Although Tim's point was made nearly six years ago, there is no harm in correcting his misapprehension; it is a common one. Provided, that is, anyone who posts further messages to this thread notes the time-lapse. It is true, however, that someone who doesn't understand the background might read as capricious the use of what amounted to a lottery system to determine the allocation of punishments to people convicted of treason. The intention was to ensure that, while examples were made, not too many people were actually executed.