Ercilla, Aeneid's censor

Abstract

The Pablo Neruda Foundation keeps, among the books that belonged to the poet, a copy of the rare first edition of the Spanish translation of the Aeneid made by Gregorio López de Velasco, published for the first time in Toledo, in 1555. This specimen has a censure or approval of the work signed by Alonso de Ercilla, without date and not known until today. The article examines this approval, studies its authenti- city, establishes the period in which it may have been drafted and outlines its importance for the study of Virgil’s influence in the Araucana.