Arthur, Anne and their mother made lurid allegations of incest and adultery against Lord de Ros and other members of the Cecil family, all of which were found to be wholly untrue.
Arthur himself was briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London on a charge of perjury, but he escaped any more serious punishment due to lack of evidence.
However, his reputation was badly damaged, especially by the claim that the charge of incest against de Ros was a diversion to distract attention from Arthur's own incestuous relations with his sister Anne.
In January 1618 he acted with other courtiers at Theobalds led by Sir John Finet in an interlude featuring "Tom of Bedlam the Tinker" intended to amuse King James who was suffering from gout.
The King was displeased by the play, especially the lyrics sung by Finet, and John Chamberlain was surprised that "none had the judgement to see how unfit it was to bring such beastly gear in public before a prince.