The Discourses

People often think highly of the past and poorly of their own times. This is due, in part, to the historian’s habit of glorifying ancient triumphs, and in part to our close understanding of our own times, whose flaws we can see clearly.

Rome collapses in part due to the greatness of its enemies, but in its day it is a greater civilization than today’s, and it is hoped that those “who will read these writings of mine can avoid the errors of the present and be prepared to imitate the past whenever fortune provides them with the proper occasion” (152). To that end, “we shall speak of those decisions the Roman people made pertaining to the expansion of their empire” (152). 

Many believe that Rome’s empire is acquired by good fortune, but Rome also manages its military actions so that it never fights on two fronts at once, “waging war upon whichever of its neighbours it chooses, while holding the others at bay with its diligence” (154). Great powers further away, such as Carthage, Gaul, and Macedonia, ignore Rome’s growth until it becomes too large and powerful to stop. The Romans also always make alliances with opponents of their enemy.