________________
98
THE TEXTS OF TÂOISM.
BK, XXIV.
swordmen and spearmen delight in fighting; those whose powers are decayed seek to rest in the name (they have gained); those who are skilled in the laws seek to enlarge the scope of government; those who are proficient in ceremonies and music pay careful attention to their deportment; and those who profess benevolence and righteousness value opportunities (for displaying them).
The husbandmen who do not keep their fields well weeded are not equal to their business, nor are traders who do not thrive in the markets. When the common people have their appropriate employment morning and evening, they stimulate one another to diligence; the mechanics who are masters of their implements feel strong for their work. If their wealth does not increase, the greedy are distressed; if their power and influence is not growing, the ambitious are sad.
Such creatures of circumstance and things delight in changes, and if they meet with a time when they can show what they can do, they cannot keep themselves from taking advantage of it. They all pursue their own way like (the seasons of) the year, and do not change as things do. They give the reins to their bodies and natures, and allow themselves to. sink beneath (the pressure of) things, and all their lifetime do not come back (to their proper selves) :is it not sad??
5. Kwang-gze said, “An archer, without taking aim beforehand, yet may hit the mark. If we say that he is a good archer, and that all the world may
1 All the parties in this paragraph disallow the great principle of Taoism, which does everything by doing nothing.
Digitized by Google
