Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 4

THE ADVENTUR-ES
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he with his baker ?” “ Not quite fo well, (anfweredr
“ I) as with people of fafliion : between you and
“ me, I believe he is as poor as Job.” “ Oh! I
“ don’t at all doubt it, (cried Ordonnez.) Let him
“ ma-te his court to noblemen as much as he pleafes,
“ his complaifance, flattery, and cringing, will bring
“ ftill iefs into his pockets than his works. Re-
“ member-1 prophecy, that you will one day fee him
“ in the hofpital.”
“ That may vbry well be, (I replied.) Poetry has
“brought many a-one to that cataflrophe. My
“ friend Fabricio would have done much better, had
“ he remained with your worfhip. He would by
“ this time have rolled upon gold.” “ At leaf!, he
“ would have been in very eafy crrcumflances, (faid
“ Manuel.) I had a regard for him, and would have,
“ by raifing him from port to port, procured a folid.
“ fettlement for him in the hofpital, had he not been
“ whimfical enough to fet up for a wit. He com-
“ poftd a comedy, which was a£ted by the players
“ of this city,: The piece fucceeded ; and from that
“ moment his head turned. He believed himfeif
“ another Lope de Vega ; and preferring the fmoke
“ of public applaufe-to the real advantages which.
“ my friendthip prepared for him, demanded his
“ difmiffion. I remonflrated in vain, that he was
“ going to quit the fubflance, and run after the flia-
“ dow. I could not detain this madman, who was
“ a&uated with the fury of writing,. He did not
“ know his own intereftj- (added he.) The young .
“ man who fucceeded him in my fervice is a living
- proof of this. Having more judgment and lefs un-
“ derflandingthan Fabricio, he applied himfeif whof-
“ ly to J)e execution of his cotnmii^lcns, andjludied