203 

 SECTION V. 



Secret signs with wine-ctjps. 



The host inakes with nine wine-cups the characters Thian-hia-tai-ping-hung, ( J ) 



oo oooo o oo ooo 



ooo ° ° ° ° ° 



00 000 000 



o oo 



° ooo o ooo 



If the guest does not recognize the form of these characters, the host ought to pour the 



tea again into the tea-pot and, having placed the cups confusedly, he fills them again. 



If you enter the house of a brother, to drink wine and sup with him, and he lays down 

 two chop-sticks, you ought to lay the chop-stick which is lying in front of you before the 

 host, and place his chop-stick before your own place, saying this quatrain: 



Before I met your hoary head, what did you think? 



When there has been a revolution in Heaven and Eartli the Tai-ping wül sing. 



If it is predestinated , people come together from thousands of miles; 



But, if it is not predestinated, one does not know his brother face to face. ( 2 ) 



* # * m * * a 



±ljj 



M 



# 



j& 



as 





m 



=f 



m 



m 



# 



# 



m 



m 



® 



X- 



f» 



w 



4nf 



If a brother requests you to drink a cup of wine, and he presents it to you with his mid- 

 dle finger held above it's mouth, you ought to receive the cup with your middle finger at 

 the bottom of it. If he curves his middle finger whilst presenting you the cup, it means 

 that he kneels- before you; you ought then to raise your left hand with the üve fingers 

 opened, and the palm towards the host, as if you invited the five founders to appear and 

 receive his worship, and pronounce these words : Bretheni, being faithful and loyal, don't re- 

 quire so many words. ( 3 ) 



C) ~JZ ~F ^C ^P ffi ) * n ^ ie un i verse are the Tai-ping Hungs. 



ft Comp. pag. 96. (3, Ü^J6©il, 7ffl$ N 7 



