Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-31
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
THE ENVIOUS MAN
BY VOLTAIRE.

(voltsire. 1es4-l77s, was French philoso-
her and wyitsr. author Of "zadis," Negro;
In a suburb of Babylon Zadig had an
elegantly decorated house, where he
brought together all the arts and pleas
ures worthy of an honest man. He
brought together in his house the most
honorable men and the most amiable
women in Babylon. He gave dainty sup
pers, preceded by concerts and enlivened
by charming conversation whence he
managed to Danish the desire to show
of ones own wit-which is the surest
way both of having none and of spoil
ing the most brilliant party. Vanity in
nuenced the choice of neither his friends
nor his viands, for he preferred in .ev-
erything to be rather than to appear.
This habit of mind made him genuinely
esteemed, although he did not lay claim
to any special appreciation.
Opposite Zadigs house lived Arimaze,
o person whose mean soul was depicted
on his coarse face. He was corroded
with gall and swollen with conceit, and
to cap those qualities he had a tedious
wit. He slandered the world in re-
venge for his complete lack of success
In 1t.
Although Arimaze was rich, he had
great difficulty in getting sycophants to
come to his house. The carriages which
entered Zadig's courtyard each evening
annoyed him; the noise Of Zadig's re-
nown irritated him still more. Occa-
sionally ne went to Zadig's and sat him.
self at table without being asked. There
he spoiled the companys pleasure, just
as harpies are said to deflle the meats
they touch.
When one day Arimaze wished to give
q party in honor of lady, she refused
his invitation and went to sup with Ia
dig. On another occasion, while he was
talking with Zadig in the palace, they
came up with one OF the ministers, who
invited Zadig to supper and did not
invite ArimaZe. The most implacable
hatreds often have no more important
cause. This man, whom every one in
Babylon called "AriniaZe the EnviouS, :"
wished to get rid of Zadig because the
latter was always called "Zadig the
Happy" AS Zarathustra says, The OPP
portunity of doing harm presents itself
hundred times a day, and that of do
ing good once a year."
The Envious went to Zadig's house
and found him walking in his gardens
with two friends and a lady to whom he
often paid compliments without other
intention than to be pleasant. The con-
versation turned to a war which the
king had just concluded successfully
against his vassal, the King of Hiroania
Zadig, who in this short war had shown
his courage. praised, the king greatly
and the lady still more. He took his
tablets and wrote four verses which he
composed on the spot and gave to this
beautiful female to read. His friends
begged him to let them hear the verses
Modesty, or rather quite under
standable vanity, stopped .Zadig. HI
knew that impromptu verses never seen
- I.A,. IT,, ,,.t,@ t1nx
are composed. He broke in half thu
tablet on which he had just writer
and threw the two pieces into rose.
bush, where his friends looked for then
in vain 1t started to rain little anC
they returned to the house.
The Envious stayed in the garden ant
searched so hard that he found piec,
OF the tablet 1t was broken in such ;
way that each half OF verse, which
filled a line, made sense and even
verse of shorter measure: but by Still
stranger chance these little verses mad
a sense which contained the most hor
rible insults against the king. This
what they said:
Through prodigies OF vice
Established on his throne,
Amidst the public peace
He is the foe alone"
For the first time in his life Arima2
the EnVious was happy. He held In n
hand the means of getting rid OF
good and charming man. Filled wit
this cruel joy, he arranged for tn
satire in Zadig's writing to reach tn
king himself.
Zadig was thrown into prison wit
his two friends and the lady. His tris
vas soon over, without the judges con
descending to hear him. When he cam
up for sentence, the Envious Waylai
him and told him at the top of his voic
that the verses were worthless. Zadi
did not plume himself on being goo
poet, but he was IN despair at bein