Sir Walter in
calling his actions to public question, were highly disapproved [8].

The next important transaction we find Raleigh engaged in, was in
1601, when the unfortunate earl of Essex, who had calumniated him
to the king of Scotland, and endeavoured all he could to shake his
interest, was so ill advised by his creatures, as to attempt a public
insurrection. Raleigh was active in suppressing it: the earl pretended
that the cause of his taking arms was to defend himself against the
violence of his personal enemies, the lord Cobham and Raleigh having
formed a design of murdering him; tho' on the other hand it is pretty
certain, that Sir Ferdinand Gorges, one of the earl's accomplices,
afterwards accused Sir Christopher Blount, another of them, for
persuading him to kill, or at least apprehend, Sir Walter; which
Gorges refusing, Blount discharged four shots after him in a boat.
Blount acknowledged this, and at the time of his execution asked Sir
Walter forgiveness for it; which he readily granted.----While the earl
garisoned his house, Sir Walter was one of those who invested it,
and when his lordship was brought to his trial, he with forty of the
queen's guard was present upon duty, and was likewise examined with
relation to a conference which he had upon the Thames the morning
of the insurrection with Sir Ferdinando Gorges. At the execution of
Essex, six days after, in the Tower, Raleigh attended, probably in his
character of captain of the guard, and stood near the scaffold that
he might the better answer if Essex should be desirous of speaking
to him, but retired before the earl's execution, because the people
seemed to take his appearance there in a wrong light; tho' he
afterwards repented of it, as the earl expressed an inclination to see
and speak with him before his death, which was in all probability to
have asked Raleigh's forgiveness for having traduced, and calumniated
him in order to colour his own rash designs.

In 1602 our author sold his estate in Ireland, to Mr. Boyle,
afterwards earl of Cork, and about Midsummer he settled his estate of
Sherbone on his son Walter, on account of a challenge which he had
received from Sir Amias Preston, who had been knighted at Cadiz by
the earl of Essex; which challenge Sir Walter intended to accept, and
therefore disposed his affairs in proper order. The cause of their
quarrel does not appear, but they were afterwards reconciled without
proceeding to a duel[9].