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he did hope to have preferred to be a yeoman of the guard. The father (a goodly man himselfe) comes to S: W. R. a stranger to him, and told him that he had brought up a boy, that he would desire (having many children) should be one of her Majestie's guard; qth S: W. R. "Had you spake for yourselfe I should readily have graunted your desire, for your person deserves it, but I putt in no boyes;" sd the father, "Boy come in ;" the son enters, about 18 or 19, but such a goodly proper young fellow, as S: W. R. had not seen the like, he was the tallest of all the guard. S: W. R. sweares him immediately; and ordered him to carry up the first dish at dinner, where the Q. beheld him with admiration, as if a beautifull young giant had stalked in wth the service.

In his youth, for severall years, he was under streights for want of money. I remember that Mr. Th. Child, of Worcestershire, told me that Sr Walter borrowed a gowne of him when he was at Oxford (they were both of the same coll.), which he never restored, nor money for it.

When he was attacked by the officer, about the businesse which cost him his head, he was carryed in a boate (a wherry), I thinke only with two men, K. James was wont to say, that he was a coward to be so taken and conveyed, for

else he might easily have made his escape from so slight a guard.

He was a prisoner in the Tower . . . . yeares; Quære, where his lodgings were? He there (besides his compiling his History of the World) studyed Chymistry. The Earle of Northumberland was prisoner at the same time, who was the patrone to Mr. Hariot and Mr. Warner, two of the best mathematicians then in the world, as also Mr. Hues (de Globis). Serjeant Hoskins (the poet) was a prisoner there too.

I heard my cosen Whitney say that he saw him in the Tower. He had a velvet cap laced, and a rich gowne, and trunke hose.

At the end of the History of the World, he laments the death of the most hopefull Prince Henry, whose great favourite he was; and who, had he survived his father, would quickly have enlarged him, with rewards of honour. So upon the Prince's death ends his first part of his History of the World, with a gallant eulogie of him, and concludes, Versa est in luctum cithera mea; et cantus meus in vocem flentium. He had an apparatus for the second part, which he, in disconteut, burnt, and sayd, "If I am not worthy of the world, the world is not worthy of my workes."*

*His booke sold very slowly at first, and the bookseller complayned of it, and told him that he should be a loser by

He was sometimes a poet, not often. Before Spenser's Faery Q. is a good copie of verses, which begins thus, "Methinkes I see the grave where Laura lay:" at the bottome W. R. which, 36 yeares since, I was told were his.

Old St Thomas Malett, one of the Justices of the King's Bench, tempore Car. I. et II. knew S: W. and I have heard him say, that notwithstanding his so great mastership in style, and his conversation with the learnedest and politest persons, yet he spake broad Devonshire to his dyeing day. His voice was small, as likewise were my schoolfellows, his gr. nephews.

He was scandalized with atheisme; he was a bold man, and would venture at discourse, which was unpleasant to the church-men. I remember my La Scudamour sayd, ""Twas basely sayd of S W. R. to talke of the anagramme of Dog." In his speech on the scaffold, I heard my cosen Whitney say (and I thinke 'tis printed) that he spake not one word of Christ, but of the great and incomprehensible God, with much zeale and adoration, so that he concluded he was an a-christ, not an atheist. He tooke a pipe of tobacco a little before he went to the scaffold, wh some

it, which putt Sir W. into a passion; and he sayd that since the world did not understand it, they should not have his second part, which he tooke and threw into the fire, and burnt before his face.

formall persons were scandalized at, but I thinke 'twas well, and properly donne to settle his spirits. I remember I heard old father.

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Symonds (è Societate Jesu) say, that . . . father, was at his execution, and that to his knowledge he dyed with a lye in his mouth, I have now forgott what 'twas. The time of his execution was contrived to be on my Lord Mayor's day (viz. the day after S: Simon and Jude), that the pageants and fine shewes might drawe away the people from beholding the tragedie of one of the gallantest worthies that ever England bred. Buryed privately under the high altar at St Margaret's church, in Westminster, on. . . . in which grave (or neer) lies James Harrington, Esq. author of Oceana.

A Copy of S: W. Ralegh's letter, sent to Mr. Duke, in Devon, writt with his owne hand.

Mr. DUKE,

*

I wrote to Mr. Prideaux to move you for the purchase of Hayes, a farme sometime in my father's possession. I will most

*Hayes is in the parish of East Budleigh. He was not buryed at Exeter by his father and mother, nor at Shirburne, in Dorset; at either of wch places he desired his wife (in his letter the night before he dyed) to be interred. His father had 80 yeares in his farme of Hayes, and wrote Esquier.

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willingly give whatsoever in your conscience you shall deeme it worth, and if at any time you shall have occasion to use me, you shall find me a thankeful friend to you and yours. I am resolved, if I cannot entreat you, to build at Colliton; but for the naturall disposition I have to that place, being borne in that house, I had rather seate myselfe there than any where els; I take my leave readie to countervaile all

to the utter of my power.

your courtesies

Your very willing friend,

In all I shall be able,

WALTER RALEGH.

Court, y XXV1 of July, 1584.

JUDGE RUMSEY,

Walter Rumsey, of Lanover, in com. Monmouth, Esquier (borne there), was of

...

in Oxon, afterwards of ye societie of Graye's Inne, where he was a bencher. He was one of the judges in South Wales, viz. Caermarthen, Pembrokeshire, and Cardigan circuit. He was so excellent a lawyer, that he was called The Picklock of the Lawe. He was an ingeniose man, and had a philosophicall head; he was most curious for grafting, inoculating, and planting, and ponds. If he had any old dead plumbe-tree, or

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