The Princess of Babylon by Voltaire, Fiction, Classics, Literary

But what was more admirable in Babylon, and eclipsed everything else, was the only daughter of the king, named Formosanta. It was from her pictures and statues, that in succeeding times Praxiteles sculptured his Aphrodita, and the Venus of Medicis. Heavens! what a difference between the original and the copies! King Belus was prouder of his daughter than of his kingdom. She was eighteen years old. It was necessary she should have a husband worthy of her; but where was he to be found? An ancient oracle had ordained, that Formosanta could not belong to any but him who could bend the bow of nearly-mythic Nimrod. Three kings came to try to bend Nimrod's storied bow -- rulers from Egypt, and India, and Scythia -- but also came a young man not of royal mien, upon a unicorn.

The Princess of Babylon

Literature & Fiction

Arouet, Fran Ois-Marie

VOLTAIRE

Humor & Satire

Aegypan

The aged Belus, king of Babylon, thought himself the first man upon earth. His palace and his park, extended between the Euphrates and the Tigris. His vast house, three thousand feet in front, almost reached the clouds. The platform was surrounded with a balustrade of white marble, fifty feet high.  But what was more admirable in Babylon, and eclipsed everything else, was the only daughter of the king, named Formosanta. It was from her pictures and statues, that in succeeding times Praxiteles sculptured his Aphrodita, and the Venus of Medicis. Heavens! what a difference between the original and the copies! King Belus was prouder of his daughter than of his kingdom. She was eighteen years old. It was necessary she should have a husband worthy of her; but where was he to be found? An ancient oracle had ordained, that Formosanta could not belong to any but him who could bend the bow of nearly-mythic Nimrod.  Three kings came to try to bend Nimrod's storied bow -- rulers from Egypt, and India, and Scythia -- but also came a young man not of royal mien, upon a unicorn. . . .

Literary

Zadig is a philosopher in ancient Babylonia. Voltaire did not attempt historical accuracy with this book. Many of the problems Zadig faces are thinly disguised references to social and political problems of Voltaire's own day. Zadig is philosophical in nature, and presents human life as being beyond human control. It is a story of religious and metaphysical orthodoxy, both of which Voltaire challenges with his presentation of the moral revolution taking place in Zadig himself. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

Zadig

Wilder_Publications

Her eyes are sunk in darkness: help the king And guard his life. Learn from her sad example, That heaven is witness to our secret crimes: The higher is the criminal, remember, The gods inflict the greater punishment; Kings, tremble on your thrones, and fear their justice. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

Semiramis

Fleming, William F.

Dramas & Plays

Mahomet

<p>This powerful work was read by Voltaire to Frederick of Prussia in 1740, to the king's great delight. The play was withdrawn after the fourth representation, under pressure of Church authorities who professed to see in it a bloody satire against the Christian religion. Almost three hundred years later critics are still unclear if this play is a rebuke of Islam or of Christianity or, perhaps, both. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.</p>

Arouet, François-Marie

Seventeen Plays by Voltaire

Included in this omnibus edition are seventeen of Voltaire's most important plays including Brutus, Socrates, Alzire, Orestes, Catiline, Sémiramis, Pandora, The Scotch Woman, Nanine, The Prude, Mérope, Olympia, The Orphan of China, Mahomet, Amelia, Œdipus, and Mariamne. During his life time Voltaire was far and away the most successful French playwright, these are the plays that cemented his popularity and made him a household name during his own lifetime. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

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