Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 1

I4Q THE ADVENTURES OF
good fortune to be employed in a Ihop for j.;
beard ana lodging: here, however, L ftayed j
hx months; being feduced by a brother joun |
man of my acquaintance, who longed to fee I}
drid, and with whom I fet out for that c.
There I got a place on the fame terms as at Se y
via, in a well-accullomed Ihop, much frequerl^.
on account of the neighbourhood of the chii (.
of Santa Cruz,and the prince’s theatre : my i;r ;;
Her, two journeymen, and I, being fcarce fiU
cient to trim all our cuilomers, who confiftec ^
people of all ranks, and, among others, of plaj |.
and authors. One day two perfons of the ! v
proleffion, being there together, began to * r
courfe about the poetry and poets of the tii| r
and hearing them mention the name of my 1 jj.
cle, I liftened to their converfation with great t,
tention. “ Don Juan de Zaveleta (laid one
them) is an author, in my opinion, beneath 1 ...
public notice; a cold genius, a man with(j ^
fancy : his laft piece has done him infinite prei
dice.” “ And pray, (faid the other) has e> r
Lewis Valez de Guevara .produced a good worj|;
was ever any thing more wretched than his pe |
formances ?” They named a great many me
poets, whom I have forgot. 1 remember orl^
that they fpoke contemptuoufly of them all, e ^
cept my uncle, of whom they made honourat ^
mention, agreeing that he was a lad of merj
“ Yes, (faid one of them) Don Pedro de , |
Fuenta is an excellent writer: his books contaj
a delicate raillery mixed with erudition, whic i
make them agreeably latirical,. and 1 am not | ■
all furprized at his being efleemed by the cod ;
and city, or at his receiving falaiies from level •
grandees.” He has, im.cod, (laid the other) ei [
joyed a pretty large income thefe many yeai j,
ai^ i