more steadily the currents of our own life, their direction and their value. This is, we take it, of considerable importance for life as a whole, whether for correct thinking or for true idealism.

The supremacy of Horace within the limits that he set for himself is no fortuity, and the miracle of his achievement will always remain an inspiration for some. But it is not as a distant ideal for a few, but as a living and vital force for all, that we should approach him; and to assist in this is the aim of our little volume.

The significance of Horace to the twentieth century will gain in clarity from an understanding of his meaning to other days. We shall discover that the eternal verity of his message, whether in ethics or in art, comes to us with a very particular challenge, warning and cry. xi

CONTENTS

• CHAPTER PAGE
• • Contributors to the Fund ii
  • Sabine Hills vii
  • Editors' Preface ix
  • Introduction: The Dynamism of the Few xiii
• I. Horace Interpreted
  • The Appeal of Horace 3
  • 1. Horace the Person 6
  • 2. Horace the Poet 9
  • 3. Horace the Interpreter of His Times
    • Horace the Duality 23
    • i. The Interpreter of Italian Landscape 25
    • ii. The Interpreter of Italian Living 28
    • iii. The Interpreter of Roman Religion 31
    • iv. The Interpreter of the Popular Wisdom 35
    • Horace and Hellenism 38
  • 4. Horace the Philosopher of Life
    • Horace the Spectator and Essayist 39
    • i. The Vanity of Human Wishes 44
    • ii. The Pleasures of this World 49
    • iii. Life and Morality 54
    • iv. Life and Purpose 59
    • v. The Sources of Happiness 62
• II. Horace Through the Ages
  • Introductory 69
  • 1. Horace the Prophet 70
  • 2. Horace and Ancient Rome 75
  • 3. Horace and the Middle Age 87
  • 4. Horace and Modern Times
    • The Rebirth of Horace 104
    • i. In Italy 106
    • ii. In France 114
    • iii. In Germany 115
    • iv. In Spain 118
    • v. In England 121
    • vi. In the Schools 126
• III. Horace the Dynamic
  • The Cultivated Few 127
  • 1. Horace and the Literary Ideal