Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro

Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro (born Oct. 8, 1676, Casdemiro, Spain—died Sept. 26, 1764, Oviedo) was a teacher and essayist, a leading 18th-century Spanish stylist.

A member of the Benedictine order, he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Oviedo. His essays publicized and encouraged the spread of the new scientific knowledge and exalted reason. His two principal works, Teatro crítico universal (1726–39) and Cartas eruditas y curiosas (1742–60), deal with an encyclopaedic variety of subjects: natural science, education, law, medicine, philology, and popular beliefs or superstitions.