Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 BC) was born in the north of Italy and completed his education in Rome. He also wrote THE ECLOGUES, completed in 37 BC, and THE GEORGICS, which he finished in 29 BC. He then devoted the rest of his life to the composition of his greatest work, THE AENEID. Since retiring from the Latin Chair at Newcastle University, David West has translated the Odes and Epodes of Horace and written commentaries on Odes I and on Odes II.