"To meet an elder without respect is want of ceremony. To see a Sage and not to honour him, is not to be in charity with man. Unless you are in charity with man, you cannot humble yourself before a fellow-creature. And unless you can honestly do this, you can never attain to that state of original purity; but the body will constantly suffer. Alas! there is no greater evil than not to be in charity with man. Yet in such a plight, O Yu, are you. "Further. TAO is the source of all creation. Men have it, and live. They lose it, and die. Affairs in antagonism thereto, fail; in accordance therewith, succeed. Therefore, wherever TAO abides, there is the reverence of the true Sage. And as this old fisherman may be said to possess TAO, could I venture not to respect him?" CHAPTER XXXII. LIEH TZŬ. _Argument_:--Outward manifestation of inward grace--Its dangers--Self-esteem--Its errors--Inscrutability of TAO--Artificiality of Confucius--Tests of virtue--Chuang Tzŭ declines office--His death. When Lieh Tzŭ Lieh Yü K'ou, a name well known in connection with TAO. But it is extremely doubtful if such a man ever lived. His record is not given by the historian Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien, and he may well have been no more than an allegorical personage created by Chuang Tzŭ for purposes of illustration. It was however thought necessary under the Han dynasty to supply his "Works"; and the treatise thus provided still passes under his name, though generally regarded as a forgery. See pp. 4, 5. went to Ch'i, half way there he turned round and came back. Falling in with Poh Hun Wu Jen, the latter said, "How is it you are so soon back again?" "I was afraid," replied Lieh Tzŭ. "Afraid of what?" asked Poh Hun Wu Jen. "Out of ten restaurants at which I ate," said Lieh Tzŭ, "five would take no payment." "And what is there to be afraid of in that?" enquired Poh Hun Wu Jen. "The truth within not being duly assimilated," replied Lieh Tzŭ, "a certain brightness is visible externally. And to conquer men's hearts by force of the external is to induce in oneself a disregard for authority and age which is the precursor of trouble. "A restaurant keeper is one who lives by retailing soup. When his returns are counted up, his profit is but small, and his influence is next to nothing. But if such a man could act thus, how much more the ruler of a large State? His bodily powers worn out in the duties of his position, his mental powers exhausted by details of administration, he would entrust me with the government and stimulate me by reward. That is what I was afraid of." "Your inner lights are good," replied Poh Hun Wu Jen; "but if you remain stationary at this point, the world will still gather around you." Contrary to TAO. Shortly afterwards Poh Hun Wu Jen went to visit Lieh Tzŭ, and lo! his court-yard was filled with boots.