The Student's Companion to Latin AuthorsMiddleton, George
Philosophy
The Student's Companion to Latin Authors
Middleton, George
Authors, Latin; Latin literature -- History and criticism
He enjoyed the intimacy of Augustus, whom he himself mentions, iv. 20,
7, 'hoc ego cum Augustum Caesarem ... se ipsum ... legisse audissem.'
Tac. _Ann._ iv. 34, 'T. Livius, eloquentiae ac fidei praeclarus in
primis, Cn. Pompeium tantis laudibus tulit, ut Pompeianum eum Augustus
appellaret; neque id amicitiae eorum offecit.' It was at Livy's
suggestion that the future emperor, Claudius, started to compose a
history: Sueton. _Claud._ 41, 'historiam in adulescentia, hortante T.
Livio, Sulpicio vero Flavo etiam adiuvante, scribere adgressus est.'
On the other hand, Caligula would have liked to remove Livy's writings
and his bust from all the libraries, calling him 'verbosum in historia
neglegentemque' (Sueton. _Calig._ 34).
Nothing more is known of his life, except that he visited Campania,
xxxviii. 56, 3, 'Nam et Literni monumentum monumentoque statua
superimposita fuit, quam tempestate disiectam nuper vidimus ipsi.'
He died at his native town, A.D. 17: Jerome yr. Abr. 2033, 'Livius
historicus Patavii moritur.'
He had at least one son (Quint. x. 1, 39, 'apud Livium in epistula ad
filium scripta'), and one daughter (Sen. _Contr._ x. praef. 2, 'L.
Magius gener T. Livi').
Livy wrote philosophical works, probably popular treatises like
Cicero's, some of them in the form of dialogues.
Sen. _Ep._ 100, 9, 'Nomina adhuc T. Livium. Scripsit enim et dialogos,
quos non magis philosophiae adnumerare possis quam historiae, et ex
professo philosophiam continentis libros.'
A book on rhetoric was known to Quintilian and Seneca the elder,
apparently in the form of a letter addressed to the author's son
(Quint. x. 1, 39, above).
Quint. ii. 5, 20, 'quemadmodum Livius praecipit' (on models of style);
Sen. _Contr._ ix. 2, 26, 'Livius de oratoribus ... aiebat' (on
obscurity of expression); Sen. _Contr._ ix. 1, 14, 'T. Livius tam
iniquus Sallustio fuit ut hanc ipsam sententiam ... obiceret
Sallustio.'
These minor works have perished, and of his great history only a
portion survives.
Its title, according to the oldest MSS., the summaries of the lost
Books, and the grammarians, was _Ab urbe condita libri_; and this is
corroborated by Livy's own language: i. praef. 1, 'si a primordio urbis
res populi Romani perscripserim'; and by Pliny, _N.H._ praef. 16, 'T.
Livium ... in historiarum suarum, quas repetit ab origine urbis,
quodam volumine.' Livy refers to it loosely as _meos annales_ (xliii.
13, 2). Separate parts may have had special titles: thus Books
cix-cxvi. were known as _Civilis belli libri_ viii. (Codex Nazarenus
of the Periochae).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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