Status Updates From The Early History of Rome: ...

This is great stuff. Proving also that nothing has changed in 2,000 years.

"... nor did every man interpret oaths and laws in just the sense which suited him best; he preferred to shape his own conduct by their requirements."
-something our lawless administration now does not care about...

Spurius Furius is some name.

I'm enjoying Livy quite a bit. A 2,000-year old text turns out to be light reading compared to some of the 20th century stuff I've tackled.

"The plebeians were more angry at the silence of the tribunes than at the exercise of authority on the part of the consuls."
Sound familiar?

The Etruscan soldiers are insulting the idle Romans to get them to fight, with such gems as: "I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" (Trivia quiz: What's that from?)

"By taking a middle course he did not escape the odium of the plebs nor did he win the favour of the patricians."

Hear that, Cory Booker and Chuck Schumer? ...

The Etruscans burned my damn farm. The Romans burned my damned farm. The Volscians burned my damn farm. The Sabines burned my damn farm. The Auruncans burned my damn farm. And the Carthaginians and the Visigoths ain't even here yet. Gonna burn my fucking farm, no doubt.

Evil Sextus is killed and Tarquin the king is on the run. I like it when arrogant tyrants whose name starts with T are overthrown. Maybe we need to learn something from Rome. The end of the monarchy is nigh. Livy rules. This stuff is the shit.

"Evander, an Arcadian, ... had introduced an annual festival in which young men ran about naked for sport and wantonness." Good times. Anyway, I bailed on this awhile back and have to start over. I am reading an older translation, by Roberts, which I prefer for its elegant 19th century style. Not the same as the Penguin shown, but the Penguin cover is better.