The Project Gutenberg EBook of Discourses on the First Decade of Titus
Livius, by Niccolo Machiavelli

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Title: Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius

Author: Niccolo Machiavelli

Release Date: January 25, 2004 [EBook #10827]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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DISCOURSES ON THE FIRST DECADE OF

TITUS LIVIUS

BY

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

CITIZEN AND SECRETARY OF FLORENCE

TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN BY

NINIAN HILL THOMSON, M.A.

LONDON KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH & CO., 1, PATERNOSTER SQUARE 1883

TO PROFESSOR PASQUALE VILLARI.

DEAR PROFESSOR VILLARI,

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,