Embarked on board this fanciful galley. Mercury shows him a long catalogue of poets, asking his advice as to their admission. Cervantes takes this occasion to characterise several of his contemporary poets, in a manner that in his day might have been keenly satirical or warmly laudatory: there is no doubt that there is a good deal of irony in his praise, but a portion also is sincere. The whole is obscure and uninteresting to us. In the midst of the examination, a crowd of poets rush into the skiff, in numbers that threaten its safety; and the syrens are obliged to raise a storm to scatter them. After this, he beholds a cloud obscure the day, and from this cloud falls down a shower of poets, and, among them, Lope de Vega, "a renowned poet, whom none excels, or even equals, in prose or verse." The voyage now proceeds prosperously; the vessel glides along impelled by oars formed of verses druccioli, (such as have a dactyl at the end of each line), and the sails, which are stretched to the height of the mast, were Woven of many a gentle thought, Upon a woof that love had wrought, Fill'd by the soft and amorous wind Which breathed upon us from behind-- Eager to waft us swift along; While the fair queens of ocean-song-- The syrens three, around us float, And so impel the dancing boat; And crested waves are spread around, Snowy flocks on a verdant ground; And the crew are at work reciting, Or sweet love-laden sonnets writing, Or singing soft the sweetest lays All in their gentle ladies' praise.