In the wake of the annexation to the Habsburg monarchy (perceived by some as a threat to national integrity, by others as a long overdue integration in a Pan-Iberian "Spain"), Portuguese national self-consciousness is exacerbated, and permeates every kind of artistic expression. In this context, a anonymous member of the court arranges this collection of lyric poems and political documents so that they engage in a dialogue that provokes reflection over issues of national identity. The unity of purpose of such a rich and varied codex will remit us to the theoretical reconsideration of the concepts of miscellany and song-book.

The first annotated, critical edition of a characteristic work of Charles V's reign. Written in Valladolid around 1540, it reflects the cultural and ideological effervescence of its ambiance. A dialogue about the education of the ideal scholar, in the tradition of the paradigmatic educational treatises, it becomes a truly encyclopedic work. My extensive annotations review Classical, Medieval and Renaissance intellectual and literary history, which, along with the variants existing between the two extant autograph versions, allows us to recognize intellectual and ideological implications.

Establishes the rhetorical continuity between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by tracing the presence of scholastic discourse in the aforementioned work, chosen as a paradigm of Renaissance prose.