FERREIRA, Antonio (1528-1569), Portuguese poet, was born at Lisbon in 1528. He was of a noble family, and completed his education at the university of Coimbra. Destined for the public service, he applied himself to the study of the law; but although he obtained the degree of doctor, and held a high legal office at Lisbon, he was far more deeply interested in literature than in jurisprudence. The poetry of Horace especially fascinated him; and, resolving to write in the Portuguese tongue alone, he set before him as his special task to give to Portuguese poetry a classical purity, precision, and elegance of style. While still at the university he composed most of his Sonnets, in which the influence of Petrarch appears, without, however, his passion or his grace. At the same period he produced his comedy of Bristo, which he is supposed to have afterwards retouched and perfected. His chief dramatic work is the tragedy of Inez de Castro, the first Portuguese tragedy, and the second in modern European literature, the only one of earlier date being the Italian tragedy of Sofonisba by Trissino. Ferreira’s elegies are numerous, but few of them bear the impress of sincerity of feeling. One of the most admired is that on “May” and the return of spring. The Epistles of Ferreira, forming the largest portion of his works, were the first of their kind in Portuguese literature. They were addressed to many illustrious persons during his residence at court, in the maturity of his powers and knowledge of the world. Usually didactic and serious in tone, studious of correctness and classical elegance of form, the poetry of Ferreira lacked the inspiration of genuine passion and the power to touch the hearts of his countrymen. It never became popular. He was looked up to, however, as an ...