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PT. II. SECT. XI.
THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-BZE.
5
and life. There is now a change again, and she is dead. The relation between these things is like the procession of the four seasons from spring to autumn, from winter to summer. There now she lies with her face up, sleeping in the Great Chamber; and if I were to fall sobbing and going on to wail for her, I should think that I did not understand what was appointed (for all). I therefore restrained myself?!'
3. Mr. Deformeds and Mr. One-foots were looking at the mound-graves of the departed in the wild of Khwăn-lun, where Hwang-Ti had entered into his rest. Suddenly a tumour began to grow on their left wrists, which made them look distressed as if they disliked it. The former said to the other, 'Do
1 Between heaven and earth.
Was it necessary he should fall singing to his drumming on the basin ? But I subjoin a note here, suggested by the paragraph, which might have found, perhaps, a more appropriate place in the notice of this Book in vol. xxxix, pp. 149, 150.
In Sir Tohn F. Davis' Description of the Empire of China and its Inhabitants (edition of 1857),' vol. ii, pp. 74-90, we have the amusing story of The Philosopher and his Wife.' The philosopher is Kwang-zze, who plays the part of a magician; and of his wife it might be said, 'Frailty! thy name is woman!' Sir John Davis says,
The story was translated into French by Père d'Entrecolles, and supplied the materials of Voltaire's Zadig. I have not met in Chinese with Father d'Entrecolles' original. All of Zadig which can be supposed to have been borrowed from his translator is only a few sentences. The whole story is inconsistent with the account in paragraph 2 of the death of Kwang-tze's wife, and with all which we learn from his writings of his character.
8 We know nothing of these parties but what we are told here. They are called Sha, meaning uncle,' often equivalent in China to our Mr. The lesson taught by them is that of submission to pain and death as merely phenomena in the sphere of change. For the phraseology of their names, see Bk. III, par. 3, and Bk. IV,
par. 8.
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