The walls of the Tower, though they may keep out friends, cannot shut out misfortune. During the seventh year of Sir Walter's sojourn there, his estate at Sherborne, which he had, before his evil days had come, settled on his son, was "lost in the law for want of a word." James wanted it for his new favourite, Carr; the instrument of conveyance was examined, and, some words having been omitted by the inadvertence of the copyist, it was declared void, and the estates passed to a worthless minion.*

A severer blow to Raleigh was the death of Prince Henry, the king's eldest son, who loved him for his virtues and pitied him for his sufferings. He used to say "that no king but his father would keep such a bird in a cage." A strong affection had grown up between them, and Raleigh wrote several works a' his instance and for his use.† So long as

* [As a recompense the king gave him £8000, a sum not much greater than the annual rent of the estate. His son Carew endeavoured to gain a restoration of this estate, but King James said "he appeared to him like the ghost of his father," and the remark drove him from the court. King Charles had promised that the present possessors should not be disturbed, and would not consent to his restoration in blood without his formally renouncing all title to Sherborne.-Sir Walter Raleigh's Troubles.-H.]

[Birch's Life of Prince Henry, 235, 236, and 392. also Lord Somers's Tracts, i., 412.-H.]

See

this noble young prince lived, he had good hopes of liberation. His early death was

a double loss to Sir Walter, in his present

ture.

it*

enjoyment and in his expectations of the fuHe speaks of it as "the loss of that brave prince, of which, like an eclipse of the sun, we shall find the effects hereafter."

Yet death did not select his friends only. Sir Robert Cecil, his bitterest enemy, had also passed away from earth, less regretted than the man whom he had forsaken and persecuted. The influence of Carr was giving way before the rising favour of Villiers. Sir Ralph Winwood, not a great, but an honest man, was now secretary of state.

Raleigh had long entertained the wish to be allowed to prosecute his discoveries in Guiana. From time to time he had sent thither for information, and some of the natives of that country had been brought 1 conference with him in the Tower. He had received what he asserted to be satisfactory evidence of the existence of a gold mine there, which, if at liberty, he would work. Cecil had rejected his applications to this effect, but Winwood listened to him. Nothing was needed but a whim to secure the king's con

* [In his History of the World.-H.]

sent. This was supplied by the influence of Villiers, and that influence was purchased by the payment of £1500 to his two uncles; and finally, after twelve years' delay, James granted to the simple asking of a favourite what he had so long refused to humanity and justice. Sir Walter was released March 17, 1616.

He now devoted himself, with an ardour augmented by his long restraint, to his cherished scheme of a golden expedition to Guiana. He appropriated to this purpose the £8000 he had received for his estate at Sherborne; and, to further the same, his wife sold her estate for £2500. He thus staked his fortune, as well as his reputation, on this issue. He built at his own expense a ship, the Destiny, which mounted, thirty-six guns and carried two hundred men. Encouraged by his zeal, many merchants and private adventurers flocked to join the enterprise. After some opposition from Count Gondomar, the Spanish ambassador, whose objections to it as a piratical scheme against the Spanish settle, ments in the West Indies seem to have been easily removed, Raleigh received a commission, dated Aug. 26th, 1616, under the privy seal, appointing him commander of the fleet VOL. I.-H H

and governor of the new country. The fleet, consisting of fourteen sail, was ready in the spring of 1617, and on the 28th of March dropped down the Thames, and, having been long detained by storms, reached Guiana on the 12th of November.

1

Here Raleigh was taken severely ill, and, being unable to lead the expedition up the river in person, gave the command of five ships and some three hundred men for that purpose to Captain Keymis, who had explored the country under his directions in 1596. His orders to Keymis were to penetrate to the mine, and bring away at least a few baskets of the ore, to satisfy the king that the mine was not a mere dream; and, in case he should be attacked, to repel force by force. The five vessels sailed December 10th, and soon reached Santa Thome, a garrisoned town of 240 houses, built by the Spaniards on the right bank of the river. Keymis landed in the night, and took his position between the town and the mine. During the night they were attacked by the Spaniards, whom they repulsed and pursued to Saint Thomas, which they entered. The governor of the town, Palameque, was slain, and the English, galled by shots from the houses, set it on fire

and consumed it. Keymis set out immediately with a small party for the mine, and on the route was attacked by a body of the fugitive Spaniards and forced to retreat, with some loss. By this disaster he was so much discouraged that he abandoned the town and hastily sailed back to join his general. Soon after his return,, mortified by his failure, and stung by the indignant reproaches of Raleigh, Keymis committed suicide.

The enterprise had thus been frustrated, and Raleigh thought it not prudent, or was not in a condition to resume it. Disappointed and sad, he turned away from a region where so many bright hopes had faded, set sail for Newfoundland, and, after a brief stay there, bent his course for England. The news of his defeat and of the burning of Santa Thome had arrived there before him; the resentment of the Spanish ambassador had been strongly expressed; and James at once published a proclamation, inviting all who had any knowledge of his doings to testify before the privy-council, and wrote to the King of Spain, submitting it to his discretion whether Raleigh should receive his punishment in England or in Spain. His fate was decreed without trial or reply, and this indecent haste was allowed to gratify the court of Spain.