He wanted John Ogilvie to answer specific questions, the King’s Questions. He wanted answers, good answers, and it was a life or death issue for the king. Three of the known exchanges between Archbishop Spottiswoode (AS) and John Ogilvie (JO)
might suffice to give an idea of what was at issue:
AS: It is treason to assert that the Pope has spiritual jurisdiction in the King’s dominions. JO: It is of faith that he does.
AS: The King forbids Masses and you celebrate Mass.
JO: Judge yourselves whether I should obey Christ rather than the King. The King forbids, but Christ instituted the Mass and ordered it to be celebrated. … If the King forbids what Christ instituted, how can he escape being called a persecutor?
AS: Will you be obedient to the King…?
JO: I will show myself most obedient to the King in all the things in which I am bound to obey his royal majesty; for if anyone invaded his temporal kingdom I would shed the last drop of my blood in his defence. But in those things which the King arrogates to himself, that is in the use of spiritual jurisdiction, I cannot, nor will I render him any obedience.
These were practically the last words of the trial and the jury spent little time in returning the death penalty as they were fully expected to do.