mand him." Ultimately, he died in Italy, either in 1612 or in 1613. As to the evidence on the point of date of the endorsement, it will suffice to remind the reader that another letter of Sir Walter Ralegh, preserved also at Hatfield,—and already printed in the present volume,2-bears, in the hand of a secretary of Cecil, the endorsement "1590;" although, as has been shown, it could not have been written until 1597, at the earliest. There is no need at all to suppose the error-in either instance-to have been designed. Mistakes of this sort are far from being uncommon, in cases where no matter of conflict or controversy is at stake. The papers now at Hatfield afford many instances of them. Under any view of it, this letter of 1600 is an ungenerous one, as it respects Essex. It is also one of an obviously immoral tendency. It inculcates the doctrine that acts of bitter hostility, and even deeds of open violence, may be committed with the less peril, inasmuch as the dictates of human selfishness will very often suffice to hinder "after-revenges," by the relatives of the sufferer, upon the doer; and it leaves altogether out of view those "after-revenges," of a graver sort, which Ralegh himself, a few years later, expounded in words as impressive as ever came from an English pen. None the less is it an essential part of the duty of an Editor to show that this Letter-whatever its other faults-is not an incitement to the raising of a political scaffold, in order to avenge personal injuries sustained by its writer, or to remove a stumbling-block from his onward path. Izod to Cecil; Cecil Papers (Hatfield), vol. Ixxxiii. § 23. 3 In his Preface to the History of the World. TORY 1600. LETTER 1600. [Between February and To St R XCV. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original Carl Papers, vol. xc. § 150 (Hatfield). Holograph. SIR. I AM not wize enough to geve yow advise; butt if yow take it for a good councell to relent towards this tirant, yow will repent it when it shalbe too late. His malice is fixt, and will not evaporate by any your mild courses. For he will ascribe the alteration to her Majesties pusillanimitye and not to your good nature; the return knowing that yow worke but uppon her humor, and not out of any love towards hyme. The less yow make hyme, the less he shalbe able to harme yow and your's. And if her Majesties favor faile hyme, hee will agayne decline to a common parson. Against of the Earl of Essex to office and power. 1 For after-revenges, feare them not; for your own father that was estemed to be the contriver of NORFOLK's ruin, yet his son followeth your father's son, and loveth him. Humors of men succeed not; butt grow by occasions and accidents of tyme and poure. SUMMERSETT made no revendge on the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND'S heares. NORTHUMBERLAND, that now is, thincks not of HATTON'S issew. KELLOWAY lives, that murderd the brother of HORSEY; and HORSEY lett hyme go by, all his lifetime. I could name yow a thowsand of thos; and therfore after-fears are but profesies-or rather conjectures-from 1 So in original letter, but the word is superfluous, * I. c. are not inherited.' Looke to the present, and yow do LETTER and 1600. cawses remote. wisely. His soonne shalbe the youngest Earle of Ingland butt on, and, if his father be now keipt down, WILL [Between CECILL shalbe abell to keip as many men att his heeles February as hee, and more to.2 Hee may also mache in a better August.] howse then his; and so that feare is not worth the fearinge. Butt if the father continew, he wilbe able to break the branches, and pull up the tree; root and all. Lose not your advantage; if you do, I rede your destiney. Your's to the end, W. R. [POSTSCRIPT.]-Lett the Q. hold BOTHWELL while she hath hyme. Hee will ever be the canker of her estate and sauftye. Princes ar lost by securetye; and preserved by prevention. I have seen the last of her good dayes, and all ours, after his libertye. Addressed: To the right honorabell Sir ROBERTE CECYLL, Knight, Principall Endorsed, in Sir Robert Cecil's hand: "Sir Walter Ralegh;" and, in a * This last paragraph is written across the margin of the letter. I therefore print it as a 'Postscript.' The subscription follows immediately after the word "destiney.” * See Prefatory Note. XCVI. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. clxxiii. § 36 (Hatfield Holograhy SIR, IF my newse be stale, it cost mee butt the labor to write it. A townsman's sonne of Sherborne hath bynn in Spaine, in a French bottome, and is now returned. He departed Lysborne the 15 of January which is late. and reporteth, for certayne, that the fleet of treasor is returned;-all but one great shipp, which is doubted of Ther had then come sume 17 millions. Hee spake with divers soldiers att Cascales, wher ther ar assembled 2,000, reddy to be imbarked in 30 sayle of shipps. Thos soldiers know no other butt that they were bound for Flanders:—it may be for Irland, or for sume other purpose. They take up our small men of warr very fast; not only with the good-sayling Dunkirks, butt cussen them with French bottomes,-which the Inglishe suspect not. This that I write yow, yow may assure your sealf to be trew. Yours as your sarvante, W. RALEGH. [POSTSCRIPT.]-I never receved on word from my Lord COBHAME,-neather of his suite, or of his cumminge or other matter, this 3 weekes. Yow have many letters of myne; I pray returne sume awnswere. Candelmas day. Addressed: To the right honorabell Sır ROBERT CECYLL, Knight, Pronopoli 1 forsed by Sn R. Cecil: " Sir W. Roligh." 160 1. XCVII. TO SECRETARY SIR ROBERT CECIL. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. xliii. fol. 84 (Hatfield). Holograph. The superscription in the hand of an amanuensis; but signed. Without date of year. ** In the MS. Catalogue of the Hatfield Papers this letter is stated to belong to the year 1596. The internal evidence is conclusive of the fact that it cannot have been written until long afterwards; but I assign it only upon probable conjecture to the year 1601. Alarms about the fleets of Spain, and news about them, brought from the coast of Brittany, were almost equally rife in the August of 1599, in that of 1601, and again in that of 1602. (Comp. Domestic Correspondence, Elizabeth, of those dates respectively. Rolls House. Unarranged volumes; formerly marked Bund. '230,' and '235.') But two circumstances make it probable, that this letter was written in 1601-(1) The "charge" here spoken of by Ralegh is shown by the context to be that of Jersey-conferred upon him in Sept. 1600. (2) It appears, from a letter of Thomas Phelippes to Sir Robert Cecil (Bund. '235,' No. 227), that in August 1601 Lord Cobham made a journey into Cornwall. Phelippes tells Cecil that Cobham had desired him to obtain some intelligence about the doings of the Spaniards, and understanding, he adds, that "his Lordship is in the West country," he therefore sends it to Cecil, in his stead. This passage seems to refer to the same journey which is mentioned by Ralegh. At all events, the letter belongs either to August 1601, or to August 1602; not, assuredly, to 1596. |