The Discovery of Guiana

The Discovery of Guiana, by Sir
Walter Raleigh

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Title: The Discovery of Guiana
Author: Sir Walter Raleigh
Release Date: March 25, 2006 [EBook #2272]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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DISCOVERY OF GUIANA ***

Produced by Dagny; and John Bickers

THE DISCOVERY OF GUIANA
By Sir Walter Raleigh

INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Sir Walter Raleigh may be taken as the great typical figure of the age of
Elizabeth. Courtier and statesman, soldier and sailor, scientist and man
of letters, he engaged in almost all the main lines of public activity in
his time, and was distinguished in them all.
His father was a Devonshire gentleman of property, connected with
many of the distinguished families of the south of England. Walter was
born about 1552 and was educated at Oxford. He first saw military
service in the Huguenot army in France in 1569, and in 1578 engaged,
with his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, in the first of his
expeditions against the Spaniards. After some service in Ireland, he
attracted the attention of the Queen, and rapidly rose to the perilous
position of her chief favorite. With her approval, he fitted out two
expeditions for the colonization of Virginia, neither of which did his
royal mistress permit him to lead in person, and neither of which
succeeded in establishing a permanent settlement.
After about six years of high favor, Raleigh found his position at court
endangered by the rivalry of Essex, and in 1592, on returning from
convoying a squadron he had fitted out against the Spanish, he was
thrown into the Tower by the orders of the Queen, who had discovered
an intrigue between him and one of her ladies whom he subsequently
married. He was ultimately released, engaged in various naval exploits,
and in 1594 sailed for South America on the voyage described in the
following narrative.
On the death of Elizabeth, Raleigh's misfortunes increased. He was
accused of treason against James I, condemned, reprieved, and
imprisoned for twelve years, during which he wrote his "History of the
World," and engaged in scientific researches. In 1616 he was liberated,
to make another attempt to find the gold mine in Venezuela; but the
expedition was disastrous, and, on his return, Raleigh was executed on
the old charge in 1618. In his vices as in his virtues, Raleigh is a
thorough representative of the great adventurers who laid the
foundations of the British Empire.

RALEIGH'S DISCOVERY OF GUIANA
The Discovery of the large, rich, and beautiful EMPIRE Of GUIANA;
with a Relation of the great and golden CITY of MANOA, which the
Spaniards call EL DORADO, and the PROVINCES of EMERIA,
AROMAIA, AMAPAIA, and other Countries, with their rivers,
adjoining. Performed in the year 1595 by Sir WALTER RALEIGH,
KNIGHT, CAPTAIN of her Majesty's GUARD, Lord Warden of the
STANNARIES, and her Highness' LIEUTENANT-GENERAL of the
COUNTY of CORNWALL.

To the Right Honourable my singular good Lord and kinsman
CHARLES HOWARD, Knight of the Garter, Baron, and Councillor,
and of the Admirals of England the most renowned; and to the Right
Honourable SIR ROBERT CECIL, KNIGHT, Councillor in her
Highness' Privy Councils.

For your Honours' many honourable and friendly parts, I have hitherto
only returned promises; and now, for answer of both your adventures, I
have sent you a bundle of papers, which I have divided between your
Lordship and Sir Robert Cecil, in these two respects chiefly; first, for
that it is reason that wasteful factors, when they have consumed such
stocks as they had in trust, do yield some colour for the same in their
account; secondly, for that I am assured that whatsoever shall be done,
or written, by me, shall need a double protection and defence. The trial
that I had of both your loves, when I was left of all, but of malice and
revenge, makes me still presume that you will be pleased (knowing
what little power I had to perform aught, and the great advantage of
forewarned enemies) to answer that out of knowledge, which others
shall but object out of malice. In my more happy times as I did
especially honour you both, so I found that your loves sought me out in
the darkest shadow of adversity, and the same affection which
accompanied my better fortune soared not away from me in my many

miseries; all which though I cannot requite, yet I shall ever
acknowledge; and the