"As regards my wishing to take the place of the Queen, the very letters you have read aloud sufficiently prove the contrary. In them I expressly declare that I desire no honours or kingdom, that I do not care for them, and that I beg no enterprise of the kind may be undertaken for me; but for the Catholic cause and for God's quarrel I desire the deliverance of the first and the defence of the second. In short, you will find that I have no other desire than the overthrow of Protestantism and the deliverance of myself and the afflicted Catholics, for whom (as I have often said) I am ready to shed my blood. I shall esteem myself very happy if God gives me the grace to suffer and to endure death for His holy name and in the defence of His quarrel. If the Pope gives me the title of Queen, it is not for me to correct him. He knows what he does much better than I do. "I thank him, all Christian people, and all Catholic nations for the prayers they daily offer for me, and I pray them to continue to do so, and to remember me in their masses. As I belong to the number of the faithful, I hope that though now deprived of the power of assisting myself, I participate in all the prayers and good works offered in the Church for all Catholics. As regards the Bull, I myself offered to prevent its execution." Burleigh here asked her whether she had the power to do this. "But we do not care," said he, "about it in England. We make no account of the Pope, or of such like." "If you will cease to persecute the Catholics," replied Mary, "I promise you to do much to lessen the many troubles into which you are in danger of falling." To this Burleigh replied that "_no Catholic had been punished for religion_." At this assertion the Queen protested in earnest terms against the many cruelties shown to Catholics. They were driven into exile, she said, and driven hither and thither. The prisons in England were full of them. They were charged with being guilty of treason; some because they would not obey certain of the Queen's injunctions which were contrary to their conscience, others because they would not recognise her as the head of the Church. Queen Mary also complained in general terms of the unjust way in which the present examination had been conducted, and asked that she might not be further disturbed by the unnecessary reading of letters and other documents, especially such as related to her transactions with other Christian princes, to which she declined to reply. "If it pleases your Grace," interrupted Burleigh, "you can now withdraw; we will remain and conclude without you." The Queen paid no attention to this remark, and the discussions proceeded. At last Egerton, the Solicitor-General, speaking for the first time, asked the Queen if she had anything more to add to her defence.