The common saying,"He regards a camel as a horse with a swelled back,"trivial of itself,may be used in illustration of greater matters.Men are wont to attribute an existence only to such things as they daily see with their own eyes,and they marvel at whatsoever,appearing before them at one instant,vanishes at the next.And,yet [p. xviii]it is not at the sprouting and failing of foliage,nor at the metamorphosis of insects that they marvel,but only at the manifestations of the supernatural world; though of a truth,the whistling of the wind and the movement of streams,with nothing to set the one in motion or give sound to the other,might well be ranked among extraordinary phenomena.We are accustomed to these,and therefore do not note them.We marvel at devils and foxes:we do not marvel at man.But who is it that causes a man to move and to speak?-to which question comes the ready answer of each individual so questioned,"I do."This"I do,"however,is merely a personal consciousness of the facts under discussion.For a man can see with his eyes,but he cannot see what it is that makes him see;he can hear with his ears,but he cannot hear what it is that makes him hear;how,then,is it possible for him to understand the rationale of things he can neither see nor hear?Whatever has come within the bounds of their own ocular or auricular experience men regard as proved to be actually existing;and only such things.34 But this term"experience"may be understood in various senses.For instance,people speak of something which has certain attributes as form,and of something else which has certain other attributes as substance; ignorant as they are that form and substance are to be found existing without those particular attributes.Things which are thus constituted are inappreciable,indeed,by our ears and eyes,but we cannot argue that therefore they do not exist.Some persons can see a mosquito's eye,while to others even a mountain is invisible;some can hear the sound of ants battling together,while others,again,fail to catch the roar of a thunder-peal.Powers of seeing and hearing vary;there should be no 34"Thus,since countless things exist that the senses can take account of,it is evident that nothing exists that the senses can not take account of."The "Professor"in W.H. Mallock's New Paul and Virginia. This passage recalls another curious classification by the great Chinese philosopher Han Wen-kung."There are some things which possess form but are devoid of sound, as,for instance,jade and stones;others have sound,but are without form,such as wind and thunder;others,again,have both form and sound,such as men and animals; and lastly,there is a class devoid of both,namely,devils and spirits."[p.xix] reckless imputations of blindness.According to the schoolmen,man at his death is dispersed like wind or fire,the origin and end of his vitality being alike unknown,and as those who have seen strange phenomena are few,the number of those who marvel at them is proportionately great,and the"horse with a swelled back"parallel is very widely applicable.And ever quoting the fact that Confucius would have nothing to say on these topics,these schoolmen half discredit such works as the Ch'i chieh chih kuai and the Yu ch'u-chii,35 ignorant that the Sage's unwillingness to speak had reference only to persons of an inferior mental calibre;for his own Spring and Autumn can hardly be said to be devoid of all allusions of the kind.Now P'u Liu-
The common saying, “He regards a camel as a horse with a swelled back,” trivial of itself, may be used in illustration of greater matters. Men are wont to attribute an existence only to such things as they daily see with their own eyes, and they marvel at whatsoever, appearing before them at one instant, vanishes at the next. And, yet [p. xviii] it is not at the sprouting and failing of foliage, nor at the metamorphosis of insects that they marvel, but only at the manifestations of the supernatural world; though of a truth, the whistling of the wind and the movement of streams, with nothing to set the one in motion or give sound to the other, might well be ranked among extraordinary phenomena. We are accustomed to these, and therefore do not note them. We marvel at devils and foxes: we do not marvel at man. But who is it that causes a man to move and to speak?—to which question comes the ready answer of each individual so questioned, “I do.” This “I do,” however, is merely a personal consciousness of the facts under discussion. For a man can see with his eyes, but he cannot see what it is that makes him see; he can hear with his ears, but he cannot hear what it is that makes him hear; how, then, is it possible for him to understand the rationale of things he can neither see nor hear? Whatever has come within the bounds of their own ocular or auricular experience men regard as proved to be actually existing; and only such things.34 But this term “ experience” may be understood in various senses. For instance, people speak of something which has certain attributes as form, and of something else which has certain other attributes as substance; ignorant as they are that form and substance are to be found existing without those particular attributes. Things which are thus constituted are inappreciable, indeed, by our ears and eyes, but we cannot argue that therefore they do not exist. Some persons can see a mosquito’s eye, while to others even a mountain is invisible; some can hear the sound of ants battling together, while others, again, fail to catch the roar of a thunder-peal. Powers of seeing and hearing vary; there should be no 34 “Thus, since countless things exist that the senses can take account of, it is evident that nothing exists that the senses can not take account of.”—The “Professor” in W. H. Mallock’s New Paul and Virginia. This passage recalls another curious classification by the great Chinese philosopher Han Wên-kung. “There are some things which possess form but are devoid of sound, as, for instance, jade and stones; others have sound, but are without form, such as wind and thunder; others, again, have both form and sound, such as men and animals; and lastly, there is a class devoid of both, namely, devils and spirits.” [p. xix] reckless imputations of blindness. According to the schoolmen, man at his death is dispersed like wind or fire, the origin and end of his vitality being alike unknown, and as those who have seen strange phenomena are few, the number of those who marvel at them is proportionately great, and the “horse with a swelled back” parallel is very widely applicable. And ever quoting the fact that Confucius would have nothing to say on these topics, these schoolmen half discredit such works as the Ch’i chieh chih kuai and the Yü ch’u-chii,35 ignorant that the Sage’s unwillingness to speak had reference only to persons of an inferior mental calibre; for his own Spring and Autumn can hardly be said to be devoid of all allusions of the kind. Now P’u Liu-
hsien devoted himself in his youth to the marvellous,and as he grew older was specially remarkable for his comprehension thereof,and being moreover a most elegant writer,he occupied his leisure in recording whatever came to his knowledge of a particularly marvellous nature.A volume of these compositions of his formerly fell into my hands,and was constantly borrowed by friends;now,I have another volume,and of what I read only about three-tenths was known to me before.What there is,should be sufficient to open the eyes of those schoolmen,though I much fear it will be like talking of ice to a butterly.Personally,I disbelieve in the irregularity of natural phenomena,and regard as evil spirits only those who injure their neighbours.For eclipses,falling stars,the flight of herons,the nest of a mainah,talking stones,and the combats of dragons,can hardly be classed as irregular;while the phenomena of nature occurring out of season,wars, rebellions,and so forth,may certainly be relegated to the category of evil.In my opinion the morality of P'u Liu-hsien's work is of a very high standard, its object being distinctly to glorify virtue and to censure vice,and as a book calculated to elevate mankind,it may be safely placed side by side with the philosophical treatises of Yang Hsiung[36]which Huan Tan[37]declared to be so worthy or a wide circulation 35 I have never seen any of these works,but I believe they treat,as implied by their titles,chiefly of the supernatural world. 36.B.C.53-A.D.18. 37.B.C.13-A.D.56.[p.Xx With regard to the meaning of the Chinese words Liao Chai Chih I,this title has received indifferent treatment at the hands of different writers.Dr.Williams chose to render it by "Pastimes of the Study,"and Mr.Mayers by "The Record of Marvels,or Tales of the Genii"neither of which is sufficiently near to be regarded in the light of a translation.Taken literally and in order,these words stand for"Liao-library-record- strange,""Liao"being simply a fanciful name given by our author to his private library or studio.An apocryphal anecdote traces the origin of this selection to a remark once made by himself with reference to his failure for the second degree. "Alas!"he is reported to have said;"I shall now have no resource (Liao)for my old age"and accordingly he so named his study,meaning that in his pen he would seek that resource which fate bad denied to him as an official.For this untranslatable "Liao"I have ventured to substitute"Chinese,"as indicating more clearly the nature of what is to follow.No such title as"Tales of the Genii"fully expresses the scope of this work,which embraces alike weird stories of Taoist devilry and magic,marvellous accounts of impossible countries beyond the sea,simple scenes of Chinese everyday life,and notices of extraordinary natural phenomena.Indeed,the author once had it in contemplation to publish only the more imaginative of the tales in the present collection under the title of"Devil and Fox Stories"but from this scheme he was ultimately dissuaded by his friends,the result being the heterogeneous mass which is more aptly described by the title I have given to this volume.In a similar manner,I too had originally determined to publish a full and complete translation [p.xx]of the
hsien devoted himself in his youth to the marvellous, and as he grew older was specially remarkable for his comprehension thereof, and being moreover a most elegant writer, he occupied his leisure in recording whatever came to his knowledge of a particularly marvellous nature. A volume of these compositions of his formerly fell into my hands, and was constantly borrowed by friends; now, I have another volume, and of what I read only about three-tenths was known to me before. What there is, should be sufficient to open the eyes of those schoolmen, though I much fear it will be like talking of ice to a butterly. Personally, I disbelieve in the irregularity of natural phenomena, and regard as evil spirits only those who injure their neighbours. For eclipses, falling stars, the flight of herons, the nest of a mainah, talking stones, and the combats of dragons, can hardly be classed as irregular; while the phenomena of nature occurring out of season, wars, rebellions, and so forth, may certainly be relegated to the category of evil. In my opinion the morality of P’u Liu-hsien’s work is of a very high standard, its object being distinctly to glorify virtue and to censure vice, and as a book calculated to elevate mankind, it may be safely placed side by side with the philosophical treatises of Yang Hsiung[36] which Huan Tan[37] declared to be so worthy or a wide circulation. 35 I have never seen any of these works, but I believe they treat, as implied by their titles, chiefly of the supernatural world. 36. B.C. 53-A.D. 18. 37. B.C. 13-A.D. 56. [p. xx] With regard to the meaning of the Chinese words Liao Chai Chih I, this title has received indifferent treatment at the hands of different writers. Dr. Williams chose to render it by “Pastimes of the Study,” and Mr. Mayers by “The Record of Marvels, or Tales of the Genii” neither of which is sufficiently near to be regarded in the light of a translation. Taken literally and in order, these words stand for “Liao-library-recordstrange,” “Liao” being simply a fanciful name given by our author to his private library or studio. An apocryphal anecdote traces the origin of this selection to a remark once made by himself with reference to his failure for the second degree. “Alas!” he is reported to have said; “I shall now have no resource (Liao) for my old age” and accordingly he so named his study, meaning that in his pen he would seek that resource which fate bad denied to him as an official. For this untranslatable “Liao” I have ventured to substitute “ Chinese,” as indicating more clearly the nature of what is to follow. No such title as “Tales of the Genii” fully expresses the scope of this work, which embraces alike weird stories of Taoist devilry and magic, marvellous accounts of impossible countries beyond the sea, simple scenes of Chinese everyday life, and notices of extraordinary natural phenomena. Indeed, the author once had it in contemplation to publish only the more imaginative of the tales in the present collection under the title of “Devil and Fox Stories” but from this scheme he was ultimately dissuaded by his friends, the result being the heterogeneous mass which is more aptly described by the title I have given to this volume. In a similar manner, I too had originally determined to publish a full and complete translation [p. xx] of the
whole of these sixteen volumes;but on a closer acquaintance many of the stories turned out to be quite unsuitable for the age in which we live,forcibly recalling the coarseness of our own writers of fiction in the eighteenth century.Others,again,were utterly pointless,or mere repetitions in a slightly altered form.From the whole,I therefore selected one hundred and sixty-four of the best and most characteristic stories,of which eight had previously been published by Mr.Allen in the China Review,one by Mr.Mayers in Notes and Queries on China and Japan,two by myself in the columns of the Celestial Empire,and four by Dr.Williams in a now forgotten handbook of Chinese.The remaining one hundred and forty-nine have never before, to my knowledge,been translated into English.To those,however,who can enjoy the Liao Chai in the original text,the distinctions between the various stories in felicity of plot,originality,and so on,are far less sharply defined,so impressed as each competent reader must be by the incomparable style in which even the meanest is arrayed.For in this respect,as important now in Chinese eyes as it was with ourselves in days not long gone by,the author of the Liao Chai and the rejected candidate succeeded in founding a school of his own,in which he has since been followed by hosts of servile imitators with more or less success.Terseness is pushed to extreme limits;each particle that can be safely dispensed with is scrupulously eliminated;and every here and there some new and original combination invests perhaps a single word with a force it could never have possessed except under the hands of a perfect master of his art.Add to the above,copious allusions and adaptations from a course of reading which would seem to have been co-extensive with the whole range of [p.xxii] Chinese literature,a wealth of metaphor and an artistic use of figures generally to which only the writings of Carlyle form an adequate parallel;and the result is a work which for purity and beauty of style is now universally accepted in China as the best and most perfect model.Sometimes the story runs along plainly and smoothly enough; but the next moment we may be plunged into pages of abstruse text,the meaning of which is so involved in quotations from and allusions to the poetry or history of the past three thousand years as to be recoverable only after diligent perusal of the commentary and much searching in other works of reference.In illustration of the popularity of this book,Mr.Mayers once stated that"the porter at his gate,the boatman at his midday rest,the chair-coolie at his stand,no less than the man of letters among his books,may be seen poring with delight over the elegantly-narrated marvels of the Ligo Chai"but he would doubtless have withdrawn this statement in later years,with the work lying open before him.During many years in China,I made a point of never,when feasible,passing by a reading Chinese without asking permission to glance at the volume in his hand and at my various stations in China I always kept up a borrowing acquaintance with the libraries of my private or official servants:but I can safely affirm that I never once detected the Ligo Chai in the hands of an ill-educated man.In the same connection,Mr.Mayers observed that"fairy-tales told in the style of the Anatomy of Melancholy would scarcely be a popular book in Great Britain"but except in some particular points of contact,the styles of these two works could scarcely claim even the most distant of relationships.[p.xxiii] Such,then,is the setting of this collection of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, many of which contain,in addition to the advantages of style and plot,a very excellent moral.The intention of most of them is,in the actual words of T'ang Meng- lai,"to glorify virtue and to censure vice,"-always,it must be borne in mind, according to the Chinese and not to a European interpretation of these terms.As an addition to our knowledge of the folk-lore of China,and as a guide to the manners
whole of these sixteen volumes; but on a closer acquaintance many of the stories turned out to be quite unsuitable for the age in which we live, forcibly recalling the coarseness of our own writers of fiction in the eighteenth century. Others, again, were utterly pointless, or mere repetitions in a slightly altered form. From the whole, I therefore selected one hundred and sixty-four of the best and most characteristic stories, of which eight had previously been published by Mr. Allen in the China Review, one by Mr. Mayers in Notes and Queries on China and Japan, two by myself in the columns of the Celestial Empire, and four by Dr. Williams in a now forgotten handbook of Chinese. The remaining one hundred and forty-nine have never before, to my knowledge, been translated into English. To those, however, who can enjoy the Liao Chai in the original text, the distinctions between the various stories in felicity of plot, originality, and so on, are far less sharply defined, so impressed as each competent reader must be by the incomparable style in which even the meanest is arrayed. For in this respect, as important now in Chinese eyes as it was with ourselves in days not long gone by, the author of the Liao Chai and the rejected candidate succeeded in founding a school of his own, in which he has since been followed by hosts of servile imitators with more or less success. Terseness is pushed to extreme limits; each particle that can be safely dispensed with is scrupulously eliminated; and every here and there some new and original combination invests perhaps a single word with a force it could never have possessed except under the hands of a perfect master of his art. Add to the above, copious allusions and adaptations from a course of reading which would seem to have been co-extensive with the whole range of [p. xxii] Chinese literature, a wealth of metaphor and an artistic use of figures generally to which only the writings of Carlyle form an adequate parallel; and the result is a work which for purity and beauty of style is now universally accepted in China as the best and most perfect model. Sometimes the story runs along plainly and smoothly enough; but the next moment we may be plunged into pages of abstruse text, the meaning of which is so involved in quotations from and allusions to the poetry or history of the past three thousand years as to be recoverable only after diligent perusal of the commentary and much searching in other works of reference. In illustration of the popularity of this book, Mr. Mayers once stated that “the porter at his gate, the boatman at his midday rest, the chair-coolie at his stand, no less than the man of letters among his books, may be seen poring with delight over the elegantly-narrated marvels of the Liao Chai” but he would doubtless have withdrawn this statement in later years, with the work lying open before him. During many years in China, I made a point of never, when feasible, passing by a reading Chinese without asking permission to glance at the volume in his hand and at my various stations in China I always kept up a borrowing acquaintance with the libraries of my private or official servants; but I can safely affirm that I never once detected the Liao Chai in the hands of an ill-educated man. In the same connection, Mr. Mayers observed that “fairy-tales told in the style of the Anatomy of Melancholy would scarcely be a popular book in Great Britain” but except in some particular points of contact, the styles of these two works could scarcely claim even the most distant of relationships. [p. xxiii] Such, then, is the setting of this collection of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, many of which contain, in addition to the advantages of style and plot, a very excellent moral. The intention of most of them is, in the actual words of T’ang Mênglai, “to glorify virtue and to censure vice,”—always, it must be borne in mind, according to the Chinese and not to a European interpretation of these terms. As an addition to our knowledge of the folk-lore of China, and as a guide to the manners
customs,and social life of that vast Empire,my translation of the Liao Chai may not be wholly devoid of interest.It has now been carefully revised,all inaccuracies of the first edition having been,so far as possible,corrected. HERBERT A.GILES CAMBRIDGE,July 1908 5[1]Incidentally,this early edition is available at http://www.amazon.com/Strange- Stories-Chinese-Studio-Sung-Ling/dp/1410205479 6[2]See also Pu Sung-ling,Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio,3 vols.(Beijing: People's China Publishing House,1997),which includes 194 tales. 7[3 See Anthony C.Yu,"Rest,Rest,Perturbed Spirit!'Ghosts in Traditional Chinese Prose Fiction,"Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 47,No.2 (Dec.1987): 397-434;Michael Loewe,Chinese Ideas of Life and Death:Faith,Myth and Reason in the Han Period(202 B.C.-A.D.220)(London:George Allen and Unwin,1982);Karl S.Y.Kao,ed.Classical Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic: Selections form the Third to the Tenth Century(Bloomington:Indiana University Press, 1985);Y.W.Ma and Joseph S.M.Lau,Traditional Chinese Stores:Themes and Variations(Boston:Cheng Tsui Co.,1986);Alvin P.Cohen,Tales of Vengeful Souls: A Sixth Century Collection of Chinese Avenging Ghost Stories(Taipei-Paris-Hongkong: Institut Ricci,1982);and Kenneth J.DeWoskin and J.I.Crump,Jr.,In Search of the Supernatural:The Written Record(Stanford:Stanford University Press,1996),a translation of a book written by Kan Pao in approximately 335-345 A.D. 8(4]For further on P'u Sung-ling,see Chun-shu Chang and Shelley Hsueh-lun Chang,Redefining History:Ghosts,Spirits,and Human Society in P'u Sung-ling's World,1640-1715(Ann Arbor:University of Michigan Press,1998);Judith T.Zeitlin. Historian of the Strange:Pu Songling and the Chinese Classical Tale (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press,1997);H.C.Chang,tr.,Tales of the Supernatural,3rd volume in the series Chinese Literature(New York:Columbia University Press,1984), which has a valuable introduction
customs, and social life of that vast Empire, my translation of the Liao Chai may not be wholly devoid of interest. It has now been carefully revised, all inaccuracies of the first edition having been, so far as possible, corrected. HERBERT A. GILES. CAMBRIDGE, July 1908. 5[1] Incidentally, this early edition is available at http://www.amazon.com/StrangeStories-Chinese-Studio-Sung-Ling/dp/1410205479. 6[2] See also Pu Sung-ling, Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio, 3 vols. (Beijing: People’s China Publishing House, 1997), which includes 194 tales. 7[3] See Anthony C. Yu, “‘Rest, Rest, Perturbed Spirit!’ Ghosts in Traditional Chinese Prose Fiction,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 47, No. 2 (Dec. 1987): 397-434; Michael Loewe, Chinese Ideas of Life and Death: Faith, Myth and Reason in the Han Period (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1982); Karl S.Y. Kao, ed. Classical Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic: Selections form the Third to the Tenth Century (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985); Y.W. Ma and Joseph S. M. Lau, Traditional Chinese Stores: Themes and Variations (Boston: Cheng & Tsui Co., 1986); Alvin P. Cohen, Tales of Vengeful Souls: A Sixth Century Collection of Chinese Avenging Ghost Stories (Taipei-Paris-Hongkong: Institut Ricci, 1982); and Kenneth J. DeWoskin and J.I. Crump, Jr., In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1996), a translation of a book written by Kan Pao in approximately 335-345 A.D. 8[4] For further on P’u Sung-ling, see Chun-shu Chang and Shelley Hsueh-lun Chang, Redefining History: Ghosts, Spirits, and Human Society in P’u Sung-ling’s World, 1640-1715 (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998); Judith T. Zeitlin, Historian of the Strange: Pu Songling and the Chinese Classical Tale (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1997); H. C. Chang, tr., Tales of the Supernatural, 3rd volume in the series Chinese Literature (New York: Columbia University Press, 1984), which has a valuable introduction
STRANGE STORIES FROM A CHINESE STUDIO by P'u Sung-ling Section 1 Introductions Section 2:Stories 26-57 Section 3:Stories 58-103 Section 4:Stories 104-164 and Appendices I.EXAMINATION FOR THE POST OF GUARDIAN ANGEL[1] MY eldest sister's husband's grandfather,named Sung Tao,was a graduate.2 One day, while lying down from indisposition,an official messenger arrived,bringing the usual notification in his hand and leading a horse with a white forehead to summon him to the examination for his master's degree.Mr.Sung here remarked that the Grand Examiner had not yet come,and asked why there should be this hurry.The messenger did not reply to this,but pressed so earnestly that at length Mr.Sung roused himself, and getting upon the horse rode with him. The way seemed strange,and by-and-by they reached a city which resembled the capital of a prince.They then entered the Prefect's yamen,3 the apartments of which were beautifully decorated;and there they found some ten officials sitting at the upper end,all strangers to Mr.Sung,with the exception of one whom he recognised to be the God of War.4 In the verandah were two tables and two stools,and at the end of one of the former a candidate was already seated,[p.2]so Mr.Sung sat down alongside of him.On the table were writing materials for each,and suddenly down flew a piece of paper with a theme on it,consisting of the following eight words:- "One man,two men;by intention,without intention."When Mr.Sung had finished his essay,he took it into the hall.It contained the following passage:"Those who are virtuous by intention,though virtuous,shall not be rewarded.Those who are wicked without intention,though wicked,shall receive no punishment." The presiding deities praised this sentiment very much,and calling Mr.Sung to come forward,said to him,"A Guardian Angel is wanted in Honan.Go you and take up the appointment."Mr.Sung no sooner heard this than he bowed his head and wept, saying,"Unworthy though I am of the honour you have conferred upon me,I should not venture to decline it but that my aged mother has reached her seventh decade,and there is no one now to take care of her.I pray you let me wait until she has fulfilled her destiny,when I will hold myself at your disposal."Thereupon one of the deities, who seemed to be the chief,gave instructions to search out his mother's term of life, and a long-bearded attendant forthwith brought in the Book of Fate.On turning it over, he declared that she still had nine years to live;and then a consultation was held among the deities,in the middle of which the God of War said,"Very well.Let Mr. graduate Chang take the post,and be relieved in nine years'time."Then,turning to Mr.Sung,he continued,"You ought to proceed without delay to your post;but as a reward for your filial piety,you are granted a furlough of nine years.At the expiration of that time you will receive another summons."He next addressed a few kind words to Mr.Chang;and the two candidates,having made their kotow,went away together Grasping Mr.Sung's hand,his companion,who gave"Chang Ch'i of Ch'ang-shan
STRANGE STORIES FROM A CHINESE STUDIO by P’u Sung-ling Section 1 Introductions Section 2: Stories 26-57 Section 3: Stories 58-103 Section 4: Stories 104-164 and Appendices I. EXAMINATION FOR THE POST OF GUARDIAN ANGEL[1] MY eldest sister’s husband’s grandfather, named Sung Tao, was a graduate.2 One day, while lying down from indisposition, an official messenger arrived, bringing the usual notification in his hand and leading a horse with a white forehead to summon him to the examination for his master’s degree. Mr. Sung here remarked that the Grand Examiner had not yet come, and asked why there should be this hurry. The messenger did not reply to this, but pressed so earnestly that at length Mr. Sung roused himself, and getting upon the horse rode with him. The way seemed strange, and by-and-by they reached a city which resembled the capital of a prince. They then entered the Prefect’s yamên,3 the apartments of which were beautifully decorated; and there they found some ten officials sitting at the upper end, all strangers to Mr. Sung, with the exception of one whom he recognised to be the God of War.4 In the verandah were two tables and two stools, and at the end of one of the former a candidate was already seated, [p. 2] so Mr. Sung sat down alongside of him. On the table were writing materials for each, and suddenly down flew a piece of paper with a theme on it, consisting of the following eight words:— “One man, two men; by intention, without intention.” When Mr. Sung had finished his essay, he took it into the hall. It contained the following passage: “Those who are virtuous by intention, though virtuous, shall not be rewarded. Those who are wicked without intention, though wicked, shall receive no punishment.” The presiding deities praised this sentiment very much, and calling Mr. Sung to come forward, said to him, “A Guardian Angel is wanted in Honan. Go you and take up the appointment.” Mr. Sung no sooner heard this than he bowed his head and wept, saying, “Unworthy though I am of the honour you have conferred upon me, I should not venture to decline it but that my aged mother has reached her seventh decade, and there is no one now to take care of her. I pray you let me wait until she has fulfilled her destiny, when I will hold myself at your disposal.” Thereupon one of the deities, who seemed to be the chief, gave instructions to search out his mother’s term of life, and a long-bearded attendant forthwith brought in the Book of Fate. On turning it over, he declared that she still had nine years to live; and then a consultation was held among the deities, in the middle of which the God of War said, “Very well. Let Mr. graduate Chang take the post, and be relieved in nine years’ time.” Then, turning to Mr. Sung, he continued, “You ought to proceed without delay to your post; but as a reward for your filial piety, you are granted a furlough of nine years. At the expiration of that time you will receive another summons.” He next addressed a few kind words to Mr. Chang; and the two candidates, having made their kotow, went away together. Grasping Mr. Sung’s hand, his companion, who gave “Chang Ch‘i of Ch‘ang-shan