he laid fast hold of him, pressed him close, threw him down, and holding his sword to his breast, offered him his life. The Egyptian, fired with rage, drew his poignard, and wounded the conqueror at the very instant he granted him his pardon; upon which, Zadig instantly plunged his sabre into his bosom, and the Egyptian, with an horrible cry, gave up the ghost. Zadig then advanced towards the lady, and said, with a submissive voice- He has forced me to kill him; I have revenged your cause; and you are now delivered from the most furious man I have ever seen: what more would you have me do for you?"'Die, villain!' she replied; 'I would have you die: you have killed my lover, and I wish I was able to tear out your cruel heart!'-' You had, indeed, a strange kind of lover!' replied Zadig: 'he beat you with all his strength; and would have taken away my life, because you intreated me to assist you!'-'I wish he had beat me still, replied the lady, weeping bitterly; 'I well deserved it, for I had made him jealous. Would to Heaven he was now beating me, and that you was in his situation!' Zadig, more surprised and angry than he had ever been in his life, said- Madam, notwithstanding your beauty, you merit that I should beat you in my turn; but I disdain to concern myself farther about you!' Upon this he remounted his dromedary, and advanced towards the town. Scarce had he began to set forwards when he turned back at the noise made by four couriers of Babylon, who came riding full speed. One of them seeing the woman, cried-' It is she herself; she answers the description given us. They took no notice of the dead man, but immediately seized the lady; who incessantly cried out to Zadig - Help me once more, generous stranger; deliver me from these ruffians: I humbly beg pardon for my late ungrateful behaviour; help me, and I will be yours for ever!' Zadig, however, had no inclination to fight in her defence. Apply to some other for assistance, replied he; 'you shall not again make me the dupe of your artifice.' Indeed, Zadig's wound bled so fast, that he had himself need of assistance; and the sight of four Babylonians, probably from King Moabdar, gave him much concern. He therefore hasted towards the town; at a loss to conceive why four couriers from Babylon should take this Egyptian woman, but still more puzzled to account for her very strange behaviour.

CHAPTER IX.

SLAVERY.

THE moment Zadig entered the place, he was surrounded by the people. Every one said-' This is the man that carried away the beautiful Missouf, and assassinated Cletofis.'-' God preserve me,' said he, 'from ever carrying away your beautiful Missouf! She is too capricious for me: and as to Cletofis, I have not assassinated him; I have only killed him in my own defence. He endeavoured to take away my life, because I begged him to shew mercy to the lovely Missouf, whom he was cruelly beating. I am a stranger, fied hither for shelter; and there is but little likelihood, that on coming to entreat your protection, I should begin with carrying away a lady, and assassinating her lover.'

The Egyptians, at that time, were just and humane. The people conducted Zadig to a house in the town; and having dressed his wound, he and his domestic were examined apart, in order to discover the truth. They acquitted Zadig of the crime of wilful murder: but as he had been guilty of taking away the life of a man, though in his own defence, the law condemned him to be a slave. His two dromedaries were immediately sold, for the benefit of the town; they divided amongst the inhabitants the gold he had brought; and his person was exposed to sale in the market-place, together with that of his servant. They were bought by an Arabian merchant, named Setoc; and the servant being best adapted for fatigue, was sold at a much higher price than his master: indeed, there was no comparison between them. Zadig was therefore a slave subordinate to his servant; they were linked together by a chain fastened to their feet, and in this condition they followed the Arabian merchant. Zadig, in the mean time, comforted his companion; exhorted him to patience; and, according to his usual custom, made reflections on human life. 'I see,' said he, 'that the unhappiness of my destiny has an effect on yours. Every thing in which I have had any concern, has hitherto been strangely conducted. I have been condemned to pay a fine for having seen the traces left by the feet of a dog; I have suffered the fear of being impaled on account of a griffin; I have been sent to execution for making verses in praise of the king; I have been on the point of being strangled, because the queen hath spoke to me with mildness; and here I am a slave with you, because a brutish fellow has beat his mistress. Let us, however, be cheerful, and not lose our courage; all this, perhaps, will have an end. If it be necessary for the Arabian merchants to have slaves, why should not I be one as well as another, since I am also a man. Probably this merchant will not be void of pity: it is requisite for him to treat his slaves well, if he would reap much advantage from them." This was the form of his words; but his thoughts were wholly employed about the fate of the queen of Babylon.

Two days after, the merchant set out for Arabia Deserta, with his slaves and camels. His tribe dwelt near the desert of Oreb; and the way was long and painful. Setoc, while on the road, set more value on the servant than the master, because the first was more expert in loading his camels; and all the little marks of distinction were in his favour. A camel happening to die within two days' journey of Oreb, his burden was divided, and placed on the backs of his slaves. Setoc smiled at seeing them walk stooping forward; and Zadig took the liberty of explaining the cause, by informing him of the laws of the balance. The merchant, astonished at his philosophical discourse, began now to look upon him with a very different eye; and Zadig, finding that he had excited his curiosity, redoubled it, by informing him of many things not foreign to commerce; the specific gravity of metals, and other commodities of various kinds under an equal bulk; the properties of several useful animals, and the means of rendering those that were not so fit for service. In short, he appeared to Setoc

as a sage, and was esteemed by him far more valuable. than his companion; he accordingly treated him with the utmost kindness, and never had the smallest cause to repent his indulgence.

Setoc being arrived among his own tribe, demanded payment of five hundred ounces of silver, which he had lent to a Jew in the presence of two witnesses; but the witnesses being dead, and the Jew satisfied of the impossibility of proving the debt, he looked on the money to be his own, and thanked God for having enabled him safely to defraud an Arabian. Setoc told his uneasiness to Zadig, who was now his chief confident. 'Where,' said Zadig, did you lend the money to this infidel?"-' On a large stone near Mount Oreh,' replied the merchant. What is the character of your debtor?" said Zadig. That of a notorious villain, replied Setoc. But I ask,' said Zadig, whether he be lively or phlegmatic, cautious or imprudent.'-' He is the worst pay-master in the world,' said Setoe, but the most lively and merriest fellow I ever knew.'-' Well,' said Zadig, 'permit me to plead your cause.' Accordingly Setoc consented; and Zadig having cited the Jew to appear, spoke thus before the Judge- Pillar of the throne of equity, I come to demand of this man, in the name of my master, five hundred ounces of silver, which he refuses to pay him.'' Have you any witnesses to prove the debt?' said the judge. 'No,' repeated Zadig; 'they are both dead: but there yet remains a large stone on which the money was counted; and if it pleases your excellence to order the stone to be sought for, I doubt not but it will prove a sufficient evidence. The Jew and I will wait here till it arrives, and the expence of