Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618 CE) was an English courtier, soldier, mariner, explorer, and historian. A one-time favourite of his queen, Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE), Raleigh organised three expeditions to form a colony on the coast of North America in the 1580s CE. The colony was abandoned but the expeditions were notable for introducing tobacco and the potato to England. Unsuccessful at colonisation and falling out with his queen when he married one of her ladies-in-waiting, Raleigh turned instead to finding El Dorado, the fabled golden city of South America. Once more, success was elusive. Back in England, the adventurer was accused of treason by King James I of England (r. 1603-1625 CE) and imprisoned in the Tower of London for 13 years. Writing poetry and an important work of history, the beached mariner was improbably freed in 1616 CE to explore one last time South America. This final expedition was another failure and led once again to imprisonment. Raleigh was executed in the Tower in 1618 CE.

? ? ? ?? ?沃爾特·雷利爵士（Walter Raleigh）是英國朝臣、軍人、航海家、探險家和歷史學(xué)家。他曾是英國女王伊麗莎白一世（Elizabeth I，1558-1603年）的寵臣，在16世紀(jì)80年代組織了三次探險，在北美海岸建立殖民地。雖然殖民地最終被放棄，但探險隊卻因?qū)煵莺婉R鈴薯引入英國而聲名鵲起。沃爾特·雷利的殖民行動并不成功，他還因為娶了女王的一位侍女而與女王鬧翻，于是他轉(zhuǎn)而尋找傳說中的南美洲黃金城埃爾多拉多，但他又一次失敗了?；氐接螅@位冒險家被英國國王詹姆斯一世（1603-1625年）指控為叛國罪，在倫敦塔被監(jiān)禁了 13 年。這位被囚禁的航海家致力于詩歌創(chuàng)作，并留下了一部重要的歷史著作。他于1616年僥幸獲釋，最后一次前往南美洲探險。這一次探險再次失敗，并導(dǎo)致他再次入獄。1618年，沃爾特·雷利在倫敦塔被處死。

早期生活

Walter Raleigh (or Ralegh as he himself preferred) was born c. 1552 CE in Devon, the son of a member of the local gentry. Educated at Oxford University, Walter volunteered to serve in France to assist the Huguenots there against Catholic oppression. Moving on to Ireland in the mid-1570s CE and establishing a plantation there, Walter was a young captain involved in putting down the Irish rebellions against English colonialism. Raleigh hardly covered himself in glory, though, when he participated in the massacre of 600 surrendered Italian troops at Smerwick in 1580 CE.

? ? ? ? ? 沃爾特·雷利（Walter Raleigh，或他自己喜歡稱呼為 Ralegh）于1552年出生在德文郡，是當(dāng)?shù)刭F族的兒子。在牛津大學(xué)接受教育后，他自愿前往法國協(xié)助胡格諾派教徒反抗天主教的壓迫。16世紀(jì) 70 年代中期，他來到愛爾蘭，在那里建立了一個種植園，沃爾特·雷利是一名年輕的上尉，參與了鎮(zhèn)壓愛爾蘭反抗英國殖民主義的叛亂。然而，1580年雷利參與屠殺在斯默威克投降的600名意大利軍隊時，他并沒有獲得更多的榮耀。?

From 1581 CE Raleigh arrived at court and his family connection to Elizabeth I's childhood nurse was a helpful point of introduction to his monarch. He made a positive impression with his height, good looks and quick wit. Although 20 years her junior, Raleigh's charm and poetry soon attracted the good favour of his queen. Polite and chivalrous - at least in outward form, Raleigh's eccentricity is illustrated by the likely fictional story that he once lay down his cloak upon a puddle so that the queen need not get her feet wet. Raleigh's good relationship with Elizabeth was helped by his position as captain of the Yeoman Guard which gave him more access to his queen than most. The relationship thus had practical and often lucrative consequences. Over time, Raleigh accumulated large estates in the southwest, Midlands and Ireland which went along with his political influence as a Member of Parliament for Devon and Cornwall. He was given royal monopolies for tin and playing cards, and licences for taverns for 30 years. Rich and proud of showing it, critics once quipped that Raleigh's jewelled shoes alone cost a ridiculous ￡6,000. The pinnacle came when he was knighted in 1585 CE. All this social progress came despite the rumour Raleigh was said to have denied the immortality of the soul and questioned Elizabeth's foreign policy as not aggressive enough; Raleigh once joked, "Her Majesty did all by halves" (Guy, 289). Perhaps, for this very reason, Raleigh was never admitted to the Privy Council, England's executive seat of government.

? ? ? ? ? 從1581年起，沃爾特·雷利就在宮廷安頓下來，他與伊麗莎白一世的保姆的友好關(guān)系成為他結(jié)識君主的一個有利因素。他的身材、英俊的外表和敏捷的智慧給人留下了積極的印象。雖然雷利比女王小 20 歲，但他的魅力和詩歌很快就贏得了女王的青睞。雷利彬彬有禮、俠肝義膽，至少在公共場合是這樣，但他的怪癖很可能是一個虛構(gòu)的故事，說他曾把斗篷放在水坑上，以免王后弄濕腳。沃爾特·雷利與伊麗莎白的良好關(guān)系得益于他擔(dān)任皇家衛(wèi)隊隊長的職位，這使他比大多數(shù)人更容易接近女王。因此，這種關(guān)系產(chǎn)生了實際的、有利的后果。隨著時間的推移，雷利在西南部、中部地區(qū)和愛爾蘭積累了大量地產(chǎn)，這與他作為德文郡和康沃爾郡議會議員的政治影響力相稱。他獲得了錫和撲克牌的皇家壟斷權(quán)，以及 30 年的酒館經(jīng)營許可證。沃爾特·雷利富有并以此為榮，評論家曾戲稱，僅雷利的珠寶鞋就花費了 6000 英鎊。1585 年，雷利被封為爵士，這是他人生的巔峰。盡管有傳言說雷利否認(rèn)靈魂不朽，并質(zhì)疑伊麗莎白的外交政策不夠激進(jìn)；雷利曾開玩笑說：“女王陛下所做的一切都是半途而廢”（Guy, 289），但這些政策進(jìn)步還是實現(xiàn)了。也許正是因為這個原因，雷利從未進(jìn)入英國政府的行政機(jī)構(gòu)樞密院。 ???

弗吉尼亞州和羅阿諾克殖民地

Raleigh's early colonial career was more as an armchair traveller when he masterminded three expeditions to the New World without ever going in person. First, Raleigh acquired from his queen a six-year patent to create a colony in North America. The 1584 CE Amadas-Barlowe Expedition was formed to investigate what is today North Carolina, USA to see if this was suitable territory for England's first colony. Friendly contact with the Native Americans was made on Roanoke Island, and it did seem a fertile land with commodities available via trade such as skins and pearls.

? ? ? ? ? 沃爾特·雷利早期的殖民生涯更像是一個“辦公室旅行者”，他策劃了三次前往新大陸的探險，卻從未親自前往。起初，雷利從女王那里獲得了在北美建立殖民地的六年專利權(quán)。1584 年，阿馬達(dá)斯-巴洛探險隊成立，對今天的美國北卡羅來納州進(jìn)行考察，以確定這里是否適合建立英格蘭的第一個殖民地。探險隊在羅阿諾克島與美洲原住民進(jìn)行了友好接觸，發(fā)現(xiàn)這里確實是一片肥沃的土地，可以通過貿(mào)易獲得皮毛和珍珠等商品。 ??

Raleigh organised his second expedition in 1585 CE and this time a small fleet captained by Richard Grenville (1542-1591 CE) carried a number of settlers, all men, and led by Ralph Lane (d. 1603 CE). Landing on Wokokan Island, the settlers then moved to nearby Roanoke Island but their provisions were limited and the Roanoke Indians were reluctant to trade with the Europeans as they had little surplus themselves. By the following spring, relations had soured and Lane attacked the Roanokans' village (perhaps as a preemptive strike), killing their chief. The settlers were relieved to leave for England in June 1586 CE when Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596 CE) passed by on his way back from a raid in the Caribbean. Back in England, the showing of novelties such as tobacco and potatoes convinced investors to back Raleigh's plans for a third expedition to the land he had named in honour of his queen: Virginia.

? ? ? ? ? 雷利在1585 年組織了他的第二次探險，由理查德·格林維爾（Richard Greenville，1542-1591 年）率領(lǐng)的一支小艦隊載著幾名定居者，全是男性，這群定居者由拉爾夫·萊恩（Ralph Lane，卒于 1991 年）率領(lǐng)。定居者們在沃科坎島登陸，隨后移居到附近的羅阿諾克島，但他們的供給有限，而且羅阿諾克印第安人不愿與歐洲人進(jìn)行貿(mào)易，因為他們自己的糧食也很少。到了第二年春天，雙方關(guān)系惡化，萊恩襲擊了羅阿諾克人的村莊（也許是先發(fā)制人），殺死了他們的酋長。1586 年 6 月，弗朗西斯·德雷克爵士（Sir Francis Drake，1540-1596 年）從加勒比海的一次襲擊中回來時經(jīng)過這里，定居者們?nèi)玑屩刎?fù)地出發(fā)前往英格蘭?；氐接?，煙草和土豆等新奇商品的展示說服了投資者支持雷利的第三次探險計劃，前往女王命名的土地：弗吉尼亞。

The 1587 CE expedition aimed to establish a colony for its own sake and not in order to form a base from which to attack Spanish ships in the Caribbean. Accordingly, the ships carried another group of settlers but this time included families, who were led by the experienced painter and cartographer John White (d. 1593 CE). White painted the colony, wildlife and Native Americans of the region, creating an invaluable pictorial record which still survives today. Hoping to settle in the Chesapeake Bay area, White was obliged by storms to settle again on Roanoke Island in July. The indigenous peoples had not forgotten Lane's attack the previous year and after the ships had sailed back to England, it seems likely the settlers were killed. The exact fate of the Europeans is not known as a relief ship could not be sent to them until August 1590 CE. No trace of the settlers was found except the word 'Croatoan' carved on a tree. This was the name of an island to the south but storms prevented any investigation at the time, hence the Roanoke Colony became known as the 'Lost Colony'. It was not an auspicious start for English colonial plans but it was a beginning and would be followed up with more successful expeditions in the 17th century CE; Raleigh had shown the way.

? ? ? ? ? 1587 年的遠(yuǎn)征旨在建立一個殖民地，而不是為了在加勒比海建立一個攻擊西班牙船只的基地。因此，探險船搭載了另一批定居者，但這次包括了一些家庭，他們由經(jīng)驗豐富的畫家和制圖師約翰·懷特（John White，卒于公元 1593 年）帶領(lǐng)。懷特繪制了該地區(qū)的殖民地、野生動物和美洲原住民，創(chuàng)造了寶貴的圖像記錄，這些記錄至今仍保存著。懷特希望在切薩皮克灣地區(qū)定居，但由于暴風(fēng)雨的影響，他不得不在七月再次來到羅阿諾克島定居。原住民并沒有忘記前一年萊恩的襲擊，在船只駛回英國后，定居者很可能被殺害。歐洲人的確切命運不得而知，因為直到1590 年 8 月才派來一艘救援船。除了刻在一棵樹上的“Croatoan”一詞外，沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)定居者的任何蹤跡。這是南面一個島嶼的名字，但當(dāng)時的風(fēng)暴阻礙了任何調(diào)查，因此羅阿諾克殖民地被稱為“失落的殖民地”。對于英國的殖民計劃來說，這并不是一個好的開始，但這是一個開端，在17 世紀(jì)，英國人進(jìn)行了更多成功的探險；而雷利已經(jīng)指明了方向。

婚姻與失寵

Although he became a firm favourite of his queen, Elizabeth was often susceptible to jealousy if any of her male courtiers showed interest in other women. Raleigh's star, already a little less glittering because of the Roanoke failure, plummeted in August 1592 CE when the queen imprisoned Raleigh in the Tower of London for a month. Elizabeth had discovered that in November of the previous year Raleigh had married without her knowledge and fathered a son. Even worse, Raleigh's wife, Elizabeth 'Bess' Throckmorton (1565 - 1647 CE), was a lady-in-waiting at court, and she soon joined her husband in his confinement.

? ? ? ? ? 雖然雷利是女王的忠實寵臣，但如果她的男性廷臣對其他女人感興趣，伊麗莎白往往會吃醋。由于羅阿諾克殖民地的失敗，沃爾特·雷利的星光已經(jīng)有些黯淡，1592年8月，女王將雷利關(guān)進(jìn)倫敦塔一個月，這讓他的星光一落千丈。伊麗莎白發(fā)現(xiàn)，前一年 11 月，雷利在她不知情的情況下結(jié)婚并生了一個兒子。更糟糕的是，雷利的妻子伊麗莎白·思羅克莫頓（Elizabeth 'Bess' Throckmorton，1565 - 1647年）是一位宮廷侍女，她很快就和丈夫一起被囚禁起來。 ??

Raleigh was often involved in the privateering that helped fill adventurers' pockets and Elizabeth's state coffers whenever loot was taken from Spanish treasure ships sailing from the New World back to Europe. Raleigh now saw this as the best way to restore relations with his sovereign. Indeed, the most celebrated capture ever made was in 1592 CE when a fleet of ships partly bankrolled by Raleigh - he had wanted to lead them in person but the queen recalled him to his confinement in London - won the Battle of Flores in the Azores and captured the Portuguese Madre de Deus (aka Madre de Dios). Portugal was at the time ruled by Philip II of Spain, and the Madre de Deus was actually coming from the East Indies. The ship, crewed by up to 700 men and bristling with 32 cannons, was no sitting duck, but on 3 August, it was attacked and captured by the fleet of English vessels.

? ? ? ? ? 雷利經(jīng)常參與私掠活動，每當(dāng)從新大陸駛回歐洲的西班牙寶船上掠奪戰(zhàn)利品時，私掠活動都會讓冒險家們腰包鼓起來，也讓伊麗莎白的國庫充實起來。雷利認(rèn)為這是恢復(fù)與君主關(guān)系的最佳途徑。事實上，有史以來最著名的一次俘獲是在1592 年，一支由雷利提供部分資金的船隊（他本想親自率領(lǐng)船隊，但女王將他召回倫敦禁閉）在亞速爾群島的弗洛雷斯海戰(zhàn)中獲勝，并俘獲了葡萄牙的“上帝之母”號（又名“圣母瑪利亞號”）。葡萄牙當(dāng)時由西班牙腓力二世統(tǒng)治，而“Madre de Deus”（“上帝之母”）號實際上來自東印度群島。這艘船有多達(dá) 700 名船員，裝備有 32 門大炮，并非坐以待斃，但在 8 月 3 日遭到英國船隊的襲擊并被俘獲。 ??

The Madre de Deus was packed full of valuable cargo that included diamonds, rubies, gold and silver coins, pearls, fine cloth, ebony, pepper and spices. The ship was the single richest prize ever taken by Elizabeth's privateers and was sailed triumphantly into Dartmouth on 9 September. Despite much pilfering by English parties and squabbles amongst the multiple investors of the whole enterprise, Raleigh managed to sell-off the more cumbersome goods still left in the ship's hold and so Elizabeth got more than her fair share, perhaps around ￡80,000 worth on her original investment of ￡3,000.

? ? ? ? ? “上帝之母”號上裝滿了價值連城的貨物，包括鉆石、紅寶石、金銀幣、珍珠、上等布匹、烏木、胡椒和香料。這艘船是伊麗莎白的私掠船隊有史以來獲得的最富有的戰(zhàn)利品，于 9 月 9 日勝利駛?cè)脒_(dá)特茅斯。盡管英國方面進(jìn)行了大量偷竊，整個企業(yè)的多個投資者之間也發(fā)生了爭吵，但雷利還是設(shè)法賣掉了仍留在船艙中的較笨重的貨物，因此伊麗莎白得到了超過她應(yīng)得份額的錢，她最初投資的 3000 英鎊，最后可能獲得價值約 8 萬英鎊的財富。

Back in the queen's good books (almost), Raleigh was released from the Tower in September 1592 CE but forbidden to see the queen for a year. Elizabeth Throckmorton was never forgiven and obliged to live a retired life at Raleigh's home in Sherborne, Dorset. The couple's first son, Damerai, had died aged one of plague, but they did have a second son, Walter (Wat), who was born in 1593 CE. A third son, Carew, was born in 1605 CE.

? ? ? ? ? 1592 年 9 月，雷利從倫敦塔中獲釋，但一年內(nèi)不得與女王見面。伊麗莎白·思羅克莫頓（Elizabeth Throckmorton）從未得到寬恕，不得不在雷利位于多塞特郡謝爾本（Sherborne）的家中過著隱居生活。夫婦倆的長子達(dá)梅萊 (Damerai)一歲時死于瘟疫，但他們還是有了第二個兒子沃爾特 (Wat)，生于公元 1593 年。第三個兒子卡魯（Carew）出生于公元 1605 年。 ??

尋找埃爾多拉多

The failure of the Roanoke Colony and necessity to restore his position at court may have pushed Raleigh to try exploration firsthand. Accordingly, in 1595 CE Raleigh set off on his own adventures, this time his goal was to find the fabled city of gold: El Dorado. The name means 'Gilded Man' or 'Golden One' and actually refers to the coronation ceremony of kings of the Muisca civilization (600-1600 CE) in modern Colombia. In the ceremony held at Lake Guatavita, the king was plastered with resin and then covered in gold dust before he dived into the waters. This tradition became garbled in translation and the fables that reached the Spanish Conquistadors convinced them there was a city paved with gold somewhere in the remote northern Andes. The Spanish tried and failed to find El Dorado but Raleigh wished to now make his own attempt.

? ? ? ? ? 羅阿諾克殖民地的失敗和恢復(fù)宮廷地位的需要可能促使雷利親身嘗試探險。因此，1595 年，雷利開始了自己的冒險之旅，這次他的目標(biāo)是找到傳說中的黃金之城“埃爾多拉多”。埃爾多拉多這個名字的意思是“鍍金人”或“黃金人”，實際上指的是現(xiàn)代哥倫比亞穆伊斯卡文明（公元 600-1600 年）國王的加冕儀式。在瓜塔維塔湖舉行的儀式上，國王被涂上樹脂，然后涂上金粉，然后潛入水中。這一傳統(tǒng)在翻譯過程中變得混亂不堪，傳到西班牙征服者耳朵里的寓言讓他們相信，在遙遠(yuǎn)的安第斯山脈北部某處有一座鋪滿黃金的城市。西班牙人試圖尋找黃金國，但失敗了，但現(xiàn)在雷利想要做出自己的嘗試。

Raleigh arrived first in Trinidad and from there he explored the Orinoco River in what is today Venezuela and Guiana. Progress was halted by formidable waterfalls and they found nothing more remarkable than pineapples, which Raleigh described as 'the princess of fruits' (Williams, 223). In the sweltering climate, Raleigh employed local guides but was obliged to give up after four weeks and return home empty-handed. A second expedition, this time without Raleigh, was sent to explore the coast of Guiana to see if there were an easier route to the mountainous interior but again no positive results were gained. Raleigh would have to wait 21 years to try again.

? ? ? ? ? 雷利首先抵達(dá)特立尼達(dá)島，并從那里探索了今天委內(nèi)瑞拉和圭亞那境內(nèi)的奧里諾科河。巨大的瀑布阻礙了前進(jìn)，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)沒有什么比菠蘿更值得注意的了，雷利將其描述為“水果公主”（Williams，223）。在炎熱的氣候下，雷利聘請了當(dāng)?shù)叵驅(qū)?，但四個星期后被迫放棄，空手而歸。雷利沒有在第二次探險隊里，這支探險隊被派去探索圭亞那海岸，看看是否有更容易的路線進(jìn)入山區(qū)內(nèi)陸，但同樣沒有取得積極成果。雷利必須等待 21 年才能再次嘗試。

突襲加的斯

In June 1596 CE Raleigh was part of the expedition led by Lord Howard (1536-1624 CE) and the queen's new favourite and Raleigh's great rival, Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex (1567-1601 CE) which attacked and then captured Cadiz, destroying 50 Spanish ships in the process. Cadiz was still Spain's main Atlantic port and the strike was designed as a preemptive one to prevent Philip II of Spain (r. 1556-1598 CE) forming another Armada with which he might invade England. Raleigh fought with aplomb but was wounded in the action and suffered a limp thereafter. Another English raid on Spanish territory the next year was a dismal failure as storms and disagreement over objectives scuppered the offensive. If Raleigh had had his way, Cadiz would have been garrisoned and might have become a long-term English stronghold on the Continent like Calais had been in the past and Gibraltar would be in the future, but it was not to be.

? ? ? ? ? 1596 年 6 月，雷利參加了由霍華德勛爵（Howard，公元 1536-1624 年）和女王的新寵、雷利的勁敵埃塞克斯伯爵羅伯特·德弗羅（Robert Devereux，公元 1567-1601 年）領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的探險隊，該探險隊襲擊并隨后占領(lǐng)了加的斯，在此過程中摧毀了 50 艘西班牙船只。加的斯當(dāng)時仍是西班牙的主要大西洋港口，這次襲擊旨在先發(fā)制人，防止西班牙腓力二世（公元 1556-1598 年）再次組建艦隊入侵英國。雷利英勇善戰(zhàn)，但在戰(zhàn)斗中受傷，從此成了跛子。第二年，由于風(fēng)暴和對目標(biāo)的分歧，英國對西班牙領(lǐng)土的另一次突襲以失敗告終。如果他們按照雷利的意愿行事，加的斯本可以拿下，并可能成為英國在歐洲大陸的長期據(jù)點，就像過去的加萊和未來的直布羅陀一樣。 ???

第二次監(jiān)禁

In 1603 CE, Elizabeth I died without an heir and so her cousin, James VI of Scotland, became the new king of England as James I of England. Immediately, there were plots to dethrone this first of the Stuart kings, and one was said to have involved Raleigh and Lord Cobham, the plan being to replace James with his cousin Lady Anabella Stuart. The plot was discovered, and Raleigh, with powerful enemies at court and accused of treason, was imprisoned in the notorious Bloody Tower of the Tower of London. The adventurer's old rivalry with the late-Earl of Essex had not been helpful as the king had been a frequent correspondent of Robert Devereux. Tried and convicted on trumped-up charges, Raleigh's days were numbered, or so it seemed.

? ? ? ? ? 1603 年，伊麗莎白一世在沒有子嗣的情況下去世，因此她的表弟蘇格蘭的詹姆斯六世成為英格蘭新國王，即詹姆斯一世。隨即，有人密謀推翻這位斯圖亞特王朝的第一位國王，據(jù)說雷利和科巴姆勛爵參與了其中，科巴姆勛爵的計劃是用他的表妹阿拉貝拉·斯圖爾特夫人取代詹姆斯。陰謀被識破后，雷利在宮廷中樹敵眾多，被指控叛國，關(guān)進(jìn)了倫敦塔臭名昭著的血腥塔。這位冒險家與已故的埃塞克斯伯爵的宿敵關(guān)系并不融洽，因為國王經(jīng)常與羅伯特·德弗羅通信。雷利因莫須有的罪名被審判和定罪，他的日子已經(jīng)屈指可數(shù)了，或者說看起來是這樣。

As it turned out, Raleigh would remain in the tower for years. At least he was permitted visits from his family and a number of attendants suitable to his rank. In 1610 CE the king forbade Elizabeth Throckmorton to live with her husband in the Tower, although she was given a modest pension. With time on his hands, Raleigh wrote an ambitious and influential work of history, the History of the World. This sprawling epic was never completed but it became so popular it ran into ten editions, double that of Shakespeare's collected works. The fallen courtier also wrote many other works such as a commentary on contemporary politics, the Dialogue between a Councillor and a Justice of the Peace. Raleigh wrote, too, the Report of the Truth of the Fight about the Isles of Azores which described Richard Grenville's heroic battle captaining the Revenge against a large fleet of Spanish ships in September 1588 CE. Besides experimenting in alchemy, distilling fresh water from seawater, mixing herbal medicines, and finding a way to cure tobacco, the beached adventurer also composed poetry and wrote such poignant verses as these:

Even such is Time, that takes in trust,

Our youth, our joys, and all we have,

And pays us but with earth and dust.

Who, in the dark and silent grave,

When we have wandered all our ways,

Shuts up the story of our days.

And from which earth and grave and dust,

The Lord shall raise me up I trust. (Jones, 300)

? ? ? ? ? 結(jié)果，雷利在塔里一呆就是好幾年。至少，他被允許接受家人的探視，并有一些與他的地位相稱的隨從。1610年，國王禁止伊麗莎白·斯羅克莫頓 (Elizabeth Throckmorton)?與丈夫一起住在塔樓里，但還是給了她一筆微薄的養(yǎng)老金。閑暇之余，雷利撰寫了一部雄心勃勃、影響深遠(yuǎn)的歷史著作：《世界史》。這部龐大的史詩從未完成，但卻廣受歡迎，共出版了十版，是莎士比亞作品集的兩倍。這位沒落的廷臣還留下了許多作品，如對當(dāng)代政治的評論《議員與太平紳士之間的對話》。雷利還撰寫了《亞速爾群島戰(zhàn)斗真相報告》，描述了理查德·格倫維爾（Richard Grenville）于公元 1588 年 9 月率領(lǐng)復(fù)仇號與西班牙龐大艦隊的英勇戰(zhàn)斗。除了嘗試煉金術(shù)、從海水中蒸餾淡水、混合草藥和尋找治療煙草的方法外，這位登岸的冒險家還創(chuàng)作了詩歌，并寫下了這些凄美的詩句：

時間也是如此，它借用了

我們的青春和歡樂，我們擁有的一切，

而他只付出泥土和灰塵的代價。

在黑暗寂靜的墳?zāi)估?/strong>

當(dāng)我們走完所有的路

將我們的故事封存。

從泥土、墳?zāi)购蛪m埃中

我相信主會復(fù)活我。(Jones, 300)

最后一次尋找埃爾多拉多

Unexpectedly, Raleigh was at last released from his long confinement in March 1616 CE. His frequent pleas to James I that he should be allowed to try once again to find the treasure of El Dorado had finally swayed the almost bankrupt king. Raleigh was freed and, although under constant supervision, he spent the next year preparing his expedition back to South America. In March 1617 CE Raleigh sailed from Plymouth aboard the aptly named Destiny. Contrary winds and a near-skirmish with a Spanish vessel - when expressly told not to privateer - were ominous signs of worse to come. Disease spread through the ship's crew, afflicting Raleigh, too. The adventurer was so ill he was obliged to remain at the expedition's base on Trinidad while the main party, led by Raleigh's son Wat, explored the Orinoco River. Wat rashly attacked a Spanish village and was killed in the process. There was no El Dorado and no gold. Raleigh was forced to return to England and face the wrath of his king. Many attempts have, of course, since been made to explore Lake Guatavita and even empty it but none have been successful in finding the hoped-for treasure of El Dorado.

? ? ? ? ? 沒想到，1616年3月，沃爾特·雷利終于從長期監(jiān)禁中獲釋。他經(jīng)常懇求詹姆斯一世允許他再次嘗試尋找埃爾多拉多的寶藏，終于動搖了這位幾乎破產(chǎn)的國王。雷利獲得了自由，雖然一直受到監(jiān)管，但他在接下來的一年里一直在準(zhǔn)備重返南美洲的探險。1617 年 3 月，雷利乘坐“命運號”從普利茅斯啟航。逆風(fēng)以及與一艘西班牙船只的險些發(fā)生的小沖突（當(dāng)他被明確命令不要充當(dāng)私掠船時）是不祥的征兆，表明最糟糕的情況尚未到來。疾病在船上的船員中蔓延，也折磨著雷利。這位冒險家病得很重，不得不留在特立尼達(dá)島的探險基地，而由雷利的兒子瓦特率領(lǐng)的主要團(tuán)隊正在探索奧里諾科河。瓦特貿(mào)然襲擊了一個西班牙村莊，并在此過程中喪生。沒有埃爾多拉多，也沒有黃金。雷利被迫返回英國，面對國王的憤怒。當(dāng)然，自那以后，人們曾多次嘗試探索瓜塔維塔湖，甚至掏空它，但都沒有成功找到人們所期望的埃爾多拉多寶藏。 ?

On the old adventurer's return home in June 1618 CE, his monarch refused to see him. The attack on the Spanish settlement in Guiana was a highly embarrassing episode just when England and Spain were trying to repair their diplomatic relations. The Spanish ambassador called for Raleigh's head and his fate was sealed. Facing his execution on 29 October 1618 CE, Raleigh denied all the charges against him and declared that he was guilty only of seeking glory for himself and his country. The adventurer conceded he was a "man full of all vanity" who had lived "a sinful life, in all sinful callings, having been a soldier, a captain, a sea-captain and a courtier, which are all places of wickedness and vice" (Bicheno, 319). He met his death with dignity and humour, entertaining the crowd with a few last pleasantries before the axe fell.

? ? ? ? ? 1618 年 6 月，這位老冒險家回國時，國王拒絕見他。正當(dāng)英國和西班牙試圖修復(fù)外交關(guān)系時，西班牙在圭亞那的定居點遭到襲擊是一個極其尷尬的事件。西班牙大使索要雷利的頭顱，他的命運就這樣被注定了。面對1618 年 10 月 29 日的死刑，雷利否認(rèn)了對他的所有指控，并宣稱他只是為自己和國家尋求榮耀。這位冒險家承認(rèn)自己是一個“充滿虛榮心的人”，過著“罪惡的生活，從事各種罪惡的職業(yè)，當(dāng)過士兵、上尉、船長和廷臣，這些都是邪惡和罪惡的地方”（Bicheno, 319）。他以尊嚴(yán)和幽默的方式迎接死亡，在斧頭落下之前，他還與眾人做了最后的寒暄。

Sir Walter Raleigh has become a legendary figure for his achievements, his vision in the potential of the New World, and because of the age in which he lived but as Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626 CE) noted in his mini-biography of Raleigh:

? ? ?Those who came after him, who never met him, have instinctively liked Raleigh, or their version of Raleigh. He was certainly a most astonishing and compelling man, in his writings as in the rest of his life touched by genius and greatness, the focus of legend. It should not be forgotten, however, that many of those who lived in the small world of the Elizabethan court, after long association with Raleigh, either disliked him intensely or distrusted him profoundly. (Ibid, 300)

? ? ? ? ? ?正如弗朗西斯·培根爵士（1561-1626 年）在《雷利小傳》中所言，沃爾特·雷利爵士因其成就、對新大陸潛力的遠(yuǎn)見以及他所處的時代而成為傳奇人物：

? ? ? ? ? 在他之后的人，從未見過他的人，都本能地喜歡雷利或他們心目中的雷利。他無疑是一個最令人驚訝和引人注目的人，他的著作和一生都充滿了天才與偉大，他是傳奇的焦點。然而，不應(yīng)忘記的是，許多生活在伊麗莎白時代宮廷小世界中的人，在與雷利長期交往之后，要么極度厭惡他，要么極度不信任他。 ?

參考書目：

Bicheno, Hugh. Elizabeth's Sea Dogs. Conway, 2014.

Brigden, Susan. New Worlds, Lost Worlds. Penguin Books, 2002.

Elton, G.R. England Under the Tudors. Routledge, 2018.

Guy, John. Tudor England. Oxford University Press, 1988.

Jones, Nigel. Tower. Griffin, 2013.

Morrill, John. The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor & Stuart Britain. Oxford University Press, 1996.

Phillips, Charles. The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Kings & Queens of Britain. Lorenz Books, 2006.

Wagner, John A. Historical Dictionary of the Elizabethan World. Greenwood, 1999.

Williams, Neville. The Sea Dogs. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1975.

原文作者：Mark Cartwright

????????? 駐意大利的歷史作家。他的主要興趣包括陶瓷、建筑、世界神話和發(fā)現(xiàn)所有文明的共同思想。他擁有政治哲學(xué)碩士學(xué)位，是《世界歷史百科全書》的出版總監(jiān)。

原文網(wǎng)址: https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-19005/walter-raleigh/

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