1 2 INTRODUCTORY. 



the trunks of the trees was a little disturbed at three feet 

 and a half from the middle of the path. ' This horse,' said 

 1 to myself, ' had a tail three feet and a half long, and, lash- 

 ing it from one side to the other, he has swept away the 

 dust.' Branches of trees met overhead at the height of five 

 feet, and under them I saw newly fallen leaves ; so I knew 

 the horse had brushed some of the branches and was there- 

 fore five feet high. As to his bit, it must have been of 

 twenty-three carat gold, for he had rubbed it against a stone 

 which turned out to be a touchstone, with the properties of 

 which I am familiar by experiment. Lastly, by the marks 

 which his shoes left upon pebbles of another kind, I was led 

 to think that his shoes were of fine silver." 



All the judges admired Zadig's profound and subtle 

 discernment ; and the fame of it reached even the king and 

 the queen. From the ante-rooms to the presence-chamber, 

 Zadig's name was in everybody's mouth ; and, although 

 many of the magi were of the opinion that he ought to be 

 burned as a sorcerer, the king commanded that the four 

 hundred ounces of gold which he had been fined should be 

 restored to him. So the officers of the court went in state 

 with the four hundred ounces ; only they retained three hun- 

 dred and ninety-eight for legal expenses, and their servants 

 expected fees. 



Those who are interested in learning more of the 

 fateful history of Zadig must turn to the original ; we 

 are dealing with him only as a philosopher, and this brief 

 excerpt suffices for the exemplification of the nature of 

 his conclusions and of the method by which he arrived at 

 them. 



