Zadig, struck with horror, cried aloud, and endeavored to hinder him from committing such a barbarous action; but the hermit drew him away by a superior force, and the house was soon in flames.  The hermit, who, with his companion, was already at a considerable distance, looked back to the conflagration with great tranquillity.

“Thanks be to God,” said he, “the house of my dear host is entirely destroyed!  Happy man!”

At these words Zadig was at once tempted to burst out a-laughing, to reproach the reverend father, to beat him, and to run away.  But he did none of all of these, for still subdued by the powerful ascendancy of the hermit, he followed him, in spite of himself, to the next stage.

This was at the house of a charitable and virtuous widow, who had a nephew fourteen years of age, a handsome and promising youth, and her only hope.  She performed the honors of her house as well as she could.  Next day, she ordered her nephew to accompany the strangers to a bridge, which being lately broken down, was become extremely dangerous in passing.  The young man walked before them with great alacrity.  As they were crossing the bridge, “Come” said the hermit to the youth, “I must show my gratitude to thy aunt.”  He then took him by the hair and plunged him into the river.  The boy sunk, appeared again on the surface of the water, and was swallowed up by the current.

“O monster!  O thou most wicked of mankind!” cried Zadig.

“Thou promisedst to behave with greater patience,” said the hermit, interrupting him.  “Know that under the ruins of that house which Providence hath set on fire the master hath found an immense treasure.  Know that this young, man, whose life Providence hath shortened, would have assassinated his aunt in the space of a year, and thee in that of two.”

“Who told thee so, barbarian?” cried Zadig; “and though thou hadst read this event in thy Book of Destinies, art thou permitted to drown a youth who never did thee any harm?”

While the Babylonian was thus exclaiming, he observed that the old man had no longer a beard, and that his countenance assumed the features and complexion of youth.  The hermit’s habit disappeared, and four beautiful wings covered a majestic body resplendent with light.

“O sent of heaven!  O divine angel!” cried Zadig, humbly prostrating himself on the ground, “hast thou then descended from the Empyrean to teach a weak mortal to submit to the eternal decrees of Providence?”

“Men,” said the angel Jesrad, “judge of all without knowing anything; and, of all men, thou best deservest to be enlightened.”

Zadig begged to be permitted to speak.  “I distrust myself,” said he, “but may I presume to ask the favor of thee to clear up one doubt that still remains in my mind?  Would it not have been better to have corrected this youth, and made him virtuous, than to have drowned him?”

“Had he been virtuous,” replied Jesrad, “and enjoyed a longer life, it would have been his fate to be assassinated himself, together with the wife he would have married, and the child he would have had by her.”