His wife was a lady named Elizabeth Throgmorton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton. Much is not known of her: enough, however, is known to prove that she was a woman of character and attainments. The marriage, in spite of its inaugural storm, was a success.
Ralegh's imprisonment occurred when he was busily engaged in fitting out expeditions against the Spaniards to command the trade-route through the Azores. In 1591 a rough squadron had been despatched under Lord Howard; but the enemy had got wind of it, and had sent a powerful fleet to protect their vessels. Of this Lord Howard heard in time to avoid disaster; he weighed anchor from Flores where he was anchoring, and escaped. Sir Richard Grenville, however, refused to fly: with his small ship the Revenge he awaited the attack, and the full fury of the Spanish Fleet fell upon him. His resistance was as gallant as his disobedience had been audacious. Ralegh wrote a superb account of his friend's undaunted valour, and his friend's death spurred him on to renewed enterprise against the Spaniards.
In the following year, 1592, he took the chief part in an expedition which, under his management, was far more successful. "Sir Walter Ralegh," writes Hakluyt, "upon commission received from her Majesty for an expedition to be made to the West Indies, slacked not his uttermost diligence to make full provision of all things necessary, as both in his choice of good ships, and sufficient men to performe the action evidently appeared. For his shippes, which were in number 14 or 15, those two of her Majesties, the Garland and the Foresight were the chiefest; the rest either his owne or his good friends or adventurers in London." Sir John Burrough was in command, and under him was the stern Sir Martin Frobisher, whose rigour even the hardiest sailors disliked. Contrary winds prevented the fleet from sailing for some weeks from the western ports where they were anchored; and the Queen, disliking the delay, recalled Ralegh. But Ralegh, being deeply involved in the enterprise, did not obey her first summons. The wind at length became favourable; and he set sail. But when they were, on May 11th, off Cape Finisterre, "a tempest of strange and uncouth violence" arose, and Sir Walter himself in the Garland was in danger of being swallowed up by the sea. The storm did much damage to the vessels. Moreover, they had learned from two ships homeward bound for London, that no Spanish vessel would move that year, and that the hope of plunder in the West Indies was small. Accordingly, Ralegh determined to divide his fleet into two squadrons, one under the command of Sir John Burrough, and one under the command of Sir Martin Frobisher, and to lie in wait, the first at the Azores, the second by the Spanish coast "to amuse the home fleet." He himself then returned home, and forthwith on his arrival was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
On August 3rd, an immense Spanish galleon, the Madre de Dios, was sighted by Captain Thomson, in The Dainty. He immediately attacked, and was beaten off with some loss, until Sir John Burrough came up with the Roebuck, and the attack was resumed at close range. Still, however, the galleon held her own: Sir R. Cross then sailed up in the Foresight, and Sir John Burrough conferred with him as to the best course to pursue. At all costs they must prevent the Portuguese from taking her to shore and firing her, as they had fired the Santa Cruz, a few months earlier. They decided to board the Madre de Dios. Their first attack was repulsed: the galleon slowly kept on her way to the island. Then Sir R. Cross encouraged his men to make a final attempt. For three hours they fought on alone, when two ships of the Earl of Cumberland arrived, and the galleon was at length taken.
Naturally there was considerable anger among the men of Ralegh's fleet, when the Earl of Cumberland's captains demanded their share of the spoils. Feeling ran high between both parties, and many valuables were stolen, for the galleon was beyond all belief, rich in treasure. And when, on the eighth of September, they arrived with the capture at Dartmouth, and learned that Ralegh was in the Tower, the disorder grew perilously near to mutiny. Ralegh's presence became a necessity, and he was released. He went to the West as a State prisoner. Sir Robert Cecil preceded him.
News of the treasure on the captured ship had spread far and wide: and a proclamation was issued throughout the towns in Devon and Cornwall "that all passengers should be stopped, and that all trunks, carriers, packs, hampers, cloak-bags, portmanteaus, and fardells, that are likely to have in them any part of the goods lately arrived in the ports of Dartmouth or Plymouth in a Spanish carrock ... should be stayed and searched." For the galleon, besides jewels and bullion, contained spices, drugs, silks, calicoes, carpets and quilts, to the value of about £150,000.
ROBERT CECIL
So, Cecil writes in a letter to his father, that "Whomsoever I met by the way within seven miles, that either had anything in cloak-bag, or in mail, which did but smell of the prizes (for I assure your Lordship I could smell them almost, such hath been the spoils of amber and musk amongst them) I did, though he had little about him, return him with me to the town of Exeter.... I have taken order to search every bag or mail coming from the West.... My Lord, there never was such spoil! I will suppress the confluence of these buyers, of which there are above two thousand. And except they be removed there will be no good.... Fouler ways, desperater ways, nor more obstinate people did I never meet with.... Her Majesty's captive comes after, but I have outrid him."
And in a second letter, written a few days later, he describes Ralegh's arrival, and the enthusiastic welcome which his men of Devon gave him: "I assure you, Sir, poor servants to the number of a hundred and forty goodly men, and all the mariners came to him with such shouts and joy, as I never saw a man more troubled to quiet them in my life. But his heart is broken, for he is very extreme pensive longer than he is busied, in which he can toil terribly."