“The rest of the day passed in these agitated conversations until night, when Hatton spoke saying they debated many things which did not belong to their commission, and that they had only come because the Queen their mistress was warned that Her Majesty had consented to what had been undertaken against her person, her State, and the public peace. It was a question whether she was guilty or not. It seemed to him that Her Majesty ought not to refuse to be examined; answering would make evident her innocence, which would be an honour to her and a comfort to the Queen and all the lords, whether present or absent. It was the last speech Her Majesty made to him, with tears; that nothing had ever touched his heart or grieved him so much as to come here to undertake such a case against her. Her Majesty asked what recompense she would have when she had proved her innocence, and what reparation would be made to her for having been in prison so long and accused. They replied that no harm would happen, and she would be honoured, and it would satisfy their mistress. “She remained all night in perplexity, and at last resolved to intimate to the commissioners that she wished to speak to them before they assembled. “_14th October 1586._—This day they came with other Lords, including Walsingham, who had not attended the previous day. She thus addressed them:—'Sirs, consider my rank, having been born a Queen, a foreigner, a near relation to your Queen. It cannot surprise you that I should be offended at the manner in which you proceed against me, nor that I refuse to recognise your assembly and your mode of procedure as not being obligatory; nor am I subject to your laws nor to your Queen. I cannot answer without prejudicing my state, mine and the other kings and princes of my rank. And at all times I am careful of my honour, to defend which I would not spare my life. Rather than do wrong to the other princes and to my son I am ready to die, if so be that the Queen has a bad opinion of me. She has been wrongly informed if she thinks I have plotted against her person. To show the goodwill I bear her I have demonstrated many times in the offers I have submitted to her, and by my behaviour. In order that you should not think I refuse to answer because I am guilty, and that ambition has induced me to do a reproachable act unworthy of my sacred person, I offer to answer upon this point alone—the life of the Queen—of which I swear to you I am entirely innocent. In making this protestation I demand a deed in writing.' They were very glad to have brought her to this point, and said that they would not trouble her with anything else. In order to satisfy her and prove whether she was guilty or not, they would receive her protestation and hoped she would prepare herself to come into the Council. She promised to do so immediately after she had dined, with a little wine, feeling herself feeble and ill.