【简译】沃尔特·雷利爵士（Walter Raleigh）

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.

          沃尔特·雷利爵士（Walter Raleigh）是英国朝臣、军人、航海家、探险家和历史学家。他曾是英国女王伊丽莎白一世（Elizabeth I，1558-1603年）的宠臣，在16世纪80年代组织了三次探险，在北美海岸建立殖民地。虽然殖民地最终被放弃，但探险队却因将烟草和马铃薯引入英国而声名鹊起。沃尔特·雷利的殖民行动并不成功，他还因为娶了女王的一位侍女而与女王闹翻，于是他转而寻找传说中的南美洲黄金城埃尔多拉多，但他又一次失败了。回到英国后，这位冒险家被英国国王詹姆斯一世（1603-1625年）指控为叛国罪，在伦敦塔被监禁了 13 年。这位被囚禁的航海家致力于诗歌创作，并留下了一部重要的历史著作。他于1616年侥幸获释，最后一次前往南美洲探险。这一次探险再次失败，并导致他再次入狱。1618年，沃尔特·雷利在伦敦塔被处死。

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.

          沃尔特·雷利（Walter Raleigh，或他自己喜欢称呼为 Ralegh）于1552年出生在德文郡，是当地贵族的儿子。在牛津大学接受教育后，他自愿前往法国协助胡格诺派教徒反抗天主教的压迫。16世纪 70 年代中期，他来到爱尔兰，在那里建立了一个种植园，沃尔特·雷利是一名年轻的上尉，参与了镇压爱尔兰反抗英国殖民主义的叛乱。然而，1580年雷利参与屠杀在斯默威克投降的600名意大利军队时，他并没有获得更多的荣耀。 

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.

          从1581年起，沃尔特·雷利就在宫廷安顿下来，他与伊丽莎白一世的保姆的友好关系成为他结识君主的一个有利因素。他的身材、英俊的外表和敏捷的智慧给人留下了积极的印象。虽然雷利比女王小 20 岁，但他的魅力和诗歌很快就赢得了女王的青睐。雷利彬彬有礼、侠肝义胆，至少在公共场合是这样，但他的怪癖很可能是一个虚构的故事，说他曾把斗篷放在水坑上，以免王后弄湿脚。沃尔特·雷利与伊丽莎白的良好关系得益于他担任皇家卫队队长的职位，这使他比大多数人更容易接近女王。因此，这种关系产生了实际的、有利的后果。随着时间的推移，雷利在西南部、中部地区和爱尔兰积累了大量地产，这与他作为德文郡和康沃尔郡议会议员的政治影响力相称。他获得了锡和扑克牌的皇家垄断权，以及 30 年的酒馆经营许可证。沃尔特·雷利富有并以此为荣，评论家曾戏称，仅雷利的珠宝鞋就花费了 6000 英镑。1585 年，雷利被封为爵士，这是他人生的巅峰。尽管有传言说雷利否认灵魂不朽，并质疑伊丽莎白的外交政策不够激进；雷利曾开玩笑说：“女王陛下所做的一切都是半途而废”（Guy, 289），但这些政策进步还是实现了。也许正是因为这个原因，雷利从未进入英国政府的行政机构枢密院。    

弗吉尼亚州和罗阿诺克殖民地

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.

          沃尔特·雷利早期的殖民生涯更像是一个“办公室旅行者”，他策划了三次前往新大陆的探险，却从未亲自前往。起初，雷利从女王那里获得了在北美建立殖民地的六年专利权。1584 年，阿马达斯-巴洛探险队成立，对今天的美国北卡罗来纳州进行考察，以确定这里是否适合建立英格兰的第一个殖民地。探险队在罗阿诺克岛与美洲原住民进行了友好接触，发现这里确实是一片肥沃的土地，可以通过贸易获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 年组织了他的第二次探险，由理查德·格林维尔（Richard Greenville，1542-1591 年）率领的一支小舰队载着几名定居者，全是男性，这群定居者由拉尔夫·莱恩（Ralph Lane，卒于 1991 年）率领。定居者们在沃科坎岛登陆，随后移居到附近的罗阿诺克岛，但他们的供给有限，而且罗阿诺克印第安人不愿与欧洲人进行贸易，因为他们自己的粮食也很少。到了第二年春天，双方关系恶化，莱恩袭击了罗阿诺克人的村庄（也许是先发制人），杀死了他们的酋长。1586 年 6 月，弗朗西斯·德雷克爵士（Sir Francis Drake，1540-1596 年）从加勒比海的一次袭击中回来时经过这里，定居者们如释重负地出发前往英格兰。回到英国，烟草和土豆等新奇商品的展示说服了投资者支持雷利的第三次探险计划，前往女王命名的土地：弗吉尼亚。

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 年的远征旨在建立一个殖民地，而不是为了在加勒比海建立一个攻击西班牙船只的基地。因此，探险船搭载了另一批定居者，但这次包括了一些家庭，他们由经验丰富的画家和制图师约翰·怀特（John White，卒于公元 1593 年）带领。怀特绘制了该地区的殖民地、野生动物和美洲原住民，创造了宝贵的图像记录，这些记录至今仍保存着。怀特希望在切萨皮克湾地区定居，但由于暴风雨的影响，他不得不在七月再次来到罗阿诺克岛定居。原住民并没有忘记前一年莱恩的袭击，在船只驶回英国后，定居者很可能被杀害。欧洲人的确切命运不得而知，因为直到1590 年 8 月才派来一艘救援船。除了刻在一棵树上的“Croatoan”一词外，没有发现定居者的任何踪迹。这是南面一个岛屿的名字，但当时的风暴阻碍了任何调查，因此罗阿诺克殖民地被称为“失落的殖民地”。对于英国的殖民计划来说，这并不是一个好的开始，但这是一个开端，在17 世纪，英国人进行了更多成功的探险；而雷利已经指明了方向。

婚姻与失宠

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.

          虽然雷利是女王的忠实宠臣，但如果她的男性廷臣对其他女人感兴趣，伊丽莎白往往会吃醋。由于罗阿诺克殖民地的失败，沃尔特·雷利的星光已经有些黯淡，1592年8月，女王将雷利关进伦敦塔一个月，这让他的星光一落千丈。伊丽莎白发现，前一年 11 月，雷利在她不知情的情况下结婚并生了一个儿子。更糟糕的是，雷利的妻子伊丽莎白·思罗克莫顿（Elizabeth 'Bess' Throckmorton，1565 - 1647年）是一位宫廷侍女，她很快就和丈夫一起被囚禁起来。   

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.

          雷利经常参与私掠活动，每当从新大陆驶回欧洲的西班牙宝船上掠夺战利品时，私掠活动都会让冒险家们腰包鼓起来，也让伊丽莎白的国库充实起来。雷利认为这是恢复与君主关系的最佳途径。事实上，有史以来最著名的一次俘获是在1592 年，一支由雷利提供部分资金的船队（他本想亲自率领船队，但女王将他召回伦敦禁闭）在亚速尔群岛的弗洛雷斯海战中获胜，并俘获了葡萄牙的“上帝之母”号（又名“圣母玛利亚号”）。葡萄牙当时由西班牙腓力二世统治，而“Madre de Deus”（“上帝之母”）号实际上来自东印度群岛。这艘船有多达 700 名船员，装备有 32 门大炮，并非坐以待毙，但在 8 月 3 日遭到英国船队的袭击并被俘获。   

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”号上装满了价值连城的货物，包括钻石、红宝石、金银币、珍珠、上等布匹、乌木、胡椒和香料。这艘船是伊丽莎白的私掠船队有史以来获得的最富有的战利品，于 9 月 9 日胜利驶入达特茅斯。尽管英国方面进行了大量偷窃，整个企业的多个投资者之间也发生了争吵，但雷利还是设法卖掉了仍留在船舱中的较笨重的货物，因此伊丽莎白得到了超过她应得份额的钱，她最初投资的 3000 英镑，最后可能获得价值约 8 万英镑的财富。

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，雷利从伦敦塔中获释，但一年内不得与女王见面。伊丽莎白·思罗克莫顿（Elizabeth Throckmorton）从未得到宽恕，不得不在雷利位于多塞特郡谢尔本（Sherborne）的家中过着隐居生活。夫妇俩的长子达梅莱 (Damerai)一岁时死于瘟疫，但他们还是有了第二个儿子沃尔特 (Wat)，生于公元 1593 年。第三个儿子卡鲁（Carew）出生于公元 1605 年。   

寻找埃尔多拉多

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.

          罗阿诺克殖民地的失败和恢复宫廷地位的需要可能促使雷利亲身尝试探险。因此，1595 年，雷利开始了自己的冒险之旅，这次他的目标是找到传说中的黄金之城“埃尔多拉多”。埃尔多拉多这个名字的意思是“镀金人”或“黄金人”，实际上指的是现代哥伦比亚穆伊斯卡文明（公元 600-1600 年）国王的加冕仪式。在瓜塔维塔湖举行的仪式上，国王被涂上树脂，然后涂上金粉，然后潜入水中。这一传统在翻译过程中变得混乱不堪，传到西班牙征服者耳朵里的寓言让他们相信，在遥远的安第斯山脉北部某处有一座铺满黄金的城市。西班牙人试图寻找黄金国，但失败了，但现在雷利想要做出自己的尝试。

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.

          雷利首先抵达特立尼达岛，并从那里探索了今天委内瑞拉和圭亚那境内的奥里诺科河。巨大的瀑布阻碍了前进，他们发现没有什么比菠萝更值得注意的了，雷利将其描述为“水果公主”（Williams，223）。在炎热的气候下，雷利聘请了当地向导，但四个星期后被迫放弃，空手而归。雷利没有在第二次探险队里，这支探险队被派去探索圭亚那海岸，看看是否有更容易的路线进入山区内陆，但同样没有取得积极成果。雷利必须等待 21 年才能再次尝试。

突袭加的斯

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，雷利参加了由霍华德勋爵（Howard，公元 1536-1624 年）和女王的新宠、雷利的劲敌埃塞克斯伯爵罗伯特·德弗罗（Robert Devereux，公元 1567-1601 年）领导的探险队，该探险队袭击并随后占领了加的斯，在此过程中摧毁了 50 艘西班牙船只。加的斯当时仍是西班牙的主要大西洋港口，这次袭击旨在先发制人，防止西班牙腓力二世（公元 1556-1598 年）再次组建舰队入侵英国。雷利英勇善战，但在战斗中受伤，从此成了跛子。第二年，由于风暴和对目标的分歧，英国对西班牙领土的另一次突袭以失败告终。如果他们按照雷利的意愿行事，加的斯本可以拿下，并可能成为英国在欧洲大陆的长期据点，就像过去的加莱和未来的直布罗陀一样。    

第二次监禁

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，伊丽莎白一世在没有子嗣的情况下去世，因此她的表弟苏格兰的詹姆斯六世成为英格兰新国王，即詹姆斯一世。随即，有人密谋推翻这位斯图亚特王朝的第一位国王，据说雷利和科巴姆勋爵参与了其中，科巴姆勋爵的计划是用他的表妹阿拉贝拉·斯图尔特夫人取代詹姆斯。阴谋被识破后，雷利在宫廷中树敌众多，被指控叛国，关进了伦敦塔臭名昭著的血腥塔。这位冒险家与已故的埃塞克斯伯爵的宿敌关系并不融洽，因为国王经常与罗伯特·德弗罗通信。雷利因莫须有的罪名被审判和定罪，他的日子已经屈指可数了，或者说看起来是这样。

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)

          结果，雷利在塔里一呆就是好几年。至少，他被允许接受家人的探视，并有一些与他的地位相称的随从。1610年，国王禁止伊丽莎白·斯罗克莫顿 (Elizabeth Throckmorton) 与丈夫一起住在塔楼里，但还是给了她一笔微薄的养老金。闲暇之余，雷利撰写了一部雄心勃勃、影响深远的历史著作：《世界史》。这部庞大的史诗从未完成，但却广受欢迎，共出版了十版，是莎士比亚作品集的两倍。这位没落的廷臣还留下了许多作品，如对当代政治的评论《议员与太平绅士之间的对话》。雷利还撰写了《亚速尔群岛战斗真相报告》，描述了理查德·格伦维尔（Richard Grenville）于公元 1588 年 9 月率领复仇号与西班牙庞大舰队的英勇战斗。除了尝试炼金术、从海水中蒸馏淡水、混合草药和寻找治疗烟草的方法外，这位登岸的冒险家还创作了诗歌，并写下了这些凄美的诗句：

时间也是如此，它借用了

我们的青春和欢乐，我们拥有的一切，

而他只付出泥土和灰尘的代价。

在黑暗寂静的坟墓里

当我们走完所有的路

将我们的故事封存。

从泥土、坟墓和尘埃中

我相信主会复活我。(Jones, 300)

最后一次寻找埃尔多拉多

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.

          没想到，1616年3月，沃尔特·雷利终于从长期监禁中获释。他经常恳求詹姆斯一世允许他再次尝试寻找埃尔多拉多的宝藏，终于动摇了这位几乎破产的国王。雷利获得了自由，虽然一直受到监管，但他在接下来的一年里一直在准备重返南美洲的探险。1617 年 3 月，雷利乘坐“命运号”从普利茅斯启航。逆风以及与一艘西班牙船只的险些发生的小冲突（当他被明确命令不要充当私掠船时）是不祥的征兆，表明最糟糕的情况尚未到来。疾病在船上的船员中蔓延，也折磨着雷利。这位冒险家病得很重，不得不留在特立尼达岛的探险基地，而由雷利的儿子瓦特率领的主要团队正在探索奥里诺科河。瓦特贸然袭击了一个西班牙村庄，并在此过程中丧生。没有埃尔多拉多，也没有黄金。雷利被迫返回英国，面对国王的愤怒。当然，自那以后，人们曾多次尝试探索瓜塔维塔湖，甚至掏空它，但都没有成功找到人们所期望的埃尔多拉多宝藏。  

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，这位老冒险家回国时，国王拒绝见他。正当英国和西班牙试图修复外交关系时，西班牙在圭亚那的定居点遭到袭击是一个极其尴尬的事件。西班牙大使索要雷利的头颅，他的命运就这样被注定了。面对1618 年 10 月 29 日的死刑，雷利否认了对他的所有指控，并宣称他只是为自己和国家寻求荣耀。这位冒险家承认自己是一个“充满虚荣心的人”，过着“罪恶的生活，从事各种罪恶的职业，当过士兵、上尉、船长和廷臣，这些都是邪恶和罪恶的地方”（Bicheno, 319）。他以尊严和幽默的方式迎接死亡，在斧头落下之前，他还与众人做了最后的寒暄。

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《雷利小传》中所言，沃尔特·雷利爵士因其成就、对新大陆潜力的远见以及他所处的时代而成为传奇人物：

          在他之后的人，从未见过他的人，都本能地喜欢雷利或他们心目中的雷利。他无疑是一个最令人惊讶和引人注目的人，他的著作和一生都充满了天才与伟大，他是传奇的焦点。然而，不应忘记的是，许多生活在伊丽莎白时代宫廷小世界中的人，在与雷利长期交往之后，要么极度厌恶他，要么极度不信任他。  

参考书目：

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

          驻意大利的历史作家。他的主要兴趣包括陶瓷、建筑、世界神话和发现所有文明的共同思想。他拥有政治哲学硕士学位，是《世界历史百科全书》的出版总监。

原文网址: https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-19005/walter-raleigh/