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Rh in manuscript. This treatise may be considered as Wang’s endeavour to reply to questions proposed by myself, while engaged in the preparation and printing of this volume. It embraces most of the subjects which I have discussed in the previous chapters of these prolegomena. His answers are more or less satisfactory, but show the conservative character of the Chinese mind in regard to the views on the classics which have been current since the Han dynasty.

56. 左傳???世鈔 ‘Extracts from the Tso Chuen.’ In 23 Books; by Wei He (??; styled ??), of the Ming dynasty. This Work contains the greater number of the narratives in Tso, those of them belonging to the same subject, which in his commentary are scattered over several years, being brought together. Explanatory glosses from Too Yu, Lin Yaou-sow, and Wei He himself are occasionally interspersed throughout Tso’s text, and each paragraph is followed by reflections of a general or historical character from the compiler. It has been useful to me from the large characters, finely cut, in which the copy that l have is printed; and which is probably a reprint from an edition published in 1,748 by P&lsquo;ăng Këa-ping (???; styled ???). The ??? of the title is hardly translatable, and is taken from a remark by Chwang-tsze of the Chow dynasty about the Ch&lsquo;un Ts&lsquo;ëw ??,??????.

57. 古文?? 'Ancient Compositions, with Notes on their meaning.’ In 16 Books; by Lin Yun-ming (???; styled ??) who took his third degree in 1,658. The Work is a little of the same nature as some volumes of &ldquo;Elegant Extracts&rdquo; from our English masters, which I have seen. A selection is made of the most celebrated pieces of composition from the Chow dynasty downwards, with explanations of the meaning and notes on the style interspersed, with a disquisition at the end on the subject- matter by the compiler. The ﬁrst two Books are occupied with pieces from the Tao Chuen. Lin Yun-ming was called a bibliomaniac (§ ﬂ) by his neighbours; but scholars speak contemptuously of his Works. Wang T‘aou calls the one before us ‘a series of Lessons for a village school (ﬁSﬁﬂ Z 2K)? The foreign student, however, is glad to get hold of it, especially at the commencement Iof his studies in the T50 Chuen.

The class of Works represented by the preceding is numerous. l have consulted the 古文？新？; the 古文快？; the 古文分？？？; the 古文？止; the 古文？註; the 古文？, the 古文？？; and the 古文？？. Unfortunately they all deal with nearly the same pieces in Tso's Work.

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