486 Who wrote Gil Bias ? [Nov. 



have given of the Spanish idiomatic phraseology and style with the 

 theory of a Spanish manuscript, the spirit of which Le Sage found it 

 impossible to entirely divest his translation. 



Sdly. Of the names of persons and places. 



Upwards of three hundred places in Spain, and four in Portugal, are 

 mentioned in the course of the novel — some few of which are scarcely 

 known to exist but by native Spaniards. The heraldic knowledge dis- 

 played by the author is likewise very extensive. Thirteen dukes and 

 eleven marquisses are introduced into the novel by their real titles, all 

 of whom lived under the reigns of Philip the Third and Philip the 

 Fourth. Among the dukes, we find De Frias, constable of Castile ; and 

 De Medina de Rio Seco, admiral of Castile. It is worthy of remark, 

 that, at the period of the publication of the novel by Le Sage, these two 

 offices no longer existed. They had been abolished by Philip the 

 Fourth, in consequence of the noblemen who were invested with those 

 dignities, at the period of the war of succession, having embraced the 

 faction of the house of Austria. The names also of a great number of 

 persons of eminence who flourished at Madrid under the two reigns, 

 are mentioned — the characters of many of them described with a fidelity 

 of colouring which supposed opportunity of often repeated observation. 

 Such are. Padre Louis Aliaga, confessor to Philip the Fourth, archi- 

 mandrite of Sicily, and grand inquisitor ; Don Rodriquez Calderon, 

 secretary to the king ; Miguel Cervantes de Saavedra, the author of 

 " Don Quixotte ;" Luiz Velez de Guevara, the author of " Le Diable 

 Boiteaux ;" Dona Anna de Guevara, nurse to Philip the Fourth, and 

 who had a great influence over him ; Doiia Maria de Gusman, only 

 daughter of the Conde Duque d'Olivares ; Don Henri Philip de Gus- 

 man, his adopted son; and several others of equal note, of whom Le Sage 

 could have no knowledge. The portraits of the Count Duke of Lerma 

 and the Count Duke d'Olivares, successively prime ministers and confi- 

 dential favourites of Philip the Third and Fourth, ai*e drawn with a 

 spirited truth and discrimination which supposes the author to have 

 moved in the immediate circle of the court. The extensive knowledge 

 of proper names displayed by Le Sage, not only of the aristocracy, but 

 also of the inferior ranks of society, could never have been obtained by 

 a foreign writer who knew Spain but through the medium of romances 

 and dramatic works. But what demonstrates with stronger evidence a 

 Spanish manuscript in the French text of Le Sage, is the existence of 

 between thirty and forty names allegorical of the characters and avoca- 

 tions of the persons to whom he has applied them. Such are — " San- 

 grado," in allusion to the favourite doctrine of the doctor of that name ; 

 " Don Cherubini Tonto" (imbecile), in allusion to his cast of mind; the 

 silversmith " Salero" (salt-seller), from his selling such articles ; Don 

 Vicente de " Buena-garra" (gripe-hard), and Don ]\Iathias del " Cordel" 

 (cord), are the names of the two leaders of the band of swindlers esta- 

 blished at Toledo, and are significant of their profession ; " Mondragon," 

 the bully, who frightened Gil Bias out of Valladolid ; Vicente " Forrero," 

 the innkeeper of INLadrid, because the forreros (strangers) lodged at his 

 house. These, and several others, would have puzzled the most skilful 

 translator to have rendered into French without violating their allego- 

 rical signification ; while a French writer would have scarcely sought 

 in a foreign language for names significant of the characters and avoca- 

 tions of the persons introduced in his work, which must have been per- 

 fectly unintelligible to the major part of his readers. 



