The Rejection of Augustus Caesar in "Augustan" England, 1660-1800

FAIN: FA-11038-75

Howard D. Weinbrot
University of Wisconsin, Madison (Madison, WI 53715-1218)

To interpret the 18th century rejection of Augustus Caesar by English historians and writers, such as Gibbon and Pope, By the end of the 17th century several classical, Renaissance and modern English historians of Rome had taught that the usurping Augustus had destroyed the republic and its greatness in arts and arms. The American theory of separation of powers and checks and balances stems from English anti-Augustanism of the 18th century, and is relevant for 1776