CONTENTS Illustration of Virgil's subject from his sense of beauty from his sense of the life of Nature Caesar Episodes at the end of Books iii. and iv. Episode of the omens accompanying the death of Julius The Georgics an original work of Latin genius Technical value of the poem as an exposition of Italian hus- Distinction between primitive and literary epic The Roman epic originates in the imitation of the Greek epic 280-294 New character given to the Roman epic from the national from admiration of great men from capacity for works of massive execution New type of Roman epic introduced by Varro Atacinus Type of historical epic rejected in the maturity of Roman art I. Purpose of the Aeneid and motives determining the form Largeness of scope afforded by the vagueness of the legend. CONTENTS Prominence given to his double purpose in the statement of II Influence of the Religious Idea of Rome on the action of Idea of 'Fate' in the Aeneid Compared with the same idea in Tacitus Origin and meaning of the Roman idea of Fate Influence of this idea on the religious motives of the poem Ethical aspect of religion in the Aeneid III. Place assigned to Augustus in the Aeneid Augustus the typical embodiment of Roman imperialism Meaning given by Virgil to his relation to Aeneas I. General character of the action as affected by the Age in Interest to Roman readers of the revival of Homeric life Inferiority to Homer in exhibiting a vivid image of life from causes personal to Virgil Virgil's representation an artistic compromise II. Supernatural Agencies, Observances, and Beliefs in the III. Political and Social Life, etc. as represented in the Idea of a Paternal Government in the Aeneid Relation of States to one another Material civilisation Social manners Sea-adventure IV. Conception and Delineation of Character in the Aeneid 395-408 Weakness of dramatic imagination in Virgil THE ROMAN POETS OF THE AUGUSTAN AGE CHAPTER I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. I. THE Augustan Age, regarded as a critical epoch in the history of the world, extends from the date of the battle of Actium, when Octavianus became undisputed master of the world, to his death in the year 14 A.D. But the age known by that name as a great epoch in the history of literature begins some years. earlier, and ends with the death of Livy and Ovid in the third year of the following reign. Of the poets belonging to that age whose writings have reached modern times-Virgil, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid-all were born, and some had reached manhood, before the final overthrow of the Republic at the battle of Philippi. The earlier poems of Virgil and Horace belong to the period between that date and the establishment of the Empire. The age of the Augustan poets may accordingly be regarded as extending from about the death of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. to the death of Ovid 17 A.D. The whole of this period was one of great literary activity, especially in the department of poetry. Besides the writers just mentioned, several others were recognised by their contemporaries as poets of high excellence, though there is no reason to doubt that the works which have reached our time were the |