Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 3

33? Ths ADVENTURES of
“ By your leave, SigniOr GH Bias, (faid hiy fe-
cretary, interrupting me) ‘I am not altogether of
your opinion, with regard to the pretended frugality
you praife fo much. Why fttould we live like
Diogenes ? if we indulge our appetites a little,
we (hall not "find otirfelves a bit the worfe for it. \
Take my advice, and fince we have, thank God,
wherewithal to render our retreat agreeable,' let us
not make it the habitation of hunger and poverty.
As foon as we (hail have got poflefiicn of our land,
we muft fortify our houfe with good wines, and
all other provifions fuitable to people of t'afte, who
do not quit the cbrnmerce of'rpankind, with ,a
view of renouncing the conveniences of life ; but 1
rather to enjoy them with more tranquillity. I
“ That which a man has in his hbufe (fays Heliod) |
never hurts hirri ; Whereas, that which he has not, j
may. It is better (adds the fame author) for a man (
to have all things neceflary in his pdfleflion, than «
in his wifh only.”
“ How the devil! Mr. Scipio, (cried I) come you 1
to know the Greek poets? Ha! where did you 1
pick up acquaintance with Hefiod ?” ‘‘In the .<
houfe of a learned man, (he replied.) I ferved a
pedant at Salamanca feme time. He was a great t
commentator, and would tofs you up a large volume
in a twinkling, compofed of Hebrew, Greek and ;
Latin quotations, taken from books in his library,
and trandated into the Caftilian tongue. As I was
his amanuenfis, I retained in my memory a great
number of fentences, as remarkable as that which
3 repeated.” “ If that be the cafe, (faid I) your
memory is well garnilhed. Bur, to return to our
fcheme, in what kingdom of Spain do you think
we fhould eftablilh our philofophical refidenqe ?’”
*' 1 vote for Arragon, (replied my confident) we
will