His friendly witness, Barbier, informs us that, though Torres Naharro was quite competent to write his plays in Latin, he chose Castilian of set purpose that "he might be the first to write in the vulgar tongue." This phrase, taken by itself, implies ignorance of Encina's work; in any case, Torres Naharro develops his drama on a larger scale than that of his predecessor. His _Prohemio_ or Preface is full of interesting doctrine. He divides his plays into five acts, because Horace wills it so, and these acts he calls _jornadas_, "because they resemble so many resting-points." The personages should not be too many: not less than six, and not more than twelve. If the writer introduces some twenty characters in his _Tinellaria_, he excuses himself on the ground that "the subject needed it." He further apologises for the introduction of Italian words in his plays: a concession to "the place where, and the persons to whom, the plays were recited." Lastly, Torres Naharro divides dramas into two broad classes: first, the _comedia de noticia_, which treats of events really seen and noted; second, the _comedia de fantasía_, which deals with feigned things, imaginary incidents that seem true, and might be true, though in fact they are not so. Of the _comedia de fantasía_ Torres Naharro is the earliest master. He adventures on the allegorical drama in his _Trofea_, which commemorates the exploits of Manoel of Portugal in Africa and India, and brings Fame and Apollo upon the stage. The chivalresque drama is represented by him in such pieces as the _Serafina_, the _Aquilana_, the _Himenea_; while he examples the play of manners by the _Jacinta_ and the _Soldadesca_. Each piece begins with an _introyto_ or prologue, wherein indulgence and attention are requested; then follows a concise summary of the plot; last, the action opens. The faults of Torres Naharro's theatre are patent enough: his tendency to turn comedy to farce, his inclination to extravagance, his want of tact in crowding his stage—as in the _Tinellaria_—with half-a-dozen characters chattering in half-a-dozen different languages at once.