Since he was a small boy, he had a vocation for literature, and, at only 8 years old, he was sent to Lisbon, to live under the care of an uncle.

With 16 years old, he entered the University of Coimbra, where he learnt mathematics and canon law.

However, he did not abandoned his philosophical and satirical poetry, writing the poem Ode ao Homem Natural in 1784.

In 1801, he returns to Rio de Janeiro to visit his mother, settling permanently in the town.

During his final years in Rio, he wrote many letters for his friends, but only five of them exist today.