Priest, poet, and dramatist, born Madrid, Spain, 1562; died there, 1635. Educated at the Jesuit college, Madrid, and the University of Alcala, he was in the service of the Bishop of Avila, and became secretary to the Duke of Alva. He served in the Spanish navy, taking part in the Armada expedition. After the death of his second wife, he became a priest, 1612, which action, however, did not correct the disorders of his life. His productivity as an author is astounding. He practised almost all forms of composition with success but is most famed as a dramatist, and as such dominated the Golden Age (16th and 17th centuries), writing at least 1,500 comedias. Naturally these plays are deficient in style, but they display rich dramatic imagination. As typical of his work may be mentioned the pastoral "Pastores de Belen"; the epics "Corona tragica" (dealing with Mary Stuart) and "Angelica"; the historical poem Dragon tea, an attack on Drake; an autobiographical novel "Dorotea"; and the plays "EI Castigo sin Venganza," "La Estrella de Sevilla," and "Amar sin Saber a Quien."