THE GENEROUS

The time now arrived for celebrating a grand festival, which returned every five years.  It was a custom in Babylon solemnly to declare at the end of every five years which of the citizens had performed the most generous action.  The grandees and the magi were the judges.  The first satrap, who was charged with the government of the city, published the most noble actions that had passed under his administration.  The competition was decided by votes; and the king pronounced the sentence.  People came to this solemnity from the extremities of the earth.  The conqueror received from the monarch’s hand a golden cup adorned with precious stones, his majesty at the same time making him this compliment: 

“Receive this reward of thy generosity, and may the gods grant me many subjects like to thee.”

This memorable day being come, the king appeared on his throne, surrounded by the grandees, the magi, and the deputies of all nations that came to these games, where glory was acquired not by the swiftness of horses, nor by strength of body, but by virtue.  The first satrap recited, with an audible voice, such actions as might entitle the authors of them to this invaluable prize.  He did not mention the greatness of soul with which Zadig had restored the envious man his fortune, because it was not judged to be an action worthy of disputing the prize.

He first presented a judge who, having made a citizen lose a considerable cause by a mistake, for which, after all, he was not accountable, had given him the whole of his own estate, which was just equal to what the other had lost.

He next produced a young man who, being desperately in love with a lady whom he was going to marry, had yielded her up to his friend, whose passion for her had almost brought him to the brink of the grave, and at the same time had given 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.