MORAT, ineirn". A town of about 2400 in habitants, in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzer land, on the lake of Morat, miles north by west of Fribourg. It is famous for the victory of the Swiss and their allies, 25,000 in number, over Charles the Bold (q.v.), Duke of Burgundy. with an army of 35,000 men, June 22, 1470.
mo'ni-ten'. LEANDRO FERNANDEZ nk: (1760-1828). A Spanish dramatist, born in Madrid, the son of Nicohis FerMindez de Moratin. A year spent at Paris had much influence upon the artistic development of the young poet, who was later to make the Molieresque drama success ful in Spain. Beturning to Madrid in 1778. lie gained the favor of the powerful Godoy, and was allowed to have his play in verse, El riejo y In cnaea. produced upon the stage at Madrid in 1790. This drama WaS followed by a more im portant piece (in prose). the Cafe, also called the ('onnrilia nacre (1792). a sharp satire upon the wretched playwrights of the day. At the ex pense of the Government. Moratin went almond to study the foreign stage. From Paris he passed on to London, and after a year in that metropolis, where he began his translation of Thrialet (published in 17981, he journeyed through Holland, Flanders, Germany, Switzer land, and Italy. After his return he was for a while a member of the bureau established to reform the theatre. ills third comedy, El baron, originally written as a zatrzuela or vaudeville, was performed in 180:3, and the next year wit nessed the appearance of a third comedy in verse, the itojigata (The Female hypocrite). 1Vith the Si de las ninas, the second of his prose com edies, he reached the height of his power and fame'. Moliere was the guiding star of Moratfn the Younger in all his dramatic compositions. Yet Moratfn displays originality, for he excel lently deseribes the manners of his time and handles dialogue with skill. Though he adhered to the French system of unities, he also adopted certain peculiarities of the native Spanish stage, dividing his plays into three acts. using the
favorite short roma ner verse, and introducing sonic truly Spanish intrigue into his plots. Taking him for all in all, lie was the best dra matist that Spain had had since the Siglo de Oro. In Moratfn brought out a successful trans lation of Moliere's Ero/r des marls. At Baree lona, in 1S14, there was a representation of his version of Moliere's lab. lie was at Bayonne and Bordeaux after 1S21. and at Bordeaux he finished his historieal account of the Spanish stage, once c lea (co rapes el (11.
Ile died in Paris in 1828. His works may be read in volume ii. of the Biblioteca de autorcs Consult Ford's edition of the Si de las ninas (Boston, 1S99).
IVIORATiN, NICOLAS FERN, NDEZ nE ( 1737 SO). A Spanish playwright, called the Elder, born in Madrid. Ile was a teacher as well as a man of letters, and had a chair of poetry in the Imperial College. The chief significance of the work of the elder Moratfn lies in the fact that he contributed to the success of the principles of literary art imported from France. Spanish literature had greatly degenerated when this reform movement to which :Wrath) belonged undertook to improve matters by following the rigid rules of French classicism. Moratfn illus trated these rules in a comedy, Pet inictra ( printed in I702), and a tragedy. Lucretia, neither of which appeared upon the stage. llis drama Her/rush/du and his tragedy Ortzwein el bueno were performed with sonic success. Of his other productions there may he mentioned the Diana, a short poem on the chase; the narrative, or epic poem as he called it, Las naves de ('ones, celebrating the burning of his ships by the Con quistador; and his well-known gaintillas on a bull-fight. Consult his works in volume ii. of the Biblioteca dc natures cspaholes ; and the ilocin on the bu11-tight in J. D. Ford, A Spanish Anthology (New York, 1901).