Page Text
________________
92
THE TEXTS OF TÂOISM.
BK. XXIV.
(deprived of their accustomed pleasures);—it is for me to comfort your lordship, what occasion have you to comfort me?' The marquis looked contemptuous, and made no reply.
After a little time, Hsü Wa-kwei said, 'Let me tell your lordship something :- I look at dogs and judge of them by their appearance. One of the lowest quality seizes his food, satiates himself, and stops; —he has the attributes of a fox. One of a medium quality seems to be looking at the sun. One of the highest quality seems to have forgotten the one thing, --himself. But I judge still better of horses than I do of dogs. When I do so, I find that one goes straightforward, as if following a line; that another turns off, so as to describe a hook; that a third describes a square as if following the measure so called; and that a fourth describes a circle as exactly as a compass would make it. These are all horses of a state; but they are not equal to a horse of the kingdom. His qualities are complete. Now he looks anxious; now to be losing the way; now to be forgetting himself. Such a horse prances along, or rushes on, spurning the dust and not knowing where he is.' The marquis was greatly pleased and laughed.
When Hsü Wa-kwei came out, Nü Shang said to him, ' How was it, Sir, that you by your counsels produced such an effect on our ruler ? In my counsellings of him, now indirectly, taking my subjects from the Books of Poetry, History, Rites, and Music; now directly, from the Metal Tablets?, and the six Bow-cases?, all calculated for the service of the
1 Literally, 'I physiognomise dogs.' 2 The names of two Books, or Collections of Tablets, the former
Digitized by Google
| SR No. | 007682 |
| Book Title | Questions of King Milinda Part 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | T W Rhys Davids |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1894 |
| Total Pages | 2240 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 38 MB |