Horses Hooves
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Horses have hooves to carry them over frost and snow, and hair to protect them from wind and cold. They eat grass and drink water, and fling up their tails and gallop. Such is the real nature of horses. Ceremonial halls and big dwellings are of no use to them. One day Polo (famous horse-trainer), {44} appeared, saying, "I am good at managing horses." So he burheir hair and clipped them, and pared their hooves and brahem. He put halters around their necks and shackles around their legs and numbered them acc to their stables. The result was that two or three iehen he kept them hungry and thirsty, trotting them and galloping them, and taught them to run in formations, with the misery of the tasselled bridle in front and the fe<s></s>ar of the knotted whip behind, until more than half of them died. The potter says, "I am good at managing clay. If I want it round, I use passes; if regular, a square." The carpenter says, "I am good at managing wood. If I want it curved, I use an arc; if straight, a line." But on what grounds we think that the nature of clay and wood desires this application of passes and square, and ard line? heless, every age extols Polo for his skill in training horses, and potters and carpenters for their skill with clay and wood. Those who manage (govern) the affairs of the empire make the same mistake. I think one who knows how to govern the empire should not do so. For the people have certain natural instincts -- to weave a<dfn>9９lｉｂ?</dfn>nd clothe themselves, to till the fields ahemselves. This is their on character, in which all share. Sustincts may be called "Heaven born." So in the days of perfeature, men were quiet in their movements and serene in their looks. At that time, there were no paths over mountains, no boats es over waters. All things were produced ea its natural district. Birds as multiplied; trees and shrubs thrived. Thus it was that birds as could be led by the hand, and one could climb up and peep into the magpies . For in the days of perfeature, man lived together with birds as, and there was no distin of their kind. Who could know of the distins betweelemen and on people? Being all equally without knowledge, their virtue could not go astray. Being all equally without desires, they were in a state of natural iy. In this state of natural iy, the people did not lose their (inal) nature. And then when Sages appeared, crawling for charity and limping with duty, doubt and fusioered mens minds. They said they must make merry by means of musid enforce distins by means of ceremony, and the empire became divided against itself. Were the uncarved wood not cut up, who could make sacrificial vessels? Were white jade left uncut, who could make the regalia of courts? Were Tao and virtue not destroyed, what use would there be for charity and duty? Were mens natural instinot lost, what need would there be for musi<s>.</s>d ceremonies? Were the five colors not fused, who would need decorations? Were the five notes not fused, who would adopt the six pitch-pipes? Destru of the natural iy of things for the produ of articles of various kinds -- this is the fault of the artisaru of Tao and virtue in order to introduce charity and duty -- this is the error of the Sages. Horses live on dry la grass and drink water. When pleased, they rub their necks together. When angry, they turn round and kick up their heels at each other. Thus far only do their natural instincts carry them. But bridled and bitted, with a moon-shaped metal plate on their foreheads, they learn to cast vicious looks, to turn their heads to bite, to the yoke, to cheat the bit out of t<u></u>heir mouths or steal the bridle off their heads. Thus their minds aures bee like those of thieves. This is the fault of Polo. In the days of Ho Hsu: {45} the people did nothing in particular at their homes a nowhere in particular in their walks. Having food, they rejoiced; tapping their bellies, they wandered about. Thus far the natural capacities of the people carried them.The Sages came then to make them bow and bend with ceremonies and musi order tulate the external forms of intercourse, and dangled charity and duty before them, in order to keep their minds in submission. Then the people began to labor and develop a taste for knowledge, and tle with one another in their desire fain, to which there is no end. This is the error of the Sages.
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