flict young Raleigh was killed, and by a fatal
mistake, captain Keymis did not prove the mine, but burnt and
plundered the Spanish garrison, and found amongst the governor's
papers one, which informed him, that Raleigh's expedition had been
betrayed, and that he was to be sacrificed to the Spaniards. Upon
Keymis's unsuccessful attempt, Raleigh sharply rebuked him for his
mistake, and a deviation from his orders, which so much affected that
captain, that he shot himself in his own cabin, and finding the wound
not mortal, he finished his design by a long knife with which he
stabbed himself to the heart. In this distressful situation Raleigh
returned home, and found on his arrival at Plymouth, a declaration
published against him; at which he took the alarm, and contrived to
convey himself out of the kingdom in a vessel hired for that purpose
by an old officer of his; but changing his opinion in that respect, he
proceeded in his journey to London.

Yet thinking it proper to gain time for the appeasing his majesty,
by the assistance of one Maneuric a French quack, he counterfeited
sickness for several days, during which he wrote his apology. However
on the 7th of August he arrived at London, where he was confined in
his own house; but having still good reasons not to trust himself to
the mercy of the court, he formed a design to escape into France,
which Sir Lewis Stackley, who was privy to, and encouraged it,
discovered, and Sir Walter being seized in a boat upon the river below
Woolwich, was a second time, on the 10th of August, committed to the
Tower; but tho' his death seemed absolutely determined, yet it seemed
difficult to find a method of accomplishing it, since his conduct in
the late expedition could not be stretched in law to such a sentence.
It was resolved therefore, to sacrifice him to the resentment of
Spain, in a manner so shameful, that it has justly exposed the
conduct of the court to the indignation of all succeeding ages, and
transmitted the pusillanimous monarch with infamy to posterity. They
called him down to judgment upon his former sentence passed fifteen
years before, which they were not then ashamed to execute. A privy
seal was sent to the judges to order immediate execution, on which
a conference was held Friday the 24th of Oct. 1688, between all the
judges of England, concerning the manner, how prisoners who have
been attainted of treason and set at liberty, should be brought to
execution. In con