Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy
by Niccolò Machiavelli · Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio
Assigned by 5 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- written c. 1513-1517, published 1531
- Era
- Renaissance
- Form
- Political theory
- Language
- Italian
- Length
- Long · 350 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendDiscourses on Livy, translated by Harvey C. Mansfield and Nathan TarcovUniversity of Chicago Press, 1996The literal translation that matches Mansfield's Prince, with an introduction on the book's structure.
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Machiavelli's longer and more republican book, a commentary on Livy's history of early Rome in three books of short chapters. Book I treats Rome's internal constitution and argues that the conflict between nobles and people was the source of its liberty; Book II covers its wars and expansion; Book III its great men and the need for a republic to return periodically to its founding principles. Religion, conspiracies, corruption and the ingratitude of peoples are recurring subjects.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
