Ch'n State. When the latter came to the throne, he was appointed
tutor to the Heir Apparent; but his pupil hated books and made
his position irksome. After the death of Prince Yuan, he was
treated with such contumely that he retired to his native State and
devoted himself to teaching the Odes, an edition of which, known
as the (
Chinese characters), is attributed to him. He was already over eighty
when the Emperor summoned him to Court, sending for him a
comfortable chariot drawn by four horses, its wheels bound with
rushes. His Majesty asked him how to deal with disorder; to which
he could only reply, "Government does not consist in saying much,
but in acting according to the means at control." For this dark
maxim he was made a Minister of State, but declined the office
and returned home, where he died a few years later.
Shen Lin-shih (Chinese characters) (T. (Chinese characters)), 5th cent. D. A native 1693
of Wu-k'ang in Chehkiang, who was so poor that he was obliged
to spend all his time in weaving door-screens. He managed howerer
to educate himself meanwhile, and became known in the neigh-
bourhood as (Chinese characters). By and by he retired to a mountain
in Eiangsi, where he had several hundred disciples. He was often
summoned to Court, but he preferred a life of retirement, gathering
his own fuel and drawing his own water, in which condition he
died at the age of 86.
Shen Lnn (Chinese characters) (T. (Chinese characters))• A.D. 909-986. A native of 1694
(Chinese characters) T^ai-k'aog in Honan , who served as secretary to the
founder of the Sung dynasty in his early career, and on his accession
was sent on various missions. He was accused of taking bribes;
nothing however was to be found in his boxes save pictures. In
973 he had risen to be a State Councillor, and he was left in
charge of the capital during the Emperor's expedition to Shansi.
In 982 he was implicated in the disgrace of Lu To-hsfin, and
retired. As Minister he maintained his purity; but it is a reproach
