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

0 F G I L B L A S. nr
w doubloons a month! (cried I) that is a great deal.”
“ How! a great deall (replied he, with an air of
“ aftonilhtnent) you would give a piftole a-month
“ to a mailer of philofophy.”
There was no refilling fuch a pleafant reply, at
which I laughed heartily, and alked Signior Ligero,
if he really thought a man of his profeflion prefer¬
able to a mailer of philofophy. “ Doubtlefs, (faid
“ he) we are of much greater ufe than thofe gentle-
■“ men. What is a man before he has palled thro’
“ our hands ? what but an ill-licked cub ? but our
■“ leffons mould him by little and little into a due
form. In a word, we teach him to move grace-
“ fully, giving him attitudes and airs of dignity and
** importance.”
I yielded to the arguments of this dancing-mailer,
whom I hired for Don Henry at the rate of four
double pifloles a-month, fmce that was the price of
great mailers of his art.
CHAP. VI.
Scipio returning from New-Spain, Gil Bias fettles hint
in the fervke of Don Henry. The Jiudies of that
young nobleman, -with the honours -which -were conferred
upon him, and an account of the lady to -whom he -was
married. Gil Bias becomes noble in /pile of himfelf.
1H A D not as yet completed the half of Don Hen¬
ry’s family, when Scipio returned from Mexico.
1 alked him if he was fatisfied with his voyage, and
he anfwered, “ I have reafon to be fo; lince, with
“ three thouland ducats in fpecie, I have brought
“ over twice as much in merchandize Of the con-
** fumption of this Country.” “ I congratulate thee,
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