Zadig; Or, The Book of Fate
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- No scanning noise detected (automatic measure over the whole text, not checked by hand)
- Extent:
- ~31,400 words · 149 passages
Cite this work
- APAVoltaire. (n.d.). Zadig; Or, The Book of Fate. Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/voltaire/zadig-or-the-book-of-fate
- MLAVoltaire. Zadig; Or, The Book of Fate. Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/voltaire/zadig-or-the-book-of-fate.
- ChicagoVoltaire. Zadig; Or, The Book of Fate. Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/voltaire/zadig-or-the-book-of-fate.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
Zadig: an oriental tale on fate, justice, and what only looks like chance.
Context and history
Earlier than Candide and less bitter. It contains the episode of the dog and the horse, where Zadig deduces animals he has never seen from their tracks alone — the page Poe and Conan Doyle turned into the method of Dupin and Sherlock Holmes. Voltaire wrote in French: this is an old English translation, in the public domain. For citation, the original.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
that they might restore her _Zadig_. Her Eyes were Night and Day overwhelm'd with Tears. She waited with Impatience for the happy Moment, when those of _Zadig_ might dart their Fires upon her; but alas! the wounded Eye grew so inflam'd and swell'd, that she was terrified to the last Degree. She sent as far as _Memphis_ for _Hermes_, the celebrated Physician there, who instantly attended his new Patient with a numerous Retinue. Upon his first Visit, he peremptorily declared that _Zadig_ would lose his Eye; and foretold not only the Day, but the very Hour when that woful Disaster would befal him. Had it been, said that Great Man, his right Eye, I could have administred an infallible Specific; but as it is, his Misfortune is beyond the Art of Man to cure. Tho' all _Babylon_ pitied the hard Case of _Zadig_, they equally stood astonish'd at the profound Penetration of _Hermes_. Two Days after the Imposthume broke, without any Application, and _Zadig_ soon after was perfectly recover'd. _Hermes_ thereupon wrote a very long and elaborate Treatise, to prove that his Wound ought not to have been heal'd. _Zadig_, however, never thought it worth his while to peruse his learned Lucubrations; but, as soon as ever he could get abroad, determin'd to pay the Lady a Visit, who had testified such uncommon Concern for his Welfare, and for whose Sake alone he wish'd for the Restoration of his Sight. _Semira_ he found had been out of Town for three Days; but was inform'd, by the bye, that his intended Spouse, having conceived an implacable Aversion to a one-ey'd Man, was that very Night to be married to _Orcan_. At this unexpected ill News, poor _Zadig_ was perfectly thunder-struck: He laid his Disappointment so far to Heart, that in a short Time he was become a mere Skeleton, and was sick almost to death for some Months afterwards.…