James VI And The Gowrie Mystery

An old Scottish lady, many generations ago, used to say, 'It is a great comfort to think that, at the Day of Judgment, we shall know the whole truth about the Gowrie Conspiracy at last.' Since the author, as a child, read 'The Tales of a Grandfather,' and shared King Jamie's disappointment when there was no pot of gold, but an armed man, in the turret, he had supposed that we do know all about the Gowrie Conspiracy, that it was a plot to capture the King, carry him to Fastcastle, and 'see how the country would take it,' as in the case of the Gunpowder Plot. But just as Father Gerard has tried to show that the Gunpowder affair may have been Cecil's plot, so modern historians doubt whether the Gowrie mystery was not a conspiracy by King James himself. This book is annotated with a rare extensive biographical sketch of the author, Andrew Lang, written by Sir Edmund Gosse, CB, a contemporary poet and writer. Contents: Introduction I. The Mystery And The Evidence II. The Slaughter Of The Ruthvens III. The King's Own Narrative IV. The King's Narrative-II. The Man In The Turret V. Henderson's Narrative VI. The Strange Case Of Mr. Robert Oliphant VII. The Contemporary Ruthven Vindication VIII. The Theory Of An Accidental Brawl IX. Contemporary Clerical Criticism X. Popular Criticism Of The Day XI. The King And The Ruthvens XII. Logan Of Restalrig XIII. The Secrets Of Sprot XIV. The Laird And The Notary XV. The Final Confessions Of The Notary XVI. What Is Letter Iv? XVII. Inferences As To The Casket Letters