king, nor ever faw the French king's handwriting in all my life; neither knew I that there was a French agent, nor what he was, till I met him in my gallery, at my lodging, unlooked for. If I fpeak not true, O Lord, let me never enter into thy kingdom.

"The fecond fufpicion was, That his majefty had been informed, that I should speak difhonourably and difloyally of my fovereign; but my accufer was a base Frenchman, and a runnagate fellow; one that hath no dwelling; a kind of chymical fellow; one that I knew to be perfidious: for, being by him drawn into the action of fearing myself at Winchefter, in which I confefs my hand was touched, he, being fworn to fecrefy over-night, revealed it the next morning.

"But this I fpeak now, what have I to do with kings? I have nothing to do with them, neither do I fear them; I have only now to do with my God, in whofe prefence I ftand; therefore to tell a lie, were it to gain the king's favour, were vain. Therefore, as I hope to be faved at the laft judgment-day, I never spoke difloyally, or difhoneftly, of his majefty in all my life; and therefore I cannot but think it ftrange that that French-man, being fo bafe and mean a fellow, fhould be fo far credited as he hath been. I have dealt truly, as I hope to be faved; and I hope I fhall be believed. I confefs I did attempt to efcape; I cannot excufe it, but it was only to fave And I do likewife confefs, D 3

my life.

that

that I did feign myfelf to be ill difpofed and fick at Salisbury; but I hope it was no fin, for the prophet David did make himself a fool, and fuffered fpittle to fall down upon his beard, to escape from the hands of his enemies, and it was not imputed unto him: fo, what I did, I intended no ill, but to gain and prolong time until his majefty came, hoping for fome commiferation from him. But I forgive this French-man, and Sir Lewis Stewkeley, with all my heart; for I have received the facrament this morning of Mr. dean of Westminster, and I have forgiven all men; but, that they are perfidious, I am bound in charity to speak, that all men may take heed of them.

"Sir Lewis Stewkeley, my keeper and kinfman, hath affirmed that I should tell him, that my lord Carew, and my lord of Doncaster here, did advise me to escape; but I proteft, before God, I never told him any fuch thing; neither did the lords advife me to any fuch matter; neither is it likely that I fhould tell him any fuch thing of two privy counsellors; neither had I any reafon to tell him, or he to report it; for it is well known, he left me fix, feven, eight, nine, and ten days together alone, to go whither I lifted, whilst he rode himself about the country.

"He further accufed me, that I should fhew him a letter, whereby I did fignify unto him, that I would give him ten thousand pounds for my efcape; but God caft my foul into

everlaft

everlasting fire, if I made any fuch proffer of ten thousand pounds, or one thousand; but, indeed, I fhewed him a letter, that, if he would go with me, there fhould be order taken for his debts when he was gone; neither had I ten thousand pounds to give him; for, if I had had fo much, I could have made my peace with it better another way than in giving it to Stewkeley.

Further, when I came to Sir Edward Pelham's house, who had been a follower of mine, and who gave me good entertainment, he gave out, that I had received fome dram of poifon; when I anfwered him, that I feared no fuch thing, for I was, well affured of them in the houfe, and therefore wifhed him to have no fuch thought. Now God forgive him, for I do; and I defire God to forgive him. I will not only fay, God is a God of revenge; but I defire God to forgive him, as I do defire to be forgiven of God."

..

Then looking over his note of remembrance, Well," faid he, "thus far have I gone; a little more, a little more, and I will have done by and by.

It was told the king that I was brought per force into England, and that I did not intend to come again; but Sir Charles Parker, Mr. Trefham, Mr. Leake, and divers know how I was dealt withal by the common foldiers, which were one hundred and fifty in number, who mutinied, and fent for me to come

into the ship to them, for unto me they would not come; and there I was forced to take an oath that I would not go into England till that they would have me; otherwife they would have caft me into the fea; and there withall they drove me into my cabbin, and bent all their forces against me.

"Now, after I had taken this oath, with wine and other things, fuch as I had about me, I drew fome of the chiefeft to defift from their purposes; and, at length, I perfuaded them to go into Ireland; which they were willing unto, and would have gone into the north parts of Ireland; which I diffuaded them from, and told them that they were Red-Shanks that inhabited there; and with much ado I perfuaded them to go into the fouth parts of Ireland, promifing them to get their pardons, and was forced to give them one hundred and twenty five pounds at Kinfale, to bring them home, otherwife I had never got from them.

"I hear likewife there was a report that I meant not to go to Guiana at all, and that I knew not of any mine, nor intended any fuch thing or matter, but only to get my liberty, which I had not the wit to keep.

"But I proteft it was my full intent, and for gold; for gold, for the benefit of his majefty and myself, and of those that ventured and went with me, with the rest of my countrymen; but he that knew the head of the

mine

mine would not difcover it, when he faw my fon was flain, but made away himself."

Then turning to the earl of Arundel, he faid, "My lord, being in the gallery of my fhip, at my departure, I remember your honour took me by the hand, and faid, You would request one thing of me; which was, That, whether I made a good voyage or a bad, I fhould not fail but to return again into England; which I then promifed you, and gave you my faith I would; and fo I have." To which my lord answered, "It is true, I do very well remember it, they were the very laft words I fpake unto you."

"Another flander was raised of me, That I would have gone away from them, and left them at Guiana. But there was a great many worthy men that accompanied me always; as my ferjeant major, George Raleigh, and divers others, which knew my intent was nothing fo.

"Another opinion was held of me, that I carried with me to fea fixteen thousand pieces, and that was all the voyage 1 intended, only to get money into my hands. As I fhall anfwer it before God, I had not in all the world in my hands, or others to my ufe, either directly, or indirectly, above a hundred pounds; whereof, when I went, I gave my wife twenty-five pounds thereof; but the error thereof came, as I perceived, by looking over the fcrivener's books, where they found the bills