The Augustan Revolution
meritassuperiscumCaesaregrates’’(youwillhaveofferedduethankstothe
godsalongwithCaesar).Werethethankswhichhewouldgivegoingtobe
offeredforthepeacefulandvictoriousstateoftheempire?Or,aslaterconsuls
woulddo,specificallytotheemperorforthegiftoftheconsulshipitself?
In this poem that is left unspecified. But no such doubt remains when
Ovidturns,inperhapsthelatestpoeminthecollection,toimagineinad-
vance(onceagain)thesuffectconsulshipofC.PomponiusGraecinus,which
wouldbegininJuly..,andwouldlasttotheendoftheyear;andthen
thecomingconsulateasordinariusofhisbrother,C.PomponiusFlaccus,due
tostartonJanuary,...Ovidmustbewritingtowardsthemiddleof
.. (Ex P. , ). Once again, addressing Graecinus, Ovid imagines the
publicceremonialsandsacrificesofthefirstday,addingonly()therolethat
hehimself,asanequestrian(eques),wouldplaythereif hecould:‘‘consulis
antepedesireiuberereques’’(Iwouldbeorderedtogoasaknightbefore
thefeetoftheconsul).Butinthiscasehealsogoesontoimaginethedaily
publicfunctionsoftheconsul,intheForumortheSenate,orsacrificingon
theCapitol—andperhapsthentheremightbeaplaceforaprayeronbehalf
ofOvid(–):
mentetamen,quaesolalocononexulat,usus
praetextamfascesaspiciamquetuos.
haecmodotepopuloreddentemiuravidebit,
etsedecretisfingetadessetuis;
nunclongireditushastaesupponerelustri
credet,etexactacunctalocarefide:
nuncfacereinmediofacundumverbasenatu.
publicaquaerentemquidpetatutilitas;
nuncproCaesaribussuperisdecerneregrates,
albaveopimorumcollaferireboam.
atqueutinam,cumiamfuerispotioraprecatus,
utmihiplaceturprincipisiraroges!Inmymind,whichaloneisnotinexile,/Ishallseeyourrobesand
fasces./Itwillseeyouonemomentgivingjusticetothepeople,/
andimagineitselftowitnessyourdecrees./ Nextitwillbelieveyou
tobeputtingtoauctiontherevenuesofalongcycle,/andtobe
contractingouteverythingwithimpeccablehonesty;/nexttobe
deliveringaneloquentaddressintheSenate/enquiringwhatthe
publicinterestrequires;/ nexttobedecreeingthankstothegodsfor
theCaesars,/andtobesmitingthewhitenecksofchoiceoxen./If