§. 11. Young Tiberius brought to a miseriable end.
These entries being made for the fleshing as it were the Tyrant in bloodiness and cru∣elty, he is now made ready and fit to execute a more horrible design upon his poor Bro∣ther, partner and son by adoption, the young and innocent Tiberius. He poor Prince having been thrust by him out of his right and patrimony, by the nullifying of old Tibe∣rius his will, must now also be deprived of life. This was it that the old Testator did presage, and yet would leave him for a prey to his inhumanity. The pretences against this young Prince were, that either he had been a means to cause his sickness, or at least had rejoyced in it, and desired his death. A sleight accusation to bring such a Person to death; yet might he only have died, it might have seemed more tolerable, but the man∣ner of it made the cruelty double. He is commanded to die by his own hand, though Tribunes, Centurions, and men of war fitter far to have done such an execution stood by and would have done it. He desired but this mercy, that he might have been slain by some of them, but that was denied him upon a point of Honor and Justice forsooth, be∣cause it was not fit that such a Prince should die by inferior hands. The poor Prince of∣fered his neck to every one that stood near, but they durst not strike for fear of their own: The only favour that he could obtain was this, that they might teach him where to wound himself for his soonest dispatch, and so he did. And thus is the Tyrant delivered as he thinketh from all fear and danger of compartnership and corrivality in the Empire: next will he take a course with those that any way may cross him in, or advise him against his headlong humors, and of them we shall hear in their course. The last six months of this year he had taken the Consulship upon himself, and had chosen his Uncle Claudius for his colleague, but we have reserved the names of the old till now, to avoid con∣fusion.