Publius Vergilius Maro (70 BC–19 BC), whose name is usually misspelled Virgil in English,
is unanimously regarded by critics and scholars as the greatest of Latin poets. Quintilian
ranked him “second to Homer, and nearer to first place than to third.” 99 Best known for his
Aeneid, a fusion of history and legend embodying the historical tradi-tions and cultural
aspirations of the Roman people, Virgil also wrote pastoral poems (Bucolics) and didactic
verse works on agriculture (Georgics). His third Georgic, which is devoted to animal …