OF THE TAO EXEMPLIFIED IN HISTORY 17 



who was trimming wheels outside, leaving his adze and awl, 

 came near and asked the Duke what he was reading and the 

 Duke replied "The books of the Sages." The wheel-wright 

 asked where these men were, to- which the Duke responded 

 that they were all dead. The wheelwright said "these books 

 are but the dregs and lees of the Sages." The Duke Huan 

 was angered and said, as the colour mounted his cheeks, "Do 

 you a workman venture to criticise my reading. If you can 

 justify yourself, well: otherwise you will be put to death." 

 The wheelwright replied, "Of course I can justify myself. 

 Permit your servant to explain himself from his own work 

 of wheelwright. If the wedges are driven in too fast they 

 will not enter (but break) : if driven in too slowly they will 

 not be firm : neither too slow nor too fast is an art whereby 

 the hand and will wholly act in concert, and in this way 

 p rfect workmanship is got. Your servant cannot transmit 

 this expertness to his son, nor can the son get it from him, 

 and so he is still working at wheels, though I am 70 years 

 old. It is so with the words of the sages, the real bloom of 

 them died with their authors and there is nothing but the 

 •empty dead husks remaining." Lao Tzu's words supply the 

 principle : 



THE TAO THAT CAN BE EXPRESSED IN WORDS IS NOT 



THE REAL TAO, 

 THE NAME THAT CAN BE NAMED IS NOT THE REAL 



NAME. 



(You must have the daimonion in yourself). 



(19) A wily old diplomat. — In ancient time Han Tzu, 

 the city-guardian, being Prime Minister of Sung, spoke to 

 the King, making the following suggestion: "The peace and 

 unrest of a nation, the government and the anarchy of the 

 people depend on the king's rewards and punishments. Re- 

 warding with titles and the giving of largess is wiiat the 

 people like. Let the King himself exercise this power. But 

 the death penalty and punishment arouse the disgust of the 

 people. Let your servant therefore discharge this function." 

 The King of Sung replied, that it was a good suggestion, 

 since he would get the praise and his minister bear the brunt 

 of opprobrium, and he w T as sure that the Feudal Lords would 

 not scorn him for this. Nevertheless, continued the King, 

 when the people realized that the autocratic powers of death 

 were in the hands of the minister, the officers would pay 

 him respect and the people would fear him. In less than a 

 year, Tzu Han overshadowed the king and usurped the power 

 of government. Lao Tzu says : 



THE FISH SHOULD NOT LEAVE HIS POOL. 

 THE SHARP TOOLS OF AUTHORITY SHOULD 

 NOT BE GIVEN INTO OTHER HANDS. 

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