[76] The Captain was ‘a landless gentleman.’ His wife owned Ranfurdie, and the Captain, involved in a quarrel with Menteith of Kers, had been accused of—witchcraft! The Captain’s legal affairs may be traced in the Privy Council Register.
[77] The proceedings of the English Privy Council at this point are lost, unluckily. The Scottish records are in Privy Council Register, 1608–1611, s.v. Oliphant, Robert, in the Index.
[80] See the Rev. Mr. Scott’s Life of John, Earl of Gowrie. Mr. Scott, at a very advanced age, published this work in 1818. He relied much on tradition and on anonymous MSS. of the eighteenth century.
[81] State Papers, Scotland (Elizabeth), vol. lxvi. No. 52. For the document see Appendix B.
[83] James himself, being largely in Abercromby’s debt, in 1594 gave him ‘twelve monks’ portions’ of the Abbacy of Cupar.—Act. Parl. Scot. iv. 83, 84.
[93] Mr. Henderson, in his account of William, Earl of Gowrie, in the Dictionary of National Biography, mentions ‘The Vindication of the Ruthvens’ in his list of authorities. He does not cite the source, as in MS. or in print; and I know not whether he refers to ‘The Verie Manner &c.,’ State Papers, Scotland (Elizabeth), vol. lxvi. No. 52. The theory of Mr. Scott (1818) is much akin to that of ‘The Verie Manner,’ which he had never seen.
[94] Barbé, p. 124.
[96] State Papers, Scotland (Elizabeth), vol. lxvi. No. 64.
[97] State Papers, Scotland (Elizabeth), vol. lxvi. No. 64.
Sir William Bowes to Sir John Stanhope, Sept. 2, 1600.