John Dryden was the leading poet of Restoration England, renowned both as a political writer and as a translator. This book examines the uses Dryden made of allusions to classical Rome, and his translations from Latin poetry. In both the original poems and the translations, Dryden illuminates contemporary England through parallels and contrasts with the world of ancient Rome.

This book examines the ways in which Dryden uses Latin in his poetry and his critical writing, first through quotation and allusion, and second through formal translation. In following the varied traces of Rome in the texture of Dryden's writing, and by emphasizing his continual engagement with mutability and metamorphosis, this book argues the case for Dryden as a thoughtful, humanistic poet.

This learned, engaging, and beautifully written book represents a giant step forward in our understanding of Dryden's deployment of Latin Literature.