the conspiracy against Elizabeth's life. We must remember that this was amongst the last letters she ever wrote, and after she had received sentence of death. Queen Mary to Don Bernard de Mendoza, 23rd November 1586:— “Having ever found you zealous in the cause of God, and desirous of my welfare and deliverance from captivity, I have always communicated to you my intentions upon that subject, begging you to make them known to the King my brother. For this reason I now write to bid you a last adieu, notwithstanding the little leisure I have, being about to receive the stroke of death which was announced to me on Saturday last, I do not know when or in what manner; but at least you may praise God for me that through His grace I have had the heart to receive this unjust sentence of heretics with resignation, on account of the happiness which I esteem it to shed my blood at the requisition of the enemies of His Church, who do me the honour to say that it cannot be subverted while I am alive, and also that their Queen cannot reign in safety in the same predicament. As for these two conditions I have accepted without contradiction the high honour they confer upon me as one most zealous for the Catholic religion, for which I have publicly offered my life; and as for the other, although I have never committed either act or deed tending to take off her who was on the throne, unless it be that they make a crime of my right to the crown, which is acknowledged by all Catholics, yet I would not contradict them, leaving them to think as they please. This annoyed them much, and they told me that whatever I may say or do, it will not be for the cause of religion that I shall die, but for having endeavoured to murder their Queen. This I denied as being utterly false, having never attempted any such thing, and leaving it to God and the Church to dispose of this island in what relates to religion. The bearer of this has promised to relate to you how rigorously I have been treated by those here and how ill served by others whom I did not expect to have shown so great a fear of death in so just a quarrel. They have not been able to draw anything from me but that I am a Queen, free, Catholic, and obedient to the Church, and that not being able to effect my deliverance by fair means, I was compelled to seek it by those which presented themselves. Nau then confessed all; Curle has in a great measure followed his example; so that everything turns against me. I am threatened if I do not beg pardon, but I say that 'As they had already destined me to die, they may proceed with their injustice, hoping that God will recompense me in another world;' and out of spite because I will speak, they came yesterday and took down my canopy, saying that I was no more than a dead woman and without any rank. They are at present working in my hall, erecting the scaffold, I suppose, whereon I am to perform the last act of this tragedy. I die in a just cause,