Directly that Lord Cecil had finished, Sir Edward Coke, the King's Attorney, continued his accusation, trying to turn Ralegh's great outburst about the state of Spain to Ralegh's disadvantage, trying to prove it only another instance of his treachery. "Methinks it would have been better for you to have stayed in Guiana than to be so well acquainted with the state of Spain. As to the six overthrows of the King of Spain, I answer 'he hath the more malice' because repulses breed desire of revenge. As for you writing against the Peace with Spain, you sought but to cloak a Spanish traitor's heart," and more to the same effect. When he had finished Ralegh rose to make his last claim on justice. "My lords," he said, "I claim to have my accuser brought here to speak face to face. Though I know not how to make my best defence by law, yet, since I was a prisoner, I have learned that by the Law and Statutes of this realm in case of treason a man ought to be convicted by the testimony of two witnesses. I will not take upon me to defend the matter upon the Statute of the twenty-fifth of Edward the Third, though that requires an overt act. But remember I beseech your Lordships, the Statute of the first of Edward the Sixth which saith: 'No man shall be condemned of treason, unless he be accused by two lawful accusers.' And by the Statute of the fifth and sixth of Edward the Sixth, those accusers must be brought in person before the party accused, at his arraignment if living!" He continued to instance other laws; he pointed out that Cobham was not only living but in the same town, in the same palace. He called to mind the case of Fortescue, who had condemned a woman to death on the witness of one man for the murder of her husband, and who could never forgive himself for the injustice when the servant of the man confessed at length to the murder. He drew instances from the Bible, and the Canon of God, and concluded with this appeal for justice: "If then by the Statute Law, by the Civil Law and by God's Word, it be required that there be two witnesses, at the least, bear with me if I desire one. Prove me guilty of these things by one witness only, and I will confess the Indictment, I stand not upon the niceties of the law. If I have done these things I deserve not to live; whether they be treasons by the law or no. I beseech you then, my Lords, let Cobham be sent for. Let him be charged upon his soul, upon his allegiance to the King; and if he will then maintain his accusation to my face, I will confess myself guilty." The Court were at first taken aback by this unexpected knowledge of the law, but not for long. The Lord Chief Justice Popham, who played the strange triple part of assistant in the examination, of witness for the prosecution, and of presiding judge, explained that such a course was quite out of the question. "The statutes you speak of in cases of treason were found to be inconvenient and were taken away by another law. Those of Edward the