shed her; he took two of her daughters, Barbara and Beatrix, into his
household; and restored to Gowrie his inheritance of the lands of Scone,
which, as we know, had been held by his father. He had written a loving
letter to Gowrie at Padua, after the young man had for many months been
conspiring against him with his most dangerous enemy, the wild Earl of
Bothwell.

On the morning of the fatal August 5, Gowrie went to sermon. What else
he did, we learn from John Moncrieff, who was the Earl's cautioner, or
guarantee, for a large sum due by him to one Robert Jolly. {137} He was
also brother of Hew Moncrieff, who fled after having been with Gowrie in
arms, against Herries, Ramsay, and Erskine. Both Moncrieffs, says John,
were puzzled when they found that the Master had ridden from Perth so
early in the morning. Gowrie, says Moncrieff, did not attend the Town
Council meeting after church; he excused himself on account of private
affairs. He also sent away George Hay who was with him on business when
Henderson arrived from Falkland, saying that he had other engagements.
For the same reason, he, at first, declined to do a piece of business
with Moncrieff, who dined with him and two other gentlemen. 'He made him
to misknow all things,' that is affected to take no notice, when Andrew
Ruthven came in, and 'rounded to him' (whispered to him) about the King's
approach. Then the Master entered, and Gowrie went out to meet the King.

The rest we know, as far as evidence exists.

[Picture: Queen Anne of Denmark]

We now have all the essential facts which rest on fairly good evidence,
and we ask, did the Ruthvens lay a plot for the King, or did the King
weave a web to catch the Ruthvens? Looking first at character and
probable motives, we dismiss the gossip about the amorous Queen and the
jealous King. The tatlers did not know whether to select Gowrie or the
Master as the object of the Queen's passion, or whether to allege that
she had a polyandrous affection for both at once. The letters of the age
hint at no such amour till after the tragedy, when tales of the _liaison_
of Anne of Denmark with the elder or younger Ruthven, or both, arose as a
myth to account for the events. The Queen, no doubt, was deeply grieved
in a womanly way for the sake of her two maidens, Beatrix and Barbara
Ruthven. Her Majesty, also in a womanly way, had a running feud with Mar
and the whole house of Erskine. To Mar, cer