Stuart dynasty

Manj Stuart's Captivity and Death. 123
depend for an accurate statement as to the contents of the
casket. These documents are officially declared to be both
holograph and signed, but are not proved to be either. They
rest likewise under grave suspicion of being tampered with
during the twelve months they remained under Morton's
care, having been afterwards presented to the Commis-
sioners 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
produce 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 sovereignty, although he
embraced the cause of her son, James VI., when the Queen
seemed to be hopelessly imprisoned in England. He both
spoke plainly and gave good advice to Rizio, Darnley, and
Murray, as well as to the Queen.
It is remarkable that, despite his adherence to James VI.
after Mary's enforced abdication, he expresses 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 them-
selves," the Kegent should have been persuaded to accuse
his Sovereign.f
Upon the genuineness or spuriousness of these letters
depends the verdict as to Mary's innocence or guilt ; because
the story of Both well's page, French Paris, told under the
threat of torture, and never subsequently confirmed — inas-
much as, like Dalgleish, he was promptly hanged — was
absolutely incredible. Who, fur instance, believes Mary
Stuart foolish enough to adopt funereal black curtains for
her bed a few hours after Darnley 's violent death, when the
terrified youth was brought to declare he had seen her
leisurely eating an egg ? \ No ! she stands or falls with the
incredibility or genuineness of the Casket Letters §
. Into the internal evidence which has been adduced re-
garding the assumed credibility or incredibility of the
Casket Letters we shall not be expected to enter exhaustively
* See article on Buchanan, ' Dictionary of National Biography.'
f Sir James Melville's 'Memoirs,' edition 1683, p. 93.
% Froude's 'History of England,' edition 1866, vol. ix. p. 5.
§ See Appendix 111.