SOURCE: “Horace Interpreted” in Horace and His Influence. 1922. Reprint. Longmans, Green and Co., 1927, pp. 3-39.

In the following essay, Showerman profiles Horace as a person, a poet, and an interpreter of his times.

I. Horace Interpreted

The Appeal of Horace

In estimating the effect of Horace upon his own and later times, we must take into account two aspects of his work. These are, the forms in which he expressed himself, and the substance of which they are the garment. We shall find him distinguished in both; but in the substance of his message we shall find him distinguished by a quality which sets him apart from other poets ancient and modern.

This distinctive quality lies neither in the originality nor in the novelty of the Horatian message, which, as a matter of fact, is surprisingly familiar, and perhaps even commonplace. It lies rather in the appealing manner...