“_Tuesday, 11th October._—The Lords arrived. Most of them slept in the village, the others at Monde, Mardelemat, at Nayde and Fotheringay, and numbered about fifty. Forty-two of these were chosen by commission. There were only forty-eight in the memorandum given to Her Majesty, of whom nine were absent. There arrived a man named Phal (perhaps Dr. Ford), an emissary of Walsingham, who translated French into English; one named Barker, who wrote his answers and gave the papers to a notary or clerk of court; another who seemed to be an usher or master of ceremonies. “_Wednesday, 12th October._—They came to the castle and attended preaching and prayers at the chapel, and sent Sir Walter Mildmay and Barker and Stallenge the usher, who presented a letter to the Queen from Elizabeth without any title such as Madam—simply signed at the end 'Elizabeth' without 'your sister,' and sealed with the Great Seal. Above the superscription 'To the Scotch,' as speaking to the people. She said that after the opinion which she held, having dared to deny being guilty of what they could prove, not wishing to receive any arbiter it seemed good to send her lords and councillors, lawyers, skilful in the practice of the laws of her kingdom, who she had authorised and empowered to proceed as they thought best, and that the Queen of Scots, being under her protection and in her kingdom, was subject to the laws of the same.” This letter is of considerable importance, and as Bourgoyne does not give it, we have found what we think is the same letter in the State Paper Office. It is in the following terms:— “Whereas we are given to understand that you, to our great and inestimable grief (as one void of all remorse of conscience), pretend with great protestations not to be in any sort privy or assenting to any attempt either against our state or person, forasmuch as we find by most clear and evident proof that the contrary will be verified and maintained against you; we have found it therefore expedient to send to you divers of our chief and most ancient noblemen of this our realm, together with certain of our Privy Council, as also some of our principal judges, to charge you both with the privity and assent to that most horrible and unnatural attempt. And to the end you may have no just cause, living as you do within our protection, and thereby subject to the laws of our realm, and to such trial as by us shall be thought most agreeable to our laws, to take exception to the manner of our proceedings; we have made special choice of these honourable persons to be used in this service, having for that purpose authorised them by commission under our Great Seal to proceed therein; and therefore do both advise and require you to give credit and make answer to that which these honourable persons authorised by us shall from time to time during their abode there deliver unto you in our name as if it were to ourselves. Given at our castle of Windsor, 6th October 1586.”