led
to Cesarea, and deliberated with himself what sort of death the young
men should suffer.

4. Now there was a certain old soldier of the king's, whose name
was Tero, who had a son that was very familiar with and a friend to
Alexander, and who himself particularly loved the young men. This
soldier was in a manner distracted, out of the excess of the indignation
he had at what was doing; and at first he cried out aloud, as he went
about, that justice was trampled under foot; that truth was perished,
and nature confounded; and that the life of man was full of iniquity,
and every thing else that passion could suggest to a man who spared
not his own life; and at last he ventured to go to the king, and said,
"Truly I think thou art a most miserable man, when thou hearkenest to
most wicked wretches, against those that ought to be dearest to thee;
since thou hast frequently resolved that Pheroras and Salome should be
put to death, and yet believest them against thy sons; while these,
by cutting off the succession of thine own sons, leave all wholly
to Antipater, and thereby choose to have thee such a king as may be
thoroughly in their own power. However, consider whether this death of
Antipater's brethren will not make him hated by the soldiers; for there
is nobody but commiserates the young men; and of the captains, a great
many show their indignation at it openly." Upon his saying this, he
named those that had such indignation; but the king ordered those men,
with Tero himself and his son, to be seized upon immediately.

5. At which time there was a certain barber, whose name was Trypho. This
man leaped out from among the people in a kind of madness, and accused
himself, and said, "This Tero endeavored to persuade me also to cut thy
throat with my razor, when I trimmed thee, and promised that Alexander
should give me large presents for so doing." When Herod heard this, he
examined Tero, with his son and the barber, by the torture; but as the
others denied the accusation, and he said nothing further, Herod gave
order that Tero should be racked more severely; but his son, out of pity
to his father, promised to discover the whole to the king, if he would
grant [that his father should be no longer tortured]. When he had agreed
to this, he said that his father, at the persuasion of Alexander, had an
intention to kill him. Now some said this was forged, in order to free
his father from his torments; and some said it was true.