departure, that nothing which ever befell her had given her so much
uneasiness, as that you should be suspected of a concurrence in these
criminal enterprises. Laying aside, therefore, the fruitless claim of
privilege from your royal dignity, which can now avail you nothing,
trust to the better defence of your innocence, make it appear in open
trial, and leave not upon your memory that stain of infamy which must
attend your obstinate silence on this occasion." [*]

* Camden, p. 523.

By this artful speech, Mary was persuaded to answer before the court;
and thereby gave an appearance of legal procedure to the trial, and
prevented those difficulties which the commissioners must have fallen
into, had she persevered in maintaining so specious a plea as that of
her sovereign and independent character. Her conduct in this particular
must be regarded as the more imprudent; because formerly, when
Elizabeth's commissioners pretended not to exercise any jurisdiction
over her, and only entered into her cause by her own consent and
approbation, she declined justifying herself, when her honor, which
ought to have been dearer to her than life, seemed absolutely to require
it.

On her first appearance before the commissioners, Mary, either sensible
of her imprudence, or still unwilling to degrade herself by submitting
to a trial, renewed her protestation against the authority of her
judges: the chancellor answered her, by pleading the supreme authority
of the English laws over every one who resided in England; and the
commissioners accommodated matters, by ordering both her protestation
and his answer to be recorded.

The lawyers of the crown then opened the charge against the queen
of Scots. They proved, by intercepted letters, that she had allowed
Cardinal Allen and others to treat her as queen of England; and that she
had kept a correspondence with Lord Paget and Charles Paget, in view of
engaging the Spaniards to invade the kingdom. Mary seemed not anxious to
clear herself from either of these imputations. She only said that she
could not hinder others from using what style they pleased in writing to
her; and that she might lawfully try every expedient for the recovery of
her liberty.

An intercepted letter of hers to Mendoza was next produced; in which she
promised to transfer to Philip her right to the kingdom of England, if
her son should refuse to be converted to the Catholic faith; an event,
she there said, of whi