w;is ennobled as Duke. He revenged himself on his opponents by having their names, including that of Ssti-ma Kuang, engraved upon a stone tablet as ^^traitors,*' and by debarring their sons from holding office near the capital. The appearance of a comet in 1106 led to the destruction of the tablet and to the nominal degradation of Ts^ai Ching, who returned however to power in the following year. After a further career, varied by periods of retirement and disgrace, in 1124 he became Minister for the fourth time. Old and blind, he lefb everything to his son "(f^ T'ao, who so mismanaged the finances that within a few months he was forced once more to retire. On the accession of the Emperor Ch4n Tsung he was denounced and degraded, dying on his way to some petty provincial post and leaving behind him a name execrated in history as ^ ^
- ^ -gf Chief of the Six Traitors. *
Ts*ai dicing ^ i^ (T. ^/^^ ^. H. ;g ^). A.D. 1453-1508. 1972 A native of Chin-chiang in Fuhkien^ who graduated as chin a/iih in 1484 and entered upon an official career. He rose to be Literary Chancellor of Eiangsi in 1506,, but his chief fame is derived from his literary achievements. He is the author of the ^ jj^ ^ ^| , an exegetical work on the Canon of Changes^ which is still recognised as a standard text-book. He also wrote the [^ ^ ^ $1 « ^ similar work on the Four Books, He was canonised as ^ ^ , and in 1724 his tablet was placed in the Confucian Temple. Ts^ai Cll*0 ^5t (T. 1[^JE). llth cent. A.D. A native of 1973 Chin-chiang in Fuhkien, who was remarkable as a youth for his high spirit and fearless disposition. Graduating as chin shih he distinguished himself by his opposition to Wang An-shih, and subsequently rose to high rank. In 1087 he fell into disgrace through the misconduct of a younger brotber and was banished to Hsin-chou in Euangtung, whither he was accompanied by his son ^ § P'i-pa (Guitar). They kept a very clever parrot; and
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