LEON, Fray Luis DE (1527-91). A Spanish poet and mystic, born at Belmonte in La Mancha. He early entered the Augustinian Order, was trained at the University of Sala manca, and was there elected to the chairs of Thomistic philosophy and of theology. Eis abili ties as a theologian and as a linguist soon gained him great repute. In 1572, however, he was accused of having impugned the validity of the Vulgate and of having violated the ecclesiastical law which forbade the publication of unauthor ized translations of the Bible. It seems that he had rendered the Song of Songs (Song of Solo mon) -into Spanish for the benefit of a certain nun, but the publication had been brought about by an enemy without Leon's knowledge or con sent. He was detained in prison at Valladolid until 1576, when he was discharged. He em ployed the period of his imprisonment in writing. When released he was reinstated with honor in his post at Salamanca. He continued at Sala manca for became vicar-general of his Order, and finally provincial of the Augustin inns of Castile. Besides works in Latin, Leon produced much in Spanish prose and verse. Of his works in prose the most important are: The Nombres de Cristo, discussing the various appellations given to the Saviour in the Scrip tures; the Exposticidn, del libro de Job; a Spanish translation of his Latin commentary on the Song of Solomon; and a treatise on wifely duties, the Perfect() Casada. In all these he displays the
humanistic bent of one well acquainted with the Greeks and Latins. His poetry has an undying charm. Besides his original lyrics, his verse in cludes translations of classics (e.g. from Hor ace, Vergil, Yigtilfix, Pindar, Euripides, Seneca), modern works (canzoni of Bembo and Giovanni della Casa and imitations of Petrarch), and translations from sacred sources (the Psalms, Job, Proverbs. the Pange Lingua»), the Song of Solomon). Consult the edition of Leon pub lished at Madrid, 1804-16, by Merino; J. Gonzales de Tejada. Vida de Fray Luis de Leon. (Madrid, 1863) ; C. A. Wilkens, Fray Lois de Lean (Halle, 1866) ; J. D. N. Ford. Luis de Leon, the Spanish Poet, Humanist, and Hystir (in the Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, vol. xiv., No. 2). Henry Phillips (Philadelphia, 1883), Bryant, and others have made English verse renderings of some of Leon's lyrics. An edition of the Perfecta Casada appeared at Chicago in 1903.