Chapter XIV

The narrator introduces Cacambo as Candide's valet, describing his mixed Spanish heritage from Tucuman and his varied occupational history. The narrator establishes that Cacambo loves Candide because he is a good man.

Cacambo urges Candide to follow the old woman's advice and leave immediately without looking back, dismissing Candide's emotional concerns about abandoning Cunegonde.

Candide emotionally protests the necessity of leaving Cunegonde just as the Governor was about to sanction their marriage, expressing despair about what will become of her.

Cacambo dismisses Candide's concern by asserting that women are resourceful and God provides for them, using this to justify their departure.

Candide repeatedly questions where they are going and what they will do without Cunegonde, emphasizing his distress.

Cacambo proposes they join the Jesuits instead of fighting against them, claiming he knows Paraguay well and Candide's military knowledge will make him prosperous.

Candide asks if Cacambo has previously visited Paraguay, prompting clarification about his past experience.

Cacambo explains his prior service in Paraguay, describing the Jesuit kingdom as a masterpiece of reason and justice where the Fathers control everything and the people own nothing. He sarcastically praises the Fathers' contradiction of warring on Spain while confessing Spanish kings in Europe.

Cacambo assures Candide he will become the happiest of men and expresses confidence that the Fathers will be delighted to receive a captain trained in Bulgarian military exercises.

The narrator describes their arrival at the barrier where Cacambo announces Candide as a captain seeking the Commandant, leading to their disarmament and formal reception with military ceremony.

Cacambo cleverly requests refreshment for the supposedly hungry German captain, strategically identifying Candide as German rather than Spanish to bypass restrictions on Spaniards.

The Commandant, learning Candide is German, grants him immediate hospitality and conducts him to a luxurious summer-house, effectively bypassing protocol restrictions.

The narrator provides a detailed physical portrait of the young, handsome Commandant, noting his striking features that seem incongruous with typical Spanish or Jesuit appearance.

The Commandant orders that Candide and Cacambo be given back their weapons and horses, demonstrating hospitable trust.

Candide performs the deferential gesture of kissing the Commandant's robe hem, and they sit down to table together in formal greeting.

The Commandant asks in German if Candide is German, and receives affirmation, at which point both parties experience profound amazement and emotion.

The Commandant asks from which part of Germany Candide comes, prompting Candide to reveal he is from Westphalia and was born in Castle Thunder-ten-Tronckh.

Both Candide and the Commandant express astonishment and disbelief at their recognition of each other, leading to emotional embrace and tears.

Candide explicitly identifies the Commandant as the brother of Cunegonde, the Baron's son, and a Jesuit in Paraguay—someone believed dead from Bulgarian attack. Candide invokes Pangloss's teaching while expressing wonder at this improbable world.

The Commandant sends away servants, thanks God and St. Ignatius repeatedly, embraces Candide, and both shed tears in their shared emotion.

Candide informs the astonished Commandant that his sister Cunegonde, whom he believed to be disemboweled, is in perfect health and resides with the Governor of Buenos Ayres.

The narrator reflects that every word exchanged between the two Germans intensifies their mutual amazement and wonder, describing their emotional state poetically.

The narrator notes that as Germans, Candide and the Commandant continue their conversation at length while waiting for the Provincial to become available.