 It was no idle boast.His "Epodes" were modelled on the verses of the Greek poet, as 'blame poetry', yet he avoided targeting real scapegoats.Whereas Archilochus presented himself as a serious and vigorous opponent of wrong-doers, Horace aimed for comic effects and adopted the persona of a weak and ineffectual critic of his times (as symbolized for example in his surrender to the witch Canidia in the final epode).