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Religious freedom has always been considered to be a central issue in liberal and enlightened thought. Thus, attention has often been drawn to the shortage of observations on tolerance in the works of Spanish enlightened reformers, as also to the uncompromising prohibition of non-Catholic religions contained in the Cadiz Constitution of 1812. In recent years, some scholars have argued that, because of the absence of religious minorities in Spain, the dominating influence on Spanish society of the Catholic Church and Spain's insufficient openness to European culture, Spanish liberals did not really begin to appreciate and discuss religious freedom as an ideal until the periods of exile following from 1814 and 1823. This paper aims to show, however, through analysis of one of the most relevant Spanish journals of the eighteenth century, that the matter of freedom of religious belief was indeed debated in Spain during the reigns of Carlos III and Carlos IV and that, in spite of the threat of censorship, some Spaniards did dare to write and publish work in favour of religious tolerance during that period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the theatrical genre of the loa as it evolved in Spain in the second half of the seventeenth century. After reviewing some of the main studies which discuss this genre and outlining the main stages in its development, this article considers the generic type of the loa entremesada from two perspectives: discussing, on the one hand, the growing professionalism that affected all theatrical manifestations, including the loa; and, on the other, considering the aspirations entertained by those who composed works of this kind to attract noble and royal patronage. For it is necessary to take account of such influential factors when evaluating the products of the Spanish stage in that period. The context within which the loa entremesada evolved is that in which the commercial and court theatre operated and interacted, and in which both benefited by sharing playwrights, companies and the repertory of plays, despite the different demands made by their different stage-facilities and -techniques. Whatever the type of theatre in which it is performed, whether palace-theatre or corral, the loa always functions on two levels: on the restricted level of its own content, and on the other level where it illuminates the more extensive dramatic work which it both precedes and serves to introduce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]