Ruiz, Juan

Ruiz, Juan, archpresbyter of Hita, in Spain, probably flourished during the reign of Alphonso XI. He is known to have been imprisoned by the bishop of Toledo about 1333 for his zeal in attacking the laxity of discipline and worldly manners of the clergy. The most of his life was spent in Guadalajara and Hita. He wrote a humorous poem describing his adventures, which is a mixture of all kinds of measures, containing hymns, pastoral poems, and epilogues, in the confusion of which the original plan of the work is entirely lost. The style of this work has been compared in some respects to that of Chaucer. See Ticknor, History of Spanish Liternature; Puymaigre, Les Vieux Auteurs Castillans.