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Lecture the Sixteenth.

LORD BURLEIGH-SIR WALTER RALEIGH-SIR PHILIP SIDNEY-RICHARD HOOKER.

HE authors who excelled in the various departments of prose during the present period, are confined, chiefly, to the departments of theology, philosophy, and historical and antiquarian information. Hardly any vestige of prose was, as yet, employed with taste in fiction, or even in observations upon manners; though it must not be forgotten that in Elizabeth's reign appeared the once popular romance of 'Arcadia' by Sir Philip Sidney, and in the early part of that of her successor, Thomas Dekker, whom we have already noticed as a dramatist, published a fiction under the title of The Gull's Hornbook, which was, at the time, extremely popular. The reign of James, and that of his successor Charles, produced several other acute and humorous describers of human character, which the sequel will develop. The authors whom we are first to notice under the department of literature now to be considered, are Cecil, Raleigh, Sidney, and Hooker.

WILLIAM CECIL, afterward the famous Lord Burleigh, was born at Bourn, Lincolnshire, in 1521. He was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, and passed thence to Gray's Inn, London, with a view to preparation for the legal profession. The assiduousness with which Cecil applied himself to the study of the law, was such, that he was scarcely admitted at the bar before he became one of its most distinguished ornaments. In the reign of Queen Mary, his abilities were so highly respected that, notwithstanding he had favored the course of Lady Jane Grey, still the queen often consulted him, and he retained throughout her whole reign, the good-will of her ministers. Soon after Elizabeth ascended the throne, Cecil was made secretary of state; and the duties of that arduous and responsible office he continued to discharge with unsullied honor until his death, which occurred in the month of August, 1598. In 1571, Cecil was created by the queen, Lord Burleigh.

As a minister this celebrated man was distinguished for wariness, application, sagacity, calmness, and a degree of closeness, which sometimes degenerated into hypocrisy; and most of these qualities characterize also, what is,

properly speaking, his only literary production,-Precepts or Directions for the Well Ordering and Carriage of a Man's Life. These precepts were addressed to his son, Robert Cecil, afterward Earl of Salisbury; and a few of them are here subjoined:

CHOICE OF A WIFE.

When it shall please God to bring thee to man's estate, use great providence and circumspection in choosing thy wife. For from thence will spring all thy future good or evil. And it is an action of life, like unto a stratagem of war; wherein a man can err but once. If thy estate be good, match near home and at leisure; if weak, far off and quickly. Inquire diligently of her disposition, and how her parents have been inclined' in their youth. Let her not be poor, how generous soever. For a man can buy nothing in the market with gentility. Nor choose a base and uncomely creature altogether for wealth; for it will cause contempt in others, and loathing in thee. Neither make choice of a dwarf, or a fool; for, by the one thou shalt beget a race of pigmies; the other will be thy continual disgrace, and it will yirke thee to hear her talk. For thou shalt find it, to thy great grief, that there is nothing more fulsome than a she-fool.

DOMESTIC ECONOMY.

And touching the guiding of thy house, let thy hospitality be moderate, and, according to the means of thy estate, rather plentiful than sparing, but not costly. For I never knew any man grow poor by keeping an orderly table. But some consume themselves through secret vices, and their hospitality bears the blame. But banish swinish drunkards out of thine house, which is a vice impairing health, consuming much, and makes no show. I never heard praise ascribed to the drunkard, but for the well-bearing of his drink, which is a better commendation for a brewer's horse or a drayman, than for either a gentleman or a serving-man. Beware thou spend not above three of four parts of thy revenues: nor above a third part of that in thy house. For the other two parts will do no more than defray thy extraordinaries, which always surmount the ordinary by much; otherwise thou shalt live like a rich beggar, in continual want. And the needy man can never live happily nor contentedly. For every disaster makes him ready to mortage or sell. And that gentleman, who sells an acre of land, sells an ounce of credit. For gentility, is nothing else but ancient riches. So that if the foundation shall at any time sink, the building must needs follow.

EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.

Bring thy children up in learning and obedience, yet without outward austerity. Praise them openly, reprehend them secretly. Give them good countenance and convenient maintenance according to thy ability, otherwise thy life will seem their bondage, and what portion thou shalt leave them at thy death, they will thank death for it and not thee. And I am persuaded that the foolish cockering of some parents, and the over-stern carriage of others, causeth more men and women to take ill courses, than their own vicious inclinations. Marry thy daughters in time, lest they marry themselves. And suffer not thy sons to pass the Alps; for they shall learn nothing there but pride, blasphemy, and atheism. And if by travel they get a few broken languages, that shall profit them nothing more than to have one meat served in divers dishes. Neither, by my consent, shalt thou train them up in wars; for he that sets up his rest to live by that profession, can hardly be an honest man or a good Christian. Besides, it is a science no longer in request than use; for soldiers in peace are like chimneys in summer.

1 Well-born.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH was one of the most distinguished of that brilliant constellation of great men that adorned the age of Elizabeth and James. He was of an ancient family, and was born at Hayes Farm, Devonshire, in 1552; and from his youth was distinguished by great intellectual acuteness, but still more by a restless and adventurous disposition. In 1568, he enered Oriel College, Oxford, and soon became eminent for his talents and learning; but his ambition prompted him to pursue the road to fame in an active life, and his residence at the university was, therefore, very brief. When only seventeen years of age, he became a soldier, and as a volunteer fought for the Protestant cause in the civil war of France and the Netherlands; and soon after he accompanied his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, on a voyage to Newfoundland. This expedition proved unfortunate; but by familiarizing Raleigh with a maritime life, it probably had great influence in leading him to engage in those subsequent adventures by which he eventually rendered himself so famous. In 1580 he assisted in repressing the Earl of Desmond's rebellion in Ireland, in consequence of which he obtained an estate in that country, and was, for some time, governor of Cork. Having, soon after, occasion to visit London, he attached himself to the court; and with the aid of a handsome person, and winning address, contrived to insinuate himself very thoroughly into the favor of Elizabeth. A well-known anecdote of the time illustrates his gallantry and tact. On one occasion, when he was attending the queen on a walk, she came to a miry part of the road, and for a moment hesitated to proceed. Raleigh perceiving her situation, instantly pulled off his rich plush cloak, and by spreading it before her, enabled her to pass over with unsoiled feet. This mark of attention delighted the queen, from whom, as it was some time after facetiously remarked, his cloak was the means of procuring for him many a good suit.

Not satisfied with the failure of the expedition to Newfoundland, in which he had accompanied his kinsman, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Raleigh, in 1584, again joined an adventure for the discovery and settlement of unknown countries in the west. With the help of his friends, two ships were sent out in search of gold mines, to that part of North America then known as Wingandacoa, now Virginia. The commodities returned to England by these vessels afforded such ample compensation for the toil and dangers of the voyage, that the owners were induced to fit out, the next year, a fleet of seven ships, under the command of Raleigh's kinsman, Sir Richard Grenville. The design of this second expedition was to colonize America; but the attempt proved an utter failure, and the enterprise was given up. The expedition, however, was important in one particular, as it was the means of introducing tobacco into England, and also of making known the potato, which is a native of Mexico, and was first cultivated in Europe at this time on Raleigh's estate in Ireland.

Raleigh's prosperity at court was meanwhile increasing. He was about this time knighted by the queen, and elected to Parliament from Devonshire. Elizabeth also made very considerable additions to his Irish estate,

and conferred upon him other solid marks of her favor. In return for these benefits, he zealously and actively exerted himself for the defence of her dominions against the Spaniards, in 1588; having not only been one of those patriot volunteers who sailed against the formidable Armada in the English Channel, but as a member of her majesty's council of war, contributed, by his advice and experience, to the maturing of those defensive arrangements which led to the discomfiture of the enemy. Elizabeth continued her favors to him for a long time without limit; but at length his troublesome importunities drew from her the pointed question, When, Sir Walter, will you cease to be a beggar?' to which, with his usual tact, he replied, 'When your gracious majesty ceases to be a benefactor.' With all his elevated traits of character, it must, however, be confessed that Raleigh was not, at this period of his life, strictly conscientious; and by taking bribes, and otherwise abusing his power and influence at court, he became unpopular with the nation at large, and his fortunes now began, though at first imperceptibly, to wane. Perceiving the approaching consequences of his unfair practices at court, Raleigh prepared to ward off the blow by attaching to himself the men of science and learning of the day. With this view, he set up an office of address intended to serve the purposes now effected chiefly by literary and philosophical societies. The following description of this scheme is given by Sir William Petty: 'It seems to have been a plan by which the wants and desires of all learned men might be made known to each other, where they might know what is already done in the business of learning, what is at present in doing, and what is intended to be done; to the end that by such a general communication of designs and mutual assistance, the wits and endeavours of the world may no longer be as so many scattered coals, which, having no union, are soon quenched, whereas being but laid together, they would have yielded a comfortable light and heat.' Raleigh not only devised this general plan by which to surround himself with literary men, but he also sought the particular friendship of eminent individuals. Accordingly, when on a visit to his Irish estates, he formed an acquaintance with Spenser, which soon ripened into an intimate friendship. He brought the poet over to London, introduced him to Elizabeth, and otherwise benefited him by his encouragement and patronage; in return for which favor Spenser addressed a pastoral to him entitled Colin Clout's Come Home Again, where Raleigh is celebrated under the title of the Shepherd of the Ocean.

In 1592, Raleigh engaged in one of those predatory expeditions against the enemies of England, which, in Elizabeth's reign, were very common; a fleet of thirteen ships, besides two of her majesty's men-of-war, being intrusted to his command. This armament was destined to attack Panama, and intercept the Spanish plate fleet, but, having been recalled by Elizabeth soon after it set sail, came back with a single prize. Soon after his return Raleigh incurred the deep displeasure of the queen by an amour with one of her maids of honor; in consequence of which, though he married the lady, he suffered imprisonment for some months. While in banishment

from the court, he undertook, at his own expense, in 1595, an expedition to Guiana, concerning the riches of which country many wonderful tales were then current. He, however, accomplished nothing farther than to take formal possession of it in the queen's name. The next year after his return to England he published a work entitled Discovery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana. This was Sir Walter's first important literary production, and it seems that about the same time he published it, he regained the queen's favor; for we find him holding, in the same year, a command in the expedition against Cadiz, under the Earl of Essex, and Lord Effingham. In the successful attack on that town, his bravery, as well as his prudence, was very conspicuous. In 1597, Raleigh was rear-admiral in the expedition which sailed under Essex to intercept the Spanish West India fleet; and by capturing Fayal, one of the Azores, before the arrival of the commander-in-chief, he gave great offence to the earl, who considered himself robbed of the glory of the action. A temporary reconciliation was, however, soon effected; but Raleigh afterward heartily joined with Cecil in promoting the downfall of Essex, and was a spectator of his execution from a window in the armory.

On the accession of James the First to the English crown, Raleigh's prosperity terminated, hatred toward him having been previously instilled by Cecil into the royal ear. Through the malignant scheming of the same hypocritical minister, he was accused of conspiring to dethrone the king, and place the crown on the head of Arabella Stuart. A trial for high treason ensued, and upon the most paltry evidence conceivable he was, by a servile jury, condemned. Sir Edward Coke, who was at the time attorneygeneral, abused him on this occasion in violent and disgraceful terms, bestowing upon him freely the lowest and most offensive epithets. Raleigh defended himself with such temper, eloquence, and strength of reasoning, that some, even of his enemies, were convinced of his innocence, and all parties were ashamed of the judgment pronounced against him. He was, however, reprieved, and instead of being executed, was committed to the Tower, in which his wife was permitted to bear him company. During the twelve years of his imprisonment, he wrote most of his works, especially the History of the World, of which only a part was finished, comprehending the period from the creation to the downfall of the Macedonian empire, about one hundred and seventy years before Christ.

The learning and genius of Raleigh, who, in the language of Hume, 'being educated amid naval and military enterprises, had surpassed, in the pursuits of literature, even those of the most recluse and sedentary lives,' have excited very general admiration. The style and manner of his celebrated history are vastly superior to any of the English historical productions which had previously appeared. Its style, though partaking of the faults of the age, in being frequently stiff and inverted, has less of these defects than the diction of any other writer of the time. Tytler justly recommends it as 'vigorous, purely English, and possessing an antique rich

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