Arriving outside the eastern gate of Lu, he met Liu Hsia Chi, who said, "I have not seen you for some days. From the look of your equipage I should say you had been travelling. I guess now you have been to see Chê." Confucius looked up to heaven, and replied with a sigh, "I have." "And did he not rebuff you," asked Liu Hsia Chi, "as I said he would?" "He did," said Confucius. "I am a man who has cauterized himself without being ill. I hurried away to smooth the tiger's head and comb out his beard. And I very nearly got into the tiger's mouth." * * * * * Tzŭ Chang asked Man Kou Tê, Which means "Full of the Ill-gotten." saying, "Why do you not practise virtue? Otherwise, it is impossible to inspire confidence. And without confidence, no place. And without place, no wealth. Thus, with a view to reputation or to wealth, duty towards one's neighbour is the true key. As leading to reputation, which was what Tzŭ Chang wanted. If you were to discard all thoughts of reputation and wealth and attend to the cultivation of the heart, surely you would not pass one day without practising the higher virtues." "Those who have no shame," replied Man Kou Tê, Meaning himself. "grow rich. Those who inspire confidence make themselves conspicuous. Meaning Tzŭ Chang. Reputation and wealth are mostly to be got out of shamelessness and confidence inspired. Thus, with a view to reputation or to wealth, the confidence of others is the true key. As leading to wealth, which was what Man Kou Tê wanted. If you were to discard all thoughts of reputation and wealth, surely the virtuous man would then have no scope beyond himself." Beyond his own nature. "Of old," said Tzŭ Chang, "Chieh and Chou sat upon the Imperial throne, and the whole empire was theirs. Yet if you were now to tell any common thief that his moral qualities resembled theirs, he would resent it as an insult. By such miserable creatures are they despised." "Confucius and Mih Tzŭ, on the other hand, were poor and simple enough. Yet if you were to tell any Prime Minister of to-day that his moral qualities resembled theirs, he would flush with pride and declare you were paying him too high a compliment. So truly honourable is the man of learning. "Thus, the power of a monarch does not necessarily make him worthy; nor do poverty and a low station necessarily make a man unworthy. The worthy and the unworthy are differentiated by the worthiness and unworthiness of their acts." "A petty thief," replied Man Kou Tê, "is put in gaol. A great brigand becomes ruler of a State. And among the retainers of the latter, men of virtue will be found. "Of old, Duke Huan, named Hsiao Poh, slew his elder brother and took his sister-in-law to wife. Yet Kuan Chung became his minister. "T'ien Ch'êng Tzŭ killed his prince and seized the kingdom. Yet Confucius accepted his pay. See p. 111.