LETTER 1603. [October?] 1 Your Lordships also saw that the night before my arraynment he spake not a word of this; when he then studied all he could to distroy me. It was not therfore without cause that the most wize and mercifull Ged gave thes cummandments touchinge the sheding of bludd; and His lawes are the trew lawes to Christian men and Christian kings. God sayd, in the 35 of Numbers:- Non poterit testis unus testari contra aliquem ut moriatur. God renewed His cummandment, in the 17 and 19 of Detronomy: Er sermone duorum aut trium testium morte afficitur is qui meritur, nec morte afficitur ex sermone testius unius.' And agayne: 'Ne surgite testis unius in quenquam pro ulla iniquitate aut pro ullo peccato cx omnibus peccatis quibus quis peccat. The same also is confirmed by Christ in Matthew 2 and in John. And as St. Augustine sayes: Non divina humanis sed humana divinis sunt judicanda. And, good my Lords, beleve, Nemo potest melius, aut aliud, fundamentum ponere, quam posuit Dominus.' + 4 The mercy of my But the law is past agaynst mee. Soverayne is all that remaynethe for my cumfort. And I know that this law of God wilbe an argument of remorce to my Soverayne Lorde, howsoever mens lawes take place. And I desire your Lordships, for the mercy of God not to doubt to move so mercifull a prince to cumpassion; and that the extremety of all extremeties be not layd on mee. Lett the offence be esteemed as your Lordships shall pleas in charety to beleve it and valew it, yet it is butt the first offence; and my service to my country, and my love so many years to my supreme 1 Here the MS. looks as if the writer himself had underlined the words; but as many sentences in these Letters have been underlined at Hatfield, I mention the fact with some doubt. Lord, I trust may move so great and good a Kinge, who was never estemed cruell; and I trust will never prove so to be. And, if I may not begg a pardon or a life, yet lett me begg a tyme at the King's mercifull hands. Lett me have one yeare to geve to God in a prison and to serve Hyme. I trust his pitifull nature will have cumpassion on my sowle; and it is my sowle that beggeth a tyme of the Kinge. Ther is no prejudice cum to the Kinge, nor never could any prejudice have cum, by that supposed horid intent, which the Lord of Heven knowes I never imagined. And if the Kinge, my mercifull Lord, pleas to withdrawe all his grace from me, it must be the last breathe that I shall draw in the worlde that I dy his trew vassall, that have, and do love, his very person. Although, I must confess yt, I am most worthy of this hevy affliction for the neglect of my dewty in geving eare to sume things, and in taking on me to harken to the offer of mony. Butt his mercy, I trust, is greater. And the Lord, that hath made hyme a lord of many nations, will incline his royall hart. I beseich your Lordships, as ever yow tendred the sorrowes of a penetent hart, that yow will present thes unto his Majesties knowledg, and afford me your favors for grace and cumpassion. Your Lordships' most humblie, LETTER CXIX. 1603. [October?] W. RALEGH. Addressed: To the right honorabell my singuler good Lords, the Earles of SUFFOLKE and DEVON, the Lorde CECILL, the Lord HENRY HOWARD, and the Lorde WUTTON. Endorsed, in the hand of Sir R. Cecil: "Sir Walter Ralegh." So in original: 'loved' omitted. CXX. LETTER 1603. ber?] To Lord Cecil. [From Winchester.] TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 67, B (Hatfield). Holograph. SIR, To speake of former tymes, it were needles. Your [Novem- Lordshipe knowes what I have byn towards your sealf, and how long I have loved yow and have byn favoured by yow; but chang of tymes and myne own errors have worren out thos remembrances (I feare), and if ought did remayn, yet in the state wherin I stand ther can be no frindshipe; cumpassion ther may be, for it is never seperat from honor and vertu. Assertion of the injustice of his arraignment of treason. Entreaty for Cecil's intercession with the King, should he fall within the meshes of the law. If the poure of law be not greater then the poure of trewth, I may justly beseich yow to releve me in this my affliction. If it be, then your Lordship shall have cause (as a just man) to bewayle my undeserved miserabell estate. I cannot dispaire but that sume warmth remayneth in cynders to move yow to the first. To the secound, I may assure my sealf that even God Hym sealf and your Lordship's love to justice will parswade yow. Your Lordship knowes my accusor; and have ever known my affection to that nation for which I am accused. A hevy burden of God to be in danger of perishinge for a Prince which I have so longe hated, and to suffer thes miseres under a Prince whom I have so long loved. Sir, what mallice may do agaynst me, I know r ever I so mich as suspected this practize layd to my LETTER charge, leve me to death; if the same by any equety shalbe proved agaynst me. And equitas is sayd to be If I should say unto the Kinge that my love so longe born hyme might hope for sume grace, it would perchance be taken for presumption, because he is a Kinge, and my Soveraygne. But as the Kinge is a trew gentelman, and a just man, besyds his being a Kinge, so he oweth unto me such a mercifull respect as the resolution most willingly to have hasarded my life and fortune for hyme agaynst all men may deserve. For yourself, my Lord CECILL, and for me, sumtyme your trew frind, and now a miserabell forsaken man, I know that affections ar nether taught nor perswaded. But, if ought remayn of good, of love, or of cumpassion towards me, your Lordship will now shew it when I am now most unworthy of your love, and most unabell to deserve it. For even then is love, trew honor, and CXX. 1603. [November?] trew vertu expressed. And what I shall leve1 to pay of Your Lordship's wreched poore frinde and sarvant, [POSTSCRIPT.]—Your Lordship will finde that I have bynn strangly practised agaynst, and that others have their lives promised to accuse me. I can say no more, but beseich yow to use charety. 'Charitas est quædam participatio Spiritus Sancti.' Addressed: "To the right honorabell the Lord CECYLL, &.” 1603. [Novem ber!] To King Win CXXI. TO THE KING. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 67 (Hatfield). Holograph. MOST DREAD SOVERAYNE, IT is on part of the office of a just and worthy prince to here the cumplaynts of his vassalls-especially suche as ar in gretest missery. I know that, among many other presumtions gathered agaynst mee, your Majesty hath bynn parswaded that I was one of them who were gretly discontented, and therfore the more likely to be disloyall. But the great God so releive me and myne in both worlds, as I was the contrary; and as I tooke no greter cumfort then to behold your Majesty, and allways lerninge some good, and betteringe my knowthe King's ledg by your Majesties discource. chester.] Protest of the injustice of his conviction of Appeals to justice and mercy. 1 leave to pay;' i. e. 'leave unpaid.' ent. |