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upon an official career. It bad been predicted by a phymognomA that he would die of starvation. Howefer, one day he picked np and restored to its owner a valuable girdle; and the next time tiw physiognomist saw him, be exclaimed, ^'Why, yon have been laying up a store of merit! You have a splendid career before yon.'* Bj the year 811 he had gained the confidence of the Emperor and was placed* in general control of the military; and it was eoiiretj due to his energy that ^ ^ Li So was able to enppreas the troubles in modern Honan and capture ^ jl^ jjff Wn Yflan-ein, who was sent in a cage to the capital. For thefw serrices he was ennobled as Duke. At the death of the Emperor Mn Tsnng in 826 he took a leading part in securing the throne for Wte Tnng, but not long afterwards he became disgnsted with the torn of afiairs, and retired from the political arena. He bnilt himself a retreat; and there, with the poets Po Chf[-i and Lin Yfi-hn, ht enjoyed a life of literary repose until 837, when he was temporarily recalled to public life. In the following year he fell ill, and returned to his retreat where he died. Canonised as ^ J^ . 1633 P*el Ten-ling H^^. A.D. 728-796. A natiye of Ho-tung in Shansi, who was taken up by Lu Gh^i and rose to fill TariooB important posts. In 792 he was placed by Tou Ts'an in chai^ge of the Finance Department; but knowing nothing of his duties, he devoted himself to pleasing the Emperor by making out imaginaiy surpluses. In the following year he became Vice President of the Board of Revenue, and compassed the dismissal of Lu Chih finom his post as Minister. Cruel, vindictive and avaricious, he ww universally loathed; yet he managed to retain his hold upon the Emperor, who during his last illness sent three times a day to miike enquiries. He received the posthumous title of Pillar of the State, changed in the reign of the next Emperor but one to ^ the Misleader. See Tang Ch^eng.