...prospect, through prophecy; through these prophecies, as well as through his actual experiences, he saw 'the lessons of every kind of experience set forth as on a conspicuous monument,' and he learned what was to be sought for himself and for his State, and what was to be avoided. In...

...statesmen. Many of them have confessed to a didactic purpose in their work. Thus Livy pleaded : — What chiefly makes the study of history wholesome...from these you may choose for yourself and for your state what to imitate, from these mark for avoidance what is shameful in the conception and shameful...

...makes the study of history wholesome and profitable," says Livy, "is this, that you behold the reasons of every kind of experience set forth as on a conspicuous...you may choose for yourself and for your own state to imitate, from these mark for avoidance what is shameful in the conception and shameful in the result."...

...lower and lower, and finally began the downward plunge which has brought us to the present time . . . What chiefly makes the study of history wholesome and profitable is this, that you should behold the lessons of every kind of experience as on a conspicuous monument; from these you...

...utility of writing the things done (perscribere res gesta): What chiefly makes the study of history profitable is this, that you behold the lessons of every kind of experience as if set forth on a conspicuous monument; from these you may choose for yourself and your own state...

...exemplarity of the past received its paradigmatic formulation in Livy's preface to his history of Rome: "What chiefly makes the study of history wholesome...monument; from these you may choose for yourself. . . what to imitate, from these mark for avoidance what is shameful in the conception and shameful...

...history. What chiefly makes the study of history wholesome and profitahle is this, that you hehold the lessons of every kind of experience set forth as on a conspicuous monument; from these you may chouse for yourself and for your own state what to imitate, from these mark for avoidance what is shameful...

...readers to present circumstances. Hence his Preface invites the personal engagement of every reader: "from these you may choose for yourself and for your own state what to imitate." He relates it to the present by explicit parallels of personalities (Tarquin and Catiline) or situations....

...perventum est"]. What chiefly makes the study of history wholesome and profitable ["salubre ac frugiferum"] is this, that you behold the lessons of every kind...experience set forth as on a conspicuous monument [and] no state was ever greater, none more righteous or richer in good examples, none ever was where...

...reasons. You hehold the lessons of every historical event as clearly as if they were displayed on a stone monument. From these you may choose for yourself and for your own community what to imitate. From these you may decide what to avoid as shameful in cause or shameful...