Chapter XVI
Original French
Elle consulte un jésuite.
Dès que la belle et désolée Saint-Yves fut avec son bon confesseur,elle lui confia qu’un homme puissant et voluptueux lui proposait defaire sortir de prison celui qu’elle devait épouser légitimement, etqu’il demandait un grand prix de son service; qu’elle avait unerépugnance horrible pour une telle infidélité, et que, s’il nes’agissait que de sa propre vie, elle la sacrifierait plutôt que desuccomber.
Voilà un abominable pécheur! lui dit le P. Tout-à-tous. Vous devriezbien me dire le nom de ce vilain homme; c’est à coup sûr quelquejanséniste; je le dénoncerai à sa révérence le P. de La Chaise, qui lefera mettre dans le gîte où est à présent la chère personne que vousdevez épouser.
La pauvre fille, après un long embarras et de grandes irrésolutions,lui nomma enfin Saint-Pouange.
Monseigneur de Saint-Pouange! s’écria le jésuite; ah! ma fille, c’esttout autre chose; il est cousin du plus grand ministre que nous ayonsjamais eu, homme de bien, protecteur de la bonne cause, bon chrétien;il ne peut avoir eu une telle pensée; il faut que vous ayez malentendu.—Ah! mon père, je n’ai entendu que trop bien; je suis perdue,quoi que je fasse; je n’ai que le choix du malheur et de la honte; ilfaut que mon amant reste enseveli tout vivant, ou que je me rendeindigne de vivre. Je ne puis le laisser périr, et je ne puis le sauver.
Le P. Tout-à-tous tâcha de la calmer par ces douces paroles:
Premièrement, ma fille, ne dites jamais ce mot mon amant; il y aquelque chose de mondain qui pourrait offenser Dieu: dites mon mari;car bien qu’il ne le soit pas encore, vous le regardez comme tel; etrien n’est plus honnête.
Secondement, bien qu’il soit votre époux en idée, en espérance, il nel’est pas en effet: ainsi vous ne commettriez pas un adultère, péchéénorme qu’il faut toujours éviter autant qu’il est possible.
Troisièmement, les actions ne sont pas d’une malice de coulpe quandl’intention est pure, et rien n’est plus pur que de délivrer votremari.
Quatrièmement, vous avez des exemples dans la sainte antiquité quipeuvent merveilleusement servir à votre conduite. Saint Augustinrapporte que sous le proconsulat de Septimius Acyndinus, en l’an 340de notre salut, un pauvre homme ne pouvant payer à César ce quiappartenait à César, fut condamné à la mort, comme il est juste, malgréla maxime, Où il n’y a rien le roi perd ses droits. Il s’agissaitd’une livre d’or; le condamné avait une femme en qui Dieu avait mis labeauté et la prudence. Un vieux richard promit de donner une livred’or, et même plus, à la dame, à condition qu’il commettrait avec ellele péché immonde. La dame ne crut point faire mal en sauvant son mari.Saint Augustin approuve fort sa généreuse résignation. Il est vrai quele vieux richard la trompa, et peut-être même son mari n’en fut pasmoins pendu; mais elle avait fait tout ce qui était en elle pour sauversa vie.
Soyez sûre, ma fille, que quand un jésuite vous cite saint Augustin, ilfaut que ce saint ait pleinement raison. Je ne vous conseille rien,vous êtes sage; il est à présumer que vous serez utile à votre mari.Monseigneur de Saint-Pouange est un honnête homme, il ne vous tromperapas; c’est tout ce que je puis vous dire: je prierai Dieu pour vous, etj’espère que tout se passera à sa plus grande gloire.
La belle Saint-Yves, non moins effrayée des discours du jésuite que despropositions du sous-ministre, s’en retourna éperdue chez son amie.Elle était tentée de se délivrer, par la mort, de l’horreur de laisserdans une captivité affreuse l’amant qu’elle adorait, et de la honte dele délivrer au prix de ce qu’elle avait de plus cher, et qui ne devaitappartenir qu’à cet amant infortuné.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the French, independently of the Plain English edition. All twenty chapters and Voltaire’s three author notes are retained; Beuchot’s editorial apparatus is omitted.
She consults a Jesuit.
As soon as the beautiful, desolate Saint-Yves was with her good confessor, she confided that a powerful and pleasure-loving man had offered to release from prison the man she was to marry lawfully, and that he demanded a high price for his service; that she felt a terrible revulsion at such unfaithfulness, and that, were only her own life at stake, she would sacrifice it rather than yield.
"What an abominable sinner!" Father Tout-à-tous told her. "You really ought to tell me the name of this vile man. He is certainly some Jansenist; I will denounce him to His Reverence Father de La Chaise, who will have him lodged where the dear person you are to marry is now."
After much embarrassment and long wavering, the poor girl at last named Saint-Pouange.
"Monseigneur de Saint-Pouange!" cried the Jesuit. "Ah, my daughter, that is another matter altogether. He is a cousin of the greatest minister we have ever had, an upright man, a protector of the good cause, a good Christian. He cannot have entertained such a thought; you must have misunderstood." "Ah, Father, I understood only too well. Whatever I do, I am lost. I can choose only between misery and shame. Either my lover must remain buried alive, or I must make myself unworthy to live. I cannot let him perish, and I cannot save him."
Father Tout-à-tous tried to calm her with these gentle words:
"First, my daughter, never use that expression, my lover. There is something worldly about it that might offend God. Say my husband; for although he is not yet your husband, you regard him as such, and nothing could be more proper.
"Second, although he is your husband in thought and in hope, he is not so in fact. Thus you would not be committing adultery, an enormous sin that must always be avoided as far as possible.
"Third, actions carry no sinful guilt when the intention is pure, and nothing could be purer than freeing your husband.
"Fourth, you have examples from sacred antiquity that may serve wonderfully to guide your conduct. Saint Augustine relates that during the proconsulship of Septimius Acyndinus, in the year of our salvation 340, a poor man, unable to give Caesar what belonged to Caesar, was condemned to death, as is just, despite the maxim, Where there is nothing, the king loses his rights. A pound of gold was at issue. The condemned man had a wife in whom God had placed beauty and prudence. A rich old man promised to give the lady a pound of gold, and even more, on condition that he commit the filthy sin with her. The lady did not believe she was doing wrong by saving her husband. Saint Augustine heartily approves her generous submission. It is true that the rich old man deceived her, and perhaps her husband was hanged all the same; but she had done everything in her power to save his life.
"Be sure, my daughter, that when a Jesuit quotes Saint Augustine to you, the saint must be entirely right. I am not advising you to do anything; you are sensible. It is to be presumed that you will be of use to your husband. Monseigneur de Saint-Pouange is an honorable man; he will not deceive you. That is all I can tell you. I will pray to God for you, and I hope that everything will turn out to his greater glory."
The beautiful Saint-Yves, no less frightened by the Jesuit's discourse than by the deputy minister's proposals, returned in distraction to her friend's house. She was tempted to escape through death both the horror of leaving the lover she adored in dreadful captivity and the shame of freeing him at the cost of what she held dearest, what should belong only to that unfortunate lover.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the French, not from the Musean edition. All twenty chapters and Voltaire’s three author notes are retained; Beuchot’s editorial apparatus is omitted.
She consults a Jesuit.
As soon as the beautiful, miserable Saint-Yves was with her good confessor, she told him that a powerful, pleasure-loving man had offered to free the man she was to marry legally. In return, he demanded a great price. She felt a terrible disgust at the thought of being unfaithful in this way. If only her own life were at stake, she would give it up rather than give in.
"What an abominable sinner!" Father Tout-à-tous told her. "You really should tell me this wicked man's name. He's certainly some Jansenist. I'll report him to His Reverence Father de La Chaise, who will have him put in the same lodgings as the dear person you're to marry."
After much embarrassment and a long struggle to make up her mind, the poor girl finally named Saint-Pouange.
"His lordship Saint-Pouange!" the Jesuit cried. "Ah, my daughter, that's quite another matter. He's a cousin of the greatest minister we've ever had—a good man, a protector of the good cause, a good Christian. He can't have had any such thought. You must have misunderstood." "Oh, Father, I understood only too well. I'm lost whatever I do. I can only choose between misery and shame. Either my lover must stay buried alive, or I must make myself unworthy to live. I can't let him die, and I can't save him."
Father Tout-à-tous tried to calm her with these gentle words:
"First, my daughter, never use that expression, my lover. There's something worldly about it that might offend God. Say my husband. Although he isn't your husband yet, you think of him as such, and nothing could be more proper.
"Second, although he is your husband in your thoughts and hopes, he isn't in fact. So you wouldn't be committing adultery, a dreadful sin that must always be avoided as far as possible.
"Third, actions don't carry the guilt of sin when the intention is pure. And nothing could be purer than freeing your husband.
"Fourth, you have examples from the early days of the Church that can be wonderfully helpful in guiding your conduct. Saint Augustine tells us that under the proconsul Septimius Acyndinus, in the year 340 of our salvation, a poor man couldn't pay Caesar what belonged to Caesar. He was sentenced to death, as was right, despite the saying, Where there is nothing, the king loses his rights. The sum involved was a pound of gold. The condemned man had a wife whom God had made beautiful and wise. A rich old man promised to give the woman a pound of gold, or even more, on condition that he commit the filthy sin with her. The woman didn't think she was doing wrong by saving her husband. Saint Augustine warmly approves of her generous submission. It's true that the rich old man cheated her, and perhaps her husband was hanged just the same. But she had done everything in her power to save his life.
"Be sure, my daughter, that when a Jesuit quotes Saint Augustine to you, that saint must be completely right. I'm not advising you to do anything. You're sensible. Presumably you'll be of help to your husband. His lordship Saint-Pouange is an honorable man. He won't deceive you. That's all I can tell you. I'll pray to God for you, and I hope everything will turn out to his greater glory."
The beautiful Saint-Yves was as frightened by the Jesuit's words as by the deputy minister's proposals. She went back to her friend's house in despair. She was tempted to escape through death both the horror of leaving the lover she adored in a dreadful prison and the shame of freeing him at the price of what she valued most—what should belong only to that unfortunate lover.
About this section
Chapter XVI is part of L’Ingénu, histoire véritable tirée des manuscrits du P. Quesnel by Voltaire. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is chapter 16 of 20 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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