OF THE TAO EXEMPLIFIED IN HISTORY 25 



government. No affair but can come to perfection, as the 

 saying is : 



TO ACT ACCORDING TO THE TAO IS THE WAY THAT 

 MAKES A PERSON ONE WITH THE TAO* ITSELF. 



(35) Bear present indignity and wait for empire. — Wen 

 Wang sharpened his virtues and cultivated his government 

 so that in three years two-thirds of the country owned him 

 allegiance. Chou the emperor, was troubled when he heard it, 

 and said "Should I rise early and retire late and mend my 

 ways and cultivate virtue, belabouring my mind and wearing 

 my body with heavy toils : should I let him go and think 

 no more about him, I fear he would attack me. ' ' Ts'un Hon 

 Hu said to him, ' ' Chou Pei Ch' ang 1 is a person of benevolence 

 and justice and of good judgment. His eldest son Fa is 

 a man of courage and determination. His second son Tan 

 is a person of pious and frugal habits, and possesses the 

 gift of reading the drift of the times. Should you give way 

 to him you cannot escape the danger of such a course; if 

 you take no notice of him, and let him go> free, you are 

 bound to come to a bad end. Even an ugly cap must be 

 worn on the head. 2 So< before his schemes are matured I 

 counsel you to check him." Thereupon Ch'u Shang held 

 Wen Wang captive in Yu Li. Whereupon San I Sheng 

 having a thousand ingots of silver, sought for the most 

 curious and precious stones in the empire ; he obtained a 

 tandem of the tiger-marked horses : 300 pieces of black jade : 

 500 cowries: the dusky leopard: the yellow p'i: the blue 

 kan : 2,000 pieces of the white tiger with the striped skin. 

 Having collected these he presented them to Chou by means 

 of an intermediary, the minister Fei Chung. When Cho<u 

 saw the gifts he was delighted with them and liberated 

 Wen Wang, killing an ox and offering it to him as a parting 

 gift. On his return home, Wen Wang simulated an in- 

 fatuation for building doors inlaid with jade, and lofty 

 towers : played with girls and spent his time dilly dallying 

 with drums and music, but really he was waiting his chance 

 to fall on Chou. When Chou heard of these infatuations 

 it made him say: "Chou Pei Ch'ang has changed his way 

 and altered his course of life. There will be no more disquiet 

 for me."' Chou however, did not mend his ways but 

 cast the iron man; 3 he took out the heart of Pei Kan; 



a Wen Wang is the posthumous title. Chou is the name of country. 

 Pei rank, Ch'ang is personal name. 



2 If Ch'ang is allowed to go on in his way he will get power and 

 you must submit to him. 



3 Which the persecuted had to clasp as it was heated. 



