Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 155

1842.

Notice of the Works of Sú Tungpo.

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the applications for a few lines from his elegant pencil, became also more numerous. He indited several stanzas upon the large Budhist temples in the neighborhood of the capital, descriptive of the great happiness conferred by the prospect of felicity promised to the vota- ries of that superstition. There are, however, more praiseworthy traits in his character, and his appeals in behalf of suffering humanity deserve attention. With all the eloquence he could command, he intreated his sovereign to order an investigation of the prisons, and to free the innocent men, immured for many years in these pestilen- tial dungeons, from their fetters, and restore them to their families. He undoubtedly speaks the language of his heart, and pathetically appeals to every noble feeling in the human breast.

We now come to his menorials, the greater part of which were written towards the end of the eleventh century, when the state was in the uttermost danger, and the government reduced to every mean shift. The Tartar foe had been braved, irritated by faithless con- duct, offended beyond conciliation by haughty officers, and when the hordes commenced advancing to the frontiers, the heart of the emperor began to quail. Sú, however, was firm in his principles, and with bitter hatred to the terrible enemy, recommends the extermination of these robbers. But these men never for a moment considered the impracticability of their scheme, thinking all the while that the thun- der of their edicts would settle the matter. If the command for ex- termination has once gone forth, the enemy will certainly be annihilat- ed, because it is the celestial empire, which, in obeying the sacred decrees of heaven, issues these orders. The ancients did the same and were successful, and why should not their illustrious posterity carry their point in a similar manner? Amongst other scourges under which the country at this juncture smarted was a long drought, while swarms of grasshoppers also devoured what grain there was left. With true patriotism, Sú, after enumerating all the misfortunes and showing the great difficulties in removing them, sets boldly to work to indicate the remedies; this however was not quite enough to re- move the evil, and they grew every day. But his mind was not diverted from minor matters, whilst engaged in discussing these na- tional concerns: there had existed for a considerable time a very brisk trade between Corea and China, fishermen from Fukien, espe- cially natives of Chinchew, engaged largely in this traffic, and repair- ed to the coasts of that country to catch fish, which they salted and brought to the Nanking market. To promote this amicable inter- course, the king used to send a tribute bearer, who devoid of all

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