The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane

Chapter IV. Santillane is invested by the minister with a new employment.

526 The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane I did not at all doubt, that Laura would exhort Lucretia to swerve from her duty, rather than remain in it, and I depended a good deal on that exhortation. Nevertheless , I learned with surprize next day, that Laura had as much difficulty in swaying her daughter to vice, as other mothers have to form theirs to virtue; and which is still more surprizing, Lucretia, after having granted some private interviews to the monarch, felt so much remorse for having yielded to his desires, that she quitted the world all of a sudden, and shut herself up in the monastery of the Incarnation,9 where she soon fell sick, and died of grief. Laura being inconsolable for the loss of her daughter, whose death she upbraided herself with, retired into the convent of the female penitents, there to mourn the pleasures of her youth. The King was affected by the unexpected retreat of Lucretia; but being of a humour not to be long afflicted at any thing, consoled himself by degrees for this event. As for the Count-Duke, altho’ he did not seem very much touched at this incident, it did not fail to give him a great deal of mortification ; and this the reader will easily believe. chapter iv. Santillane is invested by the minister with a new employment. Iwas also sensibly affected by the misfortune of Lucretia, and felt such remorse for having contributed to it, that looking upon myself as an infamous wretch, in spite of the quality of the lover whose passion I had served, I resolved to abandon the Caduceus1 for ever. I even expressed to the minister the reluctance I had to bear it, and begged he would employ me in something else. “Santillane, (said he) I am charmed by thy delicacy; and since thou art a man of such honour, will give thee an occupation more suitable to thy virtue. This it is; listen attentively to what I am going to impart. “Some years before I was in favour, (continued he) chance one day presented to my view a lady so handsome and well made, that I ordered her to be followed. I learned that she was a Genoese, called Donna Margarita Spinola,2 who lived at Madrid on the revenue of her beauty, and that Don Francisco de Valeasar,* an alcalde3 of the court, a rich old married man, spent a great deal of money upon the coquette. This report, which ought to have inspired me with contempt for her, made me conceive a violent desire of sharing her favours with Valeasar; and to satisfy it, I had recourse to a female go-between, who had the address in a little time to procure for me a private interview * Don Francisco Valeasar actually married this lady when she was big with child, and adopted the boy, whom he educated and acknowledged as his own son, during the space of 31 years; at the expiration of which the Count-Duke finding himself without heirs male, had him legitimated and created Marquis of Mayzena. Volume Four: XII.4 527 with the Genoese; and that was followed by many more, so that my rival and I were equally well treated for our presents. Perhaps too, she had other gallants as happy as we were. “Be that as it will, Margarita, in receiving such confused homage, insensibly became pregnant, and brought forth a son, the honour of whom she bestowed on each of her lovers in particular; but not one of them being in conscience able to boast himself the father of that child, it was disowned by them all, so that the Genoese was obliged to maintain it with the fruit of her intrigues: this she did for eighteen years, at the end of which term dying, she has left her son without fortune, and, which is worse, without education. “This (pursued his Grace) is the secret I had to impart, and I will now inform thee of the great design which I have projected. I will bring this unfortunate child from obscurity , and making him pass from one extreme to another, raise him to honours, and own him for my son.” At this extravagant project, it was impossible for me to hold my tongue. “How! my Lord, (cried I) can your excellency have taken such a strange resolution? pardon me for using that term, which hath escaped my zeal.” “Thou wilt find...