The Identification of the Writer of the Anonymous Letter to Lord Monteagle in 1605 Part 3

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACSIMILE No. 4.

William Vavasour's handwriting in his _untrue_ statement written in the presence of the Lieutenant of the Tower, that No. 3 was written by Mrs.

Tresham. Dated March 23, 1605-6. (State Papers, Domestic. James I.

ccxvi. 207.)

[***]To avoid detection of his falsehood, he writes a hand quite different from his ordinary writing in Nos. 2 and 3, thus producing a hand which is in itself identical with his former disguised writing as seen in the anonymous letter (No. 1).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACSIMILE No. 5.

George Vavasour's handwriting on the last leaf, which he renewed for Francis Tresham, of the MS. int.i.tled "A Treatise against Lying, &c."

(Laud MSS. 655, folio 61.)]

George Vavasour's handwriting upon the last leaf of the MS. (Facsimile No. 5) shows a much more refined and educated hand than his brother's, from which the writing is in every respect different. A small "s" is invariably used in commencing a word with that letter; the "t's " are quite different; the "w" finishes with an inner, not an outer loop; the "g's" have no flat tops; and the "hangers" of the "h's" do not descend below the line. The writing is evidently an educated hand for the time, and cannot readily be imagined as using small "i's" for the first person, such as are used in, and seem to accord so well with, the much less educated handwriting of the warning letter.

WILLIAM VAVASOUR, the Tresham family serving-man, is thus not only conclusively proved to have written the anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, but most probably was also the "unknown man of a reasonable tall personage" who is so quaintly described in the Government story as having delivered the letter.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 46: Calendared by the Historical MSS. Commission. "Report on MSS. in various Collections, vol. iii., 1904. The MSS. of T.B.

Clarke-Thornhill, Esq., of Rushton Hall, by Mrs. R.C. Lomas." These important family papers were preserved and discovered in a curious manner. In 1828, when making alterations at Rushton Hall, on removing a part.i.tion wall, they were found with some theological books in a large bundle wrapped in a sheet, which had been built into a recess in the wall. As the papers, commencing in 1576, with a few of earlier date, end in November, 1605, they were probably thus hidden away on Tresham's arrest.]

[Footnote 47: "Calendar," p. 59.]

[Footnote 48: _Ibid._, p. 89.]

[Footnote 49: "Students admitted to the Inner Temple, 1547-1660"

(1877).]

[Footnote 50: "Calendar of Tresham Papers," p. 90.]

[Footnote 51: His name does not appear in the list of Sir Thomas's ten livery servants as retained while the establishment was at Hoxton before Monteagle's tenancy, of which the accounts are with the Tresham Papers.

Under the stable charges is the keep of a horse for Thomas Vavasour, the father (_ibid._, pp. 47, 50).]

[Footnote 52: "Examination of Christopher Story, Thomas Bates's man"

("State Papers, Domestic," James I., xvi. 28, 1).]

[Footnote 53: It will be remembered that Salisbury in the official story describes Ward, who was Monteagle's secretary, as "one of his men."]

[Footnote 54: Each of the other female attendants and servants, even "Mawdlyn the Frenchwoman" at 10 yearly, have a livery ("Calendar of Tresham Papers," p. 50).]

[Footnote 55: The ma.n.u.script was originally ent.i.tled "A Treatise upon Equivocation," which was altered by Father Garnet into "A treatise against Lying & fraudule't dissimulatio'. Newly overseen by ye Authour & published for the defence of Innocency, & for the Instructio' of Ignora'ts." It purports to show when equivocation may "lawfully" be used, and may have been compiled by Garnet, as the t.i.tle-page and the annotations throughout are in his handwriting. The folio ma.n.u.script by George Vavasour was evidently a fair copy of the revised "quarto," and Tresham's reason for having it made.]

[Footnote 56: "Examination of George Vavasour, of the Inner Temple, Gent., December 9, 1605" ("State Papers, Domestic," James I., ccxvi.

151).]

[Footnote 57: He also confessed having transcribed the treatise "De Officio Principis Christiani" (Further examination, December 13, 1605, _ibid._, ccxvi. 155). c.o.ke alluded to these ma.n.u.scripts at the trial as "certain heretical, d.a.m.nable and treasonable books discovered." He said: "There is in Tresham's book, 'De Officio Principis,' an easier and more expedite way than all these to fetch the crown off the head of any king christened whatsoever, which is this that: '_Princeps indulgendo haereticis, amitt.i.t regnum._'--If any prince shall but tolerate or favour heretics, he loseth his kingdom." This shows the confidential nature of the Vavasours' employment as amanuenses by Tresham in such matters.]

[Footnote 58: Examination of William Tresham, December 9, 1605 ("State Papers, Domestic," James I., xvii. 23).]

THE END