s the first ground of discovery, absolutely disclaim that any of
these" (the conspirators) "wrote it, though you leave the further
judgment indefinite who else it should be."[13]

Salisbury thus, in effect, requires Coke by absolutely disclaiming that
any of the conspirators wrote (he does not say "sent") the letter to
Monteagle, and by which alone the treason was discovered, to declare in
Court, as upon the authority of the Government, that therefore none of
the conspirators divulged the plot; which, in any case, could be true
only so far as the disclosure to the Government was concerned. Coke,
however, for some reason--perhaps because he was not fully in
Salisbury's confidence respecting the letter--describes the real manner
of the discovery, according to his own knowledge. Towards the close of
his speech for the prosecution, he said: "The last consideration is
concerning the admirable discovery of this treason, which was by one of
themselves who had taken the oath and sacrament, as hath been said
against his own will;[14] the means by a dark and doubtful letter to my
Lord Monteagle." This, together with Salisbury's statement that none of
the conspirators wrote the letter, shows that the divulging of the plot
preceded the sending of the letter,[15] which was not, therefore, as is
popularly supposed, the means by which the plot was discovered, except
to the general public.

Hitherto those who have attempted this identification have invariably
sought amongst such as are likely to have written the letter for a
handwriting _resembling the disguised writing_, which seems a strange
method of investigation, as surely the object of a disguised hand[16]
would be to make the general appearance as unlike the writer's ordinary
hand as possible? The writing being in a set and rather large character,
such is the style they have sought for and found, but in a much more
refined hand and without arriving at any satisfactory result.

It seems, however, reasonable to suspect that this set and rather large
character may be what principally constitutes the disguise, and that the
writer's ordinary hand would be different. The manner in which the lines
are forced upwards at the right side, shows that the writer has had
difficulty in maintaining the large, set, regular character which would
push an unpractised hand in that direction.

Among the more prominent peculiarities, as seen in the facsimile (No.
1), the writer invariably uses the