ENCINA
411
ENCISO
distinction of having been one of the pioneers of classi-
cal humanism in Germany. Despite his renown and
brilliant manner of teaching, Eraser's lectures at Leip-
zig on the classics, in 1505, aroused little admiration.
Disgusted at his faihu'e he turned to the study of the-
ology and won the degree of bachelor. George of
Saxony befriended him in a financial way during these
and subsequent years. Dissatisfied with the methotls
of teaching theology then prevalent, Emser applied
himself earnestly to canon law, and on the completion
of his studies served George of Saxony as secretary.
At the request of the latter he composed a Latin ode in
honour of St. Benno of Meissen, who had just been
canonized. This canonization was largely due to the
efforts of Emser at Rome, whither he went in 1510 at
the express wish of George of Saxony, who saw in this
solemn act a source of glory for his realm. The life of the
new saint, which Emser wrote in faultless Latin on his re-
turn in 1512, is worthless from a critical point of view.
About this time Emser received Holy ortiers and two
prebends at Dresden and Meissen. While preaching
by command of George of Drestlen, he became better
acquaintetl with Luther. Emser admired the fiery
.\ugiistinian; Luther, the accomplished litterateur.
But in 1519 they parted. At the disputation in Leip-
zig, Luther, to the express dissatisfaction of George of
Saxony, who was present with Emser, gave utterance
to Hussite opinions of a radical sort regarding the
pope. Emser was deeply pained at this; and on learn-
ing that the Bohemians, in two semi-public letters,
hailed a second Hus in Luther, he declared in a letter
to John Zack that Luther had reprimanded the Bohe-
mians for their attitude towards the pope, and had up-
held the papal supremacy as a necessary means to pre-
vent division. Emser added a very lucid explanation
based on Scripture in proof of the primacy, and in a
subjoined poem dealt a severe blow to the calumnies
against the pope. Luther soon learned the contents
of this letter and, regarding it as an attempt to dis-
credit him among the Bohemians, replied in his " Ad
aegocerotem Emseranum M. Luther atlditio", where
abuse of all kind was heaped upon the Church. Emser
answered with an equally violent though not scurril-
ous work: "A venatione lutheriana aegocerotis Asscr-
tio", in which he portrayed the certain scandal arising
from the words and conduct of a refractory monk. He
defended the Scriptures in a very personal way against
the arbitrary interpretation of Luther. The letter
closes with a history of his life, which was intended to
offset the aspersions cast on his probity by his oppo-
nent. Luther replied by burning at Wittenberg this
letter and other writings of Emser, together with the
Bull of excommunication and the "Corpus juris cano-
nic! " (10 Dec, 1520). This insult did not provoke
Emser. But as Luther displayed an incredible literary
activity in 1520, Emser WTote eight polemical works in
1520 and 1521 which abound in personalities and invec-
tive, yet defend the Faith in a masterly way and clearly
point out the logical results of the new teaching. In
1522 he translated the address which the Englishman,
John Clark, delivered on handing over to Pope Leo
X the book written by Henry VIII against
Luther. (O'Donovan, The Defence of the Seven
Sacraments by Henry VIII, New York, 1908, pp.
110-17.) Among other works may be mentioned his
German translation of the New Testament with a laud-
atory preface by George of .Saxony. Eraser showed
in this work the liberties taken by Luther with the
Scriptures and refuted his errors.
Waltan, Nachricht von H. Enutn-'s Lehert und Schriften (Anspach, 17.83); Janssen, Gesch. des deutschen Volkes (1893), III, 46fi sq.; ScHARFFin Kirchenlex.. IV, 479.— The following are non-Catholic: Kawerau. Hieronymus Emser (Halle, 1898); MoBEN, H . Emser der Vorkampfer Homs gegen die Reformation (Halle, 1890); Keff.rstein. Der LauMand in dm Bibeliiber- selzungen von Emser und Eck (Jena, 1888). Emser's polemical writings of 1521 against Luther were edited in two small vol- umes by Endem (Halle. 1890-92).
Tho8. M. Schwertneb.
Encina (or Enzina), Juan de la, Spanish draraatic
poet, called by Ticknor the father of the Spanish .secu-
lar drama ; b. in the village of Encina near Salamanca,
7 Aug., 146S; d. in Salamanca, 1534. He was edu-
cated at the LTniversity of Salamanca, whence he pro-
ceeded to Madrid, where at the age of twenty-five he
became a member of the household of Fadrique de
Toledo, first Duke of Alba. Later, Encina went to
Rome, where he took orders, and owing to his skill in
music attracted the attention of Leo X who made him
maestro di capella, which was a signal honour. In 1519
he accompanied Fadrique Afan de Ribera, Marquis of
Tarifa, on a pilgriraage to the Holy Land, where he
reraained two years, and upon his return in 1521 he
published a poetical account of his travels, rather de-
void of literary raerit, under the title "Trabagia 6
Via Sagrada de Hierusalem". At a more advanced
age, he was appointed prior of Leon and returned to
Spain, where he died. He was buried in the cathedral
of that city.
Encina published the first edition of his works under the title of " El Cancionero ' '. This was reprinted five times during the sixteenth century, showing that he enjoyed great popularity. Although he wrote lyrical poems, songs, and viUa?icicos in the old Spanish style, his most important works were his draraatic composi- tions which he himself calls re presentaciones, and which fill the fourth division of his "Cancionero". They are eleven in number, all in the nature of eclogues, and written in some forra of old Spanish verse; in all there is singing, and in one of them a dance. They there- fore have several elements of the secular drama, the origin of which, according to Ticknor, can be traced no further back by any existing authentic monument. Two things must be considered, however, in connexion with the.se compositions as the foundation of the secu- lar drama. One is that they are eclogues in form and name but not in substance; the second, that they were really acted before an audience. The date of these performances has been given as early as 1492. The representacioTies have not much dramatic merit. They are crude and slight, and there is no pretension to a plot. Some of the most important works of Encina are: "The Triumph of Love", " The Knight who turns Shepherd ' ', and " The Shepherds who t urn Court iers ". He was also the author of a prose work on the condi- tion of the poetic art in Spain entitled "Arte de Poesia Castellana", published about 1497.
Ticknor, History of Spanish Litrratnre (Boston, 1866); Encina, Teatro Completo . . . ediciun de la Real Academia Espanola (Madrid, 1893); Cotarelo v .Mori, Estudios de His- toria Literal^ de Espana (1901).
Ventura Fuentes.
Enciso, Diego Ximenez de, dramatic poet, b. in Andalusia, Spain, c. 1585; date of death unknown. All trace of him is lost after 16-32. He was much ad- mired and praised by Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Montalviin; the last considers him a "model for those who wish to write great comedies". Although he enjoyed some fame, as his frequent mention by his contemporaries would show, he has shared the fate of many other Spanish dramatists of his day, and his works have undeservedly been consigned to oblivion. In his catalogue of the Spanish tlieatre, Cayetano Barrera gives a list of eleven plays by Enciso, but most of them are scattered throughout the great libra- ries of Europe, and only three have reached several editions, namely, "El Principe Don Carlos", "La Mayor Hazaiia del Emperador Carlos Quinto", and "Los M^dicis de Florencia". To the average reader, however, only the last named is easily accessible. It is to be found in " La Biblioteca de Autores Espafi- oles". These three plays were probably chosen for repeated editions because they show Enciso at his best. Enciso's idea of the historical drama is thor- oughly unique for a Spanish dramatist, for he alone of all his contemporaries seems to regard the historical
