Espinel

Espinel, Vicente (1551-1634), a Spanish poet and ecclesiastic, born at Ronda, in the province of Granada. He was educated at Salamanca, and was a friend and patron of Lope de Vega. After serving for some time as a soldier in Flanders he settled down in Madrid. His Itelaciones de la Vida y Heches del Escudero Marcos de Obregon, published in 1618, is the supposed autobiography of a toady, and furnished Le Sage with a groundwork of his Adventures of Gil Bias. Espinel also wrote poems, using a measure which was called after him. He translated some of the poems of Horace, and he added a fifth string to the guitar.