can be recognized, are glorious for princes only if their names are in none <hr>
of them. In other words, their silence constitutes the greatest honors<hr>
they can offer. Epigrams are but glimmers of diamonds whose brilliance,<hr>
although dazzling, can hardly illuminate the life of a great prince. These speeches are <hr>
essentially the fruit of the imagination, an intellectual exercise that may preserve the <hr>
reputation of the master of eloquence, but not that of poetry.<hr>
       Tragedy, although it claims to teach while entertaining and even as it is <hr>
considered a masterpiece of poetry, must not be as valuable to a prince as the heroic poem. The one who composes tragedies works more for himself<hr>
than for his king. He creates works of art, which is a fact, but his prince can only claim< hr>
another form of recognition: that of fully appreciating their beauty, conserving them <hr>
carefully, and rewarding them as long as he is alive. The epic poem is <hr>
different. It is the one that divinizes princes. All their selflessness shines brightly there, their <hr>
conquests are recounted with panache, and their flaws, if they have any, are cleverly attenuated. <hr>
Fortune, victory, and fame are always on their side. They know no <hr>
enemy they cannot overcome. They are successful, both in the art of war and in love. <hr>
Their charm is passed on from generation to generation. And while children usually < hr>
derive fame from the merits of their ancestors, here, ancestors < hr>
transmit the greatest benefits of their power to their children and make them<br>
worthy themselves. Octavius’ generosity is why Virgil immortalized < hr>
the piety of Aeneas. The conquests he made will make his predecessor's exploits live forever. It's thanks to Octavius’ love < hr>
that this poet led this victorious Trojan to the throne.<hr>
       And in truth, it is he who saved him from the flames of Troy, along with his father and his gods.<hr>
For without Octavius, this hero would doubtless have remained buried under the imposing ruins and would have <br>
sunk into oblivion. Posterity would not have heard of his valor, as if he had <hr>
never existed. Thus, it falls to princes to carefully search among < hr>
their subjects those who are capable of performing such a majestic task, in order to< hr>
encourage them through their favors to embark on great initiatives. Those who can bring < hr>
life to Hector, Achilles, or Agamemnon in a tragedy with the same ingenuity that Homer< hr>
endowed them with would be capable of writing a narrative just as long, if they were encouraged wholeheartedly. But it's hard to embark on such a race < hr>
without being assured of finding a reward at the end of the trail. Those who participated in the Olympic Games received < hr>
crowns at the finish line. Why, then, a man should dedicate his efforts, his days, <hr>
his youth, and his entire life to a poem, with the sole reward being the achievement itself? < hr>
Maecenas, that would not be fair. And I repeat it once more, it is up to the prince to choose < hr>
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                                                 123<hr>