A Chinese Biographical Dictionary 273

he won ihe &?oar of the Emperor Shih TsuDg by encouraging his proposal to erect four altars, to Heaven, Earth, the Snn, and the Moon. Chang Ts'nng in vain tried to prevent his rise, and by the end of 1536 Hsia was Prime Minister. In 1539 he was the first 'Tillar of the State" under the Mings, but his pride and carelessness ere long enabled Ten Sung to tnm him ont. He soon regained power, only to lose it again in 1542. Restored to office, he once more lost favour through the eunuchs whom he always treated with contempt. In 1548 he was accused of taking bribes from an unsuccessful general whom he himself had nominated. On this chai^ he was tried, and executed. In the next reign his honours were restored, and he was canonised as ^ ^.

684 Hsia Yü . A native of the State of Wei^ famous for his gigantic strength. He could lift a weight of about 40,000 Ibs.^ and was remarkable for being able, among other feats, to pull the tail ont of a living ox. See Ming Pin.

685 Hsia Yüan-chi (T. Hl^). Died A.D. 1430. A native of Hsiang-yin in Hunan, who entered public life as a copyist. The founder of the Ming dynasty promoted him to a secretaryship in the Board of Revenue, of which he rose to be President in 1403. He laboured hard to provide for the expenses of the wars and expeditions of the Emperor Tung Lo, and for building Peking, without undue oppression. Instructed in 1411 to show the future Emperor Hstlan Tsung the condition of the people, he presented a leek to the young Prince to illustrate the hardness of their fisure. He was often consulted at confidential audiences; however in 1421 his objection to the Emperor taking Vie field in person against the Tartars led to his imprisonment. His property was confiscated, but only cotton garments and earthenware utensils were found in his house. In 1424 the new Emperor restored him

to office,' and by his advice the taxes were lightened, distress