1755. Spirited SPEECH of FDWARD IV. 149 It is confeft, our confederacies are quite diffolved; and I rejoice in that we shall under take this great business alone: For experience in our left attempt jhewed, that princes of feveral nations, however they pretend the fame, bave fill feveral aims ; and oftentimes a con federate is a greater enemy to the profperity of a war than the enemy himself; envy begetting more difficulty in a camp, than any oppontion from the adverfe army. Our brother of Burgundy, and uncle of St. Pol are both dead. How little their amity advanced us, nay, how just a jealousy of their fecret practices hindered our designs then on France, you may well remember; and how in our return towards England, we had more fear to be affaulted by their traitorous weapons, than by any arms from the enemy. But we will spare their memory; they laboured their own safety, not our glory. This I am fecure of, that as by death they are rendered unprofita ble to us, fo likewife not dangerous. And as for Bretagne, if his weaknefs difables Chim as to our aid, I am confident it will continue him a neuter. Neither is it to be forgot, how fecarely now we may leave England, rather than heretofore, confidering our fo entire friendship with the Scots; whofe hoftility was always upon us at home, when we attempted victory abroad: But I detain you by my Dclouds of due revenge gathered in your fpeech too long from action. I fee the brows, and the lightning of fury break from your eyes, which forebodes thunder against our enemies. Let us therefore lofe no time, but fuddenly and feverely fcourge this perjured coward to a too late repentance, and regain honour to our na tion, and his kingdom to our crown. nation, that as all mankind must abhor him as barbarous, fo in my own particu➡ lar I must neglect the principal office of a prince, it I omit to chaftife him. Moft of you, my lords, are witneffes to the folemnity of his vows, when humbly we declined the ruin of his kingdom; and I, to avoid fo great a maffacre as the war A would have endangered, condescended to end all controverfies by accord. My cle mency is now become my fcorn; and I reap indignities where I fo ed favours. For, this ungrateful man, prince I must not term him, who hath by perjury for feited that facred title, in contempt to all law both human and divine, denies not only the marriage of the Dauphin to our B daughter, which would have proved fo great an honour to his blood, and fecurity of his kingdom; but even the annual tribute of 50,000 crowns; a flender acknowledgment for fo large a country, by our permittion he has hitherto enjoyed. This contumely I am refolved to punish; and I cannot doubt fuccefs; Almighty God ftrengthens ftill his arm who undertakes a war for justice.. In our expeditions heretofore against the French, what profperity waited upon the English arms is known to all the world: And yet ambition then appeared the chief councellor of war. Now, befides all that right which led Edward III. our glorious ancestor, and Henry V. our predeceffor, we feem to have a deputyship from heaven, to execute the office of the fupreme judge, in chastifing the impious. When we were laft in France, an innate fear of this falfe man forced him down to a fordid purchafe of fecurity: How low will a wick ed confcience, which even makes the va Jiant cowardly to tremble, bend him now? Now, when an implacable refolution for revenge fets a far fharper edge upon your fwords? Now, when he hath no hypocrify left undiscovered, nor fubterfuge for his former perjury, nor art to gain belief to new diffimulation; now, when our ears fhall be deaf to all fubmiffion, and when our confcience is fo well refolved E F THI for the neceffity of this war, that mercy will be thought a vicious lenity, and the N. B. See Rapin's Hiftory, anno 1483, where we shall find, that whatever rea fon the king might have, 'the nation had not near fuch good reafons for declaring war against France, as it has at prefent. The Life of Sir WALTER RALEIGH, Knt. with bis HEAD curicully engraved. HIS great man was born in 1552, at Hayes, in the parish of Budley, in that part of Devonshire, bordering up on the fea to the eaft, near which the Ottery discharges itfelf into the British channel. The family from whence he derived his defcent, was feated in that county before the Conqueft, and his father, Walter Raleigh, of Fards, in the parish of Cornwood, Efq; was not only rich, but greatly respected in his neighbourhood, and, tho' the gentleman we are treating of, was his fourth fon, he bestowed an education upon him not at all inferior to that he would have given 150 LIFE of Sir WALTER RALEIGH. to the heir of his fortune. He ftudied at Sir Walter, after his return from France, April ment at court; but notwithstanding his hopes of that fort, his ever active mind induced him to undertake another expedition, with his brother Gilbert, to Newfoundland, whom he attended as his viceadmiral, in the bark Raleigh of 200 tons, which he had built and victualled at his own expence for the voyage. They fet fail June 11, 1583, but the crew of Raleigh's fhip being attacked by a contagious diftemper, he was obliged to return to Plymouth; which perhaps was the means of faving his life; for Sir Humphry, after having taken poffeffion of the country, was loft in his return, with two of his fhips, and their crews, and the reft with the utmoft difficulty reached their native country. Raleigh, whofe foul was fuperior to the attacks of misfortune, did not however, upon thefe difafters, give over a defign fo beneficial as the North American difcoveries, which he represented in fuch a light to the queen and council, that, March 25, 1584, letters patent were granted him in favour of his project, upon which he fitted out two ships, under able commanders, who failed fo foon after as the next 27th of April, de barked on an island called Wohoken, entered into a friendly commerce with the Indians, and made fuch discoveries on the continent, that, upon their report, at their return, the queen became inclined to fettle a colony there and gave the country the name of Virginia. Soon after he was chofen representative in parliament for Devonshire, made a great figure in the house, and during the feffion was knighted; an honour the more valuable, as his royal miftrefs was very fparing in beftowing titles. In that fame feffion his patent for difcoveries was confirmed, and the queen granted him the lucrative power of licencing the felling of wine throughout the kingdom. After the prorogation of the parliament, he again applyed himself to the execution of his favourite fcheme, the planting of Virgi nia, for which purpose he fent out a ficet of feven ships, under the command of the brave Sir Richard Greenville his coufin, who left behind him a colony of 107 per fons at Roanah, and in his return took a Spanish galleon worth 50,000l. Fortune feemed now to be in the humour to gra. tify all the wishes of Sir Walter; for be fides this acquifition of wealth, the forfeited eftates in Ireland being to be given to those who had been ferviceable there, the queen granted him a very large share, being 12000 acres, in the counties of Cork and Waterford, with privileges and immunities to encourage his planting and fettlement thereof. He 1755. Expedition of Sir WALTER to Guina. He was fo highly esteemed by the queen, and had endeared himself to the people fo much, by patronizing learning and the learned, and by his many publick spirited fchemes and attempts, that he feemed to be at the zenith of his fortune, and in 1586 he was made fenefchal of the dutchy of Cornwall: But thefe advancements A drew upon him the envy of fome courtiers, particularly of the earl of Leicester his old friend and patron, who jealously fet up the young earl of Effex in oppofition to him, nor did he efcape libelling from the prefs, and farcaim from the ftage. B In 1587 he was conftituted captain of the queen's guard, lord warden of the Stanneries, and lieutenant general of Cornwall, and for feven or eight years fucceeding, bufied himself in concerting new expeditions, fuccouring his infant colonies, or attending the national affairs in parliament. In this full tide of favour and honour, he unhappily fell under the queen's difpleafure, for debauching Mrs. C Elizabeth Throckmorton, one of her maids of honour, and as breaches of chastity, were in those times looked upon as breaches of honour and morality, and brought obloquy to the tranfgreffor; Sir Walter felt the effects of his crime in a D confinement of feveral months, and after his releafe was forbid the court, whence the lady was alfo difmiffed. But he made ample amends by afterwards marrying her, and they became patterns of conjugal love and truth. His bufy active fpirit, which never could reft, and was not to be depreffed by any circumitances, even whilft he was under E the queen's difpleasure, projected the difcovery of the rich country of Guiana, in South America, which had never been conquered by the Spaniards, and fent an officer of experience to take a view of the coaft, whofe report, when he returned at the close of the next year, engaged him to proceed in his scheme. Accordingly, with the concurrence of the lord admiral and Sir Robert Cecil, he, at a large expence, fitted out a fquadron for the undertaking, which he commanded in perfon, and having made very interefting difcoveries, returned at the latter end of the year 1595, loaded with riches. The next year, being now perfectly reinftated in the queen's favour, he was appointed one of the admirals in that important expedition to Cadiz, where he behaved with his wonted conduct and bravery; and in 1597, was rear admiral under Effex, in an expedition to deftroy the Spanish fleet in their ports, and to Conquer the Azores iflands; but his fer F G 151 vices were so much obftru&ed by that earl's jealousy of him, that little was done, tave that Raleigh attacked and took Fyal in the abfence of Elfex; which fo exafperated him, that he broke fome of his officers for difcbedience of orders, and Raleigh himself was, notwithstanding his fuccefs, in great danger of punishment; but when they arrived in England the earl's conduct was greatly difapproved by their mistress. That unfortunate nobleman, rafhly ri fing in arms, in 1601, Raleigh was one of the principal fuppreffors of his infurrection, and attended, in his poft, of captain of the guard, at his trial, as also at his execution, which was looked upon, by fome of his enemies, as a mark of low malice and revenge; but all his advocates agree, that he retired before the earl was beheaded, which he afterwards repented, as the criminal wanted to speak with him, in all probability to ask his forgiveness for the many calumnious reports he had spread against him, to colour and excufe his own treafons. His glorious mistress dying, and her fucceffor, James I. having been prejudiced against him, from the falle infinuations of Effex (that he was no friend to his fucceffion, and did not esteem his family, which infinuations were backed by fecretary Cecil, who, after the death of that earl, became jealous of Raleigh's influence and power, and privately did him every injury at the court of Scotland) he may be faid to be a declining fun; tho' had he flood in ever fo much favour with that pufillanimous prince, he would have had no opportunity of fignalizing himself in the fphere nature had formed him to act in : Befides, James could never forget that he, lord Cobham, and Sir John Fortescue, would have obliged him to certain conditions before he mounted the throne, one of which was the limiting the number of his countrymen, that were to accompany him ;nor, that he had been a zealous advocate in procuring his mother's death: And again, he dreaded Raleigh's martial genius, which he was fearful would precipitate him into war with his neighbours, a circumftance that he endeavoured by all means to avoid. Soon after the king's acceffion, Sir Walter was charged as acceffary to a plot with lord Cobham, and others, to furprize the king and court, create commotions in Scotland, and advance the king's coufin, Arabella Stuart, to the throne, for which he was tried, found guilty by a pack'd jury, and condemn'd to death, tho' he defended himself with much force of argument, and made it plainly appa rent, 152 Death and Character of RALEIGH. rent, that he was innocent, and that the evidence against him was neither clear nor conclufive. He was confined in the Tower, under the fentence, for 12 years, and in that confinement wrote his Hiftory of the World, from which a large prefent, and the interpofition of the then favourite, Buckingham, at length pro- A cured him a release. Sir The first thing he fet about, after he regained his liberty, was the profecution of his fcheme of a fettlement in Guiana, which he propofed to the court, and obtained a royal commiffion for that purpose in 1616, appointing him general and commander in chief in the enterprize, which was to be made at the expence of him B and his friends, and governor of the new country, with a power of executing martial law, as the king's lieutenant-general by fea and land; and as these powers implied a virtual pardon to him, he never follicited an actual one. His fleet confisted of feven fail, with which he came in fight of Guiana, Nov. 17, 1617, and anchored foon after near the river Caliana, where he was heartily and friendly received by the Indians, who offered him the fovereignty of their country. Walter, being afflicted with fickness, could not go upon the difcovery of the mines in perfon, and therefore he fent Capt. Keymis on that fervice, who, on the 14th of December, failed with five D fmall veffels up the river Oroonoko; but inftead of pursuing the business, engaged a Spanish garrison that lay in his way, in which conflict Sir Walter's fon was killed, and after he had defeated them, and fack'd and burnt their fort, found amongst the governor's papers one which plainly fhewed, that the expedition was betrayed, and that Raleigh was to be facrificed to the Spaniards. Sir Walter harply rebuked Keymis upon his return, for his difobedience of orders, which made fuch an impreffion upon the brave, miftaken man, that he shot himself in his own cabin, and finding he had not quite difpatched himfelf, afterwards run a knife thro' his heart. Thus diftreffed and betrayed, Sir Walter returned to England, but found on his arrival at Plymouth a declaration published against him, procured of the king by the addrefs of Gondemar, the Spanish ambaffador, who, by flattering his humours, had acquired a great afcendancy over him. On his coming to London, he was confined to his own houfe, whence, knowing his great danger from fuch a faithlefs and weak court, he contrived an escape to France; but being betrayed by Sir Lewis Stackley,' F April who was privy to the defign, he was feized in a boat below Woolwich, and committed a fecond time to the Tower. His death being determined upon, to gratify Spain, as they could not legally bring him to the block for his conduct in the late expedition, they shamefully called him down to judgment upon his former fentence, paffed 15 years before, and on the 28th of October, 1688, execution was awarded against him in the court of King's-Bench, Westminster; the next day, he was carried to the fcaffold in Old Palace-yard, which he mounted with the most undaunted fpirit and refolution, and told the bishop of Salisbury, that he had rather die fo, than in a burning fever ; fo' great was his contempt of death. He had eat his breakfast, and fmoked his pipe that morning, and behaved as if he had been going a journey. He freely converfed on the fcaffold with feveral noblemen, and others, and cleared himfelf of fome afperfions, particularly of that of having perfecuted Effex, and infulted him at his death. After having prayed, he gave away his hat, cap, and what money he had about him, and took leave of the attendants; and putting off his gown and doublet; felt the axe, and faid, fmiling, to the fheriff, "This is a "fharp medicine, but it is a phyfician "for all difeafes." Then laying himfelf on the block, his head was ftruck off at two blows, his body neither fhrinking" nor moving; being in the 66th year of his age. His body was interred in St. Margaret's church, Westminster; but his widow preferved his head, in a cafe, as long as the furvived, which was 20 years. His character, as Dr. Birch obferves, "was a combination of almost every eminent quality; he was the foidier, flatefman, and fcholar united; and had he lived. with the heroes of antiquity, would have made a just parallel to Cæfar and Xenophon, like them being equal master of the fword and pen." His writings were many and various, nor was he a mean poet; and the illuftrious prince Henry had fo high an efteem of his virtues and abilities, that he correfponded with him: in the Tower, and was frequently heard to fay, "none but my father would keep fuch a bird in a cage." Pity it was, fo great a man fhould fall a facrifice to a contemptible administration, and the refentment of a mean prince, whofe annals will be branded with the ftamp of Ginfamy to all fucceeding times, for fuch a breach of honour, and fuch a perversion of justice. 153 1755. JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES in the POLITICAL CLUB, Continued from 1 bave before given you a Debate we W C the accufation is well founded; but my compaffion then rifes in favour of the fufferers, and a juft refentment against the criminal author of their fufferings. This is the cafe at prefent, Sir: Several of the fraudulent practices of the gentleman, whofe conduct is now under our confideration, have been proved without a poffibility of doubting, and that he was guilty of feveral others not yet difcovered, there is the highest prefumption, By thefe practices many private families have fuffered, and by their confequences the publick may hereafter fuffer more than can now be forefeen, or described. Shall we allow fuch a heinous criminal to go unpunished? Shall we fuffer one of our own acts to be fo fraudulently evaded with impunity? Happy it is for him, that he does not live under an abfolute and arbitrary government; for I am afraid, that our conftitution will not permit us to inflict fuch a punishment as his crimes deD ferve, or as the fufferings of private men, as well as the publick, may require; but furely, no gentleman will oppofe our fubje&ting him to any fort of punifhment we can inflict without incroaching upon our conftitution. It is true, he is but a very low officer, and confequently, it may be faid, not worthy the attention or the refentment of parliament. I fhall grant, Sir, he never made himself worthy of the notice of parliament, or of any other fort of publick notice, but by his crimes; but his crimes are fuch as deferve the notice both of the parliament and the publick; for it is by fuch crimes, that this nation has been brought under that load of debts under which it will, I fear, fink at laft; and if often repeated, as they U certainly • See our Magazine for last year, p. 393, 412, 441, 489. HEN I moved for the B committee, whofe report you have now under your confideration, I said I hoped, and even wifhed, that the gentleman then chiefly accused, might appear innocent of the feveral fraudulent practices laid to his charge by the publick voice. This I was induced to, by the general good opinion I have of mankind, which fhall always prevent my fuppofing a man guilty of any crime, until he has been convicted of it by fuch evidence as cannot admit of a doubt; but I was never more difappointed in my hopes or wishes, than I have been in the cafe now before us; for the unfortunate man appears to have been guilty of every thing laid to his charge, and I muit confefs, that the proof has come E out much more strongly against him, than could have been expected in fuch a fecret and dark tranfaction, as is, I think, evident from the refolutions which the committee have come to, and the proofs upon which thofe refolutions are founded. it is a misfortune for any man to be accused of a heinous crime by common fame, I always have a compaffion for fuch a man, until it appears by inconteftable proofs, that G-C April, 1755. As F |