大铁椎传
魏禧 〔明代〕
大铁椎，不知何许人。北平陈子灿省兄河南，与遇宋将军家。宋，怀庆青华镇人，工技击，七省好事者皆来学，人以其雄健，呼宋将军云。宋弟子高信之，亦怀庆人，多力善射，长子灿七岁，少同学，故尝与过宋将军。
时座上有健啖客，貌甚寝，右胁夹大铁椎，重四五十斤，饮食拱揖不暂去。柄铁折叠环复，如锁上练，引之长丈许。与人罕言语，语类楚声。扣其乡及姓字，皆不答。
既同寝，夜半，客曰：“吾去矣！”言讫不见。子灿见窗户皆闭，惊问信之。信之曰：“客初至，不冠不袜，以蓝手巾裹头，足缠白布，大铁椎外，一物无所持，而腰多白金。吾与将军俱不敢问也。”子灿寐而醒，客则鼾睡炕上矣。
一日，辞宋将军曰：“吾始闻汝名，以为豪，然皆不足用。吾去矣！”将军强留之，乃曰：“吾数击杀响马贼，夺其物，故仇我。久居，祸且及汝。今夜半，方期我决斗某所。”宋将军欣然曰：“吾骑马挟矢以助战。”客曰：“止！贼能且众，吾欲护汝，则不快吾意。”宋将军故自负，且欲观客所为，力请客。客不得已，与偕行。将至斗处，送将军登空堡上，曰：“但观之，慎弗声，令贼知也。”
时鸡鸣月落，星光照旷野，百步见人。客驰下，吹觱篥数声。顷之，贼二十余骑四面集，步行负弓矢从者百许人。一贼提刀突奔客，客大呼挥椎，贼应声落马，马首裂。众贼环而进，客奋椎左右击，人马仆地，杀三十许人。宋将军屏息观之，股栗欲堕。忽闻客大呼曰：“吾去矣。”尘滚滚东向驰去。后遂不复至。
魏禧论曰：子房得力士，椎秦皇帝博浪沙中。大铁椎其人欤？天生异人，必有所用之。予读陈同甫《中兴遗传》，豪俊、侠烈、魁奇之士，泯泯然不见功名于世者，又何多也！岂天之生才不必为人用欤？抑用之自有时欤？子灿遇大铁椎为壬寅岁，视其貌当年三十，然大铁椎今年四十耳。子灿又尝见其写市物帖子，甚工楷书也。庚戌年十一月，我从扬州回家，与陈子灿同船。子灿时年二十八岁，爱好弄枪使棒，我给他讲授《左传》中的兵谋兵法时，趁机问：“你走南闯北，碰到过奇异之人吗？”子灿向我讲述了大铁椎的事，于是我写了《大铁椎传》。
大铁椎，不知是什么地方人。北平陈子灿到河南去看望他的哥哥，在宋将军家里遇见了大铁椎。宋将军是怀庆青华镇人，擅长武术，七省爱好武术的人都来向他学习，人们因他长得魁梧健壮，所以叫他宋将军。宋将军的徒弟高信之，也是怀庆人，力气大，擅长射箭，比陈子灿大七岁，是他小时候的同学，因此陈子灿曾经与他一同访问过宋将军。
当时座上有个饭量很大的客人，容貌很丑陋，右腋下夹着个大铁椎，有四五十斤重，吃饭以及拱手行礼时，一刻也不放下它。大铁椎柄上的铁链折迭围绕着，像锁上的链子，把它拉开有一丈多长。他很少跟人们交谈，说话像楚地（今湖南湖北一带）的口音。问他家乡在哪，姓甚名何，都不作回答。
我们在一起睡觉，到半夜，客人说：“我走了。”话音刚落，人就不见了。陈子灿见窗门都关着，就吃惊地问高信之。高信之说：“客人刚来时，不戴帽子，不穿袜子，用蓝手巾包着头，脚上缠着白布，除了大铁椎外，什么东西都没有携带，而腰带中裹着很多银子。我和宋将军都不敢问他。”陈子灿一觉醒来，侠客却已打着呼噜睡在床上了。
有一天，侠客向宋将军告辞说：“我当初听到你的名声时，把你当作英雄豪杰，然而你的武艺全不顶用，我走了。”宋将军竭力挽留他，他就说：“我曾屡次打杀拦路抢劫的强盗，夺取他们的财物，因此他们很恨我。我若久留此地，灾祸将会牵连到你。今晚半夜，强盗们正约定和我到某个地方决斗。”宋将军高兴地说：“我骑着马带着弓箭来助战。”侠客说：“不要去，强盗本领强且人又多，我想要保护你，就不能杀个痛快。”宋将军向来自以为了不起，并且也很想看看侠客的本领，就竭力请求侠客同往。侠客没办法，就带他一起走。将要到达决斗的地方，侠客送宋将军登上一座荒废无人的堡垒，说：“你只许观看，千万别作声，（以免）让强盗们发觉你。”
这时，鸡叫月落，星光照着空旷的原野，百步之内能够看见人。侠客骑马飞驰而下，吹了几声觱篥。一会儿，二十多个骑马的强盗从四面聚集过来，徒步行走背着弓箭跟在后面的有一百多人。一个强盗提着刀纵马冲向侠客，侠客大喊：“看椎。”挥舞起铁椎，强盗应声坠落马下，马头也被砸得碎裂。那伙强盗向前包围上来，侠客奋力挥舞铁椎左右猛击，强盗们连人带马栽倒在地，三十多人被杀死。宋将军屏住呼吸观看这场恶战，吓得两腿发抖，几乎从堡垒上掉下来。忽然听到侠客大声呼喊道：“我走了！”尘灰滚滚，朝着东方飞奔而去。之后就再也没有回来。
魏禧评论说：张良找到了大力士，在博浪沙用铁椎捶击秦始皇，大铁椎大概也是那种人吧？老天生下有奇异才能的人，一定有用得着他的地方。但我读陈亮的《中兴遗传》，发现那些才智出众、侠义刚烈、雄奇卓异的人，无声无息地不能在当代显露功绩声名的，又为什么这样多呢？是不是上天降生的人才不一定被人任用呢？还是任用他们自会有一定的时机呢？陈子灿遇见大铁椎是壬寅年，看他的相貌应当是三十岁，那么大铁椎当时已有四十岁了。子灿又曾经看见他写买东西的单子，楷书写得非常工整漂亮。The big iron vertebral
Big Tiezhui, I don't know who. Peiping ChenZcan province brother Henan, and encounter General Song's home. Song, HuaiqingQinghua town people, technical skills, seven provinces have come to learn,people with its vigorous, call Song general cloud. Song's disciple Gao Xinzhi,also from Huaiqing, was born in Duoli and good shooting. His eldest son, Can,was seven years old. He was a few classmates, so he had a taste of GeneralSong.
When there are healthy guests, look verysleeping, right side clamp big iron vertebra, weight 40 to 50 catties, dietarch beg not go. Handle iron folding ring complex, such as lock training, leadlong Xu. With people rare speech, language type Chu sound. Buckle its townshipand surname, all do not answer.
Since the same bed, in the middle of thenight, the guest said: "I go!" The words disappeared. Son can see theWindows are closed, surprised to ask the letter. The letter said, "Whenthe visitor first arrived, he wore no crown or socks, wrapped his head in ablue handkerchief, and wrapped his feet in a white cloth. He held nothingoutside the large iron vertebra, but his waist was full of white gold. NeitherI nor the general dared to ask." Son can sleep and wake up, the guest issleeping on the kang.
One day, when he resigned General Song, hesaid, "When I heard your name, I thought it was great, but it was notenough. I am gone!" The general forced him to stay, but said: "Ikilled the horse thief and took his property, so I hate him. For a long time,and you. I'm going to fight somewhere half tonight." General Song saidcheerfully, "I'm riding my horse to help the war." The guest said,"Stop! Thieves can and many, I want to protect you, not my pleasure."General Song therefore conceited, and to see what the guest did, force totreat. Guest has to, with the accompanying line. When he arrived at thefighting place, he sent the general to mount Kongfu and said, "But watchit carefully and let the thief know it."
When the cock crows and the moon falls, thestars shine in the wilderness, see people in 100 steps. Piri is playing Piri.Qingzhi, the thief rode more than twenty four sets, walking from the negativebow and arrow hundred people. A thief to carry knife process to guest, guestshout brandish vertebra, the thief fell, horse head crack. The thieves ring in,Chinfen hit left and right, Centaurs and servants, kill thirty thousand people.General Song watched it with bated breath. Suddenly he heard the guest shoutloudly and said, "I am gone." The dust rolled eastward. And then cameno more.
Dteivertebra people wipe? Born inhumans, theremust be a use. To read Chen Tongfu's "ZTE Inheritance", Hao Jun,chivalry fierce, Queqi people, min min can not see the fame of the world, andhow much also! How could the birth of heaven need not be used by people? Howcan I trace this? Zi Can met big Tiezhui for Ren Yin years old, as itsappearance when the year 30, but big Tiezhui this year 40 ears. Zi Can alsotaste to see its writing market articles, very regular book also. In November,I went home from Yangzhou and was on a boat with Chen Zcan. Zi Can was 28 yearsold and liked to play with guns and sticks. When I was giving him a lecture onthe tactics of military planning in the Zhuan of Zuo, I took the opportunity toask him: "Have you ever encountered any strange people in yourtravels?" Zi Can told me about Datiezhui, so I wrote the Biography ofDatiezhui.
Big iron vertebra, I do not know wherepeople. Chen Zcan of Peiping went to Henan to visit his brother and met DaTiezhui at General Song's house. General Song was a native of Qinghua Town,Huaiqing. He was good at martial arts. People from seven provinces came tolearn martial arts from him. Gao Xinzhi, the disciple of General Song, was alsofrom Huaiqing. He was strong and good at archery. He was seven years older thanChen Zican and had been his classmate when he was young.
At that time, there was a very hungry gueston the seat, very ugly, under the right arm of a large iron vertebra, weighing40 to 50 kilograms, eating and bowed, never put it down for a moment. Thechains on the large iron shank folded around it like a chain in a lock,stretching it apart for more than a foot. He rarely talked to people, and spokewith an accent like that of Chu (now Hunan and Hubei). He asked him where hishometown was and what his name was, but he gave him no answer.
We slept together, and at midnight theguest said, "I'm going." As soon as he spoke, he disappeared. ChenZcan asked Gao Xinzhi in surprise when he saw that the Windows and doors wereclosed. Gao Shin-zhi said, "When the guests first arrived, they did not weara hat or socks, wrapped their heads in a blue towel, and wrapped their feet ina white cloth. They did not carry anything except Big Tiezhui, and a lot ofsilver was wrapped in their belts. General Song and I were afraid to askhim." When Chen Zcan woke up, the chivalrous man was already snoring inbed.
One day, the swordsman took leave ofGeneral Song and said, "When I heard of your fame, I regarded you as ahero. However, your martial arts were of no use. I am leaving." WhenGeneral Song tried to persuade him to stay, he said, "Many times I havekilled robbers and taken their goods, and they hate me for that. If I stay herelong, you'll be caught in the crossfire. At midnight tonight the robbers arearranging to fight me somewhere." General Song said happily: "I ridea horse with a bow and arrow to help the battle." The swordsman said,"Don't go. The robbers are skilled and there are many of them. If I wantto protect you, I can't kill them quickly." General Song was veryimpressed and wanted to see the chivalry's ability, so he asked the chivalry togo with him. When the vigilante can't, he takes him with him. When the duel wasabout to take place, the swordsman took General Song up to a deserted anddeserted fortress and said, "You must watch and be silent, so that therobbers may discover you."
At this time, the crow of the moon set, thestars shining on the empty field, within a hundred paces can see people. Theknave galloped down and played a few piri. In a moment twenty robbers onhorseback were gathered on all sides, followed by a hundred on foot with bowsand arrows. A robber with a sword and a horse rushed to the swordsman. Theswordsman shouted: "Look at the job." Waving the iron vertebrae, therobber fell from the horse, smashing its head to pieces. The gang closed in onthem, and the scoundre struck them left and right with his iron vertebrae. Theyfell with their horses and men, and more than thirty were killed. General Songwatched the battle with bated breath. His legs trembled with fear and he nearlyfell from his fort. Suddenly heard the swordsman loudly shout: "Igo!" The dust was billowing and flying eastward. And he never came back.
There must be a place for a man born with astrange talent. However, when I read Chen Liang's "The Inheritance of ZTE",I found that those outstanding talents, chivalrous and heroic people can notshow their achievements and reputation in the modern era without a word. Whyare there so many of them? Is it true that God-born talents are not necessarilyemployed? Or will there be an opportunity to employ them? When Chen Ziccan metDatiechui, it was the year of Renyin. Judging from his appearance, he should bethirty years old, so Datiechui was already forty years old at that time. Soncan once saw him write to buy things list, regular script is very neat andbeautiful.