This name is in full Lope Felix de Vega-Carpio. Born 1562, died 1635. He was bred for the priesthood, but falling in love, preferred to be a soldier. Exiled soon after his marriage for wounding a noble in a duel, he returned to Spain only in time to be present at the death of his wife. He again took service, and fought on board one of the vessels in the Armada, finding time to write even in that unhappy expedition. On his return he married again, and by this marriage had two children; and also about the same time two illegitimate children, after whose birth, as is remarked by one of his biographers, Lope turned his thoughts to religion, and we hear no more of the mother. In 1609 he became a priest, a profession which did not prevent his writing highly immoral dramas. With these dramas he inundated the Spanish stage, and many of them were translated into French, and most of them were much admired. Besides these he wrote many long poems. But the quantity exceeded the quality; his dramas have much incident but little depth of thought, and he has left hardly anything that has lived long after him, or that is now well known.