Voluntary faults, however apparently trivial, he
punishes. In doubtful cases the penalty inflicted

is light, but
if a service
rendered is
in question,
^v^gl?S5J\ . v=aw-- the reward is

«L^^rn*avM ^iiUSlI^ great. He

would rather
run the risk
of letting a
criminal es-
cape the legal
punishment
than of put-
ting an inno-
cent person to death." The same minister thus
defines a fortunate man : '' He is one who knows
how to combine prudence with indulgence, deter-
mination with integrity, reserve with frankness,
humility with great talents, consistency with com-
plaisance, justice and accuracy with gentleness,
moderation with discernment, a high spirit with
docility, and power with equity."

The Hoang-Ho, or Yellow River, the mighty




FIG. 12. — A NAUGHTY PUPIL.
A BOASTFUL ENGINEER 29

stream which rises in Thibet and flings itself into
the Gulf of Pechili after a course of some 3000
miles, had from time immemorial been the cause
of constant and terrible catastrophes in the districts
it traversed. Chung therefore sent for a talented
engineer named Yu, and ordered him to superintend
the work of making canals and embankments to
remedy the evil. There had been a specially
destructive inundation just before this appoint-
ment, and the sacred book contains Yu's own
account of what he had accomplished, couched, it
must "be owned, in anything but modest terms.
