RAW DOWNLOAD (complete file, unedited except for this header) DESCRIPTION: Edwards, Life of Sir Walter Ralegh vol. II, Letters (1868), complete uncorrected OCR URL FETCHED: https://archive.org/download/lifesirwalterra00edwagoog/lifesirwalterra00edwagoog_djvu.txt DATE FETCHED: 2026-09-14 ============================================================================== Google This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online. It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover. 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[Pp. xxviii. 842 ; xxrviii. 1 104. With 8 steel plates ; 36 woodcuts ; 16 lithographic plates ; and 4 tllustratioos in chromo-lithography. ] 48;. LIBRARIES, AND FOUNDERS OF LIBRARIES. 8va [Pp^ XX. 508.] i6c. COMPARATIVE TABLES OK Schemes which have ■UN PROPOSBO FOR THB C1.ASSIFICATION OF HUMAN KndWLEDGK. KoL is. SYNOPTICAL TABLES OF THE RECORDS OF THE REALM. With an Historical Prbfack. Fol. gt. CHAITERS OF THE HISTORY OF THE FRENCH ACADEMY, &c. 8vo. [Pp. 176. J ^ LIBER MONASTERII DE HVDA; compkisim; a Chronicle of the Affairs of England from the Settle- ment OF the Saxons to C.ni"t; and a Chaktulary; a.d. 455-1033. Edited by the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, under the direction of the Master of the Rolls. 8vo. lof. Of/ I THE LETTERS OF RALEGH. "^iJ ) s D^c- N. ) r^ > .jK -<.'. f\ ■^ ^ fN U ? . V ^ r V -^ -* o I ^ V \ t \ -+- vr THE LIFE OF SIR WALTER RALEGH BASED ON CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS PRESERVED IN THE ROLLS HOUSE, THE PRIVY COUNCIL OFFICE, HATFIELD HOUSE, THE BRITISH MUSEUM, AND OTHER MANUSCRIPT REPOSITORIES, BRITISH AND FOREIGN. TOGPITHER WfTH HIS f.FTTF.RS: NOW FIRST COLLECTED. EDWARD EDWARDS. \'mi h i,i:'r'n:Rs M A C M I L L A N AND CO, 1868. f7:i^^ir.*^e^rra»s/a//^,»a^^fi^/^,o,/„^,i„„ ,> r^sfn-etihv Hit Author.\ LONDON : U. CLAV, SON, AND TAYLOR, PRINTRkS, BBRAD STKSRT HILL. TO THE MOST NOBLE ROBERT ARTHUR TALBOT GASCOYNE-CECIL, MARQUESS OF SALISBURY, ETC. ETC. ETC. THIS FIRST COLLECTIVE EDITION OF THE LETTERS OF RALEGH, DERIVED IN LARGE MEASURE FROM THE RICH COLLECTION OP MSS. AT HATFIELD, IS, BY PERMISSION, grattfnllg instribtb BV HIS lordship's OBLIGEI^ AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, EDWARD EDWARDS. CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. PACS INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF RALEGH xxxix LETTERS OF SIR WALTER RALEGH : PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTERS \,'V, ^RALEGH'S MILITARY SERVICE IN IRELAND i I.— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. 1580-81. Feb. 22. From Cork. Detention at the Isle of Wight. — Arrival in Ireland. — Pay and Rations of his Company 7 From the Original. Irish Correspondence: Elizabeth, vol. Ixxx. S 73 lll HOUM}- INCLOSURE IN LETTER XIIL Report on the Case of Thomas Powell and Peter Williams, taken Captives in Barbfary, 1581 31 XIV.— TO ROBERT DVDLEY, EARL OF LEICESTER. 586. ^arch 29. J^fvm the Court, The Sending of Pioneers to the Nether- lands 33 From the Original. MS. HarL 6994, fuL 3 (BlitiBh MuSOTUH)* XV.— TO SIR JOHN GILBERT. )86. May 29. From the Court. On the Victualling of Ships at Plymouth . 34 From the Original MS. Sloane, 15 19, fol. 137 (Blitifh MuMIUIl)' XVI.— TO ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICESTER. 587] Oct 8. From Windsor. Announcement of the Visit of Sir Francis Drake to the Netherlands 35 From the Original. MS. Tanner, Ixxix. fol. 117, formerly marked 175 (BodloiEU Library, Oxford) [See facsimile.] XVIL— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEV. 187. Dec. 20. From Exeter. Defence of the Country ; Proposals for the Levies in Devon and Cornwall 36 From the Original. Domestic Correspondence : Elizabeth, vol. ccvi. $ 40 (Solll HOUSO)- INCLOSURE IN LETTER XV II. le Chardg of trayning of 2,000 Foot and 200 Hors in Devon and Cornwall, for 16 Dayes 3^ XVIIL— TO SIR THOMAS EGERTON. afterwards Viscount Brackley and Lord High Chancellor. 87-88. March 8. Renewal of his Patent for granting Wine Licences throughout England 4° As communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, March 2, 1854, by Mr. J. Payne Collier. From the Original, in the Library of the Earl of EUesmere iBndgewater HoUSe}- b2 xii Contents. * FACE XIX.— TO SIR GEORGE CAREW (afterwards Earl of Totnes). [1589.] Dec. 27. \brom London T\ Cause of his recent Absence from the Court — Proceedings of the Lord Deputy Fitzwilliam. — Lawsuits about Lismore 41 From the OriginaL Carrw Pa^erSf MS. Tenison, dcr. foL 140 (LamlMth PalftC6}> XX.— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. [159 1.] Oct 16. From Durham Hotise, On the Value of certain Prizes captured by the Ships of John Watts and others, and on the Partition of Profits 43 From the OriginaL MS. Lansdowne, voL bcix foL 60, verso (Britilll MuMQIll}* XXI.— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. [1591-92.] March 10. From Chatham. Preparations for an Expedition against the Spanish Fleet Allusions to Rumours about his Marriage . . 44 As printed by Murdin, from the Original in the Cecil Papert at Hatfield. Note on Ralegh and Frobisher 45 XXII.— TO THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL, HOWARD OF EFFINGHAM. [1592.1 June 8. From Durham House. Answer to the Complaint of some Merchants of Middleburgh in relation to the Treatment of certain Flemish Ships ^ 46 From the OriginaL Domestic Correspondence : Elizabeth, vol. ccxlil { 48 (SoUl Hoom)* XXIII.— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. [1592. July. From the Tower.] Dealings of the Lord Deputy with Sir Waiter s Tenants in Munster 48 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxu ff. 58, 59 (Hatfield)* XXIV.— TO THE SAME. 1592. July. From the Tower.] Rebellion in Ireland. — Proceedings of the Lord Deputy in relation to the Ralegh Lands in Munster 50 As printed by Murdin, from the Original in the Cecil Papers at Hatfield. XXV.— to' THE SAME. [1592. July. From the Tower.] Routine Duties, as Captain of the Guard. — Passionate Regrets for the Loss of the Queen's Favour 51 As printed by Murdin, from the Original in the Cecil Papers at Hatfield. XXVI.— TO THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL* HOWARD OF EFFINGHAM. 1592. August? From the Tower.] Affairs of the Navy. — Thanks for Lord Howard*s Interposition with the Queen* 52 From the Orighuil. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth, vol. ccxlii. {131 (Bollt HouM)- Contmts. xiii PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER y^VW,— CAPTURE OF A SHIP ^""""^ OF BA YONNE 55 XXVIL— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY AND THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL HOWARD. 1592. Aognst 27. On the Capture of a Ship of Bayonne by one of Ralph's Captains, John Floyer ••• ....• 56 Fran the OriginaL Burgkley Pa^^rt, in MS. Lansdowne, czr. foL 173 ^Blitilll KvMVa!. PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXYHL-XXXIV. — TA^^ PRI- VA TEE RING EXPEDITION OF 1592, AND THE CAPTURE OF THE SPANISH C ARRACK, «MADRE DE DIGS,' BY RA- LEGH'S SHIP, 'THE ROEBUCK' 59 XXYHL— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. [1592.1 September (on or before September 15?). From ifu Ttrwer, Partition of the Spoils of the 'il/tf^/r<^/>/^j' 67 Aft primed by Stnrpe [^AnnaU, iv. 18c), from his own tnuucripC of the Original ; with some cotrections. XXIX.— TO THE SAME. [1592. Sept 16. On ik€ Road to Dartmouth,'] Same Subject 69 As printed by Strype {Annals, Vr. 182!, as above. XXX.— TO THE SAME. [1592. ScpL 17.] From Hartlebury. Same Subject 70 As printed by Strype [Annals, \r. 178), as above. XXXI.— TO THE SAME. [1592. Sept 21. From Dartmouth.] Same Subject 71 As printed by Strype {Annals, iv. 177 , as above. XXXII.— SIR ROBERT CECIL, SIR WALTER RALEGH, AND OTHERS, Commissioners of Inquiry at Dartmouth, TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY AND THE LORD ADMIRAL HOWARD. 1592. Sept 27. Joint Letter. Same Subject 73 From the OriginaL MS. Lausdowne, Ixx. foL 93 CBritifh MqMIIIIL). XXXIII.— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY AND OTHERS. 1592, Dec 13. From Durham House. Proceedings pending in the Court of Admiralty respecting the Ship * Uggera Salvagnia^ 7S Fran the OrisinaL D^mestk C^rrtspondence : Elizabeth, vol ccxliii. f 89 (SoUl HooM). xiv Contents, rACB XXXIV.— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. 1592. December. Recapitulatory Statement of the Charges of the Expedition oT 1392, and of the proposed Partition of Prize Money 7^ From the Original. Bur^hUy Papers ^ in MS. Lansdownc, Ixx. § 94 (Blitlth MUMVllli- XXXV.— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. [1593.] May 10. From Sherbontc, Progress of the War in Ireland. — Aims of the King of Spain 78 Frum the Onginal. Cecil Papers^ vul. xxii. fol. 93 (Hfttfiold '• XXXVI.— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. 1593. June 15. From Durham House, Enterprise of preparing and export- ing Pipe-staves from Munster 81 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxiL fol. 100 (Hlktfl6ld}> XXXVH.— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1593. Aug. 15. From Shcrborue, Oxi behalf of one Kelly, a Merchant ol Dartmouth S3 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxiti. fol. 31 vHatfl6ld). XXXVIII.— TO THE SAME. 1593. Aug. 27. From Gilliuf^ham Forest, Enterprise of preparing and ex- porting Pipe-staves from Munster. — The Falconry at Gillingham .... 84 . From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxiii. fol. 41 (HfttflAldj* XXXIX. -TO THE SAME. 1593. Oct. 8. From Weymouth. In favour of the Bearer, John Wollridgc, who had a Matter pending in the Court of Wards. — News of Rimonde . . 85 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxiii. fol. 77 .HfttfioldN XL. -TO THE SAME. '593- 94- ^*-*^' 25. From Sherborue. In favour of Henry Tliynnc, whuse Pro- ceedings* at Sea had been complained of by the French 86 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxii. fol 49 Hatflold. • PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER XLL— 77//; F.lf!Kys OF BAKKy\S C0rR7\ AFTFRWARDS EARLS OF BARKYMOKE 88 XLL -TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1593-94. March 4. From Dorchester. Affairs of Ireland. - Recommenda- tion of Lord Barry ; and .Assertion that Florence MacCarty is not sincerely reconciled to the English Rule 8t) From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol xxii. fol. 52 Hfttfiold • X LI I.— TO THE SAME. 1594. .April 14. From Sherborne, Capture of a Jesuit in the House of I^dy Stourton 01 Ftoni the < >rtginal. Cecil Papers, vol. xxvi ful. 25 LXI.— TO THE SAME. 1596. May 3. From Mile End, Recommendation of Charles Cartie for a Grant of Lands in Ireland 127 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers , voL xL { 50 (Hatfleld}> LXIL— TO THE SAME. 1596. May 3. Personal Affairs 128 ^rom the OriginaL Cecil Papers^ vol. xl. f 51 (Hattieldj. LXIIL— TO THE SAME. 1596. May 4. From Northfied. Preparations for the Cadiz Expedition . . 129 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, vol. xl. 1 60 (Hatfield). LXIV.— TO THE SAME. 1596. May 6. From Queensborough, Recommendation to Cecil of a Kinsman who had incurred the Queen's Displeasure 130 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, voL xL f 63 (Hatfield). [LXIV.*] TO THE SAME. 1596. May 13. From Dover, Naval Matters connected with the Fleet pre- pared against Spain 381 See CLXI. LXV.— TO THE SAME. 1596. May 26. From PlymotUh, Recommendation of William Hilliard for a Prebend in Exeter Cathedral 131 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, voL xli. { 14 (Hatfield)- LXVL— TO THE SAME. 1596. May 29. From Plymouth, Recommendation of John Randall, Vice- Admiral of Dorset 132 From the Original. Cecil Papers, voL xIL { 35 [Hatfield). LXVIL— TO THE SAME. 1596. July 7. Written at Sea, Victory at Cadiz 134 From the Original. MS. Cotton, Vespasian, C xiii. fol. 290 (Blltifh M OieiUll}. PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER LXVIII. -^RALEGH AND SIR ARTHUR SAVAGE 136 . xviii Contents, PAGE LXVIII.— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1596. August 6. From Plymouth Sound, Victory at Cadiz 137 From the QriginaL MS. Cotton. Otho, E ix. fol. 365, verso; formerly numbered '334/ ^Britiih Mmeum.} PREFATORY NOTE TO UETTEKISKIX,^ENGLISH AND SPANISff ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE IN CADIZ HARBOUR ... 139 LXIX.— TO A PERSON UNNAMED. 1596. Narrative of the Action in Cadiz Harbour. — Results of the Victory . . 146 As printed in 1699, by Philip Ralegh fGrandson of Sir Walter), from a Copy, or Draft, found among Sir W. Ralegh's Papers. PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER LXX,— DEATH OF LAD V CECIL. -^CECIL AND THE BROOKES 157 LXX.— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1596-97. Jan. 24. From Sherborne, A Letter of Consolation and Sympathy on the Death of Lady Cecil 161 From the Original. Ctcil Pa^rt^ vol. xxxvii. (Hatfield)- PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER ISXXX,— ESSEX, RALEGH, AND CECIL,— SHAKESPEARE'S PLAY OF *KING RICHARD THE SECOND' 164 LXXI.— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. [1597.] July *6. From Weymouth. Preparations for the Island Voyage. — ^'Richard the Second'' 169 From the Original. Domestic Corres^ndtHct : Elizabeth. Unarranged Papers. (Bolla HoitM.) LXXII.— TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. 1597. July 18. From Plymouth, Disasters at the Outset of the Island Voyage.— Refitting of the Fleet 170 From the Original Domestic Corrtspondencf. Elizabeth. Unarranged Papers. (Bolls Houm.) LXXIH.-TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1597. July 20. From Plymouth. Disasters at the Outset of the Island Voyage. — Rejwrt on the Condition of Ferrol 174 From the Original. Domestic Corrrs/umdemce : Elizabeth. Unarranged Papers, 1597. (Soils Home.; LXXIV.— TO THE SAME. 1597. July 26. From IHymouth. Proceedings of the Flcf't 176 From the Original. Domestic Corresfomtencei YX\ja\iitCti. Unarranged Papers, 1597. (Formerly numbered * 189.'] (Bolls HoUiO.' Contents. xix PAGE LXXV.-TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1597. Sept. 8. From Terceira, Proceedings of the Fleet in the * Island Voyage.'— Account of the^^reat Storms met witli in the Bay-of Biscay . . 177 From the OrigioaL Ov/V Papers, toL Iv. f ai (Hatflold)* LXXVI.— TO THE SAME. 1597. Oct. 13. From Durham House. Proposition for the sending of a secret Emissary to examine the Ports of Spain 1 79 From the Original C^Ht Papers, vol Ivi. {17 (Hatfield). LXXVII.-SIR WALTER RALEGH, THE LORD THOMAS HOWARD, AND THE LORD MONTJOY, TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. 1597. Oct 29. From Plymouth, Proceedings of the Fleet; and News of the Spaniards 180 From the Original (wholly in the hand of Sir Walter Ralegh;. Cecil Papers, toL IvL S 6j (Hatfield;. LXXVIIL—TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. '597' Oct 3a From Plymouth, News of the Spanish Fleet 182 From the Original Cecil Papers^ voL Ivi. (Hatfield)' LXXIX.— SIR WAXTER RALEGH AND THE LORD THOMAS HOWARD TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. 1597. Oct Intelligence of the Spanish Fleet 184 From the Original Draft (wholly in the hand of Sir Walter Ralegh], Cecil J^npcrs, vol. Ivi. § 81 (Hatfield;. LXXX.-SIR WALTER RALEGH, THE LORD THOMAS HOWARD, THE LORD MONTJOY, AND SIR FRANCIS VERE, TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. 1597. Nov. 6. Proceedings of the Fleet. — News of the Spaniards .... 186 From the Original Cecil Papers, vol Ivi. § 110 Hatfield,- LXXXL— SIR WALTER RALEGH, THE LORD THOMAS HOWARD, AND THE LORD MONTJOY, TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. 1597. Nov. 9. Conclusion of Island Voyage, and Arrangements about Prizes 188 From the Original. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. Unarranged Papers, 1597. LFormeriy numbered * 272.'! In the hand of an amanuensis. Signed. (BoIIb HoUSe.) LXXXIL— TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL? 1597. Proposed Enterprise against Spain I9* From the Original (wholly in the hand of Sir W. Ralegh). MS. Cotton, Otho E ix. fol. 377, formerly numbered '346' (Britilh M USeillll, • XX Contents, PACE LXXXIIL— TO SIR JOHN GILBERT, THE YOUNGER. 1597? Participation in the Profits of a Privateering Adventure. — Personal Affairs 193 From a Transcript, made for Dr. Thomas Birch, from the original (but mutflated) letter, then in the possession of Maior Pomeroy Gilbert, Fort-Major of Plymouth. MS. Addit 4231, ff. 85, 86 (BritiBn MmeaniA LXXXIV.— TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. 1597-98. Jan. 16. From Durham House. Appointment of Deputy-Lieutenants for Cornwall 197 From the Ori^nal. Cecil Papert^ vol. xlviiL | xoi (Hfttfiold)' [LXXXIV.*]— TO MICHAEL HICKES, Secretajiy to the Lord Treasurer Burgiiley. 1598? July 12. From Sherborne, Entreaty for the Furtherance of the Payment of a Debt owing to Captain Spring 382 Sec CLXII. LXXXV.— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1598. Oct. Concerning a Plot for the 'killing of a rebel ' in Ireland ... 198 From the Original. Domestic Correspondence : Elizabeth. Unanranged Papers. [Formeriy marked " Bundle aa6, No. 144."] (Soils HOOM.) LXXXVI.— TO THE SAME. 1598? The Queen's Appointment of a Captain to serve in Ireland .... 199 From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol xix. § 66 (Hatflold)» LXXXVIL— TO THE SAME. 1 599 -1 600. March 15. From Durham House. ReiK>rt on the Revision of an English Translation of Franchi Conestaggio's History of the Cohquest of Portugal 200 From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. Ixviii. § 103 'Hfttflold}* LXXXVHL— TO THE SAME. * 1600. March 27. \From Sherborne.\ Account of the improved Health of William Cecil (afterwards second Earl of Salisbury), then a Visitor at Sherborne 202 From the Original. Cecil Papers ^ vol. Ixxviii. | 7 .Hfttfidld.'- LXXXIX.— TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM. 1600. April 6. From Sherborne, Ralegh^s Desire to have the Government of Jersey. Col>ham's Sales of Timber. — Hope of a Meeting at Bath . . 203 From the Original. Domestic Correspondence : Elizabeth. Unarranged Papers (BoUl HOUM.) XC— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIU 1600. April 21. From Sherborne. In favour of the Son of Henry Carew, then under ImpriMmmeut 204 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. IxxviiL f 8j Hatfield). Contetits. XXI rAGB XCI.— TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM. i6oa April 29. From Bath, Disappointment at Lord Cobham*8 Absence • 205 From the OriginaL Domestic Corres^ondettce : Elizabeth. Unarranged Papers. (Soils Home.) XCIL—TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. i6oa October 15. Ffvm Jersey. Proceedings in the Fortification of the Island. — Character of Paul Juey, the Engineer. — Accounts of the late Governor, Sir Amias Paulet 206 From the OriginaL Cecil Pa/en, Pillar C, b ii. S 14 (Hatfield). XCIIL— TO THE LORD TREASURER BUCKHURST AND SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1 60a Nov. 4. From Radford. Afiairs of the Stannaries. — Agreement with the Tinners 209 From the Original Cecil PaperSy voL dxxxL f 33 (Hfttfiold). XCIV.— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1600. Nov. 15. From Sherborne. Tin Mills on Roborough Down. — Suits between one Crymes and the Town of Plymouth 211 From the OriginaL CecU Papers, Pillar C, b it f 107 (Hatfield). PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER XCV. --RALEGH'S COUNSEL TO SIR ROBERT CECIL, ON THE TREATMENT OF THE EARL OF ESSEX, IN leoo 213 XCV.— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1600. Between February and August. Persuasions against the Return 01 the Earl of Essex to Office or Power 222 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, voL xc $ 150 (Hatfield)' XCVL— TO THE SAME. 1600-1. Feb. 2. From Sherborne. Local News of the Spanish Fleet — Lord Cobham 224 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cbcxiiL § 36 (Hatfield). XCVIL— TO THE SAME. 1601 ? Aug. 13. From Sherborne. Lord Cobham's Journey into Cornwall — News of the Spanish Fleet. — Cecil's Purchase of Rush more 226 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, vol. xliii. % 84 (Hatfield). XCVIII.— TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM. 1601. Aug. 14. From Sherborne. Hope of a Visit from Cobham. — Lawsuits with the Meercs. — News of a Dutch Ship 227 From the OriginaL Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. Unarranged P.-ipcrs. (BoUs Hooie.) XX ii Cofttents, rAGB PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTERS XCIX. AND Q. — RALEGIl AND rilE DUKE OF BIRON 229 XCIX.— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1 601. Sept. 6. From Crosby Houses in l^ndon. Attendance on the Duke of Biron at Westminster and at the Bear Garden. — Arrangements for the I>uke*s Journey to Basing 233 From the Onj^nal. Cecil Papers^ vol. Ixxxviii. { 2a (Hatflold)> C— TO HENRY BROOKE^ LORD COBHAM. 1601. Sept. 12. From Basing. Desire for his Attendance on the Queen. — Presence of the Duke of Biron and his Suite at Court 234 From the Original. Dotnestic CorresJHmdence : Elizalieth. Unarranged Papen. (Bolls Home.: CL— TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECII^ 1601. Sept. 19. F>om Sherborne. News of the Spanish Fleet. — Knavish Proceedings of John Meeres 235 From the Original. Cecil PaJ^ers^ vol. Ixxxviii. { 53 (HfttfioldX CI I. -TO THE SAME. 1601. Sept. 25. \From Sherborne.^ Lawsuits with Meeres; and other Per- sonal Affairs 237 From the Original. Cecil Paft-rs^ vr.l. Ixxxviii. § 6a {Hfttfiold- cm.— TO THE SAME. l6oi. Sept. 26. From Weymouth, Arrival of two Scotchmen at Weymouth, with News of the Spanish Fleet 240 From the Original. Domestic Ci^rrespondeuce : Elirahcth. Unarranged Papers, marked ' a CXXXIX.— TO THE EARL OF SALISBURY, LORD HIGH TREASURER. [i'io5. From the Tower.] Restoration of the Dorsetshire Estates. — ^Terms of the Re-grant in Trust 319 From the Original. Cecil Papert, vol dx. § 11 (Hatfield) Contefits, xxvii [CXXXIX.*]— TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. '^* [1605. Nov. From the Tottffr.] Explanation as to his Intercourse with Captain Whitelocke^ a Retainer of the Earl of Northumberland .... 387 See CLXIV. CXI TO SIR ROBERT COTTON, BART. [After 1605? jFhom the Tower,'\ Request for the Loan of various Books of History 322 From the OrifcinaL MS. Cotton, Julius C iiL foL 3x1 (Britifll MlUMUOl)- [CXU*]— TO THE LORD T^IEASURER SALISBURY. 1608? or 1609? From the Tower, Proposals for an Expedition to Guiana . . 389 SeeCLXV. CXLL— TO THE LORD TREASURER SALISBURY. [1607-08. Jan. 29. From the Tower,] Proposed Conveyance of his Sher- borne Estate to the King 323 From the OriginaL Ctcit Papers, voL czx. § 36 (Hatfield). CXLIL— TO HIS STEWARD, JOHN SHELBURY? 1608-09. Jan. 3. \From the Tower.] Lease to John Meeres of Bishop's Down, near Sherborne 326 From the Ori^iii^ ^ Domestic Corrupondence : James I., vol xliiL § 6 (Solll Hoqm)* *«* The authenticity of this Letter would seem to lie open to some degree of doubt CXLIIL— TO SIR ROBERT CARR, afterwards Earl of Somerset. [1609? From the Tower.] Written on receiving Intelligence that Carr had obtained from the King a Grant of the Sherborne Estate 326 From a nearly contemporary Transcript in MS. Addit 4106, foL 8x (Bzitisll Musensi)- CXLIV.— TO SIR WALTER COPE. i6ia Oct. 9. [From the Tower.] Requesting his Intercession for Leave to Lady Ralegh to return to the Tower 328 As communicated to the Society of Antiquaries (June a, 1853) by Mr. J. Payne Collier, firom the Original, then in the possession of Mr. Wnioughby, of Lancaster Place, London {ArthMott^^ia, vol xxxv. pp. 319, aao). CXLV.— TO HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES. 1610? [Froffi the Tower.] On the building of a Ship of War 330 As printed, in 1656-57, in the Collection entided Remains of Sir Walter RaUigh, [CXLV.*}— TO JOHN RAMSAY, VISCOUNT HADDINGTON (AFTERWARDS EARL OF HOLDERNESS). 16 10? From the Tower. Proposals for an Expedition to Guiana 392 See CLXVL CXLVL—TO QUEEN ANNE OF DENMARK, Consort of King James the First. 1610? \From the Tower.] Proposals for the Colonization of Virginia . . . 333 From a omtemporaneous Transcript in MS. Harleian xzziz. fol. 359 (British Knieuxn). C 2 xxviii Contents. PAGB CXLVII.— TO QUEEN ANNE OF DENMARK, Consort of King James the First. [1611. From the Tower."] Proposals for an Expedition to Guiana .... 3^4 From the Original Do$tu*tic CorrtspatuUnc*: James L (BoUl Hovie)- PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER QyAN\\\,— PROPOSALS FOR A VOYAGE TO GUIANA IN 1612! 336. CXLVIIL— TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL? [1612? From the Tonw.] Proposals for a Voyage by Keymis to Gaiana . . 337 From a nearly contemporaneous Transcript in MS. Harl. xxxix. ft. 350, 351 (Blitilll MuMUDJ- CXLIX.— TO SECRETARY SIR RALPH WINWOOD. [161 5-16? Jan.? From the Tozver.] On the same Subject 339 As printed, in 1656-57, in the Collection entitled Renuutu o/Sir Walter RmU^gk. CL.— TO SIR GEORGE VILLIERS, afterwards Duke of Buckingham. 16 1 5- 16. March 17. [From Lofuion ; Broad Street?] Thanks for procuring his Release from the Tower 341 As printed by Oldys, from the Original, then in the Library of James West {Life, pi 468}. CLL— TO PETER VANLORE. 1 6 16. July I. With a Form of a Letter to be written by Vanlore to Amster- dam, for Information about Guiana 342 As printed, by Oldys, from a Copy made by Browne Willis of " the original draft of Sir Walter^s own hand," then in WiUis' Ubrary at Whaddon Hall. PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER CLH. — RALEGH AND THE •CONSEIL D'ETAT' O/'/i^^A^C^ 344 CLll.— TO M. DE BISSEAUX. 1617. May 1 4. From Plymouth, Proposals respecting the Guiana Voyage. — Application for Permission to enter, if needful, a French Port 346 As printed by Mr. S. R. Gardner (from a MS. at Simanca.<(.>, in the Fortnightly Review, voL viL (May 1867). CLIIl.— TO LADY RALEGH. 1617. Not. 14. From CaJiana. Particulars of his disastrous Voyage. — Bailey's Desertion. — Numerous Deaths among his Officers 347 As printed, in 1656-37, in the Collection entitled Retnaitu o/Sir Walter RttUigk. CLIV.— TO SECRETARY SIR RALPH WINWOOD. 1618. March 21. From St, Christopher* s. Misfortunes of the Guiana Voyase. --The Information sent to the King of Spain from London. — Conflicts with the Spaniards 350 From a contemporaneous and official Copy, in Detmettic Cerres^cndenct : James I., vol xcvi § 70 fBoUt HOUM' Colbted with another Transcript in a letter Book belonging to the MarqueM of Salisbury, Cecil Papert, Pillar A, b, T, fol. la (P XXX Contents, LETTERS OMITTED IN THEIR DUE ORDER OF TIME. PAGB CLXI. [LXiv.*}— TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1596. Mav 13. From Dover, Naval Matters connected with the Preparatioii of a Fleet against Spain 381 From the Original Cecii Papers^ vol dxxiii. § 73 (Hatfleld). CLXII. [Lxxxiv/]— TO MICHAEL HICKES, Secretary to the • Lord Treasurer Burghley. 1598? July 12. From Sherborne, Entreaty for furtherance of the Payment, by the Lord Treasurer, of a Debt owing to Captain Spring 5S2 As printed, in 1730, by Arthur Collins, in the first edition of his Barnuttage ^EngimtuL CLXIII. [cxvii.^]— TO LADY RALEGH. 1603. July. From the Tower, A Letter of Consolation and Farewell. — Reasons of his purposed Suicide. — Directions as to the EHsposal of hia Estates and Payment of his Debts 383 As printed, in 1839, by the Rev. J. S. Brewer, from an early Transcript in MS Yelvcrton xvi. fol. 100 :All Souls College Librmzy, tefox^. CLXIV. [cxxxix.^]— TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. 1605. Nov. From the Tower. Explanation as to his Intercourse with Captain VVhitelocke, a Retainer of the Earl of Northumberland 387 From a Transcript made (in the last century) b)r the Librarian of James Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, from the Original, then in the Library at Hatfield. MS. AdcUt 6178, foi. 469 (British Kuaeam)- CLXV. [cxL.^}-TO THE LORD TREASURER SALISBURY. 1607? From the TmL*er. Proposals for an Expedition to Guiana 389 From a Transcript made (in the last century) bv the Librariiui of Tames Cecil, Eari of Salisbury, from the Original, then in the Library at HatfielcT MS. Addit. 6178, foL 827 ( Britiah Kuieiim). CLXVI. lcxi.v.^]-TO JOHN RAMSAY, VISCOUNT HADDINGTON (AFTERWARDS EaRL OF HOLDKRNBSS). 1610? From the Tower, Proposals for an Expedition to Guiana 392 From a Transcript made (in the last centurv) bv the Librarian of James Cecil, Eari of Salisbury, from the Original, then in the Library at Hatfield. MS AdcUt. 6177. fol. %^x iBritith Kmeum}. » Contents. xxxi APPENDIX. I.— LETTERS OF LADY RALEGH. 'PAGS I. —LADY RALEGH TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. ■591~94- P^- ^ Thanks for Tablets; alluding to some Instance of the Qiieen's '* curiosity of deciphering;*' and entreating him not to forward .Raich's Plan of an Enterprise "towards the sunset^* 397 From the OrigiiuJ. Cecil Pa^trt^ vol. sdL foL 50 (HfttfieldX XL— THE SAME TO THE SAME. 1594-95. March 2a From Shtrbomt, Entreaty that no Impediment be mBered to the due Course of Law in tlie Suit against the Earl of HnntingdoQ 398 From the OriginaL Cecil Paptrt, voL xxxi. | 39 (Hatfield). IIL— THE SAME TO THE SAME. 1595. April 7. From Skerbome, Recommendation of Arthur Radford, who is desirous of serving at Sea 399 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers^ voL xxxL § 77 (Hatfield)- IV.—THE SAME TO THE SAME. 1 595. July 25. Recommendation of a Suit of Mr. Brett 400 From the OriginaL Cecil Papert^ voL xxxiii § 53 (Hatfield)* v.— THE SAME TO THE SAME. 15961 July. From Mile End, On the Return of Keymis from Guiana . . . 402 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, voL xliii. § 39 (Hatfield)- VL— THE SAME TO THE SAME. 1597. Sept Anxiety for News of Sir Walter 403 From the OriginaL Cedl Papers, voL Iv. § 88 (Hatfield)- VIL— THE SAME TO THE SAME. l6oa Oct Fire at Durham House 4CH From die OriginaL Cecil Papers, Pillar C b, ii. § 36 (Hatfield)- VIIL— THE SAME TO THE SAME. 1601-02. March. On Ql Offices at Court, done by Lady Kildare (Wife of Henry, Lord Cobham) 405 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, voL Ixxxv. § 134 (Hatfield)- xxxii Contents. fAcm IX.— LADY RALEGH TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. Nov. 18? Entreaties for his Intercession vdth the King on her Husband's behalf 406 From the Original Cm/ Pafert^ vol. ciL § 90 (Hfttflflld)> X.— LADY RALEGH TO SECRETARY LORD VISCOUNT CRANBORNE. [1604?] Entreaty for his Interposition against Seizures made by the Earl of Nottingham, under pretext of Grants from King James, of part of Sir W. Ralegh's Possessions 408 From the Original. Cecil P»Pen, vol cxc § 6 (HfttflaldX XL— LADY RALEGH TO KING JAMES THE FIRST. 1609? Entreaty that the King would spare to herself and her Children some Fragment of Ra]^;h*s Dorsetshire Estates, — of which the bulk had been S'ven to Carr, after the gift of Ralegh's other Possessions to th« Earl of ottingham 409 From the Original. Cecil Pa^ert, vol cxcv. § 85 (HatfleldX XIL— LADY RALEGH TO SIR JULIUS CiESAR. 1 61 7. [After June 30.] Delays in the Payment of her Annuity from the Exchequer 411 From the Original. MS. Lansdowne, cxiii. fol 282. [Formerly numbered 'a9».*j (BritUh KaMum.) XIIL— LADY RALEGH TO SIR NICHOLAS CAREW. 1618. Oct 30? On the Burial of Sir Walter 413 As printed (from the Original f ) by Manning and Bray, HisUry 0/ Surrey, vol. ii. p. 495. XIV.— LADY RALEGH TO LADY CAREW, Wife of George, Lord Carew of Clopton. 161 8. Nov.? Respecting the Seizure, by Sir Thomas Wilson, of Ralegh*s Library ik. From a Copy made by direction of Sir Thoma.< Wilson. Domtttic Corresp0iuUmc« James I., vol. ciii. § 76 (Bollt HOQM). IV— COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATEERING ENTERPRISES. L— PRIVATEERING ENTERPRISE OF 1589. The Answer of Sir Walter Ralegh to the Complaints of Albert Reynardson. . 415 To the Complaint of Walter Artson 416 To the Complainte of Walter Artson and others . . ik. To the Complaint of Michaell Leomans •4*7 From the Original. C^mt PaMrt. in MS. I..anMlowne, vol. cxKv. K. 57-Ao OMtiali Mnaanal Contents, xxxiii IL— ENTERPRISE FOR THE EXPORTATION OF PIPE^TAVEs' FROM MUNSTER. 1590-1602. Articles to be considered toachinge the makinge and tnnsportiiige of Pipestaves^ etc out of Irelande 418 From the OrvnaL ^— -^ Q-f « —^ \ ^ nfltitiiT III.— CHARTS OF GUIANA. I.— THOMAS HARRIOT TO SECRETARY SIR R. CECIL. 1596. Tnhr II. On the framing of Charts of Guiana, from the Fapcn of Ralegh and Keymis 420 From the OrigmaL CtciJ Pm^ert, r6L xM. rUm^m^dy II.— SIR GEORGE TRENCHARD AND SIR RALPH HORSEY TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 1596L Jnly 31. /'rvm DorchaUr, On the Disposal of certain Docoments and Charts relating to Gniana 423 From the Ori^naL Cecil Pm^ers^ voL xKiL f 17 in. —THE SAME TO THE SAME. 15961 Ang. la With certain Charts and Docoments relating to Guiana . . 424 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, toL zliiL | 7a (Hfttfleld}- IW— JOURNEY OF RALEGH AND COBHAM TO OSTEND, IN JUL Y i6oa HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM, K.G. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. 160a Jnlv la From SamfwicJk. Arrival of Sir Walter Ral^^ and other Friends of Cecil at Sandwich. — News of the War in the Low Coontries . 425 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers^ PiOar C, b iv. § 100 (Hatfleld.. \\— IMPRISONMENT OF THE LADY ARABELLA STUART IN 1603. I.— ELIZABETH, DOWAGER COUNTESS OF SHREWSBURY, TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. [Extratt,^ 1603-03. Feb. 6. Frmn Hanhvick Hall. Arabella's Willingness to make Disclosures, and her Desire to see Sir Henry Brouncker 4^7 Frnm the OriginaL Cecil Paper*^ vol. xci. f 105 (Hfttflald xxxiv Contents. PACK II.— THE LADY ARABELLA STUART TO SIR HENRY BROUNCKER. {Extracts,^ 1602-05. Firom Hardwkk Hall, Acknowledgments of past Kindness. — Protest against the Commission of Inquiry now entrusted to him. — Complaints of the Queen's Ill-usage of her, through the adverse Influence of Sir R. Cecil and Sir J. Stanhope. — Allusions to her Love Affiurs and their Impediments 428 From the OriginaL Cecil Pa^ergf voL cxxr. ff. xjp-i^ (Hfttflold)- IIL— THE LADY ARABELLA STUART TO THE DOWAGER COUNTESS OF SHREWSBURY, \^EximcL ] 1602-03. March ? Love Affairs 454 From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol cxxjcv. f 143 (HfttfldldX IV. — SIR HENRY BROUNCKER TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. [Extract. ^ 1603. March 25. From Hardwick Hall. His Uncertainty as to the CoundTs Resolves about the Succession to the Crown ; and as to the Continuance of the Imprisonment of the Lady Arabella 435 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, vol xdi § 73 (Hfttflald)* VI.— PLOTS AND COUNTERPLOTS OF 1602-1603. I.— LORD HENRY HOWARD (afterwards Earl of Northamfto.v) TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. [Extnuts.'l [1602. Probablv between March and June.] Suggestions as to the Means of injuring Ralegh and Cobham in the Queen's Opinion. — Impediments to the Queen's Service arising out of their Unpopularity. — Advice that Cobham should be employed in some Negotiations with Spain .... 436 From the original Minutes or roueh Draft MS. Cotton, Titus C vL ff. 386-391 . (Bntiali Kmeom)* II.— THE COUNT OF ARENBERGH TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM, K.G. 1602. Nov. 22. Frvm Brussels. Desire for a renewed Conference. — Im- portance of a Peace. — His Wish to receive a promised Portrait .... 445 Frocn the Original. Cecil Papers, vol xcvl i S3 (Katfl«ld^ Contents. xxxv PAGB III.— HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM, K.G. TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. May 25. From Biack Friaru Correspondence with the Count of Arenbergh 446 From the OriginaL Cedl Pm^ert, voL c § 33 (HfttflftU)- IV.—HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM, TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. May 24. Thanks for the Promotion of his Suit for Leave to go abroad. — His Letters Patent for the Exportation of Woollen Cloth 447 From the OriginaL Cecil Pa/ert, vol c. § 36 (Hatfield). v.— GEORGE BROOKE TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL. [Extract,] 1603. July 22. Complaints of his Misery. — Entreaties for the Continuance of Cecil's Favour to him 448 Fnxn the OriginaL Cecil Papers, voL d. § 85 (Hatfield). VL— HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM, TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. July 23. Cobham's Intercourse with, and Project concerning. Lady Arabella Stuart — Lapse of Time since the Project was conceived and abandoned 449 From the OriginaL Cecil Papen, voL cL § 87 (HatfleldK VII.— SIR WILLIAM WAAD TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. Aug. 12. Examination of one Penycuik, a Scottish Messenger em- ployed between Lord Cobham and the Count of Arenbergh 450 From the OriginaL Cecil Papers^ voL d. f zix (Hatfield). VIIL— THE DECLARATION AND CONFESSION OF THOMAS MARKHAM. 1603. Aug. 14. Details of the Plot of his Brother, Sir Grifiin Markham, and others, for surprising the Court and the Tower of London 452 From the OriginaL CecU Papers, vol. cL § 114 (Hatfield)- IX.— "CERTEN QUEERIES MINISTRED UNTO WILLIAM WATSON." 1603. July or Aug. ? 454 From die OriginaL Cecil Papers^ voL d, (Hatfield)- X.— AN ABSTRACT BY SIR WILLIAM WAAD, FOR THE USE OF SECRETARY LORD CECIL, OF " A LARGE DECLARA- TION OF WILLIAM WATSON." 1603. Aug. 18 455 From die Original. Cecil Pa^ert (HatfieldX xxxvi Contents. PACB XI. — SECRETARY LORD CECIL TO THE COUNT OF ARENBERGH. 1603. Aug. iS. [Illustrative of the Relations subsisting between tlie King's Government and the Archduke*s Ambassador after the Examinations of Cobham and Ralegh] 459 From the Original Draft ; corrected in Lord CeciTs hand. Cecil Parent, toL d. C lai, laa (HatfleldX XII — SECRETARY LORD CECIL TO SIR GEORGE HARVEY, Lieutenant of the Tower. 1603. Aug. 2a Letters of Supplication from the Prisoners in the Tower. — Message to Lord Grey 460 From the original Minute. Cecil Pafen^ voL d. i 115 (HfttfiftldX XIII.— SIR EDWARD COKE'S ABSTRACT OF THE TREASONS. 1603. Aug.? 462 From the Original. Domestic Correspondence: James I. (RoUl ffOHlj) XIV. — SECRETARY LORD CECIL AND OTHER LORDS OF THE COUNCIL TO SIR BENJAMIN TICHBORNE, High Sheriff of Hampshire. 1603. Dec 4. The King's Reception of Sir Walter Ralegh's Letter. — Direc- tions for the Burial of George Brooke 465 From the original Minute. Cecil Papers^ vol dl § 48(Hatfi6ld)' XV.— ANTHONY WATSON, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, TO THE EARLS OF SUFFOLK AND DEVONSHIRE, and the other Lords Commissioners. 1603. Dec. 4. From Winchester, George Brooke's Retractation, on re- ceiving the Holy Communion, of his Charge against Cobham for saying ' We itfUl kUl the fox and his cubs' 467 From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol ciL § 49 (Hatfield> XVI.— THE SAME TO THE SAME. 1603. Dec. From Winchester, Statements and Retractations made by Geoige Brooke, on his Way to the Scaffold «A. From the Original Cecil Papers, vol cii i 55 (HfttfldldX PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER XWlh— EXTENT OF LORD GREY'S PARTICIPATION IN THE PLOT TO SURPRISE THE KING'S PERSON— NOTICE OF GREY'S LIFE, CHARACTER, AND POLITICAL AIMS 469 XVH.-THOMAS, LORD GREY OF WILTON, TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. Dec From Winchester, Offers to relate, fully and circumstantially, his entire Knowledge of the Conspiracy, from the Date of his first Compli> city with Brooke, to that of his Quarrel with Sir Griffin Markham . . . 48a From the OriipnaL CecH Pmpers, vol ciL i 40 (HfttfttldX Contents, xxxvii PAG> XVIIL— SIR GEORGE HARVEY, Lieutenant of the Tower, TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. 1603. Dec. 17. From the Tower, Endosure of a suppressed Confession by Lord Cobham of Remorse for the Falsehood of his Accusation of Ral^h, prior to the Message sent by Ralegh through the younger Harvey . . • 483 From the OrigiiiaL Cecil Papers, vol dl § 77 (HatfioldX XlK,^ENCLOSURE IN THE PRECEDING LETTER, 1603. Oct 24. Expression of Remorse for his Charge against Sir Walter Rali^ 4B5 XX.— SECRETARY LORD CECIL TO SIR GEORGE HARVEY. 1603. Dec. 2a On the Return of a Trunk containing Papen belonging to Sir Walter Ral^h.— Letter of Thanks from Ral^h to the King ... 486 Vll,— RALEGH'S EXECUTION, L— QUEEN ANNE OF DENMARK, Consort of King James L, TO GEORGE VILUERS, Marquess of Buckingham. 1618. Oct ? Entreaty for his Influence with the King to prevent the Execu- tion of Ral^h 487 Fran a Tnnscript made by Ardibbhop Sancroft, from the original Letter, then in bis MS. Tanner, vol ccxdz. foL 87 CBodleian bilnnury, Oxford)* II.— CAREW RALEGH TO KING JAMES THE FIRST. 1618. Oct ? Entreaty for his Father's Pardon 488 From an early Transcript in MS. Ashmole, dccbuud. foL 101 (Bodleian Library, Oxford). III.— DR. ROBERT TOUNSON, Dean of Westminster, TO SIR JOHN ISHAM, Bart. 1618. Not. 9. NarratiYe of the Manner and Circumstances of Ralegh's Death 489 From the Original, as oommvnicated to Thomas Heame, in 1731, by its then possessor, Sir Justiniaa Isham, Bart. ; and by Heame printed in the Appendix to his Preface to WalUri HetniMgfenU Historia (yo\. L p. dxxxi.). IV.— RALEGH'S FIRST TESTAMENTARY NOTE 493 From the Transcript made by Sir Thomas Wilson. Domestic Corres^ndence : James I., ToL ciii. f 37 GloUa Home). v.— RALEGH'S SECOND TESTAMENTARY NOTE 494 From a contemporary Tianscript. MS. Cotton, Titus C vi. f 93 (Britilh MoieiinO- VI. —AN INVENTORY OF SUCH THINGS AS WEARE FOUND ON THE BODY OF SIR WALTER RAWLEY, KNIGHT, THE lOTH DAY OF AUGUST, 1618 49^ From the OriginaL Domestic Correspondence : James I., vol. xcviil $ 79 (RoUf HotlieX xxxviii Contents. that POSTSCRIPT TO LETTER CLVIIL 1618. Oct. 4. Adventurers' Shares in the Ship Destiny y employed in the last Guiana Expedition.— The lost Treatise on the Art of War by Sea , , , , ^ From a Transcript in the hand of Sir Thomas Wilson. Domestic Ccm^omdtmce: James I., voL diL Na 3z, A. Note on the above Postscript, by Sir T. Wilson 499 INDEX SOI ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II. Fac-similb of a Letter addressed by Sir W. Ralegh to thi^^arl of Leicester, in October 1587 Tofaue TUie^page, Fac-simile of a Letter addressed by Thomas, Lord Grey of Wilton, to Mr. Parker, one of his confidential Servants, from the Tower, in 1611 To face page ^-jf^ CORRIGENDA TO VOL. II. Page 271, line 2, First written ^kfight," and corrected in the margin of MS. Introduction. Ixi given by Umbelicus to Phillip Valois, King of France, upon condicion that the heire of France should ever after enjoy it, and carry that name and title. And the tide of heire apparant to the Crowne of England 9i Then follows the fragment which appears to have been intended to accompany a MS. copy i of The Prerogative of Parliaments : — To THE King. [From the same transcript, foL 246, verso, without superscription or signature. The first two sentences of this letter Ralegh after- wzrds used (with modifications) in a long and formal dedication which he prefixed to the presentation copy of the book (* T^e Pre- j rcgative 0/ Parliaments^) to which the letter relates.] ** Those that are supprest and hopeles are '^'S? comonly sylent, wishing that the common To the ill might sort with their particuler misfor- ^yj^^^^^ tunes. It is otherwise with mee, who am <»pyof the tract not like the doggfe that breaks his teeth in ^^^ ^^ , The Pre- bating the stone that strake [himl The rogatiyeof grace I have found hath bene from your menu, Majestie onely, and the life, such as it is, • which I enjoy is of your guift. ** In my former travell with my penn, — that ' of my sword to your Majestie's infinite dis- advantage refused, — though it hath bene dis- graced, I cannot yet thereby be beaten from Ixii Introduction, my desier to serve your Majestic with the affection which hath nourishment from my dutie to God, and, from the goodnes of my King, cannot change. " And, though your Majestie in this,^ as in the rest, fynde mee a foole, that I have bene falce you shall never fynde. God knowes it I hope your Majestie thinks it 1616? To King fames. From the Tower.] On the proposed Expedition to Guiana. 99 The third fragment, which relates to the Guiana expedition, is as follows : — To THE King. [From the same transcript, foL 229.] [ The beginning is wanting^ " For, weere it not out of a singuler de- votion to doe your Majestie service, I take it, under your Majestie s gracious pardon, for a libertie nial entendu to be removed out of this steddy Tower into a rowling shipp, to change the dyett of soft bread and fresh meat for hard biskett and salt beife, to drinke unsavory water, instead of wyne and beare, and to disorder an aged, worne, and weake * /. f, in the work entitled Tlte Prerogative of Parliawunts^ the presenta- tion copy of which this letter was to accompany. Introduction. Ixiii bodie with watching, travell, and distem- pered heat of the Indies ; besids a world of other harmes and hazards. For the rest, most renowned Soveraigne, I most humbly beseech your Majesty to conceive that I never had any hidden or any dishonest intention in this point " There have bene, in all ages, some that have risen againe after a civill death; yea, we have of them [some] now liveing which take themselves to be honest men, and so beleive of them. Why they may not write while they l>'ve in nature, I know not If by writing they may serve their countrie and be profitable to others, they are dead, in charitie, that thinke the contrary, and [are] to be numbred amongst those qui gloriantur in malitia^ of whome I have spoken before." [ The end is wanting.^ Of the other letters to King James, — which are printed in the body of the volume, — many will be found to be entirely new to the reader. Others are now printed from the originals, which here- tofore have been known only by inaccurate copies. Among the letters of both kinds — those now first published, and those which are but reprints — are The Corre- spondence with King James. Ixiv Introduction. one or two which rank among the most charac- teristic fruits of their writer's mind. Several of them contain passages which it is painful to read ; but they are among the most precious materials of biography. Of two other letters, purporting to have been written by Ralegh, I entertain doubts of a dif- ferent sort from those which apply to the frag- ments in rile Jones MS. They were printed, more than two hundred years ago,^ in the volume entitled *' A Collection of Letters ntcule by Sir ToBiE Mathews." Tobias Mathew was the well-known son of that Bishop of Ehirham who became Ralegh's successor in the possession of Durham House, and therefore he was himself Sir Walter's contemporary. But his character in literature, as in life, is such as to give verj' small authority to his statements. He was made up of crotchets and affectations. He had a special fondness, I believe, for treating correspondence somewhat in the way in which it was treated by his contemporary James Howell, or — still more conspicuously — by a famous poet of the next cen- tury. He gave, it would seem, to his letters fictitious addresses, fictitious dates, fictitious head- ings, and fictitious interpolations. It is possible, of course, that the two letters assigned by him to Ralkc;ii, — and published by his editor. Dr. ' In Novcmlwr 1659, but with the imprint, * Lond. 1660.* Introduction. Ixv John Donne, four years after Mathew's own death, — are genuine; but the authority is emi- nently unsatisfactory, and to the best of my knowledge neither of them derives confirma- tion from external sources. I therefore print them in this place, rather than in the body of the volume. I print them literally as they were printed in 1659, and with the fantastical head- ings which ToBiE Mathew, or Dr, Donne, was pleased to prefix to them. The first letter — if it be genuine — does not, it is obvious, relate (as has been suggested) to the sale of the house at Mitcham in Surrey, in order to raise money towards the expenses of the fatal expedition to Guiana. That house was purchased from Lady Ralegh by Sir Thomas Plumer (an ancestor of the Plumers of Hertfordshire), to whom assuredly the expressions " tlu gentleman who is so greatly in favour** and who " kath many /aire fortunes before him** have no relevancy. If those phrases be not mere imitations of similar phrases in the well-known letter to Sir Robert Carr, they are, at least, reiterations of them, plainly pointed at the same Court favourite ; neither is it possible that the phrase, ''we have nothing to look for but misery** — howsoever true potentially, and in the event, — could have been used by Ralegh, of him- self and his family, at a date immediately prior to his outset for Guiana, when he was full of great schemes of enterprise, if not full of hopes. Ixvi Introduction. 1609? Letter alleged ^by Tobias Mathcw or by John Donne) to have been written by Sir W. Ralegh to some nobleman unnamed. If this letter be indeed genuine, and be faithfully printed, it obviously must relate to the negotiation with Carr about the Sherborne estate, and must belong to the year 1609, not to 16 16. The subject-matter of the other letter refers it, just as evidently, to the year 161 8, and to some late period of the year, almost immediately before Sir Walter's execution, The undated letter of 1609 is thus headed in the collection of 1659 : — "Sir W. Rawley to a great Lord whom he entreates to give him just assistance in his businesse. ** May it please your LordshipJX ** I HUMBLY beseech your Lordship to give me leave, and pardon to[o], if I need it, for the answering of those things which you were lately pleased to object against me ; and that you will, charitably, also consider of my demands, and of the reasons which embolden me to make them. * This form of address, to other than the Sovereign, it may here be observed, does occur in the course of the correspondence hereinafter printed, but it is extremely unusual with Ralegh. I do not remember that it is once used by him in addressing the Lord Treasurer Buighley. It occurs, once — in 1604 — in a letter to Lord Cecil, relative to the delivery of the Seal of the Duchy of Cornwall. If this letter of 1609 be genuine, the person most likely to be asked by the iKTiter to *' consider charitably of my demands, and of the reasons which embolden me to make them,'* is evidently the Lord Treasurer Salisbury. But I see no trace of such a letter among the Hatfield MSS. Introduction. Ixvii " Those answers go here, in a paper which is enclosed apart, and my letter shall say but thus much : That the gentleman who is so greatly in favour hath many faire fortunes before him ; and we, nothing to look for but misery ; and that he is better able to give us above the worth of the land, than we in condition to abate any part thereof. And therefore we humbly beseech your Lordship that your compassion and care of honour may be the judge between his prosperous navigation and our shipwrack, and that your charity for us, and your desire of satisfaction for him, may equal the ballance between us. ** I hope so heartily to find as just favour at your hands, as I will venture upon this to assure you that I will do all my uttermost to make my wife and my son forget their misery in themselves, and to be ever mindful of their duty to your Lordship, to whom I hope they will be, as I am sure myself have been, and am, a most faithfuU humble servant, &c." The undated letter of 1618 is thus headed : — " Sir Walter Rauleigh to King James ; which seemes rather to acknowledge favours, than to desire them. " May it please your Majesty, " My sad destiny hath been such, that I Ralegh to King could never present Your Majesty but with James. [i6i8.] Letter alleged (by T. Mathew or by J. Donne) to have been written by SirW. If XVIU Introduction. a prospect upon my complaints and miseries, in stead of doing You services which might have been acceptable to You, I have not spared my labour, my poor estate, and the howerly hazard of my life; but God hath otherwise disposed of all ; and now end the dayes of my hope. " I must neverthelesse, in this litde time in which I am to live, acknowledge and admire your goodnesse, and in all my thoughts and even with my last breath confesse that You have beheld my affliction with com- passion. And I am yet in nothing so mise- rable, as in that I could never meet an occasion wherein to be torn in pieces for Your Majesties service; I, who am still Your," &c. I am bound to add that, for myself, I wholly decline to believe that Ralegh wrote thus to King James in October 1618. Ralegh was some- times a flatterer, and there had been a time when he had shown himself very capable of flattering (even fulsomely) that shame of our English throne ; possible as it may be that some of his panegj-ric is but irony. I venture to think, nevertheless, that in the very last days of life he could scarcely write to the King who, at the express bidding of Philip the Third's Cabinet, had already commanded him to be put presently to death, for a conspiracy, Introduction, Ixix fifteen years before, with Spain against England, such words as these : " With my last breath I confesse that You have beheld my affliction with compassion/' and " I am in nothing so miserable, as that I could never meet an occasion wherein to be torn in pieces for Your Majestie's service," until I shall see those sentences under his hand ; or, at all events, find better authority for them than that of Sir Tobie Mathew, or of King James' Dean of St. Pauls. Among the missing letters, the lack of which I especially regpret, are to be mentioned a series — fourteen in number — ^that were addressed to Ralegh's half-brothers, Sir Humphrey and Sir John Gilbert, and to his nephew, the younger Sir John Gilbert. These letters are known to have belonged to the eminent collector, Mr. Brande HoLLis, towards the close of the last century ; and all of themi there is reason to think, were in the possession of the late Mr. Macvey Napier — formerly Editor of the Edinburgh Review — early in the present century. They passed to him, it seems, through the hands of the Edinburgh book- seller, Archibald Constable (the ' Old Crafty ' of Scott and Lockhart). Repeated inquiry has hitherto failed to elicit their fate. The following is a list of those letters, which I copy from a note addressed to Constable at the time when they were offered to him for purchase : — Lost Letters, addressed by Ralegh to his brothers and nephew. Ixx Introduction, No. I. "To my very loving brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Knight Dated 4 Aprils i593- 2. "To his nephew [Sir John Gilbert the younger]. 1597. 3. " To the same. 14M July [no hate of jtir]. 4. " To the same, nit^ont kidf. 5. " To his brother. 1588. 6. "To Sir John Gilbert, Knight 1591. 7. "To the same. Addressed: — For Her Majesties especyall affaires. To Sir John Gilbert, Knight, at Dartmouth. Hast^post^ hast; hast with speed. em^oul bait. 8. "To his nephew. Sir John Gilbert the younger. Governor of the Fort at Plymouth. nSt^mit Mf. 9. " To the same. SSxt^oiit \t9\z. 10. " To the same. Uil^otii bale. *ii. "To Sir Humphrey Gilbert, with a present from Queen Elizabeth. Dated * Richmond^ March 18, 1582.' 1 2. " To the same. SHU^oat bate. 13. "To his nephew. Sir John Gilbert the younger. SRit^oat bate. *i4. "To Sir John Gilbert. JEit^oat bale." To this list its writer adds these words : " All the above were received by me from the late Brande Hollis, Esq., F.R.S., S.A." The list is unsigned, and undated. It is addressed : ^ Mr. Constable! Should it now chance to fall under the eye of any reader who may be acquainted with the whereabouts of any of the letters men- tioned in it, a communication of such knowledge would be most gratefully received by the Editor of this volume. Introduction. Ixxi All these Gilbert letters must needs possess some biographical value. Three, out of the four- teen, have become known to me, — in the course of the preparation of my book, — two of them from transcripts made for Dr. Thomas Birch, about a hundred years ago, when their originals were still at Plymouth, in the possession of the Gilbert family; and the third from a transcript made for Mr. Napier. They are here printed under the numbers VI., LI I., and LXXXIII. The fate of the remaining eleven letters is the more reasonably a subject of curiosity from the circumstance that another and most curious letter — falsely, as it seems, ascribed to Ralegh himself by his brother's descendants — accompanied those of the letters in the above list which were shown to Dr. Birch ; and I have now before me his transcript. It would seem to be simply incon- ceivable that so strange an incident as is recorded in that letter should have occurred to Sir Walter Ralegh, without mention of it by any of his news-writing contemporaries or by any of his many enemies. Among the proceedings of the Court of Star Chamber of the year 1601 there is, however, this one small point of coincidence: Ralegh's disgraced servant and bitter opponent, John Meere, in one of his pleadings about the Sherborne business, speaks of his master as having done a certain thing alleged ''since the Qtuen s pardon r No other allusion to * a pardon' Ixxii Introductum. is known to me. But, on the whole, the fair and obvious probability is that the letter now in question was written by one of the Gilberts — in spite of its express but incredible endorse- ment : " Letter of Sir Walter Ralegh^ in the possession of Pomeroy Gilbert^ Esq., Fart-Major of Plymouth^ Descendent of Sir Humphrey^* Be that as it may, it is intrinsically deserving of publication. The Gilbert family is now represented by Walter Ralegh Gilbert, Esq., of The Priory, near Bodmin. That gentleman has obligingly informed me that no papers are in his possession which throw light either on the letter now to be printed, or on that (also remarkable) addressed to Sir John Gilbert the younger, which I have printed at page 193 of this volume. Letter of a writer un- kno\*Ti, to a noble- man, or Privy Councillor, unnameil ; formerly ascribed to Sir W. Ralegh. ** Wheras it pleased your Lordshipp for his sake who while he lived did especially love and honor your Lordship to be a mean to her most excellent Majestic for my pardon, who out of her aboundant mercy and grace vouchsafyd the same, in whos service I shall be evermore reddy to yeild up and sacrifice that life which it pleased her Majestie to bestow upon mee at thys tyme : when I came to London to pled and take the benefitt of that her Majesties grace, I was notwith- standing so carefull and fearfull to give Introduction, Ixxiii offence, as after I hurd of the Lord Burros' retume I forbore to go abrode or to follow any busness of myne own in London, or elswhere; preparing as secreatly as I could to have pleaded the pardon and so to have returned ether to Irland, to have served her Majestie ther, or to have followed any other her Majesties service whersoever. Notwith- standing the Lord Burgh, contrary to the geneiall opinion which he seemeth to desire should be held of his valer and honorable dealing, lodged himselfe neare the place where I lay in the Strand, and abowt myd- night stole into the howse wher I was, in hope to have me in my chamber all alone, ether aslepe or utterly unprovided; when, because he found the dore of my chamber shutt and that he could not, without rumore, fore the same, he departed away; and the morning following stole to the howse again desguised, and comes to the chamber dore which, by sure securing * not above half an houre before, I caused to be kept lockt ; and finding hymself a second time disappointed, he knockt at the chamber dore, and counter- fayting a voyce, sayd he was a frynd of myne and byd me open the dore. But by the 1 Thomas Burgh, fifth Lord Burgh, or Borough, K.G., summoned to ' Parliament from nth Jan. 1563 to 24th Oct 1597. • So in tmnscript ; but the reading is questionable. vol. II. / Ixxiv Introduction, waving of a blayde I was sure * and therfore I drew out my rapier, and so .... which, as soon as he perseved, and saw that I was provided, he dissimuled the [matter and] told mee he came but to chal- lenge mee, which, if I would answere, he would give .... to have .... But my good .... unlikely, and hee .... in'the dead of niade a third . . . -ward in the morning, to have found mee unarmed and in my bed. For, otherwise, hee might have sent or written any challenge, more beseeming a man of his sort. How I was urged to the former quarrell, it is very well knowen ; being first stricken by his brother — ^whom for love and goodwill I followed into the Indies — after- wards sought out and challenged, when as I was stalling away to have gone into the service of the Low Countres; and after I had wounded my Lorde's brother in the felde, it is well known that I never followed the quarrell with mallice; but, fynding hym to feynt, I gave over to assault hyme and stayd with hyme above half an houre, and set hym upright and [tried ?] to comfort hyme in all I could untill, for very feare of cum- pany, I was forst to depart. And yet I so t Here, ai it teems, the original was mutilated. It appears to havt a roogh draft of the letter sent Introduction, Ixxv much respected the gentleman as I rather preferred his recovery then myne owne saufty. For I adventured to ryde into Hol- bome to send hyme a surgent, before I sought to save my self, — which course dif- fered! much from this of that Lord, who, besedds the too former assalts, hath since lien in wayt for me in such sort and with such cumpany as I dare not pass towards Westminster to plead my pardon. And for acceptance of any challenge, my Lord knewe I may not For as I am not yet freed of the former, so shall I bee by this pardon bounde by sureties to good behaviour ever after ; and the acceptance of a challenge is a willful! breach therof. I am therfore most humblie to beseech your Lordship to continew your favor toward mee, that I may injoy so much libertye to insure the benefit of her Majesties great grace without the overpressing and outrageous * [? hindrance of the bro]ther or other relations of the Lord Brugh's. I have . . . uppon you being all supprest ... I shall ever remayn ** Your Lordship's, to be [commanded as your] servant, * Here the origiiia], whence this transcript was made, was again de- fecthre. /2 Ixxvi lutrodnctum, [Postscript.] my therfore writ out this .... my own hand my Lord of BuckhursL^ R«* That doubtful letters, and fragmients of letters, J- ^BOB 31 such as these, should be without date is precisely what might be expected ; but that scarcely a dozen of the one hundred and sixty-six well- authenticated Ralegh Letters hereinafter printed should contain an accurate or precise date is a fact that calls for some remark. The very few that bear the date of y^ar are — I think almost uniformly — letters written, either wholly or in part, by an amanuensis. Sir Walter's own practice was to date his letters ^ this Wednesday^ or 'this Friday I or, perhaps, 'this 6th of October/ and the like, but with entire disregard of the year. I have done what I could to supply the true dates — either from endorsements or from the subject- matter of the letters themselves ; but I am well aware that the reader s indulgent \aew of the dimculties which attend upon conjectural dating will, in the course of this volume, be much needed on behalf of its Editor. I have, at all events, the satisfaction of reflecting that, in not a few in- stances, letters already known, but wrongly dated > ThU letter is endorsed : ** For Dr. Birch. Letters of Sir Walter Ralegh in the posMssion of Pomeroy Gilbert, Esq., Fort-Major of Plymouth, detcendent of Sir Humphrey.** Introduction. Ixxvii in preceding books — sometimes by a period of six or seven years — have here been rectified In printing so many new letters, I cannot hope to have altogether escaped the making of some new ! blunders. In one or two instances, I have sub> sequendy discovered my error, and have corrected it either by footnote or by marginal note in the Life. For any undetected errors of this kind I solicit the candid consideration of readers. Those most accustomed to difficult researches! amongst musty old papers will, perhaps, be most ! charitable on such a point. Of Letters XLVL, CXXVL, CXXX., and CXXXII., it is needful to observe that they stand much in need of fuller explanation and of more illustrative remark than it has been in my power to give. I long entertained 'a hope that in the Episcopal Registry at Salisbury, or among the rich muniments of the Dean and Chapter there, I should be enabled, and permitted, to find somej other portions of the correspondence relating to j the Sherborne manors. My failure to do so has | not arisen from lack of effort, — or of journeying, — ' on my own part. At many of the Diocesan, Col- legiate, and Capitular registries and muniment- rooms throughout England, there is now a most liberal recognition of the fairness of making some ' distinction between facilities for searches intended , to further a merely historical or literary purpose. illiistiBtife of the History of the Sherborne Manors, and of Ralegh's transaC' tions with the Chnrch of Samm. Ixxviii Introduction, Fhiitkss for letters at Salis- boiy mud atSher^ and those appointed for searches of a more pro- fessional sort ; such, for instance, as are connected either with matters of personal profit or with points of l^[al contention. At Winchester — ^to take but one example out of very many which are known to me by personal experience — a most generous view of such matters obtains. But at Salisbury — as also at Exeter — the direct opposite of liberality is the rule, and the rule is faithfully adhered to. I had also, in the course of my inquiries, found reason to think that certain other letters which are printed in this volume might have found very valuable and interesting illustration from docu- ments which still, it is believed, exist at Sher- borne Castle. But at Sherborne (as at Salisburj' and at Exeter) my earnest efforts to obtain per- mission for access to them — of course under the reasonable restrictions which are usual and right in such researches by strangers — failed of their object. At Sherborne Castle, I fear, the renown of its Elizabethan owner is sometimes felt rather as an overhanging shadow, than as a matter of generous elation. t;enerv>u» It is far less aerreeable to put on record failure fxciliUcs ^ ^ ^ ^ \ ^ vhichhAvc and denial in leintimate inquiries for purposes of t.^Manu research, than i^^ratefully to acknowledge the liberal t on oi furtherance of them. Of that, these volumes have letter*, i received not a little. Some of my many obligations Introduction, Ixxix are recorded in the Preface to the Life of Ralegh. But I cannot commit this collection of his Letters to the indulgence of the reader without once again registering in this place my grateful and special thanks, — first, to the Marquess of Salisbury, for his generous permission to draw so largely on the papers at Hatfield; and, next, to the Master of .the Rolls, Lord Romilly ; to the Deputy Keeper of Records, Mr. Duffus Hardy ; and to his most able and zealous officers in the General Record Office, for the very liberal facilities which the Editor of these Letters — in common with other students of Records better able to turn them to public profit — has long enjoyed. The circum- stance that the ' Calendars ' of the State Papers of Elizabeth s reign, and the series of fac-similes entitled * National Mantiscripts' have both been in active progress — at the Rolls House, and at Southampton — during much of the time in which my searches were carried on, inevitably made those searches occasionally obstructive to the due course of office business. And hence it is that many of the Ralegh Letters here printed are without precise references ; the preparation of the new Calendars having required a re-numbering of the papers.* But what, to the searcher, might well have proved an unavoidable and, for the ^ This circumstance will explain to the reader the occasional occurrence ! in this volume of the term * Unarranged ' or * Unnumbered Papers * (as . at pp. 21, 169, 174, 241, &c.), meaning papers which were in course of | re-aTangeracnt . Ixxx Introduction. NA/UC-K time, an insurmountable hindrance, has, by the kindness of the officers, been turned into an occasion of more than common help. To Alfred Kingston, to William Noel Sainsbury, and to William Basevi Saunders, Esquires, this Collec- tion of Letters, and its Editor, are thus under special obligation. I am also indebted to the kindness with which Mrs. Everett Green per- mitted me to make occasional use both of the MS. and of the printer's proofs of her excellent Calendar of State Papers ^ for the years 1591 to 1596, now in the press. My best thanks are also due to the Reverend Hcifnv Stubbs, tLli^., late Librarian to the Arch- bishop of Canterbury, for many facilities afforded to me at Lambeth. In submitting this collection of Letters to public criticism, I am very conscious of some among its many shortcomings. A task of this sort is neces- sarily one which has to be spread over several years. Before an Editor reaches the last stage of the long road on which he has been journeying, he is pretty sure to find some omissions which ought to have been supph'ed at earlier stages, and something to have been said or done, in one way, — soon after the outset, — which he would fain have said or done in quite another way, when looking back from the final resting-place on the incidents of his task. Introdtiction. Ixxxi On that head, all I will venture to add is this one remark: If any reader who may observe or suspect omissions or errors, and may have both opportunity and inclination to indicate them, will do so, — ^with whatsoever of blame he may deem fairly attachable to the fault, — he will confer on the Editor a favour which will be gratefully received, and sedulously turned to the right account, whenever opportunity may offer. NOTE TO INTRODUCTION. By the accident of a miscarriage of proofs in the Post Office, the three letters which have been already mentioned as addressed by Ralegh to the Senate of the University of Cambridge about Wine Licences were worked off, prior to cor- rection of the press. These letters are here reprinted in the form in which they should have appeared at pp. 24, 27, and 28 of this Volume. LETTER IX. 1584, TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR AND OTHERS, THE SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. From the Origmal. University Registry (Cambridge). [Transcript in MS. Baker, xxix. 340.] I COMEND me to you, beinge lothe to greyve or dis- content you, whome I love and am willinge any waies I IntrodmcHoH. J ToAe of Ac of V maye to pleasure. . I have thoughte good to informe ; you of a late hard part and riotouse demeanor done by ' some of your Universitie, which I can as yet but take in ■ contempte of her Majesties graunt to me, not dealinge , further therby then lawfullie (as I am informed) I maye doe. Yf otherwise, the Conference offered by my Deputees to one Baxter and others, your late dealers in that cause, for the spedie and quyett dissidinge the ; matter by your learned Councell and myne, shold have . bene accepted. The abuse done was sutche, as yf I shall not understand of some reformadon or correction to be done to the Malefactors, wherby this bearer JOHN . Keymer, her Majesties Subjecte lawfullie lycenced by ; me to sell Wjiies in your Town, doe quyetlye enjoyc I the same untill by lawe (that govemeth us all) yt be I othaw>-se determjmed, I u-ill devyse some other course • for reformadon herein. The barers haste awaye (to comfort his poore wife, who by violence offered was in case by sondr}-e soundes,* and passions, likelie to have died) \\*as sutche, as tyme ser\'ed me not to move my \-er\-e good Lord the Lord Treasurer, for his Honors letter in reformacion hereof, which I douted not to have had, but I do rest assured that yourselves will take suche directe and lawfull course herein, as neyther my selfe, nor yow, nor anye other that will comaund us, shall have occasion further herein to be trobled, which I hartelie \\yshe : not desiringe so fullie and lawfullie to extend her Majesties graunt in your towne, as maye further greyve your Vynteners, the onlie styrrers herein, respectinge more their gaync then quyett government I crave your spedie answere in wrightinge by this barer, for that the unlawfull and riotous parties must not rest * rus>fins. Introduction. Ixxxiii tinpunyshed And so I bidd you all hartelie farwell. From my lodging at the Cort, this ixth of Julie, 1584. Your very assured loving Frinde, W. Ralegh. Addressed : To the Werskipjiill my loving Friends^ Mr, Doctor HowLAND, Vki Ckautudor of the UniversUii of Cambridge and others^ thi Medsters of the same. LETTER XL 1585. TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR AND OTHERS, THE SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. From the OriginaL University Registry (Cambridge). [Transcript in MS. Baker, zxix. 341.] Mr. Vyce Chauncelor, Beinge (by informacion) perswaded, that your selfe, with the grave and well disposed of your Uni- versitie, were so greved with the unseamelye owtrages latelie comytted by the yonge and unbridled hedds of the same, in contempte of the Quenes Majesties pre- rogatyve and graunt unto me, and to my discredytt, as suffycyent order by yow had ben taken for this bearer's quyett, which caused me to reste from requyringe re- formacion therin at my verye good Lord Threasurer's handes, who (by me) as yet understandeth not of those ryotts ; And I did forbare, contrarye to the advyse of my learned Councell, in procedinge to enquyer by lawe of the same ryotts, of good wyll I beare to your Uni- versitye ; And ment so to deale with yow for the other foure Tavemes, as sholde have suffycyentlie contented LETTER XI. 1584.1585. Feb. 10. To the Senate of the University of Cam- bridge. From Somerset House. On the licensing of Vintners in Cam* bridge. Ixxxiv Introduction. yow. But my to^ favorable dealinge with yow hathe geven suche encorage, as this daie, I am informed, yow have warned this barer to appeare before yow, whose wills therin I have willed him to performe. And I am further informed, yow mynd to disturbe hym ageyne from usinge his honeste and lawfuU trade of Wyne- sellinge, authorysed therunto by the Quenes Majesties graunt, under the great Seale of Ingland. And al- thoughe I know yow not, yet your place sholde tell me, that your prosedinges wilbe with hym juste and lawful!, which onlye I desyer of yow. So yow shall pleasure yourselves, and contynewe my redynes to doe yow any good I maye. I hope, uppon your answere, I shall fynd thes Informacions to growe rather uppon jelosey, then juste matter. So I leave you to God. From the Cort at Somersett Howse, this lOth of February, 1584.* Your very willing Frind, W. Ralegh. Addressed: To my loving ffrind Mr, Vycechancehr^ and the resU of the Maysters of the UniversitU of Cambridge, LETTER XII. LETTER XII. I5841585. t'eb. 2a TO THE SAMK From the Original University Registry (Cambridge). tTnnscripi in MS. Baker, xxix. 342.] I CANNOT a litle marvaile att your peremtory and proud manner of delinge. I was content to use all manner of curtesy towards yow (in respect of my Lord Tresorer, my Honorable good Lorde), but I parceve, that my ' foO' • Legal style. Introduction. Ixxxv reasonable or rather to^ submis deling hath bread in yow a proceding unsufferable. Yow have cummitted a poore man to the prison having don nothing but war- ranted by the great Seal of Ingland ; your Seales sup- posing a priviledge by Charter. I doe not know that any man, or any men, or Sotiety, would take so mich uppon them, before triall made. But, as I reverence the place of whence* yow ar the governors, so I will not willingly take any wrong or disgrace from yow. And I am asured my Lord Tresorer, who may command mee mich, wilbe indifferent in this case. For the matter so much concemeth the validety of my patent elswher, as well as in your Uneversity, as I will try the uttermost of my right, as well for this one, which I was content to be satisfied withall, as for all the other foure. And so, having thought yow would have vouchsafed an awnswere of my last letters, I end. Court, this xx* of Febriary, 1584.* Your Frind as yow shall geve cause, W. Ralegh. To the Senate of the Univenitj of Cam- bridge. From the Court On the same subject too. * So in MS. • I^egal style. TJkis ma ft is fit to use in all cth, vol. civ. §88, That one friendship— and its consequences — would have suf- ficed to hand down Ralegh's name, with Spenser's, had he explored no Guiana; led no fleet at Cadiz; written no History of the World; laid the foundation of no colonies in America. The rebellion began in the autumn of 1579; — at a time when Ralegh's mind was still strongly bent on plans of maritime discovery, notwithstanding the check which had just been given by the Lords of the Council to his purposed American voyage.* That interruption occurred in June. On the 19th of July, the Earl of Desmond wrote to the Lords Justices that he was "ready to venture his life in Her Majesty's quarrel." On the 9th of August, Edward Whyte wrote to Walsingham (from Limerick) that the Geraldines were in arms, and that the " fire was like to spread into every comer of the realm." It did not bum quite so fiercely as that But it spread far ; and the devastation it made was such as, happily, it is hard for the mind to realize now-a-da)rs. Ralegh touches (in Letter III.) on one of the main difficulties which protracted its extinction. " Geraldines," he says, " will die a thousand deaths ; enter into a million mischiefs ; seek succour of all nations, rather than be subdued by a Butler." And the feud between Desmonds and Ormonds was but one feud of a hundred. But if they could not be put down, it was, at length, found possible to keep them, for a while, in check. It was not until the autumn of 1583 n-as far advanced that the Queen could congratulate herself on the deliverance of Munster from rebellion. The report which was then read to her at Oatlands had been drawn up by one of Ralegh's comrades — Edward Barkley — in the 1581 campaign of Cork described in Letter IV. ; and it was the Elarl of Ormond — in that letter so sharply censured — who had the satisfaction of receiving from the Privy Council in England the royal thanks. I. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. From the Original. Irish Correspondence: Elixabeth, voL Ixxx. § 73 (RoUb House). In the hand of an amanuensis, except as to two words which are interlineated in autograph. Signed. Maye it please your Honor, j To UNDERSTAND that uppon the receaving of my footeband of one hondrethe men, when I departed from London towards this land, there was then delivered into my hands (besides one hundreth powndes in imprest which is defalked uppon my enterteynment heere,) so mucfae mony as amownted to six dayes wages for my self, my levetennent, officers, and soldiers, at accus- tomed rates, viz. \\y^ per diem for my self, y^ per diem for my levetennente, xiiij* a peece for iiij officers, and viij* a peece for every soldier ; after th* expiracion of which six dayes (by order from Your Honor and the rest of my lords of Her Maiesties Pryvy Counsell,) wee entered into the Isle of Wighte where wee contynued xv dayes, and ther beinge imbarked in Her Maiesties shippes, there was xvii dayes more before wee arryved heere, duringe all which tyme of xxxij dayes, in the whole, wee re- ceaved only vittells after the rate of vi** sX^xXxng^ per diem for cache one, so that duringe those xxxij dayes there growethe due to every of my company ij* sterlinge/rr diem as a remaynder of theire wages at viij** sterling per dietn ; and also to my selfe, my levetennente and officers, our whole enterteynment for the lyke tyme at LETTER I. 1580-1581. Feb. 22. To Lord Barghley. From Cork. Detention at the Isle of Wight. - Arrival in Ireland. — Pay and Rations of his Com- pany. 8 Letters of Ralegh, Fctk 22. Senrioe in ixTTDi L the rates abovesaid. So yX, is, my good and honorable 1580-1581. Lorde, that at the importunate suyte and exclamacion of my company I have bin enforced to paye and satisfye every of them of that remaynder, and seekinge to have the same to be allowed mee agayne heere, I am therfore referred to Your Honor's order and the residue of my Lords of Her Maiesties Pryvy Councell in England ; being annswered by Her Highnes' offycers heere that wee are neyther to be entered into paye, nor no other manner of waye to be allowed heere, but from the daye of our arryvall in this land. In consideration whereof I am a moste humble sutor to Your Honor and the residue of my said Lords for allowance of that mony, as hathe bin heretofore, by Your Lordship's good meanes, in the like case allowed to Sir WILLIAM MORGAN, and that the same may be payd to the gentleman which shall deliver this letter to Your Honor, whom I have desired to attend Your Lordship for that purpose, and who shall present unto You as well a perfect accomptc thereof, as also a suffycient certifycate or testemony of the tyme of our contynuaunce in the Wighte, and of the daye of our arryvall heere. I moste humblie desire Your honor to farther this my request as spedely as you conveniently maye, because I have appointed the mony to be imployed in England abowte the providinge of sutche wants as bothe my selfe and company doe greately stand in ncede of. Thus I comyt Your Lord- ship to God ; my poore selfe remayninge alwaycs a Your Honor's service and comaundment. Corke, this 22 of February, 1580 \legal style\ Your Lordship's most humble to comaundc, W. R ALLEY. Addrcsseil : To thv rii^ht hottorabic an J my very ^^o(Hi Ij>rdy thi Lord Br RC. II LEY, Lord Ui^he Threstmrfr of England, Proceedings of some Fosterers of tlie Rebellion. II. TO SECRETARY SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM. From the Original. Irish Corrapondence : Elizabeth, voL Ixxx. § 74 (Bolls Honse). Holograph. I RECEVED of late a letter from Your Honor wherein I finde Your Honor's disposicion and oppinion more favor- able then I can any way deserve. Notwithstandinge I aope Your Honor shall finde that my forwardnes to a^ivance Her Maiesties service shall not be less accord- injje to my smale strenght Whereas of late a cumpany of yonge cumpanions linket together in rebellion who bec«.use they can no longer covertly assiste the pro- daymed traytors do at lenght manifeste their good mindes'to Her Hightnes and the Inglyshe nacion, — ^as Davy Barrey, sonn and heir of Lorde Barrey, now in the castle of Develin ; MORRICE RocHE, eldest sonn to the Lorde RocHE; FiNNiN Macartey, Patrick CoNNDON, and divers others, — my Lorde Generall is now cum hither who, wee hope, ether by force or pollecy will sr.ificiently hampre them that ar farr of greater strenght then the Earle of DESMOND and JOHNE.^ In my retume from Develin I made a hard escape from the Seneshall ^ in Barrels countre (wher he is allways fostered) with xiiij horsmen and threescore footmen. I was three horsmen, and soun set on horsbake to ' Irishe footmen. I coveted to recover a litle old castle, and > Sir John Fitzgerald, usually called *John of Desmond.' He was' brother of Gerald, 1 6th Earl of Desmond. | • John Fitzedmund Fitzgerald, 'Seneschal of Imokilly.* ^ two. j LETTER If. 1580-1581. Feb. 23. To Sir F. Walsing- ham. From Cork. Proceed- ings of some covert fosterers of the Re- bellion.— His escape from an ambush in Barry*s country. — Character of the soldiery in Munster. lO Letters of Ralegh. LETTER II. 1580-1581. Feb. 23. State of the Pro- vince of Munster. in that resun I left three men and three horses. The manner of myne own behavior I leve to the report of others, but the escape was strange to all men. The castle was a longe mile of,^ from the place wher he first sett on us. Ther is great need of a supply in Munstre, for the bandes ar all miche decayed. The bands of Tanner and Barnishe were so ordered in the cashiringe that no man was the better. For the officers had the furni- ture and the soldiers ran away. Beside, the men ar suche poore and misserable cretures as ther captaynes dare not lead them to serve. If Your Honors beheld them when they arive here, You would think them far unfitt to fight for Her Maiesties crown ; and like Your Honor ther is no fitt place to lande them that ther captaynes may receve them furnished but Corke, from whence they may most conveniently be delivered over. Thus, besechinge You to continew Youre favorable op- pinion of mee, I humblie take my leve, rcstinge allways most redy to do you all honor and service. From Corke, xxiij of February, 1581^ [.^] Your honor's most humble to cummande, W. Raulev. Addressed : To the honorable Sir Francis Walsingham, Knighte^ Principal Secretory to I/er Hij^hnes, geve thes. Endorsed : "23 February^ 1580. From Mr. Walter Rcm'ley,' »» ^ ojf. * The last figure in this date is scarcely legible. The endoraement, it will be obscr\'ed, gives, according to the legal style, * 1580.' Mismanagement of the War in Munster. II III. TO SECRETARY SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM. From the OriginaL frisk Correspondaue : Elizabeth, vol. bcxx. § 82 (Rolls House). Holograph. The day after the writinge of my letter to your Honor by Levetenant BiGGES, news came that Davy Barrey had broken and burnt all his castles and entred pub- likly into the action of rebellion. It plesed my Lorde Deputy,^ att my beinge at Develin (forseinge wherunto this Trator was bent) to bestow on mee the kepinge of on of his castles called Barre Court and the Hand adjoyninge therunto ; which hows he gave mee in charge to keap to her Majesties use» being a great strenght to the countre and a safty for all passingers betwen Corke and Youghall. Notwithstandinge, becaus my Lord Generall * was presently to cum up and Barrey ready to go out (having before undregfound broken the foun- dacions of the rest of his castles) 1 made stay to take this Barrey Court, as well for that my Lord Generall should not alledge that I crost hyme in any service or did anythinge with in his goverment without his privitey, as also because it should not be sayd that the takinge therof was the hasteninge of Barre's rebellion. But when my Lord came and BARREY had burnt all the rest, the Lord Generall, ether meninge to kepe it for hyme selfe — as I think all is to litle for hyme— or els unwillinge any Inglishman should have any thing, stayd > Arthur, Lord Grey of Wilton. • Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormond ; Governor of Munslcr and General of the Forces. LETTER III. 1580-1581. Feb. 25. To Sir F. Walsing- luun. From Cork. Causes of the delay in the seizure of Barry's Court — Misman- agement of the War in Munster ; and con- trast offered thereby to* the govern^ ment of SirH. Gilbert. IZ Letters of Ralegh, LETTER III. I580-I581. Feb. 25. Com- plaints of the con- dnct of the War in Muntter. the taking therof so longe, mening to put a gard of his own in it, as it is, withe the rest, defaced and spoled. I pray God Her Majesty do not finde, that — what with the defence of his own countre assalted on all sides, what with the beringe and forberinge of his kindred, as all thes traytors of this new rebellion ar his own cussen- germayns, what by reason of the incomperable hatred betwen hyme and the Garautines,^ who will rather dy a thowsand deathes, entre into a million of mischeifes and seek soccor of all nacions, rather than they will ever be subdued by a BUTLER — that aftre Her Majesty hathe spent a hundred thowsand pound more she shall at last be driven by to * dere experience to send an Inglishe Presedent to follow thes mallicious traytors with fier and sword, nether respectinge the aliance nor the nacion. Would God your Honor and Her Majesty, as well as my poore selfe, undrestoode how pitifully the service here goethe forward ! Considering that this man, havinge now byn Lord Generall of Munstre now about too yeares, theire ar at this instant a thowsand traytors more then ther were the first day. Would God the service of Sir HUMFRY Gilbert might be rightly lokt into ; who, with the third part of the garreson now in Irland, ended a rebellion not miche inferior to this, in to * monethes ! Or would God his own behavior were suche in peace as it did not make his good service forgotten and hold hyme from the preferment he is worthy of ! I take God to wittencs I speake it not for affection but to discharge my duty to Her Majesty ; for I never hard nor rede of any man more fcred then he is amonge the Irishe nacion. And I do assuredly know that the best about the Earle of DESMOND, ye ! and all the unbridled traytors of thes partes, would cum in * Gcraldincs. ' too. • tu.\\ Contrasted Proceedings of Irish Governors. 13 hyre, and yeld them selves to the Queen's mercy, were it but known that he were cum amonge them. The end shall prove this to be trew. And for myne own part God is my judge it grevethe mee to receve her Majesty's pay (although God knowes it be but a poore entreteynment) to see her so miche abused ; and I will rather begg then live here to indure it I would most willingly geve over my charge, and did ofTre it to the Lord Generall, God is my judge, if I could, and serve her Majesty privatly with a dussen or ten horse duringe the wares. I beseiche your Honor to take my bold writing in good part, protesting befor Hyme that knowethe the thoughtes of all hartes, that I writ nothing but moved therunto for the love I bere to her Highnes and for the furtherance of her service. And further I humblie crave at your Honors handes that you will reserve my letters to yourselfe, and if your Honor will promise mee so miche and give mee leve, I will from tyme to tyme advertise your Honor trewly of this estat Myself being on * that your Honor shall allways finde most ready to ventur my life to do yow all honor and service during my life. I beseich your Honor that I may by your means injoy the keping of this Barrey Court and the Hand ; or that it will please your Honor but to writ to my Lorde Deputy that he will confirm it unto mee, whom I find most willing to do mee any good, being my honerable, good Lorde. This * humblie I take my leve, reposing myselfe and my estat uppon your Honors favor. From Cork, the 25 th of February. Your Honor's most humble ever to command, W. Rauley. Addressed : To the honorable Sir FRANCIS WalSINGHAM, Knight^ the Principal I Secritory to Her Highnes, LETTER III. I5S0-I581. Kb. 25. one. Requests the charge of Barry^ ^ Court. " Thus, H Letters of Ralegh. LBTTBR nr. 1581. May I. To Arthur, Lord Grey, Deputy of Ireland. From Cork. State of the Army in Munster. — Intrigues of the rebels. — Fortifica- tion of Barry's Court and the Island. Further complaint^ of the manage- ment of the War. IV. TO ARTHUR, LORD GREY OF WILTON, LORD DEPUTY OF IRELAND. From an official and annotated Copy, sent by the Lord Deputy to Sir Frands Walsingham. Irish Correspondence: Elizabeth, toL IxzxiiL § 16 [i] (Bolls House). Fering that it shoulde seme strainge unto your Lord- shipe the litle service don in thes partes, I presume to wryte unto your honor in myne owne excuse, lest your Lordshipe should growe in ill opinion of us that ar and have byne in the presenc of the General to be directed. The bandes of Sir Georg Bowser, Edward Barkley, Captayne Dowdall, and of my self, have bine ever since the seconde weeke of Lent remayning in Corke; and both the g^eat wood of Conoloathe, Harlo, Clenlis, and all the countye of Lymbricke, and the counties betwene the Dingle and Kilkeny, left without any com- panies ether to defend itself or anoy the enemy. Since which tyme wee have made to jurneys: the one towards Kilkeny to give convoye to my Lorde and attend his retume, and the other into Conolothe, by which jumes (the one being in horible wether, and the other utterly botles, being don without draught or espiall, and beside inforst to walke such unreasonable marches as, wher wee dispatched a churell of the traytors, wee lamed, lost, or left behynde unserviceable, a soldier or two of our owne) the poore bands have curste the change they made in levyng to follow your Honor, as they have tould the Lord Generall many tymes. And this fyrst of May wee ar going another posting convoy towards Kilkeny. But to culler the matter, wee shall march some two dayes out of our way to seeke wee know not whome. Intrigues of i/ie Rebels, 15 The store of Corke, except it be a smale quantitie of wheat and butter, is all spent within the walles, and nowe it wilbe aleged that wee cannot serve for want of vittlesy or else because the bandes ar not supplied ; ail- though wee were nevere less than fore hundred stronge, and yet both of Sir GEORGE Bowcer's and Captain Barkle's [companies] ^ left at Kilmalloch and Asketon. Wee have spent thes two monethes of the spring in paries with Barrey Rowe, the Countes of DESMOND, and FINNIN Macartey; and wee think it willbe two moneth more er he * be resolved whether thes oughtt to be followed or no, and yet theris no day passeth without some trayterous villanies by the Barres committed. The Countes of Desmonde is retoumed, and brought so many followers with her hither to carrye provision with her as the Elarle, for his parte, shall be* the better able to keepe the feild all this sommer; and at her going away none of her trayne ether sercht or lokt over. Barrey Rowe is protected. The Lady Barrey having gathered her goodes into Corke ; and fering that by the atteyndure of her husband those wilbe found for the Queene, her yonge sonne — viz. Barrie Roe, that five dayes before fell on the garrisons of Youghall — is brought in to serve that tume to carye the goodes into O Syl- LEVANSES countrey, or els wher, for the more saftie ; and besides this man shall keep some store of cattell and such impotent people as cannot follow Davey Barrey in the feild with many other profits ether for the Queen or for the knaves. I thinke your Honor hard of the losse of the warde of Asketon.* O Kenis and his sonn wer both slayne by J HON of Desmond, — gentelmen of Mac Donoth's countrey and very good subiects. Barre's Cowrte and the Hand — which your Honor willed * This or lome eqmTalent word is here plainly wanting. ' C)rmon(I. LETTER IV. I58I. May I. •**xiof them were distressed that fondly aventured owte to far for sum cowes.'* — Marginal note on this passage by the Lord Deputy, i6 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER nr. 1581. , May I. • "This is the beeffin- nyng of that platt which, by Mr. Pent, I have advertize- ment of, for the fynding of a certayne garrison gratis to Her Majestie." —Mar- giual note on this passage by the Lord Deputy. me to keepe — the on^ hath sine bin many tymes defaced, and the other spoylde and pred.* From this iland the traytors can never wante nether wine nor salte, or iron, or any other necessary provision, or if neede bee advertisement from Spayne or elswher; being com- mon for any man to lande on. Notwithstanding, it is left naked and the castle broken that stood in the entranc therof for defenc. I have, by great perswacion of the Commissioners, gott leve to edifie the same, and leve a ward therin ; and if it shall please your Honor to thinke mee woorthie the keeping and custodie therof I will at myne owne coast buyld it up agayne and defend it for her Maiestie. I would the rather bee an humble and emest suter to your Honor for it in that I heire the Lord Generall purposeth, when I have taken the toyle in making it defencible and bin at the charg, to turne me over for my charges to the Queene and dispose of the iland to some other. I hope your Honor will stand my good lord therin. If it please your Honor to give commission ther may bee an other hundreth soldier layd uppon the cuntre heire aboute.* I hope it willbe a most honorable matter for your Lordshipe, most acceptable to her Maiestie, and profitable for the cuntre ; and the ryght meane to banish all idle and frutles galliglas and kerne, the ministers of all miseryes. Thus, most humblie beseeching your Honor not to condemne any of us that are willing to deserve your Lordshipps good favor, I humblie take my leve. From Corke, the fyrst of May. ' Copie of ... . [Captain Rauley's] letter (Jhe name being in cypfur). Endorsed : " I May, 1 581. Copie of a letter to the Lord Deputy, from Corke."^ I one. " preyed 1 ' This title occupies the usual place of the subscription and signatttr& Dissatisfaction with tJu Irish Service. '7 V. TO ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICESTER. Yx^aa the Original. MS. HarL 6993, f. 5 (British Masenm)* I MAY not forgett continually to put your Honor in mind of my aflfection unto your Lordshipe, havinge to the worlde bothe professed and protested the same. Your Honor, havinge no use of such poore followers, hathe utterly forgotten mee. Notwithstandinge, if your Lordshipe shall please to thinke mee your's, as I am, I wilbe found as redy, and dare do as miche in your ser- vice, as any man you may cummande ; and do, nether, so miche dispaire of my self but that I may be somway able to performe as miche. I have spent some time here under the Deputy, in suche poore place and charge, as, were it not for that I knew him to be on ^ of yours, I would disdayn it as miche as to keap sheepc. I will not troble your Honor with the bussiness of this loste lande ; for that Sir Warram Sentleger* can best of any man deliver unto your 1 enf, * Sir Wailiam St Leger, an eminent soldier, passed a considerable portion of his life in the Irish wars, and in them he ended it, almost nine- teen fears after the date of this letter. The Commissioners of Munster, when narrating to the Lords Justices of Ireland certain events which occurred in their province during Tyrone's rebellion in 1 599- 1600, thus describe Sir Warham's martial death : After reciting Tyrone's march ** out of Barry's country ^ into that part of Munster of which Sir Warham had the immediate charge, they say that he and Sir Henry Power rode forth " to se if they might meete some of the cumpanies straglinge from the rest," and at length "discreed a comett of horse, and drew towards them. And knowing the same to be Macgowire, they made a charge upon him and his horsmen. Sir Warham encountered Macgowire, and with his I pistole shott towe ballets into his brest He with his stafe strake Sir vol.. II. C LETTER V. I58I. Aug. 25. To the Earl of Leicester. From ■ Lismore. Profes- sions of attach- ment— Dissatis- faction with the Irish ser- vice.— Recom- mends to the Earl John Fitz- Edmund of Cloyne. i8 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER V. I581. Aug. 25. Lordshipe the good, the badd, the mischeifs, the meanes to amend, and all in all of this common welthe, or rather common woo. He hopethe to finde your Honor his assured good Lorde, and your Honor may most assuredly cummande him. He is lovingly inclyned toward your Honor. And your Lordshipe shall win by your favor towards hyme a wise, faythfull, and valient gentleman, whos worde and deede your Honor shall ever find to be on \ Thus, having no other matter, but only to desire the continuance of your Honor's favor, I humblie take my leve. From the Camp of Leismore, in Irland, August 25 « [1581]. Your Honor's faithful and obedient, W. Rauley. [Postscript.] — I am bold, being bound by very con- science, to cummend unto your Honors consideration the pitiful estate of John Fitts-Edmonds, of Cloync,' a gentleman, and the only man untucht and proved tru to the Queen, bothe in this and the last Rebellion. Sir Warram can declare his service, what he is, and what he deservethe. Addressed : To the right honorahU and my very good Lorde the Erie of Lkvcestf.i, of Her Majesties most honorable Pryvey CounselL Endorsed: '' id"" August, 1581. IV, Raivley^ Warhame into the braine, of which blowc within four dates he died ; anunds ; some, six pounds, thirteen shilHngs, and fourpence, yearly, to be paid them for a licence." " The pre- sent \-intners," it is then added, " are all bound to Sir Walter ^ Ralegh to pay him yearly, during their lives, twenty shillings ; ; and, [as] it hath pleased his Highness to restore to Sir Walter Ral^h all his goods, . . . the bonds be his as before ; which the Parliament hath never considered, but left the Vintners subject to all dangers both of one and the other.'* Eventually, the licensing [K>wer was kept in the King's hands ; and I find it stated, in 1 628, " This last year, the wine licences yielded to the King 4.320/. lor. %dr They had yielded Ralegh, adds the writer, but 1,000/. a year. The contrast affords an in- structive note on the famous P^liamentaiy debate concerning Monopolies, of November 1601. It is more than probable that in 1628 the appropriation of this revenue had as little to do with the relief of public burdens as it had had in 1601. LETTKR IX. July 9. To the Senate of the L'niven»ily of Cam- liricljjc. IX. TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR AND OTHERS, THE SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. From the OritjinaJ. University Registry ^Cambridge). [Transcript in MS. Baker, xxix. 340.] I coMKNi) me to you, being lothe to grcvc or discontent you, whom I love and am willinge any waies I may to pleasure. I have thought good to informe you of a late hard part and riotousc demeanor done by some of your Universitye, which I can as yet but take in contcmptc of her Majesties Graunt to me, not dealinge further thcrby, than lawfullte (as I am informed) I maye doc. On the licensing of Vintners in Cambridge. 25 Yf otherwise, the Conference offered by my Deputees to one Baxter and others, your late dealers in that cause, for the spedie and quyett dissidinge the matter by your learned Councell and myne, should have been accepted. The abuse done was sutche, as yf I shall not understand of some reformacion or correction to be done to the Malefactors, wherby this bearer John Keymer, her Majesties Subjecte lawfullie lycenced by me to sell Wynes in your Town, doe quyetlye enjoye the same untill by lawe (that govemeth us all) yt be otherwyse determyned, I will devyse some other course for Refor- macion herin. The barers haste awaye (to comfort his poor wife, who by violence offered was in case by sondrie soundes ^ and passions likelie to have dyed) was sutche as tyme served me not to move my very good Lord the Lord Treasurer, for his Honor's letter in reformacion hereof, which I dowted not to have had, but I doe rest assured that yourselves will take such directe and law- full course herein, as neyther myself, nor yow, nor any other that will comaund us, shall have occasion further herein to be trobled, which I hartelie wishe : not desiringe so fullie and lawfullie to extend her Majesties Graunt in your Towne, as maye further greyve your Vynteners, the onlie styrrers herein, respecting more their gayne then quyett government. I crave your spedie answere in wrightinge — by this barer, but that the unlawfuU and ryotous parties must not rest unpunyshed. And so I bidd you all hartelie farewell. From my lodging at the Cort, this ninth of July, 1584. Your very assured loving Frind, W. Ralegh. Addressed : To th€ IVorshipfuU Mr, Doctor HdWLANI), Vice Chamclor^ and iht rest of the Masters of the University of Cambridge, LETTER IX. 1584. July 9. From the Court On the licensing of Vintners in Cam- bridge. 1 swoons. 26 Letters of Ralegh. X. LETTER X. 1584. July 26. ToRichard Duke. From the Court Proposal for the purchase of Hayes Manor House and Farm. TO MR. RICHARD DUKE, OF OITERTON, IN DEVONSHIRE. As transcribed (rem the Original by John Aubrey. MS. Aabrey iv. C 47 (Bodleian Library, Oxford). The original letter was, for a time, kept at Hayes, and was shown to visitors. Its present abode is not known. Mr. Duke, I WROTE to Mr. Prideaux to move yow touchingc the purchase of a farme^ sometime in my Fathers possession. I will most willingly give whatsoever in your conscience you shall deeme it worth; and if at any time you shall have occasion to use me, yow shall fynd me a thankefull frind to yow and yours, I am resolved, if I cannot entreat yow, to build at Colliton. But for the naturall disposition I have to that place,^ being borne in that house, I had rather seate my sealf there then any where els. So I take my leve, roadie to countervaile all your courtesies to the utter- most of my power. From the Court, the xxvi of July, 1584. Your very willing frind in all I shalbc able, W. Raleuii. ' Hayes Barton, In the parish of East Budleigh, Devonshire. See VuL I. chap. i. * Namely, Hayes. On tlu licetising of Vintners in Cambridge. 27 1585. XI. TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR AND OTHERS, THE SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. From the Original. University Registry (Cambridge)* [Transcript in MS. Baker^ zxix. 341.] Mr. Vice Chancelor, Being (by informacion) perswaded, that your self, with the grave and well disposed of your University, were so greved with the unseamelye owtrages lately commytted by the young and unbridled hedds of the same, in contempte of the Quenes Majesties prerogatyve and graunt unto me, and to my discredytt, as suffycyent order by yow had been taken for this Bearer's quyett, which caused me to reste from requyringe reformacion therein at my very good Lord Treasurer's handes, who by me as yet understandeth not of these ryotts ; and I did forbare, contrarye to the advyse of my learned Councell, in procedinge to enquyer by lawe of the same ryotts, of good wyll I beare to your Universitye ; and meant so to deale with yow for the other foure Tavernes, as sholde suffycyentlie have contented yow. But my to^ favorable dealinge with yow hath geven such encorage, as this day I am enformed you have warned this bearer to appeare before yow, whose wills therein I have willed him to pcrformc. And I am further enformed, yow inyndc to disturbc hym agaync from using his honest 1 tOi\ LETTER XI. 1584-1585. Feb. 10. To the Senate of the University of Cam- bridge. From Somerset House. On the licensing of Vintners in Cam- bridge. 28 Letters of Ralegh, LETTEK XI. 1584.1585. Feb. 10. and lawfull trade of Wynesellinge, authorysed thereunto by the Quenes Majesties Graunt, under the Great Seale of Ingland. And althoughe I know yow not, yet your place shold tell me, that your prosedings will be with hym juste and lawfull, which onlye I desyr of yow. So yow shall pleasure yourselves, and contynewe my redynes to doe yow any good I maye. I hope, uppon your answere, I shall fynde these informacions to growe rather uppon jelosey then juste matter. So I leave you to God. From the Cort at Somerset Howse, this loth of Feb. 1584 [legal style]. Your very willing Frind, W. Ralegh. Addressed : To my loving friend Mr, Vice Chaneelar^ and the rest of the Masters of the University of Cainbrid^e, XII. TO THE SAME. I.KTTEK XII. I584.I5S5. l''cb. 20. To llic Senate of the I'niversity «>f C'am- bri*lj;c. From the Original University Registry (Cambridge)- [Transcript in MS. Baker, xxix. 342.] I CANNOT a little marvaile at your percmtor>' and proud manner of dclingc. I was content to use all manner of curtesy towards yow (in respect of my Lord Treasurer, my honarablc good Lordc), but I parcavc, that my rea- sonable or rather to^ submis deling hath bread in yow a proceding unsuflcrable. Yow have committed a poorc man to prison having don nothing but warranted by the On the licensing of Vintners in Cambridge, 29 Great Seale of Ingland ; your sealvs supposing a pri- vilege by Charter. I doe not know that any man or Society would take so much uppon them, before tryall made. But, as I reverence the place of whence^ you are Governors, so I will not willingly take any wrong or disgrace from yow. And I am assured My Lord Tre- sorer, who maye command me, will be indifferent in this case. For the matter so much concemeth the validity of my Patent elsewhere, as well as in your University, as I will try the uttermost of my right, as well for this one, which I was content to be satisfied withall, as for all the other foure. And so, having thought you would have vouchsafed an answere of my last letters, I end. From the Cort, this 20th of Feb. 1584 [legal sty le\ Your Frind as yow shall geve cause, W. Ralegh. XIII. SIR WALTER RALEGH AND SIR THOS. HENEAGE TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL From the Original. Domestic Correspondmee : Elizabeth, vol clxxviii. S 7S (Bolls House), in the hand of an Amanuensis. Signed. %* The extent to which, at this and at other periods (both earlier and later), the practice of carrying English captives into African slavery had grown, has been very inadequately illus- trated by our historians. The State Papers abound with documents relating to it ; and many of these, like the letter now printed, serve to indicate at once the mercantile character » for 'which'. LETTER XII. 1584-1585. Feb. 20. On the same subject. 30 Letters of RaUgk, LITT iSSs. May?. Toaie Lords ofaie assmned bj the negotiations for ransoming the captives, and some of the manj abuses to which such private attempts at dieir redemption opened the way. Repoft ol aBinqniiy tlieraiisoai of certain capthres in Barbaiy. Z It mate please your good Lordships, ACCORDINGE to Your Lordshtps' pleasures dyrected unto us from the honorable lords and others of Hir Majesties most honorable Prj^e Councell, upon a com- plainte exhibited by this bearer, MORGAN PowELL, we called before us the parties to whome the cause doth apperte^nne ; and upon twyce hearinge therof and what was produced by the learned councell of both sides, and also themselves, we conceyve the matter to stande even as it is sett down in a paper hereinclosed. And we (ynde the hardenes of the case to consist in this : — That the iiij"v^ [85^] sent by this complainant unto JOHN Owen, accordinge to the direction of the Lord Maior, to be paid to Willi AM Symcots, for the capty-ves* ransom, was, by the procurement of the said Lord Maior, attached in the name of JOHNES in the hands of the saide Owen, as the goods of one JOHX Symcotts deceased, for that the saide JOHNES, as it appearith, was then indebted to the Lord Maior ; by which devise the said iiij"v/., so sent by this complainant for the captyves' ransom, is comm to the hands of the said Lord Maior for the answeringe of the said JOHNES his debt, wherby, as we take it, this complainant is much wronged. In trothe it hath directlie been approved before us that the captyve %vas redeemed by William Symcotts* goods, and that the byls of exchange thereupon made by the captyve in Barbary were to the use of the said WILLIAM Symcotts. And therfore it seemitK strange unto us and ageinsj all equitic that this complainant's money shold to any other pur- |)ose be deteyned. Report to the Lords of the Council on Barbary Captives, 31 We also fynde that the said WILLIAM SiMCOTS hath recovered ageinst the said captyve, in Hir Majesties Court of Common [Pleas ^] at Westminster, his whole somme of iiij"v//., for the ransom, and x/i. for damages besides. So that both the captyve and this complainant are lykely to be twice charged for the satisfaccion of one debt, unless Your Lordships take order to the contrarey. We had ordered and ended the matter to the satisfaction of all parties, and to the hinderance only of William Symcots (but with his consent), save that the Lord Maior refused it, and referred himself and the cawse to Your Lordships consideracion, to whom we humblie commende us. Your Lordships' humble at comaundment, T. Heneage. W. Ralegh. Addressed : To the right honorable and oure verie good Lords y the Lords of Her Majesties moste honorable Pryvie CounselL Endorsed : May, 1585, d. 7. From Sir Thomas Heneage and Sir Walter Ralegh. What they have donn in the matter between Morgan Powell and JomSy abowt the mony paid for redeminge of a Captive in Barbary, LETTER XIII. 1585. May 7. ENCLOSURE.] Thomas Powell and Peter Williams taken Captyves in Barbarie, 1581. John Owen of Ix>ndon, lynnendraper, with one George Williams, servant to Alderman Pullison, nowe Lord Maior, entred in bond to John Symcotts in cc/r. [200/.], with condicion to paie all such somes of money a« sholde be disbursed in Barbary for the Ii appcarith by the ^ ... condicion of the say de ransom and redempcion of the said captives by the bonds. said John Symcotts, or any other by his order, ac- cording to bills of exchange or other remembrances to be presented to the said John Owen and George "Williams for the same. ^ This .word has been torn away, probably by the seal. 32 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER XIII. 1585. May 7. Thomas Powell onelie was redeemed by this meanes following : — John Symcotts, to whome the bonde was made, not having eny goods in those parts of Barbary, required one Edwarde Collyns, factor to William Symcotts (whoe then had th* adventure of iiij*//. WitnjM^ to thi^ [400/.]), to disburse of the said William Symcotts* WUliamLynney.who goods iiij"v//. [85/. J for the ransom of Thomas eSba**" Sid*°now Powell, captyve ; and to putt it to William Symcotts* here. Ildward Col- accompt, and to take bylls of exchange and other p^doiL *^'*^ * ** assurances of the said captyve to th* use of the said William Symcotts for the said some of iiij^'v//!,, all whiche the said Edwarde did accordinglie, as appearith by twoe bylls of exchange and one byll of debte made by the said captyve in Barbarie. In the retoume from Barbaric, John Symcotts died. The said captyve aiyvinge at London, in September 1583, mett with the said William Symcotts, where he tould him he was redeemed with bylU rf^^chan^ iiij'^v/i. of his goods, by Edward Collyns, his fiu:tor, ■"1.*?^t" ^**'^'* and had gyven bills of exchange and also « biU of made in Barbary. ^' ^ debt to the use of the saide William Symcotts, for payment therof. Wherupon the said William Symcots and the captyve went to seeke John Owen and George Williams, who were not then in the dttie. And, having some speche with Alderman Pullison, nowe Lord Maior, for that the said George Williams was and yet is his man, the said captyve tould the said Alderman that he was redeemed by the goods of the said William Simcots. And then the said Alderman promised the said William Symcotts to write to one Morgan It appearith by the Powell, brother to the said captyve, to send up the Lord Maiors letter, . , , . » 1 » • t and by John Owen's monic, whoe thereupon sent it to London the vith complain^SiV '"* '*''' ^^ November, to be paid to William Symcotts, with three letters: one to the Alderman, the other to John Owen to see the payment, and the ihirde to William Simcotts, which was never delyvered to him. When this money was sent up to London, one Nicholas Jones^attached the 'same, as belonginge unto John Symcotts deceased, alleaginge that because the captyve was redeemed by John Symcotts' appointment (thoughe out of his brother William Symcotts goods) and bonds made unto John before his departinge England, by the sureties aforesaid, that therefore this monie was dewe unto John deceased ; and John beinge indebted to Jones, Jones attached the same money, and Jones beinge indebted to the Lord Maior payde it to him. And now the said William Symcotts (by whose goods the captyve was redeemed) brought his action in Hir Majesties Court paS*«1o'^ trewe****" ^^ Common Plees at Westminster upon the captyvrs bill, and hath recovered the saide iiij**v//, x//. for his costs and damaiges and hath judgment therupon. T. IlKNF.Ar.E, W. Ralegh. On sending Pioneers to the Netherlands. 33 1586. XIV. TO ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICESTER. From the OriginaL MS. Harl. 6994, foL 2 (British MllSetUIl)* Holograph. My very good Lorde, You wrate unto me in your laste letters for pioners to be sent over ; wher uppon I moved her Majestye, and found her very willing, in so mich as order was geven for a cummission ; but since, the matter is stayd. I know not for what cause. Also, according as your Lordshipe desired, I spake for one Jukes for the office of the back-house, and the matter well liked. In ought else your Lordshipe shall finde me most asured to my pouere to performe all offices of love, honor, and service towards you. But I have byn of late very pestilent reported in this place^ to be rather a drawer bake, then a fartherer of the action wher you govern. Your Lordshipe doth well understand my affection to- wards Spayn, and how I have consumed the best part of my fortune, hating the tirrannus sprosperety^ of that estate, and it were now Strang and monnsterous that I should becum an enemy to my countrey and conscience. But all that I have desired att your Lordship*s hands is, that you will evermore deal directly with mee in all matters of suspect dublenes, and so ever esteme mee as you shall finde my deserving, good or bad. In the mean * I.e, in the Netherlands. VOL. II. « So in MS. LETTER XIV. 1586. March 29. To the Earl of Leicester. From the Court. The send- ing of Pioneers to the Nether- lands. D 34 Letters of Raleglu LETTER XIV. 1586. Mardi29. tyme, I humblie beseich you, lett no poeticall scribe work your Lordshipe by any device to doubt that I am a hollo or could sarvant to the action, or a mean well-mller and follower of your own. And yeven so, I humblie take my leve, wishing you all honor and prosperety. From the Court, the xxix of March, 1586. Your Lordships, to do you service, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — ^The Queen is on very good tearms with you, and, thank be to God, well pacified ; and you are agayne her * Sweet Robyn.* Addressed: To tfu right JkonorahU my singidergood Lardy the EarU of LESTER, Govfrtumr of the Low Countresfor her Majesty, Endorsed : 2^ March, 1586. Sir IV. Raufle^h. XV. LETTKR XV. 1586. May 29. To Sir John. Gil- bert From the Court TO SIR JOHN GILBERT. From the Original. MS. Sloane, 1519, fol. 137 (T^rHJffh M1186II1I1)- Without address or endorsement. Holograph. Good Brother, Lett the bread which was left of my cussen * Clydle's proportion be in wredincs, for my barks arc cumming about ^ for hit, and the sider which I wrat to you for. My Lord Admirall's judg calleth out for accompt, and says I shall forfet my of&ce if any shipps * This word is scarcely legible. ' Le, to PlymoQth. Announcement of Drake's Visit to tite Netfierlands. 35 ^^^ll go to Newfounland in consort to ^ Spanierds. Wee will sett out sume from hence and go together. I pray inquire of the howers.* From the Court, the 29 of May [1586]. Your most assured loving brother, W. Ralegh. 1587. XVI. TO THE EARL OF LEICESTER From the Origimd. MS. Tanner, Ixxix. foL 117, formeriy marked 175 (Bodleian Libraiy, Olford)* Holograph. Without address, the fly-leaf having been destroyed. [See fac-simile.] My very good Lord, With mich ado I procured [?] * her Majesties leve for Sir FRANCIS [Drake] to visatt your Excelency, which I would most willingly have doun my sealf, wear it possible. But wher soever I remayn, none shal be more redy to serve yowr Excelency then my sealf. Sir Francis is in good hope to return for the Indies. If it may be brought to pass, I doubt not but all shalbe recoveryde [?] * I hope your Excelency will assist what you may. Hyme sealf can deliver best the estate of all things here. And so, with my humble dewty, I kiss your hands. From Winsor, this 8 of October [1587]. Your Excelences to serve you, W. Ralegh. 1 Here a small portion of the letter has been torn away, probably by the seaL ' This word also is doubtful. < These words are doubtful, being scarcely legible. D 2 LETTER XV. 1586. May 29. On the Victualling of Ships at Plymouth. LETTER XVI. 1587. Oct, 8. To the Earl of Leicester. From Windsor. Announce- ment of the Visit of Sir I'^rancis Drake to the Nether- lands. 36 Letters of Ralegk. I.KTTBR XVII. 1587. Dec. aa To Lord Bui^hley. From Kxeter. Defence of the Country ; rro|K)sals for the Levies in Devon and Cornwall. XVII. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. From the Original. Donustu CorrespomUmce : EUzabetb, toL ccvi f 40 (Rolls House). Holograph. My singular good Lorde, ACCORDINGE to your Lordship's and the rest of my Lords' directions, I have attended the Earle of Bath and conferred with the deputes of Devon and the dtty of Exon for the drawinge t(^ether of 2,000 foote and 200 horse ; and I finde great differences in oppinion amonge them. Some are of oppinion that this burden wilbe grevous unto the countrey, standinge att this tyme voyde of all traficque : the subside not beinge yet gathered, and the past musters having byn very chargable. Sir John Gilbert, Sir Richard Granville, and the Earle hym scalf, beinge more zelous both in religion and Ilcr Majesties service — who have allways founde a reddy disposicion in their dcvisions, and willingnes to beare whatsoever shalbe thought meet for Her Majesties ser- vice by their people — ar of oppinion that the matter and service wilbe very fesible. It is most asured that the carcfuU usage of the action by the deputes in their severall dcvisions will easely induce the inferior sort to whatsoever shalbe thought necessary for Her Majesties saufty and their own defence. But sume other of the cummission of Devon (in my conscience before the Lordc) being bothc infected in religion and vehemently ; malcontent, — who, by how mich the more they ar tem- Proposals for the Levies in Devon and Cornwall 37 perat, by so mich the more dangerous, — ^are secreatly great hinderence of all actions tendinge to the good of Her Majesty or saufty of the present State. Thes men make doubt that your Honor's instructions alone ar not sufficient and saufe warrant for their discharge; and that, if any refuse to contribute, they see not by what they should be inforsed ; with a thowsand dillitory cavelacions. For myne own oppinion, under your Lordship's cor- rection, if it might, notwithstandinge, stande withe Her Majesties likinge to beare them half of the charge, being great, it would be very consonant to all good poUecy ; and the countrey, as I judge, will willingly i defrey the rest, which onles ther wear ministers of other disposidons will not be so saufly and easely brought to effect. I have sent your Lordshipe an Estimate of the whole, with which I humblie pray your Lordship to acquaynt Her Majesty, and not otherwise to impart my letter, because I am bold to write my simple oppinion playnly unto your Lordshipe ; the same beinge, as the Lord doth judge, without respect or parcialty, — ^havinge vowed my travaile and life to Her Majesties service only, and for ever. I have writen to the deputes of Comwale, and am reddy to repaire thither with all diligence to performe the rest of Her Majesties cummande geven mee in charge by your Lordships. And yeven so, humblie cummending my service unto your Lordship's favourable construction, I take my leve. From Exon, this xx of December, 1587. Your Lordship's to do you all honor and service, W. Ralegh. LETTEK 1587. Dec. 2a Indoture ; bang an Estimate of Forces for defence of the IVestem counties. 38 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER XVII. 1587. Dec. 20. [Postscript.] — ^The cittisens of Exter, as yet, refuse to beare such part as was thought meet by the leve- tenants of Devon and the rest.^ Addressed : To the right honorable my singuler good Lord^ the Lord Highe Tresotirer of Ingiand. Endorsed, by Lord Burghley : 21 Decetfiber, 1587. Sir Walter Ralegh, Lezy of 2,OOoy^, aoo hors, in Devon and Cornwall, [INCLOSURE.] The Chardg op traynino of 2,000 Foot and 200 Hoes in Devon and Cornwall, for 16 Daves," > The differences and controversies referred to in this letter grew, ptrtly, out of separate jurisdictions ; and partly, out of spedal burdens, the Inci* dence of which lay almost wholly upon the mercantile conununity of the coast towns. Hence, on the one hand, arose several disputes between Ralegh, as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall and Lord Warden of the Stan- naries (extending, it is to be remembered, into Devon as well as Cornwall), and the Earl of Bath, as Lord Lieutenant of Devon ; and, on the other, the claims of the citizens of Exeter to be exempted, on the ground of their great charges in the defence of their trade against the Barbary and other pirates, from the proportion they must otherwise have borne of the burden of the general levies. The relative dangers of the two counties in respect of invasion ; their relative means of defence ; and the special circumstances which affected the Stannary population ; are all treated of, by Ralegh, at great length and with conspicuous ability, in a subsequent letter (one of the many remarkable letters which are now printed for the first time), addressed to the Lords of the CounciL That letter brings before the reader's mind, with like vividness, the physical configuration of the Western counties ; their industrial character; and their relative shares in the wealth of nature. • This title is from Lord Burghley 's endorsement The indosore is entirely in the hand of an amanuensis. EstimaU of Forces for defeme of Western Counties, m IT I Si 1^ i; Ij liiH i fsfc 'K Kl fif! . 111 ll 1 ■ »; 1 ■ ■^•11 (.1 " iiii iKi 15 5 i of tkeEjULLof 5JkS :^ QdBKrs XciestK hath heretofore Irr'iCT^ pgflnites. aodhoritie to jTTinnnr Uczcses inr tae seSni^ of Wrnes bjr retayle ; HlgTnc^ Titryqrg 5& 2> reicke aiid inake voydt the sad 35- 3i::«^ Irffy^- ;.iiCracrs to regmmte unto -ntf :3if illt:r^r^i:t; imz 'xxryzz ^«rof for a further r^r-nu .1" j-^nssw 'iViitfri^rr;. I pray you hartely to ,^^_ :tr-i:f^ rn; ,r-i-!:i -vincfr r".> beir«-. zny ser^-ante, shall :r*m^ iirrr 7:0. ijni 55!^ y:cr hizoe thereunto, redie for i»ir H c5ize> r.- fiz^riie. iz^i I wilb*; recfe to requ>"te your rrur:i!se> S: brci::^?; yrcr cirefull dealinge for me, irr-r-lj::^- :j —v r?c,:ejce. I bcvi voc hartelv fiirei^'elL »-. — * • • Yjcir Ic\-inge Frende, W. Ralegh. Six. — Hir >[i'cT.: y.'w m^lth the booke, and therfore yow shall net need t.-^ c^ubc : for }x>w may take knowledg of her p!e letter. Sir Thomas Egerton, after answering its main subject, went into some further detail, which is not without hs bio- Irish Estate. — Building of Listnare Castle. 41 1589. XIX. TO SIR GEORGE CAREW, (Afterwards Earl of Totnes,) From the Original. Carew Papers: MS. Tenisoxi, dcr. fol. 140 (Lambeth Palace). Holograph. CussEN George, For my retrait from the Court* it was uppon good cause to take order for my prize. If in Irlande they graphical interest; — "But understanding further, by this bearer, that, in the absence of yonr Connsell, your will was that I shoulde consyder of the booke which passed betweene you and Mr. Browne, and that yt pleased you to use my opynion therin, I have perused the same accordinglie, and fynde yt to be intrycatelie penned, and with so great disadvantage for your parte, that I doubte the course which you are directed will hardlie satisfie your expectation ; for, as I conceave yt, ymmediatlie [after] Her Majesties revocation, Mr. Browne ys to be discharged of the payment of his rent of 8oq/a, but yet your graunt to hym will contynue still in force untill, upon a perfecte accompte made by hym, you satisfie imto hym within vj monethes so muche of the somme of 1300/r. as before that tyme he shall not have Icvyed by vertue of your graunte; and jrf he refuse to ycld any such accompte at all, and so neglecte to receave any suche satisfiEu:tion at your handes, but resolve rather, beinge discharged of his ^ent, to contynue still to bcnyfitte of your graunt, I doubt greatlie that by lawe you shall hardlie avoyde jrt, Wherfore I wyshe your counsell should advysedlie consyder of the pointe, before you procede with the revocation. And if by the wordes of the booke he [Browne] have this libertie and advantage in lawe (as I doubte muche he hath), then ys there nothing in the booke to restrayne hym, saving onlye his bare covenant, to redeliver unto you the Letters Pattentes within six monethes after Her Majesties revocation, which was not so sofiicientlie forseene and provyded for by your counsell in the draw inge of the booke as was meet Thes thinges I thought good to make knowne unto you, and so leave them to your good consyderation, resting allwayes moost readye to be used by you in any servyce I can performe. And so, with my himible duetie, I commyt you to God. Your Worship's moost ready at commandment,*' &c. ^ Sec Vol. I. p. 120. LETTER XIX. 1589. Dec 27. ^R^Lgk. Li- *Tnn:^ inac I 201 ibqc »ogtIi tbe respcetinge they shall ancft fffTyryg; rrenT aolvs. I isi in place to be beleved mc imifrrnar ^ X3y tbit. to poesure or displesure the ^'.■■fcr,.-*^ : ami -jrr ^scasmx. 2s so reocved and beleved as I ,=1:1 jnger tie best o« rffcrm. And, theifore, if the EXrgurr- re ace is raodv to steed mce as I have bynn -« fc ait ^ may.* it — us naM \Vii«i Sir WiLUAX Fttzwilliams shalbe in Ingland, inn -jui I rijc? jrrsexJe zirr hss better by the honorable offices I r:nc«:^ MC. as al^c by tfikit mrrtifss to her Majestye which still ^^ It rie { Ecnrj* . i3i£ aCTer naore. I am willinge to continew reward? iyne aZ nrEaadly ocooes. and I doubt not of the 3ce some syaae. as veil towards mee as my frinds. T!ic> 2txh I desee he should understand ; and, for my part, ther slLiIbe ocdmige vantii^e that becunmieth a tcTQkie : aetiier can I bat hold m}*sdf most kindly dealt T-'tfiill b'en^^rrt:?. Ci* which I desire the continuance. I hj.vi iiserk-^ jlH bis oinese? in the hiest degree. For the ^ute of Lesmore, I uill shortly send over :ritr.e : 3j:!i cumn:eGd mee to Mr. Sollicitor with many thancks for hi5 frindly deling therin ; and I assure yow, on in\-ne hoaor. I have deser\*de it att his hands in place whcr :: Taxv most steed h\Tne. For Hardinge, I \^ill send unto yow mony by exchange with all possible spead, as well to pay h\-me [if he suffer the recover>-e) as all others ; and till then, I pray, if my builders u-ant, supply them. I look for yow here this springe, and, if possible' I may. I will relume with yow. The Queen thincks that GtORr.E Cakew longes to see her; and therforc • Sir WiliiAm FitiXMlliam Preparations for an Expedition against the Spaniards. 45 For myne own part, I am very willing to enter bonde, as yow perswaded me, so as the Privey Seale be first sent for my injoyinge the third ; but I pray consider that I have layd all that I am worth, and must do, ere I depart on this voyage. If it fall not out well, I can but loose all, and if nothinge be remayning, wherewith shall I pay the wages ? Besides, her Majestie told mee hersealf that shee was contented to paye her part, and my Lord Admirall his, and I should but discharge for myne own shipps. And farther, I have promised her Majestie that, if I can perswade the Cumpanies to follow Sir MARTEN FURBRESHER,^ I will without fail retume; and bringe be dedacted for the third of mariners' part, ;Ci<^3S3 > ^^^ niy Lord his tenth, ;f3,oi5 ; for the Queen's customs, ;£'i6oo; in charges for bringing the goods, £1200 = jf 16,198. Rests unto the owners and victuallers, to be divided amongst twelve, ;£'i4,952." 1 Note on Ralegh and Frobishbr. By the h]rpothetical expression — **ifl can perswade the Cumpanies to follow Sir Marten Furbresher" — Ral^h seems to glance at the then notorious unpopularity of Frobisher with mariners, on account of his sternness of character and the ' martinet ' severity of discipline which he maintained. This eminent navigator was probably, at the time when Ralegh's letter was written, fifty years of age, and he survived little more than two years longer ; dying, in November 1594, of wounds received in the expedition which he had bravely conducted in aid of the defence of Brest against the troops of the King of Spain. What is known of Frobisher*s life has been recently collected by Admiral Collinson, in the highly interesting volume published by the Hakluyt Society, and entitled. Three Voyages 0/ Martin FrobisJur, in Search of a Passage to Cathaia, It is by an oversight, how- ever— as will be shown presently — that the gallant Admiral has said 0/ Frobishbr, when speaking of his share in Ralegh's expedition of 1592, — " He had but three ships, yet he made a shift to burn one rich galleon, and to bring home another,^"* The famous voyages of 1577 and 1 5 78, which won for Sir Martin his most enduring laurels, present some curious incidental parallelisms with occurrences in the long subsequent voyages to Guiana of Ralegh, and in the metallurgic transactions which grew out of them. His own unfortunate experiences must have many times brought to Ralegh's mind the previous troubles of poor Frobisher with his ** gold ores " and his foreign mincialogists. But the expedition of 1592 is the only one which is knowTi to have brought Ralegh and Frobisher into direct intercourse. LETTER XXI. 1591-1592. March 10. To Sir R. CedL From Chatham. Prepara- tions for an Expedi- tion against the Spanish Fleet- Allusion to rumours about his Marriage. 46 Letters of R^Ug^ XXI. 1591-159^ Maidi la I.CTTKR XXII. 1592. June 8. them but into the sea but sume fifty or thrisoore leagues, for which Quqx>se my Lord Admirall hath lent me the Disdajme; which to do her Majestie many tymes^ with great grace, bedd mee remember, and sent mee the same message by WiLL KiLL£GREWE» which, God williAge^ if I can perswade the Companies^ I meane to perfomie ; though I dare not be acknowa therof to any creature. But, Sir, for mee then to be bounde for so grsat a svme^ uppon tibe hope of another man's fortune, I will be loCk ; and besids, if I weare ablc^ I see no privy scale for my thirds. I mean not to cume away, as they say I will, for feare of a marrifl^re, sCod I know not what If any spdi thing weare, I would have imparted it unto yoursealf before any man livinge ; and, therefore, I pray believe it not, and I beseich yow to suppress, what you can, any such mallicious report For I protest before God, tlier is none, on the face of the yearth, that I would be fastned unto.^ And so in hast I take my leve of your Honor. From Chattame, the loth of March. Your's ever to be cummanded, W. Ralegh. XXII. TO THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL, HOWARD OF EFFINGHAM. From the Original. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth, Toi ocxlii. f 48 (Bolls House)* Holograph. Without address or superscription. My very good Lord, I HAVE seen the letter of the Deputes of Midel* burgh, to which I am bold in this manner to awnswere. ^ So in MS., but apparently the sentence is inoomplete. .Sec Ufe^ Vol. I. p. 137. Answer to the Con^iaint of Middleburgh Merc/tants, 47 About the thirteen day of Maye, as I remember^ early in theiDominge, about fortye leagus of the Cap Finister, wee discried a fleet of thirteen shipps ; the Admirall carriinge a redd flage and the Vice-Admirall a white ; which wee veryley thought to have b3mn the fleet of Saint Mailos, wbeiof wee had harde, and was uppon rettuning. Thes shif^iSp notwithstanding they might well know us to be Inglishmen, and might easely perceive Her Majesties shipp to be Admirall, bare from us all the ^ could, and keipt out their flages in great bravery, till the Rowbucke readiinge the Admirall shote at hyme, and made hyme strike; which don, all strake and bare with mee, but foure, who^ contrary to their bonds and promises to follow their Admirall, packt on all the sayle the^ could, and kft their own Admirall and us, beinge at hand with them, and knew us as well as our sealvs ; after whom three of our smaler shipps followed. I asked the Admirall and the rest why the rest rane away, knowing Her Majesties shipp to be then He told mee he knew not what the Flemings suspected of them sealvs, or whos goods they caried. Thos seven, after I had taken out Davis from them and two other passengers, which I sent your Lordship, I dismissed ; and suffered not the valew of a farthinge to be taken from any of them. The rest, as it is confessed, first forsooke ther Admirall, rane from Her Majesties shipp, and fought it out afterward, as longe as she ^ could, agaynst thos three Inglish shipps, being apoynted so well as they weare by their own confession, notwithstandinge he had seen his own Admirall strike; which in my oppinion douth make it very playne that the monye belonged to thos of Anwerpe who dayly fraight shipps of Zelande for the trade of Spayne, to abuse Her Majestye. Besids, if J tkcllion in Ireland. — Proceed- ing's of the Deputy in relation to Kalet^h's landi in Muniter. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. As printed by Murdin, from the Original, in the Cecil Papers (Hatfield)* Sir, I PRAY send me the news of Ireland. I hear that there are three thousand of the BURGKS in arms, and young Odonp:ll and the sons of Shane Oneale. I wrote in a letter of Mr. KiLLEGREEW's, ten days past, a prophesye of this rebellion, which when the Queen read, she made a scorn at my conceat ; but yow shall find it but a shoure of a farther tempest. If yow please to sent me word of what yow hear, I will be laught at again in my opinion touching the same, and be bold to write yow my farther suspicion. Your cousen, the dotinge Deputy,* hath dispeopled me; of which I have written to your father already. It is a sign how my disgraces have past * Sir William Fitz\*illiam. Regrets for the Loss of the Queen *s Favour. 51 the seas, and have been highly commended to that wise Govemour, who hath used me accordingly. So I leve to trouble yow at this time, being become like a fish cast on dry land, gasping for breath, with lame l^gs and lamer loonges. Your's, for the little while I shall desire to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Addressed : T0 my very loving friend^ Sir ROBERT Cecill, Knight ^ of Her Majesty* s mast hofiorable Privy Councell, XXV. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. As printed by MuRDiN, from the Original, in the Cecil Papers (Hatfield)- Sir, I PRAY be a mean to her Majesty for the signing of the bills for the Gards' coats, which are to be made now for the Prograsse, and which the Cleark of the Cheeck hath importunde me to write for. My heart was never broken till this day, that I hear the Queen goes away so far of,* — whom I have followed so many years with so great love and desire, in so many journeys, and am now left behind her, in a dark prison all alone. While she was yet nire at. hand, that I might hear of her once in two or three dayes, my sorrows were the less : but even now my heart is cast into the depth of all misery, I that was wont to behold her riding like Alexander ^ hunting like Diana, walking like Venus, the gentle wind blowing her fair hair about her pure cheeks, like a nymph ; sometime siting in the shade like a Goddess; sometime singing like an angell ; sometime playing like OrpAeus, Behold 'of. K 2 LETTER XXIV. 1592 July. LETTER XXV. [1592. July.] To Sir R. Cecil. [From the Tower. ] Routine duties, as Captain of the Guard. - Passionate regrets for loss of the Queen's favour. 5^ L€tt£rs pf Ral^lL the sorrow of this vorkl ! Once amiss, hath bereaved o€ alL O G!or\\ that only shineth in misfortune. j^^ vhat b becmn of thy assurance ? All wounds have bat that of £uitasie ; all affections their relenting, xxH that of womankind. Wlio b the judge of friend- shipL bat adversity ? or when is grace iftitnessed, but in onences? There were no divinety, but by reason of compassion : for reverses are brutish and mortalL All those times past, — the loves, the sythes, the sorrows, the desires^ can they not way down one frail misfortune ? Cannot one dropp of gall be hidden in so g^reat heaps of sweetness ? I may then conclude, Spcs etfortuncL, vakU. She is gone, in whom I triisted, and of me hath not one thought of mercy, nor any respect of that that was. Do widi me now, therefore, what you list I am more weary of life then they are desirous I should perish ; which if it had been for her. as it is by her, I had been too happily bom. Your 5, not worthy any name or title, W. R. Addressee! : 7> my 4,*T.'ru*.V /r:«-rc/. Sir ROBERT C EC ILL, A'm^kt^ of Her Majesty s XXVI. TO THE LORD HIGH ADMIR.\L, HOWARD OF EFFINGHAM. From he Original. Domestic Correspondaue : Elizabeth, voL ccxliL §131 iBolls House). Hclograph- LETTER ' My very gocd Lorde, XXV L — I Have sent to Sir John Hawkings to have his August? I oppinion toucliingc the Great Susatt, and both hee and my scalf do vercly think that in removing the vitles att Affairs of the Navy. 53 this tyme of the yeare, — the drink turade on the leese, — all wilbe spoyld, so as I see no way but to leve the shippe and sell the remayne of the provisions; for I know no boddye but my sealf (if I had byne att libertye) that would undertake to sett her out, and a good strenght is therby wantinge, especially where a few mens^ [?] ayde is required. It is hard to lessen that that was ; but it is more profitable to punishe my great treasons, then that I should ether strenghten the fleet, or do many other things that lye in the diches. Here ar besides all the mariners that came in the prize, and the soldiers. They run up and down, exclayminge for paye. I dare not speak with them that I might cumpare their names with my booke, to know when they entr'eat* into paye and what hath bynn imprested, and so that order may be directly taken for their dis- charge. For now both thos of good and ill desart ar mixed without respect : the on • unpunished, the other unpayde, I beseich your Lordship, if it be thought fitt, that order be geven to Sir Georg [Carew] that they may cum unto mee, to stay all farther exclamacion. I was yesterday advertesed from a man of mine cumminge from the coast of Britayne [Brittany] that ther ar twentye shipps of warr for the leauge, that lye between Silley and Ushent to take up our new- landmen * and to watch for any prises that shalbe sent home. If any of the ships in the Narrow Seas weare sent for a time, or some other course taken, it wcarc most necessarye ; or elce wee shall lose all, and be a scorne to all nacions. But wee ar so mich busied with the affaires of other nacions, of whos manghangled trobles ther will never be end, that wee forgctt our own affaires, LETTER XXVI. August? To Lord Admiral Howard. [From the Tower.] Affairs of the Navy.- Thanks for Lord Howard's interposi- tion with the Queen. ' This reading is doubtful. * So in MS. one. ^ Su ill MS. I 54 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER XXVI. 1592. August ? our profitty and our honor. Hee is of a mean consait that lookes not into the purpose of this Peace, which may as well be tumde over, — ^finesse contra finesse, — to our most advantage. But in the meanwhile the few mean actions of our own ar utterly neglected. To conclude, I must humblie thank your Lordship for your most honorable care of mee in this unfortunat acci- dent. But I see ther is a determinacion to di^rrace mee and ruin mee. And therfore I beseich your Lordship not to offend Her Majestye any farther by sewing for mee. I am now resolved of the matter. I only desire thatt I may be stayd no on ^ houre from all the extremetyc that ether lawe or presedent can avowe. And, if that be to * litle, would God it weare withall concluded that I might feed the lions, as I go by, to save labor. For the torment of the mind cannot be greater; and, for the boddye, would others did respect themsealvs as mich as I valew hit att litle. And so, with my humble dewtys, and thancks which I canot express, I leve your Lordship to God. Your Lordship's poore kinsman to do you ser\'ccc for ever, W. Ralkch. Addressed ; To ifu rii;ht hoHorabU the Lord I/ii;h Admirall of In^UtnJ. one. * too. Prize-Causes in the Admiralty. 55 PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER \XW\\.— CAPTURE OF A SHIP OF BA YONNE, T^HE letter which follows was sent by the Lord Admiral Howard, from Byfleet, to Lord Burghley on the 28th of August, 1592, with a letter from himself in these terms : — " My very good Lord, this enclosed letter, directed to your Lordship and myself, coming to my hands, I made bold to break open, and do find the same to be an answer unto a letter written from us unto Sir Walter Rawlighe touching a ship of Bayone taken by his man Floyre. For the particulars whereof I refer your Lordship unto itself; and think good only to touch the last part where he saith that Floyre delivered over the ship and goods to my Vice-Admual upon letters from me which required the same. So it was that the Frenchman that made claim to the goods, having obtained commission out of the Admiralty Court for restitution of his ship and goods unto him, had also letters of assistance unto the same from me, by virtue of which the ship with some of the fish was recovered by the Vice- Admiral of Somerset, and delivered unto the Frenchman by order out of the Admiralty Court Whereof I have thought good to advertise your Ixjrdship." PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER XXVII. 1592. August 56 Letters' of Ralegh. '•rt^ UtTTKR ZXVIL Aug. 27. To Lord Biu]riiley «nd Lord Howard of Effingham. On the taking of a ship of Bayonne by Capt. John Floyer. XXVII. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY, AND THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. From the OiiginaL Burgkley IH^pers in MS. Lansdowne^ vcd. cxr ioL 173 (Bzitish Mliseiim)* in the hand of an AmamieDiii. With autograph subacription and signature. My verie good Lords, I HAVE receaved a letter from your Lordships con* ceming the taking of a shipp of Bayon, laden with fish^ by Captain John Floire, whereunto your Lordships require my aunsweare. I acquainted the Judg of th' Admiraltie and Captain Floire with the complaint; and do finde that in the Bay of Portugal, JOHN Floire, meeting with this shipp of Bayon, which a little before was taken going into Spaine with victuell, without license, by a man of warre *of Diep,* as was said, — ^though Captain Floire judged him rather to be of Newhaven, — was earnestly entreated to succor and rescue them from the captain and others which were putt abord from the man of warr. Captain Floire, perceaving that they were the French king's frends and like to be spoiled by Leaguers, caused the supposed captain of Diep and the master of the ship of Bayon to come abord his shipp, where one accused the other : the one, ' for carying victuel to the enemy ; the other, for landing the greatest part of his men in Spaine. Hereupon the master, standing upon his integritie and innocende, promised Captain FLOIRE great recompence to rescue him and to bring his shipp and lading safelie into some port of England, affirming that in France he should be On ttte Taking of a Ship of Bayonne by Captain Flayer, 57 oppressed by the Ligue, and find no justice in recoverie of them againe ; during which time there arose a great tempest, — so violent that Captain Floire could neither return the French captain and master to the shipp from whence they came, nor receave his own men out of the ship of Bayon. This storm severed the shipps, and the French ship was by Captain Floire's men, which did' swim abord her, caried to Uphil in Severn with intent to have made spoile of her; which Captain Floire understanding was forced to put into Plymmouth, and to victuel his ship for a moneth longer, all which time he followed the French shipp, and tooke her againe. Within 2 or 3 dales after, came commission from you, my Lord Admiral, to take the ship and fish from Captain FLOIRE, which he accordinglie obeyed, and delivered the same to your Lordship's officer, with a very small diminucion. What became afterwards of the ship and goods Captain Floire protesteth he is ignorant ; neither was he inquisytive, because he held himself discharged of anie farther account, uppon receipt of your Lordship's commission. Onelie he hath heard that by the negli- gence of such as had charge thereof the ship was lyke to perish in harbor, and the fish being removed and landed did begin noisomlie to smell ; and so it seemeth some losse was susteined after John Floire was com- manded to leave her ; himself making no benefytt by the ship or her lading, although they made him great promises of recompence before he rescued them. Be- sides, he lost the benefitt of his voyage to the Indies ; victuelled his ship twise ; and is almost undone in seeking their safetie, never receaving penny for his j travel,^ charges, and losse of time. * travail. LETTER XXVII. 1592. Aug. 27. 5.^ LMars rf Rmi^ 137 HiBS I maint boU to dilate unto your Lordships the partacnSaiities at bigc; because Captain FijOIRE is re- puted and kaon to be my man, and the ship mine vifeerexa be vas going to the Indies; yet do I write TkTfftmo; partyallse. but what shall be confirmed by the tesrfmfcxises oi honest personsL And so do humblie take iznr Leave, the ^Jtfa Ai^ust, 1392. Yocr Lordships* humblie att cummandmente, W. Ralegh. Tj rtt- <^4r hmmwrnUt wtr striegMJ Ltrds^ the Lrrd Trtmsttrer Mmi English Privateers and Spanish Prizes. 59 PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIII. TO XXXIV. INCLU- SIVE.—7*^^ /i^/Kyiri^il^^/iVt? EXPEDITION OF 1592, AND THE CAPTURE OF THE SPANISH CARRACK, * MADRE DE DIOS,' BY RALEGWS SHIP, 'THE ROEBUCK.' T^HE capture of the 'Great Carrack ' of 1592, and the pro- ceedings which ensued in relation to the partition of her spoils, have an interest which extends far beyond the mere occurrence itself It was, in one sense, the most brilliant feat of pri\'atecring ever accomplished by Englishmen, even in the days of Queen Elizabeth. It was also a piece of mercantile enterprise, — pregnant with results, — and the history of which throws light, alike on some curious points connected both with our Admiralty law and with the growth of our commerce and colonies, and on several later incidents in the biography of Ralegh himself. The letters which follow will, I think, be found, intrinsically, very readable ; but they will be the better understood if a few particulars be first mentioned, in addition to those which have been already noticed in the ninth chapter of the preceding volume. The Expedition of 1592 was headed by two Queen's ships, and by two admirals. But it was none the less a privateering cruise — in which the Queen was only a chief * adventurer,' jointly with others, — combined with a plan for an attack on the Sjonish settlement at Panama. That colony had been founded by Pedrarias de Avila more than seventy years before. It had already survived great dangers and hardships; but was not destined to be put into any new peril by Ralegh's present rntcqjrise, — which had, eventually, to confine itself to the ; iniiNC at sea. ■ In addition lo her two ships, the Queen contributed eighteen i '.uiilrcd iK)unds in money. This was her whole outlay, beyond PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIII. TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct. English Privateers and Spanish Prizes. tib Fit/itamj JMr * JUOtos XKVnt. * XXXIV. Ae of Ac ^ < I . « I • To Am^tfey^ k «a be of Ihe dd^s aeflndvc& The thiwwmd povods tooiidi iHwiil adfCBtured bf bot k wtt irerf laigb dttt he Ind mkcdkii diet he bonowed A bu|^ IHI ffiidiip^ JSr AriMi^ bore Ibe i« of VioeAdnnal & John Boiom^ On^ R^k;^ Wakci^ bnlbery am a diqp of 250 ton% namied 1^^ 160 Me% cdfed Tlr ggftw iUEypL The Erf of CMbcAiid bad ptcvkunlj fitted oot ab a^pa OB a pntateena^ ei|>fress and reiterated order, about die middle of May, and divided it into two squadrons ; entnistiBg the command of one squadron to Frobisher, with orden to watch the Spanish coast, and that of the other to Boroqghi with instructions to cruise about the Azores. Towards the end of July Sir John Borough met at FkiCS i^nth two ships of London, and for the purpose of strengdieo* ing his squadron made an agreement with their commandeo which had some bearing on subsequent transactions^ Its tenM and tenor were thus expressed : — '' I, Sir John Burrowes, Knighte, and by vertue of her Majestie*s commission, Generall of a fleet appoynted for the seas, have consorted, covenaunted, and agreed, and by theis presents doe consorte, covenaunte, and agree, to and wydl Chrystopher Newporte, capitayne of The dnUdm Dragm ol London, a shippe of the borthen of 180 tonne, for himsdfe; and on * shipp more, of his consortshipp, called Tkt Prudenct^ cm. English Privateers and Spanish Prizes. 6i of the sayde cittye of London, beinge of the burthen of loo tonne, to have, possesse, and enjoye, and to be partaker with me and my fleete, and I with them, of all such lawfull pryse and pryses as shalbe taken by me or them, or any of us, jointelie or severally, in sighte or oute of sighte ; tunne for tonne, and man for man ; from the daye of the date hereof untill the tenth daye of September next." ^ The agreement bears date the 28th of July. On the day immediately following, whilst Borough in The Rodmck was lying close to Flores, a great Portuguese carrack, and a ship of the Earl of Cumberland's fleet which had her in brisk chase, came in sight, bearing directly for the land. An three anchored Both The Roehuek and the Earl's ship were on the point of attacking, when carrack and cruisers were scattered to sea by a sudden storm. When the opportunity re- curred, the commander of the Santa Cruz obeyed the King of Spain's orders by setting fire to her, as soon as he saw escape to be impossible. But Borough learnt, from one of her crew, the welcome news that other and still more richly-laden car- ndcs were also steering towards Flores, in the expectation of meeting there with their appointed escort of Spanish men-of- war. It was expressly to cut off this escort that Ralegh had i;^ced Frobisher's squadron on the coast of Spain ; and the plan had succeeded. Borough*s hopes rose high. In the ships of London he had acquired a possibly needful accession of strength. By the junction with the Earl of Cumberland's craiser, and her expected consorts, the partners in the game came, it seems, to be more than were wished for. On the 3rd of August the Madre de Dios hove in sight. She was an enormous ship, of 1600 tons' burthen, and (all counted) of seven decks. Her length, over all, w^s 165 feet. She was, in fact, a floating castle, with nearly 800 inhabitants Amongst them were several eminent Spanish governors and functionaries ; and many wealthy merchants, going homeward PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIII. TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct. * Casar Papers, in MS. Lansdowne, Ixx. § 20 (British Museum). 62 Prefatory Note to Letters XX VII I, to XXXIV. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIII. TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct. with the fruits of their toil and enterprise in the Indies. Her commander was Don Feman de Mendoza. Sir John Borough told Lord Buighley that the fight lasted from ten of the clock in the morning imtil one or two o'clock " at night" But on this point, as on some others, the accounts of eye-witnesses vaiy. On the respective parts taken in the capture by the ships of the Queen and Ralegh and by those of the Earl, there was, not unnaturally, a very sharp conflict afterwards. The Carrack, says Borough in his despatch, 'Ms very rytche, but mutch spoyled by the sodiers being entred by force ; to which yt was not possible for me to geive order, not of a long tyme ; for that the Erie of Cumberland's men stood uppon theyr Lord's com- myssion, and therby challendged as great a commandement as I, notwiUistanding that I mayde yt knowen to the chiefe of them that I was joined in her Majestye's commission with Sir Martyn Furbyssher." The commission here spoken of is one which would seem to have been issued after the discoveiy of what Ralegh calls " my great treasons." From other passages in the despatches it might have been inferred that both Frobisher and Borough were simply to be regarded as Rale's lieutenants. " I have nowe," adds Sir John Borough, " taken possession of the carrack in her Majestye's name and r}*ght, and I hope, for all the spoyle that has beene mayde, her Majestye shall recep'e more proff>'t by her then by any shipp that ever came into England." Lord Cumberland's captains varied the story considerably. According to them, both the flagship (Ralegh's Roebuck) and the Queen's ship, Foresight^ were disabled, more or less, during the fight The Earl's ships, they said, at length ** laid the car- rickc aboord, on both sides, and entred three hundred ind sixty men at the least, and after some fight and losse of men, not only surprised and tooke her, but also rescued the Foresight.'' The Miuire de Dios had as stormy a passage to England as her captors had had in the voyage outward She reached Dartmouth on the 8th of September. And then the liberal The Capture of tlu * Madre de Dios.' 63 " self-help *• of the captors was resumed. It had gone very far durmg the brief interval between the taking of the ship and Borough's arrival on board her, to take possession for the Queen. But at sea it was easier to plunder than to turn the plunder to account The news of the theretofore unheard-of wealth of a single ship had spread far and wide in England. The Queen's Conunissioners made eager haste to the coast Yet they were anticipated, not only by keen-witted Devonians, but by speculative shopkeepers from London.. The ports of arrival looked for many days, says an eye-witness, " like Bar- tholomew fair." Even the clerk to the Queen's Commissioners expresses compassion for the sailors, on hearing of the unequal encounters between them and the traffickers on shore. He testifies that some of the precious commodities were sold by the buyers, before nightfall and without quitting the town, for five times the price given to those who had made the spoil at peril of life and limb. •* Pillage" within certain limits was, at this period, a recog- nised privilege of captors. What the proper limits were was a question on which sailors and statesmen widely differed. And Aey differed not less widely as to the time when it should be made. The sailors deemed the moment of victor}' the right moment for pillage. On this occasion, it was notified by a royal proclamation that no pillage at all was lawful '^ until the whole lading was brought into port" The proclamation was accompanied by warrants addressed to the bailiffs of the several hundreds adjacent to the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, in which they were directed to see that " all passengers should be stopped, and that all trunks, carriers' packs, hampers, cloak bags, portmanteaus, and fardells, that are likely to have in them any part of the goods lately arrived in the ports of Dart- mouth or Plymouth in a Spanish carrocke, . . . should be stayed and searched." Among the earliest witnesses examined by the Commissioners at Dartmouth, was a Portuguese officer, named Vincent de Fontesecco, who had been purser of that carrack — the Sanfa PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIII. TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct Spanish Prizes and English Privateers. 64 Prejaierj Note to Letters XXVIIL to XXXIV, FtEFA- >C1T TO LCTTEiS XXVIIL TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct. Cruz — viiich its crew had barnt at Flores, to avoid capture. Fontesecco deposed to his belief that the Madre de Dios con- tained, in precious stones, pearls, amber, and musk, " to the value of 400,000 crusados,*' and that, amongst these, were **two great crosses and one other great jewel of diamonds which the Viceroy sent for a present to the King.** Of such precious merchandise as this, only a very small proportion was recovered, notwithstanding the most stringent measures. *^ For jewels, pearls, and amber, — I fear that the birds be flown," wrote Robert Cecil to Lord Burghley, almost at the instant of his arri\*al at Dartmouth, on the 19th of September. But there was a large store of rich commodities less easily dis- posable. Of spices alone, according to Fontesecco, the Madre de DioSy at her sailing, contained no less than 537 tons ;' and of ebony wood, 1 5 tons. The tapestries, silk stuffs, and satins of the ' rich carrick ' seem to have been in fit companion- ship with the spices and the hardwoods. There is no need for further details, to explain the wide-spread anxiet)' — in high and low — to have at least a finger, if not a fist, in the prize. Several months after the arrival of the carrack, the Countess of Bath, wife of the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, had occasion to thank the Judge of the Admiralty, Dr. Julius Caesar, for some act of courtesy in relation to quite another matter, and she falls incidentally into this naive retlection : ** I send your wife a small token, in show of thankful remembrance; but, had I had anything by this rich carrick, she should have i>cr- ceived it by my token. But my Lord's house ^ is far off ^ and si . lighted of Hothingr ^ Captain Crosse (afterwards knighted at Cadiz, and to \< ^ Namely, 8,500 quintals, or hundredweights, of pepper ; 900 quintjl* of cloves ; 700 quintals of cinnamon ; 500 quintals of anneal ; 50 quinuU of mace ; 50 quintals of nutmegs, and 50 quintals of benjamin. .\ doCc 00 this deposition, in the hand of Lord Burghley, estimates the peppf' ** being then worth £\2 a quintal, or ;f 102,000 in the uholc. \i*--*' I\ipers^ in MS. I>ansdowne, Ixx. § 36.) ' T.iwstock, near Barnstaple. » M.S. Addit. 12506, fol. 88 (British Museum). English Privateers and Spanish Prizes. 65 met with elsewhere in these volumes as * Sir Robert Crosse ') carried the Queen's ship, Foresight^ into Portsmouth Harbour, and enjoyed a quiet and pleasant little interval of five days, between his arrival and the official search of the'ship, by order fsooL the Council in London^ The search was not very pro- ductive. Afterwards, Crosse acknowledged that he had taken out of the canack spoils to the value of ;£ 2,000. Of the examination of Sir John Borough's own chests a curious account will be found in LeUer XXXII. The captain of another ship— the Dainty — found it con- venient to " come about to Harwich." The Council had not thought it needful to take any such precautions on the coast of Essex and Suffolk as had been taken in Devon and Hants. Certain '' verie greate bagges of greate cynamon ** found their way, from Ipswich to Lombard Street, just at the time that Sir John Hawkins — to whom the Dainty belonged — had explained to Lord Burghley the elaborate measiu-es he had adopted to secure the total abstinence of his own captain and crew from the prevalent offence. When this captain came under examination, he narrated a conversation between himself and Admiral Borough. The Dainty^ it seems, had lost her mast just after the capture of the carrack, and was driven out to sea. AVhen he was able to rejoin his admiral, he applied for a share in the good things that had been going. Sir John answered : " Proclamation is made ; and I am for the Queen." " So am I, too," said Captain Thomson, " as I hope ; but is there never a chain of gold, nor apparel 1" ** I have kept some- thing for you," rejoined Borough, " because you were away." But, to Thomson's disgust, the something was " a common sailor's chest, which had been broken up before." Presently, however, he found means to console himself. The Commis- sioners, in tlieir letters to Burghley, complain bitterly of the difficulty they found in knowing what and whom to believe or disbelieve. When some unwilling witnesses were reproached i^-ith disregarding the sacred obligations of their oath, one of them answered : " Nay, by my troth, we had rather be in the VOL. II. F PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIIL TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct. Prefatory Note to Letters XXVIII. to XXXIV. hands of God, and trust His mercy, than in the hands of Commissioncis that have no mercy." ' At this period, the cruises of privateers were commonly adventured on " by the thirds," as it was lermed. That is, the owners of the ship had one third part of the value of all cap- tures ; the victuallers, another third ; ihe officers and crew, the remaining third. Ships adventuring in company, shared in like proportion, the owners taking in the ratio of the tonnage of their respective ships in consort ; the victuallers and crew, in the ratio of the numbers of men on board each consort. This being borne in mind, the passage in Letter XXVIII. — "If {instead of this ^ao,ooo) I had made it ^^loo.ooo, anddtme injury to none bill myself, I hope it may be thought it proceeded from a faithful raind. . . . Fourscore thousand founds is mere than ei'er a man presented Her Majesty yei," — becomes less enig- matical than it looks at the lirst glance. The earliest estimate of the worth of the carrack's cargo reached the inordinate sum of half a million (in the money, it is to be remembered, of 1591). Ralegh, much nearer the truth, put it at /»oo,ooo. Eventually,— as far as concerns what had been left available, after plunder, — it proved to be but little above ^141,000, or some three quarters of a million, in our present currency. Ralegh— adopting, as I suppose, Sir John Borough's account of the circumstances of the capture, as he was bound to do- questioned the fairness of the claim advanced on behalf of the ships of the Earl of Cumberland. The Queen, as a sharer in the original joint adventure of March 159J, he estimated to be entitled, for the tonnage of her ships and her proportion in the joint-stock, to one-tenth of the net proceeds. But, in courtly fashion, he adds that if his own share were large enough,— and no one would lose but himself, — he would willingly quintuple the royal proportion ; and so offer for Her Majesty's accept- ance " fourscore thousand pounds." ' MS. Laiudowiic, vol, Ixi. 361. , Partition of the Spoils of the ' Madre de Dios.* 67 In the issue, the Queen took quite sufficient care of herself. Having adventured ;£ 1800 out of a joint-stock of ;£ 18,000, and having furnished 11 50 tons of shipping out of 5,000 tons, she took somewhat more than one-half of the net proceeds of the fortunate adventure. How Sir Walter himself came out of it, he has pithily summed up in Letter XXXIV. But he had subsequent opportunities, — in some of which he fared much better. XXVIII. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XXVIII. TO XXXIV. 1592. July— Oct. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. As printed by Strype {AnncUs^ voL iv. p. 180), from his own transcript of the Original. With some corrections. Sir George Carew hath dealt with me to know in particular how Her Majesty might be profited by the Carique, according to the offer I made. My promise was not to buy my bondage, but my liberty, and, I hope, of Her Majesty's favour Before I heard of the taking of the Carack, I thought not worth the labour [to compute the account of the Voyage]. And myself being the greatest Adventurer, I was con- tented rather to smother my loss, than labour to publish an hopeless overthrown estate, &c. Briefly, of 5,000 ton of shipping. Her Majesty hath but iioa ... Of ;f 18,000, in money, Her Majesty hath but £\2fOo} for the other ;f 1200* was employed on her two ships, as by Sir John Hawkins's account will appear. To conclude, Her Majesty's adventure will come but to the tenth part. Which, of ;C200,ooo (such, 1 Strype, Vf 1500,' but compare Letter XXXIV., printed from the OriginaL • Strype, •;f 1500.' F 2 LETTKR XXVIII. 1592. Sept. (On or before Sept. 15.) To Lord Burghley. [From the Tower. ] Partition of the Spoils of the " Maiire de Dios: Lfitm of RmltsK I tknk, is tbe v^ue of the Canck), Her Majestj-'s part ■91 be £xijX30. And 1 know Her Majesty will not \Ax t^ ngbt of ber subjects from them. contrar>- to Ikt hand am) seal : in coosideration. that for her service sake^ and the rather for your Lordship's persuasion, tbey woe contented to ad^'enture. And this is not the last time that Her Majesty shall aced thetf cxiotribtitioo. "" Her Majesty had set out the joamey of ber own ch< ^ it would have cost her ^jfXfXxy. And nov it her tvo ^ips. Insteai. it /'looxxxi, and dot It may be tboi^t mind, and a true ut^r thousand pounds is im Her Majesty as j ■■ her but in £1800,' besides lis £2'vcd here ycsternighte, whose chests voluntarilie he LETTER xxxn. 1592. Sept 27. SirR. Cecil, Sir W. Ralegh, and others, to the Lord Treasurer and Lord Admiral. From Dart- mouth. Proceed- ings of the Commis- sion re- specting deDios: 74 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER XXXII. 1522. Sept 27. hathe shewed, hearing of our diligent searche for them in his absence ; and thoughe wee finde them no common chests, yet finding in them nether Pearle, Amber, Stone, Jewell, Hangings, Tapestrie, or riche stuffe, wee have lefte them in his owne keping, bothe because he assured us he had tolde Her Majestie of them, and also because wee finde he thinkes himselfe hardlie dealt withall, being Her Majesties Generall there, and a Gentleman of qualitie, not to be suffred to choose out and send from himselfe some suche present of them as may be accept* able to Her Majestie, to which wee founde reasone to assent, seing they were nothing in them but certaine China TafTataes and Damaskes, with painted Caffard for Quiltes, some Quiltes of White Callicute stitcht, and 2 or 3 parcells of suche white China Taffatae imbrodered with China golde as Mr. Candishe broughte home ; with certaine course gilt boxes, and a bunch of seede pearle. Within 3 or iiij. dayes, wee shalbe able to give some estimat of the state of this Carricke, and wee shall knowe whither the iiij. chests spoken of be ether gone or ryfled ; which being done, I, Robert Cecill, doc purpose to come away, with your Lordships* good favour; and thus for this tyme we most humblie take our leaves. Ffrom the Tonne of Dartmouthe, the xxvijth of September, 1592. Your Lordships most humblie to commaund, Ro. Cecyll. W. Ralegh. Fra. Drake. WiLLM. KILLYGREWE. Rich. Carm'den. Thomas Myddelton. Addressed : To the right honerabU our very good Lords^ the Lord Treasuror and Lord Admirall of England^. Prise Proceedings pending in the Admiralty Court. 75 XXXIII. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY, THE LORD ADMIRAL HOWARD, AND THE LORD BUCKHURST. tbe Original Domestic Corrapohdence : Elizabeth, vol. ccxliiL § 89 oils House)- In the hand of an amanuensis, with aatograph Mcription and signature. VERiE GOOD Lords, I UNDERSTAND by Mr. MiDDLETON of your Lord- \ proceedings in the cause between CORSINA^ and and although it be prejudicial! unto us, yet in uxi your Lordships have so prescribed, I am con- ri to submitt my selfe thereunto. And do hum- pray your Lordships that theis enclosed articles ^ (if you shalbe so pleased) be performed by such irticularlie are nominated therein by your Lordships' r. Thereby CORSINA is to have the benefytt of ing sale of the goods, which are valued at ;^i2,ooo, the use of the money, which wilbe worth unto him oa In my opinion, if your Lordships will allow K)f, it were more fytt that the goods might remaine, presently they do, in sequestracion, untill your Uippo Corsini, plaintiff in an Admiralty cause respecting the ship !ra Salva^ict,* he enclosed '* Articles" (eleven in number) referred to in, and re- 1 with. Sir Walter s letter, are both too long and of too little interest here printed. The only article in which Ralegh is expressly men- I runs thus: "And that Sir Walter Rawley, in the behalf of Captain s, shall enter into like bonds unto Corsini, in double the value of g;oods as the said Davies can be duly charged to have taken forth of lid ship." The date of this Indosure is 10 Dec 1592. These !t are followed by a series of charges and answers in the case, also of length and minuteness. LETTER XXXIII. 1592. I>ec 13. To Lord Burghley and others. From Durham House. On Pro- ceedings pending in the Court of Admi- ralty. r Lordships' Boatl resolucion sfaalbc knou-n therein, be- cause the venting and dispercing thereof will extenuate the price of the Caracke goods, when they shalbe sold, being all of one nature and kinde ; or, that they may b^ delivered to Her Majesties use, at such rate as they prized ; ' and so all parties, uppon detcrminacion of tM vaiyance, to receave their due porcion allotted unto' the II be deemed requisite, bcAh< >eedic end, and Her Highnes above ;f 3,000 ; otherwise thejr of time to delate an absotot^ r some of their private luert ur Lordships' direction tbereift unt, I take my leave, Froo of December. 1592. imble att cummandcment, W. Ralecil 7i lit ri^ k9»erahU my ttriegntKl ti>rds, Ou LtrJ Tlfttnnr, Lard AJuanll, and lard BueJtMiirtt. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLE^'. From the Original, in the Bargkley Faptri, ijgj. ) voL Ixx. No. 94 (BiiUsh Hnsentn)- The accompt of the whole chaise amounteth ta I 34,000'^. Her Majesty hath giuen order that wc nhaD I reccue 36,000"-. So as there is giuen vs of profyO, I 2,000"-. The City of London is to haue 6yooo^ prelytl Ir 1 Ai^altcd. Statement of the Charges of the Expedition of 1592. n her Majesties order ; then are they to haue her Majes- ties allowaunce of 2,QOd^ vppon all, and 4,000"- profitt more, out of the principall. By that meanes we are to lose 4,000**' of our mony disbursed. To help which we haue 3,000"* of the Queen's ; and then we lose but 1,000". But of that 3,oorf*- of the Queen's, 1 200**' was bestowed on her own ships, to make them perfect Then there remaineth i8oo"' towards the losse of 4,000**^ : so as the losse wilbe 2,200"*. In respect hereof, we haue the remaines, and our ships againe : but we are not allowed for our ships in this accompt as they were worth in aduenture, but onelie according to the losse which we sustein by them ; and therefore that remain is nothing to vs: for wee take our shipps in part of payment. The Erie of CUMBERLAND is allowed also 36,006"^ ; and his accompt came but to 19,000" : so as he hath 17.000^ profytt, who aduentured for himselfe; and we that scnicd the Queen, and assisted her service, haue not our own again. Besides, I gaue my ship's sayles and cables to furnish the Caraque, and bring her home, or cIs she had perished : my ship first bourded her, and onely staid with her ; and brought her into harborough, or els she had also perished vppon Silley. I was not prc-ent, and therefore had no extraordinary profytt ; I was the cause that all this came to the Queen, and that the King of Spaine spent 300,000"* the last yere : and I lost in the last yere in the voiage of my Lo. Tho. Howard 1600*^ ; besides the interest of 1 1,000", which I haue paid euer since this voiage began. And farther, my j >hip and Sir Jo. HAWKINS' that were takers with The\ Foresight of the Queens haue no other allowance then ' thr/>c that were absent : and whereas the City onely dis- ! bursed 6.000", and haue 12,000" againe, the same being LETTER XXXIV. 1592. Dec. Statement of the Charges of the £cpe- dition of 1592; and of the pro- posed partition of prize money. LetUn if Rali^ takes out of the halles of London among a multitude: I that aduentured all my estate, lose of my prtndpati, and they baue double : I tooke all the care and paines ; caried the ships from hence to Falmouth, and from thence to the north cape of Spainc ; and they only sate still, and did but disburse 6,ooo^ out of the ci>mm-tt, uho aduentured d I for the Queen. I C^sru /rr lie Carvk. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. Froin the OriginaL C/ril flyvr'. ''o'- »"'■ M 9i iHatfield)- HoI(J(:ri[t Sir, I AM very sorrj' for Mr. WiLKENSON and the rest, that I here ar lost in the River of Burdens ; but for my part I was resolved of the success beforehand, and so miche I totd WiLLKENSON before his departure. Of this Irish combinaction Her Majestye shall find it remembred to her sealf not longe since ; but the Troidl Southsayer cast his spear against the wooden hortc but not beleved. I did also presume to spcakcsomewhil how to prevent this purpose ; and 1 thinck it not over hard to be yet donn ; and if I had by any chance byna acquaynted with the Lord Burgh's instructions, I would have putt you in mynde to have woonne the Earlc of Argilc rather then all the rest of Skotland; for by Progress of the War in Ireland, 79 hyme this fier must be only maintained in Ulstell.^ But for me to speake of the one or the other, I knowe my labors are prejudicate, and I cannot hereafter deserve ether thancks or acceptance. Less then that number men apoynted, I tacke it, will serve the turn, if the garrisons be placed aright to impeach the assemblies, and sume smale pineses ordered to lye between Cantirrs' and ODonells Country; but herein the r.rder and the tyme hath most powere. Ther be also others in Irland that lye in waite, not suspected ; which I most feare, and others most able and fitt to make them neglected and discoraged: which smale matters would have hartned to great purpose, as the tyme will better wittness. I had bynn able my sealf to have raysed to or three bands of Inglishe well armed, till I TV as driven to relinquishe and recale my people; of which the loss shall not be alone to mee, howsoever I am tumbled down the hill by every practize. We ar so busyed and dandled in thes French warrs, which are endless, as we forgett the defens next the hart. Her Majesty hath good cause to remember that a million hath bynn spent in Irland not many yeares since. A better kingdome might have bynn purchased att a less prize, and that same defended with as many pence, if good order had bynn taken. But the question now may be, whether for so great expence the estate be not less asured then ever } If Her Majestye conseder it aright, she shall fynde it no small dishonor to be vexed with so bcggerly a nacion, that have neather armes nor forti- ficasion ; but that acursed kingdome hath always bynn but as a trafique, for which Her Majestye hath paid both fraight and custome, and others receved the marchan- dize ; and other then such shall it never be. The Kinge LETTER XXXV. > cuter. * Cantvre. 1593- May la Letters of Rakgk. of Spayne seeketh not Irlande for Irlande, but havinge raysed up troops of beggers ia our backs, sliall be able to inforce us to cast our eyes over our shoulders, while thos before us strike us on the braynes. We have also knowne the levell of his subversion; but dcstiney is stronger than councell ; and good advice, ether neglected or weakly executed, hath tought our enemis to armc thos parts which before lay bare to the sworde. Pre- vention is the doughter of Intelligence, which cannot be borne without a mother ; and the good wooman hath so many patrons, as the one rcferreth her cherishinge to another's trust, and in the meanwhile shce liveth baren and frutles. Sir, thes poore Countris yeild no newse. I here of a frigott that taketh up fishermen for pilatts in the West. I am my sealf here at Sherburne, in my for* tun's folde. Wherever 1 be, and while I am, yow shaQ cummande me, I thinck I shall need your furder favor for the litle parke, for Law and Conscience is not sufficient in thes days to upholde me. Every fodc knoweth that hatreds arc the cinders of affection, and therfore to make me a sacrifize shall be thanksworthye. Sir, I pray remember my duty to my Lord Adminll, and to your father, if it please yow. From Sherburne, this loth of May [1593]. Your's most asured to do j'ow service. W. Ralegk [PosTSCRirT.]— I am the worse for the Bath, aod ■* the better. Addreswd : Ti the rishl hftfrahlt Sir %ovi.Kt CxcOA^ KntgU, »f ktr ih^tUt tnest heiiBTahlt Prky Cnmctll, Endoracd ; 10 Mill, 1593, Sir H'altfr KiruJiy to m/ MaOtr. Exportation of Pipe-staves from Munster, 8i I XXXVI. TO THE LORD TREASURER BURGHLEY. From the OxiginaL Cecil Papers^ vol. xxii. foL lOO (Hatfield)- In the hand of an amanuensis ; the subscription, signature, and postscript in aatograph. [See Vol. I. pp. 94—103.] My honorable good Lord, By reason of your Lordship's letters and the rest of the Lords of Her Majesties Privie Councell, written to the Lord Deputie and Councell of Ireland, for a restraint of transportation of Pipestaves out of that Reaime to the Islands, we have a great quantitie of barrell and hogshead bords alreadie cutt and made which, for want of venting and expending, will rott uppon the ground, if we maie not receave some order for their utteraunce. Besides, we must be forced to draw home a great number of able men from thence which are appointed to serve Her Majestie with their weapons uppon anie occasion, which will prove to be a great weakening of the province of Munster. WTierefore, if it please your Lordship, — for the keeping and entcrtcyning of theis men in worke, which otherwise cannot live there ; and for venting of this commoditie, which must needs perish if longer staie be made of them there, — to write to the Lord Deputie and Councell, that, according to your Lordship's nieaning signified in your former letters, we maie be licensed to transport from thence into England such barrell and hogshead bords as we have made, and maie ^ sparde out of our own woods ; the rather, because Vou II. U LETTER XXXVI. '593- June 15. To Lord Burghlcy. From Durham House, London. Enterprise of prepar- ing and exporting Pipe- staves from Munster. 82 Letters of Ralegh, IXTTEK. xxni. «593- JODCIS. those of the west countrie here have great want of this caske, we will putt in such bords to Her Majesty's . use, before th' officers of the ports where they are to be laden, as are required in your Lordship's said letters, for th' assured transporting thereof into England and to no other place. And so I most humblie take my leave. From Dirrham House, the xvth of June, 1 593. Your Lordship's for ever to be cummanded, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — For the bringinge of caske ^ into Ireland, I hope wee shall rather deserve thankes, then that wee shall need to make any great sutes for it Yet. so mich it hath pleased the Deputye to malline' my particuler, as I know, without your Lordshipp's heulpc^ yeven so mich will hardly be afforded. I do humUie desire your Lordship to favor mee so mich as to ^Tit ! your Lordship's own Icttcres unto hyme that I may recevc justice at his liands ; and, acknowledging my sealf only bound and susteyncd by your Lordship's . goodnes, I wishc your Lordship eternal! health, and humblie take my leave. * So in MS. ; meaning olmously * ihc bringing in of cask-wuiv/y.* * /. <". malign. This iluublful word is so written thai it ought, perhaps to bo ri*atl * mallice.' behalf of Kelly, a Mercliant of Dartmouth 83 XXXVII. TO SIR ROBKRT CECII. Original. Cfcs/ Papers^ vol. xxiii. foL 31 (Hatfield). In the in amaniiensis ; the sul>scnption and signature in autograph. | : eamestlic entreated by my brother, Sir John , to write unto you in the bchalfc of Mr. a marchant of Dartmouthe, his very honest nd because his and my perswasion may the rvaile in his behalfe, I have sent you, as well to testefie the honest behavior of the gentle- my servant Haxcc^cke, to ccrtifie the truth to my brother's mocion. itter importeth the delivcrie of a letter, sent LLiE's factor; sent by Nicholas Fitzhar- •itten to Thomas Fitzharrert. ter, uppon the delivcrie to Mr. FiTZilARnERT, ly read and nothing found therein cither to the Estate or to any particuler person, as mor, if you please, maie at large understand. Gilbert wilbe bound for him in a thowsand id I will undertake for his honest cariage and re. And because you shalbe the better per- \{ his integritic and good affection to the Vlajestie, and the opinion conceaved of him ighbors, I have sent you my brothers letter the same. I beeseech your Honnor therefore iffcr anie wrongfull informacions to prevaile Im ; and to give order for his dispatch, as j (; 2 LETTER XXXVII. 1593. Aug. 15. T(i Sir R. Cecil. From SherlK^nw. (Jn l)cl»alf of one Kelly, a Merchai.l of I)nil- mtauli. Letters of RaUgh. s 9CXMW as your Honnor dull tfunk convenient ; tint I may by this bearer uodecstand some newes. And so I otHnmitt your Honoor to die tuidcm <^ di' Alna^itie; From Sheibom Castle^ xvth cS Aagoslk, 1593. Ever to do yow honor and service W. [Postscript.]— I have sent Hancocks diicAlie ta understand some newes, and to see yow ; and to ceiteie mee the rest at his return. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL To Sir R. Cecil. Forest. Enterprise ing and eiporting F,p«. Cecil Pafitrt, vol. xxiiL ioL 41 rd Admiral with my poore request, I doubt not but his Lordship will farther so honest a mocion. If their Lordships would be pleased thoroughlie to consider the state of the cause, and have patience to peruse the contents of our demaund (which Master Pll^E will shew your Honnor, in all points, according to the truth), they wold assuredlie allow of our trade to the Islands, and conceave better of those which undertake the same. And so I humblie take my leave. From Gillingham Forrest, the 27th of August, 1593. Your Honor's humblie att cummandment, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — Sir, The Indian falcon is sike of the buckworme; and therfore, if yow wilbe so bountefull to geve another falcon, I will provide yow a roning geldinge. Addressed : To th€ right konorak/e Sir Robert Cecil, Knight ^ one of her Majesties most honorable Prrvie CouncelL Endorsed : 27 Aug. 1593. Sir Walter Rawley to my Master, XXXIX. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxiii. fol. 77 (Hatfield). In the hand of an amanuensis ; the subscription, signature, and postscript in autograph. Sir, This gentleman, Mr. John Wollridge, hath been written unto by my Lord Threasurer, about the deliverie of a ward, his wives sonne. If he shall have nede of LETTER XXXVIIJ. 1593. Aug. 27. The Falconry at Gilling- hanu LETTER XXXIX. 1593- Oct 8. 86 Letters of Rakgh. LEITER XXXIX. C)ct. 8. To Sir R. CcciL From WcT- mouth. In fi\*t)ur of the bearrr, JohnWoll- ritlge, who had a matter pending in the Court of Wants. - News of Rimonde. '■ vour Honnors fauvor therein, — ^u'hich he is able himselfe lawful] ie to aunsu'ere, except he be overborn by his . adverse [Ktrtie. — I praie you, in reguard of the honestie of the gentleman and of the desire he hath to deale : indiflerentlie and uprightiie, to assiste him so farre that ' he maie receave no hard measure. And so I humblie , take mv leave. ! From Weymouth, the 8th of October, 1 593. Your Honor's to do you service, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — Sir, I have written to my Lord \ Admirall the newes of Rimonde att large. From whom j I pray yow to be acquaynted. This bearer, WULREDGE, — being sent for by my Lord, your father, — was here stayde sumewhat longer to examyne a cawse of the Admiraltyc, so as I bescich yow to excuse hyme. Addresseii : ; 7(> the n\^ht honorable Sir RoBKRT Cecili^ Kni^ht^ one of her Majesties most hotioraNe Prri'ie Coumelt. . Kndorsctl : • 8 Oit. 1593. Sir Walter Rai^'hy to my Master. XL. LErrER XL. 1593-1594. Feb. 25. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Ceeil Papers, vol. xxii. fol. 49 (Hatfield)* HolograjJi. Sir, This gentelman, Henry Thynne, without sending for is cum up to aunswere the cumplaynt of the Frensh- mcn, for [which] my brother was lately called before yow. Hcc was an adventurer in that journey, and lost In favour of Henry Thynne. ^7 alL For the fishe prize, hee did nothing but by cummission, and hath accompted for the same. I beseich yow to favour hyme this mich, that hee be not charged with more than hee receved, and [that] he may have tyme till the next terme to bring in the accompt, which now resteth in other mens hands ; and, in the meantyme, no hard dealing be offered hyme. I shall think my sealf mich bound unto yow for any favor yow shall afford hyme, and so, being allwayes your servant to be cumanded, I humblie take my leve. W. Ralegh. From Sherburne Castell, this 25 of February [1593-4]. Addressed: To the right konorabU Sir Robert Cecili^ Knight^ one of her Majesties most honuorable Privy Couftcell, Endorsed : 25 Feb. 1593 [legal style]. Sir Walter Raleigh to my Master; in favour of Captain Henry Thynne, LETTER XL. 1593-1594. Feb. 25. From Sherborne. In favour of Henry Thynne, whose pro- ceedings at sea had been com- plained of Djr the French. ^ « F-'jc.ir^ Xjc^ fj L^^Cy XLL V "1 7 -.".-Til 1-L ♦ — .::~jr 1ZTTZ5. XLL-rJ/£ BJJ^^VS OF iSTSSrr.iSSS £.4J^LS OF BAKRY- T - Tii. iz i_ lizies zc* Ir5*. i cr^incteriicc of Ralegh's mind '"•.:- -: illiii'-^ TrJie cc" - ccci£s:e::cT " hindered either '"-J? i-jkr: T'ric=:«r:i: re* ±rr:r. or iifs juivocaqr. when dealing Tir: :eri::e?iw :<" Vser ciczfsls lin dio$e which on imperfect "el'Trlr'ijrr 'zA z^i hi:— s-is cz-cerr. -ktji IrLsh aiEifrs he had counselled ^'^t'r.zy 'izwTiris lie liilf-hearted men m-ho were not quite rirrw r-ensc'ves fiiriy into the rebellion, or to ca-: -ir.t.z *o: wiih ihe Queen's iteciJevi supporters. CW such r.-.^r. WJ.S Li'i F^irry. Rile^h had himself seized Barr)''s C-^-rL Ftrhi-s i:> owt. personal i-iercoarse with its owner r.-.i.y !-.j.-.e r.c*.:-ej :o con\-:::ce the hj.1:" rebel of the wisdom of su: -ec:. At all events, the ver\- man iX: _o. 1^ ^ '»\.0.-V ;vV3m Ah'^rri RjiiCjjh ha^I >:ror-5:'.y i^tenour^cev!, he now as strongly com - iiJcn.N. Ani! f-:ere is arr.j le endence that the commendation wi-, merited. LorJ Bdrr\- ar.d hfs familv rendered honourable anf! brilliant sen ii.e to the CrowTi in Ireland. 1 lie Ijams. of Banv's Court, in the countv Cork, have a famo'js ancestr\- and a curious familv histon-. The stock, one vigorous branch of which came to its death, or almost to its death, in a recent " I-^arl of Barrkmore'* of very unenviable notoriety, was itself an offshoot of a race of Welsh princes, already of a respectable antitjuity in the twelfth century. David Fitzjamcs liany-, Viscount Buttevant (the "Lord Barry" of Ralegh's letter), was lineally descended from an elder hroiher (I'hilip de Barri) of Giraldus Cambrensis. Philip, Uiirry's an< eslor an I fortifications at Old Croydun, — which your Lordship I well knowes is within the port of Brest, — and the better ' to cumand the haven, they have also built a stronger peerc at the very entraunce. Now, if it pleas your Lordship to pardon mee, I pray remember that their- wilbe no entraunce for the Queen's fleet, what weather so ever happen ; for Blewatt, and Brest, and Belsho ar theirs. The Spanishe shipps ar huge ; wherof eyght ar betwen 800 and 1000 toones; 10 shipps more, of good burden ; divers galles, and full filde with soldiers. I hope also that your Lordship will remember it is the Queen's honor and saufty to assaile and not defendc. And, for ought I here, your Lordship's fleet wilbe far to weakc. I hope your Lordship will take my remembrance in j good part. And if your Lordship will vouchsaife [to ask] her Majesty for me to attend you privatly in her service, 1 hope I shall stand your Lordship in the place of a poorc marriner or soldier. I have no other desire but to serve her Majestye. And seinge I deserve nor place, nor honor, nor rewarde, I hope it wilbe easely graunted, — if I be not condemned to the grave; no libertye nor hope left that ether tyme or the geving of * Hritlany. * Ikert, News of tlie Spanish Fleet 95 my life may recover, or be a sacrifice for, my offences. I hope your Lordship will not foi^ett my desire, or that I am evermore Your most assured poore kynsman to serve you, W. Ralegh. Sherburne, the 21 of June [1594]. Addfcssed : To tJu right honorable my singider good Lord, the Lord Admirall of Ingiande, in haste. Endorsed [erroneously, being in the hand of a clerk to Sir Robert Cecil] : 21 Jwtiij 1594. Sir IrVaiter Rauleighe to my Af aster. XLV. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xxvii. fol. 46 (Hatfield)* Holo- graph. The address is in the hand of an amanuensis. Sir, It seemeth that the late advertisement of the Spanishe preparacions is now confirmed, and this last weeke ther weare three great Spanishe men of warr, that gave chace to an Inglishe shipp and her too prizes, and drave them yeven to the very mouth of Dartmouth. It is likely that all our Newfounland men wilbe taken up by them if they be not speedely driven from the coast, for in the beginninge of August our Newland ^ fleet ar expected, which ar above a hundred sayle. If thos should be lost, it would be the greatest blow that ever was geven to Ingland. I beseich you to remember my leve to go privatly 1 So in MS. LETTER XLIV. 1594. June 21. LKTTKR XLV. 1594- July 20. To Sir K. Cecil. From Sherborne. News of the Spanibh Fleet. — Cornish Miners for Ireland. — Intende f/ie right honorable Sir Robert Cecill, Knight, one of her Majesties most honorable Privie Counee/l. Endorsed : 20 yuiiiy 1594. Sir iValter Rauleighe to my Master, LETTER XLVI. 1594. Aug. 25. To Sir R. Cecil. Fn>m the Coast. XLVI. TO SIR ROBERT CKCIL. From the Original. Ceeit Papers, vol. xxvii. fll lOl, I02 (Hatfield). Holograph. Sir, I BESEICH yow to geve me leve to trobell yow a littcU with my particulcr, because it concerns all the poore estate I have. The priests of Sallisburie have signed and scaled the fcc-farmes more to benefite one * Itrittany. Dealings of the Dean and Chapter of Sarum. 97 Fits-James, who hath geven them a good fine, then any u-ay to satisfye or releve mee. They have stoode uppon scrupell of conscience to yeilde any thinge to Her Majestye; but, — without her letters, without her cum- mandements, — they have past £$0 land to another, and in suche sorte as myne must be voyde unless that £^0 land pass also. For they have geven myne upon condiscion that the other shall pass withall, or else both to be voyde. This ^ bravely they dare to tye the Queen to do what they injoyne, or else they refuse to do what she commands. Now this wilbe the culler of this insolency, — that unless Fits-James have his fee-farme, the Church shalbe in danger to lose £^0 rent But it is meerely false; for, if by any trick in law Fits-James may pre- tende to defraud the Church of that rent, yet it was never ment to be so ; and therfore the Chancery will inforce hyme by a decree att the first motion. And, if that should be doubted, I will undertake to assure that rent my sealf This FiTS-jAMES is a smooth knave as any levcth, and a false ; and hee offers mee £200 for my good will. Butt, first, I gave the Queen a Jewell worth £2^0 to make the byshope;* I must geve £60 land to the Churche, for ever, of increas, — which will cost mee £1200 more ; the charges will cume to £2$o more, which is demanded. And, when all this is spent, I am not one farthinge the better, butt the assurance of my estate only ; which I purchase att a most terribell rate^ I am sure, if I weare a Turke I could not be worss dealt withall then I am by them, who have dun nothinge for Her Majesties sake butt rackt mee yeven asunder; and, notwithstanding, have past to another £$0 land,-^ better then all Sherburne, — for their own prolitt, and to * For thus, ' John Caldwell, 'elected* in 159 K vr>L. II. II LETTER XLVI. 1594. Aug. 35* Priyate affairs. — Dealings of the Dean and Chapter of Sarum withFitz- Jaraes. Latert pf Rai^ sat&iffK Aar finadc And, if it bad not b>-nD for his | sdbc AKf woold sever have past m>iic ; and so it I ^eocA: fa- they jmsa mync bult oa condUdon dnl [ bs dUi pns wAImI], or dse both to be vo>-dc Sk if jmm pkase bet a littdl to consider, both of the «fta^e th^ pvtt mec to ; bow- cntcstly Her Matcsty U ba& Tiiprested and tber names taken, and then that yow cause the proclamation to be published, and not before : for that the best sort will absent them- seh-es. not having received the prest before, and to write the like direction vnto SMITH, and appoint him to be likewise readie at Falmouth at the same daie with the Comishe menn. And so, commending me vnto yow, I com>-tt yow to God. Your lovinge Brother, W, Ralegh. [Postscript,] — I praie lett Luscomb have the levienge of the menn in Devon ; or, if they be alreadie ymprest, if he know menn of better sufficiency, to ym- prest them anew, and leave out some of the worse sort for them alreadie ymprest Addressed : To my veru laving brotha-, Sir}o\VS GiLBART, Knigktt Ouise. « s 95. LIII. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. t.KlTKR MM. From ihc Original. Cecil Papers ^ vol. xxiv. fol. 76 (Hatfield)- Hulugraph. Sir, This gentleman, my cspcciall frindc and kyns- ^fwi.'2? man, hath sume controversy c with the towne of Ply- In rccontnicfidation of a Kinsfnan unnamed. 107 mouth, and hath desired mee to recummende unto your Honor his just and reasonable desire, and therin no farther to be favored then it shall apeare lawfulL If it shall therfore pleas your Honor to be his honorable favorer herein I shall acknowledge it as don to my sealf, and shalbe very proude if it pleas yow to make hyme know that, as I am yours in all love and service, so hee may fynde that you pleas for my sake in this his great rightc to aforde hyme sume testimony therof ; and ycven so, only gasing for a wynde to carrye mee to my destiny, I humblie take my leve. From Sherburne, this first of January [1595]. Your Honor's to do you service, W. Ralegh. Addressed : Tc tkf ri^ki konorabU Sir ROBERT CiCiLL, Knight^ of Her Majesties most honorable Privey CounceiL Jtin, 1594 {legal styU\, Sir Walter Raleighe to my Master^ letteb: LIIL 1594-1595- Jan. 2. To Sir R. CedL From Sberbome: Recom- mending a kinsman who has a contro- versy with the towns- men of Ply^ mouth. — He is only waiting for a winc^ to set saiL LIV. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL Frvin thc'Onginal. dril Papers, vol. xxxvi. § 4 (Hatfield). Holograph. ! Slk. From this desolate place I have little matter; from myself, less hope ; and therefore I thinke the shorter the discourse, the better wellcum. I rccevcd from Lyme, — a port town in this shire, — by a smalc barkc lately arived, that there ar lately many French shipps imbargocd in Spayne, and of good burden LETTER LIV. 1595- Nov. 10. To Sir R. Cecil. From Sherborne. io8 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER LIV. IS9S- r»ov. lo. Alleged Naval Pre- parations in Spain against Ireland. — Desire to hear if anything is to be done in the matter of Guiana. and very serviceable; notwithstanding that the same went by pasport and asurance from Spayne. And all the marriners likewise imprested ; and that ther ar a fleet ether gone or goinge of sixtye saile, as the* sayc^ for Irlande. It seemeth asuredly that the preparations ar great, and do dayly increase. If your Honors conceave therof aright, or looke into the nirest mischeif, wee shall do the better. Butt I feare, by your favors, ther is somewhat more in the enemys intent then is supposed. Wee that have midi ado to gett bread to eat have the less to care for, unless mich lost labor and love awake us that ar also thanckles- busied in things ether beyound our capasates or cares. What becumes of Guiana I miche desire to here, — whether it pass for a history or a fable. I here Mr. Dudley ^ and others ar sendinge thither ; if it be so, farewell all good from thence. For although my sealf, — like a cockscome, — did rather preferr the future^ in respect of others ; and rather sought to wine the kings to her Majesties service then to sack them, I know what others will do, when thos kings shall cum simpely into their hands. If it may pleas yow to acquaynt my Lord Admirall therwith, lett it then succeed as it wille. If my Lord will have a fyne pinnes sent to the coast of Spayne, to vew what is dunn, I thinke for a matter of £^o or ^50 I can gett one that shall do service. Sir, for conclusion, I will only say this mich, — take good heed least you be not to slow. Expedition in a little is better than mich, to late. Butt yow, ministers * they, * For thanklessly. ' Sir Robert Dudley, afterwards titular Duke of Northumberland (son of the Earl of Leicester). Colonization and Mineral Wealth of Guiana. 109 of dispach, ar not plentiful!. Neather is it every man's occupation. God send yow all honor and health. I will «ishe yow both, and be reddy ever to do yow service, W. Ralegh. From Sherborne, the loth of November [1595]. Addressed : T9 tJU right kofUfraUe Sir ROBERT Cecill, Knight, of Her Majesties most honorable Privey Councell, Endorsed : 10 Xovember, 1595. Sir Walter Ralegh to my Master, LV. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ yoL xxxvL § 9 (Hatfield)* Holograph. Sir, Yow may perceve by this Relation that it is no dreame which I have reported of Guiana. And if on ^ image have bynn brought from thence wayinge 47 kin- tails,* — which cannot be so little worth as 100 thousand poundc, — I know that in Manoa ther ar store of thes. If the Relation sent to the Spanishe kinge had bynn also taken, yow should therin have founde matter of great admiration. Butt, howsoever this action be re- spected, I know that the like fortune was never offered to any Christian prince, I know it wilbe presently followed both by the Spanishe and French ; and if it be forcslowed by us, I conclude that wee ar curst of God. In the mean tyme, I humblie beseich yow to move her Majesty that none be suffred to soyle the enterprize ; LETTER LIV. Nov. la LETTER LV. 1595. Nov. 13. To Sir R. Cecil From Sherborne. On the coloniza* tion and the mineral wealth of Guiana. ' .«/. ' Le. forty-seven hundredweight. no Letters of Raleglu LETTER LV. Nov. 13. and that thos kings of the borders which ar by my labor, perrill, and charge, woonn to her Majesties love and obedience, be not by other pilferers lost agayne. I hope I shalbe thought worthy to direct thos actions that I have att myne own charges labored in ; and to govern that countrey which I have discovered, and hope to conquer for the Queen, without her cost. I am sendinge away a barke to the countrey, to cumfort and asure the people, that they dispaire not, nor yeild to any com- position with other nations. I know the plott ^ is by this tyme finished which yf you pleas to cummand from Heriott, that her Majestye may see it. If it be thought of less importance then it deserveth, her Majestye will shortly bewayle her n^U- gence therin ; and the enemy, by the addition of so mich wealth, weare us out of all. Sir, I pray esteeme it as the afaire requirethe, iff" you love the Queen's honor, profitt, and saufetye. If T be thought unworthy to be imployed, or that because of my disgrace all men feare to adventure with me, — if it may not be otherwise, — I wishe sume other, of better' sufficiency and grace, might undertake it, that the Queen- loose not that which shce shall never fynde agayne. Yow fynd that ther ar, beseds gold, both diamonds and pearell. And I brought with mee — taken uj^ amonge the sands — a stone which, beinge cutt, is verjT rare. I pray do mee the favor to cummand PETER. Vanlore to deliver you thos too* which I gave hyme t(7 prove, — which hee made litle accompt of Butt I will have them cutt by Pepler, who is skilfull, and dwells here with A[drian] Gilbert. I have sent yow on* which was cutt here, — which I thinke is amatist,^ and ' Le. a map of Guiana. See the Letters of Harriot and others to Cecil, i in the Appendix of this volume. * two. " one. ♦ amethyst. Mineral Wealth of Guiana, III hath the Strang blushe of carnation. Butt I asure my sealf that thcr ar not more diamounds in the Est Indies then ar to be founde in Guiana ; which yow see also verefied by the relation of the Spanishe letters. I have another, cutt, of another sort ; and if it be no diamound, yet it is exceeding any diamound in bewtye. Butt I am not in hast to lett it go out of my fingers. Butt thes stones beare wittness of better, and ther is enough for all the world if wee have the grace. Butt we must cast so many doubts ; and this dolt and that gull must be satisfied, or elce all is nothing. If the Spanierds had bynn so blockishe and slouthfull, wee had not feared now their poure, who by their gold from thence vex and indanger all the estates of kings. Wee must not looke to mayntayne warr upon the Tcvenews of Ingland. If wee be once driven to the defencive, farr well myght.^ Butt as God will so it shalbe — who governs the harts of kings. I rest your asured to be cummanded, poore or riche. W. Ralegh. • Sherbum, this Wensday morning, an houre after the receipt of your letter; the 13 of November [1595]. i Addrened: ' To the right honorable Sir RoBERTT Cycili^ Knight, of her Majesties most honorable Prri'ey Conncell. Endorsed : 13 November y 1595. Sir Walter RaUgh to viy Master, LETTER LV. 1595. Nov. 13. * This reading is doubtful, the last word of the sentence being partly defaced. 112 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER LVI. 1595- Nov. 2$. To the Lords of the CounciL From Sherborne. On levies of men and defence of the Coasts of Devon and Corn- wall. LVI. TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. xxxvi. § 26 (Hatfield). In the hand of an amanuensis ; subscribed, signed, and addressed in anto- graph. My dewtie most humblie remembred. In the letters which I receaved from your Honors, bearing date the xvth of this November, yt hath pleased you that mutuall succour be gyven from the counties of Devon and Corn- wall to each other by renforsing of each with 4,000 men, uppon notice gyven from me to the Erie of BATHE for the succour of Comewall, and the like from his Lordship to me for Devon. Yt is trewe that before this tyme wee had not anie warrant to send out of the counties under our charge any releeffe to the neighbour places invaded. For remedy whereof your Lordships have gravely ordered this course of seconding each other. Notwith- standing, because I holde myselfe bounde in duetie to speake my knowledge of the estate of Cornwall, where- with it hath pleased her Majestie to put me in trust,— a charge, both for the greatnes and grace, farr beyond any worth or deserte of myne, — I doe presume to put your Honors in minde that, according to my mean judgement, yt were more fitt to supplie Devon out of Somersett, then from Cornewall; hoping that your Honors will receave my reasons for the same as in discharge of my duetie, and not that I dare to offer them in any other sorte ; being bound to obay^ and not to advice. On Levies of Men and Defence of Devon and Cornwall, 113 Yf there shall any discent be made by the enymye, in either county, by the waie of surprise, and that the enymy doe but burne, or sacke, and departe, then can nether be releeved as aforesaid, bycause there wilbe no tyme gyven to unite the forces of the same shere, where such attempt shalbe offered, much lessc for the drawing in of any numbers from afarr ; and for any such enter- {ffize, where there is no purpose to hold and possesse the places gotten, each shire with 4,000 men shalbe able cither to repell or resiste the same. But if the enymy dispose himselfe to fortyfye any parte in Cornewall or to strengthen any neck of lande of advantage, and thereby begyne to dryve us to a defensive warr, then there is noe country adjoyneth to Cornewall but Devon from whence any spedy suppHe maie be had to impeach ftc begining of such a purpose. And if ought be at- tempted in Devon — of which Plymouth is most to be feared, having, in one indraught, two goodly harbor- ot^hes, as Cattwater and Aishewater — then it is also ver}' likely that the enymye will either assure Cornewall, or seeke utterly to wast yt, bycause yt is next his ' suplies, both from Spayne and Brittaine ^ ; and hath j divers portes and good rodes to receave a fleete. Furthermore, maye it please your Lordships to con- sider that Cornewall is stretched owt all in lenght, and i hath little bredth ; the west parts whereof ar little lesse then 80 myles from Plymouth, and between the one and the other the great river of Tamar, which is not fordable w any place within 1 2 myles of Plymouth : and for 4*000 men to march over at Newbridge above Calstock I —which ys the neerest passage — the journy of one part j ofthe succour wilbe of one 100^ myles and more, as they ' come to the town of Plymouth ; considering the coasting I ' Brit tan V. 2 So in MS. LETTER LVI. Nov. 25. Vol.. H. 114 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER LVI. 1595- Nov. 25. of the river on both sides. And for other passaige, there are but two ferries, — the one at Stonehouse, the other at Aishe, — and those but smale boats of no recept, and by which nether carriage, horse, victuall, munition, nor ought else fitt to followe an army, can be conveyed but in a very longe time. Besides, if ther be aa intent for Plymouth, yt is to be feared that the enymy nvill bring gallies with them, as well to assure there landing as to comaund the river of Tamar, and then all passages shalbe taken awaie but at Newebridge aforesaid; and yet the same maie be also easelie broken, yf the gallies j once possesse the saied river. And yf the enymy I shoulde lande towards the east of Plymouth, as at I Salcoombe, Slapton, Dartmouth, or Torbay, which I I doe nowe thinke is likely, then sholde also parte of the succours of Comewall martche above one hundred and 20 myles, or 140 mile, to the place attempted. Moreover, may it please you to consider that if 4,000 men sholde at any time be drawen out of Cornwall, and the same knowen to the enymy, — as it wilbe at the instant, - 1 assure your Honors that 300 soldiers, either sent out of Brittaine^ (which maie be done in two tydes) or rctorned in a gallye or two from Plymouth, wilbe strenght sufficient to indaunger and distroy the whole shire ; at least all the western parts, which oughte most to be defended in respecte of the good harboroughes therein. For there is noe parte of Ingland so daunger- ouslie seated, soc thinnly mande, so littell defensed, and 1 so easelie invaded ; having the sea on both sides, which noe other countye of Englande hath, and is withall so narroe, that yf an enymy possesse any of two or three straights, neither can those of the west repaire eastward, nor those of the est westward : for betwyn ^ Hritlany. On Levies of Men and Defcfice of Devon and Cornwall. US Mounts Baye and the sea entring within St. Tees it is but 3 miles and a halfe from sea to sea ; without which their lyeth a good parte of the lande to the west in forme of a Peninsula. Betwen Trewro (which standeth on the first sound of the riyer of Falmouth) and St. Piran is but fyve miles overland, passable, and the same also easelie garded ; which b as much of Cornewall as the enymye should need. For within soe muche as lieth to the west of the two indraughts are the best ports, and are very sufficient to receave the greatest fleet that ever swam, and con- teyneth 27 myles of lenght, very gardable ; which in my simple juidgement is everie waie more to be sought for by the enymy then Plymouth ; at least yf the same weare soe well understode by them, which is not un- likely ; for the enymy taking Plymouth, and not possess- ing Cornewall, there is then a whole country^ to the west of them, and betwen them and their supplies. But possessing this part they ynjoye as good, yf not a better, porte then Plymouth ; and there is then noe lande betwen them and Britaine or Spaine : and if they have any purpose to make warr with us at home, and shalbe able to dryve us to a defensyve, then is ther^ noe oomparyson betwen the one and the other. For which I could yeilde your Honors many reasons, but that I feare I am over tedyouse in these. The cuntrye eastward ys also but narrowe, there being but 8 miles betwen the river of Padstowe and the Baye of Frewardreth. Againe, Cornewall hath not anie one company of horse, either lance, lightehorse, petronell, or pistoll. Notwithstandinge, if it shall please your Honors to thinkc it fitt, there maie be order given that all those * So in M.*^. > This word has been added in Sir Waller's own hand. I 2 LETTER Lvr. 1595. Nov. 25. 1 16 LttUrs of Ral^k. LVL companies wfaidi bounder tbe ri\'er of Tamar or Salt- ashe be reddy to releave Pl>^mouth uppon any sudden ; y^^^2' bycause the>- maie be soone past over, if there were pro- \'ision of better passage. But as yet there ar but two ferries neere Pl>inouth, — the one at Stonehouse, the other at Aishe. as aforesaid. And two or three gallies j will intemipte all transportation ; bycause there is not any place strengthened to gard or assure anie passage ' over the saied river, neerer then Ne^'cbridge, which is ' 12 miles above, within the lande. I Contrariewise, Somerset lieth^ to Devon in great ■ bredthe, and is a cuntrj-e strongly formed ; whereas j the other is stretched all in lenght Somersetshiere I is not de\yded from De\'on by any river which is not I fordable, at all t>'mes and in all places, so as both horse, foot, carr>'age, victuall, and whatsoever maie come, in hast, from thence to the succour of Devoa Comewall hath Tamar, noe vi'aie passable neere Ply- mouth. Somerset is seated from daunger, having Devon towards the southe, and on Seveme side it hath not ports capeable of any shippes of bourden, and the indraught is long and daungerous. All the north coast of Devon and Comewall lyeing bctwen the waters of Somerset, which are Dunster, Minnett, I and Bridgewater, into which smale barques cannot aryve without precise observation of tyde. Comewall is but an arme of lande which stretcheth it selfe even to the bosome of the enemye, and hath the best ports of Ingland on the south ; and better than any in Somerset on the north ; and also betwen them and harme. Somerset is verie riche and full of horse, as well for carriadge as service ; many welthie gentlemen ; and aboundeth in victuall. Cornewall hath no horse * This word is added, by interlineation, in Ralegh*5shand. Proposals for the Colonization of Guiana, 117 of service ; the cuntrie poore ; fewe gentlemen, and those of meane livinge ; and, by reason that their riches consisteth in tynn-workes, there is little corne, and lesse of all things else. For these respects, I hope that your Honors will have favorable regarde towards us; being, notwithstanding, redye to performe whatsoever it shall please her Majestie to determine, or your Lordships to comaunde. And even soe, craving pardon for my presumption herein, I humblie take my leave. From Sherborne, this 25th of November, 1595. Your Honors* in all to be cummanded, W. Ralegh. Addrened: To tki right honorable the Lords and others of Her Majesties most honorable Privey Councell, Endorsed : 25 X4n'. 1595. Sir Walter Raleghe to the Lords, Lvn. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Origiiial. Cecil Papers^ voL xxxvi. § 44 (HatfieldX Holograph. Without date. Sir. I BESEICH you lett us know whether wee shalbe travelers, or tinkers; conquerors, or novices. For, if the winter pass without making provision, there can be no vitling in the summer ; and if it be now foreslowed, farewell Guiana for ever. Then must I determyne to begg or run away. Honor, and gold, and all good, for ever hopeless. LETIER LVI. 1595. Nov. 2$. LETTER I.VIl. 1595. , Nov. 26 ? To Sir R. Cecil From Sherbome. Ii8 Letters of Ralegh, LKTTER I.VII. »595- N«jv. 26 \ Proposals for the Coloniza- tion of Guiana. Arrange- ments for the defence of Devon and Corn- wall. I do not heer how you like the white stone. I have sent for one of each ; as soon as they cume, you shall have them. I have written this letter* to the Lords in aunswere of that which I receved about mutuall supplies between Devon and Cornwale, — a matter soon written, but not possible to performe. Somersett may best releve Devon, for if it be apoynted to Dorsett, it is more than need* For Dorsett hath never a haven capable of any great shipp, without which ther is no feare of any discent. I beseich you let us here sumewhat as soun as you cann. And so, with my most humble dewtye to my Mistris — I care not mich for your idle Honor — W. R. [Postscript.] — I have sent the letter unsealed. Hancoke hath a seal of myne ; when you have perused it. I humblie pray you that your footman may deliver thes too letters att Derum House. Addressed : To the rh^hi honorable Sir Robert Cecii.L, Knighty of Her Majestia most honorable Prney CouncelL Hast, &c Endorsed : Naiember 1595. Sir Walter Raleigh to my Master. [It also bears the endorsements of the several postmasters on the route.] ' Sec preceding letter of 25th of same month. • This reading is a little doubtful, through alibreviation in the originaL The Panama Expedition of Sir Francis Drake, 119 PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER LVIII. — THE PANAMA EXPEDITION OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, IN 1595. \) ALEGH'S gloomy anticipation, in this letter, of the fate of prefa- Drake*s expedition, — " if the Spanish fleet arrive while the soldiers are overland," — had been actually realized, though in a different way, a few days before its date. Whilst Sir Walter was writing it, Hawkins already lay dead ; as did also Drake's dear friend and comrade, Brute Browne. The unfortunate attack on Puerto Rico had been made, and had failed of its object Within less than two months, Drake, too, died **of a broken heart ;** as Ralegh himself said, long years afterwards, in the letter which records his own disasters in the fatal ex- pedition to Guiana. There is but too much proof that the Queen and her Ministers were the responsible authors of Drake's failure and death. The expedition, at its outset, had been scandalously pinched in its due supplies and appliances. A divided com- mand— that frequent source of failure in the Elizabethan enterprises — was insisted upon ; and to the divided command were added conflicting instructions. As in so many other expeditions, the chief anxiety at home was for the spoils. Almost from the first day, the commanders differed in opinion as to the best course to be pursued, and the mis- fortunes began almost as soon as the voyage. On the 30th of October, Hawkins' stemmost ship was attacked and taken ^y five Spanish ships of war. His death took place on the 1 2th of November, the day before the attack on Puerto Rico. 1 I^rake died on the 28th of January, 1596; — just six months ^ soon to share in the rejoicings for the great victory at Cadiz. A considerable portion of the expenditure for the outfit TORY NOTE TO LETTER lA'III. 120 Letters of Ralegh. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LVIII. I of this expedition had ^len on the commanders. As soon j as Drake was dead, proceedings were taken in the Exchequer against his heirs to recover a large debt alleged to be '' due to the Crown." Such was the monumental recognition awarded, by Queen Elizabeth and her advisers, to the services of those among the naval worthies of England who were not courtiers. LVIli. TO THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL HOWARD. LETTER LVin. 1595. Nov. 30. To the Lord Admiral Howard. From Sherborne. Proposals for the sendinc; of Spanish news lo Sir Francis Drake ; and for renewing the enter- prise of Guiana. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. xxxvi § 42 (Hatfield). Holograph, Without date of the year. My very good Lorde, I THINCKE your Lordshipp hath understoode by Watts,^ that came lately out of Spayne, that ther wilbe a fleet sent after Sir FRANCIS Drake and Sir JOHN Hawkinges. The man was curius to confess any particulcrs to mee, butt I did ever gess it to be so. I thincke your Lordshipp should do very honorable to cause a coople of smale carvells or pineses to be dis- patcht, with all hast, with advise to them. The chaise wilbe small to the Queen, and it may save all her shipps and people in that action. For, as sure as God lives, if the Spanishe fleet arive while the soldiers ar over lande, bothe the shipps att ancor and thos at Panama wilbe both lost. And they may yet be warned in tyme suf- ficient. I dare take on mee to direct them to fynde them out by a sure and speedy course ; butt your Lordshipp can * Sir John Wattu, of Ix)ndon, already mentioned in preceding letters. Proposals to send Spanish News to Sir F. Drake. 121 do it better your sealf, and therfore ther needs nothing butt the resolution ; — which God grawnt may be effected, according to the greatness of the necessetye. If any fleet go for Ilande,^ and that your Lordshipp go not, I beseich your Lordshipp to inable mee to the service, who would purchace her Majestyes favor with what labor or perrill soever. If your Lordshipp send to Sir FRANCIS, it would be best don from hence — I mean from Wiemouth or Ply- mouth. For a messenger may be with them from hence, cr they can cum about from London hither. I would also humblie pray your Lordshipp to gett a resolution for our enterprize of Guiana. For, if pro- vision of vitle be not made in the winter, it cannot be done for this yeare. Her Majestye shall, by foreslowing it, lose the greatest asurance of good that ever was offered to any Christian princes.* And your Lordship douth fynde that it is the surest way to devert all attempts from home.^ Thus, levinge thos afaires to your Lordshipp's honor- able care and my sealf to your service, I humblie take my leve, and will ever be your Lordshipp's as your sarvant, W. Ralegh. Sherburne, the last of November [1595]. Addressed : To tJu right kimorabie my singuler good Ij>rde^ the Lorde Admirall of Inglande, Endocied: 30 \(n\ 1595. Sir Walter Raleghe to the Lord Admirall. A pynfiasse to he sefit after Sir Francis Drake, ' So to MS. • Perhaps, for princess. ' In view of subsequent events, the reader will do well to bear this very I>rq;nant sentence in mind. LETTER LVIIl. 1595. Nov. 30. 122 Letters of Ralegh, LIX. LETTER LIX. r 596. May 3. To Sir R. Cecil. From Black wall. On the levying of men for the Cadiz expedition. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Paper Sy vol. xl. § 55 (Hatfield)) Hdograph. Without date of year. [See Vol. I. pp. 206, 207.] Sir, May it pleas yow to vouchsaufe to send for Master BURROUGHES, the Controler of the Admiraltye, and to geve charge unto hyme to repaire to Bralkevvale * and to Ratleife,^ to cummand awaye thos flibotts and other shipps that remayne, who cann best informe yow of the possebilletye of thes things. I am not able to live, to row up and down every tyde from Gravsend to Lundon, and hee, that lies here att Rackleif, can easely judge when they ^ rest, and how the rest, of the shipps may fale downe. [ \Vhatfoll'e badlye with me, contrarye to all faythe and promysse, touchinge diverse of my Irishe leases and lands ; whoes discortysies I wold gladlye mete withall. And doe fynde noe better meanes in releffe of my self, fartheraunce of relygyon, and comforte of all myne Inglyshe tenants and frendes, then in preferrynge some other of better sorte to the bishoppricke of Lesmore and Watcrfordc, whereof the Archcbishop hathe but a LETTER LX. 1596. May 3. To Sir R. Cecil. [From Mile End?] Recom- mending Hugh Broughton for the bishopric of Lismore and Water- ford. 126 Letters of Rcdeglu LETTER LX. 1596. May 3. comende/ and hathe, besydes, twoe or three other bishoprickes. My desire is that you wilbe pleased to be a meane to prefer unto the same bishopricke of Lesmore and Water- ford my verye good frend Master HUGHE Broughton, a man well knowen to my Lorde his Grace of Caunter- burye,^ my Lorde Treasorer, and all the lemed docters and scollers of Englande ; and a man unto whome I wishe moche goode ; besechinge you to have some con- ference with my cosen GORINGE aboughte the same — wherein the said Master Brouton is able to do moche good and be a greate comforte to all our Inglishe nation thereaboughtes, and encrease of relygyon. And the gentellman hymself wilbe verye thanckefuU unto you for anye favor shewed unto hym, whome I leave to your good rememberance, and your self to God. This third of Maye, 1596. Your Honor's to do yow service, W. Ralegh. * To Sir Robert Cycill. Addressed : To thi right honorable Sir RoBERTE Cecill, Knighte^ CoutueiUr in Hir Highne^ Prevye CouncclUs, Endorsed : 3 May'y 1596. Sir Walter Raleighe to my Master, In favour cf the Bishop of Ldsmore and Waterford^ » Le, ?L tenure in commendam, ' See the Prefatory Note to this letter. ' Added, at foot, in Sir Walter's hand. Recommendation of Charles Cartiefor a Grant of Lands, 127 LXI. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. xl. § 50 (Hatfield). In the hand ' of an amanuensis ; subscribed and signed. Sir, This bearer my ancient servaunt, CHARLES Cartie, li ttee LXI. is an humble suitor to your Honnor for the renewing and confirming of a letter formerlie written by your Honnor Mav3. and the rest of the Lords of Her Majesties Privy j^ ^^ r Councell to the Lord Deputie and Lord Chauncellor of ^^^ Ireland for the passing of certen concealed lands there, Mile End. ^raunted by her Highnes to PATRICK Grante, for Recom- uhich Ch.\RLES hath agreed and compounded; for charl«^ that he and his father have been possessed of the said ^^^^^ ^'^^'l * ;i grant of lands a long tymc. lands in Your Honnors* letters have not been obeyed ; and therefore he humblie desireth other letters of lyke tenor, to comaund performance thereof He will show your Honnor a letter conccaved in writing, which, if you shall please to allow of as a reasonable request, he will ever remaine most bound for your honorable favor, without which he is like to be undone, for that this is his chicfest living. And so I humblie take my leave. From Mylc End, the 3rd of May, 1596. Your Honor's to do yow service, W. Ralegh. A-idressed : Tc tMf n^ht konorahU Sir ROBERT Cecili^ Knight ^ one of Her Majesties most honorable Privie CtnttuelL \Mi\\ 1596. Sir Walter Ralei}:he to my Master. Jn favour of Charles Carter: Ireland. 1 , iiiih P-^ LeIUrs of Ritlf^ (From MOeK TO SIR ROBERT CECII. nawUwOri^iaL '"-^ "V ' -■ | :r flfttilMl ' Wiltaari dae, Sm. Beinge ever bolde to chaige yow wdi i my trobles and burdens, I do still prenimc < favor that yow wilbe pleased to bee boundc lor mcc ftf the ;^5oo which I staode in danger lo the \WdW SUITHE for ; and because the conveyance of the StattK is iotricatt, and that I hope this very tenne to cinnpooi' for it, and to dJschai^e yow, I beseich )'o«' to accept « my countetbonde for your reasurance. in whJdi I «S not faile. I must hope that, if other then sawftye accumpMf my service in this enterprize, that yow wilbe pleased to favor thos of myne that remayne, who must onlydepeiJ on yow, as I have dun. So. as of all other, I shall Ute good order to save yow from any particuler chaiige * inconvenience Thus, hoping to take leve on yow er I depart, I it* ever your's to be cummanded, W. Ralech. Adiiresse-l : 7\' the n^kl honnrakh Sir KOBERT Cecilu Kfi^l, B/kiTili)^ meilt koian^U Prhty Cminedl. 3 M.iy, iSii6. Sir Walttr Halaghe ta my Matltr. Preparations for tlie Cadis Expedition, 129 LXIII. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xl. § 60 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. [See Vol. I. pp. 206, 207.] Sir, The shipps that rcmayne above ar six : The great flcbote of Brascnes ^ is on ; ^ — riding at Blakewale ; another flebote of London, caled the George ; another, flic Jacohe of Agarslote ; another, the Jnsua * of Home ; a fourth ; and sume too other. PoPE, the marshall of the Admiraltye, can informe Mr. BURRIS.* For Pope prest all the shipps. Hee can also informe yow how litlc her Majesties autoretye is respected. For as fast as wee press men on - day the ^ cum away another, and say the * will not serve. Ibeseich you, Sir, to vouchsauf to send for Pope, of Scynt Katerens, who hath taken great payns alreddy, and to tell hyme that I have recummendcd his service ; and hee will do more then any. Here ar att Gravsend, and between this Lee,® sume 22 saile. Thos above that ^ of great draught of water cannot tide it down, for tte*must take the high water, and dare not make after ^ houre ebb untill they be past Barking Shelf. And, "^ow, the winde is so stronge as it is impossible to turne aoi^Ti, or to warpe downe, or to tooe ^ downe. Apparently so in MS., but the word is partly obliterated. ' "»»<•. 3 Joshua. £ln(cd : 6 J/b. Sir, I I HAVE written to Doctor C>ESAR « in the behalfe ' of Mr. William Hilliard, a master of arts and very • learned, to move her Majestie for her letters to the 1 Dcane and Chapter of Exceter for his admittance to the * I.e. the Voyage of Discovery to Guiana of 1595. • Afterw*ard» the well-known Sir Julius Cxsar. K 2 LETIEE LXV. 1596. May 26. To Sir R. CeciL From Plymouth. L^rrirj ff RoL-^k. ^ -^ reir TuLc;; rr^r ^t.. ze void of a Prebend and Cannon 3£^ ^ I reiseedi yicr K:cr>x- to farther him in his suite, :":r lie I'rct".-^^!^ iri-en^jL He will in dutefull service Orii-'-iI Midn^ idSczji^Ied^ v:»zr b:c=':?rible favour, and I shalbe bound H-:T3rrL f:r ^ sike r> rsciember it to mv power. And so I i£ jx -imrZv txi:e r:iy leave. From Plymouth, the 26th of Yccr Hocccs to do vow service, \V. Ralegh. 7rr^T>:?Lrrr/ — Sir. I besdche yow for my sake, be- cause It st^^ieth ~die on my creditt, to favor the sute ; and I shill evermore acknowledge it in the highest di-re. \V. R. A-ir-^se: - 2^ .T/rr. I5;d Sir IV^zjr /•jX-t.' /,' my Master. In favour 0/ Mr. H:::iJ:rJ. LXVI. TO SIR ROBERT CECIL LETTER LXVI. 1596. May 29. To Sir R. Cecil. From Plymouth. From the Or.g'r.a?. Cxi! P.if^s, vol. xlL § 25 (7atfield>. In the hand I of an amanuensis ; subscribed and signed. Sir, I AM entreated by Mr. JOHN Randoll, Deputie Vice-Admirall of Dorsetshire, to desire your honorable fauvor towards him, if by reason of his office or other occasions he shalbe urged by suites to sollicite your In cofntnendation of John Randall, 133 Honnor. I beeseech your Honnor in reguard of the honestie of the gentleman, and for the good opinion that is hereabouts generallie conceaved of him, to fauvor him in such sort as the equitie of his causes shall require, and him selfe deserve. And so I humblie take my leave; From Plymmouth, the 29th of May, 1596. Your Honor's to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Addressed : Tf ih€ right honorable Sir Robert Cecyll, Knight^ otte of her Highnei most honorable Privy CouncelL Eadoraed: 29 May^ 1596. Sir Walter Ralegh to my Master, In favour of Mr, Randoll, LXVII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. MS. Cotton, Vespasian, C xiii. fol. 290 (British Masenin)* Holograph. Without date of year. */ Sir Anthony Ashley, the bearer of this letter, was the fixst to bring intelligence to England of the capture of Cadiz. Some particulars of his statements as to the spoils have been noticed in the preceding volume. (Life^ p. 229.) In the course of his explanations on that very difficult part of the object, — ^which he affected to give with great frankness, — he ^ brought repeatedly under cross-examination, by the Queen kttself; as well as by Burghley and Robert Cecil; and his ^ence about it was found to be somewhat unsatisfactory and • ^^herent He was presently put under restraint Cecil *^tc to Sir John Gilbert to order strict search to be made ^ong the coast for spoils which Sir Anthony Ashley was LETTER LXVI. 1596. May 29. In com- mendation of John Randall, Vice- Admiral of Dorset. 1 54 Letters of Ralegh. supposed to have found means of concealing, in the brief intenal between his arrival at Pljrmouth and his journey to London. Sir Anthon}''s subsequent history is in many respects remarkable. Both the Omndl Books and the Domestic Com- spcrJUnce contain num«x>us references to it. He died towards the close of the reign of James the First. Lady Ashley, his widow, married Carew Ral^[h, only surviving son of Sir Walter. \ Anne Ashley, his daughter and heiress, married John Cooper, I and became the ancestress of the Earls of Shaftesbuiy. ■ LETTER Sir, LXVXI. — This bearer. Sir Anthony Ashley, that hath 1596. July 7. ' seen all, can better report all then any letter or dis- To Sir R. '. course. The xxi of June we beheld the citty of Written at ^alize, the fleet of the Kingc, and that of Nova ; Hispania; all which we mastered the same day. Of ever>- man's desert, both for councel and per- fomiance, lett it bee delivered with what device soever, yet I doubt not butt all shall have right I \fzs not 1 secound to any in the flght against the gallions and ' gallis ; wherin I was hurt, and could not be first att i the taking of this town as att the rest Ther hath been good agreement between the Generalls. I The victor\-e was caried with great honor and merc>'e.* j Ther hath been mich gotten by the land commanders ; J although I do think little possest by the Generalls themscalvs. The Kinge of Spain never so much dis- honored ; neither hath he ever receved so great losse. ^ Francisco de Quesada, a canon of the Chorch of Cadiz, drew up a very striking account of what passed under his own observation, at this juncture — just after the victory. On the point here touched by Ralegh, Quendt says: '*Ninguna mujer ha sido forzado ni llcvada ^ Inglaterra; a nadre han dado tormento per haber dineros sino fiieron dos otres ; ninguna per- sona inuri6 ^ sangre fria ; can ninguna insolencia se ha hecho ;" &c. MS. Siniancas, EsladOy Bund. 177. {CoUrcioit de Dctumnitt*s intditos fttra la Htstotia di Es/HiTtOf vol. xxxiii. jTp. 343, seifq.) Mciorr at Cadiz. I The Victory at Cadiz, 135 The Earle hath behaved hymesealfe, I protest unto yow by the living God, both valiently and advisedly in the highest d^ree; without pride; without cnieltye; and hath gotten great honor and mich love of all. For particulars, your Honor shall receve by others, — which I had rather should so bee written yow, [than] by mee. I hope her most excellent Majestye will take my labors and indeavors in good parte. Other ritches then the hope therof I have none; only I have receved a blow which now, I thank God, is well amended ; — only a little cysore will remayne. If my life had ended withall, I had then payde some part of the great deabts which I owe her. Butt it is butt borrowed, and I shall paye it, I hope, to Her Majesties advantage, if occasion be oflred. Sir, I humbly beseich you to excuse me that I write thus briefly for the present, and that yow will vouchsaife also to excuse me to my Lord your father. And I will remayne, evermore to be cummanded by yow as your sarvant, W. Ralegh. To the westward of Calizc, sunie x leaugs, the 7 of July [1596]. [Postscript.] — I beseich yow to cummend me to my cussen . . . *, my brother, and to my cussen Stanhope. Addressed : 7y Sir Robert Cecil. ' This name has been torn away. LETTER LXVIl. 1596. July 7. 1 5^ FrifatcTj Sou to Letter L X 1 7/7. I _^_ P?.EFATC'KY XOTE TO LETTER VKMIL—J^ALEGI/AXD SlJf ARTHUR SAVAGE. nr?A- C IR ARTHUR SAVAGE, who was the bearer of this letter T : IT O :o Sir Roben Cecil, tc^eiher with the despatches from the : cf Essex iz. i the Lord AdminL is the " verrie honest plaine ze-ile— -irr mentio-ed, in dose connection with Ralegh, in a ren-LTiLi'r'e letter to Lord Henn- Howard from King James, ur.i2:el : ':-: wrltiea in the year 1602. The letter to Howard is it Hitf-e'.i. and is one of those which have been recently Trlr.tci ly Mr. Brace for the Camden Society. In the jr]j:r.j.L the figures 'S' and *io' stand as C}-phers for the r^ir-ies ci Ei-vard Enice of Kinloss and of CeciL The r;s5-ce which relates to Sa^-age and Ralegh is as follows: — " I ioe £so rersave bv voure letters to Bruce that Sir Robert CrriL is verrie desATOuse to knowe the knichtis name that ce'.t r-trjixt the Duike of Lenox and Raulie; and thairforc, a'.:h>:h the knicht him self be a verrie honest plaine gentlc- . mar. for so farre as I can leame, yett knowing that confident rust can r.o more be severid from trew freindshippe than the shadtiow can be cuue from the boddie, I will give to Sir R^ lEKT Cecil this funher proofe of my confident truste in him by discoverie of this gentlemanne's name unto him, — quhiche is Sir Airthoure Savage ; not doubting but that Sir \ Rt'iiHRT Cecil will conser\e this as afreind*s secreate, mthavt , sujfcfing the gcnflemiin to rariirr any hairme hcarh}\ quhiche more volde interest me in honourc than him in person; especiallie since the gent!emannis natiire appearis to be farre dififerent from Raulie s, thoch oute of zeale to me and afifection to his I freinde he could not refuse to be trucheman unto him." * } ' C^il Pilfers, cxxxv. fol. 86 (Hatfield). Printed in CorresponJemet 9/ I AiVif James VI. &c. p. 43. . The Victory at Cadiz. m LXVIII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. ^lom the OriginaL MS. Cotton, Otho, E ix. fol. 365, verso (formerly munbeied 354). (British Maseiim)- Holograph. Mutilated ; having been partially burnt in the fire at Ashbumham House. Without date 01 year. [Tlr hegiMuing of the letter — all that precedes the word * burnt ' — has been » burned in the fire at Ashburnham House as to be irrecoverable,\ • . . • burnt We had not means to and men, being both wasted in the , . . . Ther is a very dangerous infection .... and siche, as with great difficultye was to the Port I have my sealf labored as to person. I thancke God Ac is now in the Port of .... ; and with us my Lord Tkomas* in the Honor^ both which came* a litle before by reason of . . . leakes, wherof my Lord Thomas was in great [peril].* The rest of the Fleet will be here to-morrow in [my opinjion, if the ^de stand; for the second of August I left then\well, and the sixth I arrived. And they came above a dussen or twentye leaugs astern. This gentleman, Sir Arthur Savage, is dispatched l>y the Generalls. I know not the effect of his message. "Utt, under pardon, I thincke it good for Her Majestye, tf he be agayne returned with order for the Army which ^y, for the most, be returned into their countries from "Cnce; which, the sooner it be done, the less charge Lord Thomas Howard, afterwards Earl of Suffolk. The ship Mer* Honour, • Meaning evidently * came away.* * The words within brackets are words of which the fire has left some ***ce^morc or less. LETTER LXVIII. 1596. Aug. 6. To Sir R. Cecil. From Plymouth Sound. The Victory at Cadiz. 35^ Laurs cf Raligiu 1^1 Her Ma;estye shall be att here, nith continewance of .\x^i ^-' 2^^y Jt please vow to bde\-e me, this bearer hathe oesen-ed with die fast and had the Po>Tit att the eztr^rice of Calize. Butt he came, with others, in the nenegiiard of prontt and good fortune. And I assure j'-our Honor, bj- the \ovc I bear yow, that yow shall not ikvor ar!y man mc»^ honest and \^ent. He can yield a good aocompt of ubatsoever hath past For my particular, I beseech yow, if it may be, that I nia\' be pardoned for cunmiinge about by sea; for besids the great and dangerous infection, I am not wel) in health my sealf. My Lord Admiral will cum with the Fleet, and my Lord Thomas likewise. Sir, I hope her ce\-in Majest}*e is well: the report wherof hath incouRtred us all with innnit joy. From the port of Plymouth, cumming in, this 6th of August [1596]. Your Honor s, ever to honor and serve yow, W. Ralegh. Narratives of the Battle in Cadiz Harbour. 139 ■ \ PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER LXIX.— NARRATIVES OF THE BA TTLE IN CADIZ HARBOUR. C\^ the question 'To whom was this letter addressed?' ^^^ I am unable to throw any light In a MS. copy of it which I have seen in the old library known as "Dr. Williams' Libraiy" (formerly in Red Cross Street, London ; now, temporarily, in Queen's Square), it is said — agunst plain internal evidence — ^to have been addressed to the Earl of Northumberland. Other copies are, like Philip Uleg^'s print of 1699, wholly without superscription. For- tBDatdy, its great historical interest depends in no degree oil the solution of that small question. It has, eminently, 4e qualities which Ralegh's writings so rarely lack, — force ttd clearness. It also combines fairness to his fellows with Us wonted full justice to himself In half a dozen clear sJMi simple words, he brings vigorously before the reader ^t fearless courage and self-devotion, on the part of the ^ of Essex, which, in moments of excitement and of peril, ^ much towards redeeming very grave errors of judgment ^en, in relation to this event, Ralegh has to touch on ^ose en-ors, he touches them with a gentle hand, li^ for ^©ple, the reader will compare his account with that of Sir William Monson (MS. Cotton, Titus, B viii.), he will find that "^ rival — whom Essex had so repeatedly and so bitterly **^ked — deals more leniently with the faults of the brave but '^and inexperienced general, than does the declared follower ^^ friend. Nor will it be found less interesting, or less in- structive, to compare many of Ralegh's details, as to the doings ^d sufferings of the Spaniards, with their own contemporary *^unts, as they have been recently collected from the ^^ncas archives and elsewhere, by the Continuators of the PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXIX. 1596. I40 Prefatory flote to Letter LXIX. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXIX. 1596. Coleccion de Doatmentos iniditos para la Historia de Espdha^ so ably began by Navarrete. Another collation has an interest more directly biogiaphicaL Thomas Carte is known to have had access to many original papers of the Elizabethan period, not all of which can now be traced. Some, even, of the Burghley MSS. to which in his History of England he refers cannot, I believe, be discovered. Whatever may be thought of the colouring given to Carte'i inferences by party feeling, his use of documents is admittedly honest. In his account of the Cadiz battle, he borrows modi from the present letter ; yet there are in that account some details, distinctly personal to Ralegh, which are not mentioned in Sir Walter's own letter, minute as it is. Whether, or no^ these have been taken from correspondence not at present accessible, they are obviously founded on original testimony, j and will be seen to have considerable interest Here, to note them all, — or nearly all, — is impracticable. One or two points j must suffice, by way of sample. I The victory at Cadiz was notoriously a great blow to the '• power and influence of Spain, but no one can study the doca- I meiits wliich bear upon it without perceiving that it might, I with little difficulty, have been made a much more effective ! and fartlicr-reaching blow. The question, * ^V^lose was the ' neglect ? ' is, for students of English histor}', not at all an idle i or superfluous question. Ralegh (in Letter LXIX-X Sir William I Monson (in the Cotton MS. Titus, B viiL), and Carte's in- i forinant, — wliosoever he may have been, — all give, or suggest, an answer. All were present. All, it is obvious, had access to the best sources of information, for what did not pass actually under their owti eyes. Each, if listened to separately, I ^ivcs, or seems to give, on this point a different answer. Hut, if collated, the conflict of testimony may, perhaps, be found to be much less than it, at first, appears :— Narratives of the Battle in Cadis Harbour, 141 Rauigh's Narrative. .... I returned [to the ships] chiefly for that there was DO Admiral led to order the Fleet, and indeed fno or tto faple in the Niuy ; mO running headlong ir Ae sack; and se- eoodly, because I was unfit for ought bat ease at that time. Ai hreak of day JUlowing I sent to ik£ General to haz>e mrder to follow the JUd of ships bound frr ike India ; which were said to be worth twelve mil- lions* and lay in Pnerto Reall road ; where they could not ipe. But the toion taken, and the eonfusion great, it tBOt almost impos- tSUe for them to or* 4er many things at mm: so as I could not receive any an- nrtr to my desire. The aAemoon of the same day those vhich were mer- chants of Cales and Swil offered the Generals two mil- liens to spare the ^^ ; whereupon ^-"^f vxu nothing ^f9r the present, ^^ the following Sir William M«)n- soN*s Narrative. After the landing, .... my Lord[V.s,'^x\ dispute fieil another mes- senger to my Lord Ad- mirall entreating him to gir'e orders to atiaek the merchants that rale in Port Royally for that it was daungerous to give them a nights re- spile, least they should convey awaie their wealth or take ex- ample by the Vhilipp and the other to bum themselves. Tliis mes- sage liHis delivered by Sir Anthony Ashley I and Sir William Mon- \ son, even as my Lord Admirall was in his boate ready with his : t roups of seamen to land ; TinCifearcinge the Lord General Essex should be put to dis- tress with his smale compinieSy .... has- tened by all meanes to second him, and gave order to certain ships the next day to pursue thetn, ... To speak indifferently, his [Es- sex'] sudden landing without the Lord Ad- mirall's privitic and hisgrveinge advice by a messenger to attack the shippes, which should have bene [civen] by a mature deter mina- cion, noe doubt but Carte. In the heat oi" the conquest, the India Fleet was in a manner forgot, //// Sir Edzvard Cofiuay, Blount, and Gertird offered to go with the soldiers, on board some small vessels, to attack it. But this Ralegh opposed, as the honour of that service belonged to the seamen. lie was disabled from walking by a wound in the leg ; and, in the evening, the Generals desireefore the 142 PrefaUnj XoU U iMiar LXIX. nkymmgg bang cbe 23rd of Jisac, the l^akt of Medina camed all that fleet of merdiaats to be set on fire, because he was resolTed that tbey nrast needs hare (alien into our handiL did nmd£ tu Lrmtr s liitU ecl^sed : and, perhappes» did hatten his landmge fat his repatadoo, vfaen he [himself] thoi^iht it more reason to hare possest the Fleae.* cntifiactoeit vho lav the t&tanoe, aniYoi with the besng nmsoDcd.' . . at t of their PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXIX. 1596. I With all their \-ariety of drcumstance, these three several ; accounts will he found, at bottom, to be in substantial agree- \ ment on certain main points of the stoiy: — (i) That Ralegh i strenuously urged an attack upon the Indian Fleet, without any delay ; (2) That a want of thorough harmony between the two "generals in chief interposed delay; (3) That the con- flicting desires — on the one hand, to make as much available ' spoil as possible ; on the other, to follow up with vigour the blow so successfully struck against the Spanish na\y — proved, in some considerable measure, mutually destructive. Justly to apportion the blame of this degree of failure is very difficult \ But, assuredly, Essex would be less anxious for plunder than Ralegh. Both Ralegh and the tough High Admiral of England, during the whole active life of each of them, were " unsatisfyVl in getting." Of Essex, at all times, it may most emphatically be said that "in bestowing, he was most princely.** As to the want of harmony amongst the chief commanders, it had evidenced itself, not only before the battle, but before the very outset of the expedition from our coast. Howard had written to Cecil from Dover : " My comission in being ' Sir William Monson, in MS. Cotton, Titus B viii. ff. 120, I2t, and verso. ' Ilisfor)' 0/ Ent^iattff^ vol. iii. pp. 659 — 661. Compare also ycmas de la ptrdida de los tres galeones, S. Felipe, S. Andrc.s S. M alias, 8C penlieron dos galeones de los de Pedro de Soella, que finienm de IJsboa, y tres naos Icvantiscas que quince dias Antes les habian I Ilcgauio de Italia muy ricas, y sc quemaron las naos de la Flota de Nueva K^^paila, que cran treinta y cuatro en todas, por acuerdo de 1). Francisco Tcllo y el general 1-uis Alfonso, porque no viniese tanta riqueza en pom this denudation of troops die English possessed, for a fortnight, the spoils of Cadiz, of the whole island, and of the vicinity, with as much of security and quiet enjoyment as they could have had in their quarters CD the banks of the Thames.^ This being so, it is no wonder that the English commanders found the maintenance of dis- cipline a hard task. As Ralegh here says : '' The tumultuous disordered soldiers, being then given to spoil and rapine, had no respect.^ Another point on which the Spaniards were very earnest and Dunitte in their inquiries was the rank and family connexions of the English leaders. To master some of the names they ibnDd to be at least as difficult as the owners had found it to be to roaster Cadiz. At length a Spaniard was discovered who declared himself ^^niuy praciico de la lengua ingUsa.^^ Begin- ning with the 'Conde de Esiques' and the Admiral, — "son of the Duke of Norfolk, whose head the Queen cut off," — he comes to Ralegh, to whom he assigns precisely the dignity Sir Walter was very ambitious of, but could never obtain— that of Privy Councillor ;' though he, many times, exercised its functions. * Dnqne de Medina Sidonia al Secretario D. Mart de Idraquez; 16 de Jilio, 1596. * Dob Luis Fajardo i Su Magestad del Puerto de S. Maria ; 16 de Julio, 1596. > ** Guatemle, consejero^ coronel de un terdo/' PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXIX. 1596. vol . 11. 146 Letters of Ralegh, LXIX. TO A PERSON UNNAMED. LETTER LXIX. 1596. To a person unnamed. Narrative of the Action in Cadiz Harbour. As printed in 1699, by Philip Ralegh, Grandson of Sir Walter, from a copy, or draft, found among Sir Walter Ralegh*s Papers You shall receive many Relations, but none more true than this. May it please your Honour, therefore, to know, that on Sunday, being the 20th of June, the English fleet came to anchor in the bay of St. Sebastians, short of Cales half a league. My Lord Admiral,^ being careful of her Majesty's ships, had resolved with the Earl of Essex that the town should be first attempted ; to the end that both the Spanish gallions and gallesrs, together with the forts of Cales, might not all at once beat upon our navy.* My self was not present at the 1 Charles Howard, Lord Howard of Effingham, and afterwards Eail of Nottingham. ' It was probably from the sight of the preparations for this f^HiffifWpf between Essex and Howard — one of the Queen's ships hoisting m flag at her poop and firing a gun; after which many boats were seen, by tlw watchful eyes of the Spaniards, to come off to her — that the Presideat Pedro Gutierrez Florez wrote to Philip II., on this same 20ch of June (joili of the Spanish documents), that the enemy, "at sight of the galleys and ships — ^more than 40 in number — which were in the bay, seemed aMd to enter, or at least summoned a council to consider what should bedone^^'ftc; (Gutierrez Florez to the King. Cadiz, postrero de Junio, 1596. Aidihres of Simancas : Secrdaria de Estado^ Bundle 177. Printed in N«?anttei's CoUccion de Doetimetitos ineditos, Tomo xxxvL pp. 20S, 209.) The Pie* sident at Cadiz adds that the saik had been counted, and that there appeared to be twelve ships of war of upwards of 600 tons, and 100 other ships of from 300 tons upwards, '* forming the most beautiful fleet that was ever seen {ia mas hermosa armada que se ha visto) ; " that they formed fow squadrons —having eight flag-ships —and that thence the Spaniards infened that the fleet was composed of French ships, as well as of English and Flemish. — Ibid. (Navarrete, Pidal, and others, as before, p. 2091) The Narrative of the Action in Cadiz Harbour. 147 resolution; for I was sent the day before towards the Main, to stop such as might pass out from St. Lucar, or Cales, along the coast. When I was arrived back again (which was two hours after the rest), I found the Earl of Essex disembarking his soldiers ; and he had put many companies into boats, purposing to make his descent on the west side of Cales ; but such was the greatness of the billow, by reason of a forcible southerly wind, as the boats were ready to sink at the stern of the Earl ; and indeed divers did so, and in them some of the armed men ; but because it was formerly resolved (and that to cast doubts would have been esteemed an effect of fear), the Earl purposed to go on, until such time as I came aboard Um, and in the presence of all the collonels protested ^[aiiist the resolution ; giving him reasons, and making apparent demonstrations that he thereby ran the way of our general ruin, to the utter overthrow of the whole armieSy their own lives, and her Majesty's future safety. The Earl excused himself, and laid it to the Lord Admiral, who (he said) 'would not consent to enter with the fleet till the town were first possessed.' All the commanders and gentlemen present besought me to disswade the attempt ; for they all perceived the danger, and were resolved that the most part could not but perish in the sea, ere they came to set foot on ground ; and if any arrived on shoar, yet were they sure to have their boats cast on their heads ; and that twenty men in so desperate a descent would have defeated them all. The Earl, hereupon, prayed me to perswade my Lord Dike of Medina Sidonia wrote to the King, on the following day, that the enemy's ships — to the number of eighty — were first seen off Lagos, on the 25th [15th of English style], but that the news did not reach him until the 29th. — Archives : Secretaria de Gunra, Bund. 475. (Navarrete, &c. LE1TE& LXIX. 1596. 'A« L^tiiFj 0f Rmligk, is: AdniTLl -v^:. frrf^g- a catam clestniction by the former rEs*:«lrri'ic. -wmS cr-crcct to enter the port. WTx2 I brj-=git news of this agreement to the Eari, nT'^g Oct of zcy boor ::poa hhn. EmtramMs} he cast his hat ':=z-y tbe sea for joy. and prepared to weigh anchor. The day vas nyw far spent, and it required much tfzsc to rer.ir3 the boats of soldiers to their oi«i ships ; so as ve could not that night attempt the fleet, although nia=y seeniin^ desperately \'aliant) thought it a fault of mine to put it on till the morning : albeit we had neither agreed in uhat manner to fight, nor appointed who should lead, and who should second : whether by board- ing or otherwise : neither could our fleet possibly recover all their men in. before sun*set. But both the Generals being pleased to hear me. and many times to be advised by so mean an understanding, came again to an anchor in the ver>' mouth of the Harbour : so that night, about ten of the clock. I wrote a letter to the Lord Admiral, declaring therein my opinion how the fight should be ' ordered : persuading him to appoint to each of the great . gallions of Spain two great fly-boats to board them, after such time as the Queen's ships had battered them ; for I knew that both the St. Philip and the rest would I bum, and not yeild ; and then to lose so many of the \ Queen's for company, I thought it too dear a purchase^ and it would be termed but a lamentable victory. This being agreed on, and both the Generals per- swaded to lead the body of the fleet, the charge for the performance thereof [was 2] (upon my humble suit) granted and assigned unto me. The ships appointed to second me were these : the Mary Rat^ commanded by Sir GEORGE Carew; the Lion, by Sit ROBERT Southwell; the Rainbow, by the Marshal, Sir FRANCIS 1 So printed in the edit, of 1697- 1700. * Omitted in original editkML Narrative of the Action in Cadiz Harbour. 149 Veare; the Swiftsure, by Captain CROSSE ; the Dread- naught, by Sir CoNYERS and ALEXANDER Clifford ; the Nofipareill, by Mr. Dudley;^ the twelve ships of London ; with certain fly-boats. The Lord Thomas Howard, — because the Meere- Honour,^ which he commanded, was one of the greatest ships, — was also left behind with the Generals ; but being impatient thereof, pressed the Generals to have the service committed unto him, and left \he Meer-Honour to Mr. Dudley, putting himself into the NonpareilL For mine own part, as I was willing to give honour to my Lord Thomas, having both precedency in the army, and being a nobleman whom I much honoured, so yet I was resolved to give and not take example for this service ; bolding mine own reputation dearest, and remembering my great duty to her Majesty. With the first peep of day, therefore, I weighed anchor, and bare with the Spanbh fleet, taking the start of all ours a good distance. Now, Sir, may it please you to understand, that there were ranged under the wall of Cales, on which the sea bcateth, seventeen galleys, which lay with their prowes to flank our entrance, as we passed towards the gallions. There was also a fort called the Philip, which beat and commanded the harbour. There were also ordnance, ^hidi lay all alongst the curtain upon the wall towards the sea. There were also divers other pieces of culverin, whidi also scowred the channel. Notwithstanding, as *«>n as the St. Philip perceived one of the Admirals under sail approaching, she also set sail, and with her the St Matthew, the St. Thomas, the St. Andrew, the two great gallions of Lisbon, three frigots of war, ac- <^omed to transport the treasure ; two argosies, very ' Afterwards Sir Robert Dudley and titular Duke (»f Norlhuml>erland. * Mer-Hummr, a famous ship of tlio ^>!:ern's Xavy. LETTkiL LXIX. iS^' ■5* Zj«kfv^Jb%£ stmag in aitiDeiy; Uie Adminl, Vitx-AiaSM, «1 Resr-Admiral of Nneva Eapagaa; with forty other great diip^ boood fcr Me^eo, and other places. Or all wbaih, the St PU^ tfke St MmtOuu; the St. Andrm. and the SC Thumms, beiiv four of the Royal Ships of Spain, came agaiii to anchor under the fort of Punlal], HI a jtre^it -of tlie liartiour iriuch Icadcth tou-ards Puerto RealL On dw ri|^ hand of them the>- placed die ihiee fi^ots; on tiie liack Ae two gallioiu oC LldMMit and die argoaies ; and the seventeen ^cys, by dnee and tluee;, to Interlace tben^ as occasion sboutd be oflered. The Admiral Vio&AdiBiral. and the Rear- Adffliral.of Nueva ^^iigna, widi the body of the fleet, were placed bdiind diem towaids Fticrto Reall ; hoping vidldusgRatatrei^thtodefeBd the entrance; tbephfie beii^; no broader from point to point than that thescdid in effect stretch over as a bridge, and had besides ihe fort of Puntall to their guard But the seventeen gaU^ did not at the first depart with the rest, but stayed bf the town, with all their prowes bent gainst us as *e enterd ; with which, t<^ether with the artillery of tie town and forts, they hoped to have stumbled the luiliH ship, and doubted not thereby but to have diacounfed the rest Having, as aforesaid, taken the leading, I was fint saluted by the Fort called Philip, afterwards by the ordnance on the curtain, and lastly by all the galleys i" good order. To show scorn to all which, I only amwe"^ first the fort, and afterward the galleys, to each pictt* blurr with a trumpet ; disdaining to shoot one [Nece ^ any one or all of those esteemed dreadful mtanW* The ships that followed beat upon the galleys so tbi« that they soon betook them to their oars, and got up t" j joyn with the gallions in the streight, as aforesaid; a*' j Narrative of the Action in Cadiz Harbour. ISI then, as they were driven to come near me, and inforced to range their sides towards me, I bestowed a benedic- tion amongst them. But the St. Philips the great and famous Admiral of Spain, was the mark I shot at ; esteeming those galleys but as wasps in respect of the powerfulness of the other; and being resolved to be revenged for the Revmge^ or to second her with mine own life, I came to anchor by the gallions; of which the Philip and Andrew were two that boarded the Revettge. I was formerly commanded not to board, but was promised fly-boats, in which, after I had battered a while, I resolved to joyn unto them. My Lord Thomas came to anchor by me, on the one hand, with the Lyon ; the Mary Rose^ on the other, irith the Dreadnaught ; the Marshal,^ toward the side of Pwtall; and towards ten of the clock, my Lord General Essex, being impatient to abide far off, hearing so great thunder of ordnance, thrust up through the fleet, and beaded all those on the left hand, coming to anchor next unto me on that side ; and afterward came in the Swifisure^ as near as she could. Always I must, with- ^ glory, say for myself, that I held single in the head of all Now, after we had beat, as two buts, one upon another almost three hours (?issuring your Honour that the volleys of cannon and culverin came as thick as if it Jud been a skirmish of musketeers), and flnding myself in danger to be sunk in the place, I went to my Lord General in my skiff", to desire him that he would inforce tte promised fly- boats to come up, that I might board; fof as I rid, I could not endure so great battery any 'ong time. My Lord General was then coming up him- ^; to whom I declared that if the fly-boats came not, ' Sir Francis Vere. LETTER LXIX« 1596. IS2 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER IJCIX. 1596. I would board with the Queen's ship; for it was the same loss to bum, or sink, for I must endure the one. The Earl finding that it was not in his power to com- mand fear, told me that, whatsoever I did, he would second me in person, upon his honour. My Lord ; Admiral, having also a disposition to come up at first, but the river was so choked as he could not pass with the Ark, came up in person into the Nonpereill^ with my Lord THOMAS. While I was thus speaking with the Earl, the Marshal, i who thought it some touch to his great esteemed valour to ride behind me so many hours, got up ahead my ship ; which my Lord THOMAS perceiving headed him again ; — my self being but a quarter of an hour absent At my return, finding my self from being the first to be but the third, I presently let slip anchor, and thrust in between my Lord THOMAS and the Marshal, and went up further ahead than all them before, and thrust my self athwart the channel ; so as I was sure none should outstart me again, for that day. My Lord General I Essex, thinking his ship s side stronger than the rest, thrust the Dreadnaught aside, and came next the WoT" spight on the left hand ; ahead all that rank, but my Lord Thomas. The Marshal, while we had no leisure to look behind us, secretly fastened a rope on my ship's side towards him, to draw himself up equally with me; but some of my company advertizing me thereof, I caused it to be cut off, and so he fell back into his place ; whom I guarded, all but his very prowe, from I the sight of the enemy. I Now if it please you to remember, that having no , hope of my fly-boats to board, and that the Earl and \ my Lord Thomas both promised to second me, I laid out a warp by the side of the Philip to shake hands with Narrative of the Action in Cadis Harbour. 153 her (for with the wind we could not get aboard) : which vken she and the rest perceived, finding also that the R^ulse (seeing mine) began to do the like, and the Rear- Admiral my Lord Thomas, they all let slip, and ran aground, tumbling into the sea heaps of souldiers, so tkidc as if coab had been powred out of a sack in many ports at once ; some drowned and some sticking in the 'md. The Philip and the St. Thomas burnt themselves : 'fiMt St Matthew and the St.AndrewwGte recovered with jobt boats ere they could get out to fire them. The i^cdacle was very lamentable on their side ; for many p. rdnnimcd themselves ; many, half burnt, leapt into the 'Vtter; very many hanging by the ropes' ends by the ships^ side, under the water even to the lips ; many swimming with grievous wounds, struckcn under water, ud put out of their pain ; and withal so huge a fire, and wch tearing of the ordnance in the great Phi/ip, and the TCSt, when the fire came to them, as, if any man had a ioin to see Hell itself, it was there most lively figured. Our adves spared the lives of all, after the victory ; but the Flcmmings, who did little or nothing in the fight, wed merciless slaughter, till they were by my self, and iftcnurard by my Lord Admiral, beaten off.^ The ships that abode the fight in the morning till ten ^dock, were the Warspighty the Nonpareill, the Lyon^ ^ Mary Rose, the Rainbow, and the Dreadnaught. To The Spanish account, after describing the entry of Ralegh*s squadron "te the Bay, goes on to describe the retreat of the Spanish fleet under the ^ of Pontal, and then proceeds thus : " . . . . quedando en la boca del ^ dichos gaJeones y las galeras, se fueron arrimando 4 ellos los mayores ^^^ del ingl^ y se han acafioneado pasadas de cuatra horas con tanta '^*^ de artilleria que los galeones San Felipe y San AndrJs queriendo ^ pan entrar mas adentro se quedaron en seco, y asi se han perdido, •^Wndose i nado la gente dellos, y los ingleses pegaron fuego d Sant Felipe Tlomismo hadui de los demas," &c — Duke of Medina Sidonia to the '^of Spain ; Puerto Real, i Julio, 1596 [2i8t June, O. S.]. LETTER LXIX. 1596. 154 Letters of Ralegh. LnTER LXIX. 1596. second these came up the Earl and the Swiftsure; and these were all that did ought s^inst six goodly gallioiis^ two argosies, three frigots, seventeen galleys, and the Fort of Puntally backed by the Admiral of Nucva Espana, and others ; in all, fifly-five or fifty-seven. This being happily finished, we prepared to land the army, and to attempt the town ; in which there wer^ of all sorts, some five thousand foot burgers, one hundred and fifty souldiers in pay, and some eight hundred horse of the gentry and cavalleros of Xerez, gathered together upon the discovery of our fleet two days before, while we were becalmed ofT Cape St Mary. The horsemen sallied out to resist the landing ; but were so well with- stood that they most took their way toward the bridge which leadeth into the Main, called Puento Souse ; the rest retired to the town, and so hardly followed, as they were driven to leave their horses at the port (which the inhabitants durst not open, to let them in), and so they leapt down an old wall into the suburbs ; and being so closely followed by the vanguard of our footmen, as, when the General perceived an entrance there, he thought it was possible for ours to do the like; upon which occasion the town was carried with a sudden fuiy, and with little loss; only Sir JOHN WiNGFEiLD was slain; Sir Edward Wingfeild, Captain Bagnoll, and Cap- tain Medick hurt ; other men of quality, few or none. For the particular behaviours of any that entered, I cannot otherwise deliver than by report ; for I received a grievous blow in my leg, interlaced and deformed with splinters, in the fight. Yet, being desirous to sec every man's disposition, I was carried ashoar on men's shoulders ; and as soon as my horse was recovered, my Lord Admiral sent one unto me, but I was not able to abide above an hour in the town, for the torment I Narrative of the Action in Cadiz Harbour. ISS edy and for the fear I had to be shouldred in the , and amoi^ the tumultuous disordered soldiers, btii^ then given to spoyl and rapine, had no re- . The same night I returned ; chiefly for that there lo Admiral left to order the Fleet, and indeed few people in the Navy ; all running headlong to the ; and, secondly, because I was unfit for ought but at that time the break of day following, I sent to the General ve order to follow the fleet of ships bound for the s ; which were said to be worth twelve millions, and & .Puerto Reall road, where they could not escape. the town new taken, and the confusion great, it was 8t impossible for them to order many things at ; so as I could not receive any answer to my desire. le afternoon of the same day, those which were Slants of Cales and Sevil oflered the Generals two oos to spare the fleet ; whereupon there was nothing 5 for the present But the morning following, being twenty-third of June, the Duke of Medina caused hat fleet of merchants to be set on fire ; because he resolved that they must needs have fallen into pur is; so as now both gallions, frigots, argosies, and all T ships of war, together with the fleet of Nueva agna, were all committed into ashes ; only the St, ^thew and the St. Andrew were in our possession. h of the ordnance of the St, Philip hath been saved he Flemmings, who have had great spoil. There is irked good store of ordnance out of the town ; and two Apostles aforesaid are well furnished, which 1 willii^) we purpose to bring into England. he town of Cales was very rich in merchandize, in e, and money ; many rich prisoners given to the land inlanders ; so as that sort are very rich. Some had LETTER LXIX. 1596. IS6 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER LXIX. 1596. prisoners for sixteen thousand duccats ; some for twenty thousand ; some for ten thousand ; ^ and, besides, great houses of merchandize. What the Generals have gotten, I know least ; they protest it is little. For my own part, I have gotten a lame leg, and a deformed. For the rest, either I spake too late, or it was otherwise resolved. I have not wanted good words, and exceeding kind and regardful usance. But I have possession of naught but poverty and pain. If God had spared me that blow, I had possesst myself of some House. * The President of the * Contratacion^* or Chamber of Commeroc^ of Cadiz, gave what (to the reader) is a most amusing account of one part of the preliminary 'haggling of the market,* to these and the like bugiai for ransom, in a letter to his fellow-officials of the Contraimdrnt^ dated 5th July (25th June, O.S.), which narrates hb personal adventores whet taken prisoner by the English. After much prefatory talk aboot bii poverty, he made an offer, he says, of 300 ducats, — after he had beta asked 20,000, a little while before. Of this offer, the Englishmen ntde great derision {han hecho muchar burla dt mi). Presently, he offered 1,000 ducats, and there the matter rested for the night In the mominc^ he thought it expedient to double the offer. But his captors replied that dicy would not be content with a real less than 10,000 ducats ; knowing thit the President was " the principal man in Andalusia, and had under hii charge all the gold and silver that came from the Indies." When hb letter was written, he was still in captivity. The news of the burning of the fleet had just then arrived. — Carta del Dr. Pedro Gutierrez Flores .... ilm OficiaUs de la Conirataciati. De Cadiz en 5 de Julio, 1596. {Cdicdom^ Ac ut sup. vol. xxxvi. pp. 271—273.) Death of Lady Cecil. 157 UTORY NOTE TO LETTER l.XX. — DEATH OF LADY CECIL—CECIL AND THE BROOKES. E drcumstaDce that the wife of Robert Cecil was the ister of two of the unhappy Conspirators of 1603 adds biDg to the interest of the letter at which we now arrive. interest is great, intrinsically, for almost every line of the is characteristic The writer, indeed, attained at length igeit wisdom than that of which we have here the sen- 08 and somewhat laboured expression. His mind grew, ttlly, up to the knowledge that sorrows are capable of nng ** other service than to multiply harms f and that lie not, always, *' dangerous companions, converting bad !fil, and evil into worse." He learnt (in course of time) ;iief may become, in a certain and pregnant sense, ** the Be** of quite other men than fools, — of men * who going |g| ih€ vale of misery use it for a well; and the pools are with wiUerJ But he attained to this knowledge only extreme slowness, — at a late period of life, and after desperate exertions in the hewing out of very leaky OS of comfort Perhaps few men of like mental calibre taken so long a time to learn the lessons of bereavement, t uses of adversity. The task, however, was got by heart t In the letter before us we have Ralegh's crude notions t the theme, before he had really learnt a line of it. lis letter on Lady Cecil's death is also interesting as Dg strong through indirect testimony to the existence of fine qualities in her husband. No one who knew Robert i so intimately as Ralegh did, would have written thus, under a conviction that the man to whom he was giving consolation as he then had to give had loved truly and PREFA- TORY I^TE TO LETTER LXX. 1596-1597. 158 Prefatory NoU to Letter LXX. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXX. I596-I597. would grieve deeply. One feels in reading the letter thai it is written to a real mourner and upon a real loss. Other friends and correspondents of Cecil, who had enjoyed like closeness of access, bear like evidence, — ^both to the worth of the dead and to the unselfishness of the grie£ The Lord Admiial (Hoivard of Effingham) writes thus to Cecil on this occasion : *^She was to vertuos and good to live in so wretched a world. And yoa th^t hath an extraordinary jugment, by his gevte that dowth all, much nede that wysdome. Seke now to master your good and kynd nature and to thynk that sorro, nor any thyng ds, can now redeme it And as she is now, most asured, hapjrer than all we that live in this pudeled and tnibled world, so dow I asure yow, as long as God shall spare me lyfe in it ther shall not any tred on the erthe that shal love you beter dien my poure self." ^ We may take Lord Howard's testimony on the point in hand, without attaching overmuch meaning to his jmoos moralizings. For himself, and for his fiunily, he was just as proud, as ambitious, and as covetous, as ever. His relish for the pomps and vanities of "this puddled and troubled wtnld* was still as keen as it had always been. Some eight months earlier he had written to Sir Robert Cecil one of the most curiously impulsive, egotistical, and angry letters that even our Elizabethan repertories — ^much abounding in that soit of literature — can show. Under the excitement created by a passing royal rebuke, he made pretence to the Secretary that he was ready to pitch the High Admiralship of England to the feet of the first comer, merely because some official ri^t "ever before enjoyed," as he said, "by admyralls of my name," had been infringed, or was thought to have been infringed, upon. His indignation at the straitening of his prerogatives rose so high as to make him utter the wish, "I had drowned by the way, before I aryved at this place." * A ^ Lord Howard of Efangham to Sir R. Cecil, Jan. 1596-1597; CM Papers^ vol. xxxviii. (Hatfield). » Ibid. vol. xl. § 6. Cmtottd ike Brookes. 159 1596.1597. fiew weeks or months have passed ; and now, whilst imparting prefa- ' TORY tender consolation to the Queen's Secretary on his bereave- . ^ote to ment, the consoler has his eye intent on the weather-tokens I ^^^^^"^^^ at Court. He knows how much the recent months have inaeased Cecil's power and influence. He thinks the Secre- tary's greatness to be still on the growing hand, and his gushing affection almost overpowers hiuL He winds up his letter of condolence thus : " I vow it to God," he adds, ^ I thynk none dowth or cane so much love you, as I dow." ^ Cecil himself seems always to have spoken of his lost wife in terms entirely consonant with those employed by Howard and by Ral^h. The allusions to Lady Cecil in those of his letters which are preserved at Hatfield, commonly occur in his extensive correspondence with her unfortimate brothers. The consolers of 15979 could they have raised a comer of the veil of the years then swiftly speeding onward, would have seen, in Lady Cecil's case, with more than usual clearness, the special force of the expression — ' taken from the evil to corned One of those allusions is of great, though merely incidental, interest in the biography of Ral^h. George Brooke had written to his brother-in-law, in the January of 1603 — only cig^t months before his execution — a somewhat strange letter, Cecfl's reply to which is preserved. That letter shows that Cecfl had employed Brooke in some agencies — of which nothing more is apparent, on the face, than that they were in some sort political — and that Brooke mistrusted the extent of Cedrs real confidence in him. It also shows that he was jeakms of the greater favour borne, as he thought, by Cecil to their brother. Lord Cobham, with whom at that moment, it would seem, he himself was not on very good terms.^ And » Cecil Papers (Jan. 1596- 1 597), toI. xxxvii. (HatfieldX * This dusension, however, had not usually existed between the brothers. Only a short time before, honest WUliam Lambarde, who was one of the cxecutofs of William Lord Cobham —father of the Brookes,— when writing to Lord Bui]ghley about the provisions of Lord Cobham's Will, tells him.' i6o Prefatory Note to Letter LXX. PREFA- TORY NUTtTO 1596-159:. he protests, in somewhat angiy words^ that his own ''metal was as pure as any, howsoever it be valued" Cecil replia thus : — '* Your care to send me your servant is very welcomei for care is the companion of love. And the dearest bond that e\-er I was tyed in made me think that I might challenge it ; except I could have accused myself to have justly lost it For the sending to my Lord [Cobham], and not to you, it proceeded of no pri\-ate indisposition to^-ards you, but from the inward- ness of my conversation with my Lord which both our fortunes hath established in this place where we both ordinarily live ; as also, thiis^ being so far from my esteeming worth inquisition. I made bold with his Lordship to do me the courtesy — rather accidentally than immediately — to advertise me of some cir- cumstances which made my friends carefuller than I was to beat out that, of which for myself, I thank God, I have made my audit ; as of all other hopes or fears, but of God's pro- vidence. For an answer to your profession to be made of 'as pure a metal as any, howsoever you are valued : ' for the first part, Sir, if you remember, from what stock you are a branch, — you may conclude that / need no remembrance, being, next yourself, as well able to guess at the mixture as any, when I conceive that if any composition could be purer than other, I had most tr}'al of it, to my infinite comfort ; till God found me fit to be corrected with the privation. For the second part, which concerns your value, 1 can say no more than this, that the purest gold may be touched mth pitch, and so less valuable to those that otherwise would have prized it. That pitch, I mean, — credulity of the practices of malice and envy ; whereof when you shall make separation, I confess there remains nothing of the solid but that which may attract the best offices of him that never wronged you, but ever resolved to be your assured friend and brother-in-law, R. C." ^ that the brothere live on terms exemplarily good. Larabarde*8 letter is one of great and curious interest (MS. Harl. Ixxxiii British Museum.) ^ /. e. the transaction respecting which he had sent to Cobbam. * Cecil Papers, vol xci. § 85 (Hatfield). Letter of Symfaiky pn the Death of Lady Cecil. i6i Whatever mjrsteries may jet hang over the plots and counter- plots of 1603, it is certain that George Brooke proved in the to have been the instrument of the ruin, alike of his Cobham and of Ral^h. It is also certain that mere 'aedulity of the practices of malice and envy" could never ripened, save in a very congenial soU, into the con- tMiseness displayed both in the examinations and in of the letters of George Brooke, Rafter his arrest In cer- tain particulars, his baseness exceeded his brother Cobham's; and tiiat is saying not a little as to its depth. One letter of \m^ addressed to Robert Cecil, — ^less dishonourable to Brooke's taaoory than the letters just glanced at, — I have printed in the Appendix to this volume. There also the reader will find a veiy remarkable letter from the Bishop of Chichester respecting a statement made by Brooke immediately before the admini- stiation oi the Holy Communion. LXX. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Twam the Origiiud. Ctcil Papers, toI. xxxvil (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. Because I know not how you dispose of your acalf^ I forbcare to vissitt yow ; preferringe your plesinge before noyne own desire. I had rather be with yow now then att any other tyme, if I could therby ether take of* fironae yow the burden of your sorrows, or lay the greater part therof on myne owne hart In the mean tyme, I would butt minde yow of this, — that yow should not PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXX. 1596-1597. VOL. IL M LETTER LXX. 1596-1597. Jan. 24* To Sir K. Ccdl. [From Shcr- boine.] 1 62 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER LXX. 1596-1597. Jan. 24. A letter of sympathy and conso- lation on the death of Lady Cecil. overshaddo your wisdome with passion, butt looke ar^ht into things as the ^ are. There is no man sorry for death it sealf, butt only for the tyme of death ; every one knowing that it is a bonnd never forfeted to God. If then wee know the same to be certayne and inevitable, wee ought withall to take the tyme of his arivall in as good part as the knowledge ; and not to lament att the instant of ever)' seeminge adversely, whiche, we ar asured, have bynn on thcr way towards us from the begininge. It apartayneth to every man of a wize and worthy spirritt to draw together into sufferance the unknown future to the known present ; lookinge no less with the eyes of the minde then thos of the boddy— the one beholdinge afar of, and the other att hand — that thos things of this worlde in which we live be not strange unto us, when the^ approach, as to febleness, which is moved with noveltes. Butt that, like trew men, partici- pating immortalletye, and know[ing] our destines to be of God, wee do then make our estates and wishes, our fortunes and desires, all one. It is trew that yow have lost a good and vertuous wife, and my sealf an honorable frinde and kynswomaa Butt ther was a tyme when shee was unknowne to yow, for whom yow then lamented not. Shee is now no more your's, nor of your acquayntance, butt immortal!, and not needinge or knowing your love or sorrow. Therforc yow shall but greve for that which now is as then it was, when not your's ; only bettered by the differance in this. that shee hath past the weresome jurney of this darkc worlde, and hath possession of her inheritance. Shee hath left behind her the frute of her love, for whos sakes yow ought to care for your sealf, that yo*' leve them not without a gwyde, and not by grevinge to Letter of Sympatic an the Death of Lady Cecil, 163 pine att His will that gave them yow, or by sorrowing ► dry up your own tymes that ought to establishe lem. \ beleve it that sorrows are dangerus cumpanions, con- vting badd into yevill and yevill in worse, and do no her service then multeply harms. They ar the trea- ties of weak harts and of the foolishc. The minde at cntertayneth them is as the yearth and dust wheron flows and adversetes of the world do, as the beasts of c field, tread, trample, and defile. The minde of man tfiat part of God which is in us, which, by how mich is subject to passion, by so mich it is farther from yme that gave it us. Sorrows draw not the dead to '1^ butt the livinge to death. And, if I weare my sealf 'jMlvize my sealf in the like, I would never forgett my rtience till I saw all and the worst of yevills, and so leve for all att once ; least, lamenting for sume one, other might not remayne in the poure of Destiney of fater discumfort. Your's ever beyound the pour of words to utter, W. Ralegh. IdresMd: Tf the right konorabU Sir Robert CecyLI^ Kni^ht^ Principal! Sccritary to her Majestyc. **24 January ^ 1 596 \tegal styU\ Sir Walter Raleigh to my Mailer:** and beneath, in the hand of William Cecil, second Earl of Salisbury : ** Sir Walter Ralegh* s letter to my Father, touching ik€4ieaih£ of my Mother.'* LETTER LXX. 1596-1597. Jan. 24« M 2 Tit/kmj SmmUm^uat ETATOKT KOn TO lETTSR lJCXL-JU££Cir, i sm* na *JucBd*j? tbe secoxd' of & TT ■ mmdk flMior ta o^IaiD what it is whicfa in t •■■■**■■ *^ ■""■^"it obscure — letter, Rale^ :vci alter," and the cootum Ae new way to all our good, Was that "conceit of JliA r—rf* vUc^ lAen coHMtmicaEed to him from Cecil Ac Eld of Vmn u Menr. Our cari<»ity about thai ■OK mMMUf esdted* inasmuch as the comic dm at i597r-ir it par oM of the Play, — turned into vet) pirf in 1601. Afi nadai remember the rem^ukable which 'XuiarJtite Stand* figures in the Ust scenes of ' and death of Essex, and ctf his associates. Probably, if possible to find the letter of Cecil to which dut it a a gleam of strong light would be thrown, — peifa^t 0 strange incident itself of 1601, but certainly on one most obscure points in the literaiy history of dw H Shakcspcaie. All Cecil's letters to Ralegh, howerot disappeared. The quarrels of die myriad of Shakespeare ' coandei are )ar less surprising than is their marvellous agrecnetf e\'er they hare to &ce a real histoiical difficulty. Whd not a Play of Shakespeare helped, in its measure to Hi head of Essex from his shoulders is a question — boA I and historical — ^vety worthy of earnest researdi. T* t the commentators have been telling us (now for atai I ceotuiies) that there was an "old fiay" on the "Jkf^ I Rkkard tlu Seamd^ which " Sir Gilly Meyiidc pfoOB I be played before the Conqanttois" on tbe en of Ae '. I insurrection; and that this "old play" wo oeitaia^ if EsseXf and Shakespearis ' Richard the Second^ I6S care's." When one inquires on what evidence this t assertion rests, the only attainable answer is that QO evidence at all. Camden's expression — ' tragediam ' and the resembling words in the depositions, pre- mongst our State Papers, prove nothing, 'either way. leed no argument to show that a play which had had nin in 1597 might be very 'stale' to the playgoers ; even if, in 1597, it had been new. Of an older n Siakespeare's ''^ traguA abdicatume re^ Ricardi * as Camden calls it, no commentator or anybody else, t daysy ever saw a line. A playgoer of the time of le First has left, however, a notice of the performance ij, about Richard the Second, which seems to be itfaer than Shakespeare's (whether it were really older But of that play, all the commentators again, who itten since the discovery of the notice of it, agree in ; that it cannot, — from the terms in which its contents itely described by the auditor of 161 1, — be the play as performed before the Essex conspirators in 1601. tbeoxy, therefore, we are shut up to these three con- :— (i) That there were two old plays on the story of Icfaard the Second, of neither of which a line is now x> have been preserved; (2) That both had actual m of the stage at some time within the years 1601 — 3) That both held such occasional possession, notwith- the great popularity, on the same boards, and as sd by the same company, of Shakespeare's play ; — a polarity so great, as to be followed by the printing of nl editions, in the years 1597-98, within a few months other. All this may really be true ; but it is a some- 1 saperstructure for such a slight foundation as the one xoUia^ in Camden's Annals, or the words 'old' and ID the Depositions of 1601 ; even when conjoined t curious entry printed by Mr. Collier from Simon 's note-book of 161 1. worthily interesting this small item of our literary PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXXL 1597. i66 Prefatory Note to Letter LXXI. rlEFA- T :* Y ><:'TE TO LETTOt 1597- histoiy is will, perhaps, be best seen, if the ascertained points of information about it be simplj enumerated, in their order of dale : — I. In July 1597. Ralegh writes to Cecil that the Eari of Essex was "wonderfull merry att Cecil's consait of Richard the Second^ * II. In August 1597, Andrew Wyse entered at Stationers' Hall his cop^Tight in Shakespeare's **" Tm- ^edye rf Richard the Seconde ; " and presently aftcrvaids published (without the author's name) an edition of it, printed by Valentine Symmes.- III. Early in 1598, Andrew W}*se entered and published a new edition, with the author's name, and from the press of the same printer." Neither of these printed editions contains what is called the **Depoa- tion Scene." But there is ample reason to believ'e thi! the omitted scene was performed, though not printed. IV. Betn-een July 1597 and Februar>' 1601, se^'Ctd new plays by Shakespeare, — and many other d«» plays, of course, by other authors, — were produced and repeatedly performed in London.* V. On the 7 th Februar>', 1601, Sir Gilly Meyrick— one of the most conspicuous partisans and peisooal followers of the Earl of Essex, as well as an officer of his household — desired the players of ShakespeaiA company to perform " the Play of the Deposition of King Richard the Second." Augustyne Phillips, one of that company, objected to the choice, '* holding* as he afterwards told the Lords of the Council, on hii oath, — " that play to be so old and so long out rf yous, that they should have small or no cumpany at yt." * Whereupon, to remove the objection, Meyrick » letter LXXI. hereafter. ' Register of Stationers Company^ under A.D. 1 597. 3 Ibid., under A.D. 159S. * Annah of the Engtidk Siagt^ T597-160I. ■ Domtstie Corresp, : Eliz. 1601. (Unnumbered Papers. RoUi Honst) iligK Essex, and Shakespear^fs ^ Richard the Second' 167 gave the players forty shillings; and the play was perfonned.^ There is no evidence that Essex saw it ; although he was charged by the Crown lawyers — after their manner — with having feasted his eyes, by way of foretaste, on the show of that which he hoped after- wards to execute — the deposition of his sovereign.' Ian the merry '* conceit of Richard the Second^* of this BT written by Sir W. Ralegh in July 1597, refer to the gedy known to have been about that very time in course of ixHiance at the Globe Theatre in London ? If it probably IS 10 refer, AVhat passage or incident in the Play can, at tdite, have turned Cecil's thoughts towards the Earl of m? As we all know, ^King Richard the Second^ abounds in Mges which glorify the '^ anointing balm," and denounce htnds that impiously dare to ^' gripe the sacred handle of •oeptre." Yet Shakespeare's * deposition scene' was never M^ so long as Queen Elizabeth lived. It appeared first, print, in the Edition of 1608. And finally, To what per- aance was it that the Queen herself alluded, when, in her ous conversation about the Pandects of the Records, with iam Lambarde, on the 4th of August, 1601, she suddenly ied him, by exclaiming — " I am Richard the Second, know not that?" and was answered : ''Such a wicked imagina- was, indeed, attempted by a most unkind gentleman, the : adorned creature that ever your Majesty made;" — the en herself presently adding : — " That tragedy was played times in open streets and houses." ^ leie questions are more easily asked than satis^fiEictorily «ied. But it becomes obvious that the supposition of the drmanGe — ^in 1601 — of " an old play" called ^Richard the uli DOW totally unknown. Leaves at least as many difficulties Ttaustic Corrtsp. : Eliz. 1 601. (Unnumbered Papers, bid.; and Triai of the Earl of Essex, Appendix. IS. Addit. 15664, fol. 226. (BritUh Museum.) Rolls House.) PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXXI. 1597. i68 Prefatory NoU to Letter LXXL PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXXI. 1597. { as it xemoves. There are in Shakcq)eaTC^s play inddcDtal I for example, that famous passage in ivhidi the i Duke of Hereford is depicted as *^ wooing poor craftsmen with ! the craft of smiles" — ^which bring' Essex to the reader's mind I iuesistibly, without any reference whatever to the Meyrick incident of 1601. Shakespeare might well have painted that whole passage firom the life, and have had the Eari of Essex as his sitter. That Cecil's application of some passage or other — either in a play or in a book, entitled ' Richard ike Second^ and recently seen or read, — to the Earl can (in 1597) have conveyed no serious imputation of dishyaty^ is just as certain as it is that Ralph's anticipation, in our present letter, of " the better progression " of the Queen's afEairs was pointed at the recent union — or apparent union — of Essex and Cecily which had been brought about by his own efibits and agency. The same post that on the 6th of July carried this letter from Weymouth to Sir Robert Cecil at Couit, carried one from the Eari to the Queen (written at the same place, on the same day), in which he expresses his loyal devo- tion to her service, in terms that seem to bear the stamp of sincerity. The prosperity of a jest is said to lie in the receptive ear. It is quite as true that the perception, or apprehension, of public harm in a play has inany times lain entirely in the sudden application, by an eager audience, of some striking phrase or passage to some passing incident which had recently excited public feeling. And it has sometimes happened that the author has been not the least surprised observer of the uproar. If evidence should hereafter be discovered that a Play, the performance of which was thought entirely harmleai in 1597, awakened royal anger in r6or ; the inconsistency wQl be a fact much less surprising than would be the proof, — if it be ever adduced, — that the friends of the Earl of Southampton, as well as of the Earl of Essex, applied to Shakespeare's company to perform, at the Globe Theatre, a Play of ^Kvig Richard the Second^ which was not his ; — ^which was able to * Richard the Second.^ 169 ieep the stage against his ; — and of which eveiy line has now disappeared. Thus far, however, such a belief has been an act of faith with Shakespeare's editors — from the days of Theobald down to our own. LXXL TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Origiiud. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. (Unarraoged Papcn^) HolograplL Without date of year. CBolls Hoose.) In this hast and confusion of bussneses amonge so many wantes and so g^eat hast, I hope you will pardon mee if I write litell, and that confusedly. Wee have all written for supply. I beseich yow to further it, or to looke for nothing att our hands ; for the tyme, together with the multitude of mens boddes [ ?], hath such an advantage over us, as wee shall not be abell to retch the place of our greatest hope. I aoquaynted the Lord Generall ^ with your letter to nwc, and your kynd acceptance of your enterteyne- ®cntc;* hee was also wonderfull merry, att your consait ^* Richard the Second'^ I hope it shall never alter, ^ whereof I shall be most gladd of, as the trew way to all our good, quiett, and advancement, and most of ^ for Her sake whose affaires shall thereby fynd better ' The Eari of EiseK. * ^Mfx and Ral^h had recently Tinted London, m company, and had ^ "c&tertained" by CedL Had they also diverted their minds by a ^ ia company, to the Globe Theatre? Sc^ IB additioo to the PrefiUory Note on this Letter, a passage in PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER LXXI. 1597. LETTER LXXL 1597. Jiily6. To Sir R. Cecil. From Wey- mouth. Prepara- tions for Island Voyage. — " Richard the Second." 1" I/O Letters of Ralegh, LETTER LXXI. 1597. July 6. progression. Sir, I will ever be your^s; it is all I can saye, and I will performe it with my life, and wth my ' fortune. W. Ralegh. Weymouth, the 6 of July [1597]. Addressed : To the right honorable Sir ROBERT Cecyll, Knighi^ Principal! Secritary to Her Majesty. I LXXII, [TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL?] From the Original. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. (Unananpd Papers.) Without date of year. (Rolls HOQSe.) ♦ * It appears by passages in a letter from the Earl of Essex to Sir Robert Cecil, of the 23rd July, 1597, and in Cecil's reply to that letter, dated 26th July, that a third letter was written by Sir Walter Ralegh, intermediately between these despatches of the i8th and 20th July ; which third letter is not now known to exist The Earl says ; " We wonder we have not a word from you. Sir Walter Ral^h wrote , on Monday and Tuesday^ and I sent Sir Thomas Gates on Wednesday," ^ &c. Cecil answers : ** For good Mr. Ralegh. j who wonders at his own diligence (because diligence and he are not familiars 2), it is true that on Wednesday night, I bong * Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth, as above. (Rolls House.) • This expression has been elaborately commented upon, as if written hf Cecil in the way of grave censure. The context shows that it is *" ironically. Readers of this volume will not lack pioof that Riicp' *' diligence " in writing was not less conspicuous than his eneigy io<^>^' and must, occasionally, have been a little embarnitfing to a noch-wofB*^ Secretary of State. In the course — ^for example— of one May di^Tf ^ ^ year immediately preceding, Sir Robert Cecil had been 6iYoared with ^ letters from Ralegh. Disasters at ihe Outset of the Island Voyage, 171 at Greenwich and the Queen at Mr. Walsingham's, his letter found me ; which I imparted on Thursday, as soon as the Queen was ready, unto her ; and do confess that, in expecta- tion to hear of you, we did defer answer until Friday. . . . Thus do you see that a man whose fortune scants him of means to do y(m servicey will not bear coals to be accused of dulness; especially by your Rear-Admiral, who, making haste but once • luayear, to write a letter in post, gave date from * Weymouth* to his last despatch, which, by the circumstances, I knew was ^tten from * Plymouth.' " ^ The reader will observe that the despatch of the i8th [Monday] bears date from Plymouth, as ^ but for considerations connected with the stores of the St, Afattkno,-^ ^ Incidents of the Islatid Voyage, 179 or thes wayghty shipps. The Lorde ol Heaven send IS all well to retume, and send us the good hape to do tier Majestie acceptable service ; to performe which wee luvc alreddy suffered miche. For my particuler, I have never dared to rest since my wreacks, and Cxod douth judge that I never for thes 10 dayes came so mich as in to bedd or cabbin. In hast, I kiss your hands, and will honor yow ever. Tcrcera, the 8 of September [1597]. W. Ralegh. Addicaed: To the right kanarable Sir ROBERT Cecylle, Knight^ Principail Secritory to her Afajestye. Hast, &c. i9r fkr Majatia especiall affaires. Delivered at Tercera, the 8 of September. W. Ralegh. WoiKd, by Sir R. Cedl : " 9 of September [1597]. Sir W, Ralegh to me, from the Tercera.^ [It also bean an endorsement of the Postmaster of Crewkeme, dated 7 October.] LXXVI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Fw* the OriginaL CecU Papers, vol. Ivi. | 17 (Hatfield). Without date of year. Sir, Holograph. This bearer will go presently into Spayne and vew ^ the portes, by whome you shall be ascertained of all **yio's fingers be limetwigs." {Cecil Papers, vol. Iv. § 28.) In a sub- ^^1*JU letttr he tells Cecil that the size and equipment of the St. Matthew ^^^ nch astonishment at Rochelle, that during the course of his brief **T n that harbour the ship was visited by more than four thousand V^***^ (Ibid. § 32.) The junction of Ralegh*s squadron with the main "^ Badcr Essex took place exactly one week after the date of the letter ^'^ from off Terceira. \ 2 LEri'ER LXXV. "597. Sept 8. LRTTKR LXXVI. 1597. Oct. 13. i8o Letters of Ralegh. LEITER LXXVI. 1597. Oct. 13. To Sir R. Cecil. From Durham House. Proposi- tion for the sending of a secret emissary to examine the Ports of Spain. the King's preparations ; what is becume of this late fleet that was att the Hands ; wher^ thos, with the rest, be held in reddines or discharged. I will undertake for the honesty of the man. He hath the King's pass whcrby he may saufly look into the ports. Hee only desirs, for the countenance of the matter, a small bulk of wheat or rye. Yow cannot devise a fitter waye to discover all his pretence. Therfore I pray cummend it, and dispatch it with haste. From Derum House, this xiii of October [1597]- Your asured frinde to do yow service, \V. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — If I had bynn well, I would have waited on yow my sealf. Addressed : To my honorable frieftd^ Sir Robert Cecili*, Knight. Endorsed, by Sir R. Cecil : Syr Walter Ralegh to me, 13 October^ 1597. LETTKR LXXVII. 1597. Oct. 29. Lxxvn. SIR WALTER RALEGH, THE LORD THOM-^ HOWARD, AND THE LORD MONTJOY, TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. From the Original. Wholly in the hand of Sir Walter ^^^^t (signatures, of cx)urse, excepted). Cecil Papers^ vol. Ivi. § 61 (Hfttfi^*^ Without date of year. Our very good Lorde, Wee have this Saterday night receved the cumfo^' abcU newse of GEORGE SUMMER'S arivall, whos lett^^ i wee have here withall sent your Lordshipp. Wee ^ ' So ill MS. for 't.'V;'".'' .'♦-.' Proceedings of the Fleet l8i only now want the Andrew. For other small shipps, we hope they will as well profitt by the winde or otherwize to save them sealvs, as the rest have dunn. Thes beinge all well returned ; her Majesties kyngdoms defended ; the enemy dishonored and made a great looser ; and the warr made upon our enimis charge ; wee hope, — together with the considerations of our great travells and cares, — her Majestye will receve our service in gratius part. Wee have not hard of any certayne particular of the Spanishe Fleet since your Lordshipp's departure, other then that sume of ours, in retorning, do discover lo, 12, w more, in a cumpany, of them, as they ar broken. Only I, Sir WALTER RALEGH, receved an advertisment this yevening that the Fleet should be * nire the coast of Corawale,* and by thos very words, not otherwize forte- fied by any particuler, nor by what means they who *rat this newse receved it. Notwithstanding, wee have resolved that I, the Vice- admiral!,^ will go of * to the seas with thos few shipps *'hich may be made reddy ; and that I, the Levetenant Generall,* will attend this port and the country adjoyn- ^%\ and I, the Levetenant of Cornwale, use all means Possebell to defend that country. Herewithall wee humblie cummend our affections and slices to your Lordshipps,* and rest reddy to be ^manded by your Lordshipp, T. Howard. C. MOUNTJOVE. W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — Captayne Rugway, in cumminge ^y the Lizarde, was mett by on^ of the Spanishe ' Ix)rd Thomas Howard. * off. ^ Charles Lord Montjoy, Lieutenant-General of the land forces. LETTER LXXVII. 1597. Oct 29. Sir W. Ralegh and others to the Earl of Essex. From Plymouth. Proceed- ings of the Fleet ; and news of the Spaniards. * So in MS. — in the plural. r;;, 1 82 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER LXXVII. 1597. Oct. 29. LETTER LXXVIIL 1597- Oct. 30. To Sir R. Cecil. From Plymoutli. News of the Spanish Fleet. Fleet nire Falmouth, too of his men kilde, and eyght hurt. Plymouth, the xxix of October [1597].' Addressed : To tfu right honorable our singuler good Lorde^ the Earli of Essex, Lorde Generall of her MajesHs Force and Fleet, Delivered att Plymouth att 12 a clock att night the xxix of October. Hast, poit, hast ; hast for life with speed possibelL For her Majesties most important affaires, from the Levetenant of Cornwall, W. Ralegh. Endorsed : 1597. 29 Oct. Lord Thomas Ifaroard, Lord Mountfoy^ Sir WaUer Raleighy to my Lord of Essex, Captaine Sommers arryvcd. Captaine King mett nere Falmouthe, and fought witball by of the Spanishe fleet. LXXVIIL TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. Ivi. (Hatfiold)* Holograph. Without date of year. Sir, Wee have written a joynt letter to my Lord Generall, of an advertisment brought by on* BOWDEN of Plymouth, who fought with on ^ of the flibots of warr of the Spanishe fleet in 42 degrees, and 30 leaugs of* the Cape. The particularites I send yow here inclosed, though not in that forme as in the Lorde Generall's letter : for this being the first examination wee did afterward marshall it. Other newses ther ar none, butt that this day ther came another small barke in, of Spark's of Plymouth, that also mett Georg CarEW, 1 OHC. - ':/y. News of the Spanish Fleet. 183 and sayth hee had repaired his maynmast ; so as I hope he may better shift bothe with the weather and the enemy. Leving all idle protestations, I am your servant, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — I humblie beseich yow to excuse mee to my Lord Admirall, and that this coppy may serve his Lordshipp also, and to my cussen Stanhope and to my Lorde Cobhame. For we ar here made madd with intricate affaires and want of means. Plymoth, the 30 of October, att night This captayne reported unto us of his own voluntary that the Earle our generall hath as mich fame and re- putation in Spayne and Italy as ever, and more then, any of our nation had ; and that for an enemy he is the most honored man in Europe. My Lord Thomas Howard was present, my Lord MONTJOYE, my Lord Marshall and my sealf ; and hence ^ . • he^ shall not take it for flattery on my part My Lord MONJOY prayeth me to recumend his affection and service unto your Honor. Addressed: T(9 tJu right honorable Sir Robert CecYLL, Knight^ Principall Secritory to htr Majesty. Eadoned : *597« 30 Oct, Sir Walter Raleigh to my Master, * Here a word seems to have been obliterated. LETTER LXXVIII. 1597. Oct. 30. 1 84 Letters of Ralegh. LXXIX. SIR W. RALEGH AND LORD THOMAS HOWARD TO THE EARL OF ESSEX. LETTER LXXIX. I From the original Draft. CecU Papers, vol Ivi. § 8i (Hatfield). Wholly in Sir W. Ralegh's hand. Imperfect; the commencement bang 1597. October. Sir W. Ralegh and Lord T.Howard to the Earl of Essex. Intelli- gence of the Spanish Fleet. wanting. Without address, signature, or date. [See the Letter to Sir Robert Cecil which follows.] . . . . the Fleet was devided into 4 squadrons: the first, — that of the Adelantado, who had green pendants; the second, — of DiEGO Brocheron, who had yellow pendants; the thirde, — of Britendona, who had redd; and the 4th, — of Cebures, who had white. Therwasa 5th squadron, of MARCO Arambull, who was to cume with 30 sayle more, and 5,000 men for supply. The masters of the Camp were Don John DE LovV Don Farnando Brocheron y Orosa, who was ex- pected out of Britayne.* Sume of thes Spanierds examined say ther came out together but no. Butt the alferes of the Spanish cap" tayne avoweth that they weare 160. They say tha^ they departed the Gwyne^ St. Lucas daye, as they thinck the 10 of October. They do farther confess^" severally examined — that this fleet came all within 20 ieaugs of the Lisard joyntly and entire ; and ther xsicX the storme at east, which severed them. After which* this shipp, taken by BOWDEN, never saw but on * of bi^ consortts, which was sene 20 leags from the coast ^* Spayne. * Here the word * and ' seems to have been omitted. ' Brittany. » Corunna. /»//A News of the Spanish Fleet i8s The Spanish captain is called JoiiN Viveres, a Biscaicn. He levied the cumpany hyme sealf in his »>untrey, and hee avoweth that ther weare 40 gallions [)f the King, of which he knew the names butt of thes : — | the St. Pole^ in which the Adelantado went ; the St, Peter y admiraute ; the St. LucaSy — was cast away cuming out of Farroll ; the St. Francis; and the St. John. 15 great Btscaien shipps; 60 g^eat Esterlings; 10 or 12 flibotes, besids freich ^ and carvells. Ther was also expected 17 sayle of shipps out of the Stresrts, which fleet another bark of Plymoth of Spark's —which arived also this present — saw att the South Cape. Hee sayth that ther weare of infantry, betwen 10 and 12,000; of horss, 500. And 5,000 foot were expected with Marco Arambull, a Biscayne. They all confess that they came six dayes on with good wind, and then taken with the storme. The - i l>rought also feld artilery, with store of moyles' and oxen. The generall of the artillery was Don Pedro de GI'avara. Being axed what Inglishe weare in the fleet, they say, divers ; butt they knew name of none l»»tt Richard Burley. Of Irishe ther was on * cum- Piny entire. Being asked what provision of boates to lande ^ ^Wiers, they say 20, made of purpose capabell of 200 oen apeece, bcseds thos of the shipps. Being demanded *hatvitell, they answere that the fleet had butt 6 weeks, ^ it ^\'as determined that, as soon as the men weare *5hore, the fleet should returne. *hey do avow all [to]gather that the place of discent should be Falmouth. This Inglishman, BOWDEN, pass- "*S by the Lisard the 28 of this moneth of October, saw * So in MS. « Jltfy. « mules. * This word is doubtfttl, being n«rly illegible. one. LETTER I.XXIX. 1597. October. 1 86 Letters of Rakgh. LETTER LXXIX. 1597. October. 1 2 sayle nire the head-land, but could not make them ; and the Spanish prisoners say they thinke these ^ not be of their fleet, because they had no pendants ; which wee thinke themsealvs tooke in because they weare so few. This BoWDEN also reporteth that he saw to' very ^reat shipps of ^ Silley as hee came ; and, as we gather bothe by the circumstances and by the confestion of the prisoners that this poore man fought verie resolutely, and, having butt 28 men and boyes, tooke this flibote by an entry * — ^who had 40 soldiers besids saylers — and yet slew not one butt att the entrance.* Of whos good ser\'ice, and the better to incorage others, wee humblie pray your Lordship to have consideration. Endorsed : 1597. Oct, Advises concerning the Spanish fleet ; sent fy Sir Waller Haieigk, LXXX. LETTER LXXX. , 1597. ! Nov. 6. ! FHE LORD THOMAS HOWARD, THE LORD MONT- JOY, SIR WALTER RALEGH, AND SIR FRANCIS VERE, TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol Ivi. § 1 10 (Hatfiold)* I" ^ hand of an amanuensis. Signed. May yt please your good Lordships, We thinck yt oure duties to advertise your Lorf' ships that we have now receaved knowledg from Sif Frauncis Godolphin* of a Spanish barck putt into » So in MS. Perhaps * could * omitted. « two. • of, ^ I.e, in boarding her. * So in MS., the sentence being left unfinid***' ^ In letters addressed by Godolphin to Sir Walter Ralegh on the vt^ Nov. One of these lettcn» u in the same volume of Cecil Papers, No. ^ Proceedings of the Fleet 187 !n Corawaile whose captayn, called JUAN as taken in her, and his alferes,^ — about whom i the captayn's commission, signed by the D, a ticket for their rendezvous in Falmouthe, er patent for reward of the sayed JUAN »r taking sondrie fishermen uppon this coast ; «re send herin unto your Lordships the ori- ving unto your grave judgments such farther as may be made upon them. And this we jht the more necessarie to be presented unto •rledges, because the sayed Captayn, Juan ath been imployed this 2 or 3 yeare uppon in taking of smale barcks, of which he hath send herewith unto your Lordships a printed le orders to be observed in the Spanish armie Now, because out of these and other intel- hath appeared unto us, and may appear unto Iships, under the Adelantadoe's hand, that was the place which they porposed first to of, we have thought good to send 200 of the are heere of the old souldiers unto Falmouthe. t shalbe no other charge unto her Majestic yt is; and that place being of so great im- and so ill defensed, we have presumed to m thether. before we conclude, to advertise your Lord- the fliboates of the Low Cuntries which msport the souldiers are departed without mte. idorsed in Ralegh's hand : '* A letter of Sir Francis Godolphin, weakness of Pendennis Castle and the importance of the this letter begins with intelligence about the Spanish ship. 1-bearer,' acting as lieutenant. LETTER LXXX. 1597. Nov. 6. SirW. Ralegh and others to the Lords of the CounciL Proceed- ings of the Fleet — News of the Spaniards. Letters of Rahgh. 1 And so, recommending owre selvs humbly to your gooJ j Lordships' favors, we rest, readdy to doe your Lxirdstiipf -, all humble service, T. HOWARIX C. MoirsTjoi w. Ralegh. ■ F. Verk. [Postscript.] — Wc humbly desire to bavcordern your Lordships concerning the Spanish prisoners h which stand the Queene in 14 pound aivecke, uftcrfi man. From Plcmouth, this 6 of November, 1597. A^rcMcdi Ta tkt right IwiltraUr ffwri vtrit gtvJ Lrrdi, tir l^*dltailt krr Alajtuitt Prisj Cstattoyk, Endoned. bjr Sir R. CecU : 6 Neiimftr, 1597. Tht LbiJ Tkemai and Ikt Lfd A otkiri lo tkt Lords: '••"Ih Ik) Kifvrl of t •JflMHt of t\ ihyff UkrH in Si. Jvii. THE T.ORn THOMAS HOWARD. THK MONTJOY, AND SIR WALTER RALEGH, THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL From Ihe Original. Deauslic Csrrafvniitnit : Elinbcth. j Tapcis, I5g7(fi)tmer1y numbeicd '^^^'). (RoIls Hoastl InibaW □ran amBDncnsis. Signed. LKTTmi I Ol'R duties most humbly remembred. We 1 i.)c)(x^r. , j^jj letters from your Lordships : the one of the 3dtl j^'S57- j other of the s of November. By the 5th w ' that your Lordships have sent downc Mr. CaRMAM Coticlusion of Island Voyage, 189 e order for the unlading of the prize ; com- ing us to direct two or three of the shipps of n to transport yt, and some of her Majesties to : it about. ' yt please your Lordships to knowe that there ere now, of the shipps of London, left but the 2 only, which is of good defense ; a vcrie excellent ; and draweth little water. We doe therefore e to putt a part into her, and the rest into the rwe; which shipp is also of easy drawght, and asse by the Thames as conveniently as any of the mts. And because we would be glad to have the of the great prize at Dertmouth delivered unto >mmissioners well conditioned, — least yt may be Jiat spoyle hath been made while it hath been in todie of such as my Lord General committed the unto, we have desired Sir Gelli Merick to be at the deleverie and waying of the same, as we onn for the rest unladen heere ; and afterward 1 leave yt to the charge of the sayed Commis- And because Sir Walter Rawleigh hath ited a meeting at Falmouth in Cornewaile to take id vew of that place and how yt may be defended, c left the care unto him at his return to ride by )uth, as well to see the Guiana and the Raiubowc xi of all things necessarie, as to conferr with the issioners how the goods shalbc bestowed in the and that bulke-heads be made to devidc yt from tuall and repay re of the Compagnie. Now, for jesties shipps, my Lord Thomas Haward doth in with the first wynde to sett sayle, and by favor to make all possible speede to conduct o Chattam. have also this day receaved the Examination of LETTER LXXXI. 1597. Nov. 9. Joint letter of Lonl T. Howard, Lord Mont joy, and Sir W. Ralegh, to the Council. From Plymouth. Conclusion of Island Voyage, and arrange- ments about Prizes. 190 Letters of Ralegh. LXXXI. one Perez, Captayn of the smale barck putt in at St Ives, which agreeth with the rest in generality ; but he y^J'n addeth that there are 35 gallies appoynted also to be i joyned to this fleete y and delivereth this particularity of 1 the horse : That there were, for certeyn, 500 ; — ^whereof 50 died ; of oxen, 200 ; of carrs for draught, 200 ; of mules, 5a JUAX Trigo hath, since owre last, confessed that there were in this fleete 30 captayns of the Low Cuntries; : that the Adelantado was appoynted to tarry, and DiEGO • Brochero to retume with the fleete ; and that the next yeare they ment to sett up there rest for this kingdome; hoping, in the meane while, to hold any peece of grownd in England, where soever they should take foote. And so, humbly recommending our selvs to your good Lordships* favors, we rest readdy to doe your Lordship all humble service, T. Howard. C. MOUNTJO^X W. Ralegh. From Plimouth, this 9th of November, 1597. I Addressed : , Ta tht right konorabU cwre verie good Lords^ ifu Lords and tikgn ^f '^ Majesties most honorable Privy CounsayU, ' Endorsed : 1597. Vke-Admiralls Lord Thomas Howard, Lord Mmm^ ^ i Walter Raleighe, to the Lords. Proposed Enterf rises against Spain, 191 LXXXII. TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL? jc OriginaL Wholly in the hand of Sir Walter Ralegh. Cotton, Otho E ix. fol. 377, fonnerly numbered '346' (British lenin)- Mutilated, having been partially burned in the fire at Munham House. Without date. . How this fleet and army of Her Majestye . . beinge now with the latest to lande at the s many dangers and dificultes \ enterprize of Farroll ^ this course, if 11 like Her Majestye and your Lordships. .... [There have^ past to the Indies this , in March, Aprill, and Maye, fourscore [ships, with >se*] to retume treasor and marchandize. [In^ the care, 1596, by reason of the sackinge of Calize and nge [of the^ fleete, ther was made no returne, so is yeare the treasor which should [have*] cum with ist, and whatsoever is gathered since, is to be trans- d now. Because ther is no suspition of any ipt to be made in the Indies [this year ; and also^] the Spanishe kinge would be in effect utterly sn if this duble returne weare surprised, wee do ke it a matter very feasibell with the on[e] half of Majestye's fleet now att Plymouth, and with a third of the army, to performe the same, ut of the 16 sayle of shipps of Her Maiesties to eyght, and with the vitell of the others to furnishe ? We do therefore recommend], rbt words within brackets are supplied, either from traces remaining 'c burnt MS., or from the plain necessity of the context. LETTER Lxxxn. 1597. To the Lords of the Council ? Proposed Enter- prises against Spain. Letters of Rait^. the rest for one moneath or six weeks,' to that whidi now remayneth in . . , The vitel! provided hcrefw the supply, will make two moncaths vitcll more; and with the retnaynder of that which shalbe saved out of the flibotes wee shalbe able to [furnish'^ the Fleet by us desired for six moneaths. In which tyme, or less, ^tt shalbe abell by [your Lordships'*] favor to go and returne; and sufficient pourfuU to master and posses* all the King's shipps in the Indies. Tlie occasion never served so fitly, for hee is nn way warned. For whensoever this enterprize slulbe uodtT- taken of purpose, and that ther be any suspect tlienrfi the Spanishe kinge will use so many preventions ai the labor and charge on our syde will evermore be loste ant made frustrate. The Spanishe Fleet nowatt FarroU is not inattyaW? to cum out. and by that tyme in whidi wee ^Ib* reddy to depart it wilbe no tyme of tlie yeare to make invasions or incursions by sea- Wee shal only be wantinge in the dead of Wintff- and be abell to rctume in the Spring, sufficient tymdy to aunswere any attempt from Spayne. In keepinge the seas upon the first pretence of FarroU and the Hands wee shall spend three moneaths. whereiH wee shalbe shaken and weather-beaten, with small bopt of profitt. And to possess all his Indian Fleet «iU require but two mofreat/is nn?re, and the nat^tioa 9 less perrill. And the strenght which wee de^re to any shalbe butt too shipps more then that which' **• alloted to Sir Francis Drake and Sir JoW Hawkings. ' Here the word "addei!" seems to bive be«n omilled in Ae li** writing. • See note i on page 191. • In the wrileH! evident hwte this word is. in the MS., rrpeitnl. Proposed Enterprises against Spain, 193 Her Majesties charge is alreddy past, which wee all desire to convert to Her Maiesties greater profitt. To which purpose wee fynde this enterprize to offer it sealf, which wee assure our sealves will returne the greatest profitt to Her Maiestye, and the greatest losse to the cncmye, then ever any attempt did in Her Maiestye's tyme, . [ Tke rest is wantht^J\ LETTER LXXXIL 1597. LXXXHI. TO SIR JOHN GILBERT, THE YOUNGER. from a Transcript ^ made tor Dr. Thomas Birch, from the original (but mutilated) letter, then in the possession of Major Pomeroy Gilbert, Fort-Major of ' Plymouth. MS. Addit. 4231, ff. 85, 86 (British Mll86Qin}> Without date. [Thihp of the letter and the correspond'ntg part of the sheets towards the end, had disappeared^ when t/ie transcript was made.] «... met. I had reason .... discovered your not trusting .... towards me, both in the • . . . witness then hyme sealf, when . . . . importuned and vexed in your causes. And you . . • . care of you. It is enough that he knows that I scorn otherwise to plead it now. But I knew the contents of your letter by arguments used by him. Comparing those with myne own letter, I also found tiiat somewhat was written that I might not sec ; because he refused to shew me your's. ^ I have taken no small pains — without much success — to learn whether w not the original of this letter is still in existence. Sir John Gilbert, to ^"omit was addressed, is now represented by the present Walter Raleg-. ^^^^t Esq. of The Priory, near Bodmin, who has imbrmcd me that the *^«f is not in his possession. VOL H. O LETTER , LXXXIII. 1597? To Sir John Gin>ert,the younger. Participa- tion in the profits of a privateer- ing adven- ture.— Personal r.iTairs. Letters of RaltgK I For this adventure itsealf, there was never any other thinge demanded by mee tlien a third of the I^rd Admirall's forth part Be the sums more or lessc, all was and ys only that third of a forth. Either I will have it, or you shall have it And when you w«n; concluded before with a forth part, what was it to you how the rest had byne devided ; unless, as it seemed, il was amiss that I had it. For your fear of my thrraten- ings, it was not doubted that you heard them ; ncatbcr did I threaten anythinge but the recover^' of that part, which I will still have, withoute your healpc. And it is trcw I labored foolishly to put by your cusscn COLE, ' and others, of whom I could have had as good a part as , most of the best adventurers, if I had not respectaJ )-oiir profit more then I finde canbe in your ungrstefull nature i to deserve. Now to the rest — j \Vlicr you saj- you followed the worst of my fortun« in despight of envj', I pray forget not your sealf ; nor do not so much mistake my fortunes, but that when thc>' were at worst they \\ ere better then the best of your , owne, and were abell enough to steed my frends, wi despise the rest.^ And for env)', it were a strai^ eon- saite to think that a nephew should be envied for goiH to the warrs with his unkell ; you being then of W abillctie ; your unkell livingc. For your command under Sir John NoRRlCT, ft is * not unknown to me what it was; or, if it might haw been more, in whose respect it had byn. For Sir JOtIK NoRRK'E him selfe ever needed me ; 1 never n«igiiia]. CecU Papers^ vol. xlviii. § lOi (Hatfield)- Holograph. Without date of year. lY GOOD LORDE, lERAS it hath bynn thought fitt that Sir NICHOLAS L should be made a Deputy Levetenante in Corn- do for my sealf excedingly well allow of the an, and do farther humblie pray your Lordshipp •. Barnarde Grenvile may be also admitted, in all the north parts of Cornwale ther ar none eputes that have any dwellinge. The gentelman sufficient, and the rest shall receve great ease and her Majesties service the better performed. with remembrance of my humbell dewty, I rest mmanded by your Lordshipp as your sarvante, W. Ralegh. Derum House, this 16 of January [1597-1598]. I ** To th( right honorable my singttler goode Lorde^ the Lorde Treasorer of IngtandeJ'^ " Sir Walter Eayligh. 1 597." 1 597? LETTER LXXXIV. 1597-I59S. Jan. 16. To Lord l^urghley. From Durham House. Appoint* ment of Deputy- Lieutenants for Corn- wall. Letters ef Raltgfl, TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From Ihe Original. Domatic CerresftiitJerai: ElUabdh. I'oimn?^ Pipers. Formcrlf marked "Bundle Ij6, No. 144." (BoUs HoCM.) Hologiaph. Without date. *,* In a communication — otherwise interesiing— read w the Sociely of Antiquaries, Mr. Pajue Collier has suggested, from ihc tenor of this letter, that Ralegh was now agua present in Irelacd on the Queen's service. Bui the ItUC itself— in the absence of other evidence — affords no suffidnl foundation for the h\-pothe&is. There is, indt-cd, soraewhil of a blank in Ralegh's recorded career at this [>criod. fiul ii tis to be borne in mind that Ralegh, in 1598, could not hiit ser\-cd in Ireland, or have visited Ireland, without attnciinf mach attention ; nor without leaving many unmistakeable tncrt of his presence there. He was still the oivner of a vaM, thoB^ at that time unproductive, estate in Munster. '. Sir, It can be no disgrace if it weare knowcn that 6e Idllingc of a rebel wearc practised ; for you sec that the lives of anoyntcd Princes arc daylye sought, and« have alwajs in Ireland gcven head money for the kill- ingc of rebels, who ar evermore proclaymed at a priefc So was the Earic of Desmoxdh, and so have all rebels been practised agaynst, Not\\ithstandinge, I hart written this enclosed to STAFFORD,' who only recoin- mendeti that knave to nie upon his credit. Butt, for in, or Colonel, Francis Staflord, whon wt ** nd. .-ind corrcsponcliiiR wilh Sir Hcnr7 WtDqf, » '.-• I a/vnd^it : FJizabeth, ToL cxviii. | S4-I Appointment of a Captain to serve in Ireland. 199 your sealf, you ar not to be touched in the matter. And for me, I am more sorrye for beinge deceaved than for beinge declared in the practise. Your Lordship's, ever to do you service, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.]— He hathe nothinge under my hand butt a passport. Addressed: To the right honorable Sir Robert Cecil, Knight, Principall Secretory to Her Maiestie. LXXXVI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Froa the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. xix. § 66 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. Sir, I BESEICH you to signefye Her Majesties pleasure to my Lx)rd Deputye of Irland — because his Lordship is ready to depart — concerning this gentelman, on whom Her Majestye hathe bestowed PoORE's ^ companye. Your Honor's to do you service, W, Ralegh. Addressed To the right honorahell Sir Robert Cecyll, Knight, Principall Secritory to her Majestye. Endorsed: I590.« Sir Walter Ralegh to my Master. * Probably Captain Anthony Power, who had served.in Munstcr against ^ GerakSines contemporaneously with Ralegh himself. ' The endorsement reads as above ; and in the MS. Catalogue of the Hatfield MSS. the letter is placed under "1590." The remark is sub- LETTER LXXXV. 1598. October, LEJTER LXXXVI. 1598? To Sir R. Cecil. The Queen's appoint- ment of a Captain to serve in Ireland. — -/•—■ Letters of Ralegh. 1 600. LXXXVII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL Fr:ci the Original. Cent Papers^ vol. lx>-iiL § 103 (Hatfield)* ^ ^ Lind of an anunuensis. Sobscribed and si^ed. ' *^* The work tou-ards which, on this occasion, Ral^ acts .IS official Censor of the Press i^-as a translation of the well- known book of Jerome dei Franchi Conestaggio which had been published at Genoa, fourteen years before, under Ae title : — Ddr Uniotu dd Regno di Portogallo alia Conm ^' Cjsfi[^l:\i, Istorij, It would have added not a little to the interest of the English translation here spoken of, had Ralc^ so mentioned his " corrections " as that we could now ide»ti^ them. The book was published in the same year with that of Ralegh's present letter, viz. 1600, and was ^'•prinUi f^ Edivard BlouNty Cecil's interest in the subject was by 0^ means a literar)- interest. The " warrs of Africa " here treated of were those in which Sebastian of Portugal fell, drawing aft^ him the temporar)* fall of his kingdom. They had therefore * close connection with English politics ; and especially wi^ that most troublesome of all sections of the poUtics of Que^^ joined that this is "the earliest letter addressed to Robert Cecil "wM'^ . that collection contains. But as .Sir Robert became " Principal ScerctaT^^ ., only in July 1596, the endorsement must obviously be erroneous. Rale^^ ! too, made his first reappearance at Court at the end of May 1 597. Possib* - I the letter may belong to that year. It cannot belong to any /orZ/Vr y^^ I than that. And it is much more probable that it was written in 159^ I Its pittance of interest lies in the fact that, either in 1597 or in 15^^ i it presents to us Ralegh — after five years of Court disgrace — u comn^ nicating to the Secretary of State ** Her Majesties pleasure " about captaincy in Ireland. Report on the Revision of Conestaggio^s History. 20 1 Elizabeth's day, the intrigues of the English refugees abroad. They were also connected, in a very curious way, with some of the undercurrents of that Munster rebellion in the suppression of which Ralegh had won his spurs. The fanatic Stucley, who fell beside Don Sebastian at the bloody battle of Alcazar- qumr(22 Sept 1578), was just about to have led a force into Ireland, under the patronage of the Pope, which was to dethrone Queen Elizabeth and to provide Ireland with an Italian king. Sebastian induced him first to make a little episodical excursion against the Moors. And thus, instead of putting an Italian on the throne of Ireland, Sir Thomas Studey helped to put Philip the Second on the throne of PoitugaL SiK, I HAVE perused this translated stone of the Con- quest of Portugall and the Warrs of Africa, and have corrected some things therein. For the rest, I see nothing in the booke but what may well passe, if your Hoonor please to give allowance thereof; which I humblie desire, in favor of the translator. And so do take my leave. From Dirrham House, the xvth of March, 1599 ^dlstyle\ Your Honor's to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Addressed: To tkt right hotwrabU Sir ROBERT Cecyll, Knight, Her Majesties Frituipall Secretary, Endoised: 1$ March, '99. Sir Walter Ralegh to my Master, LETTER LXXXVII. 1 599-1600. March 15. To Sir R. Cecil. From Durham House. Report on the revi- sion of Franchi Conestag- gio's History of tht Conquest oj Portugal, 202 Letters of Ralegli. LXXXVIII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL LETTER LXXXVIII. 1600. March 27. To Sir R. CeciL [From Sher- borne.] Account of the improved health of William ' Cecil, then \ a visitor at ' Sherborne. From the OriginaL CccU Papers, vol. Ixxviii. § 7 (Hatfield). Holognp^ Without date of year. Sir, Because I know that yow cann receve no pleasinger newse from hence then to here of your beloved creture, I thought good to lett you know of his good health ; and whereas I wrat in my last that hee was a littell troblcd with a looseness, I thanck God he is no * freed therof I and, I assure yow, better in health and strenght then ever I knew hyme. His stomake, that was heretofore weake, is altogether amended, and he douth now cat well and digest rightly. I hope this aire will agree exceedingly with hyme. He is also better keipt to h^ bookc then any wher elce. ^ William Cecil, eldest son of Sir Robert, and afterwards second Earl <* Salisbur}'. To this nobleman Sir Walter long afterwards dediated ^ first (and, as it proved, the only) portion of his intended Bruf HisMy *^ England (*' I intend, by the help of God and your furtherance, rigjit iK>*^ Earl of Salisbury, to write a Brief History,^'' &c.) — wordg which OU|s» *^ an oversight not usual with him, has spoken of as addressed to Rob^ Cecil, first Earl. Earl William served King Charles the First as an A.*^' bassador Extraordinary (to the Court of France), and, as is well kntn^'^ sat — in company with the Earl of Pembroke- in the Long Pariiime^ during the Interregnum. But he was of a cautious temperament, a^ seems to have been nearly as fond of retirement as his famous father w^ of business. He sur\ived, by almost eight years, the restoration of Ki^** Charles the Second ; enjoying his earldom for the unusiial period oi fif*^ six years. Men who lived far into the * Georgian era* of our histoiy m^*- well have heard Lord Salisbury's reminiscences of Ralegh from his 01^ lips. * ninv. Rakgh^s Desire for the Government of Jersey. 203 This is all I can say from this poore place, and that I am ever your poorest and trewest frind and sarvent, W. Ralegh. This 27 of March [1600], Addiened i *' To tki right honorable Mr, Secretary^ Endorsed : ■* 27 March^ l6oa Sir Walter Ralq;h to my Master.** LXXXIX. TO HENRY BROOKE,. LORD COBHAM. From the OriginaL Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. (Unarranged P^cn.) (Rolls House.) Holograph. Without date of year. I CANNE write your Lordshipp nothing from hence, butt tliat wee live. I have written to Master Secritcry that I would be gladd that Her Majesty weare butt good for Pawlett'S matter,^ though I hope not after it or ought c'ce; butt if ther be neather honor nor profitt I must ^ynn to keep sheep bytyme. Speaking with my cusen Brett,* a very honest gentelman, hee com- playned to me what abuse was offred your Lordship •JxHit your wood-sales by Chardre. It is certayne that the land will nott be lett for half the valew here- after, when ther is left no trees uppon it, to build or niQid a tenement ; and it seems they have sold the very kedgros, Wheruppon I desired my cusen Brett to ^uire more particulerly of the matter, and this day kce sent me this inclosed letter. I thought good to lett your Lordship know of it, for thes hireling officers will ^do us all. * Meaning the government of Jersey. ' Sir Alexander Brett ; after 1603, one of Lady Ralegh's trustees. LETTER LXXXVIII. i6oa March 27. LETTER , LXXXIX. 1600. April 6. To Lord Cobham. [From Sher- borne.] Ralegh's desire to have tlie govern- ment ol Jersey. — Cobham's sales of timber. — Hope of a meeting at Bath, I to coin totbe cthatBATCt ■ ^i ^ B liMl iar aic ; and your Lwddtip I axD wfaer* I will not. thetdbfc I I caa bun profiiss : tai iriKi^ ud r to cmuode, W. Ralecil r me to tiie LaJ S ^OVakd]. 6 of Apdn. ate night. TO SECRET.UtY SIR ROBERT CECII. T-m. ±t! C~^:uL ^'^^' F-^vrr, toL LurLii. | Sj (Hatfield)- '" * Li.iix !t male p'.ea?e your Honor. I am much importuned by 3iy cosen. Mr. HENRY CarEW. to desire your lauvot \'*^i *is*"anis his distressed sonne. that his enlargement out of prison male be procured by good bonds, suffident sureties, or by anie other meanes that were possibit * fffv. ' //. at Sherbomc. > la the UsDC ihis tnuinest proved to be ■ difficult uid protnclcd ow- Voung Carev seenu tu lure remained several yean in coofiaemcDt, m ' leut under resliainL There are many letters al Hatfield which idiltO the long treaty for his liberation. Those of them which I bate read ^ I not explain the nature of his oHence, but I infer from them that it mi t^ * , (lolitical sort. In EMiabeChan days the need of ■ Haieat Ctrfms ■** ,j;nt'liiiics much greater than in the worst of the Stuart daya. Andll» liranch of the Carews wa« ' recuianL' ToKrR. In favour of the Son of Henry Carew, 20S The gentleman offereth £i,ooo caution, or a greater sume, if it maie be accepted, to have his sonne out upon anie condicions that shalbe required ; and his earnest solicitation importuneth me to move you to direct what course you shall thinke fytt in your honorable wisedome. And so do humblie take my leave. From Sherborn Lodg, the 2ith of Aprill, 1600. Your Honor's to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Addressed: Totkt right honorable Sir Robert Cecyll, Knight ^ Her Majesties Principall Secretary, Eodorsed: l6oa xxith April. Sir Walter Ralegh to my Master, In favour of Mr, Harry Carye, XCI. TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM. f^rom the Original. Domestic Correspondence : Elizabeth. (Unarranged Papers.) (Rolls HoUSe.) Holograph. Without date of year. \* The purposed journey of Lord Cobham to Bath to 5»eet Ralegh, which forms the subject of this brief note, is *Duded to more than once in the letters of Rowland Whyte to Sir Robert Sydney, written in the spring of 1600; and he | *lso speaks often of Cobham's great favour with the Queen ; of ' ^hich mdeed the proofs, otherwise, are ample. After the wont of courtly favour, it had its partial eclipses. A fortnight later 4an the date of Ralegh's present letter, Rowland Whyte writes : ** My Lord Cobham stays from going to the Bathe, ^d purposes with all the strength and credit he hath to get ^n estate in Otford Park." For this park. Sir Robert Sydney ^ also a suitor ; and Whyte adds that the Lord Treasurer LETTER xc. 1600. April 21. In favour of the son of Henry Carew, then under imprison- ment. 2o6 Letters of Ralegh, Buckhurst had offered to support Sir Robert's siiit,-*in op- position to Cobham'Sy — on condition that Sir Robert should assign to him a life estate in Otford Park.^ LETTER XCI. 1600. April 29. To Lord Cobham. From Bath. Disap- pointment at Lord Cobham*s absence. My worthy Lorde, Here we attend you and have don this sen^ , and . . . mourne your absence ; the rather because wee ' feare that your m[ind] is changed. I pray lett us here : from you att least, for if you cum not wee will go hereby \ home, and make butt short tariing here. My wyfe will I dyspaire ever to see you in thes parts, if your Lordship ; come not now. Wee can butt longe for you and wyshc , you as [our] owne lives whatsoever. Your Lordship's everest faythfull, to honour you most, W. Ralegh. Bathe, the 29 of Aprill [1600]. Addressed : To I he right honorable my very good Lorde, the Lord Cobham, givi ti^ LETIER XCII. 1600. Oct 15. XCIL TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, Pillar C, b U. § 14 (Hatflddy. [^ letter is undated, but the MS. Catalogue of the Hatfield Papers assign* to it the date of Oct. 15, 1600, from the endorsement Hdograph* May it please your Honor to receve knowledg from this bearer, Mr. Paule Juey,^ what wee have determined f^ 1 Sydney Papers, vol. ii. pp. 193, 194. ^ An eminent military engineer, as will appear presently. Proceedings in the Fortification of the Island of Jersey. 207 i. the fort Isabella Bellissima in the ilett,^ where we have left workmen to finishe as mich as this season of the yeare will permitt, and the rest to be dun in March followinge. The charge wherof wilbe exceeding great, as Mr. JUEY uppon his conscienc can wittnes ; and the profitt of the Hand so farr under the common valua- tion as, untill your Honor see the King s own Liger Booke, yow will not beleve. But, howsoever it succeed, 1 hold my sealf unmeasurable bound to her Majestye for her gratius respect to me therin. And I will never thinck of any peny receite till that peece of work be finished and past the recovery of any enemye ; be it butt for the name-sake^ which I have presumed to christen it by, — ^being before without any denomination attalL It had been very happy for mee if Paule Juy had remayned to finishe what he began ther, — which, I assure your Honor by the livinge God, is as prayse- ^oorthy a woorke, both for his judgment, invention, and industry in saving charge, as ever any man be- helde. And I have not seene a devize of that place ^ ^nd pride in any place of Europe. Sir, I do assure yow the poore man hath an excelent sift in thes workes, and — that which is rarely joyned to sudie knowledge — as mich trewth and honestye as any ^n can have. Your Honor, in my poore judgment, shall do her Majestye good service to be a meane for his releife ; for such an other will not be had. ' The reader will doubtless call to mkid the chronology of " Isabella B^Uissima," but Ralegh's flattery is not a whit more extravagant than that ^' bis correspondent himself. And it was about this very time that Henry *he Fourth, when embracing a miniature of "Isabella," expressed his Passionate regrets that it was not permitted to him to embrace the original ^f the sweet picture. 3 So in MS. LETTER XCII. 1600. OcL 15. To Sir R. Cecil. From Jersey. Proceed- ings in the fortifica- tion of the Island. — Character of Juey, the engineer. —Ac- counts of the late Governor. Letters of Ralegh, For the accompts of the late governor,^ the- ar stran; :: r-.e: lor Pawle Juy did more with /'300then heedid ifter.vard for Lzsxxx And Pawle Juy is fittest to be -5ci :r. the accompts because he can cumpare workc to •vcrke, and judge of the rest, better then any man cann. For besyds the unmeasurabell reckninge made by Sir A Fawxett of her Majesties monies, they ar not ashamed to aske iTfoo debt of her Majest>'e due to them. For Mountorguell, I have vewed itt,' and do not find ^ >> A. Fiu'eii, Ralph's immediate predecessor. ^ >C :-; Or^eil Cistle, here referred to by Ralegh, is still a place of pat .■::-rs: :: ±e \-i*::or. It derives its attractions, not certainly from te -r.rJti'jrTire. rat trosa the romantic bcautj' of its position. It towas abort .1 j!-.irr.::- - bay, :o a height which commands an extensive view of the V- . -Tj^: : f N ::T=ar.iy. 1: also possesses many interesting and varied aoodi- :-.;r.> -.vl;"-: :re history of the past. Philip of Valois made an attempt apoa ::. 'r. :>..ri^^ ye.ir:>. i* a prisoner of Charles the First ; to be presently sa^ v:£-.:j-1 by Charles the Secon-.l. as a refu^jjc from the Nictorious Cromffd'' 1*::^ rur!:.tn :r!-ior.er here diversifictl his ponderous labours in omtrowtsf •-..; .ir.:::ui:i:s. \vi:h verses in praise of Mont Orgjueil, interlaced *'tb ■• Nk- ■..:.-.: r.s fr.:n its n.H:k:e steepe, and loftie situation ;" hi» ▼c'^ • r.n-ir.^ : .^ j-o ri.^re pon.Ierous even than his records. The roval ff"^ iutl a fa::v^us a::enJant who here employed his involuntary leisure in the .- . :r.p. >::i Ml y-i j-'art of the Ilhfcn' cf the Girat Rebellion, That I'oriion i^f the simciure of which Ralegh particularly speaks «* * cos:ly to * Her Majesties father,' &c was the work of one of his predecessflJSi Sir Thomas .\uvrey ; and, when he visited it, was but about fifty years olo. Another adjacent portion still bears the arms of Eli/nbeth, and tbe date • 1593.' Among the older parts of the Castle is a most curious CT)"ptf tb* vaulting of which is supported by very short and rude columns. The DoNe old pile is— or was a few years ago — ** All tcnantlcss, save to the crannpng wind, I lolding but dark communion with the clouds.** But it will long re|wy a visit and a climb, and, to many visitors, will hate an additional interest, as having been one of the last objects of curiosity to Ralegh, in his days of freedom and prosperity. Affairs of the Stamiaries, 2og that I had any cummission to deniolishe it : and to say letter XCII. 1600. trew it is a statly fort of great capacetye, both as to ; mentenance and cumfort, to all that part of the iland j OctTis. next unto Normandy, which stands in vew therof ; so as, ! untill I knew further her Majesties pleasure, I have left att myne owne charg sume men in it. And, if a small natter may defend it, it weare pitty to cast it down ; having cost her Majestyes father, brother, and sister, — without her own charge, — 20,000 marks the erecting. I will leve the rest untill my cumming from Comewale, and then lett you know the estate of that poore place, the importance of it, and how it hathe bynn handled. Till then, and ever, I rest reddy to do yow all honor and sttvice. W. Ralegh. XCIII. ' tn/t\ - price. To THE LORD TREASURER BUCKHURST AND SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. ^itn the Original. CecU Papers^ vol. clxxxi. § 33 (Hatfield)- Holograph. Without date of year. May it pleas your Honors, ACCORDINGE to the order which I had from yow, * have proceeded in^ Comwale and agreed with the Tynners for a prize ^ certayne, — twenty shillings in the ^howsand less then I had cummission to geve them, ^hich they desire by peticion to have added, and which, for myne own poore oppinion, I could wishe that her Majestye, out of her own liberalletye, should bestow on them. LETTER XCIII. 1600. Nov. 4. To Lord Buckhurst and Sir R. Cecil. From Radford. Vf^l If of the — Agree- Lttters of Raitgh. "^^ Mr. Brigance and Mr. Cunnocke can infennr your Honors how I have proceeded. — wlio can best judge what my littell creditt here hathe done in this buss n CSS. Mr. Cunnocke hyme sealf hathe taken great payncs herein, and fumisht raec with many good arguments and reasons. Your Honors could not have inipbyrf any man, as I thiiicke, both for his dillegcnc and know- ledge, of more sufficiencyc. Mr. Bui.mer'S offer o( £l^ held us longe uppon that prize,' and hath dun us midl wronge in this bussress. And had we not calcd siidii jurey as wee did of the principal! gentelmen, wee h«i had a longe worke of it. Ther ar yet many things to be done which this gtotet* man* can better ijiforme your Honors of then my salt which your Honors mil take care of. For my seiK I | have performed your cummandments. and have litleB elce to do butt to see proniis keipt with thes poore men to whom my faythe is ingaged. And this bearer can informe your Honors trewly wher' thes Tynnt;rs do not more rely thereon, then on ail the rest of our atgumentO- I will shortly attend yow my sealf. And. in the mfi™ while, I humblie desire to be continewed in your hWS and will remayne ever reddy to do all the honor*"" 5cr\'ice I shall bee abell. From Radford, by Plymouth, thi'^ 4th of November [1600]. W. RaI-KH. Adrinssedr " Ttffi^ rigAt irnwmM/ it/ fj-n/r a/ BvCKHVUST.U^l^ Tnasertr of Ingiande, and Sir Robsrt Cscyu, A'tiflU, AM"* | Srrrilotyf, &-c." Eiidotwd,mSirR. CKil'stuin.!: "4 A'.fwwW, i6oa S/r R'aUi' *» and, in uiother hand, " 7i mji L^rd Thrtatfrtr and It mw* Frftn ftaii/erd, by Mr. Cn'iHnttt." ' priet, * ConnocWe, who broughl tlic Iftltr from I>nMfl. '• Stiiis about the Tin Mills on Roborough Down, 211 XCIV. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, Pillar C, b ii. § 107. (Hatfield.) In titt band of an amaniiensis. With autograph subscription and signature. Sot, This gentleman, Mr. Crymes, hath erected certein dash-mylls upon Roburghe Down, to worke the tynn whid upon that place is gott with extreame labor and ' charge out of the ground. And because the townsemen of Pl)rmouth seeke to procure all the commoditie there- abouts into their own hands, they alleage that theis mylls vt prejudicial! to them, and that the course of their water, which runneth through Plymouth, is diverted, contrary to a Statute. I tooke the paines to view the river and mylls. I found that, — in my opinion, — they could not disallow the building or using the same : for that there are about 200 works which must be unwrought, without the use of sudi clash-mylls and the benefytt of that river, and no hindraunce at all to the water-course. Otherwise, her Highness can receave no commodotie therebie, and the poore Tynners wilbe undone. I had an especiall care to satisfie them ; and the Tynners made an Act that those clash-mylls shold not he prejudicial! to the towne. Notwithstanding, they have procured sub penas out of the Starre Chamber, to call the matter in question there ; the matter being try- ^le and determinable in the Stannery Courts, where it P 2 LETTER XCIV. 1600. Nov. 15. To Sir R. Cecil. From Sherborne. Tin Mills on Ro- borough Down, and the suits about them between Mr. Crymes and the Town of Plymouth. Letters of Ralegh. now dependeth. But, if this be suffered to proceed in the Starre Chamber, it wtU not be avaylable to spcake of her Majesties late imposicion or eacrease uf Customc, or to establish good lawes amoi^st Tj-nners ; when others who can by a great purse, or procuring extiaordiiuiy meanes, deminish to their power her ]^{ajesties duties and the common benefjTt of the people. I do faumblie therefore desire your honorable favour in their behalfe that, when the question shall grow for this matter Jo the Starre Chamber, that ' it maic be either respited untill my comming, or dismissed to the place and nature of the proper tryalL And so do faumbhe take ray ]ea\'e. From my bouse at Shjir- bourne, the 15th of Xovember, 1600. Your Honor's to do j'ow serk-icc, \V. RAi^ECa 7J lit Tight kmtrtMt Sir RoHEET Cecyli, A'wi^f, Urr JK^MF J'rijicifiaH Secnlarj. Eudorafd: 15 Ai-cvnAr, 1600. Sir Walter J{.t!/g\ fi> my Ala iter, in fimw 4 Mr. Crymri. 1 ' MS- ihtts repeals ' Ikat.' Ralegh an the Treattnent of the Earl of Essex. 213 PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER XCV. —/^ALEGJ/'S COUN- SEL TO SIR ROBERT CECIL, ON THE TREATMENT, IN THE YEAR 1600, OF THE EARL OF ESSEX, A LL that it seems needful here to add to what has been said heretofore [VoL I. Life^ pp. 258, 259] as to the tnie date at which this letter was written, relates to the suc- cemn of those events in the life of the Earl of Essex which ntenrtned between his return from Ireland and his fatal tnsonection. Essex reached the Court on the 28th of September, 1599. He appeared before the Council on the WWing day. On the ist of October he was committed to the custody of the Lord Keeper at York House. On the 5th, he was again examined, by the Lord Keeper, the Lord TVeasurer, and Secretary Cecil. On some subsequent day he *rote a letter to the Queen (undated), in which he says : " To "cdcem this offence and recover yOur Majesty's gracious 4v(mr, I would do, I protest, whatsoever is possible for flesh ttd blood." The Court letters of these months of October ^ November 1599 abound in expressions which make two tkiags obvious: first, that growing murmurs, both in the Metropolis and beyond it, at the continuance of the EarFs ^pnsonment — without any open trial or inquiry— excited the Qoeen's anger, and made the intercession of his friends with ker more difficult ; secondly, that, this fact notwithstanding, ^^ was amongst the courtiers a fluctuating but general **pectation of his speedy release ; varied, at intervals, by ''naours that he was after all to be sent to the Tower. The ^^tten of Rowland Whyte to Sir Henry Sydney, and those ^Chamberlain to Carleton, may be especially referred to in '^^^tttration of these statements. PREFA- TORY NOTE 10 LETTER XCV. 1600. Prefatory Note to Letter JCCV. On the 28th of November, the Queen, attended by dw Earl of Worcester and the Countess of Warwick, visited Essex at York House, and on the following day a Court of Star Chamber was held, at whicli a public dedaradon of the "Causes of the imprisonment of the Earl of Essex" a-as agreed upon. One of the Earl's officers, William Trew, wrote on that day a letter in which he expresses his hope thai the meeting of this Court would turn out well for his master, and connects both its assembling and the Queen's unexpected visit to the Earl with the unknown contents of some mj» terious letter which had been laid in the Queen's way. and upon the finding of which, he says, " there was a great stii in , the Court that night, and some of the Guard thai gave ovt they must wait upon ray Lord to the Tower had their COM plucked off." ' " The bright sunshine," writes Chamberlain in Fcbtiaoy 1600, "that seemed so to dazde the friends of my Loid rf Essex was indeed but a glimmering light, that was sudilcclf overshadowed again. . . . They thought they saw a reeoo- ciliation between him and Mr. Secretary; whereupon ihqr built many idle fancies and liberal discoursings, yet citha their eyes were not their own, or else they had false specladei* And he goes on to add that all that Cecil had really done for the Earl (as far as Chamberlain's own information went) was to carry to the Queen "his letter of submission, that kept him from the Star Chamber." Chamberlain's letter is daiect— according to New Style, — "22nd of February, 1600.' The evidence that during some part of that month it had been intended to bring the Earl personally before the Star Oumber, and that Cecil had been the means, or the channel, of chug- ing the Queen's intention, appears to be conclusive. 1"hi» (tO. when coupled with the internal evidence of the docuDctt itself, leaves little room for doubt that the caniii^ Mcr belongs to the period of the Earl's first imprisonmeii, and ' Letter m It Blithficltl, quoted in Lkti of ikt Dtrfftta, ■a. 9^ Ralegh oh tJu TreatmetU of the Earl of Essex. 215 to speak more exactly, to some time during that imprisonment when rumours of a reconciliation between him and Cecil were current; and not to the imprisonment which followed the insurrection of February 1601. For its transfer — ^recently attempted — to the later date there is* no evidence, or shadow of evidence, at all. It is an arbitrary conjecture in the teeth of the evidence. It was not until the 19th of March, 1600 [n.s.], that the Eail of Essex was permitted to leave York House for Essex House. He was still to remain in strict custody, and to be vifited by such persons only as received the Queen's per- mission. On the 5th of June he was brought before a Special Commission, which met at York House to hear and determine five several accusations of misgovemment in Ireland and of disobedience to the Queen's commands. The decision of the Commissioners was conveyed to the accused Earl and to the auditory by the Lord Keeper Egerton, in these words : "If this cause had been heard in the Star Chamber, my sen- tence must have been as great a fine as ever was set upon any nan's head in that Court, and perpetual imprisonment in that I^ace which belongeth to a man of his quality, — that is, the Tower. But now that we are in another place, and in a course of &vour, my censure is that he is not to execute the office of a Councillor, nor to hold himself for a Councillor of Estate, nor to execute the office of Earl Marshal of England, nor of Master of the Ordnance ; and to return to his own liouse, there to continue a prisoner, as before, till it shall please her Majesty to release both this and all the rest." Of the effect of this proceeding on the Queen's mind Bacon has given a striking account : " The Queen," he says, " willed me to set down in writing all that passed that day. ... I read the narration to her in two several afternoons ; and when I came to that part which set down my Lord's own answer, which was my principal care, I do well bear in mind that she ^ extraordinarily moved with it, in kindness and relenting tojrards my Lord. She told me afterwards— speaking how PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER XCV. 1600. xm^Li*krXcr. r Bfvrac VcKfc Hone, in dw come m *e fadga ef Asuc, Ibe Ucd a Ac CoMrt of Star Chanbo^-mide ^Bc if EiBcz asd repeued maBt of Inc n fMBg -^WWOT- He addoi ibl K ^^^il cnvw ~ to suisfy the rariiL i4M BRC «■! An d»e Eul kuchd- k'* It «ss in tbc brief iucml T«ifc Hook ami Ac Lonl Ke^'i Kovbnd AVhfle xssaml Sa r Seuetu) contiiiaes to do ^xA m tine will fwcnil, w dontl: Cte Ac je Unl Noitff^ * .vrote thus : " His speeches of the Queen become no man who hath mens sana m eorpore sano.^* Ralegh, long afterwards, calling to mind those angry speeches and what he had seen of their effects, said : " Undutiful words of a subject do often take deeper root than the memories of ill deeds do. The late Earl of Essex told Queen Elizabeth that her * conditions ' were * as crooked as her carcass ;' but it cost him his head, which his insurrection had not cost him, but for that speech." ^ These words of Ralegh are of more weight, perhaps, than ihc passage which has been quoted from the letter at Hulton, in making it probable that Essex did get within sight and speech of Elizabeth at some time between the close of the imprisonment at York House in 1600, and the insurrection of 1601. The word 'conditions* can scarcely be applicable to anything that had transpired before the year 1600. The terms of the letter preser\'ed amongst the Hulton MSS. are such as may, by possibility, refer to the famous * box-on-the-ear ' intcnriew of 1598. In the few but pregnant lines which begin with the words *^for aftcr-reirti^esy fear them fiot^^ Ralegh has epitomized some of the strangest of the many family vicissitudes that Ottrk the annals of England in Tudor times. He takes his fint example from the career of his own comrade-in-arms of Cadiz and the Island Voyage, Lord Thomas Howard, who had already attached himself strongly to the faction and the fortunes of Robert Cecil, in despite of their respective parentage. He was the son of the great feudal Duke who W aspired to the hand of the Queen of Scots, and whose ^in had made no inconsiderable contribution towards broad- NOTE TO LETTER XCV. 1600. ^ rn'tv^tUive 0/ Piiriia/funfy p. 49, Ptwfmaffj A'aU tm LtOtr XCV. of the Cecfla. Lord Kalq^S IcocT ns wriiien, Lord ^ lAidte. HhwcW i—irdatrly after James' accts- Eadof QKuBl Qnly ji, 1603; aiu! made He sas t»e of the Cooimissioiun ^^■■Mal to XBf Itilnh on tfce cbngc of high ireasoo, a £nr i HMifeB rtemdi ; aad it i> by his hmnd that the precept for ' HfMHd^ Ac ^vf ■■ '■gii'd. It vas his sa^ty, no! ch< t Ka|^ A« a Ac ■HSK pm the right inteqneraiioD od the ^ftmmmmymmk b ifcc C^yowder Ploc lencr which had txen ■MBBoi •■ Lad HoaU^ ud be wxs the fint to go 4b^ ■■• Ac -- - - -ea dai^tn- to the " Will Cecil " irf thu ; - Ti.-ond Eaii of Salbbin^X and so verifinl— ": ' i words — Ralegh's forecast : " He MI 3_~ . ; ..-.cr hou^ than that of EsseK."" T^ - S- itis^rr " of the next sentence is Edward SeyiDO"'' becei fcoinn as Earl 01 Henford. and the husband erate efforts, ra.:kfc by esalred influence — succeeded in attaining iny r-rrer k=>f ot Hberty. until after the deaths both of Ccdind :z Kerry Howard. Ti* retereace to Bothwell— ** Zef the Queen hoid * BoiHwnx* T*?-V rte k,xtk kirn," — is meant as it seems, to indicate the iTTrer? erEnion ±i: Essex, if set free from restraint and 7er:^:re-i to aspire azain to power, was likely to become as :":r=i:iir!e to ihe Queen's peace and safet)% as Francis Stflart Eir" re' BochwelL Lad rfien recentiy proved to be to the qiKt r£i ?f :he Scon: oT.d that of Elizabeth about the " countenance " alleged :o hive been shown to him, and Robert Cecil's assmned rfr>ror.>rDiI:ry for such fa\*our as he may at any time haw D?c?:\-evi was one of the causes — additional to the older ones .ir>Ir.«: out of the death of Queen Mary — ^which made the ver>- name of ' Cecil ' so long ungrateful to the cars of KiD| James, At the date when this letter was written, \X\&]f^ bable that R>thwell was an exile in Spain. For we ha*«» almost contemporaneously with it, another letter addressed to Sir Robert Cecil by one of his foreign intelligencers, in whiA after telling the Secretary that Bothwell was about to enter upon some service against England, the writer proceeds thus- ** In particular he hath promised to raise a great army ^ Scotland, when the King of Spain shall be pleased to com- Ralegh an the Treatniait of the Earl of Essex. 221 mandhim."^ Ultimately, he died in Italy, either in 1612 or in 1613. As to the evidence on the point of date of the endorsement, it will suffice to remind the reader that another letter of Sir Walter Ralegh, preser\'ed also at Hatfield, — and already printed in the present volume,^ — bears, in the hand of a secretaiy of Cecil, the endorsement " 1590;" although, as has been shown, it could not have been written until 1597, at the earliest There is no need at all to suppose the error — in either instance — ^to have been designed. Mistakes of this sort are &r from being uncommon, in cases where no matter of con- flict or controversy is at stake. The papers now at Hatfield afiind many instances of them. Under any view of it, this letter of 1600 is an ungenerous one, as it respects Essex. It is also one of an obviously immoral tendency. It inculcates the doctrine that acts of bitter boitility, and even deeds of open violence, may be committed irith the less peril, inasmuch as the dictates of human selfish- ness will very often suffice to hinder "after-revenges," by the relatives of the sufferer, upon the doer ; and it leaves altogether out of view those "after-revenges," of a graver sort, which Ralegh himself, a few years later, expounded^ in words as impressive as ever came from an English pen. None the less is it an essential part of the duty of an Editor to show that this Letter — ^whatever its other faults — is not an incitement to the raising of a political scaffold, in order to avenge personal injuries sustained by its writer, or to remove a stumbling-block from his onward path. * Uod to Cecil ; CccH Papers (Hatfield), vol. Ixxxiii. § 23. ' Above, p. 199. ' In his Preface to the History 0/ the IVorld. PREFA- TDRY NOTE TO LETTER XCV. 1600. Letters of Ralegh. x6oa 1 :re an: xcv. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL *Jte Or^imL On/ Papers^ toL xc. \ 150 (Hatfield)- Hologm*. Undated. Sir, I AM not wize enough to geve yow advise ; butt if vow take it for a good councell to relent towards Ais Frrirsrrr tiiant VOW Will repent it when it shalbe too late. His a=^:2sl] mallice is fixt, and will not e\"aporate by any yourmiki T: >.r R. courses. For he will ascribe the alteration to her Majesties pusillanimit}*e and not to your good nature; knowing that yow worke but uppon her humor, and ool ou: of any lo\"e towards hyme. The less yow make ^^^_': - hyme, the less he shalbe able to harme yow and youths* And if her Majesties favor faile hyme, hee will agaync decline to a common parson. For after-re\"enges, feare them not ; for your owt father that ^ was estemed to be the contriver of NOR- FOLK'S ruin, yet his son followeth your father s son, and loveth him. Humors of men succeed not;* butt grow by occasions and accidents of t>Tne and poure. SVM- MERSETT made no revendge on the Duke of NORTHUM- BERLAND'S heares. NORTHUMBERLAND, that now is, thincks not of HattON'S issew. Kelloway lives, that murderd the brother of HoRSEY ; and HORSEY Wt h\Tne cro bv, all his lifetime. I could name yow a thowsand of thos ; and therfbre after-fears are but profesies— or rather conjectures— from * So in original letler, but the woni is superflaous. • /. »-. * are not inherited.' Against ike Return of Essex to Office and Power, 223 owses remote. Looke to the present, and yow do wisely. His soonne shalbe the youngest Earle of Ingland butt on/ and, if his father be now keipt down, WiLL Cecill shalbe abell to keip as many men att his heeles asliee, and more to.' Hee may also mache in a better kmse then his ; and so that feare is not worth the feariflge. Butt if the father continew, he wilbe able lo break the branches, and pull up the tree ; root and iD. Lose not your advantage ; if you do, I rede your dcsdney. Your^s to the end, W. R. [Postscript.] '—Lett the Q. hold Bothwell * while ifce hath hyme. Hee will ever be the canker of her tttate and sauftye. Princes ar lost by securetye ; and preserved by prevention. I have seen the last of her BMd dayes, and all ours, after his libertye. Attwed: T§ ike Hgkt hoHorabHl Sir Roberte Cecyll, Knight^ PrincipaU Secritory to her Majestye, Woind, in Sir Robert Cedrs hand: **Sir H^alier Ralegh;'' and, in a later hand, " 1601." ' '•ft ^ too. Thb kit paragraph is written across the margin of the letter. I there- ■t print it as a ' Postscript.' The subscription follows immediately after *e^wd"dcstiiiey.'' • See Pre£itory Note. LETTER XCV. 1600. [Between February and August.] 224 Letters of Ralegh, LKTTER XC> I. 1600? or 1601 ? Feb. 2. To Sir R. Cecil. [ Frv>ni .*^her- bome.] 1-ocal iie>is of ihe Spanish Fleet. — l.onl CoVharn. I XCVI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ voL cbcxiiu § 36 (Hatfield)- Holognph. Without date. Sir, If my newse be stale, it cost mee butt the labor to write it A townsman's sonne of Sherborne hath b\Tin in Spaine, in a French bottome, and is now returned He departed Lysbome the 15 of January which is late, and reporteth, for certayne, that the fleet of treasor is returned ; — all but one great shipp, which is doubted of. Ther had then come sume 17 millions. Hce spake with divers soldiers att Cascales, whertbcr ar assembled 2,000, reddy to be imbarked in 30 saylc of shipps. Thos soldiers know no other butt that tbcy were bound for Flanders : — it may be for Irland, or for sume other purpose. They take up our small men of warr very fast ; not only with the good-sayling Dun- I kirks, butt cussen them with French bottomes,— which the Inglishe suspect not This that I write yow, yow may assure your sealf to ( be trew. I Yours as your sarvante, W. Raugh. [Postscript.] — I never receved on word froai my Lord CoHHAME,— ncather of his suite, or of his cum- min^xe or other matter, this 3 weekes, Yow have va^l letters of myne ; I pray retume sume awnswere. Candelmas day. AiKlnrsseti : /;» tHf n^kt koMoraMl Sir ROBERT Cecvll, Kftigkt, Prindf^^ Stvritorye^ &\\ Hast, hast, post haste. W. Ralegh. Fiulorsotl by Sir R. Cecil : ** Sir JF, A»,i/^A." Cobham*s Jourfiey into ConiwalL 225 I 6 o I. XCVII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Fnm die Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. xliii fol. 84 (Hatfield). Holograph. Tbe saperscription in the hand of an amanuensis ; but signed. With- €vt date of year. %* In the MS. Catalogue of the Hatfield Papers this letter is stated to belong to the year 1596. The internal * eridence is conclusive of the fact that it cannot have been viitten until long afterwards ; but I assign it only upon pro- ktile conjecture to the year 1601. Alarms about the fleets ofS^pain, and news about them, brought from the coast of Mttany, were almost equally rife in the August of 1599, in tint of 1 601, and again in that of 1602. (Comp. Domestic Cor- n^ondmu^ Elizabeth, of those dates respectively. Rolls House. Uoananged volumes; formerly marked Bund. * 230/ and '235.') But two circumstances make it probable, that this letter was •ritten in 1601 : — (i) The "charge" here spoken of by Ralegh is shown by the context to be that of Jersey — conferred upon fcim in Sept 1600. (2) It appears, from a letter of Thomas Pbclippes to Sir Robert Cecil (Bund. '235,' No. 227), that io August 1601 Lord Cobham made a journey into Cornwall, fhelippes tells Cecil that Cobham had desired him to obtain some intelligence about the doings of the Spaniards, and ! wuierstanding, he adds, that "his Lordship is in the West ^ receved this 13th att night, att Sherburne, dated from Ti !sr jL the Court the 1 ith ; so it m-as to dayes and too nights p!!^ cusiminge. I my sealf went it in half a day less, and ther vearc any dai^er it would be no othervize .1 C^-t&™s handled. r^ c,^ My Lord CoBH AME stayd here butt one night, but Xj.^ w^*nt on for Comwale. I could not by any mean disswadc hx-mei I canot bele\"e that thos 80 sayle ar Spaniards, f/s«:— if they weare scene so high up as St MaJIo's; for no parcLKse ^"invle could ser\"e them in so farr yt hath blowne. Butt :f the[\-] ho^-er about the mouth of the Channell, I am here nirer my charg then att London. I ha\-c sent a^-ay your letter post to my Lorf COBHAME. I humblie thanck yow for VivlEN. Wee do wishe you more cordially then yow cann M^ishe )'0ur sealf. To morrow I go to Rushmore agayne to take thorrow order. The trees. I thinck, may be released agayne to the first buyers, for they are not so nirc as I thought, and farr derer then worthe : and will stand y'ow, all waves considered, 900/. If yow send me your pleasure, I will leve thenu Rushmore will not be fitt for yow to cum to this yeare. It is so ruined as I canott lodge yo^ or mv sealf therin. I pray beleve that when all harts ar open and all desires tried, that I am your poorest and your fa)^^ . fullest frind, to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Sherbum, the 13th of August at night, when I rece\c< yours. Hopes of a Visit from Cobham, 227 [Postscript.] — Bess ^ returns yow her best wishes, : letter notwithstanding all quarrells. A*ne ; butt I am sure yow have had an 01 jumy. I pray your Lordship to send us word whether yow have taken up the howse att Bath or no ; that wee mav send thither. Your Lordship's e\'er, and wholly, to command, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — Bess * remembers herscalf to yout Lordship, and saves your breach of promise shall make yow fare accordingly. The shipp of the South Sea ... of Hollande is past bv — and none of owers stavd her, — with a lantern oi clean gold in her steme, and arrived att Amsterdame inrinit riche. Master MANSFIELD hath been abrod to i::rcat purpose. The Queen is removed to WARDS • howse on Fridav, and from thence to KnowlsES i^ Reddinge.' Wher farther, it is not resolved. Adviressed : 71' tht rigk: k*fn<*rahle my very gixni Lord^ the Lorde CM^m^ ^ WarJfH ."f the Cinque Pifrts^ and Her Majesty's Ueutenani-Cff*^ cf Kent, » \j3iK\y Ralegh. ^ Or Wardkr's ? Sec the Prefatory Note to Letters XCIX. and C •* "Knowlses in Reddinge'* is, I suppose, either Caversham P»A' (.Oxfordshire, or else the fine old baronial scat of one brandi of the p« fnmily of Cirey, — Rotherfield Gre\*s, also in Oxfordshire. Both of ^ were, at this time, seats belonging to ** Knowls,*' and both are near Ro ing. L'ntil very recently, the pious reverence of the late Miss Gather Stapleton for her ancestors — among whom were many who did their i stroke of work for Kngland in their day and generation — withstood i much mi^alled *'niodem improvenients, " and kept up the old boose i Ralegh and tlie Duke of Biron. 229 PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTERS XCIX. AND C-^RALEGH AND THE DUKE OF BIRON. THE date of the preceding letter, No. XCVIIL, is fixed by a comparison of the allusions in its postscript to the Queen's progress, with the following passages in two letters of John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton written in September 1601 : "On the 13th of August, the Queen came to Windsor, and is expected shortly at Mr. Comptroller's at Causham." ^ And again : " The Queen's first remove from Wndsor was to Mr. Warder's. Then to Reading. During fccr abode there she went to Mr. Comptroller's at Causham." Afterwards she went to Basing, the seat of the Marquess of Winchester, in Hampshire. Of the visit to Basing, during this royal progress, of the Duke of Biron and his numerous companions, to which Ralegh refers so amusingly in the second of the letters which follow. Stow, in his Annals, gives this account : — "The fourth day after the Queen's coming to Basing, the Sheriff was commanded to attend the Duke of Biron at his coming into that country. Whereupon, the next day (loth of the older park as historical places should be kept up. All that is now qnickly suffering change. The ** Knowls " of this letter was Sir William Knollys, son of Elizabeth's bithful and plain-speaking old counsellor and cousin -german, Sir Francis. William Knollys was, at the time when Ralegh attended the Queen in this Ptogress, Comptroller of the Queen's Household. By James, he was suc- ceKivdy created Baron Knollys of Greys (1603), and Viscount Wallingford O616); and by Charles the First, Earl of Banbury (1626). He followed Robert Cecil, after an interval, in the Mastership of the Court of Wards. He lies, under a sumptuous tomb, in the Stapleton chapel of the village diiirdi of Greys,— a church which has lately been very needlessly "im- proved" (after the too-prevailing fashion of the day), into unmeaning smart- ne». The lomb and chapel, however, have escaped the fate of the church itsdf. * Sec preceding footnote. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XCIX. AND C. 160I. F\ i/afci J A'ri* l» UOerx XCIX. mmi C iod there mel the Mk »bovK rwtatf of Ac nobtlitf ^■tt ibA MMsded «iA abooi tour famMJicd Frencb- wim woe aa V CcoE^ C>d of CwnbeiliBd, and bf cvi^KaBd fciH lodoH into Hampstan. The nid : « dM «|^ bRmfbt w the Vme, & fair ud tnge : af ikr Im^ Snadei, «lnck boose was fuRusbed nib w^ mA pbac fcm Ac Tower and Hiimptcin Conn, nfc an^ leve feefc aad idraioire wfaidi ibe wilfiag md nC peofie of tbe comtj of Saatfaampton, iipcui tvt> ■ ^HM^ kad bra^^ tUtlKT to lend Ac Queen. Tbr iw or ivc d»rs. all at ibe Queen's cfa«se9, at Ac Vne than her own Cowl ^MAfar BkSB^ D«^ his abode tben. Her Ui}a? at Hk Vine, and be to her at Btsbi^ AbcIoik Biang Park in hnnting ; vhoe tfe assd (fid ibcre sec ber in sodi lOfikr iDCQ:::evL is xhe Gke had seldom been seen. But, whcD sbt caEc CO the ptsce »hctie the Dnke staj*ed, the said Sheriff (« the tE-uuKT isL bareJieaded and riding nert before her, sUjwi bJs horse, thinking the Queen would then ha^e saluted Ae Duke; ■hereat the Queen being much offended, comnanded the Sheriff to go oa. The Duke followed her voy Inial4> bowir^ low . . . with his cap off, about twenty jrards. Hff Maje^- on the sodden took off her mask, looked back upon Him. and most graciousl]i and courteously saluted him.' Sh tairied at Basing, continues the chronicler, thineen dap; "being verj- well contented «-iih all things there doot; affirming she had done that in Hampshire that none ol ho anceatots ever did, neither that any Prince in Christendta Could do ;— that was, she lived in her Progress in her sobjttB houses ; entertained a roj'al ambassador, and had lowf entertained him." Such entertainment gratified the Quet"'' lenity and displayed the lav-ish magnificence of the Engli** nobility. But it had its inconveniences. F.vca the weallt" Ralegh and tlu Duke of Biron. 231 Harqaess of Winchester was, in some degree, impoverished l)|)r liis enormotts expenditure on this occasion. It was pro- liUjr the most costly of all the royal visits ever made during a Aogitss. And Basing had very frequently been so favoured OOOft* That neglect of due attention to Henry's ambassador, on lii arrival, of which Ralegh speaks so strongly, arose, it would wm, from no lack of instructions on the subject by the Lords «f the Council Ten days before the date of Letter XCIX. the Council sent its letters to the Earls of Sussex, Derby, and BotfiDrdy and to the Lords Bindon, Compton, and Windsor, damag diem to give their attendance, *' for the solemn recep- tin of Marshal Biron, sent hither from the French king." ^ A fte letter gave special instructions to the Earl of Cumberland toeiooit the Duke to Basing.^ lithe course of the visit of September 1601, occurred one ^ the most curious conversations that have been recorded teftto a soYereign and an ambassador. Sully tells us in his Mmmn that the Duke of Biron had the boldness to question Oabedi about her treatment of the Earl of Essex. He went iobr as to express both his own compassion for the Earl, and Ui nrprise that so much faithful service should have been Moved by so tragical an end. Elizabeth, says Sully, was conpiaisant enough to state to the ambassador — who at that ■onent was certainly speaking, not for his master, but for toidf— the reasons by which she justified her course. She M him that Essex had flung himself headlong into projects fc above his strength, and that when, — notwithstanding that 4e evidence of his treason had become incontestable, — (obmission would still have brought pardon, no entreaties of Wends or relatives could lead him to proffer it " I know not," *Jds the great statesman who has recorded the conversation, *ad who had considerable knowledge of both interlocutors, "whether the Queen saw in the French ambassador certain ' Ktgisters of Prny Council: Elizabeth, vol. xvii. p. 364. (Council <*ficic) « Ibid. p. 372. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XCIX. AND C. I6OI. 232 Prefatory Note to Letters XCfX. and C. PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTERS XCIX. AND C. I60I. points of resemblance with the English favourite. The just reflections on the functions of crowned heads and on the duties of subjects with which she wound up her recital leads one to think so. But Biron turned the conversation to no profit"* It adds to the striking character of the incident to obsenrc that he was, at the moment when Elizabeth thus addressed him, already known at the French Court to have been plotting against his royal master. Henry had hoped that new trust, and the diversion from a career of arms to a career of diplomacy — the course which Bacon had recommended to Essex — would wean his old favourite from the food which had nourished an unwise ambition. Soon after his return from England, Biron was sent on a more serious embassy into Switzerland. But in less than ten months after the interview at Basing, he too came to the scaffold. Before any judidal procedure was begun, Henry addressed to him, in person, almost the very words which (according to Sully) Elizabeth had told him she, in a less direct way, had addressed, or had caused to be suggested, to Essex. The French historian — or romancer on history — Eudesdc Mezerai has improved upon the Duke of Sully's account of the intercourse between Biron and Queen Elizabeth by stating, fof the infonnation of his compatriots on our domestic manncfli that when the Queen returned to London, Biron accompanied her ; that they passed together through the Temple Gate of the City ; and that when they came within sight of it, Eli^- beth pointed out to the ambassador the gory head of Essex, there ex^)osed as the head of a traitor. When Ralegh was on his last journey from Devonshire to London, in 161 8, some of the latest incidents of Biron s career came to his memor)', and he conversed about them with his companions. Some of those incidents had first coi»^ to his ears, not long before the trials of 1603, in the vago^ form in which they had travelled to the French coast, and had been brought thence to Jersey by the Norman fishermen. ' Sully, MJnirirfs (edit, of 1814), torn. iii. p. 57. Ralegh^s attaidafue on tlie Duke of BirofL 233 XCIX. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. FnB die Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. Ixxxviii. § 22 (Hatfield)* Holograph. Sir, I AM gladd I came hither, for I never saw so great a person so neglected. He hathe bynn here now left ; not on ^ nobelman nor gentelman to accompany them nor io gwyde them. And it is so long er they hard of my Lord of Cumberland as they thought they wcare neglected. Wee have caried them to Westmister to see the monuments ; and this Monnday we enter- tayned them at the Bear Garden, which they had great pleasure to see. Here hathe bynn with them Sir A. Savage ^ and Sir Arthur Gorges, who hathe bynn their guides,^ — without whom they had byn left allone. Their horses ^U not be provided till Wensday morninge. The posts say they cannot take up horses without cummission from fic Lords of the Conccll. I sent to and fro, and have labored like a moyle * to fashion things so as on Wensday night they wilbe att ^agshoot, and Thursday at the Vine. It weare good that A. Savage and A. Gorges weare * one. > Sec the Prefatory Note to Letter LXVIIL p. 136. * This reading is doubtful ; the word being indistinctly ¥nitten. * muh. LETTF.R XCIX. 1601. Sept. 7. To Sir R. Cecil. From Crosby House. Attend- ance on the Duke of Biron at West- minster and the Bear Garden. - Arrange- ments for the Uuke*s journey to Basing. 234 Letters of Ralegh. LEITER XCIX. 160I. Sept 7. cummanded to cum, because they speak French well, and ar familliar with them. Your Honor's to do yow service, Crosby Howse, this Monday att 6 a'Clock. W. R Addressed : To the right honorahdl Sir Robert Cecyll, Knighi, PritidftU Secritory, For Her Majesties most especiall service. W. Ralegh. London, vii September, att ix a'dock att nig^t Endorsed : 6 1 Sept. 1601. Sir Walter Raleigh U my Master, The eiitirUffr ment given to the Duhe of Byron, LETTER c. I60I. Sept 12. To Lord Cobham. From Rasing. Desire for his attend- ance on the Queen. -Pre- sence of the Duke of Hiron and his suite at Court. c. TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM. From the Original. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. Unantfp^ Papers. (Rolls House.) Holograph. Without date. I THAT know your Lordshipp's resolution when wee parted cannot take on mee to perswade yow, I will only say this muche ; it is but a day and half jumey hithef. j the Queen will take it exceeding kyndly and take her- ; scalf more beholdinge unto yow then yow thinke. They I French tarry butt 2 or 3 dayes att most. I ^nll P^ sently returne to the Bathe with your Lordship agay^^ I The French weare all black and no kind of bravery** all, so as I have only made mee a black taffeta sutetobc in ; and leave all my other sutes. This is all I can say. saving I only wished yow a Httell to beare, and wake * So in MS. The date of the year is in a later hand. Presence of the Duke of Biron at Court, 235 he Queen so much the more in your debt It will be rhursday er they have adience. It were to long to tell the Queens discoufx:e with me of your Lordship, and Bnding it, I dust not say that I knew yow weare resolved not to cum, butt left it to the estate of your boddy. I need not doubt butt that your Lordship will be here ; yet I wishc yow to hold such a cource as may best fitt your honor and your humour together. If yow cum, shee will take it most kyndly. If yow cum not, it shalbe handled as yow will have it ; and herein and all elce, I will rwnaync your's before all the worlde, W. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — Basing, this Saterday night, late [12 Sept 1601]. I am yeven now g(Mng att night to London to provide me a playne taffeta sute and a playne black ^•ddcll, and wil be here agayne Twesday night ; and if your French jumey holde, it will muche stand you for ^hem to know what yow ar here, for I am resolved that ^ Queen will most esteeme yow here and use you. AddiT«d: T9 the Rf' H^nUit' my very good Lorde Cobhatne, LETTER c. 1 601. Sept 12. CI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. ^»«» Ihe OriKinal. Cfcil Papers, vol. Ixxxviii. § 53 (Hatfield^ Holograph. Without date of year. Sir, I RECEVED a letter from Jersey, dated the 12th of '^^'^^'^"^ Ws September, by which I was advertised that a barkc ' -_- ^ St Malo*s, cummingc from Lysbonc the first of Sep- Sept. 19. lMi€rs cf Ral^h. race 3ip> re tfssber. repcsrteihe for certa^-ne that the Spanishc fleet is 5c£! bcjde thcr. together mith some 6, or 7,000 soldier ^^rren ihen neddy to depart, ether for Irland or the Loi Cca seat ^ down seven writts out of the Exchequer— on* t:* me and six more to dix-ers poore men here, to vex iheri on!v. and to shew braverv. I must in this matter refer my reputation to >"our favorabell regard of met For nothinge e\"er concerned mee more. I ha^-e by this bearer sent yow the gloves, but it is in- licr.ted that if the* serve not your o^ti hands, yow must V f your grace return them aga\Tie. Your s e\-er to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Shcrbume, this 19th of September [1601]. ". :i, n-lr k.K.-^ytu Sir ROBERT Cecyll, Kni^kL FriMCtfeS 10 X/.v^\-r. 1601. .^r If j/^Vr A*d/rc* A' •IT *^asUr, 1 Sv> in MS. : 'hath* omitted. « «»«^. * ^' Lawsuits with Meeres, 237 CII. CRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Cecil Papers^ vol. Ixxxviii. § 62 (Hatfield)- Holograph. Without date of year. V that Meeres^ is bounde to the good ir George Trenchard and Sir Raufe three or foure other Justices of this shire, nisence is not above ^^40. The rest that hyme ar too or thre roggs of the country, inceler's cummandment is layde it serveth supersedeas; and did it not, yet by mee no Ibe taken. That his wife is a kynswoman Essex it is trew. She was a poore mans Duntry, butt to ^ good for such a knave ; broken piece that, I thincke, few or none ad, this knave, — hopinge therby to have >y the Earle of Essex,— tooke her. Butt lot make shew to like Meeres, nor admitt esence. Butt it was thought that secreatly ive used hyme for sume mischeif agaynst Essex had prevayled, he had bynn used jrfeter. For he writes my hande so per- inot any way decerne the difference, ite unto my Lady Walsingame towching he tooke into hys howse a sister of his id sume 200 markes' portion, which the 5sned her of and turned her of ^ a-begginge. er being as deere to my Lady as Meers' otters ; and also Vol. I., chap. xxi. ' Uw. ^ off. LETTER CII. I60I. Sept, 25. To Sir R. CeciL [From Sher- borne.] Lawsuits with Meeres, and other personal aflairs. 238 Letters of Rcdeglu LETTfcR CI I. 160I. Sept, 25. wife, she cannot estemc such a knave who, if he respected her,^ would not so abuse her sister as he bathe, who I being unmaried and begotten with childe in his bowse is now by hyme, — thus undun, — cussned and cast of.* Besyds, I hope that my Lady of Essex cannot say butt, in matters of more importance, it hath pleased yow and your frinds to do her service since her Lord's death. Butt, howsoever it bee, if yow shall not thinck it filt that hec submitt hym sealf — having used towards mee many more cussnegnes and villanes then ever Daniell' did to my Lady of ESSEX — I shalbe contente uitb your ^ Meaning, it would seem, *if he respected his wi/e," ' &/. ^ John Daniel, of Danesbury or Dewsbury in Cheshire, who maj poi* sibly claim the distinction of having been the most thorough -piced uA accomplished scoundrel known to the London of James the FiisL Rale's allusion is to his forgery of a series of letters entrusted by the Eari d Essex to the Countess' keeping. Daniel had married a Huguenot FreDdt- woman, who had been in the service of Lady Essex, and had obtained tlot lady's confidence. When the Earl's troubles grew serious, Lady Esa feared, it seems, to keep the letters in her own house, and entrusted the* to the charge of Daniel's wife. By her, they were sho^^-n to her hnsbiwi, who stole them, and employed Peter Bales, a famous wnting-master of tbe day, to make fac-similes. He then worked on Lady Essex' fears for btf husband, by a series of villanies and threats which there is 00 need to narrate, until he had obtained an enormous sum of money as the cooditioa of his returning to her the Earl's letters, — given in charge to hcrwaitiat* woman. The money obtained, he gave up the foigeries, and retained the originals ; and then b^^an to work upon the poor Countess* fears and ^ for her husband again. When the villany came at length to light, ift*^ the Earl's death, he was tried in the Star Chamber ; sentenced to repay l^ money he had obtained from the Countess of Essex ; and to pay a bet^ fine to the Queen. The Queen compounded with him for the fine. He then set Lady Essex at defiance, and found one or more lawyers to mpp**^ his plea that a pardon from the Crown, in such a case, disabled a xaon^ claimant from prosecuting her claim. His narrative of his own"Soifc'* ings" — addressed to King James the First — was long kept in the ChapW House at Westminster (among the Records of the Treasury of the K«* ceipt of the Exchequer), and is now in the new Rolls House. It is entitkpanierds be now att sea, they ar in great dis- r Lord COBHAME IS now with yow. I am sure must be a godmother and my Lord Admirall tye. I beseich yow lett us know what becumes and my Lord of NORTHUMBERLAND, to whom tten of your careful! respect of hyme. conclude with Meers, if ther be any nobell celer, or gentelman that would be contented provoked by a sarvant, and thinck it fitt to many indignites from a villayne raysed by f, I wilbe contented to be ordered in this cause one.* yes that she must envy any fingers whosoever weare her gloves, butt your owne. Your's ever as your sarvant. 2ptember [1601]. W. Ralegh. right honorabell Sir Robert Cecyll, Knightf^ Principall Secritory^ &*c. September 25. Sir Walter Raleigh to my Master^ concernipge Metres, lys later than the date of this letter from Sir W. Ralegh, s wrote to Sir R. Cecil a letter dated from Sherborne, and B saperscription Viscount Bindon's signature, — dated from losing certain "advertisements" which had been received ship, who, says the writer, '^ commanded me in haste to to the packet- bearer of Sherborne, which I performed this * &c {Ceeil Papers, vol. Ixxxviii. § 69. Hatfield.) On the »bcr John Meeres, the person specially complained of in LKTTER CII. I60I. Sept. 25. Letters of RaUgk, cm. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL Fr*-a ibc Or^inaL LXTTER i6ci. t*- --- To Sir RcSrrt Cev-l. \ From >her- borae. ' Arrival of men j: Wev- mouth. — News of the Siviniih FUt. Dvmestii C^rrafcnJtnce : Elizabeth. Unarnnsed muked -'261 a.* (Rolls HoQSe.) Holognph. MR. Ther arived att Weimouth on Friday, the xxv'of this September, to Skottishmen, the on called ROBERT Blanshilu the other Robert Perison, marchants of Aburdene ;— they departed Lysbone the thirde of this present ; — who affirme, on their oathes, that they wcart stayde att Lysbone and St. L^valP eyghteen weekes;and that ther depted from Lysbone, some dayes before thdf cuminge from thence, a fleet of greate Spanish shippS to the number of thirtv-six, and with them three Irisbc shipps, one Irishe byshoppe, with many preists, and other Irishe men. They all gave out that they intended to land either att Cork or Lymbrike. The number of men weare S.cxx). wherof 6,000 soldiers ; the other 2,0CX)wearc to bringe back the shipps. They weare well furnished with vittell, munition, and mony ; and had also htw them many women. Sir Walter s letter printed abo\'e, thus addressed Cecil from his ment in the Gatehouse : ** I do hereby acknowledge my violent speecK* useil by [/. e. alwui] Sir Walter Ral<^h, as formerlie I ha\-e done, and ^ : they were spoken furiouslye and foolishelie ; hoping that your Hoi* will have a mero'full consideracion thereof, and waigh the tymewkfl* I uttered them ; the rather for that I am verie sorry for the stine, ^ i wilbe read}-e to make such satisfaction to him for the same ts your Hoi* shall thinck meete, nothing doubting but that your Honor wilbc rtfp*** tive of my other causes that they may not [be] hereby impeached,** && » St. l\HxUJ\ San Juan dc I'lloa? ' News of the Spanish Fleet 241 1601. Sq>t 26. It seemethe by this report that a Plantation is ment I letter cm. Thes Skottishe seem to be very honest men, and this intdligenc diflfereth littell from that I sent yow from Jcrsc)'. All which I leve to your better judgment, and rest )'our most assured to do yow service. W. Ralegh. Wcimouthe, this 26 of September [1601]. Addrcncd: Ar ffer Maiaiia service. To th€ right h^Horahle Sir Robert C ec YLL, Primcipal Secritory to Her Miuestie. Shirbarae, the 26 of Sqptember. att 10 o'clock the forenoune. Eadoncd: Sr [f. Raleigh to my Master, From Shirhonne, I CIV. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. ^nm the Original. Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. Unananged hpen ; fonneriy marked ' 263.' (BoUs Hoose.) Holograph. J WROTE unto yow the 26 of this present what I re- ceived from certayne Skottishe marchants. It is now ^^lanefest that bothe thos advertisements ar trew, for ttos three pinneses which brought in the great prize att ftymouth of 900 chests of suger were chased by the Spanish fleet, seven dayes before their arivall ; and they *rived on Tuesday last,* the second of this moneath, and wearc therfore chased of ^ the mouth of the Channell, ^*idi was about the 25 of August, and so must needs * So in MS., bot e\-idently by a slip of the pen. VOL n. R off. LETTER CIV. 160I. Sept. 27. To Sir Robert Cecil. From Sherborne. 242 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CIV. 160I. Sept. 27. News of the Spanish Fleet.— Occur- rences on the Irish coast. be in Ireland or perished ; from whence it seemeth yow canot hear by reason of this esterly winde. Thos of Munster had some waminge of ther being on the coast, for one Captayne Love or Capt. LaXE, being on the Irishe coast, forsooke his shipp, and vent into a bote and tooke horse uppon the shore, and gave warninge to the next adjoyninge about the coast of Dungarvan, between YoholP and Waterforde. From there he tooke his shipp agayne and arived att Ply- moth. Thes pinneses tolde 60 sayle. A Fleming also, cuming from Lysbone, confirmeth the former intelli- gence, and addeth therunto, either out of conjecture, or knowledge, or fame, affirming that the soldiers ar 6,000; that they have twelvemoneths pay, and like vitteD, beforehande ; that he saw many with chaynes of goldc; and that generally the army was very brave, and well provided of all things ; that certayne cannons were imbarked in some gallions, with all other things answer- abell. Sir, I beseich [you] to acquaynt my Lord Adminall herewith, and that yow will vouchsaif to excuse fflc for not writing to his L[ordship], knowing that yow are of one mind and fortune, of one love and on * indevor for Her Majesties service. Yours ever as your sarvent, W. Ralegh. Shirb[orne], the 27 of Sept. [1601]. Addressed : For Iler Majesties speeiall affaires. To the right honorahell Sir Roi»T Cecyll, Knight, Primipall Secritory\ ^c. Hast, &c * Voughal. - one. Rccommaidation of Mr, Stuclcy. 243 CV. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Fnm the Original. Oriy/'<7/^j,vol.lxxxviii.§ 128 (Hatfield)- Holograph. Sir, If I cum not to^ late, I would be an humbell sutor onto yow for a cumpany in Irland for a gentelman, Mr. Stuckly, who hath served with good reputation bothe by sea and lande. Hee was wounded with Sir Richard « Grenvile in the Rcvaidgey and hath since served longue in Irland and clcewhere. For the rest, I will not trobell yw, but I will hope for your favor towards hyme, and ''Bt your Honors to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Sherbum, this 13 of October [1601]. [Postscript.] — This bearer hath brought an Inglish- oun which came in the Spanish fleet. Hee will tell yow ftat they imbarked 4,000 men, but want ij great shipps ^ almost a 2,000 of their men. They ar riche in '^ony. The cummanders have brought their wives and diildren, which provcth that they mean to abide it, and ^kc us a warr then They look for great supplies. TTic>'have broken down the wall, man's hight. They wc intrendied without the towne ; out of which they "3ve bynn beaten twise in a day by Captain Flowre.^ The Inglishe serve with invincibell currage agaynst them, "lany Spanierds ar alreddy taken. They have too car- ^■rfls uppon the entrance. The Deputy is not yet cum I LF:TTr.R CV. 1601. Oct. 13. To Sir R. Cecil. From Sherborne. Recom- mendatiou of Mr. Stucley, for ser\icc in Ireland. — Invasion of Ireland by the Spaniards. 1 / A'. This reading is doubtful. U 2 LrtUrs of RaUgk. .Oa. timers, bat will shortly. DiEGO Brochero is '1 ; SE£UR:'- \Tce-admiradL Brochero is thot The>' had 6 great ^ipps of 900 toon« and on' of 1.5CC : all cand, for the most, with strangers. The =i*::5C cf ihe shipps ar gone. The rest tarry yet I Z3ti thought that this bearer had been Stucklv, Ttddi isade me write as I did. Butt he is still is Irlazvie. and therfore I do not miche desire anythii^ io nis beh-JLJL Your's e\"er to do yow service^ W.R. SherbunL this Wensday night. r*/ :u 'V*- ^ Eziirned : 14 Ckt.Vk^^ 1601. SiiTSV RoFMT Cecyll, Ktti^kt, rnmifaa Scr U'jJUr R^ilr^ tj mty Master, CVI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL Fn?n the Or.-lajL Cv;.- P^prrs^ vol Ixxxix. § 41 iHatfidd). Hok)p«P*^ Without date. LETTER 01. 1601. Oct. To Sir R. Ccca. [From Sher- borne.] Sir. I AM of oppinion that ether Kynsale vczs not the place purposed to be undertaken, or clce FLORENCE was the cause therof, for the port bordereth his countO'* The towne is of small reseate, mastered by hills, and cum- passed with a weake wall Butt wher as I herd that the Deputy and Presedent have written that they uill cw'^^ oru. * Florence MacCaithy. See Vol. I., chapter x*i Invasion of Ireland by the Spaniards. 245 work of it, I am not altogether of that minde, t I do not thinck that Spayne will supply them Neather will thos Spanierds alreddy ther finde party as they hoped, — ^which may be some cause govemours' hopes. Butt, after a few dayes, yow ^•e more; for, if the country stand sounde, then the ilbe the easier. Butt sure I am if thes Spanierds tn in the brining of the warrs, the kingdome had >nce lost. Yow shall finde, I warrant yow, that ME will bestire hyme sealf in the north, and every n his quarter. For this is the last of all hopes. Meeres, I thinck by this tyme yow finde the it of his villanous spirrite, and yet a more noto- rowardly brute never lived. Butt if hee do not t hyme sealfe, hee will triumph that hee hath 1 mee and my greatest frinds. All which I leve r favorabell care, and rest your ever most fayth- do yow service, W. Ralegh. iTSCRIPT.] — My wife sayes that yow came hither unseasonabell tyme, and had no leasure to looke \ and that every day this place amends, and n, to her, groes worss and worss. I have sent her Majestie's letters and your Honor's with all nee; not doubting butt the soldiers, butt^ first ted and thes, shalbe reddy. My deputes have I to mee that they will arme the first 50 men. they will do for thes, I know not. Ml: *Me right konorabdl Sir Robert Cecyll, Knighte^ Pnncipall Secritorye^ &*c, d: "5i> Walter Raldgh to my Master, Without date;'' and, in another hand, **C^r/. 1601.'* * So in MS.» probably written for *^ both.' LETTER CVI. 160I. Oct Invasion of Ireland by the Spaniards — Knaveiy of John Meeres 146 Letters of Ralegh, CVII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECI LETIER CVII. 160 1 ? To Sir R. Cecil. From Jersey ? Remit- tance of money to Jersey. — Particu- lars of a privatcer- mg adven- ture. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ voL clxxxvi § 131 (Hatfield)* Without date. Sir, I HAVE now receved of Mr. THOMAS Fr full summe of foure hundred poundes, acco your former letter, which I hope will sett all the next, I will send a particuler, easier to stoode. Mr. Freake had not so mich mony o att the present, but hathe taken it up of his fr was exceeding willinge to do yow service tl wilbe in any thinge that yow shall pleas to 1 for which I pray yow to returne hyme thancl< is a hard matter in this country^ to make pi mony. I By the next, I hope yow shall here that th gonn, that now stayes butt for the winde ; and ' no other matter of importance, I rest yours 1 i service, W. R [Postscript.]— I will returne the last Ictt next packctt. Addressed : To the ri^ht honorahcll Sir Robert Cecyll, Kni^ht^ Sccritorye^ ^c, Endorseil : **.S» W'alUr Kalei^h to my J/<^r.7tV." Without d ' Jciscy .' Foreign News and Rwnours, 247 1602. CVIII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. FiWB the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xciv. § 56 (Hatfield)* Holograph. Without date of year. Sir, Yow will, I hope, geve me leve to salute my Lord CoBHAME and Vow, both in a letter. I can send no ncwsc from hence. I here not from any part of the world as yet. I cannot send away a barke for Spayne, the winde blowing continewally att west and north west From France I have hard nothing, butt that a bark of GianWle told me that the master was ofTred a hundred ODwis to be pilot for this place by Spinola. Butt he conduded with a sute for the transporting of sea cole ; — to which, I suppose, his silee ^ tale ^ tended. I feare the cumming of many Norman gcntelmen. Butt I cannot prevent it. I shalbe mich pesterd with Ihcm. I beseich yow bestow a line on me, that leve in desolation. And, if yow find no cause to staye me here, I would willingly returne. The newses here of Epernon's flight from Court, the Constabeirs * disgrading, and such other Rochell ^vertismentts, I belcve not. Yow best know what *»athe paste. I shall ever rest to do yow bothe service with all I '^ve, and my life to boote, W. Ralegh. ' Thee two words have been hurriedly written, and the reading is a '««k (loobtful. The word " tended " is plain. ' /-^ the Marshal Duke of Hiron. LETTER CVIII. 1602. July 20. To Sir R. Cecil. From Jersey. Greetings. — Foreign news and - rumours. —Ex- pected arrival of Normans in Jersey. 250 Letters of Rakgh. CLL l60E2L Lrrm ii^y. I bcsdch your Lordship that I may here from yow. From hence I can present yow with nothinge butt my fast love and trew affection, which shall never part from studiing to honor yow, till I be in the grave, W. Ralegh. Wdmouth, this 12 of August [1602]. [Postscript.] — My Lord Vicount [Bindon] hath so exalted M££R£*s sutes agaynst mee, in my abseoo^ as neather Master Seijent Heale nor any elce could be hard for mee to stay trialb while I was out of the land in Her Majesties service ; — ^a right and curtesy afforded to e\er>' b^;ger. I never busied mysealf with the Vicont's wealthe ; [nor] of his extortions, or poysoninp of his wife, as it is here avowed, have I spoken. I have forborne here, in respect of the Lord THOMAS [Howard], and cheifly because of Master Secritoiy who, in his love to my Lord THOMAS, hathe wisht oce to it. Butt I u-ill not indure wrong att so pevisbe a foole's hands any longer. I will rather loose my Kfe And I thinck that my Lord Puritan Periam^ doeA thincke that the Queen shall have more use of rpS* and villayns then of men, or els hee would not, att Bvndon's instances, have yeilded to try actions agaywt mee, being out of the lande. I ' Addressed : ' To thf right homoraMl my singulcr good Lordiy tht Lord CoiKAlft i Lord IVardiH oftfu Fhr Portis, <5rV. * Sir William Pcryam, one of the Justices of the Common Plci^^ Feb. 1 58 1 until Hilary Term of 1593 ; and Chief Baron of the Excbeip*^ from the latter date until Oct 1604. Continued Efforts for the Colonisation of Virginia. 251 ex. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. Frum the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xciv. § 160 (flatfield)- Holograph. Without date of year. Sir, WlIERAS as I wrate unto yow in my last that I *as gonn to Weymouth, to speake with a pinnes of njync arived from Virginia, I found this bearer, Cap- taync GILBERT, ther also, who went on the same voyage. Butt myne fell 40 leaugs to the west of it, and this bearer as much to the east ; so as neather of them spake ^ the peopell. Butt I do sende both the barks an-ay agayne, having saved the charg in sarsephraze^ *'oode; butt this bearer bringing sume 2200 waight* to Hampton,' his Adventurers have taken away their parts, and brought it to London. I do therforc humblie pray yow to deale withe my Lord Admiral! for a letter to make seasurc of all that vhidi is cumc to London, ether by his Lordships octo- ' i^ye or by the Judge : because I have a patent that 1 all shipps and goods arc confiscate that shall trade ther, without my levc. Aqd whcras sarsephraze was worth j JOff., i2f., and 20s. a pound before GlLHKRT returned, his doying of the market will overthrow all mync, and his ownc also. Hee is contented to have all staydc ; not only for this present : butt, being to go agayne, others will also go and distroy the trade, which, other- LKTTER ex. 1602. Aug. 21. To Sir R. Cecil. From Wey. mouth. Continued efforts for coloniza- tion of Virginia, and fecundation of a trade therewith. — Arrival of some cargoes of \as.sefras wowl, &c. \ljyr/Ht\. - 2200 lb. nr 22c\vt., a'^ llicn (.oiiipulcd. ' St)iithaiii|il(>n. 252 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER ex. 1602. Aug. 21. wize, would yeild 8 or 10 for on/ in certenty, and a returne in xx weekes. I desire butt right herein ; and my Lord Admirall, I hope, will not be a hinderance to a matter of trade graunted by the Great Seale of Inglande ; his Lordship havinge also freedome and an interest in the oountrye. A man of my Lord's, of Hampton, arested part of Gilbert's, for the tenths. I hope my Lord will not take it ; belonging not unto hyme ; having also hymc sealf poure to trade ther* by his interest. And it were pitty to overthrow the enterprize ; for I shall yet live to sec it an Inglishe nation. Ther was also brought 26 sedar trees by GILBERT, which one Staplyne of Dartmouth hath. If my Lord will vouchsauf to write to C. HARRIS* to seaze them, we will part them in three parts, — to seele* cabineats, and make bords^ and many other delicate things. I besddi yow vouchsauf to speak to my Lord. I know his Lord- ship will do mee right herein. I, for hast, have not written. For, if a stay be not made, it wilbe spent, and sold into many hands. This bearer, Captayne GILBERT — who is my Lord Cobhame's man — will find out wher it is. Hee amc to mec with your post letter. It is he, — ^by a good token, — that had the great diamonde. I beseich yow, favor our right ; and yow shall sec what a prety, honorabell, and sauf trade wee will make- Your's ever to serve yow, W. RALEGH. [Postscript.] — I hope yow will excuse my cumber- some letters and sutes. It is your destney to be trobled one. • /. t\ to Vii^ginia. Christopher Harris, an officer of the Admiralty. * bonis * is pn>bal)ly licrc used in ihc sense of * tables. * ^ (id. News of the Spanish Fleet 253 »ur frindsy and so must all men bee. Butt what inck unfitt to be dun for mee shall never be a , ether intemall or extemall. I thanck yow ever- r the good, and what cannot be effected, farewell r wee cannot have what we would, methincks it is bonde to finde a frinde that will strayne hyme his frind's cause in whatsoever, — ^as this world outh, this 21 of August [1602]. 3ND Postscript.] — Gilbert went without my id therfore all is confiscate ; and he shall have : agayhe. 1: f right honorabell Sir Robert Cecyll, Knight^ Principall Sccritoryfy &*c, Angust 21. Sir Walter Raleigh to my Master. CXI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. I Original. Df^*^ waye of St. Malloos this momyng. From whence, beleeke, the letter i* Mr. Secretarye ys sent dyrectlye. And so, Mryshing that these idvertj** ments may have a speedy passage unto your Honour, I wyll humbly tiB my leave. Jersey, the xiiiih of September, 1602. Your Honour's in all dewtye to command, G. TomST- Addressed : To his honorable Governour^ Sir WALTER Ralegh, Knyght, U^ Warden of the Stannerys, Captayn of Her Majesties Curdy e^ Governour of Jersey, Hast, &c. * Rennes, in Brittany. Ralegh about to go into Cornwall 2S5 CXII. TO HENRY BROOKE, LORD COBHAM. e OriginaL Domestic Correspondence: Elizabeth. Unarranged «r& (Rolls House.) Holograph. Without date of year. ST LORDE, DO only write yow thes to salute yow, and to to here from yow how your particular, and our 11, worlde movethe; and withall that yow will afe to lett me know how the Queen accepted the For the littell comonwealth whence I came, I ^e to trobell your Lordship withall till God send (leet I am now preparing my miserable jurney omwall. From thence I will hast towards yow, rewher I will ever remayne Your most trew frinde and sarvent, W. Ralegh. >TSCRIPT.] — Bess^ remembers herself to your lip, with a challendg that shee never hard from I beseich your Lordship to favor this poore man, worthy estimation. •borne, this 14th of October [1602 }\ !d: my kcnaraiie good Lard^ the Lord Cobham, Lord Warden of the Cinque Portes, ^ Lady Ralegh. LETTER CXII. 1602? Oct 14. To Lord Cobham From Sherborne. Greetings. -Ralegh is about to go into Cornwall. 256 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CXIII. 1602. Nov. 3. To Sir R. Cecil. From Sherborne. Regulation of the Mines of Cornwall. — Deten- tion by j>rivate affairs at Sherborne. CXIII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, Pilhir C, b ii. § I02 (Hi Holograph. Without date of year. Sir, Since I wrate unto yow, out of Comwalc agreement with the Tynners, I have not hard fro: I miche desire to know how our labors ar accq and how the world farethe. I linger here as longe as I cann, to dispa private affaires ; except ther be cause to hasten I will herein be directed by yow, and in all thin disposed att your pleasure. I can write yow fron no other newse, butt that we ar all — littell and { in good health, and ever yours faythfully to cum wherinsoever, W. R.\IJ Sherburne, the 3 of November [1602]. LETTER CXIV. 1602. CXIV. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL From tlic Original Cecil Papers, vol. xcvii. § 104 (Hatfield)* Ho Without date. Sir, I HAVE perswadcd all the poore Tavern Inglande that I would not depart the Court unti To Sir R. ' ^yere assured to injoy their estates and free then From the Court? Business of the Wine Office.— the Promoter. If I shalbe sent away^ before finished, I shall not only be thought a cussener ; b my absence, I know ther wilbe a thowsand famy > /. c. be sent to his government of Jersey. The Queeris Disfavour. 2S7 ourL The matter is nothinge to her Majestye. that hath justified all her actions, words, and 5, to all the yearth, will not finde me out to make >le of the contrary. The Queen may take advan- »f the acts of her awncestors ; but neather prince rivate man denieth hyme sealf. Her Majestye his grace to Sir Henry Leg for ;^400 lande, and t of her Majesties gift reves mee to find with what difficulty and torment sealf 1 obtayne the smalest favor. Her Majestye s that I am reddy to spend all I have, and my life, ' in a day ; and that I have but the keping of that ; For all I have I will sell for her in an howre, «nd it in her service. : the Queen, then, break their harts that ar none s. Ther is littell gayne in losinge her own. Thes should not torment mee if I were as other ar. is trew, — * l/di dolor, ibi amor; exue amoretn' jras it pleaseth her Majesty to promis to do it :er, although it may be certayne that * Miser est futuf is petidct^ yet I protest, before God, for my never care to have it other wize. Butt I cannot )r shew my face out of my doores, without it, nor de thorrow the townes wher thes Tavemerss dwell. seich yow to offre it. I hope her Majestye will "use it ; or thinck it a gayne to send mee away )ken and disgraced.^ Your*s to do yow service, W. Ralegh. d: ^ To the right honorable Sir Robert Cecyll, Knight^ Prin- cipall Secritorye, dr»f." ,in Sir Robert Cecirs hand : ''Sir Walter Ralegh ;"" and, in another hand, " To my Master, 1602." , at present, nnable to explain the precise suit to which this letter siness of the Wine-licensing Patent directly relates. It is probable | II. S LSTTRR CXIV. 1602. The Queen's disfavour. 2S8 Letters of Ralegh, CXV. TO THE QUEEN. From the Original. CecU Papers, vol Ixxxiii. § 35 (Hatfield). Hokignpli # * The scription of this letter, like its style, bean the characteristic marks and stamp of Ralegh ; but its extreme precision and neatness of hand — so entirely unusual with die writer at this period of his life — are such as might exdtc at least a momentary misgiving as to its genuineness. Thej appear, at the first glance, to exceed that natural amount of care and deliberation which w^ould mark a courtly subjetfi deference to his Sovereign. On the whole, however, theie seems to be no ground for questioning its authenticity, as 10 original letter in Sir Walter's autograph. In subsequent years, careful — almost elaborated — ^pennua- ship became characteristic of Ralegh's letters, wheno'cr the subject was important I regret that I am not, at present, able to put before the reader a fac-simile of this later style rf scription, as well as of those early scrawls of which he his already seen a specimen in the Letter to the Eari of Leicester, of October 1587. that some technical irregularity in the terms of the Patent had bed ^ covered, and that an attempt had been made — during Ralegfa*i pK^ cloud of disfavour with the Queen — to injure him, and, through hiaii ^ "poor Tavemers " or Vintners, by disturbing in some way the licenotffc* had granted. [See the Letter of the Solicitor-General Egertofi» q*^'* above, p. 41.] It would also appear that the thing proposed to be 4* was expected, in some degree, to benefit the Queen^s Exchcqier; w^^ course it was also expected not to injure that of the promoters, vlx^' under such circumstances— would much rather have heard of Rafcgl'* banishment to his command at Jersey than have continuefl to tee hi* i' Court. st Proposals to the Queen to declare a Successor, 259 RESUMED to present your Majestye with a >ntayninge the dangers which might groe by lish faction in Skotland. How it pleased your to accept therof I know not. I have since at divers ill-disposed have a purpose to speak ssion. If the same be suppresst, I am gladd of earinge the worst, I sett down sume reasons to 5 motive meerly vayne, dangerus, and unnesces- Ind because I durst not my sealf speak, in any /ithout warrant, I have sent your Majestye thes ts, which may perchance put others in minde of it not impertinent ; and who, beinge graced by ajesties favor, may, if need require, use them others more worthy. Without glory I speake durst ether by writinge or speach satisfye the 1 that poynct, and in every part of their foolish s which, for shortnes of time, I could not so insert. This beinge, after one hour's waminge, lioure's worke, I humblic beseich your Majestye cquaynt any withall, unles occasion be offred em. Majestye may, perchance, speake hereof to thos I my great frinds, but I finde poore effects or any other supposed ametye. For, your havinge left mee, I am left all alone in the ind am sorry that ever I was att all. What lonn is out of zcale and love, and not by any ment : for I am only forgotten in all rights, and Taires ; and myne enemis have their wills and 3ver mee, Ther ar many other things con- your Majesty's present service, which, mee- are not, as the^ ought, remembred ; and the s 2 LKTTKR CXV. [1602?] To Queen Elizabeth. On pro- |K)sals for the decla- ration of a Successor to the Crown. — Rej^ets at hi-^ cxflu- sion fruiti the Queen's presence. I t/:o'' I •J •i^ I •s \ 260 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXV. [1602 !] LETTER CXVI. [1600?] To Sir R. Cecil. Embarka- tion of the Duke Orsini. tymes pass away, unmesured, of which more profitt might be taken. But I feare I have ah^dy presumed to^ mich, which Love stronger then Reason hath in- coraged ; for my errors ar eternal, and those of other mortall, and my labors thanckless, I mean unacoqit- able, for thancks belongeth not to vassalls. If yovrfj Majestye pardon it, it is more then to^ great a rcnianfe And so most humblie imbracing and admiringe the memory of thos celestial bewtyes, which with the people is denied mee to revew, I pray God your Majestie may be etemall in joyes and happines. Your Majesty's most humble slave, W. R. Addressed : '* For the QueetCs most exeeient Majestye.^ CXVI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL From the Original Cecil Papers, vol. clxxxvi. § 132 (Hatfield)^ Holopip^ Without date. Sir, Ther came unto mee a gentelman from Flushir? who saw the Duke DoN Virginia* Ursini ther. It "^ trew that hoc was imbarked in a Fleminge att Dovofl the winde not servinge for her Majesties shipp to cum about. Now wher^ this Zelander did carry hyme thither p^' force, or whether hee desired it, hearing of the Peace ot ' too. « So in MS. ' v*ketkfr. Efnbarkaiion of the Duke Orsinu 261 know not For I remember hee told me that d see Holland and Zeland, if that peace weare i How hee shalbe welcume to the Archduke e not. I thought good to lett yow know this Your's to do yow service, W. Ralegh. " To tkt right honorab€ll Mr, Secritorye:^ *^Sir Walter Ralegh to my Afaster:' lable conclusively to identify the " Virginio Orsini,*Vhere spoken Af, he was the same Italian nobleman who is mentioned by Historia sui Temporis^ under A.D. 1 591), as leading a crusade iits in the States of the Church, but there is no proof. In the X of De Thou*s French translators (edit of 1734), that noble- red as Virginio degli Orsini, * son of the Marquess of Lamen- Dothing can safely be inferred from Ralegh's use of the title [ do not think that Virginio degli Orsini occurs in De Thou allusion to " the Peace of Savoy" I had overlooked. It shows tcr should have been placed at the end of the letters of * 1600,' ».* The treaty between Henry IV. and Charles Emanuel of which either the marquisate of Saluzzo, or the territory of large appurtenances, was to be ceded by Savoy to France), was t Paris on the 27th of February, 1600. LETTER CXVI. [1600 1] 77/.T LONDON PALACE OF THE BISHOPS |~\URHAM HOUSE, to the surrender o Walter Ralegh the following letter rela be the mansion of the Bishops of Durham dur ance in Parliament, by Thomas de Hatfield, ■ King Edward the Third as his Secretary, and Durham from the year 1345 until 1381. The 1 to have been commenced soon after this Bisho it continued to be the towti residence of Durham until nearly the close of the reign of Eighth, when Bishop Cmhbert Tonstal had to King, in the form of an ' exchange ' — after th times. By Edward the Sixth it was given Elizabeth for her life. During Mary's reign, T Durham House as well as his dissolved bi was again deprived of both on Eliiabeth's accc De Quadra, the Spanish ambassador whom made famous, lived here ; and hence were liis very curious contributions towards our Other temporary residents inhabited the olc time to time, by the Queen's favour. In 15? lease of the greater part of it to Sir Walter Ral by a letter from Lady Ralegh to Sir Robert C- Raligh and ilu Palace of the Bishops of Durham, 263 amediately on King James' accession, Bishop Tobias thew claimed the house of his ancient predecessors in the and within a few days of the King's arrival at Greenwich ined a royal warrant in the following terms : — our trusty and well beloved Counsellors^ the Lord Keeper of the Great Seale^ &'c, James R. — Right trusty and well beloved Counsellors, we greet you well. Forasmuch as upon examination before you of the matter between the Bishop of Duresme and those that now dwell in his house, touch- ing the right of the House called Duresme Place^ it appeareth that neither the said dwellers have any right therein, nor we, whome they sought to entytle to it; and that thereof we are certyfied by you, we think it reasonable the said Bishop should have quiet possession of his house. \Vlierefore we require you to give order to our Attorny Generall, or some other of our learned Counsell, to give warning and commandment in our name to Sir Walter Raleigh, Knight, and Sir Edward Darcy, to delyver quyet possession of the said house to the said Bishop of Duresme, or to such as he shall appoint to receave it in his name. And that they and all others there abyding do, within such tyme as you shall think good to lymit, avoid the house, removing thence themselves and all their goods within that tyme which you shall appoint, with indifferent consideration as well of the Bishop's necessary use of the place as also of their convenyency for removing from thence. Gy^en under our Sygnet at our Manor of Greenwich, the last day of May, 1603, in tlie first yeare of our rayne." lie Bishop, as it seems, was prevented from attending the nmissioners, in person, and wrote to the Lord Keeper a er, of which the following is a copy : — PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER CXVII. 1603. 264 Prefatory Note to Letter CXVIL PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER CXVII. 1603. " To the Rt, Hon. my very good Lord^ Sir Thomas Egertos, Knight^ Lord Keeper of the Great Seale of En^and, Maie it please your good Lordship, Whereas yesterdaie morning, when I should hare attended your Lordship, and the rest of his Majesties Commissioners, for the possession of my house in the Strand, I received a message from his Highness, by Sir Roger Ashton and Mr. Hudson, that it was his Majesties good pleasure and direction that I should forthwith repaire to the Queene our Sovreigne, and give myne attendance on her Highness in her journey from Duresme to the Court (which his Majestyc would vouchsafe to take in very good part of his princely benignitie), I had no tyme to take my leave of yoff Lordship, being the same aftemoone to depart the Cittie northward, much lesse to solicite your Lordship and the rest as aforesaid. Wherein as necessitie itself will, I trust, pleade myne excuse, notwithstanding I thought meete to acquaint your Lordship with Ais sodaine occasion of my absence, and to intreate thaie this bearer, my servant Francis Berty, maie have accessc to your good Lordship to receive your honorable and favorable answer, togeather with the possession of that house to my use with what celeritie conveniently ©ay be graunted ; the supposed tenaunts seeking nothing • els but to gaine tyme to deface the house more then w justyfiable by lawe, or to shuffle in some noble or other- wise gracious person thereinto (yf not moe then one)i whome to remove it may be harder for me than I ^ willing to assaie. I hcare that Sir Walter Raleigh doth earnestly labour to contynue his habitation there untiU Michaelmas, a desjiie nothing reasonable, considering that thereby the commoditie of the summer will be lost, a tyme most fit for me to repaire the delapidations and decayes which he by so many ycres space hath made or Ralegh and the Palace of the Bishops of Dnrhavu 265 1603. suffered, and which I would forthwith sett in hande .. pR^fa- ' ^ TORY with all my workmen of all sorts, whatsoever it cost me. note to LFTTER. Humbly beseaching your Lordship that, as hitherto, so (^xvir to the ende of this my suite, I maic finde your especial! favour, whereupon I depende, and must acknowledge the same with all dutie and thankfulnes at my retume at her Majesties repaire to London. By which tyrae all these wranglers maie have removed their stuffe, especially sithe they were not ignorant that none but j myself could clayme any just title, interest, or occupa- tion, and that I had made the same known unto them all before Easter last, which they cannot denie. { Thus being sorie but that there is no remedie to I be so troublesome to your Lordship, I humbly take my leave. At Ware, this \'ijth of June, 1603. Your Lordship's humble, bounden and assured, more and more to be commanded, TOBIE DURESME." Hie Bishop was very timely — as it proved — in his applica- 1 He had taken advantage of his northern proximity to imong the first to welcome King James on his crossing \ border, and he obtained permission to preach a congratu- ■ wy sermon before him at Berwick. James, probably, knew \ king of the very unfavourable view of his own character ich the now courtly Bishop had formed and expressed in | jonc years. As recently as in 1594, Matthew had written < U)rd Burghley that King James "is a deeper dissembler n is thought possible for his years." " I pray Cod," he adds, ic K.ing*s protestations be not too well believed." This >recation grew out of a then -pending negotiation between ten Klizabeth and the King of Scots touching the *protec- li' of that Scottish exile, Lord Bothwell,^ who is mentioned, » 5w Prefatory Note to Letter XCV. 266 Prefatory Note to Letter CXVII. PREKA- ; TORY NOTE TO LETTER CXVU. 1603. SO significantly, in Ralegh's ktter to Cecil on the treatment of the Earl of Essex in 1600. The Bishop, it is plain, had nov, in some degree, made a favourable impression on James, and his present request came on the eve of Ralegh's fatal impli- cation in some of the schemes of Cobham — whatever may have been their real object or extent. I'he Bishop won his suit But his direct interest in Diuhas House was to be brief. I doubt that he himself lived in it for more than a few weeks. And within three yeais, he vas transferred to the Archbishopric of York. There^ he found occasion and motive to do with the London mansion of the Archbishops of York precisely — ^but under aggravated dream- stances — what, in 1603, he condemned Queen Elizabeth fiw having done with its near neighbour, that of the Bishops of Durham. He alienated it from the See (of course, under the illusive form of an 'exchange*) to the King's all-poweifiil favourite, the Duke of Buckingham. Nor were his dealiAgs with Durham House itself during his short tenure much to the credit of his honesty. A well-known apophthegm has kept alive the memory of Bishop Matthew's domestic infelicities : — " One of my sons has wit and no grace ; the other, grace but no wit ; and the third has neither grace nor wit." The scapegrace first named in this pleasant trio proved his wit by getting, in some way or other, from his father — with whom, nevertheless, he was almost always at variance — an interest in certain outlying portions of Durham House and its purlieus which was valuable enough to be purchased by Robert Cecil (by that time Earl of Salisbur))» in the year following the Bishop's translation to York, for the sum of 1200/.^ The plunder of the Church, and of ^^ pastors, went on — in substance — ^just as prosperously under James as it had done under Elizabeth. But it then became the fashion to cloke the theft with somewhat of out^'a'd sanctimoniousness in phrase and profession, — a disguise which before had commonly been deemed superfluous. Two "i^ ' T. Mallhcw to V. «»f Salislmry ; in Ccal Po/hts, vol. c.\x. f. 94 .Halfc'''^ Ralegh and the Palace of the Bishops of Durham, 267 after his purdiase, Lord Salisbury obtained, from Bishop Matthew's successor, a lease of the "courtyard of Durham House." Bishop James, on this occasion, spends no time in ttseless remonstrance, but, with the simple rhetoric of cumu- ; Ittive figures, sums up to the lA>rd Treasurer^ the onerous deductions claimed from the revenues of Durham — for very lecular purposes — under the rule of the royal theologian. The ; total» thus stated, is certainly expressive. Not the least curious incident in the history of ' Durham House' is the fact that its temporary restoration to the ancient ' (mners was contemplated by Sir Robert Cecil, before the Queen's death. He it was who instigated the application by Bishop Matthew-, and who paved the way for its success.^ Whatever else had happened to Sir Walter Ralegh, on the ; accession of King James, there had been a foregone deter- mination that he should lose his town residence. When part of the outbuildings had been burnt — in the October of 1600 — Lady Ralegh had written to Sir Robert : ** It is lime for you | to get an interest in this rotten house." The context suggests : ^ut it is suggestion only — the probability that there had : already been some talk between Ralegh and Cecil about the subtraction of a part of the large purlieus of the old c[)iscopal palace, — either as an addition to Cecil's own house and grounds, or for some ulterior purpose. Whether or not Sir Robert had, at that date, formed his plan of building a vast bazaar or * exchange ' on the site, there is nothing, I think, to j show. The first idea of such a novel scheme would seem more ■ consonant with Ralegh's mind than with Cecil's. Be that as it nuy, die * Nf.w Kxchange'— so often mentioned in the dramas ' 2nd other popular 'literature of tlie Stuart reigns — rose, even- tually, on the siie of the offices belongir.g to Durham House. ' William J.iine-s lJi>h<>|> uf Durhr^m, lo tlie Lord Tit-a^^urcr Sali'sbury, Jane, 1601^; i\.i! PaJ^trs, vol. cxxvii. f. 83 (Hatfi-.lcl). ' • Uiicr (»f nisfiop Matthew, written from ncr\\ick, 7 A|)ril, 1603 ; Catl /'.Af.. -...I. \cix. § 9S {Hatfield). ! PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER CXVII. 1603. 268 Prefatory Note to Letter CXVIL PREFA- TORY NOTE TO lETTER CXVIl. 1603. Sir Robert Cecil's innovation was eagerly welcomed bj a- pectant occupiers of the shops and stalls, who besieged him with applications to become his tenants there ; and it was jnst as eagerly opposed by the established traders of the City. Hie Corporation of London tried to induce the powerful miiuster of James to abandon his purpose. In his reply to die Lad Mayor, Cecil protested his strong affection to the ddxena^^ whom he had loved, he said, from his cradle by an herediiaiy obligation. No man, he told them, could in his opinion bet good servant to the King " that should go about to weaken London;" adding, <ur5 and the King's mercy. m that your Lordships have omitted notiiii:^ U t Am truth hcrcoC But as you have oot and ; to pay oa plaisters too narrow fiw » [ trust that you n-ill not imitate ua- '^jrrieii pfcy^idans. to ^ive medicines more cniel tlun the disease itseii'. For the ioumej- into Spain, I know that I was accused to be pri^y thereunto; but I know your Lordships ha* a reputation of conscience, as well as of industry. By whi: means that revengeful accusation was stirred, yWi my Lord Ceciu know right well, that it was my letter abi.>ut K£MI:>H ; and your Lordships all know whcdier it be maintained ; or whether, out of truth and out of * Christian consideration, it be revoked. I know that to have spoken it once is enough for the law, if we li«d under a cruel Prince : but I know that the King «s <** merciful to ha\e or suffer his subjects to be ruined of any quick or unchristian advantage, unless he be resoW. or can persuade his religious heart, of the equity : I IW that the King thinks (with all good princes) latins at /^xrar^ in alti-ram partem. God doth know, and I o* gi\-e an account of it, that I have spent forty thousaw Denial of the Charges brought against him. 273 pounds of mine own against that King and nation ; that I never reserved so much of all my fortune as to pur- diase forty pounds per ann. land ; that I have been a violent persecutor and furtherer of all enterprises against that nation. I have served against them in person ; and hov, my Lord Admiral and my Lord of SUFFOLK can witness. I discovered, myself, the richest part of all his Indies : I have planted in his territories : I offered his Majesty, at my uncle Carew's, to carry two thousand men to invade him, without the King's charge. Alas ! to what end should we live in the world, if all the endeavours of so many testimonies shall be blown off with one blast of breath, or be prevented by one man's word ; and in this time when we have a generous Prince, fiom whom to purchase honour and good opinion I had no other hope but by undertaking upon that cruel and insolent nation. Think therefore, I most humbly be- seech you, on my great affliction with compassion, who lave lost my estate and the King's favour upon one man's word ; and as you would that God should deal with you, deal with me. You all know that the law of Si^land hath need of a merciful Prince ; and if you put ne to shame, you take from me all hope ever to receive lus Majesty's least grace again. I beseech you to be ■esdved oT those things of which I am accused, and distinguish me from others. As you have true honour, and as you would yourselves be used in the like, forget all particular mistakes ; ' viultos dementia honestavit, ■to nullum^ Your Lordships know that I am guiltless rf the • Surprise * intended. Your Lordships know, or may know, that I never accepted of the money, and that it was not offered me for any ill. And of the Spanish ioumey I trust your consciences are resolved. Keep ■ot then, I beseech you, these my answers and humble VOL. II. T LETTER CXVIII. 1603. August. 274 Letters of Ralegh, -i ' LZTTsa desires from my sovereign lord, *^qui est rex plus tt CUVIll. ;nij^ . • t^ and others, to have perswadcd the Lord COBHAME to have gon into thc^"^ Spayn, and to have brought mee 600,000 crowns to Tower.] Jersey. I was strongly suspected that the monyoffrrf Answer to mce for the Peace was for the SurpHze, or for some other a new accusation ill intent. The first accusation — for which I was cum- Cobham.- mitted, ind^'ted, and arreyned — your Lordships do know , to be fake, and yet it was by your Lordships most con- stantly bcleved. And my Lord Cheif Justice avowed Answer to a new Accusation made by Cobham. 27s LETTER CXIX. against the unfairness of the mode of examina- tion.— Contrasts between God's law and Eng- lish law. tliat it could not be otherwize, because the Lord COB- HAME accused hyme sealf, also, therin. rtrti, my Lords, if I had perished therfore,^ yow all : [Ort^er?] finde that I had perished innocent ; and that the pre- j protest ■nmption of the mony was also inferred agaynst mee, and would have strcnghtned my condemnation ; and yet natker treu\ And, for a third : The letter delevered by ItoSEY* in my presence — being unknown to be the Count Arrambergh's by mee — was yet a third pre- somption agaynst mee. But now for this other. I do bcseich yow, for His sake that shedd His bloud ftr OS, do thinck of this one argument : Your Lordships aeethat from the beginninge that^ the Lord Cobhame Ittth had a crewell descir to destroy mee ; hoping therby to extenuate his owne offences. How he hath bynn therto perswaded, I have seene. Hyme sealf sent me the letter. And, if this matter of Milford had bynn trew, what needed the Lord Cobhame have invented a treason agaynst me which was not trcw ? Secondly, It had been easier to have remembered fbat which was, then that which was not. And, thirdly, In this accusation, he might have indan- Sntd me, and spared hyme sealf And this was also as great a treason as the other ; and this — if it had bynn | trew — he might have justeficd, and bynn confident therin. I Thcs considered, good my Lords, judg as yow would lie judged. And remember his letter which he ment no ; creature should see but mysealf A man can have butt ; cue sowlc, and one faythe. And therfore, if your Lord- drips will every day rcceave new inventions against mee, then it is veync for mee to contend. * • tberfore/ /. <•. ' on that charge,^ * Matthew La Renzi or I^urenci? Sec Vol. I., chap. xvii. ' *Mtf/' — w repeated in MS. T 2 2/6 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CXIX< 1603. [October ?] Your Lordships also saw that the night before mj arraynment he spake not a word of this; ^ when he then studied all he could to distroy me. It was not therfore without cause that the most wize and merdfuU God gave thes cummandments touchinge the shedii^ of bludd ; and His lawes are the trew lawes to Chrisdaa men and Christian kings. God sayd, in the 35 of Num- bers : — ' Non poterit testis umis testari contra aliqtum nt moriattir! God renewed His cummandment, in the 17 and 19 of Detronomy : ' Ex sermone duorum aut trium testium morte afficitur is qui meritnr, nee morte afficUur ex sermone testius unius' And agayne : * Ne surgiti testis unius in quenquam pro ulla iniquitate aut pro ulhpeccsti ex omnibus peccatis quibus quispeccat' The same also B confirmed by Christ in Matthew * and in John.' And as St. Augustine sayes : ' Non divina humanis sed hh mana divinis sunt judicandaj And, good my LofiU beleve, * Nemo potest melius, aut aliud^ funetamaUim ponerCy qiiam posuit Dominus* * But the law is past agaynst mec. The mercy of niy Soveraync is all that remaynethe for my cumfort And I know that this law of God wilbe an argument of remorce to my Soverayne Lorde, howsoever mens lawts take place. And I desire your Lordships, for the mercy of God not to doubt to move so mercifuU a prince to cum- passion ; and that the extremety of all extremeties be not layd on mee. Lett the offence be esteemed as >'Our Lordships shall pleas in charety to beleve it and valcw it, yet it is butt the first offence ; and my service to my country, and my love so many years to my supreme ' Here the MS. looks as if the writer himself had underlined the vofd^: but as many sentences in these Letters have been underlined at Hatfield, I mention the fact with some doubt. * Matt xviii. i6. ' John viii. 17, * i Cor. iii. 1 1. vnirasts between God's Law and English Law. 277 [ trust may move so great and good a Kinge, who 5ver estemed cruell ; and I trust will never prove >e. I, if I may not begg a pardon or a life, yet lett g^ a tyme at the King's mercifull hands. Lett me me yeare to geve to God in a prison and to serve • I trust his pitifull nature will have cumpassion ' sowle ; and it is my sowle that beggcth a tyme Kingc r is no prejudice cum to the Kinge,. nor never could 'ejudtce have cum, by that supposed horid intent, the Lord of Heven knowes I never imagined. r the Kinge, my mercifull Lord, picas to withdrawe grace from me, it must be the last breathe that ! 1 draw in the worlde that I dy his trew vassall, ave,* and do love, his very person. Although, I »nfess yt, I am most worthy of this hevy affliction e neglect of my dewty in geving eare to sumo , and in taking on me to harken to the offer of Butt his mercy, I trust, is greater. And the that hath made hyme a lord of many nations, will j : his royall hart. »eich your Lordships, as ever yow tendred the TS of a penetent hart, that yow will present thes lis Majesties knowledg, and afford me your favors ice and cumpassion. Your Lordships* most humblie, W. Ralegh. ed: tke right kcnorabtll my singuler good Lordsj the Earles ^Suffolke ^md Devon, the Ijorde QwqwAs^ the Lord Henry Howard, and ike Larde Wutton. i, in the hand of Sir R. Cecil : *' Sir Walter Rah-^hr LETTER CXIX. 1603. [October ?] * So in original : * loi'eki' omitted. 2/8 Letters of Ralegh. CXX. TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINi LETTER CXX. 1603. [Novem- ber?] To Lord Cecil. [From Win- chester. ] Assertion of the injustice of his arraign- ment of treason. — Entreaty for Cecil's interces- sion with the King, should he fall within the meshes of the law. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol dl § 67, B (Hatfldd)- Witfaont date. Sir, To speake of former tymes, it were needk Lordshipe knowes what I have byn towards y and how long I have loved yow and have byn by yow ; but chang of tymes and myne own er worren out thos remembrances (I feare), and if c remayn, yet in the state wherin I stand the no frindshipe ; cumpassion ther may be, for it seperat from honor and vertu. If the poure of law be not greater then the trewth, I may justly beseich yow to releve me ii affliction. If it be, then your Lordship shall hi (as a just man) to bewayle my undeserved n estate. I cannot dispaire but that sume wa mayncth in cynders to move yow to the first, secound, I may assure my sealf that even God H and your Lordship's love to justice will parswad Your Lordship knowes my accusor; and h known my affection to that nation for whic accused. A hcvy burden of God to be in d perishinge for a Prince which I have so long and to suffer thes miseres under a Prince whoi so long loved. Sir, what mallice may do agaynst me, I ki My cause hath byn handled by strong enemysc Entreaty for CeciVs Intercession with the King. 279 ever I so mich as suspected this practize layd to my diaige, leve me to death ; if the same by any equety shalbe proved agaynst me. And equitas is sayd to be ^ Juris Icgitivii emaidatio et Justitice directio* Your Lordship is now a coiincelcr to a mercifull and just Kinge, if ever we had any. Yow have ever dealt, in matter of justice, as knowing no man's face ; yet vouch- sauf now so to use the powre which God and the King hath gevcn yow, as to defend me from undeserved crewelty. *Potentia non est, nisi ad bontiml The law ought not to overrule piety, but piety the law. The law doth warrant all actions before men ; but God hath sayde, ' Innoccntcfn | nom imterficies* Your Lx)rdship hath known in your \ tymc one in this place condemned, — and in this place ' he perished, — who at the hourc of his death rcceved | the Sacriment that he was innocent. How thcrfore I ' shalbe judged, I know not. How I have deserved to ! be judged, I know; and I desire nothinge but * secundum mcritum meum^ ^ If I should say unto the Kinge that my love so longc bom hymc might hope for sumc grace, it would pcr- diance be taken for presumption, because he is a Kinge, , and my Soveraygnc. But as the Kinge is a trcw gentel- . man, and a just man, besyds his being a Kinge, so he oweth unto me such a mercifull respect as the resolution 1 most willingly to have hasardcd my life and fortune for hyme agaynst all men may deserve. For yoursealf, my Lord Cecili-, and for me, sumtymc your trew frind, and now a miscrabcU forsaken man, I | know that affections ar nether taught nor pcrswadcd. But, if ought remayn of good, of love, or of cunipassion ' towards me, your Lordship will now shew it when I I am now most unworthy of your love, and most unabell i to deserve it.' For even then is love, trcw honor, and LETTER CXX. 1603. [Novem- ber?] 250 Letters of Ralegh. vertu expressed. And what I shall Ie\'e^ to pay of 5i? ^eat a debt, God will perform to your Lordship and Your Lordship's wreched poore frinde and sarvant, W. RalegR [Postscript.] — Your Lordship will finde that I have b\-Tin sLrangly practised aga>'nst, and that others have their lives promised to accuse me. I can say no more, but beseich yow to usediarety. ' C-uiriti2S est qu4jtdam participatio Spiritus Sanctis E=i. ri*-i. in Lord Cecirs band : " Sir IW Raligk:* CXXL LETTER CXXL ICO3. [Novem- ber?; To King Tames. \ Fr^m Win- chester,] Protest of the in- justice of his con- viction of treason. — Appeals to the King's justice and mercy. TO THE KING. Froin the OnjrinjLl. Cecil Paptrs^ %-oL cii. % 67 (Hatfield). HologB|*- Withoat date, and without superscriptioiL Most pre.\d Soverayne, It is on- part of the office of a just and worthy prince to here the cumplaynts of his vassalls — especially suche as ar in gretest misserj'. I know that, among many other presumtions gathered agaynst mee, your Majesty hath bynn parswaded that I was one of them who were gretly discontented, and therfore the more likely to be disloyall. But the great God so releive me and in}*ne in both worlds, as I was the contrary ; and as I tookc no gretcr cumfort then to behold your Majesty, and allways lerninge some good, and betteringe my know- ledg by your Majesties discource. * • iMve to pay ; * /. r. * leave unpaid. * ' em. Afpeals to the King*s Justice and Mercy. 281 I do therfore most humblie beseich my soverayne jord not to beleve any of thos, in my particuler, who, inder pretence of offences to kings, doe easely work hdr particuler revenges. I trust that no man (under he culler of making examples) shall parswade your Majesty to leve the word ' mercifull ' out of your stile ; Tor it will noe less profite your Majesty, and becume your petnes, than the word ' invincibell/ It is true that the lawes of Ingland ar no less jelous of the Kinge, then CAESAR was of POMPEIA, his wife ; for, iK^twithstanding that she was clered of the accusation for Claudius, yett, for being suspected, he condemned her. For my sealf I protest, before the everlasting God, and f speak it to my master and soverayne, that I never ^vented treason, consented to treason, or parformed f'eason, against hyme ; and yet I know that I shall fall inmanus eorum a qidbtis non possum exsurgerc* unless y your Majesties great cumpassion I be sustayned. Our law therfore, most mercifull Prince, knowing her ! 'Vne cruelty, and knoweing that she is wonnt to cum- ^und treasons out of presumtions and circumstances, >th geve this charetabell advice to the King her superior : j Viw solum enim sapiens debet esse rex, sed et vtisericorSy ' cum sapientia misericorditer sit Justus ; cum tutius sit ddere rationem misericordice quam judicii' I do therefore, on the knees of my hart, beseich your ajesty to take councell from your own sweet and mer- full disposition, and to remember that I have loved >ur Majesty now twenty yeares, for which your ^ajestie hath yett gcven mc no reward. And it is ttcr that I should be indebted to my soverayne Lord, len the King to his poore vassall. Save me, therfore, most mercifull Prince, that I may ^c your Majesty my life itt sealf; then which ther LETTER CXXI. 1603. [Noveir- ber?] 282 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXXI. 1603. [Novem- ber ?] cannot bee a greter debt. Lend it me att lest, my soverayne Lord, that I may pay it agayne for your service when your Majesty shall pleas. If the law distroy me, your Majesty shall put me out of your poure ; and I shall have then none to feare, none to reverence, but the King of kings. Your Majesties most humble and penitent vassall, W. R. ' Endorsed, in Lord Cecil's hand : "i^ \V, AV CXXII. CXXII. [1603. Decern l)er 10.] To the I^rds Commis- sioners the Earls of Suffolk and Devon- shire, and others. [ From Win- chester. ] TO THE EARLS OF SUFFOLK AND DEVONSHIRE, THE LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON, AND OTHERS^ Commissioners for the Examination and Trial of THE alleged Conspirators of 1603. From tlie Original, dxil Papers^ vol. cil ill, B (Hatfield). Holofirapk. Without date. We have this day beheld a worke of so great mere)', and for so great offences, as the like hath byne seldome if ever known ; not after the manner of men, or of kings, *^ ccelestis judicis, eternique regis more' And although my scalf have not yet byn brought so nire the very briiM* of the grave, yet I trust that so great a cumpassion will extend it sealf towards mee also, — every way bcir^ ^ hopeless as the rest, and who shall as trewly pay tlwt most great debt of a borrowed life, as any that ever hatn or ever shalbe therto bound. Only the memory of myn^ own unworthinis made mee to dispayre of so great grace Entreaties for his Life, 283 who otherwize beheld Piety in the face, the voyce, the writinge, and life of my Soverayne. I did fear that it would be sayde that I, beinge now poore, would live but a discontented life. But the Lord of Heaven doth know that, if it shall pleas my most good and gratious Lord the King to geve mee that poore life, that I shall as faythfully and thanckfully serve byme, eating but bread and drinkinge water, as "whosoever that hath receved even the greatest honor or the greatest profyte. For a greater gift none can geve, none receve, then life. What the Lord COBHAME hath confest, and how mich it differeth from the receved oppinion, I leve to their reportts who know it. I will not in charety con- demne his fayth; because he was nirer death, though not nirer the expectation, then I was. But will only, for this tyme, accuse his memory or mistakinge. Good my Lords, do me this grace to beleve and vouchsaufe to say it for mee to my soverayne Lorde, that the loss of my estate (which I have deservedly lost) cannot make mee less faythfull or less lovinge his Estat and parson. For as I have to this day loved both his Estate and parson, so have I, in my prayers, besought God to inclyne his mercifull hart towards mee. I will leve your Lordships* farther trobcll, — remcm- bringe this gratefull oppinion: — ^ Non hostiliter scsviit, qui omnia cum possit, fortunas abstulit, spent vitamquc rdiquit* Your Lordships' most humbell to cummaundc, W. Ralegh. Addressed: To tie right honorable my siuguUr good Lords of His MajeUics most hanorabell Pnz>ey Councell^ Cummissioners for the Triall of the late Treasotu, Kndoiscd by Cecil : ** Sir IV. Ralegh," LKTTER CXXII. [1603. December 10.] The scene on the scaffold at Win- chester CasUe. — Entreaties for his life.— Cobhani^s confession and accu- sations. 284 Letters of Raleg/t, LETTER CXXIII. 1603. [Decem- ber.] To Lady Ralegh. [From Win- Chester.] A letter of farewell and conso- lation. Written on the eve of his ex- pected execution. CXXIII. TO LADY RALEGH. From a contemporaneous Transcript Domatic Correspondence: Jamet I.* vol. xcvL § 71 (Bolls House)- Collated with another Tranacxipt in MS. Sloane, 3520, fll 14—17 (British Moseiim) ; and with another (also contemporaneous) among the Cecil Papers at. Hatfield. You shall receave, deare wief, my last words in these my last lynes. My love I send you, that you may keepe it when I am dead ; and my councell, that you may remember it when I am noe more. I would not, with my last Will,^ present you with sorrowes, deare Besse. Lett them goe to the grave with me, and be buried^ in the dust And, seeing it is not the wiU of God that ever I shall see you in this lief, beare my destruccion gentlie' and with a hart like yourself. First, I send you all the thanks my hart cann con- ceive, or my penn* expresse, for your many troubles and cares taken for me, which — though they have not taken effect as you wished — yet my debt is to pu never ^ the lesse ; but pay it I never shall in this world. Secondlie, I beseich you, for the love you bare mc living, that you doe not hide yourself many dayes,butby your travell seeke to helpe your miserable fortunes, aod the right of your poore childe. Your mourning cannot j avaylc me that am but dust. You shall understand that my lands were conveyed to my child, bond fide. The wrightings were drawn at Mid- 1 MS. Cecil omits "Aw/." MS. Sloane reads ^'fy my wUL"" ' MS. Cecil inserts **wiih me^ 3 MSS. Cecil and Sloane read ** pafiettilyr « lb. "Twr^." s MS. Cecil reads '*«^/." A Letter of Farewell and Consolation, 28s was twelvemonethes, as divers^ can wittnesse. nest cosen Brett can testifie so much, and Dal- too, cann remember somewhat therein. | And I ^ bloud will quench their mallice that desire my x\^ and that they will not alsoe seeke to kill yours with extreame poverty. | * To what frind : thee I knowe not, for all mine have left mee in I tyme of triall : and I plainly perceive that my as determyned from the first day. | Most sorry I God knoweth) that, being thus surprised with can leave you noe better estate. * I meant you le office of wynes, or that^ I could purchase ig it ; half my stuffe, and Jewells,* but some few, boy. But God hath prevented all my deter- is; the great God that worketh all in all. If I live free from want, care for no more ; for the Dut vanity. Love God, and beginne betymes to yourself on Him ; therein shall you find true and ritches, and endles comfort. For the rest, when /e travelled and wearied your thoughts on^ all ' worldly cogitacions, you shall sit downe by in the end. Teach your sonne alsoe to serve and xl, while he is young ; that the feare of God may word is not legible in the copy preserved amongst the State d the two lines which follow are in that copy wholly wanting, o are in MS. Cecil. They are found in MS. Sloane, where the words ** as . . . can wittnesse" do not occur. >loane reads ** that have thus crtuUy murthered mfe^ MS. Cecil, redroy slaughter." Janse is entirely wanting in the copy in Domestic Correspondence , In MS. Sloane the reading is as in the text i^ccil reads, ** God knowes I meant,^"* &c, >loane reads, " all thai I could have purchcued^^ &c. Cecil reads, ^* half my stuffe^ and half my jewlesy and some,^^ &c. ae, '* tf// my Jewells ; but some onUfor the boy,"** Sloane reads ** o^fer;^^ and so, also, MS. Cecil. LETTER CXXIII. 1603. [Decem- ber.] fTi* /; •U". ^ ^nv irii iir- ]ijn TIk^ vill God* be a husband unto -n:. unz i isziiir z=t: z~: a husband and a father 3 --T1T :Tr-± =e m ruad*Tgc pouods. and Adrion * '-:-. — si r»:»;rd?w Iz Gersew alsoe. I ha\'C muA rvir^:e ne- -.i* irrsarag^? « ibe w^-nes will pay my ieccf. A:iL brwscer-r, f:r =:y soul's healthe.^ I beseedi ^:c rij iZ rorrc zxsl, Wlaen I am gonne, no doubt "M f^ruJbe s:«;;^r: zr:4> by oxany. for the world thinb aS tstt tz^ ; btrt rsie heed of the pretences of .&• • n-fir 2:: i :c ir«=£r azectfrcs : iyr tfaev laste but in honest iri T":rLry z:e:=_ Azi :^? greater miseiy cann befall y:c iz izif '^t tbs^ 13 become a pray, and after to be iiST .5c-i I 57«iik h G:^i kno-aes* not* to dissi^ad yon 5-: — " =.rrlLre. — '':^ th^t wilbe best for vou— both 10 r-J5Ter: :: G:o szc the world' As for me, I am -: =::rf v:-.;r"fL :>c«r vou m\-ne Death hath cutt us 2j^-rier; a=i G:c hath de\-:ded me from the worH rvez:ez:i::»re chilce for his father's sake, that rmfjrrei' y:u and lovei you in his happiest t}inc5. ' Gr:: ih.-^e "ecters --f it bee possible) which I writtto the L:ri>.- t^ herein . I sued for my lief, but God !-:r.:-.ve:h :hj: ir: was for vou and vours that I desired :t, ' but itt is true that I disdaine myself for beggi«¥ itt. -- And know itt deare wief ) that your sonnc JS * ?■ r S . C e;:*^ ' * :.;.': . « M S. Sloane, • * A t:J th: samf did M" ^ * AlHjir. Gilber:. h:.- half-brother. In MS. Sloane, the namcisgi«<"* fu::. ' MSS. CecU ar.d SIcune, ''saJt^.' « MS. Cedl omits **»^" ■ Here I (oZ?^ MS. Cecil MS. Sloane reads, *' fi^rA im rtsptd'^ /'!v :. r/y .;/:.?' r,'* o.\;"." The Rolls House copy omits the latter words. - MSS. Sloane and Cecil, and many other >rS. copies, read ^^eluvif' * These clauses are wanting in Dom, Corr. xcvi. 71, and also in ^^' Cecil at Hatfield They arc taken from MS. Sloane. » ■ .See Letters CXIX., CXX., and CXXH. »» MS. Cedl, •*^'"''' A Letter of Farewell and Consolation. 287 le of a true man, and who, in his own respect, h Deaths and all his misshapen and ouglie not wright much. God knowes howe hardlie I is tyme, when all sleep; and it is tyme* to r my thoughts from the world. B^g my dead hich living was denyed you ; and either lay itt rbome | ' if the land continue, | or in Exiter by my father and mother. | I can wright* noe Tyme and Death call me awaye. everiasting, infinite powerfuU, and inscrutable'^ it Almightie God that is goodnes itself, mercy ^ le true lief and light, keep you and yours, and ercy on me, and | teach ^ me to | forgeve my :ors and false accusers ; and send us to meete in rious kingdome. My true wief, farewell. Blesse re boye ; pray for me. My true God hold you His armes. ritten with the dyeing hand of sometyme thy 1, but now (alasse !) overthrowne. four's that was ; but nowe not my owne, | W. Ralegh. Hoane, ^'shapesr ' lb. "/'// is alsoe high tymey )te * on preceding page. Sloone, "jtfy." 6 lb. *' omnipotent:' rords ** rmrcy itself do not occur in MS. Sloane. words do not occur in MS. Cecil, which reads, " hmte mercy on rgive" &c 3at follows is wanting in the copy in Domestic Correspondence^ ind also in MS. Cecil at Hatfield. In MS. Sloane the words lat was, but nowe not my owne," follaiu the signature, and are "W. R." In MS. Cecil the " W. R." follows the word LETTER cxxni. 1603. [Decem- ber,] Letters of Rabgk. To Lord CeciL fFrom for his (riendly Promises of unalier- AbleaJfcc- i TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. i From the Origiiud. Onf/bArr, toL dL J iii (Hatfield). HtdDfiqL ' VThhout dale. My Lord Cec^t,l, To geve yow tbancks, to promis gratcfullnifs V \ retume words, is all I can do ; but that your Lordt^ I will esteeme them I cannot promis my sealf; nanot" | mich as hope it. | To use defences for the errors of former tjinn, 1 cannot For I have faj'led, bothe in frindshipe and M > judgment. Thcrforc this is all that I can noivf^ayfor'ny ' sealf ; Vouchsaufe to esteeme me as a man raysed fnW the dead, though not in body, yet in mind. Forncilho Fortune, which sumetj-me guyded mc, — or rather Vanttjfr for with the other I was never in love, — shall tunie myw eyes from yow toward her. while I have beinge; noroe World, with al! the cares or intisemcnls belonging unW it, shall ever way down (though it be of the greate* wayght to mortall men) the mcmorj- alone of >'«•' Lordship's trew respects had of mee ; respects tritd if the touch ; tried by the ficr; trew wittnises. in tW tymes; and then only, when only availabeil. And although I must first attribute unto God, "*» inclined ; and secoundly and essentially, after God W my dcere Soverayne, who had goodnes apt to be i*- clyned ;— goodness and mercy without cuniparison »m exampell ; — yet I must never forgett what I find wvin your Lordship's desire, what in your will, what inyouf lianks to the King far sparing his Life, 289 1 works, so fair as coulde becume yow as a , and fair beyonnd all dew* to me, as an Thes I have fixed to my hart inseperabelly. s, neather tyme, nor perswation, or ought elce, chang aflfections or to wast them, shall beat % or make old in mee; who will acknowledg iship with a love without maske or cover, and w to the end. W. Ralegh. CRIPT.] — All the rest have written to His since the receving of his grace. I hope I may to do the like. LETTER CXXIV. 1603. December. ighi konorabtU the Lorde Cecyll, Prindpall Secritorye^ dr»^. cxxv. TO THE KING. riginaL Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 109 (Hatfield). Holograpli. Without date. GHTV AND MOST MERCIFULL KiNGE, ro it hath pleased your Majestye to breathe yearth a new life, I amonge others do presume my humblest thancks and acknowledgments, od knowes) can neather in words be exprest ted. For wheras your Majestye hath reason to lee among thos who have foolishly imagined \ who have wickedly intended the greatest ill the greatest goodnes, and yet have pleased to 1 dtu, U LETTER CXXV. 1603. December. To the King. [From Win- chester. Thanks for the sparing of his life. Letters of Rakgh. fcari fie *LO^Pi -jrhich both exampell hath taught and ^ V ".liili -virranrid y.zur ^[ajest\■e to strike, alas!— ^hat vi_^-:r 1^;^ -Kwis^ or vo^es, or protestations, orwhcr- v.ili zsjui =o -jjiTFirthy a creture make pa>'ment of so T : irrcif =iv n,-dellet\-. I know that I am bound by 'jT.^i iiici: :: rriciis and performe it, though I had new *r:c~'ic i:iy such ;^reat grace as this. To vow my rcr-io;. iz. "ihii 5*:rt 5oe\*er. I know it to be thedcwty :c" vrtT'- v2L5Sl11 rewards hL? Sovera\Tie. To savthati ■\:11 >.j-S:?iri z:y life for TOur Majest>-e, — I have done it '.'x ny fr{nd : f:r my country" : or even sumet}Tne for i"-^; C--'^-'. A:ii \i I should directly yeilde it up fof }:-r Mi"eT.i* i.-.i iT. must speake for mee. It is trow that I ':2. i :L"/.recv sunred diverslv. but deser\edlv. 1 have m m ^ ryr. r^::J.:cr. '.vith Sorrow, sed mca culpa, for it wasmpe :v.r. irr.r that opened the passajje to that passion- I hi', c be-cn beaten by Fortune, but it was myne own ur.thar.ckTu"nis. who would not know when shec had dealt hbora'iv with mec. And I have bvnn beaten by God Hymesealf. but with a souft hand in respect of my crreatest orfences to Hym. Only my soverayne Lord^ • who mijht justly have beaten mce and justly have dis- troyde mee. have vouchsaufed to spare mec ; and hath pleased to gcve mee every dropp of bludd in my body; to hold mee back from shame ; and to stopp his can from the voyce of publick law, and private hatred For thes works of mercy, of manly gentclncs of kingly magnanimity, what deeds to be performdc by Personal and Landed Estate. 291 Hope itsealf flatter mee withall? No; in eds would to God I could but in my very tribute what I ought ; what is dew. Here is >rt which remayneth, — that as your Majestye ?d God the celestiall Kinge in gevinge, that tye wilbe pleased to do the like in receyvinge. t>ution then acknowledgment and love God for ; nether can your Majestye have other of iserationum tiiamm nwiquam obliviscar, but ir Majesties most humblest and most bound d vassally W. R. fft most excdUnt Majesty f, my saverayne Lorde. Old Cecil's hand : ''Sir \V. Ralegh to the King^ LETTER cxxv 1603. December. CXXVI. LETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. inaL Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 22 (Hatfield). Holograph. / Without date. | :ers cume out of tyme to your Lordshipe, I ^ to lay them asyde and to pardon mee. It : Kinge to promis my wife her goods and have willed her to sew for them. She ) littell purpose untill she have a Bill drawn That, she cannot have, without a Warrant to y or Sollicitor. s are trebell to my goods ; the ever-living now it to be trew. And therfore the King's ill ease hyme sealf both of charg and trobell U 2 LETTER CXXVI. 1603. Decem- ber? To Lord Cecil. [From the Tower ?] Personal and landed estate. — Debts.— 292 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXXVI. 1603. Decem- ber? Desire for a royal re- grant of Sherborne. —Other personal affairs. by refusing to meddell with ether. I speak it not, to have a reason for the King's charety — for it hath respect but to it sealf and to God — but to deliver trewly my miserabell estat. And thos small debts which ar owing to me I cannot recover, untill it pleas the Kinge to inable mee, or sume body for mee. My lands ar tied uppon my child and my brothct If I plead that conveyance, I cannot use the pourc of revocation in the conveiance, who have lost all pouRL Then, can I never satisfy my creditors. And besyds» I shall live a ward to my child and to my brother. If I take my land from the Kinge, I may then dispose of sume part of it, to free me from clamor. That theoA- veyance was made att Midsomer was twelvemonedii' DODRIGE* can witnes, and, if he have law or honest}', it is good. Yet I do humblie desire that as I hold my life so I may that littell land that I have, of the King^s gift ; that nothing may be myne but what his mercy I hath geven mee. The trew valew of my land I ha\t delivered this bearer ; all but xii^ a yeare. in De\'on. I protest uppon my alleagcnce that this is the trew state of it to my knowledge ; and God doth know that it will not geve mee and myne bread and cloaths. I pay here four pounds^ a week, for my diet. / must pay it, if the Kinge geve me my poore estate agayne. And, my * I.e. Midsummer 1602. ' Sir John Doddridge was at this time an eminent lawyer, and t mesbcr of the Society of the Middle Temple. Bom at Barnstaple, in iSSSi ^•* almost exactly Sir Walter's contemporary, as well as his fellow-Deiwu* i The ** ^" in this sentence is very memorable, read in the light of thee«>** I of Ralegh's life in 1607 and 1608. Sir John was, in the spedil sos'^ ■ the term, a Cnrivn lawyer, and was made a Judge of the King*t Bfl>d» • ' 1613. He died in 1628, and his tomb is amongst the most conspic*-^ monuments — not the most beautiful— of Exeter CathediaL ' Equal, it will be remembered, to about ;f 20 of these da)'s. Personal Affairs. 293 ECILL, the Lord in Heaven doth witnis that I, r wife and child, must proportion our sealvs famely as we must all live att four pounds a >r all our dietts, or elce we must all go naked. ikes too parts of all the rent I have in the world. /'our goodnis, thes things might cum to sume I or endy I shalbe most bound unto yow. enants refuse to pay my wife her rent. I hold eases uppon forfeture, in that mannor,^ of myne lants. Alas! all goes to ruin of that littell remaynethe. My woods ar cutt down ; my wast; my stock — which made up my rent — \nd except sume end be had, by your good the Kinge, I perishe every waye. I leve to your tyme and charetabell care, and ir Lordship's miserabell poore frind, ever to be ided by yow, W. Ralegh. rsCRIPT.] — Of ;f 3,000 ^ a yeare ther remayns but and uppon that £i,ooo Acht? r rif^ht honorabdl my singuUr good Lordy the Lord Ckcyll, Principal! Secriiorvy <5r*r. in Sir R.'Cccirs hand : 'Waiter Ralegh, LETTER CXXVI. 1603. Decem- ber? oAie. 2 Equal, substantially, to ;f 15,000, now. • See Letter CXXX., p. 299. 294 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXXVIL 1603-1604? [Decern- CXXVIL TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. From the OriginaL Cecil Papers, vol. cix. § 10 (Hatfield^- HdognplL AVithout date. M.\Y IT PLEAS YOUR LORDSHIPE, Ther came a sarvant unto mee of the Earlcof Pembrooks for the Seal of the Duchy of Cornwak; To Lord CeciL [From the Tower.] write to the King. Tsmuarv 1 ' ^^t^^S ^ letter of your Lordship to Mr. Levetenant for I his access unto mee. I beseich your Lordship to excuse * mee in that I did not deliver the Seale unto his ma& . For I received it from her Majest>% uppon the death of NFessage the Earle of Bedford. And I thinck, when ywr |^\^y^**^ Lordship gave up the Duchy, yow delivered the Scab Pembroke by warrant from her. for the f t f • ** Seals of the I had thought to have taken this good occasion to Comwdi. ' have written to his Majesty, which I never did, anoc — Expr«. I jj^y retume from Winchester, although all others have sion of his I •' ^ ^ desire to don. If your Lordship do not thinck it unfitting nw^ , I would willingly do it But, if your Lordship thin* ' it not best for mee, I will forbeare it ; and then write : unto your Lordship and send yow the Seale to deliver the King. I do not desire to offend the Earle, but I hope yow will thinck it reasonabell that I deliver it by order, as ' I receaved it, and not uppon a message by his man. I humblie beseich your Lordship, by ShelbuRY or ome elce, to vouchsaufe your favorabell advice,— i»'h<>* I shall ever remayne to the end of my life, to do y^ ser\'ice, W. Ralegh. Addressed : To the right honorable my singuler good Lord^ the Lord CuCYLL Endorsed : ** 1604. Sir Walter Ralegh to my Lord,"" I S< turn of the Seals of the Duchy of Cormvall. 29s 1604. CXXVIII. ECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. Onginal. Cecil Papers^ vol. cix. § 12 (Hatfield)* Holograph. Without date. sent your Lordshipe herewith the Duchy Seale, ^e writen to the King's Majesty that I have t your Lordship to deliver the same unto his s hands, to whom only it apparteyneth to therof. tiblie beseich your Lordship also to deliver for s inclosed, wherin I have humblie prayed his to continew and perfait his mercies begun. my Lord, remember your poore, awncient, and id, that I perish not here, where health weres and whose short tymes run fast on in misery : which plotted to surprize and assaile the per- he Kinge, — thos that ar Papists, ar att liberty. forgett mee, nor doubt mee. For as God liveth ever forgett your trew honor and remorse of mee. remayne, as your thought, to serve yow, W. R. LETTER CXXVIII. 1603- 1604? January ? To Lord Cecil. [From the Tower.] With the Seals of the Duchy. — Enclosure of a letter to the King. right honorable my singuler f^ood Lord^ the Lord Cecvi.i.. Sir Walter Raleigh to my Lord. Z:-/L L£tt£rs of Ral^k. CXXIX- TO THE KING. Ttzol -izit y^rs^^sii. CerL' Psprrj, xxA. dL § III (Hatfield)- Hokjgnpli Withoot date. The Iief ^iiich I had, most mighty Prince, the hw hath tsxes from mee, and I am now but the same earth t-xyizcLL. 2:id cu5t out of which I n-as made If my offence had proccriioG with your Majesties mercy, I might dyspairc; :r :f n:y deserving had anye quantety with your t/tc •'" Majesties unmeasurabell goodnes, I might hope Bat A5s<-rt:'c vour ;^reat Majesty, and not I. must judg of both. Xar::e, bloud. gentillety or estate, I have none ; no, not ^«^ mich as a beeing ; no, not so mich as tnfa flanfa. I have only a penetent sowle, in a body of iron, utidi moveth towards the loadstone of Death, and cannot bee wit held from towchinge it, unles your Majesties mercy rume the poynct towards it which repelleth.^ Lost I am, for heringe a vayne man ; for hcringc only ; but never belevinge or acceptingc. And soe littell accompt I made of that speach of his (whidiwas now my condemnation), as the livinge God doth tre»'Iy wittnis — that I never remembred any such thinge till it was, att my triall, objected agaynst mee. So did hcc repay my care who cared to make hyme good, whidi I sec no care of man can effect. But God, for my offences to Hyme, hath layd this hevy burden on mee. misserabell and unfortunate I MS. reads, *'u'AuA re-exptUeth,'' but it is probable that 'exptUiA'^ firbt written, and then imperfectly altered with the pen. The a&BsioB i> obvious. Appeal to t/ie King's Justice and Mercy, 297 iTech. For not lovinge yow, my Soveraigne, God hath not layde this sorrow on mee; for the same God knovk's, with whom I may not dissembell, that I have trcwly honored your Majesty by fame ; and trewly loved and admired your Majesty by knowledge : so as whcr I live or dy, your Majesties trew and humbell sanrant I will live or dy. If I nowe write what doth not now becume me, most mighty Kinge, vouchsaufe to ascribe it to the councell of a dead hart, and to a minde which sorrow hath broken. But the more my misery is, the more is your Majesties mercy, if yow pleas to behold it; and the ks8 I can deserve, the more liberall your Majesties gift. God only herein your Majcstie shall imitate, both in geving frely and by gevinge to such a one from vhom ther can be no retribution ; savinge only a desire to pay agayne a lent lief; and to repay it with the same great love which the same great goodness shall pleas to lend it This beinge the first letter which ever your Majestic rcccved from a dead man,^ I humblie submyt my sealf to the will of my supreme Lorde, and shall willingly and patiently suffer what his great and generus hart shall dctermyne by that humbell vassell which yet breatheth by your Majesties permission and meere mercy, W. R. ^ddrened : ** 7b thf Kinges most excdent Majesty^ my Soverayne Larde,^ by Sir Robert Cecil : ** S, \V, Raltgh." A copy, exactly con- tcmpoimneous, now preserved in MS. I^ansdowne, clvii. foL 155 (British Museum), is endorsed, in the hand of Sir Julius Caesar, in these voids: ** A copy of the letter written by Sir Walter Raleigh to the Kh^ Majesty, 21 Januarii, 1603" [legal style\ ' The reader mill have doubtless noticed that if this expression, ** x\\q first *«tter'* ia to be taken quite literally, it follows that Letter CXXV. has l>een LETTER CXXIX. 1 603- 1 604. Jan. 21. :iJ^ LiSUrs of RaligJL CXXX- r: 7H£ 10KJ>S OF THE COUNCIL .1 .\^ Xt ievTv r=-:sc bumblie remembered. Whoas it r.iif<:-i vjcLT LcfTUshfp^s to uTite your letters for the >n_ :c ir«i^ sil-e z4 soda poore stuff as [re]* mapethc .-r — b: V5,i in Sherbcme, I undeistande that notwitb- ftijr[i_-:iCty- y:-r Lcniships* letters that* the Cum- ~ .:^.-. ---iT? i? ^j* on i.: rvi:I->e^* >? as I cannot gett [my]* writings :>: :*" >._> h^nisw I do most humblie beseich your L.-^^>^. v> :? b. ar.d the rest, to putt of the execution -* il.e.r Jjnidifvsicn for some e\*ght or ten dayes. .\-i- i::h— ^hc I had rather be altogether bound - .:. :>.c K:r.^< M.resty for thos lands, then to hold - -r-i-^l I: w^v.:^ i:>> 5«a to Sallow that Sir Juliu< Capsar's -T is>:^:Twi :.^ ibe rrcsarnt letter is erroneoas. But I iodine W :-e . -i.:z t>_i: KjJei:'-. now—/./, at the time of writing this letter-n«t -^il.:;-: V h > -nr. mrAi his jv«s.:iioa as a man *dead in law/ iw ** r > ?-;>:-*: w.-> nralhr the first written to the King, under that con* 1 >-.* u r.ix .^r >y:iab!es within brackets have been torn away \t^ ^"* :ir^;r. ..f :he original letier, • So repeated in MS. * A • tii-lHi* by office,* or intiuisiuonofa jun*. * IJaih. Estates and other personal Affairs. 299 hem by any other strenght of law, yet, that it may pere that the conveyance by me made was drawn in •ur late Queen s tyme, as Mr. DODREG^ can witnis, who Irew it, and that I had never any ill intent therin, I do ►eseich your Lordships that the same may be perused y the Cummissioners before they proceed to finde the ands by Jury, on 2 way or other. The whole receat of thos lands, with the parke and a took of £^00 in sheep [in] ^ the sayd parke, is but on - howsand marke,* out of which I pay unto the Byshops i Sallisbury for ever to^ hundred and sixty pound a 'care; and in fees and pensions wherwith the land is barged, and towards the provision of the Kings howse, 0 maymed soldiers, and to the poore, above fifty K>und a yeare more. So as the clere valew is not four londrcd pound, with a stock. My charges in this )lace/ for diet only, is ;^2o8 a yeare ; and if his Majesty lo allow the rest of this sume — to make it ;^300, unto ne, for all other necessares — ther remaynethe not above an* hundred mark" a yeare for my poore wife and childe, and their sarvants, which, God knowes, will not geve them bread and cloaths. My debts ar above ;^3,ooo. All my goods that I have left in the world — I protest before the majesty of God — ar not worth on thowsand markes.* All my ridx hangins I sold my Lorde Admirall for ;^500. I had but on 2 riche bcdd, which I solde the Lorde COBHAME. All my plate — which was very fayre — is oow lost, or eaten out with interest att on^ CHENES'® ^^ Lumbard Street. That which I have alreddy lost ' See the note on p. 292. ' See note * in the preceding page. • £66(> ly. 4//. (=^3»333, 1867). • The Tower. • Cheynes, a London goldsmith. one. * hi>o. ' £66 ly. 4'/. LETTER CXXX. 1 603- 1604? 300 Letters of Ralegh, LETTKR cxxx. I603-I604? LETTER CXXXl. 1604. To Lord Cecil. [From the Tower.] Renewed protesta- tion of the injustice of his con- demnation. — Assur- ances of affection to Cecil. — by Jersey, the Wine Office, the Stannerys, Gillingam,^ and Portland,^ is at least ;f 3,cx>D a yeare. So as I trust that his Majesty will be mercifull unto me for the rest ; which, after the payment of my debts, wilbe but a miserabell estat, God knowes. Herein I humblie beseich your Lordships' favors, that I may not be left to utter beggery ; and that your Lordships wilbe pleased, in the mean while, to write thos your letters for the stay of this Cummission ; and I shall ever rest your Lordships' most humble W. Ralegh. Addressed -.*'*' To the right honorabell the Lords ^ and others^ of hisMajabts most hcHorabell Prrvey CounceU^ Endorsed, in the hand of Lord Cecil : *^ Sir IVaUer Raleigh to the Urds," CXXXL TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. From the Original. Ccdi Papers, vol. cix. § 17 (Hatfield). Holograph- Without date. Mv Lord, If all Christian and lawfull pourc directs itsealf cqualy by the counsell of Reason and of Charity.-^the on teaching us humane pollecy; the 'other, celestiall,— your Lordship, whose mind hath bynn ever modcrat doth witnes that yow have received this grace ffoin God, and light from virtu to know that cumpassion hath ever bynn repayd with cumpassion, and cruelty with cruelty. And, if ever this rule have fayled in the life of man (which is rare), it hath bynn perfortn^ everlastingly elcwher. ' The rangership of Gillingham Forest. * 'I'he lieutenancy of Portland CaMlc. Renewed Protestatums of his Innoceftce. 30 1 I do therfore humblie pray your Lordship that yow LETTER irill looke into that Justice which is never seperate from cxxxi. Mercy, by which, and in which, whosoever useth it, hee ! ^^^ douth both pleas and imitate God. And therin, first, p.^^ j but to consider thes too : ^ what my offences have by nn for the to my Soverayn, and what my errors were towards my tion to his rrinds ; and then, laying both in the balance, together , h]^"2ided with my losses and afflixions, to consider and way the : estates. fault with the payn ; and the counterperjures, and person, by whom I have perished. \ To be cquall herein is the office of a just magistral. To respect the trewth, and not the law, is celestiall . polecy : by which wee must all hope to be judged, and i shalbe judged as wee judge ; and bee dealt withall, as ^ vcc deal with others in this life ; — if we belcve God Hyme sealf. To be cumpassionat and moderating is an effect or| Piety for which God was never debtor to any man. And ! if God have moved others to preserve mcc from the vorst of evells, I may trust that the thoughts of my sowle have found grace with Hym, in which Hee never beheld any desire of mans ruin or distruction, mallic, or revendge. Lastly, to undertake the cause of any man in miser}' is ether out of trew honor and generosety, which gcveth freely and out of no other respect then sealf vertu ; or out of Love, which beholds the ill a farr of, and the good att hand. Now your Lordship hath used the first and second to all ; and, for Affection, — if nothing be left, it hath cast all his leves of late, and withcrcth in the spring, — which I cannot beleve ; seeing in my darck and dead winter it made that most trew and adventurus proof of it sealf, which I could not hope for, and can ' two. 302 Letters of Ralegh. I.EITER CXXXI. 1604. never repay. For thos lines, writ en in another hand, of which I knew the phraze, ar also writen on my hart; , which my sowie can never leve to repeat while it liveth ! in my body. And if any cunning toong of man, or if an angell, tell your Lordship the contrary, do not belevc hym. Neither shall I ever distinguish^ that demonstration of my lives care which the effect sealed, while I have being, or know ther is a God whidi hath ever hated that ingratetud to the ministers of His goodness. A secound effect of your Lordship's great favor u-as the preservation of my moveabells, which the ravcnus Sherifs were in hand to have seised, and att my gates to have rifled, if your Lordship's letters had not then cum to have countermanded it ; which it also pleased yow, soon after, to procure mee. The last is now humblic desired of mee and mpCi — which is the obtayning of that poore estate irfuch remayns, that the life which your Lordship hath stayed at the grave's brinck may have wherwith to releve it, ! and that my poore childe may be your poore creature for ever as I am ; which being doon I protest, before the i living God, I shall take my loss for a gayne; nothing ; being lost, that could have bettered any of m3me, but the Lease of the Wines, which was desperat before my trobells. And, for conclusion, I beseich your Lordship from my hart, which shall ever devise how to honor yow, thatyo^ will resolve, and do me right therin, to belevethatmy thoughts and my love can never be seperat from yo^'» and that I may be of sume use to yow, if yow pl^ to finishc the worck for me, which yow have begun* which I shall imprint in the harts of all myne; ^" 1 So in MS. Assurance of his Dorsetshire Estates, 303 OTiayne for ever so tied unto your Lordship as, if ther •e any life and body your's which you may accompt f to expire to what yow pleas, it is my sealf, your ^rdship's trew poore frind and trew sarvant, W. Ralegh. Vddressed: To the right honorable my singider good Lord, the Lord Cecyll. Endorsed: 1604. Sir Walter Raleigh to my Lord, LE'ITER CXXXI. 1604. CXXXII. TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. >'iwn the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cix. § 16 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without dale. My wife told mee that shee spake with your Lordshipe yesterday, about my poore estate and hers, and that it pleased your Lordship to tell her that yow would be pleased to deale for the assurance of my land unto some Feoffees, of trust to the use of her and my childe ; but ^t for my pardon, it could not yet be dunn. Whatsoever your Lordship shall do herein, it is of your peat goodness, and beyonnd my p>oure to deserve. -And, if my pardon may not be had, then I most *^uinblie beseich yow that the land may be so obtayncd, *^ the mean while, which to the end of my life I shaU ^dcnowledg. But wheras it pleased your Lordship to add that yow **ould be contented that somebody elce should hereafter Procure mee a pardon, I do rather desire to attend your LETfER CXXXII. 1604. To Lord Cecil. [From the Tower. ] Assurance of his I >or- setshire estates. — His ex- j)ectatiou of a pardon. Litttrs of Raligh. -^ — =i l^:risi:r'5 Icisrre therin. then to ingage my scalf to Lty niJi ^^^rir^e fc-r so great a benef>-te, but to wur ^•^ Ijri^JLT. -^i:. hath first saved my life and estate; and -Li- 7c nt:; and nj-ne from utter ruin. For it cannot :ei ':•-: * ^e*: deb: from mee to any man, and a --j:^ ;-.i<: ::" r:v s-eriTce and love to hvme for ever, that Ai-L C-»-«i ='»■ I-'r-ri, lett mee bee vour trew and onlv -■r:.j.r.-= ■»-!!>.:-: any other dependency. I may yet do •:•«• L."-i.5h:p surne kind of service, ether by wori Jiil :r -ritio^; all which God douth know I nill r : : .- :: i: y:ur Lordship honor for ever. I:" I liii i r^ird:-::. I mav not^\'ithstandini-i.--— i :r c:=r.ned. If I mav not be here about l.'i-i. - - JLjh Gjo cast my sowle into hell if I desire, r .: : : i: y: .r Lord.i:>- ::— y:ur L.^rdship shalbe sure that I will never r-i-vv :''.;: .-ri;;r v,r.:jh yow sha!I pleas to undertake for -.:. .\::/. ::" I Sx .vT.}* wher nire yow. yow shall find :" .: •*. s;.":;: "< r.d or other I shall do vour Lordship ><-'. .c. F.r 0.0 douth know that if I cannot go to :>.v :vv:>c :h > fal'. I am undun. for my health; and -'*..' ^v .: i .1 d . o r d : n.i b '. od fo r e\er. vro.x: n:y Lc^rd. make an end of mee, one way or v^:>.cr: that I may witness to the world the great debt, I owe yv^^v. And yo::r Loni>hip shall find it fron^ v\v:. ■ ,i::d \\;:!x ir.v.:: in M.mc proportion. — to your Fraudulait Dealings of Thomas Scott 30s ip*s advantage; to whom I will remayne your ost thanckfullest man that ever received good >ur Lordship or ever shall. W. Ralegh. (: tkt rigki honorabdl my singuler good Lard, the Lord Cecyll. in Lord Ceca's hand : *' Sir Walter Ralegh, 1604 ; " and, in another hand, ^^ To my Lard, From the Tower^ LETTER CXXXII. 1604. ,»» CXXXIII. EVINUS MUNCKE, SECRETARY TO LORD CRANBORNE. OriginaL Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 21 (Hatfield)* Holograph. Without date. :viNus, necessitie were not impudent, or if povertie leall it sealf, I would not take this boldness to my Lorde, who hath alreddy putt many debts lyme that is abell to repay nothing, and every $ then other; forsaken of frinds, and of health, ill but God. le of late to^ peeces of ordenance to one Mr. VSTER, a marchant, whome yow know. Hee that le bargayne between us was one Thomas Scott, r,-^-one that I have done much for in my tyme, that, since I came back from Winchester, offred lis howse for me, if I wanted, with protestations iless to be dissembled. But, having gotten my ito his hands which Mr. Aloblaster sent mee, LETTER CXXXIII. 1604? To Levinus Muncke. [From the Tower.] Fraudulent dealings of one Thomas Scott, a merchant II. X 3o6 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXXXIII. 1604? and five pound waight of tobacco promised, hath sold the tobacco and reteyneth my mony ; finding mee now fitt for all men to tread on. Hee hath goods in a shipp of Mr. Aloblaster'S, which Mr. Aloblaster advised mee to attach, but he hath cunningly shippt them in other men's names, so as I have lost a charge. Arrest hyme I cannot, nor sew hyme, because the law knowes me but for dead. My humble sute is to have a pursevant, and my Lord's letter to take hyme. Hee meanes to go a^^ay for Spayne in Mr. Aloblaster's shipp; so as, if the pursevant find hyme not this Sonday, he i^ill imbardc one^ Munday, onless it would pleas my Lorde to write a cummandment to the master of Mr. Aloblaster'S shipp, called The Pmdeftce^ of London, to command the master not to take hyme abord, here or elcewher, till hee have payd me the mony. If yow thinck it not offencive, good Mr. LeviNUS, procure it ; if yow do, I must have patience, till God geve end to my miseres or to mee. Your poore frinde assured, W. Ralegh. Addressed : To my loving frinde^ Mr, Levinus ; or^ in his ahsetue, to Mr* Bruerton, Secritore to my Lord of Cranborn. Endorsed : "5Vr Walter Raleg ; " and, in a later hand, •« To Mr, BlU»W'^' Sirrrtary to Lord Cranborn.*' 1 on. lars of his Estates at Sherborne^ &c. 307 CXXXIV. ORD TREASURER BUCKHURST, TO Vi LORD CRANBORNE, AND OTHERS, HE Council. . Cecil Papers, toL cix. f 14 (Hatfield)- Holograph. Without date. ly more rents then thes,^ to my know- herbage of the Parks, which was never in lased in my child's name, tenn year since, f Pinford grounds in Mr. Heriot, for 58 refuse all grace of and from His Majesty, y miscast a matter of foure or five pound or leve out sume five or six akers of le quillet. he substance of all, uppon my alleagence ; if it pleas your Honors to make further mit my sealf unto it ; and I beseich your t a coppy hereof may be delivered to the 5. All that greevs mee herein is that so ietested a wrech as Meere*' is made a — as hee hath vaunted and sent me worde, res not, otherwise, shew his face, having itions agaynst hyme ; and hath not forty of ground in the world, but of my gift, rooteth up my copps-woods and promiseth :reditors with the part promised hyme out -spreding it abrod that sume one of your te^ hereafter. :VIII. CII. and CVI., heretofore ; pp. 227, 237, 245. X 2 • LETTER CXXXIV. 1604. To Lord Buckhurst and others. [From the Tower. ] Particulars of his Estates at Sherborne, &c. rf Rmtf^k. zzsnnnTr rxsTr TirnTfycd Lhuc vithe a purpose to procure ins '±& -sii^jjosr re aZ miidi I had in the world) J H^ Kisser. i3i£ t-: r=r2* sij- poore wife, child, aiwl Tirrt^-y i ley^iuT Sn I trzst that God hath not gevcn s: zniil i isr^ zz lzj -rrrdy man. — whom the spo)1c :f in; LTii arrie ZcT^zc Ezrki : but that all }'Our Lord- ^p? -vZ ir :i*r=tv sTTe'vi my good Lords herein.— iimis^ j:sc iZr^^rr •. 5*-^^^^ * year\e. ^ ^- " ^-="" -^"^.ij-^e }rc^:ir humbell sar\'ant \V. R.\LEGH. rr-. /- .•« ,^ TT j.^4^z hcK£. £«i"i— =rrr .*» rw first lia/cftkes^ ri ^srs" f^-xsK AKTir r^r i--t:r^ .-« xi^ second /Vj/] -"li. -Vir««T^ /•" ^aerbunse. zr:/A the szimdrrJ ctJ L zStttus. zHdk tki Park^ Fc^-'tu rtiS ^ ,':isr dntbjnf: grounds, r^: :/ tL" jc^ryi rrv^ rf assizt' . . .;fl50 l6 4 J"/- 7*_1:^-.- .jiZrS Ca5relr:>u3. nhn^n the : J Sz^sl^ s:^^.Je7h. is cf rent cf assize 003 12 0 .:: .-uivi^ .'myr zr Vi2Lx^t z^izkin Sher- r'-m -•.Ti.-ti,. :zIU\£ Xewland, is of rcitt :f .i.w-:jc' CX)3 13 -^2 .-^ J'./^Vi" -^ 'Ci- .vi-^/r?-. three mile from Sherbum. .'-t.j" tj member of Sher- r^rn. .u/.I;' Caundeli Byshope, is of :'^ie^7\'i "i'l: ef assyze of , . . . 021 H * . -! 7 ':/,'. v. :. ■: .* \r:i t the park u 'all, pa reel! :f Sherbum. and a member therof is /-■ .-%v e.\i rent cf assyze 007 13 *^ r*.^- FartK ef WTiitfeild is of tlu old rait ^f 0138^ Carried foru-ard . . . ;f 200 U ^ Particulars of kis Estates at Sherborne^ &c. 309 Brought forward . . . ;£'200 14 9^ Ifo Manner of Yetminster is of tlie old rent of assyze 012 5 11 Bat this Maimer is m kind of Fee simpell in the Tenant^ and the Lord hath but a small fine att every death or alienation. mm totall of the old rent .... ^^^207 8 oj rfe Farm of Sherbum is worth by im- provementy besyds all reprises^ if it do not decay ;f 250 o o ^her ar also certayn demayn grounds in Whltfeild which are let to fami for the yearly rent of 060 o o her ar other grounds^ redeemed out of the Tenants^ handsy in Caundell Byshope, or Doton, worth by tlie year .... 040 o o do also rent sume pasture grounds of a Tenant of myne called SWETNAM, and do make profite of thcfn^ besyds the rent which I pay hyme by tlie year 012 o o ar other grounds and closes about Sherbum which may be worth about £30 or £^0 a yeare ; so as all these demayfts and farms and feilds ar worthy by tlie year, in the totally £/[oo. ^^r is also a rent cliarg which Sir Robert Miller douth pay unto mee, out of Up Cern, and otiier his landsy in cofisideration of the fee farm of titan which I procured hyme . . 022 10 Carried forward . . LEITER cxxxnr. 1604. .£3%A 10 'si! ^ So in MS., instead oi £21^ qs. S\{i. 3IO Ltiters of Ralegh. ex XXIV. 1604. 0 0 007 2 7i I Brought forward . . . £384 10 3 / have also half of a demajms ^ in Pinford, called Pinford Manner, of the yearly old rent of 005 / haz-e also the moyty of the Manner of Prunsley, of the yearly old rent of . I have also a Mill in Sherbum which I purchased of her late Majestic^ which was in leas to ARTHUR SWAYN/?r 3 lives, of the old rent of 006 4 ^^ / have also a Close behind the Castell of five akers, and too or three other littell closes which, to bee lett, ar worth by the year The totall of the rent charg. £22 10 3 J The totall of the old rent . 187 The rackt rent of the closes is 6 5 Sum total of all together is 629 8 Reprises which go out of this sum : — To the Bishop, for ever . . . jf 260 o o To one Edmond Lane, for 25 years or 30 years .... 030 o o In fees dew to Officers and others 044 13 o Besyds payments to the King for the Hous- hold and other small charges. Butt wheras in this deduction of fees the Bayly is to have ;f 8. a yeare, and the Receiver sume £t, a year, I do not pay the Baylife, because he is myne enemy, and hath abused mee; and the Receiver, being my sarvant, douth not exact it of mee. Butt yet all thes be dew, and have ever bynn payd. So remayneth clere, ;f 295 o ^ demesne. 006 5 o 4 omirethoi'*" { 33413 Estates and otJier personal Affairs. 311 Dw the reason why, by the Office, ther is found but fourscore pound to the Kings Majesty is because the Farm, valued at ;^240 or £2t^o, being in lease and the Assignment not found, ther is but the old rent found for the King. As also because it hath pleased his Majesty to geve too of my sarvants all my goods, leases, and chattells. And then, if the rackt rent of the Farm — ^which is £2Afi or ;£'2S0 — bee deducted, ther remayneth, according to the Office, about fourscore and odd pounds. Idressed: To the right honorabdl my singnier good Lords, tht Lord Treojorer of Ingland, the Lord Cecv^ll, and the Lord Humes, Chancelor of his Majesties Exchequer, ^c, idoned: 1604. Sir Walter Ralegh to the Lords, cxxxv. rO SECRETARY LORD VISCOUNT CRANBORNE. xiOL tbc Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 24 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. HAT life, which cann be of no use to others, and is >w also weery of mee, at parting putts mee in mind of ics whom Nature and Charetie commands me not to ^lect, — a wife and a childe, and a wife with childe, hom, God knowes, have nothing eke to inherite then y shame and ther own misery. How to healp it, or to hom to cumplayn, I know not, whose fortune is over Uck for the reason of the world to peirce. And I who ta never pay old debts, nor deserve new trust, cannot - so partiall to my sealf but to know that to press your ordshipp (who have alreddy cast back unto mee all have) were ether foolishness or impudency. LETTER CXXXIV. 1604.^ LETTFR CXXXV. 1604. To Lord C ran borne. [From the Tower.] Estates and other personal affairs. 312 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXXXV. 1604. And while I know that the best of men are but the spoyles of Tyme and certayne images wherwith childish Fortune useth to play, — ^kisse them to-day and break them to-morrow, — and therfore can lament in my sealf but a common destiney, yet the pitiful! estate of tbos who ar altogether healpless, and who dayly wound my sowle with the memory of their miseries, force mee, in dispight of all resolvedness, bothe to bew^ayle them and labor for them. Not that I wish them, God knowes, the least proportion of plenty, having forgotten that happi- ness which found to mich to littell ; but my thoughts are now guyded by thos affections which Povertie hath begotten, who contemplate it to be a sufficient fclidtie for them but to be able to eat of their owti bread Now if it shall please your Lordship to pardon the necessetie of my presumtion, I most humblie beseidi you to receve the opinions of my Lord Cheif Justice and Mr. Aturney for the Conveyance, Mr. DODRIGE knows that it had bynn sealed almost to years ere the Queen died, if the feoffes had not bynn so farr asunder; and God doth witness with mee that att that tyme when it was dun Sir A. BRETT was the sole cause, in respect of my quarells w^ith GoRGE^ and PRESTON.* If the)' shall judg fraud herein, God judg them with more grace then they have judged of it, and mee. Howsoever it bee, it seemes to mee that His Majestye (by your Lordshipp moved to compassion) promised to Icvc me what was left ; and that the more it appeercd in valew that His Majestie would then more willingly graunt it. This mich I had cause to hope for ; the rather because your Lordship tolde mee att Winchester that >'ow were sorry that I had resigned Jersey, — words whiA God knowes, peirced my hart to the center, as witnesin? ' Sir Fcrdinando Gorges. Sec \'ol. I. p. 256. • Sir Amias PresW*- Estates and other personal Affairs, 313 of his adversetie whom yow had once loved, d other things of the greatest debts layd on Ices mee still presume that your Lordship's hart, od for goodness hath blest, being ether moved pasty or by the compassion of my present, et vouchsauf to save this quarter which re- from the ravens of this tyme, which feed ling^ For, as it is, so ar my tenants made i I protest, before God, ether I must spoyle all ve 20s. for ;f 20, or elce want altogether. And, lean tyme, can neither pay debts, releeve my assure bread to my children, ly own tyme, good my Lord, consider that it •e calde a life, but only misery drawn out and nto a long thride, without all hope of other end ath shall provide for mee; who, without the kings or frinds, will deliver mee out of prison, ir Lordshipp shalbe pleased to do any thinge \ shall but offer my sealf for recumpence who as a broken reed. But I shall hope that God ^ your Lordship all my debts. If your Lord- rsake mee herein, all I can do is to lett them at I cannot healp them, — that they may try isealvs, while, by my life, they have yet a )n of their birthright. le rest, lett the pollecy of the world be what it ther is a God, I know my sealf bound unto rdshipp, and which I would pay agayne, if I ith a gratetud never surmounted. W. R. / right honorabell my singtiler gooii Lordy tlu: Lord Cecill, Viscount Cranborne, ^c, n the liaiul of Ix^rd Cranbonic : ** .S>- \V. Raleiih,^ LETTER cxxxv. 1604. i 3U LaUrs ef Rakgk. CXXX\'L TO SECRETARY LORD NTSCOUXT CRANBORNE. Yt-.:=L • &>. Wiioat date. .5 . • ^ X':C4. T: L:-i t.»er.; Cr^-.- tOWiT is him.— I.. :.«^*: ^^ • i «*^ «. . « -^ cf'hisc:-:. (i'jTT.r.r.*. " n. affiir-. — *T ^ ."* ••• • * • ■ .- rii:,-je in the To-.ver. — I»e^:reof SlN.E the t>ine that my wife ^-as last with your Lord- ^r.loc I have withered in body and mind. By whom I perceived a sad chang in your Lordship's favor towaids nee, on which all my hopes have ever lived, and oiadc mee live. Xot for the discumfort of libertj' only, but in that it pleased your Lordship to thinck that I had dealt ungratfuUy with yow since my trobels ; whidi, as ther is a God, I ne\'er did. nor could so mich as thind to do. For the tymes past, whatsoever your Lordship hath conceived. I cannot thinck my sealf to have bynn ether an enemy, or such a \'iper, but that this great downfall of myne ; this shame, loss, and sorrow ; may seem to your Lordship's hart and sowle a sufficient punishment and revendg. And, if ther bee nothinge of so many years love and familiarety to lay in the other scale, O my God I how have my thoughts betrayd mee in* your Lordship's nature, compassion, and piety. For to dy in pcrpctuall prison I did not thinck that your I-ord- ship could have wished to your strongest and most mallicious cncmves. I know that Law. and Condemnation, ar formal arguments to men of iron harts. But God, that must ; judg us all, — and extend infinit compassion towards alL * * of* first written, and erased. I - Evidently used in the sense of ** formidable." Desire of Rcffioval fratu the Tower, 31S or elce wee must all perish in the never ending sorrows to cum, — ^that God, when the sorrowfull night of death shall cum uppon us, will remember the cries and groncs of the miserabell whom wee have suffred to perishe, not releived, I have presumed at this tyme to remember your Lordship of my miserabell estate, — dayly, in danger of death by the palsey ; nightly, of suffocation, by wasted and obstructed lungs. And now, the plaug being cum att the next dore unto mee, only the narrow passage of the way between. My poore child having lien this 14 dayes next to a wooman with a running plaug sore, and but a paper wall betwen, — and whose childe is also this Thursday dead of the plauge. So as now my wife and child, and others in whom I had cumfort, have abandoned me; and in what fearfull estate, the Lord knowes. My most humble desire is to be removed elcewher, even to what place which God's goodness, and Charitey, shall move your Lordship's hart ; that I be not left alone and remedeless, as well for this visitation as for other as lamentabell deseases which possess mee. That I shall not ever acknowledg your Lordship's great and cumfortabell favors, God make yow know the contrar>% — the same God that knowes that I was never farther from my Lord Cecyll, but that I would have sett my life between hyme and harme. God geve mc cumfort as it is trew, and as I shall evermore be found gratfull in the highest degree ; and rcmayne your Lord- ship's poore disconsolate W. Ralegh. Addressed: To the right honorable my singnler ^ootl Li^n/, the Lord CEt:Yl.l., / "uount C R A N r.O K N, v5r*<-. *-Mor>cd hy Loid Cecil : " 1604. Sir Walter Rahif:h.'' LETTKR CXXXVI, . 1604. 3i6 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXXXVII. 1604. To Lord Cranbome. [From the Tower ?J Entreaty for the restoration of his Uinded estates. CXXXVII. TO SECRETARY LORD VISCOUNT CRANBORNE From the OriginaL Cecil Papers^ voL cv. § 50 (Hatfield)- Holograph. Without date. I MIGHT feare that this my importunety might offend your Lordshipp, if I did not withall hope that the pro- portion of your Lordship's favor sett by for me cannot, by any weakness of this nature, be recalde, or cast back into that heape, out of which your Lordship takethout,* to releive all men. Thos seasons which honor and good fortune accum- pany seeme but short, and steale from us unwares. But their tymes, whose days run out in misery only, appeare exceedinge longe and draw sloely to their end Sorrow rydds the ass ; Prosperitie the eagell. That which makes me adventure to beseich your Lordship herein is the nireness of the terme, att whid tymc the Kinges councell-in-law wilbe more busied and mich deerer ; the bussness intricate and therfore dangc- rus in a careless hand. For my sealf, being unpardoned, I must wholy trust other mens consciences ; wherio, howsoever the fathers deale, God knowes how the soonns may. Besides, I have keipt my Steward* here ever ancc N'our Lordship's first cumfort geven mee, — a man whom I can better intreat then know how to reward. His I I I ^ ^ out ' is thus repeated in original MS. I 2 j^,hjj shelbury (of whom, in relation to the conduct of the ** intricate I»u.siness " referred to in this letter, there is a curious anecdote recorded in Mnnningham's Diary^ MS. Harl. 5353, foL 43, verso. B. M,K 'reaty for the Restoration of his Latided Estates. 317 estate requiring his presence more then it doth my -as it hath pleased God to order it. All which I > your Lordship's goodness to valew, for whom ie only must iinde out frinds. Your Lordship's ever to serve yow, W. Ralegh. LETTER CXXXVII. 1604. id : ** To the tight honorabdl my singuler good Lord, the Vicount C RAN BORN, drV." J: "1604;" then, in Lord Cranbome's hand, "Sir Walter Raleigh;" and in another hand, ^^ To my Lord" 1605. cxxxvin. ) SECRETARY THE EARL OF SALISBURY. le Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cix. § 9 (Hatfield)' Holograph. Without date. . Lordshipp being now reddy to depart hence (and otherwise imboldned by your Lordships cum- ell promises) makes me adventure once agayne jcich yow to remember my long sute. I do not your Lordship as doubtinge your Lordship's favor . My life had sauftie without your worde ; and re no cause for me to doubt my land with it. ; it is trew : * Dant animmn ad loqitendum liberi p miserice^ and being into such estate brought, I sfore your Lordship the trew cause of my impor- s. The on is (which I speake in the presence and of God) that I am every second or third night in LETTER CXXXVIII. 1605. To the Earl of Salisbury. [From the Tower ?] Renewed entreaty for the preserva- tion of his landed estates. 3i8 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CXXXVIII. 1605. danger ether of suddayne death or of the loss of my lymes^ and sense, being sume tyme two howres witbout feeling or motion of my hand and whole arm. I com- playn not of it. I know it vayne, for ther is none that hath compassion therof. The other, that I shalbe made more then weary of my life by her crijng and benv'aylii^ who will return in post when shee heares of your Lord- ship's departure, and nothing don. Shee hath alreddy brought her eldest sonne in one hand and her sucking child in another, crijng out of her and their destnK- tion ; charging mee with unnaturall n^ligence,* and that having provided for myhe own life I am without sense and compassion of theirs. Thes torments, added to my desolate life, — recdving nothing but torments and wher I should look for sumc cumfort, together with the consideration of my cnidl destiney, my dayes and tymes worn out in sorrow and imprisonment, — is sufficient ether utterly to distract mcc or to make mee curss the tyme that ever I was bora into the world, and had a being ; did I not hope that God wilbe pleased to accept thos misires of mync in this world for thos etcrnall sorrowes which my nq[lcct of Hyme and offences agaynst Hyme have deserved I bcseich your Lordship, even as you must one day begg cumfort from God and cry unto Hyme for His aboundant mercie, that yow wilbe pleased to spare the tyme, and to finishe and effect, in sume sort, your hart's intents toward me. If I could ether healp or blame their cries and impatience, I would, for my sealC kve all to God and your Lordship. But, if your Lordship spare one thought toward this estate of m}me, I cannot ' Hmbs, ' The allusion here is to the inadequate conveyance (for technical enor) of the Sherborne estates. .See Vol. I. chap. xxi. Restoration of his Dorsetshire Estates, 319 )pe for sume happie end ; which I leve to your hip's goodness to resolve of, and rest your most ible creture to do yow service, W. Ralegh. ed: tMe right honorable my singuler good Lordcy the Lord Vicotmt Cranborn, EaHe of Sallisbury, drv. d: 605. Sir Walter Raleigh ; " and, in another hand, ** To my Lord:' CXXXIX. THE EARL OF SALISBURY, LORD HIGH TREASURER. be Original. Cecil Papers^ vol cix. § ii (Hatfield). Holograph. I my cumforts and sorrowes are in your Lord- poure, so it pleaseth your Lordship to mixe them, with a gentell hand. vife tolde mee that your Lordship had pleased to is Majestic for Sherburne, and that his Majestic ciously disposed toward the releife of her and re children. My thanckfuUness I know your > cannot valew. Thos bonds of debts are only vher payment may be hoped for. But all dew I must leve to the world, to pay your Lordship "eat part of the honor it hath to geve ; and to ow for satisfied in your great accompt towards \ compassion yow shew towards others. All one entrance into life, and a like going out. >rld, we live by glorie ; in the heavens, * Prudentia hmnana mortalis, misericordia LETTER cxxxvin, '" 1605. LETTER CXXXIX. 1605. To the Earl of Salisbury. [From the Tower. ] Restora- tion of the Dorset- shire estates. — Terms of the re- grant in tnist. 320 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CXXXIX. 1605. Ther is nothing more trew then that the greatest prosperitie hath the greatest envie. And though wise men do not therfore neglect the blessings of God in this world, yet they carefully distinguish her two natures: the on, biting at Prosperitie it sealf, att what prise soever Vertue hath bought it ; the other, at tiiat poure^ accumpanied with severitie, especially agaynst thos whom it hath sometyme loved, and are afterward become miserabell. *Ea prosperitas tnaximi invidiosa esty in qua est asperitas ;• prcecipui in arnicas affiictoi ac miseroSy ac in nostram potestatem redactosJ For the plcntie of happines is never decreased by imparting cumfort to others, wher God hath geven sufficient for both. How your Lordship may thinck that I acknow- ledg your Lordship's liberalitie to my sealf, I can no otherwise gess then by the continewance of your favor. To geve your Lordship farther assurance of my desire to honor your Lordship with all the pouers of my sowl^ I find no other argument then trewth in my sealf, and uttered by thes emptie voyces which your Lordships charitie pleaseth to accept. For the sute it sealf, with which I have so often trobled your Lordship, as I must take most thanckfully what soever your Lordship shall vouchsauf to procure mee, — so, if the land be tied with a remaynder, a third of the valew is therby lost. Besids that neither can I have means to pay my debts (owing to Mr. VaNLO^ and Sir J. Spilman ;^I30o; and, as God liveth, as mich more elcewher ; and the debt of the Wines alreddy assigned). Agayne, the Church of Sallisburie, which * power, 2 Peter Vanlore of London, an eminent Flemish merchant, who«t*j* date had long been domiciled in England, and to whom one of Sir '^v^vi latest letters (on the fatal Guiana expedition) is addressed See o"*' * 1616,' hereafter; Letter CLL Restoration of his Dorsetshire Estates, 321 hath no great estate, might therby loose ;^26o a yeere which I pay. For the King can be no man's tenant nor hold land of any vassal!. I did desire it free the rather, in hope to bargayn with your Lordship for it. For ther is no seat within the cumpass of your titells so fitt for your Lordship as that And I will make it appere that your Lordship may save £10,000, in respect of building, imparking, and setling, elcewher. It was once entayled uppon my brother's children. But I might have revoked it agayn, and ment it I beseich your Lordship do me that grace as I may be tfaerin no less free then heretofore. And if your Lord- ship do not find reason in my offer towards your sealf (my debts being payd), I protest before God I will then tie it as your Lordship shall advise me or command mce. And, howsoever, I shall remayne your Lordships faithfuU sarvant to the end, W. Ralkgh. Addicsied : To the ri^ht hottorahlt my singuler good Lord^ the Lord Vicottnt C RAN BORN, ZiVir/ // Sallysburie, dr»r. Ztdoncd : ** 1605. Sir Walter Ralegh to my Lord:' LETTER CXXXIX. 1605. CXL. TO SIR ROBERT COTTON, BART. 'ran the Original. MS. Cotton, Julius C iii. fol. 31 1 (British Mnseiun). Holograph. Mutilated.^ Without date. Written during his imprison- Qent in the Tower; probably between the years 1605 and 161 2. ^ V The learned biographer of Cotton, Dr. Thomas Smith, ^ taken it for granted that Sir Walter Ralegh's object in ' The words printed within brackets I supply from a copy of the letter, ^^ was made anterior to the fire at Ashbumham House. 1?rN« «<< 322 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CXL. After 1605? To Sir Robert Cotton. [From the Tower.] Requests the loan of various books of History. addressing this letter to Sir R. Cotton was to obtain materials for the continuation of the History of the World. This may well have been so. It is, however, matter rather of conjecture than of proof. Sir Walter's object may haVe been that ' Brief His- tory of Englafid* in particular, on which we know that he was also employed, whilst in the Tower. "• . . Quotum hitu!!' writes Dr. Smith, when speaking of the great scholars whose studies Cotton had helped to promote, — ^^carcerisin TurreUn- dinensi partem luensj in Secunda Universalis Histoiiae fdrtt antiquitates Britannicas ifidagaturusy ut quosdam Codias turn typis impressoSy turn manu exaratos, sibi litendos dare villd Cottonus, Uteris petite Cotton's answer is not extant But his character is a sufficient assurance of its nature. Sir Robert Cotton, If yow have any of thes old books, or any manu- scrips, wherin I cann reade any of our written antiquitcs, if yow pleas to lend them mee [^for a little while, I will sjwifly restore them; and thinck my sealf micte [behoulding unto yow ; or, if yow have any old French histjory wherin our nation is mentioned, or any [else, in what language sojever. Your poore frind, W. Ralkgii. Sigebert's Cronikells^ Vincent's Speculum historiale. Gervasius Tilesberius.' Phillip : Bergomus.* ^ See note on the preceding page. • Sigebcrti Gemblacensis Coenobitse Chnmicon^ ab anno 381 *i '*•*" 1131. ' Gervasii Tilberiensis De Jmperio Romano^ a Gcttprmm, Ltmkri'f'^ Brittonum^ Francorum^ Angiorumque regnis^ CommeHiatio ; known al*>* Otia Imperialia ad Ottonem IV, Imperatorem, * SnppUmentum Chronicorum Orbis, ab initio Afumdi ad annum 14ft I by James Philip Foresti, of Bergama Proposed Cimveyance of Sherborne to t/te King, 323 Natalis Talipes.^ Amand : Zirescens. Caius Hondinius. John Major, De gestis Scotorum? Lessabius of Herault.^ Alex. Evesham.* Brute Booke, Cronikell of Taixberry} Peter de Icham/ 1608. CXLI. ro THE LORD TREASURER SALISBURY. e Original. Cecil Papers^ vol. cxx. § 36 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. riNG that something may be sayde unto your lipe of my proceeding towching Sherburne, I ie pray your Lordshipe to judg of me herein by .me goodnes and charitie which hath hitherto d all your actions. For, that the graunt required \ and others is indeed fearfull unto us, I cannot oire de Vestat et rSpublique des Dniides^ drv. Par Noel Taillepied. at Paris in 1585.) ably but another title for the well-known Historia Majoris a, tarn Anglia quant Scotia. micon Universale^ attributed (on very doubtful authority) to James a Fleming, who flourished in the earlier part of the sixteenth aps Chronicon AbbcUice Eveshamensis . . . ^ fundaiione ad annum ala Monasterii de Huokesberiay ab anno 1066 ad annum 1263. t. Cleopatra, A vii. mica de regibus Anglia^ , , . d tempore Bruti usque ad annum 4S. Cott Dom. iii. i. In the original, Ralegh*s list of books is e top of his letter. V 2 LETTER CXL. After 1605?, LETTER CXLI. 1607- 1608. Jan. 29. To the Lord Treasurer Salisbury. [From the Tower. ] ef Raligk. 1^:1 i^a^iyi becaase wee therm pass unto His Majestie those m- ^'"'"Zr ''^^ arc oat of our powre to perfonne, and '^^ *i:erby those that jqyne with mee do not only inthrak ,,j^^.^ ijieir j-JTz estates, bet my wife and sonn therby forfcat ?"-*=- iheir izuetfe. For if those that never had fee simple ^ra:i^t a fee simple ; if wee covenant to graunt all the Lin is tree and unstated : if wee also binde ourselves to .w.. • er all writings, evidences, court-roles, &c— whidi ^ee never had. — ^wee do presently fayle, and fall under I know not how many inconveniences, dangers, and trobles : and from which the proviso offred doth no way deliver us. I protest before the majestie of God that I dcale cleerly in this busenes, and that as I have alreddy d^ livered many things for the good of the Lord that shalbe. so will I make it appeere that I will reserve nothing in my knowledg that may assure those lands to the pro- priator. Only this mich I humblie desire that, as I would be gladd never to heere the place named henceforth, so in parting from it, I might also part from all future troble and vexation concerning it ; and that for those bonds and covenants entred into for the injoying of estates and anueties by me and mine, I may be with i them which have dealt for mee freely and cleerly dis- charged. I mean for such and no other as do appears just, and are found by the last survey. And if it shall please your Lordshipe to be advised i by mee heerein, I thinck it farr better that such a graunt I be devised for us to signe, so indifferent and equall. as i that the same shall not hold any dispute in Parlefflcnt, then that the parties which joyne with mee therin shall seeke to bee releived in that great court, and so their desires retarded which would be gladd of a free passage and expedition. * reposed Cofweyance of Sherborne to the King, 325 the rest, if Mr. Thelwal have told your Lord- that hee found unwillingnes in me to bee att any for the patents, it is trew that I prayd him that all come free unto us, but my meaning was for the For this charg is not gfreat, and in lew therof :ontent (because it cannot be otherwise) to yeild ii longer time to the farmers of Custome as the t would amownt to ^£'40. For as ther is demanded tenn pound for the tallies, so do the officers tell us le fees going out of the ;^400 wilbe att the least jerly, which, if wee had had a lease of land, would ane saved, and to which I would have held my lad I not feared your Lordshipes construction that lit delay and a prolongation of the busenes. But these I submit my sealf to your Lordship's cha- nd rest your humble sarvant, W. Ralegh. d: he right honorable my singtder good Lord, th< EarU of Salsburie, Lord Treasorer of Ingland, 6rc. {, in Lord Salbbury's hand : " 29M yd, 1607. Sir IValter Raleighr The date of the endorsement is, of course, according to legal style, viz. 1607-1608. 1609. CXLII. LETTER CXLI. 1607.1608. Jan. 29. JOHN SHELBURY, Steward of the Manor OF Sherborne. ! Original? Domestic Correspondence: James L vol. xliii. § 6 I (Rolls House). Apparently, Holograph ? insert this letter — but not without some hesitation — it is calendared at the Rolls House as a genuine 326 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXLII. 1608- 1609. Jan. 3. To John Shelbury. [From the Tower.] Lease to J. Meeres, of Bishop's Down, near Sher- borne. document There are several difficulties about it; arisiiig rather from the contents than from any peculiarities of the writing, although these, also, are observable. On the subject- matter, the reader is referred to VoL I. chap. xxi. He may also be reminded that Ralegh stated on one occasion, in zda- tion to lawsuits about Sherborne, that Meeres was so expert a forger as to be able, for a moment, to put him into doubt as to what he (Ralegh) had, or had not, himself written with his own hand. John Shelbury, I PRAY give John Meeres a promis undef your hand to make him a good and perfect lease of all Bishops Down, so soun as it shalbe known to whom the land doth belong, which I will that you performe unto him freely and without all question or cavill ; and this shalbe your sufficient warrant. Written this 3 of Jan' 1608. W. Ralegh. I.KTTER CXLII I. 1609? To Sir Robert Carr. [From the Tower. ] CXLIII. TO SIR ROBERT CARR (afterwards Earl of Somerset). From a nearly contemporaneous copy in MS. Addit. 4106, fol. 81 (British Maseum). in another copy of this Letter (MS. Harleian 6908, fol. 4), the following date is added : * From the Tower. Jan. 2, i^ Sir, After manye great losses, and manye yeares sor- rowcs, of both which I have cause to feare I >»'as mis- taken in ther endes, it is come to my knowledge that yourself (whom I knowe not, but by an honorable fan^^/ have bene persuaded to geve me and myne our last fatall blowe, by obtayningc from his Majestic the m- heritaunce of my children and nephewes, lost in law fof Intrcaties to Carr in regard to Sherborne, 327 want of wordes. This done, ther remayneth nothlngc with me but the bare name of lief, dispoyled of all els but the tythe' and sorrowe therof. His Majestie, whom I never offended (for I ever helde yt both unnaturall and unmanlye to hate goodnes), stayed me at the grave's brincke ; not, as I hope, that his Majestie thought me worthye of manye deathes and to beholde all myne cast out of the worlde with my selfe ; but as a Kynge who, judginge the poore in truthe, hath retayned a promyse from God that his throne shalbe established for ever. And for yourselfe. Sir, seinge your daye is but now in the dawne, and myne come to the eveninge, — your own vertues and the King's grace assuringe you of manye good fortunes and muche honor, — I beseich you not to bqrynne your first buildings upon the ruyns of the in- nocent; and that thergreifes and sorrowes doe not attcnde your first plantacion. I have bene bounden to your nation, as well for many other graces as for the true reporte of my tryall to the Kings Majestie ; against H'hom, had I been found malignant, the hearinge of my Cause woulde not have chaungcd enemyes into freindes, nialice into compassion, and the greatest number present into a commiseracion of mine estate. It is not the nature of foule treasons to begett such fayre passions ; neyther woulde it agree with the duetye and love of faythfull subjectes (cspeciallye of your nation) to be- Wayle his overthrowe who had conspyred against ther most liberall and naturall Lorde. I therfore trust, Sir, that you will not be the first that will kyll us outright, cutt downc the tree with the fruyte, and undergoe the curse of them that enter into the fieldes of the fatherles ; - — ^the which (yf it please you to knowe the truthe) are ' So in M.S., but prubably an error of the transcrilicr LETTKR ex LI 1 1. 1609? Written on receiving intelligence that Carr had ob- tained a grant of the Sher- borne estate. 328 Letters of Ralegh, LETTER CXLITI. . 1609? farre lesse fruitfull in value then in fame ; and that soe worthie a gentleman as yourselfe will rather bynde us to your service, beinge. Sir, gentlemen, not base in burtii or allyancc, who have interest therin. And my selfe with the uttermost thankfulnes will ever remayne readye to obey your commaundments, W. Ralegh. Addressed : To th€ honorable and worthye knight, Sir ROBERT Carr, at tkt Cmrk. I 6 I o. CXLIV. LETTER CXI. IV. 161O? Oct 9. To Sir W. Cope. [From the Tower.] Requesting his inter- cession for leave to Lady Ralegh to return to the Tower. I TO SIR WALTER COPE. ' As communicated to the Society of Antiquaries (June 2, 1853), \^ ^^ J. Payne Collier, from the Original, then in the powaaoD d i Mr. WiLLOUGHBY, of Lancaster Place, London. {ArcJkaUtgk, voL ' XXXV. pp. 219, 220.) Sir Walter Cope, You are of my old acquayntance, and were my familiar frind for many yeeres, in which time I hope you cannot say that ever I used any unkind office towards you. But our fortunes are now changed, and it may be in your power greatly to bynde me unto you, if the bynding of a man in my estate be worth any- thing. My desire unto you is, that you wilbe pleased to move my Lord Treasorer in my behalf, that by his grace my wife might agayne be made a prisoner widi me, as she hath bine for six yeeres last past. Shee being now divided from me, and thereby, to my great impoverishing, I am driven to keip to* howses. A * /-iCO. Request of Sir Walter Cope's Intercession. 329 userable fate it is, and yet great to me, who, in this netdied estate, can hope for no other thing than eacible sorrow. It is now, and I call the Lord of U power to wittnes yt, I ever have bine, and am esolved that it was never in the worthey hart of Sir KOBERT Cecyll (whatsoever a Counceler of State and I Lord Treasorer of Ingland must do) to suffer me to Edl, mich less to perrish. For what soever termes it bth pleased his Lordship to use towards mee, which nught utterly dispaire any bodie else, yet I know that he^ke them as a Counceler, sitting in Coundll, and io company of such as would not otherwise have bine j tatbfied. But, as God liveth, I would have bought his presence tt a farr deerer rate than those sharp words and these ^Uree moneths close imprissonment, for it is in his Lord- ^p's face and countenance that I behold all that re- ^ynes to me of comfort and all the hope I have, and Om which I shall never be beaten till I see the last of rills and the dispayre which hath no healp. The bless- igs of God cannot make him cruell that was never so, >r prosperitie teach any man of so great worth to dight in the endles adversitie of an enemie, mich less r him who in his very sowle and nature can never be ich a one towards him. Sir, the matter is of no great importance (though a Hell destinie hath made it so to me) to desire that my ife may live with me in this unsavery place. If by our mediation I may obtayne it, I will acknowledg it 1 the highest degree of thankfullness ; and rest reddy in ■^w fayth to be commanded by you, W. Ralegh. October the 9 [1610 ?]. LETTER CXLIV. 161O? Oct 9. :xi\ 7.Y JJ.^JE OF W.\LES. -rr=.^- = jT^-'Tf n Hi I .drmitc: crfijci RiwuxMS ^ Sir y j^^'- :..;-i-:- "v'LJi.ic: sljsct.-tcoi;* &j:&a:ac; or date. ZT^^ r*t. I? ^:« sr.-: j:«ir Hi^ress Entends to build be :r:r zrjji ^Tfc 71-— __ ibtd her beams which are laid znrvL^T T-.'n sor t: fL-it "a-ill not serve again and .: .cr-tr :c r^fr mberf ani other stuff will not ' : v-:':jri::^ :f fCi :•= 2 siie le55, the timber of the -:.-: v\_ >fr~r -Til t: the building of a new. r-.: . :»r : i^^^^r^ >h: .-_ r-^ ::" 1l<:< jse, go ven* deep \ ,'ir i_ii >■■ — ^irr ±.3r-^£. — :ur channels dea)ii^ :.~ ;j-- l:--5 -.— r'.r: Ie?5 rr-=nyab!e; and seldom :: ->-:. -.--.- L ■-://. ,r'-.''.-.v /j/.vj," saith the -. r . - ;■ f^.v r.-irri t-i^ o-fr. cairie as good ordi- :-- Lr 1 ^.r r :" rtl.; h>-->:rc-i :un? ; and wherethe :,- ;.:!'. ^:.:.i h^r .ri_r.Ar.cr. t::e less >*-ill turn her jr :, : :i r«i:\ri the ^e3.t ship can wind once, . f. r: i.y.-^r.:i^e in th^t overplus of guns. The -. ^: :vir clcir, ^here the greater shall stick v:-.f- . :'-_ !i>i^;- v»-ill c:n^e and jro ; leave or take; ^ ; a:l -.htri^i^ the ^eatcr is slow, unnianyable. i ■ i: :\ '. . f -: .-.:■- r.:>jr. In a well conditioned ship ■ - • . « . . : That she be strong built: — (2.) Swift i" 5ail ; — .3. Stout-sided;— < 4.; That her ports be >•• I.-. id. as she may carr}- out her guns all Plans for building a War-ship. 331 1610? weathers; — (5.) That she hull and trie well; — , letter (6.) That she stay well, when boarding or turn- ^ ing on a wind, is required. \ 0 make her strong, consisteth in the care and truth he workman; to make her swift, is to give her a e run or way forward, and so afterward, — done by and just proportion ; and that in laying out of her 1 I es before, and quarters behind, the shipwright be : that she neither sink nor hang into the water, but > lear and above it ; wherein shipwrights do often fail, ; then is the speed in sailing utterly spoiled. *hat she be stout-sided, the same is provided by a 1 bearing-floar, and by shaving off from above waters Jie lower edge of the ports ; which done, then will , carry out her ordnance all weathers. ' 'o make her to hull and to trie well, — which is called 3od sea-ship, — there are two things principally to be arded : the one, that she have a good draught of er; the other, that she be not overcharged. And { is seldom done in the King's ships ; and therefore are forced to lye, or trie, in them with our main rse and mizzen ; which, with a deep keel, and stand- streak, she would perform. The extream length of a ship makes her unapt to ^, especially if she be floatie, and want sharpnesse of ;, forward. And it is most true, that such overlong ^s are fitter for the Narrow Seas, in summer, than for Ocean, or long voyages ; and therefore, an hundred t by the keel, and thirtie-five foot broad, is a good portion for a great ship. t is to be noted, that all ships sharp before, not ^ing a long floar, will fall rough into the sea from a j ow, and take in water over head and ears ; and the 1 33^ Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXLV. 1610? same quality have all narrow-quartered ships to sink after the tail. The high charging of ships is that that brings many ill qualities; it makes them extream ie^ ward, makes them sink deep into the seas, makes them labour sore in foul weather, and ofttimes overset Safety is more to be respected than shews, or nicenesse for ease; in sea journeys, both cannot well stand to- gether ; and therfore the most necessary is to be chosen. Two decks and a half is enough, and no building at all above that, but a low master's cabbin. Our masteis and mariners will say, that the ships will bear more wdl enough ; and true it is, if none but ordinary marinos served in them. But men of better sort, unused to sudi a life, cannot so well endure the rowling and tumbliog from side to side, where the seas are never so little grown, which comes by high charging. Besides those high cabbin works aloft are very dangerous in fight, to tear men with their splinters. Above all other things, have care that the great guns be four foot clear above water, when all lading is in ; or else, these best pieces are idle at sea : for if the ports lie lower and be open, it is dangerous, and by that default was a goodly ship, and many gallant gentlemen, lost in the days of Henry the Eigth, before the Isle of Wi|^t, ; in a ship called by the name of Mary Rose, Proposals for the Colofiisation of Virginia. Hi CXLVI. 0 QUEEN ANNE OF DENMARK, Consort of King James the First. QB m oontemporaneous transcript in MS. Harleian, xxxix. foL 359 (Brittsh Moseum)* Without address and undated. RK same blessinge which God doth contynewe towards Nir Majestic will, I hope, put your Majestie in minde your charritie towards otheres. I long since presumed offer your Majestie my service in Virginia, with a Oftc repetition of the comoditie, honor, and safetye licfa the King's Majestie might reape by that planta- Ml, yf it were followed to effecte. I doe still hombly seech your Majestie that I may rather die in serving e Kii^e and my countrey then to perrish here. 1 did also presume hertofore to set downe my answeres » all objectyones that could be made, to wit, that yf wente not by a day sett that I would forfete my life id estate ; that I wold leave my wife and two sonnes Icadges for my faith, and that my wife shall yeald fifBdf to death, yf I performe not my duty to the sogt. And yf this suffice not, that it may be tould the asteres and marrineres that transporte me that yf I offer ) saile elsewhere that they may caste me into the Sea. But were ther nothinge ells, let your Majestie, I be- eech you, be resolved that it shall never be said of me bat the Queen of England gave her worde for this man ; hat the Queen tooke him out of the hands of Death ; bt he, like a villaine and perjured slave, hath betray de 0 worthy a princes, and hath brokene his faithe. Noe, ^ddam, as God lyveth, ther is no bonnd, noe, not the ose of 20 sonnes, cane tye me so faste as the memory of LETTER CXLVI. I610? To Queen Anne of Denmark. HFrom the Tower.] Proposals for the coloniza- tion of Virginia. Proposals for an Expedition to Guiana, 335 ^hich I had bine likeler to have overtaken in that % than to have returned from it ; but the desire jdd me was the approving of my fayth to His ue, and to have done him such a service as hath ne bine performed for any King. But, most excel- rinces, although His Majestic do not so mich love \l for the present as to accept of that riches which lath offred him, therby to take all presumption [lis enemies, arising from the want of treasor, by (after God) all States are defended, yet it may be [is Majestic will consider more deiply therof here- if not to late, and that the dissolution of his e vassall do not preceede His Majesties resolution For my extreeme shortnes of breath doth grow t on tne, with the dispaire of obtayning so mich to walke with my keeper up the hill within the , as it makes me resolve that God hath otherwise ed of that busenes, and of me ; who, after eyght mprissonment, am as strayghtly lockt up as I was I st day, and the punishment dew to other mens I me negligence layd altogether uppon my patience I >edience. In which respect (most worthy Princes) \ a sute farr more fitting the hardnes of my destinie every day suffer, and am subject every day to for other mens offences) rather to desire to dye, or all, and therby to give end to the miseries of fe, than to strive against the ordinance of God, a trew judge of my innocencie towards the King, >th know me For your Majesties most humble and most bound vassall, W. Ralegh. ied: the Queens most excelletit Majcstie, I.KTTER CXLVII. [161I.] Proposals for an ex- pedition to Guiana. n KpU tc Lrttrr CXL VIII. --\ I 6 I 2, ^^ ^.T iT yrn: r: litter cw^wtl^proposals FOi rEZ jr:A.\\4 voyage ix 1612. -C^JJ —crr.i TTHZ zDTT.iL nf ±e jccst wiiich follows is not now known '" "^ Hi'-y.ir copy bears no address; but is ^■iccaiacT) '* Abetment betwen Sir "''i.tiiT SwL'Sii;^ iz?i ri«e Lords for the Jonmey of Guiana, to :«: Tcrr-.rzei rj Cizdiz Keesaish. in 161 1." It is plain, on lie iii:- :: ±e i>:=ie=:: iiseli that it is a letter tending rmris iz. • i.zTirs=iezrS for soch a vo}'age, and that tikrc hid :«-:! = ;^i:ii -e?:diroc iboo: the terms. It is also plain, r~:ci siise:i«i=^: eTrlsnce, that the obstacles in the "nj :<. 1: ±0: d:3e, ii7emo\'able, and that no definite ▼X5 c^ci^e tj. The date assigned to this tians- 5 i-ic ;~^srrcirle. It appears to have been founded ;:;..:c i =ii5c:-oirnoa of the words "sixteen ycais ^iZv::i. ' 7"* •:« wcrisw however, do not apply to an)thing that :or,LT^i :^ RiIe;C2 5 cwz TO>'3ge of 1595, but to an incident ."" KiTTnij vcvj^e, in 1596. Did no allusion to any date :cr^ in lie lener io^lf. the probabilities of the case would i^ni :,^ iivsUn :o :: ihe date of 1612, rather than thatof i6n; :zis~uch i> ±ere are several expressions in other letters of Rilf^h, rglir.r.g to Guianx which imply that during the Wc cf Oie Lord Treasurer Salisbur}- none of Sir Walter's many i::emr:s :o obtain a resumption of the enterprise attained so nearly to apparent success as did that which is the subject of :he \ resen: lener. Salisbun- died in May 161 2 ; just "sixteen years" afier that voj-age of Ke>Tnis to which reference is here made. One or two sentences of the letter may be thought to suggest that it was addressed to certain peers who purposed ; to be * joint-adventurers ' in the new enterprise, rather than to the Privy Council collectively. On the other hand, thert (Hfsals for the Guiatta Voyage in 1612. 337 ^ressions which seem applicable to the Council governing capacity. r wasy I believe, first referred to by the late Mr. is article ^Sir Waiter Raleigh^ published in the volume of the Edinburgh Review, It was first full, by the late Sir Robert Schomburgk, in an his excellent edition of Ralegh's Discovery of ited in 1848. In Sir Robert's copy there are 'erbal inaccuracies. aer letter" addressed to the same Lords, to which ; in the last paragraph but one, is not now known y shape, — original or copy. Elsewhere, there are other Guiana letters which are not now discover- is evidence, too, that Sir Joseph Jekyll, Master of ce possessed, in his private library, a MS. volume 1 containing *^ Several letters wrote by Sir W. ration to Guiana^ subscribed by his oum handP thus described was sold by auction in London in probable, however, — the Sale Catalogue notwith- lat these letters were but copies. Sir Joseph scarcely have left such a volume to the chances :he documents been really originals. CXLVIII. THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL? xmtemporaneous transcript in MS. IIarl. xxxix. if. 350, 351 (British Museum). ishipps, as I remember, did offer to be att ;o transport Keemish into Guyana with such 1 of men in twoe shipps as should be able lim against the Spaniards inhabiting upon z PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETIER CXLVIII. 1612? LETTER CXLVIII. I612? 338 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CXLVIII. l6l2 To the Lords of the Council ? [From the Tower.] Proposals for a voyage, by Keymis, to Guiana. Orenocke, if they ofTered to assaile him (not that itt is meant to offend the Spaniards there, or to b^^ne any quarrell with them, except themselves shall b^nne tbe warre). To knowe what number of men shall be stiffidcot, may itt please your Lordshipps to informe your selves by Captain MOATE, a servant of Sir JOHN WATTS* who came from Orenoke this last spring, and was often- times ashore att St. Thome, where the Spaniards in- habite, which numbers made knowne to your Lordshipps and to the captaines which you shall please to imploy with Keemish, those captaines shall be able to judge with what force they will undertake to secure Keemishes passage to the Mine, which is not above five miles from the navigable river, taking the neerest way. Now your Lordshipps doe require of mee that if Keemish live to arrive, and shall then faile to bringc into England halfe a tunne, or as much more as he shall be able to take upp of that slate gold ore whereof I gave a sample to my Lord Knevett,^ that then all the charge of the journey shall be laid upon mee and by mee to be satisfied, whereto I willingly consent. And though itt be a difficult matter— of exceeding difficulty — for any man to find the same acre of ground againe in a country desolate and overgrowne which he hath seene but once, and that sixteene yeares since (which were hard enough to doe upon Salisbury Plaine), yett that your Lordshipps may be satisfied of the truth I am contented to adven- ture all I have, but my reputacion, upon KEEMISHES memory ; hoping that itt may be acceptable to the Kings Majestie and to your Lordshipps soe to doc^ con- 1 A well-known and very enterprising ''Merchant Adventurer" :c tbe rSdies of that place, not by hcar- have seen, I have said it often, tz sa ead : because those that had the sc m:=c "¥^=e rcsijvved not to belie\'e it ; — not b^ rroih, but because the>' doubted themselves, where ^ (if God had :».ii:ii5rld Walter Ralegh. CL. [R GEORGE VILLIERS, afterwards DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. printed by Oldys, from the Original, then in the Library of James West. {Life^ p. 468.) ''OU have, by your mediation, put me again into orld. I can but acknowledge it, for to pay any >f your favour by any service of mine, as yet it : in my power. If it succeed well, a good part \ honour shall be yours ; and if I do not also it profitable unto you, I shall show myself ex- ig ungrateful. the mean while, and until God discover the success, ;ech you to reckon me among the number of your il servants, though the least able, rch 17 [1615— 1616]. W. Ralegh. LETTER CXLIX. 1615-1616? January? LETTER 1 CL. 1615-1616. March 17. To Sir George Villiers. Thanks for procuring his release from the Tower. Litters of RaUgk. CLI. TO PETER VANLORE. LETTE31 1616. July I. To Peter Vjnlore: with a form of letrer :,■» be written by Vonlore to Amster- dam, for informa- tion about Guiana. As printBd, \xf Oldts; from a copy made by Browne Wilus of "tbe oiigmal dnft of Sir Waltek*s own hjuid," then in Willis' Ubniy ac Wltaddoa HalL That ordinal draft is stated to have bone tbe following cndocaemcnt^— "This letter was shewn onto Matbus Pexewakt, at thctime of his namination, on the part and bdulf tf Sir Prrzx V.iXLORE» knigfat. Defendant, against Dune EuzaKTH Ralxch, widow, Compfaunant, 120 Jnnii, 1623. Signed *MAiTn( BjLsrLL."* Willisy it will be seen, has modernised the spdliiig. Sir Peter Vanlore was an eminent merdiant in London. Of his suit litk Ladr Rakgh some notice has been aheady given. Mr. Peter Vaxlore, This is the letter iftiiich I desire )rou to write to \'our brother in Amsterdam; and for any assunoce you shall gi\'e I will again put you in sureties to save you harmless, W. Ralegh. July I, 1616. • Brother TlBOTES,^ * There is a merchant in Amsterdam that • for the love he bears to my honourable friend * Sir Walter Ralegh, is content to discover ' somewhat of importance unto him in Guiana, * to which country Sir Walter Ralegh is now ' preparing to go ; but he doth require assurance ' from Sir WALTER Ralegh that he himself ' may be assured to enjoy such part of the ' commodity discovered as he shall 2^[ree upon 1 < Sir Adrian Thibaut, a merchant at Amsterdam, apparently brothcr-i^' law to Vanlore. arm of Letter to be turitten by Vanlore about Guiana. 343 with Sir WALTER Ralegh by his deputy, Mr. Henry Hovenar. I do therefore pray you to speak with the party which Mr. Hovenar will bring unto you, and to know what assur- ances he will require, which, to pleasure Sir Walter, I shall be willing to give; that is to say, to give him assurance that upon Sir Walter's return into England, the charges being deducted, the discoverer shall receive from Sir Walter such part of the said mer- chandise as Sir WALTER and he sh^l agree on ; although there needs no such assurance to be given, because His Majesty doth assure all Sir Walter's partners, by the great seal of England, that they shall truly and quietly enjoy all their parts and shares of what goods, merchandise, or treasure soever, shall be re- turned ; out of which great seal of England the discoverer shall have an assignment for so much as belongs unto him, to be delivered here in London to whomsoever he shall appoint to receive it.' ^ ''Such as thought to find some great deceit in me in the detaining ■cat part of the monies adventured, in perusing the Bills of Adventure tten by scriveners found above fifteen thousand pounds more than all diaige demanded came unto. But of Ihe money I never received any ny. The monies and provisions adventured with all the other captains Nmted to rery nearly twenty thousand pounds; for the greatest part scof I gave the W^&,'*— Apology for the Voyage to Guiana; in Works of Walter Ralegh, ed. Oxford, voL viii. p. 481. LETTER CLL I6I6. July I. PrrfaiffTj XoU to Letiar CLIL r A. •?A- T 1 iV >■ , n T Li. ma CL ::. ici;. 1617. ?5L£FATORY NOTE TO LETTER QlAl.-KALEGH AXD THE 'COXSEIL D'ETAT' OF FKAI^CE. \ LL that is vet known of the letter which puipoits to have been addressed by Sir Walter Ral^h to M. de Ksseaux is c-e to Mr. Gardner's recent researches at Simanras. Pii- marf^T. it rests upon the authority of the story told at Madrid by a Frenchman, named Antoine Belle, who was examined by the Spanish functionaries in that city, on his voluntaiiljr presenrlng himself (in May 161 8) to give information against Ralegh, in accordance with the advice given him in Rome by a Jesuit confessor. Belle told the Spaniards that he and ''Captain Faire" (who is called "Faige" in the letter itscit and *' Sage " in the letters and examinations addressed bf Sir Thomas Wilson to King James) were Ralph's "intimate friends :*' that he. Belle, had known Ral^h for six or seven years, '* having had communication with him in London, in the prison in which he was confined." He stated that the nrst messenger sent by Sir Walter into France was Captain Faige ; that by Faige the answer to that first despatch was brought to his employer, " at the Wight ; " and that the pur- port of the embassy ii-as to ask the Admiral Montmorency to intercede with the King of France for the grant to Sir Walter Ralegh of a decree permitting him, at his return, to enter the French ports, and giving assurance that he "might be received with favour and affection." Belle then proceeds to state, in the course of this extremely rein.irkable ** voluntar)' declaration," that he embarked with Ralegh in London, and that on reaching Plymouth he and Faige were sent, in company, i\nth fiirther despatches to the Admiral Montmorency, and with this letter to De Bisseaux. The Admiral answered, he continues, that he was " urging S^ Ralegh and tlie * Cofiseil d'EtaV of France. 345 Walter's business with the King of France." Of the answer of De Bisseaux, fielle says nothing. Nor does he explain how it happened that a letter dated by Ralegh^ "Plemouht^ ce 14 May, 16 16,'* and sent into France by two "intimate friends" of the writer, came to be shown in Rome, in the original, to a Jesuit confessor, in 1618 ; and to be brought thence to Madrid, —on its way to the archives of Simancas. Mr. Gardner's -voucher is conclusive for the apparent genuineness of the document itself, upon its face. His knowledge of the history of the period is great ; and liis inferences founded on that knowledge carry authority. But it is no less obvious that the story told by the bearer of the document stands much in need cf imther elucidation. Both Belle and his companion, Faige, left Ralegh, as the former of them says, at Plymouth, after Ktaming thither with Montmorency's answer, — ^^ because they did nai wish to go with people who were Huguenots'' To Sir Walter himself they represented that they ''were going to Dieppe and Havre, to meet other captains, who were arming ■Ups^" When examined at Madrid, Belle deposed that he parted from his comrade Faige at Genoa^ leaving him " sick, and imprisoned, on account of some money which he owed." The Spanish magistrates reported to the Council of State that Belle himself was very poor, " and would be glad of fifty or a hundred ducats, to get home to France." And the Council ordered him to be paid the sum last-named. Mr. Gardner adds to his most interesting narrative of the incidents of Belle's examination, which I have thus briefly epitomized, the significant fact that the examinant produced, Kiot only the original letter to De Bisseaux and one of Ralegh's CSuianian charts, but also (i) a transcript of the original Instructions to Faige — undated and unsigned, but initialled — in which Sir Walter expressed his "wish to take refuge in France for the singular and natural affection which he bears to the King and State ; wishing to serve them with his talents and experience;" and (2) a Declaration by Montmorency, engaging himself to obtain the King of France's permission PREFA- TORY NOTK TO LETTER CLII. 1617: Laurs of Ralegh. •■^.z^ r- ir i,g>rr » c^ncr 2 Frcoch seaport **««" tex x« /»iJ, ~. ■"* JriirajLj. ny ^Kxo^h dnddaition of this stnmge e{HSode n £ ^LTssT ^sazz=£ vidi murds is reserved for the fortnnate ^^ ^ai. of tbose of the Count of Gondomai'i zzr.zzLL. i£=s recefrei there can be little need to shot rr -*'i rrnftirs re rsese Letters. Nor ought it to be forgotta rrxr Scjry icvrarog of England, at this period — like Engiisk ^» Mr. 5. K- GAlTNUt 5om x MS. at Simancas), in /i'r^^^r'*/ A. ■::«:•. roL vlL ,May 1S67X E>rANr 5ur le point de faire voile, jay entendu >f A. 14. '«^^ r.curxux changement des afaires de France que me T: M -f cor.r.e bcaucoup d'esperance et de courage; m'assuraflt F^^r^ que le part>- Espagnol ne sera pas si-apr^ si puissant; E^utr. " et qui m*a occasionne ren\x)yer par devers vous mon ndcllc amy Ic Cappitaine Faige, avcc ample com- tk to France respecting the Guiana Voyage, 347 conduire certains navires promis, et autres 3nt avoir part ^ ma fortune, et luy ay assign^ t les places ou il me doibt trouver aux Indes ; int je travailleay aux mines, que, si je les isantes et telles que je desire, il vous dira la que j*ay prinse, la luy ayant confine il y a laquelle j'esp^e me reusiya au contentment jui me font Thonneur de m'armer. C'est je vous prie de donner au present gentil- mesme croyance que autre foys, et Tassister lir le brevet qui m'est promis par celuy qu'il \ et lequel je retiens par devers moy ; toutes tant le tout i vostre prudence de voyr si le >ermet Ce que atendant je vous conjure de I vous pouves et pourres i jamais disposer x>mme de vostre trfes humble et affectionne W. Ralegh. touht^ ce 14 May, 16 16, ancient stille, fpj of this letter Mr. Gardner adds the following note : — date, with its mistake of ' 1616 ' for ' 1617/ is in Ralegh's nting^ as is the signature." LBTTER GUI. I6I7. May 14. Proposals respecting the Guiana Voyage. — Applica- tion for a French commis- sion. CLIII. TO LADY RALEGH. d, in 1656-1657, in the Collection entitled Remains 0/ Sir Walter Raleigh, SART, M yet write unto you but with a weak hand, suffered the most violent calenture, for fifteen : ever man did, and lived : but God that gave LETTER CLIIL 161 7. Nov. 14. Letters of Ralegh^ .:r. itir: Ralejrh' From Caliana, ir. GuiaiUL ParticulaTs of his dis> astrous voj-apt — Btvlv's de- sertion. — Numerous deaths among hU officers. 3ie X icrons^: heirt in all my adversities, hath also now fcr;!^<~: 1- v>« Nox-ember, I hope we shall reco\'er them. W> ire \~rt two hundred men ; and the rest of our fleet arc rcisoaabJy strong ; — strong enough, I hope, to per- form i*hat we have undertaken ; if the diligent care at London to make our strength known to the Spanish king by his ambassadour, have not taught the Spanish king ^ to fortihe all the enterances against us. How- soever, we must make the adventure ; and if we perish, it shall be no honour for England, nor gain for his Majestic; to loose, amoi^ many other, one hundred as valiant gentlemen as England hath in it Of Captain Baylie's base coming from us at the Canaries, see a letter of Kemishes to Mr. Scory; and of the unnatural weather, storms, and rains, and uinds, he hath, in the same letter, given a touch. Of the uay that hath ever been sailed in fourteen days, now hardly performed in fourtie days, God, I trust, will give us comfort in that which is to come. In passage to the Canaries I stayed at Gomcrah, where I took water in peace, because the countrey durst not dcnie it me. I received there, | of a countess * | of an English race, a present of oranges, lemmons, quinces, and pomegranates, without which I could not have lived. Those I preserved in fresh sands, and I have of them , Nct to my great refreshing. Your son had never so good » So printed ; but evidently corrupt I have failed to discover dthtf the ' original or any authoritative transcript of this letter. 5 The wonls * of a couutcss ' occur in other texts of this letter, b«t ii« wantinji in the K€mains,\ \\. is obvious that the context needs ihcm. Pariiatlars of his disastrous Voyage to Guiana. 349 health, having no distemper, in all the heat under the Line. My servants have escaped, but Crab and my cook; yet all have had the sickness. Crofts, and March, and the rest are all well. Remember my service to my Lord Carew and Mr. Secrctarie WiNWOOD. I wrote not to them, for I can write of nought but miseries yet Of men of sort, we have lost our Sergeant- major, Captain Pigott; and his lieuetenant, Captain Edward Hastings, — who would have died at home, kur both his liver, spleen, and brains were rotten ; my Km's lieuetenant Payton ; and my cosin Mr. HEWS ; Mr. Mordant; Mr. Gardiner; Mr. Hayward; Captain Jennings, the merchant ; Kemish of London ; uid the Master Chyrurgion ; Master Refiner; Mr. MooR, the governor of the Barmoudas; our Provost Marshal, W. Steed ; Lieutenant Vescie, but^ to mine inestimable grief, Hammon and Talbot. By the next, I trust, ^ou shall hear better of us; in God's hands we are, and in Him we trust. This bearer. Captain Alley, for his infirmitie of his head I have sent back ; an honest, valiant man, he can deliver you all that is past. Commend me to my vrorthy friends at Loathbury, Sir John Leigh, and Mr. Bower (whose nephew Knevit is well), and to my cousin Blundell ; and my most devoted and bumble service to her Majestie. To tell you that I might be here King of the Indians Bvere a vanitie ; but my name hath still lived among tliem. Here they feed me with fresh meat, and all bliat the countrey yields ; all offer to obey me. Com- Eiaend me to poor Carew my son. From Galliana^ in Guiana, the 14 of November [16 17]. * So in MS. There is probably an omission. ' So printed ; and without subscription pr signature. LETTER CLIII. I6I7. Nov. 14. 3SO Letters of Ralegh. I 6 I 8. CLIV. TO SECRETARY SIR RALPH WINWOOD. From a coQtempoimneoiis mod official copy. DcmatU C^rrapmima: James I., toL xctL Na 7a Five pages ; of which the fint ii ii i difiRerent hand from all that follows. (RoUb HOQSe.) CoastBdwi& another transcript in a Letter Book belonging to the Manpoi of Salisboiy ; Cri/ Fiifers, Pillar A, b, V, foL 12 (Hatfield). *«* Tliere is no endorsement on this letter itselH But litit ai'pears 10 have been the fly-leaf— now severed — is endoned thus :— •• CopU of Sir IValter Ralph's letter of 21'' Martn, 1617** [o. s.]. At the time when Ralegh wrote this letter it S:. Christopher's, Secretary Wlnwood had been almost five :iior.:hs dead. He died, in London, on the 27 th October, 1617; ius: at the moment when Ralegh was himself sickening of dut almost faul tever which he describes as " the most vioknt ca'.enr.:re that ever man suffered and lived." Winwood was suvTce^eJ. as Principal Secretaiy of State, by Sir Robert \au:::or.. The change was eminently unfortunate for Ralegh. T/.e Cov il copy has only this heading : " Sir Walter Rauiii^ :,* ^;'- A.:.. T^' U shzcxwL Wir. wood's death ^-as vei>' sudden. His case — mcdicaDf— is or.e of the many contemporary cases which gave so unfo'' :«r..i:- r^^r'^ I MS. Cecil omits the words within tinea. Misfortunes of the Guiana Voyage. 351 I *have I ever befallen • any man : for whereas, for the irst, all those that navigate betweene Capo Verde jid America doe passe ^ it in 15 or 20 dayes at most, re found the' winds so contrary (which ^ is also contrary o nature), and so many violent stormes and raynes, as ree spent six weeks in that passage, by reason whereof, nd that in so g^eat heate we wanted water (for at the le Bravo,* of ^ Cap de Verd, we lost our cables and Dehors and our water-casks ; being driven from the dand with a hurrlican, and were all like to have erished) g^reat sicknes fell amongst us, and caryid vray gi'eat numbers of our hablest men boath for sea od land. The 17 of November we had sight of the oast of Guiana, and, soone after, came to anchor in fve degrees at the river Caliana.® Heere we stayed ill the 4th of December; landed our sick men, set up be baiges and shellups, which we brought out of Copland in quarters; washed our ships; and tooke in resh water ; being fedd and assisted ^ by the Indyans if my ould acquaintance, with a great deale of love md respect My selfe | haveing^ | beene^® to^^ in the hands of Death, vithout hope, som 6 weeks (and not yet hable otherwise JO moove, then as I was caryed in a chayre) gave order 'JO fyve small shipps to sayle into Orenoke, haveing Zaptain Kemish for theyre conductor ^^ towards the xisme ; and in those five shipps fyve companyes of fifty, ander the command of [Captain] Parker and Cap- ain North, brothers to the Lord Mounteagle lad the Lord North, valient gentlemen, and of 1 MS. Cecil omits the words within lines. • MS. Cecil, ''befdir ' lb. ''alsotfuy:' • lb. ^* passe hetweeney * lb. ^^ and which are almost contrary^ %lc, j • nx ^'Pranor [Praya, St. Jaga] ' ''off, '» » lb. ''Galliano:' ' • lb. *' cherished:' " lb. **dein£ir:' " too. " lb. *' conduction:' LETTER CLIV. 1618. March 21. Misfor- tunes of the Guiana Voyage. — The infor- mation sent to King of Spain from London. — Conflicts with the Spaniards. 352 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CLIV. 161S. March 21. ^ infinite | patience for the labor, hunger, and heate which they have | ^endured |. My sonne had the third company; Captain Thornix of Kent [the] fourth; Captain Chud- LAY,' by his lieutenant, the fifth. But as my Sagent- major, Captain PiGOTT, of the Low Contryes, dj'cd [in] the former miserable passage, so my lieutenant. Sir Warham Saint Leger, lay sick, without hope of l)^^; and the charge confered on my nephew, GEORGE Ralegh, who had also served long with singular com- mendacions in the Low Contryes, but by reason of my absense, and of Sir Warham's, was not so well obeyed as the enterprise required. As they passed up the river, the Spaniards began j the warre and shot at us, both with their ordonance and \ muskets ; whereuppon the companies were forst to chaige : them, and soone after beate them out of their townt* ' In the assault whereof, my son (having* more desire of I honor than of safety) was slayne, and with whome, to I say the truth, all respect of the world hath taken end I in me. And although these five captaines had as weakc companies as ever followed valiant leaders, yet ^"crc there amongst them some 20 or 30 very * adventurous gentlemen, and of singular courage; as | 'of ffly I Sonne's | companie, Mr. Knevet, Mr. Hamon, Mr. Lang| ^ WORTH |, Mr. John Plesington, his crffecrs; Sir John Hamden, Mr. Simon Leak (corporall "of the field); Mr. Hammen's* elder brother; | *Mr. ; Nicholas], of Buckingham ; Mr. Roberts, of Kent; 1 Rolls House MS. omits the words within lines ; but they «< *** printed, as being plainly required by the context 2 MS. CecU, ''Chidleyy 3 In Rolls House MS. "their owne towne" was fust written, vA '^ the word * owne * scratched through with the pen. * MS. Cecil reads, '* more desirous of honour then safetie^^ 5 lb. "tc7//<7/// gentlemen." « lb. ''Mr. Hammon, the ddtr hnfi''- Misfortunes of the Guiana Voyage, 353 I Mr. Perin; Mr. Tk[esham] ; Mr. MuLUNAX; Mr. Winter, and his brother; Mr. Way;1 m^. Miles Herbert; Mr. Wiixiam Herbert; Mr. Bradshaw; Captain Hall, and others. Sir, I set downe the names of these gentlemen, to the end that if his Majesty shall have cause to use their scn'ice, it may please you to take knowledge * of them for vcr>- sufficient men.^ The other five ships stayed at Trinidado, having no \ other |K>rt capable of them neerc Guiana. The second I ship was commaunded by my vice-admirall, Captain John Penxixotox, of whome (to doe him right) *1 must confesse that he is one of the sufficientcst gentle- \ men for the sea that England hath. The third, by Sir Warriiam Saixt Leger, an exceeding valiant and worthy gentleman. The fourth, by Sir JoilX Ferxe ; and the fyft. by Captain Chvdlev of Devon. With ' these five ships I dayly attended the Armada of Spaine, which, had they set uppon us, our force divided, — the one half in Orenoque, a hundred and fiftie miles from : US, — wee had not only been torne in peecos, but all those ■ in the river had also perished, being of no defence at all | for a sea-fight ; for we had resolved to have burnt by ■ their sides, and to have dyed there, had the Armada | arrived ; but, belike, they stay for us at Marguerita, by ; ti'hich they know we must passe | towards | the Indies. For it pleased his Majestic to value us at [so little, as to comjmaund me, upon my allcgeance, to sett downe ' I under my hand | the countrey, and the very river by ' which I was to enter | it ; to set down | the number of my men, and burden of my ships ; with what [ordnance] c\-er>' ship car>'ed ; which being made knowne to the 1 MS. Cecil, " W'rayr « lb. '' noticcr 3 lb. ''gnit/cmtttr * I!». omits ^* I must confer^,** , vm. If. A a LETTER CLIV. 1618. March 21. 354 Letters of Ralegh. LETTFR CLIV. 1618. iMarch 21. [Spanish ambas]sador, and by him, in post, sent to the King of Spaine, a d[espatch was] made by him and his letters sent from Madrill, before my departure out of the Thames ; for his first letter, sent by a bark of advice, was dated the 19th of March, 161 7, at Madrill; whidi letter I have here enclosed^ sent your Honour. The I rest I reserve, not knowing whether these may be inter- 1 cepted or not. The second, of the King's, dated the 17 . of May, sent also by a caravell to Don DiEGO DE Palo- . MEQUE, governor of Guiana, EI Dorado, and Trinidado; \ the third, by the Bishop of Puerto-Ricco, and deliveied to Palomeque the 15th of July at Trinidado* ; and the 4th was sent from the Farmer and Secretarie of his I Customes in the Indies, at the same time. By that of I the King's hand, | brought | by the bishop, there was also I a commission for the speedy levying of 300 soldiers, and I ten pecces of ordenance, to be sent from Puerto Ricco 1 for the dc[fcnce of] Guiana ; a hundred and 50 from Nuevo Reino de Granado, under the com[niand] of ; Captain ANTONIO MusiCA, and the other 150 from Puerto Rico to be conducted by Captain Franxesco Zanchio.' Now, Sir, if all that have traded to the Indies since his Majesty's time know it that the Spaniards have ' flayed alive those poor men which they have taken, being but marchant-mcn, what death and torment shall wee expect,* if they conquer us } Certainly, they haw hitherto fayled grossely, being set out unto them as wee were, and discovered, both for our numbers, time, and place. Lastly, to make an apologie for not working the mifl^» ^ The enclosure does not now accom]>aiiy Uic letter. - MS. Cecil omits the words "/?/ Trinidado^ » 11). ''Ijnelior ♦ II). herc inserts ''othtrP Misfortufus of the Guiana Voyage. 355 although I knowi not (his Majestic excepted) whom I am to satisfie so much as my self, having lost my sonne and my estate in the enterprise ; yet it is true that the Spaniards tooke more care to defend the passages lead- ii^ unto it, then they did their ^ towne, which (say the | King's instructions) they might easily doe, the country j being **asfcra et fragosa''^ But it is true, that when ' KemiSH founde the rivers low, and that he could not : approach the bankes in most places ncere the mine by a : mile, and when he founde a descent, a volley of muskets i came from the woodes uppon the boat,^ and slew two of i the rowers, hurt six others, and shot a valiant gentleman, i Captain Thornix, | in the heade,* | of which woundc he ; hath languished to this day. He (to wit, Kemisii) following his own advise that it was in vaine to discover j the mine (for he gave me this for excuse, at his returne, j that the companies of English in their town of St. Thome j were hardly able to defend it against the dayly and j nightly alarmes and assaults of the Spaniards ; that the passage to the mine was of thicke and impassable woodes ; that, being discovered, they had no men to worke it), did not discover it at all. For it is true that the Spaniards, having two" gold mines neere the towne, — the one possessed by Pedro Rodrigo de Parana ; the second [mine by] Hernian Fruntino; the third, of silver, by ^Francisco Fachardo, — [ ? left them] for the want of negros to worke them. For, as the Indians can- not [be constrai]ned, by a law of Charles the Fift, so the Spaniards will not, [neither can] they endure the labor of i these mines, whatsoever that brag[gadochio], the Spanish ^ MS. Cecil reads, ^''although I know His Afajesty expects, « lb. "M^." 3 lb. ^'nemosar * Rolls House MS. reads, " hauks:^ " MS. Cecil omits these words. • So in MS. " MS. Cecil inserts ** Captain^ and omits ''Fachardo:' A A 2 •» LETTER Cl-IV. I6l8. March 2i. 55^ Letters of Ralegh. — • • 1 - ambassador, say, I shall prove it under the proprietaries [hand : by ^] the custome-bookes, and by the King^s Man^2i. qu^^to. of which I recovered an [ingot] or twa And I shall make it appeare, to any Prince or State that | will | undertake it, how easily those mines and five or six more may be [possess]t, and the most of them in those places which never yet have bene attempted by any enemic, nor any passage to them ever discovered by the English, Dutch, or French. But at Kemishes retume 'from Orenoque, when I rejected his counsel! and his course, and told him that ho had undone me, and wounded my credite mith the King past recoverie, he slew himself. For I told him, that, seing my sonne was lost, I cared not if he had lost an hundred more in opening the mine, so my credite had been saved. For I protest before God, had not Captain Whitxev (whome I gave more countenance unto then to all the captaines of my fleet) runne from me at the Granadas, and carried another ship wth him of Captain WoLLASTOX's, I would have left [my bod]ic at St. Thome, by my sonnes, or have brought with me out [of that or] other mines so much gold ore, as should have satisfied | the King that | I had propounded no vaine thing. What shall become of me now, I know not ; I am un- pardoned in England, and my poore estate consumed; and whether any other Prince or State ^iiU give me bread,^ I know not I desire your Honour to hold mc in your good opinion, and to remember my service to my lords of Arundell and PEMBROKE ; to take some pity on my poore wife, to whome I dare not write, fof * These words are in MS. CeciL - MS. Cecil omits the words *'*from Orirtaque^'^ ^ Here MS. Cecil inserts **r>r //i»." Misfortunes of t/ie Guiana Voyage, 357 ^ng the sorrow for her sonne ; and beseech you to a copie of these to my Lord Carew. For to a en mind, to a weake bodie, and weake eyes, it is a tent to write many letters. I have founde many jes of importance for discovering the estate and cenes of the Indies, which, if I hve, I shall hereafter irt unto your Honor, to whome I shall ever^ re- le a faithfull servant, W. Ralegh. LETTER CUV. 1618. March 21. *0STSCRIPT.2] — Sir, Since the death of Kemish, it is iesst by the Sergeant-major and others of his inward ides, that he told them, when they were at the river's th coming thence, that he could have brought them le mine, within two howers march from the river's ; but because my sonne was slayne, myself unpar- »d, and not like to live, he had no reason to open the » either for the Spaniards or for the King. They nvered, that the King (though I were not pardoned) graunted me my pa[tent under the great] scale. He yred that the graunt to me was | to a man who | was ens in law, and therefore of no force. | This discourse] lad, which I knew not of till after h[is death]. When IS resolved to write unto your Honour, [he prayed] to joyne with him in excusing his not go[ing to the] e. I aunswered him, I would not doe [it ; that] if self could satisfy the King and the State that he had on not to open it, I should be glad of it ; but for my :, I must avow it that he knew it, and that he might, 1 litle losse, have done it ; other excuse I would not le. He then told me that he would waite on me 1 MS. Cecil omits *'i^r/-." ' In MS. Cecil the Postscript appears as a separate letter. 358 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CLIV. l6lS. March 21. presently, and give me better satisfaction : but I was no sooner come from him into my cabin, but I heard a pistoll go of ^ over my head, and sending up to know who shott it, word was brought that Kemish had short it out of his cabin window to dense it ; his boy, going into the cabin, found him lying on his bed with mudi bloude by him, and looking on his face saw he was deade. The pistoll being but litle, the bullet did but cracke his ribb ; but he, turning him over, founde a long knife in his bodie, all but the handle. Sir, I have sent into England, in a fly-boate, with my coosen HERBERT (a very valiant and honest gentleman), diverse other unworthy persons, good for nothing, cither by land or sea ; and, though it was at their owne suite, yet I know that they will wrong me in all that they can. I beseech your Honor that this scumme of men may not be bcleeved of me, who have taken more paine, and suffered more then the meanest rascall in the ship. These being gone, I shalbe able, if I live, to keepe the sea till the end of August, with fower reasonable good ships. Sir, whensoever God shall permitt me to arrive in any part of Europe, I will not faile to let your Honour know what wee have done. Till then, and ever, Your Honour's servant, W. Ralegh. * From St. Christophers, one of the Ilandes of the Antillias, the 2ith of March, 1617 [O.S,]. ' :3Ll?T/ — I prr^est before the majestic of God, ±^ i5 Sir FxAXCiS DSLVKE and Sir J HON HawkKS ilei !iirtrr:ksi wben tfae\- failed of their enterprise, I r:'-li -5rilliz5^Iy doe the like, did I not contend gainst' >::t:- :: :':r yrcir iake. in hope to pro\ide someiiiiat for : -1 . izi :: c:~:r: and releive vou. If I live toretumc, -^ts:".-. ; vrurjclfe th*ii it is the care for vou that hath -cri:r:^^r.ei Tr.y hirte. It is true, that Kemish might >-ire -rrr.e directly to the m\Tie, and meante it But, i.nfr r:y scnrres death, hee made tliem to beleiw hec kze":v r.:: the T»"aye, a!Td excused himselfc uppon die =i^ar.: 'f 'R^ter in the river,* and. counterfetting many rr-T'L-i n:cr.i5, lift :t jr.found. WTien hee came badcc, I ::*i h:r.: :::.-.: hic had undone mee, and that mycrcditt ^■■^5 I:5:e f:^r ever. Ke Ar.5vered, that when mvsonnewas loste and* that m he left mee sc^? weake that hee resolved not to finde mcc ..hve. hee had no reason to enrich a company of rascalls, ■vho. after my sonnes death, made no accompt of him Hee K:rther told mec, that the English sent upp into Guiana could hardly defend the Spanish towne of St Thomas •' which thev had taken, and therefore for them to passe through ^thicke woods it \^*as impossible; and more impossible to have victualls brought them into the » Here MS. Sloanc inserts " mcstr « MS. Sloane reads, "wA" ^ The words *•;/; th^rizcr*'' are omitted in MS. Harl. * MS. Sloanc omits the words '' and thaC' ■ IK " TkomL^ * Here MS. SK«ne inserts "M/-." Particulars of the Expedition under Keyviis. 361 LETTER CLV. 161S. mountayns. And it is true, that the governer DiEGO PolEMEQUE/ and foure other captains, being slayn of which my sonne Watte^ slue one; Plessington, i ^^^ Watt's serjeant,* and John of Morrocoes, one of his ; men, slue other * two. I say five of them [being] slaine in the enterance of the towne, the rest went of in a whole body, and tooke more care to defend the pas- sages to their myens (of which they had three within a leauge of the towne, besides a myne that was about five myles of) then they did of the towne ^ itselfe. Yet Kemlsh, at the first, was resolved to go to the myene ; but when he came to the banke-side to the \ landc, hee had two of his men slaine outrighte from the > banke, and six other hurte, and Captain Thorn ix shott i in the head, of which wounde, and the accidents thereof, hee hath pined away these twelve weeks. Now when Kemish came backe, and gave mee the ; former • reasons which moved him not to open the \ myene — the one, the death of my sonne ; the second, the weakenes of the English, and their impossibilities to ! worke and to be victualled ; a third, that it were a follye > to discover it for the Spanyards ; and the last, both my weaknes and my beinge unpardoned — and that I re- jected all these "arguments, and told him that I must leave him to himselfe, to resolve ^ it to the King and the State, he shutt upp him selfe into his cabbin, and shott him selfe with a pocket pistoll, which brake one of his ribbs ; and finding that itt ^ had not prevailed, hee I thruste a longe knife under his shorte ribbs upp to the handle, and dyed. Thus much I have writt to Mr. * MS. Karl, reads '' Pelctieyoy « lb. reads ** whereof Watted » lb. '^servant:' * MS. Sloane reads ''each tuH>r * lb. ''eitiicr I * So in both MSS. and in many other transcripts ; but evidently a mis- reading of ^^fowery ' Here MS. Harl. inserts **his/* * MS. Sloane, *'auNswerr * MS. Harl. *' hee^' 22. 362 Letters of Ralegli. LKITKR CLV. 1618. March 22. Seacretary, to whose letters I referr you. * But because 1 thinke my freinds will rather hearken after you then any other to knowe the truthe, I did after the scalinge breake open your ' letter againe, to let you knowe 10 breife the state of that busines, which I pray you impart to my Lord of NORTHUMBERLAND, and SiL. SkoRY* I * and to Sir JOHN LEIGH. | For the rest, there was never poore man soe exposed to the slaughter as I was ; for beinge commaunded upoo my allegiance to sett downe, not onely the countiy, but the very river by which I was to enter it, to name my shipps, number my men, and my artillery; — this* was sent by the Spanish ambassador to his master, the Kinge of Spaine.* The King wrote his letters to all parts of the Indyes, espetially to the governor POLOMEQUE of Guiana, El Dorado, and Trinidado ; of which the first letter bare date the 19th of March, 161 7, at MadriH^to I had not yett lefte the Thames ; which letter I ha\'c sent Mr. Seacretary. I have also two^ other letters of the King's which I reserve, and one of the CouncelL The King alsoe sent a comission to leavye 300 soldiers out of his garrisons of Nuevo Reigno de Granadoes or* Porto Rico, with tenn peeces of brasse ordnance to entertaine us. Hoc alsoe prepared an armado ^ by sea to sett uppon us. It weare to longe to tell you how we weere pre- served. I ^® If I live, I shall make it kno>Mi. | My braynes are broken, and I cannot write much. I ^"^^ yet, and I have told you why. WHITNEY, for whome 1 sold ^^ my plate at Plymouth, and to whome I gave more 1 MS. Harl. omits from '*^w/" to ''any otherr « lb. reads ''^' 3 Silvanus Scory. * These five words are omitted in MS. H*'*- 5 MS. Harl. inserts ''now.'' **This now was sent," &c " MS. Sloanc omits the words ** of Spaine,^' ' MS. Harl. omits '*/7iv." « lb. reads "and." » lb. reads **^' >" MS. Sloanc omits this clause. » MS. Ilarl. inserts "a^^-^ Particulars of the Expedition under Keymis. 363 creditt and countenance then all the captaines of my fleete, ran from mee at the Granadoes, and Woolaston with him ; soe as I am * nowe but five shipps, and one - of those I have sent home — my fly-boate — and in her a rable of idle rascalls, which I knowe will not spare to wounde mee ; but I care not I am sure there is never a base slave in ^ the fleete hath taken the paines and care that I have done ; * hath sleppt so little, and travilled soe much. My frends will not beleive them ; and for the rest I care not God in heaven blesse you and strengthen your hart Your W. Ralegh. 11 * MS. IlarL reads, ''that I have: ' lb. ''out of those I have sent some into my fly-boate," &c. » lb. inserts **«//." * lb. "that have:' I.KTTKR CLV. 1618. March 22. ymn LaUrCLVL isL- . - . a ' 3 . — r: izmx zixz — rAKnauKS of ZTf ~-,:n-:^ i-it =«2r: :: zi't Sir^ trr:--^ the iundsof ^^ T-r 7": jiniis "VTLaciu ±c-r rn:=^ is Rxlegfa's gaoltr and r= Z^r^ r srvi Zrr nuaccrzfr:; ^ Wilson wrote to the I . ^ ^^^ 1 • HrzT^ V'"' yzizr >Ll>sct >53ie:hing more « -.-.•—:;,-.•& -.T.-J-- -'JL— £7.^-^-, ;.^ Trbii ii b I knowoot I .TL" -iiLi uzi r*;LT TMv^r MijesTr said that whal he :..*- ztdT'Zrt vrTZfn ^x* scd-etriz:!^. but that you lokd .r Tii:r:. 7: ¥^r± !rif- iUFwisared aad protested, wB TT-in^ reins, rr^ iff "rii Trintii all that he kne*. ?^.-- >:>•: 1 -T-ni hiT- -Kziziiz, r.odiing of that too - : n:. rrrr-rir^^i: t-tzt cc-5**Il:-g for takeing the 1: ..^: y".i-cr- zzL ;:>— ^i^r-^ ^— - y^'-^ had a French . :i=-r:.-^s:.r is:-: :•: :ce C-irtiin Charles Sage,^ a "-ir.rrzr^r. v.-: jr.-ziiiei :d ':r:n^ you shipps ind "It f-. - 7v:«:iir:L 7:^ tr.;? he answeared that he i::-::^-:: -:cr Mii^cr iescre.: r.?:h:r.jC but the busJDCS vi: iTr; A^;z: izi Fri^-ch=:^n row, and about his :>r^«f. " r'c:. Ni:i he, • if His Maiestv desire w i. '.-v -.cTZtiT rmine::^ I can say much inore;'aEd soe . !>; ~i'i 7.17 e: j-ri i-jk :d sen it downe, m-hich before 1 ci ; ":.:r- I r >= -jr^i hiz: tv all caeanes I cold, to >i- ::*- a >.:< ircw'.evU:. 1:0: onlv of this buisnie^ ':<::ce hi~ji ner.r::^-el. but of anv other matter whal- >:i5-.Tfr h-erv» or clsewbtse that might concerne yo^ -- MS. I: >i:^i coScJy :< 'Faigt' See the Letter to Pc ..^u Particulars of tJie Guiana Enterprise. 36s Majesty to know; which, he said, he wold do, but in no hope to save his lyfe, for he knew that the more he confessed the sooner he shold be hanged \^ but * God is my judg,' quoth he, * I will discharg my conscience in all things to His Majesty,' which whether he hath done or noe your Majesty will soone see by his letter enclosed." le copy of Wilson's letter preserved by himself in the Paper Office, of which he had the custody, — a fact ver}' »ary to be borne in mind, in regard to all these docu- s of 16 18, — is twice dated in his own hand, "24 Sept. \ " is endorsed " Copy of my letter to His Majesty ^ with a to him from Sir W. Rawley ;^^ and thus the date of Sir er^s letter is ascertained. The letter is followed, under ame date of 24 Sept., by a series of questions and answers B hand of one of Wilson's clerks, which read thus : — Quisti^ns: •*What is the name ir servant that brought le message, out of your |r, that two gentlemen to speake with you on iaj at 8 o^dock in the 1^ the night before you pted to escape ? ,] "What servants or I of jronrs had any sight otice of the French Ralegh's Annoers : " I do not remember who it was that brought me word of the Frenchmen being in the gallery. I thought it was eyther my page, who is a prisoner in the Towre, or Cuthbert, who is also a prisoner. I tlierfore writt unto them by Sir Thomas Wilson, requiring them to call to mynde whether any of them brought them in, or brought me word that they were in my gallery, or conducted them out. **I do not know what servant of myne had any sight or notice of the French Agent's coming to me. As for friends, I rhe entire tenor of Wilson's correspondence — to say nothing of his known character — warrants from an editor the renewed caution, that nch assertions as this, as for so many others in regard to the incidents alegh's imprisonment and conversation, in 16 1 8, the reader has before Wilson's word, and that only. PREFA- TORY NarE TO LETIER CLVI. 1618. ;64 Prefa^ Vote to Letter CL 17. PREKA- T«.iRY StlT LF r to yon, or ^- rrom jtiaT rill.] ** What servants or frentis of yours had any sight or notice of I a Chesne*s coming to you or going from yon at any tyme ? Kii/K^'/t's.tKrjtrs: had none in the house at iKai ht^'J ^ "* night ; and if any sen-ant of lu)*^'^*^' notice of thcyr coming, sure I am t^iSi'ta sen-ant wold have acquainted me '^ with. But, as I have alredy sadil'i ^^^ Majesty by my letter, I protest it «p« myne all^cance, I knewe not of i^ coming before I saw them. Only. »bB Chesney met me at Brannford, I tuM ^^ I wold be at my house that Frydayniglit and therfore I cold not doubt Inil tlu: \« wold come eyther that night or the no'- dav. "Stukely saw Chesnc at Branfonlr? I thinke he saw him againe on the Sooday: for thenipon it was that I told bimhehii provided me the French barke to cany ns over. What ser\*ants saw him come or goe on the Sonday I know noL All ibe house might see him. For me to coofc** the matter and deny the ceraimsunas were extrcame fooler\*. I [IV.] "You shall do well to sett flowne whatsoc\'er vou know conceminj; that French Commission vou sought for, and said you had, out of France, and the depences thereon, wherof His Majesty hath not yet cleere satisfaction.** »( I never sought for any French C^«i- mission, nor never hail anv. The FiW"* K ing's commissions are of reord. h t^ I had any, it may be knon-n for a Frma crown. Why I said I had one, I ha« given the reason to His Majesty in my letter.*' The letter from Wilson and the examination of the 24:^ of September were thus answered by Secretary Sir Roben Nairn ton, on the next day : — "Sir, His Majesty hath as yet received no satisfaction at all out of your last examination of Sir Walter Rauhly and his attendance ; and therefore hath comaundeil t\ie to direct you anew that you sholde procee In another copy, also preserved amongst the Domestic Corresfcndi^^f^ this name is written * Mutanu* Further Particulars of the Guiana Enterprise, 369 had nothing sayed to them at their rcturne, — and : my selfe forbore to looke into the Indies, because ould not offend, I may as justly say, * O miserable Walter Ralegh ! ' F I had spent my poore estate, lost my sonne, red, by sicknes and otherwise, a world of miseries ; had resisted with the manifest hazard of my life rebelb* [robberies?] and spoiles which my companyes Id have made ; if when I was poore I could have I my sclfe rich ; if when I had gotten my libertye, :h all men and Nature it selfe doth so much prise, >luntarilie lost it ; if when I was master of my life ndred it againe ; if, [though] I might elsewhere have d my shipp and goods, and put five or six thousand nds in my purse, I have brought her into England ; seech your Majestie to beleeve, that all this I have 5 because it should [not] * be sayed to your Majestie your Majestie had given libertie and trust to a man se ende was but the recovery of his libertie, and e had • betrayed your Majesties trust, [y mutiners tould me, that if I returned for England lould be undone ; but I beleeved more in your esty's goodnes then in their arguments. Sure I that I am the first who, being free and able to h my selfe, hath embraced povertie. And as sure n that my example shall make me the last. But • Majesties wisdome and goodnes I have made my es, whoe have ever bine, and shall ever remain. Your Majesty's most humble vassall, W. Rauleigh.3 o in MS., but obTiouriy an error either of the amanuensis or tran- r. not" has here been omitted by transposition. MS. reads, "it \ be sayed . . . and whoe had uot betrayed," &c. ' So in MS. IL. II. R B LKTTER CLVI. 16 1 8. Sept 24. 370 Letters of Ralegh, I^ETTER CLVII I618. [Septem- ber?] To Lady Ralegh. From the Tower. A note of introduc- tion for Kdward Wilson, his under- keeper. 1618. [Septem- ber?] I<,ady Ralegh to Sir W. Ralegh. Reply to the pre- ceding note. CLVII. TO LADY RALEGH. From a copy in the hand of a clerk of Sir Thomas Wilson, midc-« «» seems, — before the delivery of the letter to Lady Ralegh. Dm^ii Correspondence: James I. vol. xcix. § 9 I (Rolls House)- I AM sycke and weak. This honest gentleman, Mr. Edward Wilson, is my keeper, and takes much paync with me. My swolne syde keeps me in perpetual paioc and unrest. God comfort us ! Your's, W.R REPL Y TO THE LETTER PRINTED ABOVE. LADY RALEGH TO SIR WALTER RALEGH. From a copy, made as above, and upon the same sheet I AM scry to hear amongst many discomforts that your health is so ill. 'Tis meerly sorrow and greaf that iiith wynd hath gathered into your syde. I hope your health and comforts will mend, and mend us for GoA I am gladd to heer you have the company and comfort of so good a keeper. I was something dismayed, at the first, that you had no servant of your own left you, but I hear this Knight's servants are very necessary. God requite his courtesycs ; and God, in mercy, lookc on us. Your's, E. Ralegh Further Particulars of the Guiana Enterprise, 371 PREFATORY NOTE TO LETTER CLWVi. ^ FURTHER PAR- TJCULARS OF THE GUIANA ENTERPRISE, ' I^HE letter to which this is an answer appears to have been written by Lady Ralegh, at the instigation either of Secretaiy Naunton, or of some other person about the King. Neither the letter nor any copy of it is now to be found among the State Papers. But it is plain from the correspondence between Naunton and Wilson that, whilst the writer must have fondly hoped that some benefit would result to her husband from his answering the questions she was instigated to put to him, the ingenious contrivers had a purpose directly the oppo- rite of this. Naunton enclosed Lady Ralegh's letter to Wilson with this note, dated Whitehall, 4 Oct. 16 18, from himself: " His Majestie wold have you deliver this to Sir W. Raghly, to discover what you can by his aunswer ; which I pray you send me backe as soone as you can, that I may acquaint the Lords with it So, in hast, I bid you and your lady farewell.'' Wilson replies, on the same day : " Sir, Heer have you Sir W. R. his answer to his wyve's letter, which, if you please, when you have done with it to re torn e to me, I may goe [to] her and gett those wrytings he saith she hath concerning the shipp. I demanded of him certayn questions also about the shipp, wherof his answers are sett downe in the margent of the copie of his wyve's letter which I send, least that which I left with your Honour be not neer hand." This copy with the mai^nal notes is also missing. Naunton returned the answer thus sent to him, with these additional words : " I retume you Sir Walter's aunswer to his Lady, to make the best use of it you can. I forbeare to send your long letter to the King, who wold not read over the Ladie's, being glutted and cloyed R B 2 PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER CLVIII. 1618. 372 PREFA- TORY NOTE TO LETTER CLVIII. 1618. Letters of Ralegh. \ with buisnes, before his parting hence. So, in hast, I bid yoo good night Your's assuredly to do you service, R- Naanton.' In the Letter which follows, " Mr. Harbert " is, of couisc, the "William Herbert" whose name has occurred so oftea in preceding Letters. LETTER CLVIIL 1618. Oct 4. To Lady Ralegh. [From the Tower.] Particulars as to the oulfit and charges of ships em- ployed in the Guiana exi)cdition. CLVIIL TO LADY RALEGH. From a copy made by Sir Thomas Wilson, before,— as it seems-the Original was delivered to Lady Ralegh. Domestic Correspomdmci: James I. vol. ciii. § 21 (RoUs HoUSe)- You have a note what the shipp cost in which ever>' pcr- ticuler is sett downe, and it is signed by Mr. Harbert. The lyke note he hath of myne and signed by me. I gave you myne att Plymouth, with other writtings of Penington's and Fern's. As I remember, the shipp and her furniture, — to witt, her cabells, ancors, saylcs, ordnance, bullets, powder, joyncrs worke, carving, paynting, and all ells, — did amount to 7,000/ or ncarc it, as you may perceive by the inventory under my hand and Mr. Harbert's hand. And, as I do remember, Mr. Harbert hath disbursscd towards his fourth part 1 1 hundred pounds. You say that hee demands twelve, and it ^ may be true. You have also an Inventory of all that is now remaining and belonging to the shipp. You have also a writii^ from C[aptain] PENNINGTON of the forth part of his shipp, which I pray deliver to Sir Ciia[rles] Snell, to whomc it belongs. You have also a writting from Sir Jo[hn] * So in MS.; the meaning evidently being that the ** demand "may be true. Defence of the Guiana Enterprise, 373 Ferne to dischai^e me for 1700/. which I was some way entangled for him, with whome I adventured of Mr. Harbert's mony 200/. There is a paper booke which Sam[uel] King kept of all perticulers of the shipp, and to whome the mony was paide. My sonn whome I have lost hath also signed that note, Inventory, and agreement betweene me and Mr. Harbert. Your desolate husband, W. R. Endoned by Sir T. Wilson : Cofiiof Sir Walter Rawly* s Answer to his Wyv^s letter coneerniug the Shipp, LETTER CLVIII. CLIX. TO GEORGE VILLIERS, MARQUESS OF BUCKINGHAM. *^* I have been unable to find either the original of this letter or a satis&ctory contemporaneous copy of it. I there- fore print it as the Curators of the University Press of Oxford have printed it in the Works of Ralegh (vol. viii. p. 651). If I presume too much, I humbly beseech your Lordship to pardon me, especially in presuming to write to so great and worthy a person, who hath been told that I have done him wrong. I heard it but of late, but most happy had I been, if I might have disapproved that viliany against me, when there had been no suspicion that the desire to save my life had presented my excuse. But, my worthy Lord, it is not to excuse myself that I now write : I cannot, for I have now offended my Sovereign Lord : for all past, even all the world, and my Very enemies, have lamented my loss, whom now, if his ! 1618. Oct. 4. LEITER CLIX. 1618. To the Marquess of Buck- ingham. 374 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CLIX. 1618. In defence of the Guianian enterprise ; and be- seeching the Marquess' interces- sion with the King. Majesty's mercy alone do not lament, I am lost How- soever, that which doth comfort my soul in this offence is, that even in the offence itself I had no other intent than his Majesty's service, and to make his Majesty know that my late enterprise was grounded upon a truth, and which, with one ship speedily set out, I meant to have assured, or to have died : being resolved (as it is well known) to have done it from Plymouth, had I not been restrained. Hereby I hoped not only to recover his Majesty's gracious opinion, but to have destroyed all those malignant reports which had been spread of mc That this is true, that gentleman whom I so mudi trusted, (my keeper,) and to whom I opened my heart, cannot but testify, and wherein, if I cannot be believed living, my death shall witness : yea, that gentleman cannot but avow it, that when we came back towards London, I desired to have no other treasure than tbe exact description of those places in the Indies. That I meant to go hence as a discontented man, God, I trust and mine own actions, will dissuade his Majesty ; whom neither the loss of my estate, thirteen years* imprison- ment, and the denial of my pardon, could beat from bis service. And the opinion of being accounted a fool or rather distract, by returning as I did, unpardoned, balanced with my love to his Majesty's peison and estate, had no place at all in my heart It was that last severe letter from my Lords^ for llw speedy bringing of me up, and the impatience of dis- honour that first put me in fear of my life, or enjoyii^i^ in a perpetual imprisonment, never to recover my rcptt- tation lost, which strengthened me in my late, and too late lamented resolution ; if his Majesty's mercy do no^ abound ; if his Majesty do not pity my age, and scom to take the extremest and utmost advantage of my Defefue of the Guiana Enterprise. 375 eiTors ; if his Majesty, in his great charity, do not make a diflference between offences proceeding from a life- saving, natural impulsion, without ill intent, and those of an ill heart ; and that your Lordship, remarkable in the world for the nobleness of your disposition, do not vouchsafe to become my intercessor, — whereby your Lordship shall bind an hundred gentlemen of my kin- dred to honour your memory, and bind me for all the time of that life which your Lordship shall beg for mc, to pray to God that you may ever prosper, and ever bind mc to remain, Your most humble servant, W. Ralegh. LKTTKR CLIX. CLX. TO GEORGE, LORD CAREW OF CLOPTON (after- wards Earl of Totnks). Frum the Original. MS. Cotton, Vitcllius C xvii. fT. 439, 440 (British MUMIlin)* Chiefly in the hand of an Amanuensis ; but with some oonectioiis in Sir W. Ralegh's own hand. Mutilated. [ Tkt hegittniMg oj each of the three pages of this letter was burned off in the fire at Askbumham House; as were also some letters^ or syllables^ of musny words towards the margifis of two out of the three fages. These omissums are supplied {from a copy of the letter made before the fire) wUhin brackets,'\ [Because I know not whether I shall live to come be- fore the Lords, I have, for his Majesty's satisfaction, here set down as much as I can say, either for mine own defence or against myself, as things are construed. It is true that though I acquainted his Majestie with my intent to land in Guiana, yet I never made it known] to his Majestie that the Spann[icrds] had any footing 1618. LETIKR CLX. 161S. To I>oni Carew. cue I6I& DdicDce of 376 Letters of Rakgh. LETTi:& there], neither had I anie authority by my patent to remove the Spann[ierds from thence], and therefore his Majestie had no interest in the attempt of Saint Thooic^ J^^^^^ T)y any fore]knowledge thereof in his Majestie. expedidoa. Butt loiowinge his Majesties title to the cuntry to bee I:«ii7 of the best and most Christia[n, because] ^ the natural! loids Spanish ^^^ most willingly acknowledge Queene Elizabeth to pmcDsiocu \^ their sovran, [who by] mee promised to defende them pLixnts. from the Spanishe cruelty, I made noe doubt butt that I [might] enter the land by force, — seeinge die Spa^[niard] had noe other title butt force (the Pope's donation excepted) ; consideringe alsoe that they gott a possession divers yeares since my possession, taken for the Crowne of England. For, were nott Guiana his Majesties, then mighte I as well have beene questioned for a theefe, for takinge of gould out of the Kinge of Spaine*s mines ; as the Spa'[niards] doe now call mee a peacebreaker : for from anie territory confessed to be the Kinge of Spaines itt is noe more lawful! to take gouli then lawfull for the Spaniards to take tinne out of Cornewall. Now, were this possession of theirs a sufficient barr to his Majesties righte, the Kings of Spaine mighte as well . call themselves Dukes of Brittaine,' bycause they held Bluette and fortified there ; and Kings of Ireland because they possessed Smericke * and fortified there ; and soe in I other places. That his Majestie was well resolved of his right there, I make no kinde of doubt, because the English both under Mr. CHARLES LEIGH and Mr. Harecourt had leave to plant and inhabitt the country. ' Burnt off; the reading somewhat doubtful, notu-ithstanding the aiii)<^ rity of the early copy. « So written—" •S^Vf." ^ IJrittany. * Smerwick. [Sec VoL I. p. 40-^ Dcfeficc of the Guiana Enterprise, 377 That Oronoque itt selfe had, longe ere this, 5,000 Englishe in itt, I assure my selfe, — had nott my imploy- ment at Cales,^ the next yeare after my retume from Guiana, and after that our journey to the Hands, hyndred mec for those two yeares ; after which Tyron's rebellion made her Majestie unwillinge that anie great number of shipps or menn should bee taken out of England till that rebellion were ended. And, lastly, her Majesties death, and my longe imprisonment, gave time to the Spannierds to sett upp a towne of staks,' covered with leaves of trees, upon the bancks of Oronoque, which they called ' St. Thome ; ' butt they have * reconsiled nor conquered any of the Casiques or naturall lords of the country, which Casiques are still in armes against them, as by the Governor's letter to the King of Spa*[ine] may appeare. That by landinge in Guiana there can be anie breache of peace, I thinke ytt, under favor,^ impos- sible. To breake peace where there is noe peace, itt cannott bee. That the Spa * [niards] give us noe peace there, ytt doth appeare by the King's letter, to his governor, that they shall putt to death all those Spa ^[niards] and Indeans that trade ^con los Engleses enemigos* — with Englishe enymyes. Yea, those verye Spaniards which wee encountred att St. Thome did, of late yeares, murder 36 of Mr. Hall's menn, of London, and myne, who landed, without weapon, upon the Spa * [nish] faithe, to trade with them. Mr. Thorne, alsoe, of Tower Street in London, besids many other Englishe, was in l[ike] sort ' Cadiz. * stakes. • The word ^^puith^^'' seems here to have been omitted in the original. • So written by Ralegh. • Or, ^^ under your favour,'''' The reading is doubtful. Here the wordb have been ]>arlly torn, or wa&hed, away ; not bunicd. LETTER CLX. x6i8. 378 Letters of RaUgh. LETTER CLX. I618. murdered, the yeare before my deliverey out of the Tower. [Now, if this kind of trade be ' peaceable/ there is then a peaceable trade in the Indies between us and the Spaniards. But, if this be cruel war and hatred, and no peace, — then there is no peace broken by our attempt Again, how doth it stand with the g^reatness of the King of Spain first to call us ' enemies ' when he did hope to cutt us in pieces^ and then, havii^^ (ailed, to call us peacebreakers, for] to bee [an enemy and a peaccbreakcr in one and the same accion is] impos- sible. Butt the Kinge of Spa^ [in], in his letter to the [Governor of] Guiana, dated att Madrill, the 29th of Marche — before wee left the Thames — calls us * Englesa inimigos' Had itt pleased the King of Spaine to have written to His Majestie in six monethes time (for wee were soe long in prepairinge), and have made His Majestie knowc I that our landinge in Guiana would draw after itt a breache of peace, I presume to thinke His Majestie would have staicd our enterprise for the present* Thb he might have done with lesse chardges then to leavyc 300 soldiers, and transport 10 peece of ordinance from Puerto Rico ; which soldiers added to the garrison of I St Thome (had they arryved before our comminge) had I overthrowne all our rawe companies. And there would I ; have followed noe complaint For the vayne point of landinge near St Thome, itt is true that wee were of opinion that wee must have driven the Spaniards out of their towne before wee could ; passe the thick woods upon the mountayne of the myne, I which I confesse I did first resolve upon. Butt better bcthinkinge my self, I referred the takinge of the towne ^ So wriltcii l>y Kalqjb. Invalidity of the Spanish Pretensions, 379 to the goodnes of the myne, which, if they founde to bee soe ritch as it might perswade the leavinge of a garrison theer, then to drive the Spaniards thence. Butt to have itt burnt was never my intent ; neither could they give mee anie reason why they did itt. Upon the retume, I examined the Serjeant Major and Kemishe, why they followed nott my last direccions for the triall of the myne, before the takinge of the towne. And they aunswered mee that althoughe they durst hardly goe to the myne, leaving a garrison of Spaniards behind them and their botes, yet, they said, they followed those latter direccions and did land betweene the towne and the myne ; and that the Spaniards, without anie manner of parley, sett upon them unawares and chardged them^-— calling them Peros Engleses^ — and by skirmishing with them drew them on to the very entrance of the towne, before they knew where they were; soe as, if anie peace had bine in those partes, the Spaniards first brake the peace and made the first slaughter. For as the Englishc could nott butt land to seeke the myne, beinge come thither to that ende ; soe beinge first reviled and chardged by the Spaniards, they could do noe lessc then repell force by force. Lastlie, itt is a matter of noe small consequence to acknowledge wee have offended the Kinge of Spaine by landinge in Guiana : — For, fir§t, itt weakens His Majes- ties title to the country, or quitts ytt. Secondly, There is noe Kinge that hath ever given the least way to anie other Kinge or State in the traffick of the lives and goods of his subjects, — to wytt, as in our case, that ytt shall bee lawfull for the Spaniards to murder us either by [war ^ .^] or treason, and nott lawfull for us to defend ourselves, and pay them with their owne [coin ^] * These words have Ihjcii eflfaced. I.ETTBR CIJC. i6x8. 3So Letters of Ralegh. LETTER Cl-X. 161S. [ This part of the letter — occupying the top of the secmtd leaf — has hetn burned away.'] retoume. You an . Plymouth, a French gentleman called Florie went thence with p[urpose and ? ^] with commission to bume and to sacke all places in the In[dyes that he could ? ^] master; and yett hath the Frenche Kinge maried a daughter of Spaine. This is all that I can say» other then I have spent my pore estate, lost [my son ^] and my health, and indured . as many sortes of miseries as ever mann did, in [hope to] doe his Majestie service ; and have nott, to my under- standinge, commytted anie hos[tile] act, other then the entrance upon a territory belonginge to the Crowne of England, where the Englishe were first sett upon and slaine by the usurping Spaniards. I invaded noe other parts of the Indies, pretended by the Spaniards. I returned into England with the mani- fest perrill of my life, with a purpose nott to holde my ; life by anie other act then His Majesties grace, and from which noe mann nor any perrill could disswade mee. To that grace, and goodnesse, and kinglinesse, I referr my self ; which, if itt shall finde that I have nott yett suffred enoughe, ytt may, if ytt please, adde more affliction to the remaynder of a wretched life. [ TAc subscription and signature — if any — Move been either burned or cut off. \ * These wordb are conjectural ; only slight traces of them remain. Naval Matters connected with the Fleet against Spain. 381 LETTERS OMITTED IN THEIR DUE ORDER OF TIME, \* The printing of some of these Supplemental Letters was postponed in the hope of gitnng thenty if possibUy from the Ori- ginals, instead of from Transcripts. But the hope has not been realized^ save in one instatice. The marginal numbers to which the mark * is affixed will serve to show the due place of each letter in the General SerieSy as far as that place is at present ascertcdnable. 1596. CLXI. [LX/y*] TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Ceci/ Papers, vol. clxxiii. § 73 (Hatfield)* Holograph. Without date. Since I sent my letter to your Honor from Dover — before I departed the rode — ther came up unto mee sume seven or eight sayle of the Fleet, who being all like to perns on Wensday after midnight, they weare driven to lett slip all their cables and ancors. I humblie beseich your Honor to cause a letter to be written to the Maior of Dover, to send a boate of the towne to save the sayd cables and ancors, — having all boyes uppon them. They weare left on the north-est LRITER CLXI. [LXIV.*] 1596. May 13. To Sir R. Cecil. From Dover. Naval matters connected with the Fleet pre- pared against Spain. 382 JLetUrs of Ralegh. ^^:^T%x . part of Goodden Sands, in five or sixe fathume. Thus CLXI. , [Lxiv.T • I humblie take my leve. From Dover,— on * bower after ,5^6^ » my former letter. ^ , Yours ever to do yow service, W. Ralegh. Addressed : j To the right h^metMi Sir Robert Cbcill, Kni^U^ 0/Jer MMJestie wtMt hamorahie Pnvy ComnctU. In hasL Endoncd : 13 May, 1596L Sir Wmlter Raleigh to my Master, from Dover. 1598? LETTER ri.XII. [lxxxiv*.] 1598? July 12. To Michael Hickes. From Sherborne. Entreaty for the furtherance of the pay- ment, by the I^rd Treasurer, of a debt owing to Captain Spring. CLXII. [LXXXIV*] TO MICHAEL HICKES, Secretary to the Lord Treasurer Burghlev. As printe Thoe four words are printed by Collins in brackets, without any note. ' I hftTe visited the All Souls Library, and (by the kindness of the War- den and Fellows) have profited by some of the MSS. there preserved ; as the readers of the first volume of this book will have seen. But I was accidentally deprived of the opportunity of collating this letter with the MS. letter CLXIII. [cxvii.*] 1603. July. To Lady Ralegh. [From the Tower.] J>^ LetUrs 0/ Ral^ s^~^ .^sariiiic rj ssv dtjd, — I cannot I cannot endure the I .-; TiTi=j:r7 lier^it Usfoctiinate woman, unfortunate child, ^^ ~:ci:':r: j-iiirsei-res : tnist God, and be contented with T-rur r«:t:r escais. I vouid have bettered it, if I had i;!- Tijrii in a yocat^ voman. and forbear not to many ]i.--^.^ irLr. Ir 25 Ziyw n-DChing to me; thou art no more '' /7 : — Ttt rirr I tirae. To witness that thou didst love me ^utr-Dt — ror:;- tiki :ar^ r~-ir thou marry not to please sense, but ^-o^^ ^ t: iv-:..i r*r«r;rty. aad to preser\"e thy child. That thou T^-Z^^il- ---^-^ ^- -'-*'»^ =^ ^^"ii^ laitness it to others;— to my ~"^=^^ r«:«:r ±i-::^:=r. :? whom I have given nothing; for his riiJ^ii. -b: -Kill r< crje! to himself to preserve thee. Be --^u^-.ii-rlz t: her. isi teach thv son to love her for his r :r nvself. I am left of all men that have done good my good turns forgotten ; all my errors -t .. i-i ir?i expc-undcd to all extremity' of ilL All my >cr. of<. Linrus. and expenses for my country— plant- -^^ iJcverles. n^hts. councils, and whatsoe\'er else— —-'" ■>•- hiih now covered over. I am now made an izerr.y ini tnitor by the word of an unworthy ro^ He r_kiJ: prc^daimed me to be a partaker of his \'ain !r--icir-j.::.^n>» notwithstanding the whole course of my ..!e hiih approved the contrar>\ as my death shalUp" rr:vc ::. Woe. woe, woe be unto him by whose fakc- h.xx: we are lost. He hath separated us asunder. He h.ith >la:n my honor; my fortune. He hath robbed thee cf thy husband, thy child of his father, and me of you both. O God ! thou dost know my wrongs. Know, then, thou my >**ife, and child ; — know, then, thou n^X Lord and King, that I ever thought them too honest to betray, and too good to conspire against But. my wife, forgive thou all, as I do. Live humbld A Letter of Faretuettand Consolation, 38s for thou hast but a time also. God forgive my Lord Harry,^ for he was my heavy enemy. And for my Lord Cecill, I thought he would never forsake me in ex- tremity. I would not have done it him, God knows. But do not thou know it, for he must be master of thy child ' and may have compassion of him. Be not dis- mayed, that I died in despair of God's mercies. Strive not to dispute it But assure thyself that God hath not left me, nor Satan tempted me. Hope and Despair live not together. I know it is forbidden to destroy our- selves ; but I trust it is forbidden in this sort, — ^that we destroy not ourselves despairing of God's mercy. The mercy of God is immeasurable ; the cogitations of men comprehend it not. In the Lord I have ever trusted ; and I know that my Redeemer liveth. Far is it from me to be tempted with Satan; I am only tempted with Sorrow, whose sharp teeth devour my heart. O God ! Thou art goodness itself. Thou canst not but be good to me. O God! that art mercy itself, Thou canst not but be merciful to me I For my estate, [it] is conveyed to feoffees — to your cousin Brett and others. I have but a bare estate for a short life. My plate is at gage in Lombard Street ; my debts are many. To Peter Van lore, some £600, To Antrobus as much, but CUMPTON is to pay ;^300 of it. To Michael Hext,' ;f 100. To George Carew, ;^ioo. * In printing this name, Mr. Brewer has by an oversight added ** Cob- luun," in a note. There is no doubt whatever that Howard was meant by RalegK The expression is strictly appropriate in Howard's case, and he was so called by others of his contemporaries. No instance is known of the designation '* my Lord Harry '' as applied to Cobham. And the in* temal eridenoe of the letter itself points to Howard. " As " Master of the Court of Wards." * Sir Michael Hickes, who had been secretary to Lord Burghley, and to whom Letter CLXII. is addressed. LETTER CLXIII. [CXVIl.*] 1603. July. VOL. IL C C 386 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER To Nicholas SandersFon], £\qo. To John Fitz- CLXIII [cxvii.*] I JAMES, ;^ioo. To Master Waddon, £\o^ To a pow j5q, man, one Hawkes, for horses, £70, To a poor man, J^y- called Hunt, ;f 20. Take first care of those, for God's i sake. To a brewer at Weymouth and a baker, for Lord [ Cecill's ship and mine, I think some ;f 80. JOHN i Rexolds knoweth it. And let that poor man have his ! true part of my return from Virginia. And let the poor men's wages be paid with the goods, for the Lord's sake. Oh, what will my poor servants think, at their return, when they hear I am accused to be Spanish who sent them, — at my great charge, — to plant and discover upon his territory. Oh, intolerable infamy ! O God ! I cannot resist these thoughts. I cannot live to think how I am derided, ! to think of the expectation of my enemies, the scorns \ I shall receive, the cruel words of lawyers, the infamous taunts and despites, to be made a wonder and a spec- tacle ! O Death ! hasten thou unto me that thou mayest destroy the memory of these, and lay me up in dark forgetfulness. O Death ! destroy my memor)' which is my tormentor; my thoughts and my life cannot dwell in one body. But do thou forget me, poor wife, that thou mayest live to bring up my poor child. I recommend unto you my poor brother A[DRIAN] Gilbert. The lease of Sandridge is his, and none of mine. Let him have it, for God's cause. He knows what is due to me upon it. And be good to KEMIS» for he is a perfect honest man, and hath much wrong fof my sake. For the rest, I commend me to them and them to God. And the Lord knows my sorrow to part from thee and my poor child. But part I must, by enemies and injuries ; part with shame, and triumph ot my detractors. And therefore be contented with this Explanation of his Intercourse with Captain Whitlock. 387 work of God, and forget me in all things, but thine own honor and the love of mine. I bless my poor child, and let him know his father was no traitor. Be bold of my innocence, for God — to whom I offer life and soul — knows it And whosoever thou choose again after me, let him be but thy politique husband. But let my son be thy beloved, for he is part of me and I live in him ; and the difference is but in the ! number and not in the kind. And the Lord for ever I keep thee and them, and give thee comfort in both ' worlds. [ Jf ithout signature or address^ 1605. CLXIV. \CXXXIX*\ TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. LETTER. CLXIII. [CXVII.*] 1603. July. From a transcript made (in the last century) by the Librarian of James, Earl of Salisbury, from the Original, then in the Library at Hatfield. MS. Addit. 6178, fol. 469 (British Museum). Without date. I HAVE not had any other afTair with Captain Whitlock then familier and ordinaric discourse, neither do I know any other cause of his cumming unto me then to visitc me ; having not mich wherewith to busie himselfe. I have sume time spoken to him, to finde the Earle of NORTHUMBERLANDS disposition towards me, from whom \i,e, Whitlocke] I never received other then a drie and frindless awnswere. From the Earle, I neither received letter, nor sent him any, either by WlllTLOCK or any man else, since my trobles. c c 2 LETTER CLXIV. [CXXXIX.*] X605. November, To the Lords of the Council. [From the Tower.] 388 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER. CLXIV. [cxxxix.*] 1605. November Explana- tion of his intercourse wiih Caj.L Wtitlock, a retainer of the Earl of Northum- berlan^I. With the French Imbasador^ I have no affaires. His wife came hither once, \i-ith the Ladie of Effingam,* and the pale being then down she saluted me, and desired me to give her a little balsemum of Guiana. Whitlock being then in her cumpanie, I sent it by him to her. I sent your Lordships, in the b^innings of my trobles, a letter from Sir JOHN BODLE's,* concerning Rensay and others ; and the same was my utter mine. I did it to do the Kinge service. If I now knew anything, or could devise how this horribell and fearfull practise^ might be discovered, then — if it were with the loss of my own life — as God liveth, I would give the one to performe the other. I beseech your Lordships to call to mind my many sorrowes, and the causes ; and to re- member my ser\nces and love to my countrie. And I beseech you in charitie, and for the love of God, not to make me more odious then ever the earth brought forth any, by suspecting me to be knowing this unexampled and more then develishe invention.* Your humble servant, W. RALEGtt Endorsed, in Lord Salisbury's hand : 1605. ^ Xavembcr, Sir Walter RaUgK ^ Christophe de Harlay, Count of Beaumont, who, when this letter vis written, had just quitted London. ' Anne St John, daughter of John, Lord St John of Bletsoe, and wife of William Howard, Lord Howard of Effingham, son of the Lord Admiial Nottingham. ^ So in MS. Meaning, doubtless, from the house in which he wis de- sired to await the King's pleasure prior to his committal, as a State prisooer, to the Tower, in July 1603. * The Gunpowder Plot B The following extract from an anonymous ' Advertisement ' by sane Government spy, about meetings on the Powder Treason, wiH snffidoitly explain the occasion on which this Letter wis written : — '* Whitlodcc^ that is now in the Tower, was in the beginninge of somer last in the Aicbe- I duke's country, as he confest himself; and often, afterwmrdii came to the Nature of Mineral Ores brought from Guiana. 389 1607? CLXV. [CrZ»] TO THE LORD TREASURER SALISBURY. From a transcript made (in the last century) by the Librarian of James, Eail of Salisbury, from the Original, then in the Library at Hatfield. MS. Addit 6178, fol 827 (British Maseoin). Without date. I HAVE hard that Sir Amias Preston informed your Lordship of certain mineral! stones brought from Guiana, of which your Lordshipe had sume doubt ; — for so yow had att my first retume ; — Secondly, that your Lordshipe thought it but an invention of myne, to procure unto myself my former liberty; suspitions which might rightly fall into the cogitations of a wise man. Now, whatsoever difference your Lordshipe shall make between your own inriching and my misery, of which as yet I cannot by any means fear the worst ; for the first, I protest before the majestie of God that one of those minerals here, and never before, tried, was not only found and gathered in the land of Guiana by myself, but thereof there may be had an aboundance sufficient to please every appetite, the mountayn being nire the river-side, and [the mineral] of easy cariage thither. Secondly, I take the same God to witnes that I never esteemed this minerall att any price, both in respect of the quantetie and of the similitude it had with other merquisite formerly found. And had not a refiner cume TofPer (after his retume), and theire accompanied Sir Walter Raughley." I believe that this notable extract contains the sole foundation of the calnmny of v&axAi Ralegh complains in the Letter now printed. t LETTER CLXV. [CXL.*] 1607? To Lord Salisbury. [From the Tower.] Nature of the mineral ores brought from Guiana. — Plans for the re- sumption of the enterprise. 390 Letters of RaUgh. irmi unto me. to m- another mettall, to whome 1 presented zLi.*^ Tr.:s ft:=e by chance, and without hope, I protest, before ^^p the everlasting God, that it never had cume into question all TT.y life, for it had bj-ne many times in my hand heret :f:re. to cast a\i'av. The ref.ner that made the assay is a man ver>' skilfull but p-:ore, and it is trew that I promised him twenty >Dunc. if he could find gold or silver in the oare. Now, \i he have delt justly, or — ^in hope of the money — falcely, it mav easilv be examined. And yet that which most perswades me is that he offers to go in person, and is contented to be hanged there, if he aprove not his assay to be ^oo^ And, for the more surtie, I have reserved a little q jantitie of each to make a second tryall. I bescich your Lordship, then, to consider what I offer. And I beseich yow to i;i"ay it in the ballance of your wisdome, and pietie, — ^i^'hich I cannot suspect but that the same doth yet hang in your hand, by sume one thride or string of your Lordship's great and auntient love towards mee. And because it may be objected that ! when I have a shipp [or] two or three, that I may timi my course sume other way ; although I trust that your Lordship will not, for yourselfe, judg that in my old years I would becume a runagate and live from my wife, children, and frinds, in a strange countrie; yet, that others may not say that there was not care enough and caution had, I am content both to go and cume as a . private man ; that both the charge of the shipp be given to another — which I desire might be the bearer hereof— and that he have order that if I do but perswade a con- trary' course to cast me into the sea. Your Lordship may also appoynt the master, and all other officers. Only, if God give us leive to arive in sauflie, that I uppon the land they may be directed by me, or by Plans for the resumption of Guiana Enterprise. 391 any joynt commissioneres ; if your Lordship shall so please. The charge of the jumey will amount to ;^s,ooo, of which if the Queenes Majestie (to whome I am bound for her cumpassion) and your Lordship will bear two parts, I and my frinds will bear a third ; or if her Ma- jestie and your Lordship will not adventure, I will finde meanes to beare all, and present her Majestie and your Lordship with the one half, so wee may be assured to injoy the rest The charg will be the greater in this respect, because we would ride at ancor 3 or 4 months in the river ; and carying with us six paire of great bellowes, and bricke in ballast, wee would melt down the minnerall into ingots, as fast as wee gather it ; for to bring all in oare would be more notorious. My tymes are not long in the world ; and I shall not be able, hereafter (if now), to performe such a jumey. Your Lordshipe may have gold good cheap, and may joyne others of your honorable frinds in the matter, if yow please. For there is enough. Your Lordshipe may releive me and my destroyed estate ; and bind mee, more then ever, to live and dye your sarvant. The jumey may go under the culler of Virginia, for Neuport will shortly return. We will break no peace ; invade none of the Spanish townes. We will only trade wth the Indiens, and see none of that nation * — except they assayle us. If your Lordship will send my Lord CarEW, or any elce, I will satisfye them in all perti- culars; and rest your Lordship's, ever more to serve yow, W. R. LETTER CLXV. [CXL.*] 1607? * The Spaninrds. 392 Letters of Ralegh. I 6 I o ? LETTER CLXVI. [CXLV.*] 161O? To Lord Hadding- ton. [J'rom the Tower.] Proposals for a voyage to Guiana. CLXVI. \CXL F»] TO JOHN RAMSAY, VISCOUNT HADDINGTON, (afterwards Earl of Holderness.) From a transcript made (in the last century) by the Librarian ci James, Earl of Salisbury, from the Original, then in the Library at HatfiekL MS. Addit. 6177, fol. 241 (British MoseUin). Without date.^ I GAVE commission to sume of [my] frinds to move your ; Lordship in a matter of great importance, if the attain- , ing of honnar and riches may be so accounted. To I troble your Lordship with the particulers I will forbeare, I till such tyme as I may know wher any good thing i offered by me may be accepted. For if in my late Soveraignes tyme, — in whose favor I had sum little interest, — I could not obtayne leve to adventure m>Tie own lyfe and myne own estate to inrich her ; because myne own honnor, fame, and benefite, had in all like- lihode byne adjoyned ; what may I hope for now, beii^ altogathcr frindless in the world, except his Majestie, I who- 1 accordinge to the trust given 'hym by God, do vouchsafe to remmember that there is no prise ' nor ' The original of this letter is, I believe, still at Hatfield, but apparently it is misplaced. The transcriber has headed his transcript wth the date * 1603,* without authority and against the internal evidence. Lord Haddington, to whom it is addressed, is the John Ramsay who was in attendance, as a page, upon K ing James, on the occasion of his visit to the Earl of Cowrie's house at Perth, in August 1600, and who so promptly struck his dagger into Alexander Ruthvcn on the King's cry of 'Treason! Murder!* Ramsay was knighted in 1 600, created Viscount Haddington, in the Peerage of Scotland, in June 1606, and raised to the English earidom of Holderness in January 1621. * So in MS. This superfluous * who ' is possibly an error of transcription. ^ MS. reads upraise.* Proposals for a Voyage to Guiana, 393 ransume for inocent blood ; and that to suffer those to perish that are his (whatsoever a Middlesex Jurie hath sayed to the contrary) hath no destinction to satisfy that great God by whom kings reygn, and whom for ther mercie and truth he hath preserved. But, my Lord, — leving the succes to God's providence, — it is a journey of honnor and riches I offer you ; an enterprise fesible and certayne. And though it may be sayed that miserie feareth no change, and that my pre- tences and intentes are diverse, yet I beseech your Lordship to beleive that I am more in love with death then with falsehode, and that whatsoever Tyme, or ! Fortune, or I know not what else, hath taken from [me], yet nether of them, nor any poure else under Heaven, shall teache me, or force me, to be a knave. A base and unworthy remedie it were aganst imprisonment to for- sweare God, to betray the King s mercie, and to cast away my frinds ; to undertake a jurney full of hazards, and soe farr, to return agayne a perjured, false, and foolish knave. No, my Lord, when myne enimies have done ther worsed, and distroyed me and mine, yet the former (which is in myne own minders poure) shall never be my dcstinye. Yet, because I desire no truste, and that wise men may have warrant for their jelocies, I am content, — your Lordship liking it, — to follow yourself in this enterprise, as a private man. If your Lordship cannot obtayne the expense of such a tyme, I am content to be comitted to others ; and, setting down the course and project in writing, if at ani time I perswade the contrarie let tliem cast me into the sea. Secondly, when God shall permit us to arrive, if I bringe them not to a mountaine (nire a navigable river) covered with gold and silver oare, let the comander have commissione to cut of my head ther. LETTER CLXVT. [CXLV.*] 161O? 394 Letters of Ralegh. LETTER CLXVI. [CXLV.*] I61O? If this bee not sufficient, I will presume to nominate I unto his Majestie such commanders as his Majestic shall I like of, whoe wilbe bound, bodie for bodie, to return me , again live or dead ; and if I have mistaken myselfe, and may be yet of more prise, his Majestie shall have forti thowsand pounds bond to boot Lastly, I pray your Lordship not to marvaile why I have desired to ingage you in this enterprise, and desire that yourself may be the commander. For I know that you are valient, and without fabehode,— qualities rarely found in one man in this age. I know that you are deere to the King. And I hope withall that, by your means, we shall injoy the fruites of our travails, and such parts as we adventure for and deserve. With whidi hope I rest your Lordships, to doe you service, W. Ralegh. APPENDICES: I. LETTERS OF LADY RALEGH (1594-1618). II. COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATEERING ENTERPRISES (1589-1602). III. CHARTS OF GUIANA (1596). IV. JOURNEY OF RALEGH AND COBHAM TO OSTEND (1600). V. IMPRISONMENT OF THE LADY ARABELLA STUART (1602-1603). VI. PLOTS AND COUNTERPLOTS OF 1602-1603. VII. RALEGH'S EXECUTION (1618). • Tell us, we do you pray, Who, now, in Court doth bear the greatest sway ? — That if such fortune do to us befidl. We may seek favour of the best of all.' * Marry,* said he, ' the highest now in grace Be the wild beasts, that swiftest are in chase.' And, sooth to say, it is no sort of life For shepherd fit to lead, in that same place. Where each one seeks with malice, and with strife. To thrust down other into foul disgrace, — Himself to raise; and he doth soonest rise That best can handle his deceitful wit In subtile shifts, and finest sleights' devise, Either by slandering his well-deemed name. Through leasings lewd, and feignM forgery ; Or else by breeding him some blot of blame. By creeping close into his secrecy ; To which him needs a guileful hollow heart. Masked with fair-dissembling courtesy. Spenser. L— LETTERS OF LADY RALEGH. I 594. I. LADY RALEGH TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. Fran the Original. CecU Papers^ roL xxil § 50 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. SUR, [ I RESEVED your tabells of no less rare device then the sentans within was cumforttabell. If faith wear broken with mee I was yet farr away, but I feare that my Mistris, if all hartes wearc opene and all desiars ' ^ knowne, might without so gret curiosetye of desciphering lecd her owne dcsteni in a playne alphebett, but wee ar both great belevars, and therin wee flatter our seulevs and nurishe our owne mindcs with what wee would. Now, Sur, for the rest I hope for my sake you will rather ■ \l draw ^r watar towardes the est then heulp hyme foru^ard toward the soonsett, if ani respecke to me or love to him be not forgotten. But everi monthe hath his flower and even season his contentment, and you greate counselares ar so full of new councels, as you ar stcddi in nothing ; but wee poore soules that hath bought sorrow at a high price desiar, and can be plesed with, the same misfortun wee hold, fering alltarracions will but multiply misseri, of wich we have allredi felte sufliciant. I knoo unly your parswadcions ar of efccke with him, and hild as 1 LETTER I. '593-1594- Feb. 8. Lady Kalegh to SirR. C!eciL 'llianks for a book of tablets. — Allusion to some instance of the Queen's " curiosity of deci- phering."— Mnlreaty that Cecil will not r«>n*ard Kalegh*s plan of an enterprise ** toward the sun- set" •^ \^!^t^ Unitir^.^ 398 Letters of Lady Ralegk. LETTER I. I 593-1594. Feb. 8. LETTER II. 1594-1595- March 20. Lady- Ralegh to SirR. Cecil. From Sherborne. Desiring that no impedi- ment be suffered to the due course of law in a suit against the ^rl of Hunting- don. orrekeles tied to them by Love; therforc I humbdk besiech you rathar stay him then furdar him. By the wich you shall bind me for ever. As yet you have ever geveng me caus to love and serve you for ever} as shee that honnereth you most; E. Ralegh. i I Addressed : ^^Tomy veri honarahdl frind^ Sur Robert CisciL, Km^r I , Endorsed : " 8 Feb, 1593. Lady Rawkigk to my Master. Tht, /." 1595. II. LADY RALEGH TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers^ vol xxxi. § 29 (Hatfield)- Holognph. SUR, Amoungest many vertus hit is not your least to be a comfort to the greeved, and so ar you to mee with your honnorabell and kind lettar, whearby you fullfill the desiar of your absent frind, as allso bind me for ever to honnor you. Sur Wattar's remembrans of me to you at his last departur shall ad and incres, if itt weer possibell, mor love and dew respect to him. I am in hope, er hit be longe, to heer of him, thought^ not of longe time to sec him. In which tim I shall fly to you in all my cumbars, as to the shurest staf I trust to in Sur Wattar's absens. ^ These words in italics are strongly erased by pen-scratches and with an ink different firom that of the letter; but they are now legible beneath the erasure. * thcugh. Suit agahist the Earl of Huntingdon, 399 I thank my honnorabell mistris ^ for wishing me neer heer. To doo heer sarvis, and to injoy both your com- panieSy I oft wish hit with heer ; cIs, is an hermit's sell most fit for me and my mind at this time ; beeing for a tim thus desevered from him that ^ I am. I must intret your faforabell word to me Lord Keppar that hee will suffar me to folow the cours of law to me Lord of HUNTINGTON.8 I desiar noo fafor ther in, but only sufTerans. This berar can tell you the mattar. I rathar chuus this time to folow hit in Sur Wattar's absens, that my selfe may bear the unkinnes, and not hee ; the moni being long time past dew to me. This,'' for ever wishing you all honnar and happines, I end. Sherbon Loge, the xx of March. Your asured pour frind, E. Ralegh. Addressed: To tk€ most honnarahell Sur Robart Ciscill. Endorsed : 20 Marchy 1595. The Liuiy Raleigh to my Afaster, LETTER U. 1594-1595- March 20. III. LADY RALEGH TO SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecii Papers, vol. xxxi. § 77 (Hatfield). Holograph. Sur, Thought 5 I fere I shall be trubbcllsum to you with my desiaring Icttars, yet I can not but wryt to you " Lady Cecil. • • tkat^ is evidently here used in the sense of ^Tvhose,* ' Into whose hands Lady Ralegh's marriage portion, or part of it, had passed upon bond or mortgage. * Thus. * 7 hough. LETTER III. 1595. April 7, 400 Letters of Lady RaUgk. LETTER III. 1595- April 7. RaI^ to Sir R. Cecil. From Sherborne. Recoin- menditior. o: Arthur Radford, who is de- sirocs of serringat at this time, in the behalfe of this bearer, hee being to Sur Wattar as hee is ; wich I knoo is a sufficent resoa of your fafor and car of him. Not withstandii^ to sattisfi myselfe in leavinge nothing undon, as nere as I may, to ani of his, I presum to desiar you that in this his desiar of gooing to see, hee may be grassed^ and helped by you, wich I noo wayes dout of And so^ with all happi wishis to you and my honnarabell mistris, I end, Sherbon Lx^e, the vii of AprilL Your poore frind that honereth you, E Ralegh. Addressed: To tht rmrst hcnnarabdl Sur RoBARD CiSCILL, &*c. <&v. Endorsed : 7 Aprils 1595. Tfu Lady Ralfigh to my Master, In favour tf Arthur Radford. IV. LADY RALEGH TO SIR ROBERT CECIL From the Origmal. Cecil Papers^ vol xxxiil § 53 (Hatfield). Hdogitf*- LETTER IV. 1595- July 28 ? Ladv Ralegh to Sir R. Cecil. Recom- mendation of a suit of Mr. Brett Sur, Presumeng of your honnarabell fafor ever to mc, I am bould to trobell you in the behalfe of this my kinsman Mr. BRETT ; yet noo wayes fardar then Ita^ in fit and honnar you may. Nether wold I requist, nether will hee intret, fardar your fafor then unly to hoW a indefTrant openion of him, tell you heer the mattaf hooly. * graced. Recammetuiation of a Suit of Mr, Brett, 401 The mattar is a falling out betune Sur Rafe Hores'^ and him selfe, which hath groon fardar then I wish with all my hart hit had ; thay bothe being my veri good frindes. Yet for that the gretnes of the onne may, by his frindes, informe most faforabelly in his side, and so cos ' more condemnacion on this my kinsman then ther is cas,* I emestly intret you, good Sur, to stand indiffrant for my sake in this matter, when hit shall, or if hit doo, cum befor you. I am the mor bouldar to wryt for him, for I will * knoo the honestti and plane trewthe of the gentellman such as hee will informe — no, not on his own side, — mor then a trewthe. Unly his collar* is sumthing to be condemned wich men that stan so much on ther trew onnest[y], as I knoo this man doth, will me ^ moved if they reseve ronges. This,* desiaring your pardon for my so oft trobelHng you, I wish and pray for your grettest honnar and hap- piness. Sherbon Loge, the xxviii. of July. Your Honnar s pour frind, E. Ralegh. Addressed: To the most honttarabel! Sur Rohard Cissii,, on of heer Magistes most honnarabell Prez'i Condi/, Endorsed : 25' y^h't '595* ^' Ltuty Kaleghe to my Master. In fiwour of Mr, Jirt'tt, * Sir Ralph Horsey. * MS. *me'(yyT *M' njiise. Thus. ' well, * choler. 7 So in MS. LETTER IV. 1595- July 28 ? VOL. IL D D 402 Letters of Lady Ral^iu 1596. V. L.\DY RALEGH TO SECRETARY SIR R. CECIL From the OrigiiaL On/ P^^ers, voL xliiL f 29 (Hatfield). Holopiph. LETTER V. bl'R, I^96. Tulr. Lady Ralegh to Sir R. CeciL From Mile End. On the return of Kermis from Gaiana. I I NDERSTAXD that The Darling, wherin Kemish went to Gueano,^ is com in to Yarmouthe safly, sum \\\] dayes paste As yet, I have not heard on * wordc from him or any of my mene theare, wich I wonder at, but that I thinke thay are rounning a bowte with the pinnis for London. As soune as I heer whear thay ar, if an*t pies you to sende downe a man to them, as I will sende then on - to them, that you may knoo what thay have broute ; %\nch cannot bee ani thing, as I thinke, much worthe, for that the Spanniardes ar allredi pos- sessed in Gueano. I mean along the shoar, so as thay durst not lande. And also TOPEAWARE the King, that was heer Magisti s subgect, is ded, and his sun returned Thus, Sur, you heer your poour absente frindes fortune, who, if hee had bin as well credited in his reportes and knooleges as hit simmethe the Spanniardes wear, thay had not now bin poscisars of that plas. Thus, humbly taking my leve in hast Mil end, this Wensday. Your poour frind. R Ralegh. Addresseii : To th€ hoHHarabell Sur RoBARD CisciLL. * GuUtna. onr. Anxiety for News of Sir Walter, then at Sea, 403 1597. VI. LADY RALEGH TO SECRETARY SIR R. CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol Iv. § 88 (Hatfield). Holograph. SUR, I KNOO not what to thinke. Thes gentellmen that ar com from the Flit can tell me no newes of Sir WatTER, but that he is goon befor me Lord Ginerall.^ His shipe the Gueano ^ is cast away. This littell pinnes, The Darling, which this gentellman cam in, was the unly shipe hee had lefl him, and is com away unknoon to him, — apointed so by me Lord Generall. For God sake, let me heer from you the trewth ; for I am much trobled. Pardon my hast and skrebbling. This Thursday. Your poore frind, E. Ralegh. Addressed : To the most honitarabell Mr. Sekretari, Endorsed: Septl 1597. The iMdy Ralegh to my Master, 1 The Earl of Essex. * Guiana. LETTER VI. 1597. Sept. Lady Ralegh to SirR. Cecil Anxiety for news of Sir Walter. I> n 2 404 Letters of Lady Ralegh, VII. LADY RALEGH TO SECRETARY SIR R. CECIL LETTER VIL i6oa October. Lady Ralcgfato SirR. CeciL Fire at Dorfaam House. — News from Sir Walter at Jersey. From the OriginaL CkU P<^»ers, Pillar C b, ii. § 36 (Hatfield). Holo- graph. Without date. SUR, Hit tis trew that your packet brought me the ■ newes of the mischans of feeiar^ at Durram Houes, ! wher, I thanke God, hit went noo fardar. Other wics, hit had rid ous of all our poour substans of plat and other thinges. Unly now the loos is of your cumpani [ and my Lord COBHAM's,* | wich I thinke by this menes wee cannot injoy this wintar. Hit will be now a fit time for you to get sum intres* in that rotten houes for your selfe and your frind : other wies. I knoo none so un wies that will besto so mani hundred pounes as Sur Wattar hath dun, without fardar intrest or asurans of hit I besuch remembar hit now, soo shall not the Quine be trobled to bild the Bushope's ould stabels. I ded heer from Sur Wattar within too dayes after he landed at Jarsi : wher he was safly landed and rioly* intertaned with joye. But he was too dayes and too nites on the see, with contrari windes ; not withstanding hee went from Wamouthe in so fayer a wind and wecther, as littell Wat and my selfe brought him abord the shipt Hce wrytteth to me hee never saw a plesanttar * fire, * The words between the upright lines are inserted in the MS. by inter- diction. * interest. • royaliy. News from Sir Walter at Jersey, 40s Hand ; but protesteth unfannedly hit tis not, in valew, the veri third part that was reported, or inded hee beliflfed. My cossin WlLL^ is heer,^ very will,^ and louketh will ' and fat with his batheing. This,* wishing you all honnar and the full contentements of your hart, I ever rest Your asured poour frind, E. Ralegh. [Postscript.] — I am glad this mischans of feeiar cam not by ani neckelegans* of ani sarvant of mine, but by me cossin Darci's sarvant, — a woman that delleth* just under our logging, and anoyeth ous infenitly. I hope hee will now remoueve heer. I humbelly besuch you let this lettar heer inclosed be sent. Addressed: *• To the most konnorabdl Mr, Sekretari^ &*c. u4h.^ p^o^\■f. But I protest, as you knoo, I never understood Li4^ hit by you ; nether did I ever see you, or heer from pu, ^r^^ '° sens heer ladiship deed me that good office. Therfor hit Ced:. tis but heer mistaking, wich shee ewsseth to ^ much. I O:: ii! unly say this, that for the honnar I beear heer name and J^T.,^-^ * the auncient aquaintans of heer, I wish shee wold be as ^^ '^ ambitious to doo good, as she is apte to the contrari. Kiiiir^ This,- ever wisheng you all honnar, I rest t wife Of ^'^^ Your asured poour frind, E. Ralegh. .\ii«*se-J : " To tki rite konnarabd Mr, Sekretar."' E-icri