Sir Walter Raleigh and his Time.docx
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Sir Walter Raleigh and his Time.docx
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SirWalterRaleighandhisTime
SirWalterRaleighandhisTime{1}
byCharlesKingsley
'Truthisstrangerthanfiction.'Atriteremark.Weallsayit
againandagain:
buthowfewofusbelieveit!
Howfewofus,when
wereadthehistoryofheroicaltimesandheroicalmen,takethe
storysimplyasitstands!
Onthecontrary,wetrytoexplainit
away;toproveitallnottohavebeensoverywonderful;toimpute
accident,circumstance,meanandcommonplacemotives;tolowerevery
storydowntothelevelofourownlittleness,orwhatwe(unjustly
toourselvesandtotheGodwhoisnearusall)choosetoconsider
ourlevel;torationaliseawayallthewonders,tillwemakethemat
lastimpossible,andgiveupcaringtobelievethem;andprovetoour
ownmelancholysatisfactionthatAlexanderconqueredtheworldwitha
pin,inhissleep,byaccident.
Andyetinthismood,asinmost,thereisasortofleft-handed
truthinvolved.Theseheroesarenotsofarremovedfromusafter
all.Theyweremenoflikepassionswithourselves,withthesame
fleshaboutthem,thesamespiritwithinthem,thesameworld
outside,thesamedevilbeneath,thesameGodabove.Theyandtheir
deedswerenotsoverywonderful.Everychildwhoisbornintothe
worldisjustaswonderful,and,foraughtweknow,might,'mutatis
mutandis,dojustaswonderfuldeeds.Ifaccidentandcircumstance
helpedthem,thesamemayhelpus:
havehelpedus,ifwewilllook
backdownouryears,farmorethanwehavemadeuseof.
Theyweremen,certainly,verymuchofourownlevel:
butmaywenot
putthatlevelsomewhattoolow?
Theywerecertainlynotwhatwe
are;foriftheyhadbeen,theywouldhavedonenomorethanwe:
but
isnotaman'sreallevelnotwhatheis,butwhathecanbe,and
thereforeoughttobe?
Nodoubttheywerecompactofgoodandevil,
justaswe:
butsowasDavid,nomanmore;thoughamoreheroical
personage(saveOne)appearsnotinallhumanrecordsbutmaynotthe
secretoftheirsuccesshavebeenthat,onthewhole(thoughthey
founditasorebattle),theyrefusedtheevilandchosethegood?
Itistrue,again,thattheirgreatdeedsmaybemoreorless
explained,attributedtolaws,rationalised:
butisexplaining
alwaysexplainingaway?
Isittodegradeathingtoattributeitto
alaw?
Anddoyoudoanythingmoreby'rationalising'men'sdeeds
thanprovethattheywererationalmen;menwhosawcertainfixed
laws,andobeyedthem,andsucceededthereby,accordingtothe
Baconianapophthegm,thatnatureisconqueredbyobeyingher?
Butwhatlaws?
Tothatquestion,perhaps,theeleventhchapteroftheEpistletothe
Hebrewswillgivethebestanswer,whereitsays,thatbyfaithwere
doneallthetrulygreatdeeds,andbyfaithlivedallthetruly
greatmenwhohaveeverappearedonearth.
Thereare,ofcourse,higherandlowerdegreesofthisfaith;its
objectisonemoreorlessworthy:
butitisinallcasesthebelief
incertainunseeneternalfacts,bykeepingtruetowhichamanmust
inthelongrunsucceed.Must;becauseheismoreorlessinharmony
withheaven,andearth,andtheMakerthereof,andhastherefore
fightingonhissideagreatportionoftheuniverse;perhapsthe
whole;forashewhobreaksonecommandmentofthelawisguiltyof
thewhole,becausehedeniesthefountofalllaw,sohewhowithhis
wholesoulkeepsonecommandmentofitislikelytobeinharmony
withthewhole,becausehetestifiesofthefountofalllaw.
Ishalldevoteafewpagestothestoryofanoldhero,ofamanof
likepassionswithourselves;ofonewhohadthemostintenseand
awfulsenseoftheunseenlaws,andsucceededmightilythereby;of
onewhohadhardstruggleswithafleshandbloodwhichmadehimat
timesforgetthoselaws,andfailedmightilythereby;ofonewhomGod
solovedthatHecausedeachslightestsin,aswithDavid,tobring
itsownpunishmentwithit,thatwhilethefleshwasdeliveredover
toSatan,themanhimselfmightbesavedintheDayoftheLord;of
one,finally,ofwhomninehundredandninety-ninemenoutofa
thousandmaysay,'Ihavedoneworsedeedsthanhe:
butIhavenever
doneasgoodones.'
Inapoorfarm-houseamongthepleasantvalleysofSouthDevon,among
thewhiteapple-orchardsandtherichwater-meadows,andthered
fallowsandredkine,intheyearofgrace1552,aboywasborn,as
beautifulasday,andchristenedWalterRaleigh.Hisfatherwasa
gentlemanofancientblood:
fewolderintheland:
but,
impoverished,hehadsettleddownuponthewreckofhisestate,in
thatpoorfarm-house.Norecordofhimnowremains;buthemusthave
beenamanworthknowingandworthloving,orhewouldnothavewon
thewifehedid.ShewasaChampernoun,proudestofNormansquires,
andcouldprobablyboastofhavinginherveinsthebloodof
Courtneys,EmperorsofByzant.Shehadbeenthewifeofthefamous
knightSirOthoGilbert,andladyofComptonCastle,andhadborne
himthreebravesons,John,Humphrey,andAdrian;allthreedestined
towinknighthoodalsoinduetime,andthetwolatteralreadygiving
promises,whichtheywellfulfilled,ofbecomingmostremarkablemen
oftheirtime.AndyetthefairChampernoun,atherhusband'sdeath,
hadchosentowedMr.Raleigh,andsharelifewithhiminthelittle
farm-houseatHayes.Shemusthavebeenagrandwoman,ifthelaw
holdstruethatgreatmenalwayshavegreatmothers;anespecially
grandwoman,indeed;forfewcanboastofhavingbornetotwo
differenthusbandssuchsonsasshebore.Norecord,asfaraswe
know,remainsofher;norofherboy'searlyyears.Onecanimagine
them,nevertheless.
Justasheawakestoconsciousness,theSmithfieldfiresare
extinguished.Hecanrecollect,perhaps,hearingoftheburningof
theExetermartyrs:
andhedoesnotforgetit;nooneforgotor
daredforgetitinthosedays.Heisbroughtupinthesimpleand
manly,yethigh-bredwaysofEnglishgentlemeninthetimesof'an
oldcourtieroftheQueen's.'Histwoelderhalf-brothersalso,
livingsomethirtymilesaway,inthequaintandgloomytowersof
ComptonCastle,amidtheapple-orchardsofTorbay,aremenasnoble
aseverformedayounglad'staste.HumphreyandAdrianGilbert,who
afterwards,bothofthem,risetoknighthood,are--whatarethey
not?
--soldiers,scholars,Christians,discoverersand'planters'of
foreignlands,geographers,alchemists,miners,Platonical
philosophers;many-sided,high-mindedmen,notwithoutfantastic
enthusiasm;livingheroiclives,anddestined,oneofthem,todiea
heroicdeath.FromthemRaleigh'sfancyhasbeenfired,andhis
appetiteforlearningquickened,whileheisyetadaringboy,
fishinginthegraytrout-brooks,orgoingupwithhisfathertothe
Dartmoorhillstohuntthedeerwithhoundandhorn,amidthewooded
gorgesofHolne,oroverthedrearydownsofHartlandWarren,andthe
cloud-captthicketsofCator'sBeam,andlookingdownfromthence
uponthefarbluesouthernsea,wonderingwhenheshallsailthereon,
tofighttheSpaniard,anddiscover,likeColumbus,somefairy-land
ofgoldandgems.
Forbeforethisboy'smind,asbeforeallintenseEnglishmindsof
thatday,rise,fromthefirst,threefixedideas,whichyetarebut
one--thePope,theSpaniard,andAmerica.
Thetwofirstaretheswornandinternecineenemies(whetherthey
pretendaformalpeaceornot)ofLawandFreedom,BibleandQueen,
andallthatmakesanEnglishman'slifedeartohim.Aretheynot
theincarnationsofAntichrist?
TheirMolochsacrificesflame
throughalllands.Theearthgroansbecauseofthem,andrefusesto
coverthebloodofherslain.AndAmericaisthenewworldof
boundlesswonderandbeauty,wealthandfertility,towhichthesetwo
evilpowersarrogateanexclusiveanddivineright;andGodhas
delivereditintotheirhands;andtheyhavedoneevilthereinwith
alltheirmight,tillthestoryoftheirgreedandcrueltyrings
throughallearthandheaven.IsthisthewillofGod?
Willhenot
avengeforthesethings,assurelyasheistheLordwhoexecuteth
justiceandjudgmentintheearth?
Thesearetheyoungboy'sthoughts.Thesewerehisthoughtsfor
sixty-sixeventfulyears.Inwhatsoeverelsehewavered,henever
waveredinthatcreed.Helearntitinhisboyhood,whileheread
'Fox'sMartyrs'besidehismother'sknee.Helearntitasalad,
whenhesawhisneighboursHawkinsandDrakechangedbySpanish
tyrannyandtreacheryfrompeacefulmerchantmenintofiercescourges
ofGod.Helearntitscholastically,fromfathersanddivines,asan
Oxfordscholar,indayswhenOxfordwasaProtestantindeed,inwhom
therewasnoguile.Helearntitwhenhewentover,atseventeen
yearsold,withhisgallantkinsmanHenryChampernoun,andhisband
ofahundredgentlemenvolunteers,tofleshhismaidenswordin
behalfofthepersecutedFrenchProtestants.Helearntitashe
listenedtotheshrieksoftheSanBartholomew;helearntitashe
watchedthedragonnades,thetortures,themassacresofthe
Netherlands,andfoughtmanfullyunderNorrisinbehalfofthose
victimsof'thePopeandSpain.'Hepreacheditinfarstrongerand
wiserwordsthanIcanexpressitforhim,inthatnobletractof
1591,onSirRichardGrenville'sdeathattheAzores--aTyrtaean
trumpet-blastsuchashasseldomrunginhumanears;hediscussedit
likeacoolstatesmaninhispamphletof1596,on'AWarwithSpain.'
Hesacrificedforitthelasthopesofhisoldage,thewreckofhis
fortunes,hisjustrecoveredliberty;andhediedwiththeoldGod's
battle-cryuponhislips,whenitawokenoresponsefromthehearts
ofacoward,profligate,andunbelievinggeneration.Thisisthe
background,thekeynoteoftheman'swholelife.Ifwelosethe
recollectionof
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