A Chinese Biographioal Dictionary 175

where hie administration was again very saccessful. While holding office here he built for himself a retreat at the White Deer Grotto on the hills near the Po-yang lake, and thither he was accustomed to retire for interyals of meditation. He was afterwards appointed for special duty on the coast of Ghehkiang; and while there he ordered the demolition of the shrine which had been built in honour of the infamous Ch4n Euei, his father's foe. In 1190 he was made Governor of Chang-chou in Fuhkien; and then began a series of attacks in which he was accused of sedition, of magic, of breaches of loyalty and filial piety, of seducing nuns, and even of weeping at the death of ^ jfC jUi Chao Ju-yti, when all the Court was rejoicing. At first these attacks were ansuccessful ; but at length Hu Hung, in 1196, caused him to be depriyed of all honours and of his official posts. Three years later he was to a great measure re-instated; but he was now too old and infirm to re-enter official life. He passed the rest of his days in retirement, soothed by the ministrations of his faithful disciple Ts^ai Ch^£n. At his death, his coffin is said to have taken up a position, suspended in the air, about three feet from the ground. Whereupon his son-in-law, falling on his knees beside the bier, reminded the departed spirit of the great principles of which he had been such a brilliant exponent in life, >- and the coffin descended gently to the ground. He was a most voluminous writer. In addition to his revision of the history of Ssti-ma Euang, which under the title of ^ ^ j^ § is still regarded as the standard history of China, he placed himself first in the fost rank of all commentators on the Confucian Canon. He introduced interpretations either wholly or partly at variance with tiiose which had been put forth by the scholars of the Han dynasty and hitherto received as infallible, thus modifying to a

certain extent the prevailing standard of political and social