Despot, but he showed some generosity (4)
I believe the answer is:
nero
'despot' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'he showed some generosity' is the wordplay.
'NERO' is hidden in amongst the letters.
However, I'm not sure how the hidden word is indicated.
'but' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for nero that I've seen before include "Fiddling Roman emperor" , "Emperor (who fiddled while Rome burned?) d. AD68" , "Roman arsonist and fiddler" , "Ruler" , "Ancient Roman emperor" .)