Volume 19, 2007 - Brown University

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74 Amy Hall Goins Though Livy certainly admired these religiously-minded acts, Camillus had a greater contribution to Roman history in Livy’s narrative. When the Senate advocated a migration to Veii and the citizens seems poised to accept the proposal, Camillus felt compelled to speak out against this plan. Livy ends Book Five of his history with Camillus’ impassioned speech, in which he urges the Romans not to abandon their city and their history. Camillus chastises the crowd for preparing to leave the city and flout the will of the gods. “Only consider the course during these latter years; you will find that when we followed God’s guidance, all was well; when we scorned it, all was ill” (Livy 5.51). Camillus reminds the crowd that the Romans triumphed over Veii only when they heeded the gods and drained the Alban lake. The present state of affairs had befallen Rome only after its citizens ignored the divine warning that the Gauls were coming, and failed to punish its envoys who violated international law, thereby shirking her duty to the gods. Rome’s suffering and defeat at the hands of the Gauls, claimed Camillus, ensued because of her faithlessness. Only when the Romans recalled their faith by seeking shelter and divine protection on the Capitol and securing protection for the priests and religious articles did the city prevail against its aggressors . Camillus’ words and deeds constitute one of Livy’s most effective exempla. He includes the description of Camillus’ pious acts as dictator to show his readers the importance and centrality due to religion in Roman culture. Just as Camillus prioritized religion over all other concerns, readers of Livy’s history should remember to pay tribute to the gods or else risk incurring their wrath. Camillus’ speech also highlights the importance of tradition, religious obligation, and history. He cites specific instances in which Rome’s piety or impiety is directly connected with her success or misfortune. Through his words and deeds, Camillus shows his fellow citizens that Rome’s future is dependent upon her remembering and embracing the past. Gary B. Miles characterizes Livy’s history as one in which Romans are constantly “recalling their past, being influenced by it, evoking it to influence others—and deliberately shaping the way in which the past will be remembered by posterity” (Miles, 1995: 69). Indeed, the most distinctive feature of Livy’s history is not his attention to good and bad characters and the moral lessons they provide, but his portrayal of the characters within his story as figures who remember and reference history. The words and actions of the characters in Livy’s history show us that the author’s moral lessons were alive within his work. Exemplary Romans such as Camillus remembered the lessons of the past and made dramatic speeches reminding their fellow citizens to do the same. Those who ignored the guidance of history, like Spurius, suffered grave consequences. Livy’s exempla are effective both within the text and without: they feature characters responding to moral lessons from exemplary individuals and they prompt readers to take the same lessons to heart. The aversion to monarchy, the importance of unity in the face of external threats, and the importance of religious tradition and obligation were historical lessons which resonated deep
Livy’s Exemplary History 75 within the Roman psyche. Through the historical technique of utilizing exempla to teach moral lessons, Livy demonstrated to his late Republican readers that history could and should be an important lens through which to view their own actions. In this way, Livy successfully made the history of the Roman republic meaningful for and relevant to the future of the Roman state. References Livy. 1971. The Early History of Rome. Trans. by Aubrey de Sélincourt. London: Penguin. Miles, Gary B. 1995. Livy: Reconstructing Early Rome. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Press.
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