mas Hamilton was the ancestor of the Earl of Haddington,
who inherits many of his papers. Among these we find a copy, in Sprot's
'course hand,' or rapid current hand, of Letter IV, and another of Letter
I, but no such copies of II, III. and V. Each of these is endorsed by
James Primrose, Clerk of Council, is endorsed by Sprot, in faded ink, and
is _also_ endorsed in Sprot's ordinary everyday hand, very firm and
clear, thus:

'This is copyitt off the principal' (the original), 'lykeas the note
writtin upon the bak is writtin by me, George Sprott.'

There is, in fact, another 'note on the back,' in ink more faded, on a
dirty rubbed part of the paper.

Now certainly the last endorsation was written by Sprot either on August
11 or August 12, 1600. He had not the original or this copy by him on
August 10, or on August 11 when examined, for on August 10 he could only
give a version of Letter IV from memory, and erroneously, the version
cited in his indictment. On August 11 he still had not the original or
his copy, for he quoted from memory, what he believed to be a
_postscript_ to the original Letter IV, a passage which is really in the
_text_ of Letter IV. He could not have made this error if, at that hour
of August 11, he had either the original of Letter IV, or his exact copy
before him, nor would there have been any reason why he should quote from
memory, if Government had the documents. Yet he re-endorsed his copies
of Letters I and IV before his death. This endorsement is firm and
clear, the text of the two copies is fainter and much of the paper more
rubbed, as if from being kept in the pocket. The copies are older than
the final endorsement on the copies. It follows that the Sheriff Depute
found these two copies (I, IV) and the originals, in Sprot's kist, and
brought them to Sprot's examiners after that hour of August 11, when he
could only quote from memory. He then endorsed them formally, one of the
last acts of his life.

The originals were also found, for it will not be argued that Government
employed another forger to forge them from Sprot's copies in 'course
hand.' We know that Sprot had a secondary species of blackmailing
documents, these in current hand; one of them he gave to the Goodman of
Rentoun. For this, or some other purpose, he had made the 'course hand'
copies of Letters I and IV, which he endorsed just before his death, or
perhaps he made them from the original, which he then destroye