690 THE TRIAL OF SIR W. RALEGH.

suaded he spoke nothing but the truth. You wrote, that he should not in any case confess any thing to a preacher, telling him an example of my lord of Essex, that noble earl that is gone; who, if he had not been carried away with others, had lived in honour to this day among us. He confessed his offences, and obtained mercy of the Lord; for I am verily persuaded in my heart he died a worthy servant of God. Your conceit of not confessing any thing is very inhuman and wicked. In this world is the time of confessing, that we may be absolved at the day of judgment. You have shewed a fearful sign of denying God, in advising a man not to confess. It now comes in my mind why you may not have your accuser face to face, for such a one is easily brought to retract, when he seeth there is no hope of his own life. It is dangerous that any traitors should have any access one to another, or conference; when they see themselves must die, they will think it best to see their fellow live, that he may commit the like treason again, and so in some sort seek revenge.

Now it resteth to pronounce the judgment, which I wish you had not been this day to have received of me: for, if the fear of God in you had been answerable to your other great parts, you might have lived to have been a singular good subject. I never saw the like trial, and I hope I shall never see the like again.

THE JUDGMENT.

But, since you have been found guilty of these horrible treasons, the judgment of the court is, That you shall be had from hence to the place whence you came, there to remain until the day of execution, and from thence you shall be drawn upon a hurdle, through the open streets, to the place of execution, there to be hanged and cut down alive, and your body shall be opened, your heart and bowels plucked out, and your privy-members cut off and thrown into the fire before your eyes; then your head to be strucken off from your body, which shall be divided into four quarters, to be disposed of at the king's pleasure: and God have mercy upon your soul.

THE

SPEECH AND BEHAVIOUR

OF

SIR WALTER RALEGH

ON THE SCAFFOLD.

:

I DESIRE to be borne withal, because this is the third day of my fever and, if I shew any weakness, I beseech you to attribute it to my malady, for this is the hour I look for it. Then pausing a while, directing himself towards a win

dow, where the lord of Arundel and the lord of Doncaster, with some other lords and knights, sat, with a loud voice he said as followeth.

I thank God of his infinite goodness, that he hath sent me to die in the sight of so honourable an assembly, and not in darkness. But by reason the place where they sat was some distance from the scaffold, that they could not easily hear him, he said: I will strain myself, for I would willingly have your honours hear me. The lord of Arundel answered, We will come upon the scaffold: where, after he had saluted every one of them severally, he began as followeth.

As I said, I thank my God heartily, that he hath brought me into the light to die, and hath not suffered me to die in the dark prison of the Tower, where I have suffered a great deal of adversity and a long sickness; and I thank God that my fever hath not taken me at this time, as I prayed God it might not.

There are two main points of suspicion that his ma

692 SIR WALTER RALEGH'S SPEECH.

jesty hath conceived against me, and wherein his majesty cannot be satisfied, which I desire to clear and resolve you of.

One is, that his majesty hath been informed, that I have had some plot with France, and his majesty had some reason to induce him thereunto. One reason that his majesty had to conjecture so, was, that when I came back from Guiana, being come to Plymouth, I endeavoured to go to Rochel; which was because I would fain have made my peace before I came to England. Another reason was, that, upon my flight, I did intend to fly to France for saving of my life, having had some terror from above. A third reason was, the French agent's coming to me, and it was reported that I had commission from the king of France.

But this I say, for a man to call God to witness to a falsehood at any time is a grievous sin; and what shall he hope for at the tribunal day of judgment? But to call God to witness to a falsehood at the time of death, is far more grievous and impious, and there is no hope for such an one. And what should I expect, that am now going to render an account of my faith? I do therefore call the Lord to witness, as I hope to be saved, and as I hope to see him in his kingdom, which I hope will be within this quarter of this hour, I never had any commission from the king of France, nor any treaty with the French agent, nor with any from the French king; neither knew I that there was an agent, or what he was, till I met him in my gallery at my lodging unlooked-for. If I speak not true, O Lord, let me never come into thy kingdom.

The second suspicion was, that his majesty hath been informed that I should speak dishonourably and disloyally of him. But my accuser was a base Frenchman, a kind of a chymical fellow, one whom I knew to be perfidious; for being drawn into this action at Winchester, in which my hand was touched, and he being sworn to secrecy over-night, revealed it in the morning.

But in this I speak now, what have I to do with kings? I have nothing to do with them, neither do I fear them: I

have now to do with God; therefore to tell a lie now, to get the favour of the king were in vain. Therefore, as I hope to be saved at the last day, I never spake dishonourably, disloyally, or dishonestly of the king, neither to this Frenchman nor to any other; neither had I ever, in all my life, a thought of ill of his majesty. Therefore I cannot but think it strange, that this Frenchman, being so base, so mean a fellow, should be so far credited: and so much for this point. I have dealt truly, and I hope I shall be believed. I confess, I did attempt to escape; and I did dissemble, and feign myself sick at Salisbury; but I hope it was no sin. The prophet David did make himself a fool, and did suffer spittle to fall upon his beard, to escape the hands of his enemies, and it was not imputed to him as sin; and I did it to prolong time till his majesty came, hoping for some commiseration from him.

I forgive this Frenchman and sir Lewis Stuckley, and have received the sacrament this morning of Mr. Dean, and I do also forgive all the world. But thus much I am bound in charity to speak of this man, that all men may take good heed of him: sir Lewis Stuckley, my kinsman and keeper, hath affirmed that I should tell him, that I did tell my lord Carew and my lord Doncaster of my present escape; but I protest before God, I never told Stuckley any such thing, neither did I tell my lord Carew or my lord Doncaster of my pretended escape. It was not likely that I should acquaint two privy counsellors of my purpose; neither would I tell him, for he left me six, seven, eight, nine, or ten days, to go where I listed, while he rode about the country.

Again he accused me, that I should tell him, that my lord Carew and my lord Doncaster would meet me in France, which was never my speech or thought.

Thirdly, he accused me, that I shewed him a letter, and that I should give him ten thousand pounds for my escape; but cast my soul into everlasting fire, if I ever made him offer of ten thousand pounds or one thousand pounds; but merely I shewed him a letter, that, if he would go with me, his debts should be paid when I was gone; neither had I

694 SIR WALTER RALEGH'S SPEECH.

one thousand pounds, for, if I had had so much, I could have done better with it, and made my peace otherwise.

Fourthly, when I came to sir Edward Pelham, who had been sometimes a follower of mine, who gave me good entertainment, he gave out, that I had received some dram of poison in sir Edward Pelham's house; when I answered, that I feared no such thing, for I was well assured of them in the house. Now God forgive him, for I do; and I desire God to forgive him: I will not only say, God is the God of revenge, but I desire God to forgive him, as I hope to be forgiven.

Then he looked over his note of remembrance; Well, saith he, thus far have I gone; now a little more, and I will have done by and by.

It was told the king I was brought per force into England, and that I did not intend to come again; whereas captain Charles Parker, Mr. Tresham, Mr. Leak, and divers others, that knew how I was dealt withal, shall witness for me: for the common soldiers, which were an hundred and fifty, mutinied, and sent for me to come into the gun-room to them, for at that time they would not come to me; and there was I forced to take an oath, that I would not come into England till they would have me, or else they would cast me into the sea and drown me; afterwards they entered my cabin, and set themselves against me. After I had taken this oath, with wine and other things I drew the chiefest of them to desist, and at length I persuaded them to go into Ireland: then would they have gone into the north parts of Ireland; but I told them they were redshanks: but at last with much ado I persuaded them to go into the south parts; promising to get their pardons, but was forced to give them an hundred and twenty-five pounds at Kingsale to bring them home, otherwise I had never got from them.

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 such matter, but only to get my liberty, which I had not the wit to keep. But it was my full intent to go for gold, for the benefit of his majesty and those that went with me, with