for a father to accuse his sons, for he was very
vehement and disordered when he came to the demonstration of the
crime they were accused of, and gave the greatest signs of passion and
barbarity: nor would he suffer the assessors to consider of the weight
of the evidence, but asserted them to be true by his own authority,
after a manner most indecent in a father against his sons, and
read himself what they themselves had written, wherein there was no
confession of any plots or contrivances against him, but only how they
had contrived to fly away, and containing withal certain reproaches
against him, on account of the ill-will he bare them; and when he came
to those reproaches, he cried out most of all, and exaggerated what they
said, as if they had confessed the design against him, and took his oath
that he had rather lose his life than hear such reproachful words. At
last he said that he had sufficient authority, both by nature and by
Caesar's grant to him, [to do what he thought fit]. He also added an
allegation of a law of their country, which enjoined this: That if
parents laid their hands on the head of him that was accused, the
standers by were obliged to cast stones at him, and thereby to slay him;
which though he were ready to do in his own country and kingdom, yet did
he wait for their determination; and yet they came thither not so
much as judges, to condemn them for such manifest designs against him,
whereby he had almost perished by his sons' means, but as persons that
had an opportunity of showing their detestation of such practices, and
declaring how unworthy a thing it must be in any, even the most remote,
to pass over such treacherous designs [without punishment].

3. When the king had said this, and the young men had not been produced
to make any defense for themselves, the assessors perceived there was no
room for equity and reconciliation, so they confirmed his authority. And
in the first place, Saturninus, a person that had been consul, and one
of great dignity, pronounced his sentence, but with great moderation and
trouble; and said that he condemned Herod's sons, but did not think they
should be put to death. He had sons of his own, and to put one's son to
death is a greater misfortune than any other that could befall him by
their means. After him Saturninus's sons, for he had three sons that
followed him, and were his legates, pronounced the same sentence with
their father. On the contrary, Volumn