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couraged; which small matters would have hardened to great purpose, as the time will better witness. I had been able myself to have raised two or three bands of English well armed, till I was driven to relinquish and recall my people, of which the loss shall not be alone to me, howsoever I am tumbled down the hill by every practice. We are so busied and dandled in these French wars, which are endless, as we forget the defence next the heart. Her majesty hath good cause to remember that a million hath been spent in Ireland not many years since. A better kingdom might have been purchased at a less price, and that same defended with as many pence, if good order had been taken. But the question now may be, whether for so great expense the estate be not less assured than ever? If her majesty consider it aright, she shall find it no small dishonour to be vexed with so beggarly a nation, that have neither arms nor fortification; but that accursed kingdom hath always been but as a traffick, for which her majesty hath paid both freight and custom, and others received the merchandise; and other than such shall it never be. The king of Spain seeketh not Ireland for Ireland, but having raised up troops of beggars in our back, shall be able to enforce us to cast our eyes over our shoulders, while those before us strike us on the brains. We have also known the level of his subversion; but destiny is stronger than council, and good advice, either neglected or weakly executed, hath taught our enemies to arm those parts, which before lay bare to the sword. Prevention is the daughter of intelligence, which cannot be born without a mother; and the good woman hath so many patrons, as the one referreth her cherishing to another's trust, and in the meanwhile she liveth barren and fruitless. Sir, these poor countries yield no news. I hear of a frigate that taketh up fishermen for pilots in the west. I am myself here at Sherborne, in my fortune's fold. Wherever I be, and while I am, you shall command me. I think I shall need your further favour for the little park; for law and conscience is not sufficient in these days to uphold me. Every fool knoweth that hatred

are the cinders of affection, and therefore to make me a sacrifice shall be thanksworthy. Sir, I pray remember my duty to my lord admiral, and to your father, if it please you. From Sherborne this 10th day of May, 1593.

Yours, most assured to do

To the Right Honourable Sir Robert Cecil, knight of her majesty's most honourable privy-council.

you service,

WALTER RALEGH.

I am the worse for the bath, and not the better.

To Queen Elizabeth.

I presumed to present your majesty with a paper, containing the dangers which might grow by the Spanish faction in Scotland. How it pleased your majesty to accept thereof I know not. I have since heard that divers ill-disposed have a purpose to speak of succession. If the same be suppressed, I am glad of it; yet, fearing the worst, I set down some reasons to prove the motive merely vain, dangerous, and unnecessary. And because I durst not myself speak in any matter without warrant, I have sent your majesty these arguments, which may perchance put others in mind of somewhat not impertinent; and who, being graced by your majesty's favour, may, if need require, use them among others more worthy. Without glory I speak it, that I durst either by writing or speech satisfy the world in that point, and in every part of their foolish conceits, which, for shortness of time, I could not so amply insert. This being upon one hour's warning, but one hour's work, I humbly beseech your majesty not to acquaint any withal, unless occasion be offered to use them. Your majesty may perchance speak hereof to those seeming my great friends, but I find poor effects of that or any other supposed amity; for your majesty having left me, I am left all alone in the world, and that ever I was at all. What I have done is out

am sorry

of zeal and love, and not by any encouragement; for I am only forgotten in all rights, and in all affairs; and mine enemies have their wills and desires over me. There are many other things concerning your majesty's present service, which methinks are not, as they ought, remembered; and the times pass away unmeasured, of which more profit might be taken. But I fear I have already presumed too much, which love stronger than reason hath encouraged; for my errors are eternal, and those of others mortal, and my labours thankless, I mean unacceptable, for that too belongeth not to vassals. If your majesty pardon it, it is more than too great a reward. And so most humbly embracing and admiring the memory of the celestial beauties, (which with the people is denied me to view,) I pray God your majesty may be eternal in joys and happiness. Your majesty's most humble slave,

WALTER RALEGH.

For the Queen's most excellent

Majesty.

To the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

MY VERY GOOD LORD,

THERE hath been a subpoena granted out of the starchamber for the appearance of one Thomas Whitford and William Dobb, before your lordship and the rest of her majesty's most honourable privy-council, for verifying their knowledge in a stannary cause, as witnesses in an action upon the case between one Denshire and Stevens. The trial and penalty of the offence (if any shall be proved) is to be censured in her majesty's absolute jurisdiction of the stannary; and her majesty hath been pleased of late, upon complaint by me made unto her, to signify to my honourable good lord the lord treasurer, that the stannary authority shall consist and continue according to the ancient custom and prerogative, and not to be contradicted by private censure; and that all abuses upon my information shall be presently reformed. I think your lordship is not thoroughly ac

quainted herewith, because a stannary cause is suffered to be prosecuted in that court; and therefore I am bold to put you in mind thereof, and to pray you to dismiss the same out of the star-chamber, to be tried in the stannaries where it is determinable. And so I humbly take my leave. From my castle at Sherborne, the 2d of May, 1594.

Your lordship's most humble at commandment,
WALTER RALEGH.

To the Right Honourable my
very good Lord, the lord
keeper of the great seal of
England.

To Sir Robert Cecil.

SIR,

I AM not wise enough to give you advice; but if you take it for a good counsel to relent towards this tyrant, you will repent it when it shall be too late. His malice is fixed, and will not evaporate by any of your mild courses; for he will ascribe the alteration to her majesty's pusillanimity, and not to your good nature, knowing that you work upon her humour, and not out of any love towards him. The less you make him, the less he shall be able to harm you and yours; and if her majesty's favour fail him, he will again decline to a common person. For after-revenges, fear them not; for your own father was esteemed to be the contriver of Norfolk's ruin, yet his son h followeth your father's son, and loveth him. Humours of men succeed not, but grow by occasion, and accidents of time and power. Somerset i

Thomas duke of Norfolk, be- cond wife Anne Stanhope. This Edheaded June 2, 1572.

h Probably his second son, lord Thomas Howard, who was restored in blood by an act of parliament, and summoned in 1597 to parliament by the title of lord Howard of Walden. In July 1603 he was created earl of Suffolk, and in July 1614 was made lord treasurer.

ward seems to be called Somerset in this letter, because he actually enjoyed for some time that title, as well as the lands of his father, as not forfeited by the crime, for which the latter suffered death: but in the session of parliament in the fifth and sixth years of king Edward VI. there passed an act by the influence of John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, by which this Edward Seymour

Edward Seymour, son of the protector duke of Somerset, by his se

made no revenge on the duke of Northumberland's heirs. Northumberland k, that now is, thinks not of Hatton's' issue. Kelloway lives, that murdered the brother of Horsey; and Horsey let him go by all his lifetime. I could name a thousand of those; and therefore after-fears are but prophecies, or rather conjectures, from causes remote: look to the present, and you do wisely. His son shall be the youngest earl of England but one, and if his father be now kept down, Will. Cecilm shall be able to keep as many men at his heels as he, and more too. He may also match in a better house than his, and so that fear is not worth the fearing. But if the father continue, he will be able to break the branches, and pull up the tree, root and all. Lose not your advantage; if you do, I read do, I read your destiny.

Let the queen hold Bothwell while she hath him; he will ever be the canker of her estate and safety. Princes are lost by security, and preserved by prevention. I have seen the last of her good days and all ours after his liberty. Yours, &c.

was deprived of his titles and lands. However, queen Elizabeth, in the first year of her reign, created him earl of Hertford.

Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, son of that earl Henry, who being imprisoned in the Tower on a charge of being in a conspiracy with the Guises for invading England, and setting free the queen of Scots, was found, June 21, 1585, dead in his bed, shot with three bullets under his left pap; the verdict of the coroner's inquest being, that he had killed him self but the Roman catholics, according to Camden, cast some suspicion upon a servant of sir Christopher Hatton, which servant had been charged with the custody of the earl just before his death.

Sir Christopher Hatton dying 20 November 1591, unmarried, left his nephew by his sister sir William Newton his heir, who took the name of Hatton.

m William, only son of sir Robert Cecil, and afterwards earl of Salisbury.

WALTER RALEGH.

given to the earl of Essex by sir Walter Ralegh from Francis Stuart, earl of Bothwell, son of John Stuart, one of the natural sons of king James V. of Scotland. This earl, who had been created so by king James VI. and likewise made lord admiral of Scotland, not thinking that he had the power at court which his birth and place deserved, joined with the popish lords, who had been banished, and afterwards occasioned much trouble during that king's reign. He was first condemned for treason 24 May 1589; and that sentence was renewed in 1591. After this be made two several attempts upon the king, one at Holyrood-house, and the other at Falkland; but was soon after pardoned for all his offences in 1593. Notwithstanding which he was immediately again declared rebel; whereupon he raised a small army, and fought the king on the Borrow-muir near Edinburgh: but being obliged to retire, fled to England, from whence he went to France, and afterwards to Naples, where he died about

This name seems to have been December 1612.

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