1. “Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise.” -Horace
Presentation by Hannah Doctoroff
Latin IV January 2015
“Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise.” -Horace

2. Who is he?
Quintus Horatius Flaccus was the leading Roman poet of the Augustan Age
He wrote poetry in a variety of different styles and meters
FUN FACT
The phrase carpe diem first appears in Horace's Odes (I.11) as part of the phrase “carpe diem quam minimum credula postero,” which is translated as “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the next one.” Carpe diem has, however, become better known by a less literal translation: “seize the day.

3. Early Life and Upbringing
Horace was born in a small town of Venusia between the border regions of Apulia and Lucania on December 8th, 65 BC
His father was an Italian freedman who worked as a coactor, a middleman between buyers and sellers at auctions
Horace never mentioned his mother, it can be assumed she died while the poet was a child
The boy was brought up on the banks of the Aufidus river (which he later alluded to in his Odes) until he was sent to Rome to receive an education

4. Education
Education was very important to his father, Horace was sent to the Grammaticus Orbilius, one of Rome’s finest schools and an establishment which the children of senators and knights attended, despite his family’s modest income
Horace is known for having been the pupil of Orbilius, a Roman grammarian and schoolmaster who Horace later immortalized as Plagosus Orbilius, or “Flogger Oribilius” (Epistles )
Horace was actually attending school in Rome during the reign of Julius Caesar
In approx. 47 BC (the year following the battle of Pharsalia) Horace left Rome to study literature and philosophy in Athens
The death of Caesar and the arrival of Brutus in Athens in 44 BC disrupted his studies and since educated young Roman men were given high ranking in the army, Horace joined Brutus’ forces

5. Military Career
Horace was immediately given the position of military tribune and the commander of a legion
Due to his inferior connections and familial status, Horace’s position incited some jealousy
Horace’s military career came to a quick end after the battle of Philippi in 42 B.C., during which the forces of Marc Antony and Augustus Octavian defeated the forces of Brutus
In the midst of the battle, Horace left his shield behind and fled
Due to the defeat, Horace lost his family’s estate
Octavian offered the defeated soldiers amnesty and Horace took it, returning to Rome and becoming a clerk in the Treasury

6. Early Writing Career
It is unclear when Horace began writing in earnest, but he began upon his return to Rome in hope of receiving recognition and patronage for his poetry
Since he had lost his estate he was now very poor
He soon became friends with the poets Virgil and Varius and later, in around 38 B.C., with Maecenas, an advisor to Augustus
Horace published his first work, his Satires, in two books in 35 B.C.
He began to attract some attention, Maecenas became his patron and gave Horace a farm in the Sabine country, near Tivoli, which allowed him a modest income and the leisure to write

7. Major Works
The exact dates of Horace’s works are disputed by many scholars but the following chronological order is well argued based on multiple sources.
30 B.C. Horace published the Satires, a collection of satirical poems
29 B.C. Horace published the Epodes, a book of poems
23 B.C. the first three books of Odes, collections of lyric poems (also called the Carmina)
20 B.C. his first book of Epistles, a collection of twenty letters
17 B.C. Augustus asked Horace to write a ceremonial poem celebrating his reign to be read at the Saecular Games. I
14 B.C. he published his second book of Epistles, and a year later his fourth book of Odes
In the final years of his life, he wrote his Ars poetica, “The Art of Poetry”, a guide for poets on the art of poetry, written in the form of a letter to the Pisones

8. Lasting Legacy
Along with Virgil, Horace is the most celebrated of the Augustan poets
His Odes are the best known of all of his work and are praised for their celebration of ordinary events such as proposing a drink or wishing a friend a safe journey
Alexander Pope wrote of them saying, “what oft was thought, but ne’er so well expressed.” in reference to the profound simplicity with which Horace could describe such events.
“Horace’s ability to work complex arguments and homely commonplaces into verses masterly in their balance and variety has attracted admirers since antiquity.” (poetryfoundation.org)
Horace was able to take real, human feelings and emotions and craft them into immortal poetry
His work would deeply influence later writers including Ben Jonson, Alexander Pope, W.H. Auden, Robert Frost, and many others.