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THE TEXTS OF TÂOISM.
APP. VII.
not change his appearance. As soon as Hsuan Nîl saw him, he sighed over him as 'the Dragon,' whose powers are difficult to be known. Yin (Hsî), keeper of the (frontier) gate, keeping his eyes directed to every quarter, recognised 'the True Man' as he was hastening into retirement. (By Yin Hsî he was prevailed on) to put forth his extraordinary ability, and write his Book in two Parts 3,- to lead the nature (of man) back to the Tâo, and celebrating the usefulness of doing nothing.' The style of it is very condensed, and its reasoning deep and far-reaching. The hexagram which is made up of the dragons on the wing 4' is not to be compared with it in exquisite subtlety. (The Zo Kwan) which ends with the capture of the Lin, does not match it in its brightness and obscurity. If employed to regulate the person, the spirit becomes clear and the will is still. If employed to govern the state, the people return to simplicity, and become sincere and good. When one goes on to refine his body in accordance with it, the traces of material things are rolled away from it ; in rainbow-hued robes and mounted on a stork he goes forwards and backwards to the purple palace; on its juice of gold and wine of jade 5 he feasts in the beautiful and pure capital. He is lustrous as the sun and moon; his ending and beginning are those of heaven and earth. He who crosses its stream, drives away the dust and noise of the world; he who finds its gate, mounts prancing up on the misty clouds. It is not for the ephemeral fly to know the fading and luxuriance of the Tâ-khun, or for a Făng-i? to fathom the depth of an Arm of the sea. Vast indeed (is the Tao)! words are not sufficient to describe its excellence and powers !
5. Kwang Kâu tells us, that, when Lão Tan died,
i Confucius, who was styled after the beginning of our era for several centuries Duke Ni, the Illustrious.' * See vol. xxxix, pp. 34, 35.
See vol. xxxix, p. 35. 4 The Khien or first of all the hexagrams of the Yi King; but the sentence is to be understood of all the hexagrams, of the Yi as a whole.
Compare Pope's line, The juice nectareous, and the balmy dew.' • Vol. xxxix, p. 166.
? Vol. xxxix, p. 244
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