Abstract

at a ten-year mark, a verse written by Virgil looks like a long-expected answer to his friend Horace, who had in turn alluded to a Virgil’s poem in Epod. 16. during the hundred-year-old discussion about the relationships between eclogue 4 and epode 16, the stylistic element known as «motto» has seemed conclusive to determine the precedence of Virgil’s poem on Horace’s one. at different stages, alberto Cavarzere argued that Hor. Epod. 16.1 was an answer to Verg. Ecl. 4.4. in my opinion, the same rhetoric device was used about ten years later by Virgil, answering in turn to Horace’s «motto». as a conclusion, we can indeed relate Hor. Epod. 16.1 and Verg. Aen. 1.291, since from several points of view Virgil’s verse seems to continue the alexandrine dialogue engaged ten years before by Horace’s epode