"

"Read, my lord; I am listening," replied Mary Stuart, with the greatest
calmness. Then Robert Beale unrolled the said commission, which was on
parchment, sealed with the Great Seal in yellow wax, and read as follows:

"Elizabeth, by the grace of God, Queen of England, France, and Ireland,
etc., to our beloved and faithful cousins, George, Earl of Shrewsbury,
Grand Marshal of England; Henry, Earl of Kent; Henry, Earl of Derby;
George, Earl of Cumberland; Henry, Earl of Pembroke, greeting: [The Earls
of Cumberland, Derby, and Pembroke did not attend to the queen's orders,
and were present neither at the reading of the sentence nor at the
execution.]

"Considering the sentence by us given, and others of our Council,
nobility, and judges, against the former Queen of Scotland, bearing the
name of Mary, daughter and heiress of James v, King of Scotland, commonly
called Queen of Scotland and Dowager of France, which sentence all the
estates of our realm in our last Parliament assembled not only concluded,
but, after mature deliberation, ratified as being just and reasonable;
considering also the urgent prayer and request of our subjects, begging
us and pressing us to proceed to the publication thereof, and to carry it
into execution against her person, according as they judge it duly
merited, adding in this place that her detention was and would be daily a
certain and evident danger, not only to our life, but also to themselves
and their posterity, and to the public weal of this realm, as much on
account of the Gospel and the true religion of Christ as of the peace and
tranquillity of this State, although the said sentence has been
frequently delayed, so that even until this time we abstained from
issuing the commission to execute it: yet, for the complete satisfaction
of the said demands made by the Estates of our Parliament, through which
daily we hear that all our friends and subjects, as well as the nobility,
the wisest, greatest, and most pious, nay, even those of inferior
condition, with all humility and affection from the care they have of our
life, and consequently from the fear they have of the destruction of the
present divine and happy state of the realm if we spare the final
execution, consenting and desiring the said execution; though the general
and continual demands, prayers, counsels, and advice were in such things
contrary to our natural inclination; yet, being convinced of the urgent
weight of their con