The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-06-17


Raleigh one morning was taken out efh
bed, ina lit oflevef, x unexpectedly hurrlc,
not 10 his trial but 10 n sentence of death
The story is we'll known. Yet pleading
with a voice grown weak by sickness, aud
an agae he had ut thai instant on him. he
used every means In avert his fate he did
therefore, value the life he could SO easily
| part with. His Judges there, IT least, re-
spected their state criminal, and they al
dressed him IN far different tone tbun he
! had fifteen years before listened 10 from
Coke. Neyerton, thf attorney general,
,aid " Sir Walter Raleigh hath been ~ It
star at which the world have gazed, but
stars may fall, nay, they must fall, when
! they troable the sphere where they abide"
! And the lord chief Justice noticed Ralcigh's
| Great worl. know that you have BEEN
valiant aud WISE, and l. doubt not hut
You rct1ln both these virtues for nov Won
shall have occasion 10 use them. Your
book Is an admirable work. | would give
You counsel, but know you can apply IN
10 yourself far better than am able To give
YOU" But the Judge ended with saying,
execution Is granted II was sitting RAJ
leigh with 70 SEES and il Was listening to
lie declared thai now being old, sickly,
aud IN disgrace, and certain, were he al
lowed to live, In - 10 IL again, life was
weafsone 10 him, and all he cntreated was
10 have leave 10 speak freely Mt his fare
well, to satisfy the world that lac WAS ever
loyal TO the king, aud true lover of the
commonwealth Tor this he would seal
with his blood
Raleigh on his return To his prison, while
some WIRE deploring his fate, observed that
the world itsolris but u larger prison, out
| of which some are daily selected for exc
| cuiion."
| The last night Of his existence was oc-
cnpled by writing what the letter writer
| calls "a remembfancer To he left With his
lady, to acquainl the world with his sent
fnents, should he be- denied their delivery
! from the scallod, AZ he had been nj The bar
of the Kings Bench. His lady visited him
| that night, and amidst her tears acquaInt
I'd him, that she had obtancd the favor of
dispensing of bis body Ia which he an
s"ered aming," II is we'll, Bess, that thou
mayest dispose of that when dead, thou
hadst moi always the disposing Of when ii
was alive At midnight he entrentcd her
IL leave him. II must have been then, th,d
| with mistaken fortltudc, Raleigh sai down
| to compose these verses on his denth, which
heIng short, the most appropriate may be
repeated.
syen such is Time, that takes on trust
Our youth our joys, our all wo have,
| Aud pnys ~ but with age mud dust,
WHO IN the dark and silent grave,
| When we have wandered all our ways,
shuts up The story OF our days -
! lie has added two other lines expressive
of his trust in his resurrection. Their an-
thenticity is confirmed by the writer of,hc
present letter, ns we'll rs another writer,
enclosing half dozen verses, which Sir
| Walter made The night before his death, 10
take hiS farewell Of poetry, wherein he bad
been scrIbblcr even from his youth -
The enclosure is not NOW with the letter.
| Chamberlain, the writer, was an intelligent
man ofthr world, but not imbued with any
deep iictuc of literature. On the same
night Raleigh wrote this distcllu on the eau
die burning dimly:
- Cowards ienr 10 die but courage stout,
Rather than live in sHull, will be put out"
! At this solemn moment, before he lay
down 10 rest, aud nj the instant of parting
from his lady, with all his domestic alice
! ions still warm, To express his feeling IN
verse WAS with him Natural elIusion, aud
one tn which hc had long been used IL is
| peculiar IN the fate OF Raleigh, that having
before suffered long Imprisonment with
an expectation of n public death, his mind
bad bren accustomed 20 It's contemplation.
and often dwct on the event which WAS
now passing. The soul, IN its sudden de-
partorc, and lis future state, il often the
subject nf lis few poems that most orr
giDal one of "Thc Farewell
Go, soul The body enest,
Upon q ilmnkess crrand, &c.
Is attributed TO Raleigh, though on unccr.
tain evidence. But another, entitled 1.-THE
Pilgrimage has this beautiful passage
! Give me my scalIop-shel of quiel,
My staff of truth 10 walk upon,
! Ny scrip OF Joy immortal diet
My bottle Of 1ayaiion,
| NJ gown of glory, Hopes trne gage,
And lhus take my pilgrimage,
Whilst my soul, like u quiet Palmer,
Traveeth towards the land of Heaven.
| Ralegh's chccrlulDcs WAS SO rcmarka-
| bic, aud his fearnssnrs Of death so marked,
| that the Dem Of Westminster, who attend
cd him. at first Wondering nj the hero, rep.
reheaded the Iigllupss of his manner bal
| Raleigh gave God thanks that hp had never
feared death, for il WAS but an opinion and
an imagination aud as for the manner oI
death, he had rather die 80 than Of burn.
ins fever aud that some might have made
shows ontwardly, but he felt the Joy
within. The Dean says, that he made 10
more Of death than if he had been 10 take
~ journey; ;" not" said he, " but that | am
great siuner, for have been u soldier. =
sraman aud eo'wtier." The writer of a
manuscript letter tells ug, that the Dean
dcclarcl be dlcd MOI nnlN tclininusly I'M