In these chapters, Voltaire added further examples of the misfortune and evil to be found everywhere; no individual, however lowly or exalted, could escape them. Particularly with reference to Paquette and Friar Giroflée, somewhat less so with reference to Senator Pococurante, appearances were deceiving. The young couple seemed to be completely carefree and happy, absorbed as they were in each other. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Both were miserable, pathetic creatures. The senator, living like a manorial lord, sought out by visitors from all over Europe, had not found tranquillity either. And it was Martin, functioning as usual as a kind of chorus, who drew the appropriate conclusion in each case.
Voltaire introduced an amusing bit of irony in his choice of names in this section. Candide described Friar Giroflée as one on whose face the flower of youth shone. The friar's name means "gillyflower"; that of Paquette means "daisy." The author also satirizes the individual who entered the religious life by default and was anything but a dedicated spirit. Friar Giroflée was one of the many younger sons in better class families, who, according to the law of primogeniture, could not inherit their father's estate. Their only recourse was to try to find places in one of the Three Estates—the military, the government, the Church. They could not lower themselves by becoming farmers or tradesmen. Little wonder that many who entered the Church were utter misfits.
Senator Pococurante proved to be a most interesting character, what with his impressive palace, the well-planned gardens, the art objects, and large library. His name means "caring little"—and that is the key to his character. Voltaire, perhaps playfully, identified himself with the senator. And, it will be recalled, he lived in manorial splendor with his sixty retainers at Les Délices and Ferney. On occasion, Voltaire expressed his boredom of such a placid life—he who seemed to have loved a good fight. The senator's views on literature are not to be taken strictly as those of the author, but they often reflect his sense of weakness in the great and his skepticism as regards what may be called "received opinion," that which Candide had depended upon. It comes as a shock to hear Milton described as "that barbarian who writes a long commentary on the first chapter of Genesis in ten books of harsh verses." Voltaire did object especially to the Sin-Death allegory in Paradise Lost, but one wonders how Milton's magnificent blank verse, to be found even in the books that are heavily doctrinal, could be called harsh. As for Pococurante's dislike of Homer, it may be pointed out that most neo-classicists (Pope a notable exception) preferred Virgil. Ariosto and Tasso, the epic poets of the Italian Renaissance, were long-time favorites of Voltaire's.
The six kings whom we meet in this section were actually historical ones. When Voltaire referred to the four others who enter near the end of Chapter XXVI as "Most Serene Highnesses," he indulged himself in more mockery. His point was that there is little if any serenity to be found anywhere, even if one were a king.
