oaths, and her happiness to possess him for ever. On hearing this, Antiochus is deeply grieved in his passionate love and cannot but recall to her mind the early days of their youth, the place, where first she saw the light, where she, accepting his vows, made him happy; but when the victorious Titus came and conquered her heart, then sorrow and pain overwhelmed him, and now, being wretched and hopeless, he bids her farewell. She, however, tries to persuade him to remain, for she will never enjoy the greatness of being the empress of Rome, if she shall miss her best aud truest friend; and it is only their long friendship which allows his speaking of love, whilst her honour as empress should forbid him to talk like that. But Antiochus remains true to his resolution to part from Rome, bidding her his last adieu. Afterwards, when Phaenicia, the confident of Berenice, wants to convince her of the true love of Antiochus, asking why she did not induce him to stay, Berenice answers: „Who, I stay him? no.

From my Remembrance rather let him go.

His Fancy does with wild Distraction rove,

Which thy raw Ignorance interprets Love.“

Phaenicia, therefore, makes her acquainted with the rigorous laws of the Romans which do not allow the emperor to marry a foreign queen. But Berenice does not trouble about that, for all her thougths are taken up by the love to Titus:„Let's go meet him straight,“ she says to Phaenicia,

„I can no longer for his Coming wait.“

The next scene represents Titus inquiring his confident Paulinus after the opinion of the people and especially of the Romans respecting Berenice and his love to her. He answers that they praise his high virtues and her excellent beauty, but that in Rome it is an ancient and inviolable law for the emperors never to mix their race with a foreigner’s blood. Julius, burning as he was with love to Cleopatra, fled from her eyes and concealed his passion. So Titus also must suppress his love to Berenice. And Titus, who had longed so much for her, resolves at last, certainly after a hard struggle, to damp the ardour of his passion and for ever to resign her, since Rome will have it so. He will go to see her for the last time, but he fears that, seeing her, his constancy might be shaken:

„What will I do, when I behold her Eyes?“

Announced by the tribune Rutilius, Berenice enters and seeing Titus surprised with con- fusion and trouble in his face, inquires for the cause of his strange appearance. Titus, however, incapable of expressing what troubles his mind, exclaims:

„Oh, the dismal Secret will not come.— Away, Paulinus, ere l'm quite undone. My speech forsakes me, and my Heart's all Stone.“

He then turns away with Paulinus from the scene. Berenice cannot account for his strange behaviour and supposes him to be jealous of the Syrian king Antiochus; to get positive informa- tion, she resolves to go to the emperor, saying:

„This Silence is too rude, and racks my Breast, In the Uncertainty I cannot rest.“