Tobias Smollett, in the preface to his first novel, acknowledges the influence of Alain René Le Sage's L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane on his work. Smollett's translation of Gil Blas appeared nine months after the publication of Roderick Random. This chronicle of a merry, philosophical young man presents special problems for a translator. Smollett, without always adhering to the literal expression of the novel's language, is true to its style, spirit, and ideas.