Brittains Ida or Venus and Anchises

Brittains Ida or Venus and Anchises, written by Phineas Fletcher and published in 1628, is an epyllion that explores the mythological encounter between Anchises and the goddess Venus, leading to the birth of Aeneas. The poem features a Spenserian style, utilizing rhyming stanzas of ababbccc, and is comparable to works like Marlowe's 'Hero and Leander' and Shakespeare's 'Venus and Adonis.' Initially attributed to Edmund Spenser, Fletcher's authorship was confirmed in 1926 when Ethel Seaton published the original manuscript, clarifying its true origins.