all the literature of that period, and is said to have gained a familiar acquaintance with the Five Volumes, a name given by the Chinese to the canonical and classical books ascribed to the le

gislators Yao and Chun. The high reputation he had acquired for talent, purity of conduct, disinterestedness, generosity, and humility, procured his advancement to important offices in his native country, and gave him an opportunity to study the character and learn the wants of his countrymen, who were at that period oppressed by poverty, and plunged in a state of degrading licentiousness. To remedy these evils-to reform his fellow-men, and thus raise the character of his country, was the earnest desire of Confucius; and his labours in this good cause were at first rewarded with ample success, and his fame spread throughout the kingdom, inspiring the inhabitants with veneration for his person and respect for his precepts. The King of Loo advanced him to a station of great trust and importance, and, under his active ministry, the kingdom was becoming more prosperous and happy at home, and more respected abroad; when the neighbouring provinces, dreading the ambition of the King of Loo, and apprehending that the increase of wealth and internal strength might prove at length dangerous to themselves, employed all the arts of intrigue and seduction to procure the removal of the philosopher from power. This was finally effected, it is reported, by the vicious influence of a number of

the most beautiful women in the country, whom the King of Tsi, hoping to corrupt the morals of the Loo-ites, sent as presents to the King and his nobles, and who soon succeeded in inciting them to debauchery and licentiousness. Upon this, Confucius, disgusted and indignant, left the country, and sought a place where he might model the people to his wish; but he found, wherever he went, that vice reigned triumphant, and, in despair, determined to devote himself thenceforth solely to the tuition of pupils in morals, logic, philosophy, and oratory. Six hundred scholars carried his fame and diffused his instructions throughout the country, but seventy-two were distinguished above the rest by their superior progress in knowledge and wisdom: ten, again, were pre-eminently distinguished, and declared to have completely mastered the whole system of their master. Confucius divided his scholars into four classes: the first studied the precepts of morality; the second, the arts of logic and speaking in public; the third, jurisprudence and the duties of the civil magistrate; and the fourth studied public speaking and the delivery of discourses on morals. In this occupation the philosopher pursued "the even tenour of his life," till he was summoned from this world to that where the purity of heart and the perfection of wisdom for which he thirsted are alone to be found. In the seventy-second year of his age, he perceived the approach of death, and, addressing his disciples, he told them that grief for the

profligacy and misery of mankind had destroyed him; and exclaiming, "Great mountain, how art thou fallen! Mighty machine, thou art demolished! The wise and virtuous are no more! Kings neglect and scorn my precepts; and I quit the world I can no longer benefit," he fell into a lethargy, which ended in death. He was buried in his native country, to which he had returned with some of his followers, and his countrymen, who had neglected him while living, honoured and revered his memory when dead. Temples were erected to his fame, and such inscriptions as the following adorned their fronts: "To the great master;" "to the chief doctor;" "to the saint;" "to the wise king of literature;" "to the instructer of emperors and kings." It was enacted, that all his descendants should be free from the payment of taxes to the emperor and princes, and endowed with the rank of mandarins for ever; privileges which they enjoy to the present day. The works of Confucius were collected with care and preserved with reverence, studied by all as the code of morals and conduct, and considered as second only in value and importance to the sacred Five Volumes. They bear the following titles:

1. Tay-hio, "The Grand Science, or School of Adults;" chiefly intended for the information of princes and magistrates; recommending the duties of self-government and uniform obedience to the laws of right reason.

2. The Chong-yong, or "Immutable Medium;" in which he shows its importance in the government of the passions, by a variety of examples, and points out the method of arriving at perfection in virtue.

3. Lung-yu, or Moral and Sententious Discourses; which exhibit a lively picture of the opinions, conduct, and maxims of Confucius and his followers.

4. Meng-tsi, the Book of Meng; named after one of the disciples of Confucius, though some have supposed that that person was the writer of it.

5. The Hyau-king, or Dissertation on the Duty and Respect which Children owe their

Parents.

6. Syan-hyo, or "Science for Children;" a collection of moral sentences, from various writers.

Confucius seemed designed by Heaven to reform, both by his doctrines and example, the corruptions which prevailed, as well in the civil as in the religious establishments of China. He condemned the idolatry which he found existing among his countrymen, and endeavoured to introduce a purer form of religion. He did not attempt to dive into the impenetrable secrets of nature, nor bewilder himself in abstruse researches on the essence of a first cause, the origin of good and evil, and other subjects which seem beyond the limits of the hu

man mind. He maintained that the Deity was the most pure and perfect principle, and fountain of all things; that he is independent and almighty, and watches over the government of the universe, so that no event can happen but by his command; that our most secret thoughts are open to his view; that he is holy without partiality, and of such boundless goodness and justice, that he cannot possibly permit virtue to go unrewarded, or vice unpunished. But he appears still to have permitted his followers to practise several of the existing superstitions, such as sooth-saying, &c.; and that he believed in the existence of certain spirits, who watch over the elements and the various parts of the earth. He also believed in the immortality of the soul.

With the principles of his moral instructions we are better acquainted. In the most impressive manner he enjoined universal benevolence, justice, virtue, and honesty, and the observance of all usages and customs which had been once introduced; it being proper that they who live together should live in the same manner, and sympathize in each other's pains and pleasures. He inculcates reverence for old age; shows how the tendencies of children should be guided, and their rising passions corrected; speaks of the virtues of domestic life; and enjoins mercy and justice to kings.

As a lawgiver, we cannot yield him such praise as in the character of a moralist; for he appears