Fuller's Worthies of

published this year by George Gafcoigne, a poet of thofe times. He refided in the Middle-Temple, but with no view of studying the law; for he declared exprefsly 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 fomne 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 Munfter in the abfence of the earl of mond.

3

At his return home, he was introduced to court; and, England, in as Fuller relates, upon the following occafion. Her Devonshire. majefty, taking the air in a walk, ftopped at a plafhy 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 pluth cloak on the ground; on which her majefty gently treading, was conducted over clean and dry. The truth is, Ralegh always made a very elegant appearance, as well in the fplendor of attire, as the politeness of addrefs; having a good prefence, in a handfome and well-compacted perfon; a strong natural wit, and a better judgement, with a bold and plaufible tongue, whereby he could fet out his parts to the beft 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 Newfoundland; but within a few days was obliged to return to Plymouth, his fhip's company being feized with an infectious distemper and Gilbert was drowned in coming home, after he had taken poffeffion of that country. poffethings Thefe expeditions; however, being things that Ralegh had a strong paffion for, nothing difcouraged him; and in 1514, obtaining letters patents for difcovering unknown countries, he fet fail to America, and difcovered the country of Wigandoa, 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

appears feveral ways engaged in the laudable improve. ments 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 muft not forget, that it was his colony in Virginia, who firft brought tobacco to England; and that it was he himfelf, who first brought this herb in request among us, Queen Elizabeth was not backward in promoting the advantages which were promifed by the traffic of this herb; but her fucceffor James I, held it in fuch abomination, that he ufed his utmoft endeavours to explode the use of it. About the fame time, our knight was made fenefchal of King Cornwall, and lord warden of the Stannaries. In effect, CounterJames's he was now grown fuch a favourite with the queen, that " blaft to they who had at firft been his friends at court began to "Tobac"co," 4to. be alarmed; and,. to prevent their own fupplantation, re- and hi folved to project his. This, however, was little regarded warrant in by him; and he conftantly attended his public charge and 1604, for laying a duemployments, whether in town or country, as occafions required. Accordingly, we find him, 1586, in parlia- 6s. 8d. per ment; where, among other weighty concerns, the fate of b Mary queen of Scots was determined, in which he probabably concurred. But the ftream of his affection ran towards Virginia; and, in 1587, he fent three fhips 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 deftroying the Spanish Armada, fent to in-. vade England. He thought proper now to make an af fignment to divers gentlemen and merchants of London, for continuing the plantation of Virginia to Englishmen.. This affignment is dated March 7, 1588-9.

ty upon it at

April 1589, he accompanied Don Antonio, the expelled king of Portugal, then in London, to his dominions, when an armament was fent to reftore 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, himfelf being no inconfiderable poet. Spenfer has defcribed the circumftances of Sir Walter's vifit to him in à 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 againft the Spaniards at Panama, We find him foon after this very active in the houfe of

commons, where he made a diftinguished 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 Angliæ 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 difciple, but had fet up for a doctor in his faculty. Ofborn accounts for this Mifcellany afperfion thus: Ralegh," fays he, "was the firft, as I of fundry "have heard, who ventured to tack about, and fail aloof "from the beaten track of the fchools; and who, upon "the discovery 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 study, poffeffed queen Elizabeth, that fuch a doctrine was against God no lefs than her father's honour; whose "faith, if he owned any, was grounded upon school divinity. Whereupon the chid him, who was, by his own confeffion, ever after branded with the title of "Atheist, though a known affertor of God and provi"dence." That he was such an affertor, has been univerfally allowed; yet Wood not only comes into the unSee HARI- favourable opinion of his principles, but pretends to tell us from whom he imbibed them.

Effays, in

the preface.

OT.

66

66

66

About the fame time, 1593, Raleigh had an amour with a beautiful young lady, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, an able statesman and ambaffador; and won her heart, even to the laft favour. This offending the queen terribly, Raleghi was confined for feveral months; and, when fet, at liberty, forbidden the court., However, he afterwards made the moft 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

fending firft an old experienced officer to take certain informations concerning it, he went thither himself in 1595, deftroyed the city of San Jofeph, and took the Spanish gos; vernor. 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 ifland 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 reign's but his fun fet at her death, which happened March 24, 1602-3.

༠

Upon the acceffion of king James, he loft his interest. at court; was, ftripped of his preferments; and even ac-. cused, tried, and condemned for high treason. Various caufes have been affigned for this ftrange reverfe of fortune. In the firft place, it has been obferved, that the earli of Effex infufed prejudices againft him into king James; and, after the earl's death, there were circumstances implying, that fecretary Cecil did the like. For though Cecil and Ralegh 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 concerning Mary queen of Scots, his majesty'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 Ralegh. But what feems alone fufficient to have incenfed the king againft Ralegh was, his joining with that party of Englithmen, 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 kindness; but it could only be for fome weeks: for, July 6, 1603, he was examined before the lords of the council at Westminster, and returned thence a private prifoner to his own houfe. He was indicted at Staines, Sept. 21, and not long after committed to the Tower of London; whence he was carried to Winchester, tried there, Nov. 17, and condemned to die. That there

was

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 exposed for it, even upon the public theatre. After this, Ralegh was kept near a month at Winchefter, 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. Ralegh found a great friend in Henry, the king's eldeft fon, who laboured to procure him his eftate, and had nearly effected it; but, that hopeful and difcerning prince dying in ró12, 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 ftudent in a Hbrary, than a prifoner in the Tower. His writings have been divided into poetical, epiftolary, military, maritimal, geographical, political, philofophical, and historical. But how elaborately foever many of thefe 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 firft volume of which was published in 1614, folio, and deduces things to the end of the Macedonian empire. As to the ftory of the fecond volume of this hiftory, which, it is faid, he burned because the firft had fold fo flowly that it had ruined his bookfeller, it is fcarcely worth notice; fince it does not appear true that the first part did fell fo flowly, there being a fecond edition of it printed, by that very bookfeller, within three Preface to years after the first. 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;

his firit

part.