this mountain falls ?"* Chau asked him how long it would be before the revolution would ensue?-"Not further than ten years," replied Peh, counting on his fingers." How do you know ?”— "When goodness prevails in the land, happiness follows; and misfortunes come when wickedness triumphs; ten makes the filling up of these changes," answered Peh.-" But when the monarch disregards all the affairs of state, and trusts to crafty officers, then it becomes my official duty to remonstrate with him, and exhaust all my powers to bring about a reform," rejoined Chau. "But I fear your words will have no good results.”

They conversed in this private way for a long time, and everything they had said was soon reported to the Duke of Kwoh, who, afraid that Chau would indeed make known his craft and villainy, immediately went straight to the inner palace and told King Yiu all their private conversation, alleging that they had been slandering his officers and policy, and such seditious words would disturb the people. "When silly folks talk about the government, it is just like an exhalation from a moor; what is the use of heeding them ?" replied Yiu-wang.

Now it was that Chau Shuh-tai, who preserved a heart of upright loyalty, often wished to go in and personally remonstrate with the king, but was enable to find a good opportunity. Some days after, the governor at Ki-shan again memorialized the throne, that the three same streams had stopped running, and the mountain itself had again fallen, crushing and destroying vast numbers of inhabitants and houses. Yiu-wang cared nothing at all about these portents, and only ordered his minions to seek out beautiful women to fill his hareem. Chau thereupon handed in a remionstrance, in which he said, "Hills falling and streams drying up are signs that fat and blood have become corrupt; lofty peaks crumbling down presage dire sorrows to the state. Seeing that Ki-shan was the original patrimony of the crown, its sudden fall forebodes something disastrous; but if you now diligently oversee the affairs of state, and compassionate the people by seeking out honest men to assist you in them, these auguries from heaven

*The River King is a large branch of the River Wei in the province of Shensi, and their united waters flow into the Ho, or Yellow River, near where that stream turns eastward; the River Loh joins it on the south more than a hundred miles further down. Hao-king, the capital of China under King Yiu, lay near Si-ngan fu, the present capital of Shensi province. As lately as 1869, a violent earthquake in that part of China threw down high cliffs, and destroyed several hamlets, with much loss of life.

may perhaps be in a measure neutralized. Yet how can they be, when instead of searching for upright and capable men, you are on the hunt for pretty women?" Kwoh interposed on hearing this by remarking, that the capital of the royal family was at first Fung-hao, where successive sovereigns had held their court, and that this Ki-shan was only like a cast-off shoe, whose fall imported nothing. "His Excellency Chau has long cherished a contempt for his prince," cried he, "and has taken occasion of passing events to revile and slander the government; I wish that your Majesty would subject him to a strict examination." The king assented to the measure, and forthwith Chau was degraded and dismissed to his estate. Sighing he said, "Enter not a fang state, dwell not in a misruled land,' is an old saying; and I cannot bear to sit quiet and see the ballad of the 'Flourishing Wheat** verified over the house of Chau." Accordingly he went to the principality of Tsin to live, taking his whole family.

The faithful courtier to escape anarchy first goes north,

But as the age wanes and ruin comes, he then goes east;

Old statesmen have ever most deeply mourned,

For when honest men leave, the state is empty and weak.

When the councillor Pao Hiang, as he came in from the city of Pao, heard that Chau had been driven from court, he hastily entered the presence-chamber to remonstrate against it. "Does not your Majesty fear the omens from heaven? To dismiss honest officers leaves the government inefficient and discredited; even the tutelary gods cannot protect it." Yiu-wang was so angry at this speech that he sent Hiang to prison; and henceforth as no one could reach the throne with reproof or remonstrance, all the upright and brave officers kept aloof or withdrew to obscurity.

Reverting now to former occurrences, let us recall the villager who sold mulberry bows and grass quivers. Hugging the waif of a girl in his bosom, he fled in haste to the city of Pao, and looked around himself to find a nurse for her. Most opportunely, the wife of a man named Sz'-tai had recently borne a daughter, which had died; so, taking several pieces of cloth as a present, he begged him to let the infant come into his house. When she was of age, they gave her the name of Pao-sz'. She grew apace, and at the age of fourteen her figure was tall and stylish; but when sev

*The ballad of "Flourishing Wheat" was written by Kí-tsz', a minister of Chausin, after the destruction of the Shang dynasty, and when he went by his ancient patrimony, and saw the grain growing where once were thriving cities.

enteen, and entering womanhood, she was even more attractive. Her eyes were gentle, her eyebrows delicate, her lips ruby-red, her teeth pearly, her hair of raven blackness and neatly dressed, and her fingers like polished gems spread out; altogether her person was like a flower or the moon for beauty-a very ruin to a state or city. Now, as Sz'-tai lived in an obscure village, though the girl was still youthful and of surpassing beauty, it was so that she had not yet been betrothed. It chanced that Hung-teh, the son of Pao Hiang, was coming into the place to collect rentals from his farmers, when Pao-sz' was standing near the door drawing water. Though clad as a village maiden in a rustic dress, she could not hide her natural, surpassing grace; and Hungteh was amazed, wondering that such rare elegance could remain in this poverty-stricken hamlet. He began to scheme in his mind, how by presenting the girl to Yiu-wang, he might redeem his father from prison, where he had lain three years. Having learned from the neighbors her name and surname and other particulars, on returning home he told his mother, saying, "My father, in remonstrating with his sovereign, committed no crime or unpardonable offense; now the king is unsatiable in his lusts, and is buying pretty women everywhere to fill his hareem. If I should make up a goodly sum with rich silks, and get this pretty girl of Sz'-tai, I can take her to court and intercede for the liberation of my father. It will be just the same plan that San I-săng employed to get Wăn-wang out of prison." His mother approved the scheme, and bade him expedite it, nor mind the expense in making up a present to bring it about. Hung-teh went directly to the house of Sz'-tai, and negotiated the affair for three hundred pieces of cloth and silks, and brought Pao-sz' home. He had her toilet fully supplied, gave her rich food and dainties, dressed her in elegant clothes, and carefully taught her the rules of etiquette. In a brief time he carried her to Hao-king, and bribed Duke Kwoh with a liberal present, to intercede for him to the king, and state that the minister Hiang now acknowledged that his crime deserved death; but that his son, Hung-teh, deploring his condition, and feeling that if he died there nothing could make up the loss, had sought out a beauty named Pao-sz', with whom he wished to redeem his father, by presenting her to his Majesty, in hopes that he would then pardon and restore him to liberty. On reading the memorial, the king sent for Pao-sz' to come to the palace. As soon as she had made her obeisance, he raised her up, and

gazed upon a graceful figure and manners, such as had never before met his eyes. Her rolling, flashing eye, and brilliant complexion at once captivated him, and he declared that among all the beauties hitherto presented none could compare with her a thousandth part. Thereupon, without informing Queen Shin, he sent the girl to a remote part of the palace, and gave orders to liberate Pao Hiang, and restore him to his rank and office. He passed the night in her room, and from this time the two sat and walked together, eating and drinking from the same dishes; for ten whole days he held no council, and would not see a single courtier, or attend to the officers waiting at the palace gate. Not one of them but lamented such folly as they went home. This event happened in his fourth year.

Plucking a fair flower, they called it the perfume of the state;

A low thorn was one day spread in the royal couch,
And the dissolute monarch forgot all his duties.

Was not this the hidden evil of the dragon's spittle?

Yiu-wang was so bewitched by Pao-sz', whom he lodged in the Coral Terrace, that for about three months he never went to the rooms of his consort. She had early been informed of what was going on, however, and could not restrain her indignation. One day, passing by the Coral Terrace, in company with a maid of honor, she saw the girl sitting on the king's lap, but neither of them rose, nor came to receive her. Unable to repress her anger longer, she exclaimed, "Whence came this low wench to defile and trouble the royal hareem?" Afraid lest she should actually strike her, the king interposed himself in front, and replied, "This person is one whom we have lately taken, and not having yet decided upon the post and rank she shall have, she has not yet been presented at court; you need not get so angry." Queen Shin having thus expressed her feelings, went off muttering her anger. Pao-sz' asked who it was that had just gone by, when he answered that it was Queen Shin, and that the next day she might go and pay her respects; but she made no reply, nor when the morrow came did she go to make her obeisance at the levee in the hareem.

Queen Shin remained in her apartments oppressed with unceasing sorrow, when her son, I-kiu came in and kneeling before her, asked why she was so melancholy, seeing that she was mistress of the whole six palaces. She told him that his father doated so on Pao-sz', that he paid no respect to their relative positions, nor

cared at all for her; and added that if the girl got the sway, there would be no place left for either of them to remain. As she went on to tell her son how the girl had refused to attend her levee, and would not rise to receive her; the tears involuntarily flowed. He replied, "The matter is not a very difficult one to manage. To-morrow is new moon, and my father must hold an audience; let my mother send one or two servants to the Coral Terrace to pick some flowers, and this will bring the girl out to see what is going on, when I will give the viper one sufficient blow which will satisfy your just anger. My father will have an angry spurt, but I will bear the blame, and you will have nothing to do with it." She tried to dissuade him from doing anything of the kind, but to be patient and wait to see what would be their best mode of procedure. I-kiu repressed his feelings and went out; and thus they got through that evening.

The next morning the king held an audience, at which all the officers saluted him at the new moon. The prince, intent on his purpose, sent a crowd of servants to the Coral Terrace, who without mentioning their orders, began to pull up and break off the flowers in a disorderly manner. A party of servants soon issued from the Terrace, to stop the proceedings, crying out, "These flowers were planted and set out by his Majesty for Lady Pao, who constantly amuses herself among them; stop injuring or destroying them, for your offense will be a serious one." The other servants replied, that they had been ordered to collect some flowers for the queen, and wished to know who had the presumption to stop them. While they were thus wrangling and bawling, Lady Pao herself came out half frightened to see what caused such a row. She began to wax warm, and was about doing something on her part, when the prince himself rushed up. She made no effort to stop him, but he, as if he saw an enemy before him, his eyes flashing with rage, stepped up to her, and clutching hold of her sparkling head-dress, cried out, "You base-born slave! What sort of a thing are you, without name or rank, thus to come here and take airs upon you, and be called a lady of honor? Despicable creature, I'll teach you to-day to know who I am." Saying this, he doubled his fist, and struck her once and again with full force. The servants and maids, all afraid lest the king should hold them guilty, went on their knees before him, and earnestly besought him to stop, for in all things he ought to regard what was his father's, as if the king himself was there.