OF THE TAO EXEMPLIFIED IN HISTORY 27 



mind of the brigand must needs borrow the teaching of the 

 sages for carrying on his trade. Lao Tzu says : 



ABOLISH THE SAGES, ABANDON THE ART OF 

 SAGACITY AND THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE 

 WILL BE INCREASED A HUNDREDFOLD. 



(38) Use for the rough diamonds of Society. — General 

 Tzu Fa of Ts'u liked to look out for men of skill. He 

 encouraged everyone who showed any talent. Now there was 

 a clever thief in Ts'u who heard of this, so he went to see the 

 general saying that he had heard he was on the look out 

 for men of skill ; that his was in thieving : and as he would 

 like to try his skill so he offered himself as a soldier. Hear- 

 ing this the general was in such haste to see him that he 

 could hardly wait to put on his hat and robes to receive him 

 civilly. His attendants tried to dissuade him from showing 

 any civility to a thief. The general replied that this was 

 no business of theirs. 



Not long after Ch'i marshalled its troops to attack Ts'u. 

 Tzu Fa, the commander of the' Ts'u army, was pressed and 

 had to withdraw his forces three times. The best leaders 

 of Ts'u had exhausted their plans and used every device, 

 but the army of Ch'i still advanced and was stronger 

 than ever. Just then the quondam thief begged permission 

 of the general to> use his little talent. Tzu. Fa consented, 

 and without asking any particulars, sent him off. So< the 

 thief entered the camp of the Ch'i commander and stole 

 the curtain o'f his bed, as he was sleeping, and brought it to 

 his general. The general thereupon sent it back by a mes- 

 senger with the words that one of his soldiers found the 

 commander's curtains when gathering fire sticks : so he was 

 returning it to the man in charge by a messenger. The 

 next day the thief soldier stole the pillow of the commander 

 as he was sleeping. This again Tzu Fa returned in the same 

 way. The next day he went and abstracted the commander's 

 hair fastening. Tzu. Fa once more returned the article. 

 When the soldiers became aware of this they were greatly 

 alarmed, and the commander held a consultation with his 

 officers maintaining that if they didn't immediately return 

 home it was not impossible that the King of Ts'u would 

 get the commander's head next. He then withdrew the 

 troops and departed. This is as the common saying has it : 

 no gift is too little, no ability too slight for the king to use. 

 Just as Lao Tzu says : 



THE ROUGH DIAMONDS OF SOCIETY ARE THE 

 MATERIAL FOR THE USE OF THE GOOD MAN. 



(39) The true culture of the Tao and life. — Yen Hui told 

 Confucius, "I have made progress*" "How so," asked 



