Coke. "The King's safety and your clearing cannot agree. I protest before God, I never knew a clearer treason."
The Attorney's impatience grew so much that, in the words of one report, he sat down in a chafe and would speak no more, until the commissioners urged and entreated him. After much ado he went on, and made a long repetition of all the evidence; and at the repeating of some things Sir Walter Ralegh interrupted him, and said he did him wrong.
Coke. "Thou art the most vile and execrable traitor that ever lived."
Ralegh. "You speak indiscreetly, barbarously and uncivilly."
Coke. "I want words sufficient to express thy viperous treasons."
Ralegh. "I think you want words indeed, for you have spoken one thing half a dozen times."
Coke. "Thou art an odious fellow; thy name is hateful to all the realm of England for thy pride."
Ralegh. "It will go near to prove a measuring cast between you and me, Master Attorney."
Coke. "Well, I will now make it appear to the world that there never lived a viler viper upon the face of the world than thou." And he proceeded to work up his speech to his last chief point of all—that was the production of a letter from Cobham, which he read. He interspersed his reading with exclamations of triumph. "I have thought fit to set down this to My Lords, wherein I protest on my soul to write nothing but the truth. I am now come near the period of my time, therefore I confess the whole truth before God and his angels. Ralegh, four days before I came from the Tower, caused an apple (Eve's apple, cried out the King's Attorney) to be thrown in at my chamber window; the effect of it was to entreat me to right the wrong I had done him, in saying, that I should have come home by Jersey, which under my hand to him I have retracted.... At Aremberg's coming Ralegh was to have procured a pension of £1500 a year, for which he promised, that no action should be against Spain, the Low Countries, or the Indies, but he would give knowledge beforehand. (Ah! is not this a Spanish heart in an English body?) He hath also been the cause of my discontentment; he advised me not to be overtaken with preachers, as Essex was; and that the king would better allow of a constant denial, than to accuse any."
"Oh! damnable atheist!" cried Coke. "He counsels him not to be counselled by preachers as Essex was; he died the child of God. God honoured him at his death."