The paper deals with the problem of the late antique poet Dracontius’ assessment of his literary predecessors, Homer and Virgil. Although their influence on this author is indisputable, there are very few direct indications of his personal attitude to the masters of the epic genre. Actually, the only such example is found in the prologue to the poem ‘The Abduction of Helen’. The small discourse, which fits into 20 lines, is usually interpreted by researchers as praise, or at least as a tribute to the poets of the past. At the same time, an analysis of some features of the stylistics and imagery used by Dracontius gives grounds to see irony behind the panegyric