LIVY, Titus [and] SIGONIUS, Carolus

First edition of Sigonius’ classic and handsome edition of Livy’s monumental history of Rome and the first edition of his Scholia. Livy’s history begins with the landing of Aeneas in Italy and ends with the death of Drusus in 9BC though it was probably intended to continue to the death of Augustus. Of the original 142 books, only 35 have come down to us and of these two are incomplete; nevertheless Livy remains the first authority for the history of ancient and Republican Rome down to the conquest of Macedonia in 167 BC. It is a state history, military and political, arranged strictly chronologically, recounting all the major events with accounts of their principal participants. Inevitably, given the extent of the ground covered there is little philosophical reflection, but the work is saved from being a dry recitation of fact by the author’s considerable literary talents. Livy’s elegant Latin, masterly portraits of great men, impressive speeches and skilful depiction of the play of emotion made him a favourite with Roman readers equalled only by Cicero and Virgil. His history, the greatest narrative history of antiquity, provided the groundwork of almost everything subsequently written on the subject and constituted a textbook for schoolboys from his day to modern times.

Sigonius’ edition is the first in which scholarly criticism is applied to the chronology of Roman history was the best and most accurate of the day. Sigonius (1524-1584) was professor of literature at Venice and produced a number of works for the Aldine press – he was then the most significant classical scholar in Italy and probably rivalled only by Scaliger elsewhere. Doubtless because of its size and consequent cost this edition is rare, and was almost unfindable in good condition, even by the mid C19.