Titus, “the delight of man,” the Roman emperor, son of Vespasian (40, 79-81).
Titus, the penitent thief, according to the legend. Dumăchus and Titus were two of a band of robbers, who attacked Joseph in his flight into Egypt. Titus said, “Let these good people go in peace;” but Dumachus replied, “First let them pay their ransom.” Whereupon Titus handed to his companion forty groats; and the infant Jesus said to him:
When thirty years shall have gone by
I at Jerusalem shall die ...
On the accursêd tree.
Then on My right and My left side,
These thieves shall both be crucified,
And Titus thenceforth shall abide
In paradise with Me.
Longfellow, The Golden Legend (1851).