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336RALEIGH, SIR WALTER (SIR WALTER
RALEGH) (ca. 1552–1618) Sir Walter Raleigh
lived a varied and adventurous life—soldier, privateer,
explorer, prisoner, and author. Born into a prosperous
family at Hayes, a farmhouse in Barton, Devonshire,
Raleigh attended Oriel College, Oxford, briefl y before
leaving to distinguish himself early in the French civil
wars. A staunch Protestant, he fought on behalf of the
Huguenots from 1569 until his return to England in
- In 1578, he began his naval career, joining his
half brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, on an expedition.
Soon afterward, Raleigh earned a command and distin-
guished himself in the Irish Wars. Returning to En gland
in 1581, he quickly became a part of Queen ELIZABETH
I’s inner circle.
The next years of Raleigh’s life read like a catalogue
of political success. He was elected to Parliament in
1584 and appointed captain of the Queen’s Guard
in 1587. As queen’s adviser, he supported expeditions
in 1585 and 1587 to the NEW WORLD. However, his
power and infl uence were greatly diminished in 1592
when his secret affair with and subsequent clandestine
marriage to Elizabeth Throckmorton, one of Elizabeth’s
ladies-in-waiting, was discovered. Both were immedi-
ately imprisoned in the TOWER OF LONDON, an occasion
Raleigh examines in “The Ocean To Cynthia.”
The queen never forgave Raleigh completely, but
she did need his naval skills. In 1593, Raleigh was
released in order to pursue Spanish pirates and protect
the interests of the English Crown. He also embarked
on an expedition to Guiana, an account of which he
published in 1596.
When Elizabeth died in 1603, Raleigh’s prospects
diminished, as he had a poor relationship with JAMES I.
Soon after James’s ascension, Raleigh was accused of
conspiring with Spain against the king, and he was
once again imprisoned in the Tower. He remained
there until 1617, when he persuaded James to allow
him to captain a return expedition to Guiana. The voy-
age was a complete disaster—his son died, and Raleigh
was disgraced. Fearing royal reprisal, Raleigh attempted
to fl ee to France, but he was caught and, on October
29, 1618, executed for treason.
Raleigh is an interesting author. His early works
include commendatory verses for GEORGE GASCOIGNE’s
The Steele Glas, composed while he was at Oxford.
These show precocious development not only of poetic
skill but also of political prowess. His other poetic
works include a number of short pieces, an ELEGY for
his son, and the PANYGERIC “The Ocean to Cynthia,”
written to placate the queen. Raleigh was more prolifi c
in prose, undertaking the ambitious History of the
World as well as his Travels to Guiana and an “apology”
for his return to Guiana.
For quite some time, critical reception of Raleigh’s
poetry was devoted to establishing defi nitive author-
ship for his works. Another area of critical debate
involves the completeness of “The Ocean to Cynthia,”
fragments of which were found with the titles “The
21st [sic] and last booke of the Ocean to Scinthia” and