CONFUCIAN ANALECTS

replied to him, "There was Yen Hui; he loved to learn. Unfortunately his appointed time was short, and he died. Now there is no one who loves to learn, as he did." When Yen Yuan died, Yen Lu begged the carriage of the Master to sell and get an outer shell for his son's coffin. The Master said, "Every one calls his son his son, whether he has talents or has not talents. There was Li; when he died, he had a coffin but no outer shell. I would not walk on foot to get a shell for him, because, having followed in the rear of the great officers, it was not proper that I should walk on foot." When Yen Yuan died, the Master said, "Alas! Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!" When Yen Yuan died, the Master bewailed him exceedingly, and the disciples who were with him said, "Master, your grief is excessive!" "Is it excessive?" said he. "If I am not to mourn bitterly for this man, for whom should I mourn?" When Yen Yuan died, the disciples wished to give him a great funeral, and the Master said, "You may not do so." The disciples did bury him in great style. The Master said, "Hui behaved towards me as his father. I have not been able to treat him as my son. The fault is not mine; it belongs to you, O disciples." Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, "While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their spirits?" Chi Lu added, "I venture to ask about death?" He was