[The following is in regards to Sir Walter Ralegh, a nobleman who, by this time, was fully expecting to be executed by the crown and was being housed as a prisoner in the Tower of London. More information on him will be linked in the ‘further reading’ section if you’d like to know more about him.]
Shortly after this letter was written, on 27 July, Ralegh took out a dagger and stabbed himself in the chest in front of Sir John Peyton, with whom he was having dinner. It was not, however, a fatal blow. Something held Ralegh back and despite his long experience with weapons he struck a rib. Cecil, who was in the Tower interviewing other prisoners, found Ralegh bleeding heavily but he judged the wound “in truth rather a cut than a stab.”
Perhaps Ralegh was unbalanced and had made a genuine gesture toward killing himself. If he died before his trial, it would have protected his estates from confiscation – although he would have hoped they were protected anyway since he had put them in in his son’s name the previous autumn.
Source:
Lisle, Leanda De. "An Anointed King" After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England. New York: Ballantine, 2005. 232. Print.
Further Reading:
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