Discourses on Livy (Niccolò Machiavelli) December 10, Niccolò Machiavelli is known today for two things: the adjective “Machiavellian,” and the book from which that adjective is derived, . With a substantial introduction, extensive explanatory notes, a glossary of key words, and an annotated index, the Discourses reveals Machiavelli's radical vision of a new science of . Read the full text of Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy, a commentary on the first ten books of Titus Livy's history of Rome. L