"In the reign of the last king of the Yin dynasty," Confucius I said,
"there were three men of philanthropic spirit:--the viscount of Wei, who
withdrew from him; the viscount of Ki, who became his bondsman; and
Pi-kan, who reproved him and suffered death."

Hwui of Liu-hia, who filled the office of Chief Criminal Judge, was
thrice dismissed. A person remarked to him, "Can you not yet bear to
withdraw?" He replied, "If I act in a straightforward way in serving
men, whither in these days should I go, where I should not be thrice
dismissed? Were I to adopt crooked ways in their service, why need I
leave the land where my parents dwell?"

Duke King of Ts'i remarked respecting his attitude towards Confucius,
"If he is to be treated like the Chief of the Ki family, I cannot do it.
I should treat him as somewhere between the Ki and Mang Chiefs.--I am
old," he added, "and not competent to avail myself of him."

Confucius, hearing of this, went away.

The Ts'i officials presented to the Court of Lu a number of female
musicians. Ki Hwan accepted them, and for three days no Court was held.

Confucius went away.

Tsieh-yu, the madman [33] of Ts'u, was once passing Confucius, singing
as he went along. He sang--

"Ha, the phoenix! Ha, the phoenix!
How is Virtue lying prone!
Vain to chide for what is o'er,
Plan to meet what's yet in store.
Let alone! Let alone!
Risky now to serve a throne."

Confucius alighted, wishing to enter into conversation with him; but the
man hurried along and left him, and he was therefore unable to get a
word with him.

Ch'ang-tsue and Kieh-nih [34] were working together on some ploughed
land. Confucius was passing by them, and sent Tsz-lu to ask where the
ford was.

Ch'ang-tsue said, "Who is the person driving the carriage?"

"Confucius," answered Tsz-lu.

"He of Lu?" he asked.

"The same," said Tsz-lu.

"He knows then where the ford is," said he.

Tsz-lu then put his question to Kieh-nih; and the latter asked, "Who are
you?"

Tsz-lu gave his name.

"You are a follower of Confucius of Lu, are you not?"

"You are right," he answered.

"Ah, as these waters rise and overflow their bounds," said he, "'tis so
with all throughout the empire; and who is he that can alter the state
of things? And you are a follower of a learned man who withdraws from
his chief; had you not better be a follower of such as have forsaken the
world?" And he went on with his harrowing, without stopping.

Tsz-lu went and informed his Master of all this. He was deeply touched,
and said, "One cannot herd on equal terms with beasts and birds: if I am
not to live among these human folk, then with whom else should I live?
Only when the empire is well ordered shall I cease to take part in the
work of reformation."

Tsz-lu was following the Master, but had dropped behind on the way, when
he encountered an old man with a weed-basket slung on a staff over his
shoulder. Tsz-lu inquired of him, "Have you seen my Master, sir?" Said
the old man, "Who is your master?--you who never employ your four limbs
in laborious work; you who do not know one from another of the five
sorts of grain!" And he stuck his staff in the ground, and began his
weeding.

Tsz-lu brought his hands together on his breast and stood still.

The old man kept Tsz-lu and lodged him for the night, killed a fowl and
prepared some millet, entertained him, and brought his two sons out to
see him.

On the morrow Tsz-lu went on his way, and told all this to the Master,
who said, "He is a recluse," and sent Tsz-lu back to see him again. But
by the time he got there he was gone.

Tsz-lu remarked upon this, "It is not right he should evade official
duties. If he cannot allow any neglect of the terms on which elders and
juniors should live together, how is it that he neglects to conform to
what is proper as between prince and public servant? He wishes for
himself personally a pure life, yet creates disorder in that more
important relationship. When a gentleman undertakes public work, he will
carry out the duties proper to it; and he knows beforehand that right
principles may not win their way."

Among those who have retired from public life have been Peh-I and
Shuh-Ts'i, Yu-chung, I-yih, Chu-chang, Hwui of Liuhia, and Shau-lien.

"Of these," said the Master, "Peh-I and Shuh-Ts'i may be characterized,
I should say, as men who never declined from their high resolve nor
soiled themselves by aught of disgrace.

"Of Hwui of Liu-hia and Shau-lien, if one may say that they did decline
from high resolve, and that they did bring disgrace upon themselves, yet
their words were consonant with established principles, and their action
consonant with men's thoughts and wishes; and this is all that may be
said of them.

"Of Yu-chung and I-yih, if it be said that when they retired into
privacy they let loose their tongues, yet in their aim at personal
purity of life they succeeded, and their defection was also successful
in its influence.

"My own rule is different from any adopted by these: I will take no
liberties, I will have no curtailing of my liberty."

The chief music-master went off to Ts'i. Kan, the conductor of the music
at the second repast, went over to Ts'u. Liau, conductor at the third
repast, went over to Ts'ai. And Kiueh, who conducted at the fourth, went
to Ts'in.

Fang-shuh, the drummer, withdrew into the neighborhood of the Ho. Wu the
tambourer went to the Han. And Yang the junior music-master, and Siang
who played on the musical stone, went to the sea-coast.

Anciently the Duke of Chow, addressing his son the Duke of Lu, said, "A
good man in high place is not indifferent about the members of his own
family, and does not give occasion to the chief ministers to complain
that they are not employed; nor without great cause will he set aside
old friendships; nor does he seek for full equipment for every kind of
service in any single man."

There were once eight officials during this Chow dynasty, who were four
pairs of twins, all brothers--the eldest pair Tab and Kwoh, the next Tub
and Hwuh, the third Ye and Hia, the youngest Sui and Kwa.

[Footnote 33: He only pretended to be mad, in order to escape being
employed in the public service.]

[Footnote 34: Two worthies who had abandoned public life, owing to the
state of the times.]