BUT although ballad poetry (romances) and pic-
aresque novels constitute famous departments of
Spanish literature, they are not of equal consequence
to the Spanish drama. Voltaire says: "Lorsque
Corneille donna le Cid ( 1637), les espagnols avaient
sur tous les théâtres de l' Europe la même influence que
dans les affaires publiques; leur goût dominait ainsi
que leur politique." This reference to the Cid brings
me at once to a dramatist but a few years younger
than Lope de Vega. Guillûn de Castro ( 1569-1631)
was born in Valencia, where his family belonged to
the sociedad elegante of the town; and he had enough
leisure and means to make poetry his chief occu-
pation. Cervantes speaks of his suavidad y dulzura
(his sweet and pleasing numbers). At Valencia he
probably became acquainted with Lope de Vega,
who sojourned there during the period of his banish-
ment from Madrid. At any rate, in later years the
two were good friends; Lope dedicated a play to
Don Guillén, and he, in return, dedicated a book
to Lope's daughter Marcela. Somewhat later he
commanded a troop of coast patrol that watched
for the coming of Barbary pirates. He went to
Italy, -- no one knows why, -- held office under the
Viceroy of Naples, and lived a life of dissipation,

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