Cacambo expressed his curiosity to the landlord, who made answer:
"I am very ignorant, but not the worse on that account. However, we have in this neighbourhood an old man retired1 from Court who is the most learned and most communicative person in the kingdom."
At once he took Cacambo to the old man. Candide acted now only a second character, and accompanied his valet. They entered a very plain house, for the door was only of silver, and the ceilings were only of gold, but wrought2 in so elegant a taste as to vie with the richest. The antechamber, indeed, was only encrusted with rubies4 and emeralds, but the order in which everything was arranged made amends5 for this great simplicity6.
The old man received the strangers on his sofa, which was stuffed with humming-birds' feathers, and ordered his servants to present them with liqueurs in diamond goblets7; after which he satisfied their curiosity in the following terms:
"I am now one hundred and seventy-two years old, and I learnt of my late father, Master of the Horse to the King, the amazing revolutions of Peru, of which he had been an eyewitness8. The kingdom we now inhabit is the ancient country of the Incas, who quitted it very imprudently to conquer another part of the world, and were at length destroyed by the Spaniards.
"More wise by far were the princes of their family, who remained in their native country; and they ordained9, with the consent of the whole nation, that none of the inhabitants should ever be permitted to quit this little kingdom; and this has preserved our innocence10 and happiness. The Spaniards have had a confused notion of this country, and have called it _El Dorado_; and an Englishman, whose name was Sir Walter Raleigh, came very near it about a hundred years ago; but being surrounded by inaccessible11 rocks and precipices12, we have hitherto been sheltered from the rapaciousness13 of European nations, who have an inconceivable passion for the pebbles14 and dirt of our land, for the sake of which they would murder us to the last man."
The conversation was long: it turned chiefly on their form of government, their manners, their women, their public entertainments, and the arts. At length Candide, having always had a taste for metaphysics, made Cacambo ask whether there was any religion in that country.
The old man reddened a little.
"How then," said he, "can you doubt it? Do you take us for ungrateful wretches15?"
Cacambo humbly16 asked, "What was the religion in El Dorado?"
The old man reddened again.
"Can there be two religions?" said he. "We have, I believe, the religion of all the world: we worship God night and morning."
"Do you worship but one God?" said Cacambo, who still acted as interpreter in representing Candide's doubts.
"Surely," said the old man, "there are not two, nor three, nor four. I must confess the people from your side of the world ask very extraordinary questions."
Candide was not yet tired of interrogating17 the good old man; he wanted to know in what manner they prayed to God in El Dorado.
"We do not pray to Him," said the worthy18 sage19; "we have nothing to ask of Him; He has given us all we need, and we return Him thanks without ceasing."
Candide having a curiosity to see the priests asked where they were. The good old man smiled.
"My friend," said he, "we are all priests. The King and all the heads of families sing solemn canticles of thanksgiving every morning, accompanied by five or six thousand musicians."
"What! have you no monks20 who teach, who dispute, who govern, who cabal21, and who burn people that are not of their opinion?"
"We must be mad, indeed, if that were the case," said the old man; "here we are all of one opinion, and we know not what you mean by monks."
During this whole discourse22 Candide was in raptures23, and he said to himself:
"This is vastly different from Westphalia and the Baron's castle. Had our friend Pangloss seen El Dorado he would no longer have said that the castle of Thunder-ten-Tronckh was the finest upon earth. It is evident that one must travel."
After this long conversation the old man ordered a coach and six sheep to be got ready, and twelve of his domestics to conduct the travellers to Court.
"Excuse me," said he, "if my age deprives me of the honour of accompanying you. The King will receive you in a manner that cannot displease24 you; and no doubt you will make an allowance for the customs of the country, if some things should not be to your liking25."
Candide and Cacambo got into the coach, the six sheep flew, and in less than four hours they reached the King's palace situated26 at the extremity27 of the capital. The portal was two hundred and twenty feet high, and one hundred wide; but words are wanting to express the materials of which it was built. It is plain such materials must have prodigious28 superiority over those pebbles and sand which we call gold and precious stones.
Twenty beautiful damsels of the King's guard received Candide and Cacambo as they alighted from the coach, conducted them to the bath, and dressed them in robes woven of the down of humming-birds; after which the great crown officers, of both sexes, led them to the King's apartment, between two files of musicians, a thousand on each side. When they drew near to the audience chamber3 Cacambo asked one of the great officers in what way he should pay his obeisance29 to his Majesty30; whether they should throw themselves upon their knees or on their stomachs; whether they should put their hands upon their heads or behind their backs; whether they should lick the dust off the floor; in a word, what was the ceremony?
"The custom," said the great officer, "is to embrace the King, and to kiss him on each cheek."
Candide and Cacambo threw themselves round his Majesty's neck. He received them with all the goodness imaginable, and politely invited them to supper.
While waiting they were shown the city, and saw the public edifices31 raised as high as the clouds, the market places ornamented32 with a thousand columns, the fountains of spring water, those of rose water, those of liqueurs drawn33 from sugar-cane, incessantly34 flowing into the great squares, which were paved with a kind of precious stone, which gave off a delicious fragrancy like that of cloves35 and cinnamon. Candide asked to see the court of justice, the parliament. They told him they had none, and that they were strangers to lawsuits36. He asked if they had any prisons, and they answered no. But what surprised him most and gave him the greatest pleasure was the palace of sciences, where he saw a gallery two thousand feet long, and filled with instruments employed in mathematics and physics.
After rambling37 about the city the whole afternoon, and seeing but a thousandth part of it, they were reconducted to the royal palace, where Candide sat down to table with his Majesty, his valet Cacambo, and several ladies. Never was there a better entertainment, and never was more wit shown at a table than that which fell from his Majesty. Cacambo explained the King's _bon-mots_ to Candide, and notwithstanding they were translated they still appeared to be _bon-mots_. Of all the things that surprised Candide this was not the least.
They spent a month in this hospitable38 place. Candide frequently said to Cacambo:
"I own, my friend, once more that the castle where I was born is nothing in comparison with this; but, after all, Miss Cunegonde is not here, and you have, without doubt, some mistress in Europe. If we abide39 here we shall only be upon a footing with the rest, whereas, if we return to our old world, only with twelve sheep laden40 with the pebbles of El Dorado, we shall be richer than all the kings in Europe. We shall have no more Inquisitors to fear, and we may easily recover Miss Cunegonde."
This speech was agreeable to Cacambo; mankind are so fond of roving, of making a figure in their own country, and of boasting of what they have seen in their travels, that the two happy ones resolved to be no longer so, but to ask his Majesty's leave to quit the country.
"You are foolish," said the King. "I am sensible that my kingdom is but a small place, but when a person is comfortably settled in any part he should abide there. I have not the right to detain strangers. It is a tyranny which neither our manners nor our laws permit. All men are free. Go when you wish, but the going will be very difficult. It is impossible to ascend41 that rapid river on which you came as by a miracle, and which runs under vaulted42 rocks. The mountains which surround my kingdom are ten thousand feet high, and as steep as walls; they are each over ten leagues in breadth, and there is no other way to descend43 them than by precipices. However, since you absolutely wish to depart, I shall give orders to my engineers to construct a machine that will convey you very safely. When we have conducted you over the mountains no one can accompany you further, for my subjects have made a vow44 never to quit the kingdom, and they are too wise to break it. Ask me besides anything that you please."
"We desire nothing of your Majesty," says Candide, "but a few sheep laden with provisions, pebbles, and the earth of this country."
The King laughed.
"I cannot conceive," said he, "what pleasure you Europeans find in our yellow clay, but take as much as you like, and great good may it do you."
At once he gave directions that his engineers should construct a machine to hoist45 up these two extraordinary men out of the kingdom. Three thousand good mathematicians46 went to work; it was ready in fifteen days, and did not cost more than twenty million sterling47 in the specie of that country. They placed Candide and Cacambo on the machine. There were two great red sheep saddled and bridled48 to ride upon as soon as they were beyond the mountains, twenty pack-sheep laden with provisions, thirty with presents of the curiosities of the country, and fifty with gold, diamonds, and precious stones. The King embraced the two wanderers very tenderly.
Their departure, with the ingenious manner in which they and their sheep were hoisted49 over the mountains, was a splendid spectacle. The mathematicians took their leave after conveying them to a place of safety, and Candide had no other desire, no other aim, than to present his sheep to Miss Cunegonde.
"Now," said he, "we are able to pay the Governor of Buenos Ayres if Miss Cunegonde can be ransomed50. Let us journey towards Cayenne. Let us embark51, and we will afterwards see what kingdom we shall be able to purchase."
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1
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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goblets
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| n.高脚酒杯( goblet的名词复数 ) | |
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eyewitness
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| n.目击者，见证人 | |
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ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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rapaciousness
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| n.贪婪；强取，贪婪 | |
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pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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interrogating
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| n.询问技术v.询问( interrogate的现在分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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cabal
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| n.政治阴谋小集团 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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raptures
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| 极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 ) | |
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displease
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| vt.使不高兴，惹怒；n.不悦，不满，生气 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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cloves
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| n.丁香（热带树木的干花，形似小钉子，用作调味品，尤用作甜食的香料）( clove的名词复数 )；蒜瓣(a garlic ~|a ~of garlic) | |
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lawsuits
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| n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 ) | |
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rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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43
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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mathematicians
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| 数学家( mathematician的名词复数 ) | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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48
bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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49
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
ransomed
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| 付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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