struction of thy brethren, that by such outside hatred of their
impiety thou mightest be believed a lover of thy father, and mightest
thereby get thee power enough to do mischief with the greatest impunity;
which design thy actions indeed demonstrate. It is true, thou tookest
thy brethren off, because thou didst convict theft of their wicked
designs; but thou didst not yield up to justice those who were their
partners; and thereby didst make it evident to all men that thou madest
a covenant with them against thy father, when thou chosest to be the
accuser of thy brethren, as desirous to gain to thyself alone this
advantage of laying plots to kill thy father, and so to enjoy double
pleasure, which is truly worthy of thy evil disposition, which thou has
openly showed against thy brethren; on which account thou didst rejoice,
as having done a most famous exploit, nor was that behavior unworthy
of thee. But if thy intention were otherwise, thou art worse than they:
while thou didst contrive to hide thy treachery against thy father, thou
didst hate them, not as plotters against thy father, for in that case
thou hadst not thyself fallen upon the like crime, but as successors
of his dominions, and more worthy of that succession than thyself. Thou
wouldst kill thy father after thy brethren, lest thy lies raised against
them might be detected; and lest thou shouldst suffer what punishment
thou hadst deserved, thou hadst a mind to exact that punishment of thy
unhappy father, and didst devise such a sort of uncommon parricide as
the world never yet saw. For thou who art his son didst not only lay a
treacherous design against thy father, and didst it while he loved thee,
and had been thy benefactor, had made thee in reality his partner in the
kingdom, and had openly declared thee his successor, while thou wast
not forbidden to taste the sweetness of authority already, and hadst
the firm hope of what was future by thy father's determination, and
the security of a written testament; but, for certain, thou didst not
measure these things according to thy father's various disposition, but
according to thy own thoughts and inclinations; and was desirous to take
the part that remained away from thy too indulgent father, and soughtest
to destroy him with thy deeds, whom thou in words pretendedst to
preserve. Nor wast thou content to be wicked thyself, but thou filledst
thy mother's head with thy devices, and raised disturbances among thy
bre