Horace of England
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
George, Duke of Buckingham, preposterously declared Cowley to be the Pindar, Horace, and Virgil of England. Ben Jonson was nicknamed Horace by Dekker in the so-called "War of the Theatres.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Horace of England” mean?
George, Duke of Buckingham, preposterously declared Cowley to be the Pindar, Horace, and Virgil of England. Ben Jonson was nicknamed Horace by Dekker in the so-called "War of the Theatres.
Is “Horace of England” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.