# LX explained — Discourses on Livy

> Chapter companion for Discourses on Livy by Niccolò Machiavelli.

## What happens

Machiavelli discusses how Rome granted the consulship and other magistracies without regard to age, emphasizing that excellence and merit were valued over birth or years. He argues that this practice was necessary for a republic aiming for greatness, as it allowed young, capable leaders like Valerius Corvinus and Scipio to serve the state while still vigorous.

## Themes in this chapter

### Virtù and Fortune

The chapter emphasizes that personal excellence (virtù) rather than age or birth determines worthiness for high office.

### Class Conflict and Political Order

The necessity of extending hope for the consulship to the commons to maintain order and achieve great results.

## Character check-ins

### Valerius Corvinus

Cited as an example of a young consul (at age 24) who stated the consulship is a reward for desert, not birth.

### Scipio

Mentioned among those who triumphed while very young, benefiting Rome with their alacrity and vigor.

## Key lines

> the reward not of birth but of desert

The consulship is given based on merit, not lineage.

_Valerius Corvinus's statement to his soldiers, encapsulating Rome's meritocratic ideal._

> For you cannot subject men to hardships unless you hold out rewards, nor can you without danger deprive them of those rewards whereof you have held out hopes.

You cannot impose burdens on people without offering incentives, and it is dangerous to deny them rewards they have been led to expect.

_Machiavelli's reasoning for why Rome had to eventually grant the consulship to the commons._

## Links

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