BOSCAN, Juan, a Spanish poet, celebrated as the introducer of Italian measures into Spanish literature, was born about the close of the 15th century. The exact date is unknown, but it was probably a few years before 1500. He was of patrician birth and appears to have passed some years in military service. He died in 1540 at Perpignan, where he was residing with the duke of Alva. His poems were published in 1543 at Barcelona by his widow. They are divided into four books which mark out distinctly the stages of Boscan’s poetical history. The first book contains light poems in the Old Castilian metres, resembling the Cancioneros. These were written in his youth, before 1526, in which year he became acquainted with Andrea Navagiero, ambassador from Venice. Navagiero urged him to adopt some of the Italian measures, and his advice gave a new turn to Boscan’s activity. The second and third books contain a number of pieces in Italian metres, sonnets, canzones, and poems in blank verse, terza rima, and octaves. The longest of these poems is the Hero and Leander, in blank verse. The fourth book contains his best effort, the Allegory, written in the maturity of his powers, and exhibiting great delicacy of imagination and skilful verse composition. He also published, in 1534, a translation of Balthasar Castiglione’s Italian poem The Courtier. Boscan’s greatest follower in the endeavour to mould Spanish poetry after Italian models was Garcilassa de la Vega, whois more celebrated than his master.

See Bouterwek, Spanish Literature, vol. i.; Ticknor, History oj Spanish Literature, vol. i.