Sebastian Francisco de Medrano

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano Reverend Monsignor, Doctor
Born	Sebastian Francisco de Medrano 1590 Madrid, Castile
Died	1653
Occupation	President and Founder of the Poetic Academy of Madrid, Poet, playwright, commissioner of the inquistion; official censor of plays, priest, chief chaplain, treasurer of the Duke of Feria, etc.
Language	Spanish
Period	17th Century
Literary movement	Baroque
Notable works	Favors of the Muses Soliloquies of the Ave Maria Evangelical and Moral Dictionary

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano (Madrid, 1590 – 1653) was the president and founder of the Poetic Academy of Madrid, also known as the Medrano Academy, located on Leganitos street in Madrid. He was the commissioner of the Spanish Inquisition, acting as the official censor of comedies. He was also a poet, playwright of the Baroque period, chief chaplain, chief almoner, and priest at San Pedro el Real in Madrid. He became the Protonotary Apostolic of the Pope, Apostolic Judge, chaplain and treasurer for Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, III Duke of Feria.

The Medrano Academy was famous for hosting key figures in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Baroque literature, some of the greatest to attend his academy are Lope de Vega, Luis de Góngora, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Francisco de Quevedo and many others.

Background

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano hails from the powerful and academic House of Medrano, one of the most noble and ancient family's to serve under the Crown of Castile. He should not be confused with the slightly earlier Sevillian poet, Francisco de Medrano. He was a contemporary and relative of Juan de Espinosa Medrano, the most prominent figure of the Literary Baroque of Peru, and one of the most important intellectuals from Colonial Spanish America.

Career

Born into the illustrious Medrano family during the Spanish Golden Age, Sebastian Francisco de Medrano most notably established the Poetic Academy of Madrid (also known as the Medrano Academy) as a teenager and became its president.

He became a doctor, Protonotary Apostolic of His Holiness, Judge, commissioner of the Inquisition, acting as the official censor of comedies. There is news of Medrano's activity as a qualifier for a censorship located in the handwritten comedy by Luis Belmonte Bermúdez, called "Casarse sin speaking," which was previously approved by Juan Navarro de Espinosa and later corrected by Sebastian Francisco de Medrano.

He was also a priest and Chief Almoner of the San Pedro el Real in Madrid. He was the chaplain and treasurer for Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, III Duke of Feria. On 29 June 1622 he joined the priestly congregation of San Pedro el Real in Madrid, eventually becoming its Secretary and Chief Chaplain.

Testimony of Alonso de Castillo Solórzano

Alonso de Castillo Solórzano himself confirms Medrano's career in the introductory to the Favors of the Muses:

Epistle to the reader: Medrano was a teenager when he founded the Academy. He had been born in Madrid, into an illustrious family at the end of the 16th century; He was a priest and commissioner of the Inquisition, acting as the official censor of comedies. He was also chaplain and treasurer of the Duke of Feria; Since 1622 he belonged to the priestly congregation of San Pedro, which made up the natural priests of Madrid, becoming secretary and chief chaplain of this institution.

Poetic jousts

Like most poets of the time, Sebastian Francisco de Medrano participated in the poetic jousts in honour of the beatification of San Isidro and was awarded in the 1622 poetic contest organized by Lope de Vega in honor of San Ignacio de Loyola and San Francisco Javier.

Creation of the Medrano Academy (Poetic Academy of Madrid)

Sebastián Francisco de Medrano created the so-called Medrano Academy that many consider to coincide with the Madrid Academy and lent his house in Leganitos between 1616 and 1622 for meetings. With a fondness for literature and art, Sebastian Francisco de Medrano continued to convene gatherings at his home and presided over the famous Poetic Academy of Madrid between 1623 and 1626. The most illustrious names in the Spanish Golden Age were part of this Academy, as Medrano himself pointed out in the introductory letter to the volume of the Favors of the Muses, an incomplete list of the participants and in many cases coinciding with the Saldaña Academy. Among them were Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, Tirso de Molina, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Luis Vélez de Guevara, Antonio Mira de Amescua, Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Alonso de Castillo Solórzano and others less known such as Jerónimo de Villaizán, José Pellicer de Tovar and Gabriel Bocángel.

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano was a close friend of Lope de Vega and Alonso de Castillo Solórzano, who were frequent attendees of his Academy. The latter compiled and published some of his verses and theatrical pieces in "Favors of the Muses bestowed on Don Sebastián Francisco de Medrano in various rhymes and plays composed in the most celebrated Academy of Madrid where he was a highly deserving president..." in two volumes. Only the first volume was published, as the second, printed somewhat later, was lost in a shipwreck while en route to Spain, as indicated by Cayetano Alberto de la Barrera in his bibliographic catalog. The verse works about the muses were composed for the Academy of Madrid and collected by Alonso de Castillo Solórzano, a great friend of Medrano and who joined the group of poets in 1619, two years after its foundation. He remembered in his verses: To an academy which was founded in Leganitos, I came to become a poet, although by novice layman. In 1620, Tirso de Molina is also noted for participating in the gatherings of the Poetic Academy in Madrid, which was founded by Sebastian Francisco de Medrano.

Testimony of Contemporary Poets and Playwrights

Among his relationships with the court poets, the friendship he apparently had with Lope de Vega stands out. Although he was not a distinguished playwright, his life coincided with the splendor of the new comedy and the vicissitudes of the theatrical revolution, with which he did not always agree. However, his defense of classical precepts did not prevent him from coexisting and friendship with Lope de Vega. As La Barrera pointed out, "he had very intimate relations with Lope de Vega, and chance caused that great man to be taken to his room, located in the Scottish seminary, when he fainted, which preceded his death by three days".

Lope de Vega

Lope de Vega referred to him, praising him in "El Laurel de Apolo" (1630) in silva VII:

"Don Sebastián Francisco de Medrano, illustrious in birth and in genius, with a different spirit, devoutly leaves behind profane writing".

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano knew how to respond to him in the "Fama póstuma a la vida y muerte del doctor frey Lope Félix de Vega Carpio" with a brief evangelical and moral discourse, based on chapter 26 of Matthew, where "the polemical target was the envious". Medrano further delves into this exposition on the close relationship he had with Lope: "The world knows well how much I loved him and how I defended him, and so silence will speak about what the eyes weep." Although Sebastian Francisco de Medrano took part in numerous panegyric speeches, where praise was filtered through the evangelical reflection demonstrating his deep understanding of biblical scripture due to his religious upbringing, the epigram dedicated to Lope has stood out for its dissemination: "Lope is here, sepulcher, in you, for it finds its place inscribed in you, for if what is good is of Lope, Lope, for being good, is of God".

Juan Pérez de Montalbán

Sebastian's relationship with Juan Pérez de Montalbán was also noteworthy and had probably developed in the Medrano Academy and during the jousts. Montalbán himself pointed this out in "Para todos entre los ingenios," praising him for his verses and his works:

"Don Sebastián Francisco de Medrano, of sweet, sharp, and clear intellect. He has written with a great display of his wisdom many verses on various subjects and some plays, not for them to be performed, but to let it be known that he can create them. Above all, he had some soliloquies of the Ave María published, which, along with devotion, provide evidence of his good studies."

Luis Velez de Guevara

Speaking about the attendance of King Philip IV at one of Medrano's academy sessions, Luis Velez de Guevara wrote:

"On that beautiful spring night in the year 1622... the Academy of that night came to an end".

Alonso de Castillo Solórzano

The friendship most supported by the literary sources is the one he had with Alonso de Castillo Solórzano, who gathered his poems and theatrical works in the volume "Favores de las musas." In fact, it was possibly "Solórzano [who] made his first trip to Italy in 1631, accompanying his friend, Don Francisco de Medrano, the assistant of the Duke of Feria, for the publication of "Favores de las musas." Not all critics accept this first trip to Italy. Juliá Martínez believes that Solórzano's involvement in the publication of "Favores de las musas" was limited to preserving and collecting the works that Medrano had read in the Academy of Madrid, of which he was the president, so it was not necessary for him to travel to Milan for the publication of the work. On the other hand, Pablo Jauralde Pou believes that Solórzano could have indeed accompanied his friend to the Lombard capital, a reason that would justify the author's absence at the burial of his lord, Pedro III Fajardo, 5th Marquis of Los Vélez, in late 1631".

In any case, the prologue of "Favores de las musas" makes their mutual friendship evident, both in the letter that Medrano dedicates to Solórzano and in Solórzano's response in his "Epistle to the Reader," with the intention of showing to the world the same as Montalbán had affirmed in his "Para todos".

A message from Sebastian Francisco de Medrano to Alonso de Castillo Solórzano

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano addressed Alonso de Castillo Solorzano in his Favors of the Muses, reproduced here in part:

"Dr. Don Sebastian Francisco de Medrano to Don Alonso de Castillo Solorzano: I beseech you, from Barcelona, not to burden yourself with such a great commitment as bringing my scribbles to light, which are so deserving of being buried in oblivion, not only out of modesty and humility but also for reason and propriety. Because when I was writing in my early years, things that even then seemed to be the passions of some, to my fortunate ignorance, were applauded by many others. And when I summoned so many flourishing minds to the academies, the glory of my house and the honor of my modest wealth, I thought (without having opened my eyes to deception) that with those youthful works, poorly or weakly founded, I would find a place among the famous, both due to the natural talent bestowed upon me by heaven and because fortune granted me some reputation through my youthfulness, allowing me to be considered knowledgeable, and even strong, as most of the elders favored me with the title of Master.

Therefore, I thought I could boast and presume. But as I gradually became wiser, I recognized the prudence in Lope de Vega, the honor of my homeland, a miracle of our nation, and a prodigy for foreigners, to whom all who wish to acknowledge the truth know how much they owe. I also saw doctor Juan de Amescua, Don Guillén de Castro y Bellvis, Luis Velez de Guevara, Don Juan de Alarcon, Don Diego Jimenez de Enciso, Tirso de Molina, Gaspar de Avila, Don Diego de Villegas y Quevedo, Don Rodrigo de Gerera, and Licentiate Luis Quiñones de Benavente. These were so marvellous in comedy and elegant in other sciences. Then I turned my attention to Francisco de Borja y Aragón, prince of Squillace, for whom heaven not only made him illustrious in blood but also equaled his genius, which was outstanding in all sciences and faculties...

These individuals are famous in all poems and celebrated in all sciences, subjects, and faculties, and are supreme objects of admiration. Seeing them, as I said, recognizing them, as I confess, and reverencing them, as I should, they have clipped the wings of my aspirations, and I have been cowed and hidden in the shadow of theirs. I praise them while studying them and remain silent while imitating them. Therefore, I implore Your Grace, since you have honoured me by presenting these works of mine to the public, to show these to those I acknowledge as my superiors, and ask forgiveness from those whom I have not named. This letter is for Your Grace, not a eulogy for others, and is written more out of humility and as an excuse for myself than for flattery or to praise others. Besides, most of the better-known individuals can be found among the lyricists in a composition if Your Grace remembers to have it printed. Do not blame these remarks, as I am so far from such matters that I am content to dabble in my limited writing, and in this, as in everything else, I am more inclined to silence in admiration and to feeling overawed. May God protect Your Grace as I desire. - Dr. D. Sebastian Francisco de Medrano. 1631"

Works by Sebastian Francisco de Medrano

Two eclogues by Sebastian Francisco de Medrano were printed separately:

• "Égloga de Sebastián Francisco de Medrano. Dirigida a Doña Ana de Andino, y Luçuriaga..." (1621)
• "Égloga... a la señora doña Isabel de Andrade" (1623)

He also wrote an "Evangelical and Moral Dictionary," dedicated to Lope de Vega, and "Soliloquies of the Ave Maria" (Madrid, 1629). In 1645, the separate publication "El Nombre para la Tierra y la Vida para el Cielo. Triunfo de la Justicia. Empressa Grande. Emblema Misterioso. Inscripción Peregrina. Geroglífico Claro. Asumpto Heroico..." was released, a dramatic panegyric on the death of Queen Isabel de Borbón.

Favors of the Muses

Title Page of the Favors of the Muses by Sebastian Francisco de Medrano (1631)

Favors of the Muses, miscellany by Sebastián Francisco de Medrano, was published in Milan in 1631 by Juan Bautista Malatesta, as indicated in the description on its cover: "Favors of the muses, made by Don Sebastian Francisco de Medrano. In several Rhymes, and Comedies, which he composed at the most famous Academy of Madrid where he was Most deserving President. Compiled by Don Alonso de Castillo / Solorzano, close friend of the Author. Milan, Juan Baptista Malatesta, at the expense of Carlo Ferranti, 1631". The first volume includes:

• Book One: Epic or Heroic (by the Muse Calliope)
• Comedia de las Venganzas de Amor (Page 21)
• Book Two: Elegiac (by the Muse Clio)
• Comedia de las Venganzas de Amor (Page 109)
• Book Three: Tragic (by the Muse Melpomene)
• Tragedia del Lucero Eclipsado (Page 119)
• Book Four: Ludicrous or Burlesque (by the Muse Erato)
• Comedia de las Venganzas de Amor (Page 180)
• Book Five: Comic (by the Muse Thalia)
• Comedia Intitulada 'Lealtad, Amor, y Amistad' (Page 191)
• Triunfo de la Alegría en Diálogo (Page 293)

These books, and comedies are from the works of Doctor Don Sebastian Francisco de Medrano, which are included in his first volume of the Favors of the Muses, divided into five books, which includes four sonnets, two silvas, his tragedy "El Lucero Eclipsado, San Juan Bautista," and the comedy "Las Venganzas de Amor," dedicated to the Duchess of Feria, Juana Pacheco. It also contains the comedy "Lealtad, Amor y Amistad" (dedicated to Leonor de Portugal, Marquesa de Arizcal de la Rivera) and the dialogue "El Triunfo de la Amistad."

Juan Bautista Malatesta made it clear why it was divided into two volumes:

"Because there are many eager to see these works by Senor Doctor Don Sebastiano Francisco de Medrano, collected by Don Alonso de Castillo Solorzano, and they have urged me insistently and have pressed me to publish them, I have chosen to divide them into two volumes, although I have adhered to the arrangement outlined in the beginning by the nine Muses. I promise, however, that it will be read quickly in such a way that there will be no delay, and you will be able to have one volume, and I will remain obligated to provide individual copies to all."

Medrano's "Favors of the Muses" obtained the approval of the Holy Inquisition and examined by Fr. Bartholome Corradi of the Order of Preachers:

"the Reverend Father Master Fray Juan Miguel Pio de Bolonia, Inquisitor General of the State of Milan, entrusted me to examine this book, and I have read it not only with pleasure but also with admiration. It is titled "Favores de las Musas," made by Don Sebastian Francisco de Medrano; I have not found anything within it that goes against our holy faith, to the detriment of the honor of princes, or of good manners. Instead, it will be of great utility to all those who read it, both in terms of morality and Catholicism, and because in its expression, it is a delight to the senses. Therefore, it seems to me that it can be printed. In the Convent of Our Lady of Graces in Milan, on the 16th day of the month of September 1631."

It was also approved by Doctor Justo Thotbapiano:

"Your Grace entrusted me to examine this flourishing Parnassus of Doctor Don Sebastian Francisco de Medrano, which, like a brother, has favorably embraced art in his expression, and whose excellence should not be envied. I curiously began to peruse it, and I found it admirable, venerating his imagination as a miracle, or rather, holding it in high esteem as a wonder. It is a triumph of elegance in what is sweet and eloquent, a light to civil life in matters of civility. An example for good morals in the moral realm, and in everything, both wise and Catholic, as is desired by God. To be of benefit to those who wish to learn, to delight poets with something agreeable and fitting, and to offer the promise of perpetuity, not on perishable paper but written in eternal bronze, for our age and for future generations to emulate. Thus, it seems to me, in Milan on the 20th of September 1632. Doctor Justo Thotbapiano. Imprimatur by the Inquisitor in Milan, Paulus Mazuchellus, on behalf of the Reverend Chapter during the vacancy of the See. Comis Majoragius on behalf of the Illustrious Senate".

Theatrical Works in the "Favors of the Muses"

Thalia, muse of comedy, holding a comic mask.

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano's work is notable for the poems dedicated to the five muses: Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Erato, and Thalia. The comedies contained in the volume are of special interest due to the fact that they are among the few plays attributed to the author and the disputed authorship in some cases. So far, only four theatrical works have been catalogued for Sebastian Francisco de Medrano, and three of them are found in "Favores de las musas", these are:

• "Las venganzas de amor"
• "El lucero eclipsado, San Juan Bautista"
• "Lealtad, amor y amistad"

As for the fourth play, there is only one known separate edition from 1645, titled "El nombre para la tierra y la vida para el cielo." Urzáiz also mentions a fifth play, divided into two parts, "Los estragos por la hermosura," attributed to Medrano in a manuscript catalog from the BMPS. However, this document is not very reliable, and it also attributes the play to Corella Medrano. Vázquez Estévez specifies the dialogue "El Triunfo de la alegría," also included in the miscellany of "Favores," as a play. An examination of the poetic forms in the five books inspired by the muses and included in the volume prevents some historians from considering this dialogue as a theatrical work. Given Medrano's limited theatrical production, the comedies in this volume gain relevance due to their differences in style and forms among themselves, as well as their bibliographical history.

Las venganzas de amor (The Revenges of Love)

Of the three comedies contained in the miscellany, Sebastian Francisco de Medrano's "Las venganzas de amor" is one of the most unknown in terms of origin and bibliographical tradition. The comedy, divided into three acts and without scenes, is of a mythological nature. Its characters are: The god Apollo, The god Cupid, The goddess Diana, The goddess Venus, The god Mercury, The god Mars, The god Momus, Daphne (a nymph), Adonis (prince of Phoenicia), Actaeon (prince of Thebes), and Musicians. More than a conventional comedy, it is more like a poetic declamation by each of the gods, in which Sebastian Francisco de Medrano showcases the use of verse in the classical and preceptivist manner through their dialogues. This comedy, on the other hand, is part of a miscellany of 'favores' (favors) offered by the various muses: Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Erato, and Thalia.

El Lucero Eclipsado, San Juan Bautista (The Eclipsed Star, St. John the Baptist)

Massimo Stanzione - Beheading of St John the Baptist (1635)

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano's El lucero eclipsado, San Juan Bautista, is a tragedy about the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. The tragedy consists of five acts with two scenic scenes each, except the last act with three scenes. Each act ends with a chorus that gives uniformity to the division of the scenes, while maintaining a classical structure compared to the approaches of the New Comedy. The theme of martyrdom, briefly developed in the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Mark, had already been treated previously in the liturgical drama in Latin and in the mysteries of the 15th and 16th centuries. The story of a tragedy was not conducive to the new times of 17th century comedy. However, Sebastian Francisco de Medrano saw in the argument the possibility of remembering the classical precepts. As Pérez de Priego commented: "He would conceive his tragedy as a pure academic exercise, aimed more than anything at proving the viability of classicist precepts, "so that it can be seen - as Solórzano stated in the prologue - that there are those in Spain who know how to do it with great care".

The characters in Sebastian Francisco de Medrano's "El Lucero Eclipsado, San Juan Bautista" are a reflection of the biblical story with the necessary licenses for theatrical construction: Truth in the habit of a nymph; King Herod, tetrarch of Galilee; Heliab, prince; Shimei, Abner and Ananias, his disciples; Asher, tribune; Gershom, mayordomo of King Herod; Queen Herodias and her daughter Salome; Saint John, star of the sun and the choir of intelligence.

The plot of the comedy has similarities with other works of the time, which led Varey and Shergold to think that the existing Manuscript 15243, anonymous, with the title Sun Star, Saint John the Baptist, could be the work of Medrano or the Mermaid of Jordan by Monroy. The description by Manos Teatros of the manuscript once again makes clear the confusion regarding the comedy: "By the hand of the bookseller Matías Martínez, with some handwritten notes from Don Francisco de Rojas. […] Unpublished, according to Durán, which has references to Castro's: “Beheading of San Juan Bautista.” La Barrera says that perhaps it is from Medrano."

Neither of the two manuscripts, attributed to Monroy, show apparent similarities with Medrano's work published in Favors of the Muses. These are two totally different works, although the character of Saint John the Baptist in Medrano's work appears as 'sunlight', an appreciation that Pérez Priego analyzed in his study on the evolution of the tragedy of the Baptist. Unlike this mixture, Medrano's work follows the evangelical tragedy without compromising with the new fashions of the moment.

Lealtad, amor y amistad (Loyalty, Love and Friendship)

Medrano's "Loyalty, love and friendship" was published one year before the one authored by Montalbán, edited by Montalbán's father in the Second volume of comedies with the title "Love, Loyalty and Friendship," and previously in Zaragoza in 1632; a comedy that Medrano must have known during the years of friendship with Montalbán and to which he surely added some of his own verses. Medrano published his a year before Montalbán, but a stylometric analysis does not show accuracy with the other two comedies contained in the volume, although it does with the work of Pérez de Montalbán, as the new editions of the comedy noted. This shows how the stylometric analysis of the golden miscellanies is a field to explore in order to examine possible concomitances between the various genres cultivated by playwrights.

Books by Sebastian Francisco de Medrano

• "Favors of the Muses bestowed on Don Sebastián Francisco de Medrano in various rhymes and plays composed in the most celebrated Academy of Madrid where he was a highly deserving president..." (Milan: Juan Baptista Malatesta, 1631).
• "Eclogue by Sebastián Francisco de Medrano. Addressed to Doña Ana de Andino, and Luçuriaga..." (1621).
• "Eclogue... to Lady Doña Isabel de Andrade" (Madrid: Bernardino de Guzmán, 1623).
• "Evangelical and Moral Dictionary."
• "Soliloquies of the Ave Maria" (Madrid, 1629).
• "The Name for the Earth and Life for Heaven. Triumph of Justice. Great Device. Mysterious Emblem. Pilgrim Inscription. Clear Hieroglyph. Heroic Subject..." (Madrid: Catalina del Barrio, 1645).
• "Charity and Mercy, which the faithful must provide for the extreme need suffered by the blessed Souls of Purgatory: with all the jubilees earned in Madrid throughout the year on specific days, festivities, and churches... so that they may be applied to them as a form of suffrage..." (Madrid: Domingo García y Morrás, 1651).