Stuart dynasty

192 THE STUART DYNASTY.
likewise under grave suspicion of being tampered
with during the twelve months they remained
under Morton's care, having been afterwards pre-
sented to the Commissioners at York as Scotch, and
at Westminster in French. The avowed Originals
have never been seen since the latter conference, and
so the extant versions are not unnaturally declared,
by the best critical experts which England can pro-
duce towards the close of the nineteenth century,*
to be useless for historical purposes.
Sir James Melville, of Halhill, in Fife, was a
courtier of Mary Stuart's during her active sove-
reignty, although he embraced the cause of her son,
James VI., when the Queen seemed to be hopelesslv
imprisoned in England. He both spoke plainly and
gave good advice to Rizio, Daruley, and Murray, as
well as to the Queen.
It is remarkable that, despite his adherence to
James TI. after Mary's enforced abdication, he ex-
presses no belief in the Casket Letters, nor indeed
any knowledge of their existence, but only a regret,
several times repeated, that at the instance of " the
least honest " and " most ambitious " of those " banded
together to assist each other whereby to advance
themselves," the Regent should have been persuaded
to accuse his Sovereign/}-
Upon the genuineness or spuriotisness of these
letters depends the verdict as to Mary's innocence or
guilt ; because the story of Both well's page, French
* See article on Buchanan, ' Dictionary of National Biography.'
1 Sir James Melville's ' Memoirs,' edition 1683, p. 93.