So these are stories of transformation and you can see
that we don't find out what Phoebus, the nominative noun,
loves until all the way at the end of the line,
and everything else comes in between.
That is P-H-O-E-B-U-S...
And... oops, I shouldn't have written that extra "E"
on the board.
My name is Publius Ovidius Naso,
although I would later become better known as "Ovid."
I was born in a time of peace.
There was a rape and a murder here just the other day!
You best be careful!
Please, Your Majesty,
we ask for your clemency!
We were captured on orders and forced to fight.
You must die.
No.
No!
Your Majesty, Your Eminence,
I never knew Mark Antony!
I was in the third infantry!
What do you want?
We've come on official business from your father.
Bugger...
Your father is trying to consolidate power
which of course means...
strengthening ties to his generals.
He wants you to marry Tiberius.
Tiberius is married.
Well, of course there'll be a divorce.
I'm still grieving my late husband's passing.
Tiberius' mother is...
his wife, my step-mother.
What other ties does he need?
You know how much your father cares about
the importance of family.
I have my family.
I'm happy here.
I'm afraid your father's decision is
the law of the land.
This isn't a monarchy or a dictatorship.
It was during this time of peace I was born.
Hey man, you got a coin?
Uh, yeah.
Tough times?
While I was at war, my wife got sick, I got injured...
What war?
- This is a time of peace. - Peaceful for the people
living within this nation.
But what about our fighting overseas
with our barbarous neighbors up north?
Where do you think all our Treasury money is going?
Um...
After years of civil war,
the newly anointed Emperor Augustus had finally brought
peace to the Roman Empire...
by silencing the opposition.
We are glad to have at our helm, a man, again,
who is not only such a capable leader and general,
but one who truly understands Roman values
and our way of life:
the Republic, the Senate,
and the great establishments of this Empire.
Senex...
- May I call you "Senex?" - Of course.
We are to be friends.
I can't tell you how much it pains me not to have
more noble families represented.
In this Empire, we believe in electing our government.
I would not be Roman if I didn't.
I want to thank you for coming to see me.
We shall see more of you, I suppose.
But of course.
Then you are really determined to restore the Republic?
I have no choice.
After all the bloodshed...
civil wars...
it's your firm leadership that finally brought us to peace.
- Tiberius... - What, Mother?
Cleary, if we are to maintain peace,
we must appease the people and noble families.
We have to restore the Republic.
Then how do we consolidate power
and keep control?
We give them values.
We give the people something to believe in.
So how did I, a nice boy from small-town Rome,
end up in the big city,
the capital itself, become the most popular poet of my day,
and end up in trouble with the brutal Emperor?
My story starts in the small town of Sulmo,
where we lived a simple agrarian way of life.
My parents' generation had known only war.
but thanks to the Pax Augustus,
the peace created by Emperor Augustus,
- we had known only tranquility. - Ovid!
Ovid, the men are here for you!
The Emperor's men are here for you!
They came all the way from Rome, Ovid!
Apparently, being from a small town
and of equestrian rank gave me the "right values"
that qualified me to be a Paul.
Ovid! Ovid!
And just like that, they intruded on my life.
Of course you'll go.
It's not even a question.
Is it a rhetorical question?
- Don't be witty. - I'm not being witty...
- I'm being rhetorical. - Stop being smart, Ovid.
Isn't that what politicians are supposed to be?
Not necessarily.
I don't understand your resistance to this.
Here you've been hand-selected by the Emperor,
by His Eminence, Ceasar Augustus,
to receive the best education you could possibly receive,
to work for the government, and you want to throw it all away...
because you'll miss the babbling brook at the end
of the property and the dirt road you played on as a child.
- Uh... yeah. - Not to mention...
Just a side-note:
for any of you out there who though you were the first one
to be completely misunderstood by your parents...
this was 31 BCE.
And you've been hand-selected to help the senate more
fairly represent the outlying provinces,
so that you could help this great Empire
reach it's potential,
so that you can make society a better and just place
to live in.
- My name is "nose." - Gods bless Rome!
- My name is "nose." - I don't understand, Ovid.
Are you listening to me?
The boy is complaining about his name again, Karina.
Our name is "Naso," that means "nose!"
Let's just say I learned a lot and did really well.
How far do you really think I'd get?
All hail our great leader and national hero, Mister...
or should I say Senator Nose.
What was that?
He really knows... oops, pardon my pun... how to sniff out
the bad and find the good.
What did you say, Publius Ovidius Naso?
I hated when they addressed me by my full name.
I hated when they used their formal Latin.
The Cicero quotes were the worst.
This particular one was from when Catalin
had stormed into the Roman Senate after he betrayed it.
Look what you've done to your mother in this time of peace.
Is this why your grandfather fought with the Roman Legions?
Is this why... your uncle is fighting right now
against Mark Antony in the Battle of Actium
all the way in Egypt?
Carpe Diem, Ovid.
Seize the day.
And just like that, it was settled.
I would go to Rome.
Hey, man.
Hey. Hi.
You new here?
Uh, yeah, I j... I just got here.
Oh, Maximilius, by the way.
But you can call me... "Max."
I'm, uh...
Ovid.
It's nice to meet you, Max.
So what brings you to the city, man?
I was recruited by the government so...
law and government, basically.
Oh, one of those!
I get it; pass a few laws, preside over a few executions,
hobnob with the Emperor's people, I get it.
No, that wasn't exactly the plan.
I'm just fucking with you, man.
I mean, maybe a little execution?
I'm not... I'm fucking with you!
Chill...
Anyway, it's a great city. Been here five years,
never gets old.
After all, this is Rome, man!
The capital of our Empire,
the center of our universe, you know?
It's got great nightlife, great shopping, and oh, the women.
Hey, that's why they call it "the city that never sleeps,"
you know what I'm saying?
'Cause it... everyone's... having sex.
Anyway, uh...
I... I gotta run, but take it easy.
Look me up if you ever need anything.
5E.
That's enough.
That's enough, let's join the others.
Oh, look, my father's podium.
Careful...
we might ask you to preside instead.
Senex, my darling!
- How are you? - Oh!
As good as ever, my dear.
I miss you, Senex!
I never see you at the Capitoline building,
where all you Senators supposedly work.
You might not miss me so much if they ever restored
the actual powers of the Roman Republic.
Mwah!
You were always my favorite.
Maybe I can help.
Please do!
Order!
Order...
I never thought I'd see you wielding your father's gavel.
Well, you know how much blood ties and family values
mean to us.
Good evening, fine citizens of Rome!
In honor of the 15th year of the Restoration
of the Republic,
through no democratic vote at all,
we have appointed our Emperor Ceasar Augustus' daughter,
Julia, to take his place at his almighty podium.
And to see how she,
through the barter of sexual favors...
might fix the current political situation.
First on the docket:
world hunger.
It has come to my attention that in the developed world,
while those of us in the upper classes have plenty to eat,
everyone else seems to be out of work and, at times, starving.
My solution?
Fellatio.
Yes, one lucky man, or woman, as the case may be,
who can solve this problem of inequity,
institutionalized by our governing order,
will receive a blowjob from yours truly.
And remember, this is no ordinary spit!
The spit that will alight your dong is royal saliva...
passed down from the divine Emperor himself.
Okay!
Second on the list:
true restoration of the Roman Republic.
At last!
It has come to my attention,
through my position as royal baby-maker and diaper-changer...
that while we supposedly have a representative government,
this representative government has no actual power.
Furthermore...
it appears that the Senators have nothing better to do
than hang out with this divine baby-maker...
since no senatorial work is being done at all.
To solve this, I offer you...
I offer you the whole package...
cunnilingus and all.
Stop, Julia!
Stop.
This is too much.
Lepidus.
Your father will be outraged.
So today, we will be looking at the Augustan Law Code,
and in particular, updates since the Pax Augusta
was established,
along with the Restoration of the Republic.
Okay.
Can everyone flip to page two?
Psst!
Maximilius, what are you doing here?
Shh.
I go to school here.
- What? - Today, we will be looking at
new laws,
such as the Lex Julia De Maritanis Ordinibos,
and the Lex Julia De Adulteriis Coercendis.
- Can anyone tell me... - You go to school here?
I thought you were making fun of me for being
a law student government type.
Yeah, I was.
Well, that's my nighttime persona.
- Your what? - My nighttime persona.
For the uptown clubs and the art scene.
I, like, play music and shit.
Your "nighttime persona."
Lex De Maritandis Ordinibos.
Roman males who do not marry are to remain
under the financial guardianship of their fathers.
So this is your daytime persona?
Uh, yeah.
Does everyone have that?
It should be fairly straight-forward.
This law is clearly intended to promote marriage and family.
Look, man, it's not that weird.
A lot of poets do it.
- Poets? - Poets.
You know, the people that are speakin',
the words that you're hearin'.
Pow. Poetry!
Okay, next, uh, Lex Julia De Adulteriis Coercendis.
- What? - Gentleman in the first row
seems to have something to say.
Or perhaps your neighbor, the young lady in the glasses,
can assist you.
It's a law recently enacted to stamp out adultery.
It states that both offenders will be exiled
to two different islands,
and the adulturous man will lose half his property.
Very good.
One indiscretion, two islands.
Okay, great, moving on.
Why would Augustus try to legislate
and govern people's private lives?
Roman values.
How could you do this?!
My own daughter!
My own bloodline!
Don't you know how hard I am...
trying, trying
to bring Rome back
to its glorious state?
All the people that I'm trying to satisfy?
To... to encourage
and promote
good values, like family and marriage?
And now this?
This, holding public revels...
and bartering sexual favors at...
at my...
my sanctified podium.
I just figured...
What?
I figured...
since I gave sexual favors to my husband,
your step-son, Tiberius,
for the advancement of your career...
surely, I could help out by offering them to others, too.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the...
penitentiary juris,
otherwise known as "the prison of law."
Is there any other kind?
You could almost hear the daily sentencing
in the background.
Meticulis, 10 years.
Octiganalius, 40 years, possession of cannabis.
Ovid, are you paying attention?
Yes, yeah, uh...
theft, uh, life for theft of Herculean statue.
- Statue of Hercules. - Good.
Tomorrow, we will resume here to witness an actual working trial.
I see real promise in you all.
Ovid!
♪ Oats, oats and beans and barley grow ♪
♪ Oats and beans and barley grow ♪
♪ Nor you or nor I nor anyone know ♪
♪ How oats and beans and barley grow ♪
What happened to your friend?
I think he's got the love bug bad.
He saw a beautiful girl in the courts today.
Possibly two, I'm still unclear about it.
I love her.
I love... I love her.
Ah, the, uh, "I see you and now I'm in love" bug.
No.
Now, I'll never see her again.
Well, listen, if you boys aren't busy tomorrow night,
I'm doing a poetry slam at the Olive Tree.
Yeah, totally.
We would love to be there, wouldn't we, Ovid?
- Yes! Yes! - Yes, we would.
Yes.
Yeah.
I'll try to make sure he's sober.
That's probably a good idea.
♪ We've just about got the city under control now ♪
So in the case of the Treasury versus
Liviana Romanolus,
will the prosecution please call its last witness?
The prosecution would like to call the defendant herself,
Liviana Romanolus.
Will you please hold the Jupiter statue
and raise your right hand?
Do you, Liviana Romanolus,
swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth,
so help you gods?
I do.
The prosecution may now start.
You okay, man? Rough night?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm fine.
So, how much did you owe the Treasury?
4,000 aureus.
And how much did you pay back at the end of the year?
Two...
I'm sorry, can you speak up so everybody can hear?
200 aureus.
That's... 3,800 aureus less
than you owed.
And did you not sign a contract that said if you did not
pay back the sum total of your loan
by the end of this calendar year,
you would give up all of your possessions, land, and house?
I did.
The defendant signed a contract with the Treasury
that if she did not pay back her loan,
which she did not...
She would have to give up all of her property.
No further questions at this time, your honor.
The prosecution rests its case.
Thank you, prosecution.
The defense may now take the stand.
Yes, Your Honor, thank you.
Why, Liviana Romanolus,
did you agree to take the loan to begin with?
I did not.
You did not.
Then who did?
My husband.
Ooh...
The government, in an effort to encourage farmers,
offered large loans to buy land and oxen.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea.
Our land was fertile...
and my husband was healthy.
And then the plagues hit.
And all of our oxen and cattle were killed.
My husband became ill, and he eventually died.
I had no way to pay back the Treasury.
And all of our savings...
had gone to pay the doctor bills.
And how did your name end up on the contract?
Roman law states
that when the husband dies,
the wife inherits his wealth
or his debt.
So you were forced...
- to sign the document? - Yes.
By law, I was.
And what will happen to you and your daughters
if you lose your property?
We will be forced...
to the streets
to fend for ourselves.
The defense rests its case.
We just ask that you act with compassion, Your Honor.
I, of all people, understand the few recourses that are left
for women of a certain class in Rome.
However, you do understand that the law is the law.
Man, you've gotta lay off the fermented grapes,
you know what I'm sayin'?
You were singing "Oats and Beans and Barley Grows" last night,
and that song doesn't sound like it's gonna be around
for another half millennium.
Dude, I'm fine.
I just... I just gotta remember to drink more water next time.
Court is now in session.
Chief Scholar Gaius, have you selected a pupil
to read the verdict?
I think Ovid would like to read
because he's been so attentive during this trial.
Well?
Thank you, Your Honor.
No.
What do you mean "no?"
The verdict is "guilty."
I mean no, I'm not gonna read it.
Do you realize it is your duty as a student of law
and government in the Empire of Rome?
I know.
And I'm not gonna read it.
Do you understand, young man, that you will not achieve status
as a government official
if you do not comply with your duties?
Then I'll be a poet.
My dear boy, that is not practical!
Then it will be practical.
Ovid, are you crazy, man?
A poet?
Have you lost your mind?
I mean, it's one thing to moonlight, like me,
but to go full-time and just throw away your whole...
Plus, you were so damn lucky that judge was
in a good mood today.
You could've been held in contempt of court!
I'm a personal recruit of the Emperor Augustus.
They'll never do that to me.
Hey, besides, man, I hate to bring this up,
but your last name is "nose!"
And I just don't think you can have a literary career
with the last name "nose."
Okay, I got it.
What are you gonna do all day, man?
Just sit around and write about your non-existent love life?
And who ever heard of a practical poet?
That's like a cold fire or an uncool Max,
you know what I'm sayin'?
She's just...
What do you mean by "restless?"
Well, there are those among the lower class
who are jobless and lack other resources.
And you say they're increasingly restless?
Well...
they would at least like to feel like they're not being ignored.
This drought's not good for the economy.
- Will they revolt? - Not yet.
But...
it would be my advice to somehow start paying attention to them.
Lepidus.
Livia.
Then what do we do now?
I think we need to provide a distraction.
- A distraction? - Yes.
We need to remind them what their country stands for.
The values and building blocks that make this great Empire
the greatest in the world.
The reasons why countless Roman legions have gone to their death
to protect us from those blonde-haired, blue-eyed
barbarians up north.
We need to remind them of their Roman values.
"Roman values," eh?
You mean "family values."
How am I supposed to do that when my own daughter
undermines me at every turn?
I told you, Augustus,
she's making you look like a hypocrite.
You need to rein her in.
Yes.
Thank you, dear.
Well, Your Honor, if I may be so bold as to suggest...
a scapegoat.
A scapegoat?
A scapegoat.
A public shaming using Julia as an example of what will happen
if you do not live up to the moral foundations
that make this Empire great.
You know, of course, this is my only living daughter.
No matter what her flaws may be.
Everyone loves a common cause.
We may be suffering,
but we have our values.
What say you?
Well, I haven't gathered the data together yet, but...
I imagine what Lepidus is saying could be correct.
All right.
An exile, then.
Hey, Max.
Agrippina.
Hey, man, hey.
If you were to go for a leisurely stroll,
where would you go?
You do realize the law is the law,
whether you read the defendant's verdict or not?
Her goose is still cooked.
I mean, she's still going to lose all her property.
You're just the messenger.
Look, if you... if you were to go for a leisurely stroll,
where would you go?
Some people go to school to study.
Fine, I'd go to the games.
I would go to a Colonite.
Octavia's.
No, maybe Pompeii's.
I mean, there was this one time I was out
and there was this man and...
By Jove, I think we have something.
Who was that man?
I'm just kidding, Agrippina.
Who was that woman, though?
- What woman? - You know...
the one at the courthouse.
- Oh... - She was quite beautiful.
Her.
Well?
Well what?
Who is she?
She's my father's brother-in-law's cousin
twice removed.
Don't even think about it.
She's married.
Married?
Lex Julia De Adulteriis, bro.
Do you come here often?
It's a water fountain.
Yeah, I know.
It's, um...
it's good water, right?
Oh, yeah.
This is what I've always wanted my entire life:
somebody who likes to drink water as much as I do.
Yeah, it's... it's relatively clean though, right?
It's not too acidic.
It hasn't got typhoid or malaria, not in this one.
Don't you have anything better to do than try and pick up women
by comparing the pH balance of public water works?
Chocolate?
No.
Here's a hint for your future conquests, green boy:
don't use gifts.
I'm either gonna like you or I'm not.
And secondly, I'm married.
It is an arranged marriage...
but still, extramarital, federal offense.
And if you do wanna have an affair?
Use discretion.
Make friends with the maid.
Show-off your strengths.
You like art? Go to an art museum.
You're strong? Then show-off your muscles.
But don't use a water fountain to try to pick up women.
Fuck's sake, everybody likes water.
Don't I know you?
I don't know.
From the courthouse.
You're the practical poet.
Good luck with that.
- Hey. - Oh, hey.
Thank gods you're here!
I was worried about you, bro.
I was wondering what you were up to since, you know,
- you dropped out of... - No, I'm... I'm... I'm fine, man.
I... I... I figured out some stuff to do.
My dad is pissed, though, man.
He says I'm gonna be a pauper.
Rough, man, rough.
Sorry about your money thing.
But, remember...
night persona
and... and Max don't associate with no law students, all right?
Okay, come on.
Not the ones that they've imported from upper Germania.
The local farm-fresh ones are to die for.
They're amazing.
Max! Hey!
You made it!
Thank you for coming.
Of course, Chlo.
You know we dig you.
Ovid, you came too.
It's good to see you.
I heard you're determined to become a practical poet.
Oh, yeah, that was...
was... was pretty stupid.
Not that poetry's s... st... I...
I financially ruined my life.
Anyway...
yeah, it was pr... it was pretty fuckin' stupid.
He's j...
Oh, uh, that's my set.
Well, if you like what you see,
you should try it.
Don't...
Be cool! Try and be cool!
Yo, ma'am! Hi.
Can I help you?
Uh, your mistress is Corinna, correct?
Is that any of your business?
When is it easiest to find Corinna by herself?
Why do you need to know?
Then she is Corinna.
Can I help you with your load, then?
- Oh... - Just...
Oh, my, Fabia.
I see you found yourself a lover.
Well, good for you, Fabia.
I always knew you had it in you.
But really, here in the sheets.
- No. - There must have been a more
- romantic spot. - This isn't what it seems.
- I'm sure it isn't. - No.
I came here for you.
I saw you in the court and I was struck by your beauty.
I'm sure you did, dear.
I know men can be promiscuous these days,
but really, two in one afternoon?
Fabia...
Well, the whole reason for buying a local Estruscan
is so that you can save the horseshoes
necessary for transporting imported food
so we can divert the iron resources for other projects.
Oh, my gods.
Look who's back.
What up, yo, Olive Tree?
What up, yo?
I said what up, yo, Olive Tree?
What up, yo?
- What a night, huh? - Yes, sir!
- Some night, huh? - Yeah!
We talked society,
- we slammed, as usual. - Yeah.
And we just heard a war poem
from one of our national heroes, huh?
Yeah, you can give it up for Virgil!
I guess that is why we dominate the world.
From the roots to the truth, this is what we do!
Ladies and locusts, Senators and soldiers,
- follow me to the Olive Tree. - Yes!
Our poetry, poignant, powerful, honest.
And now...
now, the hour is upon us.
Let us open up the floor to new voices we've not heard before,
- huh? - Yeah!
Might we have a neophyte tonight?
Anyone, any two, it's all up to you.
Even if you've never read before
now is your time to shine, because you know what we say?
Seize the day!
You know what we say?
Seize the day!
One more time!
Seize the day!
Let's seize the day!
Any brave souls among us?
Ah!
Now, there's a man whose hand I've not seen raised before.
Why don't you come up here, young blood?
Not yet, you've got to earn that at the Olive Tree.
- What's your name? - Ovid.
- I can't hear you, please. - Ovid.
- O... O... Ovid? - Ovid.
- Ovid.
Ovid.
Okay, Ovid, the stage is yours.
Uh...
The... the poem is about love...
and it's called "Amores."
"Amores?"
"The object of love?"
W... well, it also means "lovers."
"The object of love?"
Sounds like a love poem from a lover who ain't gettin' any.
"Amores."
"Lovers."
It was sultry and... and the day had driven out the middle hour.
Look, Corinna comes veiled in an unbelted tunic
with her parted hair covering her fair neck.
How flat her stomach, how youthful her thigh.
Why do I need to report on every feature?
I s... I saw nothing not to... to...
I saw nothing not to praise and I pressed her naked body
right up to mine.
Uh, yup, clearly another lover who wasn't gettin' any!
Does it help you to masturbate
to dream these scenarios?
Totally lame.
He just realized it!
Get your lame ass off the stage.
- Oh... oh, come on, Ovid. - He 'bout to cry!
- Ovid! - He 'bout to cr...
Come on, Ovid!
Is this cat a poet or a pervert?
Hey, that's your fourth one this week, baby.
No, fifth, shit.
So...
you completed one year at the Academy of Law and Government
and yous dropped out.
Yes, that... that's correct.
But you were an Augustan recruit from the Emperor's office?
Yeah, I'm from small-town Rome.
Equestrian class.
And you did say that you completed one year
at the Academy.
A year and some, in fact.
Well...
I guess we could find you a job.
I do know we have a sentencing position opening up, um...
Yes, here it is.
"A full-time paid position,
sentencing of capital punishments.
Employee must read out and certify death sentences
to accused criminals.
Bureaucratic experience a must.
Equestrian class preferred."
Well, you'd be good at sentencing, wouldn't you?
I mean, they cover that in first year, don't they?
Y... y... yeah.
Yeah, they do.
Fabia, can you get that?
Fabia!
Coming!
I forgot it's my maid's afternoon off.
Hello.
Oh my, it's Fabia's lover.
- I'm afraid she's not in today. - No, Corinna...
I... I'm here for you.
My, you are fickle.
Well, I never did think Fabia had any taste, so...
May... may we speak inside for a moment?
That's a bit forward, don't you think?
I noticed you at the courts.
You watched with such intensity,
as though you suffered with each passerby...
seeking justice for all.
And your beauty...
your gentle curls falling over your face as if...
to mask your inner soul.
I'm married, you know.
But since you seek solace with strangers...
a forced match.
You're not here for Fabia?
I offered to help your maid and I tripped on the sheets.
You swear you're not here for Fabia?
I swear.
What do you swear on?
By...
by Jove's mighty lightning bolt.
By your shaking limbs.
By Minerva,
the goddess of wisdom, herself.
Okay, come in.
So, Mr. Ovid "The Nose,"
what do you do?
Well...
I'm a poet.
- A poet? - I guess.
And how are you going to make any money with that?
I'm gonna be a practical one.
Practical?
Practical, indeed.
Well, you have to stop lounging around bedrooms
with married women.
Any luck getting that wound dressed?
We're in a time of peace.
Veterans don't get benefits.
But what about our fighting over in Carthage?
Pssh.
That doesn't count.
It's beyond our borders!
Well...
there's trouble a-brewing in this time of peace.
They say the number of jobless is growing
and they have begun to take to the streets.
I talked to Marcus down in the Villa Romana?
It's not good.
What are they gonna do?
Occupy a Portico?
Look, everyone has blades like you.
There could be violence.
No law in this city bans a sword or dagger.
The Senate shot that down last year.
Her wanton leaflets?
How can leaflets be wanton?
Wanton...
ringlets?
Her wanton ringlets.
You know, Ovid,
if you really wanna be a practical poet,
maybe you should stop trying to seduce women
and write a sensible farmer's manual, like Virgil.
He tells people when to sow seeds and when to harvest them.
And he says it all in verse.
Agrippina...
you're a genius!
You...
Yes! Yes!
What is he up to now?
Hey.
I gotta get on the program tonight.
Excuse me...
who are you?
The greatness of Rome was not built in one day!
And neither shall our futures be built this way!
Rome number one.
Rome number one! Rome number one!
Let's put it there for Virgil, everybody!
Let's put it there for Virgil.
Huh?
You know he's right.
You know he's right!
I know he's ri...
When it comes to military muscle?
Rome's number one!
- When it comes to culture? - Rome's number one!
- When it comes to cuisine? - Rome's number one!
- Art! - Rome's number one!
- Philosophy! - Rome's number one!
- The ladies. - Rome's number one!
Rome is number one, yeah.
All right.
So next up...
another poet that, uh,
I believe some of you have heard from once before.
Publius... Ovidius... Naso.
You can give him a little bit, Olive Tree.
Eh... eh... not too much, not... not too much.
Ovid has returned.
I was preparing to tell about weapons...
and violent war in serious meter...
- when Cupid said... - Cupid!
The virgin love poet!
Oh, here we go.
When Cupid said, and laughed...
"Who gave you, cruel boy,
this power over poetry?"
The virgin love poet!
All hail the virgin love poet!
If you wanted to find a lover, where would you go?
The virgin love poet.
The virgin love poet!
Where would you go?
Where have you gone?
Ah, shit, um...
That's what I thought.
What about you, sir?
After you found her, how would you keep her?
How would he keep you, ma'am?
Yeah, how would you keep me?
I... I... I would, uh... get her jewelry.
Chocolates?
And where would you find her?
Through my mother.
Anyone in this crowd who does not know the art of love-making,
let him hear my expertise and gather my...
magic formula.
Ooh!
Venus...
has appointed me the very mastermind of love!
All hail the... virgin...
Pleasure and skill provoke this work.
Pay attention, I speak from experience.
Aren't you being a bit racy?
Well...
anyone who hides their body with long dresses
or wears delicate ribbons as an emblem of decency...
- leave. - Ooh!
Rome has so many luscious beauties.
If you desire youth, 1,000 girls abound.
Or, if you enjoy wiser ladies, skilled from years of...
- experience... - Ooh!
They too, believe me, will be plentiful.
So where do we find these buxom beauties?
Walk slowly in the shade to Romans Colinade.
Or the Portico, named after that vendor Empress Livia.
Empress Livia's or Pompeii's Portico?
Those are sacred spots of the Empire.
- That's treasonous. - Yes, and what if I'm married?
Ah, then the tiered theater would be most fruitful for you.
There, you can find a lover
who you can have a one-night-stand with,
or who you can... play with for a long time.
What if she says no?
Yeah, what if I say no?
Even if she rejects you, rejoice!
Why be discouraged when there's pleasure in new delights?
Crops are more abundant in another's field.
And the neighboring herd... has richer milk.
That was marvelous.
Simply divine!
Where'd you come up with an idea like that?
It's terribly naughty.
Ovid the love poet.
You rocked it, man.
- You rocked it. - Thank you.
Hey, hey, Ovid!
Where can I buy a copy, man?
I gotta get that shit.
For my friend.
You were heretical...
offensive...
a complete chauvanist...
and I loved every moment of it!
Ugh! That was amazing.
Thank you.
Congratulations, sir.
You've rid the land of the Empire's worst adulterer.
Why, yes.
Perhaps now peace and stability can ensue.
I struck the right tone with my speech?
Oh, yes.
I thought the parts about commitment to the values
of the Roman people and safeguarding the sanctity
of marriage were particularly good.
Well, you know I've always believed that
a good moral backbone will make this nation great.
And...
stability at home means stability in the world,
doesn't it?
I just hope that Julia the Younger does not turn out
like her mother.
What was that?
I hope that Julia the Younger, your granddaughter,
does not turn out to be like her mother.
And why would you say that?
Haven't we made an example of her mother,
my only living daughter?
Well, yes, but you know that most people who've committed
treason have been sentenced to death.
Having her imprisoned away from everything she's ever known,
cherished and loved,
showing that not even my... my only daughter can escape...
when moral codes are violated.
Well, yes, love, my love...
but I have heard things.
Heard things?
Well, yes, things.
Heard what?
Well, that perhaps Julia the Younger has inherited
some of her mother's traits.
She has been known to carry on in not the most savory manner.
What a shame she wasn't born of your blood.
Well, besides...
there's a young poet of increasing popularity
named... Ovid.
Who's... Ovid?
Who is Ovid?
Darling...
you know I could spend all day with you...
but my husband comes back at four.
You know you can come back tomorrow.
I know.
The age which is apt for war is also suitable for love.
Lovers use the sleep of husbands
and move their weapons after the enemies sleep.
How's everything with the poetry?
Good.
Run slowly, horses of the night.
Why should I be punished because your husband's feeble?
Surely, I did not match you with an aging man.
Tacitus isn't your husband.
- Another lover? - What is that?
Oh, something of Fabia's.
Silly Fabia.
You and I both know that's a lie.
- All lovers are soldiers. - Mm-hm.
Believe me, even Cupid has his own camp.
Both lover and solider keep watch all night.
Those qualities which generals look for in a brave soldier,
a beautiful girl seeks too.
And let your mistress come and go as she pleases.
The husbands let this happen with their wives.
With soft slumber, add to the intrigue.
Oh, my God!
Thank you.
- Great show! - Thank you, thanks.
Thank you, thank you.
- Yo, hey. - Great show.
Thanks. Thank you, thank you.
Yo! Hey!
Hey!
Hey, I... I hear you're doing really well for yourself.
- Congrats. - Things are great.
Where have you been at lately?
- Well, you know, uh... - Listen, man, I'm in.
You're gonna love it.
Nighttime persona's gonna love it.
I've... I've got all these hookups.
Virgil just gave me a call.
You gotta come out, man.
Well, that sounds great, but I...
I don't... do that stuff no more.
What? What do you mean?
You know, for me, it's like a balance and, uh...
daytime persona's kinda... taking over.
You know, with me and Agrippina, it's...
Wh... Agrippina?
Hey, Max don't associate with no law school students.
Well, she's the smartest in the class so Max kinda...
do associate with her
and it's getting pretty serious, actually.
Okay, well, come on, man, that doesn't mean you...
you can't still have a good time.
Look, man, I have to be a practical lawyer.
And...
well, Agrippina wants to settle down and start a family,
and you...
you may be in real trouble with the government,
I mean real danger if you keep going on like this.
Uh, hey, man, keep it real.
- Yeah. - Hey, you're missing out.
Hey, you know, Agrippina's the best lawyer in the business.
Well...
since there might be trouble.
I'm, uh... real happy for your success...
- and all. - Thanks, man.
So you're Ovid?
You know, I've always wanted to go home
with a man named "Nose?"
Well, then, perhaps I'll nuzzle you.
Distance yourself from crime.
Be free of murder.
Trick only girls if you have sense.
And cheat cheaters.
They sink into their own traps.
Ovid!
What up, yo, Olive Tree?
What up, yo?
I said what up, yo, Olive Tree?
What up, yo?
All right, look, you're in for a treat.
Because this cat coming up next truly earned his stripes
up here.
He is, without question, our most popular poet.
Now, look, I don't know what ladies love more,
his locks or his lyrics.
But they love him.
Reading from his best-selling book, The Art of Love,
Ovid the love poet.
Come on, Ovid!
- Let's get it, baby! - What up?
Let's get it!
Come on, man.
These wicked verses, too, are born of that small-town poet,
Naso, appointed by naughty love.
Austere people, stay at a distance.
This theater of illicit rhythm is by no means suitable
for your tender ear.
Come on, now.
To capture your desire, swear on...
anything you like.
Yeah, man, yeah.
Bring him in.
Who's there?
Crispus.
I am a plebeian.
What do you want?
I'm a friend of your mother's.
- The people... - How do I know that?
What do you want?
There's unrest in the camp.
People are starving and out of work.
There could be violence.
But what if you're a prude, Ovid?
What if you're a prude?
Again, no long-skirted respectable ladies
figure in my fun.
Yeah!
What about gifts?
Don't use them.
The only gift you give should be that of your own body.
Ooh!
By which, of course, I mean your wit and charm.
Oh, look, there seems to be a beautiful woman waving at me.
See what I mean about not needing material gifts?
What about the women, Ovid?
What about us?
What about you?
I seem to devote a fair amount of time to you.
But, I mean, all of your writing is for men.
How to catch us, keep us, tame us.
When do we get ours?
Do we have no say in our destinies?
I guess the lady does have a point.
- What is your name? - Tacita.
Tacita, would you like me to finish the poem?
Yes!
That would be lovely.
How great Achilles was in battle, so I am in love.
Celebrate me as a prophet, lads!
Sing my praises!
Tell the world that I have given you weapons!
Go out and use them
to conquer!
Hey, hey, hey.
Look, over there, girls now ask for lessons.
I give over.
Yours shall be my instant concern.
In the name of His Eminence,
Emperor Caesar Augustus...
Freeze.
Surely, you can't be arresting me for finally giving advice
to the ladies.
You are hereby fined for contempt of Roman policy.
Aren't we the center of the enlightened universe?
Don't get smart.
You have the right to remain silent.
Geez.
F......
Nice stone collection you got there.
Thanks.
Don't I know you?
How would I know?
Do you always pick out special stones
to desecrate royal property?
Don't worry, they're soft.
Be careful.
You might get us in trouble with the state.
Isn't that why we're in here?
Well, that must be why you're in here.
I'm in here for words.
Words?
Words.
So, what, are you a great writer?
I'm no Virgil or Homer.
Then what, Mr. Writer,
if not an epic national poem, do you write?
Sketches.
Sketches?
Sketches.
Trivialities,
love poems.
Then why are you here in the federal gallows of the Emperor?
I mean, surely, those trite words couldn't have plagued
the ear of His Eminence, Caesar Augustus.
Well... it wasn't that.
You've heard of Augustus' moral reforms?
How could I not?
Well, I wrote a book.
An instruction manual...
so to speak.
And... it was on the art of love.
Our armies... burning and pillaging villages out west.
Our slaves and our farmers dying of plague and famine.
But Augustus decides to reestablish Roman virtues
and family values.
I included a section on how to have a love affair.
And his daughter, one Julia the Elder,
is exiled for philandering.
So that was you.
So you have heard of me?
Who, then, my inquisitive friend, are you?
Julia, paging one Julia!
Well, then.
I am one Julia the Younger.
Oh.
Granddaughter to my jailer,
daughter... to the exiled Julia.
Julia, one Julia the Younger,
granddaughter or His Eminence, Caesar Augustus,
will you please report to the gate!
Family connections aren't what they used to be.
That will be 500 aureus.
Weren't you that prized Augustan recruit?
Yeah, yeah, I was.
You are lucky to get away with just a fine.
Someone may have been looking out for you.
For treason, you could be sentenced to death.
Treason?
Death?
Well, you do know what the charges are, don't you?
Ovid, darling.
Ugh, darling Nose, where have you been?
Ugh, you had me so worried.
You really do need to stop saying such treasonable things.
Promoting love affairs and stuff.
You're gonna make Emperor Augustus furious.
You wouldn't want to worry me, now, would you?
Well... should we stop doing what we're doing?
What?
Nobody knows what we're doing.
What do you know about Juliet?
Who?
Julia the Younger, Augustus' granddaughter.
- Ugh... - What do you know about her?
Ovid, how should I know?
Would you stop talking about politics all the time?
Everybody is so bent out about politics these days.
I hear these veterans are thinking about rioting
because... something about lacking food and no benefits.
But we're in a time of peace and prosperity right now.
There's no wars going on.
So... what do you know about Julia the Younger?
I know that she's connected to some sort of
political opposition.
And Augustus knows about this?
Ovid, how would I know if Augustus knows about it or not?
Now, stop being a bore.
- Come to bed. - I thought being a bore was
something you accused your husband of being.
Well, it is.
But I was forced to marry him.
And with you, it's a choice.
You know this is an exilable offense?
Then exile me.
Excuse me.
I'm sorry, but you can't sleep here.
And the library closes in half an hour.
Budget cuts.
You'll have to finish up and hurry up.
And as I speak, time flies and the years do pass.
Psst!
Julia!
It's me, Ovid!
We met...
We met under not the best of circumstances years ago.
By which you mean federal prison?
Well, yes, but... and before that!
Shh!
Do you realize how much trouble we could get into
if we were seen here together?
That's a risk I'm willing to take.
Why?
Well...
I guess I've always seen something different in you.
By which you mean I am the Emperor's granddaughter,
all of which would grant you connections beyond
your wildest dreams.
Except he wants me dead.
No.
Your wit.
And your intellect.
And I believe you are involved in an anti-despotic organization
in which I may have some interest.
I hope this isn't some pickup technique promoted in your most
popular and controversial tome.
I have read it, you know.
Did you ever know me to advise picking up a lady by gaining
access to a top-secret political organization?
No,
but you do realize that this is a treasonable offense?
Both our heads are under surveillance.
No, no, no no, I have given up my instructions on love.
- I've become a clean man! - Shh!
No longer challenging authority?
What do you want with me, then?
I told you.
I'm not after love.
Then you do realize the depths of danger you'll be
sinking into.
My grandfather, for instance,
saw a general taking notes,
had him stabbed on the spot,
thinking him a spy.
These are tough times,
and Augustus will take brutal precautions.
- Have you read my latest work? - Are you listening to me?
- I swear this is not a... - I have read your manual
on love, yes.
No, have you read my latest work?
Another triviality.
It's about old myths.
Stories of people changing, beasts becoming men,
gods becoming beasts.
Gods becoming beasts?
That sounds a bit heretical.
Meet me at the corner of Yvlavia at nine tonight.
So you were able to distribute the grain to the encampments
by the Forum?
Yes, I was.
And thank you for those resources.
Thank you!
We will be in touch when the new supplies arrive.
- 'Til then. - 'Til then.
So...
whom, my sister, have you brought this time?
This is the poet Ovid.
I've heard of you.
A few people have.
Modest.
People seek out your love poems far and wide.
We met in prison.
Ovid...
this is my brother, Agrippa Postumus.
Weren't you exiled?
I was.
You know, I may have used some, uh, advice from your book,
Ars Amatoria,
to help placate my wife during our separation.
Our grandfather had him exiled
under the pretense that my brother's bad temper
could somehow hurt the Empire.
He was no doubt under the influence of our
step-grandmother Livia
and our step-father Tiberius,
who have plans to seize power once Augustus is gone.
Now, all of this is top secret, of course.
Of course.
So, with a network of army officials,
we snuck my brother back into Rome
to help us with our activities.
And...
what, may I ask, are your activities?
Do we trust him?
He was the one person who managed to drive Gramps Augustus
into a rage
when no one else could get to him.
There are some of us, including our dear mother, who no one has
heard from in years,
who believe the Republic should truly be restored.
Yeah, instead of whatever figurehead institution
we have now under the guise of Roman values.
We believe elections and Senators will more fully
represent our nation.
But by taking this position, you would end your own
hereditary line.
Yeah, we know.
So why are you doing this?
Would you like to take a walk?
This way.
Come on.
D... do nothing to us!
We don't want no trouble!
We are good people.
I swear.
- We worked with... - We're not gonna do anything.
- For some 20 years... - No, no, no.
- Before it shut down. - We're not the government.
I swear, we're just looking for Crispus, okay?
We're friends... we're friendly.
Crispus?
Well, he... he's down in the main settlement.
Can you please be careful of my husband?
He's... sleeping.
Polus?
Where is my man Polus?
Polus?
I can't sleep.
I need Polus.
I don't know, my love.
Why don't you come back to bed?
I... I can't sleep.
It's unrest over the grain shortage and...
Polus!
Damn it!
Where are you?
Polus!
My Lord...
I think I've found him.
Polus?
Polus!
This is not your wife!
I thought you were sleeping, sir.
You thought I was sleeping?
- Yes, sir. - Polus...
this will mean death.
Oh, s...
- Surely, you must be kidding. - Yes, death!
I cannot and I will not tolerate
disobedience from even within my own home.
Take him!
Whoa whoa whoa, wait, wait!
Surely, you must be kidding, sir.
Everybody's doing it these days!
Senators, officers...
why, even Ovid, Roma's most popular poet.
He's giving advice on how to have a love affair.
Yes!
Take him!
No, wait, no! No!
No!
It's so nice.
In this city, there will always be life.
So have you been allied with the encampment for long?
I try to do what I can to divert grain.
What we really need is a change in governing system.
I mean, right now,
all of our money's filtered through Augustus.
Fuck grain handouts.
We want jobs.
That's right, fuck grain handouts.
They want jobs.
Big project.
People are organizing.
But yes.
- Crispus! - Julia.
This is Ovid.
Ah.
Ars Armetoria.
- The Art of Love. - Yes.
So, you're viewing our encampment.
Uemployment's bad.
I understand that.
Since soldiers returned from war,
came back to close down the mills.
Oh my gods.
Look!
Such talent.
Wow.
Such joy.
So what have you been working on lately?
Old myths.
Metamorphosis.
You know, Apollo chasing Daphne 'til she becomes a tree.
Wait...
you wrote the latest version of Daphne turning into a tree?
Yes.
So I'm told.
What my pen and paper seem to suggest.
Wait, so Daphne and Apollo, that's you?
We aim to please.
- It's my latest work. - Oh my gods.
So then you wrote that line that Daphne yells at Apollo?
"If I cannot be your wife, then I can certainly be your tree?"
Oh!
My gods, I love that line!
And when she's...
she's turning into a tree and...
and she just wants to be something for him, ugh...
I mean, I can really relate to that.
Ugh, yeah...
Shall we continue to the tracks?
Careful.
That could be a treasonable offense.
You're married?
I told you that the first time we met.
To Lucius Aemilius Paullus.
Yes.
So you do remember the first time we met.
It was long before prison.
Yes.
It occurred to me.
By the water fountain.
I was rude.
You set me on my path.
You know, I used some of what you told me in my Art of Love.
Really?
- Hm. - What are the chances?
Well, putting my arm on your shoulder may be treasonous,
but perhaps dancing is not?
No, dancing is not.
Your Ladyship.
Do it for your country!
Do it.
Do you think he'd do it to us?
I don't know.
He's becoming increasingly paranoid.
I heard he m...
he made his man Polus...
he forced him...
to commit suic...
Tell me a story.
About what?
Sh... should we even be talking?
Just anything, just...
recount one of your tales.
Of bodies changed to various forms I sing.
Ye gods, from whom these miracles spring.
I think Livia and Tiberius are vengeful.
What?
Livia, my step-grandmother, and Tiberius, my step-father.
They're vengeful!
I think...
they want us dead so they can accede to power.
Shh.
Pyramus...
and Thisbe...
one...
a beautiful young man...
the other...
the most preferred of girls in the Eastern world...
occupied neighboring houses...
ruled by an Assyrian queen.
Their proximity...
caused their acquaintance...
and their first steps of love.
Their love...
increased in time.
They would have joined together in the bonds of marriage...
but their parents forbid it.
That's from your poem, "Metamorphosise."
Yes.
Please, forgive the rough treatment, Julia.
At least give us a fair hearing...
Grandfather.
Did you not compare our noble Roman army
to a lover,
when I had explicitly outlawed affair?
I'm not sure.
Didn't I recruit you...
into our government?
I'm speaking to you, Publius Ovidius Naso!
Yes.
And what have you done for me?
Do you like witty poetry?
Need I remind you, Ovid,
that I am the Emperor?
Yo, I got you, J.
I rounded up a bunch of peeps from my youth.
- You'll see. - Thank you, Cornelia.
From your "Amores:"
"All lovers are soldiers, believe me.
A gallant soldier besieges cities,
a lover, his mistress' house.
One breaks down the gates, the other, household doors.
Find them unarmed and slaughter..." I can't.
You do realize that this is our army,
under gods we trust,
that you've compared?
The army that brought peace back into this land,
that restored the Republic that defends us
against the Anglo-Saxons and the Gauls...
and the uncouth barbarians that ravage our borders!
I... I do, Your Eminence.
- I said they were gallant. - What was that?
Y... you do remember you're on trial here for seditious acts?
In addition to that, you've likened fornication
to our very judicial system.
Cornelia.
"If sex is equally pleasing to both partners,
why should one sell sex and buy it?
It is unethical for witnesses to sell false testimony.
It is unethical for judges to..."
If the defense may interject?
In defense of my client, there is no actual proof in either
of those examples that the defendant was promoting...
copulation with a married woman.
In fact, he seems to be arguing against prostitution,
which I do believe is a Roman value.
I believe my father-in-law has no interest
in the well-being of prostitutes,
only in making sure that the sanctity of marriage is upheld
and that we're not undermining any of the institutions
which make this state great,
an offense which is worthy of capital punishment,
death.
Ah, yes, here it is.
"My sexual desires accommodate all of history.
The young arouse me,
those of a later age... touch me.
All live in the city.
I crave them.
Everyone."
Can you define the word "everyone," please, Ovid?
Wouldn't the word... "everyone" include married
as well as unmarried women?
Well, yes.
- But... - Yes, but what?
I think you've just admitted to the fact
that when you have an interest in sexual relations
with a woman,
that they are sometimes, if not often, married.
- Well, yes, but... - But what?
Your Eminence, the defendant would like a chance
to speak if he might?
Very well.
This better be good.
Have any of you read my latest work, Metamorphosise?
Perhaps some of your esteemed family
might remember the story of Daphne and Apollo.
Well, in it, as some of you remember,
Apollo chases the beautiful Daphne through the woods.
And the virginal nymph, however, wished nothing to do with him.
But the god became so enflamed with desire,
his heart burned so for her,
that he chased her and chased her, over brooks,
through the woods, under brambles until...
her soft skin...
became bark...
and her arms...
branches...
and her curly locks...
twisted into dark green foliage.
She had turned into a tree.
Now, surely, you don't therefore assume that I advocate
turning all women into hard wood.
Order!
Okay.
Please.
Have you no respect for the dignity of this state?
Apologies for the humor, Your Divine Eminence.
But...
the defendant has given up on writing poems
such as Ars Armetoria, The Art of Love,
which some people perceive to be promoting love affairs,
and have moved on to works such as Metamorphosise,
the collection of myths from around the world,
and which includes sections about our national hero,
- Aeneas. - How?
How can you talk about hard wood,
when our very nation faces the gravest of moral crises?
Grandfather, if I may interject...
This is unbelievable.
Have we no more sanctity or respect for our leaders?
Does the blessing of Jupiter mean nothing?
Grandfather!
What is this?
Lepidus!
Lepidus, get the guards!
We cannot have a mob against us here!
Grandfather, if I may speak...
Now, you do realize that you are here
under trial for seditious acts?
- I don't think... - You do not think what?
I don't think you should execute this man.
Why?
What's your interest?
Have you been fornicating with him, just like your mother?
My interest in it is yours.
Don't let your family ties sway you, Augustus.
You know she is her mother's daughter.
Grandfather...
you know about the growing unrest
in the encampments because of
- the current grain shortage. - Of course I do.
Augustus...
Well, if you wish to maintain power,
I do not believe it the wisest choice in time
to execute the country's most popular poet.
Besides being a favorite of the people, the Senators,
on whose support you also rely,
very much favor this writer.
And you know the thin line that you walk with the Senators.
Augustus!
Why... why are you saying these things?
You know that there is rumor of your...
traitorous actions.
Perhaps...
I am interested in your well-being.
Do you remember...
that bronze helmet that you gave to me as a child?
Your Eminence, if the second defense may?
Let her speak.
You brought it back from Egypt...
from your battle against Mark Antony.
I still have it.
Take her away.
Grandfather!
I keep it under my bed in my small, modest room!
I can't take her anymore.
This trial is adjourned.
Bring the prisoners into the courtyard
and let them roam free.
Death...
is not an appropriate punishment for either of them.
Tiberius...
It's gonna be okay, bro.
Daytime and nighttime persona got your back!
Hey.
Well...
we're off for now.
We might as well enjoy our moment of freedom.
Julia, Your Eminence,
I cannot thank you enough.
It's okay.
You know, um...
you being there...
you, uh... allowed me to show
that I still care for my grandfather.
- So... - That's right.
I am, as always, the hero of the situation.
Bringing families together since 10 BCE.
After all, was I not the one to advocate turning our divine
Roman ladies into trees?
Mm. Yeah.
An admirable position, really.
This could solve the fundamental problems of the Republic.
Did I say that too loud?
What was it like growing up here?
I didn't really grow up here.
No, I want to know.
Just give me bits.
Highlights from your childhood.
Highlights...
I don't know anything.
Actually, um...
when we would visit with my mother,
I did go down to the store room, and...
my brother and I would play hide and seek among the barrels.
I bet we could go down there now.
Should we?
I mean, are we allowed?
What is he gonna do?
Hang Rome's favorite poet just for looking
at his wine collection?
Come on.
So what would you do next?
If you could write or do whatever you wanted,
what would it be?
Hmm.
Anything at all.
Sky's the limit.
Mount Olympus' dental hygiene.
- What? - Yes.
I would go god by god...
And I would uncover whether each god rinses after they eat.
Mm.
Picks their teeth and spits.
I think it'll be an epic really worthy of any great writer,
- like Virgil. - Mm-hm.
And completely non-controversial.
Mm-hm.
And what, pray tell, would you do...
- Grandfather... - Huh?
Corinna...
And that was the last I ever saw of Julia.
Augustus exiled her on the spot.
The mysterious charge against Julia the Younger was adultery.
It was convenient to blame her for something which her mother
had already been condemned,
but I really think Augustus
Shortly thereafter, her husband, Paullus,
was executed for conspiracy.
I never heard from Julia again.
Her brother, too, was murdered shortly after Tiberius
finally ascended to power.
make me too much of a martyr,
Augustus exiled me on the spot also,
for Ars Armetoria,
a poem I had written years before.
had grown to love and cherish.
And I was forced to live with the uncivilized barbarians
up north.
All this for a poem...
and a mistake.
The sloping footpath was travelled
through the soundless silences.
Steep,
hard to see,
thick with shadowy darkness.
And now, she slipped backward,
to capture and be captured.
Unlucky...
she grabs nothing but the retreating air.
She has not complained in any respect at all,
for what could she complain
except that she had been loved?