Book IX 585severely, the king ordered him to stop talking. Then he treated Saek with
courtesy, walking with him as far as the middle gate to see him off as an old
friend. Later, the people who heard about Saek’s insulting remarks [con-
cerning Pae Kŭngnyŏm] became angry and resentful. So Nam Chae sum-
moned Saek’s son Chongsŏn and said, “Because of the crazy remark made
by your father, people are complaining. He will suffer disaster unless he
leaves here.”
In the fifth month of the summer of the Pyŏngja year (1396), Saek
requested that he be allowed to stay at Sillŭk Monastery to avoid the heat,
and when he was about to leave, he began to feel sick and his condition seri-
ously deteriorated by the time he arrived at his destination. When a monk
approached him to say something, Saek waved his hand to stop him and
said, “I am well aware that a man is born to die.” Upon finishing these
words, he died.
Saek was by nature talented and intelligent. His learning was both accu-
rate and extensive. He was magnanimous in dealing with people and con-
siderate in carrying out his work. When he served as chancellor, he tried to
follow the existing laws and did not like to change them frivolously. He
worked hard to foster young students and was never tired of helping them.
When it came to composition, he wrote very fast as soon as he grabbed a
brush; nevertheless, his words were precise and their messages powerful.
His works were collected in fifty- five scrolls and published. He paid little
attention to the finances of his household, and no one ever heard him say
something recklessly or saw him ever show anger, suddenly changing color
on his face. When he attended formal banquets, he was so relaxed and
orderly in his manners that he never made mistakes. Though he served in
the highest office for a long time, enjoying royal favors, he did not show his
pleasure, and despite the fact that he met misfortune twice, he did not reveal
his sorrow.
In his old age, at the request of the king, he wrote epitaphs on the monu-
ments of two monks, Master Chigong and Master Naong,^35 so the disciples
of the two monks frequently visited him. Because of this, he was criticized
for indulging in Buddhism. Having heard of it, Saek said, “Since they prayed
- Master Chigong was an Indian monk who went to Koryŏ during the reign of King
Ch’ungsuk (r. 1313–1330; 1332–1339). He became royal preceptor. Master Naong, or Hyegŭn,
(1320–1376) was royal preceptor of King Kongmin. He went to Yuan China to learn the Linji
(Imje in Korean) kanhwa teaching that had been popularized by Master Chinul (1158–1210).
He was interested in scriptural study as well as Confucianism and Daoism.