1831.] Who wrote Gil Bias ? 483 



Critiques sur le Roman de Gil Bias," which he submitted, in 1820, to 

 the Acaderaie Francaise, and, shortly afterwards, published in a more 

 voluminous form. Neufchateau replied in a subsequent memoir, pre- 

 sented to the academy in January, Hi22, and entitled, " An Examina- 

 tion of the New System in regard to the Authorship of Gil Bias, in 

 answer to the Critical Observations of Llorente." Here the controversy 

 terminated : both authors, having made out their case to their own satis- 

 faction, left the decision to the public. 



There is a French chaleur and impetuosity of style in the memoir of 

 Neufchateau, which singularly contrasts with the solemn gravity of 

 tone, and equanimity of temper, displayed throughout the controversy 

 by his Spanish opponent. Deeply versed in the history and literature 

 of his native country, rendered by profound meditation completely 

 master of the subject, Llorente takes the field with an overwhelming 

 mass of arguments and powerful illustrations — handles the former with 

 admirable skill — holds the latter in hand till the favourable moment for 

 deploying had arrived, and then, bursting like a mountain-torrent on 

 his adversary, he carries in succession all his positions, and remains 

 master of a field which he had previously studied with the eye of a con- 

 summate tactician. 



The existence of an original Spanish manuscript is demonstrated on the- 

 following grounds : — 1st. From the variety of Spanish words and 

 phrases scattered throughout the novel ; — 2ndly. From the French 

 words mid phrases, which do not correspond with Le Sage's usual ele- 

 gance of style, and which preserve all the traces of a literal translation 

 from the Spanish ; — 3dly. From the immense number of Spanish proper 

 names — persons, families, and districts of no historical importance — 

 of which it was impossible for Le Sage to have had any knowledge but 

 from a Spanish manuscript; — 4thly. From the accurate knowledge 

 displayed by the author, of the moral, civil, political, heraldical, and 

 genealogical history of the Spanish peninsula ; — 5thly. From the errors 

 in writing the names of persons and places, which so frequently occur in 

 the course of the novel, and which could only have arisen from an error 

 of transcription ; — Gthly. From the vast multitude of chronological errors 

 which we also discover, proceeding from the same cause, or from the 

 circumstance of the various episodes introduced in the novel belonging 

 to chronological eras different to that of the leading narrative ; — 7thly. 

 That the sources from which many of the materials of the novel are 

 derived, are known to be Spanish ; — and, lastly, from the strong, deep, 

 and exquisitely vivid Spanish colouring which pervades every part of 

 the work down to the most minute details. Indeed it is a solecism to 

 suppose that a foreigner, who had never resided in Spain, could, from 

 the mere perusal of Spanish works, have so completely identified his 

 intellectual nature with the different state of society existing in that 

 country, as to have written Gil Bias. It is easy for the poet or the 

 novelist to lay tlie scene of his fictions in a foreign land, and to shed 

 around the leading features an air of truth and probability ; but the case 

 changes when the familiarity with foreign objects and manners supposed 

 by the style and fable, goes beyond a certain limit, and wi>en the sub- 

 stance, as well as the form and colouring, display, in the remarkable 

 manner they do in Gil Bias, the peculiar characteristics of some remote 

 age or distant country. If Gallaud liad published " The Arabian 

 Nights," or Sir William Jones his translation of the Indian drama of 



2 II 2 



