in the popular octosyllabic verse; and now, hopeless of the future and broken in spirit, he decided to go to Italy, for a poet the land of promise. He started early in 1522, travelling widely in the peninsula, and during his stay he wrote his moving knightly and pastoral romance , mostly known as (taken from its incipit), in which he related the story of his unfortunate passion, personifying himself under the anagram of "Bimnarder," and Dona Inês under that of "Aonia." The title can be translated as Maiden and Modest, and is regarded as one of the finest examples of the genre of pastoral romance in Renaissance literature. Return and decline When he returned home in 1524, the new king, John III, restored him to his former post, and it is said that he paid a last visit to his love at St Clare's convent and found her in a fit of madness. From that time his mental powers declined. About 1534 he suffered a long illness, and he continued to decline until his death. He was unable to fulfil the duties of his office, and in 1549 the king bestowed upon him a pension for his support. He did not live long to enjoy it, as in 1552 he died at All Saints Hospital in Lisbon. The was not printed until after Ribeiro's death, and then first in Ferrara in 1554. On its appearance the book made such a sensation that its reading was forbidden, because it disclosed a family tragedy which the allegory could not hide. It is divided into two parts, the first of which is certainly the work of Ribeiro. However, opinion has been divided on the second. One edition of the first part was made by Dr José Pessanha (Oporto, 1891), and a more current edition was made in 2012 (see bibliography). Ribeiro's verses, including his five eclogues, were reprinted in a limited edition by Dr Xavier da Cunha (Lisbon, 1886). Bibliography References External links 1482 births 1552 deaths Portuguese poets Portuguese male poets Portuguese Renaissance writers 16th-century Portuguese people 15th-century Portuguese people People from Setúbal District