A wild harum-scarum young man was FANG SHU-SHAO, who, like many other Chinese poets, often took more wine than was good for him. He was famed for his poetry, and also for his calligraphy, specimens of his art being highly prized by collectors. In 1642, we are told, “he was ill with his teeth;” and at length got into his coffin, which all Chinese like to keep handy, and wrote a farewell to the world, resting his paper on the edge of the coffin as he wrote. On completion of the piece he laid himself down and died. Here are the lines:-- “_An eternal home awaits me; shall I hesitate to go? Or struggle for a few more hours of fleeting life below? A home wherein the clash of arms I can never hear again! And shall I strive to linger in this thorny world of pain? The breeze will soon blow cool o’er me, and the bright moon shine o’erhead, When blended with the gems of earth I lie in my last bed. My Pen and ink shall go with me inside my funeral hearse, So that if I’ve leisure ‘over there’ I may soothe my soul with verse._” FOOTNOTE: [34] Chinese note-paper is ornamented with all kinds of pictures, which sometimes cover the whole sheet. BOOK THE EIGHTH _THE MANCHU DYNASTY_ (A.D. 1644-1900) CHAPTER I THE “LIAO CHAI”--THE “HUNG LOU MÊNG” By 1644 the glories of the great Ming dynasty had departed. Misgovernment, referred by Chinese writers to the ascendency of eunuchs, had resulted in rebellion, and the rebel chief with a large army was pressing upon the capital. On the 9th April Peking fell. During the previous night the Emperor, who had refused to flee, slew the eldest Princess, commanded the Empress to commit suicide, and sent his three sons into hiding. At dawn the bell was struck for the Court to assemble; but no one came. His Majesty then ascended the Wan Sui Hill in the palace grounds, and wrote on the lapel of his robe a last decree:--“We, poor in virtue and of contemptible personality, have incurred the wrath of God on high. My Ministers have deceived me. I am ashamed to meet my ancestors; and therefore I myself take off my crown, and, with my hair covering my face, await dismemberment at the hands of the rebels. Do not hurt a single one of my people!” He then hanged himself, as did one faithful eunuch. At this juncture the Chinese commander-in-chief made overtures to the Manchu Tartars, who had long been consolidating their forces, and were already a serious menace to China. An agreement was hurriedly entered into, and Peking was retaken. The Manchus took possession definitively of the throne, which they had openly claimed since 1635, and imposed the “pigtail” upon the Chinese people.