BERNARDES, Manoel. - Portuguese writer and religious of the Congregation of the Oratory, b. in Lisbon on 20 Aug. 1644, d. there on 17 Aug. 1710.
Eloquent and profound theologian, of rich and lively imagination, in the *Exercicios espiritualis a meditatoes* (1686) he reveals to the soul the miseries of life, so as to exhort it to divine contemplation, while in *Luz e Calor*, published in the same year, he aims to enlighten reason and strengthen the love of God. Of the nine chapters which this latter work contains, particularly noteworthy are the 2nd on the disturbances provoked in the spirit possessed by the demon, and the 3rd which constitutes a synthesis of rational psychology. In *Ultimos fins do homem* (1728) he returns to treat of man’s final destiny; but the best-known and most esteemed of his works is the voluminous collection of maxims, apothegms and reflections entitled *Nova floresta* (1706–28). B. is one of the masters of Portuguese literature and the principal figure of Oratorian mysticism.
Modern editions of his works include, among others, that of *Luz e Calor* (Lisbon 1871), of *Nova Floresta* (ibid. 1909) edited by J. Pereira de Sampaio, of some sermons, besides an anthology edited by A. de Campos (ibid. 1920).