Page:Leaves from my Chinese Scrapbook - Balfour, 1887.djvu/145



chief called Hu-fu Ch'iu, seeing him in this condition, brought out a kettle of soup and fed him; and when the traveller had swallowed three mouthfuls he recovered so far as to be able to open his eyes. Then, gazing at his deliverer, he said, "Who are you?" "I am Hu-fu Ch'iu," replied the robber. "What!" exclaimed Mr. Yuan; "why, you're a robber, aren't you? How is it you have given me food? My sense of rectitude forbids me to accept your hospitality." Whereupon he knelt with his two hands upon the ground and retched. He was unable, however, to vomit what he had eaten, but coughed and choked so violently that he fell flat down and expired. Now, it is true that Hu-fu Ch'iu was a robber, but his food had been honestly come by; so that to refuse to eat food because it is given by a robber, who only may have stolen it, is to lose both the substance and the shadow.

The Elixir of Life.

Once upon a time it was reported that there was a person who professed to have the secret of immortality. The King of Yen, therefore, sent messengers to inquire about it; but they dawdled on the road, and before they had arrived at their destination the man was already dead. Then the King was very angry, and sought to slay the messengers; but his favourite Minister expostulated with him, saying, "There is nothing which causes greater sorrow to men than death; there is nothing they value more highly than life. Now, the very man who said he possessed the secret of immortality is dead himself. How, then, could he have prevented your Majesty from dying?" So the men's lives were spared.

Doing Evil that Good may come.

There was once a man in Han-tan who presented a live pigeon to Chien-tzŭ at dawn one New Year's Day. Chien-tzŭ was delighted, and rewarded him liberally. A visitor asked him his reason for acting thus. "Because," said Chien-tzŭ, "it gives me an opportunity of releasing a captive bird; and to set living creatures free on New Year's morning is a special