The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Voltaire
• Publisher’s Preface.
• Oliver H. G. Leigh., Introduction.
• Oliver Goldsmith On Voltaire.
• Victor Hugo On Voltaire.
• Candide; Or, the Optimist. Part I.
• Chapter I.: How Candide Was Brought Up In a Magnificent Castle and How He Was Driven Thence.
• Chapter II.: What Befell Candide Among the Bulgarians.
• Chapter III.: How Candide Escaped From the Bulgarians, and What Befell Him Afterwards.
• Chapter IV.: How Candide Found His Old Master Pangloss Again and What Happened to Him.
• Chapter V.: A Tempest, a Shipwreck, an Earthquake; and What Else Befell Dr. Pangloss, Candide, and James the Anabaptist.
• Chapter VI.: How the Portuguese Made a Superb Auto-da-fé to Prevent Any Future Earthquakes, and How Candide Underwent Public Flagellation.
• Chapter VII.: How the Old Woman Took Care of Candide, and How He Found the Object of His Love.
• Chapter VIII.: Cunegund’s Story.
• Chapter IX.: What Happened to Cunegund, Candide, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Jew.
• Chapter X.: In What Distress Candide, Cunegund, and the Old Woman Arrive At Cadiz; and of Their Embarkation.
• Chapter XI.: The History of the Old Woman.
• Chapter XII.: The Adventures of the Old Woman Continued.
• Chapter XIII.: How Candide Was Obliged to Leave the Fair Cunegund and the Old Woman.
• Chapter XIV.: The Reception Candide and Cacambo Met With Among the Jesuits In Paraguay.
• Chapter XV.: How Candide Killed the Brother of His Dear Cunegund.
• Chapter XVI.: What Happened to Our Two Travellers With Two Girls, Two Monkeys, and the Savages, Called Oreillons.
• Chapter XVII.: Candide and His Valet Arrive In the Country of El Dorado—what They Saw There.
• Chapter XVIII.: What They Saw In the Country of El Dorado.
• Chapter XIX.: What Happened to Them At Surinam, and How Candide Became Acquainted With Martin.
• Chapter XX.: What Befell Candide and Martin On Their Passage.
• Chapter XXI.: Candide and Martin, While Thus Reasoning With Each Other, Draw Near to the Coast of France.
• Chapter XXII.: What Happened to Candide and Martin In France.
• Chapter XXIII.: Candide and Martin Touch Upon the English Coast—what They See There.
• Chapter XXIV.: Of Pacquette and Friar Giroflée.
• Chapter XXV.: Candide and Martin Pay a Visit to Seignor Pococuranté, a Noble Venetian.
• Chapter XXVI.: Candide and Martin Sup With Six Sharpers—who They Were.
• Chapter XXVII.: Candide’s Voyage to Constantinople.
• Chapter XXVIII.: What Befell Candide, Cunegund, Pangloss, Martin, Etc.
• Chapter XXIX.: In What Manner Candide Found Miss Cunegund and the Old Woman Again.
• Chapter XXX.: Conclusion.
• Part II.
• Chapter I.: How Candide Quitted His Companions, and What Happened to Him.
• Chapter II.: What Befell Candide In This House—how He Got Out of It.
• Chapter III.: Candide’s Reception At Court and What Followed.
• Chapter IV.: Fresh Favors Conferred On Candide; His Great Advancement.
• Chapter V.: How Candide Became a Very Great Man, and Yet Was Not Contented.
• Chapter VI.: The Pleasures of Candide.
• Chapter VII.: The History of Zirza.
• Chapter VIII.: Candide’s Disgusts—an Unexpected Meeting.
• Chapter IX.: Candide’s Disgraces, Travels, and Adventures.
• Chapter X.: Candide and Pangloss Arrive At the Propontis—what They Saw There—what Became of Them.
• Chapter XI.: Candide Continues His Travels.
• Chapter XII.: Candide Still Continues His Travels—new Adventures.
• Chapter XIII.: The History of Zenoida—how Candide Fell In Love With Her.
• Chapter XIV.: Continuation of the Loves of Candide.
• Chapter XV.: The Arrival of Wolhall—a Journey to Copenhagen.
• Chapter XVI.: How Candide Found His Wife Again and Lost His Mistress.
• Chapter XVII.: How Candide Had a Mind to Kill Himself, and Did Not Do It—what Happened to Him At an Inn.
• Chapter XVIII.: Candide and Cacambo Go Into a Hospital—whom They Meet There.
• Chapter XIX.: New Discoveries.
• Chapter XX.: Consequence of Candide’s Misfortune—how He Found His Mistress Again—the Fortune That Happened to Him.

CHAPTER V.

how candide became a very great man, and yet was not contented.

The good of philosophy is its inspiring us with a love for our fellow-creatures. Paschal is almost the only philosopher who seems desirous to make us hate our neighbors. Luckily Candide had not read Paschal, and he loved the poor human race very cordially. This was soon perceived by the upright part of the people. They had always kept at a distance from the pretended legates of heaven, but made no scruple of visiting Candide and assisting him with their counsels. He made several wise regulations for the encouragement of agriculture, population, commerce, and the arts. He rewarded those who had made any useful experiments; and even encouraged such as had produced some essays on literature.

“When the people in my province are in general content,” said he with a charming candor, “possibly I shall be so myself.” Candide was a stranger to mankind; he saw himself torn to pieces in seditious libels and calumniated in a work entitled “The Friend to Mankind.” He found that while he was laboring to make people happy he had only made them ungrateful. “Ah,” cried Candide, “how hard it is to govern these beings without feathers, which vegetate on the earth! Why am I not still in Propontis, in the company of Master Pangloss, Miss Cunegund, the daughter of Pope Urban X., with only one cushion, Brother Giroflée, and the most luscious Pacquette!”