In what distress Candide, Cunegonde, and the old woman arrived at Cadiz and of their embarkation.
"Who could have robbed me of my pistoles and my diamonds?" said Cunegonde, with tears in her eyes, "what shall we live on? What shall we do? Where shall I find inquisitors and Jews to give me more money and jewels?"
"Alas," said the old woman, "I strongly suspect a cavalier who slept yesterday in the same inn with us at Badajos. God preserve me from judging rashly, but he came twice into our chamber, and went away a long time before us."
"Ah!" said Candide, "the good Pangloss has often demonstrated to me, that the goods of this world are common to all men, and that every one has an equal right to them. According to these principles, the cavalier ought to have left us enough to carry us to our journey's end. Have you nothing at all left then, my pretty Cunegonde?"
"Not a farthing." said she.
"What course shall we take?" said Candide.
"Let us sell one of the horses," said the old woman, "I can ride behind Miss, and we shall thus manage to reach Cadiz."
In the same inn was a Benedictine prior, who bought the horse very cheap. Candide, Cunegonde, and the old woman passed through Lucena, Chillas and Lebrixa and arrived at length at Cadiz, where they were fitting out a fleet, and assembling troops for bringing to reason the reverend fathers, the Jesuits of Parragua, who were accused of having excited one of their hordes, near the city of St. Sacrament, to revolt from their allegiance to the Kings of Spain and Portugal. Candide having served among the Bulgarians, performed the military exercise of that nation before the commander of this little army, with so much grace, celerity, address, dexterity and agility, that he gave him command of a company of infantry. Being now made a captain, he embarked with Miss Cunegonde, the old woman, two valets, and the two Andalusian horses, which had belonged to his Lordship, the grand Inquisitor of Portugal.
During the whole voyage, they argued a great deal on the philosophy of poor Pangloss.
"We are going to another world," said Candide, "it is there, without doubt, that every thing is for the best. For it must be confessed that one has reason to be a little uneasy at what passes in this world, with respect to both physics and morals."
"I love you with all my heart," said Cunegonde, "but my mind is still terrified at what I have seen and experienced."
"All will be well," replied Candide, "the seas of the new world are preferable to those of Europe; they are more calm and the winds are more constant. Certainly, the new world is the best of all possible worlds."
"God grant it," said Cunegonde, "but I have been so terribly unfortunate here, that my heart is almost shut up against hope."
"You complain, indeed," said the old woman, "alas! you have not met with such misfortunes as I have."
Cunegonde was almost ready to fall a laughing, and thought the old woman very comical, for pretending to be more unfortunate than herself.
"Alas, my good dame," said Cunegonde, "unless you have been ravished by two Bulgarians, and received two cuts with a hanger and had two castles demolished, and had two fathers and two mothers murdered, and have seen two lovers whipped, I cannot see how you can have the advantage of me. Add to this, that I was born a baroness, with seventy-two armorial quarterings, and that I have, nevertheless, been a cook-maid."
"My Lady," answered the old woman, "you know nothing of my ancestry, and were I to show you my back, you would not talk as you do, but would suspend your judgment."
This discourse having raised an insatiable curiosity in the minds of Cunegonde and Candide, the old woman related her story as follows.