diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e6650ef4..96aea9b0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ To customize this see [customizing algorithms](#customizing-algorithms) for an e
 
 When verifying a xml document you can pass the following options to the `SignedXml` constructor to customize the verify process:
 
-- `publicCert` - **[optional]** your certificate as a string, a string of multiple certs in PEM format, or a Buffer
+- `publicCert` - **[optional]** the certificate or public key to verify with, as a PEM `String` or `Buffer`. Verification uses [one key](#one-key-per-value) from it.
 - `privateKey` - **[optional]** your private key as a string or a Buffer - used for verifying symmetrical signatures (HMAC)
 
 The certificate that will be used to check the signature will first be determined by calling `this.getCertFromKeyInfo()`, which function you can customize as you see fit. If that returns `null`, then `publicCert` is used. If that is `null`, then `privateKey` is used (for symmetrical signing applications).
@@ -565,6 +565,18 @@ MIIBxDCCAW6gAwIBAgIQxUSX...
 -----END CERTIFICATE-----
 ```
 
+### One key per value
+
+`privateKey` when signing, and `publicCert` when verifying, are passed to Node's crypto, which uses
+one key from the value.
+
+- `privateKey` holds one private key. A file that also holds its certificate, or its chain, is
+  fine.
+- Verification takes one key from `publicCert`. From several certificates it takes the first, which
+  is how a chain given leaf first works, so the chain's issuers are not trusted to sign.
+- To trust several independent keys, verify with each in turn, as node-saml does for its `idpCert`
+  array.
+
 ### What the parser accepts
 
 `toPem()`, `pemToDer()` and `pemCertificates()` read
diff --git a/test/signature-unit-tests.spec.ts b/test/signature-unit-tests.spec.ts
index 4367660b..c6fd483a 100644
--- a/test/signature-unit-tests.spec.ts
+++ b/test/signature-unit-tests.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import * as xpath from "xpath";
 import * as xmldom from "@xmldom/xmldom";
-import { SignedXml, createOptionalCallbackFunction } from "../src/index";
+import { SignedXml, createOptionalCallbackFunction, pemCertificates, toPem } from "../src/index";
 import * as fs from "fs";
 import * as crypto from "crypto";
 import { expect } from "chai";
@@ -1725,4 +1725,43 @@ describe("Signature unit tests", function () {
       "#unique-id",
     );
   });
+
+  it("verifies with the first of two certificates, and not the second, which in a chain is the issuer's", function () {
+    const bundle = fs.readFileSync("./test/static/client_bundle.pem", "latin1");
+    const first = fs.readFileSync("./test/static/client_public.pem", "latin1");
+    const second = toPem(pemCertificates(bundle)[0], "CERTIFICATE");
+
+    function checkSignedBy(privateKey: string, publicCert: string) {
+      const sig = new SignedXml({
+        privateKey,
+        canonicalizationAlgorithm: "http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#",
+        signatureAlgorithm: "http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmldsig-more#rsa-sha256",
+      });
+      sig.addReference({
+        xpath: "//*[local-name(.)='x']",
+        digestAlgorithm: "http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#sha256",
+        transforms: [
+          "http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#enveloped-signature",
+          "http://www.w3.org/2001/10/xml-exc-c14n#",
+        ],
+      });
+      sig.computeSignature("<root><x /></root>");
+      const xml = sig.getSignedXml();
+
+      const verifier = new SignedXml({ publicCert });
+      const signature = xpath.select1(
+        "//*[local-name(.)='Signature']",
+        new xmldom.DOMParser().parseFromString(xml),
+      );
+      isDomNode.assertIsNodeLike(signature);
+      verifier.loadSignature(signature);
+
+      return verifier.checkSignature(xml);
+    }
+
+    expect(checkSignedBy(fs.readFileSync("./test/static/client.pem", "latin1"), first + second)).to
+      .be.true;
+    expect(checkSignedBy(bundle, second)).to.be.true;
+    expect(() => checkSignedBy(bundle, first + second)).to.throw("invalid signature");
+  });
 });