Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Cosma Shalizi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration] _ZADIG_; OR, THE Book of Fate. AN Oriental HISTORY, Translated from the _French_ ORIGINAL OF Mr. _VOLTAIRE_. ----_Quo fata trahunt, retrahuntque sequamur. Per varios casus, per tot discrimina rerum, Tendimus in Latium._----VIRG. _LONDON_: Printed for IOHN BRINDLEY, Bookseller to His Royal Highness the Prince of _Wales_, in _New Bond-Street_. MDCCXLIX. THE DEDICATION TO THE SULTANA _SHERAA_, BY _SADI_. The 18th of the Month _Scheval_, in the Year of the _Hegira_, 837. Thou Joy of ev'ry Eye! Thou Torment of every Heart! Thou Intellectual Light! I do not kiss the Dust of thy Feet; because thou seldom art seen out of the Seraglio, and when thou art, thou walkest only on the Carpets of _Iran_, or on Beds of Roses. I here present you with a Translation of the Work of an ancient _Sage_, who having the Happiness of living free from all Avocations, thought proper, by Way of Amusement, to write the History of _Zadig_; a Performance, that comprehends in it more Instruction than, 'tis possible, you may at first be aware of. I beg you would indulge me so far as to read it over, and then pass your impartial Judgment upon it: For notwithstanding you are in the Bloom of your Life; tho' ev'ry Pleasure courts you; tho' you are Nature's Darling, and have internal Qualities in proportion to your Beauty; tho' the World resounds your Praises from Morning till Night, and consequently you must have a just Title to a superior Degree of Understanding than the rest of your Sex; Yet your Wit is no ways flashy; Your Taste is refin'd, and I have had the Honour to hear you talk more learnedly than the wisest _Dervise_, with his venerable Beard, and pointed Bonnet: You are discreet, and yet not mistrustful; you are easy, but not weak; you are beneficent with Discretion; you love your Friends, and create yourself no Enemies. Your most sprightly Flights borrow no Graces from Detraction; you never speak a misbecoming Word, nor do an ill-natur'd Action, tho' 'tis always in your Power. In a Word, your Soul is as spotless as your Person. You have, moreover, a little Fund of Philosophy, which gives me just Grounds to hope that you'll relish this Historical Performance better than any other Lady of your Quality would do.