"Then said Paul, I stand at Cæsar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Cæsar." As a freeman of Rome, St. Paul could only be tried for any crime, by a Court composed of Judges appointed by Cæsar; hence called "Cæsar's judgment seat." Again, he declared that he was innocent of any offence against the Jews, but that he had no wish to escape a lawful trial, or any just punishment; but that if he were not found guilty of any crime, no person had any right to put him in the power of men so well known to be his enemies as the Jews were. He ended by making use of another privilege belonging to a Roman citizen, that of appealing unto Cæsar: after which he could only be tried at Rome, by persons appointed especially for that purpose by the Emperor himself. A freeman of Rome who had been tried anywhere and found guilty, could then appeal to Cæsar, if he thought his sentence unjust. Or before trial, if he suspected that his judge was not acting according to law, he could thus appeal to the Emperor. An appeal to Cæsar was highly respected by every person in authority, and any magistrate who, after such an appeal, dared to punish a prisoner, would himself be liable to severe punishment. This, and all the privileges of a Roman citizen, were so much respected, that many years after this time, when the Christians were persecuted by order of the Emperor Trajan, a Roman called Pliny, whose duty it was to have all Christians put to death, wrote a letter to the Emperor, in which, after speaking of the numbers he had executed because they would not give up their religion, he says, "There are others, guilty of similar folly, but finding them to be Roman citizens, I have determined to send them to Rome." Perhaps these poor creatures had appealed to Cæsar; at any rate, Pliny, respecting their privileges, thought it safest to send them to Rome, though there could be no doubt that the Emperor would immediately order them to be put to death.