[Footnote 114:——The report would be at least second-hand, and it might be much more. For example, if Mr. Abington saw his wife write the Letter and told the worthy person what he (Abington) had by the evidence of his own eyes ascertained, then the worthy person would have the evidence at first-hand. Any person to whom the worthy person conveyed the intelligence would have it at second-hand, and so on. But if Mr. Abington had not seen his wife write the Letter, but had only been told by his wife that she had writ the Letter, then, although Abington would be a witness at first-hand _as to the bare fact of such a report having been made_, he would be only a witness at second-hand _as to the truth of the report_; for Mrs. Abington, in herself reporting, might have spoken falsely either wilfully or through mental defect.] [Footnote 115:——Vol. i., p. 585.] [Footnote 116:——Jardine’s “_Narrative_,” p. 83.] [Footnote 117:——Jardine’s “_Narrative_” p. 84.] [Footnote 118:——William Abington’s chief poem was “Castara,” sung in praise of his wife, the Honourable Lucia Powys. In the recent “_Oxford Book of English Verse_,” selected by Quiller-Couch (Clarendon Press), there is a fine philosophic poem of the younger Abington (or Habington), entitled “_Nox nocti indicat scientiam_.” John Amphlett, Esq., has edited the elder Abington’s (or Habington’s) “_Survey of Worcestershire_,” with a valuable introduction, for the Worcestershire Historical Society.] [Footnote 119:——It is, moreover, possible that, through her brother’s good offices with the Government, Mrs. Abington had a sight of the Letter itself. If so, she would have been almost sure to detect the general similarity of the handwriting, notwithstanding the disguise, with the handwriting of Father Oldcorne, handwriting she must have known familiarly enough, to say nothing of the particular similarity in the case of certain of the letters. As showing that, when at Hindlip, Father Oldcorne came into Mrs. Abington’s company, the following quotation may be given from one of Father Oldcorne’s Declarations, dated 6th March, 1605-6:——“Both Garnett and he when there were no straungers did ordinarilye dyne and supp with Mr. Abington and his wyfe in the dyninge chamber.”]