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The story begins with the baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh in Westphalia kicking Candide, the illegitimate son of the baron’s sister, out of the manor for secretly kissing his daughter, Cunégonde. Candide wanders into the next town and gets recruited into the Bulgar army. After his training, Candide tries to desert the Bulgar army, but he fails and is forced to run the gauntlet thirty-six times. Candide escapes the Bulgar and Abares war and is taken in by a kind Anabaptist named Jacques. He later finds Pangloss, his old philosophy teacher in Westphalia, inflicted with syphilis. Pangloss, using his philosophy of “the best of the worlds,” claims that syphilis is necessary along with the New world delights. Pangloss and Candide arrive at Lisbon only to witness a horrible earthquake. Pangloss attempts to soothe the victims by stating that it was for the best. However the Catholic Inquisitor retaliates