Tresham in the same capacity; while the sister Muriel
Vavasour, who bore the same (then uncommon) Christian name as Lady
Tresham, and may have been her god-daughter, became "gentlewoman without
livery" at L5 yearly[54] to Lady Monteagle, who was Lady Tresham's
daughter. Both George Vavasour and his brother William were
confidentially employed by Francis Tresham as amanuenses, where secrecy
was necessary in transcribing religious or political treatises, such as
were then circulated amongst Roman Catholics, and, being treasonable,
dared not be printed.

On December 1, 1605, the Attorney-General, while investigating the
conspiracy, obtained two MS. volumes which had been found in George
Vavasour's chambers in the Inner Temple. One, officially described as a
"quarto" volume, though an octavo (8-1/4 x 5-3/4), entitled
"A Treatise against Lying,"[55] was stated by George Vavasour, on
examination[56] to have been lent him by Francis Tresham to copy,[57]
and the copy he had made was contained in the folio, the other MS.
found. He denied any knowledge of the handwriting in the "quarto"
volume, except that he had recopied the last page (61), in order to
replace a torn leaf, bearing in Latin the Imprimatur of George
Blackwell, Archpriest of the English Jesuits. William Tresham (Francis
Tresham's youngest brother), on being examined by Coke, said that he
thought the "quarto" MS. was in William Vavasour's handwriting, who was
formerly his father's servant, and since serving his eldest brother in
the Tower.[58] William Tresham may have seen Vavasour so employed at
home and would know his writing; while George Vavasour might not wish to
bring his brother into question. The folio MS. has disappeared, but the
"quarto" copy, as ascribed to William Vavasour, is now with Archbishop
Laud's MSS. (No. 655) in the Bodleian Library, and was published in
1851.

[Illustration: FACSIMILE No. 1.

The anonymous letter as delivered to Lord Monteagle, October 26, 1605,
warning him not to attend the opening of Parliament appointed for the
Fifth of November. (From the original letter in the Museum of the Public
Record Office.)]

[Illustration: FACSIMILE No. 2.

A page of the MS. intitled "A Treatise against Lying, &c.", formerly
belonging to Francis Tresham, of which the handwriting was attributed by
his brother, William Tresham, to William Vavasour. Now in the Bodleian
Library. (Laud MSS. 655, folio 44.)]

[Illustration: FACSIMILE No. 3.

Wil