On the 17th of November the trial began; and the after comment of one of "these my judges" was true: "That trial injured and degraded the justice of England." The Commissioners were eleven in number: Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, who had fought with Ralegh at Cadiz; Charles Blount, Earl of Devonshire; Lord Henry Howard; Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury; Edward, Lord Wotton of Morley; Sir William Waad; Sir John Stanhope, Vice-Chamberlain; the Lord Chief Justice of England, Popham; the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Anderson; Mr. Justice Gawdie and Mr. Justice Warburton. Coke, as Attorney-General, conducted the prosecution, and was assisted by Serjeant Hale. The Clerk of the Crown Office, having read the commission of Oyer and Terminer, the prisoner was bidden to hold up his hand, and then the indictment was read, the gist of which is as follows:-- That he did conspire and go about to deprive the King of his government, to raise up sedition within the realm, to alter religion, to bring in the Roman superstition, and to procure foreign enemies to invade the kingdom. That the Lord Cobham, the 9th of June last, did meet with the said Sir Walter Ralegh, in Durham House, and then and there had conference with him how to advance Arabella Stuart to the crown and royal throne of this kingdom. And that then and there it was agreed that Cobham should treat with Arenberg, ambassador from the Archduke of Austria, to obtain of him 600,000 crowns to bring to pass their intended treason. It was agreed that Cobham should go to the Archduke Albert to procure him to advance the pretended title of Arabella. From thence, knowing that Albert had not sufficient means to maintain his own army in the Low Countries, Cobham should go to Spain, to procure the king to assist and further her pretended title. It was agreed, the better to effect all this conspiracy, that Arabella should write three letters, one to the Archduke, another to the King of Spain, and a third to the Duke of Savoy, and promise three things-- First.--To establish a firm peace between England and Spain. Secondly.--To tolerate the popish and Roman superstition. Thirdly.--To be ruled by them in contracting of her marriage. And further, that Cobham and his brother Brooke met on the 9th of June last, and Cobham told Brooke all these treasons; to the which treasons Brooke gave his assent and did join himself to all these. And after, on the Thursday following, Cobham and Brooke did speak these words, _that there would never be a good world in England till the King_ (meaning our sovereign lord) _and his cubs_ (meaning the royal issue) _were taken away_.