The last Elizabethan

At his death, Sir Walter Ralegh was considered the last of the Elizabethans. The Spanish envoy described him as the only surviving pirate of a “deceased virago”. Sellar and Yeatman, in that most perceptive of modern histories, 1066 and All That, suggested that he was executed for being left over from the previous reign. But even if such a creature ever existed, was Ralegh a typical Elizabethan? Many myths need debunking here. Ralegh did not introduce tobacco or potatoes into England or Ireland. He played no significant part in defeating the Spanish Armada. Far from being a ‘sea dog’ he was something of a ‘Jonah’, unlucky with winds and tides, and frequently seasick. A hypochondriac, weak in the legs, self-obsessed, full of self-pity, he never stopped imagining that his health was precarious.…

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The Story of the Elizabethans (Digital) - 1 Issue, The Story of the Elizabethans 2020

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