‘ 
846 
connection than the order in which 
_ they took place, and these are ren- 
dered still more wearying by the 
endless apostrophes and reflections 
of the author. The metre, however, 
is wonderously stimulant, and con- 
trasts provokingly with the dull 
matter which it conveys ;—it is one 
of the vernacular metres. Lope 
says the verse shall be Castilian as : 
wellas the subject. 
Lope de Vega’s fame was now 
very high. 
*¢ Henceforward the licences pre- 
fixed to his ‘books do not confine 
themselves to their immediate object, 
the simple permission ‘to publish, but 
contain long and laboured enco- 
miums upon the particular merit of 
the work, and the general character 
and style of the author. ‘This was 
probably the most fertunate period 
of his life. He had uot, it is true, 
attained the summit of his glory, but 
he was rising in literary reputation 
every day ; and as hope is often 
more delightful than possession, and 
there is something more animating 
to our exertions while we are pant. 
ing to acquire then when we are 
Jabouring to maintain superiority, 
it was probably in this part of his 
life that he derived most satisfac- 
tion from his pursuits. About this 
time also we must fix the short date 
of his domestic comforts, of which, 
while he alludes to the toss of them, 
he gives a short but feeling descrip- 
tion iv his Eclogue to Claudio :” 
“Yo vi mi pobre mesa in testimonio, 
Cercada y rica de fragmentos mios, 
Dulces y amargos ros 
Del mar del matrimonio, 
Y vi pagando su fatal tributo,! 
De tan alegre bien tan triste luto. 
n * Pellicer Life of Cervantes. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1806. 
“<The expressions of the above 
are very difficult, if not impossible, 
to translate, as the metaphors are 
such as none but the Spanish lan. 
guage will admit. The following is 
rather a paraphrase than a _transla- 
tion. 
“ T saw a group my board surround, 
And sure to me, though poorly 
spread, 
"Twas rich with such fair objects 
crown’d, 
Dear bitter presents of my bed ! 
I saw them pay their tribute to the 
tomb, 
And scejies so cheerful change to mourn, 
ing and to gloom. 
“Of the three persons who 
formed this family group, the son 
died at eight years, and was soon 
followed by his mother ; the daugh. 
teralone survived our poet. ‘The 
spirit of Lope seems to have sunk 
under such repeated losses. Ata 
more enterprising period of life, 
hé had endeavoured to drown his 
grief in the noise and bustle of a mi- 
litary life; he now resolved to- 
sooth it in the exercise of devotion. 
Accordingly, having been secretary 
to the inquisition, he shortly after 
became a priest, and in 1609 a sort 
of honorary member * of the 
brotherhood of St. Francis. But 
devotion itself could not break in 
upon his habits of composition ; and 
as he had about this time acquired 
sufficient reputation to attract the 
envy of his fellow poets, he spared 
no exertions to maintain his post, 
aud repel the criticisms of his ene- 
mies.”” 
The faults rather than the suc. 
cess of Lope drew upon him the 
censure, among others, of Gongora 
and Cervantes. 
66 The 
