Sir Walter Raleigh 9781400879007

Table of contents :
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Contents
Illustrations
1. "FORTUNE'S TENNIS-BALL"
2. EDUCATION AND EARLY YEARS
3. RALEIGH AT COURT
4. VIRGINIA
5. SHADOWS OF THE FUTURE
6. THE ARMADA AND ENGLAND'S COUNTERATTACK
7. POET, PATRON, AND "ATHEIST"
8. MARRIAGE, IMPRISONMENT AND RELEASE
9. YEARS OF DISGRACE
10. THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO GUIANA
11. ACTION AT CADIZ
12. THE ISLANDS VOYAGE
13. THE FINAL RIVALRY WITH ESSEX
14. THE TWILIGHT YEARS OF POWER
15. ARRAIGNMENT FOR TREASON
16. THE TRIAL
17. THE WAIT FOR EXECUTION
18. THE EARLY TOWER YEARS
19. THE LATER TOWER YEARS
20. THE TRAGIC EXPEDITION
21. THE KING'S WELCOME
22. THE FINAL VICTORY
APPENDIX
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Citation preview

Sir JValter 'Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh

1

By WILLARD M. WALLACE

Ol what a noble mind is here o'erthrown: The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's eye, tongue, sword; The expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form, The ohserv'd of all observers, quite, quite down! HAMLET, ΠΙ, fi, I 5 8-63

PRINCETON, NEW

JERSEY

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

1959

PRESS

Copyright © 1959 by Princeton University Press London: Oxford University Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Library of Congress catalog entry for this book appears at the end of the text. 24>

2

5> 2 9> 44> 45> 4«) 59) 64 Dutch, the, 2 3 , 1 0 3 , 1 2 5 , 1 3 5 , 1 4 5 ; W R ' s opinion of, 1 0 3 ; courage impugned by W R , 1 5 0 van Duyvenvoord, Admiral J a n , 1 2 5 , 145 E l Dorado, 108, 1 0 9 , 1 1 2 , 2 5 5 Elizabeth I, Queen, 4, 5, 20, 3 2 , 33, 34> 43> 59> 63, 64, 82, 83, 1 0 2 , 1 0 3 , 1 1 5 , 146, 147, 156, 158, 160, 1 6 1 , 1 6 2 , 1 6 6 , 1 8 2 , 1 8 3 , 206, 2 5 0 , 2 5 8 ; meets W R , 2 1 ; personality and policies of, 2 1 - 2 4 ; shows W R marks of favor, 24, 2 6 - 2 9 ; makes w a g e r with W R over tobacco, 4 7 ; accepts Essex as favorite, 4 8 - 5 0 ; angry at Essex over Lisbon expedition, 65-66; attitude toward marriage, 8 5 ; refuses to let W R sail with Howard, 8 6 ; gives Sherborne to W R , 90; forbids W R to sail after Plate Fleet, 9 1 ; anger over W R ' s marriage, 92-99; lack of interest in Guiana, 1 2 0 - 2 2 ; authorizes Cadiz expedition, 1 2 5 ; furious

at lack of spoil from Cadiz, restores W R to f a v o r , 1 3 9 - 4 0 ; prised by Essex, 1 6 3 ; convinced Essex must die, 1 7 0 ; death o f , Erskine, Sir Thomas, 270

137; surthat 189

Fayal, 149, 1 5 2 , 1 5 3 , 1 5 6 , 169, 2 4 7 ; WR's attack on, 1 4 9 - 5 1 . See also Azores Fernandez, Simon, 3 2 , 34, 39, 5 1 Ferrol, 144, 148, 1 5 4 , 1 5 5 Fitzwilliam, Sir William, Lord Deputy of Ireland, 84-85, 96, 1 0 5 Flores, 148, 1 5 2 . See also Azores France, 9, 1 0 , 2 3 , 44, 263-64, 292, 2 9 3 ) 2 95> 2 9 9 " 3 0 0 ) 3*4- $ e e a ^ s o Henry IV Freedom of Speech, in Parliament, 102 Frobisher, Sir Martin, 3 1 , 6 1 , 9 1 , 92, 96 Fuller, Thomas, 1 8 1 ; "cloak and puddle" story, 2 1

de Gamboa, Don Pedro Sarmiento, 4 3 - 5 , 109-259 Gascoigne, George, 1 1 , 1 2 Gawdy, Justice, 202, 208, 2 1 8 , 304 Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 3 , 1 4 , i9> 3 ' ) 3 2 > 33) 34 Gilbert, Sir John, 1 2 , 1 3 , 98, 1 3 5 , 188 Gondomar, Count, see de Acuna, Don Diego Sarmiento Gorges, Sir Arthur, 95, 148, 1 4 9 , 1 5 0 5 1 , 1 6 7 , 168, 202, 2 3 2 , Sir Ferdinando, 1 6 7 , 168, 202, 232 Grenville, Sir Richard, 38, 39, 40, 4 1 , 5 1 ) 5 2 > 53> 63, 87-88, 89 Grey of Wilton, Lord ( f a t h e r ) , 16, 17, 1 9 , 20, 1 9 3 (son), 1 9 3 , 2x9, 2 2 3 , 224, 2 2 5 , 226, 228, 2 5 0 , 252 Guiana, 1 2 4 , 2 5 4 , 2 5 5 , 286, 290-92, 3 0 1 ; W R ' s first expedition to ( 1 5 9 5 ) : 109-22 (beauty of, 1 1 6 - 1 7 ; Amazons o f , 1 1 7 ; value to England, 1 1 9 - 2 0 ; travel classic about, 1 1 9 ) ; W R ' s second expedition to ( 1 6 1 7 ) : 265-83 Hakluyt, the two Richards, 3 6 - 3 7 , 38, 42, 54, 109, 1 2 0 , 2 3 2 Hariot, Thomas, 39, 42, 46-47, 50, 80, 82, 83, 2 1 6 , 2 3 2 Hawkins, Sir John, 46, 6 1 , 97, 99, 1 2 4 , 1 2 5 , 2 1 3 , 2 6 1 , 283

330

INDEX Henry I V , K i n g of France, 43J 4.4, 86, 1 2 3 - 2 4 , 1 2 5 , 200. See also France Henry, K i n g of Navarre, see Henry IV and France Henry, Frederick, Prince of Wales, 2 3 7 , 2 39> 2 43> 249, 2 5 2 , 283 Herbert, William, E a r l of Pembroke, 2 2 3 , 266, 283, 299 Howard, Charles, Lord Admiral and E a r l of Nottingham, 6 1 , 9 1 , 1 1 1 , 125, 126, 132, 133, 1 3 J , 137, 15657, 1 6 0 , 1 6 7 , 1 8 7 , 188, 200, 2 1 0 , 227 Howard, Frances, L a d y Cobham and Countess Dowager of Kildare, 1 7 5 76 Howard, Lady Frances, Countess of Somerset, 2 5 1 , 2 5 3 , 254 Howard, Lord Henry, E a r l of Northampton, 1 9 2 , 194, 1 9 7 , 203, 250, 2 5 1 , 2 5 6 ; hatred of W R , 1 8 2 - 8 3 ; denunciation of W R , Lady Raleigh, and Cobham, 1 8 7 - 8 8 ; accepts Spanish pension, 2 1 3 , 257 Howard, Lord Thomas, E a r l of Suffolk, 86, 87, 89, 1 2 5 , 1 3 2 , 1 3 4 , 1 4 4 , 146, 1 4 7 , 1 5 1 , 1 5 2 , 200, 2 0 3 , 209 Huguenots, see France and Henry IV Hume, David, 1 2 0 , 249 Huntingdon, E a r l o f , 1 2 3 , 265, 266

Ireland, 1 3 , 1 4 , 26, 28-29, °> i, 63, 66, 67, 68, 84-85, 1 0 5 , 1 0 6 , 1 2 4 - 2 5 , 1 5 8 - 5 9 , 160, 1 6 1 - 6 2 , 1 6 3 , 269, 3 1 0 Islands Voyage ( 1 5 9 7 ) , 1 4 1 - 5 5 James V I , K i n g of Scotland, and I , K i n g of England, 4, 5, 1 6 6 , 1 6 7 , 1 7 1 , 2 1 6 , 2 1 9 , 226, 2 3 1 , 2 3 7 , 239, 240, 2 5 2 , 254, 2 5 5 , 2 5 7 , 258, 267, 270, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 292, 296, 298, 299, 3 0 1 , 304, 306, 3 1 0 , 3 1 2 , 3 1 4 ; loathes tobacco, 4 8 ; religious opinions of, 1 8 6 ; convinced that W R is dangerous, 1 8 8 ; ascends throne of England, 1 8 9 ; meets and dislikes W R , 1 8 9 - 9 1 ; object of conspiracy to bring about accession of, 1 8 1 - 9 2 ; commutes WR's and others' sentences to imprisonment, 2 2 3 - 2 5 ; gives Sherborne to Carr, 2 3 3 - 3 5 ; dislikes WR's History of the World, 2 4 9 - 5 0 ; dominated by Count Gondomar, 2 5 8 - 6 0 ; gives Gondomar intelligence of W R ' s expedition to Guiana ( 1 6 1 7 ) , 2 6 2 - 6 3 ; orders WR's

arrest, 2 8 3 ; rewards Stukely, 2 9 5 ; considers ways of legally executing W R , 3 0 2 - 3 ; refuses to listen to appeals for WR's life, 307 Jonson, Ben, 1 7 6 , 248, 249, 266 Keymis, Lawrence, 1 1 1 , 1 1 2 , 1 1 8 , 208, 2 1 0 , 2 3 4 , 254, 2 6 1 , 268, 2 7 5 , 276, 2 7 7 , 278-9, 280-81 K i n g , Samuel, 286, 2 8 7 , 288, 292, 294, 295 King's Bench, Court of, 202-3, 2 1 4 - 1 5 , 2 1 8 , 305-6

121, 274, 293, 208,

Lake, Sir Thomas, 270 Lane, Ralph, 39, 40, 4 1 , 42, 5 1 , 52, 82 L a Renzi, Lawrence, 1 9 5 , 208, 2 1 3 Leicester, E a r l of, see Dudley, Robert Lisbon, 1 3 6 ; attack on, 64-65 Main Plot, 1 9 3 - 2 1 6 fassim Manourie, Dr., 288, 289, 292, 296 > 3 ° 4 Markham, Sir Griffin, 2 1 8 , 2 2 3 , 2 2 4 , 225 Marlowe, Christopher, association with W R , 80-82 Medina-Sidonia, Duke o f , 1 2 7 - 2 8 , 1 3 5 , 1 3 6 , 268 Meyrick, Sir Gelly, 149-50, 1 5 1 , 169 Milton, John, 1 2 1 , 240, 247-48 Montague, Sir Henry, 306, 307 Mount Aio, 276, 277 Mount Iconuri, 1 1 8 , 276, 280 Naunton, Sir Ralph, 293, 297, 300, 307 Norris, Sir John, 64, 65, 86, 258 Northumberland, E a r l o f , see Percy, Henry Ormond, E a r l o f , 1 6 , 18 Overbury, Sir Thomas, 2 1 7 , 2 5 3 , 254, 255 Parliament, 28, 2 3 3 , 240, 2 5 4 ; of 1 5 9 3 , 100-05; *597> 1 5 7 - 5 8 5 of 1 6 0 1 , 177-80 Parsons, Father Robert, 76 Pembroke, E a r l o f , see Herbert, William Percy, Henry, E a r l of Northumberland, 82, 1 8 5 , 266 Perrot, Sir John, 1 4 , 64 Perrot, Sir Thomas, 1 4 , 49 Philip II, K i n g of Spain, 22, 2 3 , 4 5 , 59, 6 1 , 62, 86, 87, 106, 1 2 3 , 1 2 4 - 2 5 . See also Spain

331

INDEX Philip III, King of Spain, 259, 265, 270, 284, 302. See also Spain Plate Fleet, 86, 87, 90, 136-37, 148, !53) 154, 261-62, 282, 297 Pocahontas, 267-68 Popham, Sir John, Chief Justice of King's Bench, 168, 205, 208, 212, 217, 218, 228, 232, 306; character and career of, 202-03; sentences WR to death, 215-16 Preston, Sir Amyas, m , 118, 181, 209 Privy Council, 5, 13, 20, 23, 58, 59, 63, 84, 124, 156, 157, 158, 165, 184, 192, 194, 195, 250, 255, 270, z8 5 , 3°9> 3 ! 4 Puritanism, 103-05, 177, 248, 254 Raleigh, Carew, brother of WR, 7, 77, 90 , Carew, son of WR, 228, 234, 3 1 °! 3!4 , George, nephew of WR, 226, 274, 280

, Katherine Champernoun, mother of WR, 7, 8 , Lady (Elizabeth Throgmort o n ) , wife of WR, 118-19, 197, 199, 22O, 227, 231, 234, 267, 268, 2828 3i 2%9i 3 0 1 ) 3 I 0 > marriage to WR, 91-945 disapproves first Guiana voyage, n o ; animosity toward Lady Cobham, 175-76; criticized by Henry Howard, 1875 pleads to Cecil for WR's life, 219; quarrels with WR, 228-29; meets WR at Plymouth after second Guiana voyage, 286; visits WR for last time, 309 , Margaret, sister of WR, 7 , Sir Walter, reasons for studying about, vii-viii; multifarious interests, 4 ; ancestry of, 7; at Oxford, 8; in the Huguenot wars, 9, 10; at the Middle Temple, 10, 1 1 ; as a poet, 1 1 ; action against Spanish shipping, 12-13; duel with Thomas Perrot, 14; early activities in Ireland, including Smerwick massacre, 13-19; introduced at Court, 20; meets Queen Elizabeth, 2 1 ; envoy to William the Silent, 2 6; ideas on Ireland, 26; receives Durham House and wine and broadcloth licenses, 26-27; knighted, 27; appointed Lord Warden of the Stannaries, Lieutenant of Cornwall, and Vice Admiral of the West, 2728; elected to Parliament of 1584,

332

2 8 ; acquires Irish properties, 28-29; appointed Captain of the Guard, 29; active interest in Virginia, including ideas of colonization and naming of colony after the Queen, 31-42; captures Don Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, 43-45; promotes tobacco, 46-48; sends out the "Lost Colony," 50-54; transfers Virginia interests to syndicate, 54-55; prepares defences against Armada, 59-60; Mayor of Youghal, 60; role in defeat of Armada, 60-63 > duel with Essex prevented by Privy Council, 63-64; part in Lisbon attack, 66-67. Association with Spenser, 68-71, 83, 84; poetry, 69-75; criticism of views, 75-76; accused of atheism, 768 3 ; association with Marlowe, 8082; many-sided patron, 8 3 ; quarrels with Fitzwilliam, Lord Deputy of Ireland, 84-85; writes pamphlet on the Revenge, 88-90; helps save Rev. John Udall, 90; receives Sherborne, 90; command of Panama expedition cancelled by Queen, 9 1 ; "seduces" and marries Elizabeth Throgmorton, 91-94; imprisoned in Tower, 92-99; temporarily released to secure the Mad-re de Dios, 97-99; retires to Sherborne, 100; serves in Parliament of 1593, speaking on the Separatists and the defense of Ireland, 101-05; makes expedition to Guiana, sees its imperial value and writes travel classic, 109-22; ardent for attack on Cadiz, 125; quarrels with Vere, 126; persuades Essex and Howard to change plan, 130-31; contrives his own plan of battle, 132; leads attack, 3-4) !33-35) wounded, 135; share of spoils, 137. Continues friendly with Essex and Cecil, 138-40; restored as Captain of the Guard, 139-40; plans for voyage to Azores, 142; writes on "The Spanish Alarum," 142; Rear Admiral in Islands Voyage, 144-48; attacks Fayal without Essex, 149-51; confronted by Essex and apologizes, 151-53; ends regular naval career, 154-55; makes enemy of Lord Admiral Howard, 156-57; attends Parliament of 1597, 157-58; appointed Governor of Jersey, 158; recommends drastic Irish policy, 158-

INDEX 5 9 ; recommends reduction of Essex, 1 6 3 - 6 5 ; tries to reason with Gorges, 1 6 7 - 6 8 ; present at Essex's execution, 1 6 9 - 7 1 ; unpopularity of, 1 7 2 - 7 3 ; meets Sully and Biron, 174-75; serves in Parliament of 1 6 0 1 , speaking on monopolies, the subsidy, farming and Catholics, 1 7 7 - 8 0 ; plotted against by Howard and Cecil, 1 8 3 88; meets James I, 1 8 9 - 9 1 ; loses Captaincy of Guard and Durham House, 1 9 1 - 9 3 ; in T o w e r f o r treason, 192-9 5 ; attempts "suicide," 196; writes controversial letter to wife, 1 9 7 - 9 9 ; recovers courage and writes Cobham, 1 9 9 - 2 0 0 ; tried before King's Bench and convicted, 2 0 2 - 1 6 ; praised f o r conduct at trial, 2 1 7 - 1 8 ; pleads to James for mercy, 2 x 9 ; recovers courage again, 2 2 0 ; writes " T h e Passionate Man's Pilgrimage," 2 2 1 2 2 , sentence commuted to imprisonment, 2 2 3 - 2 5 . Loss of main sources of income and of Sherborne, 226-29, 2 3 3 - 3 5 ; chemical and pharmaceutical experiments, 229, 2 3 1 ; writes essays for Prince Henry's edification, 2 3 8 - 4 0 ; political philosophy, 2 4 0 ; view of a w i f e , 2 4 1 - 4 2 ; writes History of the World, 2 4 3 - 5 0 ; alleged epitaph on Cecil, 2 5 1 - 5 2 ; interest in Guiana gold gains release, 2 5 4 - 5 7 ; after difficulties, finally sails to Canaries, 2 5 7 - 7 1 ; illness forces him to remain off Trinidad, 2 7 1 - 7 5 ; two mines, 2 7 6 ; refuses to forgive Keymis for son's death, 2 8 0 - 8 1 ; returns to E n g land, 2 8 1 - 8 3 ; arrested by Stukely, 2 8 7 ; pretends illness to write " T h e A p o l o g y , " 2 8 8 - 9 2 ; tries to escape and is betrayed, 293-95 ; seeks Queen's help, 2 9 6 ; defends Guiana policy, 297-98; suspected of plotting with France, 2 9 8 - 3 0 0 ; hearing, and sentence of death, 3 0 5 - 0 7 ; comforts wife, 3 0 9 ; writes religious couplet, 3 x 1 ; superb behavior and execution, 3 1 1 - 1 7 ; spelling and pronunciation of name, 3 1 9 , Walter, son of W R , 106-07, 1 9 9 , 228, 2 3 2 , 2 4 1 , 266-67, 274, 278-79 , Walter of Fardell, father of W R , 7, 8 Revenge, the, 87-89

Richard II, 144, 1 6 7 , 250 Richelieu, Cardinal, 264 Roche, Lord, 18, 269 Roe, Sir Thomas, 2 5 4 , 2 5 5 , 256, 262, 270, 277 St. John, Sir William, 256, 293, 294 St. Michael, 149, 1 5 4 . See also Azores San Thome, 2 5 5 , 264, 274, 2 7 5 , 276, 2 7 7 , 279, 280, 284, 287, 290, 2 9 1 , 297 Shakespeare, William, 82, 1 2 1 , 1 6 1 , 1 6 7 , 1 7 7 , 250 Sidney, Sir Philip, 69, 85 Smerwick, 1 6 - 1 7 Somers, Sir George, 1 1 1 , 1 1 8 , 1 8 1 Spain, 5, 6, 3 7 , 43> 5 3 , 59, 1 0 2 > I 0 3 > 1 2 3 , 1 4 1 - 4 2 , 1 7 7 , I 7 9 , 200, z ° 4 , 206-07, 239, 284, 285, 290, 2 9 1 , 292, 3 1 4 . See also Armada, the Philips I I and I I I , Gondomar, and Guiana Spanish Marriage, the, 260, 295, 307 Spenser, Edmund, 5, 6 8 - 7 1 , 83, 84 Stuart, Arabella, 1 9 4 , 2 0 3 , 204, 2 1 0 , 213 Stukely, Sir Lewis, 40, 287, 288, 289, 292, 293-95, 296, 304, 3 1 0 , 3 1 4 Suffolk, E a r l of, see Howard, L o r d Thomas Terceira, 144, J 4 9 , J 5 3 Throgmorton, Sir Arthur, 1 2 6 , 1 3 5 - 3 6 , 234 • — , Elizabeth, see Raleigh, L a d y , Sir Nicholas, 92, 2 1 5 Treason, legal basis of, 207-08, 2 1 4 , 218 T r i a l of W R , 2 0 2 - 1 6 Tyrone, E a r l of, 1 2 4 , 1 2 5 , 1 6 2 , 1 6 3 Udall, Reverend, John,

90

Venice, 1 3 7 - 3 8 , 263, 264-65, 299 Vere, Sir Francis, 1 2 4 , 1 2 5 , 1 2 6 , 1 3 3 , 1 3 4 , 1 3 5 , ! 3 6 , 1 3 7 , H 5 , I 49> I 5 I , 258 Villiers, George, Duke of Buckingham, 2 5 5 , 256, 2 8 5 , 293, 296-97, 307 Virginia, 3 1 - 4 2 , 5 1 - 5 7 , I 2 o , 1 8 0 , 2 3 2 , 233 Waad, Sir William, 202, 203, 2 1 0 , 2303 1 , 253 Walsingham, Sir Francis,

333

85

10, 19,

32,

INDEX Warsfite,

the,

3,

125,

133-3J,

144,

i45> ! 5 4 , 1 5 5 White, John, 39, 42, 50-60 •passim Williams, Sir Roger, 65, 66, 67, 86 Wilson, Sir Thomas, 300-02

Winwood, Sir Ralph, 2 0 1 , 2 5 4 ,

255,

2 5 6 , 282, 283 Yelverton, Sir Henry, 303, 305-06

T h e Library of Congress has catalogued this book as follows:

Wallace, Willard Mosher, 1 9 1 1 — S i r Walter Raleigh. Princeton, N . J . , Princeton University Press, 1959. 327 p. illus. 25 cm. Includes bibliography. 1. Raleigh, Sir Walter, I 5 5 2 ? - I 6 I 8 . D A 8 6 . 2 2 . R 2 W 3 3 C 9 2 3 . 9 4 2 ) 5 9 — 9 6 7 7 J Library of Congress

334