Gil Blas, son of Blas of Santilla´ne, ’squire or “escudero” to a lady, and brought up by his uncle, Canon Gil Perês. Gil Blas went to Dr. Godinez’s school, of Oviedo [O.ve.á.do.] and obtained the reputation of being a great scholar. He had fair abilities, a kind heart, and good inclinations, but was easily led astray by his vanity. Full of wit and humor, but lax in his morals. Duped by others at first, he afterwards played the same devices on those less experienced. As he grew in years, however, his conduct improved, and when his fortune was made he became an honest, steady man.—Lesage, Gil Blas (1715).
(Lesage has borrowed largely from the romance of Espinel, called Vida del Escudero Marcos de Obregon (1618), from which he has taken his prologue, the adventure of the parasite (bk. i. 2), the dispersion of the company of Cacabelos by the muleteer (bk. i. 3),the incident of the robber’s cave (bk. i. 4, 5), the surprise by the corsairs, the contributions levied by Don Raphael and Ambrose (bk. i. 15, 16), the service with the duke of Lerma, the character of Sangrado (called by Espinel Sagredo), and even the reply of Don Matthias de Silva when asked to fight a duel early in the morning, “As I never rise before one, even for a party of pleasure, it is unreasonable to expect that I should rise at six to have my throat cut,” bk. iii. 8.)
Gilda, beautiful daughter of the jester, Rigoletto. She is beloved by his master, the duke, who abducts her, Rigoletto conniving at the deed under the impression that the wife of his enemy occupies the chamber given without his knowledge to Gilda.—Verdi, Rigoletto.
Gildas de Ruys (St.) near Vannes, in France. This monastery was founded in the sixth century, by St. Gildas, “The Wise” (516-565).
For some of us knew a thing or two
In the abbey of St. Gildas de Ruys.
Longfellow, The Golden Legend.
Gil´deroy, a famous robber. There were two of the name, both handsome Scotchmen, both robbers and both were hanged. One lived in the seventeenth century and “had the honor” of robbing Cardinal Richelieu and Oliver Cromwell. The other was born in Roslin, in the eighteenth century, and was executed in Edinburgh for “stealing sheep, horses and oxen.” In the Percy Reliques, I. iii. 12, is the lament of Gilderoy’s widow at the execution of her “handsome” and “winsome” Gilderoy; and Campbell has a ballad on the same subject. Both are entitled “Gilderoy,” and refer to the latter robber; but in Thomson’s Orpheus Caledonius, ii, is a copy of the older ballad.
⁂ Thomson’s ballad places Gilderoy in the reign of Mary, “queen of Scots,” but this is not consistent with the tradition of his robbing Richelieu and Cromwell. We want a third Gilderoy for the reign of Queen Mary—one living in the sixteenth century.
Gilding a Boy. A naked boy was gilded all over, to adorn a pageant when Leo X. was made Pope, and died of suffocation.—Vasari, Life of Puntormo.