Inspiring poets from Ben Jonson and Alexander Pope to W. H. Auden and Robert Frost, the writings of Horace and Persius have had a powerful influence on later Western literature. The "Satires" of Persius are highly idiosyncratic, containing a courageous attack on the poetry and morals of his wealthy contemporariesaeven the ruling emperor, Nero. The "Satires" of Horace, written in the troubled decade ending with the establishment of Augustusas regime, provide an amusing treatment of menas perennial enslavement to money, power, glory, and sex. "Epistles I," addressed to the poetas friends, deals with the problem of achieving contentment amid the complexities of urban life, while "Epistles II" and the "Ars Poetica" discuss Latin poetryaits history and social functions, and the craft required for its success.
