e London road smelt
of amber or of musk, and that you could not open a bag without finding
seed-pearls in it. 'My Lord!' he says, 'there never was such spoil.'
Raleigh's presence was absolutely necessary, for Cecil could do nothing
with the desperate and obstinate merchants and sailors.

On September 21, Raleigh arrived at Dartmouth with his keeper, Blount.
Cecil was amazed to find the disgraced favourite so popular in
Devonshire. 'I assure you,' he says, 'his poor servants to the number of
one hundred and forty, goodly men, and all the mariners, came to him
with such shouts and joy as I never saw a man more troubled to quiet
them in my life. But his heart is broken, for he is extremely pensive
longer than he is busied, in which he can toil terribly, but if you did
hear him rage at the spoils, finding all the short wares utterly
devoured, you would laugh as I do, which I cannot choose. The meeting
between him and Sir John Gilbert was with tears on Sir John's part; and
he belike finding it known he had a keeper, wherever he is saluted with
congratulation for liberty, he doth answer, "No, I am still the Queen of
England's poor captive." I wished him to conceal it, because here it
doth diminish his credit, which I do vow to you before God is greater
among the mariners than I thought for. I do grace him as much as I may,
for I find him marvellously greedy to do anything to recover the conceit
of his brutish offence.'

Raleigh broke into rage at finding so many of his treasures lost, and he
gave out that if he met with any London jewellers or goldsmiths in
Devonshire, were it on the wildest heath in all the county, he would
strip them as naked as when they were born. He raved against the
commissioners and the captains, against Cecil and against Cross. As was
his wont, he showed no tact or consideration towards those who were
engaged with or just above him; but about the end of September business
cooled his wrath, and he settled down to a division of the prize. On
September 27, the Commissioners of Inquiry sent in to Burghley and
Howard a report of their proceedings with respect to the 'Madre de
Dios'; this report is signed by Cecil, Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, and
three other persons. They had carried on their search for stolen
treasure so rigorously that even the Admiral's chests were examined
against his will. They confess their disappointment at finding in them
nothing more tempting than some taffetas embroidered with Ch