Chapter 10: Slavery
Original French
L'esclavage.
Comme il entrait dans la bourgade égyptienne, il se vit entouré par le peuple. Chacun criait: Voilà celui qui a enlevé la belle Missouf, et qui vient d'assassiner Clétofis! Messieurs, dit-il, Dieu me préserve d'enlever jamais votre belle Missouf! elle est trop capricieuse; et, à l'égard de Clétofis, je ne l'ai point assassiné; je me suis défendu seulement contre lui. Il voulait me tuer, parceque je lui avais demandé très humblement grâce pour la belle Missouf, qu'il battait impitoyablement. Je suis un étranger qui vient chercher un asile dans l'Egypte; et il n'y a pas d'apparence qu'en venant demander votre protection, j'aie commencé par enlever une femme, et par assassiner un homme.
Les Egyptiens étaient alors justes et humains. Le peuple conduisit Zadig à la maison de ville. On commença par le faire panser de sa blessure, et ensuite on l'interrogea, lui et son domestique séparément, pour savoir la vérité. On reconnut que Zadig n'était point un assassin; mais il était coupable du sang d'un homme: la loi le condamnait à être esclave. On vendit au profit de la bourgade ses deux chameaux; on distribua aux habitants tout l'or qu'il avait apporté; sa personne fut exposée en vente dans la place publique, ainsi que celle de son compagnon de voyage. Un marchand arabe, nommé Sétoc, y mit l'enchère; mais le valet, plus propre à la fatigue, fut vendu bien plus chèrement que le maître. On ne fesait pas de comparaison entre ces deux hommes. Zadig fut donc esclave subordonné à son valet: on les attacha ensemble avec une chaîne qu'on leur passa aux pieds, et en cet état ils suivirent le marchand arabe dans sa maison. Zadig, en chemin, consolait son domestique, et l'exhortait à la patience; mais, selon sa coutume, il fesait des réflexions sur la vie humaine. Je vois, lui disait-il, que les malheurs de ma destinée se répandent sur la tienne. Tout m'a tourné jusqu'ici d'une façon bien étrange. J'ai été condamné à l'amende pour avoir vu passer une chienne; j'ai pensé être empalé pour un griffon; j'ai été envoyé au supplice parceque j'avais fait des vers à la louange du roi; j'ai été sur le point d'être étranglé parceque la reine avait des rubans jaunes, et me voici esclave avec toi parcequ'un brutal a battu sa maîtresse. Allons, ne perdons point courage; tout ceci finira peut-être; il faut bien que les marchands arabes aient des esclaves; et pourquoi ne le serais-je pas comme un autre, puisque je suis homme comme un autre? Ce marchand ne sera pas impitoyable; il faut qu'il traite bien ses esclaves, s'il en veut tirer des services. Il parlait ainsi, et dans le fond de son coeur il était occupé du sort de la reine de Babylone.
Sétoc, le marchand, partit deux jours après pour l'Arabie déserte avec ses esclaves et ses chameaux. Sa tribu habitait vers le désert d'Horeb. Le chemin fut long et pénible. Sétoc, dans la route, fesait bien plus de cas du valet que du maître, parceque le premier chargeait bien mieux les chameaux; et toutes les petites distinctions furent pour lui. Un chameau mourut à deux journées d'Horeb: on répartit sa charge sur le dos de chacun des serviteurs; Zadig en eut sa part. Sétoc se mit à rire en voyant tous ses esclaves marcher courbés. Zadig prit la liberté de lui en expliquer la raison, et lui apprit les lois de l'équilibre. Le marchand étonné commença à le regarder d'un autre oeil. Zadig, voyant qu'il avait excité sa curiosité, la redoubla en lui apprenant beaucoup de choses qui n'étaient point étrangères à son commerce; les pesanteurs spécifiques des métaux et des denrées sous un volume égal; les propriétés de plusieurs animaux utiles; le moyen de rendre tels ceux qui ne l'étaient pas; enfin il lui parut un sage. Sétoc lui donna la préférence sur son camarade, qu'il avait tant estimé. Il le traita bien, et n'eut pas sujet de s'en repentir.
Arrivé dans sa tribu, Sétoc commença par redemander cinq cents onces d'argent à un Hébreu auquel il les avait prêtées en présence de deux témoins; mais ces deux témoins étaient morts, et l'Hébreu, ne pouvant être convaincu, s'appropriait l'argent du marchand, en remerciant Dieu de ce qu'il lui avait donné le moyen de tromper un Arabe. Sétoc confia sa peine à Zadig, qui était devenu son conseil. En quel endroit, demanda Zadig, prêtâtes-vous vos cinq cents onces à cet infidèle? Sur une large pierre, répondit le marchand, qui est auprès du mont Horeb. Quel est le caractère de votre débiteur? dit Zadig. Celui d'un fripon, reprit Sétoc. Mais je vous demande si c'est un homme vif ou flegmatique, avisé ou imprudent. C'est de tous les mauvais payeurs, dit Sétoc, le plus vif que je connaisse. Eh bien! insista Zadig, permettez que je plaide votre cause devant le juge. En effet il cita l'Hébreu au tribunal, et il parla ainsi au juge: Oreiller du trône d'équité, je viens redemander à cet homme, au nom de mon maître, cinq cents onces d'argent qu'il ne veut pas rendre. Avez-vous des témoins? dit le juge. Non, ils sont morts; mais il reste une large pierre sur laquelle l'argent fut compté; et s'il plaît à votre grandeur d'ordonner qu'on aille chercher la pierre, j'espère qu'elle portera témoignage; nous resterons ici l'Hébreu et moi, en attendant que la pierre vienne; je l'enverrai chercher aux dépens de Sétoc, mon maître. Très volontiers, répondit le juge; et il se mit à expédier d'autres affaires.
A la fin de l'audience: Eh bien! dit-il à Zadig, votre pierre n'est pas encore venue? L'Hébreu, en riant, répondit: Votre grandeur resterait ici jusqu'à demain que la pierre ne serait pas encore arrivée; elle est à plus de six milles d'ici, et il faudrait quinze hommes pour la remuer. Eh bien! s'écria Zadig, je vous avais bien dit que la pierre porterait témoignage; puisque cet homme sait où elle est, il avoue donc que c'est sur elle que l'argent fut compté. L'Hébreu déconcerté fut bientôt contraint de tout avouer. Le juge ordonna qu'il serait lié à la pierre, sans boire ni manger, jusqu'à ce qu'il eût rendu les cinq cents onces, qui furent bientôt payées.
L'esclave Zadig et la pierre furent en grande recommandation dans l'Arabie.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from Voltaire’s French in Beuchot’s 1829 edition: Approbation, dedicatory epistle and all twenty-one chapters, including The Dance and Blue Eyes. Voltaire’s notes are retained; later editors’ notes are omitted. Source-language review is recorded with the source witness.
Slavery.
As he entered the Egyptian village, he found himself surrounded by the people. Everyone shouted, “There is the man who carried off the beautiful Missouf and has just murdered Clétofis!” “Gentlemen,” he said, “God preserve me from ever carrying off your beautiful Missouf! She is far too capricious. As for Clétofis, I did not murder him; I merely defended myself against him. He wanted to kill me because I had very humbly begged him to spare the beautiful Missouf, whom he was beating mercilessly. I am a stranger seeking refuge in Egypt; it is hardly likely that, on coming to ask your protection, I would begin by abducting a woman and murdering a man.”
The Egyptians were just and humane in those days. The people led Zadig to the town hall. First they had his wound dressed; then they questioned him and his servant separately to discover the truth. They found that Zadig was not a murderer; but he was guilty of shedding a man’s blood: the law condemned him to slavery. His two camels were sold for the village’s benefit; all the gold he had brought was distributed among the inhabitants; he himself was put up for sale in the public square, along with his traveling companion. An Arab merchant named Sétoc bid for them; but the servant, better fitted for hard labor, sold for far more than his master. There was no comparison between the two men. Zadig thus became a slave subordinate to his own servant; they were fastened together with a chain around their ankles, and in this condition followed the Arab merchant to his house. On the way Zadig comforted his servant and urged him to be patient; but, as usual, he reflected on human life. “I see,” he told him, “that the misfortunes of my destiny are spilling over into yours. Everything has turned out very strangely for me so far. I was fined for seeing a female dog pass by; I nearly got impaled over a griffin; I was sent to my execution for writing verses in praise of the king; I came close to being strangled because the queen had yellow ribbons; and here I am, a slave with you, because a brute beat his mistress. Come, let us not lose heart; perhaps all this will end. Arab merchants have to have slaves; why should I not be one like anyone else, since I am a man like anyone else? This merchant will not be pitiless; he will have to treat his slaves well if he wants them to be of service.” He spoke in this way, while deep in his heart he was occupied with the fate of the queen of Babylon.
Two days later Sétoc the merchant set out for Arabia Deserta with his slaves and camels. His tribe lived near the desert of Horeb. The journey was long and arduous. On the road Sétoc valued the servant far above the master, because the former was much better at loading camels; every little favor went to him. A camel died two days’ journey from Horeb; its load was divided among the servants, and Zadig received his share. Sétoc began to laugh at the sight of all his slaves walking bent double. Zadig took the liberty of explaining why, and taught him the laws of equilibrium. Astonished, the merchant began to see him in a different light. Seeing that he had aroused his curiosity, Zadig heightened it by teaching him many things relevant to his trade: the specific gravities of metals and commodities of equal volume; the characteristics of various useful animals; the means of making useful those that were not. In short, Sétoc came to regard him as a sage. He preferred Zadig to the companion he had valued so highly. He treated him well and had no reason to regret it.
On reaching his tribe, Sétoc’s first business was to reclaim five hundred ounces of silver from a Hebrew to whom he had lent them in the presence of two witnesses; but both witnesses had died, and the Hebrew, against whom nothing could be proved, was appropriating the merchant’s silver, thanking God for giving him the means to cheat an Arab. Sétoc confided his trouble to Zadig, who had become his adviser. “Where,” Zadig asked, “did you lend your five hundred ounces to this faithless man?” “On a broad stone near Mount Horeb,” the merchant answered. “What is your debtor’s character?” said Zadig. “A scoundrel’s,” Sétoc replied. “But I am asking whether he is quick or phlegmatic, shrewd or imprudent.” “Of all the bad debtors I know,” said Sétoc, “he is the quickest.” “Well then,” Zadig persisted, “allow me to plead your case before the judge.” He duly summoned the Hebrew to court and addressed the judge as follows: “Cushion of the throne of equity, I come in my master’s name to reclaim five hundred ounces of silver from this man, who refuses to return them.” “Have you any witnesses?” said the judge. “No, they are dead; but a broad stone remains, on which the silver was counted out. If Your Highness will order the stone to be fetched, I hope it will bear witness. The Hebrew and I will remain here until the stone arrives; I will send for it at the expense of Sétoc, my master.” “Most willingly,” answered the judge, and he began disposing of other cases.
At the end of the hearing he said to Zadig, “Well, has your stone not arrived yet?” The Hebrew laughed and answered, “Your Highness could stay here until tomorrow and the stone would still not have arrived. It is more than six miles away, and it would take fifteen men to move it.” “There!” Zadig cried. “I told you the stone would bear witness. Since this man knows where it is, he admits that the silver was counted out upon it.” Disconcerted, the Hebrew was soon forced to confess everything. The judge ordered him tied to the stone without food or drink until he had returned the five hundred ounces, which were soon paid.
The slave Zadig and the stone were held in great esteem throughout Arabia.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the French, in separate source-only translation tasks, not from the Musean edition or a published English translation. Same complete scope and author’s notes; later editors’ notes are omitted. Source-language review is recorded with the source witness.
Slavery.
As he entered the Egyptian village, the people surrounded him. Everyone shouted, "There's the man who carried off beautiful Missouf and has just murdered Clétofis!" "Gentlemen," he said, "God keep me from ever carrying off your beautiful Missouf! She's too unpredictable. As for Clétofis, I didn't murder him. I only defended myself against him. He wanted to kill me because I had very humbly asked him to spare beautiful Missouf, whom he was beating mercilessly. I'm a foreigner seeking shelter in Egypt. Surely it isn't likely that, in coming to ask for your protection, I would begin by carrying off a woman and murdering a man."
The Egyptians were fair and humane in those days. The people took Zadig to the town hall. First they had his wound dressed. Then they questioned him and his servant separately to find out the truth. They determined that Zadig was not a murderer. Still, he was guilty of shedding a man's blood, and the law sentenced him to slavery. His two camels were sold for the village's benefit. All the gold he had brought was shared among the inhabitants. He and his traveling companion were put up for sale in the public square. An Arab merchant named Sétoc bid for them. But the servant, who was better suited to hard work, sold for much more than his master. No one considered the two men comparable. So Zadig became a slave under the authority of his own servant. They were chained together by the feet and followed the Arab merchant to his house in this condition. On the way, Zadig comforted his servant and urged him to be patient. But, as usual, he reflected on human life. "I see," he told him, "that my bad luck is spilling over into your life. Everything that has happened to me so far has taken a very strange turn. I was fined for seeing a female dog pass by. I was nearly impaled over a griffin. I was sent for execution because I had written verses praising the king. I was about to be strangled because the queen had yellow ribbons. Now I'm a slave along with you because a brute beat his lover. Come on, let's not lose courage. Perhaps all this will end. Arab merchants have to have slaves, after all. Why shouldn't I be one like anyone else, since I'm a human being like anyone else? This merchant won't be merciless. He has to treat his slaves well if he wants them to work for him." So he spoke, while deep in his heart he was thinking about the fate of the queen of Babylon.
Two days later, the merchant Sétoc left for the Arabian desert with his slaves and camels. His tribe lived near the desert of Horeb. The journey was long and hard. Along the way, Sétoc thought much more of the servant than of the master, because the servant was much better at loading the camels. All the little favors went to him. A camel died two days' journey from Horeb. Its load was divided among the servants, each carrying some on his back. Zadig had his share. Sétoc began to laugh when he saw all his slaves walking bent over. Zadig took the liberty of explaining why they did this and taught him the laws of balance. Amazed, the merchant began to see him differently. Seeing that he had aroused Sétoc's curiosity, Zadig increased it by teaching him many things relevant to his trade: how much equal volumes of different metals and goods weighed, the characteristics of several useful animals, and ways to make other animals useful too. In the end, Sétoc thought him a wise man. He came to prefer Zadig to his companion, whom he had valued so highly. He treated him well and had no reason to regret it.
When he reached his tribe, Sétoc began by asking a Hebrew to repay five hundred ounces of silver that he had lent him in front of two witnesses. But both witnesses had died. Since his debt could not be proved, the Hebrew kept the merchant's silver, thanking God for giving him a way to cheat an Arab. Sétoc told his trouble to Zadig, who had become his adviser. "Where," Zadig asked, "did you lend this untrustworthy man your five hundred ounces?" "On a broad stone near Mount Horeb," the merchant answered. "What sort of person is your debtor?" Zadig asked. "A scoundrel," Sétoc replied. "But I'm asking whether he's quick or slow, careful or reckless." "Of all the people who don't pay their debts," said Sétoc, "he's the quickest I know." "Well then," Zadig went on, "let me argue your case before the judge." He did indeed summon the Hebrew to court and spoke to the judge as follows: "Cushion of the throne of fairness, I come on my master's behalf to demand five hundred ounces of silver that this man refuses to return." "Do you have witnesses?" the judge asked. "No, they're dead. But there is still a broad stone on which the money was counted out. If Your Greatness would be pleased to order someone to fetch it, I hope it will give evidence. The Hebrew and I will stay here while we wait for the stone to come. I'll send for it at my master Sétoc's expense." "Very gladly," answered the judge, and he began dealing with other cases.
At the end of the session, he said to Zadig, "Well, hasn't your stone arrived yet?" Laughing, the Hebrew answered, "Your Greatness could stay here until tomorrow and the stone still wouldn't have arrived. It's more than six miles away, and it would take fifteen men to move it." "Well!" Zadig cried. "I told you the stone would give evidence. Since this man knows where it is, he admits that the money was counted out on it." Caught off guard, the Hebrew was soon forced to admit everything. The judge ordered him tied to the stone, without food or drink, until he returned the five hundred ounces. They were soon repaid.
The slave Zadig and the stone became highly respected throughout Arabia.
About this section
Chapter 10: Slavery is part of Zadig, or Destiny 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 12 of 23 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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