CONFUCIUS, 
68 
fince nothing can make a ftate flonrifh more than good 
order among its members, and an. exaCt obfervance of its 
laws: Alarmed at this, the king cf Tfi aflembled his mi¬ 
lt biers lo coniider of methods which might put a ftop to 
the career of this new government; and, after fome de¬ 
liberations, the following expedient was refol ved upon : 
They got together a great.number of young girls of ex¬ 
traordinary beauty, who had been inltrufted from their 
infancy in Tinging and dancing, and were perfectly mif- 
trelles of all thole charms and accomplifhments which 
captivate the heart. Thefe, under the pretext of an em- 
bafly, they presented to the king of Lou, and to the 
grandees.of his court. The prefent was joyfully received, 
and had its defired cffcCl. The arts of good government 
were immediately negledted, and nothing was thought of 
but inventing new pleafures for the entertainment of the 
fair Grangers. In fnort, nothing was regarded for fome 
nionths but fee fling, dancing, mows, &c. and 'the court 
was entirely diffolved in luxury and'pleafure. Confucius 
had forefeen all this, and endeavoured to prevent it by 
advifing the refulal of the prefent; and he now laboured 
to take off the delufion they were fallen into, and to bring 
them back to reafon, and their duty. But ail his endea¬ 
vours proved ineffectual; there was nothing to be done ; 
and the feverity of the philofopher, whether he would or 
not, was obliged to give way to the overbearing fafhion 
of the.court. Upon which he immediately quitted his 
employment, exiling himfelf from his native country, to 
try if he could find'in other kingdoms, minds and dif- 
pofifions more fitted to piirfue his maxims. He pafled 
through the kingdoms of Tfi, Guci, and Tfon, but met 
with infurmountable difficulties every where. He had 
the misfortune to live in times when rebellion, wars, and 
tumults, raged throughout the empire. Men had no time 
to lifeen to his philofophy: they were ambitious, avari¬ 
cious, and voluptuous. Hence he often’met with ill- 
treatment and reprbachfui language; confpiracies were 
formed againft his life<j and his neglefl of his own intereffs 
had reduced him to extreme poverty. Some philofophers 
among his co.temporaries were fo affedted with this ftate 
of things, that they had immured themfeives in moun¬ 
tains and deferts, as the only places where happinefs could 
be found ; and would have perfuaded Confucius to have 
followed them. But, “ I am a man, (fays Confucius,) and 
cannot exclude rnyfelf from the fociety of men, and con- 
fort with bealts. Bad as the times are, I.fhall do all I can 
to recall men to virtue; for in virtue are all things, and 
if mankind would but once embrace it, and fubmit them¬ 
feives to its difeipline. and laws, they wotild not want 
any bod}' to infirudt them. It is the duty of a good man, 
firlt to perfect himfelf, and then to perfeft others. Human 
nature,” laid he, “ came to us from heaven-pure and per¬ 
fect ; but ignorance, the pafliens, and evil examples* have 
corrupted it. All confifts in reftoring it to its primitive 
beauty; and to be perfeft, we mult re-afeend to that 
point from which we have fallen. Obey heaven, and fol¬ 
low the orders of him who governs it. Love your neigh¬ 
bour as yourlelf. Let your reafon, and not your fenles, 
be the rule of your conduct; for reafon will teach you to 
think wifely, to ("peak prudently, and to behave yourfelf 
worthily, upon all occafions.” 
Confucius in the mean time, though he had withdrawn 
himfelf from kings and courts, did not cea-fe to do what 
good he could among the people. He had often in his 
month the maxims^and examples of their ancient heroes, 
Yao, Chun, Yu, Tifchin-tang, Ven-fan, &c. fo that they 
were thought to be all revived in the perfon of this great 
man. We (hall not wonder, therefore, that he profeiyted 
great’numbers, who were inviolably attached to his per¬ 
son. He is laid to have had at lead three thoufand dif¬ 
ciples, feventy-two of whom were difeinguifhed above the 
rdt by their fuperior attainments, and ten above them all 
by their comprehend ve view and perfect knowledge of 
his philofophy and dofliines. He divided his difciples 
into four clafles, who applied themfeives to cultivate and 
propagate his philofophy, each according to his particular 
didindtion. The fird clafs were to improve their minds 
by meditation, and to purify their hearts by virtue ; the 
fecond were to cultivate the arts of feafoning judly, and 
of coitipofing elegant and perfuafive difeourfes; the child 
were to learn the rules cf good government, to give an 
idea of it to the mandarins, and to enable thenr"to fiil 
the public offices with honour; the lad clafs'were con¬ 
cerned in delivering the principles of morality in a con- 
cife and polifiied ftyle. Thefe ten thofen diiciples were 
the flower of Confucius's fchool. 
He lent fix hundred of his difciples into different parts 
of the empire, to reform the manners of the people ; and, 4 ' 
not fatisfied with benefiting his own country, he made 
frequent reiblutions to pals theTeas, and propagate his 
doCtrine to the fart he'd parts of the world. Hardly any¬ 
thing can be added to the purity of his morality. He' 
feems rather to .{peak like a doClor of a revealed law, than 
a man who had no light but what the law of nature af¬ 
forded him ; and what convinces us of his fincerity is, 
that he taught as forcibly by example as by precept. In 
fhort, his gravity and fobriety, hi| rigorous abftinence, 
his contempt of riches, his continual attention and watch- 
fulnefs over his aClions, and, above all, that modedy and 
humility which aid not to be found among the Grecian 
fages ; all thele would cempt one to believe, that he was 
not a mere philofopher formed by reafon only, but a man 
ir.fpired by God for the.reformation of the world, and to 
check that torrent Of idolatry ancV fuperltition, which was 
about to overlpread that particular part of it. He is faid 
to have lived i’ecretly three years, and to have ipent the 
latter part of his life in for row. A few days before his 
lad illnefs, he told his difciples that lie was overcome 
with grief at the fight of the diforders which prevailed in 
the empire. “ The mountain, (fitid he,) is fallen ; the 
high machine is demolifhed; and the fages are all ffed.” 
His meaning was, that the edifice of perfection, which he 
had endeavoured to raife, was entirely overthrown. He 
began to languifli from that time; and the foventh day 
before his death, “ The kings, (laid he,) rejedt'my, max¬ 
ims ; and fince I am no longer ufeful on the earth, I may 
as well leave it.” After thefe words he fell into a le¬ 
thargy, and at the end of feven days, is faid to have ex¬ 
pired in the arms of his difciples, an his feventy-third 
year. Upon the news of his death, Ngai-ccng, who then 
reigned in the kingdom of Lou, could not refrain from 
tears. “ The Tien is not fatisfied with me, (cried he,) 
fince it has taken away Confucius.” In reality, wife men 
are precious gifts, wiGt which heaven blefles the parthj 
and their worth is never known until they are taken 
away. Confucius was lamented by the whole empire, 
which from that moment began to honour him as a faint; 
and eltablifhed fuch a veneration for his memory, as will 
probably laft for ever in thofe parts of the world. Kings 
have built pagodas for him in all the provinces, whither 
the learned go at times to pay him homage. There are 
to be feen upon feveral edifices, raifed in honour of him, 
inferiptions in large characters, “ To the great matter.” 
“To the head doCtor.” “ To the laint.” “ To the 
teacher of emperors and kings.” They built his fepulchre 
near the city Kio-fou, on the banks of the river Su, where 
he was wont to aflemble his difciples, and where they 
alfemble to this day. 
Confucius did not truft altogether to the memory of 
his difciples for the prefervation of his philofophy; but 
compofed feveral books; and, though thefe books were 
greatly admired for the doftrines they contained, and the 
principles of morality they taught, yet fuch was the un¬ 
paralleled modefty of this philofopher, that he never 
aifumed the leaft honour about them. He ingenuoully 
confefied, that the doftrine was not his own, but was 
much more ancient; and that he had done nothing rnoie 
than colieCl it from thofe wife legiflators Yao and Chun, 
who lived 1500 years before him. Thefe books are held 
in the high’eit eiteem and veneration, becaufe they con- 
