s mistook the statue of Pou't'ai, God of
Comfort, for that of the real porcelain-deity, as Jacquemart and others
observe. This error does not, however, destroy the beauty of the myth;
and there is no good reason to doubt that D'Entrecolles related it as it
had been told him by some of his Chinese friends at King-te-chin. The
researches of Stanislas Julien and others have only tended to confirm
the trustworthiness of the Catholic missionary's statements in other
respects; and both Julien and Salvetat, in their admirable French
rendering of the _King-te-chin-thao-lou_, "History of the Porcelains of
King-te-chin" (a work which has been of the greatest service to me in
the preparation of my little story), quote from his letters at
considerable length, and award him the highest praise as a conscientious
investigator. So far as I have been able to learn, D'Entrecolles remains
the sole authority for the myth; but his affirmations in regard to other
matters have withstood the severe tests of time astonishingly well; and
since the Tai-ping rebellion destroyed King-te-chin and paralyzed its
noble industry, the value of the French missionary's documents and
testimony has become widely recognized. In lieu of any other name for
the hero of the legend, I have been obliged to retain that of Pou, or
Pu,--only using it without the affix "t'ai,"--so as to distinguish it
from the deity of comfort and repose.

[Illustration: Decorative motif]

Glossary

[Illustration: Chinese calligraphy]

GLOSSARY

ABHIDHARMA.--The metaphysics of Buddhism. Buddhist literature
is classed into three great divisions, or "baskets"; the highest of
these is the Abhidharma.... According to a passage in Spence Hardy's
"Manual of Buddhism," the full comprehension of the Abhidharma is
possible only for a Buddha to acquire.

CHIH.--"House"; but especially the house of the dead,--a tomb.

CHU-SHA-KIH.--The mandarin-orange.

CRAMANA.--An ascetic; one who has subdued his senses. For an
interesting history of this term, see Burnouf,--"Introduction a
l'histoire du Buddhisme Indien."

DAMARI.--A peculiar chant, of somewhat licentious character,
most commonly sung during the period of the Indian carnival. For an
account, at once brief and entertaining, of Hindoo popular songs and
hymns, see Garcin de Tassy,--"Chants populaires de l'Inde."

DOGS OF FO.--The _Dog of Fo_ is one of those fabulous monsters
in the sculptural representation of which Chi