Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Domitian 's government exhibited totalitarian characteristics ; he saw himself as the new Augustus , an enlightened despot destined to guide the Roman Empire into a new era of brilliance .
Simplified: Domitian 's rule was totalitarian . He saw himself as the new Augustus , an enlightened despot destined to guide the Roman Empire into a new age .