鐔津文集 16.34

16.34

韓子謫潮陽。與方士毛于姬遇。遂作毛仙翁十八兄序謂。于姬者察乎言。不由乎孔聖道。不猶乎老莊教。而以惠性知人爵祿厚薄壽命長短。發言如駛駟。信乎異人也。然兄言果有徵以至云。即掃廳屋候兄一日歡笑。韓子乃信其說。謂果若如兄言。即掃廳屋候兄者。即以兄事之。自列於門人也。當此韓子何其不知命而易動如此也。縱于姬之言果驗如神。在眾人當聽而奇之。韓子自謂專儒頡頏為聖賢之士。固宜守聖人之道也。語曰。智者不惑仁者不憂勇者不懼。此謂君子。明故不惑。知命故不憂。勇於義故不懼。子夏曰。死生有命富貴在天。孔子曰。不知命無以為君子也。蓋亦皆推乎聖人性命之道。無俟於苟也。烏得不顧此而輒如眾人惑於毛生乎。韓子自顧為學聖賢之儒如何耶。苟其道不至。安可以學聖賢自負乎。韓子前作謝自然詩而譏斥神仙異端者。語句尤厲。今方降為郡乃自衰變動尤惑。兄事仙翁異人。帖帖然願欲伏為其門人。掃洒廳宇以候之。憑其言而望脫去遷謫。以酬其待用之志也。中庸曰。素患難行乎患難。素夷狄行乎夷狄。韓子於聖人中庸。得無愧乎。

When Master Han was exiled to Chaoyang, he met the occult master Mao Yuji and subsequently wrote the preface for Mao Xianweng, Eighteenth Elder Brother, stating: 'Examining his words, Yuji does not follow the way of the sage Confucius, nor does he resemble the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi; yet through his natural wisdom, he knows the high and low of men's ranks and stipends and the length of their lifespans, speaking as swiftly as a four-horse team. He is truly an extraordinary man.' He also said: 'If your words, Elder Brother, indeed bear proof,' and went on to say, 'I will sweep the halls and await you, Elder Brother, for a day of joyous laughter.' Master Han thus believed his claims, saying that if things turned out as he predicted, he would sweep the halls and await him, serving him as an elder brother and ranking himself among his disciples. At that moment, how could Master Han have been so ignorant of destiny and so easily swayed? Even if Yuji’s words were as miraculously accurate as a spirit's, ordinary people might well listen and marvel at him; but Master Han claimed to be a devoted Confucian contending to be a scholar of sages and worthies, so he certainly should have guarded the way of the sages. The Analects say: 'The wise are not perplexed, the benevolent are not anxious, and the brave are not afraid.' This refers to the gentleman: being enlightened, he is not perplexed; knowing destiny, he is not anxious; being bold in righteousness, he is not afraid. Zixia said: 'Death and life are governed by destiny; wealth and honor rest with Heaven.' Confucius said: 'Without knowing destiny, one cannot be a gentleman.' These all extrapolate the sages' way of human nature and destiny, leaving no room for opportunistic compromises. How could he disregard this and rashly fall under Mao's sway like the common crowd? Reflecting on himself, how could Master Han consider himself a Confucian who studies the sages and worthies? If his way did not reach that point, how could he boast of learning from the sages and worthies? Formerly, when Master Han wrote the poem on Xie Ziran, mocking and rejecting immortals and heterodox paths, his phrases were particularly severe. Now, having just been demoted to a prefecture, he suffered decline and wavered into even greater delusion, serving an immortal and occultist as an elder brother, submissively wishing to prostrate himself as his disciple, sweeping the halls to await him, and relying on his words in hopes of escaping exile to fulfill his ambitions of being employed. The Doctrine of the Mean says: 'In a state of distress and difficulty, the gentleman acts as is proper to distress and difficulty; among barbarians, he acts as is proper to barbarians.' Regarding the sage's Doctrine of the Mean, could Master Han fail to feel ashamed?