ABSTRACT
The legend of Walter Raleigh spreading his cloak over a puddle so that Queen
Elizabeth could cross it without getting wet first appeared in Thomas Fuller’s History
of the Worthies of England (1662), more than forty years after Raleigh’s death. The
tale famously demonstrates not only the civility with which courtiers treated their
queen, but also the generosity with which Elizabeth reciprocated courtly favors:
The story of this most dramatic episode-which may or may not have taken
place1-has come to symbolize the lengths to which courtiers would go for their
queen and the sway that Elizabeth held over the men who served her and needed her
patronage. Elizabeth’s reported gift to Raleigh of “many suits” suggests both gifts of
clothes (the passage underscores the “good habit” to which he was accustomed) and
court positions. However magnanimous Elizabeth’s gift of expensive clothing may
have been, it certainly was not entirely selfless.2 As a representative of the queen’s
court, Raleigh would need to display the best possible apparel as a reflection of his
sovereign; the suits bound him to his queen. The reward of court suits also involved
a reciprocal exchange. Raleigh, an unknown at court upon his arrival, proved his
loyalty to the queen who, in turn, advocated and sponsored his overseas enterprises.
