ABSTRACT
Lope de Vega was very young when he entered the lists, and wrote his “Arcadia”. There is exaggeration in its style, and in its sentiments; yet no one can open it without becoming aware of the talent of the author. “The ‘Arcadia’ is a true story;” and again, in the prologue to the work itself, he insists several times on the fact that he describes the sorrows of another, not his own. Lope gives an animated description of the setting forth of the Armada, – its drums and clarions, its gay pendants, the ploughing up of the waves by the keels, and the gathering together of the busy crews. Vega wrote a poem of ten cantos in short verse, numberless sonnets and ballads, and two comedies. These were published under the feigned name of Tomé de Burguilos, and are among the best of Lope’s compositions.
