GONZALO DE BERCEO,
di bar-tha'o, who flourished during the first half of the 13th century, was a secular priest of San Milian Monastery, Spain, and an innovator in Spanish poetry. Little is definitely known of his life; but from internal evidence in his works, he probably died about 1260 at an ad vanced age. His writings are all of a religious character and breathe the spirit of faith and simplicity of his age. Berceo, as he was popu larly known from the place of his birth, con siderably improved the written Spanish of his day, but his work lacks the power, movement and vivacity of the Cid. Berceo's innovation in Spanish literature consisted in the use of what he called the s'quaderna
a succession of four lines rhyming with one another. This was a peculiarity which attracted attention at a time when the Spanish language was just be ginning to graft rhyme on to its alliterative verse. It caught the public fancy to such an extent that there followed a deluge of rhyme, which was often far from being wisely or artistically used. However, on the whole, the introduction of Berceo was of decided advan tage to Spanish poetry; and his rhyming sys tem was not only imitated, but continued to re tain its popularity for more than two centuries. The works of Berceo, which are of consider able extent, consist of poetical lives of San Millan, San Domingo de Silps, and Santa Orita of the 'Martyrdom of San Lorenzo,'
treated in a religious age and the novelty of the rhyme raised up for Berceo a school of imita tors many of whom carried the repetition of rhymes to a wearisome excess. Berceo prob ably borrowed his system of rhyme from Apol lonius of Tyre, though similar rhymes had been used, sparingly, however, by the troubadours, as early as 1100. It seems probable, therefore, that it may have come into Spain from Provence. Berceo was the first to give it a permanent place in Spanish literature in 1230, where it still survived at the end of the 14th century. Though of no great reach of imagina tion Berceo, by the carefulness of his rhymes, the beauty of his versification and the general harmony of his language at such an early age in the history of the Spanish tongue, has placed the literature of his country under deep obligation to him. He expresses the spirit that inspired him, in 'The Life of Santo Domingo,' which is the opening poem of his published works, when he says: °I intend to tell a story in the plain Romance, in which the common man is accustomed to converse with his neigh bors.* This choice of the vernacular was for tunate for the popularity of Berceo, and doubly fortunate for the popular speech which had already began to show its possibilities. Con sult Ticknor, G., 'History of Spanish Litera ture' (New York 1854) ; Wolf, F., 'Ueber die Lais' (Wien 1841) ; or any good work on Spanish literature.