(Or COVARRUBIAS Y LEYVA) Born in Toledo, Spain, 25 July, 1512;
died in Madrid, 27 Sept., 1577. According to his biography by
Schott (in the Geneva, 1679, edition of Covarruvias), his
maternal grandfather was the architect of the Toledo cathedral.
His master in law, both canonical and civil, was the famous
Martin Aspilcueta , who was wont to glory in having such a
disciple. At the age of twenty-one, Covarruvias was appointed
professor of canon law in the University of Salamanca. Later on
he was entrusted with the work of reforming that institution,
already venerable for its age, and the legislation which he drew
up looking to this end remained in effect long after his time.
Such was the recognized eminence of his legal science that he
was styled the Bartholo of Spain. His vast legal learning was
always set forth with a peculiar beauty of diction and lucidity
of style, says Von Scherer (see below). His genius was
universal, and embraced all the sciences subsidiary to, and
illustrative of, the science of law. If