History & The Arts
Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid
...law, to spare the conquered, and subdue the proud’. (Aeneid 6.851–3) Anchises claims that war is an essential part of the Roman mission, and that peace will come through military conflict. His final words refer to how a good Roman should balance mercy and retribution. In Anchises’ model it is easy to tell where to draw the line: only those who show arrogance should...