252 uhe Discoveries and Settlements Book L 
encamp between the Mine and the Town, whereby they 
themfelves were nothing ftronger, their Boats were as 
much expofed, and the Mine left untried, contrary to 
Raleigh's Order. 
For about three Weeks after their Departure, landing 
by Night nearer the Town, it feems, than they fufpe6l- 
ed, and meaning to reft themfelves by the River-fide till 
the Morning, they were, in the Night time, fet upon by 
the Spanijh Troops, apprized of their coming. This 
Charge was fo unexpecfted, and ftruck the common Sol- 
diers with fuch Amazement, that had not the Captains and 
fome other valiant Gentlemen made a head, and animat- 
ed the reft, they had all been cut to pieces : But the reft, 
by their Example, foon rallying, made fuch a vigorous 
Defence againft the Spaniards that they drove them to 
a Retreat ; till, in the W armth of their Purfuit, the Kn- 
glijh found themfelves at the Spanijh Town before they 
knew where they were. Here the Battle was renewed, 
being affaulted by the Governor himfelf, Don Diego 
Palameca, and four or five Captains at the Head of their 
Companies ; againft whom Captain Walter Raleigh^ a 
brave and Iprightly young Man, now twenty-three Years 
of Age, not waiting for the Mulketeers, rulhed foremoft at 
the Head of a Company of Pikes, and, having killed one 
of the Spanijh Captains, was mortally wounded by another •, 
but prefiing ftill on with his Sword upon Erinetta^ pro- 
bably the Captain who had fliot him, this Spaniard^ 
with the butt End of his Mufket, felled him down to the 
Ground ; and after theft W^ords, Lord have mercy upon 
me^ and profper your Enterprize, young Raleigh fpoke 
no more : Hereupon John Plejfmgton, his Serjeant, thruft 
the Spanijh Captain through with his Halbert. Two 
Commanders more of the Spaniards were (lain, one by 
John odi Morocco another of young Raleigh's Company, 
and laftly the Governor himfelf alfo loft his Life in the 
Engagement ; wnich happened, as Cambden informs us, 
upon the 2d of January. 
The Leaders being all thus difpatched, and many of 
their Soldiers, the reft difperftd ; fome took Shelter about 
the Market Place, from whence they killed and wound- 
ed the Englijh at Pleafure, fo as they faw no Way left to 
be fafe but by burning the Town down about their Ears, 
and driving them into the W^oods and Mountains, whence 
they ftill kept the Englijh waking in perpetual Alarms ; 
others were more careful to defend their Pafiages to their 
Mines, of which they had three or four not far diftant, 
than they had been to defend the Town. Captain Key- 
mijh found the Pafiages, leading to the Mine he had in 
his Eye, very difficult, and the Rivers fo low, that he 
could not approach the Banks, in moft Places near the 
Mine, by a Mile ; and where he found an Afcent, a 
Volley of Mufkets came from the W^oods, and at one 
time fiew two of the Rowers, hurt fix others, and wound- 
ed Captain Lhornhurji in the Head. Keymijh feeing fo 
much hazard in attempting to find the Mine, the Paf- 
fage to it being full of thick and iinpafiable Woods ; 
and thinking the Englijh, who were left at St. Lhomas's, 
would not be able to deftnd it, elpecially if the Enemy 
fiiould be recruited, the Country being all in alarm, he 
gave over the Enterprize and returned. Befides’ the 
Difficulty of finding the Mine, he pretended, that if he 
had found it, he had not a Man to work it ; and, beino- 
a great Way up in the Land, Men would have been go^t 
thither with great Danger and Difficulty : But this fiiould 
have been thought of before ; and it was ill advifed to 
take fo much Pains, and run fo much Hazard, to get 
and pofiefs that, which when they had it they could not 
make Ufe of; fo that which Keymijh pleaded, when he re- 
turned, for an Excuft, refledted upon him as a great Mif- 
carriage. 
Sir Walter very much blamed him for it, and, among 
other things, told him if he had but brought one hundred 
W^eight of the Ore, though with the Lofs of one hun- 
dred Men, it would have given the King Satisfadlion, 
and preferved his Reputation ; and befides, would have 
given the Nation Encouragement to have returned the 
next Year with a greater Force, and have held the Coun- 
try for his Majefty, to whom it belonged. As foon as 
they returned to St, Thomas's, the Englijh pillaged the 
Town, carried away the beft and moft portable things ; 
and the Enemy not daring to appear for the Redemption 
of it, they fet it on fire, leaving behind them an infi- 
nite Mafs of Treafure, which, either for want of Know- 
ledge or Power, they could not attain. Sir Walter, 
upon the News of his Son’s Death, and Keymijh' s Return, 
finding himfelf difappointed thereby of his Hopes, was 
perplexed to the very Soul, and threatened Keymijh with 
the King’s Indignation, telling him he had undone him, 
and. wounded his Credit with his Majefty paft Recovery. 
This had fuch an Effedt upon him, that it threw him 
into Defpair, and a few Days after he made away with 
himfelf. Some fay he retired immediately into his Cabin 
and fiiot himfelf, with a Piftol, into the- Body ; but 
that being two flow for his Fury, defperately thruft a 
large Knire into the fame Wound up to the Haft. 
^ Theft Accounts may be faid both to be true, for, after 
Sir Walter's firft Reproof, he went away difcontented, and 
continued fo feveral Days. He came then a ftcond Time 
with his Excufes, and fliewed him a Letter which he had 
written to the Earl of Arundel, in his own Juftification, 
praying Sir Walter to allow of his Reafons, which he re- 
fufing, and telling him he would not favour or colour his 
Folly ; upon that he retired into his Cabin, and imme- 
diately committed the Fact. The Defign being thus de- 
feated, the Ships leaky, Vidliuals failing, and, above ail, 
having miffed thoft golden Showers they gaped after, 
fome of the Men began to mutiny againft their General, 
while others were for him fome would have him go 
home, others ftay ; the major Part forced him not to go 
home, but with their Confent, and yet his Ships flipped 
away one after another, till from ten they were reduced 
to four, and thoft on board would do juft what they lift : 
Some would go to Italy, fome for France, and fome few 
for England. When they zrhvtd. 2it Kinjale m Ireland, 
Sir W alter, it is pretended, would have perfuaded them 
to go with him to France ; but inftead of liftening to 
this Propofal, they carried him, againft his Will, to Ply- 
mouth, where he was arrefted by Sir Lewis Stukeley his 
Kinfman, by the King’s Order, and conveyed to the 
Tower of London. 
All the World knows what followed afterwards, when, 
under Colour of his former Judgment, Sir Walter was 
put to Death on the 29th of Odlober, 1618 ; an Adtion 
fo black and baft, fo mean, fo unworthy of a Govern- 
ment, and fo utterly inexcufable, that one really wants 
W^ords to exprefs the Foulnefs of the Action ; but with 
regard to the Cauft of his Death, or rather with refpedt 
to the Manner of it, I differ fomewhat in my Judgment 
from moft of thoft who have written about it ; and there- 
fore I fiiall take the I..iberty of explaining myfelf upon it, 
in as few Words as I can. It is very certain that King 
James was very well fatisfied that the firft Judgment 
againft Sir Walter Raleigh, at Winchejier, was very ill 
founded ; and of this Raleigh himfelf was fo fenfible, 
that he negledled obtaining a Pardon before he left Eng- 
land, which he might have obtained for 700 /. W^hen 
he came back it was refolved to facrifice him to the Spa- 
nijh Match, to the Fears of King James, and the Jealou- 
fies of his Minifters ; and in order to this, without 
doubt, it was intended a new Proftcution fiiould com- 
mence ; and in that Cafe there is the greateft Reafon. 
in the World to believe no Jury would have found him- 
guilty ; but Sir JValter Raleigh, from an Eagernefs to de- 
fend himfelf, wrote an Apology, in which he moft clearly 
proved that Guiana belonged to the Crown of England ; 
that his going thither was no Breach of Treaty ; that the 
Spaniards in America always behaved tov/ards the Eng- 
lijh as Enemies, and confequently ought not to, be con- 
fidered as Allies ; that his wffiole Defign was betrayed to 
them from the Beginning, which occafioned their fending 
Forces into thoft Parts, and all the Blood-ffied that af- 
terwards happened ; that even in refpedl to this the Spa- 
niards were Agreffors ; and that, throughout the whole 
Expedition, he had done nothing but what he was war- 
ranted to do by his Commiffion. This it was that drove 
the Miniftry from their firft Purpoft, and forced them 
upon that Meafure, which they afterwards took, of cal- 
ling him down to his former Judgment, contrary to 
Law^ 
