extremely difficult of comprehension. His _romances de
jaques_, written in thieves' jargon, are famous in Spain.
Quevedo wrote too much and carelessly and tried to cover
too many fields, but at his best his caustic wit and
fearless vigor place him high.

There were not lacking poets who kept themselves free from
taint of _culteranismo_, though they did not join in
the fight against it. The brothers Argensola (LUPERCIO
LEONARDO DE ARGENSOLA, 1559-1613, BARTOLOMÉ LEONARDO DE
ARGENSOLA, 1562-1631), of Aragonese birth, turned to
Horace and other classics as well as to Italy for their
inspiration. Their pure and dignified sonnets, odes and
translations rank high. Juan MARTÍNEZ DE JÁUREGUI page xxvi
(1583-1641) wrote a few original poems, but is known
mainly for his excellent translation of Tasso's _Aminta_.
He too succumbed to Gongorism at times. The few poems of
Francisco de RIOJA (1586?-1659) are famous for the purity
of their style and their tender melancholy tone. A little
apart is Esteban Manuel de VILLEGAS (1589-1669), an
admirer of the Argensolas, "en versos cortos divino,
insufrible en los mayores," who is known for his attempts
in Latin meters and his successful imitations of Anacreon
and Catullus.

The lyrics of CALDERÓN (1600-1681) are to be found mostly
in his _comedias_ and _autos_. There are passages which
display great gifts in the realm of pure poetry, but
too often they are marred by the impertinent metaphors
characteristic of _culteranismo_.