stool brought her, she sat down, by her, on her right hand the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of Kent, and on the left hand stood the Sheriff, before her the two executioners; round about the rails stood knights, gentlemen, and others. Then silence being made the Queen's Majestie's commission for the execution of the said Queen of Scots was opened by Mr. Beal, clerk of the council, and these words pronounced by the assembly, "God save the Queen," during the reading of which commission the Queen of Scots was silent, listening unto it with as small regard as if it had not concerned her at all; and with as cheerfull countenance as if it had been a pardon from her majesty for her life; using as much strangness in word and deed as if she had never known any of the assembly or had been ignorant of the English language. Then Mr. Doctor Fletcher, Dean of Peterborough, standing directly before her without the rails, bending his body with great reverence, began to utter this exhortation following: "Madam, the Queen's most excellent Majesty," etc.; and uttering these words three or four times she told him, "Mr. Dean, I am settled in the ancient Catholic Roman religion, and mind to spend my blood in defence of it." Then Mr. Dean sayd, "Madam, change your opinion and repent you of your former wickedness, and set your faith only in Jesus Christ, by Him to be saved." Then she answered again, "Mr. Dean, trouble not yourself any more, for I am settled and resolved in this my religion, and am purposed herein to die." Then the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of Kent, perceiving her so obstinate, told her that since she would not hear the exhortation begun by Mr. Dean, "We will pray for your grace that if it standeth with God's will you may have your heart lightened even at the last hour with the true knowledge of God, and so die therein." Then she answered, "If ye will pray for me, my Lords, I will thank you, but to join in prayer with you I will not, for that you and I are not of one religion." Then the Lords called for Mr. Dean, who kneeling on the scaffold stairs began his prayer, "O most gracious God and merciful Father," etc., all the assembly, saving the Queen of Scots and her servants, saying after him: during the saying of which prayer the Queen of Scots, sitting upon a stool, having about her neck an Agnus Dei, in her hand a crucifix, at her girdle a pair of Beads with a golden Cross at the end of them, a Latin book in her hand, began with tears and loud voice to pray in Latin, and in the midst of her prayers she slided off from the stool and kneeling said divers Latin prayers. And after the end of Mr. Dean's prayer she kneeling prayed to this effect in English; for Christ, His afflicted Church, and for an end of their troubles, for her son and for the Queen's Majesty, that she might prosper and serve God aright. She confessed that she hoped to be saved by and in the blood of Christ, at the foot of whose crucifix she would shed her blood.