his money, and who was known to his fellow-townsmen as “Old Crocks.”
One day the father fell sick, and summoned his sons to divide the
property between them.[683] He gave four-fifths to the elder and only
one-fifth to the younger, saying to the latter, “It is not that I love
your brother more than I love you: I have other money stored away, and
when you are alone I will hand that over to you.” A few days
afterwards the old man grew worse, and Yüeh-shêng, afraid that his
father might die at any moment, seized an opportunity of seeing him
alone to ask about the money that he himself was to receive. “Ah,”
replied the dying man, “the sum of our joys and of our sorrows is
determined by fate. You are now happy in the possession of a virtuous
wife, and have no right to an increase of wealth.” For, as a matter of
fact, this second son was married to a lady from the Ch‘ê family whose
virtue equalled that of any of the heroines of history: hence his
father’s remark. Yüeh-shêng, however, was not satisfied, and implored
to be allowed to have the money; and at length the old man got angry
and said, “You are only just turned twenty; you have known none of the
trials of life, and were I to give a thousand ounces of gold, it would
soon be all spent. Go! and, until you have drunk the cup of bitterness
to its dregs, expect no money from me.” Now Yüeh-shêng was a filial
son, and when his father spoke thus he did not venture to say any
more, and hoped for his speedy recovery that he might have a chance of
coaxing him to comply with his request. But the old man got worse and
worse, and at length died; whereupon the elder brother took no trouble
about the funeral ceremonies, leaving it all to the younger, who,
being an open-handed fellow, made no difficulties about the expense.
The latter was also fond of seeing a great deal of company at his
house, and his wife often had to get three or four meals a-day ready
for guests; and, as her husband did very little towards looking after
his affairs, and was further sponged upon by all the needy ones of the
neighbourhood, they were soon reduced to a state of poverty. The elder
brother helped them to keep body and soul together, but he died
shortly afterwards, and this resource was cut off from them. Then, by
dint of borrowing in the spring and repaying in the autumn,[684] they
still managed to exist, until at last it came to parting with their
land, and they were left actually destitute. At that juncture their
eldest son died, followed soon after by his mother; and Yüeh-shêng was
left almost by himself in the world. He now married the widow of a
sheep-dealer, who had a little capital; and she was very strict with
him, and wouldn’t let him waste time and money with his friends. One
night his father appeared to him and said, “My son, you have drained
your cup of bitterness to the dregs. You shall now have the money. I
will bring it to you.” When Yüeh-shêng woke up, he thought it was
merely a poor man’s dream; but the next day, while laying the
foundations of a wall, he did come upon a quantity of gold. And then
he knew what his father had meant by “when you are alone;” for of
those about him at that time, more than half were gone.
FOOTNOTES:
[683] The Law of Inheritance, as it obtains in China, has been ably
illustrated by Mr. Chal. Alabaster in Vols. V. and VI. of the _China
Review_. This writer states that “there seems to be no absolutely
fixed law in regard either of inheritance or testamentary dispositions
of property, but certain general principles are recognised which the
court will not allow to be disregarded without sufficient cause.” As a
rule the sons, whether by wife or concubine, share equally, and in
preference to daughters, even though there should be a written will in
favour of the latter.
[684] This has reference to the “seed-time and harvest.”
CLXI.
THE BOATMEN OF LAO-LUNG.
When His Excellency Chu was Viceroy of Kuangtung, there were constant
complaints from the traders of mysterious disappearances; sometimes as
many as three or four of them disappearing at once and never being
seen or heard of again. At length the number of such cases, filed of
course against some person or persons unknown, multiplied to such an
extent that they were simply put on record, and but little notice was
further taken of them by the local officials. Thus, when His
Excellency entered upon his duties, he found more than a hundred
plaints of the kind, besides innumerable cases in which the missing
man’s relatives lived at a distance and had not instituted
proceedings. The mystery so preyed upon the new Viceroy’s mind that he
lost all appetite for food; and when, finally, all the inquiries he
had set on foot resulted in no clue to an elucidation of these strange
disappearances, then His Excellency proceeded to wash and purify
himself, and, having notified the Municipal God,[685] he took to
fasting and sleeping in his study alone. While he was in ecstasy, lo!
an official entered, holding a tablet in his hand, and said that he
had come from the Municipal temple with the following instructions to
the Viceroy:--
“Snow on the whiskers descending:
Live clouds falling from heaven:
Wood in water buoyed up:
In the wall an opening effected.”
The official then retired, and the Viceroy waked up; but it was only
after a night of tossing and turning that he hit upon what seemed to
him the solution of the enigma. “The first line,” argued he, “must
signify _old_ (_lao_ in Chinese); the second refers to the
_dragon_[686] (_lung_ in Chinese); the third is clearly a _boat_; and
the fourth a _door_ here taken in its secondary sense--_man_.” Now, to
the east of the province, not far from the pass by which traders from
the north connect their line of trade with the southern seas, there
was actually a ferry known as the Old Dragon (_Lao-lung_); and thither
the Viceroy immediately despatched a force to arrest those employed in
carrying people backwards and forwards. More than fifty men were
caught, and they all confessed at once without the application of
torture. In fact, they were bandits under the guise of boatmen;[687]
and after beguiling passengers on board, they would either drug them
or burn stupefying incense until they were senseless, finally cutting
them open and putting a large stone inside to make the body sink. Such
was the horrible story, the discovery of which brought throngs to the
Viceroy’s door to serenade him in terms of gratitude and praise.[688]
FOOTNOTES:
[685] See No. I., note 36.
[686] Clouds being naturally connected in every Chinaman’s mind with
these fabulous creatures, the origin of which has been traced by some
to waterspouts. See No. LXXXI., note 439.
[687] “Boat-men” is the solution of the last two lines of the enigma.
[688] The commentator actually supplies a list of the persons who
signed a congratulatory petition to the Viceroy on the arrest and
punishment of the criminals.
CLXII.
THE PIOUS SURGEON.
A certain veterinary surgeon, named Hou, was carrying food to his
field labourers, when suddenly a whirlwind arose in his path. Hou
seized a spoon and poured out a libation of gruel, whereupon the wind
immediately dropped. On another occasion, he was wandering about the
municipal temple when he noticed an image of Liu Ch‘üan presenting the
melon,[689] in whose eye was a great splotch of dirt. “Dear me, Sir
Liu!” cried Hou, “who has been ill-using you like this?” He then
scraped away the dirt with his finger-nail, and passed on. Some years
afterwards, as he was lying down very ill, two lictors walked in and
carried him off to a yamên, where they insisted on his bribing them
heavily. Hou was at his wits’ end what to do; but just at that moment
a personage dressed in green robes came forth, who was greatly
astonished at seeing him there, and asked what it all meant. Our hero
at once explained; whereupon the man in green turned upon the lictors
and abused them for not shewing proper respect to Mr. Hou. Meanwhile a
drum sounded like the roll of thunder, and the man in green told Hou
that it was for the morning session, and that he would have to attend.
Leading Hou within he put him in his proper place, and, promising to
inquire into the charge against him, went forward and whispered a few
words to one of the clerks. “Oh,” said the latter, advancing and
making a bow to the veterinary surgeon, “yours is a trifling matter.
We shall merely have to confront you with a horse, and then you can go
home again.” Shortly afterwards, Hou’s case was called; upon which he
went forward and knelt down, as did also a horse which was prosecuting
him. The judge now informed Hou that he was accused by the horse of
having caused its death by medicines, and asked him if he pleaded
guilty or not guilty. “My lord,” replied Hou, “the prosecutor was
attacked by the cattle-plague, for which I treated him accordingly;
and he actually recovered from the disease, though he died on the
following day. Am I to be held responsible for that?” The horse now
proceeded to tell his story; and after the usual cross-examination and
cries for justice, the judge gave orders to look up the horse’s term
of life in the Book of Fate. Therein it appeared that the animal’s
destiny had doomed it to death on the very day on which it had died;
whereupon the judge cried out, “Your term of years had already
expired; why bring this false charge? Away with you!” and turning to
Hou, the judge added, “You are a worthy man, and may be permitted to
live.” The lictors were accordingly instructed to escort him back, and
with them went out both the clerk and the man in green clothes, who
bade the lictors take every possible care of Hou by the way. “You
gentlemen are very kind,” said Hou, “but I haven’t the honour of your
acquaintance, and should be glad to know to whom I am so much
indebted.” “Three years ago,” replied the man in green, “I was
travelling in your neighbourhood, and was suffering very much from
thirst, which you relieved for me by a few spoonfuls of gruel. I have
not forgotten that act.” “And my name,” observed the other, “is
Liu Ch‘üan. You once took a splotch of dirt out of my eye that was
troubling me very much. I am only sorry that the wine and food we have
down here is unsuitable to offer you. Farewell.” Hou now understood
all that had happened, and went off home with the two lictors where he
would have regaled them with some refreshment, but they refused to
take even a cup of tea. He then waked up and found that he had been
dead for two days. From this time forth he led a more virtuous life
than ever, always pouring out libations to Liu Ch‘üan at all the
festivals of the year. Thus he reached the age of eighty, a hale and
hearty man, still able to sit in the saddle; until one day he met
Liu Ch‘üan riding on horseback, as if about to make a long journey.
After a little friendly conversation, the latter said to him, “Your
time is up, and the warrant for your arrest is already issued; but I
have ordered the constables to delay awhile, and you can now spend
three days in preparing for death, at the expiration of which I will
come and fetch you. I have purchased a small appointment for you in
the realms below,[690] by which you will be more comfortable.” So Hou
went home and told his wife and children; and after collecting his
friends and relatives, and making all necessary preparations, on the
evening of the fourth day he cried out, “Liu Ch‘üan has come!” and,
getting into his coffin,[691] lay down and died.
FOOTNOTES:
[689] When the soul of the Emperor T‘ai Tsung of the T‘ang dynasty was
in the infernal regions, it promised to send Yen-lo (the Chinese
_Yama_ or Pluto) a melon; and when His Majesty recovered from the
trance into which he had been plunged, he gave orders that his promise
was to be fulfilled. Just then a man, named Liu Ch‘üan, observed a
priest with a hairpin belonging to his wife, and misconstruing the
manner in which possession of it had been obtained, abused his wife so
severely that she committed suicide. Liu Ch‘üan himself then
determined to follow her example, and convey the melon to Yen-lo; for
which act he was subsequently deified. See the _Hsi-yu-chi_, Section
XI.
[690] As the Chinese believe that their disembodied spirits proceed to
a world organised on much the same model as the one they know, so do
they think that there will be social distinctions of rank and
emolument proportioned to the merits of each.
[691] A dying man is almost always moved into his coffin to die; and
aged persons frequently take to sleeping regularly in the coffins
provided against the inevitable hour by the pious thoughtfulness of a
loving son. Even in middle life Chinese like to see their coffins
ready for them, and store them sometimes on their own premises,
sometimes in the outhouses of a neighbouring temple.
CLXIII.
ANOTHER SOLOMON.
At T‘ai-yüan there lived a middle-aged woman with her widowed
daughter-in-law. The former was on terms of too great intimacy with a
notably bad character of the neighbourhood; and the latter, who
objected very strongly to this, did her best to keep the man from the
house. The elder woman accordingly tried to send the other back to her
family, but she would not go; and at length things came to such a pass
that the mother-in-law actually went to the mandarin of the place and
charged her daughter-in-law with the offence she herself was
committing. When the mandarin inquired the name of the man concerned,
she said she had only seen him in the dark and didn’t know who he was,
referring him for information to the accused. The latter, on being
summoned, gave the man’s name, but retorted the charge on her
mother-in-law; and when the man was confronted with them, he promptly
declared both their stories to be false. The mandarin, however, said
there was a _primâ facie_ case against him, and ordered him to be
severely beaten, whereupon he confessed that it was the
daughter-in-law whom he went to visit. This the woman herself flatly
denied, even under torture; and on being released, appealed to a
higher court, with a very similar result. Thus the case dragged on,
until a Mr. Sun, who was well-known for his judicial acumen, was
appointed district magistrate at that place. Calling the parties
before him, he bade his lictors prepare stones and knives, at which
they were much exercised in their minds, the severest tortures allowed
by law being merely gyves and fetters.[692] However, everything was
got ready, and the next day Mr. Sun proceeded with his investigation.
After hearing all that each one of the three had to say, he delivered
the following judgment:--“The case is a simple one; for although I
cannot say which of you two women is the guilty one, there is no doubt
about the man, who has evidently been the means of bringing discredit
on a virtuous family. Take those stones and knives there and put him
to death. I will be responsible.” Thereupon the two women began to
stone the man, especially the younger one, who seized the biggest
stones she could see and threw them at him with all the might of her
pent-up anger; while the mother-in-law chose small stones and struck
him on non-vital parts.[693] So with the knives: the daughter-in-law
would have killed him at the first blow, had not the mandarin stopped
her, and said, “Hold! I now know who is the guilty woman.” The
mother-in-law was then tortured until she confessed, and the case was
thus terminated.
FOOTNOTES:
[692] See No. LXXIII., note 417.
[693] The Chinese distinguish sixteen vital spots on the front of the
body and six on the back, with thirty-six and twenty non-vital spots
in similar positions, respectively. They allow, however, that a severe
blow on a non-vital spot might cause death, and _vice versâ_.
CLXIV.
THE INCORRUPT OFFICIAL.
Mr. Wu, Sub-prefect of Chi-nan, was an upright man, and would have no
share in the bribery and corruption which was extensively carried on,
and at which the higher authorities connived, and in the proceeds of
which they actually shared. The Prefect tried to bully him into
adopting a similar plan, and went so far as to abuse him in violent
language; upon which Mr. Wu fired up and exclaimed, “Though I am but a
subordinate official, you should impeach me for anything you have
against me in the regular way; you have not the right to abuse me
thus. Die I may, but I will never consent to degrade my office and
turn aside the course of justice for the sake of filthy lucre.” At
this outbreak the Prefect changed his tone, and tried to soothe
him.... [How dare people accuse the age of being corrupt, when it is
themselves who will not walk in the straight path.] One day after this
a certain fox-medium[694] came to the Prefect’s yamên just as a feast
was in full swing, and was thus addressed by a guest:--“You who
pretend to know everything, say how many officials there are in this
Prefecture.” “_One_,” replied the medium; at which the company laughed
heartily, until the medium continued, “There are really seventy-two
holders of office, but Mr. Sub-prefect Wu is the only one who can
justly be called an official.”
FOOTNOTE:
[694] Certain classes of soothsayers are believed by the Chinese to be
possessed by foxes, which animals have the power of looking into the
future, &c., &c.
APPENDIX A.
Visitors to Chinese temples of the Taoist persuasion usually make at
once for what is popularly known amongst foreigners as the “Chamber of
Horrors.” These belong specially to Taoism, or the ethics of Right in
the abstract, as opposed to abstract Wrong, and are not found in
temples consecrated to the religion of Buddha. Modern Taoism, however,
once a purely metaphysical system, is now so leavened with the
superstitions of Buddhism, and has borrowed so much material from its
younger rival, that an ordinary Chinaman can hardly tell one from the
other, and generally regards them as to all intents and purposes the
same. These rightly-named Chambers of Horrors--for Madame Tussaud has
nothing more ghastly to show in the whole of her wonderful
collection--represent the Ten Courts of Purgatory, through some or all
of which erring souls must pass before they are suffered to be born
again into the world under another form, or transferred to the eternal
bliss reserved for the righteous alone. As a description of these Ten
Courts may not be uninteresting to some of my readers, and as the
subject has a direct bearing upon many of the stories in the previous
collection, I hereto append my translation of a well-known Taoist
work[695] which is circulated gratuitously all over the Chinese Empire
by people who are anxious to lay up a store of good works against the
day of reckoning to come. Those who are acquainted with Dante’s
_Divine Comedy_ will recollect that the poet’s idea of a Christian
Purgatory was a series of nine lessening circles arranged one above
the other, so as to form a cone. The Taoist believes that his
Purgatory consists of Ten Courts of Justice situated in different
positions at the bottom of a great ocean which lies down in the
depths of the earth. These are sub-divided into special wards,
different forms of torture being inflicted in each. A perusal of this
work will shew what punishments the wicked Chinaman has to expect in
the unseen world, and by what means he may hope to obtain a partial or
complete remission of his sins.
_The “Divine Panorama,” published by the Mercy of Yü Ti,[696] that Men
and Women may repent them of their Faults and make Atonement for their
Crimes._
On the birthday of the Saviour P‘u-sa,[697] as the spirits of
Purgatory were thronging round to offer their congratulations, the
ruler of the Infernal Regions spake as follows:--“My wish is to
release all souls, and every moon as this day comes round I would
wholly or partially remit the punishment of erring shades, and give
them life once more in one of the Six Paths.[698] But alas! the wicked
are many and the virtuous few. Nevertheless, the punishments in the
dark region are too severe, and require some modification. Any wicked
soul that repents and induces one or two others to do likewise shall
be allowed to set this off against the punishments which should be
inflicted.” The Judges of the Ten Courts of Purgatory then agreed that
all who led virtuous lives from their youth upwards shall be escorted
at their death to the land of the Immortals; that all whose balance of
good and evil is exact shall escape the bitterness of the Three
States,[699] and be born again among men; that those who have repaid
their debts of gratitude and friendship, and fulfilled their destiny,
yet have a balance of evil against them, shall pass through the
various Courts of Purgatory and then be born again amongst men, rich,
poor, old, young, diseased or crippled, to be put a second time upon
trial. Then, if they behave well they may enter into some happy state;
but if badly, they will be dragged by horrid devils through all the
Courts, suffering bitterly as they go, and will again be born, to
endure in life the uttermost of poverty and wretchedness, in death the
everlasting tortures of hell. Those who are disloyal, unfilial, who
commit suicide, take life, or disbelieve the doctrine of Cause and
Effect,[700] saying to themselves that when a man dies there is an
end of him, that when he has lost his skin[701] he has already
suffered the worst that can befall him, that living men can be
tortured, but no one ever saw a man’s ghost in the pillory, that after
death all is unknown, etc., etc.,--truly these men do not know that
the body alone perishes but the soul lives for ever and ever; and that
whatsoever evil they do in this life, the same will be done unto them
in the life to come. All who commit such crimes are handed over to the
everlasting tortures of hell; for alas! in spite of the teachings of
the Three Systems[702] some will persist in regarding these warnings
as vain and empty talk. Lightly they speak of Divine mercy, and
knowingly commit many crimes, not more than one in a hundred ever
coming to repentance. Therefore the punishments of Purgatory were
strictly carried out and the tortures dreadfully severe. But now it
has been mercifully ordained that any man or woman, young, old, weak
or strong, who may have sinned in any way, shall be permitted to
obtain remission of the same by keeping his or her thoughts constantly
fixed on P‘u-sa and on the birthdays of the Judges of the Ten Courts,
by fasting and prayer, and by vows never to sin again. Or for every
good work done in life they shall be allowed to escape one ward in the
Courts below. From this rule to be excepted disloyal ministers,
unfilial sons, suicides, those who plot in secret against good people,
those who are struck by lightning (_lit._ thunder), those who perish
by flood or fire, by wild animals or poisonous reptiles[703]--these to
pass through all the Courts and be punished according to their
deserts. All other sinners to be allowed to claim their good works as
a set-off against evil, thus partly escaping the agonies of hell and
receiving some reward for their virtuous deeds.
This account of man’s wickedness on the earth and the punishments in
store for him was written in language intelligible to every man and
woman, and was submitted for the approval of P‘u-sa, the intention
being to wait the return[704] of some virtuous soul among the sons of
men, and by these means publish it all over the earth. When P‘u-sa saw
what had been done, he said it was good; and on the 3rd of 8th moon
proceeded with the ten Judges of Purgatory to lay this book before
God.[705]
Then God said, “Good indeed! Good indeed! henceforth let all spirits
take note of any mortal who vows to lead a virtuous life and,
repenting, promises to sin no more. Two punishments shall be remitted
him. And if, in addition to this, he succeeds in doing five virtuous
acts, then he shall escape all punishment and be born again in some
happy state--if a woman she shall be born as a man. But more than five
virtuous acts shall enable such a soul to obtain the salvation of
others, and redeem wife and family from the tortures of hell. Let
these regulations be published in the _Divine Panorama_ and circulated
on earth by the spirits of the City Guardian.[706] In fear and
trembling obey this decree and carry it reverently into effect.”
THE FIRST COURT.
His Infernal Majesty Ch‘in Kuang is specially in charge of the
register of life and death both for old and young, and presides at the
judgment-seat in the lower regions. His court is situated in the great
Ocean, away beyond the Wu-chiao rock,[707] far to the west near the
murky road which leads to the Yellow Springs.[708] Every man and woman
dying in old age whose fate it is to be born again into the world, if
their tale of good and evil works is equally balanced, are sent to the
First Court, and thence transferred back to Life, male becoming
female, female male, rich poor, and poor rich, according to their
several deserts. But those whose good deeds are outnumbered by their
bad are sent to a terrace on the right of the Court, called the
Terrace of the Mirror of Sin, ten feet in height. The mirror is about
fifty feet[709] in circumference and hangs towards the east. Above are
seven characters written horizontally:--“Sin Mirror Terrace upon no
good men.” There the wicked souls are able to see the naughtiness of
their own hearts while they were among the living, and the danger of
death and hell. Then do they realize the proverb,--
“Ten thousand taels of yellow gold cannot be brought away:
But every crime will tell its tale upon the judgment day.”
When the souls have been to the Terrace and seen their wickednesses,
they are forwarded into the Second Court, where they are tortured and
dismissed to the proper hell.