Thus Livy (59 BC-AD17) makes plain the moral purpose of his life's work. This Penguin Classic contains Books VI-X of The History of Rome, beginning with the city's foundation and covering the dramatic century from its apparent collapse after defeat by the Gauls in 386BC to its emergence as the premier power in Italy in 293. Describing history in terms of the characters of the individuals involved rather than in terms of partisan politics, Livy's writing is unfailingly vivid and highly readable.