Aurum. Carmen

Aurum. Carmen, published in Paris in 1703 by the widow of Simon Benard, is a representative example of early eighteenth-century French neo-Latin poetry. The work emerged from the scholarly atmosphere of Paris, particularly within the orbit of the Collège Louis-le-Grand, a prestigious Jesuit institution where classical studies and the composition of Latin verse were central to the intellectual life of both faculty and students.

François Antoine Le Febvre crafted this work during a period when the classical tradition remained the hallmark of educated discourse. The text reflects the aesthetic expectations of the era, which favored elegant, structured, and didactic poetry that drew heavily upon mythological and philosophical themes. While it belongs to a genre often produced for private circulation among academic elites, its publication by the Benard press signifies a deliberate effort to formalize the author's contribution to contemporary Latin literature.