'I sing of arms and of the man, fated to be an exile.' THE AENEID of Virgil describes the legendary origin of the Roman nation. It tells of the Trojan prince Aeneas, who escaped with some followers after the fall of Troy and sailed to Italy. Here they settled and laid the foundations of Roman power. THE AENEID is a poet's picture of the world, where human affairs are controlled by human and superhuman influences. It is a great literary epic inspired by Virgil's love of his native Italy and his sense of Rome's destiny as a civilised ruler of nationals.