After a long period, during which the name of Oña had passed from public notice, there appeared in Seville in 1639 a poem by him entitled _El Ignacio de Cantabra_, celebrating the founder of the Jesuits, and setting forth the supernatural events which the poet’s fancy associated with the spiritual life of his hero. At the same time the author gives some account of the miracles that justified Ignacio’s designation as a saint, and presents certain theological dissertations. The action of the poem is clogged by the numerous descriptions of Ignacio’s spiritual views and torments, and the poem itself is overloaded with the narration of events that involve supernatural beings. This later work indicates that with advancing years religious ideas became gradually the prepossession of Oña’s mind. It shows, moreover, that he had effected a radical change in his system of versification. The verses of his first work ran without difficulty and without apparent effort, but in the last the writer weighed every phrase, sought for transpositions however violent they might be, parodied the poetic style, and polished his stanzas for fifteen years.[74] The poem appears not to have had a second edition, but it is said to have contributed much to enhance and confirm the poet’s reputation in Europe. II In the course of his investigations in the National Library in Madrid Barros Arana brought to light a poem in manuscript, belonging to the class of historical narrative poems already considered. There is in the manuscript no indication of the name of the writer, but it has been ascribed to Juan de Mendoza Monteagudo. The poem is divided into eleven cantos, containing a total of about eight thousand lines. It deals with the events and the period treated by Ercilla, the wars between the Spaniards and the Araucanians; it is written in the form of verse used in _La Araucana_. [Sidenote: Mendoza’s subject] Here is the author’s announcement of his subject: La guerra envejecida y larga canto, Tan grave, tan prolija y tan pesada Que a un reino poderoso y rico tanto Le tiene la cerviz ya quebrantada. Y en el discurso de ella también cuanto Han hecho memorable por la espada Aquellos que a despecho del estado El gran valor de Arauco han sustentado. Los casos contaré más señalados En el discurso desto acontecidos Entre los españoles no cansados Y los rebeldes indios invencios.[75] III [Sidenote: Toledo with Sotomayor’s expedition]