The Student's Companion to Latin Authors

John Stuart Mill · en
'Nascetur pulchra Troianus origine Caesar,
  imperium Oceano, famam qui terminet astris,
  Iulius, a magno demissum nomen Iulo.'

So vi. 789 _sqq._

2. The idea of empire: cf. i. 33,

  'Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem';

and of Rome as the conqueror and civilizer of the world: vi. 851,

  'Tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento:
  hae tibi erunt artes, pacisque imponere morem,
  parcere subiectis et debellare superbos.'

3. The unity of Italy with Rome is seen in Aeneas and Turnus,
representing respectively the _pietas_ and the martial courage of a
past age. This is brought out also by the introduction of local names.
Cf. vii. 682-5, 710-7, 797-802.

4. Virgil shows here and there contempt for pure democracy: vi. 815,

                         'iactantior Ancus
  nunc quoque iam nimium gaudens popularibus auris.'

Cf. also i. 148-9.

_Authors influenced by Virgil._--Livy, Tacitus, Ovid, Tibullus,
Propertius, Manilius, Lucan, Silius Italicus, Statius, Valerius
Flaccus, Martial, Juvenal, the author of _Aetna_. See under each.



HORACE.


(1) LIFE.

Our chief source of information about Horace is his own works, and
some important details are added in a life of him by Suetonius.

Horace's full name is Quintus (_Sat._ ii. 6, 37) Horatius (_Od._ iv.
6, 44) Flaccus (_Sat._ ii. 1, 18). He was born 8th December, B.C. 65,
at Venusia in Apulia, on the frontier of Lucania.

Sueton. _vit. Hor._, 'Natus est vi. Id. Decembr. L. Cotta et L.
Torquato coss.'

_Ep._ i. 20, 26-8,

  'Forte meum siquis te percontabitur aevum,
  me quater undenos sciat inplevisse Decembris
  collegam Lepidum quo duxit Lollius anno.'

_Sat._ i. 1, 34,

                  'Lucanus an Appulus anceps:
  nam Venusinus arat finem sub utrumque colonus.'

There are a great many references to Apulia in Horace. So _Od._ iii.
4, 9 _sqq._,

  'Me fabulosae Volture in Appulo
  nutricis extra limina Pulliae' (his nurse's name), etc.

All Roman virtues are attributed to the Apulians, as in _Od._ i. 22,
13; iii. 5, 9; _Epod._ ii. 39-42.

Horace, though free-born (_Sat._ i. 6, 7) was the son of a freedman,
who was by profession a collector of debts, or, according to others, a
fishmonger. To this last story Horace probably refers with proud
humility in _Ep._ ii. 2, 60,

  'Bioneis sermonibus et sale nigro.'

Sueton. _vit. Hor._, 'Patre, ut ipse tradit, libertino et auctionum
coactore, ut vero creditum est, salsamentario.'

_Sat._ i. 6, 6,

  'Ut me libertino patre natum';

_ibid._ 85,

  'Nec timuit, sibi ne vitio quis verteret olim,
  si praeco parvas aut, ut fuit ipse, coactor
  mercedes sequerer.'

Stories of his childhood are given, _Od._ iii. 4, 9 _sqq._; _Sat._ i.
9, 29 _sqq._; _Sat._ ii. 2, 112 _sqq._

Horace speaks highly of his father, who took him from the village
school to Rome for his education. After speaking of his own freedom
from vice he says (_Sat._ i. 6, 71 _sqq._),