1. Yen Yew said, "Is our Master for the prince of Wei?" Tsze-kung said, "Oh! I will ask him."

2. He went in accordingly, and said, "What sort of men were Pih-e and Shuh-ts'e?" "They were ancient worthies," said the Master. "Did they have any repinings because of their course?" The Master again replied, "They sought to act virtuously, and they did so; what was there for them to repine about?" On this, Tsze-kung went out and said, "Our Master is not for him."

13. THE EFFECT OF MUSIC ON CONFUCIUS. The shaou, see II.25. This incident must have happened in the 36th year of Conf., when he followed the duke Ch'aou in his flight from Loo to Ts'e. As related in the 史记, 'Historical Records', before the characters 三月, we have 学之, 'he learnt it three months', which may relieve us from the necessity of extending the three months over all the time in which he did not know the taste of his food. In Ho An's compilation, the 不知 is expl. by 勿忘, 'he was careless about and forgot'. The last clause is also explained there—'I did not think that this music had reached this country of Ts'e.'

14. CONFUCIUS DID NOT APPROVE OF A SON OPPOSING HIS FATHER. 1. The eldest son of duke Ling of Wei had planned to kill his mother (?stepmother), the notorious Nan-tsze (VI.26). For this he had to flee the country, and his son, on the death of Ling, became duke (出公), and subsequently opposed his father's attempts to wrest the sovereignty from him. This was the matter argued among the disciples, —Was Confucius for (为 low.3d tone), the son, the reigning duke? 2. In Wei it would not have been acc. to propriety to speak by name of its ruler, and therefore Tsze-kung put the case of Pih-e and Shun-ts'e, see V.22. They having given up a throne, and finally their lives, rather than do what they thought wrong, and Confucius fully approving of their conduct, it was plain he could not approve of a son's holding by force what was the rightful inheritance of the father. 求仁而得仁, 'They sought for virtue, and they got virtue;' i.e., such was the character of their conduct,