ABSTRACT
ROBERTHARCOURT,theauthorofthisRelationofa VoyagetoGuiana,wasborninI574,theeldestsonof SirWalterHarcourtofEllenhall,Staffordshire,and StantonHarcourt,Oxfordshire.Itishardlynecessary tosaythathebelongedtothefamilywhichhasgiven manydistinguishedmentotheserviceoftheStatei. HewenttoOxfordasagentleman-commonerofSt Alban'sHall"atthebeginningofI589whenhewas I5andremainedthereaboutthreeyears3.Whathe didwhenheleftandhowheemployedhimselfforthe nextfifteenyears,thepublishedHarcourtpapersdo nottellus.Evidentlyhewascaughtbytheprevailing enthusiasmforvoyagestotheNewWorld,andhe seemstohavereadmostoftheextantliteratureonthe subject.InabriefandinaccuratenoticeofhimAnthony awood4statesthathe"hadageny5inclininghimto seeandsearchouthiddenregions.''Harcourthimself doesnotspeakasifhehadcomeintocontactwith Raleigh,whosefirstvoyagetotheOrinocotookplace threeyearsafterhehadleftOxford.Weapparently6
havenoinformationabouthimtillaboutI607hebegan toagitateforapatentorgrantpermittinghim.totake avoyagetoGuianaonhisownaccount.Thehistoryof thisventureanditsoutcome,withtherecordofhistwo voyagestoGuianafirstinI6o8-9andafterwardsin I627,hasbeengivenindetailinchap.IoftheIntroduction.WhetherheeverreturnedtoEngland,or
IThelateViscountHarcourtnaturallytookspecialinterestinhis ancestorandknewhistreatise.SeeIntroduction,p.I4admed.andnote.
