Norwich bulletin., 1922-06-29
Great Mems Love Letters
Sir Walter Raleigh to His Wife

The following. beautiful letter was writ ten by Sir Walter Raleigh to his wife after his trial for treason and condemua- tion to death in 1903. His sentence was afterwards reprieved and he was commit ted to Imprisonment in the Tower, where he remained more than twelve years, his captivity during much of that time soft ened by the society and affection of his wife.
 ''You shall not receive dear wife, my last words in these my last lines My love will send you, that you may keep 1t when am dead and my counsel, that you may remember in when am no more. would not by my will present you with sorrows, dear Bess let them go to the grave and be buried with me in dust. And seeing it is not the will of God that I shall ever see you more in this life, bear it patiently and with a. heart like myself.
 Firstly, I send you all the thanks my heart can conceive, or my words can ex- press, for your many cares and troubles taken for me- which they have not taken effect as you wished, yet the debt is nath- less and pay it never shall in this world.
 Secondly, I beseech you by the love you bore me living, do not hide yourself in grief many days but seek to help the miserable fortunes of our poor child for his fathers sake, who chose and loved you in his happiest time. God is my wit ness that it is for you and yours I desire life; but it is true I disdain myself for begging for it. x XXX
 "The everlasting God, infinite, power which is
 "The everlasting God. infinite, pow erful inscruitable, the Almighty God which is goodness itself, mercy itself i; the true light and life-keep thee and thine, have mercy on me, and teach me , to forgive my prosecutors and false wit ] nesses, and send us again to meet in His Glorious Kingdom. My own true wife, farewell Pray for me and let the good God hold both you and my poor boy in His arms. Written with the dying hand of a sometime thy husband, but now, alas, overthrown.
 Yours that was, but not now my | own.
 "w. Raleigh During the last years of Raleigh's 1 captivity the interest in American dis coHery was strongly aroused and there were rumors of rich mines discovered ] in Guiana. Not many in England knew as much about America as Sir l Walter Raleigh; and the king, as mer- cenary as he was cowardly, finally con- cluded to send Sir Walter on an ex- i petition, although his sentence was un- revoked by the crown. It was upon his return from this expedition, when he | could clearly forsee his doom, that Sir 1 Walter wrote the following to his wife to console her for the death of their son. The letter is dated March 22, 161S. | Sweet Heart am loath to write be- cause I know not how to comfort you | and God knows never knew what sor- 'l row meant till now. All that I can say to you is that you must obey the vii and providence of God; and remember that the Queens Majesty bore the less of Prince Henry with a magnanimous } heart, and the Lady Harrington of hel only son. Comfort your heart, deares
 Bess. I shall sorrow for us both; shall sorrow the least because I have not long to live. I am very broken ant
 1t is a torment for me to write ant
 especially of misery. You shall hea,
 from me if live, from the Newfeund land, where I mean to make clean m, ships and revictuai, for I have tobacco enough to- pay for it. The Lord hles
 and comfort you, that you may bear pa
 tiently the death of our valient son." t Raleigh was arrested immediately aft sI CT landing and without any trial wa
 condemned to death, nd was executed
 His execution took place on Oct. 2s a 1918.