The History of Rome, Books I–V

Introduction

Of Livy's hundred and forty-two books only thirty-five survive. The first five tell the story of Rome's first three hundred and sixty years, from the founding of the city to the Gallic sack of 390 BC, the age the Romans regarded as heroic. Book I has Romulus and Remus, the rape of the Sabine women and the rule of the seven kings, ending with the death of Lucretia and the expulsion of the kings; Book II the founding of the Republic, Horatius at the bridge and Coriolanus; Book III the decemvirs, the Twelve Tables and the tragedy of Verginia; Book V Camillus' capture of Veii and the Gauls at the gates, when the geese on the Capitol woke the defenders. In his preface Livy says that the value of history lies in seeing examples of every kind and choosing what to imitate and what to avoid. Machiavelli wrote his Discourses on Livy's first ten books.