Volume 19, 2007 - Brown University

Restoring the Old Republic 87
lapse, then the rapidly increasing disintegration, then the final collapse of the
whole edifice, and the dark dawning of our modern day when we can neither
endure our vices nor face the remedies needed to cure them. (Livy, 2002: 30)
Livy’s lamentation over moral decline is a direct commentary on contemporary
Rome. While the exact date of The Early History is unknown, it was
probably begun shortly after the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C.E. and completed
several years later. Livy, like Augustus, is attempting to instruct a new generation
of Romans in the customs of pre-Sullan Rome. He asserts that the “dark
dawning” of contemporary Rome is a direct consequence of moral failure, and
that the only remedy is a complete moral overhaul.
Moralizing moments are not confined to overt prefatory statements. Livy
uses particularly dramatic historical episodes to editorialize and draw attention
to moral lessons. The rape of Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius is illustrative:
“Never shall Lucretia provide a precedent for unchaste women to escape what
they deserve” (Livy, 2002: 102). These words, spoken by Lucretia before her
suicide, resonate with Augustus’ social reforms aimed at promoting chastity and
preventing adultery. Lucretia’s death is a direct consequence of her loss of virginity,
regardless of her innocence. Livy thus provides a brutal example for
contemporary Roman women: an honorable woman, such as Lucretia, would
defend her chastity to the death.
In a more extensive effort to demonstrate the disastrous effects of moral
decline, Livy renders his account of the Gallic sack of Rome in such a way that
the losses sustained by the Roman army are portrayed as the consequences of
their moral shortcomings. Throughout this episode in The Early History, the
reader is consistently reminded that the Romans did not adequately cultivate the
established traditions of their ancestors. 4 Livy articulates this succinctly through
the words of the great general Camillus:
You will find that when we followed God’s guidance all was well; when we
scorned it, all was ill. . . . Evil times came, and then we remembered our religion.
. . . Therefore it is that heaven has given us back our city and restored
us to victory and the old martial glory we had forfeited. (Livy, 2002: 430)
Livy’s message is clear: if Rome abandons her traditions, she will perish.
History has provided numerous examples, the most famous being the disastrous
Battle of Allia in 390 B.C.E., when Rome was nearly sacked in a Gallic
invasion. Again, Livy is commenting on contemporary Rome. The republic has
fallen because its citizens have neglected the customs of their ancestors and the
gods who are responsible for maintaining the state. Rome must not only
reinstate the virtues of old, but must also restore pax deorum; a suggestion
echoed in Augustus’ revitalization of religious life.
4 Oakley discusses this in his Appendix to The Early History, pp. 448-451.