SIR WALTER RALEIGH

Shannon News, 30 December 1927, Page 3

SIR WALTER RALEIGH

'freebooter and philosopher. Mention his nlm7~aud one immediately thinks of his cloak in the mud for Queen Elizabeth to step on. /Ue next suggestion it raises is that oi toZl and potatoes, both of which he introduced from Virginia, or at any role he brought smoking into practice and made potato growing quite _ com--non A famous queen, romantic tobacco, and prosaic petatoes-what n conjunction! Love, wealth, adventures, colonies, are symbolised in the popular knowledge about Sir Walter Raleigh, probably "the most romantic figure of the most romantic age m the annals of English history" (says a inociol article in the Melbourne Age). That story about the new cloak comes f-om old Thomas Fuller. "Hot Majesty, meeting with a splashy place* made some scruple to go on; when Ralegh (dressed in the gay and genteel habit of those times) presently cast off anil spread his now plush cloak on the'ground, whereon the Queen trod gently over, rewarding him afterwards with many suits for IBs so free and seasonable tender of so fair a foot cloth. Thus, an advantageous admission into the notice of a prince is more than half a degree of preferment." The Mine industrious old Fuller goes on to tell us what looks like progressive courtship, with some show of success or. the horizon. In tht 'Queen's presence Raleigh wrote on a window—" Fain, would I climb, but that I fear to fall," and the Queen wrote.—"lf thy heart fail thee, climb not at all." It reads like encouragement, "Paint heart never won fair lady,' ? and Raleigh was not daunted. He" was in love with the Queen, and Tarleton, the famous comedian, dur big a performance, used th« words, "Secthe knave commands tho Queen!'' and as he said so stretched out hit* hand towards Raleigh. It is recorded that .her Majesty frowned. But how came this gay youth to Court? Born in Devonshire in 1552, he had received the education of a gentleman's son, and at 16' went to Ox ford,, but left it in a year and went to the wars in France. Not long thereafter he fought the Spaniards, who learned to fear and hate the dashing captain. In Ireland, too, he tasted the excitements and dangers of those troublous days ,saw that things were being muddled,- and wrote to the auth orities iu good round terms criticising tho conduct of the campaign. \One of the ladies-in-waiting upon the Queen was a relative of Sir Walter, and had given her royal mistress ;soino information about him. Before long she had him at Court; and he took a prominent place among'the brilliant company. When the Queen passed from one house to another she was accom panied by her principal courtiers. Raleigh was conspicuous by his,, bear ing and his wit, and could wear a suit of velvet and pearls, and turn a neat phrase with equal grace.

It is well known that Queen Elizabeth hated the idea of her favourites; marrying. They knew it, but that did not keep some of them from falling in love and venturing upon matrimony One day, to her horror, she discovered that her curled darling, Raleigh, had an intrigue with the dark, grey-eyed Bessie Throgmorton, and had" secretly married her. The Queen showed her re soiitment by clapping Raleigh into pri son, and keeping him there some months. She set h ; m free when sht needed his valour aud seamanship tc pillage Spanish galleons. ■ There were two roads to the royal favour, her vanity and her purse.

Raleigh was a remarkable compound of imagination and action. The dream I of his life was colonisation, the discovery and conquest of new lands,' to be settled and ruled by England. Pro bably one reason why Elizabeth loved him ; was that he had much of heT own versatility. Ho wrote.poetry and high prose, was < a courtier, scientist, master of strategy and tactics, aud touched nothing which he did not adoreHe read his sonnets to the Queen, amused her with scientific talk and chemical experiments, and was not sparing with flattery. ' But without question he had a great longing to write England ''on the forehead of the world,'' and to do this he had a burning passion to humble England's enemies. The great enemy was Spain, for she :>i:n >.l at 'world do:n'.nion, which made it necessary to destroy England's maritime supremacy. The Queen' loved him because she was as truly an adventurer as he was. So she called him "Our well-beloved Sir Walter Ravvley." When he lay in the Tower under her displeasure, he poured out his feelings in language not then considered extravagant. "I, that was wont to behold the Queen riding like Alexander, hunting like Diana, walking like Venus, the gentle wind blowing her fair hair about her pare cheeks like a nymph; sometimes sitting in the shade like a goddess; sometimes singing like an angel; sometimes playing like Orpheus." It sounds like an effort to work upon the affections of a doting old woman, and suggests that Raleigh. was after office and money. He held appointments which brought him £3OOO a year. Queen Elizabeth died, and with, her exit Raleigh's fortune underwent a

complete change. James I. succeeded her, and his mind having been poisoned against Raleigh, an accusation of treason was brought against him He was condemned to death, and sent to the Tower, where he spent twelve ( long years writing his History of the World. Why was he set free? .'Thai ho might lead an expedition to Guiana., where was a gold mine, he said, which would'.'fill- the Treasury of Eng Jana and keep it full. One actor his release is worth telling. His so* , was a quarrelsome lad, but promised to behave on going to dinner with a great person. Halfway through the feast he made an "'improper remark, for which his father' struck him a blow on the face. The son would nor strike his fnu>cr, but struck .'the gentleman next to him and said, "Box about: it will come to my father anon."

The expedition to Guiana was a failure. The Spaniards know a'.l about the scheme. The settlers were fore warned and hostile. Raleigh returned to England, was re-arrested on the old charge of treason, thrown into the Tywe-i" and executed.

Here was a man who once dressed in velvets, and embroidered damask set out. with precious stones, a courtier who helped to shape the policy of Eliza belli, and might have done much foi •Tames aud England had he been ol lowed. Had he lived longer the his ■tory of the seventeenth century would have had another aspect. Would thai when in the Tower instead of writing The History of the World he had told us about Queen Elizabeth? What a book that would have been! His last effort/was essentially a buc cnneeiing one, a wiid bid for freedom Spain never forgave him his victories, and it was to please Spain that he was done to death. True, he was proud, cor.rt.eou>, unscrupulous, a tactless fellow, half god, half clay, but he did a work for England in creating new settlements .teaching her that hex power lay in her fleet, and his dream of a. Britain overseas is now" one of the happy commonplaces of to-day. He did not live in vain. One of the few jokes to his credit was a remark to a friend the day before the execution "You wilt come to-morrow morning. I do not know what you will do for a place. For my own part I am sure of one." One of the historians has well said that his speech on the scaffold conquered the esteem of all pos terity.