New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-19

at both points. He admires Iope with enthu-
siasm, but he is not blind to any of the Span
iards shortcomings. and. in fact. takes all pos
sible pains TO tell the precise truth about him.
whether it be damaging or not His minutiae
go very near to making his book a duh one
for the general reader. but the student of Span
ish literature is bound to appreciate the fulness
of detail with which Lopes career is here set
forth. Nothing that can throw light even
the obscurest passages in that career is omitted:
the author prints two or three valuable docu-
ments in appendices. and he fills nearly one
hundred and frty pages with an invaluable bibH
oSraphy. based Chorleys celebrated Cata-
logue with a gooi reproduction of Tristan's
portrait of Lope at tn. beginning of his volume
and an admirable index at the end Of it. he
places before the public the most complete bios
raphy of his author 10 be found in English.
Iope de Vega might justly have been made the
hero Of one OF those picturesque novels IN which
his countrymen delighted. His father is said TO
have been n man of singuiariy noble character
In the Madrid hospital FL Buen Suceso.
Felix de Vega and his children made the beds
swept and cleaned the passages. and washed
the feet and hands of the poor" But while
Lope inherited many or the fine instincts OF his
parent, he seems to have been a scapegrace
from the start We hear of him as a Jealous
he studied at the University of Alcala, but he
was still in his teens when he first fell in love.
and ne appears to have gone falling in love
until he was old man. He fell in love, more
over not after the fashion OF the discreet poet.
but after that of the born profigate. and scores
of Professor Rennerts pages are necessarily de-
voted to the celebration OF anything but credit
able affairs" He gravitated toward the the
atre early in life. and it was through mixing
with theatrical folk that he found himself. In
his twenty fourth year. charged before the au-
thorities in Madrid with criminal libel. There
is no doubt that he deserved the sentence of
Punishment from the kingdom which was passed
upon him. and that kept him in exile in Va
lencia for several years. His biosrapher has
gone thoroughly into the case. and is forced to
the conclusion that in this episode 'Lope sank
| to the lowest depth of turpitude." His punish
ment taught him nothing Despite marriage
despite his entrance into the priesthood he con-
tinued his dissipated habits. and down to the
day of his death his hest friend among men was
the Duke of Seasa, whose own life was one long
scandal.
Here and there there is a bright passage in
the story of IOpe's career man For one
thing. he enlisted in the Armada, a fact which
proves him to have been capable of rising to a
plane of emotion higher that that on which he
moved gallant of the stripe Of Sessa and
he seems also to have had moments in which
he conducted himself in his home like a
gentleman and q father. But when all is said
Lope remains. whether in the priesthood or out
of it. distinctly modifying spectacle-consid-
cred simply and solely as a man. AS it happens
however. the author in him is SO persistentIy to
the fore that it is impossible to concentrate at