Discourses on Livy · Chapter
Of the religion of the Romans explained
Machiavelli argues that Numa Pompilius, Romulus's successor, established religion in Rome as a crucial tool for civil order, discipline, and unity.
What happens
Machiavelli argues that Numa Pompilius, Romulus's successor, established religion in Rome as a crucial tool for civil order, discipline, and unity. He contrasts the roles of Romulus and Numa, asserting that religion was more essential than arms for the city's greatness, and illustrates this with examples of Scipio and Manlius Torquatus using oaths to compel obedience. He also notes that new laws often require divine sanction for acceptance, citing Lycurgus and Solon, and reflects on the corruptibility of states without religious fear.
Themes in this chapter
Religion as a Political Instrument
Numa used religion to discipline the army, unite the people, and maintain order; oaths were more binding than laws.
Leadership and Moral Character
Numa's prudence and virtue enabled him to impose new institutions; Scipio and Manlius Torquatus exemplify leadership through moral force.
Necessity and Reason of State
Divine authority was necessary to introduce unusual laws; a state without religion must rely on a prince's short-lived qualities.
Characters to notice
- Romulus
First founder of Rome; his institutions were insufficient, leading to the selection of Numa.
- Numa
Successor to Romulus who introduced religion to Rome, feigning counsel from a nymph to establish new laws.
- Scipio
Forced citizens to swear an oath not to abandon Italy after the defeat at Cannae.
- Manlius Torquatus
Compelled tribune Marcus Pomponius to swear to drop charges against his father, Lucius Manlius.
- Lycurgus
Cited as a wise lawgiver who used divine authority to introduce new institutions.
- Solon
Cited as a wise lawgiver who used divine authority to introduce new institutions.
- Girolamo Savonarola
Persuaded the Florentines that he spoke with God, demonstrating that even civilized people can be swayed by religious authority.
Key passages
“He finding the people fierce and turbulent, and desiring with the help of the peaceful arts to bring them to order and obedience, called in the aid of religion as essential to the maintenance of civil society, and gave it such a form, that for many ages God was nowhere so much feared as in that republic.”
Numa saw the Romans as wild and unruly, so he used religion to civilize them, making the fear of God stronger in Rome than anywhere else for centuries.
Highlights the instrumental role of religion in establishing social order.
“For after the defeat of the Romans by Hannibal at Cannae, many citizens meeting together, resolved, in their terror and dismay, to abandon Italy and seek refuge in Sicily. But Scipio, getting word of this, went among them, and menacing them with his naked sword, made them swear never to abandon their country.”
After the disaster at Cannae, some Romans planned to flee to Sicily, but Scipio forced them to swear an oath to stay, which they honored out of religious fear.
Illustrates how religious oaths could override even the instinct for self-preservation.
“And this from no other cause than the religion which Numa had impressed upon this city.”
The power of these oaths came solely from the religious foundation Numa had established.
Directly ties the effectiveness of oaths to Numa's religious reforms.
“For the wise recognize many things to be good which do not bear such reasons on the face of them as command their acceptance by others; wherefore, wise men who would obviate these difficulties, have recourse to divine aid.”
Wise leaders understand that many good policies are not obviously beneficial to the public, so they invoke divine authority to gain acceptance.
Explains the pragmatic use of religion to implement necessary but unpopular measures.
