Sir Walter Rawleigh his speech at his death who was beheaded in the Pallace of Westminsterr the 27th of October 1618./ betweene the howres of 8 and 9 in the morning these lords being present there. The Earle of Arundell The Earle of Oxford The Earle of Lincolne The Earle of Northampton. Lord Viscont Doncaster Lord Percy Lord Sheffeild Lord Windsor. And also many knights gentlemen of ranke and quality beinge assended the Scaffold he saluted the lords & gentleman present which done he spake as followeth./ If there shall appeare any disturbance or trembling passion in me I desire you not to impute it to any imbicillity or weaknes of heart but rather to a strong and uiolent feauor that is now ready to hinder me in what I intend to say for this is now the third fitt & the houre of it is neere at hand for yesterday when I was called out of my bed I was in the full heate & extreamity thereof & I pray god it may now misse me that my voyce may not be hindred in the deliuery of that I would say for I desire that your lordshipps may be wittnesses thereof. I thanke god that I am deliuered out of darkenes to dye in the light. heere the lords most of them being in a window against the scaffold desired him to stay his speech & they would come downe to him which they did & then he proceeded in this manner./ As I sayd I thanke god I am come out of darkenes to dye in the light I meane imprisonment in the towre but concerning the matter for which the king hath taken soe great offence against me (being insensed thereunto by some) I must confesse that there were some probabilitys to moue him thereunto yet farr from truth the mayne & materiall poynts thereof are these first that I did practise with France & secondly that I had spoken uile naught & scandalous wordes of the kinge./ For the first concerning some practise with Fraunce I heere call the eternull god to wittnes that I neuer directly nor indirectly had any practise treaty message or businesse with the king or state of France or with any thence nor neuer had any with the French Agent nor yet neuer saw him vntill he came to me to my howse o lord I call thy all seeing Majestie to wittnes that I am most cleare & innocent herein alas it were a foolish maddnes in mee to lye in the presence of god to whom I am am at this uery instant going & before whom I am now to make my accompt for what profitt would it be to me to sett a little florish and glosse on these things & loose my owne soule for when a man shall desire god to be a wittnesse of his sayings & he shall then speake falslye o what a most fearefull & terrible thing it is to call god to bare wittnes of his falshood, euen in men that haue tyme after it to repent then what is it to me that haue noe tyme after this: I am now out of the power of the world & am not in case to flatter kings, but now am in the power of death, it is true that I did intend to fly to Rochell & to haue liued there vntill I could haue wrought my peace, but that I euer intended any enterprise or that there was a frentch commission forth as is surmised & hath been strongly enforced against me o lord I renownce thy mercyes if I know of any such thing./