Book IV, also known as Fate of Queen Dido, recounts the tragic love story between Aeneas and Dido, which is both aided and hindered by various intermediaries, including Juno, Iarbas, Jupiter and Mercury. The affair ultimately ends in heartbreak, with Dido’s suicide, as Aeneas, reminded of his duty, leaves to fulfil his destiny of founding a city in Italy.

Also known as Pharmaceutria, Virgil’s Eclogue VIII is one of his ten eclogues. The text opens with a 16-line introduction, followed by two love songs: Damon’ song and Alphesiboeus’s song. Additionally, Eclogue VIII is largely inspired by Theocritus’s Idyll 2.

Horace’s poems from Odes Book III: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, explore themes such as Virtue (Ode 2), Integrity and perseverance (Ode 3), Wise Counsel and Clemency (Ode 4), Virtue and Fortitude, dedicated to Augustus (Ode 5), and Constancy (Ode 7). The first six odes, written in the Alcaic metre, and are often considered an independent group within the larger collection and are commonly referred to as ‘The Roman Odes’.