82 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



of the wisdom and strength that in a people, as in an individual, can 

 only develop from the trial as by fire, something of the spirit of great- 

 ness that appeals to the earnest student. Opposition frequently indi- 

 cates the mind that distinguishes between merit and success, and the 

 halting scepticism of today may generate the sublime onward-sweeping 

 faith of tomorrow. Accordingly, while we find in the Flavian literature 

 much imitation, for it follows a great period; much of the artificial, 

 for life had been losing the naturalness of freedom; much adulation, 

 for the writer was not independent; much of the trifling and ephem- 

 eral, for there was a widespread dilettantism; much of the low, for 

 society was in many ways degraded; we find, on the other hand, much 

 that is great and admirable, bearing the stamp of a true genius, which 

 is not less valuable for being in many cases the genius of protest. 



The relation of the Augustan literature to the Flavian influenced 

 the latter in various ways. Previous to the appearance of the former 

 the path of poetry had been difficult because it was so little trodden; 

 after its appearance the path was difficult because it had been trodden 

 so frequently. In this, perhaps, lies more of the explanation of the 

 character of Flavian poetry than is generally supposed. After Vergil 

 there could be no great epic poet until there came a new order of things. 

 The true epic poem must sum up a period of history or thought; and 

 there came no such new period until the era that inspired the Christian 

 muse of Dante. After a band of poets like Horace, Catullus and the 

 other myrtle-garlanded singers of that day, it must be a rare genius that 

 could write successful lyric poetry before there was a new subjective 

 basis. Accordingly, apart from other considerations, we should not 

 confidently expect anything permanently valuable in these two great 

 divisions of poetry; if there was to be anything abiding, it must be of 

 a different kind. In prose, too, it is quite probable that the prevalence 

 of the rounded and uniform style of Cicero developed a reaction which 

 made it much easier for the other determining factors to mould the 

 new form of expression with its distinctive features of brevitas, varietas 

 and poelicus color. 



The avenue, however, by which the Augustan era most directly 

 influenced the Flavian was conscious or unconscious imitation. The 



