Show yourself spirited and
resolute when perils press you; reef your sails when
they swell too much by a favoring breeze.[1]
[1] This is the translation of a quotation from Horace.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus, known in English as
Horace, was born at Venusia, near the border of Apulia, in 65 B.C. His father,
a former slave who had freed himself before the birth of his son, sent him to
school in Rome. As a young man Horace went to Athens and studied philosophy at
the famous schools. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the army of
Brutus, served at Philippi, and came back to Rome not long after. Deprived of
his property as a result of the proscriptions, he began life anew at the age of
twenty-four as a clerk in a public office. Not long after, he attracted the
attention of Mæcenas, and soon became acquainted with Varius and Virgil,
henceforth devoting himself to literary pursuits. His first work, the first
book of Satires, was published in 35 B.C. About a year later, Mæcenas
presented him with the celebrated Sabine Farm, and Horace was at liberty to the
end of his life to do as he liked. Before he died he was famous: the Emperor
Augustus commissioned him to write the fourth book of Odes. He died
eight years before the birth of Christ.
(Source: theatredatabase.com)
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