ven him the lady's fortune.

He afterwards produced a soldier who, in the wars of Hircania, had given a
still more noble instance of generosity. A party of the enemy having
seized his mistress, he fought in her defense with great intrepidity. At
that very instant he was informed that another party, at the distance of a
few paces, were carrying off his mother; he therefore left his mistress
with tears in his eyes and flew to the assistance of his mother. At last
he returned to the dear object of his love and found her expiring. He was
just going to plunge his sword in his own bosom; but his mother
remonstrating against such a desperate deed, and telling him that he was
the only support of her life, he had the courage to endure to live.

The judges were inclined to give the prize to the soldier. But the king
took up the discourse and said: "The action of the soldier, and those of
the other two, are doubtless very great, but they have nothing in them
surprising. Yesterday Zadig performed an action that filled me with
wonder. I had a few days before disgraced Coreb, my minister and favorite.
I complained of him in the most violent and bitter terms; all my courtiers
assured me that I was too gentle and seemed to vie with each other in
speaking ill of Coreb. I asked Zadig what he thought of him, and he had
the courage to commend him. I have read in our histories of many people
who have atoned for an error by the surrender of their fortune; who have
resigned a mistress; or preferred a mother to the object of their
affection; but never before did I hear of a courtier who spoke favorably
of a disgraced minister that labored under the displeasure of his
sovereign. I give to each of those whose generous actions have been now
recited twenty thousand pieces of gold; but the cup I give to Zadig."

"May it please your majesty," said Zadig, "thyself alone deservest the
cup; thou hast performed an action of all others the most uncommon and
meritorious, since, notwithstanding thy being a powerful king, thou wast
not offended at thy slave when he presumed to oppose thy passion." The
king and Zadig were equally the object of admiration. The judge, who had
given his estate to his client; the lover, who had resigned his mistress
to a friend; and the soldier, who had preferred the safety of his mother
to that of his mistress, received the king's presents and saw their names
enrolled in the catalogue of generous men. Zadig had the cup, and the