re convinc'd her of the Folly of it in
her Case. She ponder'd upon this weighty Affair very seriously; but
said nothing to any one whomsoever. _Zadig_ was to be executed the
next Day; and she had only a few Hours left to carry her Project
into Execution. Now the Reader shall hear with how much Benevolence
and Discretion this amiable Widow behav'd on this emergent Occasion.

In the first Place, she made use of the most costly Perfumes; and
drest herself to the utmost Advantage to render her Charms as
conspicuous as possible; And thus gaily attir'd, demanded a private
Audience of the High Priest of the Stars. Upon her first Admittance
into his august and venerable Presence, she address'd herself in the
following Terms. O thou first-born and well-beloved Son of the Great
Bear, Brother of the Bull, and first Cousin to the Dog, (these you
must know were the Pontiff's high Titles) I come to confess myself
before you: My Conscience is my Accuser, and I am terribly afraid I
have been guilty of a mortal Sin, by declining the stated Custom of
burning my self on my Husband's Funeral-pile? What could tempt me,
in short, to a Prolongation of my Life, I can't imagine, I, who am
grown a perfect Skeleton, all wrinkled and deform'd. She paus'd, and
pulling off, with a negligent but artful Air, her long silk Gloves;
She display'd a soft, plump, naked Arm, and white as Snow: You see,
Sir, said she, that all my Charms are blasted. Blasted, Madam, said
the luscious Pontiff; No! Your Charms are still resistless: His
Eyes, and his Mouth, with which he kiss'd her Hand, confirm'd their
Power: Such an Arm, Madam, by the Great _Orasmades_, I never saw
before. Alas! said the Widow, with a modest Blush; my Arm Sir, 'tis
probable, may have the Advantage of any hidden Part; but see, good
Father, what a Neck is here; as yellow as Saffron, an Object not
worth regarding. Then she display'd such a snowy, panting Bosom,
that Nature could not mend it. A Rose-Bud on an Ivory Apple, would,
if set in Competition with her spotless Whiteness, make no better
Appearance than common Madder upon a Shrub; and the whitest Wool,
just out of the Laver, were she but by, would seem but of a
light-brown Hue.

Her Neck, her large black, sparkling Eyes, that languishingly
roll'd, and seem'd as 'twere, on Fire; her lovely Cheeks, glowing
with White and Red, her Nose, that was not unlike the Tower of Mount
_Lebanon_, her Lips, which were like two Borders of Coral, inclosing