ur, the writing would not, from the
general appearance, readily be recognized as by the same hand that wrote
Tresham's dying statement (No. 3), and so acknowledged by Vavasour. This
shows that he was naturally clever in disguising his hand, hence his
employment by Tresham in writing the anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle.

* * * * *

Upon the evidence of the handwriting alone, William Vavasour was the
writer of that letter.[30]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 12: In the "Correspondence of James I. with Sir Robert Cecil"
(published by the Camden Society in 1861), both the King and the Earl of
Northumberland occasionally use them (pp. 64, 70, etc.). The latter also
uses them in his general correspondence.]

[Footnote 13: "State Papers, Domestic," James I., xix. 94.]

[Footnote 14: Tresham was throughout the only unwilling conspirator, but
he did not take the oath sacramentally, only seven or eight of the
thirteen conspirators did so.]

[Footnote 15: "No wise man could think my lord (Monteagle) to be so weak
as to take any alarm to absent himself from Parliament upon such a loose
advertisement" (Letter from Salisbury to Cornwallis, November 9).]

[Footnote 16: Salisbury, in his letter to Cornwallis, particularly
describes the writing as being "in a hand disguised," and he, like
Monteagle, would know not only the writer, but how the letter came to be
written.]

[Footnote 17: In an expert examination of handwriting, the angle at
which the pen is held, as indicated by the long strokes, and the spacing
between the lines which a writer naturally uses, have also to be
considered--being the basis of handwriting, the first movements that are
made in learning to write, and become each writer's characteristics in
those respects. In each specimen of William Vavasour's handwriting,
including the anonymous letter, the long strokes are generally at the
same angle, and the spacing between the lines (except in No. 3) is
throughout generally similar, while his brother George's hand is in each
respect quite different.]

[Footnote 18: "He died this night, about two of the clock after
midnight, with very great pain; for though his spirits were much spent
and his body dead, a-lay above two hours in departing" (Lieutenant of
the Tower to Salisbury, December 23, 1605, "State Papers, Domestic,"
James I., xvii. 56). Tresham's death, being so opportune for Monteagle,
if not for Salisbury, has been attributed to poi