clans take the law into their own hands, and whole districts are
kept in a state of constant feud and warfare.
But I must now leave the sage. I hope I have not done him
injustice; the more I have studied his character and opinions, the
more highly have I come to regard him. He was a very great man,
and his influence has been on the whole a great benefit to the
Chinese, while his teachings suggest important lessons to
ourselves who profess to belong to the school of Christ.

1 夡O, I. Sect. I. Pt. v. 10.
2 ©P§, ¨÷¤§¤Q¥|, pp. 14-18.
3 §°O, II. Sect. I. Pt. ii. 24. See also the ®a»y, ¨÷¥|, ¤l°^°Ý.
4 The Chinese, vol. ii. p. 41.



SECTION III.

HIS IMMEDIATE DISCIPLES.

Sze-ma Ch'ien makes Confucius say: 'The disciples who
received my instructions, and could themselves comprehend them,
were seventy-seven individuals. They were all scholars of
extraordinary ability [1].' The common saying is, that the
disciples of the sage were three thousand, while among them
there were seventy-two worthies. I propose to give here a list of
all those whose names have come down to us, as being his
followers. Of the greater number it will be seen that we know
nothing more than their names and surnames. My principal
authorities will be the 'Historical Records,' the 'Narratives of the