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this, he replied, ^The vase was broken; why waste any more time over it?*' He was repeatedly pressed to take office, btit always firmly decliDed.

Meng Pen £ ^. A native of the ChH State, and a descendant of Tz^tL Fei, so powerfiil that he could tear the horns firom a living ox. Once, when crossing a river, his boat was beset by two scaly dragons, one on each side. Asking the boatmen if they had ever known any one to escape under such circumstances and receiving an answer in the negative, he leapt into the stream with his sword drawn, exclaiming, **Why should I care for this body of mine which is already doomed to destruction?" And he slew both the monsters. The Prince of Ching, in admiration of his bravery, appointed him one of his officers. Confucius, hearing of his exploit, cried out, ^^Stout indeed must have been that body destined to decay which showed itself capable of vanquishing such a danger.*' See Haia Ya.

Meng T'ien ^ fg. Died B.C. 209. Descended from ancestors who belonged to the Ch'i State, in B.C. 221 he was appointed to be Commander-in-chief of the forces of the First Emperor; and in 214, when things were more settled near home, he was sent at the head of an army of three hundred thousand men to subdue Honan, build the Great Wall, and strike terror into the hearts of the dreaded Hsiung-nu (see Hu Hat). After the death of the Emperor and the murder of Fu Su, he became an object of suspicion to the eunuch Chao Eao and was forced to commit suicide. He is the reputed inventor of the ^ cJieng, a kind of harpsichord, and also of the Chinese brush used as a pen; but some writers think that the latter invention was attributed to him only for the further glorification of his Imperial master, who wished everything to begin from his reign.

Meng T*0 ^ ^ (T. >f|& ^ ). 2nd cent. A.D. An official who