a great accession to his fortune. In the summer of 1589, as has been stated in the text, having been chased from the court, by Essex, he repaired to his estate in Ireland, and, doubtless, then spent some time with Spenser, at his Castle of Kilcolman, which was not far distant from Ralegh's estate and the poet appears to have afterwards accompanied his friend to England.

Dr. Birch, in his Life of Ralegh, and others after him, have stated that Ralegh "obtained, of the crown, a grant, in 1594, of some church lands; a course of reward usual, with Queen Elizabeth, towards such as had performed any considerable service to the state....Dr. John Caldwell, upon his election to the see of Salisbury, having consented to alienate the manor of Sherborne in Dorsetshire, Sir Walter requested and procured it from her Majesty." This statement is wholly inconsistent with the history of his disgrace at court; for it cannot be supposed that the Queen would grant him any favour at the very time he was forbid to appear in her presence. To avoid that inconsistency, therefore, it has been supposed that, in 1594, he was restored to her Majesty's favour, which he had lost by seducing one of her maids of honour, Elizabeth, a daughter of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton. But the truth is, that Dr. Caldwell, after he was elected to the see of Salisbury, and before he was confirmed in the bishoprick, on the 18th of January, 1590-91, made a lease of the manor of Sherborne to the Queen, for ninety-nine years, at the annual rent of 2007. 16s. ld. ; and, nine days afterwards, the Queen assigned it over to Ralegh, for the remainder of her term. His disgrace took place near eighteen months afterwards, July 1592, when he was, for some time, committed to the custody of Sir George Carew, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance; and on the 31st of July, he was commit

6 Claus. 34 Eliz. p. 13.

ted to the Tower, where he was confined for two months. See a letter, from Sir Edward Stafford, to Anthony Bacon, July 30, 1592, Birch's Memoirs of Elizabeth, part i. p. 79. From other letters in the same collection, and from Camden, we learn, that he was not admitted into the Queen's presence before the end of the year 1595; if even then. In the summer of 1596, he was so far forgiven, as to be allowed a command in the expedition against Cadiz; but he was not allowed to resume the exercise of his office of Captain of the Guard till 1597. The disgrace, therefore, which Spenser so pathetically laments, continued for nearly five years. About two years after his restoration to the Queen's favour, and while his rival, Essex, was absent from the court, September 11, 1599, he obtained, from her, a grant of the manor of Sherborne to him and his heirs for ever7, of which he had before only a lease. At what time his marriage with Elizabeth Throckmorton took place, has not been ascertained. appears that she accompanied him to the Tower, in July, 1592; but a letter written by him to Cecil, and dated March 10, 1592 8, about three months before he and that lady were confined (for Ralegh reckoned the year as we now do), contains these remarkable words: "I meane not to come away, as they say, I will, for feare of a marriage, and I know not what. If any such thing weare, I would have imparted it unto your sealf, before any man living; and therefore I pray, believe it not; and I beseech you to suppress what you can, any such malicious report; for I protest before God, there is none on the face of the yearth, that I would be fastned unto.”

It

During the period above-mentioned, it was, that he poured forth those piteous complaints at being excluded from the presence of his "love's Queen, and the goddess of his life;" to which Spenser alludes in the following verses of the poem which has given rise to these observa8 Murden, p. 663.

7 Pat. 41 Eliz. p. 12.

tions. Thestylis having asked what was the subject on which the shepheard of the ocean descanted, Colin replies,

"His song was all a lamentable lay,

"Of great unkindness and of usage hard,

"Of Cynthia, the ladie of the sea,

"Which from her presence faultlesse him debarr'd.

"And ever and anon with singults rife,

"He cryed out, to make his under song,

"Ah my love's queene, and goddesse of my life,

"Who shall me pitie, when thou dost me wrong."

That the colouring of this picture is not overcharged, appears from Ralegh's own words, and also from a very curious letter written by Arthur Gorges, and already alluded to.

In a letter, written by Ralegh to Cecil, in July 1592, and, as it should seem, on the day when he was sent to the Tower, are the following passages:

My heart was never broken till this day, that I hear the Queen goes away so farr of [on her progress], whom I have followed so many years with so great love and desire, in so many journeys, and am now left behind her in a dark prison all alone. When she was at hand, that I might hear of her once in two or three dayes, my sorrowes were the lesse; but even now my heart is cast into the depth of all misery. I that was wont to behold her riding like Alexander, hunting like Diana, walking like Venus, the gentle wind blowing her hair about her pure cheeks, like a nymph; sometimes sitting in the shade like a goddess ; sometimes singing like an angel; sometimes playing like Orpheus; behold the sorrow of this world, once [one] amiss hath bereaved me of all.....All those times past, the loves, the sythes, the sorrows, the desires, can they not weigh down one frail misfortune! Cannot one drop of gall be hidden in so great heaps of sweetness? I may then conclude, spes et fortuna, valete."

Mr. Gorge's letter to Sir Robert Cecil, on this subject, is so curious, and so well illustrates Spenser's verses, that I shall give it entire. Dr. Birch says, "it has no date of month or year, but the indorsement is 26th July." The indorsement, however, in the copy in the Museum (MSS. Birch, 4106) is as follows: "Mr. A. Gorge's letter to my Mr. July 26, 1592;" which doubtless was written by Cecil's secretary. This letter was written five days before that above quoted, while Ralegh was in the custody of Sir George Carew (afterwards Earl of Totness), then Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance:

"Honorable Sir,

"I cannot chuse but advertise you of a straunge tragedye, that this day had lyke to have fallen oute betweene the Captayne of the Guarde, and the Lyvetennant of the Ordenaunce, if I had not by greate chaunce cummen at the very instant to have turned it into a comedye. For uppon the report of her Majestyes being at Sir George Carey's 9, Sir W. Rawly having gazed and syghed a long tyme att his study-wyndow, from whence he myght discerne the barges and boates about the Black-fryars stayers, soodaynly he brake owte into a greate distemper, and sware, that hys enemyes had of purpose brought hyr majestye thether, to breake his gaule in sounder with Tantalus' torments, that, when shee went away he myght see hys death before his eyes with many such lyke conceyts. And as a mann transported with passion, he sware to Sir George Carew, that he wolde disguyse hyme selfe, and gett into a payer of oares, to ease his mynde but with a syght of the Queene, or els he protested his harte wolde breake. But the trusty Jaylor wold non of that, for displeasing the higher powers, as he sayde, which he more respected than the feeding of hys humor: and so flatly

VOL. II.

9 The eldest son of Lord Hunsden.

i. e. for fear of displeasing, &c.

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refused to permitt hym. But in conclusion, uppon the dispute, they fell flatt owte to colloryq outragious wordes, with streyning and struggling att the doores, that all lamenes was forgotten, and, in the fury of the conflyct, the jaylor he had hys newe perwygg torne of [off] his crowne; and yet heare the battle ended not, for at laste they had gotten owte theyr daggers: which when Isawe, I played the stycklers betweene theme, and so purchased such a rapp on the knockles, that I wysht both theyr pates broken: and so with much adoo they stayed theyre brawle, to see my bloodyed fyngers. Att the fyrste, I was ready to breake with laughinge, to see theme too so scamble and brawle lyke mad menn, untyll I sawe the iron walkinge; and then I did my best to apease the fury. As yet I canót reconcyle them by any perswasions, for Sir Walt. sweares, that he shall hate hyme for so restrayning hyme from the syght of his mistress, whylst he lyves; for that he knowes not (as he sayd) whether ever he shall see hyr agayne, when she is goane the Progress. And Sir Georg on hys syde, swares, that he had rather he should lose hys longinge, then that he wolde draw on hym hyr Majesties displeasure by such libertie. Thus they contynew in mallyce and snarlynge; but I am sure all the smarte lyghted on me. I cannot tell wheare [whether] I should more alowe [approve] of the passionate lover, or the trusty jaylor. But yf your selfe had seene it as I dyd, yow wold have byne as hartely merry and sorry as ever yow weare in all your lyfe, for so short a tyme. I praye yow pardon my hasty wrytten narration, which I acquaynt yow with, hoping yow will be the peace-maker. But good sir, let no body knowe theareof, for I feare Sir W. Rawly wyll shortely growe to be Orlando Furioso, if the bryght Angelyca persever agaynst hyme a lyttle longer.

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"Your Honors humbly to be commanded,

i

"A. GORGES.

"London in haste, this Wensdaye."