upon sorrow," said Tsze-loo. "I have," said the woman, "my father-in-law
was killed here by a tiger, and my husband also; and now my son has met
the same fate." "Why, then, do you not remove from the place?" asked
Confucius. "Because here there is no oppressive government," replied the
woman. On hearing this answer, Confucius remarked to his disciples, "My
children remember this, oppressive government is fiercer than a tiger."

Possibly Confucius was attracted to T'se by a knowledge that the music
of the emperor Shun was still preserved at the court. At all events, we
are told that having heard a strain of the much-desired music on his way
to the capital, he hurried on, and was so ravished with the airs he
heard that for three months he never tasted flesh. "I did not think,"
said he, "that music could reach such a pitch of excellence."

Hearing of the arrival of the Sage, the duke of T'se--King, by
name--sent for him, and after some conversation, being minded to act the
part of a patron to so distinguished a visitor, offered to make him a
present of the city of Lin-k'ew with its revenues. But this Confucius
declined, remarking to his disciples, "A superior man will not receive
rewards except for services done. I have given advice to the duke King,
but he has not followed it as yet, and now he would endow me with this
place. Very far is he from understanding me." He still, however,
discussed politics with the duke, and taught him that "There is good
government when the prince is prince, and the minister is minister; when
the father is father, and the son is son." "Good," said the duke; "if,
indeed, the prince be not prince, the minister not minister, and the son
not son, although I have my revenue, can I enjoy it?"

Though Duke King was by no means a satisfactory pupil, many of his
instincts were good, and he once again expressed a desire to pension
Confucius, that he might keep him at hand; but Gan Ying, the Prime
Minister, dissuaded him from his purpose. "These scholars," said the
minister, "are impracticable, and cannot be imitated. They are haughty
and conceited of their own views, so that they will not rest satisfied
in inferior positions. They set a high value on all funeral ceremonies,
give way to their grief, and will waste their property on great
funerals, so that they would only be injurious to the common manners.
This Kung Footsze has a thousand peculiarities. It would take ages to
exhaust all he knows about