RUIZ, roo-eth, Juan, Spanish poet: b. about 1283; d. 1350. He is frequently called the arch priest of Hita. Very little is known of his life; and the time and place of his birth are uncer tain, Guadalajara and Alcolo. (de Henares) both claiming to be the latter; for honor it certainly Is since he is easily the greatest 'of the early Castilian • writers: It is knewt that he was cast into prison 'by.order .of Cardinal Don Gil, archbishop of Toledo, mid he probablyAied there. 'At any rate he seems'
have retrained in prison some 13 years and to have composed most of his works there. His poems are stamped with the immorality of the age, but they are simple, imaginative, varied in form and very wide in range of subject. Through out them are freely scattered fables, sayings, precepts and proverbs that have become an in tegral part of the Spanish language, if indeed most of them had not already attained to that distinction before Ruiz wove them into his poems. His
openly express himself as Ruiz does, offers an excellent commentary upon the customs and the morals of the age. Ruiz is a skilful versifier and his genius is more universal than any of his contemporary countrymen. In fact he has frequently been compared to Chaucer. But while he has much of the vivacity of Chaucer and his ability for narration, lie has not his power of character painting. He strikes the personal note in a way never attained by Chau cer, and which reminds us in some respects of Byron. Ruiz is even bolder and more cynical in his burlesques of the priests and the Church. The whole paraphernalia of the Church, includ ing ("clerks and laymen, monks, nuns, duennas and gleemen? he sends forth to meet and wel come love at Toledo. In his bold humor he fears nothing and dares everything. Everywhere he strikes the personal note; and his verse and his thoughts flow with freedom heretofore un known in Spanish literature. Consult Cejador y Franca,
Ruiz' Libre de been amor° (annotated 'ed., Madrid 1913) •, Ducamin, J., (Libro de buen amor de Juan Ruiz' (Toulouse 1901); Fitzmaurice-Kelly, 'Chapters on Span ish Literature> (London 1908) ; Ticknor, G., 'A History of Spanish Literature° (New York 1854).