e, Mr. Barbe, has the following 'observes'
upon this point. It has been asserted by Calderwood that, 'while the
Earl was in Strathbraan, fifteen days before the fact' (say July 20),
'the King wrote sundry letters to the Earl, desiring him to come and hunt
with him in the wood of Falkland, which letters were found in my lord's
pocket, as is reported, but were destroyed.' Mr. Barbe then proves that
letters _were_ sent to Gowrie and Atholl in the last days of July. It is
certain that a letter was sent to Gowrie about July 20, possibly a
sporting invitation, not that there was any harm in an invitation to join
a hunting party. James is next accused of 'trying to stifle the rumour'
about this 'letter,' by a direct denial. This means that Craigengelt,
Gowrie's caterer, was asked whether he knew of any man or boy who came to
Gowrie from Court, and said that he did not, a negative reply supposed to
have been elicited by the torture to which Craigengelt was certainly
subjected. We only know that at the end of July letters were sent to
Gowrie, to Inchaffray, to Atholl, and to Ruthven. Whether his reached
Gowrie or not, and what it contained, we cannot know.

{137} _Privy Council Register_, vi. 194.

{140a} Cf. p. 110, note.

{140b} _Border Calendar_, i. 491.

{142} _Tragedy of Gowrie House_, pp. 29, 31.

{147} As to Bothwell's whereabouts, in 1600, he left Brussels in March,
nominally to go to Spain, but, in June, the agent of the English
Government in the Low Countries was still anxious to hear that he had
arrived in Spain. When he actually arrived there is uncertain. Compare
Simancas, iv. p. 667, with State Papers, Domestic (Elizabeth)
(1598-1600), p. 245, No. 88, p. 413 (March 24, April 3, 1600), p. 434,
May 30, June 9, p. 509. Cecil meant to intrigue with Bothwell, through
Henry Locke, his old agent with Bothwell's party, Atholl, and Gowrie
October 1593). Compare _infra_, p. 160.

{152} _Privy Council Register_, ii. 217, 218.

{153} _Privy Council Register_, ii. 622, 699.

{155a} _Privy Council Register_, vi. 73, 74.

{155b} State Papers, Scotland (Elizabeth), vol. lxvi. No. 13, No. 21.

{156} _Hatfield Calendar_, viii. 147, 399.

{157} For these letters of Logan's, see _Hatfield Calendar_, vols. iii.
iv. under 'Restalrig,' in the Index.

{158} _Privy Council Register_, vol. v., s. v. 'Logan' in the Index.

{159} _Border Calendar_, vol. ii. Willoughby to Cecil, January 1, 1599.

{160a}