The Fall of the Roman Empire Page #2

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A true Pax Romana.

Wherever you live,

whatever the color of your skin.

when peace is achieved,

it will bring to all,

All!

the supreme rights of Roman citizenship.

My lord, Caesar. Are you ill?

A small pain in my side. It will pass.

No longer provinces, or colonies

but Rome,

Rome everywhere.

A family of equal nations.

That is what lies ahead.

May the Gods hasten the day.

Lucilla,

Each time I see you

I wonder how it is possible,

I've fathered something so beautiful.

You make it hard for me

to take leave of this life.

Father,

you have a long life ahead of you.

Death is in the order of things.

Didn't they teach you that at school?

I will not let you leave me.

Is there a choice?

Soon this trickle of blood,

these few bones,

this net woven of nerves

and arteries will be dust.

No choice.

Now that I'm here.

I will see that

you take better care of yourself.

Even so,

time is short.

And there is a decision

which I can no longer delay.

I must sacrifice the love of my son.

Commodus must never be my heir.

Livius,

It is my wish that you should succeed me.

And I intend to present you

to the leaders of the empire,

openly, as my successor.

But,

you said yourself, Caesar.

It needs someone who will change,

who will find new ways.

A man of the tenth century of Rome.

I know only the ways of war.

I would not know how to make allies

out of the barbarians.

You will find new ways.

You have a heart for it, Livius.

But Commodus already

shares the throne with you.

I had hoped that position and

responsibility would make him grow up.

But he is interested only

in games and gladiators.

But it was you, Caesar,

who brought me into your family.

Commodus and I are like brothers.

I love Commodus, too.

But that's just a feeling.

A personal feeling.

My lord, Caesar.

Prince Commodus sends you his greetings.

He is in the snow country,

two days' journey from here.

Perhaps, I should meet Commodus,

my lord, Caesar.

- Yes, Livius. Go to meet him.

And think about what I said

but remember my time is short.

Even though Commodus is my brother,

I would have done as you did, father.

And would you also have chosen Livius?

Yes!

Yes.

Only...

Why did he hesitate?

If he'd not been the kind of man

who hesitates when faced

with such a great responsibility

I would not have chosen him.

Come and sit by me.

Let me look at you.

Are you happy?

You seem reasonably happy, and yet...

And yet, father?

A disturbing whisper reached me

that you thought once of retiring to

the temple of Vesta.

I know it is too simple to think of life

as either beautiful or ugly.

But there was a time

when life seemed very ugly to me.

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