS OF CHINA AND JAPAN 



Emperor Ling Ti (A.D. 168-190) was both foolish and vicious. 

 He took to driving a chariot with asses four-in-hand in his 

 capital, the result being that his faithful subjects followed the 

 Imperial example to such good purpose that the price of asses 

 became equal to that of horses. He sold rank and official 

 positions. From the Chief of a Province whose annual 

 salary was two thousand piculs of rice he would require twenty 

 thousand strings of cash in advance, but, if poverty forbade, he 

 was willing to accept a promise of twice this amount at the 

 completion of the term of office. He kept in his Western 

 Garden at Lo Yang (Honanfu) a dog of which he was ex- 

 tremely fond, and to this animal he gave the official hat of the 

 Chin Hsien grade the most important literary rank of the 

 period as well as an official belt. " The hat was 8| inches 

 high in front, 3! inches high behind, and 10 inches broad." 



Nearly all the dogs which were reared by the Emperor 

 were given the rank of K'ai Fu (approximately that of a 

 Viceroy) ; others that of Yi Tung (a rank probably equivalent 

 to the present post of Imperial Guardian). The females were 

 given the ranks of the wives of the corresponding officials. 

 These dogs were guarded by soldiers and fed on the best of 

 rice and meat. For their beds they were given the choicest 

 carpets.* 



The book from which this reference is taken proceeds 

 gravely : " This had the effect of likening the high officials 

 to dogs, and so was a bad practice." 



The literati could not forgive this fatuous bestowal of 

 literary rank upon dogs, however intelligent. They stig- 

 matize Ling Ti as weak, indolent, and content to leave his 

 affairs of state to the chief eunuchs. 



The Emperor Fei Ti (A.D. 973-977) of the Southern Sung 

 Dynasty appears to have got into similar bad odour with the 



* " Tung K'ao," by Ma Tuan Lin of the Yuan Dynasty. (Date of book, A.D. 1319.) 



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