QUINTANA, MANuEi. Jost, surnamed the " Spanish Tvrticus," was b. at Madrid, April 11, 1772, studied at Salamanca, and established himself as an advocate in his native city, where his house became a resort of the advanced liberals of the time. Among his earliest productions were his Odes, which gave him a place in the first rank of Spanish poets. On the outbreak of the war of independence, lie made good use of his lyric gift to stimulate the patriotism of his countrymen, and otherwise distinguished himself us editor of the Semenario Patriotico, and author of the manifestoes of the insurrectionary juntos, and of most of the official statements of the first Cortes. Meanwhile, he did not abandon lit erature, properly so called. Besides his Spanish Plutarch (Vidas de los Espaholes Celebres, Madr. 180S-84), a work which is reckoned one of the finest Spanish classics, he pub lished one or two tragedies, and an excellent selection of Castilian poetry (Poeslas &lee tas Camtillanas, 3 vols. Madr. 1808). On the restoration of Ferdinand VII. in 1814, Quin
tana's liberalism caused his imprisonment for six years. On his release in 1S90 he was received in Madrid with acclamations, and appointed president of public instruction. But his enthusiasm in the cause of liberty was now considerably quenched, and in its place appeared a spirit of subservience to royalty which greatly detracted from his pre viously patriotic character. In 1833 be was reappointed director-general of public instruc tion, an office which he held till 1851. Ile was also made a peer and a senator. and acted as tutor to the young queen Isabella from 1840 to 1843. On Mar. 25, 1855, Quin tana was honored with a public ovation in Madrid, had a speech made to him by the cortex, and a crown of golden laurel placed on his brows by the hand of Isabella herself. He died Mar. 11, 1857. Quintana's works are to be found collected in the Biblioteca de Autores Espaholes of Rivadeneyra (Madr. 1852).—See Kennedy's Modern Poets of Spain, and Ticknor 's History of Spanish Literature.