FARIA E SOUSA, a Portuguese escudero, and a writer on various subjects, chiefly in the Spanish language, was born in 1590, in a country residence called Caravella, iu the province of Entre Minh° e Douro.
His talents were so precocious, that in 1600 he attended the lectures of his father and others at the University of Braga. Being desirous to become familiar with the Greek and Roman classics, lie repaired, in 1604, to the learned Goncalo de Moraes, bishop of Oporto. This new tutor soon appointed him his secretary, notwithstanding Fade's con stant rejection of all offers of preferment on condition of entering the church, sad notwithstanding his consecrating the first essays of his muse to his mistress Amelia. This lady was probably the same Donna Catalina Machado whom Feria married in 1614, whose stoical calmness in a tremendous storm at sea he celebrated in his Fuente de Aga nippe' (Od. ii. part 3). In 1619 Feria quitted Portugal to try his fortune at the Spanish court ; but his independent character prevented his success, and he returned to Portugal. Being unable to improve his prospects in Portugal, he once more resorted to Madrid, and at last in 1631 obtained the secretaryship to the Spanish embassy at Rome under the Marquis of Castel Rodrigo. He attracted the notice of the Italian literati, and even numbered Pope Urban VIII. among his patrons, but he could not agree with the marquis, and returned to Spain in 1634.
After many anfferings, proceeding from the resentment of this person age, he was allowed at last to settle as a prisoner at Madrid, where, abandoning all thoughts of advancement, he devoted the remainder of his life solely to letters with such ardour as to hasten his death, which took place on the 3rd of June 1649.
Faris adhered closely to that extravagant school which in Spain was fostered eo much by that of the Martiniets in-Italy. He revelled in bold flights of fancy, but all his beauties are like flowers buried in parasitical weeds. He wrote daily, as be says himself, twelve sheets;
and moreover had such facility in rhetorical turas and flourishes, that in a single day he could compose a hundred different addresses of congratulation and condolence. On the other hand, his historical works, which are written in Spanish, are still valuable for their subject matter. The rest of his works are not all in that language, as we find it stated in the ' Biographic Universelle.' Out of his select 600, or, as he terms them, 'six centuries,' of eonnets, exactly '200 are in Portuguese, and twelve of his eclogues are also in that language.
His works are-1st. 'Neches Claras, o Discursos morales y politicos.' 2nd. Comentarioe sobre la Lusiada,' on which he laboured twenty-five years, and yet the commentary, except on historical points, rather obscures than illustrates the original. It was prohibited first by the Inquisition of Spain, and more strictly afterwards by that of Portugal.
This occasioned the following work :-3rd. Defense por los Comen tarios sobre la Lusiada: 4th. 'Epitome de las Histories Portuguesas,' or a History of Portugal. 5th. Imperio de la China, y Culture Evangelica per los Religiosos de la Compania de Jesus,' written by Samedo, but published by Faris. The following are his posthumous works El Asia Portuguese desde 1497 haste 1640;' La Europa Portuguese haste 1557 ;" El Africa Portuguese,' translated by John Stevens, 3 vols. 8vo, London, 1796; El America Portuguese,' inedited; ‘Fuente de Aganippe, o Rinses varies ;" Divines y humanas Fierce; ' Gran Justicia do Aragon ;' at the end of which is the 'Retrato de Manuel Feria,' that is to say, his Life, by his friend Pored.. Besides this work the reader may consult Bouterwek, ' Spanish and Portuguese Literature ;' Nicholas /intoning, Biblio. Hisp. Niceron, M6moiree,' &c., vol. xxxvi.