recent trial in Valladolid, he had repeatedly objected to all Dominicans as being so many enemies.  In the nature of things he could not be popular with the Dominicans and their sympathizers.  In this particular contest, however, his great personal qualities were somewhat overclouded.  He and Domingo de Guzman were but standard-bearers.  The conflict in which they were engaged resolved itself into a struggle for supremacy between two potent religious orders.  Apart from the personal merits of the respective candidates, the forces marshalled on each side were about equal.  Passions ran high.  Poetasters on both sides did their part.[210] It speedily became evident that the margin of the successful candidate would be narrow.  This prevision proved to be correct.  When the poll was declared on December 6, 1579, Luis de Leon’s total of votes amounted to 285, giving him a majority of thirty-six over his opponent.[211] Since he stood against Grajal, and was defeated, at the very outset of his professorial career, he had hardly ever been so pressed in any academic struggle.  Unfortunately, in the contest against Guzman there was some irregularity in the voting; each side accused the other of malpractices; an appeal was lodged on behalf of Domingo de Guzman; for some unknown reason the case was not decided till over twenty-two months later.  Finally, on October 13, 1581, judgement was delivered in favour of Luis de Leon at Valladolid.[212] The equity of this decision has been questioned;[213] but there is no reason to doubt the substantial justice of the verdict given by a court with all the facts before it, and with the opportunity of cross-examining the witnesses who appeared to give evidence.  It should be said, however, that the Dominicans never accepted the official decision, and put about a rumour that the irregularity had been committed by a supporter of Luis de Leon’s—­a supporter who (so it was alleged) some twenty years later avowed his transgression and sought to make amends for it by paying a sum of 8,000 reales into the Dominican chest.[214] Meanwhile Luis de Leon (who, like Domingo de Guzman, was perfectly innocent of any share in these clandestine manoeuvres) had taken possession of the Biblical Chair at Salamanca by reading himself in on December 7, 1579.  Hitherto his reputation, great as it was, had been more or less local:  that is to say, it depended mainly on his University lectures, which were exploited by certain unscrupulous persons.  It was not till 1580 that, at the express command of his superior, Fray Pedro Suarez,[215] he issued his first book:  a Latin commentary on the Song of Songs.  On the title-page stood a characteristic motto from his favourite Horace:  ab ipso ferro.  Possibly at this moment Luis de Leon looked forward to a period of learned leisure: 

O ya seguro puerto de mi tan luengo error! o deseado para reparo cierto del grave mal pasado, reposo dulce, alegre, reposado!

If the author of this opening stanza of Al apartamiento were optimistic enough to assume that these verses might be applied to his own case, he was destined to be speedily disillusioned.