54 XLVII. 1617. kingdom, and that the people, under color of c A P. religion, were, contrary to former practice, debarred fuch fports and recreations as contributed both to their health and their amusement Festivals, which, in other nations and ages, are partly dedicated to public worship, partly to mirth and fociety, were here totally appropriated to the offices of religion, and ferved to nourish those fullen and gloomy contemplations, to which the people were, of themfelves, fo unfortunately fubject. The king imagined, that it would be eafy to infufe chearfulness into this dark spirit of devotion. He iffued a proclamation to allow and encourage, after divine fervice, all kinds of lawful games and exercifes; and, by his authority, he endeavoured to give fanction to a practice, which his fubjects regarded as the utmost instance. of profanenefs and impiety ". 54 Kennet, p. 709. 55 Franklyn, p. 31. To fhow how rigid the English,' chiefly the puritans, were become in this particular, a bill was introduced into the house of commons, in the 18th of the king, for the more ftrict obfervance of the Sunday, which they affected to call the Sabbath. One Shepherd oppofed this bill, objected to the appellation of Sabbath as puritanical, defended dancing by the example of David, and feems even to have juftified fports on that day. For this profaneness he was expelled the house, by the fuggeftion of Mr. Pym. The house of Lords oppofed fo far this puritanical spirit of the commons, that they propofed, that the appellation of Sabbath fhould be changed into that of the Lord's Day. Journ. 15, 16 Feb. 1620. 28 May, 1621. In Shepherd's fentence, his offence is faid by the house to be great, exorbitant, unparalleled. CHA P. XLVIII. Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition His execution nate Negociations with Spain A Parliament Rupture between Proteftation of the С НА Р. 1618. Sir Walter Raleigh's AT the time when Sir Walter Raleigh was first confined in the Tower, his violent and haughty temper had rendered him the moft unpopular man in England; and his condemnation expedition. was chiefly owing to that public odium, under which he labored. During the thirteen years imprisonment which he fuffered, the fentiments of the nation were much changed with regard to him. Men had leifure to reflect on the hardfhip, not to fay injuftice, of his fentence; they pitied his active and enterprifing spirit, which languifhed in the rigors of confinement; they were ftruck with the extenfive genius of the man, who, being educated amidst naval and military enterprises, had furpaffed in the purfuits of literature even thofe of the most reclufe and fedentary lives; and they admired his unbroken magnanimity, which, at his age and under his circumftances, could engage him to undertake and execute fo great a work as his History of the 1618. World. To increase these favorable difpofitions, CHA P. on which he built the hopes of recovering his XLVIII. liberty, he fpread the report of a golden mine, which he had difcovered in Guiana, and which was fufficient, according to his reprefentation, not only to enrich all the adventurers, but to afford immenfe treasures to the nation. The king gave little credit to thefe mighty promises; both because he believed, that no fuch mine as the one defcribed was any where in nature, and because he confidered Raleigh as a man of defperate fortunes, whofe bufinefs it was, by any means, to procure his freedom, and to reinftate himfelf in credit and authority. Thinking, however, that he had already undergone fufficient punishment; he releafed him from the Tower; and when his vaunts of the golden mine had induced multitudes to engage with him, the king gave them permiffion to try the adventure, and, at their defire, he conferred on Raleigh authority over his fellow-adventurers. Though ftrongly folicited, he ftill refused to grant him a pardon, which feemed a natural confequence, when he was intrufted with power and command. But James declared himself still diffident of Raleigh's intentions; and he meant, he faid, to referve the former fentence, as a check upon his future behaviour. RALEIGH well knew, that it was far from the king's purpose to invade any of the Spanish fettlements: He therefore firmly denied that Spain had planted any colonies on that part of the coaft where his mine lay. When Gondomar, CHA P. the ambaffador of that nation, alarmed at his XLVIII. preparations, carried complaints to the king, Raleigh ftill protested the innocence of his inten 1618. : tions And James affured Gondomar, that he durft not form any hoftile attempt, but should pay with his head for fo audacious an enterprise. The minifter, however, concluding, that twelve armed veffels were not fitted out without fome purpose of invafion, conveyed the intelligence to the court of Madrid, who immediately gave orders for arming and fortifying all their fettlements, particularly thofe along the coaft of Guiana. WHEN the courage and avarice of the Spaniards and Portuguese had difcovered fo many new worlds, they were refolved to fhow themfelves fuperior to the barbarous heathens whom they invaded, not only in arts and arms, but also in the justice of the quarrel: They applied to Alexander VI. who then filled the papal chair; and he generously bestowed on the Spaniards the whole western, and on the Portuguese the whole eaftern part of the globe. The more fcrupulous proteftants, who acknowledged not the authority of the Roman pontiff, established the firft difcovery as the foundation of their title; and if a pirate or fea-adventurer of their nation had but erected a ftick or ftone on the coast, as a memorial of his taking poffeffion, they concluded the whole continent to belong to them, and thought themselves entitled to expel or exterminate, as ufurpers, the ancient poffeffors and inhabitants. It was in this manner that Sir Walter Raleigh, 1618. about twenty-three years before, had acquired to c HA P. the crown of England a claim to the continent XLVIII. of Guiana, a region as large as the half of Europe; and though he had immediately left the coaft, yet he pretended that the English title to the whole remained certain and indefeasible. But it had happened in the mean time, that the Spaniards, not knowing or not acknowledging this imaginary claim, had taken poffeffion of a part of Guiana, had formed a fettlement on the river Oronooko, had built a little town called St. Thomas, and were there working fome mines of fmall value. To this place Raleigh directly bent his course; and, remaining himself at the mouth of the river with five of the largest ships, he sent up the rest to St. Thomas, under the command of his fon, and of captain Keymis, a perfon entirely devoted to him. The Spaniards, who had expected this invafion, fired on the English at their landing, were repulfed, and purfued into the town. Young Raleigh, to encourage his men, called out, That this was the true mine, and none but fools looked for any other; and advancing upon the Spaniards, received a fhot, of which he immediately expired. This difmayed not Keymis and the others. They carried on the attack; got poffeffion of the town, which they afterwards reduced to afhes; and found not in it any thing of value. RALEIGH did not pretend, that he had himself feen the mine, which he had engaged fo many |