ort to him of Mr. Justice
Gawdy's death-bed censure of his condemnation. But he denied that he had
in fact uttered the abuse imputed to him by Stukely and Manourie. His
only ill speech of his Majesty had been: 'My confidence in the King is
deceived.' It was deceived. The charge that he had never meant to work a
mine he met by references to refiners, and tools and assaying apparatus,
costing him L2000, that he had conveyed with him. To the accusation that
he had broken the King's peace with Spain, he retorted that the
aggression proceeded from the Spaniards. He had not directed any attack
upon them. His only object in despatching an armed force had been that
the soldiers might take up a position between the town and the Mine
while the rest were at work. The mere attempt to reach the Mine was no
offence, unless Spaniards had an absolute territorial title to the soil
of the region in which it lay.

[Sidenote: _Designs against the Plate Fleet._]

[Sidenote: _The Explanation._]

The Commission could not affirm an absolute claim on behalf of Spain. It
was reduced to rely upon accusations that he had from the beginning
harboured piratical intentions, and counted upon the assistance of
France for their accomplishment. Sir John Ferne, who had left him,
reported to the Commission talk by him as if he had meant to turn
buccaneer, and also to enter the French service. Apparently that was the
belief of some of his officers, though several may have alleged it
simply to excuse their desertion, and to guard against counter charges
by him. In any case the theory seems to have been founded upon the most
superficial proofs. Of any piratical acts of his, or practical service
rendered to France, he could confidently challenge the Law Officers to
produce the smallest proof. But on the solitary charge of a design to
seize the plate fleet the Commission was in possession of a morsel of
corroborative evidence. It confronted him with another of his runaway
captains, Pennington, and also with Wareham St. Leger. They testified to
admissions of his intention to lie in wait for the plate fleet.
According to Caesar's note, after their testimony he could no longer
adhere to his denial, and 'confessed that he proposed the taking of the
Mexico fleet if the mine failed.' How far he positively admitted it, and
how far Caesar inferred to his own satisfaction from Ralegh's mode of
receiving the evidence that he could not really contradict it, cannot be
a