BOSCAN, ALMOGAVER, JUAN, a Spanish poet of the sixteenth century, born at Barcelona about the year 1500. He was the intimate friend of Garcilasso de Vega, and with him contributed essentially to the improvement of Spanish poetry. He was the first who introduced endecasyllabic verse, and transported into the Castilian tongue the sonnets and other poetical forms consecrated by the usage of the best Italian authors. His poetry is divided into three books, the first of which contains only redondillas, while the two others are filled with the pieces which he composed after he adopted his new method, namely, canciones, sonnets, tercets, compositions in the ottava rima, and some writings in blank verse. Boscan was tutor to the celebrated Ferdinand de Toledo, duke of Alba, and appears to have died before the year 1543. His works were printed in conjunction with those of his friend Garcilasso, at Medina in 1544, 4to, at Leon in 1549 in 16to, and afterwards at Venice in 1553, 12mo.