in the year 50, and continues the fucceffion down to Gregory, who governed the church of Ravenna in 839. This work is full of barbarifms and folecifms, and it is a hard matter in feveral paffages to find his meaning. It is even faid that his materials are not always authentic documents at hand. The time of his death is uncertain.

RAWLEGH (SIR WALTER), or, as he himself spelt his name, RALEGH, an illuftrious Englishman, was defcended from an ancient family in Devonshire, and was the son of Walter Ralegh, efq. of Fardel, near Plymouth, by a third wife. Mr. Ralegh, upon his last marriage, had retired to a farm called Hayes, in the parish of Budley; and there Sir Walter was born in 1552. After a proper education at school, he was fent to Oriel-college in Oxford about 1568, where he foon diftinguished himself by great force of natural parts, and an uncommon progrefs in academical learning; but, ambition prompting him to purfue the road to fame in an active life, he made a fhort flay only at Oxford. Queen Elizabeth fending forces to affift the perfecuted Protestants of France in 1569, Sir Walter went among them a gentleman volunteer; and was engaged for fome years doubtlefs in military affairs, of which however we do not know the particulars. In 1576, we find him in London, and exercifing his poetical talents; for we have of his a commendatory poem prefixed among others to a fatire, called "The Steel Glafs," publifhed this year by George Gascoigne, a poet of thofe times. He refided in the Middle-Temple, but with no view of studying the law; for he declared expreffly at his trial, that he had never ftudied it. On the contrary, his mind was ftill bent on military glory; and he had opportunities enough of indulging his ruling paffion. He went in 1578 to the Netherlands, with the forces which were fent against the Spaniards. In 1579, when Sir Humphry Gilbert, who was his brother by his mother's fide, had obtained a patent of the queen, to plant and inhabit fome northern parts of America, he engaged in that adventure; but returned foon after, the attempt proving unfuccefsful. In 1580, he was a captain in the wars of Ireland; and, the year after, one of the commiffioners for the government of Munster in the abfence of the earl of Ormond.

At his return home, he was introduced to court; and, as Fuller relates, upon the following occafion. Her majefty, taking the air in a walk, ftopped at a fplathy place, in doubt whether to go on; when Ralegh, dreffed in a gay and genteel habit of thofe times, immediately caft off and fpread his new plush cloak on the ground; on which her majesty gently treading, was conducted over clean and dry. The truth is, Ralegh always made a very elegant appearance, as well in the fplendor

fplendor of attire, as the politeness of addrefs; having a good prefence, in a handfome and well-compacted perfon; a trong natural wit, and a better judgement; with a bold and plaufible tongue, whereby he could fet out his parts to the best advantage: and, thefe being all very engaging advocates for royal favour, efpecially in a female fovereign, it is no wonder that he advanced apace in it. In 1583, he fet out with Sir Humphry Gilbert, in his expedition to Newfound-' land; but within a few days was obliged to return to Plymouth, his fhip's company being feized with an infectious diftemper and Gilbert was drowned in coming home, after he had taken poffeffion of that country. Thefe expeditions, however, being things that Rawlegh had a strong paffion for, nothing difcouraged him; in 1514, obtaining letters patent for discovering unknown countries, he fet fail to America, and difcovered the country of Wigandacoa, which queen Elizabeth changed into that of Virginia.

Upon his return, he was elected member of parliament for Devonshire, and foon after knighted. In 1585, he appears feveral ways engaged in the laudable improvements of navigation for, he was one of the colleagues of the fellowship for the difcovery of the North-weft paffage. The fame year, he fent his own fleet upon a fecond voyage to Virginia, and then upon a third. We must not forget, that it was this colony in Virginia which firft brought tobacco to England; and that it was he himself who firft brought this herb in request among us. Queen Elizabeth was not backward in promoting the advantages which were promised by the traffic of this herb; but her fucceffor James I. held it in fuch abomination, that he ufed his utmost endeavours to explode the ufe of it. About the fame time, our knight was made fenefchal of Cornwall, and lord warden of the Stannaries. In effect, he was now grown fuch a favourite with the queen, that they who had at firft been his friends at court began to be alarmed; and, to prevent their own fupplantation, refolved to project his. This, however, was little regarded by him; and he conftantly attended his public charge and employments, whether in town or country, as occafions required. Accordingly, we find him, 1586, in parliament; where, among other weighty concerns, the fate of Mary queen of Scots was determined, in which he probably concurred. But the stream of his affection ran towards Virginia; and, in 1587, he fent three ships upon a fourth voyage thither. In 1588, he fent another fleet upon a fifth voyage to Virginia; and the fame year did great fervice in destroying the Spanith Armada, fent to invade England. He thought proper now to make an affignment to divers gentlemen and merchants of London, for VOL. XIII.

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continuing the plantation of Virginia to Englishmen. This affignment is dated March 7, 1588-9.

April 1489, he accompanied Don Antonio, the expelled king of Portugal, then in London, to his dominions, when an armament was fent to restore him; and, in his return to England the fame year, touched upon Ireland, where he vifited Spenfer the poet, whom he brought to England, introduced into the queen's favour, and encouraged by his own patronage, himself being no inconfiderable poet. Spenfer has defcribed the circumstances of Sir Walter's vifit to him in a Paftoral, which about two years after he dedicated to him, and intituled" Colin Clout's come home again." In 1592, he was appointed general of an expedition against the Spaniards at Panama. We find him foon after this very active in the house of commons, where he made a distinguished figure, as appears from feveral of his printed fpeeches. In the mean time, he was no great favourite with the people; and fomewhat obnoxious to the clergy, not only on account of his principles, which were not thought very orthodox, but because he poffeffed fome lands which had been taken from the Church. His enemies, knowing this, ventured to attack him; and, in 1593, he was afperfed with Atheism, in a libel against feveral minifters of ftate, printed at Lyons with this title, "Elizabethæ Reginæ Anglie Edictum, promulgatum Londini, Nov. 29, 1591; & Andr. Philopatris ad idem refponfio." In this piece the writer, who was the jefuit Parfons, inveighs against Sir Walter Ralegh's "School of Atheism;" infinuating, that he was not content with being a disciple, but had fet up for a doctor in his faculty. Osborn accounts for this afperfion thus: "Rawlegh," fays he, "was the first, as I have heard, who ventured to tack about, and fail aloof from the beaten track of the fchools; and who, upon the difcovery of fo apparent an error as a torrid zone, intended to proceed in an inquifition after more folid truths; till the mediation of fome, whofe livelihood lay in hammering fhrines for this fuperannuated ftudy, poffeffed queen Elizabeth, that such a doctrine was against God no lefs than her father's honour, whofe faith, if he owned any, was grounded upon fchool-divinity. Whereupon the chid him, who was, by his own confeffion, ever after branded with the title of Atheist, though a known afferter of God and providence." That he was fuch an affertor, has been univerfally allowed; yet Wood not only comes into the unfavourable opinion of his principles, but pretends to tell us from whom he imbibed them.

About the fame time, 1593, Rawlegh had an amour with a beautiful young lady, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Nicolas Throgmorton, an able ftatcfman and ambaffador; and won

her

her heart, even to the laft favour. This offending the queen terribly, Rawlegh was confined for feveral months; and, when fet at liberty, forbidden the court. However, he afterwards made the most honourable reparation he could, by marrying the object of his affection; and he always lived with her in the ftricteft conjugal harmony. While he lay under this difgrace at court, he projected the difcovery and conqueft of the large, rich, and beautiful, empire of Guiana in South America; and, fending firft an old experienced officer to take certain informations concerning it, he went thither himself in 1595, destroyed the city of San Jofeph, and took the Spanith governor. Upon his return, he wrote a difcourfe of his difcoveries in Guiana, which was printed in 1596, 4to, and afterwards inferted in the third volume of Hakluyt's voyages. The fame year, he was appointed one of the chief commanders in the expedition to Cadiz; and was afterwards rear-admiral in the island voyages. He had a great fhare in defeating the treasonable defigns of the earl of Effex, with whom he had long been at variance; and lived in full happiness and honour during queen Elizabeth's reign: but his fun fet at her death, which happened March 24, 1602-3.

Upon the acceffion of king James, he loft his intereft at court; was ftripped of his preferments; and even accufed, tried, and condemned for high treafon, Various caufes have been affigned for this ftrange reverfe of fortune. In the firft. place, it has been obferved, that the earl of Effex infused prejudices against him into king James; and, after the earl's death, there were circumftances implying, that fecretary. Cecil did the like. For, though Cecil and Rawlegh joined against Effex, yet, when he was overthrown, they divided. Thus, when king James came to England, Sir Walter prefented to him a memorial, wherein he reflected upon Cecil in the affair of Effex; and, vindicating himself, threw the whole blame upon the other. He farther laid open, at the end of it, the conduct of Cecil concering Mary queen of Scots, his majefty's mother; and charged the death of that unfortunate princefs on him; which, however, had no effect upon the king, and only irritated Cecil the more against Rawlegh. But, what seems alone fufficient to have incenfed the king against Ralegh was, his joining with that party of Englishmen, who, in regard to the inveterate feuds between England and Scotland, defired the king might be obliged to articles, in relation to his own countrymen. However, we are told, that the king received him for fome weeks with great kindnefs; but it could only be for fome weeks: for, July 6, 1603, he was examined before the lords of the council at Weftminfter, and returned thence a private prifoner to his own houfe. He was indicted

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indicted at Staines, September 21, and not long after committed to the Tower of London; whence he was carried to Winchefter, tried there, November 17, and condemned to die. That there was fomething of a treasonable confpiracy against the king was generally believed; yet it never was proved that he was engaged in it: and perhaps, the beft means to clear him may be the very trial upon which he was condemned; wherein the barbarous partiality and foul language of the attorney-general Coke broke out fo glaringly, that he was expofed for it, even upon the public theatre. After this, Rawlegh was kept near a month at Winchester, in daily expectation of death; and that he expected nothing lefs is plain from a letter he wrote to his wife, which is printed among his works.

Being reprieved, he was committed prifoner to the Tower of London, where he lay many years; his lady living with him, and bringing him another fon, named Carew, within the year. His eftate was at first restored to him, but taken again, and given to the king's minion Robert Car, afterwards. earl of Somerfet. Rawlegh found a great friend in Henry, the king's eldest fon, who laboured to procure him his estate, and had nearly effected it; but, that hopeful and difcerning prince dying in 1612, all his views were at an end. The prince is reported to have faid, that "no king but his father would keep fuch a bird in a cage." During his confinement, he devoted the greateft part of his time to reading and writing, and indeed the productions of his pen at this time are fo many and fo weighty, that one is apter to look on him as a collegian than a captive; as a student in a library, than a prifoner in the Tower. His writings have been divided into poetical, epiftolary, military, maritimal, geographical, political, philofophical, and hiftorical. But, how elaborately foever many of these pieces are allowed by others to be written, he looked on them only as little excurfions or fallies from his grand work, "The Hiftory of the World;" the first volume of which was published in 1614, folio, and deduces things to the end of the Macedonian empire. As to the story of the fecond volume of his hiftory, which, it is faid, he burned because the first had fold fo flowly that it had ruined his book.. feller, it is fcarcely worth notice; fince it does not appear that the first part did fell fo flowly, there being a fecond edition of it printed, by that very bookfeller, within three years after the firft. Befides, Sir Walter himself has told us, that, though he intended and had hewn out a fecond and third volume, yet he was perfuaded to lay them afide by the death of prince Henry, to whom they were directed: and, if we thould allow his mind might change, yet the courfe of his life afterwards left no room for any fuch performance.

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