Maecenas Gaius Cilnius (70 B.C.?–8 B.C.), a Roman statesman and patron of the leading poets of his time. Virgil and Horace both received farms through his aid, and his name came to mean a wealthy, generous patron of the arts. Maecenas was a trusted adviser to Octavian, who became Emperor Augustus. He was sent on diplomatic missions and ruled Italy on occasions when Augustus was abroad.