known as § |§^ the Patriarch La, under which title he is worshipped by barbers. Much legendary matter has gathered round his name. He has been confounded with Lu Shdng, who has been stated by some to haye been his contemporary; and the famous Yellow-Millet Dream has been equally ascribed to both. A foolish commentary on the Tao T6 Ching^ regarded by some as the true Taoist interpretation of that work (see Lao TzU)^ is also said to be from his pen, though undoubtedly a forgery of later times. At his birth he was considered to be wonderftilly like Chang Liang; and Ma Tsu, to whom he was exhibited, predicted for him a great future.
Luan Pa ^ B (T. ;^ 7C ). Died A.D. 168. A native of ft ^ 1*62 Nei-huang in Honan, who entered upon an official career under the Emperor Shun Ti. Though perfectly upright, he was eccentric in his ways and made no friends, and ere long applied to retire. Sent as Governor to Y^-chang in Eiangsi, he used his knowledge of the black art, to which he had devoted much attention, in the interests of his people who were troubled by spiritual manifestations. The results he achieved were probably due to the vigorous way in which he put a stop to the nefarious practices of wizards and sorcerers; at any rate he gave his district peace. On one occasion, when the Emperor bestowed upon him a gift of wine, he spat some out of his mouth in a south-westerly direction, explaining that there was a fire in Gh^Sng-tu in Sstich^uan , and that this was to help put it out. Later on, news came that thei*e had been a terrible conflagration in Gh'Sng-tu, but that it had been extinguished by a rain-squall from the north-east, which smelt strongly of wine. At the death of the Emperor in 144 he got into trouble vrith the [Empress Dowager by espousing the cause of some peasant proprietors whose land was taken from them for the Imperial Mausoleum, and was thrown into prison. On his release he remained at home until
