# LVI explained — Discourses on Livy

> Chapter companion for Discourses on Livy by Niccolò Machiavelli.

## What happens

Machiavelli discusses how great calamities are often preceded by signs, prophecies, or portents, citing examples from ancient Rome and recent Italian history, including Savonarola's prediction of Charles VIII's invasion, lightning strikes before Lorenzo de' Medici's death and Piero Soderini's fall, and Livy's account of Marcus Ceditius hearing a voice warning of the Gauls.

## Themes in this chapter

### Religion as a Political Instrument

Machiavelli examines how portents and prophecies are used to foretell or justify political calamities.

### Historical Cyclicality and Human Nature

The recurrence of signs before disasters suggests a pattern in human affairs.

## Character check-ins

### Girolamo Savonarola

Foretold the invasion of Italy by Charles VIII of France.

### Lorenzo de' Medici

Before his death, the cathedral pinnacle was struck by lightning.

### Piero Soderini

Before his banishment, the palace was struck by lightning.

### Titus Livius

Cited for the story of Marcus Ceditius and the warning of the Gauls.

## Key lines

> no grave calamity has ever befallen any city or country which has not been foretold by vision, by augury, by portent, or by some other heaven-sent sign

Every major disaster is preceded by some kind of divine or supernatural warning.

_Machiavelli asserts a universal pattern of portents before calamities._

> the air is filled with intelligent beings, to whom it is given to forecast future events; who, taking pity upon men, warn them beforehand by these signs

Some wise men believe that benevolent spirits in the air predict the future and send signs to warn people.

_Machiavelli offers a possible explanation for the phenomenon of portents._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/lvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/discourses_on_livy_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters