Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 20.djvu/281

Rh RALEIGH 263 which would strike the balance in its favour in the struggle with Spain, exercised a strong fascination over the imagi- native character of Raleigh. In the next year, 1596, how- ever, he was wanted nearer home, and was compelled to content himself with sending one of his followers, Captain Keymis, to extend his knowledge of Guiana. He was himself called on to take the command of a squadron in the expedition sent against Spain under Lord Howard of Effingham and the earl of Essex. It Avas Raleigh who, on the arrival of the fleet off Cadiz, persuaded Howard and Essex to begin by an attack on the Spanish fleet, and who himself led the van in sailing into the harbour. Before long the Spanish fleet was thoroughly beaten, and all of it, except two vessels which were captured, was destroyed by the Spaniards themselves. Raleigh was wounded in the action, and the subsequent capture of Cadiz was carried out by others. In May 1597 Elizabeth, who was growing somewhat tired of the petulance of Essex, readmitted Raleigh to court. It was arranged that he should go as rear-admiral of a fleet, under the command of Essex, intended to cripple yet further the maritime power of Spain. The "island voyage," as it was called, was on the whole a failure, the only notable achievement being the capture of Fayal (Azores) by Raleigh in the absence of Essex. The generous nature of Essex was overmastered by vanity, and, falling under the sway of meaner men, he grew to regard Raleigh as a personal rival. He did not even mention the capture of Fayal in his official account of the voyage. In 1598 Elizabeth, who was always ready to reward her courtiers at the expense of others, completed a bargain in Raleigh's favour. In 1591 he had obtained, through the queen's intervention, a lease for ninety-nine years of the manor of Sherborne from the bishop of Salisbury. In 1598 the see was vacant. Aspirants to the mitre were informed that only by converting the lease into a perpetual estate in Raleigh's favour could the object of their wishes be obtained. On these terms Dr Cotton became bishop of Salisbury and Raleigh possessor of Sherborne in full ownership. In 1600 Raleigh added to his other offices that of governor of Jersey. A temporary reconciliation between Raleigh and Essex was followed by a permanent estrangement when Essex was appointed to the govern- ment of Ireland, the personal feeling on both sides being probably strengthened by the divergence between their Irish policies, Raleigh wishing to use force alone, whilst Essex wished to come to terms with Tyrone. When Essex rushed into his final act of rebellion he gave out as one of his reasons his fear of being murdered by Raleigh and Lord Cobham, who at this time were allied. After the death of Essex the question of the succession assumed a pressing importance with the imminence of the close of Elizabeth's reign. Cecil, allying himself with the intriguing Lord Henry Howard, assured himself of James's favour, and poisoned his ear against Raleigh and Cobham. Into Raleigh's feelings at this time it is impossible to penetrate with certainty, but it can hardly be doubted that, though he professed himself ready to support James's claim, he did not throw his whole heart into the cause of the Scottish king. Raleigh was the man of the struggle against Spain, self-reliant and unrelenting, eager to push on the reprisals on Spain till the Spanish monarchy was utterly beaten down. James was a lover of peace, anxious to live on good terms with all his neighbours, and under the belief that by fair dealing the Catholic powers and the pope himself might be brought to accept loyally the hand which he was ready to hold out. Raleigh, in short, wished to emphasize the differences which divided Christendom ; James wished to treat them as hardly existing at all. When James came to the throne, therefore, he was certain to come into conflict with Raleigh, and not being able to see the advantage of keeping about him men of different tempers he dismissed him from the captaincy of the guard, compelled him to surrender the wardenship of the Stan- naries, suspended his patent of wine licences as a monopoly, and took from him the governorship of Jersey, though for this he gave him a pension to compensate for his loss. That which followed it is impossible to fathom to the bottom. Raleigh must have been very angry, and it is quite possible that he may have used violent language and have even spoken of a Spanish invasion as preferable to the rule of James, or have declared his preference of the title of Arabella Stuart to that of the existing sovereign. The main witness against him was Cobham, and Cobham made and retracted his charges with such levity that it is im- possible to trust to his evidence. Raleigh, however, was imprisoned, and, after attempting to commit suicide, was brought to trial at Winchester in November 1603, when he was condemned to death. The king, however, commuted his sentence upon the scaffold to one of imprisonment. During his imprisonment in the Tower Raleigh devoted himself to chemical experiments and to literary work. It was here that he composed so much of the History of the World as was ever finished, and that he also issued pam- phlets on questions of passing politics. Here too he learned that misfortune continued to follow him, and that there was a flaw in the conveyance by which he had made over Sherborne to trustees to save it from the usual consequences of attainder, and that James had seized it for his favourite Carr, though he gave in compensation 8000 and a pen- sion of <400 a year for the lives of Lady Raleigh and her eldest son. Raleigh's thoughts had often turned to Guiana. An offer made by him in 1612 to send Keymis to the gold mine which he believed to exist near the Orinoco was rejected, but in 1616 he was himself released at the inter- cession of Villiers, on the understanding that he was to go in person to Guiana, and was to visit the gold mine. As a security that he would not encroach upon the territory of Spain, he was to remain unpardoned, so that his life might be at the king's mercy if he broke his promise. It is probably not doing injustice to Raleigh to suppose that he had no intention of keeping it if it proved inconvenient. As far as was then known, indeed, the spot where the mine was supposed to be might be reached without passing a Spanish settlement, though he was aware that the Spaniards claimed the whole country as their own. To seize Spanish territory and to fight the Spaniards in every possible way was, however, regarded by him as altogether righteous as well as politic, and he had no respect for James's scruples, which arose partly from weakness, but partly also from a respect for international obligations, which in the case of Spain was foreign to Raleigh's mind. Most likely Raleigh thought that all Avould be well if he brought home sufficient evidence that the mine was worth possessing. Before he sailed he suggested to James that he should be allowed to attack Genoa, a city in dependence on Spain, and when this plan was rejected he entered into com- munication with the French ambassador and sent to the admiral of France to ask permission to bring into a French harbour all that he might gain on his voyage. The ex- pedition turned out badly. His sailors would not ascend the Orinoco unless he remained at the mouth to keep off the Spaniards. Those who ascended found a Spanish village in the way, and after a sharp fight drove the Spaniards out and burned the place. The mine, if it really existed, they never reached, and Raleigh had to return to England with failure on his head. He Avas soon arrested and lodged in the Tower. Whether James Avould have pardoned Raleigh if he had