Candide, driven from terrestrial paradise, walked a long while without knowing where, weeping, raising his eyes to heaven, turning them often towards the most magnificent of castles which imprisoned the purest of noble young ladies. He lay down to sleep without supper, in the middle of a field between two furrows. The snow fell in large flakes. Next day Candide, all benumbed, dragged himself towards the neighbouring town which was called Waldberghofftrarbk-dikdorff, having no money, dying of hunger and fatigue, he stopped sorrowfully at the door of an inn. Two men dressed in blue observed him.
Candide, driven from the earthly paradise, walked for a long time without knowing where he was. He wept and looked up at the sky. He often turned his eyes toward the grandest castle. That castle held the purest young noblewoman. He went to sleep without any supper. He lay in the middle of a field between two furrows. Large flakes of snow fell. The next day, numb with cold, Candide dragged himself toward the nearby town called Waldberghofftrarbk-dikdorff. He had no money. He was starving and exhausted. He stopped sadly at the inn's door. Two men dressed in blue watched him.
"Comrade," said one, "here is a well-built young fellow, and of proper height."
"Comrade," said one. "Here is a well-built young man of the right height."
They went up to Candide and very civilly invited him to dinner.
They approached Candide and politely invited him to dinner.
"Gentlemen," replied Candide, with a most engaging modesty, "you do me great honour, but I have not wherewithal to pay my share."
"Gentlemen," Candide replied with charming modesty. "You honor me greatly, but I don't have the means to pay my share."
"Oh, sir," said one of the blues to him, "people of your appearance and of your merit never pay anything: are you not five feet five inches high?"
"Oh, sir," said one of the men in blue to him. "People who look like you and have your qualities never pay anything. Aren't you five feet five inches tall?"
"Yes, sir, that is my height," answered he, making a low bow.
"Yes, sir. That is my height." He said, bowing low.
"Come, sir, seat yourself; not only will we pay your reckoning, but we will never suffer such a man as you to want money; men are only born to assist one another."
"Come, sir, sit down. We will not only pay your bill. We will never let a man like you go without money. People are born only to help one another."
"You are right," said Candide; "this is what I was always taught by Mr. Pangloss, and I see plainly that all is for the best."
"You're right," Candide said. "Mr. Pangloss always taught me that, and I can clearly see that everything is for the best."
They begged of him to accept a few crowns. He took them, and wished to give them his note; they refused; they seated themselves at table.
They begged him to accept a few crowns. He took them. He wanted to give them his note, but they refused. They sat down at the table.
"Love you not deeply?"
"Don't you love deeply?"
"Oh yes," answered he; "I deeply love Miss Cunegonde."
"Oh yes," he replied. "I love Miss Cunegonde deeply."
"No," said one of the gentlemen, "we ask you if you do not deeply love the King of the Bulgarians?"
"No," one of the gentlemen said. "We are asking if you do not deeply love the King of the Bulgarians?"
"Not at all," said he; "for I have never seen him."
"Not at all," he said. "I have never seen him."
"What! he is the best of kings, and we must drink his health."
"What! He is the best of kings. We must drink to his health."
"Oh! very willingly, gentlemen," and he drank.
"Oh! Very willingly, gentlemen." He drank.
"That is enough," they tell him. "Now you are the help, the support, the defender, the hero of the Bulgarians. Your fortune is made, and your glory is assured."
"That's enough," they tell him. "You are now the helper, the support, the defender, the hero of the Bulgarians. Your fortune is made. Your glory is assured."
Instantly they fettered him, and carried him away to the regiment. There he was made to wheel about to the right, and to the left, to draw his rammer, to return his rammer, to present, to fire, to march, and they gave him thirty blows with a cudgel. The next day he did his exercise a little less badly, and he received but twenty blows. The day following they gave him only ten, and he was regarded by his comrades as a prodigy.
They shackled him and took him to the regiment. There they made him wheel to the right. Then to the left. They made him pull out his rammer. Then he had to put it back. They made him present his musket. They made him fire. They made him march. They beat him thirty times with a cudgel. The next day he did the exercise a little better. He received only twenty blows. On the following day they gave him only ten. His comrades regarded him as a prodigy.
Candide, all stupefied, could not yet very well realise how he was a hero. He resolved one fine day in spring to go for a walk, marching straight before him, believing that it was a privilege of the human as well as of the animal species to make use of their legs as they pleased. He had advanced two leagues when he was overtaken by four others, heroes of six feet, who bound him and carried him to a dungeon. He was asked which he would like the best, to be whipped six-and-thirty times through all the regiment, or to receive at once twelve balls of lead in his brain. He vainly said that human will is free, and that he chose neither the one nor the other. He was forced to make a choice; he determined, in virtue of that gift of God called liberty, to run the gauntlet six-and-thirty times. He bore this twice. The regiment was composed of two thousand men; that composed for him four thousand strokes, which laid bare all his muscles and nerves, from the nape of his neck quite down to his rump. As they were going to proceed to a third whipping, Candide, able to bear no more, begged as a favour that they would be so good as to shoot him. He obtained this favour; they bandaged his eyes, and bade him kneel down. The King of the Bulgarians passed at this moment and ascertained the nature of the crime. As he had great talent, he understood from all that he learnt of Candide that he was a young metaphysician, extremely ignorant of the things of this world, and he accorded him his pardon with a clemency which will bring him praise in all the journals, and throughout all ages.
Candide was so stunned he could not yet understand how he had become a hero. One fine spring day he decided to go for a walk. He marched straight ahead. He believed it was a privilege of humans, as well as animals, to use their legs as they pleased. He had gone two leagues when four others, "heroes" of six feet, overtook him. They bound him and carried him to a dungeon. They asked which he preferred. Either to be whipped thirty-six times by the whole regiment, or to receive twelve balls of lead in his head at once. He vainly said that human will is free. He refused to choose either. He was forced to choose. He decided, by that gift of God called liberty, to run the gauntlet thirty-six times. He endured this twice. The regiment had two thousand men. That meant four thousand strokes for him. These blows stripped his flesh down to the muscles and nerves. They cut from the nape of his neck all the way to his rump. As they prepared to give him a third whipping, Candide could not bear any more. He begged them, as a favor, to shoot him. They granted his request. They bandaged his eyes and told him to kneel. The King of the Bulgarians happened to pass by at that moment and learned the nature of the crime. Because he had great understanding, he saw from what he learned that Candide was a young metaphysician. Candide was very ignorant of worldly matters. The king pardoned him. This clemency would win the king praise in all the newspapers and for ages to come.
An able surgeon cured Candide in three weeks by means of emollients taught by Dioscorides. He had already a little skin, and was able to march when the King of the Bulgarians gave battle to the King of the Abares.
An able surgeon cured Candide in three weeks using emollients described by Dioscorides. His skin had already partly grown back. He could march when the King of the Bulgarians fought the King of the Abares.
The Abares were a tribe of Tartars settled on the shores of the Danube, who later dwelt in part of Circassia.