the body ; and such was his unmoved courage and placid tem
per, that, while it changed the affection of the enemies who had
come to witness it and turned their joy to sorrow, it filled all
men else with admiration and emotion, leaving with them only
this doubt, whether death were more acceptable to him or he
more welcome unto death."



272 SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

All this does not look like the bearing of a man who had a
lie, or even a prevarication, in his mouth. It is true, however,
that the standard of morality, public and private, was any thing
but exalted at that day. Bacon, who meanly consented to
Raleigh s death, and vindicated his master for the act, was him
self, at last, deposed for corruption. We would not suppress or
extenuate any faults or follies of Raleigh, of which there is
historical evidence. Faults, infirmities, and follies he certainly
exhibited. The editor of Birch s Papers, in relation to Raleigh s
feigned sickness, says in a foot-note : " The mind of the gallant
Raleigh had given way beneath an accumulation of troubles.
He had lost his son in a contest with the Spaniards, one of his
captains had committed suicide, and the object of his voyage
had been defeated by the treachery of the King, proof of
which exists in a letter of Buckingham to Secretary Winwood,
to be found in Hardwicke s State Papers, vol. i. p. 398." :

Indeed, if the account of Manourie, the French apothecary,
as given by Lord Bacon, is to be taken for true, Raleigh must
have been goaded to absolute madness during these last few
weeks, and a jury in our time would have justly returned a
verdict of insanity. But Manourie, the principal accuser of
Sir Walter (according to a letter of Rev. Thomas Lorkin to
Sir Thomas Puckering, of Feb. 16, 1618-19), was not only
convicted soon afterwards as a clipper of gold, but " confessed
that his accusation against Raleigh was false, and that he was
moved thereto by the practice and importunity of Stukely, and
now acknowledged this, his present miserable condition, to be a
judgment of God upon him for that ! "

Was there ever such " confusion worse confounded " ? No
wonder that Gibbon himself, even before Simancas unfolded
her treasures, shrunk in despair from disentangling the truth
from the falsehood of Raleigh s life. But make the worst of
him, and still his execution, under such circumstances, will
stand out for ever, as one of the most abhorrent and abomi
nable acts in English History. Occurring, as it did, a year or
two only before the Pilgrims came over to Plymouth, and little
more than ten years before the settlement of Massachusetts, it

1 Court and Times of James I., p. 85.



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 273

must have been one of the events by which the minds of the
New England Colonists were impressed and agitated while they
were meditating a departure from their native land. And the
mere fact that the account now submitted comes from an
ancient manuscript which was undoubtedly brought over by
Governor Winthrop in 1630, and which has but recently been
discovered among the old papers of his father, greatly enhances
its interest. Even should it not add a single new reading, or
one better phrase, for Sir Walter s last words, as we think it
does, it may serve to revive the remembrance of his marvellous
career and of his heroic death on our side of the Atlantic, where
it would most have gratified him to know that he should not
be forgotten.

To a Society like ours, devoted to historical pursuits, his
career has a peculiar interest, in view of the well-remembered
fact that so large a part of his long imprisonment in the Tower
was employed in writing that " History of the World," which
is one of the most remarkable works in English literature, and
of which the closing passage is doubly impressive in connection
with the fate which was so soon to befall him : " It is therefore
Death alone," he says, " that can suddenly make man to know
himself. He tells the proud and insolent that they are but
abjects, and humbles them at the instant, makes them complain
and repent, yea, even to hate their forepast happiness. He
takes the account of the rich and proves him a beggar, a naked
beggar, which hath interest in nothing but the gravel that fills
his mouth. He holds a glass before the eyes of the beautiful,
and makes them see therein their deformity and rottenness, and
they acknowledge it. Oh, eloquent, just, and mighty Death !
Whom none could advise, thou hast persuaded ; what none
hath dared, thou hast done ; and whom all the world hath
flattered, thou only hast cast out of the world and despised ;
thou hast drawn together all the far-stretched greatness, all the
pride, cruelty, and ambition of man, and covered it all over
with these two narrow words, Hie jacet ! "

In conclusion, we can hardly doubt that this Speech was made
substantially as it has been reported. A strong reason for ques
tioning the authenticity of the Simancas copy of the alleged

18



274 SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

letter of October 5, or, as Mr. Gardiner gives the date, of Sep
tember 25, is found in the fact that it is not mentioned, or
in any way referred to, in Lord Bacon s Vindication of his
Master, printed within a few months of the execution. If the
King had such an answer to Raleigh s dying words as they
were reported, how could it have failed to be used by Bacon to
mitigate the popular indignation at the time? How could it
have been unheard of for two centuries and a half, if it had
been received by the King and known to all his counsellors ?
But the letter, if written, confessed only a commission from the
Duke de Montmorenei, as Mr. Gardiner says, while the Speech
denies only a commission from the King of France ; and if
Raleigh had already confessed the former, it may explain his
confining his denials to the latter. That he did persistently
and unequivocally deny the latter, is proved not only by the
Speech, but by the little " Answer to some things at his death,"
which, we presume, is the " remembrancer left with his lady,
written likewise that night [the night before his death], to
acquaint the world withal, if perhaps he should not have been
suffered to speak at his death," as described in the letter of
Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carle ton, heretofore quoted. 1 We
are not aware that this brief " Answer " has ever been called in
question, and it seems to be entirely consistent with the Speech.
It declares as explicitly as the reported Speech, " I never had
commission from the French King ; I never saw the French
King s hand or seale in my life." Sir Lewis Stukely wrote a
long letter to the King in his own defence, and in reply to this
dying declaration of Raleigh ; but, though it refers distinctly to
what it calls Raleigh s " perjury in swearing he had no design
for Fraunce," it contains no allusion to the alleged letter of
October 5. 2 Once more, it may be urged, if the King had
possessed a letter which might have counteracted the impres
sion produced both by the brief " Answer " and the long Speech,
or which could have been used in any way to Raleigh s dis
credit, could Bacon and Stukely both have failed to use it in

1 This brief "Answer" will be found appended to The Essays of Raleigh,
printed " by T. W.," for Humphrey Moseley, London, 1655.
See " Somers Tracts" (Scott s ed.), vol. ii. p. 444.



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 275

their labored vindications of themselves and their master ? Ah,
what a glory it would have been for Bacon s fame, if he had
saved the life of Raleigh, instead of consenting to his death, and
apologizing for the act after it was perpetrated ! Some dis
crepancy of dates, as given by different writers, might leave
room for a doubt whether Bacon was not rewarded for this
Apology by a promotion from the office of Lord Keeper to
that of Lord Chancellor. A more careful inquiry, however,
clears away any such imputation. But it is enough to have
exhibited some of the intricate problems in this great Tragedy
of English, we had almost said, of American, History ; and
so to leave them for the solution of others. The manuscript
account of the Execution is as follows :

The Confession and Execution of Sir Walter Raleiyhe.

Uppon Wedensdaie beinge the 28 t . h of October, 1618, the Lieuttenant
of the Tower, accordinge to a warrant to him directed, brought S^ Wa :
Raleigh from the tower to the Kinges benche barre at Westminster,
where the records of his arraignment at Winchester were opened, and he
was demanded why execution shoulde not be done uppon him ; accord
inge to Judgement therein pronounced against him : To w ^ he began by
waie of answere to iustifie himselfe in his proceedinges in the last voiage.
But the L. chiefe justice silenced him, sainge there was no other matter
in question, but concerninge the Judgement of Death w h had formallye
beene given against him. And it was the Kinges pleasure (uppon some
occasion beste knowen to himselfe) nowe to have the same executed,
unles he coulde shewe good cause to the contrary. Unto w? Sf Wa:
R. saide, that he was tolde by his Counsell, that in regarde his Ma*. 6 ,
since the saide Judgement, had bin pleased to imploie him in his service
(as by Commission he had done) it made voide the saide Judgement, and
was vivification unto him. But the Lorde chiefe Justice toulde him, he
was therin deceived ; and that the opinion of the Courte was to the con
trary. Wherew 1 ! 1 he rested satisfied, and desired that some reasonable
time might be allowed him, to prepare himselfe for deathe. But it was
answered him, that the time of deathe appointed to him was to-morrowe :
and that it was not to be doubted, but y? he had prepared himselfe for
deathe longe since. And I am glad, saide the L. chiefe Justice, that [you
have] given the worlde so good satisfaction of your Religion : as by some
bookes published by you, you have done. And so Mf Attorneye generall



276 SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

required in the Kinges behalfe, that execution might be done uppon the
prisoner, accordinge to the saide Judgement. Then the Shrifes of Mid
dlesex were commanded to take him into their custodie, who pfsently
caried [him] to the gate house in Westmf from whence the next morn-
inge he shoulde goe betweene the saide Shrives to the olde pallace of
Westminster; where a large scaffolde was erected for his execution.
Whereuppon when he came w 1 ! 1 a cheerefull countenance he saluted the
Lordes, knightes and gentlemen there present. After w 1 ! 1 a proclamation
beinge made for silence, he addressed himselfe to speake in this maner :
I desire to be borne w l . h all, for this is the thirde daye of my fevere, and
if I shall shewe my weakeries, I beseeche you to attribute it to my maladie,
for this is the houre it was wonte to come. Then pausinge awile, he sett
and directed himselfe to a windowe, where satt the Earles of Arundel,
Northampton and Doncaster, w l . h some other Lordes and knightes, and
spake as followeth : I thanke God of his infinite goodnes that he hathe
sent mee to die in the light, and not in the darkenes ; but because the
place where the Lordes satte was farre distant from the scaffolde, that he
perceived they coulde not heare him well, therfore he saide, I will straine
my voice, for I woulde willinglie have yof honors heare mee. But the
L. of Arundel said nay, but wee will rather come downe to the scaffolde
to heare thee, wl 1 he and some other did. Wither beinge come, he saluted
theme generallie, and so began to speake as followeth : As I said before,
so nowe I saie againe, I thancke God, &c., but not in the darke prison of
the Tower, where I have suffered a great deale of adversitie and cruell
sickenes. And I thancke God that the fevere hathe not taken me at
this time, and I pray God it may not. There are so many pointes of
suspition that his Ma d . e hath conceived against mee, and wherein he can
not be satisfied, w! 1 I desire to cleere and to resolve yo. r L 1 ? 9 of. One is
that his Ma u . e hathe bin informed that I have ofte had plotts w th France,
and his Ma 1 ! 6 had good reason to induce him thereunto : The first was,
that when I came backe from Guyana, beinge come to Plymmouth, I indev-
ored to have gone in a Barke to Rochel, w! 1 was because I woulde have
made my peace before I came to Englande. The 2 was that uppon my
flight, I did intende to flye into France for the savinge of my life, that
had some terror from above.

A thirde was that the French agent came to mee ; besides it was
reported, that I had a Comission from the Frenche Kinge at my goinge
forthe. These are the reasons that caused the Kinge to suspecte mee.
Nowe for man to call God to witnesse a falsehoode, were a grevous synne :
for what comfort can we then hope for at the daie of Judgement, before
God s tribunal seate : But to call Godde to witnesse a false thinge at the



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 277

houre of deathe, is a facte more grevous and fearefull, seeinge suche a
one havinge no tyme of repentance, cannot hope to be saved at all. Then
what can I expecte, that at this instant am goinge to render my accompte.
I doe therfore call the Lorde to witnes (as I hope to bee saved, and to
see him in his kingdome, w. h I trust I shall, w^in this quarter of an
houre) that I never had any Comission from the Frenche Kinge : neither
did I ever see the Frenche Kinges handewritinge, nor his scale, in all
my life. Nor yet did I knowe that there was an Agent heere, nor what
he was, till I mette him in the galery in my lodgine, unlocked for. If I
speake not true, then O Lorde let me not come into thy kingedome.
The 2 suspicion was that his Ma" 6 had bin informed, that I shoulde speake
dishonorably, and disloiallie of him my sovereigne : But my accuser was
a base frenchman, a runnagate, and one that had no dwellinge, and a
kinde of chimicall fellowe. One that I knewe to bee pfidious. For
being drawne in the accion of scarringe [myself] at Winchester, (into
w c . h I confesse [my shame that] my hande was at all) beinge sworne to
secrecie one night, he revealed it the next morninge. But (let me
speake) what have I nowe to doe w th rogues ? I have nothinge to doe w 1 ! 1
them, neither doe I feare them ; for I have onlie to doe w 1 ! 1 my God, in
whose presence I stande : therfore for me to tell a lie, therby to gaine
the Kiuges favoure, were in vaine. But as I hope in the Lorde to be
saved at the last daie, I denye that I ever spake dishonourably, disloiallie
or dishonestlie of the Kinge, neither to that frencheman, nor to any other.
No I protest I never had a thought of ill, of his Ma t! . e , in all my life.
And therfore I cannot but thincke it strange, that the slaundef beinge
so base and meane a fellowe, shoulde bee so farre credited as he hathe
beene. And so muche of my double resolution to the Kinges double
suspicion. I confesse I did attempte to escape; yea I cannot excuse
that, but it was onlie to save my life. And I likewise confesse, I did
faine myselfe to bee ill disposed at Salisbury ; but I hope it was no syn ;
for the prophet David did make himselfe a foole and suffer spittle to fall
on his bearde, to escape yf hands of his enymies, and it was not imputed
to him. So in what I did, I intended no ill, but to gaine and prolonge
time till his Ma" e came, hopinge of some comiseration from him. But I
forgive this frencheman and Sf Lewes Stukeley also w 1 . 11 all my harte.
I have received the Sacrament this morninge of Mr. Deane, and I have
forgiven all the worlde. But that they are pfidious, I am bounde in
charitie to speake, that all men may take heede of them. S r . Lewes
Stukeley my keeper and kinsman hathe affirmed, that I shoulde tell him,
that my L. Care we and my lorde of Doncaster there, did advize me to
escape ; but 1 protest before God I never tolde him any suche thinge,



278 SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

neither did the Lordes advise me any suche thinge, neither is it likelie
that I shoulde tell him any suche matter of the two privie counsellers.
Neither I had any reason to tell him ; for tis well knowne, that hee
lefte me IX or X times alone to goe whether I woulde, whilst he ridde
aboute the country. He farther accuseth mee, that I shoulde tell him
that these two lordes woulde meete me in France, w c . h I never spake nor
thought. Thirdlie, that I shoulde proferre him a letter, wherby I did
signifie unto him, that I woulde give him a thousand pound for my escape.
But Lord cast my soule into everlastinge lire, if I ever made any suche
proferre of a 1000** or a lOQli. But indeed I shewed him a letter, that
if he woulde goe w*! 1 me, there shoulde bee order taken for the payemf of
his detts, when he was gone : neither had I 1000*i, and if I had, I coulde
have made my peace w f 1 it other wise. Lastlie, when I came to Sf Edw.
Pelhams, who had bin a follower of myne, and given me good intertaine-
ment, he gave out speaches that I had received some Drame [of poison],
when I assured him that I feared no suche thinge, for I was well
assured of them in the house ; and therfore wished him to have no suche
thought. Nowe God forgive him, for I doe. And I desire God to for
give him, even as I desire to bee forgiven. Then lookinge on his note
of remembrance, well, saide hee, thus farre I am gone nowe ; a little
more, and I shall have done. It was toulde the Kinge, that I was
brought into Englande p force ; and that I did not intende to come
agairie ; but Sr Charles Parks, MF Tatsham, and M. r Leete knowe howe
I was delte w^all by the comon soldiours, w c . h were 150 in number; who
sent for mee to come into the guard roome unto them, for they woulde
not come to mee ; and there was I inforced to take an oathe, that I
woulde not goe into Englande till they woulde have mee. I heare like
wise that there was a reporte, that I went not purposelye to goe into
Guiana at all, and that I knewe not of any myne, nor intended any suche
matter; but only to gette my libertie (w c . h I had not the witte to keepe),
but I protest it was my full intent, to seeke the mine of goulde for the
benifite of myselfe and his Ma* 1 . 6 and those that adventured w 1 ! 1 mee and the
rest of my countrymen that went w th mee. But he that knewe the head of
the mine woulde not discover it, when he sawe my sonne was slaine, but
made himself e awaie. And then turninge to the Earle of Arundell, he
saide as followeth : Beinge in the gallerie of my shippe at my departure,
I remember jo r . honor tooke me by the hande, and said you woulde
request one thinge of mee, that whether I made a good voiage or a bad,
I would not faile to returne againe into Englande : w c . h I promised you,
and gave you my faith that I woulde, and so I did. To w c . h my Lorde
then present answered, it is true, I well remember it, they were the last



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 279

woordes I spake then unto you. Another opinion was helde of mee, that
I carried to sea 1600 peeces, and that I was desirous (for all the voiage
y* I intended) only to get mony into my handes, and that I had made my
voiage before ; whereas I protest at my goinge to sea, I had but a C
peeces in all, whereof I gave 25 to my wife, and the rest I tooke w 1 ! 1 mee,
and the remaindf I brought backe w*? me into Englande. Another scan-
dall was charged on me that I woulde have gone awaie from my com-
panie, and lefte them at Guiana ; but there are a great many woorthy
men, w ! 1 accompanied me alwaies and knowe my intent was nothinge so.
All these are the material pointes w ! 1 I thought good to speake of.

I am at this instant, (beinge the subiecte of deathe), to render accounte
to God, and I proteste (as 1 shall appeare before him) this that I have
here delivered and spoken is true : yet I will speake a worde or two
more, and but a word or two, because I will not bee over troublesome to
AT Shr. There was a reporte spred, that I should reioice at the death
of my L. of Essex : and that I shoulde, at that instant, take Tobacco in
his presence ; when (I proteste) I shed teares at his deathe, thoughe I
was (I confesse) one of the faction. At the very time of his deathe, and
all the while of his preparation, I was in the Armorie, and at the further
ende, where I coulde but see him. He sente for mee, but I did not goe
to him : for I hearde he desired to see mee. 1 Therefore I lamented his
deathe, as I had good cause, for it was the woorse for mee, as it proved : for
after he was gone, I was little beloved. No we 1 intreate you all to ioigne
w l . h me in prayer, that the great God of heaven, whom I have grevously
offended, woulde forgive mee. For I have beene a man full of all vanities,
and have lived a synfull and wicked life in a synfull callinge ; havinge
bin a SoldioT, a Captain e bothe by lande and sea, and also a Courtier,
w c . h are only helpes and waies to make a man wicked in all these places.
Wherfore I desire you all to praye w 1 . 11 mee that God woulde pardon
and forgive me my synnes, and cast them all out of his sight and remem
brance ; and that for his Sonne, my only Savio? Jesus Christ his sake,
he woulde receive me into his everlastinge kingclome, where is life eter
nal. And so I take my leave of you all, and will nowe make my peace
w* God.

And after a proclamation made, that all shoulde departe from of the
scaffolde, he prepared himselfe to die, givinge awaie his bever hatte, and
wrought night cap, w* some mony to some of his acquaintance that stoode
neere him : and then tooke his leave of the Lordes, knightes, and gentle
men. Hee desired the Erie of Arundell, y* he woulde informe his Ma*! e

1 There is some confusion here, probably arising from the omission of a line or
two in copying.






.*rC-*v

OF THE



280 SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

of that w*? 1 he spoke ; and to intreat him, that there might bee no scanda
lous pamphletts or wrightings published to defame him after his deathe.
And so puttinge of his gowne and dublet, he made a longe prayer upon
his knees, the Deane of Westmf knelinge by him, and prayinge w*! 1 him
all the while ; w. h beinge ended, he called to the Executioner to fetche
the fatall instrument (as he called it) w ! 1 beinge denied him, he saide, I
pray you let mee see it ; thincke you, I am afraide of it ? Whereupon it
was shewed him ; and he felte the edge w l . h his thumbe, and w l . h a smil-
inge countenance he saide [to] the Shr. This is a sharpe medicine, but
a phisitian that will cure all diseases. Then goinge to eche side of the
scaflfolde, he intreated the people to praye for him, that God woulde assist
him, and give him strengthe. Then being asked w c . h waie he woulde lie,
towardes the windowe, where the Lordes stoode, or no, he went aboute
the blocke, and laide his hed from the Lordes, and said, So bee it the
harte bee stronge, it is no matter where the hed lieth ; and then pray
inge, havinge forgiven the Executioner, and givinge him a signe when he
shoulde doe his office (as he laye prayinge and callinge upon God) at
twoe strookes he tooke of his head.

I may observe, in conclusion, that the same old MS. volume
contains also a copy of the familiar lines said to have been found
in Sir Walter s Bible after his death, but with some variations
from the commonly received version, as follows :

Even so dooth tyrae take up withe truste,
Our youthe, and ioies and al wee have ;
And paies us but wf 1 age and duste,
In darkenes, scilence and the grave :
So havinge wandred all our waies,
Shuttes up the story of our daies.
From darkenes, silence, age and duste,
The Lorde shal raise me up I truste.

Q T . H Wa: RALEYGH.



THE BOSTON LIGHT INFANTRY.

SPEECH AT THE DINNER ON THEIR SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY,
OCTOBER 18, 1873.



I THANK you, Gentlemen, most heartily for this kind reception.
I thank you, in behalf of your past Commanders, for the com
pliment you have paid them, and more particularly for any part
of that compliment which I may appropriate to myself. I did
not fail to recognize amidst your cheers some sounds which,
though strange and unaccustomed of late years, were once fa
miliar and welcome music to my ears.

I am here to make no formal or elaborate speech. I have come
merely to answer once more to the roll-call of the old Corps with
which I was so actively and proudly associated in years long past.
I could not resist the summons to join you, though at some per
sonal inconvenience, in celebrating this seventy-fifth anniversary
of a Company which was originally organized under the excellent
Daniel Sargent, at a critical period of our history, to support
John Adams as President of the United States, and George
Washington as Lieutenant-general of the American Provisional
Army. Had I failed of an appearance, I should have been