Papers relating to William, first Earl of Gowrie, and Patrick Ruthven, his fifth and last surviving son

William, Earl of Gowrie, etc. 1 7
Calderwood and Melville, Spottiswood and Keith, Bowes,
Davison and Hume of Godscroft, writers of all parties, and
with the best means of information, describe the subsequent
conduct of Arran in terms which apply only to an almost un-
paralleled tyranny. The whole realm trembled under him.
Day by day some new stratagem was devised to obtain for-
feitures and escheats, lands or benefices, or to get goods. The
unscrupulous ingenuity of pettifoggers was racked to find
flaws in the lives or titles of Arran's enemies, and to make
his own acquisitions sure. The King was excited to the
highest indignation against the Ruthven lords. Angus, Mar,
and Glamis, the real leaders in the raid, were banished, the
first of them to the north of Scotland, and the two others to
Ireland. In the public mind, and in the estimation of the
King, a great distinction was made between those men and
Gowrie, but Arran made none. Gowrie was wealthy, he was
an easy, simple-hearted man, but he was popular, he had
influence which might render him dangerous, and one of the
Countess of Arran' s Highland soothsayers had declared, that
" rack he would." The prophecy was one which Arran and
his wife determined should not remain unfulfilled. Gowrie ex-
cited the suspicions of his friends by endeavouring to buy
peace by a partial submission. He acknowledged peccatum
in forma, sed non in materia. The King was satisfied, but not
Arran. Gowrie was annoyed by all the means which upstart
insolence could devise. At length, bending before the storm,
he prudently retired from Court to his residence in Perth.
The King, who seems really to have been partial to him, re-
called Melville to Court and employed him as a mediator.
Melville followed Gowrie to Perth and entreated him to re-
turn. He did so, and the King took pains to reconcile him
with Arran. But no terms were kept with him. He was
vexed and " put at," as Melville phrases it, " in every ima-
ginable way." " Arran hated his person," says the same
authority, " but loved his lands," and was bent upon obtain-
ing them. Thus annoyed and persecuted, Gowrie determined
c