Accused of high treason on the accession of James I., and imprisoned under sentence of death, an unsuccessful expedition to South America in search of El Dorado, which caused complaints from the Spanish king, led to his execution under the pending sentence.

He wrote, chiefly in prison, a History of the World, in which he was aided by his literary friends, and which is highly commended.

It extends to the end of the second Macedonian war.

Raleigh was also a poet, and wrote several special treatises.
William Camden, 1551-1623: author of Britannia, or a chorographic description of the most flourishing kingdoms of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the adjacent islands, from the earliest antiquity.

This work, written in Latin, has been translated into English.