Bartolomé José Gallardo (1776-1852) was one of the most controversial and controversial figures of the Spain of his time. He was born in Campanario, a town in the province of Badajoz, and studied medicine in Salamanca, but soon showed his fondness for letters. Between 1802 and 1803 he published a series of pamphlets - The snitch of the diarist of Salamanca - in which he made manifestation of enlightened ideas. Shortly after, in 1806, translated to the poet Claudiano, which gave him occasion to defend his conception of the language and the poetry. In 1811 he was appointed Librarian of the Cortes of Cadiz and the following year he published the work that we have now edited.