improved and adorned its phrases; and Tsz-ch'an of Tung-li added his
scholarly embellishments thereto."

To some one who asked his opinion of the last-named, he said, "He was a
kind-hearted man." Asked what he thought of Tsz-si, he exclaimed, "Alas
for him! alas for him!"--Asked again about Kwan Chung, his answer was,
"As to him, he once seized the town of P'in with its three hundred
families from the Chief of the Pih clan, who, afterwards reduced to
living upon coarse rice, with all his teeth gone, never uttered a word
of complaint."

"It is no light thing," said he, "to endure poverty uncomplainingly; and
a difficult thing to bear wealth without becoming arrogant."

Respecting Mang Kung-ch'oh, he said that, while he was fitted for
something better than the post of chief officer in the Cháu or Wei
families, he was not competent to act as minister in small States like
those of T'ang or Sieh.

Tsz-lu asked how he would describe a perfect man. He replied, "Let a man
have the sagacity of Tsang Wu-chung, the freedom from covetousness of
Kung-ch'oh, the boldness of Chwang of P'in, and the attainments in
polite arts of Yen Yu; and gift him further with the graces taught by
the 'Books of Rites' and 'Music'--then he may be considered a perfect
man. But," said he, "what need of such in these days? The man that may
be regarded as perfect now is the one who, seeing some advantage to
himself, is mindful of righteousness; who, seeing danger, risks his
life; and who, if bound by some covenant of long standing, never forgets
its conditions as life goes on."