"I was in bed and fast asleep when it pleased God to send the Bulgarians to our delightful1 castle of Thunder-ten-Tronckh; they slew2 my father and brother, and cut my mother in pieces. A tall Bulgarian, six feet high, perceiving that I had fainted away at this sight, began to ravish me; this made me recover; I regained3 my senses, I cried, I struggled, I bit, I scratched, I wanted to tear out the tall Bulgarian's eyes--not knowing that what happened at my father's house was the usual practice of war. The brute4 gave me a cut in the left side with his hanger5, and the mark is still upon me."
"Ah! I hope I shall see it," said honest Candide.
"You shall," said Cunegonde, "but let us continue."
"Do so," replied Candide.
Thus she resumed the thread of her story:
"A Bulgarian captain came in, saw me all bleeding, and the soldier not in the least disconcerted. The captain flew into a passion at the disrespectful behaviour of the brute, and slew him on my body. He ordered my wounds to be dressed, and took me to his quarters as a prisoner of war. I washed the few shirts that he had, I did his cooking; he thought me very pretty--he avowed6 it; on the other hand, I must own he had a good shape, and a soft and white skin; but he had little or no mind or philosophy, and you might see plainly that he had never been instructed by Doctor Pangloss. In three months time, having lost all his money, and being grown tired of my company, he sold me to a Jew, named Don Issachar, who traded to Holland and Portugal, and had a strong passion for women. This Jew was much attached to my person, but could not triumph over it; I resisted him better than the Bulgarian soldier. A modest woman may be ravished once, but her virtue7 is strengthened by it. In order to render me more tractable8, he brought me to this country house. Hitherto I had imagined that nothing could equal the beauty of Thunder-ten-Tronckh Castle; but I found I was mistaken.
"The Grand Inquisitor, seeing me one day at Mass, stared long at me, and sent to tell me that he wished to speak on private matters. I was conducted to his palace, where I acquainted him with the history of my family, and he represented to me how much it was beneath my rank to belong to an Israelite. A proposal was then made to Don Issachar that he should resign me to my lord. Don Issachar, being the court banker, and a man of credit, would hear nothing of it. The Inquisitor threatened him with an _auto-da-fe_. At last my Jew, intimidated10, concluded a bargain, by which the house and myself should belong to both in common; the Jew should have for himself Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and the Inquisitor should have the rest of the week. It is now six months since this agreement was made. Quarrels have not been wanting, for they could not decide whether the night from Saturday to Sunday belonged to the old law or to the new. For my part, I have so far held out against both, and I verily believe that this is the reason why I am still beloved.
"At length, to avert11 the scourge12 of earthquakes, and to intimidate9 Don Issachar, my Lord Inquisitor was pleased to celebrate an _auto-da-fe_. He did me the honour to invite me to the ceremony. I had a very good seat, and the ladies were served with refreshments13 between Mass and the execution. I was in truth seized with horror at the burning of those two Jews, and of the honest Biscayner who had married his godmother; but what was my surprise, my fright, my trouble, when I saw in a _san-benito_ and mitre a figure which resembled that of Pangloss! I rubbed my eyes, I looked at him attentively14, I saw him hung; I fainted. Scarcely had I recovered my senses than I saw you stripped, stark15 naked, and this was the height of my horror, consternation16, grief, and despair. I tell you, truthfully, that your skin is yet whiter and of a more perfect colour than that of my Bulgarian captain. This spectacle redoubled all the feelings which overwhelmed and devoured17 me. I screamed out, and would have said, 'Stop, barbarians18!' but my voice failed me, and my cries would have been useless after you had been severely19 whipped. How is it possible, said I, that the beloved Candide and the wise Pangloss should both be at Lisbon, the one to receive a hundred lashes20, and the other to be hanged by the Grand Inquisitor, of whom I am the well-beloved? Pangloss most cruelly deceived me when he said that everything in the world is for the best.
"Agitated21, lost, sometimes beside myself, and sometimes ready to die of weakness, my mind was filled with the massacre22 of my father, mother, and brother, with the insolence23 of the ugly Bulgarian soldier, with the stab that he gave me, with my servitude under the Bulgarian captain, with my hideous24 Don Issachar, with my abominable25 Inquisitor, with the execution of Doctor Pangloss, with the grand Miserere to which they whipped you, and especially with the kiss I gave you behind the screen the day that I had last seen you. I praised God for bringing you back to me after so many trials, and I charged my old woman to take care of you, and to conduct you hither as soon as possible. She has executed her commission perfectly26 well; I have tasted the inexpressible pleasure of seeing you again, of hearing you, of speaking with you. But you must be hungry, for myself, I am famished27; let us have supper."
They both sat down to table, and, when supper was over, they placed themselves once more on the sofa; where they were when Signor Don Issachar arrived. It was the Jewish Sabbath, and Issachar had come to enjoy his rights, and to explain his tender love.
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1
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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hanger
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| n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩 | |
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avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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tractable
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| adj.易驾驭的；温顺的 | |
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intimidate
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| vt.恐吓，威胁 | |
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intimidated
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| v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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27
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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