xvin. THE BUFFET-GAME. 323 



The vilest criminal was treated with consideration, and 

 his case calmly and dispassionately investigated to the 

 utmost. A dignified and impartial administration of 

 justice was one of the noblest contributions by the 

 Romans to the civilization of the world. We may 

 therefore be sure that even the facile Pilate would 

 not have allowed such a puerile exhibition to take 

 place in his presence. Vacillating as he was between 

 what he wished and what he dared to do, we are never- 

 theless struck with the immense moral difference between 

 the procedure in his court and that in the court of our 

 Lord's Jewish judges Annas, Caiaphas, and Herod. 

 No doubt the Roman soldiers took part in another 

 childish game connected with our Lord's trial. They 

 arrayed Him in the mimic robes, and placed in His 

 hand and on His head the mock insignia of a king, and 

 offered Him homage on bended knee, in derision of His 

 pretensions to royalty. But they were instigated to this 

 by Herod and his men-of-war. It was a method of 

 throwing ridicule upon claims supposed to be un- 

 founded more consonant with Jewish than Roman 

 practice. All Orientals are children of nature bora 

 dramatists, and take a passionate delight in histrionic 

 displays. They would prefer to show by a spectacle 

 appealing to the eye what they thought of a pretender, 

 than by grave, argumentative investigation to prove 

 him one. 



Olshausen, however, takes a different view of the 

 incident He does not believe that such a violation 

 of judicial decorum as would be involved in the buffet- 



