Chronology
1527: Born.
1520: Sent to study law at the University of Salamanca.
1541: Joined the Order of Saint Augustine.
1558: Awarded a Master of Theology degree.
1559: Receives a Chair at the University of Salamanca.
1561: Professor of Theology at the University.
1572-1577: Placed in prison by the Spanish Inquisition.
1577: Exonerated by Inquisition; resumes teaching.
1580: Professor of Sacred Scripture at the University.
1582-1584: Recalled by Inquisition. Admonished.
1591: Elected Provincial of the Augustinian Order.
1591: In retirement, died in community at Avila, Spain.
Arrested by the Spanish Inquisition, Luis was imprisoned for five years, and for a long time was not even told of the charges that had been made against him.
When Luis de Leon was released of prison, he returned to his teaching position at the University of Salamanca.
He recommenced his teaching in 1576, which was done in the Latin language. As has often been told (but without much historical foundation), he resumed lecturing with an opening remark filled with irony.
It what has become one of the most famous sentences in Spanish history, after five years absence in prison Lius began with the words, "Dicebamus hesterna die.. ('As we were saying yesterday'...)".
Thus with Stoic brevity he conveyed the same meaning as is contained in the contemporary phrase, "As I had been saying before I was rudely interrupted..."
His hearers had anticipated that he would have said much more about his five years of fruitless imprisonment.
(Continued on the next page.)
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