mee cann Hope itsealf flatter mee withall? No; in place of deeds would to God I could but in my very thoughts attribute what I ought; what is dew. Here is all of cumfort which remayneth,—that as your Majestye hath imitated God the celestiall Kinge in gevinge, that your Majestye wilbe pleased to do the like in receyvinge. Other retribution then acknowledgment and love God looketh not for; nether can your Majestye have other of mee, sed miserationum tuarum nunquam obliviscar, but remayn your Majesties most humblest and most bound and indebted vassall, W. R. Addressed: To the Kings most excellent Majestye, my soverayne Lorde. Endorsed, in Lord Cecil's hand: "Sir W. Ralegh to the King." CXXVI. TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cii. § 22 (Hatfield). Holograph. It IF thes letters cume out of tyme to your Lordshipe, I beseich yow to lay them asyde and to pardon mee. pleased the Kinge to promis my wife her goods and chatells. I have willed her to sew for them. thincks it to littell purpose untill she have a Bill drawn for them. That, she cannot have, without a Warrant to Mr. Aturney or Sollicitor. She LETTER 1603. Decem. ber? To Lord Cecil. [From the Tower?] Personal estate.Debts. My debts are trebell to my goods; the ever-living and landed God doth know it to be trew. And therfore the King's Majesty shall case hyme scalf both of charg and trobell LETTER CXXVI. 1603. Decem ber? Desire for a royal regrant of Sherborne. -Other personal affairs. by refusing to meddell with ether. I speak it not, to have a reason for the King's charety-for it hath respect but to it sealf and to God-but to deliver trewly my miserabell estat. And thos small debts which ar owing to me I cannot recover, untill it pleas the Kinge to inable mee, or sume body for mee. My lands ar tied uppon my child and my brother. If I plead that conveyance, I cannot use the poure of revocation in the conveiance, who have lost all poure. Then, can I never satisfy my creditors. And besyds, I shall live a ward to my child and to my brother. If I take my land from the Kinge, I may then dispose of sume part of it, to free me from clamor. That the conveyance was made att Midsomer was twelvemoneth, DODRIGE2 can witnes, and, if he have law or honesty, it is good. Yet I do humblie desire that as I hold my life. so I may that littell land that I have, of the King's gift; that nothing may be myne but what his mercy hath geven mee. The trew valew of my land I have delivered this bearer; all but xii' a yeare, in Devon. I protest uppon my alleagence that this is the trew state of it to my knowledge; and God doth know that it will not geve mee and myne bread and cloaths. I pay here four pounds a week, for my diet. I must pay it, if the Kinge geve me my poore estate agayne. And, my 3 1 I. c. Midsummer 1602. 2 Sir John Doddridge was at this time an eminent lawyer, and a men ber of the Society of the Middle Temple. Born at Barnstaple, in 1555, he was almost exactly Sir Walter's contemporary, as well as his fellow-Devor:21 The "if" in this sentence is very memorable, read in the light of the events of Ralegh's life in 1607 and 1608. Sir John was, in the special sense of the term, a Crown lawyer, and was made a Judge of the King's Bench 1613. He died in 1628, and his tomb is amongst the most conspa S monuments -not the most beautiful-of Exeter Cathedral. 3 Equal, it will be remembered, to about £20 of these days. Lord CECILL, the Lord in Heaven doth witnis that I, and my wife and child, must proportion our sealvs such a famely as we must all live att four pounds a week, for all our dietts, or elce we must all go naked. For it takes too parts of all the rent I have in the world. If, by your goodnis, thes things might cum to sume question or end, I shalbe most bound unto yow. My tenants refuse to pay my wife her rent. I hold divers leases uppon forfeture, in that mannor,1 of myne own tenants. Alas! all goes to ruin of that littell which remaynethe. My woods ar cutt down; my grounds wast; my stock-which made up my rentsold. And except sume end be had, by your good favor to the Kinge, I perishe every waye. This I leve to your tyme and charetabell care, and rest your Lordship's miserabell poore frind, ever to be cummanded by yow, W. RALEGH. [POSTSCRIPT.]-Of £3,000 a yeare ther remayns but £300; and uppon that £3,000 debt.3 Addressed: To the right honorabell my singuler good Lord, the Lord CECYLL, Endorsed, in Sir R. Cecil's hand: Sir Walter Ralegh. LETTER CXXVI, 1603. Decem ber? 1 Sherborne. 2 Equal, substantially, to £15,000, now. 3 See Letter CXXX., p. 299. CXXVII. LETTER 1603-1604? To Lord [From the Message sent by the Earl of Pembroke for the Seals of the Duchy of Cornwall. -Expres sion of his desire to write to the King. 1 TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cix. § 10 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. MAY IT PLEAS YOUR LORDSHIPE, THER came a sarvant unto mee of the Earle of PEMBROOKS for the Seal of the Duchy of Cornwale, having a letter of your Lordship to Mr. Levetenant for his access unto mee. I beseich your Lordship to excuse mee in that I did not deliver the Seale unto his man. For I received it from her Majesty, uppon the death of the Earle of BEDFORD. And I thinck, when your Lordship gave up the Duchy, yow delivered the Seales by warrant from her. I had thought to have taken this good occasion to have written to his Majesty, which I never did, since my returne from Winchester, although all others have don. If your Lordship do not thinck it unfitting mee, I would willingly do it. But, if your Lordship thinck it not best for mee, I will forbeare it; and then write unto your Lordship and send yow the Seale to deliver the King. I do not desire to offend the Earle, but I hope yow will thinck it reasonabell that I deliver it by order, as 'I receaved it, and not uppon a message by his mar. I humblie beseich your Lordship, by SHELBURY or some elce, to vouchsaufe your favorabell advice,—whose I shall ever remayne to the end of my life, to do yom service, Addressed: W. RAI EGH. To the right honorable my singuler good Lord, the Lord CXCVLL- 1604 CXXVIII. TO SECRETARY LORD CECIL OF ESSINGDON. From the Original. Cecil Papers, vol. cix. § 12 (Hatfield). Holograph. Without date. I HAVE sent your Lordshipe herewith the Duchy Seale, and have writen to the King's Majesty that I have besought your Lordship to deliver the same unto his Majesties hands, to whom only it apparteyneth to dispose therof. I humblie beseich your Lordship also to deliver for mee this inclosed, wherin I have humblie prayed his Majesty to continew and perfait his mercies begun. Good my Lord, remember your poore, awncient, and trew frind, that I perish not here, where health weres awaye; and whose short tymes run fast on in misery only. Those which plotted to surprize and assaile the person of the Kinge,-thos that ar Papists, ar att liberty. Do not forgett mee, nor doubt mee. For as God liveth I shall never forgett your trew honor and remorse of mee. But will remayne, as your thought, to serve yow, W. R. LETTER CXXVIII. 1603-1604? To Lord Tower.] Seals of the of a letter to the King. Addressed: To the right honorable my singuler good Lord, the Lord CECYLL. Endorsed: 1604 Sir Walter Raleigh to my Lord. |