Favores De Las Musas

''Favores de las Musas'' (English: Favors of the Muses) is a remarkable Spanish Golden Age miscellany by Sebastián Francisco de Medrano, first published in Milan in 1631 by Juan Bautista Malatesta. This work, celebrated for its literary and theatrical contributions, is dedicated to His Excellency Theodoro Trivulzio, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Prince of Musocco. As indicated on the title page, the collection includes "various rhymes and comedies" composed by Medrano during his presidency at the prestigious Medrano Academy, with contributions compiled by his close friend, Alonso de Castillo Solórzano. The volume is structured into five books, each inspired by a Muse from classical mythology—Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Erato, and Thalia—and features a range of poetic and dramatic works. Among its notable contents are the tragedy ''El Lucero Eclipsado'', ''San Juan Bautista'', the mythological comedy ''Las Venganzas de Amor'', and the play ''Lealtad, Amor y Amistad''. These works, dedicated to prominent figures of the time, showcase Medrano’s mastery of classical and preceptivist forms, blending poetic elegance with moral and religious themes.

Despite its literary acclaim, only the first volume of ''Favors of the Muses'' was widely circulated, as the second volume was tragically lost in a shipwreck on its way to Spain. The publication received the approval of the Holy Inquisition.

Publication

''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".

Content

Titled "''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''..." the first volume includes:
* Book One: Epic or Heroic (by the Muse Calliope, pages 1–20)
* 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 Sebastián 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, Ana Fernández de Córdoba y Figueroa. 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''.

The miscellany reveals an impressive roster of participants in Medrano's Academy in Madrid, featuring distinguished poets and playwrights such as Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, Luis Vélez de Guevara, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and many others.

II volumes

Medrano's close friend, Alonso de Castillo Solórzano, a frequent attendee of the Medrano Academy, 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.

Carlo Ferrente, co-publisher ("at his expense") of Medrano's miscellany, made it clear why ''Favores de las Musas'' was divided into two volumes:

Because there are many eager to see these works by Senor Doctor Don Sebastiano Francisco de Medrano, compiled by Don Alonso de Castillo Solorzano, and they have insistently urged me and pressed me to have them published, I have resolved to divide them into two volumes, even though the style adheres to the arrangement outlined in the beginning with the nine Muses. However, I promise that the publication will proceed with great brevity in such a way that there will be no lack, and the two can be combined into one volume. I will remain obligated to provide this satisfaction individually to all. Farewell.

Epistle

In the epistle, Alonso de Castillo Solórzano writes his intentions for Medrano's work, reproduced here in part:

With courage and audacity, dear reader, I offer this prologue to win your favor through pleasant works, as I would with my own. The confidence I hold in presenting these Rhymes, which have been celebrated in manuscript form at the Court of Spain where they were composed, encourages me to believe that, once printed, they will be equally pleasing to you. Within, you will find a variety of ingeniously crafted verses, as refined and inspired as the offspring of the brilliant mind of Don Sebastián Francisco de Medrano. Much paper could be spent praising him, though as his true friend, I must note that he wrote these works in his youth, with a natural spirit that marks him as a born poet. He was the prince of the most renowned Academy Madrid ever had ... Interspersed with the rhymes are some of his comedies—those I could obtain. His modesty prevented him from presenting them on stage or in print, so I bring them to light on his behalf. They are directed to different ladies, to whom he sent them for their enjoyment, and now they appear publicly with the same protection under which they were shared privately. If I am faulted for publishing them, I must justify myself by pointing to his approval. Appreciate this service I provide you, without rushing to criticize. Should you do so, you will reveal more of your malice than your reason. Farewell.

Prologue

The first book of the works of Sebastián Francisco de Medrano (pages 1–20) is introduced as a tribute to the epic and heroic style, under the inspiration of Calliope, the greatest of the Muses. Calliope, revered as the "epic muse" by Cicero and celebrated by Aristotle and Horace for her association with heroics, embodies the spirit of this inaugural volume. The prologue emphasizes the appropriateness of Calliope's guidance in honoring heroes and adhering to the rigor of poetic sense. Positioned as a response to both critics and detractors, the work confidently aligns itself with artistic principles while resisting undue conformity to external judgment. The book opens with Calliope's favor, and by the authority of Virgil's words: "''Carmina Calliope libris heroica mandat''" (Calliope entrusts heroic songs to books).

Theatrical works in the ''Favors of the Muses''

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"'' (pages 21–108)
* ''"El lucero eclipsado, San Juan Bautista"'' (pages 119–179)
* ''"Lealtad, amor y amistad"'' (pages 191–292)

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)

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 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. Medrano's work follows the evangelical tragedy without compromising with the new fashions of the moment.

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. 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.

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

Medrano's ''Lealtad, amor y amistad'' (Loyalty, Love and Friendship) was published one year before the one authored by Juan Pérez de 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.

Dedication to the Prince of Musocco

Medrano dedicated his ''Favores de las Musas'' to "the Most Eminent and Excellent Lord His Excellency Theodoro Trivulzio, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church of the Title of San Crisogono, Legate a latere of the Holy Apostolic See and of our Most Blessed Lord Pope Urban VIII, in the Province of La Marca of Ancona, Vicar General in spiritual, civil, and temporal matters of the Holy Roman Empire, Prince of Misocco and the Misolcino, Count of Melcio and Gorgonzola, Lord of Cotono and Venzaguelo":

Most Eminent and Excellent Lord, As Your Eminence has no need of panegyrics or praises—being such a distinguished prince by lineage, with the antiquity of your house so well-known and your illustrious and celebrated name so frequently repeated; and for being a heroic master of moral virtues, a zealous protector of divine ones, and an insightful patron of intellect—I focus solely on seeking in you a Maecenas who might shelter this book. I refrain from overwhelming it with praises that might give it more than it deserves, or with hyperboles that might leave it less exalted than it reaches. Bound by so many reasons to the interest of illuminating these works with such patronage, I lay them at Your Eminence's feet so that they may become the head of all my efforts. And seeing them elevated so high, let the detractors be silenced and the harshest critics subdued, their presumptions humbled as they recognize the respect owed to the sanctity of such protection. Let them celebrate my wisdom in dedicating this work to you and forget their criticism of my imperfections. With this, I take leave from your feet and place myself in your hands, kissing them with the reverence I owe Your Eminence. As your most humble chaplain and greatest servant, Doctor Don Sebastián Francisco de Medrano.

Approval

Approval of the Holy Inquisition

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.

Medrano's letter to the Inquisition

Medrano, addressing the ''Venerable, Illustrious, and Revered Inquisition of the State of Milan'' at the outset of his miscellany, simultaneously reveals the intricate process of Golden Age literary approval, writing:

"I dedicate myself to the holy memory of such an exalted Tribunal, and I wish to be a part of it, so that the world may know (if my works are worthy of such an esteemed honor) the care that this sacred Inquisition takes in preventing the significant inconveniences that arise from granting permission to print any paper without it first being seen, examined, and approved. Through this diligence, it avoids the labor of later retracting unworthy works and the harm caused to the Catholic Religion by such publications. For once the bad seed is sown, it is difficult to uproot before it multiplies ... May it please God that, in other kingdoms and provinces, books would not be entrusted to those who approve them merely for the vanity of placing their name, rather than for the benefit of Christian virtue and public example. To those who, presuming their judgment is correct, risk their honor—and often lose it—by having praised what, if properly reviewed, they would judge worthy of censure ... I am grateful they are published under such high correction, subjecting myself to its amendment and censure, and declaring that they are printed and brought to light under this supervision. Because it has been noted that, in these lands, poetic expressions of divinity and other sacred and divine matters—particularly those involving love and the profane—sometimes cause scruples among the ignorant ... I want to clarify that it is not my intention to scandalize but rather to provide an example and instruction."

"I advise that all such phrases are hyperbolic epithets, commonly used in the Spanish language, many of which are so frequent they are almost proverbial. If any phrase is equivocal in Italian or does not sound right, it is the common fault of all languages that resemble each other ... With this, I have expressed my opinion, which seems to align with reason."

Approval of the Senate

''Favores de las Musas'' was also approved by Doctor Justo Thotbapiano on behalf of the Senate:

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.

See also

*Medrano Academy
*Sebastian Francisco de Medrano
*Spanish Golden Age
* Spanish Golden Age Theater

References

{{Reflist

Spanish books
1631 books
Spanish Golden Age