Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text
- Extent:
- ~140,000 words · 681 passages
Cite this work
- APAMachiavelli. (n.d.). Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/discourses-on-the-first-decade-of-titus-livius
- MLAMachiavelli. "Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/discourses-on-the-first-decade-of-titus-livius.
- ChicagoMachiavelli. Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/discourses-on-the-first-decade-of-titus-livius.
What it is about
Machiavelli's long book, and his republican one: a commentary on Livy's history of Rome that turns into a theory of how republics are born, endure and die.
Context and history
Anyone who knows only 'The Prince' will be surprised. Here Machiavelli argues that the best government is mixed and popular, that a mistaken people is less dangerous than a mistaken prince, and — what scandalised most — that the conflicts between plebs and senate did not weaken Rome but made her free: discord well channelled is an institutional engine, not a disease. There is also the theory of corruption and of returning to first principles, and the distrust of mercenary troops. The 'Discourses' and 'The Prince' were written at almost the same time and contradict each other less than it appears; reading them together is how one sees that Machiavelli was not proposing a morality but describing a mechanism.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
Permit me to inscribe your name on a translation of Machiavelli’s Discourses which I had your encouragement to undertake, and in which I have done my best to preserve something of the flavour of the original. Yours faithfully, NINIAN HILL THOMSON. FLORENCE, May 17, 1883. BOOK I. PREFACE CHAPTER I. Of the beginnings of Cities in general, and in particular of that of Rome II. Of the various kinds of Government; and to which of them the Roman Commonwealth belonged III. Of the accidents which led in Rome to the creation of Tribunes of the People, whereby the Republic was made more perfect IV. That the dissensions between the Senate and Commons of Rome made Rome free and powerful V. Whether the guardianship of public freedom is safer in the hands of the Commons or of the Nobles; and whether those who seek to acquire power, or they who seek to maintain it, are the greater cause of commotions VI. Whether it was possible in Rome to contrive such a Government as would have composed the differences between the Commons and the Senate VII. That to preserve liberty in a State, there must exist the right to accuse VIII. That calumny is as hurtful in a Commonwealth as the power to accuse is useful IX. That to give new institutions to a Commonwealth, or to reconstruct old institutions on an entirely new basis, must be the work of one Man X. That in proportion as the founder of a Kingdom or Commonwealth merits praise, he who founds a Tyranny deserves blame XI. Of the Religion of the Romans XII. That it is of much moment to make account of Religion; and that Italy, through the Roman Church, being wanting therein, has been ruined XIII. Of the use the Romans made of Religio