The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Volume 2 (of 3)Le Sage, Alain René
General
The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Volume 2 (of 3)
Le Sage, Alain René
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Blas, Gil (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
I made the best of my way out of the closet, cursing the caprice, or
more properly the dotage, of the archbishop, and more in dudgeon at
his absurdity, than cast down at the loss of his good graces. For
some time it was a moot point whether I should go and lay claim to my
hundred ducats; but after having weighed the matter dispassionately,
I was not such a fool as to quarrel with my bread and butter. There
was no reason why that money, fairly earned, should deprive me of my
natural right to make a joke of this ridiculous prelate; in which
good deed I promised myself not to be wanting, as often as himself or
his homilies were brought upon the carpet in my hearing.
I went therefore and asked the treasurer for a hundred ducats,
without telling a word about the literary warfare between his master
and me. Afterwards I called on Melchior de la Ronda, to take a long
leave of him. He was too much my friend not to sympathize with my
misfortune. While I was telling my story, vexation was strongly
imprinted on his countenance. In spite of all his respect for the
archbishop, he could not help blaming him; but, when in the fever of
my resentment I threatened to be a match for the prelate, and to
entertain the whole city at his expense, the prudent Melchior gave me
a salutary caution: Take my advice, my dear Gil Blas, and rather
pocket the affront. Men of a lower sphere in life should always be
cap in hand to people of quality, whatever may be their grounds of
complaint. It must be admitted there are some very coarse specimens
of greatness, which in themselves are scarcely deserving of the least
respect or attention; but even such animals have their weapons of
annoyance, and it is best to keep out of their way.
I thanked the old valet-de-chambre for the good counsel he had given
me, and promised to be guided by it. Pleased with my deference to
his opinion, he said to me, If you go to Madrid, be sure you call
upon my nephew, Joseph Navarro. He is factotum in the family of
Signor Don Balthazar de Zunigna, and I can venture to recommend him
as a lad in every respect worthy of your friendship. He is just as
nature made him, with all the vivacity of youth, courteous in his
manners, and forward to oblige; I could wish you to get acquainted
with him. I answered that I would not fail to go and see this Joseph
Navarro as soon as I should get to Madrid, whither I meant to return
in due time. Then did I turn my back on the episcopal palace, never
to grace it with my presence again. If I had kept my horse, I should
perhaps have set out for Toledo immediately; but I had sold it during
the period of my administration, supposing that I was in office for
life, and should not henceforward be migratory. My final resolution
was to hire a ready-furnished lodging, as I had made up my mind to
stay another month in Grenada, and then to pay the Count de Polan a
visit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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