'being confined to her bed, which lieth in a lower room, by the fire-side, she hath learned to read; and being visited so plenti " fully by the curious from many parts, as also by the religious of 'all persuasions, she hath attained some knowledge in sacred · mysteries, but nothing of enthusiasm, that she pretends unto. 6 And, lest she should prove a cheat, she hath been diligently watched by physicians, surgeons, and other persons, for, at least, a fortnight together, by the appointment of the noble Earl of Devonshire, as is already published by Mr. Robins B. of D. that is, ballad-maker of Derby, whose ballad, they say, doth much excel his book. Likewise several other persons, at other 6 times, have been pleased to watch for their own satisfaction, who, 'detecting no fraud, have given the account above-mentioned; which was, for the main, confirmed to me by a sophy, the 6 renown of whose wisdom hath often made England to ring, who 'assured me, that he had an exact account of her.'

This story being born thus out of due time, it may seem necessary to make some reflexions therefrom on the precedent discourse. And 1. Her age confirms the probability of a ferment in the seminals. 2. An antipathy to meat was not the promoter of the tragedy, but an inability to swallow. 3. Her assumptions of liquors, though seldom and slender, contributed not only to a petite concoction in the ventricle, but also to a fermentation in the heart. 4. Her restrained evacuations, by urine and stool, add much to her moisture, as well as to our trouble to render the assumption and non-evacuation consistent; to the performance whereof, let it be remembered, that, in this respect, she was formerly compared to embryo's, who use no excretion by the fundament, but retain, in their intestines, the more crass feculencies, till the time of their exclusion, the uterine embraces; which is the rather to be admitted, because she, as well as they, receives nothing but liquids; only in this she differs, they evacuate, by the urachus, into the allantoides their urinal excrement, but she hath no excretion of urine at all; the defect whereof may yet be supplied by these three advantages, which she hath above them, as are her expiration, extraordinary transpiration in the palms of her hands, and the far smaller quantity of liquors that she receives. 5. Her non-excretion, and the dryness of her mouth, argue the remanding of the humours to the further services of nature. 6. The atrophy of the parts, and inability to motion, seem to argue a defect of nervous juice and animal spirits; which weakens the necessity of our giving a perfect account, how nature may be completely sustained in the absence of food. 7. Her impetiginous eruptions argue the saltness of her blood, which adds the greater probability to the several saline ferments mentioned before. 8. Her sparing sleep shews not only the no necessity of the ordinary measures of healthful dormitators, but also that sleep may be conciliated otherwise, than by the powerful mediation of fuming food. 9. There is no cause, from any antecedent sanctity, to ascribe this mirandous production to miraculous causes. 10. Her abode, in a lower

room, doth accommodate her with a moister air, which is more generative of humours. 11. Her propinquity to the fire conduceth to the extraneous reception of igneous atoms. 12. Her non-pretensions to revelations, and the constant visits she receives from persons of all forms, may serve to occlude, not only the mouths, that are so unevangelical, as to cry her up for a miracle, but those also, that are so unphilosophical, as to cry her down for the cheat of a faction.

Now, sir, should I take my hand from the table, did I not suspect, that some one may possibly reply upon me and say, if I take it to be possible to live without food, it is a wonder I fall not myself to this piece of frugality; I therefore add, though with this jejune table one may possibly live, yet it follows not that I can; for, according to the old saying, That, which is one man's meat, is another man's poison; and, even in physick, it is affirmed by that noble philosopher, Esquire Boyle* (a worthy fellow of the Royal Society, of whose admirable designs I would you should know that I am a great admirer) that some medicines, as particularly salt of amber, is effectual for epileptical children, not so for adult epilepticks; and the deserving Dr. Castle affirms + that Mercur, dulc. is more safe for children, than grown persons, especially if irrigated with acidities. But, sir, I find myself launching into a wide sea; I shall therefore tack about to do my devoir, and crave your acceptance of this slender offering, and your Quietus est for the present, giving you assurance, that, in so doing, you may hereafter command, Sir,

Your observant Servant,

King's-Norton, Feb. 22, 1668.

Scept, Chym. p. 251.

JO. REYNOLDS.

+ Chym. Gal. p. 26,

A BRIEF RELATION*

OF

SIR WALTER RALEIGH'S TROUBLES.

WITH THE

Taking away the Lands and Castle of Sherburn in Dorset from him and his Heirs, being his indubitable Inheritance.

London, printed for W. T. 1669.

Quarto, containing Eleven Pages.

To the Right Honourable, the Commons of England, assembled in Parliament. The humble Petition of Carew Raleigh, Esq. only Son of Sir Walter Raleigh, late deceased,

Humbly sheweth,

THAT whereas your petitioner conceiveth, that his late father, Sir Walter Raleigh, was most unjustly and illegally condemned and executed; and his lands and castle of Sherburn wrongfully taken from him and his, as may more at large appear by this brief narrative hereunto annexed; the particulars whereof your petitioner is, upon due proofs, ready to make good: Your petitioner, therefore, humbly submitting to the great justice and integrity of this house (which is no way more manifested, than by relieving the oppressed) humbly craveth, that he may receive such satisfaction, for these his great oppressions and losses, as to the wisdom and clemency of this honourable house shall seem fit.

And your petitioner shall humbly pray, &c.

WHEN King James came into England, he found Sir Walter

Raleigh (by the favour of his late mistress Queen Elisabeth) Lord Warden of the Stannaries, lord lieutenant of Devonshire and Cornwall, captain of the guard, and governor of the Isle of Jersey; with a large possession of lands both in England and Ireland. The king for some weeks used him with great kindness, and was pleased to acknowledge divers presents, which he had received from him being in Scotland, for which he gave him thanks. But finding him (as he said himself) a martial man, addicted to foreign affairs, and great actions, he feared, lest he should engage him in a war, a thing most hated, and contrary to the king's nature. Wherefore he began to look upon him with a jealous eye, especially after he had presented him with a book, wherein, with great animosity, he opposed the peace with Spain, then in treaty, persuading the king rather vigorously to prosecute the war with that prince, then in hand, promising, and that with great probability, within few years to reduce the West-Indies to his obedience. But Sir Walter Raleigh's enemies, soon discovering the king's humour, resolved at once to rid the king of this doubt and trouble, and to

*This is the 100th Number in the Catalogue of Pamphlets in the Harleian Library.

inrich themselves with the lands and offices of Sir Walter Raleigh Wherefore they plotted to accuse him, and the Lord Cobham, a simple passionate man, but of very noble birth and great possessions, of high treason. The particulars of their accusation I am ut terly ignorant of, and I think all men, both then and now living; only I find in general terms, they were accused for plotting with the Spaniard, to bring in a foreign army, and proclaim the infanta of Spain, Queen of England; but without any proofs, and the thing itself as ridiculous as impossible. However, Sir Walter Raleigh was condemned without any witness brought in against him, and the Lord Cobham, who was pretended to have accused him barely in a letter, in another letter to Sir Walter Raleigh, upon his salvation, cleared him of all treason, or treasonable actions either against king or state to his knowledge; which original letter is now in the hands of Mr. Carew Raleigh, son of Sir Walter, to be produced at any time. Upon this condemnation, all his lands and offices were seized, and himself committed close prisoner to the Tower; but they found his Castle of Sherburn, and the lands thereunto belonging, to be long before entailed on his children, so that he could not forfeit it, but during his own life. And the king, finding in himself the iniquity of Sir Walter's condemnation, gave him all what he had forfeited, again, but still kept him close prisoner. Seven years after his imprisonment, he enjoyed Sherburn; at which time it fell out, that one Mr. Robert Car, a young Scotch gentleman, grew in great favour with the king; and having no fortune, they contrived to lay the foundation of his fu ture greatness upon the ruins of Sir Walter Raleigh. Whereupon they called the conveyance of Sherburn in question, in the Exchequer chamber, and for want of one single word (which word was found notwithstanding in the paper-book, and was only the oversight of a clerk) they pronounced the conveyance invalid, and Sherburn forfeited to the crown; a judgment easily to be foreseen without witchcraft, since his chiefest judge was his greatest enemy, and the case argued between a poor friendless prisoner, and a king of England.

Thus was Sherburn given to Sir Robert Car (after Earl of Somerset;) the Lady Raleigh* with her children, humbly and earnestly petitioning the king for compassion on her, and her's, could obtain no other answer from him, but that he mun have the land, he mun have it for Car. She being a woman of a very high spirit, and noble birth and breeding, fell down upon her knees, with her hands heaved up to heaven, and in the bitterness of spirit, beseeched God Almighty to look upon the justice of her cause, and punish those who had so wrongfully exposed her, and her poor children, to ruin and beggary. What hath happened since to that royal family, is too sad and disastrous for me to repeat, and yet too visible not to be discerned. But to proceed: Prince Henry, hearing the king had given Sherburn to Sir Robert Car, came with some anger to

She was the only daughter of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, who was arraigned, in Queen Mary's time, and acquitted. See Fox's Acts and Monuments.

his father, desiring he would be pleased to bestow Sherburn upon him, alledging that it was a place of great strength and beauty, which he much liked, but indeed, with an intention to give it back to Sir Walter Raleigh, whom he much esteemed.

The king who was unwilling to refuse any of that prince's desires, (for indeed, they were most commonly delivered in such language, as sounded rather like a demand than an intreaty) granted his request; and, to satisfy his favourite, gave him five and twentythousand pounds in ready money, so far was the king or crown from gaining by this purchase. But that excellent prince, within a few months, was taken away; how and by what means is suspected by all, and I fear was then too well known by many. After his death, the king gave Sherburn again to Sir Robert Car, who not many years after, by the name of Earl of Somerset, was arraigned and condemned for poisoning Sir Thomas Overbury, and lost all his lands. Then Sir John Digby, now Earl of Bristol begged Sherburn of the king, and had it. Sir Walter Raleigh, being of a vigorous constitution, and perfect health, had now worn out sixteen years imprisonment, and had seen the disastrous end of all his greatest enemies; so that, new persons and new interests now springing up in court, he found means to obtain his liberty, but upon condition, to go a voyage to Guiana, in discovery of a gold mine. That unhappy voyage is well known, almost, to all men, and how he was betrayed from the very beginning, his letters and designs being discovered to Gondamore, the Spanish Ambassador, whereby he found such opposition upon the place, that though he took and fired the town of St. Thoma, yet he lost his eldest son in that service, and being desperately sick himself, was made frustrate of all his hopes.

Immediately upon his return home, he was made prisoner, and by the violent pursuit of Gondamore, and some others, who could not think their estates safe, while his head was upon his shoulders, the king resolved to take advantage of his former condemnation sixteen years past, being not able to take away his life for any new action; and though he had given him a commission under the broad-seal to execute martial law upon his own soldiers, which was conceived, by the best lawyers, a full pardon for any offence committed before that time, without any further trouble of the law, cut off his head.

Here justice was indeed blind, blindly executing one and the same person upon one and the same condemnation, for things contradictory; for Sir Walter Raleigh was condemned for being a friend to the Spaniard, and lost his life for being their utter enemy. Thus kings, when they will do what they please, please not him they should, God, and, having made their power subservient to their will, deprive themselves of that just power whereby others are subservient to them. To proceed: Mr. Carew Raleigh, only son of Sir Walter, being at this time a youth of about thirteen, bred at Oxford, after five years, came to court, and, by the favour of the right honourable William Earl of Pembroke, his noble