Voltaire · Complete work
Chapter XXVI
Chapter XXVI of 30. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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D’un souper que Candide et Martin firent avec six étrangers, et qui ils étaient.
Un soir que Candide, suivi de Martin, allait se mettre à table avec les étrangers qui logeaient dans la même hôtellerie, un homme à visage couleur de suie l’aborda par derrière, et, le prenant par le bras, lui dit: Soyez prêt à partir avec nous, n’y manquez pas. Il se retourne, et voit Cacambo. Il n’y avait que la vue de Cunégonde qui pût l’étonner et lui plaire davantage. Il fut sur le point de devenir fou de joie. Il embrasse son cher ami. Cunégonde est ici, sans doute? où est-elle? Mène-moi vers elle, que je meure de joie avec elle. Cunégonde n’est point ici, dit Cacambo, elle est à Constantinople. Ah ciel! à Constantinople! mais fût-elle à la Chine, j’y vole, partons. Nous partirons après souper, reprit Cacambo; je ne peux vous en dire davantage; je suis esclave, mon maître m’attend; il faut que j’aille le servir à table: ne dites mot, soupez, et tenez-vous prêt.
Candide, partagé entre la joie et la douleur, charmé d’avoir revu son agent fidèle, étonné de le voir esclave, plein de l’idée de retrouver sa maîtresse, le coeur agité, l’esprit bouleversé, se mit à table avec Martin, qui voyait de sang froid toutes ces aventures, et avec six étrangers, qui étaient venus passer le carnaval à Venise.
Cacambo, qui versait à boire à l’un de ces six étrangers, s’approcha de l’oreille de son maître, sur la fin du repas, et lui dit: Sire, votre majesté partira quand elle voudra, le vaisseau est prêt. Ayant dit ces mots, il sortit. Les convives étonnés se regardaient sans proférer une seule parole, lorsqu’un autre domestique s’approchant de son maître, lui dit: Sire, la chaise de votre majesté est à Padoue, et la barque est prête. Le maître fit un signe, et le domestique partit. Tous les convives se regardèrent encore, et la surprise commune redoubla. Un troisième valet s’approchant aussi d’un troisième étranger, lui dit: Sire, croyez-moi, votre majesté ne doit pas rester ici plus long-temps, je vais tout préparer; et aussitôt il disparut.
Candide et Martin ne doutèrent pas alors que ce ne fût une mascarade du carnaval. Un quatrième domestique dit au quatrième maître: Votre majesté partira quand elle voudra, et sortit comme les autres. Le cinquième valet en dit autant au cinquième maître. Mais le sixième valet parla différemment au sixième étranger qui était auprès de Candide; il lui dit: Ma foi, sire, on ne veut plus faire crédit à votre majesté ni à moi non plus, et nous pourrions bien être coffrés cette nuit vous et moi; je vais pourvoir à mes affaires: adieu.
Tous les domestiques ayant disparu, les six étrangers, Candide, et Martin, demeurèrent dans un profond silence. Enfin Candide le rompit: Messieurs, dit-il, voilà une singulière plaisanterie. Pourquoi êtes-vous tous rois? pour moi, je vous avoue que ni moi ni Martin nous ne le sommes.
Le maître de Cacambo prit alors gravement la parole, et dit en italien: Je ne suis point plaisant, je m’appelle Achmet III; j’ai été grand-sultan plusieurs années; je détrônai mon frère; mon neveu m’a détrôné; on a coupé le cou à mes vizirs; j’achève ma vie dans le vieux sérail; mon neveu le grand-sultan Mahmoud me permet de voyager quelquefois pour ma santé; et je suis venu passer le carnaval à Venise.
Un jeune homme qui était auprès d’Achmet parla après lui, et dit: Je m’appelle Ivan; j’ai été empereur de toutes les Russies; j’ai été détrôné au berceau; mon père et ma mère ont été enfermés; on m’a élevé en prison; j’ai quelquefois la permission de voyager, accompagné de ceux qui me gardent; et je suis venu passer le carnaval à Venise.
Le troisième dit: Je suis Charles-Édouard, roi d’Angleterre; mon père m’a cédé ses droits au royaume; j’ai combattu pour les soutenir; on a arraché le coeur à huit cents de mes partisans, et on leur en a battu les joues; j’ai été mis en prison; je vais à Rome faire une visite au roi mon père, détrôné ainsi que moi et mon grand-père; et je suis venu passer le carnaval à Venise.
Le quatrième prit alors la parole et dit: Je suis roi des Polaques; le sort de la guerre m’a privé de mes états héréditaires; mon père a éprouvé les mêmes revers; je me résigne à la Providence comme le sultan Achmet, l’empereur Ivan, et le roi Charles-Édouard, à qui Dieu donne une longue vie; et je suis venu passer le carnaval à Venise.
Le cinquième dit; Je suis aussi roi des Polaques; j’ai perdu mon royaume deux fois; mais la Providence m’a donné un autre état dans lequel j’ai fait plus de bien que tous les rois des Sarmates ensemble n’en ont jamais pu faire sur les bords de la Vistule. Je me résigne aussi à la Providence; et je suis venu passer le carnaval à Venise.
Il restait au sixième monarque à parler. Messieurs, dit-il, je ne suis pas si grand seigneur que vous; mais enfin j’ai été roi tout comme un autre; je suis Théodore; on m’a élu roi en Corse; on m’a appelé Votre Majesté, et à présent à peine m’appelle-t-on Monsieur; j’ai fait frapper de la monnaie, et je ne possède pas un denier; j’ai eu deux secrétaires d’état, et j’ai à peine un valet; je me suis vu sur un trône, et j’ai long-temps été à Londres en prison sur la paille; j’ai bien peur d’être traité de même ici, quoique je sois venu, comme vos majestés, passer le carnaval à Venise.
Les cinq autres rois écoutèrent ce discours avec une noble compassion. Chacun d’eux donna vingt sequins au roi Théodore pour avoir des habits et des chemises; Candide lui fit présent d’un diamant de deux mille sequins. Quel est donc, disaient les cinq rois, cet homme qui est en état de donner cent fois autant que chacun de nous, et qui le donne? Etes-vous roi aussi, monsieur?—Non, messieurs, et n’en ai nulle envie.
Dans l’instant qu’on sortait de table, il arriva dans la même hôtellerie quatre altesses sérénissimes qui avaient aussi perdu leurs états par le sort de la guerre, et qui venaient passer le reste du carnaval à Venise; mais Candide ne prit pas seulement garde à ces nouveaux venus. Il n’était occupé que d’aller trouver sa chère Cunégonde à Constantinople.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the French text of all thirty chapters (Beuchot edition, 1829) for fidelity, the author’s force and cadence, and modern clarity. The editor’s notes are omitted.
Of a Supper Candide and Martin Had with Six Strangers, and Who They Were.
One evening, as Candide, followed by Martin, was about to dine with the strangers staying at the same inn, a man with a face the color of soot came up behind him, took him by the arm, and said, "Be ready to leave with us; do not fail." Candide turned and saw Cacambo. Only the sight of Cunégonde could have astonished and delighted him more. He nearly went mad with joy. He embraced his dear friend. "Surely Cunégonde is here? Where is she? Take me to her, so that I may die of joy beside her." "Cunégonde is not here," said Cacambo. "She is in Constantinople." "Good heavens! In Constantinople! But if she were in China, I would fly to her. Let us go." "We shall leave after supper," Cacambo replied. "I can tell you no more. I am a slave; my master is waiting for me. I must serve him at table. Say nothing, eat your supper, and be ready."
Candide, torn between joy and sorrow, delighted to see his faithful agent again, amazed to see him enslaved, full of the thought of finding his beloved, his heart in turmoil and his mind in confusion, sat down at table with Martin, who regarded all these adventures with composure, and with six strangers who had come to spend the carnival in Venice.
Near the end of the meal, Cacambo, who was pouring wine for one of the six strangers, leaned toward his master's ear and said, "Sire, Your Majesty may leave whenever you wish; the ship is ready." With these words he went out. The astonished guests looked at one another without a word, when another servant approached his master and said, "Sire, Your Majesty's carriage is at Padua, and the boat is ready." His master gave a sign, and the servant departed. Again all the guests looked at one another, and their shared surprise grew. A third valet approached a third stranger and said, "Sire, believe me, Your Majesty should not remain here any longer. I shall make all the arrangements." He immediately vanished.
Candide and Martin now had no doubt that it was a carnival masquerade. A fourth servant said to a fourth master, "Your Majesty may leave whenever you wish," and went out like the others. The fifth valet said as much to the fifth master. But the sixth valet spoke differently to the sixth stranger, who sat beside Candide. "Upon my word, sire," he said, "no one will give Your Majesty any more credit, or me either, and we may both be thrown in jail tonight. I must look after my own affairs. Farewell."
When all the servants had disappeared, the six strangers, Candide, and Martin remained in profound silence. At last Candide broke it. "Gentlemen," he said, "this is a singular joke. Why are you all kings? I confess that neither Martin nor I am one."
Cacambo's master then spoke gravely in Italian. "I am not joking. My name is Achmet III. I was grand sultan for several years. I dethroned my brother; my nephew dethroned me. My viziers had their throats cut. I am spending the rest of my life in the old seraglio. My nephew, the grand sultan Mahmoud, sometimes allows me to travel for my health, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
A young man seated near Achmet spoke next. "My name is Ivan. I was emperor of all the Russias. I was dethroned in my cradle; my father and mother were imprisoned; I was raised in prison. Sometimes I am permitted to travel, accompanied by my guards, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The third said, "I am Charles-Édouard, king of England. My father ceded his rights to the kingdom to me. I fought to uphold them. Eight hundred of my supporters had their hearts torn out and slapped against their cheeks. I was imprisoned. I am going to Rome to visit my father the king, dethroned like me and my grandfather, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The fourth then spoke. "I am king of the Poles. The fortunes of war deprived me of my hereditary dominions; my father suffered the same reverses. I submit to Providence, like Sultan Achmet, Emperor Ivan, and King Charles-Édouard, to whom may God grant a long life; and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The fifth said, "I too am king of the Poles. I have lost my kingdom twice, but Providence has given me another state, in which I have done more good than all the kings of the Sarmatians together ever managed to do on the banks of the Vistula. I too submit to Providence, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The sixth monarch remained to speak. "Gentlemen," he said, "I am not so great a lord as you, but I have been a king like any other. I am Theodore. I was elected king in Corsica. I was addressed as Your Majesty, and now I am barely called Sir. I had money minted, and I do not possess a penny. I had two secretaries of state, and I scarcely have a valet. I have sat on a throne, and spent a long time in London lying on straw in prison. I fear I may be treated the same way here, though I have come, like Your Majesties, to spend the carnival in Venice."
The other five kings heard this speech with noble compassion. Each gave King Theodore twenty sequins to buy clothes and shirts; Candide presented him with a diamond worth two thousand sequins. "Who, then," said the five kings, "is this man who is able to give a hundred times what each of us gives, and does give it? Are you a king too, sir?" "No, gentlemen, and I have no wish to be one."
Just as they were leaving the table, four Serene Highnesses arrived at the same inn, having also lost their dominions through the fortunes of war and come to spend the rest of the carnival in Venice. But Candide paid no attention whatever to these new arrivals. His sole concern was to go and find his dear Cunégonde in Constantinople.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the French text of all thirty chapters (Beuchot edition, 1829). The editor’s notes are omitted.
The dinner Candide and Martin had with six strangers, and who they were.
One evening Candide, with Martin following him, was about to sit down to dinner with the strangers staying at the same inn. A man with a soot-colored face came up behind him, took him by the arm, and said, "Be ready to leave with us. Do not fail to come." Candide turned around and saw Cacambo. Only the sight of Cunégonde could have surprised and pleased him more. He nearly went wild with joy. He hugged his dear friend. "Cunégonde must be here! Where is she? Take me to her so I can die of joy beside her." "Cunégonde is not here," said Cacambo. "She is in Constantinople." "Good heavens! In Constantinople! Even if she were in China, I would fly there. Let's go!" "We will leave after dinner," Cacambo replied. "I cannot tell you more. I am a slave and my master is waiting for me. I must serve him at the table. Do not say a word. Eat your dinner and be ready."
Candide sat down to eat with Martin and six strangers who had come to Venice for the carnival. He was torn between joy and sorrow: delighted to see his faithful agent again, astonished to find him enslaved, and consumed by thoughts of finding his beloved. His heart was in turmoil and his mind in confusion. Martin watched all these events calmly.
Near the end of the meal, Cacambo, who was pouring drinks for one of the six strangers, leaned toward his master's ear and said, "Sire, Your Majesty can leave whenever you wish. The ship is ready." With that, he went out. The astonished diners looked at each other without saying a word. Then another servant went up to his master and said, "Sire, Your Majesty's carriage is in Padua, and the boat is ready." The master made a sign, and the servant left. The diners looked at each other again, even more surprised. A third servant came up to a third stranger and said, "Sire, trust me, Your Majesty should not stay here any longer. I will get everything ready." He disappeared at once.
Candide and Martin were now sure this was a carnival masquerade. A fourth servant told the fourth master, "Your Majesty can leave whenever you wish," and went out like the others. The fifth servant said the same thing to the fifth master. But the sixth servant spoke differently to the sixth stranger, who sat near Candide. "Honestly, sire," he said, "they will not extend credit to Your Majesty or to me any longer. We might both be thrown in jail tonight. I am going to take care of myself. Goodbye."
After all the servants had disappeared, the six strangers, Candide, and Martin sat in deep silence. At last Candide broke it. "Gentlemen," he said, "this is a strange joke. Why are you all kings? I can tell you that Martin and I are not."
Cacambo's master then spoke gravely in Italian. "I am not joking. My name is Achmet III. I was grand sultan for several years. I deposed my brother, and my nephew deposed me. My viziers were beheaded. I am spending the rest of my life in the old palace. My nephew, the grand sultan Mahmoud, sometimes lets me travel for my health, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
A young man sitting beside Achmet spoke next. "My name is Ivan. I was emperor of all the Russias. I was deposed while still in my cradle. My father and mother were locked up, and I was raised in prison. I am sometimes allowed to travel with my guards, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The third said, "I am Charles-Édouard, king of England. My father passed his claim to the kingdom on to me. I fought to defend that claim. The hearts of eight hundred of my supporters were torn out and beaten against their cheeks. I was put in prison. I am going to Rome to visit my father the king, who was deposed like me and my grandfather. And I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The fourth then spoke. "I am king of the Poles. The fortunes of war have taken my inherited lands from me. My father suffered the same reverses. I accept Providence's will, as do Sultan Achmet, Emperor Ivan, and King Charles-Édouard, whom God grant a long life. And I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The fifth said, "I too am king of the Poles. I lost my kingdom twice, but Providence gave me another state. There I have done more good than all the kings of the Sarmatians together ever managed to do on the banks of the Vistula. I too accept Providence's will, and I have come to spend the carnival in Venice."
The sixth monarch still had to speak. "Gentlemen," he said, "I am not as great a lord as you, but I was a king just like anyone else. I am Theodore. I was elected king in Corsica. People called me Your Majesty, but now they barely call me Sir. I had coins minted, and now I do not have a penny. I had two secretaries of state, and now I barely have one servant. I once sat on a throne, and I spent a long time on a bed of straw in a London prison. I am very afraid I will be treated the same way here, even though I came, like Your Majesties, to spend the carnival in Venice."
The other five kings listened with noble compassion. Each gave King Theodore twenty sequins for clothes and shirts. Candide gave him a diamond worth two thousand sequins. "Who is this man," the five kings asked, "who can give a hundred times as much as any of us, and actually does it? Are you a king too, sir?" "No, gentlemen, and I have no desire to be one."
As they were leaving the table, four Serene Highnesses arrived at the same inn. They too had lost their states through the fortunes of war and had come to spend the rest of the carnival in Venice. But Candide did not even notice the newcomers. His only concern was to go and find his dear Cunégonde in Constantinople.