In 1546 he entered the Society of Jesus, taught classics with great success, and was rector of the colleges of Coimbra and Évora.

His Latin grammar was adopted as a standard work by the Ratio Studiorum, or Plan of Studies, of the Jesuits.

On this account it is more than a mere grammar; it is also a work on the method of teaching Latin, and gives an insight into the system of the old Jesuit colleges.

Even Jesuits, in the "Trial Ratio" of 1586, raised six objections, and desired, particularly, a better arrangement of some parts and greater clarity.

To be sure, to beginners everything was explained in the vernacular; but the early use of a grammar written in Latin accustomed the pupils to speaking and writing that language.