Sueton. _vit. Hor._, 'Scripta quidem eius usque adeo probavit mansuraque perpetuo opinatus est, ut non modo Saeculare carmen componendum iniunxerit sed et Vindelicam victoriam Tiberii Drusique privignorum suorum eumque coegerit propter hoc tribus carminum libris ex longo intervallo quartum addere; post sermones vero quosdam lectos nullam sui mentionem habitam ita sit questus: "Irasci me tibi scito, quod non in plerisque eius modi scriptis mecum potissimum loquaris; an vereris ne apud posteros infame tibi sit, quod videaris familiaris nobis esse?" expresseritque eclogam ad se, cuius initium est: "Cum tot sustineas et tanta negotia solus,"' etc. (_Ep._ ii. 1). Horace died 27th November, B.C. 8, and was buried near Maecenas. He appointed Augustus his heir. Sueton. _vit. Hor._, 'Decessit v. Kal. Decembris C. Marcio Censorino et C. Asinio Gallo coss. lvii. aetatis anno, herede Augusto palam nuncupato; ... et conditus est extremis Esquiliis iuxta Maecenatis tumulum.' In personal appearance Horace was 'brevis atque obesus,' according to Suetonius, who quotes a joke of Augustus on the subject: 'Vereri autem mihi videris ne maiores libelli tui sint, quam ipse es; sed tibi statura deest, corpusculum non deest.' Cf. Hor. _Ep._ i. 20, 24, 'Corporis exigui, praecanum, solibus aptum, irasci celerem, tamen ut placabilis essem'; _Ep._ i. 4, 15, 'Me pinguem et nitidum bene curata cute vises, cum ridere voles, Epicuri de grege porcum.' Cf. also _Ep._ i. 7, 25; _Od._ iii. 14, 25. (2) WORKS. _Chronology of the Works._--(1) _Satirae_, in two Books (called _Sermones_ in all the MSS.). Book i. It is clear from _Sat._ ii. 6, 40 that Horace was introduced to Maecenas in the spring of B.C. 38. Now all the references to Maecenas, with the exception of the prologue in _Sat._ 1 (written last), are in the second half of the book, there being no mention of him in _Sat._ 2; 3; and 4. It is therefore probable that these three Satires were written when Horace knew Varius and Virgil, but not Maecenas, _i.e._ B.C. 40-38. _Sat._ 2 is probably the oldest we have, as is shown by other considerations, and by the number of archaisms it contains. _Sat._ 5 (on the journey to Brundisium) was written shortly after the spring of B.C. 37, when the events recorded took place. The date of the publication of the book cannot be exactly fixed, the only clue we have being the reference in _Sat._ i. 10, 86, to Bibulus, the political agent of Antony, whose presence in Rome B.C. 35 may be referred to. It cannot be proved that _Sat._ i. 1, 114 _sqq._, is imitated from Verg. _Georg._ i. 512 _sqq._, published B.C. 35. Book ii. and the _Epodes_ were published in B.C. 30 about the same time. We have references to Actium (B.C. 31), as in _Sat._ ii. 5, 63; and _Sat._ ii. 1 (written last) speaks of Augustus (ll. 11-15) as the hero in war, not yet the bringer of peace, and was probably therefore composed before the temple of Janus was shut in the beginning of B.C. 29.