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The Ideas That Formed the Constitution, Part 9: Virgil and Other Poets
“Virgil reading his ‘Aeneid’ to Octavia and Augustus,” 1788, by Angelica Kauffmann. A legend in ancient Roman history tells of Octavia, the sister of the Emperor Augustus, who faints when hearing Virgil’s verses, which remind her of the early death of her son. Public Domain
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Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor, is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Mountain States Policy Center and the Independence Institute. He authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025) and is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
