Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/571

 praised it for the richness of its materials. It is traditional in its approach, incorporating many legendary ideas.

Ma Su likewise left a work on the Tso-chuan under the title Tso-chuan shih-wei (事緯), 12 + 8 chüan, which was printed in 1804. It was reedited by into 4 chüan, and with the title altered to 春秋左傳會要 Ch'un-ch'iu Tso-chuan hui-yao, was printed in Li's collectanea Han-hai (1882 edition). Ma is known to have left another work, entitled 十三代緯書 Shih-san-tai wei-shu which, according to Li Wên-tsao (see under ) was in the form of a collectanea containing 222 items, all written in the period from the Chou to the Sui dynasties inclusive. He was given unofficially the posthumous title, Wên-chieh 文介. Owing to his knowledge of, and his interest in, ancient history he was nicknamed Ma San-tai (馬三代) or "Ma of the Three Dynasties"—the dynasties before 255 B.C.

[1/487/4a; 3/218/47a, including epitaph by ; Tsou-p'ing-hsien chih (1696) 7/36b, (1836) 15/60b; Ssŭ-k'u 49/7a;, Ch'ih-pei ou-t'an 9/16b; Li Wên-tsao, 南澗集 Nan-chien chi 下/15a; Wylie, Notes p. 28.]

2em

MA Tê-kung 馬得功, d. 1663, Ming-Ch'ing general, was a native of Liaotung. He served as brigade general under the Ming and was associated with in betraying the Prince of Fu (see ) to the Manchu general,. He was admitted to the Chinese Bordered Yellow Banner and allowed to retain his same rank in the Ch'ing army stationed at Chinkiang, Kiangsu. In 1646 he was degraded for incorporating rebel forces in his ranks but was reinstated the following year, resuming his activities against the Ming loyalists in Fukien. During absence from Amoy in 1651, Ma Tê-kung entered the city and seized his property. Unable to maintain his position when the insurgent general returned, he was indicted the following year by the Board of Punishments on charges of covetousness and military defeat, but was pardoned by the emperor. He was later made general-in-chief of Fukien where he coöperated with against the Chêng insurgents. When the latter were driven from Amoy in 1663, Ma Tê-kung pursued them out to sea and was killed in battle. Two years later the name Hsiang-wu 襄武 and rank of marquis of the first class were conferred, and in 1729 his name was entered for worship in the temple of the Zealots of the Dynasty. In 1749 the hereditary rank was designated Shun-ch'in (順勤侯).

[1/254/2b; 2/78/9a; Shêng-ching (盛京) t'ung chih (1736) 341/21b.]

2em

 MA Yüeh-kuan 馬曰琯, 1688–1755, July 29, and his younger brother, Ma Yüeh-lu 馬曰璐 , were both poets and bibliophiles. Their ancestral home was Ch'i-mên, Anhwei, but as the family was engaged in the salt business at Yangchow, Kiangsu, the brothers regarded the latter place as their home. For this reason, and also by virtue of their literary accomplishments, they were known as "The Two Mas of Yangchow" (揚州二馬). Ma Yüeh-lu was recommended as a suitable competitor in the po-hsüeh hung-tz'ŭ examination of 1736 (see under ), but declined to participate. The library of the Ma family, known as Ts'ung-shu lou 叢書樓, was rich not only in books but also in examples of calligraphy, paintings, rubbings, and engravings.

When in later years (1772) the Imperial Manuscript Library, Ssŭ-k'u ch'üan-shu (see under ), was instituted, Ma Yüeh-lu's son, Ma Yü 馬裕, submitted about 700 works for transcription, and was rewarded with a set of the encyclopedia, Ku-chin t'u-shu chi-ch'êng (see under ), an honor also conferred on three other bibliophiles who each submitted more than 500 items to the Ssŭ-k'u editors. The titles of the 229 works that were first submitted by Ma Yü are listed in an old manuscript catalogue preserved in the Library of Congress, under the title, 呈送書目 Ch'êng-sung shu-mu. They also appear in the collectanea, Han-fên lou mi-chi (see under ) under the title 進呈書目 Chin-ch'êng shu-mu. Among the family's studio names the Hsiao ling-lung shan-kuan 小玲瓏山館 is the best known. The fame and the richness of the library and the cordiality of its owners attracted many scholars to it. Such well known figures as, , and , were friends of the Ma brothers and sojourned with them. We are told that it was principally in their library that Ch'üan Tsu-wang wrote his 559