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But when they saw there was a kind disposition arisen both in him
and in Caesar, and that every one of the rest did either shed tears, or
at least did all grieve with them, the one of them, whose name was Alexander,
called to his father, and attempted to answer his accusation, and said,
"O father, the benevolence thou hast showed to us is evident, even
in this very judicial procedure, for hadst thou had any pernicious intentions
about us, thou hadst not produced us here before the common savior of all,
for it was in thy power, both as a king and as a father, to punish the
guilty; but by thus bringing us to Rome, and making Caesar himself a witness
to what is done, thou intimatest that thou intendest to save us; for no
one that hath a design to slay a man will bring him to the temples, and
to the altars; yet are our circumstances still worse, for we cannot endure
to live ourselves any longer, if it be believed that we have injured such
a father; nay, perhaps it would be worse for us to live with this suspicion
upon us, that we have injured him, than to die without such guilt. And
if our open defense may be taken to be true, we shall be happy, both in
pacifying thee, and in escaping the danger we are in; but if this calumny
so prevails, it is more than enough for us that we have seen the sun this
day; which why should we see, if this suspicion be fixed upon us? Now it
is easy to say of young men, that they desire to reign; and to say further,
that this evil proceeds from the case of our unhappy mother. This is abundantly
sufficient to produce our present misfortune out of the former; but consider
well, whether such an accusation does not suit all such young men, and
may not be said of them all promiscuously; for nothing can hinder him that
reigns, if he have children, and their mother be dead, but the father may
have a suspicion upon all his sons, as intending some treachery to him;
but a suspicion is not sufficient to prove such an impious practice. Now
let any man say, whether we have actually and insolently attempted any
such thing, whereby actions otherwise incredible use to be made credible?
Can any body prove that poison hath been prepared? or prove a conspiracy
of our equals, or the corruption of servants, or letters written against
thee? though indeed there are none of those things but have sometimes been
pretended by way of calumny, when they were never done; for a royal family
that is at variance with itself is a terrible thing; and that which thou
callest a reward of piety often becomes, among very wicked men, such a
foundation of hope, as makes them leave no sort of mischief untried. Nor
does any one lay any wicked practices to our charge; but as to calumnies
by hearsay, how can he put an end to them, who will not hear what we have
to say? Have we talked with too great freedom? Yes; but not against thee,
for that would be unjust, but against those that never conceal any thing
that is spoken to them. Hath either of us lamented our mother? Yes; but
not because she is dead, but because she was evil spoken of by those that
had no reason so to do. Are we desirous of that dominion which we know
our father is possessed of? For what reason can we do so? If we already
have royal honors, as we have, should not we labor in vain? And if we have
them not, yet are not we in hopes of them? Or supposing that we had killed
thee, could we expect to obtain thy kingdom? while neither the earth would
let us tread upon it, nor the sea let us sail upon it, after such an action
as that; nay, the religion of all your subjects, and the piety of the whole
nation, would have prohibited parricides from assuming the government,
and from entering into that most holy temple which was built by thee
1
But suppose we had made light of other dangers, can any murderer go off
unpunished while Caesar is alive? We are thy sons, and not so impious or
so thoughtless as that comes to, though perhaps more unfortunate than is
convenient for thee. But in case thou neither findest any causes of complaint,
nor any treacherous designs, what sufficient evidence hast thou to make
such a wickedness of ours credible? Our mother is dead indeed, but then
what befell her might be an instruction to us to caution, and not an incitement
to wickedness. We are willing to make a larger apology for ourselves; but
actions never done do not admit of discourse. Nay, we will make this agreement
with thee, and that before Caesar, the lord of all, who is now a mediator
between us, If thou, O father, canst bring thyself, by the evidence of
truth, to have a mind free from suspicion concerning us let us live, though
even then we shall live in an unhappy way, for to be accused of great acts
of wickedness, though falsely, is a terrible thing; but if thou hast any
fear remaining, continue thou on in thy pious life, we will give this reason
for our own conduct; our life is not so desirable to us as to desire to
have it, if it tend to the harm of our father who gave it us."