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

THE ADVENTURES
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“ King, who has fpofce to me of Lucretia with fa
“ much vivacity, that I am convinced he is capti-
“ vated by that young player; and as I told him that
u thou waft the oecafion of bringing her from To-
“ ledo, he /aid he fliould be glad to talk with thee
“ in private on that fubjeift. Go inftantly and pre-
“ fent thyftlf at his chamber-door, where there is
“ an order already given to admit thee. Run there-
“ fore, and bring me back as foon as poflible an ac-
“ count of the converfation.”
I flew inftantly to the palace, where I found the
King alone, walking very faft in erpeiftation of my
coming, and feemingly very much perplexed. He put
ieveval queftiorrs to me about I.ucretia, whofe hf-
ftory he obliged me to recount: he then a/ked, if the
little gentlewoman had never been engaged in any
intrigue. I boldly aflured him that fhe had not,
(though thefe forts of aflurances are a little rafh)
and the Prince feemed very glad to hear it. “ If
“ that be the cafe, (faid he) I chufe thee for my
“ agent with Hucretia; and defire, that by thy
“ means fire may this evening learn her victory-.
i‘ Go, fignify her conqueft from me, (added he,
putting into my hand a diamond necklace worth
“ forty thoufand crowns) and tell her, that I defire
^ fhe will accept of that prefent, until I give hep
“ more folid marks of my affecftion.”
Before I performed this commilbon, I went back
to the Couat-Duke, and made a faithful report of
what the King had faid : with this I imagined the
Minifter would he more affliifted than rejoiced; fop
I believed, (as I have already ob/erved) that he him-
felf had amorous views upon Lucretia, and would
he chagriued, to hear that his mafter was become his