Ovid and Horace, Roman poets of the age of Augustus, collectively captured a very wide range of feelings and atmospheres in the empire of this period. Horace wrote odes, satires, and epistles glorifying Augustus himself, his reforms, and intentions for Rome. Ovid, on the other hand, in his poetry before 8 AD, chose to write on the more universally intriguing topic of love, and did so in a way that mocked Augustan moral reforms and Augustus himself. His bold content and style, as well as his accidental knowledge of a mysterious mistake by someone in Augustus' family, led to his exile in Tomis in 8 AD There, he continued to compose verse, including Tristia, but his a once loving and witty voice transformed into one characterized primarily by pleading and flattery. As Horace maintains his oft-used persona of serious observer who ultimately emphasizes Augustus' deference and praise in his Epistle II.1, In Defense of Modern Poetry, Ovid's poetry from exile, as witnessed in Tristia, takes on the tone of a dejected Horace.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Augustus' main goal during his rule as Prince of Rome was to create an image of himself as bringing peace, prosperity, and fertility to Rome. By extolling Augustus as the source of such goodness, Horace gained great favor with Augustus and was given the honor of composing the anthem for the Secular Games, the Carmen Saeculare. In this ode Horace celebrates the dawn of a new generation under the aegis of Augustus: "Now there is trust and peace, honor and chastity; / the ancient virtue, long neglected, / dares to return, and the rich abundance is among us with a full horn” (Horace, Secular Hymn, 57-60). Even in his satires in which he takes on a more ridiculous character, Horace highlights his verses with praise for Augustus. For example, in Satire 1.8, Horace uses Priapus, the god of masculinity and fertility to convey the life-giving power of Augustus over the Roman Empire: Priapus, representing life, and his timely flatulence, scares off intruding witches, representing death, from a garden of which he is guardian, symbolizing fruitfulness (Horace, Satire 1.8.46-50). In Epistle II.1, however, Horace makes it obvious that Augustus is seen as a god in his time and later Hercules, deified only after death (Epistle II.1.5-12), Horace writes: "But you are honored in due time while you are still among us. / We build altars on which to swear by your divinity, / declaring that your fellow man does not has never been and never will be" (Epistle II.1.15-17). He praises Augustus speaking of the closed doors of the temple of Janus, signifying the peace he has achieved: "For my part, ... I would rather celebrate mighty deeds, ... the end of conflicts throughout the world through your command./ Janus , guardian of the peace locked behind his bars” (Epistle II.1.250-55). Thus, Horace portrays Augustus in the light in which Augustus wishes to be seen, thus obtaining the blessings of Augustus' friendship with Horace in Epistle II. 1 that Ovid in his Tristia explains the necessary qualities of poetry under the rule of Augustus: Horace enumerates the virtues of the poet and his art, and Ovid that he uses his previous writings as a negative example of what Augustan poetry should be declares this modern poetry to be the best writing due to the influence of Augustus: "It is true, among the Greeks, the oldest writing in every genre / is decidedly the best. But if, consequently, the Roman writers are to be judged by the same procedure, there is no need to go further: a walnut has no shell, in the olive there is no stone!".