"The Queen is in very good tearms with yow, and, thanks be to God, well pacified, and yow are agayne her 'sweet Robyn.'"
On the 1st of April the Queen herself writes to Leicester a letter, which will repay perusal. And on the same day, Walsingham, at the express instance of the Queen, signifies to Leicester that Rawley, "upon her honor," had done Leicester good offices; and that, during the time of her displeasure, he dealt as earnestly for him as any other of his friends. All this shows Raleigh in high favour and standing at the court; and it is most improbable that he could, at such a moment, absent himself no less than three months from it. These letters appear to have been unusually long in reaching Leicester; in the early part of April he complains of not getting letters from the Queen, and on the 27th a great many reached him all at once. On the 31st of May, Leicester writes to Walsingham, and speaks of Rawley's pioneers; saying that he had written to him saying that they were ready to come. This could not refer to Raleigh's letter of 29th of March, because in it he states that the matter had been stayed; it must refer to one of a later date, which does not appear, but which was written, in all probability, some time on in May; it could not have been in Leicester's possession on the 29th of May, because on that day he writes to Walsingham, and mentions the same subject; namely, his wish for a reinforcement of 1000 men, which led him to speak of Rawley's pioneers on the 31st. With regard to the time it took to communicate with Leicester, he was at the Hague on the 30th of July, and on that day he knew of Drake's arrival at Portsmouth, stated in Hakluyt's account of Drake's voyage to have taken place on the 28th; although it is true, Governor Lane, who came home in the fleet, says the 27th of the same month. This was very speedy communication; but the arrival of Drake, and the results of his enterprise, were looked for with the utmost anxiety by the English ministry; and, no doubt, their satisfaction on the subject was communicated to Leicester by a rapid express. On the 9th of July we find Walsingham writing to Leicester:
"And lastly, that yt shall in no sorte be fyt for her Majestye to take any resolutyon in the cause until Sir Francis Drake's returne, at lest untyll the successe of his vyage be seene; wheruppon, in verry trothe, dependethe the lyfe and death of the cause according to man's judgment."
In a letter from Burleigh to Leicester, dated 20th of June, 1586, occurs the following:
"In Irland all thynges are quiet, and a nombre of gentilmen of Somersett, Devon, Dorcet, Cheshyre, and Lancashyre, are making themselves to go to Monster, to plant two or three thousand people, mere English, there this year."
In a note to this, Mr. Bruce, the editor, states, that Stow records the names of the honourable and worshipful gentlemen who made the attempt to colonise Munster, and names, amongst others, Sir Walter Raleigh. It was on this occasion that the poet Spenser got his grant of 3,028 acres in the county of Cork, which "is said to be dated June 27, 1586." So the Rev. Mr. Mitford, in his life of Spenser, prefixed to the Aldine edition of his poems (1839); and although he seems uncertain as to the date, there can be no doubt but that it is correct. Now I think that most people will agree with me in thinking that the whole of this, Raleigh's movements so far as they can be traced, his position at court, and the busy and stirring nature of the time, make it altogether improbable that Raleigh was absent in the month of June, 1586, on a voyage to Virginia. Hakluyt's not mentioning that he was in the vessel, would of itself be convincing to my mind, knowing the extent of his information on all subjects connected with Raleigh, and his minute and painstaking accuracy. Knowing, however, that this was the voyage in which Raleigh was stated to have visited Virginia, I have thought it worth while to search for more positive evidence. How far I have succeeded may be seen, but it is open to others to fix the fact of Raleigh's having been in England within the time I have limited. As a hint to go upon, I may mention that Babington's conspiracy was known to the English ministry on the 9th of July, although the conspirators were not apprehended until a month after; if Raleigh could be shown to have had any share in the discovery of the plot, his presence in England in the beginning of July, 1586, would be established beyond all doubt.
I have already been more than sufficiently tedious on the subject of the voyage of this little bark; what I have brought forward however bears more or less upon the question as to Raleigh having visited Virginia: I am clearly of opinion that on this occasion he did not. I cannot refrain, however, from adding a word or two of purely speculative conjecture. There is something rather suspicious in Drake visiting Virginia with the whole of his armament, and losing time in doing so, when the whole nation, from the queen downwards, was on the very tenter-hooks of anxiety for intelligence of him and of his success. The question arises, was it a rendezvous? and did the "bark of aviso" bear other and more important despatches than those addressed to Master Ralph Lane? Might not its arrival a day or two earlier have directed Drake to strike a blow at some defenceless but important part of the Spanish empire, deadly in proportion to its being unexpected? These are questions which I can in no wise answer, but they have arisen in my mind; and if it were so, we might be fain to believe, in spite of everything that I have been able to bring forward, that Raleigh was indeed on board his gallant little bark, but that, the mark not having been hit, the attempt was kept secret. It must not be forgotten that at that time, with the exception of this little colony, England had not a rood of land in the New World. However, I must remember that history ought not to deal in conjecture.
About fourteen or fifteen days after the departure of the bark, Grenvill made his appearance with the other three vessels. After making every search he returned home, leaving fifteen men on the Island of Roanoke. Subsequent expeditions found no traces of these men excepting the bones of one of them. No one has ever asserted that Raleigh was on board of this fleet.
Nothing daunted by these failures—
"In the yeere of our Lord 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh, intending to persevere in the planting of his countrey of Virginia, prepared a newe colonie of one hundred and fiftie men to be sent thither, under the charge of John White, whom hee appointed Governour, and also appointed unto him twelve assistants, unto whom he gave a charter, and incorporated them by the name of the Governour and Assistants of the Citie of Raleigh in Virginia."—Hak. Vol. iii. p. 280.