He then entered into a discussion of my rights, which, he said, were not thought in Spain to be founded in justice.

But when I explained to him the principal points (of which I possess all the pieces of evidence and justification), he hardly knew what to say, save that he was astounded that I had remained so long without speaking of my claims.

In reply, I told him ingenuously the truth." The truth which the ingenuous Catharine thus revealed was, in brief, that all her predecessors had been minors, women, and persons in situations not to make their rights valid.

Finding herself more highly placed, she had advanced her claims, which had been so fully recognized in Portugal, that she had been received as Infanta of the kingdom.

All pretensions to the throne being now through women only, hers were the best of any.