He obtained a minor post in the civil service under the liberal government, and on his discharge determined to earn his living by writing for the stage.

[1] His first piece, Á la vejez viruelas, was produced on 4 October 1824, and proved the writer to be the legitimate successor of the younger Moratín.

His industry was astonishing: between October 1824 and November 1828, he composed thirty-nine plays, six of them original, the rest being translations or recasts of classic masterpieces.

[1] He was dismissed from the national library, and for a short time was so unpopular that he seriously thought of emigrating to America; but the storm blew over, and within two years Bretón de los Herreros had regained his supremacy on the stage.

[1] According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, "[n]o Spanish dramatist of the nineteenth century approaches him in comic power, in festive invention, and in the humorous presentation of character, while his metrical dexterity is unique.