In this country it is useful from time to time to kill one admiral in order to encourage the others.
[Dans ce pays-ci il est bon de tuer de tems en tems un Amiral pour encourager les autres.]
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Candide, ch. 23 (1759) [tr. Adams (1966)]
(Source)
As Candide witnesses the (real-life) 1757 execution of English Admiral John Byng, who withdrew his undermanned ships from a naval battle during the French invasion of Minorca at the beginning of the Seven Years War. Byng was scapegoated for poor condition of the Mediterranean fleet, and court martialed for "failing to do his utmost" in the battle, which carried an automatic death penalty. In real life, Voltaire had been one of the people who attempted to intervene on Byng's behalf. In the book, Candide is so appalled by the injustice, he refuses to touch ground on English soil.
The last few words ("pour encourager les autres") are frequently quoted on their own referring to any harsh punishment used as an example to incent those who follow.
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:
In this country it is found requisite, now and then, to put an admiral to death, in order to encourage the others to fight.
[tr. Smollett (1759)]
In this country it is found good, from time to time, to kill one Admiral to encourage the others.
[Source (1859)]
In this country it is found requisite, now and then, to put one admiral to death, in order to spirit up the others.
[tr. Smollett/Thornton (1920)]
In this country it is good to kill an Admiral from time to time to encourage the others.
[Modern Library ed. (1920)]
In this country it is necessary, now and then, to put one admiral to death in order to inspire the others to fight.
[tr. Morley (1922)]
In this country it is a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.
[Random House ed. (1928)]
In this country it’s good to kill an admiral now and then, to encourage the others.
[tr. Bair (1959)]
In this country it is found requisite,now and then to kill an admiral, in order to encourage the others.
[tr. Cameron (1997)]
In this country they think it's good to kill an Admiral from time to time, to encourage the others.
[tr. Gordon (1999)]
