Chapter XLIV: Confucius

Confucius--His merits--His imperial and ducal origin--Migration of his family from Sung to Lu--His warrior father--His quaint childish fancies--Lu officer foretells his greatness--His first pupils--His appointment as steward--His visit to Laos--No reason for mentioning this visit in history--Neither philosopher yet "great"--Lu in a quandary--Helplessness of the Emperor under Tsin, Ts'i, and Ts'u pressure--Yen-tsz sees Confucius, and discusses Ts'in's greatness--Studying the Rites at Lu-Date of Confucius' visit to Lao-tsz--Struggle of great families for popular rights-- Confucius offers services to Ts'i--Examines Rites of Hia--Yen- tsz's jealousy of Confucius--Confucius back in Lu--His literary labours--His official posts and his views on law--Ts'i overborne by Wu--Ts'i's attempt at assassination defeated by Confucius' diplomacy--Treaty between Lu and Ts'i--Civil war in Lu--Confucius Premier--Successful administration--Confucius leaves Lu in disgust--His treatment in Wei state--Leaves Wei, but returns to old friend there--Confucius' suspicious visit to a lady--Leaves disgusted _via_ Sung for Ts'ao--Visits to Cheng (mistaken for Tsz-ch'an) and Ch'en--A prey to rival ambitions--Episode of the Manchurian bustard--Revisits Wei--Arrested; solemn promise broken-- Base behaviour--Starts to visit Tsin--Confucius' enemy repents-- Arrangements to get Confucius back to Lu--He first visits Ts'ai- Excursion to Ts'u--Three years more in Ts'ai--T-s'u's literary status--Competition amongst princes for Confucius' services-- Confucius and war--Reaches Lu after fourteen years of wandering-- Confucius' travels the same as the Second Protector's--Consoles himself with literature--Popularizes history-Edits the Changes and the Odes--His history--The Tso Chwan.

CHAPTER XLV

_CONFUCIUS AND LAO-TSZ_

Historians had to be careful--Reverence for rulers--Confucius' feelings--His failings--All on the surface--His concealments--His artful censures--Sanctity of the classes--Confucius' meannesses and indiscretions--Allowances must be made for time and place-- Tsz-ch'an quite as good a man--Reasons for permanency of Confucian system--Reasons for Lao-tsz not being mentioned--All Chinese statesman-philosophers were, or tried to be, practical--First mention of Lao-tsz's new Taoism--Lao-tsz well known 400 B.C.-- State intercourse before Confucius' time--Philosophy taught by word of mouth--Cheapening of books accounts for spread of knowledge--Description of ancient books--Confucius was young when he visited Lao-tsz--Lao-t&s book in ancient character--Meagreness of details evidence of rigid truth--Obscurity of the Emperor-- Difficult questions of fact answered--How Lao-tsz was visited-- Proofs of genuineness--Originals must be studied by foreign critics.

CHAPTER XLVI

_ORACLES AND OMENS_

Consulting the oracles--The Changes, or Book of Diagrams--Ts'u and Ts'i as instructors of Chou--Tortoise augury--Consulting ancestors--Heaven's decree--Heaven's spontaneous, manifestations of favour--Astrology--Prognostication--Text of the Changes survives unmutilated--Ts'in consults oracles about moving capital-- Ts'in's greatness foretold--Omens--_Dies_ n&s--Oracles in the battlefield--Prophecy in Tsin, Ts'u, and Lu--Shuh Hiang's scepticism--Tsz-ch'an and the omen of fighting snakes--Children sing prophetic songs--"Passing on" threatened evil--Tortoise oracles in Ts'o and Wu--High status of diviners-"-Transferring" evil in Ts'u--Rivers as gods--Our own prophecies--Good faith and truth.