In Book 1 of the Aeneid, Jupiter promises Venus that her son, Aeneas, will not be prevented by the enmity of Juno, Queen of the Gods, from founding a dynasty that will produce the city of Rome and the great Augustus.

In the illustration, Augustus cuts a figure that is no less imposing than Virgil’s descriptions of his mighty ancestor.

Hear Virgil’s original Latin and follow in a new English translation here.

In North Africa, fearing that fourteen of his ships may be lost, Aeneas is exploring the country. His mother Venus, disguised as a Phoenician girl, has told him the story of Queen Dido and now delivers good news about his missing ships and men by interpreting a sighting of swans as an oracle.

Hear the Latin and follow in English here.