ENCINA or Enzina, Juan del, the founder of the Spanish drama, was born in 1468 or 1469, either in the city of Salamanca or more probably in the neighbouring village of Encinas. After studying at the university of Salamanca under the patronage of the chancellor Don Gutierre de Toledo, brother of Don Garcia, count of Alva, he proceeded to Madrid, and became, when about twenty-five years of age, a member of the household of Don Fadrique de Toledo and Dona Isabel Pimental, the first duke and duchess of Alva. In or about the year 1492— the year, that is, in which Columbus added the new world to the dominions of Spain—the poet began to entertain his patrons by the representation of comedies of his own composition, in which he sometimes played the part of the Gracioso, or buffoon. In 1496, under the title of Cancionero, he published a collection of nine dramatic and numerous lyrical poems, divided into four parts, dedicated respectively to their Catholic majesties, to the prince Don Juan, to the dukes of Alva, and to Don Garcia de Toledo. Some years afterwards he went to Rome, joined the clerical order, attracted the attention of Leo X. by his skill in music, and was appointed his maestro di capella. Great praise was bestowed by his contemporaries on a farce, Placidae Victoriano, published by him in 1514; but of the justness of their criticism we have no means of judging, since, owing in all probability to its insertion in the Index ∑xpurgatorius, all copies of it have perished. In 1519 the poet went to Jerusalem in company with the marquis of Tarifa, Don Fadrique Enriquez Afan de Riberon; but he was again in Rome about the middle of 1520, and in the following year published his Trabagia o Via Sacra de Hierusalem, a versified account of his journey, which has since been ...