Titus, Arch of: see Titus, Roman emperor.

Titus Justus, in the Bible: see Justus 2.

Titus (Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus), A.D. 39-A.D. 81, Roman emperor (A.D. 79-A.D. 81). Son of Emperor Vespasian, Titus was closely associated with his father in military campaigns, and after A.D. 71 he acted as coruler with the emperor. He served in Britain and in Germany and captured and destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. On succeeding his father he pursued a policy of conciliation and sought popular favor. A benevolent ruler, he stopped prosecutions for treason and was lavish with gifts to his subjects, a practice that caused financial difficulties for his successor. He completed the Colosseum and built a luxurious bath. During his reign there occurred two disasters—a great fire in Rome and the eruption of Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. On both occasions Titus was active in lending aid to the distressed. Although Titus was not friendly with his brother and successor, Domitian, there is no reason to believe the rumor that it was Domitian who arranged his death. The Arch of Titus, now restored and standing outside the ancient entrance to the Palatine, was erected by Domitian to commemorate Titus' conquest of Jerusalem.

Titus, in the Bible, early Christian, a missionary and friend of St. Paul. According to later tradition he was a bishop in Crete.

Titus, letter of the New Testament. With First and Second Timothy, it comprises the Pastoral Epistles, purportedly written by St. Paul. Titus resembles First Timothy in detail; it consists of points regarding the regulation of church government, while stressing the need for the continuation of Pauline teaching.

Salt, Sir Titus, 1803-76, English textile manufacturer and inventor. He invented a machine for making worsted from coarse wool and a process for spinning and weaving alpaca. In 1851 he started to build, on the Aire River, extensive textile works and a model manufacturing town, called Saltaire, in which he attempted to embody his conceptions of ideal factory conditions for workers.

Roberts, Benjamin Titus, 1823-93, American clergyman, one of the founders of the Free Methodist Church, b. Gowanda, N.Y. In 1858 he was expelled from the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church of New York state, because of his criticisms of church practices. He and other ministers formed the Free Methodist Church of North America in 1860, of which he was (1860-93) general superintendent.

Oates, Titus, 1649-1705, English conspirator. An Anglican priest whose whole career was marked with intrigue and scandal, he joined forces with one Israel Tonge to invent the story of the Popish Plot of 1678. Oates, who had been briefly a convert to Roman Catholicism, claimed that there was a Jesuit-guided plan to assassinate Charles II and to hasten the succession of the Catholic James, duke of York (later James II). The account was completely fabricated, and Oates, examined by the privy council, would perhaps have been immediately exposed had not treasonous letters from Edward Coleman, secretary of the duchess of York, to the French Jesuit, François La Chaise, been discovered as a result of his accusations. The unexplained death of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, the judge to whom Tonge and Oates first told their story, was attributed without evidence to the Catholics, and three innocent men were hanged for it. A frenzy of anti-Catholic hatred swept through England, resulting in the judicial murder of a number of Roman Catholic peers and commoners and in the arrest and persecution of many others. Oates enjoyed temporary eminence and even accused Queen Catherine of plotting to poison the king. In 1685, Oates was convicted of perjury, severely flogged, and imprisoned. Under William III he was released and pensioned.

Flamininus, Titus Quinctius, c.230-175 B.C., Roman general and statesman. He served in the Second Punic War against Hannibal and the Carthaginians and became consul in 198 B.C. Flamininus defeated (197) Philip V of Macedon at Cynoscephalae and, at the Isthmian games (196) in Corinth, declared the independence of the Greek cities. In 192 he returned to Greece as the civil representative of Rome, but failed to reconcile Antiochus III with Rome. He then used his influence and skill to help secure the Roman victory at Thermoplyae (191). In 183, Flamininus sought to induce Prusias, king of Bithynia, to deliver up Hannibal, but the latter committed suicide rather than be surrendered to the Romans.

(born circa 227 BC—died 174) Roman general and consul (198 BC). As consul he tried to formulate a peace treaty with Philip V of Macedonia, but negotiations broke down and fighting broke out. He defeated Philip at Cynoscephalae (197) and granted freedom to the Greeks (196), for which he was hailed as a saviour. He kept Roman troops in Greece until 194. After the defeat of Antiochus III and Aetolia at Thermopylae (191), he helped reestablish peace in Greece.

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(born Sept. 15, 1649, Oakham, Rutland, Eng.—died July 12/13, 1705, London) English fabricator of the Popish Plot. Son of a Baptist preacher, he was ordained in the Church of England. Although jailed for perjury in 1674, he became chaplain to the Protestants in the household of the Catholic 6th duke of Norfolk in 1677. In 1678, with the fanatically anti-Catholic Israel Tonge, he invented the Popish Plot, a fictitious Jesuit conspiracy to kill Charles II and place his Catholic brother James (later James II) on the throne. Oates's testimony caused some 35 persons to be executed, but inconsistencies in his story emerged, and he was convicted of perjury and imprisoned in 1685; released in 1688, he died in obscurity.

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in full Titus Vespasianus Augustus orig. Titus Flavius Vespasianus

(born Dec. 30, AD 39—died Sept. 13, 81) Roman emperor (79–81). He commanded a Roman legion in Judaea under his father, Vespasian. After Vespasian became emperor (69), he gave Titus full command in Judaea, whereupon Titus captured and destroyed Jerusalem (70). He later took charge of the empire's general military operations. As emperor he developed goodwill in Rome for his extravagant spending; his projects included the completion of the Colosseum. He died suddenly, probably from natural causes, though there were rumours that he was poisoned by Domitian.

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(born Sept. 15, 1649, Oakham, Rutland, Eng.—died July 12/13, 1705, London) English fabricator of the Popish Plot. Son of a Baptist preacher, he was ordained in the Church of England. Although jailed for perjury in 1674, he became chaplain to the Protestants in the household of the Catholic 6th duke of Norfolk in 1677. In 1678, with the fanatically anti-Catholic Israel Tonge, he invented the Popish Plot, a fictitious Jesuit conspiracy to kill Charles II and place his Catholic brother James (later James II) on the throne. Oates's testimony caused some 35 persons to be executed, but inconsistencies in his story emerged, and he was convicted of perjury and imprisoned in 1685; released in 1688, he died in obscurity.

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(born circa 227 BC—died 174) Roman general and consul (198 BC). As consul he tried to formulate a peace treaty with Philip V of Macedonia, but negotiations broke down and fighting broke out. He defeated Philip at Cynoscephalae (197) and granted freedom to the Greeks (196), for which he was hailed as a saviour. He kept Roman troops in Greece until 194. After the defeat of Antiochus III and Aetolia at Thermopylae (191), he helped reestablish peace in Greece.

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