Discourses on Livy , written in 1531, is as essential to an understanding of Machiavelli as his famous treatise, The Prince .
Machiavelli\'s close analysis of Livy\'s history of Rome led him to advance his most original and outspoken view of politic.
Comparing the practice of the ancient Romans with that of his contemporaries provided Machiavelli with a consistent point of view in all his works.
Equally controversial, it reveals his fundamental preference for a republican state.
Discourses on Livy , written in 1531, is as essential to an understanding of Machiavelli as his famous treatise, The Prince