wer, 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