Why did Horace decline Augustus’s offer to become his private secretary?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Horace Horace, bronze medal, 4th century; in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

Horace declined the offer to become Augustus’s private secretary by citing ill health as his reason. Despite this refusal, the emperor did not take offense, and the two maintained a close relationship thereafter.1