Aeneid, The, e-ne'id, the great epic poem of the Romans. It is ranked with the world's great epics. It was written by Virgil during the eleven years from 30 B. C. to 19 B. C., and consists of twelve books. Six of these treat of the wanderings and adventures of Aeneas and his followers after the Trojan War; and six treat of their struggles in the settlement of Italy. In the matter of composition, the Aeneid is the product of one mind. In that respect it may be classed with Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedy, rather than with such composite epics as the Iliad or Beowulf. The Aeneid was translated into English by Dryden. The work was long considered his greatest glory, but in reality Dryden's translation imperfectly represents the original. See EPIC; AENEAS; VIRGIL; TROY; DIDO. Excerpts: I fear the Greeks even when they offer gifts. He runs on Scylla, wishing to avoid Charybdis. In heavenly minds can such resentments dwell? Not unacquainted with distress, I have learned to succor the unfortunate.