impediments, left it unfound. When he came back, I told him "he had undone me, and that my credit was lost for ever." He answered, that "when my son was lost, and that he left me so weak that he thought not to find me alive, he had no reason to enrich a company of rascals, who after my son's death made no account of him." He farther told me, that "the English sent up into Guiana could hardly defend the Spanish town of St. Thome, which they had taken; and, therefore, for them to pass through thick woods it was impossible, and more impossible to have victuals brought them into the mountains." And it is true, that the governor, Diego Palemeca, and other four captains being slain, whereof my son Wat slew one, Plessington (Wat's serjeant) and John of Moroccoes (one of his men) slew two; I say, five of them slain in the entrance of the town, and the rest went off in a whole body. And each took more care to defend the passages to their mines, of which they had three within a league of the town, besides a mine that was about five miles off, than they did of the town itself.

Yet Keymis, at the first, was resolved to go to the mine. But when he came to the bankside to land, he had two men of his slain outright from the bank, and six others hurt; and Captain Thornhurst shot in the head, of which wound, and the accident thereof, he hath pined away these twelve weeks. Now when Keymis came back, and gave me the former reasons, which moved him not to open the mine (the one the death of my son; a second, the weakness of the

English, and their impossibilities to work it and to be victualed; a third, that it were a folly to discover it for the Spaniards; and, lastly, my weakness, and being unpardoned), and that I rejected all these his arguments, and told him, that "I must leave him to himself to answer it to the king and state;” he shut himself into his cabin, and shot himself with a pocket-pistol, which broke one of his ribs; and, finding that he had not prevailed, he thrust a long knife under his short ribs up to the handle, and died.

Thus much I have written to Mr. Secretary, to whose letters I refer you. But because I think my friends will rather hearken after you than any other to know the truth, I did after, the sealing break open the letter again, to let you know in brief the state of that business; which I pray you impart to my Lord of Northumberland, and Silvanus Scorie, and to Sir John Leigh.

For the rest, there was never poor man so exposed to the slaughter as I was. For being commanded upon my allegiance to set down, not only the country, but the very river by which I was to enter it, to name my ships' number, men, and my artillery; this was sent by the Spanish ambassador to his master, the king of Spain. The king wrote his letters to all parts of the Indies, especially to the governor (Palameca) of Guiana, El Dorado, and Trinidado. Of which the first letter bore date March 19, 1617, at Madrid, when I had not yet left the Thames ; which letter I have sent to Mr. Secretary. I have also two other letters of the king's, which I reserve, and one of the council's. The king,

also, sent a commission to levy three hundred soldiers out of his garrison of Nuevo Regno de Granada and Porto Rico, with ten pieces of brass ordnance, to entertain us. He, also, prepared an armada by sea to set upon us. It were too long to tell you how we were preserved; if I live, I shall make it known. My brains are broken, and I cannot write much. I live yet, and I told you why.

Whitney, for whom I sold all my plate at Plymouth, and to whom I gave more credit and countenance than to all the captains of my fleet, ran from me at the Granadas, and Wollaston with him. So as I have now but five ships, and one of those I have sent home and in my flyboat a rabble of idle rascals, which I know will not spare to wound me, but I care not. I am sure there is never a base slave in all the fleet hath taken the pains and care that I have done; that hath slept so little, and travailed so much. My friends will not believe them; and for the rest, I care not. God in heaven bless you, and strengthen your heart! Yours,

WALTER RALEGH.

1617.

JAMES I. TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. MY LORDS, No worldly thing is so precious as time. Ye know what task I gave ye to work upon during my absence; and what time was limited unto you for the performance thereof. This same chancellor of Scotland was used to tell me twenty

four years ago, that my house could not be kept upon epigrams: long discourses and fair tales will never repair my estate. Omnis virtus in actione consistit. Remember that I told you the shoe must be made for the foot; and let that be the square of all your proceedings in the business. Abate superfluities in all things, and multitudes of unnecessary officers, wherever they may be placed but for the household, wardrobe, and pensions, cut and carve as many as may agree with the possibility of my means. Exceed not your own rule of fifty thousand pounds for the household: if you can make it less, I will account it for good service: and that you may see I will not spare my own person, I have sent with this bearer a note of the superfluous charges concerning my mouth, having had the happy opportunities of this messenger, in an errand so nearly concerning his place. In this, I expect no answer in word, or writing, but only the real performance, for a beginning to relieve me out of my miseries. For now the ball is at your feet, and the world shall bear me witness, that I have put you fairly to it; and so praying God to bless your labours, I bid your heartily farewell. Your own,

JAMES R.

JAMES I. TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. MY LORDS,

1617.

I RECEIVED from you yesternight the bluntest letter that, I think, ever king received from his council. Ye write that the green cloth will do nothing, and ye offer me no advice. Why are

answer.

ye counsellors, if ye offer no counsel? An ordinary messenger might have brought me such an It is my pleasure, that my charges be equally with my revenue; and it is just and necessary so to be. For this is a project must be made, and one of the main branches thereof is my house. This project is but to be offered unto you; and how it may be better laid than to agree with my honour and contentment, ye are to advise upon, and then have my consent. If this cannot be performed without diminishing the number of tables, diminished they must be; and if that cannot serve, two or three must be thrust in one. If the green cloth will not make a project for this, some other must do it: if ye cannot find them out, I must only remember two things; the time must no more be lost, and that there are twenty ways of abatement besides the house, if they be well looked into: and so farewell.

JAMES R.

JAMES I. TO LORD VERULAM.

MY VERY GOOD LORD,

I HAVE received your letter, and your book*, than the which you could not have sent a more acceptable present unto me. How thankful I am for it, cannot better be expressed by me than by a firm resolution I have taken : first, to read it through with care and attention, though I should steal some hours from my sleep, having otherwise as little spare time to read it as you

The Novum Organum Scientiarum.