OF THE TAO EXEMPLIFIED IN HISTORY 15 



is no hurry. Let enquiries be made, and if we find that his 

 past record is good he can then be engaged. " " Not so, ' ' replied 

 the Duke. "If it be found that he has some minor defects 

 against him, we shall lose the excellent services of a man for 

 some slight error of his in the past. This is how governors 

 lose the scholars of the country. You can always judge from 

 what you hear : and after hearing there is no* need of enquiries 

 into the past. This man is quite agreeable to me. To get 

 just the right men is a difficult matter. Men must be 

 estimated at their best." 



Duke Huan acted quite correctly in this matter. Thus 

 Lao Tzu says : 



HEAVEN IS GREAT, EARTH IS GREAT, THE TAO IS 

 GREAT, THE KING IS GREAT. WHEN THOSE FOUR 

 GREATNESSES EXIST WITHIN THE BORDERS THE 

 KING SHARES ONE OF THEM, BECAUSE EACH IS 

 ABLE TO BE SELF CONTAINED(?) 



(15) The man worthy to rule and be King. — Shan Fu, the 

 great ancestor, lived in Pien. Being attacked by the Tartars, 

 he paid tribute of furs and cotton and silk fabrics of precious 

 stones, which being refused (wanting more) made him say, 

 "What Tartars want is my land: wealth and goods will not 

 do for them. T'ai Wang Shan Fu sermonised is this way. 

 To live with the people (elder brothers) and kill their 

 brothers : to mingle with the fathers and slay their sons are 

 acts I will not be a party to : so rest you here in peace : to 

 serve the Tartars will not be different from serving me. 

 Moreover I have heard it said, "Don't hurt the people for 

 the sake of territory. " So taking his staff he departed. The 

 people clung to him, and they went forth and founded a 

 kingdom in the Ch'i mountain. T'ai Wang Shan Fu may 

 be accredited with knowing how to preserve his kind. 



Though rich and honourable he did not injure his person 

 by his mode of life : though poor and lowly he did not permit 

 the love of gain to entangle his person. Being in possession 

 of the honours and emoluments of State it was no little 

 matter to lose what his ancestors had bequeathed him, and 

 handed down through long ages. But he lightly abandons 

 these. Do you think he made a mistake? Listen to what 

 Lao Tzu says : 



THE EMPIRE CAN BE ENTRUSTED TO HIM WHO 

 RECKONS IT HONOURABLE TO SPEND SELF FOR 

 COUNTRY. THE EMPIRE CAN BE COMMITTED TO 

 HIM WHO DELIGHTS TO SPEND HIS BODY FOR HIS 

 COUNTRY. 1 



*Cp. Analects 8, Chap. VI. Pro patria mori est dulce. 



