"Our farmers have long been raising sheep instead of grain," said he. "One man can easily care for many sheep. Those men that are driven from their old farm work can find naught else to do. They must starve or steal, and, Madam, it grieves me sorely to see that twenty or even thirty are often hanged before the hour of noon for stealing a shilling or perchance but a morsel of bread." "They who steal must be punished," said the queen, "but it would please me well if there were some other remedy than hanging." "The corn of Virginia will be a remedy, my queen, and there is yet another benefit that would come to England from colonies across the Atlantic. We wish to spread our commerce to foreign lands, but if we have a second England on the other side of the sea, will not our own countrymen of America buy and sell with us? Cannot laws be made that they shall trade with no others, if, indeed, they should be so disloyal as to think of such a thing? Why need we care for trade with a nation across the Pacific when we can trade with our own people in Virginia?" "Walter, you are wonderfully in earnest about this scheme of yours. It would ill become me to question the fairness or worthiness of my godchild, and I will think of what you say, I will think of it." Elizabeth thought of the plan, indeed the air was so full of talk about the proposed Virginian colony that she could have hardly helped thinking about it. In Virginia there was fertile soil, a good hope of finding gems and gold, and little probability of trouble with the Indians. Her councilors discussed the plan. Said one to another:-- "Think you that the queen will aid young Raleigh?" "'Sir Walter' you must say now that he has become a knight," rejoined the second. "Yes, I do believe that she will. Has she not followed his every whim till Leicester has fairly turned green with jealousy? She has just given him the wine monopoly, and that is worth thousands of pounds in a single year. If she gives him that, would she withhold aid for the bringing up of this 'godchild' of hers?" "You're a shrewd man, I admit," said the first, "but I've watched this queen of ours since she was no higher than my table, and I've never yet seen her affection for any one get the better of her. She's a woman, but she's also a queen, and she's more queen than woman." "I'm not the man to hold an opinion and fear to back it up," rejoined the other. "I've a fair bit of land down in Devon, and I'll wager it against that house of yours in London that she'll help 'educate the godchild.'"