In the course of the afternoon Sir Amyas and three others were deputed to wait on Mary with a duplicate copy of the Commission, which she had requested to see. They proceeded to explain this document, which was chiefly founded on two Acts of Parliament passed two years previously. By the former of these it was declared high treason for any one to speak of Mary's succession to the crown of England during the lifetime of Elizabeth. The second decreed that should any one, of whatsoever rank, in the kingdom or abroad, conspire against the life of Elizabeth, or connive at such conspiracy, it should be lawful for an extraordinary jury comprised of twenty-four persons to adjudge that case. These laws (which the Queen justly felt to have been framed specially for her destruction) were now to be applied. She was accused of "consenting" to the "horrible fact of the destruction of Elizabeth's person and the invasion of the kingdom," and she was now called upon to submit to the interrogations of the appointed judges. To the energetic protests offered by Mary the deputies made no reply, but withdrew to consult with the other Commissioners; and later in the day the attack was renewed. On this occasion Bourgoing says that the lords came in fewer numbers than in the morning, but with the same ostentatious ceremony. The Queen began by referring to a passage in Elizabeth's letter, and demanded to know what the word "protection" there signified. "I came into England," said she, "to seek assistance, and I was immediately imprisoned. Is that 'protection'?" Burleigh, always the spokesman, and who invariably seemed animated with a wish to attack Mary, was puzzled to reply to this simple question, and endeavoured to evade it. He had "read the letter in question," he said, "but neither he nor his colleagues were so presumptuous as to dare to interpret their mistress's letter. She, no doubt, knew well what she wrote; but it was not for subjects to interpret the words of their sovereign." "You are too much in the confidence of your mistress," returned Mary, "not to be aware of her wishes and intentions, and if you are armed with such authority by your Commission as you describe, you have surely the power to interpret a letter from the Queen." Burleigh denied that he and his companions had known anything of the letter; adding, however, that he was aware that his mistress considered that every person living in her kingdom was subject to its laws. "This letter," continued Mary, "was written by Walsingham; he confessed to me that he was my enemy, and I well know what he has done against me and my son." At this point the Commissioners "discussed among themselves as to whether Walsingham had been in London at the time when the letter was written or not, but could not decide the question." Mary then again protested against the injustice of being tried by the laws of a country in which she had lived only as a prisoner.