ble contradiction.
The reader will observe, that much of the question depends upon the fact,
admitted on all sides, that Le Sage did not transcribe his version from
any printed work, but from a manuscript. Had Le Sage merely inserted
stories here and there taken from Spanish romances, his claims as an
original writer would hardly be much shaken by their discovery, supposing
the plot, with which they were skilfully interwoven, and the main bulk
and stamina of the story, to be his own. But where the errors are such as
can only be accounted for by mistakes, not of the press, but of the
copies of a manuscript, and are fully accounted for in that manner--where
they are so thickly sown, as to show that they were not errors made by a
person with a printed volume before his eyes, but by a person deciphering
a manuscript written in a language of which he had only a superficial
acquaintance, no candid enquirer will hesitate as to the inference to
which such facts lead, and by which alone they can be reconciled with the
profound and intimate knowledge of Spanish literature, habits, and
manners, to which we have before adverted. The innkeeper of Penaflor is
named _Corcuelo_ in the French version, an appellation utterly without
meaning. The real word was _Corzuelo_, a diminutive from _corzo_, which
carries a very pointed allusion to the character of the person. It was
usual to write instead of the _z_--_c_ with a cedilla, and this was
probably the origin of the mistake. The innkeeper of Burgos is called in
the French text _Manjuelo_, which is not Spanish, and is equally
unmeaning. The original undoubtedly was _Majuelo_, the diminutive of
_Majo_, which is very significant of the class to which the person
bearing the name belonged. The person to whom Gil Blas applies for a
situation at Valladolid, is called in the French text _Londona_. The real
word is Londono, the name of a village near Orduna, in Biscay. _Inesile_
is the name given to the niece of Jacinta. This is instead of _Inesilla_,
and corresponds with the French Agnes. Castel Blargo is used for Castel
Blanco. Rodriguez says to his master, "Je ne touche pas un marave_dis_ de
vos finances." The word in the manuscript was _marivedi_. Le Sage has
used the plural for the singular. "Seguier," a proper name, is used for
"Seguiar." "De la Ventileria" is the unmeaning name given to a frivolous
coxcomb, instead of "De la Ventilera." Le Sage, speaking of the same
person, sometimes calls h