I want to make an indirect argument against it. Augustus was a patron of Virgil's. He reportedly grieved over Virgil's death and was very much involved in the arts. In fact, he exiled Ovid for his "scandalous" erotic poetry:
What Ovid was really doing was talking about what was generally deemed acceptable for Roman Patricians. Augustus had risen to Princeps (First Citizen) by war and was trying to consolidate his power. Posing as a champion of Virtue was an easy way to do it. Censorship in the arts was a feature of the Early Roman Empire (as opposed to a bug) and Virgil could never have gotten away with writing what he did if it had been criticism.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
I want to make an indirect argument against it. Augustus was a patron of Virgil's. He reportedly grieved over Virgil's death and was very much involved in the arts. In fact, he exiled Ovid for his "scandalous" erotic poetry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid
What Ovid was really doing was talking about what was generally deemed acceptable for Roman Patricians. Augustus had risen to Princeps (First Citizen) by war and was trying to consolidate his power. Posing as a champion of Virtue was an easy way to do it. Censorship in the arts was a feature of the Early Roman Empire (as opposed to a bug) and Virgil could never have gotten away with writing what he did if it had been criticism.