who do not know me. My enemies who see my suffering will no doubt affirm that<hr>
I lament the favors of the Empire as much as those of Titus, and that ambition takes more room<hr>
in my soul than love.<hr>
       But if it is true that you love me as much as you have stated, you will judge my feelings<hr>
through yours and you will understand that you alone are the cause of my pain, just as you have<hr>
been the source of my happiness. No, Titus, the magnificence of Rome does not dazzle me. The throne<hr>
awaiting you has nothing to do with the affection I have for you. The qualities of your soul and the love<hr>
you once held for me are the only things I considered when I chose to<hr>
love you. So, take a wife to share the sovereignty you will one day possess without<hr>
fearing that I will hold it against you, but never share the heart where you made me reign. This is an<hr>
empire that is mine and that you will not unjustly take from me. My dear Titus, you<hr>
cannot accuse me of asking too much. I am only asking for what you have already given me.<hr>
You cannot claim that this heart is not under your control, that it is in the hands of<hr>
Vespasian or under the reins of the Senate, and that you are not its master. Even slaves, as<hr>
oppressed as they might be, enjoy this privilege. They love and despise whoever they<hr>
please, and their will is as free in chains as if they were on the throne. So, you<hr>
without a doubt savor the same freedom and will not deny me the favor I request from you.<hr>
You will give a wife to Titus to satisfy the whim of the people, but you will not give<hr>
a rival to Berenice. I alone will occupy your soul, just as you solely inhabit mine, and<hr>
even far from you, I will always be present in your mind. If such is the case, I will bear<hr>
my exile with patience. However, how could I even contemplate living without seeing you<hr>
again one day? No, Titus, that is utterly impossible. My fate is inseparable from yours,<hr>
and whatever Vespasian and the authority of the Senate might do, I cannot leave you. It would be<hr>
weak of me to abandon you. You may blame me for the fear of being mistreated having made me<hr>
obey the order to leave Rome too quickly, or you may eventually accuse me of<hr>
lacking affection for you. No, I do not know these feelings, for that would be ingratitude to behave this way. I should not cost you the Empire. So preserve it and let me<hr>
leave. It's enough for me if you miss me. And when you ascend to the throne, remember-<hr>
that the banishment of Berenice was the price of its possession.<hr>
       Titus, there is something quite strange about our situation. How could one<hr>
think that the Romans, who are already preparing to recognize you as master of the entire earth,<hr>
want to impose their will on you in a matter so important to you and so insignificant to<hr>
them? And how is it that these same people, over whom you will have absolute power,<hr>
whose possessions and lives you will control, cannot bear to see you love me? Am I an<hr>
enemy or a barbarian to the Romans? Do they feel jealousy or hatred towards<hr>
me? Do they fear that I may push you to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem? Have I undertaken<hr>
anything against public welfare or have I offended any one of them individually? No,<hr>
<hr>
<hr>
                                                     59<hr>