Speech at his Death Sir Walter Raleigh Noah Millstone Principal Investigator MPESE Sebastiaan Verweij Co-Investigator MPESE Richard Bell Research Associate Victoria Anker BRIHC Research Impact Fellow Mike Jones Research Software Engineer Manuscript Pamphleteering in Early Stuart England (MPESE) 2017 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 11600

British Library, Additional MS 11600

 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 72354 Trumbull Miscellany United Kingdom London British Library Harley MS 39 United Kingdom London British Library Stowe MS 141 United Kingdom London British Library Stowe MS 180 United Kingdom London British Library Harley MS 3787 United Kingdom London British Library Harley MS 852 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 4106 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 40838 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 44848 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 69394 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 73086 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 73087 United Kingdom London British Library Harley MS 1576 United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 72329 Trumbull miscellany United Kingdom London British Library Harley MS 1893 United Kingdom London British Library Harley MS 6353 United Kingdom London British Library Egerton MS 784 The Diary of Mr. William Whiteway of Dorchester, co. Dorset United Kingdom London British Library Additional MS 34727 USA Washington D.C. Folger Shakespeare Library MS G.b.7 USA Washington D.C. Folger Shakespeare Library MS G.b.9 British Library, Additional MS 34727, f. 35v British Library, Additional MS 40838, f. 30r British Library, Additional MS 4106, ff. 82r–83v British Library, Additional MS 44848, ff. 267r–269v British Library, Additional MS 69394, ff. 59v–62v British Library, Additional MS 72329, ff. 118r–119v British Library, Additional MS 72354, ff. 50r–51v British Library, Additional MS 73086, ff. 20r–22r British Library, Additional MS 73087, ff. 43r–46v British Library, Egerton MS 784, p.6 British Library, Harley MS 1576, ff. 93r–94r British Library, Harley MS 1893 British Library, Harley MS 3787, ff. 182r–182v British Library, Harley MS 39, ff. 47x–48x British Library, Harley MS 852, ff. 29r–32r British Library, Harley MS 6353, ff. 80r–86r British Library, Stowe MS 141, f. 74x British Library, Stowe MS 141, f. 75x British Library, Stowe MS 180, ff. 47x–48x Beinecke Library, Osborn b32, pp145–153 Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 830, ff. 102r–103 Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 830, ff. 114r–115v Bodleian Library, MS Eng. hist. c. 319, ff. 18r–v Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson D 280, ff. 46r–52v Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson D 859, ff. 84r–85v Cambridge University Library, MS Dd.3.87, Item 18, 1r–5v Cambridge University Library, MS Ee.5.23, pp464–467 Cambridge University Library, MS Mm.6.33, ff. 181r–185v Folger Shakespeare Library, MS G.b.7, ff. 135r–138r Folger Shakespeare Library, MS G.b.9, ff. 161r–170v Folger Shakespeare Library, MS V.a.418, ff. 1r–4v Folger Shakespeare Library, MS V.b.303, pp271–275 Folger Shakespeare Library, MS Z.e.1, item 11 Gonville & Caius College, MS 73/40, ff. 214r–215r Inner Temple Library, Petyt MS 538/18, ff. 240r–244r Jesus College, MS 83 [on deposit in Bodleian], ff. 68v–70r Nottingham University Library, Cl LP 5, item 5, 2–5 Queen's College, MS 121, ff. 512–517 Queen's College, MS 130, ff. 152–157 Queen's College, MS 32, ff. 14r–16v Somerset Archives, DD\MI/18/82 Somerset Archives, DD\SF/7/1/11, item 1 The National Archives, SP 14/103, /52 [ff.74r–76r] The National Archives, SP 14/103, /54 [ff.77r–83r] Trinity College, MS O.5.21, ff. 178–185 Arraignment and Conviction of Sr Walter Rawleigh London 1648 A3744 26-34 D2v-E2v Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh's Sceptick London 1651 R186/R186A 139-150 Sir Walter Raleigh Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh London 1657 R180 197-202 Sir Walter Raleigh Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh London 1661 R181 259-264 Sir Walter Raleigh Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh London 1664 R182 259-264 Sir Walter Raleigh Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh London 1669 R183 259-264 Sir Walter Raleigh Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh London 1675 R184 259-264 Sir Walter Raleigh Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh London 1681 R185 260-265 Somers Tracts 2nd ed. 2 439-442 Anna R. Beer Sir Walter Ralegh and his Readers in the Seventeenth Century Basingstoke Macmillan 1997 Andrew Fleck "At the Time of His Death": Manuscript Instability and Walter Ralegh's Performance on the Scaffold Journal of British Studies 48 1 2009 pp. 4–28

On 29 October 1618, Ralegh was brought to a scaffold in Westminster's Old Palace Yard to be beheaded. In the final hour before his death, he delivered an apologetic speech to the gathered crowd justifying his conduct and insisting on his loyalty to King James and on his Christian belief. Many commentators recorded their favourable impressions of the speech, which helped revive Ralegh's reputation. Several different transcripts were made by onlookers.

 27[i.e. 29] October 1618 Palace of Westminster English speech execution France diplomacy Sir Walter Ralegh

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 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 weak= nes 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 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./