The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

The editor resumes the narrative of the novel, reflecting on Robert’s memoirs. These memories could have been intended as a warning to others against the “dreadful danger of self-righteousness” (178). As part of this discussion, the editor presents a letter from 1823. The letter is signed James Hogg (author of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner). In the letter, Hogg writes about the discovery of “the grave of a suicide” (179). Stones near the grave indicate that the body inside belonged to a suicide victim who resembles Robert’s description. According to records, the grave belonged to a largely anonymous cowherd whose body was found hanging in a strange way. Local rumors associated the cowherd with devil worship, as the rope seemed too brittle and the arrangement of the hanging too complex to be the work of just one man. A century after death, the cowherd’s body was dug up. Still, the flesh and clothes had not rotted; the body remained “quite soft and fleshy” (181). Hogg included a scrap of fabric—supposedly taken from the grave—with the letter as proof of this.

Seeking more information about the story, the editor visits Hogg and talks to locals about the history of the cowherd.