Candide then meets a beggar who is suffering from a disfiguring disease and soon discovers that the beggar is Doctor Pangloss. Pangloss recounts his recent experiences, including the death of the baron and his family at the hands of soldiers. In spite of Pangloss's condition and the horrors around him, the good doctor still believes in philosophical optimism. The Anabaptist sees to it that Pangloss is cured, and then takes him and Candide to Lisbon via ship. When a storm blows up, the Anabaptist is killed trying to save a sailor; the ship later breaks up, leaving Candide, Pangloss, and the rescued sailor as the only survivors. No sooner do they land on the Lisbon shore than an earthquake shakes the city; in response, church leaders decide to show an auto-da-fé, or act of faith, which includes a sacrifice of people. Pangloss is hanged, but Candide survives, helped by an old woman.
The old woman cleans and feeds Candide, and then takes him to Cunégonde, who survived the brutal attack on the baron's family. She is living with two powerful men who try to share her affections, and she was responsible for saving Candide from the killings during the auto-da-fé. Cunégonde's two men come upon the young lovers, and Candide kills them both. Frightened, Candide, Cunégonde, and the old woman escape to a port city, where a military vessel is loading up for a mission in Paraguay. Candide's military training impresses the Spanish general, and Candide is made a captain with command of an infantry. With Cunégonde and the old woman, Candide sails for South America. During the voyage, the old woman tells her story, which is horrific — she has suffered far more than anyone else in the party. Candide begins to seriously question Pangloss's theory of philosophical optimism.
