Suetonius, a Roman writer of the early second century, composed The Twelve Caesars, lives of the rulers from Julius Caesar through Domitian. This is the life of Titus, older son of Vespasian, who held power in Rome for a little more than two years after his father died.

Jerusalem in 70 made him a conqueror; the short reign made him a favorite. Suetonius keeps the slogan that he was the delight and darling of the human race. Vesuvius, a city fire, and plague become occasions for visible care. He opens the great amphitheatre with games the crowd loves. Berenice, a Herodian queen from the house that had ruled Judaea, is sent away because Rome remembers Cleopatra. Early rumors of cruelty while he shared power with his father are rewritten as a turn toward clemency. He dies too soon, and Domitian, the younger brother already waiting, takes the rest. Later an arch will set the Temple spoils in stone. A saying about not losing a day without doing someone good brands him a benefactor. You are walking into a brief, morally bright interval, and the monument that outlasted the man.