1. For this quotation from Voltaire’s Candide, see letter 568, n. 3.

2. Van Gogh means that Roulin had arranged for him to leave the hospital for a short while on 4 January. On that day Roulin wrote to Theo: ‘Monsieur the house doctor felt slightly anxious about letting him go out; I told him that I would be in charge of accompanying him and seeing that he returns to the hospital’ (FR b1068).