This paper deals with Horace’s and Virgil’s use of two terms, saevus and superbus. On the basis of statistical and connotation studies, the paper concludes that, compared to contemporary poets, the use of these terms is slightly more frequent in both authors, and that they often appear in texts in contexts that give rise to surprising meanings: in the Aeneid on the relationship between the figure of Iuno and Aeneas, and in Horace’s carmina in relation to the Augustan regime. The text argues for a pessimistic reading of both authors.