AYA'LA, PERO LOPEZ DE, called El Viejo, to distinguish him from his son of the same name, was b. at Murcia in 1332, of one of the first families of the Castilian nobil ity. He stood high in the regard of several kings of Castile, and filled the first offices of the state, latterly, that of high-chancellor and high-ehamberlain of Castile. At the battle of Najera, in 1367, he was taken prisoner by the English, then in league with Peter the cruel, and confined for some time in an English dungeon; and again in 1385, by the Portuguese, at the battle of Aljubarota. He d. at Calahorra, in 1407. A. has acquired a name, not only as a statesman, hut as a writer, especially as a historian and poet. His best known work is his Cronicas de los Reyes de Castilla D. Pedro, D. Enrique D. Juan. I., D. Enrique III. (2 vols. Madr. 1779-80—the older editions of 1495 and 1591 are imper fect). He was the first Amon°. the Spaniards to give up the usual simple narrative of
events in the order of time, and to seek to give a more rational representation of them according to the rules of historic art. It is only in recent times that the poetical works of A. have been discovered, the most remarkable of which is the Libro o' Rintado de Palacio. This "Book in Rhyme on Court-life," as its singular title may be translated, was begun during the poet's first captivity in England, and is composed in the old national form of rhyming Alexandrine stanzas of four lines; the contents are satirical and didactic. A. appears also in his poetical works as a representative of that transition epoch of Spanish national literature, when it was passing from a popular original litera ture to one of a more artificial imitative character.