Maecenas

Maecenas, Caius Cilnius (d. 8 B.C.) a Roman statesman and patron of letters, contemporary of Augustus, whose friend he was before he became emperor. He it was who arranged the marriage of Octavianus, and later the peace of Brundisium, which made a partial truce between Augustus and Antony. It was in 40 B.C. that he first appears as the confidential adviser of Augustus, and in the next year he began to patronise Horace, who was perhaps introduced by Virgil and Varius, who were already well known to him. Horace repaid the attentions of Maecenas by extolling him in his poems, and that Maecenas esteemed Horace is shown by the fact that in his will he recommended the poet to the emperor's attention. In his latter days Maecenas seems to have fallen somewhat out of favour, and spent most of his time at his house on the Esquiline.