The Satires (Latin: Saturae or Sermones) is a collection of satirical poems written in Latin dactylic hexameters by the Roman poet Horace. Published probably in 35 BC and at the latest, by 33 BC, the first book of Satires represents Horace's first published work. It established him as one of the great poetic talents of the Augustan Age. The second book was published in 30 BC as a sequel.
In the first book of his Sermones (Latin for 'conversations') or Saturae (Latin for 'miscellaneous poems'), Horace combines Greek philosophy with Roman good sense to convince his readers of the futility and silliness of their ambitions and desires. As an alternative, he proposes a life that is based on the Greek philosophical ideals of autarkeia (Greek for 'inner self-sufficiency') and metriotes (Greek for 'moderation' or sticking to the Just Mean). In 1.6.110–131, Horace illustrates what he means by describing a typical day in his own simple, but contented life.