ording
to righteousness nor any ordering of Heaven.

"When Confucius, being dissatisfied in Lu and Wei, had left those
States, he met with the attempt of Hwan, the master of the Horse, in
Sung, to intercept and kill him, so that he had to pass through Sung
in the dress of a private man. At that time, though he was in
circumstances of distress, he lodged in the house of Ching-tsze, the
minister of works, who was then a minister of Chow, the marquis of
Ch[']in.

"I have heard that ministers in the service of a court may be known
from those to whom they are hosts, and that ministers coming from a
distance may be known from those with whom they lodge. If Confucius
had lodged with an ulcer-doctor and with Tseih Hwan, the chief of the
eunuchs, how could he have been Confucius?"

Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, "Some say that Pih-le He sold himself
to a cattle-keeper of Ts[']in for five sheepskins, and fed his cattle
for him, to seek an introduction to Duke Muh of Ts[']in; is this
true?" Mencius said, "No, it was not so. This is the invention of some
one fond of strange things.

"Pih-le He was a man of Yu. The people of Ts[']in by the inducement of
a _peih_ of Ch[']uy-Keih and a team of Keuh-ch[']an horses were asking
liberty to march through Yu to attack Kwoh. Kung Che-k[']e
remonstrated with the duke of Yu, asking him not to grant their
request, but Pih-le He did not remonstrate.

"When he knew that the duke of Yu was not to be remonstrated with, and
went in consequence from that State to Ts[']in, he had reached the age
of seventy. If by that time he did not know that it would be a
disgraceful thing to seek for an introduction to Duke Muh of Ts[']in
by feeding cattle, could he be called wise? But not remonstrating
where it was of no use to remonstrate, could he be said not to be
wise? Knowing that the duke of Yu would be ruined, and leaving his
State before that event, he could not be said to be not wise. As soon
as he was advanced in Ts[']in, he knew that Duke Muh was one with whom
he could have a field for action, and became chief minister to him;
could he be said to be not wise? Acting as chief minister in Ts[']in,
he made his ruler distinguished throughout the kingdom, and worthy to
be handed down to future ages; if he had not been a man of talents and
virtue, could he have done this? As to selling himself in order to
bring about the destruction of his ruler, even a villager who had a
regard for himself, would no